Don't Tell Motel.
Things were chaos. Not the orderly chaos that the agents were in a seemingly constant state of, but the sudden and violent chaos that, while expected, still threw them for a loop as they scrambled to contain the sudden outbreak of violence at the trainyard and to keep things from escalating and putting yet more strain on their limited resources in the area.
"What's happening?!" Agent Smith demanded as the command center was alive like a kicked hornets nest.
"Gunshots and clashes are being reported in and around the area of the trainyard, Sir!" A comms agent reported as O'Doyle rushed to a dozen different stations to receive as much of a clear picture as they were able.
"Do we know who or what?" Smith asked.
"I'm sure we can take a wild guess." O'Doyle said as a comms agent waved him over and spoke to him before he turned towards Smith.
"The National Guard are already en-route to engage."
"God Damnit!" Smith cursed.
He cracked his knuckles in frustration before taking a calming breath and turning to the assembled agents.
"No problem. We have procedures for this. Get agents in place to direct those NG involved to come in for a 'health screening'. From there we'll have them remember what we want them to remember. How fast can we get some jellies down here?"
"Within the hour. HQ has been waiting for something like this and had some placed on stand-by along with a couple of Magi from the Occult Division." O'Doyle stated before being called over to yet another station while the door to the motel room opened and the three field agents of Dr. Zhu, Dr. Obermann, and Agent Mason entered.
"Subject MacConner and one of the diminutive hominids has departed from the colony." Dr. Zhu declared.
"The Duval, his two shadows, and what looked like a maid up and left too." Mason said around a bite of a cheeseburger with an accompanying drink in his other hand.
"What? Where?" Agent Smith asked before O'Doyle sighed and turned to the senior agent.
"They just ran the Northern checkpoint. That's where."
Agent Smith pinched the bridge of his nose in frustration and sighed.
"Can anyone tell me if the sky is falling on us too?"
Despite the obvious rhetorical question, Mason cracked open the door and peered out all the same.
"Doesn't look like it, but with how things have been going I wouldn't rule it out."
"They must be going after the spawn! We must pursue them with haste!" Dr. Obermann commanded.
"Even if we did, we don't have the manpower at present to do anything other than note down where they're going for future reference." Smith said.
"I know where they're going." Mason declared.
"You do? How?" O'Doyle asked.
Agent Mason held his burger in his mouth as he used his now freed hand to reach into his suit pocket and produced a simple GPS tracker, which he tossed towards O'Doyle before Dr. Obermann could snatch the device from his grasp. Herr Doctor growled and glared at Mason, to the latter's apathy as he continued his meal.
"Had my team plant a tracker on the Duval's Cadi after he kicked us off his private road. Figured if he went anywhere in it it'd be important."
Dr. Zhu scoffed and rolled her eyes.
"You can get a tracker but I have to practically beg just for some basic lab equipment."
"Telling you, it's because you're not a people person." Mason said before taking big gulp of his drink.
O'Doyle and Smith watched the GPS as it sped along the road to the North of the town. As much as they wished to follow after the spawn they simply didn't have the resources to send a tail let alone go after him. Especially now that they had to play peacemaker between the town, the National Guard, the newcomers, and APL-1 along with its cult and the hillfolk nearby.
They watched as the dot slowed some and continued on a leisurely pace to its destination. Smith patted O'Doyle on the shoulder.
"Keep track of them."
O'Doyle grunted affirmatively and relayed the information to the necessary agent as they coordinated the information they had while Dr. Obermann marched up to Smith.
"What are we doing?! We need to go after them!"
"No, what I need to do is go and keep this powder keg from going off anymore than it already has, YOU need to remain here in town and secure it against any attempts by APL-1." Smith commanded.
Obermann sneered in response.
"You're going to let the spawn roam free?!"
"No. We're going to keep an eye on where its location is while putting out a fire before we try and potentially start another one while we're already spread thin as is." Agent Smith stated and turned to Agent Doe.
