NOVEL WEB Chapter 12: "Mr. Perlman it's a pleasure~"
Perlman, rotund frame barely contained by his tailored suit, fussed endlessly with his tie in the full-length mirror. Beady eyes narrowed in concentration as sausage-like fingers struggled with the silk knot.
"Sir, Ms. Koleda Belobog is requesting an audience with you again," a guard spoke up from the doorway. "She's being…insistent."
Perlman's scowled and waved his arms animatedly. "Tell that incessant bear fucker to fuck off! Entry is strictly forbidden and this area is under Vision's jurisdiction, Belobog can lap up the dirt to clean this up once we've finished with the project." He finally wrestled the tie into submission with a huff of self-satisfaction.
The guard shifted uncomfortably. "With all due respect sir, Belobog is one of our biggest rivals and they're bringing the media along with them. Pushing them away will bring too much suspicion."
"Do I look like I care?" Perlman turned around and walked up to the guard, standing only half their height. "This Old Metro reconstruction is my golden goose, my magnum opus! I'm not letting Belobog get their hands on this project! I won this bid fair and square, this place is mine!"
Straightening his lapels, Perlman strode out of the dressing room with a smug arrogant grin rivaling a certain con artist. "Now if you'll excuse me, I have the media awaiting their next puff piece on the Vision Corp's noble urban revitalization efforts. Can't keep the people misinformed for too long!"
Flashes of light filled the sky as Perlman stepped on to a brightly-lit stage, a bank of paid reporters and journalists stood in line, asking questions and shoving each other in a perfectly choreographed movement.
"Greetings, Ladies and Gentlemen," Perlman spoke over a microphone. "It is to my great honor to stand upon you here as your humble guide to bring New Eridu to a brand-new future!" he raised his arms and everyone clapped their hands in sync.
Just as he was about to continue, the lights around him flickered and the spotlight left the stadium. He narrowed his eyes, watching as the spotlight moved further and further from the stage right to the Hollow Entrance.
"Hmm? What's going on?" he glared at his guard who just held up his hand and shook his head. "Oi, who stole my spotlight!?"
The answer came in a kaleidoscope of multicolored light bursting forth from the Hollow Entrance. A beautiful girl stepped forward, pink hair shining under the spotlight, nails sparkling like gems as she walked towards the stage with a sway of her hips.
"My apologies for stealing the spotlight," she snapped her fingers and the boring corpo music was replaced by an 80s heart throb tune. "But it's nothing personal darling, it's just business~"
Perlman gritted his teeth. "Just who do you think you are!?" he pointed his fingers at her. "Guards! Arrest her!"
At once, numerous laser sights were trailed over her vitals as guards rushes in between her and the stage. The guards, a mix of Vision Employee and Hollow Raiders raised their riot shields, while others trailed their weapons at her.
"Hm?" Nicole smirked stopping in her tracks. "What's with the warm welcome hun? I just want to have a little chat with your boss there,"
The girl tilted her head, a bullet missing her head by a hair's breadth. Her smirk turned predatory as she gazed upon the crowd of armed personnel before her. "Now which one of you did that?" she raised her hand, making a finger gun. "Bang!"
A piercing scream rang from the crowd, a man curled on the ground clutching their bloody hand. Everyone else looked around in fear, as if looking for an invisible assassin. Some of the smarter ones dropped their weapon and raised their hand.
Perlman gulped, looking around for any sign of snipers. "O-Open Fire!!!" he shouted. "It's just one girl! Kill her!"
Nicole raised an eyebrow. "It's just one girl?" she sauntered closer; another bullet swept past her followed by a scream of agony. "And aren't you just one man?" she grinned smugly. "Don't worry, my client wants you alive, you see?"
The girl walked closer and closer to Perlman, her visage becoming more and more like the reaper itself. He watched as one by one, his men fled in panic, some of the braver one stood their grounds. Raising their riot shield up, creating a wall to protect their employer.
"Hey," Nicole leaned in towards one of them. "How much did he pay you?" she whispered to a guard. "Is it worth risking your life sweetie?" her finger traced a line below the man's mask. Eyes gazing straight at him. "Why don't you go home? It's not too late to run~"
The wall crumbled and the army parted ways. Some tried to resist, only to be swept away by other afraid Hollow Raiders. Desperate, Perlman grabbed a microphone. "Explosives! Throw explosives at her! Just Kill Her!!!" he yelled.
A dozen of grenades were thrown from a special team of armed personnel into the crowd. Everyone fled at the sight of it, the entire area became deserted safe for Nicole standing idly in the middle. Four grenades lay near her feet and eight more surrounded her.
'BANG'1
There was a storm of fire, followed by a blast of air that knocked Perlman away. His ears rang, painfully, and he felt like throwing up. But a victorious grin formed on his face, that stupid girl, Nicole or whoever that is, must've been blown away to kingdom come.
His grin faltered, slowly replaced by a mask of horror. There, the girl stood above a gigantic scorch mark, not a single scratch nor singe on her form. "That wouldn't work hun," Nicole glanced at her nails, as if making sure the explosion didn't break anything. "Now where was I?"
The sight of her surviving a grenade point blank sells it. Clattering sound echoes through the area as Hollow Raiders and Vision Employees alike dropped their weapons. Others even turned tail and run, not taking their chances just for dennies.
Perlman tried to make a break for it when something sharp was suddenly held on his neck. He looked up in horror to find a thiren cat girl, holding a blade on her neck. "Going somewhere nya~?" the thiren spoke, voice sickly sweet on his ears.
Then, the reaper in pink jumped on to the stage, she crouched down in front of him, face inches away from his face. "Mr. Perlman it's a pleasure..." she glanced at the now deserted stage. "Now, my good friends and some hard-working Journalist wants to get a quick peek at this whole thing you got going on..."
Perlman gulped nervously. "Ma'am... it's confidential matter, I can't..." blood trickled down his neck. "They are very welcome!!!" he cried. "Let them in! Please just don't kill me!!!"
Nicole rolled her eyes. "Well don't make it to easy… Have some dignity you pig…" she mocked, a look of sheer disgust in her face. She then turned around and hauled her suitcase. "You heard the man boys, give my partners a warm welcome," she glanced at Perlman one more time. "And as for you, just be a good boy and answer all questions honestly, mkay???"
The beating sound of Helicopter blades echoed through the air. Spotlight swept over the stage as hundreds of real reporters came rushing in. Literal bears were walking among them, heading straight to the Hollow with a red-haired girl leading the front.
"One by one please~" Nicole said as the reporters surrounded the stage from all sides. "I want royalty for any image of me you use, so make your shot count," she kicked Perlman standing beside her. "Your turn Mr. Perlman, go ahead and tell them all about your plan and these..." she gestured at all the remaining Hollow Raiders and Vision Employee fleeing the site only to be captured by real Pubsec personnel's. "Gentlemen you hired,"