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Juria and Risto: A Short Story - Part 2

Part 2 of my story starting Risto and Juria, the two fascinating OCs of @risto-licious and @julls , respectively.

...

EIGHTEEN MONTHS LATER

A figure in a heavy coat, dark colored hat, and glasses hurried through the rain from the forest, and into the city. Clutching an open umbrella The darkness, coupled with the falling water disadvantaged him. That is, until he found what he was looking for. The silhouette looked above himself at an archway that welcomed him to the local park. Normally alive and thriving with families of various specifies, it proved to be dead quiet, with only the putter patter of raindrops for sounds. It was exactly the way the stranger wanted it.

The park boasted a long trail surrounding a duck pond, benches to sit and stretch at, and an amphitheater that appeared empty and depressing in the storm. He found close by the entrance and took a much needed rest on the top bleacher. He flared his coat a little to get some air circulation through his shoulders. Aside from the occasional glance at his watch, he just sat there and kept to himself. As he sat there pondering, the sound of nearby footsteps made him look up. Coming towards him was another figure in a coat. An imp with skin the color of blood approached, revealing his face under a wide umbrella of his own.

"Hey, Darnel."

"Hey, Ari." Ari sat down next to Darnell and closed up his umbrella. "Perfectly dark and rainy, just like you thought," Ari observed. "Yep." "How've you been?" "Not very well," Darnell sneered. "Ahh, same as usual," Ari confirmed. Darnell grunted. "Alright, listen, sassy, I have a new target for you," Darnell announced quietly. "Yeah, what IS this job anyway? You didn't specify in your email," Ari asked. "It's about my Boss." "Risto, the King of the Black Market? That Risto?" "Yes, him." "What about 'im?" Ari asked.

"I can't stand him anymore. He's nothing like I thought he'd be. It's ridiculous!" Ari was taken aback. "Weren't you the one who, just a year and a half ago, was simply praising this guy? 'Oh what I'd give to get a job with his gang. I could be committing the crimes of a real demon of the world.' What happened to that, Darnell?" he asked.

"Hmpf! It's faded. That's what happened. Getting a job as a big time member of his gang was everything I'd hoped for. But I see how Risto really is and it frustrates me! Everyday, I gotta come in and see his fat, ugly face, putting our interrogations and ransacking on hold for that-that-"

"That what?"

"That girl! That squirming, squeaking little elf he wanted oh-so-badly. I figured he'd just hire some nanny to look after her, but he takes her everywhere! Keeps her in a funny looking red sweater with a pocket he knitted himself, while she sucks on some bottle."

"Well, Darnell, he IS her father. Can't condemn the guy for giving a damn about his kids." Darnell glared. "But every time she cries or makes a fuss, he always steps aside to check on her, while the bums we do business with just sit there. No one dares to object because of-" he almost couldn't say it. "He's the head honcho?" "Yes! Our revenue may have increased a bit after he ate that weasel, Rockford, and took over his bar, but not by much, the way I see it. He spends a pretty penny on guns, knives, and that kid, and it just seems so unnecessary. It's irresponsible!" "Well, you know, cuz, he's been committing crimes and spreading chaos for centuries. I'm sure he's loaded!" "That's part of the problem! Doesn't he care about his image? Doesn't he know how ridiculous he looks when he steps away to waste time on a crying baby when his prey is just sitting there, waiting for a moment to escape? Granted, they never do. He always catches them in the end, but still-" "Why do you care so much?" Ari asked. "Why? I'll tell you why!" Darnel exclaimed. "Because he's risking our reputation! Spending our precious time and money on a kid that needs a nanny, making himself seem nice and soft when he's anything but! And he doesn't care! All he cares about is a kid that never stops crying! Doesn't he know that crime is a 24 hour job?!"

