《Rabid Animals, Fantastic!》 Prologue 0.1: The Rabbit Listening to hours and hours of your own performance has a mesmerizing effect on one¡¯s body. Any musician should know this. Over time, your fingers and body automatically mimic the motions to produce the sounds, and as you detect imperfections in previous works, you can feel very distinctly the error you made. Like physical pain, it is something you notice. The deeper one digs into this hole, the less sane they become. Words start becoming rhythmic. Sounds from everyday objects ring out in tune. The mind rewires itself into a state where music is above all other bodily functions, and at times, you can go without food or water for days without needing it. This was the state Loren Dames was currently in. His violin wasn¡¯t in sight. His manager had forbade him from listening to music. And the only light came from distant cities they passed, as the train road along the tracks. But in his mind, Loren was playing a solo for thousands of people. He was sweating, and his ears were attuned, able to pick up the sounds that didn¡¯t exist. A true state of musical euphoria. If there was nobody else in the world, he could continue doing this for the rest of eternity. A heavy knock on the suite door broke him from the trance. ¡°Yes~? Who is it?¡± ¡°It¡¯s Ms. L-lenz...¡± the woman called from the other side of the door. ¡°Mr. Holden wanted me to g-get you¡­¡± ¡°He needs me? For what, dearie?¡± ¡°Uh...I¡¯m not sure...should I go back and ask? I hope he doesn¡¯t get mad¡­¡± She sounded like a wounded animal, so Loren decided to take pity on her. He went to the door and unlocked it, letting the sliding door swing open with a sigh. She was a new hire, scouted as someone wanting to get into the agent side of the industry. But like many of the other wannabe agents Loren had ever seen, this girl had nothing to make her stand out. She was plain, covered in freckles and wide-rimmed glasses, with frazzled hair. The type of person who automatically looks disheveled, even after spending hours getting themselves prepared. Her shy personality didn¡¯t make it much better. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Ms. Lenz,¡± Loren said, stretching himself out. ¡°Whatever it is, I¡¯m sure Mick has a reason. Bring me. I¡¯ve forgotten where he was staying, though I do at least recall that it wasn¡¯t in this car. He¡¯s too keen on saving money, so first class is automatically off the table. But as you can see, there are many benefits.¡± When he finished, he swung his arm wide to display the insides of his cabin. But to a normal person, it probably didn¡¯t seem like much. Well, that¡¯s because Loren wasn¡¯t normal. All the furniture was rearranged specifically so he had plenty of open space in the middle of his room to move. It was dark, and even though there were perfectly fine lights to use, Loren chose only to use candles, simply because they were more aesthetic. Loren himself was almost completely naked, wearing only a pair of briefs, and his body was coated in sweat. ¡°A-ah...sure¡­¡± A breeze rolled in through his open window, but he was warm enough not to feel it. Ms. Lenz, on the other hand, shivered. That made Loren snort slightly. ¡°Please, lead the way, Ms. Lenz.¡± ¡°Right...follow me¡­¡± Loren grabbed a trench coat from the coatrack in his room and chased after the secretary, making sure to nod and smile to everyone they passed. He enjoyed being nice. It was his sole purpose in life to make people happy, after all. Some children thought he was strange for walking around, but he gave them a wave anyway as their parents ushered them away.Royal Road is the home of this novel. Visit there to read the original and support the author. When they entered Mick Holden''s room, the manager, the difference between the two men was as clear as night and day. Stacks of paper and books were stacked together on the tiny desk provided, and even more spilled out onto the man¡¯s bed. It seemed unlikely he would even get sleep, and the dark bags underneath his eyes only solidified that notion. When he saw the two arrive, he stopped what he was doing and stood. After a second, he realized how Loren looked and scowled. ¡°Are you kidding me? Walking around like that? You look like some kind of freaking pervert! Have you no decency or sense?¡± ¡°Ha. I¡¯m no pervert, you know that,¡± Loren responded without a care in the world. ¡°If anyone thinks I am, I¡¯ll just tell them otherwise. This is me at my most comfortable, and my hope is that it¡¯ll make others able to express their forms of comfort.¡± ¡°Well, it¡¯d be comfortable for me if you didn¡¯t walk around half naked,¡± Mick grumbled. Then, he cleared his throat. ¡°Ahem. Is your practice going well?¡± ¡°It is. I¡¯d like to have my violins back, but I¡¯m sure you¡¯re against that?¡± ¡°I am. No touching them until we get to Paris. I don¡¯t want you accidentally wearing them all out again. That cost us how much money?¡± ¡°Ehhhh...I don¡¯t remember. Lots, probably?¡± Loren smiled widely, even though he was being scolded. Mick just couldn¡¯t penetrate the whimsical layers to get anything into the musician¡¯s head. But perhaps that was what made him such a star. That incredible personality. ¡°Hmm. I guess as long as you understand that, we¡¯re good,¡± Mick said. He looked to Ms. Lenz. ¡°Ms. Lenz. Can you produce the letter we received earlier?¡± ¡°T-the...letter..?¡± ¡°Are you joking? The letter. That you. Found earlier. That was the entire reason I sent you to grab Loren. How can you be so stupid!?¡± At the end, his temper hit its limit and he shouted, loud enough to make Ms. Lenz tear up and flinch. ¡°Ahh! I¡¯m sorry! I¡¯m so sorry! I forgot it! I¡¯ll be right back!¡± The young girl dashed out of the small cabin, almost ramming herself headfirst into the door, then after she opened it, almost right into the conductor. She apologized profusely the entire time, her arms flapping around spastically like a flightless bird. The two men watched her leave with confusion, though both were confused for different reasons. ¡°She¡¯s kinda high strung, isn¡¯t she,¡± Loren said. ¡°When was the last time she had a vacation?¡± ¡°I just hired her,¡± Mick said. ¡°She was unemployed before that, according to her resume. That means she just got off vacation.¡± ¡°I wish I had a vacation¡­¡± ¡°Almost everyday is a vacation for you...you bastard! Don¡¯t you realize how tough it is for me to keep your entire schedule together and in good shape?¡± ¡°It can¡¯t be that hard if you do it so well, can it?¡± There was no point in trying to argue with Loren, so Mick just growled aimlessly and sat back down. He offered a stool in the room to Loren, who graciously accepted it. Moments later, the secretary returned to the room with a crumpled envelope in her hand. ¡°Here! I have it! Please f-forgive me!¡± ¡°Great, let Loren take a look,¡± Mick said, directing the letter to the musician. As Loren lazily read it through, Mick explained the basics of it, since he knew Loren had minor dyslexia and probably couldn¡¯t understand much. ¡°Basically, this is a threat on your life. I know we¡¯ve had these before, but there¡¯s something specific about this one that worries me. The person who sent it...Jackal...is a top tier assassin who lives in Paris. Apparently one of the best in the underground, known for their ability to leave bloody messes, just like the mythical jackals that used to roam around in africa. ¡°I¡¯m not sure exactly why this ¡®Jackal¡¯ person is so keen on hunting you down, but I have some ideas. Someone is paying them to try and scare you. Otherwise, why would they even send a letter in the first place? This is probably some conservative group¡¯s attempt at trying to silence you; make you afraid of spreading your rhetoric in Paris, since they¡¯re in a bit of a recession at the moment.¡± Loren tilted his head to the side. He was a classical violinist, one with such skill and technique that he often carried orchestras on his own name recognition alone. But years ago, he broke out of that scene thanks to his decision to use the concert stage as a place to promote progressive ideals. He was an advocate for all sorts of things, many of them aligned with the revolutionary sentiments that flowed throughout United Europe. Because of his political actions, there were plenty of people who disliked him. But on the other hand, there were many more who looked up to him, and even though he couldn¡¯t really care about being a hero, many tried to follow in his ideal. Though he didn¡¯t understand it, lots of places he had performed at had electoral changes thanks to his outreach. ¡°Wait, so someone is trying to kill me?¡± ¡°That¡¯s the way it seems,¡± Mick said. His face was grim, but he was trying to sound as confident as possible. ¡°But don¡¯t worry, I¡¯ve got a plan. There just so happens to be a man in Paris I know who deals with this sort of stuff. I just wanted to let you know, since this might change how our trip goes.¡± Prologue 0.2: The Hawk ¡°You mother fucker! You pieces of shit!¡± A bottle of beer flew across the room and shattered on the wall, spraying glass and alcohol everywhere. It just barely missed Dominic¡¯s head, and tears were streaming down his face. ¡°I¡¯m sorry! How was I supposed to know!?¡± ¡°Save your sorries! Pay me back!¡± ¡°But...but¡­¡± ¡°PAY ME BACK!¡± ¡°Give him a break, boss,¡± Lyle said, doing his best to placate their employer, who was both drunk and naturally disagreeable. Instead, he got a backhand to the face which knocked him on his ass. ¡°All my money! Gone! In only a second! How could you!?¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry!¡± The back and forth between the two would probably go on forever, but fortunately, a fourth actor poked her head into the kitchen door and screamed at the top of her lungs. ¡°SHUT THE HELL UP!¡± There was something about a screaming angry woman that pierces your average man down to their very core. Her angry look was enough to sober up the screaming doctor, enough to cause the prone ex-gangster to freeze, and enough to make the poor sobbing nurse stifle his tears in fear. ¡°Okay, you loud assholes, tell me what¡¯s going on,¡± Lisa said, stepping into the room. There was blood on her face and hands, probably from a harmless dissection, but it looked intimidating nonetheless. ¡°All this yelling back and forth is giving me a headache, and if you expect me to learn anything and pull my weight around here, you¡¯re gonna need me to actually know how the human body works and shit.¡± The one who spoke first was the drunk one. ¡°I told Dom to go put money on Lucky Lady, horse number 4, in the races,¡± Dr. Hawk started. ¡°But then this dumbass went and put it on number 8! And guess what!? Lucky Lady won! He¡¯s trying to scam me out of my money!¡± ¡°T-that¡¯s not fair,¡± Dominic said in his own defense. ¡°You didn¡¯t tell me the number at all. And there was Lucky Lady, Lady Luck, Lucky Lucy, and Licorice Licker. I couldn¡¯t tell them apart¡­¡± ¡°Why didn¡¯t you write it down you dumbass!?¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t know they¡¯d have similar names!¡± Dominic raised his voice just a bit, knowing that with Lisa around, Dr. Hawk wouldn¡¯t be able to get as aggressive as before. The ex-gangster had only just recently been bossed around by two older brothers as they tried to form a small mafia, but that had backfired and both of his brothers had been killed. Since then, Lyle (another member of their gang) and he had been working for Dr. Hawk in his clinic, and though they thought the harsh leadership would end, it only got worse. The old man was a dictator and a psychopath. He used the two to make gambles under his name. It was work, but it wasn¡¯t great. In this economy, however, you took what you could get, and working for an underground clinic was a better job than most. The two had Hanson to thank for that. If you discover this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation. ¡°I¡¯m docking it out of your salary,¡± Dr. Hawk said, with finality. He calmed down and lit himself a cigarette as he spoke. ¡°You better make sure you do it right next time.¡± ¡°If I get it right next time, do I get a cut?¡± ¡°Huh? No, why would you?¡± Dominic was used to the unfair treatment, so he just sighed, and let his eyes water. With those watery eyes, he looked over at Lisa, begging her to do something. There were only a few people who could get Dr. Hawk to do something. Lisa was one of them. ¡°Rowan,¡± Lisa started. Even though she had only been working with the doctor for a month or so, she already had his respect. Perhaps her ability to transform human bodies with a touch helped do that? Ah, yes, it should be noted that Lisa is a daemon and was blessed by a devil named Oriaxs, given the power to warp flesh and bones however she wanted. ¡°No more gambling if you keep treating your employees like that. We¡¯ll just all leave. I mean, I can practically do your job better than you can, at this point, so we don¡¯t need you. We¡¯ll put you in a retirement home.¡± Being called his first name shocked Dr. Hawk and it also made him pout. His weakness to cute young women was astounding, especially since he was so old. It made him seem like a real grandpa. ¡°Alright.¡± ¡°And say you¡¯re sorry to Dom.¡± Begrudgingly, the doctor complied. ¡°Sorry, shithead.¡± ¡°And Dom? Say you¡¯re sorry to the doctor.¡± ¡°S-sorry, boss.¡± ¡°And Lyle?¡± ¡°Huh? What did I do!?¡± Before anyone could say anything else, there was a banging sound from the front entrance, then the ringing of the welcoming bell. Normally, the door was locked, and this sounded like a door being busted down. It made the entire staff go white. ¡°I¡¯ll go check it out,¡± Lyle said, instantly changing his tone from casual to serious. His criminal blood still left aftereffects. ¡°Dom, come with.¡± ¡°Yeah.¡± As Dominic followed behind, he grabbed a kitchen knife from the table and gripped it tightly. He wouldn¡¯t be able to use it in a fight, as he couldn¡¯t find it in himself to hurt people, even for surgery, but he could use it to maybe threaten whoever came in. The clinic was for criminals, or other people who couldn¡¯t pay to get into real hospitals. That meant those who came were the worst people out there, and oftentimes, they came in violently. The clinic was supposed to be a neutral zone, so anyone who cared helped defend the doc in times of need, but sometimes, it just wasn¡¯t enough. The two crept toward the front door as Lisa and Dr. Hawk went to the back, the doctor grabbing his vintage shotgun from it¡¯s storage, just in case. Yes, the door had been broken. But not as badly as they had thought. It was kicked in, but not kicked off the handle. The lock was definitely broken, but it wouldn¡¯t be the hardest thing to fix. That was good. What was not good was the crumpled body laying on the floor, slowly leaking out blood. It was a man with tan skin and very thick brown hair, who looked like he had just been beaten half to death. His clothes were torn and bruises covered his body, and when Lyle reached out to touch him, the man didn¡¯t move. ¡°You awake?¡± No response. ¡°He awake?¡± Still, no response. ¡°Seems like he got beat up pretty bad,¡± Lyle said, pointing out the obvious. ¡°He¡¯s breathing, but not steadily. Go grab the doctor and let him know. I¡¯ll make sure this dude doesn¡¯t do anything, or that anyone was chasing after him.¡± Now sweating, Dominic nodded rapidly, before dashing off to try and let his boss know. As he did that, Lyle stared down at the unconscious man¡¯s body. He was pretty muscular, and there were scars on his fist, similar to the types Lyle had. This was a fighter. If he came here, he was probably some kind of thug. Two things stood out as very strange to Lyle as he studied the man. The first was the tattoo of a wolf on each of the man¡¯s arms, and as he was flipped over, his chest. The craziest part, however, were the marks on his bruises. At first glance, it looked like he had been driven over, but the wounds he took weren¡¯t like someone who had been hit by a car. The tire marks across his body were so very peculiar. Prologue 0.3: The Bear Standing at almost two and a half meters tall, Bear God was an inhuman freak of muscles and fat. He weighed over 160 kilos, and his skin was leathery enough that you couldn¡¯t easily cut it with a knife. His body was covered with coarse and curly hair, and in our modern world, you might mistake him for sasquatch or bigfoot. But Bear God was simply a man. A powerful, powerful man. He stood in front of crowds of his supporters, the Bear God Army. They cheered him on as he raised his arms, hollering out into the night at the factory dock. As their cheers grew louder, he grew stronger, and he scratched at his bald head, pulling away flakes of skin. When he smiled, his massive mustache and mutton chops spread out like muscles of their own. ¡°Awaken my brothers! The night is young,¡± he shouted, revealing a heavy russian accent. ¡°Tonight, we drink! And tonight, we party! Because we have no idea what tomorrow could hold!¡± The Bear God Army went crazy, hollering like the animals they were. This primal display of power was natural for them, for in fact, the Bear God Army was a group of radical terrorists. Bear God, at the helm, was a maximum security prisoner in the UTSR for many years before breaking out, and as he travelled, spreading the word of revolution, people flocked to him. The man could care less about plans, and about trying to create a movement; everything to him was based on becoming free and spreading freedom. Everything he did was for his own enjoyment, in his pursuit of freedom. Those who followed him, the men and women of the Bear God Army, were fanatics drawn in by his natural charisma and the ideals shared between their group. Normally, a big meet up like this would be noticed and flagged down by the police. In fact, it had. Sitting tied up, beaten and bloody, were six police officers who accidentally stumbled onto the rally. The Bear God Army was violent, and they despised authority of all kinds, but ultimately, they resisted killing if possible. These men were just brainwashed to be slaves, after all. If you could beat the demons out of their body, it was better than killing them. The narrative has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the infringement. In his hand, Bear God held a massive truck tire. Slowly, he started bouncing it on the ground, dribbling it like a basketball. ¡°I¡¯m sure you¡¯ve all heard the news,¡± he started, even at his quietest the sound of his voice boomed. ¡°The news. In the newspaper. A hero, and a great one too, is coming here, to District 5, and to the little town of Paris that we just so happen to be currently squatting in. ¡°This man, his name is Loren James. Or something like that. Yes, I know, Loren isn¡¯t the most masculine of names, but he can¡¯t be faulted for that. In our future, your name can be whatever you choose it to be. Like Bear God! And this man, Loren James, he is a very good person, very great, and is a hero that we should respect. He is a man who travels, and plays the guitar, or something like that, and people enjoy it! He tricks them, in a good way. They pay money, directly to him, I think, and he fights for the people¡¯s rights! He is a person, very much like us, who fights for human rights! ¡°This man is good! He is very great! One of us, if I can say, or maybe I should say, without a doubt. This is a person who deserves our respect, and all of our respect. But yet, there is a problem. A problem with our hero, Loren James, who plays the guitar. ¡°We are smart. Very, very smart. And because we are so smart, we know, that there is only one way for our real world to happen. We know that there needs to be blood. Like these, these cops, servants of the authority, won¡¯t ever change their minds, until their heads get beat in, we know change can¡¯t happen, without muscles. This guitar player, Loren James, agrees with our message, but he does not, unfortunately, agree with our methods. He does not condone our violence! ¡°But that is not his fault! Just because he doesn¡¯t know, doesn¡¯t mean he cannot be taught! Like those, the very bad people, who need to be hurt to learn, we can teach this man. We can show him, in a very, very, friendly way, that he is wrong. We can be teachers, ones who explain to him why he is wrong, and why we, who live freely, and live our truest and best lives, know the solution!¡± The Bear God Army cheered, and Bear God himself absorbed their feelings, which bolstered him. With a cry, he lifted the tire he was holding above his head. ¡°He is coming here, to Paris, and we will teach him the truth! We will meet him, and explain, what we know, is the truth! Even if we need to beat him bloody, it is for his own good, and for our good, and for everyone¡¯s good! And for those of you who disagree, come, meet me, and we shall fight it out! Like the brothers, the very good brothers, that we are, we can come to an agreement, and in that, we can change the world!¡± The crescendo finally hit its peak and Bear God was in his prime, and his grip tore into the tire and caused it to pop, blasting out a sound like a massive explosion. Prologue 0.4: The Viper In a dark room, lit only by fluorescent floor panels, a council of men in masks sat around a business table, everything quiet. The room was devoid of most things. This was intentional. For a group so dedicated to secrecy and supremacy, they needed absolutism in their security, and one of the many tenants was to keep their identities unknown. This building, of course, was a known variable, but this elite cabal of businessmen and aristocrats were eccentric enough to know just what extremes could be implemented against them. If their goal in life had been to grab power, they had already achieved it. Now, the only thought that darkened those incomprehensibly deep skulls was the worry of it all crumbling down. That was why they grouped together, an organization meant to keep their power out of the hands of anyone else. The leader sat at the head of the table, and as the entire cabal finished reading the notes that had been passed around, he started speaking. ¡°As you can see, gentleman, Loren Dames is a danger to society,¡± the man spoke. ¡°While he doesn¡¯t speak of strategy or of revolution, the things he speaks of drag those two in its wake. The ideals he expresses make even the highest of caste reconsider the world, and to those in the lowest, it brainwashes them. His actions are irresponsible, and through that misuse of power, could destroy everything we have achieved.¡± Various murmurs went through the room as members spoke out their worries. In the times since the apocalypse happened, many overturns of society had seemed to happen. People came into power and lost it. Wars were fought, internally. There were great struggles for human rights, as both the Church and Institute grew in power beside the Crown. But this group had always been on top. The owners of society, the dark ones who knew how to manipulate the numbers of the world like a writer changes their book. Editors of reality. This small group of people were the ones who controlled it all. And rebels like Loren Dames were the largest threats. Not the violent anarchists, or the insane socialists and sociopathic communists. The most dangerous ones were the ones who spoke out those ideals with a calm tone and sympathetic plea...because those were the ones who coaxed people into madness and depravity. ¡°Loren Dames is a person that cannot continue as he does,¡± the leader continued as his fellowship¡¯s voices started to peter out. ¡°We have allowed his existence to continue for far too long. As much as he may provide fantastic music, he also creates a horrid black venom that promises only to destroy everything we know and love. It is because of that, that I believe we need to take action. My proposal, as you have all seen, is to have him secretly disposed of. All in favor, display your panels of green; those in dissent, panels of red.¡±Find this and other great novels on the author''s preferred platform. Support original creators! In front of every member were two small signs. At the end of one was a red circle, and on the other, it was green. Nothing but green was raised. ¡°Excellent. As I shall now repeat, it shall be known that at this time, all of the members have decided that to solve this issue of Loren Dames, we will be having him removed. If there have been any mistakes from anyone in the room, do not hesitate. Raise your red sign, as it currently appears unanimous.¡± That speech was only for show. It was obvious that every single person would choose to let this happen, because they only stood to gain from Loren Dames¡¯ demise. It wasn¡¯t that they couldn¡¯t see any other option, rather, it was that killing him was the easiest solution for them to choose, and all they cared about was getting it done. ¡°Then it is decided,¡± the leader said. He paused as a round of soft claps went around the table. ¡°Fortunately, I have already gone and contacted a group who has done work for us in the past. Black Viper. Of course, if there are any disagreements to using them, please, let it be known now by raising a red panel.¡± Not a single red panel was lifted. ¡°Perfect. Then, allow me to call in the current representative of the group.¡± After saying that, the speaker pressed a button underneath his desk. What this did was temporarily unlock a door to the outside, and from it, a woman entered the room. She was thin and distinctly asian, something unusual to these parts, and had tattoos of black lines crossing her face; to anyone who knew about body meridians, these lines matched up exactly to those. Sharp piercings went through her eyebrows and lips, then more on her ears from which chains hung. Even though this person couldn¡¯t have been any older than most of the people here¡¯s teenage children, her appearance was intense enough to cause them to hold their breath. Each step was precise as the assassin strode to stand next to the leader of the group. She bowed slightly, the jingling of her piercings and jewelry the only sound in the room other than the heartbeats of the petrified members. ¡°Dark Cobra,¡± the leader said, introducing their representative. ¡°Once again, I am glad to see you. As I described earlier to you, the mission this time will be taking out a man named Loren Dames.¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Her voice was barely a whisper, but in this quiet room, it carried weight. ¡°Of course, we don¡¯t need him just assassinated. If he dies, it could spark outrage across UE. When you kill him, make sure that it does not appear as just a simple death. When we read about this on the news, it should say he comitted suicide after casting away his beliefs. That is something you can do, I wager?¡± ¡°Without trouble,¡± Dark Cobra said. ¡°When?¡± ¡°As nice as it would be to do this before his performance, I can¡¯t say that wouldn¡¯t make it look suspicious,¡± the leader said. ¡°Yes, my request would be that you kill him after his concert. Because he speaks during it, ending his life afterwards would make him seem weak, as though some petty naysayers broke his will. That being said, will your associates be able to sneak into the audience and dissuade the audience during those appeals?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°Just as I expected, Dark Cobra. You never fail to do a job perfectly. Well, with that, I believe our meeting is coming to a close.¡± Prologue 0.5: The Hunter ¡°You want to go to a what?¡± Hanson was staring at his sister with a look of disgust on his face. She cared too much for weird shit. ¡°A viola concert, dumbass,¡± she replied. ¡°You know what a viola is?¡± ¡°An instrument?¡± ¡°Duh. Do you know what type of instrument it is?¡± ¡°Uh...some kind of horn?¡± ¡°Ha, as I thought, your taste is just as basic as I thought,¡± Honey said, shaking her head in disappointment. ¡°A complete plebian to the arts. Of course, I¡¯m not sure what I¡¯d expect with a simpleton like yourself.¡± ¡°Oh, I¡¯m the simpleton then? This viola concert you¡¯re going to, what¡¯s your favorite song?¡± ¡°Ugh¡­¡± Despite all the grandstanding and big talk, Honey actually had no idea anything about classical music. Hanson couldn¡¯t call her out on it, but his sister was actually completely misinformed on the subject. For instance, she was calling it a viola, even though it was actually going to be violin. Stolen story; please report. She wasn¡¯t going to say it out loud, but there was a very specific reason Honey wanted to go to the violin concert. Was it a good reason? No, not really. Yesterday, when she had been out on the town, she had stumbled across a poster for a concert by a man named Loren Dames. Apparently, while normal violin concerts were pretty expensive, this one was rather cheap, and had special accomodations for people who couldn¡¯t spend a lot on tickets. But that wasn¡¯t what got her attention. The man, Loren Dames, was pictured on the poster, posing without a shirt on. He was incredibly handsome, and exactly the type of guy Honey was into. In that moment, the devious part of her mind sprung into action, and she decided to go. It¡¯d be easy to sneak backstage, and if she did that, she could meet this Loren guy. After that, with a little bit of spore magic, she could convince him to be a boy toy and steal a bunch of money from him. As she recalled all of that, in the moment she was talking with Hanson, she couldn¡¯t help but smile greedily to herself. That answered any question Hanson could want answered. ¡°Whatever,¡± he said, going back to his coloring book. ¡°Enjoy the concert.¡± ¡°Oh, don¡¯t worry. I will.¡± She already had the ticket, and she already had a plan. The only thing she needed to do now was wait until the concert happened. Chapter 1 --5 hours before the concert-- ¡°This is the man,¡± Mick said, slapping the shoulder of the cowboy looking bodyguard he had promised to hire. ¡°An absolute specialist. If there¡¯s anyone who can protect you from an assassin, this is the man. Nothing gets by his eye.¡± The entire group was gathered in the backstage of the concert hall, and standing before Loren was a tall and thin looking man with a very large head. This wasn¡¯t to say he just had a strangely sized head, rather, it was that this man had a head so massive it looked like it was an air balloon. His eyes were massive saucers and his ears looked like they belonged to elephants. And on top of that malformed head was a white wide-brimmed hat, and the gaudy man who wore it was smiling wide to display a set of delicate pearly whites. The man held out his hand to shake Loren¡¯s, and the handshake was returned. ¡°Howdy, Mr. Dames,¡± Lance said. ¡°You definitely don¡¯t know me, but I absolutely know you. Truth be told, I¡¯m a huge fan, and I was actually already planning on getting tickets to your show. The way you compose is fantastic, but what really grabs me about your work are the improv sessions. I might not look like it, but I used to play a bit of trumpet myself, and I loved the feeling of soloing. Of course I wasn¡¯t as good as you, but you bring back that joy in me.¡± ¡°Do I? Well I¡¯m glad to hear that, Lance,¡± Loren said, smiling. ¡°And you can call me Loren. Formality really isn¡¯t my thing, truth be told.¡± ¡°Alright then, Loren,¡± Lance said. He was worried he wouldn¡¯t get to come see the concert when someone specifically requested him on a job for that night. But when he learned how it was, and that he¡¯d get to meet one of his favorite artists, everything turned out good. Well, except for the whole assassination thing. ¡°Oh, one more thing, if you don¡¯t mind, really quick.¡± ¡°Yes?¡± ¡°Could you autograph my sheet music?¡± After asking, Lance produced a piece of score from a scorebook Loren had published years ago. ¡°Loren, when I talked to this guy, he said he¡¯d do the job for free so long as you gave him an autograph,¡± Mick said, scratching at his face. Under his breath, he continued. ¡°I wish all bodyguards were like this.¡± ¡°Of course I can sign it!¡± As soon as he understood what was going on, Loren grabbed the paper and took a pen from Mick, then did a scribble down in the bottom corner, very explicitly not covering any of the actual music notation. ¡°To...my...biggest...fan...Lance...how does this look? Want anything else? You¡¯re doing me such a favor, I want to make sure I can repay you.¡± ¡°Hmm,¡± Lance said. He blushed, and it was very apparent on his massive face. ¡°Actually, could you write: ¡®to Erymanthian¡¯, on it as well?¡± ¡°Yeah, sure.¡± After taking the pen and starting, Loren paused and looked up at Lance. ¡°How do you spell that?¡± The assassination was supposed to happen while he was in Paris, but the time Loren planned on staying was already short. He was on tour throughout the country, visiting all of the districts, and he was only spending a few days in each major city. It was a long trip, and while it would¡¯ve been nice to see the sights, everything in Paris was postponed. But still, as they say in the theatre industry, the show must go on. The three men were sitting together backstage, chatting casually and getting a feel for the others before the storm actually hit. It was obvious that Lance was a professional to Mick, but he wanted to make sure face to face. I mean, who wouldn¡¯t? Instead of asking for pay, the specialist asked for an autograph as payment. Sure, that might be worth some money, but Loren could have paid an exorbitant amount for any protections charges should they need to. That kind of strange request bothered Mick at first. Now, after getting a chance to see the true devotion from Lance in person, he was convinced the man had only good interests at heart. Even if his head was quite strange. Rumors about Lance Gordon proved true. The Herculean Odysseus. ¡°But anyway, let¡¯s get back to the most important topic,¡± Lance said, snapping Mick from his thoughts. ¡°An assassin, huh?¡± ¡°That¡¯s what it seems,¡± Loren said. He looked at Mick. ¡°Right?¡± ¡°Yes,¡± Mick replied. ¡°An assassin. Or at least a letter from an assassin. Jackal. I assume that you¡¯ve heard of this person?¡± Lance laughed. ¡°Heh. Heard of him? Let¡¯s just say I¡¯ve fought against the man. Not in person, of course, but in a battle of wits. And I am proud to say that even though I¡¯ve never actually been able to stop Jackal from killing anybody, I¡¯ve probably gotten closer than anyone else ever has. You could call me an expert at dealing with him.¡± ¡°Oh. I¡¯m probably dead then.¡± ¡°Ahh! Don¡¯t say that,¡± Mick said, noting how even though what Lance said was enough to dash all hope, Loren¡¯s emotional state barely changed. ¡°I¡¯m sure you¡¯ll be able to do something about this, right Mr. Gordon?¡± ¡°Sure, I can absolutely do something,¡± Lance said. He had a cocky smile. ¡°All those other times were flukes. This time, I¡¯m gonna be serious.¡± ¡°Wow! You¡¯re incredible!¡± Loren didn¡¯t seem to be taking the entire ordeal seriously, but Mick had pretty much expected that. He sighed, then pulled out the assassination letter. He handed it over to Lance to read, and the detective glanced it over quickly. ¡°Jackal really sent this?¡± ¡°From what we can tell, yes. It seems that you¡¯re a fan of Mr. Dames music, but are you aware of his political advocacy?¡± Mick asked, trying to steer the direction of the conversation to something more important. The concert was only hours away, and the level of security wasn¡¯t at exactly what he wanted. ¡°Loren has been going around spreading word on equality and political rights. Rights for daemons. Rights for experiments. Rights for all people, despite their circumstances. Of course, that¡¯s earned him many enemies, and as I told you before, this isn¡¯t something new. But it seems more serious, if Jackal is involved.¡± When he heard what Mick said, Loren quietly corrected him: ¡°I spread the word of love.