《Renee Ray: The Hunt For Dust Thirst》


 Chapter 1: How Ray became the prey in the eyes of her siblings

    Renee Ray had been chasing targets since the day she was created. However, the targets had always been small objects. In The Limited Eternal Dimension, a safe zone. One day, it was a cat; another day, a hidden box. Her creator, Jacobine, had tested her many times. Because Renee was never as powerful as her siblings. All of them shared the same first name, Renee, but had different second names. This background information was not currently important.


    Jacobine had created all the Renees for one mission: "I want you to kill whatever is powerful in their home life," Jacobine said. "Did you understand, Ray?"


    Ray was her middle name in this story. Since all Renees shared the same first name, Jacobine had given them distinct second names.


    Ray nodded. "I do." Then she thought, "Why would Owner Jacobine want me to do this? I am the weakest of all the Renees. She might be mistaking me for Renee Whisper. Let me remind her of this fact."


    Renee expressed her concerns about her power level. She mentioned Renee Whisper, who was the most powerful among all the Renees.


    "Don''t judge my choice, Ray," Jacobine said, then patted Ray on the head. "I never discriminate among my Renees."


    They were in The Limited Eternal Dimension. It was a random library with an old, dark, with Gothic style. It was a place where its owner could bend it according to her will. Jacobine was its owner. Renees called her Owner for this. She could shape The Limited Eternal Dimension as she wanted, within her limitations. Briefly, they sometimes used the abbreviation LED.


    Now, Jacobine and Ray stood at a table. The table was a wide and rectangular one. Jacobine sat at the front in a cozy chair, while Ray sat near her on a stool. They were looking at a book. The Hunter Book.


    The Hunter Book could provide a prey. One holds it in one''s hands, kisses its cover, puts it on the forehead, imagines a powerful opponent. The Book always gave them targets they could handle, despite their initial doubts.


    Jacobine had called Ray for this reason. To make her use The Book for her hunting.


    Ray said, "It always gives me weak opponents!"


    Jacobine said, "Yesterday''s was strong."


    Ray countered. "It was a rat in a sewer."


    Jacobine had never discussed her intentions for creating the Renees. Or the process of their birth. She would gather all the Renees at the table if she wanted. Currently, there were 17 of them.


    Ray asked, "There are seventeen Renees. Why don''t you just pick one of them?"


    Jacobine frowned. "They are on their mission. Kiss the Book, and show it to me, so I can prepare the funeral."


    Ray was taken aback, "Funeral?"


    Jacobine explained, "One of them will have died."


    Ray felt sad as Jacobine lowered her face. Jacobine was always dressed in her iconic costume. Which included a fabric mask with two openings cut out with scissors. The openings allowed her to see. She wore a dark gray top hat and a long jacket. Ray had never seen her body parts. Except for her glowing emerald eyes and the occasional glimpse of black skin.


    Jacobine said, "Staring at someone for minutes is rude in my book." She then leaned forward, caught Renee by the hair, and smashed her face onto the cover of the Book. As Ray performed the ritual, Jacobine released her.


    Ray was accustomed to being treated this way. So she remained silent. She thought, "One day..."


    However, she couldn''t begin to ponder further. Because Jacobine was showing her the open book on the table. She pointed to the paper. Her finger pressing was against it.


    Jacobine said, "That''s your target." She then got up from the chair and slowly walked away. Renee Ray watched her disappear around a corner.


    Seeing Jacobine go, Ray took the Book. She threw it away. The book rolled across the floor. It rested on its pages. Because Ray knew the importance of this book, she screamed. However Ray didn''t feel fear. Her power was that she had never felt fear. Unlike her siblings. Now she didn''t scream out of fear. She just did it. She would do things for the sake of doing them.


    Ray picked up the Book. She held it with both hands. She started to flip through its pages. All of them were blank with no words. Then she flipped the pages until the page with her enemy''s information.


    "Katerina?" Ray whispered the name. Her eyes were wide with excitement.


    Ray thought, "Finally the damn book shows a real enemy with real powers! I will visit the outside of LED for the first time. I''d better hug Jacobine from behind."


    She just remembered that she had to put the Hunter Book back in its place. Ray walked to a bookshelf. The shelves were filled with arbitrary adult magazines. There was a copy of the Hunter Book on the shelf. The copy of the Hunter Book stood out among them. Its solid and old cover looked awkward. She replaced the copy with the original one.


    One of the adult magazines caught Ray''s attention. She pulled it from the shelf, sat down, and started to read it. She spent hours reading the magazine. The urge for self-touch arose. One picture of a black man in a suggestive pose triggered this desire. She looked charismatic and appealing. Ray quickly satisfied her craving. Her pants got wet.


    "That feels good!" Ray moaned.


    Just before the second orgasm, she heard a sharp noise. She looked at the source of the noise. The knife stuck in the bookshelf. Right next her head. Ray stood up and bowed. The approaching person was Renee Knife.


    Knife pulled the knife from the wall. She put her arm on Ray''s shoulder. They were of the same middle height. They looked identical. Their skin were pale. Only difference were the color of hair, brows and eyes. Their hair were straight and long. Ray''s were pure black. Her eyes were ice blue. Knife''s were pure gray.


    Knife: "You wipe the floor. I see your pleasure water."


    Ray: "I was going to before you came."


    Knife: "Did you come?"


    She was too close. Ray headbutted before Knife touched her groin. Knife stepped backwards, rubbing her nose. She shook her head, then spat the magazine on the floor.


    Knife: "I have the same genital as hers!"


    Ray: "Today I prefer chocolate aroma."


    She picked up the magazine, wiping it, and put it back on the shelf.


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    Knife: "I will tell Jacobine what you did."


    Ray knew Jacobine wouldn''t care about her masturbating. But she would probably hate doing it instead of hunting. Ray couldn''t risk this. She made up her mind and decided to kill Knife. She wouldn''t get the humiliation. She was only Renee with no skill, as far as she knew.


    Ray thought: "Knife would kill me before I move. She is fast. She is more experienced. Maybe I better leave LED and never come back. Yes. I will do this. Wait, where is my target paper?"


