School of Hard Knock-Ups Pt. 02

Quieting down, they enter the transport vehicle and get buckled in, Teilun sighing as she gets ready for the ride. Jerking softly as the vehicle starts up again, Teilun's eyes look over her teammates again, smiling softly as she reminds herself that she is in good company.

"What's our ETA?" she asks, fidgeting with the shock gauntlets on her hands, the dark-red bodysuit below her armor a notable contract against the black gloves, "Can't be too far, right? I'm itching to get into the action."

"We're about ten minutes out. Don't get too comfortable, all of you. The time will fly by faster than you think," Whitefang replies, glancing back at the one who asked her the question, "Just remember the mission priority. No taking risks with the hostages. We get every soul we can out of there."

"Aye aye, chief!" Teilun replies cheerfully, humming softly to herself and intentionally ignoring the soft chatter of the rest of the team, her thoughts consumed by Heisuke and the new side of him that she witnessed last night.

Shaking her head, she attempts to dismiss the thoughts in question, recalling his firm muscles and the way he looked into her eyes, as if confident he could take on the world for her. She sighs softly as she slips back into her imagination, hoping that her new mate is alright back at her home. Jerking in surprise as the vehicle seems to come to a halt moments later, Teilun unbuckles herself from her seat along with the rest of the team, no words spoken as they begin their mission.

Slinging her shotgun off of her back, Teilun parts from the main group for the moment, as does Specialist Bleakvine, their job being to scout out ahead and remove any stray targets before moving further in to assist the rest of the team. She soon spots a pair of slaver guards, evident by the poorly-hidden weapons in their clothing and the initial report of the whole block being under their control. Grinning savagely, she creeps closer in the shadows as if stalking prey, licking her lips as she closes the distance.

"Say goodnight," she thinks to herself, grabbing one of the enemy Var by the neck and activating her shock gauntlets, lifting her shotgun with her other hand and shooting the other slaver in the side. His body rips open in a bloody burst, a startled yelp escaping the maimed Var before he falls to the side, clearly dead.

"Should have picked a different job." She says, snapping the neck of the twitching and writhing slaver in her grasp, before sighing in disappointment as she drops the dead body to the floor, eyeing them with disgust, "Weaklings. Why are so many Var so weak?"

"Hey! You crazy bitch!" Teilun hears, the pounding of footsteps charging towards her reaching her ears, turning her head with a smile to see at least a dozen Var running towards her, only a few of them armed with guns, "You think you can kill our guys and get away with it!?"

"I absolutely can," she says with a giggle, pumping her shotgun again and aiming it towards the crowd while grinning viciously, "I hope you last longer than your friends did. They were so boring!"

Growling and snarling at Teilun, the group hardly flinches at all as she shoots one of them without hesitation, his chest exploding into gore and splattering against the others in a gruesome display. Some of them grin as if knowing something Teilun doesn't, and she sighs as she squeezes the trigger again after pumping the shotgun.

"Bloodthirster rage is nothing new, you morons. Try something original, maybe you won't die without getting a hit in," she taunts them with another giggle, shooting two more of them in rapid succession before turning the gun around and smashing the stock into one of their muzzles with a loud crack of bone breaking.

Pumping the gun with the momentum of pulling it back, she presses the barrel under the chin of one of the slavers, smirking as she squeezes the trigger and paints the nearby vicinity with his brains, "Pop! Try again! How many of you are left?"

"More than enough to handle you!" one of the slavers shouts as he charges at Teilun, the quickly dwindling group attempting to surround her and overwhelm her, a knife pointed at her stomach as the Var slaver tries to drive it into her body. His eyes widen as Teilun's fist impacts the side of the blade, snapping the poor quality metal and sending the tip of the blade into the leg of one of the slavers, earning a loud yowl of pain from him.

Gasping in fear as the previously armed slaver feels her grasp his collar and hoist him into the air, his scream of fear cut short as she drives her fist straight into his throat, crushing his windpipe and letting the dying Var fall to the floor.

"Doesn't look like it," Teilun quips, her eyes narrowing in unrestrained malice and glowing a soft red as she allows her Bloodthirster blood to boil inside of her, a savage snarl ripping through the air from her fang-filled maw. Blocking a wrench swung in her direction with the shotgun, Teilun redirects the tool to the side and rakes her claws over his face with deadly precision, his howl of pain echoing into the air as she robs him of his sight, "You need at least ten more to stand a chance! Time to face Noctuna's judgment, fuckers!"