"Come along. We gotta go play babysitter." Smith said as Doe followed after the senior agent, leaving the rest to either stew, loiter, or rush around as they try and process everything as best they could.
"Oh, and call the boys at the North Checkpoint and find out why the hell they let three cars full of P.O.I's rush by them!" Smith called as he left the room.
He was immediately greeted with sounds of activity not dissimilar to what they had just left. Except he could hear anxious murmurs from people nearby as well as sounds of continued gunfire even this far into town. He sighed and passed by the plain clothed agents that kept watch outside while nodding a greeting to the ever present, and ever grimly silent, guards that maintained their post to the room next to theirs.
He and Doe made their way down the stairs and came to an interesting sight in the parking lot. Smith and Doe watched as a loose ring of bodies had formed and were cheering and calling out as two barely clothed people within the ring were duking it out. Well, more like one was getting pulverized while the other laid into him with little remorse.
Smith cast an eye towards the seafoam green plated men that watched like hawks on the overhead rail of the motel as the fight continued despite the obvious extreme violence. One of the men, an elf if Smith had to guess by the pointed ears and features that would make a plastic surgeon envious, turned towards Smith with his murmillo helmet under his gauntleted arm and stared sternly at the Agent with a single good stormy grey eye, the other was milky white and a deep scar that marred the otherwise supermodel face running from his silver hair line to his short yet finely bearded jaw.
The elven gladiator turned his glare away from the agents and back towards the ring of men as the obvious loser had fallen after a crushing assault. The ring roared and cheered, all save for the grim men that stood nearby and watched. Smith and Doe half expected someone to either help the downed fighter while also reaching for their concealed guns if the victor sought to finish him off.
Yet the agents watched as the bloodied and beaten man fought just to get back onto his feet. With wobbling steps and a face that could barely be called such, the fighter threw his arms up in a display that said that he wasn't finished just yet. His opponent turned towards the scarred elf with a cocked brow.
The elf gave a single gruff command without hesitation.
"Again."
So the fight resumed. The bloodied man continued to fight as best he could under the unforgiving onslaught of his opponent, yet even after he fell he would attempt to rise again, and again, the order was given to continue. Smith couldn't stomach it though, he's seen enough illegal or semi-legal pit fights back during the war. Poor people left destitute that they resort to savagery and brutality in order to get needed supplies or to be sworn in to some sort of gang that was pretty much the only real law and order in the area.
Keep the peace, Smith reminded himself as he got into his car with Doe and left as the bloodied gladiator fell to the ground once more. That was part of their job. Maintain the peace as best they could while maintaining good relations with the newcomers in order to make things easier and smoother for everyone.
Yet there was alot that he didn't like that they had to overlook. But sometimes that was what it took to keep the peace. Sometimes you had to hold your nose so you can do the good things needed and hope that the bad stuff ignored wasn't as bad. Or at least that's what plenty of agents-turned-alcoholics said to justify their habits.
It was why they didn't immediately crack down on the dwarves and their indentured servitude, it was why they didn't raid the Duval Estate, it was why they hadn't stormed the halfling colony. You catch more flies with honey instead of shit, is what he was told by his predecessor when he asked him why they let such things slide. It's the agency's hope that they can eventually steer those like these newcomers into following more modern and enlightened ways of thinking.
Smith wished it worked more often though, there were still plenty of awful habits that people and creatures still had even despite decades or even centuries of teaching and better or more humane offers. Cannibalism and bloodsucking still ran rampant in some areas despite offers of genetically grown meat and synthetic blood. Ritual sacrifice of living captives, soul harvesting, necromantic enslavement, the list went on. Yet most of it was swept under the rug for the sake of peace and stability of The Veil.
The Veil being the only thing keeping the rest of the world from realizing that they weren't alone in this world, or the next for that matter. Paper thin and fragile, yet with enough vigilance they were able to keep it intact. With plenty of compromise in blood, sweat, and tears. A bit too much for his liking at times though, Smith thought as they passed by military trucks and entered the trainyard. Everything had a price though, he thought as he and Doe made their way through the signs of battle and searched for the dwarven patriarch. A price that someone had to pay for, and it was their burden to decide when, where, and who.