    She remembered she hadn''t pull it off the book. Since Ray got the first real mission, she had forgotten the rules.


    Ray went back to the book shelf. She looked at the the copy Book on the first shelf. She took it. She took the original Hunter Book on the second shelf. She Replaced it with the copy.


    Ray: "Why are we doing this?"


    "Because we make sure targets don''t sneak it." Ray heard those words. She recognized the talking style. Elegant. Calm. Pedant, according to her.


    Ray turned around and saw her. Renee Whisper was standing in front. On her side, her pet weapon Charletto, was standing as well.


    Whisper was taller. She had an eye patch on her right eye, had white skin, wore a elegant suit with skirt below. Her eye color was brown. Her hair was brown as well. She wore boots.


    Charletto had white skin, light blue eyes, black hair, wore nothing. A mist of darkness was floating around her nakedness like a cloth.


    Ray''s eyes couldn''t see Knife around. She had gone into the dorm. She must have already spread the word of Ray''s shameful moment.


    Ray: "Hello Whisper. Did Knife tell you anything?"


    Ray knew Whisper would lecture. And she did.


    Whisper: "You shouldn''t masturbate. Use your energy for useful jobs."


    Ray frowned. "I have gotten my first real target!"


    She opened the Book. Flipped the pages. She reached the page of her target, and faced it out!


    Whisper, seeing this, ripped the target page off the Book.


    Ray: "What are you doing!?"


    Whisper: "There must be a mistake! You can''t handle Dust Thirst."


    Ray: "No! You are mixing it up. I am after the woman called Katerina."


    Whisper: "You should read in your spare time. Dust Thirst is her nickname. I will talk to Jacobine for a change."


    Ray would have tried to get the paper by force if she weren''t Whisper. She would have done this for weaker Renees.


    The sound of footsteps echoed. They were coming from the corridors leading to the chamber they were in. Ray looked across at the corridor. Jacobine, accompanied by a few Renees, walked in. They stopped around the table. Jacobine sat in the same chair she had occupied a short time ago. The other Renees sat in random chairs on the sides of the table.


    Whisper pulled Ray by her ear until she got under her arm. Ray didn''t understand this. Whisper put her arm on her shoulder. It was an hug. Jacobine noticed this. She told the Renees a few words. Then she stood up.


    Jacobine: "Whisper, report your mission!"


    She approached Whisper.


    Whisper: "I have hunted the bomb clown of the life 248."


    Jacobine questioned Whisper for a short time. Whisper seemed confident in the face of the questions. Jacobine then turned to Ray.


    Jacobine: "Ray, report!"


    Ray didn''t know what to say. But, as always, she didn''t show fear. She would tell Jacobine the truth and was ready for the punishment.


    Ray: "I was ma--"


    As she spoke, Whisper pulled her eye patch. A purple, shining eye revealed itself. Time had stopped. Ray had been frozen in time. Everything was motionless. Including Jacobine and her pet weapon, Charlotte.


    Whisper stepped away from Ray. Her eyes were searching for something. In a short time she found the person she was looking for. Oryl. Oryl was standing still, motionless, at the center of the chamber. Whisper smiled as she saw her. She walked to her. Hugged her. And stood in front of her.


    Oryl: "Whisper of the Renees. How can I help you?"


    Oryl was an all-knowing being. She could answer every question. Her knowledge had no limits. Even gods used her for guidance in ruling their lives. Now Whisper had come for this kind of guidance.


    Whisper: "I need your help! Ray made a mistake. This can''t be happening. Oryl, guide me. Please! Your majesty! She can''t handle this."


    Oryl: "Ray has disobeyed the call for the hunt. Instead of going for the hunt, she chose to masturbate. The disobedience to the Hunter Book is termination."


    Whisper: "You have always saved me. That''s why I have become the strongest of all Renees. They don''t know what I possess. Please don''t allow the siblings to kill each other."


    Oryl: "Termination is the rule not the fate. Ray will escape this chaos. But there will be chaos indeed. Would you like to hear..."


    A green portal emerged from nowhere. Like a green mist swirling above their heads. It made a full circle. Jacobine fell through and landed on the floor. Whisper looked at Jacobine''s previous place before time had frozen. She had gone away there. Now she was standing still near Oryl. Whisper started to feel intense fear. Without Charlotte she couldn''t handle Jacobine.


    Jacobine sighed. "Whisper. Don''t panic. I am not going to attack you. Hello Oryl."


    Oryl greeted Jacobine. Whisper was perplexed.


    Whisper thought: "I acted against the Owner. Yet she orders me not to panic. Her green portal can travel anywhere. That''s its ability. I would have never thought she could come here. Into Oryl''s realm. Does Oryl know Jacobine?"


    Oryl: "Don''t live in your thoughts. Thoughts can be uncertain and deceiving. We are friends."


    Jacobine: "How long will you hold Oryl''s eye open? You shouldn''t use it more than 10 minutes you know this."


    Whisper: "I forgot to set my alarm clock. Because of this unexpected--"


    Oryl: "It''s been six minutes with forty seconds."


    Jacobine: "Listen Whisper! As you go back to the Limited Eternal Dimension, all Renee will attack Ray. Including you. Because Ray hasn''t fulfilled the Hunter Book. What was done was done. We can''t change it. Ray has to hunt down her target. Otherwise all Renee will kill her."


    Whisper wept.


    Jacobine: "I know the strong bond between the Renee siblings. And your siblings will feel the same when they attack Ray. We have to plan--"


    Oryl: "Two minutes left."


    Jacobine took a deep breath and exhaled. "I knew I would die like this. Never mind. I will do anything for my Renees."


    Oryl: "Would you want me to reveal your fate?"


    Jacobine didn''t answer Oryl. She hugged Whisper.


    Jacobine: "Whisper. You will cover your purple eye now. So you will undo its effects. Then kill me. Dress my clothes to Ray."


    Oryl: "One minutes left."


    Whisper knew she had to hurry. Otherwise Oryl''s realm would erase her memory.


    Whisper thought: "Wait! Why didn''t I ask Oryl?"


