Originally published under the Prose Challenge of the Week CCXXIV: Operation Ted Bundy - You're a female mercenary paid to go back in time as a decoy to be Ted Bundy's first victim. Your job is to remove him, and return with his brain for study (https://theprose.com/post/453287/heading-for-disaster).

"Ma'am, please help me!" A young man with long dark hair cried out to a young woman walking out of Dante's. The man was only standing due to leaning against the side of the bar.

"Yes, I'll be right there!" The woman replied in a sweet, yet strong voice. Her long black hair flowed as she ran to assist the gentleman. She wore a buttoned down shirt with a low neckline, and black pants that also complimented her figure. She approached the man and allowed him to support himself by wrapping his arm around her back, and she put her arm around his back as well.

"Thank you darling. Something went wrong with my leg, and I need to get some medical attention. Could you help me get to my car and drive me to a hospital?"

"No problem at all sir." The woman said kindly as she helped him walk to his vehicle. "What can I call you by the way?"

"My name is Ted. Ted Bundy." The man said weakly, but thankful all the same. "And what is your name angel?"

"I'm Tanya. Tanya Balencia. It's nice to meet you."

"The pleasure is all mine, thank you for rescuing me Tanya. My car is right over there."

Tanya guided Ted to his car in the dark, quiet parking lot. Ted remembered more light being present before, but didn't mind considering the intentions he had. The cover of darkness would work perfectly.

Tanya helped Ted get into the passenger side of his car, and confirmed that he was comfortable before closing the door. She then walked over to the driver side and got in.

"Ok Ted, go ahead and pass me your keys, and I'll get you the help you need."

"Yes, of course!" Ted said, sounding stronger than he was a moment ago. Tanya saw the crowbar at the last minute as it slammed into her skull. The blow didn't faze Tanya at all, but her sweet smile did turn into a sadistic grin.

"Heh, tough break buddy!" Tanya laughed. "Or I guess I wouldn't call it a break, since that had no effect on me. Oh, being versed in magic is the best!"

"What is going on?" Ted asked in horror. Why didn't that work?"

"Because I was ready for your tricks, and used one of my spells to protect myself from your attempt to immobilize me." Tanya answered, still using her kind tone in contrast to her words. "I come from a time where we already know all about you Mr. Bundy, and all the horrible crimes you commited. I just happened to arrive before you could get started with your serial killing career. You may be famous in my time, but when my work is done, no one here will ever remember you. Guess it is a tough break for you after all!"

Ted attempted to strike with his crowbar again, but Tanya was too fast. Before he could do anything, Tanya pointed at him, and a small electric blast emitted from her fingertip. Ted convulsed upon impact, then fell unconscious....

*****

When Ted came to, he looked around to see swirling colors of purple, neon, and blue. He observed his body floating in front of him sans his head, and also floating before him was Tanya. She now wore a hooded cloak and full body armor, including spiked wrist and ankle bands.

"Tanya?" Ted asked fearfully. "What is going on? Where are we, and what have you done to me?"

"We are between timelines, yours in 1974 and mine in the distant future, and I used my magic to remove your head from your body." Tanya said matter of factly, her kind tone now absent. "You aren't going to die from this - your head is actually still synched with your body, kind of like a wireless connection. Not that you would understand wireless connections, being from the 70s and all."

"Yes, I have no idea what you are talking about!" Ted cried out. "You're saying my head is not attached to my body, but is still somehow connected?"

"Yes, so when I do this you will still feel it."

Tanya kicked Ted's headless body in the groin, and Ted screamed in pain.

"What is going to happen to me?" Ted asked, despite being afraid of the answer.

"I'll explain what I know." Tanya smirked. "Basically, you were set to become an infamous serial killer, responsible for 36 confessed killings, but likely closer to over 100. I traveled back in time to pose as your first victim, trapping you instead."

"So you were sent back to stop me from killing?" Ted asked. "Please put my head back on my body and send me home, I promise I won't hurt anyone, I swear!"

"Even if you were being truthful, that isn't why I am here." Tanya replied smugly. "I don't care about changing history or making the world a better place. I work for money. My client wants to study your brain. I don't know what they plan to do with the knowledge they gain, but as long as the pay is good, they can do whatever the hell they want with you."

"Have a heart, please!" Ted protested. "I'm so sorry for trying to hurt you, I won't be this monster you say I become. I'll change, I promise!"

"Save your words, you sealed your fate when you tried to knock me out with that crowbar." Tanya responded triumphantly. "Fun fact though, one of your kicks was saving the decapitated heads of your victims. I could have just teleported your brain to my client with a quick spell, but I thought sending your head would be more fitting."

"Someone, anyone, help me please!" Ted screamed.