"Calm down, Darnell," Ari whispered. "Have you ever considered voicing your thoughts to Risto? Maybe ask him how he does it?" Darnell chuckled. "Me? Approach THE Risto himself? The Devourer of Souls? The monster who devoured a delivery boy just for being two minutes late, sending one of our own to return the car anonymously to keep people from disturbing him? I'm not risking MY life in that way! That's why I need your help."

"Why me?"

"Risto's priorities aren't in check. I used to admire his abilities and success. I don't care if he's still going strong. I don't care if he still 'reigns' as the 'Black Market King.' He needs to forfeit control to someone who will always put the Mafia-OUR Mafia-first...someone like me." Ari shifted away from him. "You'd be willing to commit mutiny towards the most powerful crook in the land? Risto might not be as powerful as he once was, but he's still a dangerous creature. He'd eat you alive in two seconds flat!"

"...not if we can get rid of him quickly and quietly. He may have the best assassins on this side of the world, but you-" Darnel explained, gesturing to Ari. "-are the best on your side of the world."

"You want me to assassinate Risto himself?"

"Yes."

"You're ludicrous." Darnell smirked maliciously. "Am I, though?"

"Yes! Yes, you are." The green imp frowned. "Well, think about it this way: the fat oaf loves a good ol' fashioned glass of vinegar. If a gunshot doesn't work, a healthy dose of arsenic should do the trick."

"And what will happen if he catches me, and swallows me whole? What then?" Ari asked sarcastically.

"You're the best hider and climber I've ever seen. You can sneak from corner to corner without so much as a trace. If anyone can do it, you can. Think of YOUR reputation. Become the man who offed the Demon King of the Underground." Ari rolled his eyes. "Darnel, I love you, but much like you, I ain't risking my life to that Risto either. And that's that!" He stood up and turned around. "The answer is no!"

"How much?" Darnell asked with an ambitious gleam in his eye. Ari stopped, freezing in his tracks. "What was that?" Darnell grinned. "If we keep the deed quick and quiet, I can take over the entire mob. With me in charge and the baby in foster care hundreds of miles away from here, we'll be more the most efficient mob in this country's history. No one would dare mess with us again! And because I love you, cuz, I'll give you half of our earnings from the first 365 days I'm in charge. Would you like that?" Ari was silent. His eyes swerved left, then right, then they closed. "Procuring a gun lethal enough for a eight foot tall demon won't happen overnight."

"Take the time you need." "I don't target minors though. You need to promise me that the baby doesn't get hurt." "You and your morals...I promise."

...

SIX MONTHS LATER

"I-I can't say it." "Yes, you can. Try again." "No, sir." "Yes, sir?"

At two years and three weeks old, Juria had proven to be quite the smart, excitable child. Though she'd been with him on jobs involving interrogation, robberies, and smuggling, just to name a few, nothing about her beaming face suggested that she'd seen anything that could eat at her long term. If anything, her very presence had become quite the motivator for the old kingpin. From her earliest days of merely watching him as he held her delicately in his arms, to now, running about on her wobbly legs and trying to speak at least a little more clearly, having a little one in the house again made him work all the harder to stay successful and remain a dangerous force to be reckoned with.

"A-B-C-D-E-F-G-How I wonder what you are..." Juria sang in a still, little voice. Risto chuckled. "Princess, you're getting them confused again." "I'm sorry, Daddy." "No, it's fine. Both of those songs have the same tune. Makes it tricky," he explained. While he sat in his huge leather chair and Juria sat in the carpet on her personal blanket. Sitting at a considerable distance from her crime lord father, it gave him a chance to assemble and toy with some of his favorite tools.

A man of considerable taste in weapons, Risto had formed a 'passionate hobby,' as he once described it, out of collecting guns and knives and extensively studying them. He loved each one for different reasons and preferred to know everything there was to know about them. Because Juria was in the room, the guns were in a separate box in a locked compartment. As Juria mumbled to herself, and tried to arrange her blocks by their different colors and letters, Risto pulled out a long cleaver knife with multiple spikes. A screw held together the blade and the cold metallic handle, making for a formidable weapon. Naturally, he adored it. He put a black cylindrical magnifier to his eye, as he unscrewed the handle. Black saliva seeped from his lips in excitement over what he might find. Removing the screw, he hummed approvingly at a tiny collection of gears that turned backwards and forewords as one retracted the spikes from the blade with a button on the handle. Before he could admire the illegal utensil, something in him bit at him. As if his stomach was trying to touch his rib cage without his permission.