    Oryl sensed Whisper''s curiosity. "Remember this recipe. The tear of my eye drops into the Owner''s hat. That''s the half way of Ray''s survival. The other half is where the gloves meets the skin of cannibal."


    Then she reminded Whisper of the last 10 seconds. Jacobine moved Whisper''s hand on her purple eye. She covered it. The time started to flow. Ray trembled down on her stomach. She stood up without any hesitation.


    Ray: "Disappeared! Whisper is gone!?"


    She looked around. She saw them at the center of the chamber. They were hugging each other. Ray then looked at the Renees at the table. They seemed asleep. Their forehead were on the table.


    Ray saw Charletto floating in the air. She disappeared. The dark mist emerged. Then it flew to Whisper. It swirled around her forearm. Suddenly it materialized into a long paladin sword.


    Whispers swung the paladin sword with one thrust. The sword slid through Jacobin''s body. Jacobin''s body disappeared. Her clothes, top hat and mask dropped to the floor.


    Ray: "What!"


    Ray ran to Whisper and jumped onto her. They fell to the floor. Whisper was below. Ray was on top of her.


    Ray: "What have you done!?"


    Whisper cried. Her right eye was closed. The tears of the right eye were purple.


    Ray shouted: "Answer! Whisper!"


    Whisper: "Wear the damn clothes, be--"


    Whisper''s left eye also shut closed. Then she fainted like the other Renees. Ray understood that something was wrong. Because Whisper had never sworn before. Ray started to hear crying sounds. They were too loud. The cries started to come from the table, then from Whisper. Ray looked down and saw that Whisper was weeping.


    Ray stood up and went to Jacobine''s clothes. She saw the top hat, which was standing on its top. Ray looked inside and saw purple tears glowing there. She looked back at Whisper. She was standing up but shaking. The other Renees were moving in their chairs. Their eyes were still closed.


    Ray thought: "I don''t feel fear. That''s only annoying and irritating."


    Whisper dashed toward Ray, swinging her long paladin sword. Ray fell, and the sword passed over her head. Ray quickly picked up the top hat and put it on. Suddenly, the hat started to melt. Jacobine''s other clothes were melting too.


    Ray: "What is going on?"


    The substance that the clothes had become was slippery. Ray''s feet slipped. Because her feet were on the substance, she fell on her butt in it. The substance climbed up all over her body, covering her entirely.


    The other Renees began to stand up. Whisper tried to slice the substance on Ray. Ray couldn''t see what was happening. But she felt it. She was under a dark, opaque, and slimy waterfall that was sticky.


    Ray thought she would die under this awkward situation. She wondered about the reason for her siblings'' betrayal. The substance disappeared as she pondered. As if it had never been there. And Ray noticed what the substance had left behind: the new clothing.


    Ray saw the dark leather gloves on her hands. She checked her body. She saw that she wore a dark orange jacket, a white shirt, black tights, black boots, and a red tie.


    Whisper swung another sword attack. Ray rolled under it. She saw the hat drop off her head. But instead of Jacobine''s gray top hat, it was a dark orange, elegant hat with a purple ball attached to the front.


    The other Renees had come into the chamber from outside. The ones from the table had also joined them. They were surrounding her. With Whisper among them, preparing her blade. All the Renees held their weapons ready: knives, axes, guns, pistols, and magical spells.


    Ray thought: "How many are there? I can''t count. I would cry but I can''t. I don''t feel fear. Thanks for the clothes but I will die. At least I will wear good clothes."


    All the Renees lowered their weapons and bowed as Whisper walked in front of Ray. Whisper raised her paladin sword above her head.


    Ray noticed something before the final blow came. All of her siblings'' faces looked sad. They were weeping. Tears were running down. Ray found this strange. She didn''t understand why. But she knew she had no chance against them.


    Ray thought: "I will die like a weak animal."


    Whisper slashed her paladin sword at Ray''s head.

 Chapter 2: How Ray escaped from the Limited Eternal Dimension

    The paladin sword hit Ray''s hat. It disappeared when it touched it. The dark mist scattered around. The mist gathered in the air and Charletto emerged. She was floating in the air.


    Charletto: "Charletto can cut anything. Charletto can''t cut the Owner."


    Ray stood up. Her eyes were gazing at an opening between two Renees. She ran there and jumped through, managing to get out of the crowd. She ran to the corridor and across it, encountering the rest of the Renees. They were asleep, unlike the others in the chamber.


    Ray: "Aren''t we seventeen people?"


    She came to her room after running for a while. It was at the end of the Limited Eternal Dimension. The entire dimension was as wide as could be finished within an hour of running. Ray kicked the door open, entered, then closed it shut. The lock of the door broke apart. But it repaired itself. That was ordinary to Ray.


    All Renees had their own rooms across the LED.


    Ray looked around. There was a mattress on the floor. A box of items was next to it. A light bulb was hanging from the ceiling. A shower was in the corner near the entrance door. There was no window.


    The horde of Renees neared outside. A few of them rapped at the door. Ray felt no fear. Instead she was perplexed. The door was shaking and they were punching it from behind.


    Ray thought: "The door is protected under the safety spell. Only Charletto can cut through it. I have to leave this place before Whisper comes. How to leave LED? I have my page as the key! My page! Whisper had taken it!"


    Ray fell to her knees. "I am doomed. I can''t win against her. Wait! Charletto didn''t cut me. She mentioned the name of the Owner."


    She remembered her new clothes. It had once belonged to Owner Jacobine.


    Ray thought: "That''s a big plus if Charletto is not in the game. The rest are still dangerous, though. An--"


    Two blades stuck through the door as she thought. They caused two openings across it. Ray saw Whisper through them. A few of them pushed their arms through the openings. One hand held a fireball. She threw it. The fireball bounced from one wall to the other wall. It flew at Ray and it hit her. Ray covered herself with her arms as her clothes caught fire.


    She rolled to the side on the floor. "I am burning alive!"


    But the flames didn''t cause any harm. They diminished in seconds.


    Ray thought: "Where are the flames?"


    Suddenly she felt heat in her hand. She opened her palm. And a fireball was floating right above it. Glowing.