"For a notorious serial killer, you truly are pathetic. Normally I don't take my work personally, but even if you hadn't attacked me, I still wouldn't be able to stand you. So before I deliver your head, I think I'll have some fun with you here for a spell."

Tanya pointed at one of Ted's arms and sent a fireball out of her fingertip, igniting it. She then pointed at his leg and froze it with an icy blast. She followed up by making a staff appear in her hand, then shattered his frozen appendage into pieces with a swift strike. Ted screamed in agony thanks to the "wireless" connection he had to his body. Tanya then sprinkled some kind of sparkling dust over his body, restoring his leg and healing his burnt arm.

"Thank you... " Ted said gratefully, feeling hopeful. "Have you reconsidered and decided to trust me as a changed man?"

"Ha ha ha ha, not at all!" Tanya laughed gleefully. "I simply healed you so I can inflict more punishment for your crimes that you'll never get the chance to commit! You were executed in 1989, so I have a lot of time to make up for. Lucky for me and not so lucky for you, we can stay here until I get bored of you, and then I'll end your torture by wiping your memory of this place before delivering your head to my payroll. Ted, you may be considered one of the vilest monsters that ever lived where I come from, but I'm going to show you the kind of monster I can be. Buckle up, we've got all the time in the world. Oh wait, you can't buckle up anymore, can you?"

Tanya surveyed her surroundings, trying to figure out where she was. She had just completed a mission, but in the attempt to return home, she found herself dazed and lost. When she came to, she realized she was in a giant cage with three perches. The outside world of the cage appeared to be a giant pet shop. In front of her were puppies in another contained section. She couldn't believe how colossal the puppies were, unless she herself had been shrunk.

"Stupid time travel spell, what was Vance thinking buying me that spell book?" Tanya cursed out loud. "Instead of getting back to my time, I'm in this weird ass pet shop...."

"How much is that mage in the cage, la la la?" A random voice sang. Tanya looked and saw another female mage staring at her with glee.

Tanya assumed from the sneer that this mage was probably not here to assist. She was relieved to see that the mage appeared to be the same size as her. She prepared to get information from her tormentor by any means necessary.

"Where the hell are we, and who the hell are you?" Tanya snarled.

"What, you didn't like my original tune?" The mage sneered.

"No, it wasn't even very original. I liked it better when it was about a doggy in the window."

"Oh dear, she knows I'm an unoriginal fraud now." The mage teased. "That's ok, I'll kill you and remove any evidence of my unoriginality!"

"Sure you will.... but first, do you at least have an original name? I'd like to know who I'm about to kill."

"My name is Tanya. Tanya Valencia. And you?"

"Are you fucking kidding me? I'm Tanya. Tanya Balencia. One fucking letter difference.... you really are unoriginal."

"Give me a break, it must be one of those writing challenges where the author has to come up with this story on the fly. Cut the author some slack."

"No bitch, Pen to the Paper is one of the greats! Nick would kick your ass so easily, but I'm fine with doing so myself!"

Tanya B. pointed at the bars of the cage and they split apart enough to make an exit. She then drew her staff, and lunged at Tanya V. She swung and missed, receiving a punch in the face as a response. Tanya B. stood her ground and attempted another strike, clubbing Tanya V. in the neck. Tanya V. briefly doubled over before laughing. She then wove her hand over the floor, causing a platform to come out, sending both of them high up.

"I have things to do inferior Tanya, so let's put an end to this contest." Tanya V. suggested with a sadistic grin.

"What do you have in mind?" Tanya B. asked with a vicious grin of her own.

"No magic, no weapons. A chicken race. We charge at each other and stop when we collide. Whoever falls off this platform lands in that puppy pen and becomes their plaything. The winner finds a way to escape to the world where they belong."

"Wait, this world isn't your doing?" Tanya B. asked.

"Nope, I got pulled here from another world I had traveled to. I'm guessing only one of us can flee. There's only need for one Tanya anyway. So let's crash into each other, and whichever one of us doesn't become puppy chow escapes!"

"Fine with me. Even if I never find a way out, not having to hear you sing again would be a blessing indeed."

"You don't know what you're missing. Ok Tanya, do your worst!"

"There's no way I could do any worse, you are already here!"

The two Tanyas yelled a guttural battle cry before racing straight at each other. After their collision, both fell from the platform. Tanya B. landed right outside of the giant puppies' containment area, while Tanya V. landed directly in the middle of the pack. Tanya B. laughed as she watched her rival get torn to shreds by the puppies as they playfully fought over their new screaming chew toy. Once there was nothing left of Tanya V., Tanya B. rested on the floor and laughed once more.

