| Fiends For Hire Job Report | Job No. 000001 | ||
| Status: Completed | Date Received: 1/9/2077 | Date Accepted: 1/9/2077 | Date Completed: 1/10/2077 |
| Client: Jayce Rufter | Reward: $20 | ||
| Original Request: ¡°I¡¯ll give you guys 20 bucks if you steal the World¡¯s Heart from the Cotagerie Museum. Lol XD¡± | |||
Requirements for Completion:
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Job accepted by:
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| Additional Notes: (Drim) When we showed up at his house he just panicked, threw his wallet at us, then went and hid in his closet. Took 20$ from it and put the wallet in his mailbox. (Phon) He didn¡¯t take the Heart either. Not sure what we¡¯re going to do with it, maybe use it as a paperweight or something. Not like we could sell it for a long time. | |||
| Fiends For Hire Job Report | Job No. 000014 | ||
| Status: Failed | Date Received: 1/24/2077 | Date Accepted: 1/24/2077 | Date Completed: N/A |
| Client: Kaselle Vinlot | Reward: ??? | ||
| Original Request: ¡°I have an opportunity for you, Drazah Duet. Please meet me at my office at your earliest convenience. I require both of you to be present.¡± | |||
Requirements for Completion:
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Job accepted by:
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| Additional Notes: (Drim) Job Failed. Clients terms were unacceptable. She was killed as a result. (Phon) We got a lot of decent stuff from her office so at least the trip wasn¡¯t a total waste. (Kada) Drim and Phon were really cool. I would have liked to have been more useful though. | |||
| Fiends For Hire Job Report | Job No. 000020 | ||
| Status: Completed | Date Received: 2/4/2077 | Date Accepted: 2/4/2077 | Date Completed: 2/5/2077 |
| Client: Principal of Constead South High School (Didn¡¯t actually get his name, didn¡¯t feel it was important - Phon) | Reward: Diplomas for Drim, Phon, and Xard Randex. $500 and reimbursement for expenses. | ||
| Original Request: N/A. Client was met in person and was convinced that there was a serial killer in his school, and that we were the best candidates to deal with it. | |||
Requirements for Completion:
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Job accepted by:
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| Additional Notes: (Phon) Would say that the job was handled about as well as it could have been. We barely did any work and the bonus objective was completed. Yay for completionism. (Drim) Kind of sad that it ended so soon. Phon and I have never actually been enrolled in a proper school before. It was an interesting experience. (Xard) Not really sure what I should put here. Hi, I guess. Still a little annoyed you all came in and uprooted my life, but I realize my life may have been in danger otherwise. Thank you. (Kada) Wait, doesn¡¯t this mean that I¡¯m the only one of us who actually completely made it through high school? Ha, suck it, scrubs! | |||
With their new compound well under development and their new recruits almost finished with their training, The Fiends For Hire begin preparing the next stage of their plan. But when unforeseen circumstances, persistent foes, and one Cosdamned vending machine seem dedicated to stopping them at every turn, the Fiends have to alter course and take the entire world''s economy hostage. Only when they''ve forced the world to accept their influence can Drim Drazah finally dedicate himself to his own secret agenda.V2: Prologue - Jack of All Temps
1: I woke up in bed today, but at the time I did not know what it or anything else was called. Since I didn¡¯t know what to do, I just laid there. I stared at the ceiling until a man opened the door and came in the room. He said to call him Keeper, and that he was in charge of me. He then told me my name was Mallea, that I was 13 years old, and that my brain had been ¡®reset¡¯. I did not know what a brain was or what reset meant until later. I still don¡¯t think I know what it means. He said that I did not have a family, that they had been killed by bad people. I think family means people who gave birth to you and you¡¯re supposed to feel sad when you lose them, but I don¡¯t remember my family, so I don¡¯t feel sad. Next, Keeper laid on the ground, just like I was lying on the bed, and he sat up and told me to do it too. He then stood up, and told me to do it too. He said that I should know how to talk, and told me to say my name. I did. I was surprised. I didn¡¯t know I knew how to talk. Then a person who wasn¡¯t Keeper came into the room, he brought a chair and a bag of things, then left. Keeper sat in the chair and had me sit back on the bed, then pulled out two whiteboards. He gave me a blank one, but on his was the alphabet. He went through every letter and then gave me a marker. He told me to write them but I didn¡¯t know how. He erased the first letter with his hand, then took the marker and wrote it back. After that I could write them, all of them. Next he taught me what words are, and showed me how to spell my name. Then he went through the basics of grammar with me. He then gave me a small book. He said it was a dictionary that would be full of all the words I would need, but said the ones I wouldn¡¯t need weren¡¯t in it. He had me read it until someone brought food in. They sat the tray down on the bed next to me and gave a plate with a sandwich on it to Keeper. He took a bite, chewed, then swallowed, and told me that was how to eat. I think I like food. My mouth seemed to enjoy when the food was inside of it, and my stomach felt better afterwards too. I also felt more awake after eating, and before I knew it, all my food was gone. After that, Keeper took me outside of my room and into another door across the hall. He called it a bathroom, and taught me how to use everything in it, but he told me not to write about that part in my diary. Next he took me to another room. There was a thing that looked like a human called a dummy in the middle. Sticking out of it was a weapon called a knife. Keeper pulled the knife out of the dummy and put it back in. He told me it was called stabbing. Then he told me to stab the dummy. I did, but it seemed I didn¡¯t do it good enough. He told me to stab it harder, so I did. He told me to stab it as hard as I could, so I did. Again, he said. Again, again, again, again, again, again, again, again, again, again, again, again. I lost count of how many times he said again. When he finally told me to stop, I could barely feel my hands, but they hurt at the same time. He took me to another room, this one had a lot of people and machines in it. He had me lay on a table and put a metal hat with a tube around my head. Then I fell asleep for a bit, but when I woke up it was time for more food. I think food is my favorite thing so far. After the food was gone, Keeper took me back to my room, and told me to finish the dictionary. He then gave me this diary and told me I had to always write what happened that day in it. Before he left he asked if I had any questions. I asked him where I was and why was I here. He said I was in a laboratory and that I was part of a special project. He said I was going to save the world.The girl read a few more entries after the first before there was finally a knock on the door. ¡°Mallea, it¡¯s Keeper, I¡¯m coming in.