    Ray thought: "Owner Jacobine''s ability! Wait! Did I just steal an ability like her?"


    Renees broke the door. Whisper ran in while the rest walked in.


    Ray thought: "For some reason they act slower and dumber than usual. Their eyes are still closed and they are crying. I have to get that paper. How am I going to use this fireball?"


    Ray threw the fire ball. It flew into the crowd at the door. It exploded like a grenade. Whisper jumped away inside the room to escape the explosion. The other Renees were on fire. A few died and their bodies disappeared.


    Ray thought: "That''s my chance. The explosion has opened enough space."


    She ran to the door. She felt something wrapping around her neck as she left. It was pulling her backwards. She turned and saw Whisper. A pink whip was in her hand. The rope-like whip was now choking Ray.


    Ray said: "Charletto! You don''t touch the Owner!"


    Charletto appeared floating in the air.


    Charletto said: "That''s the whip of Renee Pink!"


    Ray was disappointed to hear the name Pink. Because Pink''s skill was the weirdest among all the Renees. Her whips turned everyone they touched into lustful slaves. The opponent had to have sex all day. Or they would die.


    Ray said: "Fine. I will find a prostitute afterwards. Don''t just stay there, Charletto! Do something!"


    Charletto: "I only obey Whisper."


    Ray: "I wouldn''t have thought otherwise. I will have to be my own savior then."


    Ray started to run towards Whisper''s direction. She crashed into her and pushed Whisper. She fell and hit her head against the wall. She slid down to the bottom of the wall.


    Ray checked the Whisper''s pockets. Charletto landed from the air near Ray.


    Charletto: "The target page is not there. It is in the Hunter Book."


    Hearing this Ray started to run to the door. She jumped over some Renees. She crossed the corridor. She was running. She noticed she was holding a pink whip in her hand. She threw it away but it reappeared in her hand. She accepted her fate. She saw Knife as she came to the Chamber. There were a few Renees around.


    They didn''t allow Ray to get to the bookshelf.


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    Ray looked at the pink whip in her hand. "I will have to make a confession in a church for this."


    She then swung the whip. The whip touched the Renees and they started to mate. But Ray couldn''t hit Knife because she was too fast. Knife didn''t allow Ray to reach the bookshelf. Instead Ray strolled around it. She tried to whip Knife but Knife dodged all the attempts. Knife was not throwing any knives. Ray referred this to the knowledge of the Owner''s ability. She had to make a plan.


    Ray said: "Stop this, Knife!"


    Then an idea came to her. She would do something interesting. She had to be fast as the others might come in at any moment.


    Ray thought: "My clothing collects powers. Can they collect the power of their users if I touch them? With my skin? With these gloves? Or hug them? It''s risky. I can''t risk my life with Knife. I don''t have to steal her ability. The others are still there. I can use them instead."


    Ray looked at the other Renees.


    Ray thought: "They are in the middle of intercourse. I would like to join them. But I need their power. I hope they have something handy."


    Ray ran toward them and touched their asses.


    Ray thought: " That was satisfying. I could have touched their arms, though. Did my theory work?"


    Suddenly an image appeared in her mind. Inside the image, there were elements of powers mixing up with one another. The best parts of the three powers merged. The best for the current situation would come out from this mix. Then it came.


    A power of creating a pillowcase that wouldn''t tear apart.


    Suddenly a pillowcase appeared in Ray''s hand.


    Ray thought: "I want to cry. What will I do with a pillowcase?"


    Knife suddenly threw a knife. Ray jumped aside. The knife passed by her. It turned around, changing its rotation, and came back. It was about to stab into Ray''s nape.


    The pillowcase suddenly flew to Ray''s head. And It covered it entirely. The knife fell down as its tip touched the pillowcase.


    Ray said: "What''s happening? I felt something on my nape!"


    The pillowcase flew off Ray''s head. Then it flew at Knife''s face. Knife could dodge it but the pillowcase kept chasing her. Ray seized the moment and ran to the bookshelf.


    The knife flew at her as she reached the Hunter Book. It was about to hit her neck. The pillowcase flew faster than the knife and caught it in the air. It swallowed it. Inside the pillowcase, the knife flew around like crazy. It couldn''t tear any holes.


    Ray ran to the bookshelves but Knife ran faster. She jumped onto Ray and they fell. Ray was between her legs. She covered her face. Because she thought Knife would punch her to death. But Knife didn''t punch. Instead she caught Ray''s forearms and pulled them aside. She positioned them on the floor and pressed her weight on her. Knife locked her like that.


    Ray thought: "Why isn''t she touching me? Shouldn''t I obtain her power as I did for the others?"


    Ray looked at Knife''s hands. She was shocked by what she saw. Knife had put socks on her hands. This way she could prevent the touch on the clothes. Ray could see her bare feet.


    Ray: "Kill me! Will you keep me here? Why don''t you finish me off?"


    The bluff didn''t work. She had to be quick. Otherwise the rest would come and terminate her. Ray still didn''t know the reason for this fight. She had never read any book. Nor had she attended any schooling about the rules of Hunters. Jacobine had never forced her to read, unlike the rest.


    Ray thought: "I can''t even read. I am sure I missed something. I should have been more eager to read. Instead, I chose to play games, and here I am. Think, Ray! How will you get out of this?"


    In a sudden moment, the idea roared in her mind - the answer to her freedom.


    Ray thought: "I will make a bridge between Knife''s skin and the fabric of my clothes. Unfortunately I know how to do it."


    Ray moved her tongue in a specific way. The way she had developed to make her mouth produce more saliva. Especially a sticky saliva that was hard to pull apart. Flexible and stretchy like plastic.


    The tongue movement produced a mouth full of saliva. Ray spat it out like a gun. The spit hit Knife''s face but Knife didn''t let Ray go despite this. Her face looked angry.


    But gravity and weight pulled the saliva downwards, stretching it long enough. The saliva was stretching towards Ray''s torso. Knife couldn''t do anything. Her knife was still in the pillowcase, and she couldn''t pull her hands off Ray''s.


    Ray thought: "Please work!"