They eventually found him just as it looked like he and the Major General had come to some sort of agreement. He doubt the Major General would tell them what it was, so he made a note to inform HQ and have them tap their communications more and keep an eye out for anything suspicious between them and the dwarves.
"Master Ulrin." Smith called out as they neared the dwarf as he stared up at the mountain that loomed over them all.
"What do you want, manlin'?" The dwarf asked with a rumble.
"Peace." Smith stated simply.
The dwarf scoffed and gestured to the bodies and blood around them.
"A bit late fer tha'."
"Not necessarily."
"Even so, I'll not make peace until I have exacted justice fer tha blood spilled this day!" Ulrin declared.
"Or you can follow me and we can make sure that MORE blood isn't spilled." Smith said.
"Bah! I've had enough o' your honeyed words, manlin'! I'll not break bread with a foe so soon after such an attack against mah kin!" Ulrin declared with a dismissive wave of his hand.
But Smith would not be dismissed so easily and he marched over to the dwarf, not caring for the stern glares from the armored, and armed, dwarves near the patriarch.
"Then let me put it this way. You can come with me up the mountain to make peace, or you'll find things around here get VERY difficult for you and your people."
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"You mean MORE diffcult than wha' you have already done?" Ulrin said in an accusatory tone.
"I don't know what you're talking about." Smith lied.
The dwarf glared at Smith at the obvious lie, but then glanced at the trucks mounted with HMG's that were driving away from the battle site. He spat onto the ground between the two of them.
"Fine. I'll make peace. When I am able."
"What does that mean?" Smith asked.
"It means tha' there is much ta do in tha aftermath, if you desire peace than you can wait, manlin'. Mah kin come first." Ulrin declared before walking away.
"What do you want?" Smith called out with a groan.
The dwarf stopped in his walking and turned to Smith while stroking his gilded beard.
"What do you offer?"
Keep the peace, Smith thought with an internal groan.
"What if I can promise to assist with whatever problems you've been having with your trains?"
The dwarf cocked a curious brow.
"Good. But what else?"
"What do you mean what else?!" Smith asked heatedly.
"Mah kin need me, manlin'." Ulrin stated before turning to walk away once again.
"We'll facilitate a meeting with the railroad corporations." Smith called out, causing the dwarf to halt once again.
He turned back towards Smith.
"How do you know mah intentions?"
"It's our business to know things. I imagine that is what you and the Major General shook on wasn't it? Probably made a deal for him to get you to Pittsburgh?"
The dwarf rumbled.
"What business is it o' yours where and who I speak with?"
"Our business is keeping things quiet and peaceful. So in exchange for coming with me to work out a peace deal, we'll make sure that the people that you want to meet are in Pittsburgh and to expect you."
"I'll also ask for mah boys ta be given free rein ta explore your smelting facilities." Ulrin demanded.
Keep the peace, Smith reminded himself.
"Fine. But nowhere else. The railroad corporations and A smelting plant, no more."
The dwarf rumbled as he stroked his beard in thought for a moment before walking back towards Smith and extended his bejeweled hand towards the agent.
"We have an accord."
Smith shook the strong and firm dwarven hand, and made note to forward the deal to HQ as well so they can set things in motion.
"Then lets go."
Ulrin turned and shouted.
"QUINTIN! Oh there you are."
The dwarf turned to the heavily bagged and spectacled gnome that had hurried to his side since the battle had ended and remained in his shadow.
"Have you taken note o' tha recent deals?"
"Yes Master Ulrin." The gnome said in a nasally voice.
"Good. Summon mah boys and retrieve Ogrin. We have a peace ta negotiate." The dwarf declared.
The heavily encumbered and bad-sighted gnome nodded and hurried off, his heavy laden packs clinking and rattling so bad that Smith was curious how he hadn't heard the gnome approach before. Smith turned to the dwarf.