"Hmm...something's coming..." he whispered, looking over at the curtained window of his office. He curved a suspicious eyebrow and glanced at Juria while she studied a red block in her hands. Risto walked to over the window, opened it slightly and leered at the view he got from his mountain. "What nuisance is wandering around in the rain?" He said to himself. He promptly held a red button down. "Gailen, get in here." Juria looked over as the blue henchman entered the office warily. His face suggested the possibility that perhaps he'd done something to warrant a punishment. "Yes, sir! Called for me?"

"I sense something; a strange presence that's never been here before." "Is it a human?" Gailen asked, both a little relieved and alarmed at the same time. "I'm not sure," Risto replied reluctantly. He looked down and smiled at Juria as she toddled over to hold as much as she could of his ankle. She looked up at him to try to see his face, but all she saw was his thick arm, black hand, and immense stomach. He plucked her from his leg and held her comfortably in his arms. "Gailen, come with me. I will round up the men and have them surround the property."

"Yes, sir!"

...

Ari maneuvered his way through the tall pine trees of the forest, ignoring the pouring pounding onto his ski mask. Darnell had told him everything he knew for a fact about the Boss, and with this information, the assassin had made sure to bring everything he figured he'd need. A good rifle, a pound of some genuine arsenic, and a long knife, and black clothing, just to name a few. As the sun set behind Risto's peak, Ari intentionally bared to the left before he could reach the forest clearing, where the path began to incline up the mountain. He kept running until he saw Darnell, also dressed in black, and his blinking flashlight. Ari hurried over to him, put his hands to his knees and exhaled several breaths. "Sorry I took so long," he whispered. "It's fine. Some of us minions are apparently out and about outside the house." "How could they have known?" Darnell thought to himself. "Where's the opening you told me about?" Ari asked. "Follow me," Darnell replied, beckoning him to follow him up an incline. He led Ari to a spot on the mountain, that he could push away like a door. "It's a secret passageway. I'll tell you where to go, so I can go distract the guys." Both imps found their way into a deep cavern, with walls lined with steps made out of stone. "What is this place?" Ari asked.

"The Boss's special cavern. He uses this place to transform into his more beastly forms. Pity he won't get to do it again," Darnell explained. He stopped him and pointed to the steps. "Go up these stairs. It'll take you straight to his office. If he's there, use the rifle. If he's not, get creative," Darnell grinned. "The ol' glutton could never resist a fresh glass of human blood or vinegar. I'm sure you'll find some sitting around." "Gotcha, thanks." "Sure," Darnell replied with a tiny smile.

...

Risto took Juria to her room, wide and pink, just as the girl liked it. The crook was glad she had bathed that afternoon instead of that night, because he was quick to change her into her nightgown, have her brush her teeth, and tuck her into her light pink bed. "Daddy, where you going?" she asked almost incoherently. He handed her a detailed rag doll that looked just like her. "I need to go check our front yard. Something's going on and Daddy's going to find out what it is," Risto explained to the child. "Can I go see?" Juria asked curiously. "No, no, Princess, it doubt it'll be very pretty. Besides, it's a little past your bedtime." Juria's face fell. "Mr. Gailen will be right outside, so if you need anything, you tell him."

"You're the Boss."

"And don't you forget it," Risto replied, admittedly smugly. "Now be a good girl and sleep." He nuzzled her nose, pecked her, and left her there to sleep. "I love you." "Love you too," she whispered as she laid down and tried to relax. When he quietly closed the door, he yanked Gailen by his collar.