    The saliva had widened itself enough. It touched the fabric of Ray''s red tie. One side of the saliva was glued to Knife''s face. The other side was on the tie. Ray waited for a while, hoping for the best. And preparing herself for the worst.


    Suddenly a shockwave poured through the saliva from Knife to Ray. Ray felt something hard in her palm. She scrutinized it and found that it felt like the handle of a knife. Her theory had worked.


    Ray smiled and wished for her knife to fly. The knife flew up above and hung above Knife''s head. It fell towards her nape. Knife rolled to the side before it could slash her neck. Ray directly stood up and ran to the bookshelves. Knife tried to follow Ray but the flying knife didn''t allow her to get any closer.


    Ray pulled the original Hunter Book. She flipped through the pages until she found her target page. It was there! As if it had never been pulled off. The book was repaired but Ray didn''t care about this detail. She just crammed it into her pocket.


    But nothing seemed to be happening.


    Knife was running from Ray''s knife. It was chasing her. The other Renees were still having sex. Ray looked at the chamber''s entrance and across into the corridor.


    Whisper was there. She was standing still with a sniper in her hands. She lifted it upwards and threw it like a spear.


    Ray recognized the sniper. It belonged to Renee Sniper. This sniper can snipe you until you die. It can fly and position itself around with an automatic sniping ability within 5 meters.


    The sniper flew into the chamber and positioned itself on the ceiling. It fired a bullet. Ray jumped under the table. The bullet missed her! Ray heard the sniper reloading and then firing again. The bullet went straight through the table. It made a hole. Ray could see it.


    Ray thought: "I can''t stay here. This sniper will turn this table into a cheese with holes. I can''t recall my knife here because it''s keeping Knife away. My pillowcase is holding Knife''s knife down. Therefore I am stuck."


    A grenade rolled under the table. Ray recognized it! Her instinct shouted: "Use your hat!" Ray pulled off her hat and put it on the grenade. It kept the grenade inside. The grenade exploded but Ray heard nothing. She felt the shock of the explosion. She pushed the hat aside and found that the floor hadn''t taken any damage. Since it was designed to protect.


    Ray thought: "This place is too safe. Too much protection keeps me inside when I need to get outside!"


    The sniper flew downwards. It landed on the floor. It positioned itself at the same level as Ray. Ray saw this. The sniper fired and Ray covered her face with her arms. The bullet disappeared before touching her clothes. Ray looked at Whisper from under the table. Whisper was sitting in a meditation position. Her eyes closed with tears coming down.


    Ray realized Whisper''s intention of erasing the bullet.


    Ray thought: "Whisper knew I can mimic her abilities. That''s why she erased the bullet before it hit me hard. Because I could have mimic her ability through a touch. I better do something about this. I don''t know how to leave LED. All I remember is this. Others implied that the target pages were the key. To the outside world. But they never mentioned how to use them."


    The moaning of the whipped siblings annoyed Ray. Because of this she covered her ears. She tried to think but found out she was bad at planning. Whisper had always been the mastermind.


    Ray shouted: "But they have never mentioned why the papers smell like a wafer!"


    The scent of the papers had resembled vanilla wafer. This had always interested Ray. She had always liked sweet things.


    Ray pulled out the paper from her pocket remembering this. She smelled the vanilla aroma. She touched the tip of her nose to the paper to smell.


    Suddenly the sniper fired but from another position. It had changed its location while Ray was thinking. The firing sound came from above. The bullet penetrated through the table. It went straight for the paper in Ray''s hands. Ray hugged the paper to protect it.


    The bullet disappeared as it had before. Ray couldn''t touch it to mimic the ability.


    Ray thought: "The sniper will find a spot to kill me soon. My nape is open. I can''t cover my nape and face at the same time. I will die. That''s for sure. I crave wafer now. The page smells like a wafer. Maybe it also tastes like a wafer."


    The sniper fired again! The noise echoed aloud. Ray instinctively put the paper in her mouth. Only to pretend to eat something sweet. The paper dissolved in her saliva. It tasted exactly like vanilla wafer. She felt the pleasure of gusto with every chew. She swallowed it after chewing. She was keeping her eyes closed. Due to the intense relaxation of satisfaction.


    Ray thought: "My target papers had never tasted like this. Maybe because this is the real target that demands a visit to the outer world. I always got my targets from the copy Hunter Book. If I had known the original''s taste, I would have stolen it... Where is the killing shot? Why are my eyes closed? I didn''t close them."


    Ray tried to open her eyes. Her eyes opened but she looked into a landscape. She wasn''t seeing the chamber anymore. Nor was she hearing any gunshots. She wasn''t sensing anyone.


    Ray thought: "Where am I?"


    The cold breeze was licking her skin. And her butt was sitting on the soft snow. She saw trees surrounding her. A running river was flowing nearby. She tried to comprehend her surroundings.


    The only thing she understood was that she had come to somewhere else by eating the target paper.

 Chapter 3: How Ray Freed Herself (Almost) from the Game of Power

    Chapter 3: How Ray Freed Herself (Almost) from the Game of Power


    Ray watched her new surroundings. Eating the paper had arisen interesting sights for her. Ray could recall the information in the paper. It was like inserting a CD into a PC. All the required information for her hunt was in her head.


    Ray stood up, wiping the snow off her clothes. She touched her legs. The fabric hadn''t hold water from the snow.


    Ray thought: "I can hide my dirty hobbies."


    Ray said: "Is there anything around?"


    No one was around. Only birds flying in the bright sky. She went to the nearest tree and leaned against it. She started to contemplate. In her mind thoughts became complex information. They revealed information about Katerina. Ray recalled them on purpose.


    Katerina was known for Dust Thirst. She was a female, half-human, half-monster. She had red, long, straight hair, black eyes, pale skin. Her eyebrows were red too. She wore simple gray loose pajamas and loose socks.


    She was born with red hair. It was thought that her hair had given her powers. She lived with her sister, Lena. Katerina had to eat the dust from a dead person to live. Her ability was deadly. Her bite could kill anything. She never talked. Just used animal-like signals and gestures to communicate.


    Ray skipped the rest of the knowledge. Because it bored her with the information about Katerina''s life.


