Tummy Ache

The place looked more like a rickety old shack than a bar. The walls thinned with rot and decayed paint, and the air smelled of much stale sweat, thick enough for the scent to waft into a subtle but present smell. If I had to take a gander, this place hadn't been cleaned in a great number of years, or at all for that matter. Even the denizens of this abode weren't quite the looker type, having at least one sort of deformity somewhere on their body. Though, that could just be 40k being 40k… Was it racist to say that?

"So, what's yer business 'ere?" A gruff man asked, uncaring of the two as his head hung, hands roughly wiping away at the insides of a glass cup, "Not to judge, miss, but ya' don't exactly look like the type to come 'round these parts, that would be on the complete other side of town."

Ceobe leaned over the bar table separating the two of them, a wide smile on her face as she brightly cheered. "Food! You lot got any good food, been meaning to eat for a while, but I haven't the funds at the mo' you know?"

The older man nodded with unease, his hands deftly sliding down and across the table, scraping away the scraps and dust that littered its surface, his gaze turning to me as he urged me forward. "Then take any seat you like, in fact, eat as much as you'd like. For now, everything's on the house."

"Really?" With a child-like wonder, the dog abhuman beamed, stars lighting up in her eyes as the man warmly smiled back. "It's too good to be true, right? You gotta be pulling our leg on this one. You sure about this, old man?"

Taking a seat right next to her, I adopted a more laid-back stance, rolling my shoulders back while beads of sweat trailed along my back, a multitude of eyes locking with my body. I knew this place had a damn high chance of not being safe, there was just no way, but the hope that Ceobe could at least somewhat protect me helped to calm my disturbed mind.

"I'm not that old." He coughed into his hand, voice growing raspier with breath, not a single soul swayed by his word. Clearing his throat, he shook his head and averted his eyes to an object under the table. "No matter, guess that means I just have to give the both of you a few treats. What do you think, boy."

His sight met with mine, the hairs all over my body raising as he pulled a knife out, dragging it along the faux wooden surface with silent glee. All the while Ceobe didn't look much perturbed, swaying back and forth on her seat with the same jovial aura of a child, practically radiating bliss. How wonderous it was to be ignorant of the current situation.

Minutes passed with the feeling of being on edge tickling my spine accompanied by a cold chill, never letting go for even a moment. My breath became shaky, eyes drifting to various points of the room. Regret of my predicament soon settled deep within my bones, as dread rooted me to the chair, my heart palpitating in my chest.

In the end, I could only blame myself for my poor choice in decisions. Though, on the bright side, it wasn't the worst way to die in this hellhole, better than being eaten by Tyranids, that's for sure.

Soon, the barkeep returned, a plate of food on both of his hands, settling both platters with a toothy grin- well, for as much as he could form one with evident gaps. " 'Ere ya go, some of the grub I had on hand. It ain't much, but it's the best we have. Enjoy." He said, sliding over a pair of sporks.

Ceobe and I stared at the meal, my skepticism in stark contrast with her eagerness. Lifting a mouthful with the thin and flimsy utensils, the stench wafted into my nostrils, scrunching at the stink. It smelled and looked like dog food that was left out in the sun, a hand hovering over my stomach as it churned in disgust. I had to put this in my mouth? I questioned inwardly with much caution.

Turning my head towards my companion, she seemed to be doing the same, except, hers actually looked like something a human could eat. My skin turned green with envy, teeth gritting against one another as I hesitantly parted my lips. Only to back out at the last second.

Swapping plates with Ceobe, I moved as fast as I could, digging my spork into the succulent meat as juice spilled from the muscle. Yes, yes, yes!, I internally chanted, not caring for the doom looming over my shoulder as I took one bite. Satisfaction rose with each passing second, only for it to falter just as quick, rocketing back to the ground.

The outside was nothing more than a hollow shell for a damn lie. The meat tasted sour, the flavors soiled like a nurglite's ass crack, certainly tainted by one as well. Then, my head spun, whirling as though it was stuck within a cyclone with no way out. My eyes tiredly blinked as I spat it out, falling out of my seat and onto the floor.

"I think… I 'hink I'm just gonna pas- out hee." I slurred, my tongue bearing through the weight of mountains with each word. Calm soon breached the darkest depths of my mind, as the world stilled, a frozen snap shot depicting a concerned Ceobe hovering over my fallen figure, various dark shadows approaching her from behind.

Frankly, it was adorable, she did care about me~.

{-}

"Give me back my food!" The assassin demanded, rocking the sleeping bastard back and forth as if he would awake from his slumber. Alas, her efforts would not bear any fruit, only serving to distract her from the threats looming just behind.