¡± ¡°Tis a strange letter, if ya¡¯ ask me,¡± Lance said after finishing it. Neither man bothered with Loren¡¯s correction. ¡°Never before have I seen Jackal do something like this, which was the weirdest thing about everything you told me. Truthfully, I¡¯ve been working on a psych profile for the killer. And if there¡¯s anything I can say about him, it¡¯s that he is a professional above all else. Careless and without empathy, he kills as efficiently as possible. ¡°Which makes the warning very confusing. If it was really Jackal that was intending on attacking Loren, why would he send a letter saying so? To him, there isn¡¯t any point in playing games, and the only way to guarantee an assassination is to kill the target as easily as possible, without any frills. That¡¯s how I never caught him before. Which leads me to believe either one of two things has happened. ¡°The first is that this letter was sent by an imposter. Someone wants you to be worried, or is some kind of psychopath that likes to see people struggle. Otherwise, the killer wouldn¡¯t make their job more difficult, but at the same time, by doing this, they certainly intimidated you. Worried you enough to hire the best detective slash bodyguard in the city. Usually, that would be against their best wishes, but who knows? I can¡¯t really peg the meaning of their actions if they did this. ¡°The other and more likely possibility is that whoever hired Jackal to do this hit isn¡¯t alone, and they don¡¯t have perfectly aligned values. I¡¯m envisioning the boss telling Jackal to perform this hit, and their secretary being worried and against the decision. Not wanting the killing to go through, this other party chose to send a message warning y¡¯all about the attack. But you may ask why they wrote the letter like this? The answer is quite obvious. This disaffected party is alone in their knowledge, and if word got out what they were doing, they would be next on the chopping block. By sending a letter, they can cause you to worry and put up defenses, ready to be attacked, but haven¡¯t put their name on it at all. The vague nature of the writing makes it almost impossible to detect who wrote it, so if it were found, your enemies wouldn¡¯t be able to figure out the traitor in their midst. Quite clever, if you ask me.¡± It was quite the soliloquy, and even though Lance was clearly ready to continue doing an intellectual back and forth of ideas with the two other men, the enthusiasm wasn¡¯t matched. Loren hadn¡¯t been paying attention from the start, and Mick seemed flustered enough as he tried to put the pieces together. Well, that was to be expected. Lance (Erymanthian form) was too intelligent for his own good. This transformation, like the many others he could take, was hyper focused in a single aspect. Erymanthian form was based completely in deductions, and sacrificed everything else to do so. Of course, sometimes his mind moved too quickly, and usually others couldn¡¯t keep up, though he thought his recent explanation was pretty good. When he went off on rants, though, it was problematic. Oftentimes, he would come to a conclusion and voice it aloud, thinking his other forms understood what he meant, then he could shoot himself in the head to switch forms, only to realize they didn¡¯t understand. Life was tough sharing your body with eleven other people. ¡°Ah, let me make it a bit more simple,¡± Lance said. ¡°Basically, I don¡¯t think Jackal sent the letter. We may be up against him, but there¡¯s also a chance we aren¡¯t.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll take your word for it,¡± Mick said, still looking flustered. Loren snapped back into reality. ¡°What were we talking about?¡± ¡°About what we need to do to make sure our star here is safe,¡± Mick answered. ¡°I¡¯ve already contacted the police, but it doesn¡¯t seem like they¡¯ll provide much support outside regular procedure. I¡¯m not sure what I expected, but that sounds about right. Should we be buying a mercenary corp? Are there any in town who¡¯ll do work on such short notice?¡± ¡°Not many that you can trust, unfortunately,¡± Lance said. ¡°How many men travel with you for security? I¡¯m sure there are a few.¡± ¡°About fifteen.¡± ¡°Well, that could work,¡± Lance said, his mind making multiple calculations. ¡°It¡¯d be tight, and you better pay those men well, but I think we could pull it off. Jackal works alone, so as long as everyone is within earshot and paying attention, and I¡¯m with Loren whenever he isn¡¯t on stage. It¡¯ll require everyone to pay absolute attention up until the point that you¡¯re on the train out of Paris, but until then, we¡¯ll do the following.¡± *** Wolf¡¯s eyes blinked open. Memories of before he was beaten flashed through his mind, and he instantly sat up and surveyed his surroundings in fear. Where was he? A white room, with a tile floor covered in blood. Dozens of strange machines everywhere, and sharp looking tools hanging from the wall. Was this a torture chamber? That seemed completely out of place, but it was possible. Sweat started to bead on Wolf¡¯s forehead until he heard the whimpering of someone else in the room. He followed his ears until he saw a man with a long nose collapsed on the floor right by his bed. ¡°A-ah...you¡¯re awake¡­¡± the man said, eyes wide. ¡°Please, d-don¡¯t move. You¡¯re hurt. I don¡¯t want y-ou to get hurt any worse...okay?¡± Upon hearing those words, Wolf realized how badly his body was injured. He likely had a broken bone or two, and he felt aches and sores across his chest and arms. There was a tube hooked up to his arm, and otherwise, he was completely naked. The tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation. ¡°Where am I?¡± The scared man on the ground blinked twice, then slowly got up to his feet. ¡°The Hawk¡¯s Next.¡± That was the name of the underground clinic run by Dr. Hawk, one of the best criminal surgeons in Paris, or even more likely, the best in all of District 5. It was well known that he had a fair price and could treat most wounds, even if his personality made life awful. It was also known as a neutral ground, which meant people could come here safely¡­ So long as they were injured and needed treating. If Wolf was here, that meant he successfully escaped his pursuers. It was a difficult thing, and he didn¡¯t know the city very well, but he had accomplished it. Of course his body was still feeling close to broken, so it could have been better. There was something important he needed to check. Memories were slowly coming back to him. ¡°What day is today?¡± ¡°Wednesday? The 18th?¡± Good. Or wait, was that bad? Before he could figure it out, someone barged into the room, pushing aside the heavy double door that seperated the surgery room from the patient ward. The man coming in was an old man, with a salt and pepper beard and receding gray hairline with scars covering his body. This was Dr. Hawk, the criminal doctor, who looked more like a grizzled war veteran than a physician. ¡°He¡¯s awake?¡± ¡°H-he¡¯s awake.¡± Wolf was indeed awake. He stared at the two men, without saying anything. ¡°Well, it¡¯s good to see that you¡¯re awake,¡± Dr. Wolf said, his tense attitude vanishing as he approached. As he spoke, he grabbed a clipboard stuck to the end of Wolf¡¯s bed.¡±I did a bit of examination on you...nothing too intrusive, of course. Just to make sure you weren¡¯t gonna die. Hope you don¡¯t mind.¡± ¡°No. Thank you,¡± Wolf said. He suddenly was aware that he didn¡¯t have any money. Perhaps it was a bad idea to come here. He probably shouldn¡¯t say that out loud. ¡°For helping me.¡± ¡°Hmm? Well, certainly I don¡¯t expect to have done this work for free.¡± Damn it. ¡°But first thing¡¯s first, what¡¯s your name? I¡¯m sure you already know mine, since I¡¯m a pretty popular guy, but I gotta write something down on your chart. Currently, we¡¯re going with wolfman.¡± ¡°That¡¯s close,¡± Wolf said. ¡°I¡¯m called Wolf.¡± It looked like his answer annoyed Dr. Hawk. ¡°I didn¡¯t ask what you¡¯re called, I asked for your name.¡± ¡°That is my name,¡± Wolf responded. ¡°I¡¯m a war baby. I don¡¯t have a real name, or birth certificate or anything like that, as you probably know. Wolf is what I go by.¡± Dr. Wolf frowned. There certainly were plenty of war babies; orphans from old war efforts. Many of them were born outside of the UE, living in illegal villages. Oftentimes soldiers during excursions would reach these places and raid them, and often bring children back to plant in orphanages. It was more ethical than killing them, but these children always seemed to grow up to be fucked up. No attachment to civilization, and no respect for humanity. In his years of service, Dr. Wolf went from believing they should be saved to realizing the true mercy was killing them in their cradles. His hands were covered in their blood, and he wasn¡¯t the only one. The person sitting in front of him was a lucky survivor. ¡°Fine then, Wolf,¡± Dr. Hawk said, scratching out the ¡®man¡¯ part of wolfman. ¡°We didn¡¯t do much work on you, since we weren¡¯t sure whether you could pay in full. But we did help. Attached you to an iv drip, coated your wounds, and fixed your dislocated shoulder. Cleaned you up. How much can you pay? That¡¯s my first question.¡± Wolf couldn¡¯t pay anything. He had nothing to his name; even the clothes on his back were stolen or borrowed. ¡°I have literally nothing but my body. But I can get money for you.¡± ¡°Get money how?¡± Wolf was silent. This was supposed to be a place where criminals got medical care, but that didn¡¯t mean it was a place where criminals were free to do whatever they wanted. It was entirely possible for Dr. Hawk to call the police on a dangerous patient. Wolf had heard the stories. ¡°That won¡¯t do,¡± Dr. Hawk said, shaking his head. ¡°That won¡¯t do at all. That silence tells me more than you ever could with your mouth. And as bad as all the shit that I help people do is, I can¡¯t be the type to condone it. Why not get a normal job? Dominic over here did it! Easy peasy, right Dom!¡± At the mention of his name, the other man in the room yelped and hopped in place. Seemed he wasn¡¯t paying attention. ¡°And I¡¯d love to be the one to offer a job, but unfortunately, at the moment, I¡¯ve got my hands full with dumbasses like this over here,¡± Dr. Hawk continued. ¡°But how about this. 500 franc and we¡¯ll call it even. That sound fair? For someone with literally nothing but their body?¡± After a few seconds to consider, Wolf nodded slowly. He would do his best to pay it, but there was no guarantee. Currently, there was something more important he was forgetting. ¡°What time is it?¡± ¡°Ah, ah, ah,¡± Dr. Hawk said, silencing his patient by wagging his finger back and forth in time with his interruption. ¡°It is time for you to stay in bed. You need rest, more than anything else. With those types of wounds on your body...actually, speaking of, I had a few questions about that, if you don¡¯t mind. To my eyes, it looked like you were beaten by a bat or a hammer or some shit, but all the marks appeared to be from treads. Like from a car. But you obviously weren¡¯t driven over by a car. How does something like that happen? Were you beaten up by a tire?¡± It was a ludicrous idea, but it wasn¡¯t far from the truth. In fact, it was almost spot on. So close that it made Wolf start to sweat. ¡°Yes, it was something like that,¡± he said. ¡°And please, can you tell me the time?¡± Dr. Hawk sighed. ¡°Alright, alright. According to my watch, it¡¯s about 7 PM. Give or take, this thing is kinda crummy. Lost my last watch in some guy¡¯s stomach during surgery. After that, I swore not to drink on the job.¡± As interesting as that short aside at the end was, Wolf could only feel worry. 7 PM. The violin concert started at 8, and went on for roughly an hour and a half. That meant it was going to be over at 10, and that meant at around 10, the Bear God Army would move. Before he was beaten, Wolf had been a member. One of high ranking ones, as well. But after saying he didn¡¯t want to help Bear God attack the violinist, he was attacked and forced to run. Wolf didn¡¯t know very much about music. He heard stuff on the radio, and he sometimes sang or hummed along to his own tune. For some reason, however, he thought musicians were just the most important people. People who needed protection. Wolf¡¯s mind had been made up upon hearing Bear God¡¯s desire. It didn¡¯t matter what it took, Wolf would keep the violinist away from the otherworldly terrorist. Even if it cost him everything. ¡°Hey, you¡¯re not thinking about leaving any time soon, are ya¡¯, kid?¡± ¡°Of course not,¡± Wolf lied, smiling his most innocent smile ever. ¡°Thank you for your help, doc, but I think I want to get a little more rest.¡± *** --2 hours before the concert-- Honey had her ticket gripped tightly in her palm. The anticipation was killing her, and going out to events like this wasn¡¯t something she did often. She was completely confident in herself and couldn¡¯t help but smiling wickedly as her excitement continued to build. ¡°Jan~, jan~, jyaaaan~,¡± she sang, twirling in a circle and pretending to play the violin. Because she had no idea how they sounded, it unfortunately was quite off. Everyone else in line could only stare at her in confusion, though the confidence at which she continued to imitate what she thought was a violin overpowered anyone¡¯s willingness to confront her. There was quite a line going back, so it was fortunate Honey got here early. The cheap tickets didn¡¯t get priority seating, which meant only the fastest got good seats. Other people in the line were just common rabble; either men and women who looked like laborers in their red overalls and work clothes, or like failed aristocrats and business folk in their black suits and ties. They all looked so serious, with their lips pulled taut as they watched Honey¡¯s performance, as though it were a prelude to the night¡¯s show. ¡°Jun~, jyooo~, chacka chacka~, jyayaaan~,¡± she continued, stepping out of her position in line to make an exaggerated leap. She was back a second later. ¡°Jyon~, jan~, shoshu~!¡± As she threw her hands up in the air, to complete the performance, spectators began clapping without any emotion. Honey, panting hard, bowed to the crowd and soaked in the applause. ¡°I¡¯ll be here all week,¡± she said. Then, she pulled a bottle of absinthe she had been hiding and drank from it. ¡°If anyone has any drink, I¡¯ll take that as payment for the show.¡± But nobody had any to give. A sign by the front said: ¡®No Alcohol¡¯, and since none of the other patrons had wanted to be thrown out, there wasn¡¯t a single drop save for the bottle in her hands. Not that they would have given here any, of course. *** Staring down over the crowd from a raised atrium, Loren smiled. He wanted to bless everyone with his music. What was the point in writing and composing if people didn¡¯t get a chance to listen? And with how the industry was shaped, typically, only those with the highest of social standing had the opportunity to go to events like this. Even when he forced the venue to open itself up at drastically cheap costs per ticket, they still did their best to sell seperate tickets for higher class viewing. Separating the rich from the poor. But this was fine. So long as everyone got the chance to enjoy his music, that was all that mattered to Loren. He watched as someone from the crowd started spinning around and dancing, waving her arms as though she were playing a violin. Yes, that was the type of excitement he wanted to produce. If a single person drew inspiration from his work, that was all that mattered. ¡°Stay away from the windows,¡± Lance said, appearing suddenly from nowhere and putting a hand on Loren¡¯s shoulder. ¡°Who knows where they might attack from.¡± ¡°You think they¡¯ll fly through a window?¡± ¡°Not fly, shoot,¡± Lance corrected. He pulled Loren away, stopping the man when they were in the dressing room. ¡°We¡¯ve only got a little bit longer until the performance starts. Now, I can¡¯t be with you when you¡¯re playing, and I¡¯m sure you¡¯re gonna be focusing on playing rather than security when the show starts, but there are a few things I want to get across. ¡°First is that you should move around as much as possible. If there is a shooter, that¡¯ll make it just slightly harder for them to pull off the shot. Mick already told me you¡¯re quite active on the stage when playing?¡± ¡°I try to be,¡± Loren said, smiling. ¡°The music makes me want to dance.¡± ¡°Good. The other thing to remember is that you need to stay as far away from the audience as possible.¡± For the first time since Lance had met Loren, the violinist frowned. ¡°Do I really need to? One of my favorite things is reaching out to touch my fans.¡± ¡°Then that¡¯s the perfect time to be attacked,¡± Lance said. ¡°If you do that often, and a killer figured it out, wouldn¡¯t it be easy enough to just strike when you go to them?¡± ¡°I suppose...but still¡­¡± ¡°You only need to hold it in for this one concert. Once you¡¯re out of Paris, you¡¯ll be out of the range of Jackal, and you can go back to doing whatever you want. You just need to make sure you stay safe for tonight, then after that, you¡¯ll be fine. Understand?¡± Loren nodded slowly as the door to his room opened up. Mick and Ms. Lenz walked in, both looking slightly flustered. They both had clipboards, and from each were dozens of loose papers hanging on. ¡°What¡¯s up?¡± ¡°Ah, nothing much, Mr. Gordon,¡± Mick said. ¡°There are quite a few more people showing up than expected. I suppose the marketing scheme worked well¡­¡± ¡°Scheme?¡± ¡°Hmm? No, nothing so bad. Scheme makes it sound bad, but that¡¯s just what us industry professionals call a tactic,¡± Mick explained. ¡°But uh, we usually come to cities and try to make deals with the venue to open up their sections with really cheap tickets. A lot of times places don¡¯t agree, since they often run at a loss overall, but not today. Our ticket sales have been through the roof! We¡¯re making a ton of money from this.¡± ¡°It¡¯s a bit of a hassle, though¡­¡± Ms. Lenz added on the end, looking at the ground. The idea of a larger crowd seemed slightly suspicious to Lance, but he decided it probably didn¡¯t matter. It would be unlikely for an assassin to try and use a huge group of people to stage a killing. It just meant there were more accomplices, which meant a lower chance of success. A professional wouldn¡¯t act that way, and if the killer wasn¡¯t a pro, there wouldn¡¯t be any reason to worry. ¡°Anyway! Loren! You need to start getting ready. No more worry about all this killer nonsense; that¡¯s for Mr. Gordon to deal with. Our star performer should be good to still go on stage, right, detective?¡± Lance nodded. There wasn¡¯t any way he could stop the show from going on. And with the small group of bodyguards pushing themselves to the limit, it¡¯d be almost impossible for an assassin to get through. To be sure of it, however, Lance decided he might need to change forms. The door closed as Loren and his entourage left, and Lance was left alone as he slowly pressed a revolver to his skull. *** Two and a half hours had gone by, and Wolf was finally feeling good enough to leave. He was able to find his clothes stored in a locker at the base of his temporary bed. It would be nice to pay the doctor, and if he had the chance, Wolf would absolutely pay the man, but there was something more important he needed to do. Letting Bear God go on a rampage was something Wolf couldn¡¯t let happen, and even if it cost him his life, Wolf was going to make sure Loren Dames got out of Paris safely. Someone like that was too important for the world to die here. His leg was weak, and he limped a bit as he started sneaking out of the building. It was completely silent and had been for a while, so Wolf was sure everyone had left. But as he silently closed the door behind him, there was someone standing to his side. The skittish man named Dominic. ¡°W...what are you doing?¡± Wolf didn¡¯t answer. He didn¡¯t want to hurt this man, but if he needed to, he would. ¡°Hold on, are you feeling better? The doc said you should wait.¡± ¡°I,¡± Wolf started. Was it right to lie more? No, he deserved to tell them the truth. Because he could die, and if he died after a lie, it would be ignobel. ¡°I need to do something.¡± ¡°...uh, what? What could be more important than resting? You¡¯re lucky the doc was able to do as much as he did.¡± Wolf stared Dominic right in the eyes and put a hand on his shoulder. ¡°I¡¯m going to save someone.¡± ¡°Save? Who?¡± ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter to you, and it shouldn¡¯t,¡± Wolf said, turning away. ¡°Thank you for all your help. But I need to do this. Even if it means I die. If I don¡¯t, then I won¡¯t be able to live with myself as a human being any longer, and I won¡¯t let that happen. So, if you really must stop me, then you¡¯ll need to kill me. Otherwise, I will try my hardest to live so that I may pay you all back what you¡¯ve given to me.¡± He continued out, unmolested. Until he heard the sound of an engine starting behind him. Wolf turned to see Dominic sitting in the driver¡¯s seat of a rackety car, with a twisted smile filled with worry. ¡°At the very least...let me g-give you a ride¡­¡± Chapter 2 The show went as expected. Loren played beautifully, in fact, by the time people had written about it in newspapers and shown it on television the next day, it was reported to have been his best performance yet. He seemed so full of life and vigor that you were drawn to another world, and his body was so tense yet free that people could feel their own muscles expanding and contracting in tune with the music. The only issue anyone could have was during the post intermission, when Loren spoke. As per usual, he preached about human rights and other meaningless things, and those who¡¯d been to his concerts before weren¡¯t surprised. There was nothing new. What really seemed strange to the reviewers was the response from the audience, particularly the ones from the lower class section. Normally, people would cheer and praise him as he spoke, but on that night, it was an absolute madhouse. There were some shouts of support, sure, but those cries were at first vastly outnumbered by hollers of profanities and insults. From an outsider¡¯s perspective, it almost seemed like a group of people came specifically for the sole purpose of harassing the violinist. Then, as if that weren¡¯t strange enough, opposition to those voices started getting louder, and the section where Loren Dames normally does his spiel transformed into a choir of rabble yelling at each other. To those who came solely for the music, this was a strange thing. Many found it barbaric and just a sign of the lower mind of the impoverished, but many enjoyed it, much in the way people enjoy watching car crashes. Of course, those reviews haven¡¯t been written yet. The show continued on as usual after his speech, and as Loren left the stage covered in sweat and shirtless, Lance and Mick were quick to meet up with him. ¡°Fantastic performance!¡± Lance said, grabbing Loren by the shoulders and shaking him energetically. ¡°Seeing it backstage was far better than seeing it from the audience! Oh, and ¡®Ode to Four Trees¡¯? Wonderful! Perfect! Amazing!¡± That was certainly not what either of the other men were expecting their bodyguard to say. But Loren quickly brightened up. ¡°Ah, thank you. I¡¯m glad you enjoyed it.¡± ¡°Yes! And I¡¯ll be sure to buy as much recorded audio of it as possible.¡± ¡°We can just include that in paying for your assistance,¡± Mick said. He was sweating, even though nothing had happened yet. ¡°But, uh...in the meantime, what should we be doing about the security stuff?¡± ¡°Oh.¡± As though a switch were flipped in his head, Lance changed moods. Loren hadn¡¯t noticed it, but as they continued walking, Lance no longer had a massive head. Instead, he looked more like a normal person, with sharp features and eyes. As he spoke business, all the playfulness from before had vanished. ¡°At the time being, we haven¡¯t noticed anything strange. But that doesn¡¯t mean much. During the performance, I noticed the crowd¡¯s reaction was quite strange. Did it seem that way to anyone else?¡± ¡°Yes...I noticed that as well,¡± Mick said. They had returned to the changing room where Loren started to wash himself off with a towel. ¡°Do you think the protestors were sent by Jackal? To intimidate us?¡± ¡°I wonder.¡± ¡°There were more people than usual in the common section, and they were a lot more rambunctious than we would normally expect. I mean, of course to some extent you can predict they¡¯ll act a little more uncivilized, but this was unprecedented. At points you couldn¡¯t even hear what Loren was saying. That strikes me as suspicious. Quite.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t disagree,¡± Lance said. ¡°But at the moment, it doesn¡¯t really matter to us. There haven¡¯t been any attacks yet, so I can¡¯t understand what purpose there would be to doing so.¡± Mick couldn¡¯t really think of anything either, so he shook his head and sighed. His watch made a clicking sound. ¡°Grr¡­alright, I¡¯ve got to be going to speak with the production and staff for the theatre,¡± Mick said. ¡°Which means I could be gone for a bit. You¡¯ll stay here and protect Loren, correct Mr. Gordon?¡± ¡°Naturally.¡± ¡°And Loren! You¡¯ll stay with Mr. Gordon and do everything he tells you to do?¡± Not expecting to be asked a question, Loren snapped back to reality. He was thinking deeply into the commotion during his speech. Even though he hadn¡¯t fully understood the question, he smiled sheepishly and nodded. It was a good enough response for the manager, who snorted and left. Now it was just the two men sitting in silence in the small changing room. The room wasn¡¯t fully soundproof, but it was to the extent that you couldn¡¯t hear anything coming from the outside. The only sounds were water dripping down from the towel Loren was using. For a few minutes longer, the silence continued. This was probably the safest point in the building, and as per Lance¡¯s decision, they were going to be staying here in the theatre rather than going back to an apartment. The silence was broken when a knock came through the door. ¡°Who is it?¡± Lance asked, standing up and going to check. He kept an eye on Loren the entire time, just in case. ¡°Just...a guard...sir,¡± the man on the other side replied. ¡°I need...to talk...¡± *** Wow...that was¡­ If she could only think of a single word to describe the concert, it would be boring. Now that she had seen and heard the violin being played, Honey realized the entire time she had been pantoming the entirely incorrect thing. It was almost laughable how foolish she¡¯d been. So embarrassing. If Hanson ever figured out, he would use it as ammunition for mocking her for years. Fortunately, she didn¡¯t know a single person in the crowd. And the crowd she was with, for the most part, didn¡¯t seem to care much for the music. People were casually chatting and talking with each other as the performance went on, only paying attention during the moments where the sound of striking strings hit their eardrums. They were just as bored as she was. Why had they even come? Then, for some strange reason, after playing for a bit, the violinist set his instrument down and started talking. Why? What? Honey was completely perplexed. This wasn¡¯t what she was expecting at all, and even as he yammered on about flavor of the week political topics, all she could care about was his sweat covered pectorals. Not too muscular, but also firm enough to tell he had some bulk. The kind of muscle you get from only working out to tone your body. As he spoke, the people around her started getting a bit wild. The people in black started shouting out about how stupid he was, then the people in red started shouting about how dumb those people were. It was aggravating to listen to such bickering, which even continued as he started playing again, so Honey decided once and for all to leave the audience. That didn¡¯t mean she wasn¡¯t going to meet Loren Dames after the show, however. So, she quietly left the auditorium, then made a hard left to the backstage entrance. There was a man with a baton in his hands guarding the door, but Honey conjured a handful of spores in her palm to blow into his face. *** As an Institute experiment, Honey possessed the unusual ability to cultivate various emotion-altering microbes in her body. They fermented in her stomach and could be dispersed through her skin or mouth, though she rarely did it from the latter. The spores were small and imperceptible to most, but she could very acutely tell where they were; they were pieces of her own flesh, after all. And when they got stuck on her teeth...that was awful. *** It took a second for them to activate as the man¡¯s eyes reacted with alarm to having something like dust blown into his face. He coughed for a second, starting to reach for the small radio held at his hip, but as Honey put her hand on his forehead, he stopped moving. Docile. Subservient. ¡°Excuse me, Mr¡­¡± Honey started, pushing his head up slightly to look at his nametag. ¡°Wells. Mr. Wells. I hope you¡¯re working hard, but I wanted to go see the performer. He should be ending soon, I think, so can you let me go backstage?¡± ¡°Ughhhh¡­¡± ¡°Alright. Thanks. I¡¯ll be taking those keys then, if you don¡¯t mind. Keep up the good work.¡± After swiping his keys, Honey quickly checked behind her to make sure nobody had seen the blatant crime, then quickly entered the backstage access area. It was dark, cramped, and smelled musky. Ah. That was exactly what she expected. The floors were wooden and the walls concrete, with metal pipes lining them. Small bulbs of light led her way to the real back. Because she was expecting someone to try and stop her when they saw her, Honey started preparing two handfuls of spores. Just in case. Since her hands were full, she needed to awkwardly use her foot to push the door in, and was put off guard for a second as she saw dozens of people walking around, cleaning and moving stuff to keep the show going. For only a moment, she didn¡¯t move. Then, she regained her mind and entered, lowering her head a bit so she could pretend to be just another worker. Hmm.Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on Royal Road. Who would know where the violinist stays? If only there were a map. Honey couldn¡¯t tell from the people walking around, but none of them seemed particularly important. The ground floor was busy. The stairs to the next floor, on the other hand, were almost completely untouched. A single guard stood at the base of the stairs, his eyes focused straight ahead and at attention, and his knuckles were white from gripping his small baton as hard as possible. Since she didn¡¯t really have any other leads, Honey decided that was probably the best thing to do. Without standing out, she strode past him, coughing into her hand in such a way that it blasted her microbes into the man¡¯s face. He blinked a few times and stared at her as she slowed down to face him. ¡°Hey, where¡¯s the violinist?¡± Unlike the spores from earlier, these were not as strong. They wouldn¡¯t totally incapacitate someone, rather, they would lure them into a suggestive state. Most of their mind was left intact, but any sense of critical thinking vanished. ¡°He¡¯s...upstairs¡­¡± ¡°Can you bring me to him? I¡¯m a VIP, and we were supposed to meet. Don¡¯t tell anyone else, of course.¡± ¡°Of...course¡­¡± the guard moaned. ¡°Follow...me¡­¡± This was too easy. It was only fair that Honey had such a technique to interact with the world, considering everything she¡¯d gone through to get it. And why wouldn¡¯t she abuse it in every possible scenario? Life was too short to give a shit about ethics. *** Lance opened the door slowly and saw one of Loren¡¯s bodyguards standing with a slack jaw with one of his enemies, Honey Fragat, posing seductively behind him. As Lance blinked in absolute confusion, she straightened herself off and nodded for a second in realization. ¡°My apologies,¡± she said, turning around nonchalantly. ¡°I guess I parked my car elsewhere.¡± ¡°Hold on.¡± Lance started to take a step outside, but as soon as he did, Honey picked up speed. Of course, her physical abilities were quite lacking, so Lance was upon her and bringing her to the ground in seconds. As he pinned her to the ground, he pulled up his shirt to cover his face. This wasn¡¯t the first time he¡¯d had to deal with this girl, and after being doped over ten times, he swore he¡¯d never let it happen again. Wait. If she was here, then that must mean¡­ ¡°Damn you two,¡± Lance said, suddenly full of worry, and he handcuffed her and threw her over his shoulder. He started running back to Loren. ¡°I can¡¯t believe-¡± But Loren was just fine, sitting completely naked as he dried himself off. He¡¯d removed his clothes as soon as Lance had left, not thinking at all about what was going on. When he saw Lance carrying a random woman over his shoulder, the violinist slowly raised an eyebrow, but didn¡¯t say anything. For a few seconds, nobody said anything. ¡°Excuse me, Mr. Cowboy Hat,¡± Honey started. ¡°Could you please let me go? I¡¯m not sure what you¡¯re doing, but I will call the police. This is kidnapping.¡± ¡°Kidnapping? Are you joking? What the hell are you doing here?¡± ¡°Uhh...who is this?¡± Loren had absolutely no idea what was going on, but after seeing that Lance had brought Honey inside and closed the door, he slowly brought the towel he was using to cover his private parts. He was soon answered. ¡°I¡¯m,¡± Honey started, her words coming out in gasps as Lance heaved her down and started trying to tie her to a chair. ¡°Honey...Fragat. Biggest, fan.¡± ¡°Oh, you¡¯re a fan, you say?¡± Lance asked. ¡°Likely story.¡± ¡°It¡¯s true.¡± ¡°Then what¡¯s your favorite song by Loren?¡± The look on Honey¡¯s face was like someone who just got caught drinking orange juice from the container before putting it back. ¡°That¡¯s what I thought,¡± Lance growled. ¡°Where¡¯s your brother? I didn¡¯t think you two would do something like this, but now it all makes sense. The letter is totally a mind trick you¡¯d try to play. But fortunately, I¡¯m here.¡± ¡°I have literally no idea what you¡¯re talking about. Why would my brother be here? What letter? You¡¯re being confusing. And untie me!¡± ¡°What letter? Don¡¯t try and play dumb. There¡¯s no other reason you¡¯d be back here unless you were the ones trying to kill Dames. I knew the two of you were rotten criminals, but this is a step I¡¯d never thought you¡¯d take. Killing innocents.¡± ¡°Killing?¡± Honey was becoming more and more confused as Lance spoke. ¡°Wait, hold on. I¡¯m not trying to kill anyone.¡± ¡°Then why the hell are you back here?¡± ¡°To meet him,¡± Honey said, nodding towards Loren, who had barely moved. He smiled awkwardly to be motioned at. ¡°I just came for fun. Why are you here?¡± ¡°Why the hell are you coming to meet him?¡± ¡°Huh? Isn¡¯t it obvious?¡± ¡°But you couldn¡¯t name any of his songs! You¡¯re not a true fan!¡± ¡°I don¡¯t care about the music, I just care about those abs!¡± ¡°!¡± Lance was planning on saying something, but the bizarre admission from the hitman before him blanked his brain. He blinked multiple times in rapid succession. ¡°W-what?¡± ¡°Those abs!¡± Honey repeated. ¡°Mr. James! Remove that towel and flex!¡± Even though that wasn¡¯t his name, Loren Dames was so confused by the situation that he just did what was asked, setting the towel aside and doing his best to flex his arms. Honey nodded with satisfaction. ¡°Excellent. This, you see Lance, is why I came today. I snuck into the backstage exactly for this view, right here.¡± ¡°Are¡­¡± This was like when he blew his brains out. His mind couldn¡¯t immediately figure things out, and everything was piecing itself together into a jigsaw of absolute stupidity. ¡°Are you serious?¡± ¡°Of course I am,¡± Honey replied, studying Loren from head to toe. ¡°Search your heart, you know it to be true. So, what was all this about a letter?¡± ¡°You really didn¡¯t send it?¡± ¡°I have no idea what you¡¯re talking about!¡± Just at that moment, as Honey shouted out, the door opened. Mick¡¯s jaw dropped as he saw quite a scene. In the back of the changing room, Loren was posing with his arms behind his head and legs spread wide, completely naked and looking pensive. Then, there was an italian woman he¡¯d never seen before, tied to a chair, shouting and looking annoyed at her situation. Finally, Lance was standing over her, his face screwed up in a strange expression of confused annoyance. Standing behind him, Ms. Lenz¡¯s clipboard dropped to the floor as she saw the display. ¡°Uhh, what¡¯s going on?