    Ray thought: "I will discover those details by hand. Let me walk."


    Ray started to wandered around. She walked for hours. The black boots she wore were handy for walking in the snow. Their bottom hadn''t slipped once.


    Ray played with her hat during the walk. She found out that she could push her arm inside of the hat. Nothing seemed strange on the outside. But on the inside, Ray felt her arm go into a bottomless depth. She could put her arm in until the shoulder. As she pulled her arm out of the hat, she promised she wouldn''t do this again.


    She arrived in a village. There were many little houses. The houses were wooden with triangle roofs. There were also torches on the fences around them. They were the only light source. Ray found it strange to light them under sunlight.


    There were domestic animals inside the fences. They were sitting down in the mud with their legs crossed. Ray couldn''t name them but they were casual farm animals. Like cows, chickens, and sheep.


    Ray was walking on a stony pavement. She passed by a house. She looked inside through the window but couldn''t see anything. A thick curtain blocked her view.


    Suddenly the door next to the window opened wide. Someone dashed out! She fired the gun in her hand. The bullet hit Ray on the torso and fell her to the ground.


    Ray shouted as she stood up: "What are you doing?"


    Ray checked where she was shot but there was no damage. The person with the rifle aimed at her again. Ray ran away behind a wooden barrel. She crouched down and hid her body parts from the aim.


    Ray whispered: "Is she insane? I am just a passenger. A weird person in a bizarre village."


    She jumped onto her stomach and crawled along the near fences. But she couldn''t see the armed person from that location.


    Ray thought: "If I can''t see her, she can''t see me as well."


    She crawled nearer to a corner. She got behind a wall of a house and stood up there. She seem to have escaped the trouble. She peeked at the house of the armed person from the wall. Suddenly the person fired. Ray pulled her head and the bullet had missed.


    Ray walked until she reached a distant house. It was far from the rest.


    Suddenly she wondered why Pink''s whip hadn''t influenced her as she had touched it.


    She thought: "Maybe my clothes discarded its effect as it copied its ability. After all Pink wouldn''t be influenced by her own whip."


    She stopped at the door of the fences. The distant house seemed older with shorter fences. Its area was located near a thick black forest. It was also at the skirt of a mountain. The slope increased as Ray walked upwards.


    Ray felt hungry and had to eat food. She was also thirsty. She gathered some snow from the ground. She ate it to fulfill her thirst.


    Ray said: "I will want food. Let me knock on the door. I don''t feel fear. I don''t care if I die. I can handle a few villagers on my own."


    Then she remembered her current escape from the villager with the gun. She laughed at it. She jumped over the fences and walked to the entrance door. Her hand knocked on it. The door opened.


    A person stood before her. She was taller. Had yellow hair. Blue eyes and light skin. She wore a one-piece thin clothing. Its top was undershirt and its bottom was a loose skirt. It covered her nakedness. Her legs were naked and her feet were bare.


    Ray recognized her from the images in her mind. She was Lena. The sister of Katerina. Lena spoke but Ray couldn''t understand her language. Ray spoke but Lena seemed not to understand her either.


    Ray opened her mouth wide and pointed at it. She used gestures to indicate her want for food. Lena nodded. Then she walked inside and came back holding a loaf of bread. She gave it to Ray. Ray took a bite, chewed, and swallowed. She liked it.


    Ray took off her hat and bowed to thank Lena. Lena smiled at her. She used gestures to call her in. Ray understood and nodded. She walked in and Lena closed the door.


    They walked into a saloon. It seemed to Ray so. Inside there were only floor mattresses. There were carpets and pillows on them. Lena lay Ray on one mattress. Then she walked away. Ray looked around and concluded this. The people of this house were poor. She heard the sound of running water and the noise of pots. This indicated that Lena was preparing something.


    Ray thought: "I will hunt her sister down. So let me stop her from wasting her resources on me. She is poor already."


    She stood up. Walked toward the source of the running water. She got to an open door. The sound was coming from there. Ray walked through the door into a tiny room. Inside, she saw the source of the running water. A faucet. She leaned down to close it.


    Ray thought: "Whisper would scold me if I left the faucet on like this."


    Suddenly the door of the room closed shut. Ray looked at it and ran to it. She heard the door locked. Ray punched the door, yelling. But there was no response. Ray waited for a while, then kicked the door. But the door didn''t break. It was made of hard wood.


    Ray thought: "Why did I trust the sister of my target?"


    Ray threw her hat at the door. The hat hit the door, then dropped down. Ray noticed a purple tiny ball at the front of the hat.


    She thought: "It''s the same color as Whisper''s purple tears. She had always worn an eye-patch. There must be something to this."


    Ray tried to pull the ball off the hat. And it came off. It glowed and floated in the air. Ray tried to fetch it but couldn''t. It hung in the air at the center of the room.


    Ray felt someone inside the room. She turned around and saw her. She stood still motionless.


    Her skin was purple. She was taller than Ray. She was half-naked and wore a mask on her face. Her hair was long and pinkish. She had indigo eyes. A mechanical clothing covered her arms, legs, and firm breasts. There were little glowing of green and pink lights across the clothing. The lights were flickering.


    Oryl: "You have ten minutes."


    Ray didn''t feel fear but she wished she could fear now.


    Ray: "For what?"


    Suddenly she came to know the answer. She would lose her memories if she stayed here.


    Also she came to have known a memory. It was an important one. She started to weep. The memory contained Whisper and Jacobine. It contained the very moment before this frenzy had started. Ray witnessed their sacrifice. She hated herself because she had learned the reason for her siblings'' craziness. She didn''t want to believe this.


    Unauthorized usage: this tale is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings.


    Ray: "But why!? This termination began because I didn''t answer the Book''s calling at the very moment I was summoned!? Nonsense! I don''t buy your illusions."


    Oryl: "You are free to believe in anything you want. Nine minutes left."


    Ray was perplexed.


    She thought: "How time could be so relative depending on the activity?"


    It felt like hours for Ray. Despite only seconds had passed.