¡± The door opened and Keeper stepped inside. ¡°Come along now, Mallea,¡± he said as he held out his hand to her. Mallea got up from the bed and handed over her diary to him, not knowing that they were normally considered a private item. He then took her across the hall to the bathroom. She was only allowed to use the bathroom at appointed times during the day, so she was told to try and relieve herself whether she felt the need to or not. Next, she was taken to the cafeteria.The girl had heard that all of the staff ate there, but none were ever occupying it when she was. Mallea ate the exact same meals every day, completely unaware of the concept of diversity and having different moods and tastes. When she was finished, Keeper took her to the training room where they focused on honing her skills. That day she was practicing blending in and escaping. She was given a demonstration on how to change quickly by a woman, and watched a video about blending in and looking inconspicuous. Afterwards, they practiced the techniques she learned. The girl always wondered why they ever had her repeat a task more than once. No matter how many times she did it, she never got any better or worse, and could always do it from the beginning. Next came Mallea¡¯s favorite part of the day, except for when it was time for food. A few days ago, she had been shown a video on the concepts and practical uses of stealth. Since then, once a day, she was taken to a new room filled with various objects. There were crates, furniture, a merchant stall, and many other miscellaneous items. None of these things went together, but they simulated what one would look for when they wanted to hide. The girl went and hid somewhere in the room as she did every day, then a door opened and a man stepped inside. She peeked around from her hiding spot to see who would be playing with her today. A lanky man stepped into the room. He wasn¡¯t wearing a shirt and was covered in tattoos. Like everyone else over the past days, he was wearing a gag that prevented him from speaking. Keeper¡¯s voice boomed over a loudspeaker. ¡°Remember, all you have to do is find the girl. Do that, and we let you go free with your record wiped clean. Do not try to remove your gag, or you will fail immediately.¡± Mallea wasn¡¯t sure what any of Keeper¡¯s words really meant. She just knew that she could get to have fun with someone for a change. Until now, the only person who ever interacted with her was Keeper. She saw some of the other staff often, but none of them ever spoke to her, even when she tried to talk to them directly. Now that someone was actively trying to seek her out, she wasn¡¯t going to let it end so soon. The man immediately began checking behind all of the objects around him, causing the girl to chuckle silently to herself since she was nowhere near. Eventually, he did begin to head in her general direction, so she decided it was time to move. Mallea skulked from place to place, making sure her movements were completely silent, and that when she moved, the man never even had a chance to spot her. She had also watched a video recently of various animals stalking their prey, so it was now ingrained in her to track and monitor this man on instinct. The girl was always completely aware of his location, not that he was particularly trying to be discreet. Mallea continued to avoid the man for a while longer, until she got bored of their dance. She knew Keeper would want her to end this as quickly as possible, but it would be too much of a wasted opportunity. Unauthorized usage: this narrative is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings. The hunter wanted to see just how far her skills could take her. She strolled up right behind the man and began to tail him, just mere inches from his back, following him all around the room, never leaving his side, and eventually began to mimic his movements. She found this quite enjoyable since the girl didn¡¯t often get to mess around like this. The man never became aware of her presence, no matter how bold she got with her actions. Even though she was enjoying their time together, Mallea was starting to get hungry. She knew that the sooner she finished her assignment, the sooner she would get to eat. After pulling something out of her pocket, Mallea leapt up past the man''s head and landed in front of him. She spun around, gave a salute, and congratulated him with a cheery smile, ¡°Good job, Mister! You found me!¡± The man did not look at her, and the light in his eyes began to fade. A single drop of blood fell off of the metal wire Mallea was holding in her hands. A ring of red formed around the victim¡¯s head, just above his ears. The top of his skull began to shift, sliding to the side, and then off completely, landing on the ground. It was followed swiftly by the rest of his body, collapsing as Mallea stepped aside, then more blood began to gush out of the exposed cranium ¡°Oh, is this a brain?!,¡± the unphased murderer wondered, looking at the bit of pink mush on the severed part of the skull. She bent down and began to poke it. ¡°Oh wow, it¡¯s so weird!¡± A minute later, one of the doors opened and Keeper entered the room. Mallea ran over to him and asked, ¡°Did I do good, Keeper?¡± ¡°Yes, you did, Mallea. I just wish you hadn¡¯t fooled around so much,¡± the man scolded her sternly. ¡°But that doesn¡¯t matter now. Come along, it¡¯s time for your tests.¡± He led her to the usual room, helped her up on the table, and put the metal hat around her head. In a few seconds, the girl drifted off to sleep. ¡°I¡¯m afraid we¡¯ve run into a small issue sir.¡± Mallea heard a strange voice as she woke up on the table. It was the first time she¡¯d heard it, and didn¡¯t want to make a scene since they¡¯d most likely stop. ¡°Is it the storage space again?¡± Keeper asked the woman. ¡°Yes, I¡¯m afraid so,¡± the woman confirmed. ¡°She¡¯s still filling her brain up faster than she can generate new space.¡± Keeper slammed the desk. ¡°Cosdammit¡ after all our efforts¡ We completely isolated her and disposed of every other test subject to minimize her exposure! Should we start over again? I know the world will be forced to suffer longer each time we do it, but we need to get it right.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t think that¡¯s a good idea sir,¡± the woman hesitated. ¡°Her replication rate came back today too, and it¡¯s at 100%¡± Keeper¡¯s hand slipped from the desk he was leaning on, causing him to stumble for a moment. ¡°Seriously, 100%?! That¡¯s astounding. Our original estimates never predicted higher than 85%. That¡¯s simply amazing, and you¡¯re right. We can¡¯t risk affecting that balance. Tell me, how much longer until she¡¯s at capacity?