Waterfront Rave

The sun had been set for almost an hour now and Corinth was leaning back in his chair, feet on his desk, hat over his eyes, resting from looking at a computer screen all day. He had a headache that had been pulsing since mid afternoon and he was waiting for the aspirin to kick in, but it seemed to be taking its sweet ass time. Hearing heels on linoleum, he knew Dalia was getting close, probably going to ask him if he found anything to which he would reply, for the third time, nothing yet.

“Then shouldn’t you be looking instead of sleeping?”

Lifting his hat, he cut his eyes to her, letting her freely see his annoyance with her question. “I have been staring at computer screens and newspapers all day. Cut me just a little bit of slack here.” Dropping his feet to the floor with a thump, he spun his chair around to face his desk and start tapping on his keyboard again.

“Hey, mate,” came an excited voice from behind him. Corinth looked over his shoulder to see one of the younger Templars running over to him and slapped a piece of paper on his desk.

The kid was probably in his early twenties and hadn’t been a servant of Gaia for long. He had just transferred over in the last few months. “I heard you were lookin’ for an off tha grid party. I think I found it. I had an informant ov mine ask around an’ he came back with this.”

Corinth looked the paper over while the kid continued. “Looks like there is a rave goin’ down by the wa’ahfront tonight around 11o’clock. Very low key and seems to be targeted only ta people in tha know through social media.” The kid looked pleased with himself.

Shaking his head in approval, Corinth rose from his chair and slid his trench coat on. “Remind me to buy you a case of beer later,” he said, rushing out of the office.

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It was over an hour drive through London to get to the wharf that was addressed on the paper. It took another hour to survey the area and find a good vantage point so he could watch who was coming and going, but he knew that if he really wanted to find Ivy, or what she was turning into, he would need to go inside at some point. Something that he wasn’t too inclined to do, but needed to be done.

As the night dragged on, people started showing up in their fancy cars and their designer clothes. This was a party for the rich and entitled kids of the area. A social media rave to show off how grand their life was and how other kids wished to be them. It was nothing but a grab for internet fame and attention. Corinth rolled his eyes at the thought. If they only knew how much danger they were in, but he surmised that they wouldn’t care as long as they could film it and post it for likes. He would wait another hour before entering, letting the party get good and rolling first.

As the time rolled on, he could start to hear the music coming from the wharf and lights flashing from the windows. It was about time he made his appearance and see if the Empusa would make hers, assuming this was the right party she was talking about. Exiting his car, he walked towards the deep bass rumbling from the building. A line was forming outside, most likely by all the plebs that heard about the party, but weren’t invited or were invited for the off chance of getting in. Corinth didn’t envy them one bit and moved passed them to the front of the line and straight to the bouncer.

“Whoa guy, you can’t just walk up and expect to go in,” said the large bouncer, holding his hand out to stop the Templar.

Corinth opened his jacket showing his badge and the hilt of Powell. “I either go in and check on what I need to check on and leave or I can shut this place down and take my time.” The bouncer looked like he was making a hard decision in his mind, but then concluded that it would be best to let Corinth pass. The Templar nodded at the man and then moved past him with a purpose.

The warehouse sprawled before him, vast and cavernous, reminiscent of the one he had visited the day prior. Yet, this one dwarfed its predecessor, its expanse amplified by the myriad shipments and containers it typically accommodated. The absence of goods hinted at their recent dispatch, leaving the space eagerly anticipating the arrival of fresh cargo to occupy its emptiness. But for right now, it was filled with a different kind of cargo, lights, music, dancing, and the energy of youth. The perfect environment for a hunter seeking prey.

Looking around, it was hard to see anything with the bright lights circling the room, much less trying to see faces. He walked down a short set of steps and onto the main floor. The smell of perfume, cologne, and body sweat filled the air. It was a scent he hadn’t smelled in a long time and brought back some memories from his youth.

Moving towards the makeshift bar, he posted up near it so he could scan the room better. It was damn near useless though. Looking for one specific person in a room full of dancing, sweating people? It was a nightmare. At least it was at first.

By chance, one of the mounted lights swung across a dark corner of the room and glanced of the face of Ivy. She was dancing with a young man who didn’t seem to care how she looked now. Her face, as best Corinth could tell, was distorted from all the changes her body was going through. He concluded that she must have been using her illusionary magic on the man or even some type of seduction spell. Most likely the latter.

Corinth pushed off the wall and pulled Powell out of its holster. He kept it behind him as he walked closer towards his target so as not spook her or the people in the room. The last thing he needed was a room full of people scrambling towards an exit and him losing the Empusa in the process. Losing her now was not an option.