"What the hell is she?" a slaver further away from Teilun mutters, frozen where he is in shock, watching the battle-crazed noblewoman bludgeon the blinded Var to death with her gun and caving his skull in while painting her armor crimson, "She's a m-monster!"

"I am your death!" Teilun roars with a laugh, grabbing the arm of a Var swinging a baseball bat towards her before punching him in the chest thrice, forcing him to cough as he chokes on his own blood, her blows only growing stronger as the fight continues, "I am your end! I will cleanse the world of you scum, even if it's the last thing I do!"

Twisting the dying Var's arm, she forces him between her and his friends as a trio of gunshots ring through the air, the three rounds striking Teilun's meat shield. Letting go of the now-dead slaver's arm and grasping the back of his shirt, Teilun cackles like a Var possessed as she charges straight for the gun-wielding slavers, their weapons doing little but making her shield a more gruesome mess. She bowls through two of the remaining opponents, grabbing one of the knives on a slaver's belt and driving it into one of the shooter's guts, dropping the corpse and wrenching the handgun out of the screaming Var's hands.

"J-just die! Fuck off!" one of the last two shooters screams with clear fear in his voice, Teilun withdrawing the knife from the gasping Var's insides and slashing it across his throat, ending his life before allowing his body to fall over her. More gunshots ring out, and Teilun grins from under the twitching body as the bullets simply hit their ally. Cackling in joy as she hears their firearms click, Teilun tosses the body to the side, throwing the knife straight into one of the shooter's throats before putting a round between the other one's eyes with her handgun.

The remaining five Var attempt to run away from the crazed she-demon behind them, only managing to take a few steps before each of them falls dead one by one, a shot for each slaver. Teilun giggles softly to herself, approaching each of the groaning or unconscious slavers before letting them meet the same fate, gunshots heard farther from her position as well.

"Guess the others ran into some of these assholes, too," Teilun comments with a smirk, wiping some blood off of her muzzle and licking it from her hand, eyes still glowing a soft red, "I hope they leave some for me. This was barely a warmup. Weird guys, though...such cheesy lines."

=====

Staring up at the Nightvar before him, Heisuke narrows his eyes in scrutiny from his seat, earning a confused tilt of the head from the male watching him. The staring contest continues for another couple of moments, the standing Nightvar soon beginning to tap his foot impatiently, narrowing his own eyes and giving a soft growl of irritation.

"Are you going to just stare at me all day, or are you going to order something? I know I'm gorgeous, but this is just rude," he comments with a scowl, folding his arms and continuing to tap his foot, "What's the holdup? You don't know what you want?"

"N-no, just...you are Corlo Bloodfang, yes? Teilun's twin brother?" Heisuke questions with a sheepish smile, genuinely apologetic for making him feel like his time is being wasted.

"Yeah, what of it?" Corlo simply asks in response, giving a shrug and tapping the notepad in his hand with his pen, "Is it really that unusual that I would be cooking for my family? I do this for everyone in the Bloodfang household."

"Really? I mean, It is not that I am not grateful, I'm just surprised. Wouldn't most nobles leave that to their servants?" Heisuke inquires with a tilt of his head, curious as to why Teilun's brother would be preparing their meals.

"Yup. I usually just cook for my immediate family, and occasionally for the servants. Like I said, I do this for everyone in the Bloodfang household," Corlo responds with a soft smile, chuckling and leaning back a bit, "So, that order? I bet you'll be dying for more, soon enough."

"Oh, um...maybe a couple of sandwiches? I don't usually eat very much, aside from the bare minimum," Heisuke admits with a sheepish chuckle, shrinking back in his seat as he notices Corlo's eyes narrowing, "What's wrong? I can order something else if t-that's too much."

"Too much? Heisuke, you are talking to one of the best chefs in Vampirica, and you are asking for sandwiches. Gods...is there anything you can't eat? I'll make something worthy of my sister's mate. You will eat properly while you are in this house, understood?"

Gulping softly, Heisuke nods his head and blushes softly, not used to being forced to eat a full, healthy meal, "I don't think there are any foods I can't eat, but...are you sure? I don't want to trouble you."