"Alright author, you can just refer to me as Tanya now that you killed off the useless new Tanya. So, are you going to finish this story by getting me home?"

"No, but I am!" A friendly voice called out as a portal opened.

"About time Vance, your time travel spell you got from that black market merchant sucked. You won't believe the ridiculous shit I just went through."

"Hey, this location portal spell from the new book I just picked up seems better. It found your grateful ass, didn't it?"

"Fine, thanks Vance, what would I ever do without you?"

"Apparently you would have spent the rest of your days with giant puppies. But thanks to me, you can hop through that portal and come back to our world. I've even got a new mission for us, with a crazy new place to visit."

"Very well, hope your hype doesn't disappoint." Tanya smiled sheepishly, as she vanished into the portal, leaving the pet shop Tanyaless once again.

"A clown hotel? Seriously Vance? That's the crazy new place you want to visit?"

"Why not, I think it's a perfect job for us Tanya!" Vance said defensively. "It's a huge hotel full of weird clown memorabilia, and apparently they have a killer clown problem. I figured you would love to slaughter a monster like that!"

"I have never liked clowns, so getting paid to destroy one does sound tempting." Tanya replied thoughtfully. "But isn't there already a place like this in Tonopah, Nevada?"

"Yeah, The Clown Motel!" Vance said excitedly. "Apparently this place is even bigger, an eight story hotel that has all the bells and whistles complimenting its clown obsession. I'm surprised you haven't heard of it, it's really grown in popularity."

"Well, a murderous clown on the loose will likely cause a hit in their business. Serves them right for ripping off the place in Nevada."

"Actually, their reservations have increased since the killings began." Vance responded. "People are buzzing over staying in a nice hotel where they feel like their life is in danger."

"People are so stupid." Tanya lamented. "They deserve what they're signing up for. But then again, if the management wants this clown killer taken care of, I suppose they do actually care about their dumbass guests. Is the pay for the job worth the trouble?"

"Oh yeah." Vance grinned sheepishly. "We would be sitting pretty for a good few months."

"Fine." Tanya conceded. "I'll kill the damn clown."

*****

Tanya and Vance stepped into the expansive lobby of The Clown Hotel resort. Tanya observed four leather couches, a welcoming fireplace, a shelf filled with books, a popcorn machine full of with complimentary caramel corn, and in the distance a buffet area serving all foods imaginable. All throughout clown memorabilia was present, including life size clown dolls.

"Welcome, and thank you for coming to help us." An elderly gentleman said as he approached the pair. "I'm Blair Daniels, the current owner of this hotel."

"I'm Tanya Balencia, and this is my partner Vance Rogues. We understand you have a killer clown that is causing trouble in your resort?"

"Yes, I wish for this monster to be disposed of for the protection of our visitors. Per our security footage, the clown was last seen on the sixth floor. For your assistance in this matter, I would like to offer the two of you a complimentary stay in our luxury jacuzzi suite, along with the agreed payment once the creature has been disposed of."

"That would be great!" Tanya gushed as Mr. Daniels handed her the room key. "Go ahead and get the jacuzzi set up for me Vance. I'll have this clown annihilated before the tub is full."

"Hey, I'm your partner, not your servant!" Vance protested as Tanya ran to the stairs, ignoring him. While she ascended she waved her hand over herself, switching her casual clothes to her hooded cloak and full body armor, including spiked wrist and ankle bands. Before she knew it she was on the sixth floor, and she opened the door and began her search.

The hallway was well maintained and all the room doors looked inviting, even if the clown decals decorating them were a bit creepy. Every few feet Tanya observed more life size clown dolls. Although she found them weird, none of the dolls looked intentionally scary. Except for one at the end of the hallway with bright red glowing eyes.

Tanya waved her finger and a crystal ball appeared in front of her. Within the crystal ball Vance looked at his ally.

"I hope that jacuzzi is ready for me Vance, because I think I found our clown. He didn't really make much effort to hide himself.... he doesn't strike me as the sharpest tool in the shed. I'm gonna have a little fun with him before I destroy him, then I'll grab our payment and be lounging in the hot tub within the next 15 minutes."

"Please don't be reckless." Vance protested. "We may be on a roll lately, especially after our recent high profile time traveling job. But we don't know enough about this clown to underestimate him."

"Trust me, he's toast." Tanya laughed as she made the crystal ball vanish. "All right stupid, I can tell you're my target! Face me and show me what you can do!"

The red eyed clown laughed and stood up, showing Tanya three metal balls. He began juggling them, following up by throwing each metal ball at Tanya. As the balls flew at her, razor shaped spikes popped out of the balls.

"How simple minded." Tanya chuckled as she dodged each projectile. "Hope you can do better than that!"

