New Orleans, Louisiana
Esmeralda von Krauss is in the back of a limo. She looks out through the window as the driver takes her through the warehouse district by the docks. She has a black dress on that plunges dangerously nearly to the navel. She has a black hat that has diamonds dangling from the rim. She smokes an Egyptian cigarette from a polished black foot long holder.
Esmeralda von Krauss: It has been an era since I was in the New Orleans area. I wonder if my good friend, Madame Delphine LaLaurie is still alive?
Esmeralda blows smoke at the window in her laughter.
Esmeralda von Krauss: No, no. I heard that she had a grim fate. It was no less than what she deserved though. The monstrous things that she did to those people. Still, I suppose it was entertaining to watch.
Esmeralda flicks ashes into a little ashtray next to her. She smiles when her phone rings. She answers it quickly.
Esmeralda von Krauss: Hello, dahling. I should be there in a few minutes. Of course.
Esmeralda hangs up the phone.
Esmeralda von Krauss: I have a match coming up at Battle for Hegemony. Seems I get to face Jester Lebeau in the ring. Let’s see what I have on this Jester fellow. He likes to take risks and he has a manager that likes to interfere. Terrance something or other.
Let me tell you something, Terrance. I keep a couple of clowns on my own at ringside in the form of Hehehe and Hahaha. If you interfere or even look like you want to, dahling. My twins will break you into pieces and then play a game with the broken parts.
Jester Lebaeau, none of your experience at UP Wrestling is going to protect you. You can’t rely on the protection of the company to win the match. You might have some special moves to unleash on me, but all the special moves in the world won't amount to anything when they are compared to mine. I was trained to maim, destroy, and murder. I was trained to be able to finish a fight before it even really started.
It seems that Jester Lebeau enjoys pain and can be hard to intimidate. Look, dahling. I’ll inflict all the pain that you like and more without a single thought of some kind of intimidation. Why try to tell you what’s going to happen to you when I can inflict the pain directly. I’ll intimidate you with my kicks, fists, and elbows. A brutal treatment is the best way to show one’s dominance, dahling. I’ll bring you to the point of death and then we will see how you handle that kind of pressure as I defeat you.
I will go onto Supremacy to face the people for the X*Crown championship. I will succeed where my husband had failed last year. I believe this Supremacy will be the beginning of a new era of the Network.
Esmeralda flicks the cigarette butt out through the window as the limo comes to a stop. The warehouse that she had bought hadn’t been used in a few years by any other companies so it was a little in disrepair. It was in Esmeralda’s favor that the place was run down. Few people will look here for what’s within.
Esmeralda walks into the building, her ears perking up at the sound of water dripping into water. She looks around to where a forklift is holding the medusa upside down. She has regained her serpentine tail and so is tied up there and by her hands so she can’t use any magic.
There is no need to blindfold her as her eyes were eaten away by the acid that D had attacked her with. Blood runs from a gash in the side of her face and drips into the bucket that has a small amount of blood in it. D stands next to her, looking like a proud fisherman. He walks to Esmeralda where she extends her hand out, palm down. D just stares at the hand, not accepting it. He motions to the medusa.
D: Janis is ready for you to question her. I’m not sure how much you will actually get from her. Let me know when you need me again.
Janis: I will find you, D. I will find you and end you. You think that I’m dangerous. I have sisters, two. They will hunt you down and turn you to stone.
D: Let them come.
Esmeralda walks over to the gorgon. She puts away her foot long cigarette holder and gets out a pair of heavy duty gloves.
Esmeralda von Krauss: You may carry on, D. You don’t want to know what happens now. The limo driver will take you to wherever you want to go.
D shrugs and walks out through the way that Esmeralda came in. Esmeralda caresses Janis’ acid wasted face. Noting that burns are still fresh and that the eyes have completely melted away. The medusa shies away from Esmeralda’s touch, trying to hold back a gasp of pain.
Janis: I can see who you are, Esmeralda. Whatever it is that you want, you will not get it from me.
Esmeralda simply grabs hold of one of Medusa's snake hairs by the head. The other snakes desperately try to bite her arm to get her to let go, but to no avail. The little teeth will not pierce the glove’s material.
She takes an ornate silver blade and shears off the snake hair with a quick flick of the wrist, removes the snake. She drops it into the bucket as a new stream of blood from the stump runs into the bucket. Janis lets out a yelp of pain that’s followed with a chorus of hissing from the rest of the snakes.