    Ray also felt safe with Oryl. She happened to know this for some reason. Oryl would always provide the best answer. But she questioned that knowledge and the feeling of safety toward her. She couldn''t comprehend these new feelings.


    Ray thought: "How can I trust her?"


    The answer came. She didn''t have to talk. Around Oryl, one could find all the answers. Only one needed the capacity to focus on the right questions. The answer would come. The knowledge just popped up in her mind.


    Oryl: "Eight minutes left."


    Ray asked. She knew the answer would reveal itself but she wanted to hear it from Oryl.


    Ray: "How can I get out of the game of power, forever?"


    Oryl: "It''s been forever since someone asked such a strong question."


    Ray: "I want to free myself from this obligation of getting strong!"


    She wept.


    Ray: "I don''t want to end up like my siblings. They are used up for collecting power. I want to be free from this."


    Oryl: "Jacobine''s wish is about to fulfill itself."


    The answer came before Ray could ask about it. Jacobine had always wanted something more powerful than power itself.


    Oryl: "Jacobine''s plan for you is this. Having full autonomy over your fate forever."


    Ray: "What are you mumbling? Why does everything have to be indirect?"


    Oryl: "One day you will break free of all this game. You will never have to gain power anymore. You will be at a moment where you can choose to lose just because you want it. Yet you will be a victor. That''s your destiny. 5 minutes left. But until that day, you have to catch all of them. Your fearlessness is your greatest strength. And don''t be mad at Lena. She just wants to keep her beloved sister alive. Don''t worry, pat Katerina on the head. She will be tame afterward."


    Oryl said goodbye. The purple ball flew to Ray and attached to the front of her hat. Oryl disappeared, and Ray was alone in the tiny room, still locked.


    Ray swore: "Nonsense revolution!"


    The silence annoyed Ray. She looked at the door. But there wasn''t any sound coming from behind it. Ray found it awkward. She stepped backward to the distant wall to keep herself safe. She stopped as her back touched the wall.


    Suddenly a noise arose. Ray heard a hissing sound. Two arms torn the wall. They came in behind Ray and wrapped her neck. The arms pulled Ray outside. The wooden wall came off. The arms threw her to the snow. She hit to the ground. Then she stood up and saw her.


    Katerina. She was hissing, showing teeth. Her saliva was dropping. She was ready to attack. Ray saw Lena at the distant tree. Lena was watching them from behind it.


    Ray thought: "Screw you, Oryl. I will kill Lena. Then Katerina."


    Ray suddenly felt the weight of a knife in her hand. Knife''s ability was still with her. She felt warmth in the other hand. She opened her palm. The fireball was floating above her palm. Ray then squinted.


    Ray thought: "The pillowcase is still part of my skill collection if those are still with me."


    She threw the knife at Katerina. Katerina slid under it. The knife was about to stick to the wall. Ray wished for the knife to fly to Lena. The knife changed its way and flew toward her.


    Ray thought: "I will throw the fireball at Katerina when she follows the knife. She has to protect her si--"


    Katerina thrust at Ray instead. Ray jumped aside. Katerina slid across the snow. She stood up and ran to Ray again. She opened her mouth. She was too close. Ray saw her sharp teeth. Katerina was about to bite Ray. Before she bite her, Ray found herself in the air. Near Lena. Ray had exchanged her location with the knife. Then she fell at Lena''s feet. Lena ran away. Ray didn''t care about her. She looked across at Katerina.


    Katerina was biting the knife. She was tearing it into pieces. Ray couldn''t call the knife anymore. The fireball was still in her hand.


    Ray thought: "I hope Oryl is right about patting her. What if I take Katerina''s power!? To do this I have to approach her without being bitten. She is fast. Any fatal bite is the end for me."


    Suddenly Ray remembered the pillowcase ability.


    Katerina ran toward her. Ray threw the fireball in between them. The fireball exploded. It created a huge opening where it hit. Katerina stared at Ray.


    Ray wished for the pillowcase and it appeared in her hand. Ray bit the fingertip of her glove and pulled her hand from the inside of the glove. She spat the glove out. The pillowcase opened its mouth and the glove slid inside. Then the pillowcase closed its mouth.


    Ray: "Go!"


    The pillowcase flew. Ray was going to follow it. But she was unable to follow. She looked down at her feet. They were stuck on a blue, sticky area that was laid on the ground like a carpet. It was slimy, sticky, and half-transparent area.


    Ray thought: "I have praised these boots too early."


    Ray looked around but couldn''t see anything. Whoever put this blue carpet under her feet must be behind her. Ray bent over and unlaced her boots, then jumped out of them. She landed in the snow. Her socks didn''t pull in water.


    Ray saw Lena. She was stretching her hands toward the carpet-like area. She was close enough to talk to but they didn''t share the same language.


    Katerina was chasing the pillowcase afar. Ray looked at the pillowcase.


    She thought: "That is the moment! Drop the glove!"


    The pillowcase dropped the glove from above Katerina.


    Ray felt something wrapping around her limbs like a rope. It was squeezing her tightly. Lena was doing this. Her hands faced toward Ray. She tried to keep Ray away from Katerina. Unfortunately Lena didn''t know this:


    Ray thought: "I almost forgot. I can steal any power that touches my clothes. Why hadn''t I used it since my boots touched the carpet?"


    Suddenly a pink, sticky, slimy rope emerged from nowhere and wrapped around Lena. It countered Lena''s rope around Ray''s neck. Lena''s rope let Ray go because of this. So Ray ran away.


    Ray learned from her mind that Lena''s power is to create and control slimy substances by will.


    Lena''s slime disappeared. Ray''s slime disappeared as well. Lena fell to her knees, closed her eyes, and waited to die. Ray didn''t care about her. Instead she ran toward Katerina.


    Katerina had dodged the glove. It meant the pillowcase plan didn''t work. Ray ran around the wide opening in the ground. She called the pillowcase and it reappeared. She had an another idea.


    She put a fireball, a ball of slime, and the other glove in the pillowcase. The pillowcase swallowed them and flew away. Ray stopped at a walking distance away from Katerina. Katerina started to run toward her. Ray waited.