¡± The woman turned back to her computer and clicked around for a minute, then turned back to the man and reported, ¡°Given her average daily intake, it looks right about seven weeks.¡± ¡°That¡¯s more time than I expected, hmm¡¡± Keeper pondered. ¡°I think I might have an idea on how we can use this to our advantage. We can¡¯t keep her under for much longer, so I¡¯ll work on this new plan and get back to everyone later.¡± The man then turned to face the room, prompting Mallea to go back to playing dead. Keeper saluted as he proclaimed, ¡°We have made great strides people, keep up the good work. Remember, everything we do, we do for the good of the world.¡± The rest of the scientists in the room saluted him in turn as Keeper walked back over to the table with the girl who was pretending to be asleep. Once her hat was removed, she pretended to wake up like normal, and went back to her room without saying anything. ¡ô¡ô¡ô The next seven weeks passed similarly to the last. Eventually, the scientists stopped bringing in new people each day for Mallea to play with, which made her sad¡ªonly coming to realize a few weeks later that she had been killing them, but it didn¡¯t bother her too much. They also did not fill the time with more videos or practice as she expected. Now, after their morning sessions ended, she was brought back to her room, and given various things to occupy the time such as activity books that utilized the knowledge she already possessed. Mallea was not required to complete any of them, but were merely available as an option to her. When she asked why the sudden change, Keeper answered that they did not want to overwork her. She was thankful for this, since during the last week especially, she was finding it harder to focus, and her head had been feeling heavy as the day went on. Finally, on day 91, during her usual morning session, she began to feel dizzy and confused. All of a sudden, her mind went completely blank, unable to process anything that was happening around her, and then she passed out. She woke up four days later strapped to the usual table where she wore the metal hat. Keeper explained to her that during her episode, he had come in and injected her with a sleeping drug, and they had kept her under these past days to allow her brain time to heal. Mallea was still exhausted and starving, so after taking her to get some food, they let her rest in her room for the rest of the day. The next day, Keeper took her to a brand new room. It solely consisted of a chair with a metal hat like the one in the lab, and a television. He had her sit in the chair and placed the hat on her head. Next, he explained that he was going to show videos on a couple of bad people named Drazah. Lastly, he said that when she got dizzy like before, she was to hit the button on the chair. After he left, the videos began to play. Every bit of it was all about the Drazah war: propaganda, documentaries, news reports, an endless stream of information on them. Eventually, Mallea reached her limit and hit the button. The screen immediately cut off, and she fell asleep a second later. The girl woke back up in her room, then was given food and the rest of the day off. This was repeated for the next few months. There was no more training, no more practice, only the Drazahs. She would watch videos on them until she was dizzy and stopped. New information was slowly introduced as well, including general habits of the Drazah family, and full dossiers of the guards under their employ. As time went on, she began to feel more emotional. Whenever a member of the Drazah family was displayed on screen, her entire body burned hot. She started feeling antsy, which turned into irrational anger after a while. Mallea wanted to hurt them, make them go away, make her stop feeling all these ugly emotions. Finally, on day 187, it happened. Keeper came into the room with two bags and informed her, ¡°We¡¯re going on a trip today, Mallea.¡± She asked him where they were going, to which he replied, ¡°To your destiny, Mallea. This is what you¡¯ve been working towards. We¡¯re going to go save the world.¡± The sunlight was blinding as the girl stepped outside for the first time in her life, that she could remember at least. They were at the base of a mountain. Apparently, this entire time she had been inside an underground bunker. A man waiting by a van greeted them, ¡°Welcome Ms. Mallea, it¡¯s an honor to be escorting you today.¡± The girl was shocked, it was the first time anyone but Keeper had ever spoken to her directly, and he was being so nice to her. The man drove them to the train station, where they were greeted by another overly friendly man who had tickets waiting for them. This was all so unsettling to the girl who was essentially a hermit, and she tried to calm down during the train ride as she sat next to Keeper. A day later, they reached their stop, and her guardian took her to a restaurant next to the nearby bus station. He said she could order whatever she liked, but since she had eaten the same thing every day, she didn¡¯t know most of the menu items and ordered what she knew. During the meal, Keeper said somberly, ¡°I¡¯m afraid after this meal, it will be where we part ways.¡± Mallea started to feel a little unsettled. Without Keeper, she would feel completely lost and alone, but she knew there was no point in arguing with him if this was his decision. He then continued. ¡°From here, you will get on a bus and head north to a town called Bisomote.¡± The girl¡¯s ears perked up, she knew that place well. ¡°Yes, that is where the Drazahs live. They have just returned from their most recent campaign, but will only be there for a short amount of time¡ I think you know what I¡¯m going to say next Mallea¡ You are going to go kill the Drazahs.¡± ¡°Why me?¡± the girl asked sheepishly, not bothered by the act, but rather the burden. ¡°Why did you pick me for this?¡± ¡°You¡¯re special, Mallea,¡± Keeper insisted. ¡°No one else would be able to do this. Many have tried. I know you want to do this too. You want that gnawing pain to go away, right? If you do this, I promise you¡¯ll feel whole again. You won¡¯t be restricted anymore either, and you¡¯ll be able to live the life you want to live. Remember those people who you met yesterday, how they adored you? They knew what you were going to do and believed in you. Everyone who has worked on this project believes in you. I know you won¡¯t let them down, and afterwards you¡¯ll be a hero to the entire world. Only then will you finally be allowed to be happy.