"Guard her with your life." His thug nodded frantically.

...

Darnell climbed up the trail as the rain pounded down on him. Momentarily worried that he might contract a fever, he swallowed a lump in his throats and pressed on. He could always take some cough medicine after Risto was dead. Once he made it to the wide cliff that held the house and the minions, he hurried over to grab their attention. "Guys! Guys! What are you doing?" he asked as innocently as he could. The cluster of men, a group full of various non-humans, looked over and lowered their guns. "Darnell, you're the one the Boss sent us out here for?" a skinny lizard in brown asked. Darnell blinked for a second or two.

"What do you mean?" "Gailen mentioned something about the Boss sensing something new around here. He sent us all out here to stand guard. Maybe he sensed you?" another asked. "Nah, the Boss wouldn't make a mistake like that! If he sensed something foreign to him, he'd have known for sure," the first minion replied. Darnel glanced at the mansion, and fluttered his eyes from the stress. "M-Maybe it's the rain. I'm sure the water's not doing much for my smell," he tried to explain. "No, I'm pretty sure I-well...maybe. It-HEY!" the second tried to say. Darnell had pushed him aside mid-sentence, and dashed to the front door of the mansion. "Darnell, where are you going?" "To find the Boss!"

...

Ari crept lightly up the long winding steps. Surrounding him was rough cavern halls that could've been ages old for all he knew. As he pondered over this place he found strange to say the least, his thoughts drifted to the Boss himself.

Risto.

He almost couldn't believe it himself. The idea of poisoning or ripping off the demon's head certainly sounded exciting, but deep down in the pit of his lean stomach, he felt doubts. On one hand, this could be his last night alive. But on the other hand, he thought of the notoriety that could come of it. A handsome revenue in his pockets for a whole year, because he managed to overcome the King of Crime himself. His cousin happy and content again as certainly nothing to sneeze at either, knowing that procedures were running the way they needed to. He just had to try. He just had to win.

He found a door at the top of the steps that appeared like a closet door, except far wider than any he'd seen. Painted in white and with a golden doorknob, he examined it, took one final glance at the darkened cavern, and opened the door. "Good evening."

Ari twitched at the sight of Risto himself, sitting in his leather chair by his desk, cross legged and sipping blood from a champagne glass. Apparently, Ari deduced quickly, the door from the house to the cavern was at the Boss's left. Additionally, Risto's neutral facial expression confused the bounty hunter. "Bit of a storm out there, isn't it?" the Boss asked. "...it is."

"Care for a glass? We've got water, tea, vinegar, blood?" Risto asked, pulling out an identical glass. "Mine is Type O; the most compatible of all the blood types. I picked this up from a very portly gentleman, and that means something coming from me," he said with a chuckle. He picked up his glass again and extended his sickly looking tongue, like an anaconda yearning for prey. He dripped some of the blood onto it and grinned at the taste. Ari looked him up and down, trying not to cringe. "Well, you are much fatter in person," he admitted.

"It comes with the territory of being 'The Devourer of Souls'. It's very thrilling, I say. Getting to eat whatever & whomever I want, and how much of them I want. The more souls I eat, the more of my old power I unlock." He extended his ringed hand, and the cane lifted itself towards him. He stood up and stepped towards the hunter. "Aryeh Drimmer, professional assassin, am I right?" he asked. "Yes, sir."

"Hmm...you know, Aryeh, many mortals I've had the pleasure of tasting are the same. Proud, stubborn 'knights' who should've stayed home and used their souls for good, instead of leading themselves to destruction. Not that I mind. I love humans (especially when they're shaking). In fact, a changing world isn't the only reason why knights don't exist anymore." Black saliva dripped from his lips as he plucked a match and a thick cigar from his red vest pocket. "Cigar?" he asked. He brushed the match against the wood of the desk and lit it up, before taking a long drag. "No thanks," Ari replied.

