Vices and Maces

Chapter 45: Brad's a Bit Tipsy

CW: blood, burns, broken bones, alcohol

Roman honestly did not want to be here. If he didn't care for his brother then he wouldn't be doing this. But the four of them walked into the bar, all of them dressed like they were celebrating something.

It wasn't instant, the alcohol drowned it out, but Roman was able to smell the faint scent of blood. He would have missed it if he wasn't looking for it. He held his nose and shook his head, all of the smells making his head spin.

"Are you okay?" Sal whispered.

"I'm fine, just overwhelmed," Roman told her.

Virgil couldn't hear the quiet talk from inside the bag, but he was able to smell through the fabric. It was harder than if he was out in the open, but he was still able to catch a small whiff of a familiar scent. Janus was here.

Remus was looking around the bar, keeping a smile on his face so he wasn't suspicious. He walked over to the bar, seeing the bartender fixing a drink for someone.

"Hey man," he greeted, leaning against the bar.

"Why hello, you're a new face," the guy behind the bar said. "Thirty minutes before closing too."

"Oh dang, does this place shut down that soon? This is what happens when you party in a different part of town I guess. The bar I usually go to is open till one in the morning."

"Well this is a small bar. Can I get a name for a hopefully new regular?"

Remus clenched his jaw before answering, "Brad."

"Well then, welcome to my bar, Brad."

The orc fae nodded. "Hey, would you happen to have a bathroom here?" He looked around. "Maybe a downstairs?"

"Oh no, downstairs is just the cellar." Remus looked back just in time to see the bartender glance in the direction of a door. "But we do have a bathroom over there." He pointed at a different door.

"Thanks man."

The bartender nodded. "No problem."

Remus made his way to the bathroom and was thankful to see it was a one person bathroom. Well that was just horrible for a bar, but it is a pretty small place. He looked around for any cameras, checking under the sink, toilet, and urinal. When he was sure they were clear, he opened his bag.

"You good in there, dragon?" he asked.

Virgil cooed before climbing out of the bag. He shifted into his human form and wiped his hands on his pants. He had his black hood over his head, hiding himself even though it was just them.

"They're here," he whispered. "I caught their scent. I can't tell where though, there's so much alcohol."

"I think I know where. When I mentioned downstairs, he glanced at a door. They have to be keeping Snake there."

Virgil nodded, frowning slightly. "Honestly, I'm surprised you guys are helping me. Hell, I've tried capturing your brother to give to Black once."

Remus shrugged. "You failed to hurt my brother. Well... kinda... you were the one that attacked him with silver, right?" The dragon tensed up. "Yeah. But I care about Snake. More than I expected to. So... that outweighs the anger. Like how it outweighs your fear. Take a deep breath, we're gonna get Jan out of here."

Virgil nodded and did as Remus suggested, his nose curling up. "Ugh, bar bathroom."

The orc fae snorted. "You get used to it after a night in here. But we have things to do, so get back in the bag."