"Ha ha ha ha!" The clown laughed as he stuck his middle finger up at Tanya. His finger grew into a sword, and he charged at her with his finger sword swinging. Tanya made her staff appear in her hand by thought, and struck the clown on his wrist as he came closer. She then pointed at his finger sword and sent an icy blast out of her finger, encasing the sword in a block of ice. The clown stumbled forward as the ice weighed him down. Tanya then struck the ice block with her staff, shattering both ice and sword.

"Ha ha ha ha!" The clown laughed, standing up straight once again.

"Is that all you can say?" Tanya asked mockingly. "It's hard to believe that a joke like you could cause so much trouble for this hotel. Guess that doesn't say much for the clientele here. Anyway, let's wrap this up. You are a very boring clown, and there's a jacuzzi calling out to me!"

Tanya pointed at the clown, and a stream of orange acid shot from her finger onto the clown.

"Eyaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhh!" The clown screamed as his body melted into a grey pile of goo.

"So you can make another sound besides that obnoxious laugh, how delightful!" Tanya cheered. "Too bad for you that your days in the clown business are over!"

The goo began laughing before projecting itself onto Tanya.

"Hey, get off of me you disgusting bastard!" Tanya screamed as the goo enveloped itself around her. The goo continued cackling as it absorbed its latest victim completely....

*****

Once Tanya was self aware, she found herself walking into a circus. Her Mom and Dad stood on either side of her, each holding one of her hands. Everything at the circus seemed larger than life, including her parents as she looked up at them.

What's going on, did that clown shrink me or something? How am I at a circus now? And how are my parents alive again?

"Mommy, Daddy, why aren't we at the hotel anymore? And where is Vance?"

"Tanya honey, your imagination is running wild again!" Tanya's mother laughed. "We just came from home, and you don't even know a Vance."

"Let's go visit the concessions sweetie, you can get whatever you'd like!" Tanya's Dad said happily.

This must be a memory from my childhood that I pushed in the back of my mind, long forgotten after everything that happened to us! Or did I get sent back in time again, to start over? Well if that's the case, I'm staying here! After all, I think this is the last time I was ever truly happy!

"Tanya, can you hear me?" Vance's voice cried out. "Hang on, don't turn into a clown!"

The scene before her disappeared, and Tanya found herself back in the hallway of the hotel again. She was back in her grown up body again, although half of her body looked like one of the clown dolls she had seen throughout the hotel. Vance held his hand over her, emitting a blue glow from it. Tanya watched as the artificial clown features of her body reverted back to her true form once again.

"Tanya, are you ok? That was a close call!"

"Vance, what happened? Where's the goo that I turned that clown into?"

"Apparently the clown was as good as dead, but for his grand finale he was about to transform you into one of those creepy dolls they have decorating this place. It's a good thing that I got here when I did, otherwise you would have been no better than these other poor souls that are part of the decor."

"So all of these dolls.... were actually people?"

"Not were.... are. I used my magic and found out that these dolls are actually alive. The people that they are made up of are trapped in endless looping memories. Unfortunately if I tamper with these fully formed dolls, the people trapped within will die. I learned that one the hard way."

"Vance.... I saw them again.... my parents."

"Yeah.... it seems like the clown at least picked happy memories for his victims. Hope you don't mind me bringing you back from the last time you were likely happy in your life."

"Not at all. I want to live in my real life, not in a long gone memory. Even if that past life was much better, I prefer reality any day."

"I figured you'd feel that way." Vance smiled. "Well, maybe the jacuzzi will give you some happiness too. But first, we need to get our payment from Mr. Daniels, and press him for information on where he got these dolls from."

*****

"Thank you for ending the terror that the clown unleashed here." Mr. Daniels said gratefully as he wired the payment to Vance and Tanya's account. "Feel free to stay in the suite. and enjoy our other amenities as long as you wish."

"Thank you sir." Vance replied with a smile. "There is one more thing we need to know. Can you tell us where you got the life size clown dolls from?"

"Oh, I have an Amazon contact that has been selling me them. His name is ClownFanBoy5412, but that's all I know about him. Why do you ask?"

"Oh, it's just that we're clown enthusiasts too. I may buy some products from him in the future as well. Thank you again for your kindness Mr. Daniels."

As the pair walked away, Tanya asked Vance a question once they were out of earshot from Mr. Daniels.

"So that's it? We're leaving the dolls be?"

"I'll keep an eye on the Amazon account in question. If there is no further activity, then I think we can assume that the clown is truly gone and won't be turning anyone else into a doll. Mr. Daniels seems like a kind soul, and I don't want to traumatize him by telling him that his decorations are actually alive. However, I will steal a couple of them before we leave, and try to find a way to reverse their transformations when we are between missions. Does that work for you Tanya?"