¡± Happy¡ Mallea knew what the word meant but was unsure if she ever had felt it herself. Keeper had never seemed happy either, nor anyone whom she had ever met. None of them really appeared sad persay, but she couldn¡¯t consider them under the definition of happy that she knew. Was it because of the Drazahs? What would make me happy¡? It was a question to which she didn¡¯t have an answer. After the meal was done, Keeper escorted her to the bus station and handed her one of the bags. ¡°Everything you¡¯ll need is in here, including the weapons. I¡¯m going to head back to the bunker after this. I¡¯d go with you, but I¡¯m afraid I¡¯d be too recognizable. When your job is done, there will be a man waiting for you in the lobby of the town¡¯s hotel.¡± Mallea had been staring at the ground for the past few minutes, lost in thought. She took the bag and then looked up at Keeper, right in his eyes and asked, ¡°Keeper¡ are we a family?¡± The man knelt down next to her and put his hand on her head. ¡°If that¡¯s what you want, Mallea. When this is all over, we can be.¡± ¡°I think¡ that would make me happy,¡± the girl was filled with a newfound determination. She hugged Keeper, which he seemed to find unexpected, then grabbed her bag and boarded the bus. A couple of hours later, she reached Bisomote right as the sun was starting to set. She headed off to the bus station bathroom and hid all of the weapons on her body that had been in the bag, making sure none of them stood out. After stashing her stuff somewhere no one would find it, she headed out to the streets and began walking north to the Drazah compound. V2: Chapter 2 - One Hell of a Maid | Part 3 - Hope of Humanity Not a single Bisomote citizen looked her way. Mallea had mastered the art of blending in with a crowd and not looking suspicious. A few blocks away from the Drazah compound gate, she made a wide berth to the mountain on the west side and climbed to get a view from above. For the next hour, the would-be assassin watched the patrols. She recognized every one of the guards, and made sure that the information she had studied matched reality. There were a few minor discrepancies, but overall it had been quite accurate intel. She was waiting for a certain guard, a known smoker, to begin having a coughing fit. This would mean he would need to go get a drink of water, leaving a very small opening for just a few seconds. It took longer than she expected, making her start to wonder if it was ever going to happen, but eventually, the moment came. Mallea didn¡¯t hesitate. She bolted down the mountain, and when she was still quite a distance from the wall, she leapt. The girl soared across the dark sky, just barely clearing the wall. Once she got fully across, she grabbed onto the lip of the wall¡¯s edge, bringing her to a complete stop as she dangled. She dropped down and hid against the wall. The next big issue to deal with was the searchlights. There were quite a lot of them, but their movements were predictable. Mallea got on all fours and started to shimmy across the grass. Thanks to her small body and aptitude for stealth, she avoided all of them rather easily. As she got closer to the mansion, the infiltrator started to hear voices. It seemed the servants were all walking to the front gate, done with their work for the day. This was good. With the exception of a few guards and a single general servant, only the Drazahs would be left in the mansion itself. Once Mallea got to the side of the mansion, she crept along the outside of it until she reached a specific window. This window belonged to the room of the infant Drim Drazah. Keeper had instructed her to start with the children, since they would likely be the easiest. Even if Mallea failed to kill Eleen and Relyk, it was his belief that if their children died, it would cause a serious blow to their morale. Mallea peaked inside for just a moment, to make a mental map of the room. She caught just a glimpse of Drim resting in his crib and committed his likeness to memory from the small bit that she saw. Before now, the girl had never actually seen him. There were never any photos of him in the videos she was forced to watch, but there had been some of his sister, Phon. Mallea knew it would be too reckless for her to enter now, and a quick check told her that the window was locked. She¡¯d definitely need at least a solid minute to be able to sneak inside, so for now, she¡¯d be patient. The assassin hopped up on top of the windowsill and perched herself along the thin edge. No one would be able to spot her in the darkness up there. She leaned her ear against the wall and focused, now able to clearly hear everything inside. The girl could hear Drim breathing, and making the odd noise on occasion, but she was mostly listening for footsteps¡ªa good amount of which still clopped lightly in the background. Some time passed, and the door to Drim¡¯s room finally opened. ¡°My sweet boy, I¡¯ve come to say goodnight,¡± Eleen Drazah hummed softly as she entered the room. Mallea recognized her voice, and her body started to feel hot again. What happened next almost made the infiltrator lose her balance and fall off. There was an eruption of crying. Drim had begun wailing at the top of his lungs, which felt deafening, even through the wall. She could hear Eleen let out an exasperated sigh. ¡°I¡¯m sorry¡ Did I wake you? Just once I wish you wouldn¡¯t cry. Mommy loves you so much, and I would give anything to know you love me back.¡± A few more minutes passed, and the defeated mother eventually gave up and left the room. Mallea tracked her footsteps as they went down the hall and up the stairs. Drim¡¯s cries had started to taper off, and finally, all was quiet. The girl slunk down off the windowsill and peered inside, making sure her assessment had been correct. She slipped a small blade, designed for glass cutting, between her fingers. After cutting away a small panel, she reached inside and undid the lock. The assassin lifted it slowly, doing her best to make sure it wouldn¡¯t make any noise. Once inside, she slunk into a corner of the room. If she got too close to the baby and he noticed her, he could start crying, which would definitely make the entire operation more difficult. Mallea could easily take him out from here by throwing one of her knives, but she hesitated. The idea of killing the infant wasn¡¯t what was stopping her, but it did feel off. She just didn¡¯t feel right about killing someone she knew absolutely nothing about. At the very least, she wanted to see him properly up close. Mallea waited in the corner for a while longer, until Drim¡¯s breathing returned to what it was when she was first outside the window. Each step she took towards the crib made her heart beat faster, until she was hovering over it and looking at the small pink demon. Drim was sound asleep, breathing softly. ¡°You look so innocent¡¡± the girl whispered as she watched him. ¡°But I won¡¯t be fooled. If I let you live, you¡¯ll turn out just like them. You¡¯ll make it so people can¡¯t be happy.