The city still buzzed with that strange, brittle tension that always settled after a fight. Voidspawn ichor sizzled on the broken cobblestones, evaporating into a greasy mist that clung low to the ground. Nyxia leaned back against a rusted pipe, catching her breath, ribs pulling with each inhale. Loque paced in a tight circle nearby, claws ticking against stone, a constant low growl vibrating in his chest. Perseus stood a few steps ahead, hammer still in his hand, eyes scanning the mouths of each side alley like he expected the street itself to lunge at them next.
It was Loque who heard it first. His ears pricked toward a narrow junction lit in flickering neon. A voice echoed from around the corner, shrill and furious, bouncing off metal and stone. "YOU ABSOLUTE BUCKET OF SCRAP, I PAID YOU, I SCANNED THE CHIP TWICE." Nyxia's mouth twitched. "Guess we're not the only ones having a bad day." Perseus gave a tired almost-smile. Together they followed the sound, Loque slipping ahead like a spectral shadow, fur catching pink light in soft glints.
They found the source under a buzzing SPROCKCO NUTRI-CAKES sign that proudly announced Now 11% Less Toxic. A goblin in a rune-stitched coat was jabbing a humming spanner into the guts of a vending machine that clearly hated him. The unit blinked calmly at his rage. "Credit not accepted. Please insert valid payment or step away before incineration protocol engages." "If you had a throat I'd rip it out," he snapped, then froze as Nyxia cleared her throat. He turned, caught mid-crime, and instantly switched to a wide oily grin. "Ah. Patrons. Witnesses. Definitely not vandalizing this fine, upstanding refreshment engine. Just performing some, ah, emergency maintenance."
A round little drone hovered beside him, lens flickering as it looked them over. It let out a sputter that sounded far too much like a laugh when it saw Loque. "Name's Switch," the goblin announced with a quick bow. "Informant, engineer, part-time gambler, full-time genius. This little ball of judgment is Whirr." Perseus lowered his hammer a touch. "You live down here?" Switch spread his arms to the neon-stained sky. "Live here? I thrive here. Bioluminescent vending trees, programmable sunsets, noodle stalls that also sell illegal firecrackers. This city is alive, friend. It purrs if you know where to scratch." His grin sharpened as he looked between Nyxia and Perseus. "But you two aren't sightseeing. Paladin with a glowing hammer. Hunter with haunted eyes and a ghost cat. You're hunting something nasty." Perseus didn't soften his tone. "Ves'Sariel." Switch snapped his fingers. "Knew it. And I know someone who's seen her. Goes by Boo. Gorgeous. Deadly. Talks like sin and drinks like regret."
Nyxia folded her arms. "You offering to take us to her for free." "Free?" Switch scoffed, hand to his chest. "Please. I'm insulted. Just a tiny favor first. I have a misunderstanding with a debt collector. You help me survive that and I take you to Boo, safe and mostly unstabbed." Perseus exchanged a glance with Nyxia, the kind that held whole conversations. "A favor for a favor," he said. Switch pointed at him. "Exactly. Classic configuration." Nyxia exhaled, shoulders still tight from pain and memory. "Fine. Lead on." Loque huffed, but fell into step beside her as Switch bounced off down the alley, Whirr humming at his shoulder like an overexcited firefly.
They moved deeper into Serath'Kai's lower districts, where the metal trees grew taller and stranger, swaying gently beneath the breath of enormous fans overhead. Fake sunlight pulsed in lazy intervals, giving the illusion of time passing in a place that had forgotten real sky. Neon vines crawled along the walls like veins, some steady, some flickering as if the city itself was having a heartbeat problem. The air smelled like oil, sharp perfumes, and wet copper. Switch never stopped talking. "Boo's like a loaded pistol wrapped in silk, except the silk cuts you and the pistol occasionally explodes. She's delightful." "Sounds exhausting," Nyxia muttered. "She is," he agreed cheerfully. "But she's loyal. If she decides you're hers, gods help the world."
They crossed a market square bathed in too-bright light. Holograms spun above stalls, shouting promises. Skin that glows even in despair.Sunlight without side effects.New identity, no questions asked. Children darted through the crowds, lifting pouches from belts with quick, practiced hands. One merchant shouted curses at their retreating backs while Loque sniffed after them in amused disapproval. Two dwarves argued outside a bar that smelled like regret and fermented lightning. Somewhere a jukebox screamed something that might have been music in another life. Perseus looked like he wanted to smash it. "I hate this place," Nyxia said under her breath. "You get used to it," Switch replied. "Or you go mad. Sometimes both."
A spiral ramp led them further down into the underdistrict, where the lights turned redder and the signs more honest. Bloodsport tonight. Winner keeps their teeth.Drinks free if you cry. The floor felt tacky beneath their boots. Eyes followed them from every doorway, measuring, weighing. Loque stayed closer now, fur bristling along his spine. "Boo likes it here," Switch murmured. "Says the noise keeps her thoughts from chewing on her." They passed beneath a cracked beam where a tiny red orb blinked once before going dark. Nyxia's gaze tracked it, mouth tightening. "She's watching us already," Perseus said quietly. "Good," Nyxia replied. "Saves time."
The door, when they reached it, was carved into the flank of a scrapworked cathedral. Metal bones and broken stone welded together, a half-smiling skull for an archway, pink glow-ink runes curling like thorns along the edges. Above it, a sigil of a rose held between sharp teeth gleamed softly. Switch stopped and turned to them, expression abruptly serious. "All right. Final warnings. Don't lie to her. Don't touch her unless she invites you. If she offers tea, assume it has additives. And absolutely do not joke about what she wears under her leathers. Last man who did is still rumored to be picking shrapnel out of his ego."
Nyxia's mouth curved in a faint, tired smirk. "She sounds familiar." "She's terrifying," Switch corrected, then smiled. "You'll like her." Perseus adjusted his grip on the hammer, not fully relaxing but not bristling either. "We're not here to fight her," he said. "We're here for answers." "Then be interesting," Switch murmured, and knocked in a slow pattern. The door hissed open, warm air spilling out, scented with clove and ozone and something darker beneath. A voice glided through the gap, smooth and amused. "Switch. You brought me something pretty." Nyxia raised a brow. Perseus blinked once. Loque growled under his breath. "Here goes nothing," Switch said softly. And together, they stepped into Boo's lair.