"Fine by me. We got paid, and I'm about to enjoy a nice soak. I have no complaints here."

"That was how I figured you'd react. Very well."

As the pair disappeared from Mr. Daniels sight, he smiled and looked over the lobby of his resort thoughtfully.

"Well ClownFanBoy5412, it seems like you won't have any more products for me. Oh well, it was a good run my boy...."

Tanya Balencia hid in the shadows outside of the house that her target resided in. A fellow mercenary versed in magic lived there, a mercenary she hated with all of her heart, despite having never met her. Her partner Vance stood by, looking slightly pale. Tanya wore her battle gear that consisted of a hooded cloak, full body armor, and spiked wrist and ankle bands. Vance chose more casual attire with a Harry Potter T-Shirt and blue jeans.

"Are you ok Vance? You did bring me this job, after all."

"I'll be fine." Vance replied with resolve. "It's just a lot to take in. Being outside of my old house again after so long. My colleague preparing to go in and murder my ex-partner, not to mention ex-fiance....."

"They always say never sleep with your co-workers." Tanya smirked. "Too bad for you though Vance, I'm sure I could show you a better time than this bitch."

"I could say the same thing, but that was our arrangement when we began taking on mercenary work together. To keep it professional."

"Anyway, are you still OK with me slaughtering your old flame? The money is good on this hit, but I don't want you to resent me later. I can bow out if you prefer."

"Like I said, it's just a lot to wrap my head around. But no, ever since she cheated on me with one of the lieutenants of the Cabalistic Syndicate, and kicked me out of my own home using their goons, she's been dead to me. So not only do you have my permission to take the job, but you can feel free to do so with as much sadistic glee as you wish. After all, you're the one that seems to hate her the most."

"Well, anyone that hurts the best partner anyone could ever hope for automatically becomes my enemy. I would have killed her sooner, but I was hoping for an opportunity to get paid to do it. And just think, this is our first assassination request for a Cabalistic Syndicate member."

Vance smiled at Tanya's rare compliment before replying.

"Yeah, those guys are no joke, even their sworn enemies are too afraid to challenge them. Callina got in though through unconventional means, so she won't likely be as strong as their other members. Still, she is a formidable fighter and mage, so I would be careful. I haven't been in contact with her for over a year, so I have no idea how much she's grown from being in their group."

"If someone is putting a hit out on her, they are probably doing so figuring she is weak enough to take out now. Like you said, I despise this woman that broke your heart, so I'm sold. Taking out a member of the syndicate for street cred is a nice bonus. But to be safe, I will scope out the house with an astral projection spell."

Tanya's right index finger started glowing, and she twirled it over her head. Her spirit then floated out of her body and through the window that Vance advised led to his old bedroom. Tanya floated to the ceiling of the spacious room, and noticed a chair in the corner that held golden armor in the form of a short dress with thigh high slits at its bottom. On top of the outfit was a long handled blade. Another corner held a book shelf that appeared to be full of romance novels, but one spell book was present. The rest of the room seemed typical, but Tanya was more concerned with the mission than the interior decorating choices of a person she didn't even like to begin with. Sure enough, Callina was asleep in a king size bed, wearing a white night shirt.

"I'll give you this Vance, she's easy on the eyes. Too bad her inward self isn't the same. Not that my personality is likeable, but then again, we aren't dating anyway."

"We would be a deadly romantic concoction." Vance replied sheepishly, using a telepathy spell to communicate. "Is she asleep for the night, and soon to be forever thanks to you?"

"Yeah, she's got a cute little snore too. What a waste...."

The bedroom door suddenly opened, and a young man wearing a leather jacket, black jeans, a spiked collar and spiked wrist bands entered the room. His mouth was noticeably missing from his face.

"Vance, a jawler just came in here!"

"Wait, those creatures that eat by punching and kicking things?"

"Yeah, those guys. They really love devouring anyone versed in magic too. I'm guessing a rival group created him and had the same idea as us."

"Didn't you kill ten of those things earlier?"

"Sure did." Tanya grinned. "It was a perfect warmup for this job."

"So what's the plan? Are you gonna let the jawler take out Callina? Our client wanted a kill, and by not stopping that thing we'll be giving them what they want. You can kill that thing after it's done with its meal, and no one will be any wiser of what went down tonight."

"Well, I don't mind letting him start things off. I'll teleport my body up here if needed."

The jawler approached Callina and pulled her off the bed, causing her to land on her back with a loud thud. Callina woke up, staring at the jawler in wide eyed horror. The creature then punched her in the chest. Invisible to Tanya, a mouth appeared on the fist that was lodged in Callina's chest, and it chomped a piece of her flesh off before the jawler pulled his arm back. Callina began screaming and crying from the fear and pain of her predicament.