¡± The assassin pulled out a dagger and moved the blade to just over Drim¡¯s throat. She closed her eyes since she simply couldn¡¯t bring herself to watch. That was when she felt a small amount of pressure on the tip, then heard a sudden giggle beneath it. Mallea opened her eyes again, and saw the child holding onto the dagger with a big smile on his face. ¡°Damn it¡ why did you have to wake up¡¡± She pulled the dagger away from his grasp, which made the baby pout. He then raised both hands out to her, and smiled again. ¡°You¡ you¡¯re happy¡ This is the first time I¡¯ve seen it. How can you be happy? A minute ago you were crying like you were being tortured, but now it¡¯s like you don¡¯t have a single care. Aren¡¯t you afraid of me? You don¡¯t know me, and I¡¯m trying to kill you. Can¡¯t you see that?¡± Her target made another grab at her dagger and pouted again as she moved it out of the way. He seemed to have gotten fed up and sat upright. Drim slid to the edge of his crib, and after a lot of effort and failed attempts, managed to pull himself up on top of it. ¡°What are you doing, tiny demon?!¡± Mallea yelled in a hushed volume. She nabbed one of the pillows from his crib and placed it on the ground beneath him moments before he plopped down onto it. Ahh, now I¡¯m helping the little monster! What¡¯s wrong with me?! Drim started slowly crawling across the room to his pile of toys in the corner. Mallea walked over and crouched down behind him, genuinely curious as to what he was doing. Eventually, he turned back around, gripping a small plush sword. He didn¡¯t seem quite strong enough to lift it fully, but pushed it into Mallea¡¯s foot. ¡°I see¡ so you thought my dagger was a toy and wanted to play.¡± Mallea lifted up the toy and poked him gently in the face with it. ¡°Bonk.¡± The baby giggled again, causing conflicting emotions to stir in the heart of the one meant to kill him. Mallea¡¯s mind seemed to go blank for a while, but in a different manner from when she overloaded on information. The girl wasn¡¯t sure how much time had passed when the door to Drim¡¯s room slowly crept open. Until then, she had been so out of it that she didn¡¯t even notice the footsteps approaching, and didn¡¯t hear the door knob turn. Only when the small girl spoke aloud as she entered the room did Mallea snap back to reality. ¡°Drim, I¡¯ve come to play!¡± The assassin grabbed a knife from her sleeve instinctually, and was trying to throw it, but something was blocking her movements. That¡¯s when she noticed that Drim was sitting on her lap, holding a book. The infiltrator remembered now, she had been reading to him. Her head quickly turned to the new girl, whom she instantly recognized as Phon Drazah. Mallea was able to tell immediately that the other Drazah child had no air of innocence to her like her brother did, and the assassin would have absolutely no reservations about killing her. But before she got the chance, ¡°Guards!¡± Phon screamed. Mallea could hear several heavy footsteps thundering towards the room. She panicked, and thought about fleeing, but Drim was making that rather difficult. A guard entered and immediately pointed a gun at her. He fired, and she could dodge it easily, but something wouldn¡¯t let her. The girl couldn¡¯t leave it to chance that it would hit Drim instead. Her mind fought against all the programming that had been drilled into her, how the Drazah¡¯s were evil and needed to die, but she covered Drim and protected him with her own body. The assassin felt a slight prick in her back, and then began to feel a bit drowsy. A dart had punctured her just below her shoulder blades, and she collapsed onto the floor. ¡ô¡ô¡ô Mallea found her face dripping wet as she was rudely awoken by a bucket full of cold water. While she was waiting for the water to clear from her eyes, she immediately noted that her arms were restrained. It wasn¡¯t just usual handcuffs either. Her limbs were fully bound together by an extreme restraint that ran the length of her appendages. It was something used on only by the most dangerous criminals. One of the people she had the pleasure of ¡®playing¡¯ with was burdened by one as well. It seemed she was taking too long for her captors, and her hair was grabbed by its roots. Mallea¡¯s head was pulled up, and she was forced to look at the people in the room. There was quite the audience, at least 20 people around her. And at the center of them, sitting in an elegant chair, was Eleen Drazah, with her husband, Relyk, standing by her side. All of the assassin¡¯s weapons were laid out at the dictator¡¯s feet. This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere. She bent over to pick one up, tested its sharpness with her finger, then looked at the intruder. ¡°This is quite the selection of dangerous tools you were hiding on your body. I¡¯m amazed you were able to conceal all of them on your small frame. You¡¯re really quite talented. Children really shouldn¡¯t be playing with such things, however... Tell me, what is your name?¡± Mallea glared at Eleen, her body starting to burn up just at the sight of her. The desire to break out of her restraints and kill the wretched woman was overwhelming, even knowing she¡¯d never make it out alive with all these guards around. She had already completely undone her restraints, just leaving them on to make it appear she was still bound in place. There was nothing stopping her. The assassin could certainly at least slash Eleen¡¯s throat, and possibly Relyk¡¯s as well before anyone noticed. Before she could act on it, though, Drim¡¯s smiling face flashed through her mind once more. If she went through with this, and killed his parents, she¡¯d never be able to see it again. Something inside her really wanted to go back to him. For now, she did her best to dampen her feelings and remain calm. ¡°Mallea¡¡± she just barely managed to say. Eleen stood up from her chair and walked over to Mallea. She grabbed her captive by the bottom of her chin, forcing the girl to look at her. With her other hand, the dictator lightly grazed the blade across the assassin¡¯s face, tracing around it slowly. ¡°You seem to hate me, Mallea. That¡¯s nothing unusual, but I can see it in your eyes. You want to kill me, don¡¯t you? You know it would mean your death, but you can¡¯t help it, can you? There¡¯s an anger inside of you that you just can¡¯t seem to quell. I¡¯ve seen it before¡ So Mallea, did this man send you?¡± The woman pulled a photograph out of her front uniform pocket and held it in front of the captive¡¯s face. Mallea¡¯s eyes grew wide when she saw the man and couldn¡¯t help herself from muttering, ¡°Keeper¡¡± ¡°So he¡¯s going by Keeper now,¡± Eleen smirked. ¡°Let me tell you something, Mallea. That man has been a pain in my side for years. Did you think you were the first? Oh no. You¡¯re the latest in a long line of assassins, but you¡¯re the only one to ever make it this far. To think he¡¯d have the audacity to make you try to kill my children¡ That¡¯s to be expected, I suppose. You see, I¡¯ve had his daughter as my prisoner for the past several years.¡± ¡°He never told you about her, did he?