"You won't have a drink. You won't have a cigar. You must be a busy imp," Risto deduced. "You're here to kill me, aren't you? Why wouldn't an assassin come to my doorstep and find my passageway up to my office? Someone helped you, didn't they?"

Ari focused in on Risto's heavy eyes. "Aren't cigars addictive, sir?" he asked, trying to change the subject. The mob boss smirked at his audacious tone. "To some; I control them. They don't control me. Now, answer my question. Who was it, Aryeh? You can tell me. I will believe you." Ari said nothing. "Hmm...I'm aware of your blood relation to one of my men. Your cousin, my Darnell Drimmer. He sneaked you in, didn't he?" The red imp blinked twice. "Thought so." In a fit of desperation, Ari swiped out a rifle and pointed it towards Risto's head. The Boss dodged the bullet, allowing his champagne glasses to tip over onto the wooden table. The crime lord threw a fist into Ari's nose, causing a long thick stream of his own blood to fall down his lips and chin. As he fell, Ari swiped the knife from his jacket pocket and reached out his hand clenched to the handle. He managed to nick Risto on the cheek, before the demon yanked at the knife and bit down on Ari's hand. The imp yowled in pain and shuddered at Risto's sharp teeth penetrating his firm inhuman skin.

A deep growl came from the Boss's throat and his grin was positively wide and sadistic. The assassin tried to kick and push himself away, but he couldn't. Risto pinned him down with his muscular arms and wide belly, as the monster heaved up and down like an animal. "There...that was fun, eh?" he said in a raspy voice. "I must admit that your efforts were valiant, but at the end of the day, a soul is a soul." Ari closed his eyes.

"So do me a favor and hold still. This won't take long."

...

Darnell hurried up the steps and down the hall until he found Gailen standing by Juria's closed bedroom door. He hummed at the coworker and sped over to him. "Gailen, what's going on?" he lied. He almost collided with Gailen, who shushed him quickly. "Miss Juria is sleeping."

Darnell rolled his eyes, causing a small scowl on Gailen's face. "Where's the Boss?" Darnell asked. "I'm not sure. He thinks something's trying to get in!" A loud thud and a cry caused Darnel to look behind him and glance back at Gailen only for a second. "Excuse me!" "H-Hey where are you going?!" "I can't tell you now!" Darnell could smell the faintest traces of blood coming from the office. He could safely say that it wasn't human. This excited him, so he barged into Risto's office, expecting his corpse. Instead, he found Risto, and plenty of blood stains on the carpet. Dark red, almost black, blood dripped from his Boss's lips. Darnell's heart practically leapt to his throat as he watched Risto sit at his desk, looking much larger than the last time he'd seen him. With his glass of blood in his hand and cigar held down by his teeth, he looked positively kingly. "Ah, my good clean floors. I'll have to get them replaced."

Risto's tone was nonchalant as he dabbed his mouth with a silk handkerchief. "Now, where was I?...Oh yes," he continued, picking up his cigar from his ash tray to finish it. After a drag, he sealed his lips, letting the smoke fall from his nostrils.

"Darnell, if I'd known you'd invited your cousin into town, I'd have treated him to dinner," he said with a grin and a snarky tone. His henchman appeared visibly shaken, and it made Risto grin. "I...I bet you would," Darnell whispered, clenching his fists. Risto smirked. "You sent him here to destroy me. Very commendable, old friend. I haven't had a bounty on my head for a long time." The green imp appeared confused at Risto's calm tone. He briefly scanned his Boss and glared. "You've eaten him, yes?" he asked. The crime lord teasingly put his tongue at the left corner of his lip. Darnell's teeth clenched, but he wouldn't dignify him with a response. He felt his heart sick further and further inside him as his eyes moistened. "Why?" the Boss. "All I want to know is why. From what I understand, we were getting on quite well." "...I..." "Yes?" "...I didn't-I don't think you're an efficient Boss." "Don't you?" "No." The imp was bold enough to look up at Risto in the eye. "Our time and resources aren't-...I don't think..." "You don't think I use them wisely?" "...how did you know?" "You're not that hard to figure out, boy. You're ambitious, passionate, and discontented some of the time, very much like me." "I'm nothing like you." "Are you sure?" Risto asked, rising from his chair. "Yes!" "How so?" the Boss asked sharply. Darnell took a step forward. "You waste our precious time and resources on-" "Yeah?" Risto responded, leaning forward. The imp closed his eyes. "On-On guns and knives and take out and-" "Yeah?!" "And you don't care about the mob as you should. What matters most to you is that-" "YEAH?!" "THAT ANNOYING KID OF YOURS!"