The jawler then kicked her right leg and bit another chunk of flesh off. It then punched her left arm and took another bite of flesh. It rotated attacking both appendages until both were gone.

Tanya laughed gleefully as Callina continued screaming in agony. She was grateful for the sound proof spell that she had cast before entering the house, which kept the rest of the neighborhood oblivious to what was happening. The jawler proceeded to punching and kicking Callina in the chest, removing more flesh from her body in the process.

"Body.... Reunite!" Tanya called out as her standing body appeared next to the door. She then floated back into her body, and summoned her staff into her hand by thought. She then ran to the jawler and clubbed it in the head.

The jawler turned to Tanya, its eyes dancing with delight. It then rushed at her and took a swing at her head. Tanya stepped aside and hit the back of the jawler's neck with her staff. The jawler fell to the floor, but rose back up quickly.

Tanya made her staff disappear by thought, then her hands began glowing red. She held her hands in front of her like a cat baring claws, then rapidly swiped the air in front of her repeatedly. With each air swipe, a new scratch formed on the jawler's body. The jawler twitched and squirmed in pain, unable to counter Tanya's assault. Once the creature was unrecognizable from all the scratches, its body crumbled into thousands of pieces on the floor.

Tanya summoned a small 20 oz bottle that contained a neon liquid into her hand, and walked over to Callina. She had stopped screaming, but she continued to tremble while tears rolled down her face. Her white shirt was soaked and stained completely red from the jawler's bites. Tanya tenderly held Callina up and offered her the bottle.

"Here, drink this. It will heal your injuries, and restore your arm and leg that got devoured."

Too weak to question it, Callina accepted the drink. She then sat up immediately on her own, staring at herself with wonder as the missing flesh returned to her chest, and her arm and leg reappeared on her body. Callina stood up, grinning ear to ear. The only sign that she had been mortally injured before was the blood drenched night shirt she was wearing.

"I don't know who you are, but thank you for saving me." Callina said gratefully.

"Oh, there's no need to thank me sweetie." Tanya replied in a condescending tone. "I didn't actually come here to save you. I want the credit for killing you to be all mine."

"I should have known, an enemy of the syndicate, eh?" Callina smirked.

"Not exactly, but business all the same. Although you did break my partner's heart, so that does make you my enemy for his sake."

"Ha ha ha ha, you must be talking about Vance!" Callina giggled. "To be fair, he was a really sweet guy. But he has nothing on my man from the Cabalistic Syndicate. He couldn't offer me the level of power and clout that the syndicate does, so I had to leave the poor bastard. Every time I sleep with my new lover, I become more powerful. Vance could never offer me anything like that, so of course I would accept it!"

"Bitch please, whoever you're fucking in the syndicate isn't making you stronger. You really are a piece of work Callina. You cheated on a man that gave you all of his loyalty and love to be a syndicate member's plaything. Well I'm going to call your bluff. Now that I've completely healed you, gear up and face me with all of this power you've gained from being the syndicate slut!"

"I should have known you were with Vance, you nobodies are perfect for each other. You're going to regret healing me, because I'm going to show you just how out of your league you are against an elite Cabalistic Syndicate member!"

Callina pointed at the chair holding her gear, and the golden dress flew towards her and spun around her like a tornado. The bloody night shirt flew out of the tornado and smacked Tanya in the face. Once the tornado faded, Callina stood in her battle outfit, smiling ear to ear once again. She then offered Tanya a malicious smirk before pointing at the long handled blade, causing it to fly into her hand.

"Well you look hot, I can see why the syndicate gentleman wants to bang you. But when I'm done with you, no one will ever want you again. Come at me with your best effort Callina!"

Callina made a gleeful battle cry before charging at Tanya with her blade. She ferociously swung at her multiple times, having no luck against Tanya's quick dodges. Tanya swung her own staff upward and hit the handle of Callina's blade, causing her to lose her grip on the weapon. The blade lodged itself into the ceiling out of reach.

"Vance said you were a formidable fighter. Not seeing it yet sweetheart."

"The blade isn't my only skill, allow me to demonstrate!" Callina screamed as she pointed at Tanya with a glowing orange finger. A great blaze shot out of her finger and completely enveloped Tanya. Callina laughed excitedly as her opponent burned. An icy blast that shot out of the flames ended her gloating, as her right leg was now encased in ice. Callina shivered from the cold and looked on in horror as the flames completely faded, revealing a completely unscathed Tanya.

