We somehow managed to travel the remaining 200 feet or so to Misty's Shop without Mr. Wick shooting anyone else. I'm going to count that as a win.

I hadn't realized just how much of a hair trigger he had.

I had the troops head off into to to the Gomorrah, I gave then all some bills to get drinks and maybe contribute to their delinquency. Seriously though some ladies put a lot of effort into their routines. Realistically, they were probably saving up for better iron to splatter some gonks, or for some of those sick mantis blades I saw in Vik's catalogue. Yeah that fits. I warned them not to get too excited and be respectful. I didn't want any of them to go missing over an incident. I imagined the security at most of these places is shoot first, ask nicely later.

Mr. Wick, Raynor and I walked into Misty's shop. She stopped her conversation with a young guy to look at us. Her smile got a little steadier.

Huh? Misty's the friendliest person in this cesspit of a city, why would she look uncomfortable? Was this asshole bothering her?

"Dr Vektor is ready for your friends, Ryan." Her head gesture back towards the alley.

"I'll show them the way, then I'll want a chakra thingy." I gave her a cheeky grin. "If you're not busy, that is?" I looked at the punk kid, some slicked back Corpo type. A wannabe or an actual wage slave remained to be seen. Honestly, he looked like he was in sales or marketing.

"A cleansing sure. Just let me finish up with Mr. Hayashi here." She returned my grin.

When we got into the alley, "Hoss, you are a little too flirty with the little lady in there."

I sighed, "Jim, didn't you catch how she reacted to us coming in? That was relief, that guy was pushing her. Also, no I'm not flirting with her, that's just how we are."

"Flirting." Mr. Wick chimed in.

"Et tu, Brute? Seriously stop reading too much into this. She is a friend, and I like her, but don't make a mountain out of a molehill." I shook my head and made a chopping motion with my hand.

They both grunted at me. Raynor's was the grunt of fatherly disapproval. Mr. Wick's was a "don't care, your problem" grunt.

I sighed so hard, I felt my inner teenager reawaken from years of neglect, just for them to cringe. It was like having your dad and his scary best bro lecturing you. I'm thirty fucking years old, even if I no longer look it, I didn't need to be parented.

The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.

The hell is going on?

Well, at least Vik wouldn't give me any guff.

"What's this I hear about you flirting with Misty?" Fuck, he just grumbled at me in overprotective father. All that was missing was a shotgun.

"Vik not you too." I felt betrayed.

"Nah, just fucking with you kid. Misty's a big girl, she can take care of herself." He grinned at me, that gotcha grin.

I groaned. "Vik this is Jim Raynor and Mr. John Wick. Jim, Mr. Wick this is Dr. Viktor Vektor. Despite his poor sense of humor he is best ripper in Night City, and don't let him tell you different." They nodded at each other. "Guys get whatever you want, but make sure you at least get the same head ware as me. Vik take good care of them and I'll settle up before we leave." I nodded at them, "Now I'm going to go make sure that greasy dude doesn't overstay his welcome."

I pivoted and marched back to Misty's shop.

"Miss Olszewski, we feel that our offer is more than fair." He gave her an up and down stare but it wasn't the lewd kind. More the looking where to best to cut to get maximum value from your organs. "Please, don't make the wrong decision. We will be awaiting your reply." Asshole strutted out like he already owned the place, and he was deigning to let us use it.

"Some folks could benefit from bullet therapy. He looks like a good candidate." I growled.

"Now that would be the waste of a bullet. Some people have lost their souls, he murdered his." She laughed and pointed to her chair.

"You know I could get you a nice drone. They're friendly, hard working and good at frying assholes like that." I plopped down into the oversized chair. Ah, I missed you comfy chair. That's right any designs I have on Misty are all for this amazing chair.

She just shook her head at the offer of a drone.

"Now, tell me about your latest adventures." She pulled our her crystals and began setting up for the cleansing while I spent the next thirty minutes filling her in on all the events since last I saw her.

"Sounds like a lot of work, and you found some nice women." She smiled big. She turned on the radio and started up an ambient rain and flute piece of music. Not bad, needed some drums though.

"I don't know about nice, but I like them. No, I love them, even if I don't understand it. I keep expecting the other shoe to drop." I'm sure I had a goofy grin on my face.

"I find there's usually no easy path to understanding love. You have to let go of that worry and just focus on the now." She started waving her hands as she guided me to close my eyes. "Relax and just listen to the music... "

The darkness surrounded me. I didn't know where I was or how I got here. I was running from a monster.

Some vague and nebulous beast of eldritch origins. Blending completely into the lightless void around us. How I could even tell it was there, I had no clue. Yet the creature was already in front of me and right beside me as well. It was everywhere and nowhere all at once.

I was nothing, just a small thing it took hungry notice of.

It's cold and clammy hands clamped down upon me pulling me down into an an even darker pool of writhing blackness. Wails of the damned and lost were faintly audible under the cackling of the beast.

"Ssssoooon youuuu ssshaalll beeee aaallll oursssssss."

More cackling.

Hell No! You can just back off creepy stalker monster. I refuse to be your anything.

I struggled and fought to break free, but each moment the tar like oblivion sucked me in deeper. I tried to cast a spell, to turn on my aura to say the prayer for Smite. Nothing worked and I shortly knew myself no more, just another soul wailing and gurgling in despair as the emptiness and meaninglessness of existence was used as a noose to strangle me.