Chapter 11: A Meeting

Moments later, the duo ducked into a boutique lined with elaborate carpets and clothing displays.

As Eden began to look around, Cliff let out a sigh. "This is it."

"What do you mean?"

"This is what I live for. The times when I can laugh, smile, and not worry about whether or not I'm screwing something up," he answered with a dark chuckle. "I'm a bit of an dork, if you haven’t figured that out yet."

"No...really?" Eden teased.

Suddenly, a voice called out from within the store. "Hey, Cliff!"

The Knight turned to see a tall man with slicked-back blond hair, mirrored sunglasses, and a painfully bright green suit walking out from the racks. He gave Cliff a friendly slap on the shoulder and looked him over.

"It's been a while since you've journeyed down to the surface, hasn't it?" The man quickly shifted his eyes to Eden. "Oh, and you've got a new lady friend too! Hey, isn't she a bit young for you? Don’t tell me - you stole her from Caleb?" he chuckled, shooting her a wink.

"Johnny, shut up..." Cliff stammered. "She's a special guest of the guild. Have some respect, man!"

Once she saw how embarrassed Cliff looked, Eden broke into her own laugh and stepped forward. "Nice to meet you, Johnny. But you should really be nicer to Cliff...dorks need love too, you know."

"Hah!" Johnny shook Eden’s hand with gusto, then looked back to Cliff. "Hey, she isn’t just cute, she’s funny, too!"

"Remind me to call you next time I need to do some target practice," Cliff muttered.

"Forgive my manners," Johnny said, moving his hand to his chest and giving Eden a mock bow. "I’m Johnny Cantania, a good friend and tormentor of Walden over there. And you are?"

"Eden Gardener, at your service," she replied, with a mock curtsy.

"Alright, now that we're through with all the niceties, how about I show you what we’ve got?"

Johnny led Eden and Cliff further into the store. Soon, Eden was inundated with new styles, colors, and materials. Before she knew it, she had a shopping basket full of different outfits.

Cliff glanced at her haul. "Find everything you want?"

"Well, almost everything," she said giddily. "But we haven't picked out any underwear yet."

"W...we?" Cliff’s face grew pale. "You...um..."

"Geez! I'm kidding, obviously!" Eden laughed. "I already picked out some stuff while you were talking with Johnny. You really need to lighten up, Cliff!"

Cliff let out an exasperated sigh and walked over to the counter to pay. Meanwhile, Eden stepped back into a dressing room and slipped into one of her new outfits: a sleeveless green turtleneck with a long white skirt.

Three seconds later, a huge crash from within the store. Eden slid on her new sandals and rushed out of the dressing room. The south end of the store had caved in. Above the pile of rubble, pieces from the roof shook unsteadily, as if to follow. It looked like a huge wrecking ball had swung into the structure, but the ball was nowhere to be seen.

Some customers screamed and ran out. Others stepped back warily, with vigilant looks on their faces. Cliff weaved through the aisles, knocking down clothes as he tried to reach her.

"Cliff!" Eden moved out into the center of the aisles.

"Stay back!" he shouted.

"Wha..." she was about to ask him something, but a movement from the rubble diverted her attention.

Eden whipped her head back to the south end. On top of the ruined pile, there now stood a hulking man with red, eye sockets and blue, blade-like hair that extended from his scalp. Stitches tattooed his dark, scarred skin, from his nose to the tips of his fingers, like a living rag doll. The only article of clothing he wore was a messy conglomeration of belts wrapped around his hips and thighs. Converging with the scars around the rest of his body was a tattoo of a long, twisting dragon.

He flexed his fists with anticipation, sharp steel claws extending from where nails should have been. Yellow teeth peeked through purple lips as he grinned menacingly at Eden. Panic had her paralyzed, frozen and suffocating. Never in her life had she seen anything this frightening in real life.

Cliff’s jaw dropped as he saw the monster and followed its gaze. The Dragon...another Zodiac...but how did they find us so quickly?! Was it the car? They must have bugged the car...how could I have been so stupid?!

Johnny yanked his sunglasses off and stared at his ruined wall in shock. "Who the hell is that?!"

"The Dragon," Cliff explained, rushing to Eden's side. "Xarles Klavier Van Kaen...the only member of the 12 Dark Zodiacs who’s ever been publicly identified."

"A Dark Zodiac?!" Johnny shrieked. "What the hell is he doing in my shop?! Just who did you bring in here with you, Cliff?!"

"I... " Cliff faltered. "I honestly don't know."

The gnarled muscles in Van Kaen's arms rippled with anticipation as he raised his bloodstained claws. It looked like he was preparing to jump.

"Get down!" Cliff shouted.

The Knight hooked his left arm around Eden’s waist and rolled, then used his right arm to pull the shotgun from his back. Simultaneously, the Dragon leapt down to the ground, easily digging through the tile with his bladed hands and shaking the foundation. Baring his fangs in a sadistic grin, he ripped both arms upward, unearthing the floor with inhuman ease and sending a flurry of rubble flying toward the three. He pointed at Cliff, laughing crazily, then ran his other hand across a deep scar that encircled his throat.

"Hey, asshole!" Johnny shouted, stepping out from the aisle. "You think you can trash my store and get away with it?"

He pulled a long black cord from around his waist and slapped it on the ground with a loud smack. Electricity surged through his hands, crackling around the cord with a blue glow.

"This is your last chance to get out." Johnny slammed the black cord down again, singing the floor with electricity. "I warned you."