"I think your fuck buddy lied to you Callina, your skills are truly pathetic. Vance would have made you stronger, and also given you more love than those goons ever could. Sadly, you appear to have burned your bridges. Let me show you some of the magic Vance was able to teach me through the spell books he acquired. You can get a front row seat to what you could have been able to do had you stuck with a real man."

Tanya pointed at Callina's frozen leg and sent a shockwave into it, causing the ice to shatter and leave Callina without a right leg once again. Tanya then put her right hand out and lifted her arm, causing Callina to levitate into the air. Tanya motioned with her hands how she wanted Callina's body to move, causing her arms and remaining leg to stretch out to the side. Callina screamed as her arms and leg were pulled out of their sockets. Tanya's arms then glowed red, and she made claw like scratching motions again, leaving painful scratches on the exposed parts of Callina's body that weren't covered up by her dress armor.

"How did.... you know.... that I.... didn't.... gain any.... power..... from them?" Callina struggled to say through the pain.

"The jawler." Tanya said triumphantly. "I killed ten of those things on my own earlier, something I can do in my sleep. You couldn't even handle one. Once I witnessed that thing nearly kill you without any resistance, I knew your claims of great power were bullshit. Unless all of you syndicate people are actually really weak."

"No.... I'm weak.... but they're not.... Once I'm dead.... they'll find you.... and kill you...."

"Well, they're welcome to try. I'll take that chance. But first, time for my new favorite spell, another one Vance found for me actually. Death by chocolate!"

A small piece of milk chocolate flew out of the palm of Tanya's hand and into Callina's mouth. Despite the pain she was in, Callina smiled from the delicious taste of the sweet. Moments later she grimaced, looking down and watching her stomach expand. Her groaning turned into agonizing screams as her stomach continued to grow. The rest of Callina's body puffed up as well. Once her body could no longer hold the massive amount of chocolate within, Callina burst into pieces, leaving chocolate and blood splatter all over Tanya.

"Well Vance, we have something else in common now. We've now both had Callina's bodily fluids on us."

"You are so crass Tanya, you know that? But hey, thanks for sticking up for me back there."

"I meant everything I said." Tanya grinned as she made a small notepad appear in her hand. The cover of the pad had the words "DNA Pad" printed on it. Tanya opened the notepad, and a brilliant white light engulfed the room. Once the light faded, Tanya looked at the page and saw confirmation of Callina's death printed on it.

"Did you use the DNA pad and get evidence of the kill for our client?"

"Sure did Vance, I'm going to head back to you now. Are you sure you're ok with what happened tonight?"

"I wouldn't have taken the job if I wasn't. Like I said, she was already dead to me before you killed her."

"Very well, but if you ever want to talk about it, let me know."

"Where's this coming from? You've never offered to be my venting buddy before!"

"Well unlike Callina, I know a gem when I see one. I know our partnership is much different than what you had with her, but I want you to know that I may be a sadistic bitch, but I'm your sadistic bitch. You never have to doubt my loyalty to you, ever."

"This sweet side of you is honestly scarier than when you're toying with an enemy. But thank you. I appreciate it friend."

Tanya left the scene not knowing that everything that went down that night had been recorded. And the footage went straight into the hands of the Cabalistic Syndicate.

Warning: this story contains sexual content and violence.

Tanya Balencia approached the small but classy bar of the hotel where her next target was tipped off to be located. A monster with magical abilities was disguising himself as an attractive young man, and he was charming girls with his powers. The girls would leave with him for a hook up, ultimately disappearing without a trace. A nice bounty was on the table for whomever could kill this predator, luring Tanya and her partner in for the job.

"I see him Vance." Tanya communicated by thought to her ally. She saw a young man at the bar with dark hair and a slightly scruffy face. He wore jeans and a t-shirt that complimented his lean, yet muscular figure.

"Perfect, easy money this time Tanya. Use the poison spell I just found for you. All you have to do is look directly at that bastard's drink and snap your fingers. He'll take a sip, then he'll fall dead on the spot. Pretend you're reading the DNA notepad while everyone panics, then slip out with the evidence of the kill on the pad while they're distracted. Doesn't get any simpler than that."

"You mean boring Vance. Sorry, but I'm doing this my way. Gotta see what this guy brings to the table as far as luring in his victims."

"Tanya don't, that's a terrible idea. Now is not the time to get something on the side. Just keep it safe and simple, please?"

"Relax Vance, I have all sorts of protective spells at the ready, including the one I used against that guy that was going to become an infamous serial killer. You know, the one that tried to knock me out with his crowbar. Funny, since we altered history with that job, I can't even remember his name anymore. But besides that spell and some others, I have that other new one you found for me."

"Tanya, that magic is meant for a worse case scenario, not for what I think you have in mind. Please Tanya, can't you just keep this simple?"

