An Otherworldly Encounter

The night fell over the Neutral Grounds and Perry found himself in a rowdy pub, fiddling with his newfound lacrima device. He didn't register himself into anything quite yet, but he checked out some of the functionalities it held. Like calling and messaging. Though he was sure that he would have to tamper with the iLac a little bit, before he got full use out of it. He was a thief, after all. The device could be tracking his position and that was the last thing somebody of such a profession needed in their life. The mage rubbed his chin, and turned off the device. Perry was not a technophile, so he would have to pay somebody to have it tampered with.

The people slowly flowed into the establishment, most of them sadly being middle-aged men. Perry probably chose the wrong pub to look for pretty ladies. But he was already a few beers in. Not his preferred drink of choice, but the wine was insanely overpriced. Even though he could afford it, Perry didn't know how much the iLac upgrade would cost him. He hoped not too much, but one never knew. The back alleyways were mostly filled with greedy people. If Perry had learned anything in his life, it was that one should never let the other person providing a needed favour or service just how much exactly it is wanted. The greater desperation is shown, the more they will push for a higher price or worse. Perry's eyes lingered on his hat that laid on the tabletop in front of him, before he finished his beer and went to pay.

The young man left the pub, wondering what to do next. Should he just call it a day or try his luck in the back alleyways? Some people could recognise him there. He did mingle around those parts at some point in his life, but it was unknown whether the ones left would be welcoming. Perry rubbed his eyes and sighed in defeat. If he didn't do it then and there, he would have so much harder time convincing himself to do that later.

Thankfully, Perry did know a few people who tinkered with machines and technology. But whether they were still around or willing to lend a helping hand was an another matter. The mage made his way through the city, his steps steady and brisk. He didn't drink enough to become affected, let alone completely intoxicated. He decided to head to the back alleyways that he was familiar with, hoping that he would come across a friendly face. Soon enough, he disappeared in between shady-looking buildings.

There were no people on the streets prior to his venture into the alleyways, so no witnesses on that end. Perry would've preferred changing into his cat form at that point, but his magic was suppressed, so that was out of the question. He would have to rely on his raw instincts once more. "Just like old times, eh." He would mutter under his breath and pull his hat deeper into his face to cover it a little bit better. With quiet steps he made his way forward. He didn't even get too far, before he already felt curious eyes set on his person. Perry walked on and the feeling only intensified.

He was in between several buildings that had back entrances divided via fences with a bit of room around them. Perry wasn't in the mood to deal with anybody other than the few peple he had picked out in his mind before, but life always had its way of doing things. "Hey there, posh boy. Aren't you a little bit lost?" A man appeared behind one of the fences, followed by two more. Oh bother. The cape that Perry wore stopped billowing behind him the moment he stopped in his tracks. "Cat got your tongue?" The man tried to provoke Perry. If only he knew. "Yeah. I guess you could say that." He would reply, still not turning to actually face the offenders. "Well well well, would you look at that. The cat has a tongue!" The man would exclaim and the other two would grunt in agreement. "The cat does have a tongue. What can I do for you, gentlemen? I am rather in a hurry and do not wish to waste my time with trash." Perry would spill the proverbial tea. Out of the corner of his eye he saw just how much the man's face changed colours. He most certainly did not expect a provocative retort in return.

While Perry did provoke the trio of men, sort of intentionally, he really did not wish to deal with them. A waste of time, as he said. "So we're trash, huh? Is that it, posh boy?" The men were clearly becoming progressively more agitated. "Very much so. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have a few errands to run." Perry would snarkily reply and tip his hat, all while not giving the men the proper attention they oh so craved. The first man, the talkative one got really triggered and opened the fence door, attempting to charge at Perry. The young man only smiled and dashed away.

It took him barely a few shadowy corners to lose the losers. Perry would dust himself off, the walls could be quite nasty sometimes. With a little chuckle he stepped into a dark side street once again. While the little chase was going on, he made sure that he stayed in the general vicinity of where he was headed. He only took a few steps forward, before he felt a hand grab his arm and pull him into the shadows on the side. Perry was going to loudly protest, but an another hand was pressed against his lips, making it unable for him to voice any concerns. "Hey. You've got some nerve showing up here, pal." Perry recognised the voice and the person in question promptly shoved him to the side and into a building.

