Valeria Torres and the Midas Vault

Chapter 4: The Sovereign

Valeria's senses were overwhelmed once the doors opened. Delicious aromas from the street vendors wafted into her nostrils, the smell of barbeque being the most notable. Masses of hooded people swarmed around an indoor marketplace, with all kinds of odd wares that Valeria had never seen before. From where she stood, she made out three different stores.

A large sign shaped like a flask was the first to catch her eye. It was impossible to miss when the green lights in the flask flashed as they filled the container, disappeared, and flashed again in a repetitive pattern. Bright green letters spelled out, "Tommy's Terribly Terrific Toxins."

An explosion rang out from the opposite direction, and Valeria ducked instinctively. She was the only one, as everyone else simply cheered or laughed. She stood and observed the shop to her right, a large sign shaped like a bomb above it's entrance. Fireworks exploded every time its fuse reached the bomb's surface, illuminating the words, "Snaps, Claps, and Traps."

Unlike the flashier shops, the last one resembled a traditional clothing store. Closer inspection of the display window revealed odd sets of leather jackets and pants. Some appeared fashionable, others looked more like sets of armor. A simple white sign embossed with the words, "Legendary Leatherworks," hung above its entrance.

Valeria froze in place, her eyes filled with wonder as she took in this new world and the odd people that inhabited it. Most wore black leather gear trimmed with different colors, some armed with knives, guns, or other assorted weapons. Others were gathered in groups around the stores, smoking, drinking, or gambling. Frank waited up ahead, a broad grin across his face.

"Welcome to my world - welcome to Coterel. Follow me."

Valeria tried to follow Frank through the bustling marketplace, but had trouble keeping up as the local shopkeepers catcalled with offers for cheap food, drinks, and drugs.

"A new protege, eh?" a merchant asked, stepping in front of her. "You must be nervous about meeting the Sovereign," he said while reaching in his bag. "Don't worry, I've got just the thing for ya," he said as he removed a joint and lit it. "Wonder Woman here will give you all the courage you need."

Valeria exhaled with disbelief, an awkward smile across her face. She had been sent to the detention center three times for possession of marijuana. Now she was being offered weed in public? She had to admit - she liked this new world already.

She reached for the joint and put it out between her fingers. "I'm underage! You know that's illegal right? Shame on you!" she chastised, pretending to throw the joint away, but secretly slipping it into her back pocket.

"Does it look like I give a shit, kid?" the drug dealer replied, his beefy hand clasping her shoulder. "You still owe me twenty bucks."

"Holy Crap! What the hell is that?!" Valeria yelled, pointing with her free arm. When the shopkeeper turned, she kicked one of his legs out and sprinted into a store on the opposite end of the walkway.

Where the hell am I?

Candles illuminated the dark room, their light glinting off the endless slivers of metal hanging from the walls. Her innate night vision turned on, revealing hundreds of knives on display. Their shape, length, and designs varied, but the quality of the craftsmanship was undeniable. A large sign shaped like a knife hung at the back of the room, the words, "Darrow's Daggers" imprinted in red bold faced letters.

A man was conversing with the shopkeeper nearby. He was tall, covered in a black hooded jacket with red accents, and had a dagger and pistol clearly visible in his belt. He inspected a massive knife, twirling it around his hand with amazing speed. The display was unlike anything Valeria had seen before. That settled it; she wanted to be like him.