    Katerina jumped onto Ray. The pillowcase flew in between them before she could catch Ray. Katerina bit the case.


    Katerina''s fatal teeth tore through the pillowcase. Her teeth touched the fireball and triggered a reaction. The fireball exploded. It pushed the slime out. The slime scattered out across the area.


    Katerina was covered in slime. She tried to tear it apart. Her bite could easily tear it. Ray''s plan wasn''t to cover her in slime.


    Katerina hadn''t seen the glow. The glow had flown away during the explosion. And the slime was glued to the glow and Katerina. Now the glow was away but connected between them. The slime was connected to the glow as well as Katerina.


    Ray thought: "I can control the slime by my will. Let the glow come to Katerina!"


    Suddenly the slime started to shrink fast. The glow lifted off as the slime shrunk. And the glove was approaching Katerina. Though Katerina had almost freed herself from the slime.


    The glow came too close to Katerina. Katerina bit the slime before the glow touched. Then she jumped aside. The glow passed by.


    Ray thought: "Enough!"


    Ray threw a fireball. The ball hit the glow in the air. It exploded as Ray ordered. The glow bounced off to Katerina. But Katerina squatted down and the glow flew over her head.


    This angered Ray. She pulled out Pink''s whip and swung it toward Katerina. Katerina caught it and pulled it apart with both hands.


    Ray fell to her knees by the pull.


    Ray thought: "She has to feel horny. But it seems the whip has no control over her. Why can''t I copy her ability? My saliva could conduct Knife''s ability when it touched her skin and my clothes at the same time. Wait! What if my body can also do the same? Owner Jacobine could do this with her gaze. What if the clothing is a storage for the stolen abilities for later use!? That means all I have to do is run at her."


    Ray started to run at Katerina. She remembered Oryl''s wise words about patting Katerina.


    Ray thought: "How can I pat her if she sees me as her opponent? Whisper had warned me about her. She is tough. No surprise that no one has ever collected her ability yet. Why couldn''t they do it? Even Whisper didn''t bother. Didn''t their strength match? My siblings were always into the power game. I hate this. I have to think out of the box."


    Suddenly it hit Ray. Power was the problem. She had to make Katerina stop seeing her as her opponent.


    She thought: "Katerina acts like an animal. So I have to seem friendly. Though I might regret this."


    Ray stopped and started to strip her clothes. She put off her hat, her jacket, tie, shirt, pants, socks, then her underwear. She was naked.


    She stretched out her arms and greeted Katerina. She was smiling as sincerely as possible, facing her.


    From this moment, Katerina looked perplexed. She lowered her hands and blinked. Instead of running, she walked toward Ray.


    Death didn''t bother her since Ray couldn''t fear. But she felt shameful. The cold breeze was licking her naked skin.


    Katerina stopped before her. She was too close. She was taller than Ray. Ray looked up at her. Katerina looked down at her. Ray tiptoed to reach her head. Katerina bent her knees and lowered herself. She seemed to understand. Then Ray patted her on the head. Gently as possible. She patted her many times for guarantee.


    Lena walked near them and started to say some words. Ray couldn''t understand but Lena''s voice sounded cheerful.


    Katerina wasn''t talking.


    Lena looked at Ray. She was taller. She leaned forward and kissed Ray on the cheek. Ray blushed.


    Then Katerina jumped onto Ray and they fell to the ground. She started to lick her face.


    Ray: "Stop it! Okay. You have won."


    Lena sat near them, giggling.


    That night, Lena hosted Ray. They tried to talk, but couldn''t actually talk. Lena talked, and Ray tried to understand. Ray took a shower, and they spent the day like that.


    At the middle of the night, Ray sat up in the mattress. She looked at the other mattresses. Katerina and Lena were sleeping together.


    Looking at them, Ray pulled off the purple ball from her hat.


    The ball flew to the center. Ray saw Oryl standing still, motionless.


    Oryl: "My answer is no."


    Ray: "I didn''t even ask anything. Yes. Sorry. I forget that you can know everything."


    Oryl: "The code of the Hunter Book is clear. Whoever betrays the pack is terminated."


    Ray looked at Katerina and Lena.


    Ray: "I don''t want to kill them."


    Oryl: "May I spoil your unknown fate?"


    Ray nodded.


    Oryl: "There are 8 Renee(s) left. Without Jacobine, they will perish. Only one of them is capable of existing out of LED. Jacobine will not create more of them since she is dead. Therefore, killing Katerina will not bring your old life and siblings back."


    Ray lowered her head.


    Oryl: "Wasn''t that all you wished? You are free. Almost free."


    Ray: "Almost?"


    Oryl: "Whisper will never be the same. Gladly, she can''t open her eyes. Otherwise, she would come here. She uses Charletto to see. Also, the Hunter Book is still in LED. Whisper will keep using it. There will be many Hunters craving for more power. You will meet Whisper again one day. As her target. If I calculate correctly, you are free, indirectly."


    Ray inhaled, then exhaled.


    Ray: "Yay. My life has changed. I will be a runaway. Still in the game of power and catch."


    Oryl: "Two minutes left. As a reminder, you have Katerina''s power. As well as Lena''s. Think about that. Why hasn''t any Hunter collected them before?"


    Ray blinked. She knew Oryl would spoil it. Ray allowed her to say it.


    Oryl: "Because Katerina''s power is dangerous. Her attacks erase enemies'' power, as well as their existence. And no one mentions Lena. Lena is impossible to kill. You have both of their skills. Potential ultimate power. Potential ultimate defense. And Jacobine''s stealing ability. It''s up to you to how you use them. One minute left. And I knew how this would end."


    The ball flew back to Ray''s hat. Oryl disappeared. Ray looked at Katerina and Lena, who were still sleeping.


    She smiled.


    Ray: "I have just realized there are good people except Renees."


    She dropped to her mattress and closed her eyes. She hoped for a good sleep. Maybe this would be the last good sleep she would ever get forever.


    The End.


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    Thank you for reading "The Human Monster." I don''t know if anyone has come across this, but if you have, please leave a comment on the page where you found it.


    I hope you enjoy your life.


    Take care.


    See you in the next one.


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