As soon as he nearly flew into the building, Perry's lips were free and he gasped for a bit of air and he turned around to face his semi-abductor. "Quite the intro there, Robbie. Didn't know you liked it so rough." The young man would say cheekily with a slight smirk on his face. "The hell are you doing here?" Robbie would come up to Perry, his voice hushed. He didn't seem to be in a joking mood. Something was up and Perry didn't like the sudden tension in the air. "I just wanted to pay a visit to some of my old friends." Perry would reply in a lowered voice. Robbie's eyes narrowed as he tried to discern Perry's true motive. The young man took notice of the body language. "I pinky promise. I just wanted a certain somebody to fiddle with my new iLac and make it more suitable for my profession." Perry would reveal the whole deal to his old acquaintance, not adding anything else that would make him seem suspicious.

Robbie hummed to himself as he thought about what had Perry just said to him. "So you're after old Syd, then?" Robbie would finally ask and the other would nod in agreement. "Yes. He's first on my list. You know, just in case he doesn't want to cooperate with me." Perry would say and it was then Robbie's turn to nod in agreement. Both of them knew how important it was to have a backup or a backdoor. Robbie would take a step back, but keeping his voice hushed. "Gotcha, gotcha..." The man would muse for a moment, before getting back to Perry. "There is just a one tiiiny problem." Perry would shift his posture. A problem? Whatever problem could there be besides the scallywags living here?

The young man would slightly tilt his head in confusion, asking for an explanation via body language. Robbie understood that motion, as it was something that Perry usually did when he came across something new or unknown. "Just a few days ago a strange... thing appeared around here." Robbie would take a brief pause, trying to word the issue at hand to the best of his abilities. "It doesn't kill, but harasses a lot of folks down here. Nobody knows what it really looks like. Most people say it's a just some black mass with hands and red, glowy eyes." As Robbie described the problem, the more confused Perry had become. He couldn't fathom as to what could possibly be plaguing the people of these alleyways. But that was besides the point. Weren't the Neutral Grounds themselves doing anything to alleviate the issue?

Perry's head was still tilted. He had so many questions, but he was pretty sure that Robbie wouldn't be able to answer many of them. "Shouldn't the Grounds be like... I dunno... helping you guys out with figuring this out?" He would struggle to ask, but he already knew the answer. Robbie would shake his head. "You know how it is Perry. Nobody gives a damn about what we do here and what happens here. Unless it's like straight up murder." He would sigh and rub his eyes in frustration. Perry wasn't sure what he was supposed to do. He could always delay getting the iLac done, but old Syd was his best bet. "Well... How bad can it really be? Who knows? Maybe I'll find out what that thing is for your guys' sake." Perry would say with determination as he winked at his acquaintance.

Robbie's face would turn into a dumbfounded expression. He didn't understand. Was Perry just willing to waltz in like that, even if there was that creature running free? "Are you sure? Some guys have scratches and some even have strange burns." Robbie would try to persuade Perry to rethink his decision. Alas, it would be for naught. "Yeah. As long as I am on my best behaviour, nothing should happen." Perry would shrug. "Unless some knobhead decides to mess with things." He would add. Which, in all honesty, was quite probable. Robbie knew that trying to knock some his sense into Perry would just be a waste of time. "Well, good luck to you, then. I want nothing to do with this." He would say and turn around to leave.

The young man would reach out and grab his shoulder before he left. "Thanks for the warning, Robbie." He would thank him and let go of him to tip his hat in gratitude. "You're welcome... I guess." Robbie would reply and exit the building, leaving Perry on his own.

Perry sighed and adjusted his monocle as soon as he found himself alone. He really didn't know what was going on, but he sort of wanted to decipher that, before he went to meet the old Syd. Decisions, decisions. "I bet I'm just asking for trouble, aren't I?" He would ask himself with a little chuckle. It was such a horrendous idea. But he loved it.