Esmeralda von Krauss: So you are the Chief Assassin of the Red Thirst. You don’t seem to be too dangerous. No eyes so you cannot petrify anyone, no hand movement so you can cast no spells.
Janis: Untie me and give back my bow. You'll see how dangerous I am.
Esmeralda nods, putting the ornate silver blade away for her black foot long cigarette holder. She pops in a fresh Egyptian cigarette and lights it. She blows smoke into Medusa’s face.
Esmeralda von Krauss: Anyone could be dangerous with a bow and a few illusionist spells in her pocket. You have none of these things right now. Do you? You have the one thing that I need from you…
Janis: What?
Esmeralda von Krauss: Where is your boss? Where is Alexis Logan? She and I have much to talk about.
Janis just smiles big, despite the discomfort of being hung upside down and having one of her hairs cut away.
Janis: Why would I betray my boss to you, Esmeralda?
Esmeralda grabs another snake by the head.
Janis: No! Not the silver blade again!
Esmeralda chuckles, using her other hand to hold the cigarette holder that she takes a drag off of and blows the smoke into her face.
Esmeralda von Krauss: Oh dahling, I don’t have the knife in my hand.
She simply rips the snake out of her head by the roots and drops it into the bucket as Janis screams in pain, a new river of blood starting to flow into the bucket.
Esmeralda von Krauss: I don’t need the silver blade to do you harm, dahling. Now, I don’t know if these will grow back and they are your only source of vision now. Maybe a little cooperation will go a long way, eh? I could get you a position as one of my Judges. You would be powerful with the special abilities that remain to you. Whatever they make be.
Esmeralda reaches up and grabs Janis by the right index finger.
Esmeralda von Krauss: Now tell me where I might find Alexis so I can kill her.
Janis: Tell me. How much back up did you bring with you on this little mission. Surely, I rate something.
Esmeralda von Krauss: Not what I was looking for, dahling.
A quick twist and Jais’ finger snaps like a dry twig, bringing out a scream of pain from her.
Esmeralda von Krauss: But if you must know. I brought Vestein and Gunnvor of my Einherjar with me.
Janis the Medusa grins, despite the pain of her disfigurations.
Janis: If I tell you where Alexis is, but refuse your offer of Judge, will you let me down or will I have to wait for her to bring me down once you are dead?
Esmeralda sneers, flicking ashes onto the floor.
Esmeralda von Krauss: What nonsense is this, dahling?
Janis: Alexis Logan, leader of the Red Thirst. She is here. Your Einherjar are already dead.
Esmeralda von Krauss: What?
She spins around, looking to where she had her Einherjar hide themselves away to see people lying on the ground. Alexis Logan stands in front of her, her blonde curly locks and power suit on. She has a sword that seems to be shedding a shadow as she weaves it through the air. She holds out her other hand, pointed at Esmeralda, and clutches it into a tight fist. Esmeralda’s eyes go wide as she feels pain rip through her body. Blood vessels within her body burst, letting the blood flow through her nose and ears as she drops to her hands and knees, coughing up blood into the floor.
As Alexis walks toward Esmeralda, her hair changes from curly blonde locks to blood red and thirsty worms. Her body changes to that of an old hag, ragged, thin, and unwholesome. Her face seems to be a mask of human skin that looks horrified to be on the hag’s face.
Alexis Logan: You broke the coven when you slew my sister, Esmeralda. That will not do. This is what we think of those who would harm us.
Alexis grabs the hat off of Esmeralda’s head and throws it to the side. She grabs Esmeralda by the hair and pulls her up into a kneeling position so that she can be run through with the sword! Alexis places a foot against her chest and pushes her to the ground, dark red blood beginning to form a pool around her.
Alexis Logan: As you die, you should know that I will have your entire organization burned to the ground. All of your little Judges will die.
Esmeralda weakly reaches for Alexis, but her hand is kicked away.
Esmeralda von Krauss: Please…don’t harm my people. Take your vengeance out on me.
Alexis Logan: I am. Harming your Judges is harming you. You just won’t be around to feel the pain of their loss.
Alexis motions with her hand and the forklift lowers Janis to the floor. Another wave of her hand and Janis is untied.
Janis shapeshifted to take that of a human form. She walks with Alexis, leaving Esmeralda bleeding on the floor.
To be continued!