¡± the dictator chuckled. ¡°No, of course he didn¡¯t. That was all part of his little ruse, wasn¡¯t it? Treating you like a daughter, making you want nothing more than to be like a real family. Oh you poor girl, you¡¯ve been played. You were nothing more to him than a puppet, a tool to be used for revenge. And when he was done with you, he¡¯d toss you aside, just like the rest of his failures.¡± The blade suddenly slipped from Eleen¡¯s hand, and clunked on the floor. ¡°Oopsie,¡± she played it off poorly, as if it was an accident. The woman let go of Mallea¡¯s face, and turned around. A flood of new thoughts and emotions rushed through the assassin. There¡¯s no way¡ he wouldn¡¯t¡ why didn¡¯t he tell me about his daughter¡ can I save her¡ do I want to¡ am I not good enough¡ what do I do?! As she walked away, the villain ordered a few of her guards, ¡°Send word to have this ¡®Keeper¡¯s¡¯ daughter killed. If he¡¯s going to threaten my family, I will act in turn.¡± Mallea¡¯s mind went into a frenzy. Even if Keeper had not been completely honest with her, she couldn¡¯t let his daughter be killed like this. Many sudden realizations started to burn in her mind. How poorly she had been treated, that she was essentially his prisoner, that she was tortured and forced to kill, and thought of as nothing more than his experiment. All these feelings that she had been repressing were eating her alive, but she still couldn¡¯t help herself. It was all for Keeper, all to make him happy. Her feelings meant nothing compared to his, the one who had given her purpose in life, and she had to save his daughter for him. In one swift motion, Mallea burst out of her bindings, grabbed the knife, leapt up onto her target¡¯s back, and slashed at her throat. ?Stop,? rang out from Eleen¡¯s mouth when the blade was just a hair away from cutting her skin. Mallea¡¯s body froze entirely. She didn¡¯t understand it, but she couldn¡¯t move. ?Get down.? As ordered, the assassin climbed down from the woman¡¯s body. ?Hand me the knife.? Mallea handed it over obediently. ¡°There¡¯s a good girl,¡± Eleen smiled for a moment. ¡°You¡¯re a dangerous one, aren¡¯t you? He did well training you up. I¡¯m guessing he tinkered around with your mind as well.¡± The villain went and sat back down in her chair. ¡°Oh, I lied about the daughter by the way. That was just to get you riled up, and to get the wheels turning as it were. He has no family, and no real attachments. Trust me, I¡¯ve looked. I may have done many things people look down on, but he is right there alongside me. Your ¡®Keeper¡¯ may claim what he does is to save the world, but I can guarantee what he really wants is power and control.¡± ¡°That man wants to build an army of loyal followers and powerful soldiers, just like you. He¡¯s more like a cult leader if you ask me, but that¡¯s not what¡¯s important right now. What I really want to talk to you about is my son, Drim. Do you know how many people do not make my child cry when he¡¯s near them? I can count them on a single hand. So imagine my surprise when someone who is supposed to kill him, not only didn¡¯t make him cry, but tried to protect him as well.¡± ?Explain.? Eleen had demanded an answer in the same controlling tone that had made Mallea cease her attack. She couldn¡¯t stop herself from talking. ¡°I¡¯m not completely sure¡ I think it¡¯s because he was so happy. It¡¯s something I¡¯ve never known, and I couldn¡¯t bring myself to take it away from him. Then I started to think that if I spent more time with him, I would be able to understand what would make me happy as well. When your guard shot at us, something I can¡¯t explain made me want to protect him, even if it meant going against Keeper, and giving up my own life.¡± ¡°That truly is a wonder¡¡± the mother pondered. ¡°What if I told you I would spare your life, and let you keep seeing Drim, so that you can discover these feelings for yourself? In my opinion, there is no one better suited to protect and care for him than one whose sole purpose in life was to kill him but couldn¡¯t.¡± Mallea couldn¡¯t believe what she was hearing and tried to deduce if she was being tricked in some way. ¡°You would become his primary caretaker, and for my daughter Phon as well. I would not force you to commit to it either. If you found your answers, or did not like the working conditions, you would be allowed to quit at any time.¡± ¡°I know this must be shocking for you, and you may find it hard to understand my reasoning, but I¡¯m at my wits end, you see. I want nothing more than for my son to be happy, and as a mother, it''s the hardest thing for me to accept that I might not be able to give that to him myself. Bring Drim in,¡± Eleen raised her voice, and then the door to the room opened. Phon Drazah walked into the room, carrying her brother inside. ¡°What do you think of Miss Mallea, Phon?¡± the woman asked her daughter. ¡°I think she¡¯s a creepy intruder, and we can¡¯t trust her,¡± the girl hissed. ¡°But it is true that Drim didn¡¯t cry, and he seemed to enjoy being with her.¡± Phon clenched one of her fists while she said this, as if it pained her to do so. Eleen stood up once more, and took Drim from his daughter and held him in her arms. The baby immediately burst out into his deafening cry. His mother walked around the room, holding Drim near every one of her allies and staff. ¡°You see, he will not stop crying, no matter who he¡¯s near,¡± the mother wallowed with a defeated exhaustion in her voice. ¡°And then we get to you.¡± As soon as the baby was near the assassin, his crying dampened immensely, and he started reaching out to her. ¡°Go on, take him.¡± Eleen¡¯s voice sounded surprisingly sweet now. Mallea picked him up and cradled him. Drim immediately wrapped his small arms around her neck and smiled. ¡°He was worried about you, y¡¯know. When you were knocked out he didn¡¯t want to leave your side, and tried his best to shake you awake. I could be completely wrong about trusting you, but I would do anything for my son¡¯s happiness.¡± The girl¡¯s heart felt warm and calm. There was no trace of the rage or hatred that had plagued her before. Maybe this is what happiness is, she thought to herself. ¡°There is one problem with all of this,¡± Eleen cut into Mallea¡¯s blissful peace. ¡°Your beloved Keeper. He will not stop. He will try over and over to kill us, to kill Drim. He will do anything to accomplish it, despicable things like he did to you, but to the next lab rat he can find. As long as that man is alive, Drim will never be safe. The next one of you will come along and do what you couldn¡¯t. Would you be able to stop them, Mallea? Knowing they work for him, that it is his wish to see Drim die?¡± ¡°I need your help, Mallea,¡± the mother confided in her. ¡°I need to stop him, so that my child can be safe and happy. I will not ask you to kill him. No, I just need you to guide us. If you do that, I will give you your freedom. You could stay as Drim¡¯s caretaker, or you could go and try to find your own happiness out there in the world.