Sadly, Robbie didn't give him any real directions, just a plain warning. Whatever was haunting the streets could be anywhere. It would be probably best if he just stalked a few of the alleyways and see if that would get him anywhere. The young man would stretch himself a bit. He was anticipating some sort of fight ahead of him. Whether it was the mysterious something or just some drunk thugs, something would go down, he was sure of it.

The young man would exit the building that he was shoved into against his will and begin making his rounds. He made sure to stay as quiet as possible. No dragging of his feet, no knocking over randomly placed empty bottles and cans. His eyes were darting from side to side, searching for the something black with red eyes. However, the only thing that came by was the same feeling he had not long ago. He was being watched. Again, the source was unknown. But now that he knew that there was something else lurking within the streets besides the locals, a chill went down his spine.

Even though Perry wasn't afraid of the unknown in particular, the situation at hand was rather unsettling. Just what could it be? What being could possibly struck such fear into the inhabitants, while not recognising it? Something wasn't right. Something didn't add up. Perry was trying to wrap his head around the conundrum, when he heard some commotion in the distance. A few shrieks of fear followed by some angry yells. It certainly didn't sound like a usual outdoor argument between drunkards. With light and swift steps, Perry hurried towards the origin of the voices.

He arrived at the scene, but he kept himself within the shadows. It would be no good if he just presented himself like that. Doing such a thing was practically a death wish in some parts of these back alleyways. Perry gently pressed his back against a nearby wall, blending into the area. There was a small clearing in between some of the buildings. A sort of a connecting hub. There was a group of people, consisting of five people in total. Three men and two women. They were dressed in very worn clothes, but they didn't seem like the usual slum drunks. The group was slightly scattered, but they were in a general vicinity of a single point, all of them looking in the same direction.

Perry shuffled a tiny bit forward, but still stayed within the shadows. He was trying to get a peek at whatever the group was gathered around. "My husband came home bleeding last night! That was your doing, wasn't it?" One of the women yelled accusingly. Bleeding? Could that be what he was looking for? "We will not let you harm us anymore." One of the men growled and stepped forward. A strange, ghastly hiss sounded from the direction the man stepped in and he momentarily flinched. Though it seemed that it wasn't enough to make him back off and Perry saw the following kicking motion of his body. However, it seemed that he missed and then Perry heard a heartpiercing wail from the man, most likely paying the price for his miss and attempted hurtful motion.

Whatever or whoever that was, they obviously acted in self-defense. It was quite apparent from the scene that was unfolding before Perry's eyes. Of course, people feared that they didn't understand, but he felt like this was going just a bit too far. The young man grit his teeth and stepped into the dim light of the clearing, hoping not to regret this decision.

Perry's appearance from the shadows went unnoticed by the rather preoccupied group. Then again, they seemed to have a good enough reason for that. The man that stepped forward and then yelled staggered backwards and then fell down on his arse. His leg was covered in some thick goop with very clear teeth marks. The opening that he provided by not obsuring Perry's vision anymore granted him the answer he so longed for.

It was most likely the creature that he was after. It was roughly half of Perry's height, covered in dark skin with red speckles and eyes. On its head was a bunch of strange appendages, that eerily reminded him of hands for whatever reason. Sure, it looked rather terrifying in the dim lighting in the night, but it clearly seemed to be on the defense. Somebody who is frightened and backed into a corner was extremely dangerous. One never knew what they were capable of under severe pressure.

The creature seemed to notice Perry's presence as it backed up even more. The women were tending to the man's wound, muttering something about a rabid creature. The remaining two men were eyeing the wound and the creature, but then saw it back up. That prompted them to look behind them and finally take notice of Perry. He himself  didn't recognise any of the people who were present in the group, but one of the men seemed to at least have heard of him. "Black Cat? Here?" He exhaled as his eyes widened. Perry wasn't sure if it was because he was afraid or starstruck. "You know this guy?" The other man asked. "You're kidding me? You don't know who kept on emptying everybody's pockets in the city years back?" The man who recognised him replied with a question, but the other seemed to have no clue, still. "No clue. But at least we can beat him up for whatever he did, right?"