"Meet us just up the hill and we'll proceed from there."
The dwarf rumbled as Smith and Doe turned to leave and four dwarves all with various shades of golden locks made their way over to the patriarch. The agents got into their car and proceeded to turn up the road that led to the former residence of the eldritch spawn. The place was just as much of a battlefield as the trainyard was, there were bodies of dwarves and cult members littered about the place as well as the strange eldritch monsters and beasts that followed the command of The Crone.
Nearby several APCs with machineguns aimed their barrels towards the mountain as if ready for another attack upon the partially developed dwarven settlement. What was left of the former cabin has since been torn down and there was already signs of excavation and development like the hills near the trainyard as the dwarves sought to make the land their own. Smith noted the nearby land that was terraformed by the eldritch spawn. The grass was an eerie blue and the nearby dirt had turned a rich black soil, the nearby trees had their bark turned black while the revealed wood underneath was an ashen grey color compared to the eerie blue leaves.
According to Dr. Obermann's report however, the corruption was supposed to be greater, Smith noted as he and Doe awaited the dwarves arrival. He saw what was most likely the answer as he spotted several faintly glowing runestones scattered about the place where the corruption was most obvious.
As he was examining the stones, Doe alerted him of the dwarves as they approached. Smith saw that Ulrin led the group of three. The other he knew was one of his sons but the other he had yet to get the name of from their surveillance. As they neared the unnamed dwarf dressed in stone grey runic robes bowed his head deeply and introduced himself.
"I am Ogrin! Son o' Alrin! Son o' Elrin! Head rune priest o' clan Ulrin!"
"William Smith. Johnathan Doe." Agent Smith introduced himself and agent Doe to the now named dwarf.
The dwarf grumbled in a dissatisfied way and glared uncertainly at the two agents. The dwarven patriarch held up a hand that silenced the other dwarf's grumbling.
"Leave tha ways o' Man be Ogrin. Where to, manlin'?"
"Just follow us." Smith declared and lead the grumbling dwarves and agent Doe up the mountain.
They made their way past the various remains of bodies, dwarven, human, and otherwise, and entered the shadow of the mountain. Almost immediately they felt a great sense of being watched and it didn't take much for Smith to note that they weren't alone as he saw signs of the locals flitting between the trees nearby, never long enough to be seen but enough to let them know that they were there.
As they got higher they started to notice the tell tale signs of who the area belonged to as more and more totems, charms, sigils, and other fetishes and effigies appeared as they climbed. Eventually they reached a point where Smith called for them to stop before two larger than average trees that had depictions of creatures that shouldn't exist to mortal minds and a language that made the eyes hurt just to look upon them carved into their wood.
Smith cleared his throat and stood just a step away from passing the two trees and called out.
"I AM AGENT WILLIAM SMITH! WITH ME IS AGENT JOHNATHAN DOE! AS WELL AS ULRIN, AERIN, AND OGRIN OF CLAN ULRIN! WE SEEK PASSAGE IN ORDER TO DISCUSS AN ACCORD WITH THE CRONE UPON THE HILL!"
The group waited with held breath as the tension increased in the air. The dwarves shuffled nervously and fingered the weapons they had at their hips while Doe put his hand on his own gun at his side. But not Smith, who stood there and waited patiently for a long moment before taking a step past the two decorated trees. He then turned and gestured for the rest to follow him.
They did so, albeit hesitantly. They all followed after Smith as he led them further up the mountain, the tension and sense of dread and doom ever present and increasing as they went higher. It was obvious that they weren't welcome here. But Smith showed no signs of being concerned with the pressure upon the others and simply marched forwards with a determined gait.
After several minutes they arrived at an encampment littered with all manner of holdings. Trailers, tents, cabins, some had the signs of time and weather on them while others looked somewhat new, in the center of the encampment was a large pit that had bloodstains that marred and marked the dirt and stone walls within. Yet they were alone now, Doe noted as he and the dwarves looked around at the seemingly abandoned encampment. Nothing moved. There was no sound. Despite the signs that there were people that lived here, there was no sign that told them where they went. Only that they were now alone.
