Voyage: 2p!America x Thief!Reader [TREASURE HUNTING AU]

CHAPTER 1: RENDEVOUS [1]

The moment that I've grasped consciousness, the first thought that came to me was; crap, how am I still alive? My first breath that I had drew stuttered in lungs, searing the walls with a scorching pain before it could even leave, this left me wheezing through my  pale chapped lips before i swallowed it down into a ragged pattern, throwing me into a coughing fit for no longer than a few seconds. The few visions of reality that I saw through my eyelids, battering the eyelashes upon my bruised cheeks, was deluded and doubled by the impact on the back of my head but it was enough to realise that the 4x4 must've flipped.

        I feebly reached out for the handbrake, trying to pull myself from the awkward position but instead it broke upon my touch; I muttered curses underneath my breath as I tried once again, I grunted in frustration as I held onto the dashboard, pulling my heavy body across the roof of the car and repeated this process until I reach the door. Mustering all the strength I could, I persistently rammed my arm against the window. I braced myself for the sound of the shattering of the glass, the pieces flew in all directions and fell unto the dirt, and for the price for my freedom, one found the liberty to digged itself into my shoulder.

        "Oh that's- that's my blood. A lot of my blood..." I hissed with an oddly calm tone, inspecting the shades of red liquid oozing down along my arm as a sharp pain shot up throughout my body. Almost biting through my lower lip, I reluctantly pulled the shard out like a band aid. Cradling my shoulder, I inhaled sharply as I staggered and crawled onto my back, I dashed out of the treacherous hellhole before murmuring between my panting. "At least no one around to call me an idiot."

        "(Y/n)? (Y/n)! What going on!? Are you okay? Jesus, answer!" The crackling and hissing sound had filled the atmosphere and ultimately dominating the eerie silence that was supposedly was to replace the the hectic mess from before. I chuckled ironically at the juxtaposition of the different scenarios. Now I'm stuck on a valley 20 feet lower where the road should be, with our only means of escaped wedged between a bent tree. What a great off to start the night.

        "I swear if you're dead, no way in hell I'm taking responsibility for your mess!" I reach out to the receiver in my back pouch and pulled it out, I left it hanging next to my lips and muttered a few words, signifying that I was okay. I explained the situation to him, the crash and how it was necessary to get away from one of the outpost parties. The two-way radio buzzed in my hand; I can feel him smile with a loud heave of relief. "I don't know about you, but when you said fun, I didn't had this in mind."

        "Haha, that's rich coming from you. Now, I would very much appreciate it if you can get your head out of places where it shouldn't be," I retorted as I collected various of essentials that was scattered around the crash. Climbing gear to 'self-defensive' accessories, after all this isn't just a walk in the park. If anything it was a competition, a game of deception and luck but by perusing this meant that we were ready to put our lives on the line. "You might get yourself killed."

        "Funny, I should be saying that, Barbie." He held a pause for a few seconds. "Okay, enough chitter chatter. Do you think you can climb up?"

        "Do you think you can climb up..." I mocked in a slower pace as I scanned my surrounding - on one side was a forest, which seemed to stretched out like a never ending labyrinth, just without any walls. The canopy had fragmented the sky as the dim moonlight slipped through the trees as if it was a waterfall of light, trickling down upon the forest before it was completely blended with the darkness of the night. Scattered on the floor was the stripped pieces of bark, ripped from the trees by the natural forces that swirled within the forest, caressing the leaves in the trees as it dances along to the whistles of the wind. On the other, was a sudden incline in the geography of the forest, a jagged structure which had separated the forest from the mountain. Vegetation hanged from side, sloping down the wall of cliff as well as wooden artificial structures sticking out - looking up, the peak of the mountain disappears into the form the cliff, illuminated by a sepia tone light, which flickered and danced; the bright sparks disappearing into the night breeze. I ran my fingers along the incline of the ground. By the looks of it, it's limestone.

        Grabbing my climbing axes, I stridden back a few steps before charging towards the cliff. I jumped as high as I could and striked the limestone. Reaching my arm out with the other axe, i stabbed the rocks before pushing myself up against the wall with a huff. Strike, push. Strike, push. Strike, push. As I climbed, I reach upon a few ledges hanging of the cliff, silently praying the Hail Mary as jumped across from ledge to ledge and kept telling myself to don't look down.

         could hear muffled voices of murmurs in the distance, spitting curses of indirect death threats, jumbled together. Their pitter patter of their footsteps became more intimidating with each foot struck the ground. Whatever they were talking about was lost in translation but one thing I was sure of, these people aren't exactly were our buddies. "Be careful, search patrols out by the highway, must've heard the fireworks." No way, captain obvious!

        Upon reaching the edge, I let out a low whistle in an attempt to attract one of the mercenaries. A low 'hm' in suspicion escaped his lips as he approached the edge of the cliff and bend down to look over. I watch his facial features shifted in panic in the sight of me before I punched him in the face and pulled him over the edge. I scurried onto flat ground and ran into the nearest shadow which was casted by the remain of an enemy vehicle. I peak my head slightly over the top, writing a mental note that a small party of four hand found the crash. I somersaulted into the shadows of a crate bringing myself dangerously close to one of the armed men, leaning against on the other side. I took this chance to drag him across the crate by surprise with my hand muffling his groan in discomfort and elbowed him that his head bend in unnatural ways.

        Last two. I thought to myself as I rolled across open ground from the fallen crate into the shadows of a tree. I got onto my knees and pushed my back against the bark, my pistol resting on my chest with my hand wrapped around it. I could feel the mercenary at the other side, whistling a tune similar to 'my sunshine'. I inhaled deeply as I trotted around the tree up behind him before wrapping his head into a headlock. I could hear his last gasp before I twisted his neck.

        "Crap!" I cursed as the last mercenary, provoking me with insults, jumped in surprise and grabbed his gun hanging on his back. Out of instincts, my gun to point towards him, firing the weapon out of cold blood - a bullet, the ear piercing sound delayed by the compressor, hurled towards him and left a hole between his eyes before he could even return the fire as he collapsed backwards into the cliff. 

        "Okay, the fireworks is over. At least for now." I said into the radio, breathing heavily with my heart in my mouth. I wiped my forehead with the back of my hand. I glanced down at the one of the bodies, noticing a sigil representing scales engraved on one of the sleeves. "And it seems like Marivinc isn't screwing around. By the looks of it, he has mercenaries on speed dial."

        "Wait hold up- Holden McGroin? The guy whose name was synonymous to nutcase? He's after the skull too?" I hummed in agreement, chuckling at the nickname. I heard him mutter a swear before he inhaled deeply. Clearly, he felt distressed at the name. Metaphorically speaking, he's the type of guy to write warmonger onto his forehead with a bold sharpie as it only took a look before his victims quivered in fear.

        I shook my head and looked over the distance as a large structural building, antiquely designed, stood alone as it loomed over the mountain - although it was quite an arm reach away, it advocated the building with an unique and victorian design as the ivories made its home  between the bricks. Saint Vargis Maria, or the House of Antiquities, was the largest target within the country when it came to rare artifacts in the black market. "I better get moving, I'll see you in the party sire?" I said with a terrible British accent as I hid my gun around my waist.

        "You better, doll."