A man, separate from the barkeep, cautiously crept closer to her, an improvised whip with a multitude of jagged spikes along its spine kept close to him. However, with every step, the floorboards beneath him creaked, his weight pressing against the ground, as Ceobe slid something from her back.

Familiarity filled the gaps of her grip, easing into the various nooks and crannies of the knife between her fingers, quietly lamenting over having to stain one of her weapons with blood. Changing into a reverse grip, she hid it just under her cloak, quietly standing up to meet her first combatant head on, pouncing him to the floor, his cries muffled by a hand.

Just as soon as one fell, several more came to take his place from out of the shadows, each bearing different sets of improvised weaponry. "Say, why don't we all calm down, yeah?" Over the counter, the person that tried serving her the sleeping meat tried to diffuse the situation, his efforts ending in vain as the edge of her blade dragged against his throat.

"And another one down, and another one down," She sang under her breath, a fitting tune that she once heard from a passing bard. "Another one bites the dust!"

"Shut up you crazy bitch!" A single member of their parade shouted, rushing Ceobe down from her flank, their blades crossing in a struggle. "You're not even making sense."

Sliding the weapon down along the spine of her knife, she shifted her weight back, forcing her foe to fall flat on his face, as she tore his Achilles tendon. He wouldn't be walking for a while, not without medical assistance. Facing off against her other adversaries, their eyes crossed paths, a heavy sigh breaking from her lips.

This is going to be fun, she internally mused, the prospect of mugging from a crime ring amusing her somewhat. Reaching for another weapon in her vast catalog, the red hilt of a bladeless sword fell into her grasp. A cold sweat trailing down the backs of the room's occupants, as a single gleeful phrase rang in their ears. "Rip and tear,"

From the hilt's base, sprouted a blade, rapidly extending in the blink of an eye. Left without a moment to react, one of the poor schmucks was cut in twain, his body falling limp against the ground, as the dank smell of piss stained the floor.

Pitiful, Ceobe thought. To think they almost could've gotten her with the food… Well it wasn't like she was going to waste it, but things could have gone badly. Sometimes, she really had to curse her gluttony, especially at a time like this.

Directing her sight to the lone whimpering mess, her eyes trailing down his leg and onto a small brownish puddle on the floor, the combined stench hitting her like a truck. Halting her breaths, she ended it all in a single strike, shortening the blade down to the point it weighed nothing, before lengthening it the moment it would strike.

Like a hot knife through butter, his body split in half, both parts sliding away from each other, as his face twitched into an expression of pure dread, falling with a dry thud. Placing the weapon back onto the pile, the assassin merely sighed once more, wiping away the single bead of sweat on her cheek.

They had almost gotten her, and she had to at least admit that much. However, she really couldn't blame herself. In a moment of absolute weakness, she just couldn't take it any longer. Though, she supposed there were perhaps better choices than where she was right now.

Quickly glancing at her knocked-out guide, she shook her head. It wasn't hard to notice he was shamelessly lying to her with a straight face. In fact, Ceobe could almost see herself congratulating the man for managing to keep her attention long enough. Then again, the promise of food was enough to drag her along on most things.

Picking up the plate, she brought it close to her nose, wisps of the poison entering her system. It was a type of anesthetic of rather poor quality. With a noticeable smell, and a very distinct taste, only a fool would have eaten it… which would make both her and Joseph idiots by her logic.

Still, it wasn't like she was going to be debilitated by something so weak, it would be laughably embarrassing. Eyeing the piece of meat, she pondered whether or not to leave it where it stayed or to venture into the higher levels in search of something better. Maybe she could even bring the jester along if he entertained her enough, he was fairly interesting after all.

Moving along with the train of thought, she scooped up both plates and shoveled both meals into her gullet, her taste buds turning themselves off as to not be sullied by such nastiness.

"Alright," She said aloud, eye twitching as she scanned the carnage around her. "What to do next?" Maybe, just maybe, it was best to get the boy checked up? She doubted that everyone had the same resistance to poison as she did. Placing a hand on his neck, the confirmation that he still had a pulse was enough for her to ease her worries momentarily.

A doctor, he'll need a doctor just in case. But, she didn't know this place well enough to reliably find the nearest one… there really weren't a whole lot of options. Now, all she could do was pray to the golden man that he wasn't allergic to whatever was slipped into the food. However, he was still breathing, so that was a good start.

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[A/N: Went outside, touched some grass. That's about it. Chapter was beta'd by the wonderful spank, and with that out of the way, copy and paste below.

Anyways, if you find anything wrong in the fic, let me know. I would love to hear your thoughts, opinions, and what I could have done in place of what is present.

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