Or so Johnathan thought as they neared a cabin where an older gentleman in a dark purple robe waited for them.
"Agent Smith."
"Casius." Agent Smith returned.
"She is waiting for you." Casius stated and gestured to the cabin door.
They followed after Smith as he made his way towards the door, the dwarves kept their hands on their weapons, but Casius just smirked and chuckled amusingly at the display as he followed them into the cabin. Where they found an ancient woman hunched over in a rocking chair, she was paper-thin with glassy eyes and pure white hair. To Johnathan she looked so old that a stiff wind would turn her into dust! But Agent Smith merely took a seat across from her and gestured for the dwarves to do the same.
Save for Aerin and Doe, who stood nearby while the others took a seat on an old and dusty couch. The ancient woman blinked and creaked as she turned towards Casius as he took a place at her side as she wheezed out some words.
"Who's there?"
"Can we hurry this along? I'm sure you don't want us here anymore than we want to be here." Smith stated.
The ancient paper-thin woman turned towards Smith with glassy eyes.
"Oh? But I'm just a poor old woman. What would you want with me?"
Smith just glared at the ancient fossil at the question. Doe was curious what Smith was trying to do when he watched with his own eyes as the ancient woman cackled and her body began to fill up with renewed vigor and life as her eyes un-fogged and her hair became a shade of red.
"Oh you aren't any fun! We thought you were supposed to have a sense of humor!"
"I'm afraid recent events has left me feeling less than joyous." Smith said.
The now rejuvenated woman snorted and leaned back in her chair with a smirk.
"So what business brings you here William Smith?"
"Peace." Agent Smith stated plainly.
"Peace? We didn't know We were at war, did you Casius?" The woman said as she turned to the man next to her.
"I don't believe so, Mistress." The man said.
Ulrin rumbled and slammed his fist on the rickety table between them.
"I demand payment fer tha blood you and yours spilt this day!"
"Oh? And who are you to be making such demands of Us?" The woman said as her neck bent an unnatural way and Johnathan dug at his ears as he heard whispering from somewhere.
"You don't frighten me creature o' tha void! I'll have what is owed no matter who, or what, you are!" Ulrin declared with a steely glare.
"Maybe you should be. Fear is there for a reason." The woman stated and turned with an equally unnatural crack of her neck towards Smith.
"You attacked them, which is a violation of the agreement. We have come for compensation." Smith demanded.
The woman cackled like she just heard the funniest joke ever as she slapped her thigh in mirth. She turned to Casius.
"Did you hear that, Casius?! WE violated the agreement!"
The man smiled and nodded along as she continued to cackle. Infuriating the dwarves further.
"We'll not accept tha deaths o' our kin as mirth creature!"
"Oh but it IS funny! To march up here and make demands of Us while claiming that it was WE that were the violators! That's the best joke We've heard in centuries!" She exclaimed along with another bout of cackling laughter.
"Enough! You violated the agreement-" Smith started before the woman held up a hand and he was silenced.
She halted her cackling but maintained that same smug smirk on her face as she began to speak again, but this time in the voice of someone else. An older man from the sounds of it.
"You agree that harm shall not befall those of these United States except for those whom tread across the agreed upon boundaries and those that have struck a bargain with you. You also agree to remain within your domain and not exit it and to limit your influence to it and those unfortunate enough to bargain with you and in exchange we will maintain the veil between our worlds and interfere should conflict come for you from mortals within or without our nation."
After the eerie display the woman, or whatever she was, smirked at agent Smith.
"As you can hear, I made no such violations."
"You attacked-"
"Casius? Who was is that was supposedly harmed?" The woman interrupted Smith and turned to the man next to her.
"No one, Mistress."
"That's right. No one." She stated with that same smug smirk.
"You give insult?!" The dwarf in the runic robes huffed and put a hand on the handle of his mace.