¡± Mick asked. ¡°Mr. Gordon...who is that?¡± ¡°She-¡± ¡°He kidnapped me,¡± Honey interrupted. Lance¡¯s eyes widened. ¡°I was just coming back to see James, and this dumb cowboy picked me up and started tieing me up. Just ask James, he can tell you the truth.¡± ¡°Who...is James?¡± ¡°Huh? How do you not know who James is? He¡¯s standing right there?¡± Honey nodded her head to the naked Loren Dames by the wall, who changed poses. ¡°Wait,¡± Loren started. ¡°Do you mean me?¡± ¡°Who else?¡± ¡°His name isn¡¯t James, you dumbass,¡± Lance finally said, putting a hand to his face. ¡°You dumb, dumb, person.¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°Sorry,¡± Loren said. ¡°I¡¯m Loren Dames. Nice to meet you Honey.¡± Instead of being embarrassed, Honey just nodded slowly. ¡°Oooh, I see. You should make that more clear next time. This entire time I thought your name was James. You can¡¯t do that to your fans, especially huge fans like me.¡± ¡°Sorry,¡± Loren repeated. ¡°I...won¡¯t do it again?¡± This was starting to become too much for Lance. ¡°Don¡¯t apologize you dumbass!¡± After bursting out, he turned to Mick. ¡°Was there something you needed? I¡¯ve got to kick this lady out of here, but other than that, we should be good.¡± ¡°N-no, there wasn¡¯t anything...I was just coming to check in on you all. The backstage staff have pretty much all gone home at this point.¡± ¡°Well in that case, we¡¯re good here.¡± But a second later, in fact, they were not good. *** Because in only minutes, the siege would begin. For some strange reason, as Bear God¡¯s busses started approaching the large concert building, they didn¡¯t come into contact with as many police officers as planned. Standing on top of the first bus, as though at the helm of a ship, Bear God stood at attention with his arms crossed. Warrior¡¯s intuition was flaring things into his mind. From a hatch right behind him, one of his subordinates, a man named Ricky, popped out. ¡°Bear God!¡± ¡°Yes, Ricky!?¡± They needed to shout because the bus was currently driving and air was buffeting them. ¡°We just got within range of our scouts! It looks like they¡¯re saying pretty much all the normal audience members have cleared out!¡± ¡°I see! And the police, too!¡± ¡°Yeah! They aren¡¯t sure why, but the parking lot is almost completely empty! That being said, there¡¯s something they said that bothered me slightly!¡± ¡°What!?¡± ¡°I said there was something that bothered me slightly!¡± ¡°No! I heard you, I meant ¡®what bothered you slightly!¡± ¡°Oh! Sorry!¡± The slight miscommunication made the Bear God Army members inside the bus laugh. One of the nice things in their current group was how easily things could be taken. Many of them were ex-soldiers and had grown accustomed to a harsh leader that didn¡¯t allow side chatter. ¡°Our men say there are still some people there!¡± ¡°What people!?¡± ¡°In black suit!¡± *** From the exact opposite direction, a convoy of military vehicles, disguised as civilian cars were travelling casually. Sitting in the very last car, smoking a cigarette was Dark Cobra, going over all the killing techniques she knew in her head. They had gotten reports earlier about a few things, namely that Loren Dames had apparently hired a squad of bodyguards. That was pretty obvious, and well within the scope of her predictions. The problem was what came in later in the report. At the event, there had been a lot of strange people. Most of them seemed violent, carrying weapons and openly supporting Dames and harassing her people. Before the show had begun, they sent roughly fifteen people to mix in with the lower class crowd of the concert, and once Dames started speaking about politics, they would boo him. The purpose of this was to make his suicide look natural: if his message was openly rejected by those he was trying to help, who wouldn¡¯t accept that he killed himself? With her employer''s influence, pushing a media narrative wouldn¡¯t be hard. They even cleaned the place out of police officers. The only thing they¡¯d need to do is disable the bodyguards and replace them with her own people for a few months, then have her target kill themselves. A tried and true maneuver. But these people in red were trouble. Her scouts wouldn¡¯t confront any of them directly, but after listening in, it sounded like these people were members of the Bear God Army. Bear God Army. Such a stupid name, Dark Cobra thought. It sounded like the kind of thing a little kid thinks of when trying to be cool. How foolish could they be? However, as stupid as the Bear God Army sounded, intel reports about them were completely different. It was a group of revolutionaries, led by a particularly capable fighter: Ruskanov Petrovich, otherwise known as Bear God, who broke out of a Russian prison over a decade ago. The man was a beastly fighter and could kill demons with his bare hands, which helped earn him his title. Were these people going to be defending Dames? That thought had occurred in Dark Cobra¡¯s head. It made her hesitate; failing a mission was something the Black Vipers couldn¡¯t allow to happen. But they also couldn¡¯t let their presence be known: if the news learned about an assassin group trying to kill Dames, the repercussions would be far worse than just failing a mission. As they neared the concert building, she sighed. Whatever. She picked up a walkie talkie, and through it, she could communicate with all of her members one-way. ¡°Be ready for battle. Stay silent, but kill anyone in your path. We¡¯ll clean up the mess later.¡± *** ¡°Hey! Get the fuck outta here!¡± One man in red called out to a black suit. ¡°I¡¯ll do whatever I want...scum.¡± The black suit replied. Before either larger group arrived on the scene, scuffles had begun. There were a few more than a dozen on each side, and neither of them were armed with weapons. But the Bear God Army and the Black Vipers started to face off without either of their commanders in sight. In the garden outside of the concert hall, the flames of war were fanned as fists met face. Chapter 3 The first to arrive were the Black Vipers, and with them came a dangerous force. They weren¡¯t going to be using guns, since those were too loud, but that didn¡¯t mean there weren¡¯t any lethal weapons in their arsenal. As the military trucks started to crowd into the parking lot and surround the Bear God Army members who were brawling with the black suits, the men and women in red tensed. From those cars jumped shadows, people wearing completely black clothing, covering every part of their skin. And these shadows had blades. Knives that sliced through the helpless Bear God Army members, spilling out red blood on the streets. That didn¡¯t last for a very long time, however, as three busses crashed themselves through a gate and slammed into a few of the military cars. Out of these automobiles came the Bear God Army soldiers, with their tire irons and bats. The battle was now elevated, in only a few minutes, as the fight had gone from just a brawl with fists to a bloodbath coated in gasoline. *** But currently, inside of the building, nobody knew of such things. ¡°Wait, so you¡¯re telling me Jackal sent you a letter saying they¡¯d be trying to assassinate you?¡± Honey asked, checking the letter front and back. They had untied her. ¡°And your decision was to hire the guy who hasn¡¯t ever been able to stop this assassin?¡± ¡°Well¡­¡± ¡°That¡¯s not fair,¡± Lance said. ¡°It¡¯s way harder to stop a killer than to be a killer. Plus, so far, we haven¡¯t had any problems. So long as I keep Loren right in front of me, nothing could happen to him. Anyway, you know anything about this Jackal guy? Since you¡¯re more on that side of the law?¡± ¡°Eh?¡± Honey seemed to think about it for a second before responding. ¡°Yeah, I don¡¯t know much. Jackal is just an assassin, and a pretty good one, right? We usually don¡¯t cross those types. Too risky. You sure it¡¯s even him in the first place?¡± ¡°We¡¯re not,¡± Mick said, butting in before Lance could. ¡°But any threat is worth taking measures against. And following that line of thought, are you saying you¡¯re someone like Mr. Gordon?¡± ¡°Sort of.¡± ¡°She¡¯s nothing like me at all!¡± ¡°In that case,¡± Mick started. ¡°Would you be interested in helping us out? We¡¯ve got a decent budget to pay out, plus, you¡¯ll get a chance to talk with Mr. Dames.¡± While both of those were inviting rewards, there was something else that made Honey want to help protect the violinist. She wanted to meet this ¡®Jackal¡¯. Her curiosity was itching, while jobs like this rarely excited her, for once, she felt like going all out. ¡°Ha! For all that? There¡¯s no way I could refuse,¡± Honey said, a smile forming on her face. ¡°And the first thing I¡¯ll do as a new bodyguard is point out that someone has been listening to us for the past five minutes while we talked. I didn¡¯t want to say anything, but I¡¯m pretty sure they aren¡¯t any of your bodyguards.¡± A chill ran down everyone else¡¯s spines as Honey pointed to the door. It was closed, and it was the only way in and out of the changing room, other than the ventilation shaft, that currently housed five people. It was soundproof, so nobody should be able to hear through it, but the absolute confidence in what she said made everyone think twice. Without a word, Lance quickly took to the door and swung it open, drawing his revolver at the same time. Standing there, with small pistols in their hand, were two men in completely black suits. There were black masks on their faces, and one had some kind of elongated metal tube connected to his ear to a device on the door, much like a stethoscope. Behind them were bloody splatters from bodyguards that had been shot. Lance hesitated. But they didn¡¯t move, completely frozen. ¡°When you caught me, I dropped some stuff off by the door,¡± Honey said while the door was being opened. ¡°Just in case. Oh, and don¡¯t worry, Mr. Director and Ms. Assistant, you caught them too, but I neutralized the ones in your bodies. You should be fine. Do you think this is Jackal?¡± Without answering, Lance swung his revolver out and smashed the first intruder on the nose. The man reeled back, grabbing at it and gasping, which brought the other back to attention. He made a grunt, raising his pistol, before Lance stabbed his palm out to grab the muzzle, swinging it backwards in a way that snapped the man¡¯s finger back. The wounded man tried to scream, but leapt on him, knocking the second man on the first. The detective lifted his fist into the sky and slammed it down on their heads, one at a time, using the grip like a bludgeon to smash their foreheads. After two bops each, the men stopped squirming. Lance looked back frantically. ¡°Here! Help me drag them inside!¡± Only Ms. Lenz obeyed his command, dropping her things to rush over and grab the men¡¯s feet, pulling them inside the dressing room while Lance pushed. Before slamming the door, he surveyed the area to see if there was anyone else. Not a soul in sight. Slam. Where were the other bodyguards? ¡°What¡¯s happening?¡± Mick said, desperation obvious in his voice and actions as he grabbed Lance¡¯s collar. ¡°What¡¯s going on? Did you do this?¡± His last question was aimed at Honey. ¡°Don¡¯t touch me,¡± Lance said, removing the man. ¡°And relax.¡± He looked down at the two unconscious assassins. ¡°Tie them up.¡± It had only been a few minutes since Mick came back into the room, and before that, Lance was keenly aware that bodyguards were still roaming outside. In particular, the one guarding the room that Honey had gotten under her control. It was possible this was her doing, but Lance didn¡¯t think that likely. If it was, they¡¯d all be under control currently, in this poorly ventilated room. As Mick and Ms. Lenz did their best to tie up the two men, Loren was slowly putting on his clothes. Honey sat on the counter, waving a small thin stiletto in her hand back and forth. The type that had no sharp ends, only a dangerous pointed tip. When she noticed Lance looking her way, she smirked. ¡°I didn¡¯t notice anything on my way here,¡± she said casually. ¡°If that¡¯s what you¡¯re going to ask.¡± ¡°I was just about to. Mick, Ms. Lenz, did either of you see anything on your way over here?¡± Mick shook his head slowly. ¡°No, I didn¡¯t notice anything. I mean...everyone was leaving, so I didn¡¯t think much of it being empty, but¡­¡± ¡°I-it seemed like people w-were working, uh, sorry,¡± Ms. Lenz answered. She seemed to be having trouble with her knot tying, so Mick took over. ¡°I...I t-thought they were just, like, staff members. B-but I saw those guys...um, these guys. I¡¯m pretty sure there were m-more than two...I think.¡± ¡°How many more?¡± ¡°A few? Maybe?¡± If that was the case, this was most certainly not Jackal. Jackal was a single man operation, one that didn¡¯t leave witnesses to their bloody killings. That meant the letter was completely a ruse. In that case, who was attacking? ¡°What¡¯s the plan, Mr. Detective?¡± Even though she sounded careless and taunting, the question Honey asked was important. It got the gears in Lance¡¯s head spinning. If there were a group of people, trying to assassinate Dames, how were they supposed to deal with it? Staying in this room was certainly a good defense, but with it came a massive risk. What if they had explosives? What if they flooded the room with poison? Or what if they had the audacity to light the entire building on fire? Because he had no idea who these men were, only that they weren¡¯t Jackal but had no qualms using that name as bait, Lance couldn¡¯t easily conjure up a counterplan. If only he was in Erymanthian form, he could reason this all out easy, but that ego was still recovering after changing away earlier. It¡¯d be at least a few days before he could go back. In this moment, he trusted only himself, Hesperides, to deal with the problem. He looked at the two in black. ¡°I¡¯ve got an idea.¡± *** Dark Cobra got out of the car casually and walked towards the entrance of the building. In the parking lot, the two factions were warring against each other, and the battle had started spreading. This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there. Men in red were starting to clamber up the building to escape the Black Viper¡¯s weapons, and were breaking pieces of the building off to throw. Some had even run inside, smashing glass and tossing chairs or other random fixtures at each other like madmen. This riot-like battle was becoming a bit too much. Killing Loren Dames was the only mission. Once that was complete, they could easily leave. She walked to the building with a black suitcase in hand, flanked by two dark skinned almost identical looking men in black suits. Unlike any of these other members, this trio were the true elites of the Black Viper, and they showed it in their garb. Pristine tuxedos, flourished with touches that would cost a fortune, spotless and exquisite, that were about to be thrown into battle. But these suits had been through many battles, and they had yet to be torn. That was proof of their superiority. The man on the left dragged with him a massive double-headed axe, while the other had three katana at his hips, two on the left and one on the right. As they walked to the building and then inside through a double door, both sides held distance from them. For the Black Viper, it was because they knew not to bother their superiors. It would mean death, or even worse. For the Bear God Army, they saw only fear and death in the eyes of those three. Eyes that didn¡¯t stare upon you as a person, but as a collection of weak points that could be easily cut apart to make you spill everything inside out onto the floor. An aura of death followed these three. They stopped at a small poster map that displayed the building and its different floors. Dark Cobra pulled a pair of reading glasses out and squinted at it. ¡°Komodo, you studied this building before, correct?¡± The man with the katana, named Shadow Komodo, nodded his head very slowly. ¡°Aye.¡± He spoke with an africalos accent. But unlike most, his voice was higher pitched, and he sounded energetic. ¡°Studied it back and forth. Know it like the back of my hands. You tell me where to go, and I can bring ya¡¯.¡± ¡°Tch.¡± His brother, Nightmare Gator (the man with the axe), didn¡¯t like to hear the sound of his sibling¡¯s voice. He had a bizarre scar: a square that boxed his face, as though it was in a frame. ¡°Ah! You got a problem with me, bruv? Howsabout you say it to my face, like the man you are?¡± ¡°Tch.¡± ¡°Shut up,¡± Dark Cobra said, silencing them as she raised her hand. Fighters had started climbing the stairs, making room between their skirmishes and the three new intruders. ¡°Let¡¯s get this over with. Where would Dames be? Our scouts should have figured that out by now.¡± ¡°Haha, oh, well, I¡¯m afraid something like that did happen, Cobra,¡± Shadow Komodo said. He grinned wide, from ear to ear. There were scars on his lips, up and down and alternating, that made his mouth look like it was stitched together. ¡°Interior squad alpha said they followed Dames¡¯s manager to a room which looked like an important one on the blueprints. They were gonna go in and see if he was there. They haven¡¯t said anything back, and I haven¡¯t tried to contact them.¡± Dark Cobra¡¯s eye twitched. ¡°Why didn¡¯t you tell me that earlier?¡± ¡°Huh? Oh, I knew it was important, but come on. They already took out most of the bodyguards, you think they just got killed off?¡± ¡°Tch.¡± ¡°Hey! Brother! Don¡¯t you click your tongue at me, or I shall cut it off and make it into a finger puppet, and then make that finger puppet dance and perform a skit and film it, then force you to watch the film over and over until you cannot close your eyes without picturing it!¡± ¡°Tch.¡± ¡°Can you both shut up,¡± Dark Cobra said, shaking her head. ¡°Where was it on the map? Bring us there.¡± Shadow Komodo put his hand to his forehead in a mock salute. ¡°Aye, ma¡¯am! Just follow me.¡± Just over to the side of the main entrance was a hallway, and after a turn, it came to a doorway. Normally, there would be a guard on watch here, but instead, there was a bloody corpse wearing a guard uniform. The three stepped over it as they entered the backstage access, a long hallway with small bulbs illuminating it. Shadow Komodo led the way, their footsteps making absolutely no noise at all. While the fighting from outside hadn¡¯t made its way backstage yet, that wasn¡¯t to say it didn¡¯t look like it. The corpses of men working here were scattered about, blood staining the floors. Fortunately, Black Viper¡¯s employers would be able to keep the police out of the area, and they had a cleaning group on staff who would deal with the evidence. ¡°Call all of our men to the area,¡± Dark Cobra said. ¡°We¡¯re going to storm that room. If there¡¯s someone capable of fighting back, we¡¯ll just smother them with bodies and stab through the gaps.¡± *** ¡°Uh...are you sure this is the place?¡± Currently, Dominic and Wolf sat together, in Dr. Hawk¡¯s car, staring at the concert building in the distance. The premise itself was normally quite secluded from the outside; it was wrapped by a tiny moat, and then after that was a tiny forest of trees. It was meant to block out those on the inside from the world outside, as if to seal them in a different universe of nature. Because of that, the entrance ways were intentionally not easy to get to, and it required doing some loops to get to the parking lot. What the two men saw was nothing what they expected. It was like a bloody war. Men in red and men in black were clashing with each other, and dozens of cars looked like they had been smashed together. It was an absurd sight, and what made it stranger were the sounds as they approached. Though the red clothed folk were loud and noisy in their brawl, the black suits were silent. The volume only came from one group. ¡°B-because it doesn¡¯t look like it,¡± Dominic continued. ¡°I...I mean, come on? This definitely isn¡¯t the p-place, right?¡± But Wolf knew better. He knew those in red. They were his old comrades. ¡°This is fine, I can take it from here.¡± As he started to reach for the door to exit, the car jumped to life and started inching closer to the action, and building further on. When Wolf looked at Dominic, he could see the young man tearing up and trembling as he steered the car slowly around the bodies of people lying motionless on the ground. ¡°I...I...I¡­¡± Dominic cleared his throat and spoke with conviction. ¡°I can¡¯t just let you go in there alone.¡± So they drove forward. Fortunately, it seemed like the fighters were evenly matched, all of them heading off one versus one or going into free for alls apart from each other. Because of how slow Dominic was driving, nobody paid the car much attention. Well, it was also old, beaten up, and the farthest from intimidating an automobile could be, so that probably helped. ¡°You don¡¯t need to do this, you know?¡± ¡°I couldn¡¯t live with myself if I didn¡¯t,¡± Dominic replied, eyes focused entirely on what was ahead of him. Avoiding the people duking it out. ¡°Though I¡¯m really reconsidering all of this. P-please don¡¯t tempt me.¡± ¡°Heh. Alright.¡± After that, Wolf kept his mouth shut. He was worried. It was within his expectations that the Bear God Army would be here. That much was obvious. But what seemed stranger to him were these other people, the black suits. Who were they? Didn¡¯t seem like police...so probably the violinist¡¯s bodyguards? But why weren¡¯t the police coming? There was also another more important factor that scared Wolf. Where was Bear God? That man wouldn¡¯t let his brothers and sisters fight alone, and when it came to turf fights, he was always on the front lines. The type of lead by action and example in battle. If he wasn¡¯t here, it meant he could only be in one other place. As Dominic slowed the car and neatly parked in one of the closest available parking spots to the front door entrance, the two men watched as a group of three entered the building. Normally, that wouldn¡¯t mean much. But there was something about these three that made the two men hold their breath. These people are dangerous. The two, who had very different levels of combat experience but similar relations with extremely strong and violent people, shuddered as the trio left their vision. Those were the kinds of people who killed as though it were breathing. That wouldn¡¯t stop Wolf, however, and he opened the truck door and jumped out. Actually, their appearance was a good thing, he thought as sweat beaded around his body. Whoever they are, they¡¯re the big dogs. The ones in charge. If they¡¯re walking around, Bear God is going to try and fight them, and if I follow them, I¡¯ll run into him. Then, I¡¯ll be able to find Dames and warn him. Well, hopefully. That was the plan, at least. The sound of a car door closing behind him made Wolf stop. He turned to see Dominic walking over, clenching his fists tight. ¡°Ha...you¡¯re gonna follow those guys, aren¡¯t you?¡± Wolf couldn¡¯t lie. ¡°Yes,¡± he said. ¡°Like I said, you don¡¯t need to concern yourself with me. I¡¯m fine.¡± Even though he thought he couldn¡¯t lie, he did. His body was still horribly injured, and he felt weak. The drugs were starting to wear off. For a second, his head got too light to focus on anything. He swayed before catching himself. It was as though the action of lying about his health had only made it worse, and it was apparent Dominic caught on. ¡°Ehhh...you¡¯re definitely not,¡± Dominic said, a nervous smile appearing on his face. ¡°You¡¯re still planning to...chase after t-them?¡± ¡°I am.¡± ¡°W-well...I can¡¯t let you go alone¡­¡± Even though Wolf started to protest, when he saw Dominic try his best to steel himself, it became clear nothing would stop him. ¡°In that case,¡± Wolf started. ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡± *** The plan was simple, as Lance explained. Because they didn¡¯t know how many people were outside, but that it was certainly enough to wipe out most of the bodyguards they had on staff, the group needed to evacuate the building. But doing so would be incredibly difficult, if they assumed the remaining assassins all had the same type of weaponry on them. As nice as it would have been to interrogate them, time was of the essence. It was decided that Loren and Ms. Lenz would be the ones disguising themselves by wearing the black suits, since the suits also had a bit of armor platings that would help if they got shot at. The group would leave, then they would rush as fast as possible to the side exits. There, they would escape on foot to the city, which was only a few hundred meters away from the building. There would be tree cover, and once they got to that point, everything would be fine. Lance would be taking one of the guns, and Honey the other. If anything happened, they were the ones with the most experience, and could defend the rest. It was going to be a mad sprint, and Lance would be the first out the door. Honey was going to be the last. With one hand on the door and the other holding a stolen pistol, Lance counted slowly. ¡°Three¡­¡± *** Dark Cobra and her two associates ascended to the second floor. This would be where Dames was staying, and a dead bodyguard sat at the base of the stairs. His throat had been slit, and blood ran down his chest. ¡°When we get there,¡± Dark Cobra spoke to her underlings. ¡°Shadow Komodo, you can deal with the bodyguards. Nightmare Gator, you¡¯re in charge of killing anyone else. You both recall what Dames looks like, correct?¡± ¡°Hell yeah I do. Come on, do you think I¡¯m a retard or something?¡± ¡°Mhmm.¡± ¡°Good,¡± she answered, not bothering to respond in any other way. ¡°Then leave him to me. The job is to make his death look like a suicide, and my technique is the best suited for that.¡± ¡°Ahh...but being sliced apart by blades is a pretty common suicide where I¡¯m from¡­¡± ¡°Tch.¡± When they got to the second floor, the three saw the dressing room: a single square room, barely three meters tall, made out of concrete with a single steel door on it. But there was also something that made them stop in their tracks. *** ¡°Two¡­¡± *** ¡°Oh g-god...what...what happened h-here?¡± Dominic was tearing up again, whimpering as he stepped over the dead bodies of men wearing neither black nor red uniforms. All it took was a glance for Wolf to realize who these were. Dead bodyguards. That didn¡¯t make sense, though. If these men were the bodyguards, then who were the people in black suits? *** ¡°One¡­¡± The door flew open. Chapter 4 The door flew open and Lance took a step out. He was not expecting the scene displayed in front of him, which gave him pause, and Loren smacked into Lance¡¯s back, and then Mick crashed into Loren. They jammed at the door and stumbled over, falling prone before the groups before them. Standing at the top of the stairs that reached this floor were three people. The one in the lead was a dark skinned man, wearing a black tuxedo, with scars across his mouth that looked like stitches, or like fangs. He had long dreadlocks, and interwoven into them were golden chords and accessories. He had three sheathes at his side, but only one currently held a blade. The other two were in his hands. Behind him was an asian woman in a similar tuxedo, though one obviously made for women. She was only carrying a suitcase. Then even further back, still standing on the stairs, was the largest of all three, a bulking black man in a similar getup. His face was almost identical to the first africalos, save this man¡¯s scar was a square that framed his face, and the weapon he had hefted over his shoulder was a massive two meter long axe. Those three were certainly strange. But what made Lance stumble was not just those in black. Standing in between them was a single man. He was absolutely massive. Larger than anyone Lance had ever seen in his life, this person was a bulging goliath of fat and muscle that had more in common with a brick wall than a human being. This person had the face of a delinquent drunkard: a dirty unwashed pair of mutton chops that connected to a lengthy mustache and a gleaming bald spot with whatever hair the man had left crowning around almost like the back half of a medieval monk¡¯s haircut. This human goliath was holding in his hands two truck tires, each at least a meter long and probably weighing over 50 kilos. Some kind of animosity had sparked between these two groups, Lance could tell, and his group¡¯s intervention might have been the spark that set off the fuse. Things were about to explode, and all he could do was hold still. ¡°Huh,¡± the giant spoke. He had a very thick russian accent and spat with every loud word. ¡°So. Who the fuck are you!?¡± He asked, pointing at the three in black. Then, he turned and pointed at Lance. ¡°Second question. Who the fuck are you!? Too!?¡± Without answering the question, the black man with katanas dashed forward, slashing an x at the giant. But only sparks appeared, as the giant lifted his tire at the last second, using the metal rim inside to deflect the blades. Again, the man with blades tried to slash, but again he was deflected. ¡°I¡¯m askin¡¯ ya¡¯ a question!!¡± The giant swung his tire around in an arc that pulled air along with it, barely missing the swordsman. Though that had more to do with the swordsman¡¯s dodge than the giant¡¯s attack. The tire swung only inches over the man¡¯s head, and he dropped to the floor and spun, kicking hard into the large man¡¯s leg. It did nothing, and the huge man didn¡¯t even flinch. Frozen there, on the ground, the black man smiled. ¡°You can call me Shadow Komodo,¡± he said. ¡°If that answers your question. Now that I¡¯ve done that, you can tell me who you are, huh!¡± Just as Shadow Komodo finished, a tire slammed down at where he just was. The assassin had disengaged. Had he been any slower, his body would have been smashed flat by the tire. ¡°You don¡¯t know me!?¡± As he asked, the red giant lifted his two tires up, horizontal to his body. With his already long arms, this made his wingspan truly massive. His eyes were open as wide as they possibly could be and his smile showed upper and lower gums. ¡°Then I¡¯ll, with respect, tell ya¡¯! Bear! God! Bear! God!¡± As Bear God began chanting his name, he started clapping the tires together, the rubber making a dull bonging sound and the metal clanging a second later. It was in poor time with his continuous chanting, and it sounded like some kind of hellish chorus at a sports event. ¡°Bear!¡± Bong. Clank. ¡°God!¡± Bong. Clank. ¡°Bear!¡± Bong. Clank. ¡°God!¡± Bong. Clank. This couldn¡¯t be anything but bizarre to onlookers. And everyone except for Shadow Komodo was stupefied at this man¡¯s actions. ¡°Haha! You¡¯re a wild one, aren¡¯t ya¡¯?¡± ¡°Bow before me!!¡± As the two men were tensed up to battle, Lance¡¯s mind finally snapped back as he felt a finger tap his shoulder. It was Honey with a smirk on her face. She seemed to be enjoying the show, unlike everyone else, but understood one very important thing. If those two were both assassins, they were obviously not friends. Battling against each other was a distraction Lance¡¯s group could abuse. He looked back at Loren and nodded. ¡°Let¡¯s go,¡± he whispered. ¡°Before they notice us.¡± But that wasn¡¯t going to happen so easily. As soon as Lance started moving, he jerked his head back and froze. It was because he saw something moving out of the corner of his eye. What had happened was a spear with a trident end, only a meter long, had impaled itself into the wall right in front of Lance¡¯s face. Barely a centimeter or two from his face. Whoever threw it had accounted for his dodge, and if he had been any less cautious, would have had his head destroyed. He turned. The asian woman had dropped the suitcase. In its place were now a few tools, two of them being tridents with spiky heads much like the javelin that had been thrown. In her other hand was a long mancatcher, with a scythe head sticking out from next to the capture spikes. She flicked one of the javelins in the air, and pulled her arm back to heft another javelin. Lance dove forward and open fired. This caused her to pause, shifting slightly while the man in the very back with the axe stood in front of her and blocked the bullets with the side of his axe. Sparks flew and the sound of blades clashing on tire rim sounded simultaneously. ¡°Don¡¯t move,¡± the asian woman said, then fired a trident from behind her companion. It was smashed out of the air by Bear God, who smashed Shadow Komodo to the side with a tire. The africalos assassin¡¯s arm hung limply by his side, and the shattered katana fell to the floor. He was sweating heavily, even though their exchange hadn¡¯t been more than a few seconds, but Bear God seemed to be in perfect health. ¡°Look, lady,¡± Bear God said, taking a step in between her and the retreating group. ¡°I don¡¯t know, and don¡¯t care, who-¡± She didn¡¯t even pay attention to him. ¡°Springboard,¡± she said to the axe wilder. ¡°Now.¡± The man nodded, and lowered his axe, turning it sideways. She stepped onto it, crouching low, and ducked her head. Then, without even waiting to see it she was ready, the man began to spin. As he did, he pulled the axe along, turning it so that it looked like a paddle with the asian assassin crouched on it. After two full rotations, he was leaning back and letting momentum carry his speed, and she released. It was like a baseball player striking a home run, and from the makeshift springboard, the assassin flew through the sky. She twisted around in the air as she approached the lifted ceiling, and her feet connected with it in a sprint as she began running while upside down. It was more than enough propulsion to keep her feet on the ceiling for a few seconds before she started falling, and she kicked off and twisted to land with a slide in front of Lance and his group, with the door only a few meters away at her back. She held the mancatcher forward. ¡°You¡¯re all going to die,¡± she said. ¡°If you want it to be quick and painless, send Loren Dames forward.¡± ¡°Alright, sorry, sorry.¡± Everyone turned to see Honey, standing with her hands up and an apologetic smile on her face. She took a slow step forward and dropped her pistol. ¡°Sorry for trying to protect his life,¡± Honey continued. ¡°But if we hand him over, can you just pretty please let us live? I mean, I¡¯d rather not die, whether it be quick and painless or not.¡± The mysterious woman didn¡¯t answer. ¡°Well, I mean, I figured I could try and ask at the very least. Here, you can take him,¡± Honey said, putting her hands on the shoulders of one of the people in complete black suits. Her doing so gave everyone pause. ¡°Oh, and if you¡¯re gonna be killing people, could you do me last?¡± Honey pushed forward a person whose face was covered, but it wasn¡¯t Loren Dames. It was Ms. Lenz, who stumbled forward from the push and fell onto the ground. While it was pretty obvious this person had a slim figure, it was fortunate that Ms. Lenz had a boyish body. The assassin held her mancatcher up to Ms. Lenz¡¯s covered face. ¡°Take off your mask.¡± Honey smiled. ¡°Actually, I think you should just let us go. I mean, as you can see, none of us are actually Loren James, and we¡¯re not important at all. Doesn¡¯t it make more sense to go fight that big Bear guy over there?¡± Ah. At first, Lance wasn¡¯t sure what she was doing, but now it was clear. The assassin wiped at her nose, then slowly lowered her weapon. Her eye was twitching, and it was clear she was trying to resist whatever the spores inside her were doing, but it wasn¡¯t working well. She began gasping like a fish in need of air. ¡°Lance, just kill her,¡± Honey said, stooping down to pick up her gun. ¡°And let¡¯s get out of here.