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll do it,¡± Mallea committed without hesitation as she hugged the baby tight. There were many conflicting emotions and thoughts running through her head, but there were two things she knew for certain. She wanted to keep Drim safe, and she needed to confront Keeper and get answers. The lab rat wasn¡¯t quite sure what she¡¯d do once she saw him, but figured she¡¯d decide in the moment. ¡°Very good.¡± A sinister grin stretched across the villain¡¯s face. ¡°Phon, take Drim back to his room and then go to bed, mommy needs to talk shop.¡± The daughter did as instructed: eagerly took Drim from Mallea, gave her a smug look, and left the room. ¡°I would like to introduce you to someone, Mallea,¡± Eleen walked near one of the guards in the room. ¡°This is my head of security.¡± The dictator took the blade she had confiscated earlier and stabbed him right in the heart. ¡°You failed me more than anyone else ever has,¡± she screeched as she stared at the man in the eyes. After pulling the blade back out of his body, blood began to pool out as the man stumbled. Eleen threw the blade to the failed assassin¡¯s feet. ¡°Congratulations, Mallea, you just killed the Drazahs.¡± ¡ô¡ô¡ô Mallea walked through the dark streets of Bisomote with bloody knife in hand. There was no one around to see her, so she didn¡¯t feel the need to hide it. After going over the details with Eleen, she was allowed to leave the estate to meet up with her contact at the hotel. The girl was aware of the many people tailing her, but didn¡¯t let it bother her since she was still so wrapped up in her own thoughts. When she got to the hotel, she met a man who seemed astonished to see her. When he saw the knife, he began praising her like a hero, just as Keeper had foretold. Soon after, the man began escorting her back to the bunker. During the entire trip, Mallea didn¡¯t say a single word. When they got to their destination, Keeper was waiting outside. He gave Mallea a big hug and took her inside. V2: Chapter 2 - One Hell of a Maid | Part 4 - A Little Pampering ¡°That is where my memory cuts out, I''m afraid,¡± Mallea informed her audience. ¡°I suppose the answers I received once I got back to the lab weren¡¯t worth remembering. The next thing I can recall is starting to work for the Drazah¡¯s as Drim and Phon¡¯s maid and guardian.¡± ¡°I can elaborate a bit,¡± Phon added. ¡°I overheard the report they gave to my mother. Apparently, once they raided the place, everyone inside was already dead. They found Mallea over that Keeper guy¡¯s corpse. He was long dead but she muttered ¡®again, again, again¡¯ over and over as she stabbed him repeatedly.¡± Mallea just shrugged as they all stared at her with wide eyes. ¡°That¡¯s quite the story,¡± Kada gave her review. ¡°And why do you seem as interested as the rest of us, Drim?¡± She turned to ask the boy who had moved over to their bench during the story and had been listening eagerly. ¡°Oh, I never knew about any of this.¡± Drim answered. ¡°I just always assumed Mallea was a strangely overprotective and talented maid.¡± ¡°So let me see if I¡¯ve got this right,¡± Xard inquired. ¡°You can reproduce any action you see perfectly, but it comes at the cost of limited brain space, which you slowly gain more of over time. Then that¡¯s why you seem to have only learned the first letter of our names.¡± ¡°Correct Xehk, that¡¯s basically the gist of it,¡± the ex-maid confirmed. ¡°I do not memorize anything I deem unnecessary and instantly dump information that is no longer useful in order to free up space.¡± ¡°Did¡ did she just admit our name¡¯s weren¡¯t important¡?¡± the K-name stammered. Ignoring another of Kada¡¯s complaints, Phon interjected, ¡°You could basically say she¡¯s a Fiend before Fiends existed, minus the body modifications we get. Also, isn¡¯t your backstory a bit too similar to mine, Mallea? Well whatever, not that this hasn¡¯t been fun, but I¡¯m heading to bed.¡± ¡°Ah right, Young Master, I would love to get to work right away,¡± the woman who¡¯d hired herself addressed her new/old boss. ¡°Unfortunately, I lost my maid uniform over the years. I¡¯d considered picking one up before I came here, but I thought it would be best for you to pick it out for me. Would you mind accompanying me to town?¡± Phon stopped in her tracks and spun on her heels. ¡°No no no! None of that! We won¡¯t be having Drim helping you pick out clothes, and a maid uniform is off limits. We don¡¯t need that sort of fantasy popping up in impressionable young minds.¡± The Vixen stomped over to Mallea, grabbed her by her braid, and started dragging her in the direction of town. ¡°I¡¯ll help you pick out something more appropriate. There should be a shop with work clothes still open.¡± Mallea didn¡¯t put up a fight while being carted off, but did comment, ¡°Is Kimmy not in a swimsuit?¡± before they were out of earshot. The two of them returned about half an hour later, with Mallea in full new attire. It was an outfit a butler would wear: a black jacket and pants, and a gray vest with a white undershirt, black dress shoes and tie, with white gloves. The jacket was open and pinned at the sides of her hips to keep it in place. Her braid had been undone, and was now in a low-ponytail that was draped over one of her shoulders. ¡°It is a pleasure to serve you,¡± the butler gave a bow, beaming with elegance and sophistication. ¡°I uhh¡ feel kind of conflicted and confused,¡± Drim mumbled upon seeing this. ¡°I understand what you mean, I¡¯m starting to question a few things myself,¡± Xard agreed. ¡°I¡¯m cool with it!¡± Kada gave an approving thumbs up. ¡°Hmm, this outfit is not as convenient as my maid one would be,¡± Mallea was a bit bothered as she inspected each seam. ¡°It will be much harder to hide all my weapons, but I¡¯ll figure it out.¡± ¡°Ugh, those were not the reactions I was hoping for, but I give up,¡± Phon let out a long sigh. ¡°I¡¯m too tired for this. Especially since I just had to get a crash course in remembering how much I hate spending time with that insufferable woman. Did you know that when we were just children, Mallea would throw knives at me and claim that she couldn¡¯t help it? She would blame it on her ¡®programming¡¯.¡± A flash of silver whizzed past Phon¡¯s head before she could finish speaking, and several strands of white hair fluttered towards the ground. ¡°Oh my, would you look at that, it seems it¡¯s acting up again,¡± Mallea sarcastically tried to play it off. ¡°I would have hoped the effects of the dastardly, terrible, unspeakable, torturous brainwashing would have worn off by now. I am so terribly sorry, please forgive me. Though it is nice to know I can still access my throwing knives in a flash even in this confining outfit.¡± ¡°Mallea, don¡¯t attack Phon¡ unless she deserves it,¡± Drim spouted, like a disinterested parent attempting to scold his children. ¡°As you wish, Young Master,¡± Mallea gave another bow. ¡°What do you mean if I deserve it?!¡± Phon stamped her foot. ¡°Oh forget it, I¡¯m heading to bed.