Silence filled the room. When Darnell opened his eyes, Risto had froze, with eyes wider than dinner plates for a good few seconds. Darnell's bottom lip quivered in shock. He covered his mouth and shuddered. Risto blinked, stood up straight and tall and looked at him with a stone faced look.

"Your tongue has dug your grave. Allow mine to nail the coffin."

Darnell yanked a gun hiding behind is long jacket, and pulled the trigger on Risto. The Boss, however, stepped away, snatched his knife of spikes from the desk, and flung it towards him. Darnell had grasped his own knife before a sharp pang of unbearable pain punctured his side. Coughing violently, his trembling hands tried to grab for the wall, but as his fingertips touched its surface, he could feel his body lifting up. Risto had grasped him by the collar, lifted him above his mouth and held his tongue out as blood dripped from Darnell's side. The mob boss removed any other weapons from him, and pushed him inside his maw.

...

Juria moaned a little as the morning sunshine peered through her window's blinds. Tossing and turning just a bit, she sat up, and yawned. The first thing she saw as her senses woke up with her, was her father, sitting in a corner, snoring loudly. Unlike his well dressed appearance last night, he now appeared semi-casual. He had apparently taken off his buttoned shirt, red vest, and green and pink necktie, revealing his hairy chest and arms and his gold chain. He looked a bit bigger than usual, which made her curiously slip out of bed. The two year old sucked on her fingers as she approached the sleeping behemoth, curious as to what he could've eaten the night before.

As she often did whenever he'd sit there with her watching, she grasped his undershirt shirt with her little fists, and pulled herself up. Climbing had proven to be a hobby of her own that she quite enjoyed, particularly when he was the one she had to pull herself up on. The beast seemed unresponsive, which excited Juria just a little. Perhaps this time, he wouldn't see her and try to help her get on top of him. The little girl grunted in her usual high pitched voice as she held his shirt as tightly as she could. As she struggled, a long black hand, wearing a Rolex watch, placed itself below her to catch her, should she slip. She hadn't noticed. Juria beamed when she finally made it to the top and gasped when Risto's right eye opened. "I got you!" "...you got me."

"Good morning," she squeaked, crawling to his chest. He held his hands towards her as she got closer. "Good morning, Princess. Good news, I caught the creatures that tried to bother us last night." "What were they, Daddy?" "A couple of rats," Risto explained. "Yucky." "I agree," he confirmed, stroking her pink hair. "Did it hurt?" "No, sweetness, it didn't hurt, not me." "Oh, OK."

Risto held onto her, sat up, and cradled her in his bulky arms again. It was a little bit of a struggle with his enlarged stomach, but it didn't bother him too much. He was used to it at this point. Juria's bare foot touched the very top of his distended stomach, and her cheek rested on his chest. As he walked down the stairs with her, his phone rang, so he plucked it out of his pocket, glanced at the caller ID, and answered. "Alright, Gailen, what've you got?...The shipment came through?...good. And how many came in the order?...Perfect. With those rifles, we'll surely double our profits in our little gun market, maybe even triple. I knew I could count on you. Bring them straight here."

He hung up his phone and rubbed Juria's back. She looked up and smiled. "Who's that?" "Mr. Gailen. It seems that I was right." "'bout what?" "One of the rats I met last night; he truly was worried for nothing."

END