¡± He absolutely should have. His hesitation however, would cost him. The assassin stabbed her short trident into her leg, tearing into the pant leg and gouging a chuck of flesh. Blood ran down her leg as the woman started to regain her composure. Before Lance could bring his gun up to shoot, her scythe edge caught him in the side, slicing deep into his ribs and back. ¡°Hah¡­¡± the assassin said. ¡°An experiment, huh? Good thing...I¡¯m resistant.¡± Honey didn¡¯t hesitate. No longer was she lethargically moving, instead, she dropped down to the ground and grabbed Ms. Lenz as cover, then grabbed her dropped gun and shot at the assassin. But the assassin had a shield of her own: using the scythe still cutting into Lance, she pulled him in front of the bullets and he took two shots into his upper shoulder. He shouted in pain. Mick and Loren had fallen to the side, resting against a wall in fear as the two women stared at each other. Honey, now realizing she couldn¡¯t shoot the assassin, had pressed the barrel of the gun to the disguised Ms. Lenz¡¯s head, and was smiling wickedly. The assassin, on the other hand, stabbed her trident into the wrist that Lance¡¯s was using to hold his pistol. She let the trident fall along with the damaged hand as she took the pistol for herself to use. It was a standoff and neither were ready to make a move. The battle in the background was progressing still. Shadow Komodo, in this time, had tried slashing at Bear God, but each time his attacks were deflected by the tire shield. If he could only cut the rubber, he could half this man¡¯s reach, but for some reason, Bear God knew exactly how to block in such a way that prevented that. On the other hand, even though the russian man was massive, he didn¡¯t lack any speed. He was able to dodge the axe-wielder¡¯s strikes, and counterattack with jabs from the tire, each one coming like a full force shotgun blast to the chest. The two twins were at their wits end trying to deal with this man, and he wasn¡¯t even breathing hard.Support creative writers by reading their stories on Royal Road, not stolen versions. ¡°Huh, you know, I think, if I may say, just noticed something,¡± Bear God said. ¡°You two look pretty similar. I don¡¯t want to seem racist, because I¡¯m not, but do you two, by any chance, happen to be related?¡± ¡°You¡¯re a funny one, ha,¡± Shadow Komodo responded. He was perfectly fine with Bear God talking in the lull, since it gave him and his partner time to catch their breath. ¡°Yes, we are. Twins, actually. Oh, you never learned his name, did you? It¡¯s Nightmare Gator. Not as cool as my name, is it? Oh, and the boss is Dark Cobra.¡± ¡°Tch.¡± ¡°Wait a minute,¡± Bear God said. His defense seemed like it had dropped, but the two men knew better. There were no gaps in that wall. ¡°Shadow Komodo? Nightmare Gator? Those names, if I had to say, sound very strange, don¡¯t you think?¡± ¡°And Bear God isn¡¯t?¡± ¡°Not at all,¡± Bear God responded with sincerity. ¡°I took this name after killing a bear with my bare hands. It¡¯s a respectful title, because I am very strong.¡± ¡°Killed a bear with your bare hands? Is that a joke? Not saying I don¡¯t believe you, but that series of words tickles my funny bone.¡± ¡°Uh, really, I don¡¯t get the joke.¡± ¡°You don¡¯t?¡± There was another reason Shadow Komodo had been stalling. From the corner of his vision, he saw Dark Cobra trying to apprehend the escaping targets, and things seemed to be going poorly. He couldn¡¯t hear them, and he couldn¡¯t tell what was going on, but his boss was holding someone as a shield while bleeding down her leg. ¡°The joke is that those words sound the same.¡± ¡°Is that a joke? I don¡¯t understand this land¡¯s customs.¡± ¡°Yeah,¡± Shadow Komodo said. He met his brother¡¯s eyes, and began blinking in morse code while simultaneously speaking. ¡°It is a joke. Do you really think that it wasn¡¯t one?¡± ¡®The boss in trouble. I distract man. You help her.¡¯ ¡®Ok.¡¯ ¡°Huh, I think I understand the joke, it is very funny, and I need to thank you for telling me, because it is funny. So, thank you.¡± ¡°Haha, man, you talk kinda weird, you know?¡± Shadow Komodo asked as he changed blades. Feeling was coming back to his damaged hand, and while he couldn¡¯t dual-wield blades, he could use his special katana. He gripped it and held it up in a samurai stance. ¡°And I¡¯m an africalosman, so I should know a thing or two about weird accents. Now, prepare yourself, because this strike is going to be the last you ever see.¡± ¡°Oh? Coming at me, at your very best, like a man, I see,¡± Bear God said, turning his full attention to Komodo. ¡°Then bring it.¡± An absurd series of events happened after that, all starting at the same time immediately after Shadow Komodo made his slash. It was an incredibly fast attack, a blur to normal humans. From upper right to lower left, his blade shone, and it was his ultimate attack. Not even something a normal human could imitate: the special katana needed to make this slash was upgraded with rocket boosters fitted at the end of the sword, and once the button was pressed, would propel the blade in an intense way. When combined with his mastery of the blade, this was an attack that couldn¡¯t be blocked. It was a perfect movement, in respect for the original samurai who developed the katana, those men who Shadow Komodo...no, who Lobo Adogora respected. This slash couldn¡¯t be prevented. It would always strike true. And in some sense it did. It only stood as testament to how large a human Bear God was that the slash only cut off one of his fingers, along with cleaving straight through the tire he was using as a shield. The only reason it did so much damage was because something else caught Bear God¡¯s eye. At that very same moment, Nightmare Gator charged at Honey, dragging his axe behind him. In his attack, he spun, like one might do before hurling a shot put, then let himself lift off and be pulled by the momentum. In his mind, he never considered for a single second that the person Honey was holding might be Loren Dames, and just assumed it was one of their members. To him, they were disposable. His head on attack was directed at Honey, and he would cleave through her. But before either Honey or Dark Cobra noticed that, their stalemate ended. Dark Cobra pushed the scythe forward, the blade cleaving out of Lance¡¯s back and spraying blood out like a wave to obscure Honey¡¯s vision. Taking advantage of that, along with the movement of Lance¡¯s backwards fall, Dark Cobra moved forward, climbing onto his body and standing on his chest to aim her pistol directly at Honey from point black distance. While she did that, Honey pulled backwards, taking the limp body of Ms. Lenz and dragging it on top of herself like a shield, extending only her arm out, with the tip of the pistol aimed up. The entire sum of movements would put them in line to perfectly blow out each other¡¯s brain, a perfect action of mutually assured destruction. Their movements spooked Mick, who sprung up and grabbed Loren, pulling him along towards the exit. It was only a few steps away...their escape from the hellish situation that had only lasted a minute. And finally, two men had been watching the situation carefully, and one finally sprung into action. Dominic and Wolf had kept themselves hidden by the stairs, and upon seeing Mick and the man in black run, could only assume that Mick was supposed to be Loren Dames. That was the person they needed to save. Even though Bear God, the one man he feared, was fighting off the two death-like figures Wolf could barely look at without feeling despair, he took advantage of that single chaotic moment to burst from his hiding spot and sprint out to the two escaping men. Dominic was close behind him. As he did, the movement didn¡¯t escape Bear God¡¯s perfect peripherals. His smile grew wider upon seeing his favorite pupil and he turned his head away from Shadow Komodo as the assassin struck. That was the only reason he did not perfectly block the attack. And Bear God didn¡¯t even realize the pain of losing a finger as he shouted out. ¡°Wolf! You changed your mind!¡± Then, like a bunch of marbles crashing down from a bucket, the aftereffects of that moment hit. Honey and Dark Cobra pulled the trigger at the same time, but a massive metal axehead came in the way, blocking the shots. The axe buried itself in Lance¡¯s leg, and the already punished man continued screaming as a bullet ricocheted and found itself slicing through the skin of his ear, moving through Dark Cobra¡¯s hair. The bullet Honey shot instead was lucky enough to pound into the bulletproof segments of the armor Ms. Lenz was wearing, though the woman gasped in shock from the pain. Dark Cobra didn¡¯t miss the feminine voice, even though Nightmare Gator¡¯s body crashed into her and Lance and knocked them over. The three were all wrapped up in a mess of limbs and bodies as they crashed into the wall. The gun bounced out of her hands as she screamed: ¡°Loren Dames is in the other black suit!¡± Hearing his name made Loren stop and turn, but he didn¡¯t wait for long as Mick continued pulling him along. Wolf and Dominic were running over, but compared to everyone else who had just been fighting, those two looked practically harmless. ¡°Ah, you¡¯re going to ignore me! Fine!¡± Without even caring that one of his fingers had been chopped off, Bear God turned his back to Shadow Komodo. But that wasn¡¯t an issue. The giant didn¡¯t know, but after using his technique, Shadow Komodo couldn¡¯t immediately act. The shock from using the rocket boosters on his blade strained his body too much and required him to relax. Wolf was one of the people who heard what Dark Cobra said. And as he watched the man completely clothed in black move, it seemed like a good enough bet. He needed to get this man out of here, before- Something flew past his face, and in that moment, it was like he was standing with his nose next to a speeding train. The object, a tire, slammed into the wall hard enough to crack it, then bounced again, striking another. All in all, it bounced around five times before the trajectory brought it back to Bear God¡¯s hand. The tire was a speeding missile of death, and upon seeing it, every single person in the room realized that if it hit you, it would mean death. Like being struck with a massive bludgeon, it would shatter any of your bones. This was a tactic Wolf knew well. The true fighting style of the terrorist revolutionary, Bear God, was his ability to instinctively know how to abuse angles. When he threw a tire, even though he didn¡¯t think about it, the wheel would bounce around until it went where he wanted it to go. He was the type of person who never missed when playing dodgeball, and the type of person who could score a goal as goalie by chucking the ball cross field. With his thrown weapon of choice being one reinforced with a steel inside, and weighing over 50 kilos, it was an extremely dangerous technique. Seeing it again was almost traumatic for Wolf, who still had tire marks all over his body from being beaten down with it. He had been hoping to escape without being seen by the man, but that wasn¡¯t going to happen any more. ¡°I said, pay attention to me,¡± Bear God said. Everyone had their eyes frozen on him. Now that his raw destructive power was unleashed, it became clear that if you stopped focusing on him and dropped your guard, he could instantly kill you from across the room. But even worse was that you wouldn¡¯t know if it was coming; the cruel angles and redirections of the bounce weren¡¯t something a normal person could gauge. Like how prey fears the predator without having ever been eaten, those who saw Bear God¡¯s fighting style knew that if he threw one of those tires, and he chose, someone would die. ¡°Wolf, I didn¡¯t know that you were here. I¡¯m glad you changed, if I understand, your mind.¡± Wolf was afraid. Not just for himself, but because he had a mission. He was afraid he would fail. ¡°No, Bear God,¡± Wolf started. He paused as his former leader knitted his brows. ¡°You¡¯re wrong. I haven¡¯t changed my mind. I¡¯m not gonna let you hurt this man.¡± ¡°Ohoho, lad, I¡¯m impressed, in a way, but also confused. Do I need to, as unfortunate as it may be, beat you into a pulp again, to make you come to the truth, as painful as it might be?¡± In the silence that was Wolf trying to figure out an answer, Dark Cobra had managed to crawl out of the pile she had been stuck in. In the collision, Nightmare Gator had smashed his head and was completely unconscious, and Lance was barely hanging on with his arms pinned underneath the black assassin. She held the point of her mancatcher out at Bear God, but still kept the corner of her eyes on Loren Dames, who was frozen in primal terror from the tire. ¡°Hey, I don¡¯t really care about your happy family reunion,¡± she said. ¡°Can you go do it somewhere else? And get the fuck out of here?¡± ¡°Huh!? Are you, some random old lady, telling me, Bear God, what to do!?¡± There was something in his sentence that triggered one of the only things in Dark Cobra¡¯s mind that angered her. Her grip tightened on her mancatcher, so hard that it started creaking as veins ran up her hand. ¡°What did you call me?¡± ¡°Look, old lady,¡± Bear God started, almost apologetic in tone. ¡°I don¡¯t know, nor do I care, who you are. But right now, I, and my friends, are coming to beat the shit, not literally, out of Loren Dames. Sorry if I offended you, in a manner of speaking, by calling you old, when you have such a young face. But your body says otherwise. There is nothing wrong with being old, you see, since even I, Bear God, am turning 53 years old this year.¡± ¡°You¡¯re...53...and you¡¯re calling me...old?¡± ¡°Hmm? Yeah, of course! You¡¯re probably in your sixties, or something like that, right old lady?¡± Shadow Komodo, who had been recovering in silence, felt the temperature drop. Normally his boss was cool and collected. But there were times where the facade of her internal fury escaped. She had been running the Black Viper for longer than he knew. Longer than he had been alive. But during those years, she always looked the same. From when he was just a new member until today. Anyone who asked questions or made assumptions ended up being mutilated. And when she started laughing, Komodo realized it was the end. Rumors said this happened once before. Back during the forming years of Black Viper, Dark Cobra had lost it. An entire zeppelin of people slaughtered, with only one person leaving, completely doused in blood. If the deadly threat presented by the speeding tire had not been enough to shake Komodo to the core, this was it. ¡°Is something funny?¡± Bear God asked, crossing his arms and raising an eyebrow. ¡°Another joke? Did I, unaware, make a joke?¡± ¡°A joke¡­ a joke¡­¡± She started slowly, then immediately cranked the insanity up to full speed. ¡°A JOKE A JOKE A JOKE A JOKE A JOKE A JOKE A JOKE A JOKE A JOKE A JOKE A JOKE A JOKE A JOKE A JOKE A JOKE A JOKE A JOKE A JOKE A JOKE A JOKE A JOKE A JOKE A JOKE A JOKE A JOKE A JOKE A JOKE A JOKE A JOKE A JOKE A JOKE A JOKE A JOKE A JOKE A JOKE A JOKE A JOKE A JOKE A JOKE AHKK-¡± The asian assassin started coughing violently, doubling over to grab at her head. After a second, she looked up. Her eyes were so wide that it looked like the eyelids had torn themselves apart. Actually, it looked like parts of her face were literally splitting. Unraveling themselves. ¡°What a funny joke? You are so funny! Hilarious! I can¡¯t stop laughing, right? Can¡¯t you hear me laughing?¡± She wasn¡¯t laughing. ¡°Alright. Now that I¡¯ve seen something so funny, I think I¡¯ve had enough with wasting time. I¡¯ll just kill every single person here. Then, we can have a body created to look like Loren Dames. No need actually keeping him alive or trying to fake a suicide. It¡¯ll cost a lot, but that¡¯s fine. All I need to do is take all of your wallets, and it¡¯ll completely make up for my money and time wasted. Right? Okay.¡± She nodded to herself. Then, she grabbed the top of her mancatcher and clicked a button. The head of the weapon started sliding down the staff, which began to collapse inwards. The scythe edge closed down, and after the transformation finished, the weapon looked quite unusual. The staff section was only about a meter long, and running along the length of it was the scythe edge. The mancatcher head had split itself, making a single spikey point at the tip of the weapon and another to hold the scythe blade in place. It looked completely unwieldy. Then the assassin disappeared. Only Bear God was able to track her movement, and he brought up his tire just in time to deflect her slash, then he was forced to jump backwards, taking a defensive stance for the first time in the combat. The clever trick of the weapon was now clear to him. When she swung the blade, the spiky and bladed mancatcher head would stab forward, ready to divide flesh. Like a spear, it was easy to predict and block. But immediately after the stab came the scythe, which was larger and sharper, and came from a considerable distance below. It meant the only way to defend one¡¯s self from this spear was to block twice, and as Bear God watched the woman spin the weapon in her hand, it became clear there wasn¡¯t any amount of defense that could completely block this weapon. And if stabbed with the mancatcher end, the scythe wound snap out and sever you like scissors. The two were completely still. Then, faster than any onlooker could perceive, they clashed. The stabs and strikes from Dark Cobra were faster than lightning, and each one struck twice. They came from every direction, and it took everything from Bear God¡¯s ability to predict direction that he could keep himself safe. But even that had limits, as cuts started appearing across his arms and chest as he was forced back, each step coming after a barrage. Nobody was expecting the rubber tire to pop, not even Bear God. It sounded like a massive explosion, and the battle between the two took momentary pause as Bear God dropped the metal rim to the ground. He smiled, sweat finally appearing on his brow. ¡°Well, I wasn¡¯t planning on it, nor did I expect it, but I gotta say, with all due respect, that I¡¯m impressed.¡± ¡°Shut the fuck up.¡± ¡°Wait! Boss, hold on!¡± Dark Cobra looked to Shadow Komodo, who was still kneeling on the ground holding his damaged arm. She looked ready to kill everything in sight, and he knew it. But his loyalty to the Black Viper was too strong to not say anything. ¡°Don¡¯t interrupt me.¡± ¡°But boss,¡± Komodo said. ¡°Loren Dames escaped¡­¡± ¡­ Dark Cobra turned her head in the direction of the target. All she could see was Nightmare Gator¡¯s body and axe, along with a bloody trail that went from his body to the door and a cowboy hat. The exit was open, and she couldn¡¯t see anyone in the distance outside. Bear God saw this at the same time, and realized the situation he was in. Better live to fight another day! Before Dark Cobra, or any of the others could do anything, the giant turned and bolted at top speeds in the opposite direction, vaulting over any obstacle before disappearing from sight. His escape was so sudden that Dark Cobra didn¡¯t even realize it until she turned around. Staring at the empty spaces where two target¡¯s she wanted to kill had been, the deep rage that had come to the surface slowly started to simmer. She tossed her weapon onto the ground and rubbed her temples. ¡°Ma¡¯am?¡± The plan had changed. ¡°We¡¯re still going to kill them all,¡± Dark Cobra said, her eyes filled with venom. ¡°Every single one of them. Slowly and painfully. Gather the men and start the chase. We¡¯ll make sure they suffer for what they¡¯ve done...and that means all of them.¡± Chapter 5 It was a ballsy move. Wolf was the one who initiated it, running over and whispering about how they needed to escape while Dark Cobra was slowly going crazy. Even though nobody knew who he was, Honey recognized Dominic, and the group was able to escape. The run out was long, but they hit the treeline unmolested. For the most part, none of these people had much trust between each other. But even still, as they charged down the grassy field and towards the streets, there was a sense of solidarity. Anything was better than staying back with those people. ¡°W-we need to go to the police,¡± Dominic said, breathing heavy. Out of everyone, the only person more winded then him was Mick. ¡°We...need¡­¡± ¡°No, that¡¯s a bad idea,¡± Honey said. She fixed her hair. ¡°We can¡¯t do that.¡± ¡°Why?¡± It was Mick who asked. Out of the people standing there, in the tree covering right next to the street, only one of them had any idea why Honey would say something like that. And that person was in the worst shape out of the group. ¡°She¡¯s right,¡± Lance said, coughing out blood. His hands were shaking, and he looked quite pale. He had even lost his trademark hat back during the fight. ¡°Do what she says. I hate to say it, but I trust her.¡± ¡°Why?¡± ¡°Dark Cobra,¡± Honey started. ¡°Is what they said. That¡¯s what they called that asian woman. I can¡¯t say I¡¯ve ever met her before, but I¡¯ve definitely heard the name before, in my work. She¡¯s a member of Black Viper, and as far as professional assassins go, they¡¯re good. Not as good as Jackal, of course, but close. Though I can¡¯t say I¡¯ve heard of ¡®Bear God¡¯ before.¡± Upon saying Bear God¡¯s name, she glanced at Wolf. He nodded. As they continued into the empty streets, Wolf explained. ¡°Bear God is an anarchist extremist. I¡¯m a member of his group, or I was, until yesterday. They believe in liberating society and other good things like that, but sometimes Bear God takes things too far. Once he learned Loren was coming into the city, he wanted to meet him. But then, when he learned Loren advocated against political violence, something Bear God thinks is the only solution, he decided to beat the sense into him. Into you, excuse me.¡± Wolf said that to Loren, who had removed his mask during the run. Loren smiled in response. ¡°He doesn¡¯t kill people like that. That was why I was never really against it before. But what he does do is beat them within inches of their life, and usually they come away from his beatings with permanent damage. I...I couldn¡¯t let that happen to someone actually fighting for our values. I didn¡¯t want you to change your mind.¡± Though he wanted to stay as detached from Loren as possible, Wolf eventually came to be apologizing directly to the violinist, as if he were the one who planned the attack. But Loren didn¡¯t seem to care about any of that. ¡°Well, I can¡¯t agree with being violent,¡± Loren said. ¡°But at the very least, I¡¯m sure he has good intentions at heart. Nobody is a bad person.¡± ¡°Ha,¡± Mick laghed. ¡°As if. Those people were psychos.¡± Then as if realizing something, he turned to the other person who had disguised themselves. ¡°Ms. Lenz, are you alright?¡± ¡°I-I...I¡¯m fine¡­¡± ¡°That¡¯s good to hear,¡± Mick said. They rounded a corner and went down the alley. These weren¡¯t the types of areas Mick was used to, but he trusted Lance, who was limping alongside Honey. None of this had gone as he expected. But they were still alive, which was the only important thing. ¡°But anyway, why can¡¯t we go to the police? If you¡¯re worried they¡¯ll arrest you, we could just part ways, or pretend you¡¯re someone else.¡± ¡°Huh? Oh, none of that matters to me,¡± Honey said, turning her head. The sudden movement made Lance wince. ¡°The problem is influence.¡± ¡°Influence? You don¡¯t mean¡­¡± ¡°That¡¯s exactly what I mean,¡± Honey replied. ¡°Black Viper have people in the police. I thought that was pretty obvious, though. I mean, come on, think about it. Why wouldn¡¯t they help guard the concert? I¡¯m sure you contacted them, and they probably gave some excuse as to why they couldn¡¯t help. Then, during that entire showdown, nobody showed up. Even now, as we creep around, there isn¡¯t a single blue uniform in sight.¡± She said this without much emotion. As if it were just a matter of fact. ¡°Those are the big assassin groups. The untouchable ones. Of course, if you have professionals like me and Lance over here, they can¡¯t do much.¡± ¡°Didn¡¯t do much in that fight,¡± Mick muttered, which earned him a dirty stare from Honey. ¡°Nothing. I said nothing.¡± ¡°Uh-huh,¡± she said. They were in a small square in the alleys, right next to a dumpster. Overhead was a metal covering, and the only light came from streetlights in the distance. She dropped Lance off there and pulled a pistol from her pants. ¡°Hey, Lance. Anyone in particular you need to change into to deal with this?¡± Because nobody knew what she was doing, when Honey pressed the barrel of her gun to his forehead, their eyes widened. ¡°Yea...good morning...Hippolyta¡­¡± Wolf reached out to stop her, but the deed was done. Everyone jumped at the sight of Lance¡¯s brains being blasted against the wall behind him. Mick was the quickest to regain his composure as Dominic ran over to the headless man. ¡°What the fuck!? Why did you kill him!?¡± He grabbed her by the collar, but she blew at his face, and something got stuck in his eyes, like dust. Mick suddenly felt his energy sapped. Dark thoughts overcame him...but he felt good. That whatever was happening wasn¡¯t bad. ¡°Just relax,¡± Honey said. She looked at Wolf, who was standing in front of Loren in a fighting pose. ¡°Relax~ I¡¯m not doing anything bad. Just watch.¡± Before she finished, Dominic leapt backwards and screamed. Lance¡¯s head was slowly regrowing. A dozen small orbs, connected by tentacles, had started climbing out of his brainstem, and were poking and prodding at the world around his skull wound. Inside each small orb was a brain, and they seemed to be wrapping around each other and fighting. However, in the end, it looked like one won out, and the others started slinking back. That sole brain began expanding, and the blasted skull that was leaking fluid started sealing itself up. And as that happened, Lance¡¯s heavily damaged body began curling up. Flesh started growing perversely, covering his body and building over his wounds. After a few seconds of growth, the flesh blob covered his entire body,and it started pulsing. ¡°Huh? Did none of you know he could do that?¡± Even though she was asking, Honey¡¯s face made it clear she knew they didn¡¯t know. She just wanted to watch them squirm in confusion. ¡°What¡­¡± ¡°Uh¡­¡± ¡°What the hell¡­¡± Everyone just stared. The man named Lance Gordon suddenly became very mysterious. Suddenly, the earlier change from his enlarged head to a regular person made sense, and Mick was beginning to piece things together as his stupor ended. Loren and Ms. Lenz, on the other hand, couldn¡¯t make heads to tails of this. ¡°Pay him no mind,¡± Honey said. ¡°Lance is a special little boy. You just gotta shoot him and he¡¯ll wake up one hundred percent better. But...I have no idea how long this¡¯ll last. Hmm. Okay then. Lance, I¡¯m not sure if you can hear me in there, but we¡¯re gonna go to the Hawk¡¯s Nest for the time being. We¡¯ll meet you there.¡± ¡°We¡¯re going where?¡± Upon hearing the name of his workplace, Dominic¡¯s face went white. ¡°Lead the way, Dominic!¡± *** While it was probably a bad idea to just leave Lance there, defenseless, there wasn¡¯t much else they could do. If he didn¡¯t heal, he would die, and Honey knew that Lance would make the best decision as far as transformations went. With Wolf and Loren¡¯s help, the group managed to throw his mass of flesh into the dumpster, then closed the lid on top of him. If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. After that, they took the slow journey to the Hawk¡¯s Nest. Because they didn¡¯t know where they might run into either the Bear God Army or the Black Vipers, they stuck to the side streets and alleyways. The dark was good for cover, but they also made sure to grab clothes and fix basic disguises for themselves. Anything to help from being seen. Which fortunately, didn¡¯t happen. The underground clinic sat alone on a street, the two lots next to it demolished long ago. It was late night, but the service was open 24/7, and a glowing neon sign on the top of the building read out: Hawk¡¯s Nest, and there was a crummy fading plastic sign with a picture of a bird in a doctor¡¯s coat. Sitting at the front desk, reading the newspaper, was Lyle, and as he heard the bell on the door ring, he looked up. ¡°Hey, welcome to-¡± Then he froze. Dominic was looking weak, followed by a whole slew of people Lyle didn¡¯t recognize. Actually, on second thought, he knew Honey and he knew the rough looking man who¡¯d been healing on their beds earlier. ¡°Dom¡­¡± Lyle started to say. Before he could, Dominic clapped his hands together as if in prayer. ¡°Please! Lyle, please! You gotta help us!¡± ¡°What the hell is going on bro?¡± ¡°I can explain,¡± Honey said, stepping up next to Dominic. She paused, thinking about her words. ¡°Actually, no, I probably can¡¯t. It¡¯s kind of complicated. All that matters is we need to stay here for a bit while I call Hanson. Hawk owes me, so he shouldn¡¯t have a problem with this.¡± ¡°Ah, you say he owes you, and I¡¯m sure he¡¯d like to pay it back,¡± Lyle said. ¡°But he¡¯s also pissed as hell right now.¡± ¡°What? Why?¡± ¡°Because these two dumbfucks over here stole his car. I didn¡¯t see it come back...Dom...please don¡¯t tell me¡­¡± Oh no. Dominic couldn¡¯t even comprehend the amount of trouble he was going to be in, and the horrible yelling that would greet him. The man fainted and slumped down on the ground. ¡°Well, now you¡¯ve got no choice but to help us.¡± *** It just so happened to be a stroke of luck that Dr. Hawk and Rico were out drinking. A common occurrence. Lyle brought the group inside to the kitchen on the second floor, where Lisa was watching tv. She blanched upon seeing Honey, but when Dominic explained how they needed to stay there for a short time, the practicing healer submitted. Because none of them had really eaten anything, they found a stash of mashed potatoes and shared them around the table. ¡°So, Loren, what made you become a violinist, anyway?¡± ¡°Hmm,¡± Loren started. ¡°Well, I guess I just always liked making music. Not just violin, but all types of music. There¡¯s something about it that makes it incredible. Like, no matter who you are or what you do, you can appreciate music. When I realized that, it all just sort of made sense to me. If this was what I could do to make the world a better place, wouldn¡¯t it be wrong for me to do anything else? ¡°And so that¡¯s why I want to share what I create. Not just because I love it myself, but because I want people to feel the same as I do. If I can inspire a single person out there, doesn¡¯t that mean someone else will do just as much good as I? The overall amount of good in the world will grow and grow and grow. There¡¯s no upward limit. ¡°But just inspiring people isn¡¯t enough. I can¡¯t just pretend that music alone can save the world, and that¡¯s why I decided to try and teach people about how to be good instead of just playing violin. If everyone just opens their heart, and if we as humans decide to just be good to each other, can¡¯t we change the world for better? Even with devils and demons and all that to the south, I believe if we just open our hearts and try to understand them, the world could be made better.¡± ¡°That¡¯s my noble Loren,¡± Mick said, patting his musician on the back. ¡°Always doing good.¡± ¡°Haha, well, I certainly couldn¡¯t do it without you,¡± Loren said. ¡°And thanks to all of you. If none of you helped out tonight, in your own way, there wouldn¡¯t have been any way I got out of there safely. For that, I can¡¯t help but feel like I¡¯m blessed. Proof that good things can happen, just so long as you open your heart.¡± The sheer innocence and good nature of the man made everyone at the table blush. It was naivety, but it also made them want to protect this fully grown man and prove him right. Loren was the kind of person who made people better. ¡°Damn it,¡± Honey said, setting the phone down. ¡°He isn¡¯t home. Okay, well, for the time being, we probably can¡¯t fight against those two freaks, so we¡¯ll need to come up with a different plan. Any ideas?¡± ¡°Wait, aren¡¯t you supposed to be the one to figure this out?¡± Mick asked. ¡°Isn¡¯t that what I¡¯m paying you for?¡± ¡°I haven¡¯t gotten paid yet!¡± ¡°That¡¯s because we haven¡¯t all survived yet,¡± Mick replied. ¡°Anyway, we haven¡¯t had a chance to grab any cash. How could we pay you when we¡¯ve been on the run the entire time?¡± Honey growled, knowing she couldn¡¯t say anything. ¡°As far as plans go, there probably isn¡¯t much we can do. I guess run for it. Get on a train and leave the city, or maybe a car. It¡¯d be dangerous, but if you don¡¯t think the police are going to help, that¡¯s probably the only thing we can do, right?¡± ¡°Probably,¡± Wolf said. ¡°That¡¯ll at least work for Bear God. He may be dedicated, but his memory is short. If you¡¯re out of sight long enough, you¡¯ll go out of mind for him.¡± ¡°The Black Viper has no such compulsions,¡± Honey said. ¡°They¡¯ll hunt you down to the ends of the UE to fulfill a contract. They¡¯ve got an obsession with professionalism, and so long as someone wants Loren¡¯s head, they¡¯ll be coming.¡± ¡°Damnit,¡± Mick said, rubbing his chin. ¡°But they don¡¯t control the cops everywhere, right? We can just go to another city or district and get protection?¡± ¡°Or, you could just let Loren die,¡± Honey whispered. The opportunity for her to suggest that as an option was perfect, while the three of them had been talking about the plot, Ms. Lenz, Loren, and Dominic got distracted by Lisa and were playing a board game. It was nice that they could relax in such a tense situation. ¡°I can¡¯t imagine anyone would have such a massive hit on your head as well, but who knows? Perhaps you¡¯ve been naughty¡­¡± ¡°I¡­¡± Mick started. ¡°No. I don¡¯t want Mr. Dam- Loren, to die. I¡¯m a shitty manager, but my job is to make sure he makes money. If he goes, all my income vanishes.¡± ¡°Are you sure? I¡¯d bet the sales of his records post mortem are astronomical.¡± ¡°You¡­¡± Honey smiled. ¡°I¡¯m joking,¡± she said, though you couldn¡¯t tell whether it was a lie or not from her tone. ¡°Just wanted to make sure that you¡¯re actually on our side.¡± ¡°W-what!?¡± ¡°The thought just occurred to me,¡± Honey said. ¡°About this entire thing. It seems strange that the Black Viper would send a letter claiming to be Jackal. That doesn¡¯t make sense. And I¡¯m assuming Bear God wouldn¡¯t do something like that either, right Wolf? As I suspected. That limits the possible sender down quite a bit. The way the assassins found you so quickly, and how you just so happened to end up in the changing room, just minutes before they showed up, without seeing anything...well, I don¡¯t want to make any random accusations, but from my perspective, as someone hired to protect the three of you, I gotta say you¡¯re the most suspicious person. You don¡¯t happen to be a trained killer, are you?¡± ¡°How dare you?¡± ¡°Again, I¡¯m joking. Gotta lighten the mood up a bit, right? Anyway, your idea about running could work, but if we can get a hold of my brother, then he¡¯ll be able to kill all of them. He nevers loses a fight.¡± She said it with such confidence that both Wolf and Mick couldn¡¯t help but wonder what kind of incredible strength her brother must have. *** --That very same moment, across the city-- Hanson landed on the ground and rolled. There was blood on his hands and he was breathing heavy. He looked back, horrified to see his pursuer standing at the top of the building he had just jumped off of. ¡°Oh Hansoooon~,¡± Luise sang. ¡°Slow down! Just try a bite! There¡¯s nothing weird that Honey gave me in it, I swear!¡± In her hands was a pie that smelled god awful and looked burnt. *** Ahem. Back to the important people, shall we? *** ¡°Yes,¡± Honey continued. ¡°If we can get him to help us, there won¡¯t be any problems. We just need to wait it out.