Rice recieved a call whilst he was poised over some corpses. deflated by having their bones sucked out. He was not sure how that happened. But it did and it was horrible. He hated what he was looking at. But got distracted.
"Hello?"
He answered the call. Yeniver didn't give the greets back. Skipping to the point. "Head to Garden Corner. We have another accident."
Rice frowned. Wasn't that near Dezer's Doctors Office? That was a bold move to pull..
"The Doctor wants you there."
Rice inhaled sharply. He had only met the Doctor a few times. Some on the job. Only once off the job. When he once chance encountered a bad crowd.
"I'm on my way"
He was on his way out when the Warden stopped him "Why in a rush?"
Rice shuffled past. "A new accident near Doctors Office, iv been told to head over."
The warden pulled a face before stepping away. "Then you best get going."
Unfortunately even if wardens were supposed to respond first there were very few exceptions where that wasn't the case.
This was one of them. The wich wardens were quite wary of The Doctor. Even if they had a powerful backing of Wich herself. It was a dangerous game to step foot in the true safe zone without express permission.
Rice arrived at the scene shortly. Experiencing the same thing The Doctor did. He stepped past the blood and glass. When he pushed the door in and headed in he froze.
The shop was a mess!
Part of the ceilings Insulation was exposed, some of the lights hung from wires. A few shelves were destroyed. soil and trampled plants were everywhere.
In the middle was a very deformed creature. Standing next to it was the completely unscathed Doctor.
"Wha..whaa.. huh?!"
What the fuck happened in here?!
The creature looked like it was brutally killed. It's body was so malformed. He though It was just a really cool oversized basketball made of out paper.
But when he got close.
He saw gore and alot of broken bones!
His inability to reconize what happened didn't matter to The Doctor. "Rice.. do me a favor and find who sent this creature." The Doctor wasn't a very expressive man. But Rice could heard a weird emotion in the Doctors husky voice.
It gave him goosebumps.
The encounters with the doctor didn't amount to much, but he has had some dealings alongside this mystery man. He has had hardships and has been in the business a while.
In fact Rice was eligible for a promotion, he he hasn't approached his boss with the idea yet. It takes alot of connections, alot of time and experience to push for a promotion. From Two letter to three isn't too had. But three to four is a harsh gap.
That said, The Doctor handed him a slip, glancing at it Rice's breath caught.
It was the Doctor's number!
He carefully put the slip away. Looking to The Doctor who had disappeared. He glanced behind him. Just catching The Doctors departure.
They say quiet men have terrible anger. He felt this may have been the case. He didn't know the Doctors motives, or who he cared about. But after a quick check of the store. It was very clear this creature got folded for killing The Doctors Friends. Or he thinks their his friends. Glancing aost the counter he saw a body, but it had a blanket covering them. Where there was another in the back.
Same curtesy, the monster.. this creature from the looks tried to fight the doctor.. or.. maybe tried to run? Some of the windows near the storefront had a deep web of cracks with a slight bugde Outward. Like something tries to go through it and failed.
He found the creature was missing some of its body. But after some investigation. He saw the rest of its body was in the ceiling. He pulled it out carefully. And saw the body was brutally destroyed.
Blood had soaked into the insulation. The only recognizable thing on the creature was the symbol. he was sure he saw it somewhere before. He took a picture of it. A three headed beast, with a pentagram behind it and a closed eye in the middle.
Clearly from hell in some way. But there were countless organizations in hell. So he had to put it aside for now. When Investigating the bodies. He found an issue. Their bones were only half consumed. There were also pink marks where skin seemingly grew back. They looked like straw incentions. A total of twelve too.
When looking at the creature again. He realized a terrible thing. This creature was smallish.. does that mean there are multiple?
Rice active his eyes. A heavy sulfur assaulted his senses. He frowned, before standing near the dead shopkeeper as he mobilized his energy and called up contracts.
He didn't know if it worked on dead bodies. Mainly because the soul was a need. But to his surprise. It did. Almost too easily too.
He wad relieved, but soon his expression froze when he looked at the corpse.
A grim and horrified look crossing his perplextion.
The soul.. was still here! And it was sonly half consumed?
Wait.. was the shopkeeper still alive?!
He checked, to his dismay. No, but the soul remained. He glanced at the contracts. The shopkeeper didn't have records. But there was a weird hidden contract. He discarded it's protections. Which he saw wrapped the parchment.
Before he could review it Rice felt a great sense of danger assault him!
He in a burst of speed shot back as something strong wized past!
The contract he almost reviewed fell apart and he heard screaming! Before it eruptly ceased when a shadow appeared crouching on the counter. The same projectile wized down and he saw faint soul particles disburse!
The shadow turned its ire on him, damnit!
Rice clenched his fist in anger and lunged for the shadow with a thunderous punch!
BANG!
The shadow dodged swiftly as Rice's punch tore apart the counter. But Rice didn't let up immediately turning on heel and following the shadow. Whom threw multiple projectiles!
Rice threw out his palm, clenching he pulled back violently!
Soul chains rippled out behind the shadow!
It dodged with ease dispursing the chains with those same shadowy projectiles. Before the shadow dived, jumping out the window another five projectiles burst out. Occupying Rice
"Come back you-"
Rice saw the empty street. The shadow had disappeared!