"Vance, you know I'm too curious for that. Don't worry, I will get the job done perfectly safely."

Vance continued to plea within Tanya's mind, but she ignored him and approached the target with a sweet smile.

"Hello there." Tanya said in a flirty tone. "Haven't seen you around here before."

"Why hello there." The man said in a flirtatious tone of his own, flashing a smile with his perfect teeth. "The name is Sage. What's your name sweetie?"

"Tanya."

"Well Tanya, I hope you didn't have any plans for the rest of the night, because I would like to spend that time with you, darling."

Tanya sensed the spell Sage had cast through his smile. It was a seduction spell that would make the victim jump the bones of the caster. Such a spell had no effect on her, thanks to barrier magic Tanya had activated before entering the bar. But Sage didn't have to know any of this, of course. Tanya wrapped her arms around Sage and began kissing him passionately.

"Your room.... now." Tanya whispered in Sage's ear between kisses.

While the pair continued making out, they exited the bar and headed for the elevator. They reached the sixth floor and proceeded to room 28. Taking a quick break from kissing, Sage used his room key and pulled Tanya in by her hand. He closed the door and kicked off his sandals as they resumed kissing. Sage unbuttoned Tanya's shirt from top to bottom, opening it and then sliding it down her arms until the garment fell to the floor. Tanya responded by grabbing the bottom of Sage's t-shirt, pulling it over his head and tossing it behind him. As they continued kissing, they began working their way to the bedroom of Sage's hotel suite. Sage reached behind Tanya's back and unfastened the straps of her bra, dropping that to the floor next. Deciding to let Sage be the first one to be fully naked, Tanya unbuckled his belt, unbuttoned and unzipped his jeans, and pulled those and his boxers down together. Sage smiled between kisses and kicked both off completely. Once they reached the bed Tanya slipped her own shoes off. Both then laid down, facing each other side by side. Sage unbuttoned and unzipped Tanya's black pants before sliding them off of her. Tanya then gently stroked Sage's manhood as he gently massaged her breasts, working his way down her body until he brought his touch underneath her undergarments. This continued for several minutes, both pausing to move on to the next phase before either finished. Sage moved himself above Tanya and pulled off her panties, throwing them behind him and generating laughs from each of them.

Sage offered one more million dollar smile, then revealed his true colors. His teeth transformed from pearly whites to razor sharp fangs, and he laughed maniacally before leaning down to take a bite out of Tanya. He froze a few inches from her skin, looking at his prey in shock.

"Tough break for you Sage, I also have magical abilities." Tanya said in a flirtatious, yet mocking tone. "So this is how your prior victims all disappeared without a trace.... you apparently got off on eating them alive once they were fully turned on. Unfortunately for you, the moment you removed my last piece of clothing activated my ultimate protection spell, which compliments the many other protective spells I had activated before our rendezvous even began. In all honesty, you picked an attractive human form, and I would have totally fucked you. I would have even killed you painlessly afterwards to show my appreciation for the good time. But since you denied me that, I'm going to have my fun in a different way."

Tanya put her right hand out and lifted her arm, flinging Sage into the air and pinning him to the ceiling. Tanya balled her right hand into a fist and pulled her arm back, ripping Sage's fangs out of his mouth. Tanya then wiggled her fingers and created a cute round monster that inherited Sage's fangs. She laughed as Sage screamed in agony, thankful for the soundproof spell she had noticed Sage activating when they initially entered the room. Tanya's hands then glowed red, and she made claw like motions in the air that generated paper cuts all over Sage's body. Once his front side was completely covered with lacerations, she motioned with her hands to flip Sage's body over in order to continue applying paper cuts. Once there wasn't anywhere else on his body to freshly slice, Tanya slid off of the bed and lifted her arms into the air. She flung her arms down, causing Sage to slam down onto the bed.

"You won't be able to move for another four hours." Tanya gently told her captive. "Which is unfortunate for you, because this little monster I crafted here will finish devouring you alive in about three hours." Tanya then made a small notepad appear in her hand. The cover of the pad had the words "DNA Pad" printed on it.

"Once my monster finishes his meal, this notepad will take down confirmation of your death, which will allow me to collect the complete sum of what you're worth. Thank you for getting a jacuzzi suite, I am going to go relax while this little creature savors your taste. Feel free to scream, the sound of your pain while I soak will be so soothing. That's what you get for not only denying me the good sex that I know you were capable of, but for all the pain and murders you've caused. No more one night stands for you Sage!"

Sage screamed as Tanya triumphantly left him to the monster's fangs that once belonged to him. He thought about the agony he once was turned on from that was caused by those very teeth, dreading the very same torture that he was about to be on the receiving end of.