Perry was taken aback by how fast they changed their target. Then again, it was probably for the best. The creature was quiet, but it seemed to eyeing the scene very closely, possibly looking for an escape route. They said that the eyes were the windows to the soul, but the eyes of the creature didn't reveal anything, so the young man had no idea what it was thinking. Still, it would be best if he kept his attention to the ones who posed more immediate threat. "Now now, gentlemen. Let us not dig in the past, as that is something long gone." He would try to calm the aggressors, but it did very little to do so. "Oh yeah? Tell that to all of the families that had their lives ruined because of you." The man's demeanor changed to mirror the other's. Perry reckoned that he was in rather deep doo doo.

The very first man was out cold by the time the other two decided to make things more violent. The women wrapped up the wound with some not good looking pieces of fabric and started to look around, most likely disturbed by the other men's vocals. Both of the women flinched when they noticed that a new stranger entered the scene. The two men who were threatening Perry charged him. The young man sighed and simply side stepped the sloppy attacks. "Look, I'm not in the mood to-" Perry wanted to make them stop and save their and his own breath, but they didn't seem to be listening.

The men were momentarily confused, before they attacked at once again. Perry ducked under the punches and dished out one of his own. Unfortunately, that one connected, but Perry made sure not to put too much strength into it. He didn't want to leave a pile of bodies behind him for no reason. The connected hit enraged the last man, who attempted to kick Perry, but he dodged the attack and gave him a healthy dose of an elbow to the side as a gift. The men wanted to fight more, but the women stepped in. "Stop! Stop!" The last person Perry didn't hear spoke up. Perry ceased movement, the men were considering at first, but they complied aswell.

The woman stood up. "What do you want?" She asked, as Perry turned to face her, looking slightly behind her. The creature was there, but more to the side. It seemed that it wanted to leave, but it seemed to be curious at the same time. "I just want you to leave this poor creature alone. That's all." He would say and the people who were conscious displayed an array of different emotions. "Are you serious?" The woman asked in disbelief. The young man would nod in agreement. "Very much so. Especially after witnessing what had transpired here." After saying that, their faces turned rather green. They didn't know how much Perry knew. That he didn't see much, besides the result.

The group exchanged looks among themselves and turned their heads towards the creature. It stood still, as the group thought of a decision. The most sensible person would hold her hands up in defeat. "Do whatever you want, as long as it doesn't bother us." The rest of the group seemed ready to protest, but the woman cut them off. "We need to tend to some wounds." She said and motioned for the men to pick up the unconscious one. Slowly but surely, the group left. Neither Perry or the creature moved a muscle as they packed up and went their way.

The creature's gaze was fixated upon its saviour. Perry stood still, he wanted to wait until the creature felt a bit more relaxed. The creature then took a few steps forward, towards Perry. It let out a strange sound that rubbed Perry the wrong way. There was just something strange and chilling about it. "Thanks pal. Those folks just wouldn't quit." Perry heard a voice, but he was confused, he didn't know where it was coming from. Then he heard a snicker. "Telepathy isn't common around these parts, I guess." The creature would take a few more steps towards Perry, sitting down in front of him. Oh. "So it's all in my head, then?" The young man would ask with a half smile. The creature would grin and nod.

"Let me ask you this then. What are you?" Perry would ask as he slightly bent to get a better look at its skin. "To you, I'm probably from elsewhere completely. I'm a Khigmax." Elsewhere? Like a different country or was he thinking too small? "Well, it is a pleasure to meet you, Khigmax." Perry would straighten his back and tip his hat. "I am known as the Black Cat, but my real name is Perry." He would whisper his introduction. Only select few knew his real name, for obvious reasons. "Do you have a name? Or is it just Khigmax?" He would ask the creature. It tilted its head in thought. "No. I guess I don't." The Khigmax would admit. Perry would hum as he tried to think of a suitable name. "How about Nova? Does that sound good?" He would ask and the Khigmax would grin. "It sounds awesome." Nova would reply. "Would you mind if I stuck around with you? You seem like a cool dude." Nova would ask Perry, who was slightly taken aback. But he was a saviour after all, so he shouldn't be so surprised. "Well... Sure. I just hope you like adventures that are not quite compliant with rules or laws." Perry would agree.

"Excellent."