"No. We merely state fact, dwarf. Tell Us, William Smith. Do they belong to 'these United States'?" She asked.
Agent Smith held his mouth in a firm line and remained silent. She smirked ever wider and spoke.
"Let Us answer then. No. They don't. In fact, quite a few new arrivals don't seem to be a part of 'these United States' doesn't it, Casius?"
"It does, Mistress." The man stated.
"Indeed. In fact, if Our ears are correct, the trainyard is theirs. Which would mean that the trainyard doesn't exist now either under the agreement. So tell Us, William Smith. Who was it that violated the agreement? Us? Or you?"
"We didn't-"
"You allowed the National Guard to once again intrude and butcher those under Our care and protection!"
"They were assitin' us against your attack monster!" Aerin yelled.
"Assistin' who? Last I checked you weren't a part of this agreement. Which means that the National Guard butchered and slaughtered those that belonged to Us without provocation! Which was something that you and yours promised would not come to pass again!" The woman said with a feral grin.
"And you were given compensation for last time."
"The death of a single man for the deaths of dozens? Such a poor compensation which We graciously accepted based on promises by you and yours. And now you climb up here and heap demands upon Us for supposed violations?"
Smith ground his teeth in frustration and anger. This was why he hated dealing with otherworldly creatures, they loved their loopholes and fine print and it was either impossible or maddening to think and plan for each and every word you say to make sure you're not getting a raw deal. Which you were because every word and phrase could be twisted by minds with millennia to go over them and plan for whatever twistedly technical logic they needed to see that they collected what was owed to them.
"What do you want?" Smith demanded.
The Crone smirked.
"We'll take the land up to the town's borders."
"Ridiculous."
"No? Then as the offended party We would have no reason to uphold Our end of the agreement. In which case We'll just take it and those that reside there." The Crone stated.
"There has to be a boundary between our world and yours." Smith said.
The Crone shrugged her shoulders.
"Then it's up to you to decide where."
Smith bit his lip so hard he tasted blood.
"Three miles."
"Three inches." She countered.
Smith's knuckles popped as he clenched his hands into fists.
"A mile."
The Crone seemed to mull over the offered boundary before speaking again.
"Very well. But we claim Our boy's land."
"Nay! It was turned over ta us as part o' an agreement between us!" Ulrin declared.
"Oh? And what agreement was that?" She asked with a smirk.
"He asked fer safe passage, we accepted in exchange fer tha land as compensation fer those wounded and dead at his hands as well as payment." Ulrin stated.
"So what you're saying is that the land no longer exists? Then We see no reason why We can't claim it as well." She said with a wider smirk.
The dwarves made to argue and reached for their weapons, while the Crone's smile grew ever wider and the oppressive tension and whispering flooded the room they were all in. Smith slammed his hand upon the table.
"Enough!"
All eyes turned to him, he first turned to The Crone.
"We accept. The land, up to a mile away from town, will be ceded to you."
"Good." She said simply with a smile.
"We-" The dwarves started before Smith interrupted them.
"Will come to an agreement! There will be no more firefights and battles upon the mountain! You hear!" Smith yelled.
He turned to The Crone.
"Just because we can't kill you doesn't mean we can't make you weak enough that something else could."
He then turned to the dwarves.
"And we've overlooked some things you've done in the name of peace and stability but make no mistake, we will come down on you like the Wrath of God if you make a big enough problem for us!"
He then spoke to the both of them.
"So? Can we keep things civil or do we need to step in with force?"
The Crone merely smiled and stared at Agent Smith. She then turned to the dwarf who was still fuming and looked ready to boil over and attack either Smith or her.
"Fine. We agree that We shall not wage war upon the mountain."
Then she held our her hand for Ulrin to shake. He looked ready to draw his sword and lop it off when Aerin leaned over and whispered something into his ear. His eyes narrowed and he took his hand away from his sword and shook the offered hand.
"Aye. No war upon the mountain."
Smith nodded as The Crone smiled wider once again as Ulrin rumbled.