¡± The sound of a bell ringing downstairs was an omen that made everyone freeze. Had they been caught? Who was it? Their worries were quickly resolved as two older men appeared from the stairway. The first was the younger of the two, probably in his later 40s; a tanned man with short black hair and a lazy face. He was holding in his hands a bag of food and a bottle of half drunk whiskey in the other. The second man was older, with grey hairs and a stern beard. The owner of the Hawk¡¯s Nest, Dr. Hawk. His expression was already dark upon entering the room, and as he gazed over all the unwelcome intruders, eating his food and dirtying his floor, then got to Wolf and Dominic, who both looked away sheepishly, his face got darker and darker until it looked like a shadow with white dots for eyes. ¡°Why¡­¡± even his voice was full of barely restrained anger. ¡°Are these people all in my house...Lisa..?¡± ¡°Ah, Dr. Hawk,¡± she started. Her awkward voice made it clear that even though she could normally control the man, it probably wouldn¡¯t work in a situation like this. ¡°Well, you see, they came here, and Honey said you owed her a favor. Yeah, that¡¯s it.¡± Clever girl, Honey thought. Shift all the blame onto me. I will repay you for this slight. ¡°I¡¯m just gonna make it simple, Rowan,¡± Honey started. ¡°We were being chased by dangerous assassins. This man here.¡± She put her hand on Mick. ¡°Hired us to protect him. And he said he would graciously pay for any damages we cause, as well as anything we take. So, if you need to blame anyone for this, it would be him.¡± ¡°W-what!? How dare you?¡± ¡°Ha. Hahaha. Hahahahahahahahahahaha.¡± Oh fuck, everyone thought. He¡¯s losing it. ¡°Ha. Well, if that¡¯s the case,¡± Dr. Hawk said, smiling lethally. ¡°I think my payment will be organs. I expect some from all who ate at my table.¡± Awkward silence reigned as Dr. Hawk stepped forward, walking directly through all those who were sitting. He walked over to the kitchen counter, and grabbed a kitchen knife from its holder, twirling it in his hand the way only a trained knife fighter could. ¡°Rico, if you could,¡± Dr. Hawk started, reaching his hand over to open a window to let in the breeze. ¡°Make sure none of them escape as I take my payment.¡± As the window shuttered open, the wind pushed away the curtains, and from across the way on top of a building, a glint could be seen. Of course, nobody noticed. Not until there was a distant pop as Dr. Hawk¡¯s ear got sliced in two and Mick took a bullet directly in the chest, killing him instantly. Intermission --Earlier-- ¡°What the hell is this?¡± Following the trail of blood, four Black Viper scouts had come across a large mass of flesh that had been forced into a dumpster. They poked and prodded at it, not sure what to make of the strange sight. It was most likely some kind of Institute mess, but could it have something to do with the target they were hunting? ¡®Follow the blood trail,¡¯ Dark Cobra had said. She seemed in an evil mood. ¡®Slaughter the one who is bleeding, and anyone with him. Relay your position back at all times, and do not hesitate to call for backup.¡¯ ¡°Do you think it¡¯s dangerous?¡± ¡°I¡¯m not worried if it could hurt us, I¡¯m just wondering whether or not it has something to do with our target. I mean, this is where the blood trail leads.¡± ¡°True. Oh! I heard that Institute monsters hate fire. Should we burn it?¡± ¡°Fuck if I know. Go ahead.¡± The one man who asked lit a match and tried to catch the fleshy blob on fire, but it didn¡¯t seem to do much. With a sigh, he stomped the match out. ¡°Seems like this was a bust. I guess we gotta keep searching?¡± But the mass shuddered, and instantly the men regained focus and took distance from it, aiming their weapons. The abomination moved, like the inside of a womb, and it looked like there was someone inside, trying to crawl out. There were hands, inside, and a face, trying to push against the skin. And eventually, it found a spot and burst through, spilling out a tall and muscular man with blonde hair. He coughed out some kind of strange mucus that also coated him; whatever that goo was, it also filled the flesh blob. As the man made distance from it, the assassins¡¯ jaws dropped as the skin started to molt away, melting and dispersing into fumes until it was almost completely gone. Slowly, the man stood up, completely in the nude. He looked confused and blinked at the men who had taken cover. ¡°Uh...where am I? Are you Black Viper?¡± Nobody could expect even the best trained assassin not to panic at the sight of this man and his knowledge of who they were. He had to be a target. So the men opened fire on him, shredding his body into swiss cheese. *** ¡°Have we heard anything?¡± Dark Cobra asked, rubbing her face with a moisture pad. If there was one way to help her stress, it was a good massage. ¡°Anything of use, I guess I should clarify.¡± ¡°Nope,¡± Shadow Komodo replied. His arm was in a cast; Bear God had fractured a few of his bones, and using his special sword technique made it worse. Now he was entirely on intel duty. ¡°Nada. Zilch. Everyone is combing out into the city. I was expecting the guys tracking the blood trail would¡¯ve found something, but they went quiet a while ago.¡± ¡°They went quiet?¡± ¡°Yes, that is what I said.¡± ¡°Did they see or hear anything before that? Can you contact them?¡± ¡°Not that I know of, here, give me a second, I¡¯ll reach out.¡± Shadow Komodo left the car she was in and went to one of the trailers they had parked out of the concert hall. It was their temporary base. He grabbed a headset that was connected to their mass radio device. It could connect to multiple walkie talkies, and almost like the switchboards of old, could be connected in many sorts of ways to direct individuals. It was a special device, and the outgoing communications were on such a wavelength that they couldn¡¯t be captured by anything but the exact receivers. Komodo had no idea how it worked; the Black Viper got tons of gear from the Institute, but he was only ever trained in how to use it. Nothing more. He located the scouting squad¡¯s number and connected, hearing static. ¡°Hello? Anyone there?¡± ... Chills ran down his spine and his throat went dry. Why? Half a second after he spoke, from only a meter behind him, he heard: ¡®Hello? Anyone there?¡¯ From right behind him, without making a sound, someone had appeared. Komodo could sense his presence; the heat from this intruders body. How had he entered the trailer? Was he here the entire time? The walkie talkie landed in front of Shadow Komodo. When he turned, a hand grabbed the front of his face and slammed the back of his head down on the machine. He tried to swing his good arm around, but whoever was attacking him lifted the man in the air and smashed him down hard enough on the ground that Komodo heard the sounds of bones cracking. You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story. A foot placed itself on Komodo¡¯s currently stunned face, pushing down on his eyes hard enough to make his skull creak. He heard a voice that sounded like hell. Like metal grating on metal. Deep and guttural. ¡°Weak.¡± The foot pulled off of Komodo¡¯s face, and he could see again. Standing over him, completely naked, was the man in the cowboy hat who had tried to escape with Loren Dames earlier. The one who was bleeding from heavy wounds. But there was something different about him. The man was larger, and his muscles were so tight to his skin that it looked like they were going to rip out. No, that was wrong. They were ripping out. Veins and other parts of his body were bleeding, his skin only looking like some kind of plastic barely stretching enough to hold the insides of this man. His face was sharper, more direct, and his teeth had grown to be sharp. His sclera were black and his eyes red, and two massive horns had sprouted from his forehead. ¡°I would kill you...but.¡± The man crouched down, purposefully letting his manhood rest on Komodo¡¯s face. ¡°That would be what they want. No, the best thing for me to do would be to help you. Of course, would your boss accept that? Tell me her real name, or I¡¯ll make sure everything in your body is outside before you lose consciousness.¡± *** Dark Cobra had her eyes covered by a warm towel when a finger pierced through the side of her mouth and held like a hook. Another hand reached out and grabbed her throat, closing tight enough to pinch her veins shut and cut off her blood flow. She couldn¡¯t even react as this assailant flipped her over and smashed her face first into the ground, busting her nose. This attacker grabbed her from behind and flipped her over, then punched her in the stomach. Then again on her diaphragm. She gasped out, her body unable to logically take so much pain in such a short time. This stimulus was making her unable to act in any meaningful way. Again, the hands grabbed her, lifted her up, then slammed her on her back. A massive naked body sat itself on top of her chest, keeping her from moving and making it almost impossible to breathe. She blinked rapidly to clear the haze of pain from her eyes, then recognized who it was. ¡°Y-you¡­¡± ¡°Yes, me,¡± the attacker said with a hellish american accent. ¡°I¡¯m pleased to meet you, Evelyn Heres. How interesting, I thought you were supposed to be asian, but I guess the mask is slipping. Not your real face. Pathetic, in every sense of the word. If I were a better man, I¡¯d break every bone in your body and make you beg for death before I let the birds pick at you. Unfortunately, I¡¯m not.¡± The man stood up and spun her seat around, sitting in it as though he didn¡¯t have a single care in the world. He was casually relaxing as if he owned everything, and crossed his legs as Dark Cobra tried to sit up as best she could. None of her weapons were nearby, and there wasn¡¯t any way she could kill this man without them. The difference is skill was just too great. From those attacks he had made, she could tell this person was the most skilled fighter she had ever seen. But how was he okay? He should be dead. ¡°Ah, you¡¯re wondering why I¡¯m not dead, aren¡¯t you?¡± ¡°!¡± ¡°Haha, that look of surprise on your face is hilarious. You¡¯re really kind of a retard, aren¡¯t you? Well, I guess it¡¯d be hard to predict something like this happening. You didn¡¯t know who you were fighting against, did you?¡± ¡°Who...who are you?¡± He got out of the chair and grabbed her by the chin, forcing her to look him in the demonic eyes, his nose close enough to brush against hers as his two massive horns cut through her scalp. He smiled wide, and his breath smelled like ash. ¡°This body is called Lance Gordon. Those pieces of shit call themselves the Herculean Odysseus. Retarded name, huh? I can¡¯t tell whose more stupid; you or them.¡± She knew the name. He was an Institute project who had earned his freedom years ago and did detective and bodyguard work. He wasn¡¯t the type to do horrible crimes, and protecting people was a better fit. But this wasn¡¯t Lance Gordon, the shining beacon boy scout. This was someone completely different. ¡°Yes, that¡¯s right. I¡¯m not Lance Gordon. Lance Gordon is a fake, made by 11 fucking retards that share a body. Share my body. I am the true ruler of this form, and everything before me is just a slave to my desires.¡± Was he reading her mind? How? ¡°No, I¡¯m not reading your mind. I¡¯m just fucking smart. I am a true godlike being. The greatest creation to ever come out of the Institute. The fucking monster to come out. And unlike my shitty slaves, the ones who keep me contained, I don¡¯t play nice or fair. I kill. The world exists only for me to destroy, and the longer I¡¯m held from it, the angrier I get. ¡°But sadly, destroying you and all of your pathetic underlings would actually help the slaves inside of me. No, I want them to suffer. Their happiness is my pain, and their pain is my happiness. So, for the time being, I¡¯m going to be assisting you. I¡¯ll help you kill Loren Dames, and then I¡¯ll kill all of the people protecting him. Because I know it would cause them unspeakable anguish, I¡¯ll let you live, and I¡¯ll purge all memories of you from our collective databanks so they can¡¯t get revenge. With my help, solely due to me, Loren Dames will be killed. And all I ask for is your disposable men.¡± He slapped her face gently, twice, tearing the hole in her face open wider. He didn¡¯t even let her respond to his question, because he knew there wasn¡¯t any answer other than yes. As he pulled his face away and spun in her chair, he continued his soliloquy. ¡°Currently, those retards escaped to the Hawk¡¯s Nest. They think that place is safe, because it¡¯s a neutral zone, but who gives a fuck about that? If your men slaughter everyone inside, nobody would be able to tell they did it. I¡¯ll be taking over all operations from here, and I¡¯ll be going into the field as well. You can just sit your useless ass down and make yourself pretty. That¡¯s about all you¡¯re good for, isn¡¯t it?¡± She thought her desire to kill someone had never been higher than with the russian earlier today, but this person took the cake. He literally thought nothing of speaking about her like trash with his back turned. If she had a weapon¡­ ¡°It wouldn¡¯t do anything, bitch,¡± the man said. ¡°You can¡¯t possibly harm me. I saw you earlier. Both you and that fat retard with the mutton chops wouldn¡¯t be able to touch a single hair on my head. There are only two people I know in the world who could even come close to making me sweat, and neither are in this district. Oh, you need something to call me, right? You need a name to remember, so that every time you lay in bed at night and cry, thinking of my absolute superiority over you, there¡¯s something you can curse, right?¡± He grabbed a cigar from a box that had been resting nearby, then spit out a gout of flame from his mouth to light it. ¡°The real owner of this body is me. Because I own this body, I am in possession of the world. And my name is Cerberus.¡± Chapter 6 The force of being shot knocked Mick back in his chair and his head slumped over to the side with lifeless eyes. Blood was spilling from his chest and mouth. The first person to react in this situation was Hoeny. She leapt across the room to grab Loren and force him down to the ground, even though there weren¡¯t any uncovered windows on that side of the room. The entire kitchen/living room area had two windows on each side, except one (which was opposite to where the shot came from), but all of them had curtains drawn. ¡°Get down!¡± Dr. Hawk shouted as he ducked, another bullet zooming by where his head had just been. He felt around with his hand to grab the window and shut it. ¡°Rico!¡± The third person most suited for this situation was Rico, who had been a military sniper for years. He made himself small against the wall and crept along, pulling the curtains tight. ¡°Get close to the wall,¡± he said, looking at Dominic, who was frozen in the situation. ¡°Keep your head down. The walls will protect from most gunfire.¡± Wolf grabbed Dominic and Ms. Lenz and pulled them to where Honey had Loren. The group crept closer to the wall, while Lisa was army crawling over to Mick. Dr. Hawk was still in the kitchen and watched her. ¡°He dead?¡± She nodded. ¡°Fuck,¡± Dr. Hawk said. ¡°God dammit. Who are these people you brought here? They¡¯re shooting into a fucking hospital? And how the fuck did they follow you!? Pay attention to your god damn tracks.¡± ¡°I did,¡± Honey said. Perhaps letting Lance live was a bad idea, in retrospect. ¡°Maybe they¡¯ve got trackers in their clothing? Loren, Ms. Lenz, strip down.¡± ¡°Huh? Right now?¡± ¡°B-but¡­¡± ¡°Just splash some water on them,¡± Rico said. He grabbed a piece of paper from the board game the group was playing earlier, and slowly poked it out of the window. ¡°If they¡¯re fully doused, it¡¯ll screw with the electronics.¡± ¡°They¡¯re using Institute equipment.¡± ¡°...¡± Rico didn¡¯t have a response to that. ¡°You didn¡¯t answer my damn questions, I noticed,¡± Dr. Hawk said. ¡°Who the hell are these guys?¡± ¡°Black Viper,¡± Honey responded. ¡°Or Bear God Army. One or the other.¡± ¡°No, this isn¡¯t the Bear God Army,¡± Wolf said. Dr. Wolf narrowed his eyes at the man who ran from the clinic earlier without paying. ¡°We¡¯re all a bunch of dumbasses, but we¡¯re not dumbasses who do stuff like shooting people without warning them. And the members know now to attack places like hospitals.¡± ¡°Black Vipers, then. Doc, you don¡¯t happen to have a sneaky way out of here, do you?¡± ¡°The hell you think this place is?¡± While the two were tense with each other, Loren was only staring at the corpse of his old friend and manager. Violence was wrong. Loren hated it. That¡¯s why he went around the UE, trying to spread messages of peace. Even if he knew, somewhere deep down, that Mick didn¡¯t agree with the types of preaching Loren did, at least the man supported him. Even if it was for his own greedy means, Mick was Loren¡¯s ally. The violinist felt a tear emerge from his eye, and he couldn¡¯t remember ever feeling such sadness. He was a man who lived solely for the good in life, so he barely spent time thinking or dwelling on the bad. It was a sheltered life that began to crack upon the sight of death. Not just the imaginary, theoretical death of people he didn¡¯t know, but the death of someone close. He stood up, pushing Honey aside, as a loud blast sound came from downstairs. ¡°Lyle,¡± Rico said, his eyes widening. He looked to Dr. Hawk, who nodded. ¡°I¡¯m going down.¡± ¡°What the hell are you doing!?¡± Honey asked Loren, as Rico went to the stairs and began heading down. ¡°If you die how the hell am I getting paid?¡± ¡°They want me, right?¡± Loren asked. ¡°Then I¡¯ll go out and surrender. That way this¡¯ll all be over.¡± ¡°Over!?!? That does me no good! I need money!!¡± Downstairs, Rico was prepared for the worst. But things weren¡¯t quite as bad as he suspected. The loud bang had come from the shotgun in Lyle¡¯s hands, and the front door was half shattered from his blast. A man in all black was dead, blood splattered against the wall, and Lyle was standing over him. ¡°Rico! What the hell is going on?¡± ¡°We¡¯re under attack!¡± More gunshots came through the door, and Lyle braced himself against the wall. Damn, if only the lock hadn¡¯t been broken. Lyle blasted the shotgun through the passageway without looking, then reloaded with the slugs he had forced into his pocket. After Wolf had broken down the door, the crew realized they should have more weapons at the ready, so Lyle had been keeping one under the visitor¡¯s desk. ¡°Is everyone okay?¡± Rico thought about the man who was shot. He didn¡¯t even know that person¡¯s name. ¡°More or less. There are snipers at the windows.¡± Another few bullets started flying by. Lyle only had precious few slugs, so he didn¡¯t react. ¡°What the hell are we going to do about this?¡± That sentiment resonated throughout the entire Hawk¡¯s Nest. *** --Earlier-- ¡°Damn! With all that happened, and with my mind so confused, but not in a bad way, I didn¡¯t even realize my finger had disappeared!¡± Bear God said, sitting atop the bus his men came in as it drove away from the concert hall. ¡°For this, we will need to be getting revenge.¡± And it wasn¡¯t just that. The Bear God Army had suffered heavy casualties. They were underequipped, and didn¡¯t like killing people, but that didn¡¯t matter to the black suits. Those bastards wanted blood. They tried their best to kill, though none used any gods. Rather, knives and other blades were used, and many in the Bear God Army were hurt or killed. For a group normally so full of energy, as they drove away, beaten and bloody, nobody save Bear God could feel anything but somber. One of the lieutenants of the army, Ricky, popped his head out of a hatch to speak with Bear God. The lieutenant had a scar over his face, one of his eyes missing from the battle and patched over by a cloth. ¡°Bear God...what happened to your finger? Who were those guys, and who fought you?¡± ¡°Hahahaha! Ricky! This might surprise you, because I am very smart, but the unfortunate truth is, that I have no idea! But luckily for us, and not for them, not knowing who they are, and or aren¡¯t, doesn¡¯t matter! In the end! Because we know what they want. That is the most important thing, in my opinion!¡± ¡°What they want?¡± Bear God¡¯s eyes widened, and the insanity that guided his every decision looked forward. ¡°Loren James, the guitarist, is their target. Assassins. But the interesting thing, in all of this, is not those assassins in black, not at all. Can you guess who I saw, when I lost this finger?¡± ¡°Who you saw? I¡¯ve got no idea.¡± ¡°Wolf.¡± That sobered Ricky up. Wolf was a good friend of everyone in the Bear God Army, and he was a phenomenal fighter. The only person he couldn¡¯t defeat was Bear God, but that much was obvious. Nobody could beat the pinnacle of man. When the Bear God Army decided to attack Loren Dames and change his mind, the only person who tried to rebel against that decision was Wolf. But as valiantly as Wolf fought, he couldn¡¯t overpower Bear God¡¯s will, and so with his defeat came the defeat of anyone who hoped to protect Dames. Ricky was one of those people. In fact, most of the Bear God Army actually didn¡¯t support this, and even though they liked violence, considered using it on allies to be a mistake. Only one person tried to change the group¡¯s mind, and he was soundly beaten. ¡°He was there? How?¡± ¡°No idea,¡± Bear God replied. Even though he looked energetic, for the first time in a long while, his words had grown soft. ¡°But Wolf was there. Ran like a coward, from me, but who could blame him? And you know what? They got Mr. Guitarman. That means, if you think about it, the one who defeated us, at that moment, was not the old lady and her friends in black. It was, very surprisingly, Wolf.¡± Elation rose in Ricky. Even though he dared not say it out loud, the thought of Wolf protecting Loren Dames was one that gave him hope. If Wolf could move after the horrible beating he received, perhaps he could do some real good. ¡°So, Ricky, do you know, deep in your heart, what we must do?¡± ¡°?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t like it, and I¡¯ll never repeat it, but right now, at this exact moment in history, I must admit my defeat. And it was, because of his actions, that I lost this finger. I will remember his revolution. But this is not a time for sadness, or revenge, even after everything, that was bad, happened. For now, we must help our friend. You said earlier, that Wolf was chased, to a hospital called Birdyland?¡± ¡°Er...something like that¡­¡± ¡°Then, it should be obvious, but we know where to go first, to help our friend!¡± *** ¡°They¡¯ve got the windows covered,¡± came from the scouter on his walkie talkie. ¡°We¡¯ve got no visuals, and our men at the front door say that they¡¯re armed. A squad was sent to the back of the building to enter through the back entrance, but it seems like they¡¯ve got it well locked. Do we go in loud?¡± Sitting at the command desk, in front of the radio switchboard, Dark Cobra growled. That horned bastard didn¡¯t care about anything. Through sheer brutality he commanded, and his orders were sacrificial at best. ¡®Send them all in through the front door,¡¯ Cerberus had said before going off on his own. ¡®Eventually, the smell of shit and blood will cause everyone in the building to faint, and then I can kill them while they can¡¯t resist. Not even giving them a chance to fight back would be the most absolute despair I could inflict on my slaves.¡¯ He didn¡¯t care about the actual logistics, and he didn¡¯t care about their mission. That was obviously, and to some extent, it was understandable. Cerberus was killing Loren Dames for basically no reason Dark Cobra could understand, so why would he care at all about the mission and keeping quiet? This was a person that would probably find a street full of blood perfectly acceptable. And that was not acceptable. Black Viper was a group of professionals, and besmirching their name with such obvious antics like that turned them from a group of elite assassins into a clan of psychopaths. Nobody would hire them after that. Though, they¡¯d already botched the job quite a bit. Things were really going downhill, but at least up until this point, there wasn¡¯t much that got out into the public. Cerberus taking control was changing everything. She needed to kill him. Get rid of him. And not just remove his control, but destroy him in such a way that prevented such a horrific beast from ever ruining their plans again. But right now, that seemed almost impossible. Shadow Komodo had been brutalized by Cerberus, and he was already at half capacity from his fight against Bear God. After seeing what happened to his brother, Nightmare Gator had tried to fight Cerberus, but only had his arms broken in multiple places. Even Dark Cobra was reeling from her injuries; her head had been slammed a few too many times and she most definitely had a concussion at the very least. Even with all the bandages wrapped around her head, she was still a blood mess. Cerberus was more powerful than even Bear God, who she had considered one of the strongest fighters she¡¯d ever come across earlier that day. With a weapon in her hand, she might be able to deal with Cerberus, but even then, she wasn¡¯t sure about her own ability to survive that fight. ¡°Dark Cobra? Ma¡¯am, what do you want us to do? Or...what does that freak want us to do, if we¡¯re still following his commands? Go in loud or not?¡± Cerberus, after giving her instructions earlier, had leapt into the air. His movement stalled, and then there was a flaming explosion behind him, propelling himself off in the direction of the Hawk¡¯s Nest at high speeds. He could move incredibly fast, and the explosion was quiet enough, so you could never tell when he was around. But currently, she knew he was away. She could buck against his order. The problem with doing that, however, was that it meant she couldn¡¯t be there to stab him in the back. That¡¯s right. Dark Cobra was an assassin, first and foremost. Over the years, it had become too easy to slink around in the shadows and fight unfairly, so she began openly fighting bodyguards to have a challenge. Now, when the challenge was getting in the way of her job and responsibilities, there was no reason to just become a snake. Breaking Cerberus¡¯s trust right now would prevent her from getting that opportunity. So, as much as she hated to do it, Dark Cobra pressed the button to speak. ¡°Go in. Hit them with the maximum amount of force possible.¡± *** Three men in black suits, with black cloth face masks charged to the front door of the clinic with rifles in their hands. From the blasted door popped the barrel end of a shotgun, and the blast took the center man in the throat, splattering gore behind him as he fell forward gurgling out gibberish. But that didn¡¯t stop the other two, who were only steps from breaking through and slaughtering everyone inside. Just another few steps. A smoke grenade exploded in front of them, and immediately the entire front of the store became a black cloudy mess. ¡°What the!?¡±The story has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation. There were ten men total who were stationed outside of the Hawk¡¯s Nest, ready to siege and attack, and from a distance to their left, they heard the cries of battle. Charging towards them were people covered in red, waving bats and wrenches like swords and spears. The red crashed into the black, and like earlier that night, the two forces once again began to clash. This time, it was advantageous for the Bear God Army. The black suits weren¡¯t prepared for them, and through sheer numbers, the red began overwhelming the black suits. Even though the Black Vipers had guns, they couldn¡¯t shoot enough bullets to stop the wave crashing down around them. Inside the building, Rico and Lyle had run up the stairs after the smoke ball caught them by surprise. Rico knew fighting in it was a death sentence. ¡°What¡¯s happening out there?¡± Dr. Hawk asked, rolling up his sleeves. They only had the single shotgun in the building, but the grizzled doctor knew how to brawl, and he wouldn¡¯t go down quietly. ¡°You two both good?¡± ¡°Fine,¡± Rico said. He made sure to keep close to the walls. ¡°I¡¯m not sure. Seems like chaos.¡± The only person who dared to look out the window, and she only did by a peep, was Honey. From the second floor of the clinic, she could see the struggles outside. Even though she didn¡¯t know for sure who each group represented, it was pretty obvious. She could make an educated guess based on the red and black. ¡°They¡¯re fighting again,¡± Honey said. ¡°Bear God¡¯s people and the Black Viper. I guess they both want to take us out. Doc? Back exit?¡± The doctor nodded. ¡°Let¡¯s go,¡± he said, grabbing Dominic and Lisa by their shirt collars. ¡°Lyle, lead the way.¡± ¡°Sure, boss.¡± Lyle was the first to go down the stairs, his shotgun pointing forward and his finger on the trigger. The smoke hadn¡¯t subsided, and was filling the entrance room up and obscuring practically everything. There weren¡¯t any immediate sounds of people, and the battle cries were coming from outside, so Lyle pushed on. After him was Dr. Hawk, still dragging Dominic and Lisa, who were coughing and tearing up from the smoke. Next was Wolf, his hands wrapped around Loren and Ms. Lenz¡¯s shoulders, helping them along in a way similar to Dr. Hawk. In the back of the line were Rico and Honey, the latter of whom didn¡¯t seem phased by the black smoke at all. In the next room, where patients rested, the smoke hadn¡¯t filled the room, so everyone got a chance to catch their breath. But that didn¡¯t last very long as the back door opened slowly, revealing a trio of men in black who had been picking the lock. Lyle already had the shotgun out and didn¡¯t hesitate to blast the one in the back holding a pistol. The man was flung backwards and Dr. Hawk and Wolf charged forward. Wolf vaulted over the lockpicking man, who was crouched down, and grappled onto the man behind him. Even though he was injured, Wolf was still an incredibly competent fighter. And when it came to grapples, there weren¡¯t many people who could defeat him. As the man stumbled back, Wolf walked in his steps, forcing the man¡¯s arms back out behind him and locking his joints. He wrapped a leg around the Black Viper¡¯s, then smashed his forehead on the man¡¯s nose twice. When he felt the man¡¯s grip weaken, Wolf released, and his enemy crumpled down to the ground. While that was happening, behind Wolf, Dr. Hawk had given the lockpicker a front kick to the jaw so hard the man was launched up in the air. With precision only a trained surgeon and martial artist could muster, the doctor jabbed his fist twice: once into the man¡¯s throat, then again at his side, right into an undefended liver. It was a one-two punch on a defenseless man floating in the air, and the force of the blows caused the intruder to fly over and land in a pile with his recently defeated companions. ¡°Nice fighting there, kid,¡± Dr. Hawk said, putting his hand on Wolf for a second before walking forward as the caravan of people followed. ¡°But don¡¯t overdo it. You¡¯re injured, after all.¡± As soon as Lyle poked his head out of the door, he saw a man in black holding a sniper rifle fall from the building to their side. No, to be more accurate, he saw the man being thrown off, and from the top of the building, Lyle saw a hulking bald giant smile down at him. Wolf immediately recognized him. ¡°T-that¡¯s him! Run!¡± In his voice was a tone of complete fear. Any confidence Wolf had earned while defeating the Black Viper member was instantly banished, and he grabbed the people he was trying to protect and pulled them along as the group crossed through the small garden at the back of the clinic and into an ally. The battle began to follow them, as Black Viper members began to flee from the Bear God Army. This late at night, the only bystanders were the drunk and the homeless, both of whom were getting pushed around as the Black Vipers carved a path towards their targets. The leader of a squad, after assuring his members that they were right on the trail of Loren Dames, turned a corner only to meet a fist in his face. Standing in the alleyway was Dr. Hawk, Lyle, and Rico. ¡°Heh, tell us to stay back and take care of em..?¡± That was the orders Honey had given, and for some reason, in this situation, she seemed like everything was in control. That was why despite his age and authority as a medical practitioner, Dr. Hawk had listened. But after thinking about it for a few seconds, Dr. Hawk was feeling like she took advantage of him. ¡°What am I, some dumb brute who just follows orders?¡± The doctor asked, his fist flying out like a machine gun, beating down the Black Vipers who had chased after them. ¡°I don¡¯t know what the fuck is going on, but I know one thing¡­¡± The plan Honey concocted was simple. To keep Loren Dames safe, they¡¯de need to split up, and they¡¯d need someone to stay back and distract their enemies. The three older men working at the clinic were chosen, even though they had absolutely no idea what was going on, while everyone else kept running. Normally, Dr. Hawk would have opposed the idea, just because it was someone bossing him around, but there was something that pissed him off more than being commanded. Dr. Hawk stared down at the men who were sandwiched now between the staff of the Hawk¡¯s Nest and the Bear God Army. ¡°Anyone who comes into a hospital trying to hurt someone,¡± Dr. Hawk continued. ¡°Deserves quite a beating¡­¡± He cracked his knuckles and descended upon the Black Viper assassins. *** Panting and out of breath, Dominic stumbled out of the alleyway and onto the street. Behind were the remainder of his group, everyone for the most part looking ragged and tired. They split off from Dr. Hawk and the other clinic guys around half an hour ago, and had been basically running the entire time. Once or twice, they had come across a Black Viper assassin, but either Honey or Wolf had been quick to dispatch them; Wolf with his joint locks and submissions throws and Honey with her cruel stiletto knife. ¡°Did we escape? Are we good?¡± ¡°We¡¯re close,¡± Honey said. She pointed off in the distance to a brightly lit building that stood on a structure over the city. The train station, and their destination. ¡°Plus, we haven¡¯t seen any of those Bear army or Black Viper guys for a while. My guess is we¡¯ve got smooth sailing from here on out.¡± ¡°You¡¯re too excited,¡± Wolf said. But even he couldn¡¯t help but feel relief that they were almost at their goal. Dragging so many people along had been tolling his body, and fatigue was beginning to cloud his vision. The sooner this was over, the better. ¡°That¡¯s right. Bad things happen when you least expect it.¡± The voice was like metal being shredded and warped. Coated with a strange american drawl. Wolf turned but was punched in the back of the head before he could finish, and his body bounced across the street like a ragdoll, before striking into a light pole and causing it to bend. ¡°Huh?¡± Dominic, even though he had been looking back at Wolf the entire time, hadn¡¯t noticed the approach of this new man. How had he not noticed? The assailant stood tall and muscular, like a deadly fighter, but he was completely naked and covered red with blood. Two bull horns sprouted from his forehead and wrapped around to the back like a demonic crown. This man was looking directly at Loren, and reached his hand out to grab him. ¡°Lance...¡± Loren asked with shock, his eyes widening. ¡°Mr. Gordon, is that you!?¡± There was only one other person with their group that recognized the transformed detective. Honey, for the first time tonight, felt worried. She didn¡¯t have a plan against this, and was frozen in place. With her brother, they had fought against Cerberus once. Well, fought was probably not the right word. Defended themselves against. *** Long ago, when the Fragat siblings had first started dealing with Lance Gordon, the Herculean Odysseus, Honey had gone to great lengths to learn about what kind of experiment he was. Any advantage against a rival was worth the cost. Anything they could exploit. Much like them, Lance Gordon was an orphan, brought off the street into the Institute. But unlike them, he was not an actual person. The Institute took 11 children in, and designated them as test subjects. Each one was wiped clean of their young individualities, and forced to undergo modifications and tests. Tests to make them stronger. Tests to give them resistances to poisons and harsh temperatures. Tests to make them regrow limbs. Tests to make them faster, smarter, and even tests to make them capable of reading people¡¯s minds. 