"It would be more trouble to have Teilun punching me because I didn't feed you properly. It's my way of helping you feel a bit more welcome," Corlo admits with a smile, patting Heisuke on the shoulder and making his way towards the door to the kitchen, "Just wait and see what I have in store for you! You won't regret it!"

Watching the young Nightvar make his way back into the kitchen, Heisuke turns his attention to his future father-in-law, pointing to where Corlo disappeared with a finger, "Is...he usually so boisterous? And forceful?"

"That's an average day for Corlo. He's passionate about food, and his restaurant is quite popular," Lucian comments with a soft shrug, sipping his tea and turning the page of his newspaper, "It usually has a waitlist that's months long. I'm not surprised he wanted to treat you to something nicer than sandwiches."

"...that's so nice of him," Heisuke quietly says with a soft smile, turning his gaze to the table and letting his tail sway softly behind him in happiness, "I was worried that he wouldn't like me. I guess I'm worried that the others won't approve of Teilun and I..."

"Boy, the only two people whose approval you need is mine and my daughter's, and you already have both. Teilun is notoriously picky, it's practically become a running joke in the family," the household head admits with a chuckle, taking another sip of his tea, "Ever since she was a youngling, she would send suitors home in tears or in shock. She fought against a lot of them and drew blood more than once. Always said she wouldn't take anyone other than the strongest male as her mate."

"Y-yeah, I remember her saying that often enough," Heisuke replies with a relieved smile, glancing to the side and chuckling softly, "I never thought that would be me, but I'm...relieved? Appreciative? I can't find the words to describe how much she means to me."

Staring at Heisuke with an appraising eye, Lucian takes in his smaller stature and thin build, the muscle on him nothing compared to Riktor or himself. Even Corlo is larger, years of hauling food into the kitchen on his own building up a fair bit of toning. Despite all this, he somehow defeated his eldest daughter in a match and has even convinced her to remain with him.

"I believe you. Teilun means a great deal to me as well, as I am sure you are aware. Treat her right, and she will likely be the greatest companion you could ask for," Lucian assures him with a smile, flipping the page of his newspaper again and skimming the contents as he speaks, "She's always been a loving girl, even if she pretends that she doesn't like affection. If you can earn enough of her trust for her to let you in, you will not be able to get rid of her again."

"Uh...what do you mean by that?" Heisuke asks the household head, his smile growing nervous as he fidgets with his hands atop his lap, "You make it sound like she's not going to give me a moment alone... That doesn't sound so bad, actually."

"Something like that. She was a clingy child, always climbing on me and bursting into my study so that I could give her some attention," Lucian reminisces with a chuckle, setting his teacup down and sighing softly, "Those days seem so much simpler, in hindsight. My children are all grown now, aren't they?"

Sitting up in his seat, Lucian looks directly into Heisuke's eyes, traces of regret seen in the older Var's expression. Gulping softly, Heisuke sits up straighter in response, maintaining eye contact and waiting for Lucian to collect his thoughts. A few quiet, almost tense moments later, Lucian sighs and rests his elbows on the table, interlocking his fingers together as he does.

"Treasure the time you have with her, boy. Life can sometimes take the ones we care most about from us, often suddenly and without warning. I pray to Noctuna that you do not know that pain for a very long time."

=====

"Bloodfang, get a frag through that window!" Whitefang demands of the grinning, blood-raging Nightvar taking cover across from her position, the battle-hungry female eagerly following her orders and pulling a pin from a grenade on her belt before preparing to lob it, "Grinder, keep them pinned with suppressive fire and wait for my signal to breach the door! We can't let them hold us up here!"

"Come on, babe! We got this, these guys ain't shit!" Whistlewind shouts over the cracks of gunfire, the two opposing sides currently in a stalemate. Teilun's explosive smashes through a glass-paned window and explodes a moment later, her grin never leaving her face, "Nice throw, Tei! Do you think you can get any closer? I have an idea!"

"Not without some covering fire! I don't want to get turned into a pincushion, thank you!" Teilun calls back, pumping her shotgun before quickly sliding out from cover and firing at the entrenched slavers, growling in irritation as she realizes that she missed her shot, "Fucking hell! How many of these shit stains are there!?"