"Good. As for the rest of the newcomers."
"We promise that we shall bring no harm upon them."
"What's your price?" Smith asked skeptically.
"The old coal mine." Casius said instead.
"Why?" Smith asked even more skeptically.
"It's already ours under law, we just want to make sure that it applies to ALL law." Casius stated.
Smith grumbled, but didn't really see a reason to refuse. Which meant it was probably a bad idea to accept. Keep the peace, he thought once again and nodded as he shook The Crone's hand.
"Fine. The land around the coal mine, as written in the deed for it, is considered yours."
The Crone continued to smile that unnerving smile. Smith felt like he just bargained away his soul. But compromising was part of the job, even if he hated it every time he had to do it. He turned towards the dwarves who seemed just as angry but oddly quiet despite getting practically abandoned and left for the wolves during this "negotiation".
"Is that everything?" He said.
The dwarves nodded as they continued to glare daggers at The Crone, who continued to smile and smirk at them as she nodded as well.
"Good. Then we will depart under promise of protection?"
She nodded again and watched as the group of mortals left her cabin. She turned to Casius as she could sense them leaving.
"They're slipping."
"How so, Mistress?"
"This deal was as good as being given free reign! Any devil or fae would balk at such obvious loopholes!" She stated.
"So plans are to proceed then?"
"Yes. We'll leave matters of the town to you, as per the agreement. WE can't interfere."
"Then I shall leave you to your fun, Mistress." Casius said and departed. Leaving The Crone to watch the mortals make their way down Her mountain. She had a war to prepare for.
-----
Johnathan just felt like he got out of the principle's office, and he wasn't even the one being chewed out! The entire trudge back was awkward and tense, even after they eventually arrived back at their car. The dwarves departed with simple farewells and made their way back to the trainyard, leaving them to drive back to the motel in silence.
Johnathan wanted to say something, but he didn't really know what to say since he wasn't even sure what all just happened! First they're going up to work out peace between the dwarves and APL-1, and the next their coming back feeling like they just got swindled in Vegas! He turned to Smith and attempted to at least fill the car with something other than silence.
"So-"
"Never make deals with otherworldly beings, Doe. Because no matter what you say or write down it will always ALWAYS come back to bite you in the ass. That back there? That is how each and every interaction with creatures and beings like that end up. Djinn, fae, devils, all of them. I know there was probably at least a dozen loopholes and ways for her to screw us over. But you wanna know the truth? We were fucked the second she decided to attack the dwarves. All that just now? Theater. She knew damn well what, where, when, and to who she had to attack. But she got what she wanted in the end. Why? Because no matter how old we can get through natural or unnatural sources it will never compare to the mind of beings that are older than the entire galaxy and then some. Even the most clever of people have gotten shafted by making deals with such beings. So a word to the wise? Don't. If someone smelling of brimstone offers to make you the greatest guitar player ever? You tell them to take a hike and go to the store and buy a guidebook. If some guy comes to you talking about trading memories and shadows, you grab some salt and iron. If you try and play at being Aladdin and find a lamp with a djinn in it? Toss that fucker right into the ocean, or sewer, or whatever else is nearby that's deep and carry on with your life. Because always remember. Be careful what you wish for, you might just get it."
The rest of their ride was tense and silent yet again as Smith pulled into their parking spot, the ring of people remained, though it looked like new people were in the ring now instead of those before. Neither Smith nor Doe wanted to know what happened to the losers. So they pointedly ignored the bloody spectacle and entered the room.
O'Doyle turned to them as they did so and spoke.
"They're returning."
"Do we have the location of where they went?"
"Trout's Landing. Abandoned some years back, but they were there for a few hours."
"Then let them by. We know where they went and more than likely who they met, no sense causing yet more of a scene than what's already happened."
"Negotiations sour?" O'Doyle asked as he relayed the orders to the checkpoint guards.
"As it always does." Smith said in a tired voice and sighed before taking a seat at one of the stations and focusing on work.