11 children were pushed to the limits and transformed into monsters. But the Heracles Project did not end there. Each child was lobotomized after being considered successful, and their brains were removed after being detached from their nervous system. They took those eleven brains and combined them into one, pulling a final 12th child into the mix. With hope, this would create a single soldier with an absurd combination of different techniques and knowledge, able to harness eleven lifetimes of knowledge in a single body. And to some extent, it worked. This final person, who the Institute called Lance Gordon, was an amalgamation of incredibly gifted test subjects, and was able to solve almost any task just by changing forms. With enough time and the correct tools, there aren¡¯t problems that can¡¯t have a resolution, and the Heracles Project proved that. He served under them for years, accomplishing tasks and solving Institute issues single handedly. While that was happening, deep down inside the shared consciousness, something evil was brewing. It is quite rare for experiments to not defy or hate their creators. So long as something has emotion, it will choose to act in a way that best suits its interests, and being a slave to the Institute rarely does that. Deep within Lance Gordon¡¯s young body, an evil being named Cerberus was plotting his revenge. Each personality was given a name, based on Hercules¡¯s Labors, with Cerberus being the final one, and the original personality of Cerberus was the true host body that the other minds were implanted in. He was the one working for the Institute, having the complete knowledge and skills of 11 other minds. And then one day, he rebelled. Fortunately, he wasn¡¯t able to accomplish much and was shut down very quickly. The scientists put a self-destruct switch in the brain that controlled Cerberus, forcing him to automatically die after a few hours once he took control, and letting another brain take control of the body. And those personalities themselves decided to not let their host body cause problems; you see, all the despair and darkness they had once felt was passed on directly to Cerberus. But the beast¡¯s body could not be removed completely, and the demon deep within was just put to rest, forced to live as a passive observer of his own body, only able to come out when he found a moment to exploit. To change personalities, Lance Gordon needs to speak a mnemonic phrase and destroy his current brain, after which it gets replaced. The words: ¡®Good Morning¡¯, awaken the conscious and give them time to take over the body before Cerberus can. But when a brain is destroyed without those words? The real personality of Lance Gordon, the Herculean Odysseus emerges. *** ¡°Yo, you just gonna let me take him?¡± Cerberus asked, effortlessly holding Loren up by the man¡¯s face. He had squeezed hard enough to break some of the violinist¡¯s teeth, and Loren had gone limp. ¡°For real? I was expecting a fight or something. Pretty pathetic, I guess what else would I expect against someone like you?¡± He smirked at Honey, who was still motionless, not even putting up a defensive posture. She knew she couldn¡¯t fight him. It would lead to a painful death. After seeing Wolf get flung across the street and Loren being picked up, everyone else froze. Tears were streaming out of Dominic¡¯s eyes. ¡°Haha, come on, you know I can¡¯t do anything now,¡± Honey said. Damn. She was doing her best to think of something. Anything. Not just for herself, but for Loren Dames. So that she could get that money she had worked so hard for. ¡°What happened? Did they shoot you when you were regenerating as Hippolyta?¡± Cerberus nodded. ¡°Those slaves thought they could argue against the assassins,¡± Cerberus said. ¡°And were shot immediately. Hilarious, honestly. Of course, I needed to punish those who hurt my body, and so I did. Not by killing them, but by preventing them from ever living as humans again. In the meantime, I tried to think about what I could do with my time here, to cause the most amount of suffering. Tell me, is Hanson around?¡± ¡°I couldn¡¯t reach him.¡± ¡°Oh, really? That¡¯s unfortunate. Killing him might''ve been fun...eh, but on the other hand, you two cause enough problems for my slaves that your existence is actually a plus for me,¡± Cerberus said. He didn¡¯t need to question her words, because he could tell when people were lying. His overwhelming power made it so a lie meant nothing. ¡°Really, this is a great fucking situation. All I need to do is kill this man, and everything my slaves were working for would be over. Just the thought makes me happy.¡± Silence. Nobody could say anything. Lisa looked over towards Wolf, watching as he bled out and writhed. ¡°But, on the other hand, I sort of feel like that would be a waste of my time,¡± Cerberus continued his monologue. ¡°The first time I get to see the real world in over five years, and it¡¯ll end so quickly? I didn¡¯t even get a chance to see the sun! So fucking cruel. Oh, I know. This man is a violinist right? In that case, I¡¯ve got the perfect idea. You know that my control will only last a few more hours, correct? Well, in that time, I want to watch the worms struggle. I want to watch people beg for their lives, and I want my slaves to regret the fact they were ever born. So, I¡¯ll do you all a favor. I¡¯ll give you all a chance to come save him, Loren Dames. Meet me back at the concert hall. Oh...I do love a show¡­¡± *** Nobody could follow him as he walked away as though he didn¡¯t have a care in the world, dragging the limp body of Loren Dames along with him. A few minutes after he was gone, the tension in the air evaporated. Lisa dashed across the street to Wolf and knelt over him, trying to check his body to look at his wounds. If he was still alive, she could probably heal him. She had a certain gift that gave her the option to. ¡°W-what are...what are we going to do? How do we g-get him back?¡± Dominic asked, tears in his eyes as he stared at Honey. She shrugged. ¡°No idea,¡± Honey replied. ¡°You know I can¡¯t fight against that, right? Nor could our crippled dog friend over there, and even if we found Dr. Hawk or Hanson in the meantime, none of them could put up a good fight. Honestly, we shouldn¡¯t do anything.¡± ¡°What do you mean? We need to help him!¡± ¡°Then good luck on your own,¡± Honey said, glaring back. She covered her emotions quickly, not wanting the frustration deep inside of her leak out. Something about how arrogant Cerberus acted made her mad, and the fact it was done in Lance¡¯s body made it worse. It was like that useless american accent cop was getting the better of her. ¡°I don¡¯t want to die. Anyway, I was just here for money, and without Mick here to pay it out, who knows if I¡¯ll even get it. Ms. Lenz over here doesn¡¯t seem to be very confident, either. Hey, wait...what¡¯s your first name, anyway?¡± This was the first time Honey had even paid attention to Ms. Lenz, who jumped at the harsh shout. ¡°U-uh...I-it¡¯s Christa¡­¡± ¡°Well, Christa, if I managed to get Loren back in one piece, would you be able to pay out whatever bodyguard fee Mick was promising to pay? You have control over those funds?¡± The secretary shook her head slowly. ¡°You see? Helping out would be a waste of time,¡± Honey said. ¡°And even if we did save Loren, I¡¯m sure Cerberus wouldn¡¯t make it so easy. He¡¯d probably poison him, or destroy his hands so he can¡¯t play viola ever again.¡± ¡°...it¡¯s v-violin¡­¡± Christa quietly said. ¡°You get my point.¡± ¡°No, I d-don¡¯t get it,¡± Dominic said. ¡°It isn¡¯t about money. We said we would p-protect him, but now we aren¡¯t? That¡¯s wrong!¡± ¡°Jesus, kid,¡± Honey said, even though Dominic was her age. ¡°What the hell are you talking about? You think this is some kind of fantasy novel where the heroes win? That man, Cerberus, will rip you apart without killing you. Last time we fought against him, I was stuck in the Hawk¡¯s Nest for weeks. Got this complimentary.¡± As she said that, Honey lifted her shirt to bare part of her stomach. There was a large scar across her midsection. The skin was bright pink, as opposed to her normal olive color, and lines and stitches ran through it. It almost looked like a chunk of her flesh had been bitten through, and Dominic winced as he saw it. ¡°If you want to go get maimed for fun, be my guest,¡± Honey continued. ¡°But just know you won¡¯t succeed. He¡¯ll tear you apart, and laugh while doing it. The only reason he gave us an opportunity to save Loren Dames is because he gets off on crushing people¡¯s spirits while they¡¯re full of hopes. He knows how much that¡¯ll hurt his other personalities. But good luck. I¡¯ll make sure to get drunk at your funeral.¡± Dominic had nothing to say. He was useless, and he knew it. The only reason he even had this job was because someone else helped him get it. He wasn¡¯t strong, or smart, or brave. Dominic knew that there was nothing he could do, and he couldn¡¯t even muster up the charisma to get others to help him. ¡°F-fine¡­¡± ¡°Hmm?¡± ¡°I¡¯ll do it myself,¡± Dominic said, wiping away tears and snot. ¡°Even if I die...or get...hurt, really bad, I d-don¡¯t want Loren to think we weren¡¯t just giving up. So I¡¯ll go alone.¡± Something massive landed behind Dominic, breaking the sidewalk and knocking Dominic over on his face. When the young man flipped over and saw who knocked him over, he gawked. ¡°Impressive!! Young man, you are, without a doubt, very brave, and very cool!! You, a good person, should join me, and my men!!¡± It was Bear God, holding two oversized truck tires in his hand. Over his shoulders were the unconscious bodies of Dr. Hawk, Rico, and Lyle, and he rolled them off onto the ground. The large russian was smiling wide, but it grew even wider as he saw his old companion, Wolf, limping over with the help of Lisa. Wolf, on the other hand, began to sweat as he could only picture himself dying if he were to get hit by one of Bear God¡¯s tires. ¡°Wolf! I¡¯m glad that you¡¯re alive! Oh, and to you all, it was an accident, and I¡¯m sorry for it, but I accidentally knocked all our friends, who were fighting against my men, down. But when I saw them, I thought to myself, wait a second, I know them! This is Rowan! Old bastard!¡± ¡°You...know them..?¡± Wolf asked as they got closer. ¡°Wait, why are you here?¡± ¡°Who!? Me!? Ha! Wolf, you ask some strange, and by strange I mean strange, questions! I have been convinced! That is not easy to do, but I must say, thanks to you, I have changed my mind!¡± ¡°Changed your mind about what? Not hurting Loren Dames?¡± Instead of saying anything, Bear God just grinned widely and nodded. He looked quite pleased with himself. ¡°So, we beat up every single scumbag chasing after you! The guitarist is safe!¡± Bear God looked around. ¡°Huh!? I must be confused, because I am never mistaken, because I don¡¯t see him.¡± ¡°That¡¯s because he was kidnapped,¡± Honey said, cutting in before Wolf had a chance to say anything. A smile was creeping onto her face. ¡°You idiotic bear fellow. But now that you¡¯re here, if you really want to help out Loren Dames, I know just exactly what you can do¡­¡± The smile of Bear God¡¯s face slowly wilted as the sinister woman began her calculations. Chapter 7 Water splashed on Loren¡¯s face and he was roused to feel wind pushing his face from every angle. As his eyes blinked out the moisture, he realized where he was and found his breath caught. He was trapped, in a metal cage, at the top of the concert hall he had played before. The roof of the building was a semi-circle dome, with the front half, where people entered, just below him, a good 20 meter sheer drop to concrete. He was being balanced by a few metal bars in his cage, and sitting on the other side, staring out at the city, was a muscular man with horns, completely in the nude with a bucket in his hands. It looked like Lance, but it most definitely wasn¡¯t. ¡°Ah, glad to see that you¡¯re awake,¡± this man said. ¡°Call me Cerberus. I¡¯ll be your god for tonight.¡± ¡°What¡¯s happening?¡± So much had gone on tonight that Loren couldn¡¯t even feel surprised anymore. ¡°Haha! You¡¯re fucking stupid, you know that? You¡¯re only a few seconds from death, and you¡¯re this neutral about it? I almost feel like killing you would be a service. But, there are plenty of other good reasons not to kill you, so I think I¡¯ll hold off for now. But anyway, want to know something interesting? While my slaves never figured it out, I know who sent that assassination note.¡± That brought Loren back to reality and he blinked. ¡°What?¡± ¡°That seemed to get your attention, at least,¡± Cerberus said. ¡°So, how about this? In a little bit, there are gonna be a bunch of people trying to climb up this dome here to either save you or kill you. And I¡¯m going to fight them, and kill them. During that entire time, I want you to play violin. I want to hear some fucking good battle music that inspires me, and helps give me the power to kill your saviors and enemies. And, if you play for the entire time and don¡¯t stop until I¡¯ve killed everyone, I¡¯ll tell you. That won¡¯t stop me from killing you, but at the end, at the very least, you¡¯ll know.¡± At Loren¡¯s feet was his violin, and picturing Mick¡¯s lifeless face in his mind, the violinist picked it up for what might be the last time. *** ¡°He told us to meet at the concert hall,¡± Honey said, sitting in the backseat of the bus, while Bear God poked his head through the window from outside. ¡°And he knows we¡¯re coming to fight. I expect that he¡¯s probably aware that you¡¯re gonna be helping us, so we should be prepared for that.¡± ¡°Ha! I need not prepare, not even a little, because, you see, I am incredible!¡± ¡°Shut up, you dumb beast.¡± Bear God frowned. ¡°Sure, you may be a competent fighter, but that¡¯s only the first step. The man we¡¯re going against...no, the thing we¡¯re going against, Cerberus, is far stronger than all of us put together,¡± Honey said. ¡°He¡¯s a perfect combination of brains and brawn, and that isn¡¯t all. He knows how to fight, he knows how to read people, and he can regenerate his body. Going one versus one against him is literally suicide, and that isn¡¯t even counting that he can probably spit out fire and poison.¡± ¡°W-wait,¡± Dominic said. ¡°Spits...fire and poison? Like at the s-same time? ¡°And not only all of that, he¡¯s on the defense and has Loren Dames as a captive,¡± Honey continued, not answering Dominic. ¡°My guess is that since he probably expects that you¡¯re coming, he¡¯ll stick to a place outside of your specialty. Probably outdoors somewhere, or in the auditorium. Actually, maybe on the roof? Anyway, even if he¡¯d be impossible to beat in your perfect element, he¡¯s still smart enough to take away any risk factors, and he¡¯ll fight somewhere that you can¡¯t ricochet tires.¡± ¡°Damn! That fucking bastard! How could he, when we¡¯re trying so hard, do this!?¡± ¡°What¡¯s worse is that we don¡¯t know whether he¡¯s teamed up with the Black Viper or not. While I wouldn¡¯t put it past him to do, it seems unlikely that they¡¯d agree to work with him. Then again, if he just bullied them into obeying, I could see him abusing their power. It would explain why they knew we were at the Hawk¡¯s Nest...although, how did the Bear Army know?¡± ¡°Ah, that would be me,¡± Ricky said. He was holding a baseball bat and methodically inserting nails into it. ¡°I¡¯m the new second in command after Wolf got the boot. We had followed Wolf after beating him up until he got to the clinic, and then when Bear God saw him early tonight, I just guessed you guys would be there. Turns out we were right, and when we saw those black suit fuckers, the only real option was to duke it out with ¡®em.¡± ¡°Ohh, I see. That¡¯s quite convenient for us, isn¡¯t it? Anyway, all of that sums up to why this is going to be difficult,¡± Honey said. The bus was filled to the brim with people, soldiers of the Bear God Army, but this was it. The only members still in action after the long night so far. ¡°And it will quite likely result in dozens of casualties. I can¡¯t actually guarantee that this plan pays off and works in the end, so we might just all die. That all said, I just want to make sure you¡¯re all willing to put your all in, and trust me no matter what happens.¡± Despite her devilish charisma, Honey was quite bad at rousing speeches, and did a lot better in one on one negotiations. That said, Bear God was already convinced, and with his backing, not a single army member would digress from the orders. A few seconds went by without anyone saying anything, but then a random member in the middle of the bus shouted out a primal roar. ¡°WE CAN DO THIIIIISS!!!!¡± ¡°Yeah!¡± ¡°No, FUCK YEAH!¡± ¡°YEAH FUCK YEAH!!¡± ¡°Let¡¯s show those mother fucking assholes who we are!!¡± ¡°Blood!! Blood!! Blood!!¡± Louder and louder the bus grew as it travelled down the long highway to concert hall, as the members continued psyching themselves up before their final fight/suicide mission of the night. *** The only people who left were Honey and Dominic, otherwise, the remaining group were either incapable of fighting normally or too beaten up. Wolf was able to prop up Rico and Lyle on either side of his shoulders, after having been miraculously healed by Lisa, but that didn¡¯t mean he was at 100%. His body still felt like a brick, and his vision was blurry. Deep within his stomach, he felt like something that shouldn¡¯t have been moving around was. It was taking all of his concentration to keep the two unconscious men standing as they slowly travelled back to the Hawk¡¯s Nest. Bear God explained to them that the Black Viper were all cleared out, and Honey reasoned that since Loren Dames was already abducted, they wouldn¡¯t be bothered. There was no reason for the assassins to attack them, it seemed. Even still, they were cautious, since it¡¯d be almost impossible to defend themselves at the moment. Wolf couldn¡¯t fight to protect five people, especially when two of them couldn¡¯t even move. It felt wrong to him. He knew someone needed to protect the girls, but it shouldn¡¯t need to be him. He alone was the person who swore to defend Loren Dames, and right now he had failed, and others were taking up his mantle. Even if it was his actions that convinced Bear God, he was a man, and when a man decides to do something, they continue through with it until it¡¯s finished or they¡¯re dead. ¡°WHAT THE FUCK!?¡± Dr. Hawk jolted up like he was struck with an electricity and entered a boxing pose, hopping around to survey his surroundings. ¡°What the...what the hell is going on? Lisa?¡±Unauthorized reproduction: this story has been taken without approval. Report sightings. Lisa had been holding him up, along with Christa Lenz, and the two were pushed away in surprise as the doctor regained his mind. ¡°Doctor! You¡¯re okay!¡± ¡°Huh?¡± The apprentice surgeon grabbed onto her boss and hugged him, which confused the older man. ¡°Uh...you didn¡¯t answer my question...what the hell is going on here? Last thing I remember is a massive tire flying towards my face...wait...actually¡­¡± The doctor looked at Wolf. ¡°Now I get it. You were attacked by the same tire throwing madman. Where the hell is he? What happened? What happened to Rico and Lyle, or the rest of those dumbfucks?¡± ¡°They¡¯re okay, mostly,¡± Lisa said, letting go of Dr. Hawk and smiling weakly. ¡°But that violinist, Loren, got grabbed. The others are chasing after him.¡± ¡°Those idiots...those two are fine, I take it?¡± ¡°Yeah, they were just knocked out, like you were. We...we were gonna take you back to the clinic and get you patched up and all.¡± ¡°Is it safe?¡± ¡°It should be, or at least that¡¯s what the Bear God said.¡± Dr. Hawk¡¯s eyes narrowed. He suddenly sneered as though all the pieces were coming together and everything made sense. ¡°Ah, I see. That was it the entire time. That fucking russian piece of shit. How could I have missed it with the tires!? Nobody else could fight like that except for him! Well, I guess the last time I had to deal with him, he was using anchors instead, so I guess this is better. That motherfucker.¡± ¡°A-anchors?¡± ¡°Huh? Yeah,¡± Dr. Hawk replied. ¡°For some reason, that man doesn¡¯t fight with normal weapons. Something about needing to handicap himself for the sake of others. Bullshit if I¡¯ve ever heard it. If you¡¯re gonna try not to kill your enemies, at least swear the hippocratic oath or something.¡± ¡°Wait, you said you knew him? Really?¡± That was news to Wolf. The Bear God Army travelled around, and though they¡¯d been in Paris for a while, it seemed crazy that the two had ever come across each other for longer than a few seconds. But it sounded true: even Bear God had admitted he knew the doctor. How? ¡°Ha! Yeah, I know him. Years ago I met him in the badlands south of the UTSR. We fought together for a few years. I¡¯ve never seen such a fucking insane man, though he didn¡¯t call himself such a stupid name back then. In fact, other than his retarded strength, he was a pretty normal guy. Well, that was before he got shot in the back of the head.¡± ¡°!¡± Everyone was surprised at the revelation. ¡°Hmm? Oh, I suppose he probably doesn¡¯t tell people, but that¡¯s why he¡¯s bald. It wasn¡¯t a normal shot, either. Basically, he got hit with a stray mortar. Destroyed most of his scalp, but that mother fucker had quite a dense skull. I thought it was some Institute bullshit at first, but nope. All natural. After that, he was a little loony, so I kept away from him. But I¡¯ve heard of his antics, getting caught in jail and escaping. Sounds about right for an idiot like that. Anyway, screw all this reminiscing, I want to go home and fucking drink. Tonight¡¯s been way too damn exciting for an old man like me.¡± Hearing about the only man who ever gave Wolf guidance, Wolf decided. This was the perfect moment. He took a step forward and pushed Rico and Lyle off to Dr. Hawk, who took their shoulders without realizing what was going on, in an attempt to share the load. But as soon as he was unburdened by those men, Wolf turned and bolted away. He wasn¡¯t going to let Bear God die tonight. Not a man like that, for one of Wolf¡¯s mistakes. ¡°Huh!? Hey, what the FUCK are you doing, dumbass!? Get the fuck back here!¡± But Wolf didn¡¯t stop. ¡°A-ah! Wait, I¡¯ll go g-get him,¡± Ms. Lenz said, her freckled face contorting into worry as she watched him run. ¡°He got hurt bad...right?¡± ¡°Yeah! And he owes us fucking money! Bring him the fuck back!¡± So the secretary began her considerably slower chase after him. *** Hahahha. Hahahahahaha. Ha. Haha. Enough is enough. Almost all of her men were dead or missing. The rest ran away. Armed bodies were left on the streets in their Black Viper uniforms. Everything was going to come crashing down. There was no way to recover from this, no way to clean up the absurd mess that bastard created before morning. This was going to destroy the Black Viper. It was going to absolutely destroy it, and the group was never going to get another job for the rest of its existence. They might as well just surrender. Even if she killed Loren Dames now, the people who hired her would consider it a waste. It would be too obvious that someone paid for him to be killed, and tomorrow¡¯s newspaper would read about the secretive cabal of assassins failing and getting massacred by a bunch of idealistic teenagers. The order she had grown up in, the order she had sweat and bled for, the order that was the sole purpose for her life was going to crumble. No, that was wrong. It had already crumbled. At this moment, Dark Cobra was the leader of nothing. In fact, at the very worst, her life probably wouldn¡¯t last much longer. While she didn¡¯t know the exact identities of those who hired her, she knew of their paranoia, and once this got out, it would be days before someone came to get her head. This was really it. She was going to lose everything, including her life. A complete disgrace, all because of one person. One person. One person. Hahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha. It was so funny. So fucking funny she could laugh. She wasn¡¯t. Dark Cobra, or Evelyn now that her organization was nothing, dug her nails deep into her face, tearing through the skin. Ahhh. My head...my head hurts so fucking badly...ahhhh¡­ Fuck fuck fuck. Fuck him. Fuck that motherfucker. He stole everything from me. He ruined all of this, and for what? She could see him, even now, standing atop the concert building, with Loren Dames trapped in a metal cage formed from twisted flagpoles Cerberus had uprooted from the ground. He was some sort of freak. Warping metal as though it were weak plastic. His being was a spit in the face of all assassins everywhere. He was a sin against those who made a living killing. It was too easy for him, and he took it all for granted. Haha. Evelyn laughed internally. No, she didn¡¯t. Blood ran down her face from the numerous holes that had been poked in it, and veins wrapped around them like ridges. ¡°I¡¯m going to get an aneurysm from this, aren¡¯t I?¡± Well, that was probably better than being targeted by an assassin. Even though she could kill them all, it would mean her life was going to be constantly on the run. She wouldn¡¯t be able to pay for Institute technology, and she wouldn¡¯t be able to get the numerous types of surgery they offered. Even at the very best, if she was left alive, there¡¯d be nothing to go back to. It was truly all over. If it was all over, why the fuck even bother? Evelyn had been staring at the weapon in front of her. The man catcher with scythe attached. It was a weapon she had personally created and spent years practicing, forming her own martial art with the peculiar tool. On one hand, it was an intentionally difficult weapon to use, and it gave her adversaries an advantage, partially due to its nonlethal nature. But when it switched forms, it was impossible to fight against. The weapon was too deadly and unpredictable in how it struck. That weapon was a symbol of her life. Hahahaha. She grabbed it and spun it around in her hand. Someone needs to break first, right? Whether it be me or the spear, I¡¯ve longed to be a warrior, huh? It was true. What sort of assassin fights against their enemies? None. What sort of assassin uses a long spear that is intentionally difficult to weild? None. What sort of assassin decides to throw their life away? Evelyn was so caught up in her own internal rambling and psychosis that she didn¡¯t hear the sound of a bus filled with cheers driving up on the opposite side of the parking lot as she started towards the side of the building she could climb up, her weapons in hand. *** ¡°It looks like all of the pieces are in order,¡± Cerberus said, staring down from the building. In this moment, he was a god. In every moment, he was a god. ¡°All the gnats, swarming up to the light, and they will be burned. Moths to a flame. Gaze over this, my slaves. It is all within my power to destroy everything in this city, if I chose. Of course, I won¡¯t. But it only stands because I allow it. And now these ants will try to defy the heavens, so I will banish them to the underworld, where their kind belongs. ¡°And to you, my bard,¡± Cerberus said, turning and extending his arm to Loren. ¡°The time is coming near. You will play, correct?¡± Loren nodded his head slowly. ¡°Excellent. To tell you the truth, I feel like I¡¯m a little too dramatic for my own good. But honestly, when you live a life like this, entrapped and betrayed by your own slaves, the mind starts to degrade a bit. That is the worst crime committed against me. The damage to my body is massive, but that¡¯s physical. A body can be changed. The theft of my time is criminal, but soon enough, I¡¯ll prevent myself from aging. The true sin that cannot be forgiven is the damage to my soul. That is why I do this.¡± Cerberus smiled to himself as he flexed. The violin music began to play as miniature figures started up the slope to meet him. ¡°No, that¡¯s not the truth. I¡¯m doing this because I want to. There¡¯s no greater reason, other than that I like it. So to all my slaves watching this, screaming in the darkness because they cannot do anything to prevent me, gaze on. Because the only reason I live on is to make you suffer.¡± From his hands, blasts of fire erupted, beginning the light show that signified the end. Chapter 8 ¡°Wait,¡± Honey said as the bus parked and people began filling out. ¡°Where are the Black Vipers?¡± The Bear God Army were charging out towards the black vans and trailers those assassins had been using earlier, but there wasn¡¯t anyone around. Something was wrong. Initially, Honey thought it was some kind of trick or trap as she lingered behind, noting that far off in the distance, atop the concert building, someone was standing. Bear God was the only other person who noticed, sitting next to her. ¡°Up there, I can see it, is the guitar player, playing guitar. With him, from what I can tell, is someone else, with horns. This is the bad guy?¡± ¡°That would be the bad guy,¡± Honey said. The red shirts were swarming the black cars. ¡°Did he already kill all the Black Vipers? Or at the very least force them to run away? Or are they hiding away, ready to attack? Ricky, go around and tell everyone the plan hasn¡¯t changed, and that they need to go up the concert hall on Bear¡¯s orders.¡± ¡°Hey, little lady, with all due respect, and I mean it, the name¡¯s Bear God.¡± ¡°I¡¯m calling you Bear.¡± She shot that statement back with so much speed Bear God didn¡¯t even have time to retort, so he just simmered. That was a sight Ricky had never seen, and he obeyed Honey¡¯s commands as though she were someone to which he should feel reverent. As Ricky disappeared into the crowd of people to let them know what Honey had decided, Bear God gripped his newly altered tires. On the drive over, Dominic had suggested a slight modification to them. ¡°I¡¯m going!¡± Bear God said, turning towards the concert building. ¡°This man, Cerberry, or whatever you call him, intrigues me. It will be a good test, of my abilities!¡± ¡°Good luck with that,¡± Honey replied. ¡°But don¡¯t act too crazy. Remember the plan.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll remember! Probably!¡± The haunting sound of a violin began playing from the roof. As the leader started charging towards the building, his followers quickly took after him and began their own run. The front of the building was open, with windows displaying the inside area which wasn¡¯t suitable for climbing, so the group rounded the building. From the side, you could with some difficulty scale the backside at a 30 degree angle. For most average people, this would be difficult, especially due to how smooth the building was. But the Bear God Army was filled with laborers and workers with bodies that could push themselves into overdrive, and they began to rise up on the concrete dome like red ants ascending a hill. They didn¡¯t even need to get halfway before a monstrous force met them. There was a blast of fire from the top of the roof, and a shadow blurred before appearing in front of a member of the army. A naked man with horns. Their enemy. Cerberus. Cerberus grabbed this individual by the throat and threw him like a weapon, smashing and going limp as it knocked down other climbers like dominoes. ¡°Ha! It seems funny to me,¡± Cerberus said to the few climbers nearby. ¡°That you all came up at once. Did you think I¡¯d just go toe to toe with your boss instead of just slaughtering all the weaker ones first?¡± That was exactly what he was doing. Cerberus completely skipped Bear God and turned his back to the revolutionary, and continued slaughtering his way through the Bear God Army. There was no possible way he could be defeated by them. Someone swung a bat covered in spikes that shattered on Cerberus¡¯s skin; any cuts healed themselves up in seconds. The demonic punches could shear straight through people¡¯s bodies, leaving bloody gaping holes as he knocked them back. And as the soldiers began retreating, the beast didn¡¯t let up. An individual man was running away, and Cerberus grabbed him and slammed the man face down onto the concrete roof. Very quickly, Cerberus rubbed, scraping away his victim¡¯s face, until he there was only skull as he rolled down. A speeding tire hit Cerberus in the back like a truck, and it almost made him trip forward. Bear God had thrown it, and attached to the tire was a metallic rope. The other end connected to some spool on his back, almost like a crane. The cord wasn¡¯t elastic, but Bear God could pull his tire back without needing to worry about it bouncing, and he held both tires up high above his head. ¡°YOU!!!!!¡± ¡°Huh? Are you talking to me?¡± Cerberus asked, feigning boredom. He wiped the blood of the Bear God Army member¡¯s from his face. ¡°Do I know you?¡± Bear God didn¡¯t respond with anything intelligible, only dashing forward and slurring profanities in russian. He let a tire fly out to his side, then grabbed the rope and swung it like a pendulum at Cerberus, an arc to pulverize him from the side. But it wasn¡¯t difficult to dodge, and Cerberus hopped upwards, flipping in the air. A hole appeared in his wrist, right below his palm, and it exploded out fire, propelling him at Bear God. He extended his other arm out and blasted flame, but a tire appeared in the way to block it. Cerberus landed on the tire hard, but Bear God didn¡¯t give any ground away, and thrusted his arm out, flinging Cerberus into the sky. Now that he couldn¡¯t dodge easily, Bear God threw each tire, one after another. The first one came into contact with Cerberus, but it wasn¡¯t a hit. The beast had just grabbed it in air, then held on tight enough to stall at the end of the flight path allowed by the cord. The other tire stopped centimeters from striking Cerberus¡¯s face. As Bear God began pulling the tires back, Cerberus took this moment to strike. With a maneuver that even the most trained acrobat couldn¡¯t pull off, he crawled over to the front of the tire and kicked off, which gave him a bit of momentum. The russian didn¡¯t have time to react as Cerberus grabbed onto the ropes and began using them to speed up his movement, climbing down them at Bear God. By the time Bear God gave the ropes slack, it was too late, and Cerberus was upon him, jabbing out punches of flame. For some reason, however, those punches never seemed to exactly hit their mark. Because of his perfect intuition regarding directions and angles, Bear God could practically predict how every strike came in. It was how he could dominate in most battles; an unparalleled ability to foresee his enemies movements. So despite the overwhelming advantage Cerberus had with each strike, they never seemed to do much damage. Each fist either landed in the softened palm of Bear God, or glanced off him in a way that nullified all of the force. And while the fire did burn at Bear God¡¯s clothes and flesh, with the speed the punches and movements were coming in, they quickly were snuffed out. In only a few seconds, before the tires had even started to fall from their furthest point, the two men had traded dozens of blows, ultimately coming out practically the same as before. Sensing the stalemate, Cerberus kicked off before blasting a smokescreen down on the concrete. ¡°Damn...fucking bastard¡­¡± There was always a new path open for Cerberus, should he choose to take it. And because there was nothing below him, he did. The bones in his fingers changed, growing sharper and protruding out like claws. It would be too dangerous to emit flames from his hands, now, so he diverted those to his back, and skeletal structures emerged from his back, wrapped up in muscle and viscera. ¡°Hey, Mr. Russian, I can¡¯t tell. Are you trying to kill Loren Dames, or save him?