"I thought you liked these kinds of battles, Bloodfang!" Grinder roars with glee, the barrel of his mini-gun whirring rapidly before he steps out of cover, laughing like a bloodthirsty madman as the bullets from his weapon begin to tear through the enemy's hiding spots, concrete and steel walls shredding like wet paper, "The thrill of danger! The rewards for success! I live for this excitement!"

"Your armor can stop almost anything, you big idiot!" Teilun shouts at him, rolling her eyes and shouldering her shotgun. Drawing her pistol and sliding one of the guns she stole from one of the dead slaver's bodies into her other hand. Dashing out of cover and taking advantage of Grum's distraction, Teilun downing two more of the nasty bastards as she moves closer to the main building behind the defensive line of rubble and obstacles, "If you're gonna use that idea, then do it now Whistlewind! I'm taking fire over here! Whoa, that one was way too close!"

Chuckling to herself, Fura spreads her webbed wings wide, taking to the sky and opening fire upon the enemies with her rifle, a grin plastered across her face. Teilun hears Fura's voice in her ear as the ground-bound warrior continues to fight her way through the enemies, the gunfire almost drowning her out completely, "Head towards the door, Tei! If anyone is gonna be better off in closed quarters, it's you! I'll blast that steel door right off of its hinges!"

Trusting her at her word, Teilun hurries to escape from the onslaught of fire, and grunts as a bullet ricochets off of her shoulder piece. She dives behind a concrete barrier, reloading her pistols and taking a deep breath to calm herself before glancing over her cover. Yipping as the concrete next to her head explodes into powder, she ducks back into cover and yells into her earpiece, "I can't do that with that sniper trying to take my head off! Does anyone have a clear shot at him!?"

"Her, actually," Teilun hears in her ear, the familiar voice of the squad's sniper crackling softly with static. A piercing shot rings out, and he soon continues with a hint of mirth in his voice, "You're clear, Bloodfang. Got her right between the eyes."

"Thanks, Krall! I owe you a drink, feather-head!" Teilun shouts as she leaps over the concrete and rebar barrier, shooting several approaching enemies while hurrying towards the steel door less than a hundred feet from her. Grinning as she hears a soft whistling noise, the sound quickly grows louder, and Teilun notices something flying towards the door before detonating in a bright explosion.

Whistling to herself, Teilun dashes straight for the door, her guns rattling as she empties the magazines into every slaver in her path, and wincing as a bullet whizzes by her head, slicing her cheek open and making her growl angrily, "I'll head in and fuck them up from the inside! Maybe I can find the hostages before you, Coordination Officer!"

"Just get in there and stop fucking around, Bloodfang!" her superior yells into her earpiece, earning a chuckle from Teilun as she steps through the smoke-filled doorway, intent on making sure that the building is cleansed of slavers, "Remember the mission priority!"

Rolling her eyes, Teilun turns off her earpiece for the moment and carefully listens for any sign of danger, only her footsteps heard in the dimly lit building. Garbage and dust litter almost every inch of the entranceway, making Teilun grimace in disgust before kicking a beer bottle and sending it sailing towards the end of the hall while raising her pistols.

"Shit! What the fuck!?" Teilun hears from further down the hallway after the bottle smashes into the far wall, two more Var turning around the corner and aiming their guns at her, a rifle and a pistol respectively, "Hey! You picked a bad place to get lost!"

"Oh, really now? I think I'm exactly where I want to be," she replies with a grin, squeezing the triggers of her pistols and blinking in surprise as they both click, "...well, that's a little embarrassing."

Screaming as she heads for another door in the hallway, Teilun narrowly avoids getting shot by the oncoming storm of bullets from the two angry Var, the soldier angrily tossing away her empty pistols and grabbing a rusted knife laying atop a moldy table. She holds it in a reverse grip, peering through the doorway leading to the next room. Footsteps make her freeze in place, and Teilun realizes that the two Var seem to think they shot her, their voices filled with relief as they approach her hiding place.

"I think I got her! Dude, that was terrifying..." one says, sounding as if he is in the lead. The one with the rifle, if Teilun's memory serves correctly, "We'll take that bitch's gear and hold our position. The boss will skin us alive and turn us into carpets if we fuck this up."

"Think she's still alive? She looked kinda hot," the other comments, Teilun's lips curling in disgust at the idea of doing anything with these assholes, "If she's still alive, we could have some fun with her."