¡± ¡°Mmm-¡± It was only a ruse, calling out the question to Bear God. The smokescreen prevented them from seeing each other, though Cerberus could easily guess where the man was located. But from prior experience, he knew Bear God would be loud, and the combination of his booming voice and the screams of his fleeing comrades would be a distraction as flames erupted from the propulsion vents on his back. Like a bullet, Cerberus dashed forward, stabbing out a hand and slicing through Bear God¡¯s face, cleaving it in half. Well, very close to, at least. Fortunately for him, Bear God had incredible ears, and noticed what was happening at the last second to pull his body away. While it was fast enough to save his life, Cerberus¡¯s bladed fingers still tore out the russian man¡¯s eye and carved a line up across his bald head. Bear God hollered out in pain and turned, yanking his tires back to keep as weapons. Half of his vision was gone, and that meant his depth perception was a complete mess. Suddenly, having two weapons only good at range was a massive disadvantage, especially against a fighter like Cerberus, who could make sprinting drive-by attacks from a distance. That single strike was enough to tilt the scales, and that much was obvious to both me. Cerberus couldn¡¯t help but let his glee show on his face, the edges of his mouth riding high. ¡°Haha! You fell for it, dumbass,¡± Cerberus said. He cracked his knuckles. ¡°Oh, by the way, the poison in my fingers is nonlethal, unfortunately. It will put you unconscious soon enough, though, and I¡¯ll make sure to kill you when you¡¯re sleeping, so you can¡¯t resist. That sounds like a fitting death.¡± The engagement between the two so far hadn¡¯t even lasted a minute, but the toll was incredibly severe. As his heart beated faster, the poison would be pushed further through Bear God¡¯s bloodstream, and he probably only had a few minutes before it overtook him completely. One tire was thrown, coming to a stop directly beside Cerberus¡¯s head. He hadn¡¯t even needed to move. ¡°Woah woah, come on old man. You can¡¯t tell me you¡¯ve become so pathetic that you can¡¯t even throw straight, right? That all of your strength, that horrified my slaves, falters with the loss of just a single eye? That¡¯s embarrassing.¡± It was a little unfortunate that the fight was going to be over so soon, but on the other hand, it was nice to think he might get to throw such a massively confident person into despair. Ah, there were so many beauties to life that Cerberus could only curse his fate. Energy began charging in his back, flowing up into the fake wings on his back. Once again, he blasted off, but this time, it wasn¡¯t directly at Bear God. It was a feint, and the russian fell for it. Bear God wouldn¡¯t be able to react quick enough to block one of Cerberus¡¯s attacks at this speed with the tire, so he needed to act preemptively. And that¡¯s what he did: pulling up his tire at the last second to use like a shield. But Cerberus did not charge forward. Instead, he blasted to the space directly above Bear God¡¯s head, then stomped down, using his head like a springboard. Bear God grabbed the rope on his launched tire and swung it up, trying to clip Cerberus, but it was futile. With the flight granted by the jets on his back, Ceberus could easily reposition himself, and at a key moment in between strikes, he landed and stabbed his fingers into Bear God¡¯s wrist. The strike penetrated, and Bear God¡¯s fingers stopped moving. ¡°Ah, that¡¯s too bad you useless fucker,¡± Cerberus said, face to face with his enemy. Bear God coughed out blood that splattered on Cerberus¡¯s face. ¡°Fucking nasty motherfucker. Well, I guess I can¡¯t expect much else out of russian nutcases.¡± Before Bear God could swing his hand to grab Cerberus, the villain spat flames onto Bear God in revenge, then kicked him in the crotch and hopped backwards. The large man used his damage hand to try and batter the flames while dropping to one knee, grabbing his gonads. He was slowly being torn apart, and the longer this went, the more damage he could take. But there was a chance. Earlier, Honey had explained that Cerberus wasn¡¯t perfect. Even if he had a body created to succeed in every situation, he was still just a single person, and there were limitations to what he could do. His poison was nonlethal. He could fly around and blast flames, but that was created from an internal reservoir, and it didn¡¯t refresh quickly. Bear God had fought in wars, against demons and daemons who were stronger than this, and had won. He wasn¡¯t going to just let some runt like this take him down. Something happened that gave him hope. It was a risk, but he didn¡¯t care. Life was meant for taking risks. Using his good hand, Bear God threw the tire once again. It stalled right next to Cerberus¡¯s head again, though slightly closer than last time. The beast was forced to tilt his head just slightly. ¡°Well, you¡¯re getting better at the very least,¡± Cerberus said. He sighed. ¡°But it doesn¡¯t matter. You should be well aware you can¡¯t even touch me. Now, let¡¯s finish th-¡± The tires were quite large. Over a meter in length. That was what made them such lethal weapons, and was how they could be so threatening coming at you. Like being charged at by a live bear. It also had another advantage. In the world of hunting, amateur hunters make similar mistakes. You can spend days tracking your sport, slowly wearing it out. And then, in those pivotal moments, when your quarry notices you, and like the rabid animal it is and charges in to get the kill, it just takes a single bullet. With a still breath, you aim and shoot, killing it. Your job is complete. That is the mistake that leads so many to their death. Because as soon as your breath lightens, and you close your eyes to wipe the sweat from your brow, you become the perfect target for something else. The massive tire created a massive blindspot. And from underneath that blindspot came a spear with a half-man catcher spiked edge that stuck itself into Cerberus¡¯s side. A second later, a scythe blade extended from underneath that slit into his stomach, tearing through organs that would normally be important. Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere. Bear God had hardly noticed her at first. The old assassin lady from the night before, creeping alongside the edge of the semi-circle. Because there wasn¡¯t much cover, she couldn¡¯t approach, and as soon as Cerberus saw her, he would be on the defensive. By blocking off his view, even for a second or two, she could take advantage of it and attack. It was a risk. It couldn¡¯t be denied. If she just ran off to kill the guitar player, there¡¯d be nothing Bear God could do to stop her. But there was something about the way she kept herself hidden. Like a predator, stalking its prey. After stabbing into Cerberus, Evelyn slashed the blade out, spraying out her enemy¡¯s internal organs and blood down on the concrete like paint. She took a few steps back, holding up her weapon in a fighting stance as Bear God slowly pulled his own back. Cerberus put a hand on his wound and pulled it back to see blood, his own, covering his hand. He smiled. ¡°Oh, now that I wasn¡¯t expecting,¡± Cerberus said. ¡°No, just kidding. That was a half-truth. I knew you¡¯d come to get revenge, but I never imagined you¡¯d do it together. I guess that¡¯s my hubris, imagining two people working together. For someone as perfect as myself, things like teamwork and comradery just seem like tools of the weak. Anyone who can¡¯t rely on themselves and only themselves is just scum. I would¡¯ve thought two mildly competent people would get it, but I guess not. But this will just make it more interesting.¡± Again, Cerberus put his hands on the wounded abdomen, then pulled them away. The wound was healed, the only sign it had ever been there was the blood on his hands. His regenerative ability was perfected to an absurd degree. He held out his hand and gestured, beckoning over the two combatants, as if inviting them to fight to the death. No, that¡¯s exactly what it was. ¡°Hey, old lady!¡± ¡°Don¡¯t call me that,¡± Evelyn said, glaring over at the now one-eyed russian giant. She herself wasn¡¯t much better, her entire head wrapped in bandages and bleeding from holes poked in it. ¡°What the fuck do you want?¡± ¡°Right now, just a question, if I may ask, but are you trying, to kill that man?¡± He nodded towards Cerberus. ¡°If I am?¡± ¡°Then, as crazy as it might sound, and it is crazy, I have a suggestion. He¡¯s tough, but if we fight together, like comrades, we can defeat, if not easily, him, without trouble.¡± ¡°You need to learn how to speak properly, you dumb fucking baboon,¡± Evelyn said. She twirled her spear, then readied it. ¡°Cover me with those tire throwing skills. If you hit me with them, I swear that I¡¯ll gouge out your other eye and force you to watch me slice your throat.¡± ¡°Ha! Sounds good!¡± The agreement settled, the duo of incredible bestial fighters began their battle against the ultimate monster. *** --Roughly one minute ago-- ¡°Holy shit, holy shit,¡± Dominic said, watching as people were being slaughtered by the beast called Cerberus. Then, as they began running, Dominic could only watch It was all part of the plan. Bear God and his men were going to fight against Cerberus, doing their best to hassle him and divide his attention, since even though he was incredibly strong, he could only focus on so many things at a single time. But boxing him into focusing so much on killing people, he wouldn¡¯t pay as much attention to Loren Dames, and Dominic would have an opportunity to go rescue him. Of course, they hadn¡¯t expected Cerberus to cage the man on top of the concert building. How was he even supposed to get there? For a few moments, Dominic just stood, frozen in place, trying to come up with a solution. In his mind, he pictured Hanson, the man who killed his brothers, leaping around an abandoned factory building and dropping from the sky. If Dominic could do that, it¡¯d be easy. But it was only because he couldn¡¯t that his job was to rescue Loren. All of the other members of the army were athletic enough to fight wherever, but Dominic could hardly run for a minute straight without getting winded. In the current situation he didn¡¯t have much time to act. Cerberus was almost intentionally going out of his way to kill the lesser members of the group, avoiding Bear God until the last second. Then, the two began clashing, and Dominic realized how little time he actually had. He scrambled to the building where Bear God Army members were patching up their wounds and only staring as Bear God continued his duel. There wasn¡¯t much cover to make use of, because the concrete semi-circle that was the back of the concert hall had a minimalistic style. The best it had was a small indent, but that was barely enough to hide a hamster in. Of course, there would be one way to sneak up the wall. He could hang off the edge and climb that way. Utterly ridiculous. There needed to be some other way of getting to the roof. ¡°Hey! Dominic!¡± In his confusion, Dominic turned to the call of his name. Two people were approaching him who he was not expecting to be there. One was the beaten and tattooed man Wolf, and supporting him along was Ms. Lenz, looking confused and worried. A few of the other Bear God Army members came to grab Wolf and help him along as he made his way to meet Dominic. On top of the dome, the sound of eruptions from Cerberus¡¯s ignitions blasted off, sparking light in the night sky. ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡± Wolf asked. ¡°Are they fighting up there?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t! You c-can¡¯t help them right now,¡± Dominic said. ¡°I need to go!¡± Was it because he suddenly realized how much of a coward he was being after meeting a real hero? For some reason, once he saw Wolf, Dominic couldn¡¯t bear to stand around any longer. Bear God was being blasted by flame. But before he got far, Wolf was next to him. ¡°Seriously, man,¡± Wolf said. They didn¡¯t stop as they got to the concrete dome. ¡°What¡¯s going on? Is there a plan? I want to help...no, I need to help. You¡¯re right, I can¡¯t go and fight right now, but what are you doing then?¡± ¡°I¡¯ve got to get to the top. You see that cage?¡± ¡°Yeah...is that...him?¡± ¡°That¡¯s the mission,¡± Dominic said. ¡°No matter what happens, I need to get up there.¡± As he spoke, he jumped up onto the concrete and crouched down, barely balancing himself along the edge. So long as he stayed far enough from the battle, he probably wouldn¡¯t be seen. That was the best thing to do. ¡°S-STOP!!¡± Both men froze, and other Bear God Army members jumped at the screech. Everyone was surprised to see the one person who¡¯d never raised their voice before speak. ¡°...uh, j-just wait a second, please¡­¡± Ms. Lenz said, dropping her head as everyone stared at her. ¡°You need to get to the t-top, where Mr. Dames is...right?¡± ¡°Yeah, no matter what.¡± ¡°Then you shouldn¡¯t...go up like that¡­¡± ¡°Huh?¡± ¡°...well...um, not many p-people know about it,¡± Ms. Lenz began. ¡°But there¡¯s a-actually a roof access...from the inside. Um...if there aren¡¯t any people...I could take you?¡± *** The sounds of violin continued, carried through the wind even louder than the sounds of explosions, whirring cuts, and the tense snapping of ropes. Evelyn and Bear God had completely different fighting styles, and neither were the type who fought with other people as allies. Even though they had subordinates and followers, they were more like hindrances than anything else. And normally, that would cause them to be unable to work together, and it¡¯d make their teamwork worse than usual. Cerberus flipped in the air, held himself immobile in the air for a second, and then blasted himself down to crush Evelyn. But at the last second a tire hit the man, negating the force that launched him downwards, and from underneath the tire she stabbed, using it like a shield. The blades were accurate, and it slashed through Cerberus¡¯s throat. That was only a flesh wound and healed quickly. He landed and shot his foot out in a kick, and his knee distended, causing the bones to separate and his foot to jab far further than normal. At the end were bladed toes coated in poison. The attack only grazed Evelyn, clipping her face as she dodged inside of Cerberus¡¯s range, then temporarily dropped her spear. From a hidden compartment at her wrist, she produced a blade and tried stabbing it into Cerberus¡¯s face, however, he caught it with his palm. He also caught her hand with it and squeezed, crunching the bones. But he could only smile at the damage for a second as Evelyn didn¡¯t miss a beat. The spear was already in her other hand and was transforming back into a scythe, and in a fluid motion, she chopped off her own hand and slammed the pole into his unguarded balls. It barely phased Cerberus, but a tire came flying in, gently brushing against Evelyn¡¯s hair, and Cerberus wasn¡¯t balanced enough to block it fully. The attack knocked him back, and the knife in his hand exploded, splintering fragments of bone everywhere. It had been a suicide attack with a detonating blade. ¡°You¡¯re really fucking crazy,¡± Cerberus said, regenerating his hand as he watched Evelyn wrap her own now dismembered stump with what was left of her tuxedo. ¡°That was a terrible trade, you fucking retard. But I guess I shouldn¡¯t expect much from such weak fighters, huh?¡± Even though he was talking a big game, this wasn¡¯t as easy as he could¡¯ve expected. Most people fought with the intention of surviving. His two current enemies could care less about that. They just wanted blood. Cerberus was having more fun than he ever had before. ¡°Bring it o-¡± He would have continued, but the scythe ripped by his face, slicing his nose off. She¡¯d gotten close in those few seconds, and he wasn¡¯t in a position to punish her. That was because Cerberus needed to dodge the tire that slammed down from the heavens like a wrecking ball. Even though Bear God had lost a hand, he still had two tires, and all he needed to do was throw them with a single hand and use his other arm to reel the projectiles back. The poison did seem to be taking an effect, however, as the attacks from the large man were slowing down. But the woman hadn¡¯t. Rather, it seemed like she had sped up, even with the loss of her own hand. Stabs came quick and and relentless, and Cerberus couldn¡¯t grasp just exactly how her weapon worked. Just when he thought he had it down, she clicked a button and changed its form, slashing with it like a glaive. Fuck it. He took the slash directly to the shoulder, then wrapped his arm around the haft, gripping it tightly. Now she couldn¡¯t pull it out. Before he could reach out and grab her, Evelyn let go of the weapon and distanced herself, pulling out a machine pistol, firing the entire magazine at Cerberus. It was such a small caliber that it barely did more than cause scratches and bruises, but Cerberus was forced to guard his eyes and ducked his head. If his brain took damage, it was all over. Before the rain of bullets had ended, a tire smashed Cerberus¡¯s leg, breaking it backwards at the knee. He stumbled forward, just in time to see the woman leap up, another knife in her hand. Just from a glance, Cerberus could tell it was a grenade from the handle shape. As he was falling, Cerberus emitted a blast of flames to jettison himself a few meters forward, dodging her stab, but she was already after him, readjusting herself after landing. He flipped himself over and let the stick end of the glaive press against the concrete dome like a pole vault and burst himself up, barely escaping her second attack. While in the air, a tire arced over him. It wasn¡¯t thrown directly at him, no, it was thrown to the side, but Bear God was dragging it across the sky, and the rope hit Cerberus on the side, the momentum of the tire pulling the rest of it around, wrapping itself around Cerberus. With the glaive still sticking through his chest and back, and the rope tied around him, Cerberus had his wings closed, preventing him from blasting. Ah, this could be a tricky situation. Of course, while it wasn¡¯t easy, Cerberus knew he couldn¡¯t lose. It was impossible to lose to these two, no matter what they did. Bear God pulled with all of his strength, and as though the effect of gravity on him had tripled, Cerberus was dragged down to earth, slamming hard enough into the concrete dome to crater it. But he was quick to react as Evelyn was upon him, stabbing down with the dagger. His foot caught the blade this time, and he kicked her off. There was no timer on the detonation, but Cerberus could already estimate the time based off of the last exploding knife. He rolled backwards, then twirled on top of the edge of the spear, kicking his leg out towards Bear God. At the same time that he kicked, he used his other bladed toes to slice his foot off, and the end result was the stabbed foot flying like a missile at Bear God. The man held up a tire to block the attack, but it didn¡¯t matter. Cerberus could learn during a fight. He was going to steal their techniques and use them against his enemies. He hadn¡¯t fully severed the appendage. Instead, he had only cut most of it off, keeping a thin strand of flesh attached, and he jerked his leg down in such a way that the trajectory of his exploding foot dropped. It exploded before landing and Bear God collapsed, most of his right leg destroyed by the minor explosion. But that didn¡¯t give the man any pause. He flung his remaining tire at Cerberus, who had no option at this point but to headbutt it, catching the rubber on his two horns. The impact still rattled his brain, but the tire was caught, and now had two holes in it. Fortunately for Cerberus, the tire had been losing air all night and wasn¡¯t going to pop. Unfortunately for him, Evelyn was standing underneath him with another small gun in her palm. It was a derringer. The blast was like that from a shotgun, and the pellets hit Cerberus in the face, temporarily blinding him. For a second, he actually panicked. Luckily, nothing had touched his brain, and the pellets had been vaporized within his skin before he even opened his eyes a second later. The damage from the shotgun hit had vanished in the literal blink of an eye, as though it had never happened. Cerberus smiled as he saw frustration creep on the lowly assassin¡¯s face. He vomited flames down upon her, igniting her hair and bandages as she flung herself away, crashing down to the ground and rolling around in pain to put out the fire. Sensing no attacks, Cerberus stood and looked at the two with satisfaction. Even though they were but lowly mortals, they had put up a good fight, and they had nearly killed him. That last attack was completely unpredictable, and as Cerberus gazed at Evelyn¡¯s crumpled body, he saw that the derringer had actually come from her bloody stump of an arm. Oh, that made sense, it was a prosthetic. That was why she could cut it off without even thinking about it. Other than that, though, she was completely done for. The burning had stopped, but her head was a crispy mess. Blood was splattered under her from her arm and the other minor damage she had taken. She was violently twitching, but that was it. Bear God wasn¡¯t much better. The poison had got to the better of him, as a green line had formed along the slash through his eye. He was glaring with his good eye at Cerberus, but wore a wide smile. His leg was a blackened stump below the knee, only a sharp bone sticking out. The man couldn¡¯t open or close fingers on either hand. There was no fighting spirit in either of them. They were defeated. He had won. Victory was his. ¡°Hahaha,¡± Cerberus said. He ripped free from the rope and tore the glaive from his chest. ¡°Impressive, very impressive, at the end. If the two of you were at full capacity from the start, perhaps this would have gone differently. Of course, I¡¯m also not at my best, so you can¡¯t say this wasn¡¯t a fair fight. Ultimately, I¡¯ll admit it. Even if you were both pathetic, at least you aren¡¯t the worst. So I¡¯ll just remember the two of you as pathetic plus one.¡± He took a step forward to finish them and stopped. ¡°Good morning, Hesperides.¡± He¡¯d just lost vision in one eye. Why? He couldn¡¯t tell anything wrong within his body. There was no pain. So why? There wasn¡¯t anybody in front of him¡­ No, that was wrong. He heard someone say something. He just hadn¡¯t seen them. Her. Honey was standing in front of him, close enough to touch his body, and she had just driven into his skull. She pulled her stiletto knife out of his brain. It had been a clean stab, directly through the underside of his jaw and through the back of his throat. The length of the blade made it perfect to pierce the center of his brain, and as she had removed it, the way she jiggled it tore apart important pieces. There was nothing he could do. His body wouldn¡¯t react, and he realized it was all over. Cerberus was going to go back to sleep, and it was going to be for a long time. He collapsed underneath her, and did his best to contort his face into an expression of rage as she knelt down to talk to him. On one hand, her face looked smug and cruel, but on the other hand, there was a strange sense of gentleness to her expression. ¡°Hey, no offense, okay? I¡¯m just doing this for money. Otherwise, I wouldn¡¯t have minded anything you did, so sleep well, Cerberus. Hopefully we can meet on better terms next time, yeah?¡± As his eyes began to blur and his mind started slipping away, he heard her final words. ¡°Night, night, don¡¯t let the bedbugs bite.¡± Chapter 9 Ms. Lenz wasn¡¯t the only one who knew about the rooftop entrance. Because Honey had been planning to sneak in and seduce Loren Dames earlier that night, she had memorized the entire building¡¯s blueprints. That included all the different passageways, both for stagehand use and for the builders. This was an older building, and as such, it had many service entrances and exits, and as soon as she saw Loren trapped on the rooftop cage, she realized how easily she could be saved. Of course, the original plan hadn¡¯t calculated for that at all. She had never conceived of Cerberus doing something like this, so it surprised her just as much as everyone else. But the plan would still work. It was pretty basic. Bear God and his men were going to be sacrificial pawns. They¡¯d charge in and fight Cerberus, and they wouldn¡¯t be able to beat him. It was a guarantee that they would all die, but Honey didn¡¯t tell them that. She said it¡¯d be tough but possible. Giving them hope made the mob easier to control. While they were doing that, and Cerberus was distracted, Dominic was going to be trying to rescue Loren. Again, she told him this was possible, but not for a second did Honey consider that actually working. Because she didn¡¯t think Bear God would be able to beat Cerberus, she figured the beast would probably play around with them. He was a sadist, after all. But even if he did, he¡¯d never keep his eyes off of Loren Dames, because the thing Cerberus wanted more was not to kill them, but to bring them despair. He wouldn¡¯t let anyone die thinking they saved Dames. So, Dominic was a second distraction. No matter where the battle happened, Loren Dames would be on display, and Dominic would have a hard time getting there. He¡¯d be seen, and Cerberus would attack and kill him. Those were all parts of Honey¡¯s calculations, and it was all part of her plans. The key factor, then, was her. Because she was the only person who could kill Cerberus. Lance¡¯s Nemean form was one that hardened his muscles and skin, and when combined with Hippolyta, which gave incredibly fast acting regeneration, the only way to kill him without waiting for the time limit was piercing his brain, and the only entrances were through his eyes, nose, or other soft tissue around his head. And fortunately, Honey carried a perfect weapon for those types of assassinations. The difficulty was getting to him. But even that had been planned for. Long ago, after Honey and Hanson fought against Cerberus for the first time, they spoke with Lance. Cerberus was a blight, something Lance Gordon, the man with twelve personalities sharing a body, couldn¡¯t live down. It was the evil desires of eleven different people, all concentrated into a single being. And when it came down to it, none could fault Cerberus. They were the invaders. Unwillingly, of course, but it was because of them that Cerberus had been formed, and it was because they kept him sealed inside that he went to great lengths upon escaping his cage. So, the three came up with a plan. One of Lance¡¯s forms, Lernaean, was a master of poisons, and could change his fingers into blades. While Cerberus had his techniques, most poisons would be neutralized, so nothing could slow him down. But on the other hand, if Lernaean specifically worked to create a stopgap in his own defense that Honey could exploit, then they would have a secret weapon to use against Cerberus whenever they needed. It was an incredibly difficult process. Because Cerberus could see everything they saw, and hear everything they did, Lernaean needed to write out the complete message without seeing it, and he needed to read things via touch. Because the brains couldn¡¯t actually tell what the others were thinking unless they intentionally tried, doing this was a way to communicate between the forms that would keep things from Cerberus. And so, Lernaean form Lance and Honey worked together to create an alchemical spore that would make Honey invisible to Cerberus. It needed to be minor. If it was too great, the antibiotic functions inside of Cerberus would activate and create a cure for the toxins, so they couldn¡¯t have anything that froze him in place. Who knew how long something like that would last, especially when combined with quick regeneration? So the perfect thing was one that would allow for minimal contact but quick effectiveness. Before the fight, Honey had created the mixture in her stomach, then regurgitated it into a slime. Because of the thick viscosity of it, she wouldn¡¯t be able to disperse it through airborne methods, but it didn¡¯t matter. Bear God was going to take it in his own mouth. He held it in the corner of his mouth, while fighting, and waited for a moment to spit it on Cerberus¡¯s face. He had no idea what it would do, but trusted Honey. Was there a reason to trust her with such certainty? No, there absolutely wasn¡¯t. But Bear God wasn¡¯t a smart person, and he always saw the best in people, so he did what she said without ever considering the fact that he was bait. He spat it out the first time he came face to face with Cerberus, mixing it with blood from his own bitten cheek. There¡¯d be no reason to expect it as poison, and Cerberus hadn¡¯t even though twice about the blood. After that, it needed time to mix in. But it couldn¡¯t be too long, because even if he didn¡¯t realize it was there, the antibodies eventually would, and the plan would fail. So Honey kept hidden in a service tunnel only a few meters away from where the three titans were fighting. The moment Cerberus took a shotgun blast to the face, she knew she had to act. The gun would cause his face to regenerate, and as his eyes regenerated, they would eradicate any foreign substance, which would ruin the plan. Fortunately, as she approached, he had already defeated Bear God and Dark Cobra, who Honey hadn¡¯t expected to see. She walked up and spoke the codewords that would end all of the night¡¯s insanity. ¡°Good morning, Hesperides.¡± Then stabbed her blade up through his skull. It pierced into his neck and went further, and because hesitating even for a second would mean death, Honey shoved as hard as she could until the hilt of her dagger met the bottom of his jaw. It worked immediately, because he couldn¡¯t move, so she slipped the blade out and rubbed off the blood on her shirt as Cerberus collapsed, his eyes full of burning anger. That wouldn¡¯t do. She couldn¡¯t have him get revenge the next time he got free. ¡°Hey, no offense, okay? I¡¯m just doing this for money. Otherwise, I wouldn¡¯t have minded anything you did, so sleep well, Cerberus. Hopefully we can meet on better terms next time, yeah?¡± Yeah, hopefully that would work. It was the kind of casual sociopathy that Cerberus exuded, and it would likely speak to him. As his eyes began to lose focus and roll back, she felt a pang of guilt. Cerberus was a freak, unable to live in society. A monster, created in a lab, unable to exist without causing pain. That was a familiar feeling, so she couldn¡¯t really blame him. Sending him off so casually was exactly what he wanted. He wanted to remain as he was, a being of hatred and fear, and apathy allowed him to keep going that way. If there really was a human in there, they couldn¡¯t want to live like this. If it was just a young kid, never able to grow, and only ever able to watch as his body developed and experienced the real world through a dim television screen, unable to fight against that fate. She knew what would really break into the core of his vision. ¡°Night, night, don¡¯t let the bedbugs bite.¡± Horribly cruel words to say as Cerberus expired. Those were the things that all kids at the Institute are told as they go to sleep, through intercoms as the facility lights shut off. To prevent them from leaving their cells, as dangerous carnivore insects roamed to kill any intruders or escapees. They were words that kept those children from ever having a good night''s sleep, but in some sense, they were words of solidarity. As his head split open and the brains began fighting against each other, Honey sighed and stared out at the city. It was a peaceful night out there. It was unlikely anyone would actually figure out what happened. But that was a good thing. It meant people could all forget about it. The Bear God Army had run to grab Bear God and bring him down for medical care, and for some reason, they brought down Evelyn as well. Honey could care less, even though if it were her choice, she¡¯d have wished Cerberus killed them both. They were way too dangerous. If either were to fight against her brother, she had no idea who would win, and the very thought put her on edge and made her begin calculations. It wasn¡¯t easy being so methodical. Things got too grey. ¡°Ugh¡­¡± Honey looked down to see Lance, back in his normal Hesperides form, rubbing his forehead. His body had shrunk, though he was still tall and well built, and other than being covered in blood and being completely naked, he looked just like a regular guy again. ¡°Yo,¡± she said, casually. ¡°You¡¯re not evil right now, yeah?¡± ¡°...I feel like shit...what happened?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t remember?¡± ¡°Not exactly,¡± Lance groaned. ¡°Bits and pieces, at best. But for the most part it just seemed like ¡®that man¡¯ was just causing problems. I hope everyone ended up fine.¡± ¡°Eh, well, he probably killed quite a few people, and definitely maimed some others.¡± Lance was quiet. ¡°Buuuut~ nobody important. And by important, I mean me and Loren. See he¡¯s¡­¡± Honey didn¡¯t finish her statement. ¡°What?¡±Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere. He had difficulty looking, but Lance slowly got up and followed her gawking face to the edge of the roof, where Loren Dames had been kept in a cage. It should have been obvious, considering the music seemed to have stopped a long time ago. Because she had been so focused on killing Cerberus, Honey hadn¡¯t even paid any attention to the rescue mission she¡¯d sent Dominic on. Loren Dames was not in his cage. *** ¡°...come on, up this way¡­¡± Ms. Lenz was leading the other two men up the building, from dark stairways to cramped corridors with pipes and sharp pieces of metal sticking from the wall. It seemed so strange for the inside of such a nice looking building. To Wolf, it felt like being underground, in a sewer. To Dominic, it was rather reminiscent of Scatola Nera of District 6. He felt chills as they kept on going. ¡°Are we close?¡± Wolf asked, obviously unable to keep the anticipation out of his voice. ¡°We¡¯re getting there.¡± ¡°Hmm.¡± Otherwise, it was a quiet journey. Because it was such an important part of the mission, nobody could keep from feeling worried, and the silence helped them keep focus. The only sounds were from their loud footsteps as they ran. ¡°...here, this should be it¡­¡± Ms. Lenz said, pointing to a small hatch. ¡°P-please...be careful.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry about me,¡± Wolf said, climbing up the ladder. At the very top was a rooftop exit, latched on. It was a heavy pull, but Wolf got it off without too much difficulty. He poked only his head out, eyeing the battlefield. There was fire and smoke, and he saw figures clashing, though it was too dark to tell who. What he heard was the sound of a beautifully sad violin, a song he¡¯d never heard before, but one that made him feel like crying. Wolf wasn¡¯t a man to enjoy music much, but this was something else. It made him happy to be saving someone capable of doing so much good. Loren Dames was in a cage, his eyes closed as he played, and Wolf quietly crept up. ¡°Mr. Dames, please, stay quiet,¡± Wolf whispered, his sudden appearance causing Loren to flinch. The violinist paused his playing only for a moment before continuing. ¡°We¡¯re going to get you out of here while that crazy guy is being distracted.¡± ¡°Thank you...but, those bars...¡± But that wasn¡¯t an issue at all as Wolf wedged himself in between the bars and pushed as hard as he possibly could. Slowly but surely, the metal began to creak, and a small passageway appeared, just barely enough for a person to fit through. Wolf reached out and grabbed Loren¡¯s hand and pulled him through, then shepherded him down the ladder and closed the hatch. ¡°Come on! Let¡¯s get out of here,¡± Dominic said, grabbing Ms. Lenz¡¯s arm and pulling her along as the four started to return the way they came. ¡°Before Cerberus notices¡­¡± Down the stairs they went, Dominic doing his best to follow the directions Ms. Lenz gave him to retrace their steps. Behind her was Loren, then in the back Wolf, who was limping along. Pushing against those bars had worn him out. ¡°...just...keep going...yes, perfect.¡± Dominic stopped as they were approaching a platform. It was above the center stage, the mess of thin metal bridges and railings that were used to set up lights. The flyspace, where chains and hooks hung to drag props around. It was dark, and the only lights were coming from the safety neon fluorescents that lined the walkways. Wolf slowed down as he saw his companions pause, and he started feeling worried. This wasn¡¯t the way they came. ¡°Guys, are you alright? What happened, why¡¯d you stop?¡± To answer his question, Dominic fell down face first. Slowly, Ms. Lenz turned around. She looked completely different than ever before. It was that same nerdy, glasses and freckled face that had been brought along with them the entire time, but instead of the classic weak and nervous look she always wore, instead, her eyes were narrow and cold. In her hands was a strange weapon, a thin blade, coated with blood, attached to a chain that ran to a small metal ball in her other hand. Her mouth was tight as she spoke in absolute monotone. ¡°Everything is fine,¡± Ms. Lenz said. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Mr. Wolf, everything is fine. This was all planned. No, I wish I could say that. In fact, everything went far afield of the original idea, but in the end, things will work out. Actually, no, that¡¯s wrong too. Things are in shambles, so the only thing to do is make lemons.¡± ¡°W-what are you doing Ms. Lenz?¡± Loren asked, his eyes wide as he took a step back. ¡°Ah, no need to call me that any more. While that technically is my real name, I don¡¯t usually go by it,¡± she said. ¡°Instead, I¡¯d rather you call me Ceba. Although, I¡¯m going to be killing you soon, so it doesn¡¯t really matter.¡± ¡°But why?¡± ¡°Hmm? Oh, not for a very good reason,¡± Ceba admitted. ¡°It¡¯s sort of unlucky for everyone involved, but someone put out a hit on you and I was the one who got the commission. There¡¯s a guild of assassins I work for. Your boss wanted you dead, so he paid me to do it. Made it really complicated to do?¡± ¡°My boss? You...Mick?¡± Ceba nodded. ¡°Yeah, sorry. He was going to pay a lot of money to have you killed. From what I could gather, it was because if you died during the middle of your popularity, before you started declining, you¡¯d be remembered as a shining star, and your records would sell for a premium. In the end, it came down to money, and Mr. Holden, or uh, Mick, as you call him, decided it was time to cash out. And he made a really convoluted plan to do it too, though I¡¯m pretty sure all these other guys weren¡¯t part of it.¡± Loren¡¯s eyes grew deader as she continued to talk, uncaring as to whether everything she said got heard by Wolf. She had been hiding herself for the past few days, pretending to be meek, so now that she had a chance to let it all out, it came as a burst. Normally, Ceba Christa Lenz was actually a very talkative assassin. ¡°Wait,¡± Wolf said, taking a step forward. He froze when he began raising her weapon. ¡°The assassin that was supposed to attack...does that mean you¡¯re Jackal? Wasn¡¯t that the person who sent the letter?¡± ¡°Ah, no, that¡¯s not me. Sorry,¡± Ceba said. She bowed her head and did a minor curtsy as she introduced herself yet again. ¡°In the underground world of assassins, I have a different name. Not one so fancy. They call me Owl.¡± Wolf had never heard the name. That could mean two things. Either she was a terrible assassin. Or she was an incredibly good one. ¡°But the play with the letter from Jackal was pretty good, no? Well, I wish I could take credit for it, but that was all Mr. Holden,¡± Ceba, or Owl, continued. ¡°He came up with the idea to scare you into thinking someone was after your head. Hire a bodyguard and everything. Of course, we suspected nothing would happen, so after the performance, you¡¯d lower your guard. We¡¯d all laugh it off as a joke, and I¡¯d be fired for my incompetence at the letter. ¡°Then, right before the train left, I¡¯d sneak up to you and inject you with some poison. It¡¯ll put you to sleep, then wash out of your bloodstream too quickly to be detected by most doctors. I¡¯d wrap a noose around your neck and hang you, after of course typing out a suicide note. Something about how you couldn¡¯t deal with all the stress of being famous, or something like that. After that, Mr. Holden was going to cover everything up, and things would be good. But unfortunately, he ended up getting killed. Really unlucky, that one.¡± ¡°If...if he¡¯s dead,¡± Loren started. His mouth was dry. Of all the attempts on his life, for some reason, this one felt the worst. Mick wanted him dead. His long time friend, who had died earlier that night. Who Loren had cried for. ¡°Then you don¡¯t need to do this. It¡¯s just a waste. We can all forget this happened and go back to our normal lives¡­¡± ¡°No can do, Mr. Dames,¡± Owl said. She pulled a mask from underneath her shirt and put it on. It was like a theatre mask with a shark bird nose, quite elaborate for an assassin. ¡°The contract isn¡¯t just between me and him. The contract was between him and the guild, and then the other was between the guild and me. With him dead, his contract isn¡¯t void, which means mine isn¡¯t either. What is void is the need for me to wait, or to stage your death or anything like that. I can just kill you and get paid. Sorry. It¡¯s nothing personal. Just money and reputation on the line. Well, and I¡¯m just tired of putting on this act all the time and want to go back to my shows. But still, sorry I gotta do this.¡± Without even showing a hint of hesitation or movement, the metal ball attached to her chain swung out towards Loren¡¯s head. It would have struck, if not for Wolf jumping in the way and letting it crack down on his arm. It likely bruised his bone and made him clench his jaw. He grabbed Loren and pushed the man back, standing in the way between his hero and the final assassin. ¡°Woah, Mr. Wolf, why¡¯d you do that? I can¡¯t imagine it felt good,¡± Owl said, the metal weight returning to her side. She began swinging it, until it entered a spin, revolving around her side at a high speed. ¡°I don¡¯t want to kill you. You¡¯re not my target, so I get nothing out of it. If you¡¯d like, I could just knock you out quickly, like Mr. Dominic here, so you¡¯d have an excuse not to get beaten up by a girl. Sound good?¡± Before he could answer, she flung the chained ball at him. He raised a hand to grab it, but it was a feint, and she dashed in to stab him. He stepped back to avoid it, the blade only scratching his arm. ¡°Loren, run!¡± At his command, the violinist began sprinting the opposite direction, though he had no idea where to go. Even though Cerberus had been defeated, Loren had no way of knowing that, so he only figured to go down in whatever way he could. Actually, his escape, while feeling drastic and exciting, was almost completely without threat. Back to the fight scene. Owl swiped twice, both times barely nicking Wolf. He could tell that she wasn¡¯t trying to kill him, but he didn¡¯t realize why until she backed off her attack. His body started to become numb. Poison. ¡°Oh, did you realize? Poisons aren¡¯t really my specialty or anything, but since they were needed for the job, I decided to grab some. Funny how they ended up being useful in the end, though in a totally different way than I would¡¯ve guessed. Life is strange. Okay, let¡¯s keep fighting.¡± With the numbing solution running through his blood, Wolf was sure this couldn¡¯t last much longer. And because he needed to protect Loren, there was only so much he could do. He was useless against Cerberus, but right now, against Owl, he stood a chance. But to do so, he¡¯d need to throw everything away. He didn¡¯t even consider trying to play it safe. The next time that Owl tossed her weight in as a feint, Wolf was prepared for it and caught it with his bare hand, crunching the bones. This gave her momentary pause, halting her stabbing rush, which gave Wolf the chance he needed. He threw the ball back, pulling Owl slightly off balance, then grabbed her knife arm and quickly clutched it into a lock. His other arm grabbed her shoulder, and he tripped her forward, spinning her around and changing the grapple into a headlock. He barely had any strength left, so she dropped the weapon and kicked herself up in the air, then came back to hit his shins in. But Wolf was a master of grapples, and he knew what to expect. As soon as she lifted herself up into the air, he leapt forward, slamming her down onto the ground on her back. It was right on the metal bridge, and the landing was hard enough to knock the breath out of both of them. The rumbling of the poorly constructed bridge was enough to knock off one of the railings astray, the metal twisting off like an insane dragon. Owl groaned at the pain. Unlike some of the other ¡®assassins¡¯ that had been fighting, she was mostly just a normal person with some skill. Fighting in close combat was not something worth practicing. She rolled herself over and grabbed her kusarigama, then slowly stood up. Wolf had her by the shoulder as he jumped off the railing, pulling her along. The fall would be over 10 meters. It was a good thing Owl had grabbed her weapon though, and she threw the weight up and around the limp metal rail that had split. It wrapped around and caught, but then started to slip. In a moment of absolute desperation, she pulled against the blade to pull herself up, just in time as the chain fell off. She grabbed onto the broken railing with her bloodied hand. It had been cut by her blade. ¡°Ah, I¡¯m pretty fucked, aren¡¯t I?¡± Epilogue 10.1: An Unlikely Friendship --5 days later-- ¡°Yo, I gotta say, with all due respect, old lady, you¡¯re actually a pretty good, if not great, fighter!¡± ¡°Next time you call me that, I¡¯ll kill you. Blow up your other leg.¡± ¡°Then, if you did that, I¡¯d need to get another peg leg!!¡± After the battle, the Bear God Army hauled not only the horribly damaged body of Bear God back to their hideout, they also grabbed the Black Viper members that were resting in their cars. Dark Cobra, Shadow Komodo, and Nightmare Gator were part of those few people, and they woke up with their injuries being poorly treated in an abandoned warehouse. Initially, they had been on the defensive, obviously worried that the group of revolutionary terrorists would react with aggression, but that worry subsided quickly. At that point, nobody wanted to fight anymore. Their energy was too drained having gone against Cerberus. Then, when Dark Cobra, or Evelyn Heres, told her two subordinates that the group was finished, they lost the will to fight themselves. Everything they had worked so hard for was gone, and from now on, in a position like that, they¡¯d just be targets for other assassin groups. Disgraced and targeted, life was going to become terrible for them, so they might as well just let this group of red shirts do whatever. Of course, Bear God was not such a heartless man. As soon as he woke up, and realized that his past enemies had come under his lodging, accepted them into his army. Shadow Komodo dropped his alias, joined without a second for consideration, introducing himself as Lobo Adogora. His natural chattiness and charisma very quickly made him popular. Nightmare Gator also didn¡¯t last long before he broke, deciding to choose his brother over loyalty to the organization. He just told people to call him Raga.Stolen story; please report. Evelyn had a hard time accepting this. Even though they were welcoming her companions without question, who had without question slaughtered other Bear God Army members, she had difficulty taking that leap. Perhaps it was because she had lived for so long as a Black Viper? To her, the death of the group was tantamount to her own death, and just letting it go so quickly was like resolving a suicide by watching a movie. But even though she couldn¡¯t join their group, there wasn¡¯t any concern. The Bear God Army was already packing itself up, planning to leave Paris. The battle would bring too much attention on them, and their membership was at an all time low. Because she was in practically no state to move, her body was hoisted onto the back of a pickup truck as they pulled out of the warehouse. It was on the road, as they were driving, now days from that, when the truck carrying Evelyn was side by side with the one carrying Bear God. She couldn¡¯t feel much anger, anymore. ¡°Hey, fat russki, where the hell did you learn to fight by throwing tires anyway?¡± As she asked him the question, she gestured using the badly damaged prosthetic hand. Without Institute support, it wouldn¡¯t be healed. Well, unless she tried to find Pandora¡¯s Box. ¡°Ha! My ultimate, if not super-ultimate, technique, you ask!? Well, the answer, which you might not expect, is quite crazy! Back in the day, long ago, when I was a boy, but you were still a mature woman, we rolled tires down a hill! What a fun time! It was enjoyable, rolling the tires down, sometimes very fast, and we would get inside, and get very dizzy. Then, when my friends would, without warning, beat me up, they made me catch the tires. And I threw them! It was a lot of fun! Very much fun!¡± ¡­ ¡°Is that literally the only reason? There isn¡¯t anything better? You just decided one day to carry them around as weapons?¡± ¡°Exactly!¡± Evelyn sighed. This was what she was going to be stuck with as she recovered. God damnit. Maybe it would have been better to die. ¡°Where are we all going, anyway?¡± ¡°No idea! I don¡¯t make the rules!¡± ¡°You...how does this army even run if the general doesn¡¯t make decisions?¡± But Bear God didn¡¯t answer and just laughed as their two trucks began to separate. For now, it would just be more silence as they drove through the chilly mountainous area. One day, she may be able to join this army. If she didn¡¯t die first, of course. The amount of freedom they seemed to have, just doing whatever they wanted at any time was completely alien to someone so strict like her. It came with its own set of stresses. So until the time came that she was able to just accept this travelling sideshow of freaks, the only thing she could do was wait. Epilogue 10.2: An Even Unlikelier Friendship --The day after the fights-- As though it were all just some horrible nightmare, Loren Dames was now just as before. Using the constant clicking of the train as a metronome, he let the violin run itself, drawing a small crowd of children to his cabin door to watch him. Of course, he didn¡¯t just play stagnantly, he danced around the room, flourishing in ways that excited the kids and earned him praise. It was a show for them, and it also let him get out his pent up energy. Playing for people was the only reason he lived, and because of the changes he was going to go through, this was his only way of doing so. Sitting in the corner of his room, bobbing his head slowly along to the sound was Wolf, who was listening to Loren play for the second time ever. There was something satisfying about watching the man play, but Wolf couldn¡¯t quite put his finger on what it was. Could it be the fact he completed his task and saved Loren¡¯s life? After grabbing Owl and jumping from the platform, he figured everything would be over. At that moment, he had accepted his death. He wasn¡¯t able to save Loren Dames. Fate, however, had different plans. As Wolf soared through the air, plummeting down, his hand caught onto something thick. He only needed to tighten his fist a small bit to grasp into it, and his fingers tore through the fabric of the stage curtains, slowing his fall and depositing him face down on the floor. It was a miracle, and he hadn¡¯t even realized it, because all the stress on his body had finally been too much and caused him to pass out. And when he woke up, everything had seemed to be resolved. Cerberus had been defeated, even though it cost a great amount of sacrifice. Loren was able to make it out safely, and both the Bear God Army and the Black Viper had decided to let him go free. Because Loren was able to explain how Jackal was never part of the assassination, everyone could breathe easy. That was how the night ended. After that, Loren decided to quit being a star. It was too dangerous, for one, and even though he thought he was trying to do good in the world, it really wasn¡¯t helping people that much. It was all superficial. But someone like that wouldn¡¯t just go into retirement. Loren was going to travel throughout the UE and do his best to help others with his two hands, playing music and providing support without needing to sell himself. He was giving up the life of fame and publicity to become a regular person. Naturally, there would still be attempts on his life, Wolf had considered, and so he made a decision. He was going to stay with Loren and protect him. Like an utterly devout bodyguard, Wolf was going to sacrifice everything in his body, including his soul, to make sure that someone good, like Loren Dames could make the world a better place. That was how Wolf would change the world; by protecting the real heroes. It took some convincing for Loren to accept the man as a bodyguard, but ultimately, he accepted, and the two ended up taking the train tickets Mick had already bought. But after that, they would be living free, unwilling to break. As Loren finished playing, the children left. It was starting to get late on the train, and playing music while others were trying to sleep was pretty rude, so the two just sat and ate dinner while watching lights in the far distance zip by. Unauthorized usage: this narrative is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings. ¡°I¡¯ve already thanked you so many times, Wolf, but I really can¡¯t help but say it again,¡± Loren started. ¡°Thanks for protecting my life.¡± ¡°It¡¯s nothing.¡± ¡°But honestly, I know I shouldn¡¯t say it: that entire ordeal was pretty exciting. I don¡¯t think I¡¯d ever want to do it again, but I can¡¯t lie and call it awful. Got my blood pumping in a way it never has before. Is that the type of stuff you always used to do?¡± Wolf snorted. ¡°Ha. No, nothing like that. It was all a lot less intense. Plenty of fighting though. I can¡¯t remember a time when I wasn¡¯t fighting.¡± ¡°How sad¡­¡± After realizing that it might have been an offensive thing to say, Loren caught himself. ¡°Oh, sorry. I didn¡¯t mean anything bad.¡± ¡°I get it, and there were times when it was sad,¡± Wolf admitted. ¡°There were times when it was awful. I¡¯ve done things I never want to think about, things that are absolutely unforgettable. But on the other hand, because I¡¯ve gone through all those experiences, I¡¯m a better person. Because I¡¯ve done all that, I have the strength and the will to grab the world and bend it as I want. I have the power to protect the people who are important to me.¡± ¡°Ooh, you make it sound so great,¡± Loren said. ¡°I guess I¡¯m one of those important people to be protected, right?¡± ¡°Huh? Uh, well, yeah¡­¡± That was sort of an embarrassing thing to say, so Wolf looked away. He wasn¡¯t used to things like friendship. Loren laughed. ¡°Wait, Wolf, are you blushing?¡± the violinist said, getting up and trying to look at his bodyguard¡¯s face. ¡°Hold on, let me see. Turn this way!¡± ¡°No...I¡¯m not¡­¡± ¡°You¡¯re a silly guy, Wolf,¡± Loren said. ¡°You¡¯re acting too shy for someone so strong.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not acting shy! You¡¯re just acting weird.¡± ¡°How am I the weird one? I just want to see my bodyguard''s embarrassed face!¡± ¡°I¡¯m not...I just have something in my eye¡­¡± ¡°Haha, yeah right!¡± Wolf gently pushed his overbearing ward away. While he did want to be friends with Loren, this felt like a little too much all at once. It would be like jumping into a whirlpool immediately after learning how to swim. He needed to change the subject. ¡°Oh, so, Mr. Dames¡­¡± ¡°Huh? Call me Loren. We¡¯re friends. Equals. Adding that ¡®Mr.¡¯ part makes it seem weird, don¡¯t you think?¡± ¡°I suppose.¡± ¡°Weren¡¯t you going to ask me something?¡± ¡°Ah, you¡¯re right,¡± Wolf said. He still wanted to talk, but didn¡¯t actually remember what he wanted to change the subject to. ¡°Oh, I know. Remember when we were leaving everyone earlier? What did that girl, Honey, want to talk to you about?¡± Loren smiled. Actually, it was more like he was smiling before, but this froze his face. Not something he was expecting. ¡°Hmm¡­¡± He remembered what she had asked. It was pretty awkward. ¡°Well, to put it politely,¡± Loren started, now suddenly feeling a bit awkward himself. ¡°She was trying to get me to...how do I put this? Basically, she was trying to flirt with me, but in the most direct way possible. Like, telling me where she lived and what time to go over to her house. Yeah...haha, it was way too forward.¡± ¡°What? She really said something like that?¡± ¡°Something like that. Except she was way more forward, and used a lot of weird words and slang I didn¡¯t really understand. I¡¯ve never met a woman who acts so aggressive like that. Kinda scary.¡± ¡°Wow. So what happened then?¡± ¡°Not much. I told her no, because she isn¡¯t really my type.¡± ¡°Huh?¡± Epilogue 10.3: Actually, This Friendship was Pretty Likely --Two weeks after that night-- It was an unlikely meeting. Two people depositing checks at the local bank, happening to cross paths and instantly being displeased. After that, on a very painful suggestion, they agreed to get lunch. ¡°So, you¡¯re paying, right?¡± Honey asked as she sat down. ¡°No, I¡¯m pretty sure you¡¯re supposed to be,¡± Lance said, setting his hat on the table. ¡°You got paid way more than me, right? That means you foot the bill. Anyway, you asked me here.¡± ¡°The hell are you talking about? You¡¯re the one who asked me if we could come here.¡± ¡°No, not at all. It was the complete opposite.¡± ¡°Did something happen to your brains? Because I think you might actually have dementia.¡± ¡°Shut the- oh, why hello,¡± Lance said, instantly changing gears as the waitress approached their table. ¡°I¡¯ll just have water for now, thank you.¡± ¡°Same.¡± Once she was out of earshot, they continued the back and forth of berations. ¡°Where was I?¡± ¡°You were about to explain why you¡¯re so stupid.¡± ¡°Huh? No, that definitely isn¡¯t right. Maybe I¡¯ll just explain how stupid you are.¡± ¡°Did you just try and flip my insult back around? Ha. How pathetic.¡± ¡°What? You¡¯re the worst.¡± ¡°Then what does it make you, paying for the worst person¡¯s lunch?¡± ¡°I¡¯m not paying, you are.¡± ¡°Noooo~pe.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t try to act cute. I can¡¯t afford a place like this.¡± ¡°Then why¡¯d you choose it?¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t choose it, you did!¡±Help support creative writers by finding and reading their stories on the original site. ¡°Nope. I said we should go get gelato. You were the one who wanted food.¡± ¡°You¡¯re just making up whatever you please at this point, aren¡¯t you?¡± ¡°You only now realized this? How long have we been going head to head?¡± ¡°Gah! Crazy woman!¡± ¡°Meh. Clueless cowboy.¡± The waitress returned with the waters, and the two sat in complete silence, staring daggers at each other. As if the waitress could sense the tension in the air, she smiled weakly and set two menus down in front of the customers. ¡°I-if you need anything,¡± the waitress said. ¡°Just wave me down. Oh...I recommend the daily special. Ok, bye.¡± Then hurried off. ¡°And look at that, your craziness scared her off. The worst.¡± ¡°No, if she was scared off by anything, it would be your creepy eyes. Don¡¯t lie, I can tell when those lecherous beads are having a time.¡± ¡°Huh? What? Seriously?¡± ¡°...¡± ¡°Wait, were you really being serious?¡± ¡°...no, I was actually joking. But the way you just took it makes you seem like an actual creep. You¡¯re not looking at me in a weird way right now, right?¡± ¡°Huh? No way! Not at all.¡± ¡°That doesn¡¯t sound very convincing...I¡¯m starting to get worried¡­¡± ¡°What are you worried for? What kind of person do you think I am?¡± ¡°Well, if you¡¯re other personalities are something to go by¡­¡± ¡°How do those assholes have anything to do with me!? You¡¯re not actually lumping me in with those guys, right? Please tell me you¡¯re not.¡± ¡°To be fair, some of them are pretty great. I wouldn¡¯t mind seeing Hippolyta more often.¡± ¡°Hippolyta doesn¡¯t speak¡­¡± ¡°Duh. That¡¯s exactly why I¡¯d rather have him around than you.¡± ¡°Evil woman!¡± They chatted on for longer, mocking each other and sparing verbally until their food came. Then they kept going on, one person lambasting while the other ate. Any onlookers would have wondered why two great enemies would be doing something like this, but while their words to each other were quite sadistic, there wasn¡¯t much malice between the two. Eventually, once their plates were cleaned, the conversation had died. ¡°Still, I can¡¯t believe I actually thought the two of you were Jackal,¡± Lance said, staring out the window. ¡°When you showed up to Loren¡¯s room that night, I was totally confused.¡± ¡°Haha. Why would you think we were Jackal?¡± ¡°Because you showed up? Anyway, I couldn¡¯t imagine it. Nobody knows anything about Jackal, and he¡¯s way too secretive. Leaves bloody messes of people and stupefied bodyguards. Vanishes without a trace, like the entire scene was caused by a ghost. I¡¯m a little disappointed that I didn¡¯t get to face off against him, but also a bit glad. It would¡¯ve been sad if Loren died.¡± ¡°Wow, I didn¡¯t realize you were so obsessed with Jackal. Would you turn ¡®em in to the police if you ever caught ¡®em?¡± ¡°Of course,¡± Lance said. ¡°Someone like that is just too much. You guys may be bad, but at least you¡¯re not as evil as Jackal.¡± Honey blinked. ¡°Right. Well, anyway, I gotta use the ladies¡¯ room, so I¡¯ll be right back.¡± She left him with the bill. Epilogue 10.4: The Unlikeliest Friendship --10 days after that night-- The Hawk¡¯s Nest had gone back to the regular chaos everyone expected. Dr. Hawk was ecstatic to get his car back, as it was mostly unharmed, and let Dominic off the hook for borrowing it. Truthfully, Dr. Hawk just forgot about it and went back to day drinking and lounging around with Rico every day. Lyle and Lisa went back to studying about their respective subjects, and the patient inflow and outflow stayed the same. A few reporters had come by trying to ask questions, but the answers they got were always the same: ¡®I have no idea what happened. A group of people in black clothes followed a person named Mick Holden into our clinic and killed him. He broke in, so we don¡¯t know what happened.¡¯ The police accepted the answer without any trouble, so it was pretty clear someone high up was trying to keep the entire situation quiet. Nobody in the Hawk¡¯s Nest got much from blabbing about the truth of the night, so they just acted like everything was normal. And for the most part, everything was. Save for one thing. Late at night, Dominic, with his head down and covered by cloak, left the building. He walked down to an alleyway where he couldn¡¯t see another person, then removed his hood. From the shadows a person emerged, happy to see him. *** --That night-- As her hand was slipping from the metal railing, Owl knew it was the end. Her life had already flashed before her eyes, and she had accepted it. It was a pretty shitty way for an assassin to die: falling from a stage roof because you accidentally cut your hand, but in the end, she¡¯d be dead, so it didn¡¯t really matter. Oh well. She let go. But didn¡¯t fall. Slowly, she opened her eyes to see Dominic, tears in his eyes, trying hard to hold her up. He had grabbed onto her wrist and was hanging halfway from the walkway, and it looked like he was trying to pull with all of his strength. ¡°What are you doing?¡± Owl asked, her voice totally monotone. ¡°You do realize I just stabbed you in the back, right? Betrayed you, then poisoned you, and I even stepped over your body like trash. I did that all not even a few minutes ago. And if you save me, I¡¯m just gonna go kill Mr. Dames. This just seems stupid, if I was looking at it from your perspective. If I were you, I¡¯d ju-¡± ¡°Please b-be quiet,¡± Dominic said, interrupting her. He had to huff out every breath as tears streamed down his face. ¡°I¡¯m trying hard to pull you up...but you¡¯re kinda heavy¡­¡± ¡°Did you just make fun of my weight? That¡¯s the absolute worst thing you could do to a girl. Are you some kind of psychopath? A natural born monster from the loony bin asylums the Institute runs but combined with the evilest demon in the world? Because only someone at that caliber of evil could say something so cruel. In fact, I¡¯d rather you just drop me, right now, so I can die a humiliating and painful death rather than hear something like what you just said. Alright? You understand? Good, so please let me go.¡± ¡°No.¡± ¡°What? Why? I¡¯m telling you, let me go. If you keep holding on to me, you¡¯ll fall to, and then we¡¯ll both die. It¡¯d be pretty funny for me if I got to kill two of you, so no matter what, if you want to beat me, you need to drop me. Even if you save me and I get sent to prison, I¡¯m not going to repent my sins or anything. I¡¯m not going to change at all. So, if you save me, I¡¯ll just stab you again, and then I¡¯ll kill Mr. Dames. Is that what you want?¡± ¡°No...I don¡¯t want that at all¡­¡± ¡°Then let me fall.¡± ¡°But I don¡¯t want that either.¡± ¡°Why not?¡± ¡°Because everyone can have a change of heart. You¡¯re wrong when you say you can¡¯t. As long as you¡¯re alive, you can become a better person.¡± ¡°Wait, you just contradicted yourself. You said I was wrong when I said I wasn¡¯t going to change, but you just admitted only living people can do it. So, if I die, then I can¡¯t. Actually, okay, what about this. I changed my mind; I¡¯m a good guy now. But if you keep helping me, I¡¯ll turn bad, so the only way to save Mr. Dames is to drop me.¡±If you encounter this story on Amazon, note that it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it. ¡°No, you¡¯re lying¡­¡± ¡°Well duh. That¡¯s obvious. Geez, alright, I have a pretty good resistance to my own poison, so I guess I¡¯ll survive.¡± As she said that, Owl swung her unharmed hand up and grabbed Dominic¡¯s shoulder. By using it to pull herself up, she climbed up his body and got back onto the flyspace walkway and looked down at him. ¡°Damn, if I had my kusarigama, I¡¯d kill you. But oh well, I guess I¡¯m just going to run away now, but I won¡¯t change my mind or anything. I¡¯m still an assassin. Bye.¡± Then she left him, even though he had already passed out before she climbed up his body. *** Since then, Owl had stalked Dominic, and one night, when he was out alone getting groceries, she approached him and pulled him aside into a dark alley. ¡°Hey,¡± she said, pressing a knife up to his throat. ¡°I survived. Looks like you did too. But I killed Mr. Dames. Sorry about that. No changes of heart here, thankfully.¡± Dominic knew she hadn¡¯t. The violinist was safe. ¡°But I was thinking about it, and I¡¯m too caught up with all this emotion and don¡¯t know what to do about it. So much passion, burning in my chest that it flows throughout the rest of my body, causing me great pain. Can¡¯t you tell the horrible agony that¡¯s overtaken me, even in this moment of time right now?¡± She was completely monotone and emotionless, so he couldn¡¯t. But Dominic nodded anyway. ¡°I was joking, you know? The reason I grabbed you and pulled you aside was because I wanted to kill you. Get revenge on you for saving my life. Sounds strange, doesn¡¯t it? Well, there¡¯s a reason for it, if that matters to you. If I must explain: in the underground world of assassins, letting yourself get saved is a sin. You need to be ready to die at any time. And I should be dead. So thinking about it mathematically, you stole my death, which means I need to kill you to get it back. That makes sense, right?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t really get it, but I¡¯m sorry...I guess?¡± Owl blinked. She wasn¡¯t wearing her strange mask, just regular glasses. Apparently, those weren¡¯t part of her disguise. ¡°That was another joke. You¡¯re not very good at reading people¡¯s emotions, are you? That¡¯s pretty sad. Acting like that will make you alone forever. Zero friends, zero lovers, just a few dusty plants and maybe a cat, but that cat will probably have cancer. You¡¯re the type of weirdo who is going to live like that, so, if you¡¯ll give me my death back, I¡¯ll kill you and spare you from such a fate. Sound good?¡± ¡°No, n-not really,¡± Dominic said. ¡°I haven¡¯t achieved my dream yet. After that, I¡¯ll never be alone.¡± ¡°Dream?¡± ¡°I¡­¡± It was difficult to put into words, but Dominic forced them out anyway. ¡°I want to run a farm,¡± he said. ¡°With animals, like cows, and pigs, and horses and stuff. But not one of those farms that makes animals just to be eaten. I like animals, and I want to help them. Even if I don¡¯t have friends, if I¡¯ve got those farm animals, I won¡¯t ever be lonely.¡± It was such an astounding thing to say in the face of death that Owl couldn¡¯t even reply. After a few seconds went by, she lowered the knife. ¡°Are you saying you can speak with animals?¡± ¡°...no, i¡¯m not saying that at all¡­¡± ¡°In that case, I¡¯ll put your execution off for today,¡± Owl said, hiding the knife away in her pocket. ¡°But you need to come and meet me every night from now on. Just to make sure you aren¡¯t causing problems. And don¡¯t let anyone else kill you, because I won¡¯t let my death go anywhere else without permission. So, in the meantime, change your mind about that dumb dream stuff so I can kill you, okay? Promise me that you¡¯ll try.¡± ¡°Um...I suppose I¡¯ll try? I guess.¡± ¡°Good. Then for now, farwell.¡± And the assassin crept back into the night. Since then, every night, Dominic went out and talked to her. At first, it was mostly just Owl trying to convince him to let her kill him, but then they began talking about other things. He would explain his day, and she would explain how she stalked him throughout the day and tell him things he missed. It was strange. It all changed on that final night. As Owl came up to him for their usual talk, he handed her a bag. ¡°Huh? What¡¯s in the bag?¡± ¡°Just l-look. I think you¡¯ll like it.¡± Inside the bag was a small plastic bowl, and inside the bowl was a vine, attached to a wooden stick. Owl looked at it for a while, not exactly sure what to make of it. It wasn¡¯t a flower or a normal plant or anything, it was just some strange vine with a few spiky leaves sticking off. She put it back in the bag and raised an eyebrow to Dominic. ¡°Um, so, what is this?¡± ¡°Well, I was just thinking about it,¡± Dominic started. ¡°And when it comes down to the wire, you could¡¯ve killed me like so many times. So, I just thought I should do something as a way of saying thank you for not killing me.¡± ¡°Thank you for not killing me?¡± ¡°Exactly! So, I tried hard to find this, and sent Lyle to do it since I know if you saw me buy it the surprise would be ruined. Uh, when you were talking so much about poisons, I figured that you might like poisonous plants too. And I just thought you might have fun raising it, and growing it. Kind of like I want to do with animals. Like, it would be like starting a garden or something.¡± Owl looked again at the bag and slowly nodded. ¡°Oh...I see. Okay, I think I understand now. You want me to grow a garden?¡± ¡°Yeah! Exactly!¡± ¡°And when you say you want me to grow a garden, you mean you want me to grow one so that when you have a farm, the animals will have a place to eat, right? This is basically an engagement ring and you¡¯re asking me to marry you? That¡¯s very forward for only knowing me for about two weeks, but okay, I¡¯ll accept.¡± ¡°...huh..!?¡± ¡°Then we¡¯ll talk about this later,¡± Owl said, turning away to leave early. ¡°Thank you for the plant. I¡¯ll do my best to grow it.¡± She had some strange squiggly smile on her face she couldn¡¯t control like normal as she walked away.