¡± She then marched off to her tent in a huff. Curse training was canceled for the night due to the former maid¡¯s/new butler¡¯s sudden appearance. Drim just sat quietly as the rookies bombarded her with questions, but eventually both of them headed off to bed too. The boy walked over to Mallea and mentioned, ¡°It¡¯s getting late, and I imagine you¡¯re pretty tired from your trip. I¡¯d offer you my spot in the tent but I imagine you don¡¯t want to sleep in such close quarters to Phon. Your best bet would probably be Xard¡¯s tent. Trust me, he wouldn¡¯t do anything weird. Oh, or we could give you some money to stay at a hotel in town.¡± ¡°You don¡¯t need to worry about me so much, Young Master, and I could say the same thing. Shouldn¡¯t you be heading to bed yourself?¡± Mallea asked gently, like a worried mother. ¡°Ahh, I need to stay up in case the Central Peace decides to drop bombs on us,¡± Drim quickly explained. ¡°And can we stop with the whole ¡®young master¡¯ thing? Please just call me Drim.¡± ¡°As you wish young- Drim,¡± the butler caught herself. ¡°Please allow me to stand guard in your place. I have mastered the Owam tribe¡¯s blinking-sleep technique where I sleep for just a moment every time I blink. I can go up to a week and a half before needing a proper night¡¯s rest.¡± ¡°Wow, that¡¯s impressive,¡± the lad admired her for a moment. ¡°I spent some time with the Owam tribe, but I never could get that one down. When did you visit? It¡¯d be crazy if we just missed each other.¡± ¡°Oh no, I''m sorry. I just saw it in a video once,¡± Mallea explained. ¡°Drim, I¡¯m assuming you and your friends have been staying in tents since you moved here. I know you¡¯ve been through a lot, but as your guardian, I can¡¯t say I approve of your living conditions. Would you like me to build you a house? It wouldn¡¯t take long.¡± ¡°Wow, that¡¯s quite the generous offer,¡± the leader was a little surprised, but seemed to be getting used to such bizarre statements. ¡°I¡¯m afraid we¡¯ll have to refuse, for now at least. We¡¯re still waiting on some pieces to get into place before we break ground. If we were to build something permanent now, we¡¯d run the risk of the CP destroying it. I think I will take you up on your other offer, though, and head to bed. Thank you Mallea. I¡¯m really glad you¡¯re back.¡± Drim hugged her with those last words then started heading to his tent. ¡°Would it be alright if I built a shed at least in an out of the way location then?¡± the butler asked before her boss could get inside. ¡°I plan on purchasing several tools for my work and currently have no other place to store them.¡± ¡°That¡¯s a good idea, if you don¡¯t mind I mean,¡± Drim gave his approval. ¡°It would be nice to have somewhere dry to store things we don¡¯t use every day. So make it big enough for a fair amount of stuff if that¡¯s not too much work. Hopefully it will be innocuous enough to not become a target.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll have it ready soon, and I¡¯ll do my best to keep it quiet while you all rest,¡± Mallea assured him. ¡°Enjoy your rest young- Drim¡ I¡¯ll get that right soon, I promise.¡± The next morning, with their new butler¡¯s leave, the group actually set out to handle an urgent mission that wasn¡¯t too far off that would be good for the training of their two understudies, their first real one as a full group in some time. They left Mallea alone to keep the compound safe and continue her work, who¡¯d been picking out and gathering material for her project. And when the Fiends returned the following day, it was already dark, and they were tired, so they turned in early without even getting a chance to check in on their new staff member. As a pleasant change of pace, the next day¡¯s breakfast was a peaceful one, with no real sense of constant looming pressure and threat that the past month had been teeming with. It was also a bit unusual to have all four Fiends up for breakfast at the same time without having to scatter and tend to their individual duties. Nothing seemed off until Kada questioned, ¡°So where¡¯d Mallea run off too? Did she already ditch you guys for a better job offer.¡± ¡°Oh wait, the whole thing with Mallea actually happened?¡± Phon panicked. ¡°I was hoping I¡¯d just been hallucinating since we hadn¡¯t seen her.¡± Xard ignored the rambling and pointed off into the distance with his spoon. ¡°I know this might be a dumb question, and I¡¯m seriously beginning to wonder if I¡¯m still asleep, but have we always had a deluxe cottage?¡± Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings. They all turned their heads, and once they got a good glimpse, Drim spoke up. ¡°Ahh, I think this might be my fault.¡± The four of them immediately abandoned their meals and headed over to the new structure. They found their new butler around one of the sides, rapidly applying liquid to the wall. ¡°May we ask what you¡¯re doing, Mallea?¡± the leader questioned her. ¡°Treating the walls,¡± Mallea answered as she continued to work, somehow not managing to splash a single drop. ¡°No, I mean, I told you not to build us a house,¡± Drim clarified. ¡°What house? This is clearly a shed,¡± the builder disagreed. ¡°This ¡®shed¡¯ is fancier than most luxury houses¡ It would probably go for millions on the market,¡± Kada commented. The building in question was truly a spectacle to behold. It looked like something a rich person would retire to on a private island, clearly crafted by a master artisan. ¡°So¡ you built all of this¡ in two days?!¡± Xard blurted in disbelief. Mallea appeared to have finished her task and began to clean up. ¡°Yes, it¡¯s a bit of a rush job I¡¯m afraid. I could have done a lot more if I had more time, but I wanted to get a roof over your heads as quickly as possible. The inside is completely furnished. However, I haven¡¯t been able to get the electricity or plumbing set up yet. If you follow me, I¡¯ll give you the tour.¡± The gang followed the butler inside. Immediately, there was a small entryway where she asked them to leave their shoes. To the right was a kitchen that Phon dashed into with sparkles in her eyes. ¡°Oh gosh, a real stove,¡± she gushed. ¡°I can finally get back to cooking like a normal person. You¡¯ve finally done something right, Mallea.¡± ¡°Y¡¯know, this kitchen is a lot smaller than I expected, given how big the outside is,¡± Kada mentioned. Also included in the kitchen was an oven, a small fridge, a sink, and dishwasher. There were also several cabinets and drawers. It was all economically placed to fully utilize the small floor space, but there was still enough room to move around comfortably. ¡°Who cares?!¡± Phon yelled, ¡°There are eight burners¡ eight! Oh, and so many settings and presets. You can really get some high heat on these. Models like this weren¡¯t supposed to hit the market for three or more years, and would be super expensive. Where did you get one Mallea?¡± ¡°I¡¯m afraid I was not allowed to leave the premises to procure ready made appliances due to the bombing threat, so I had to make them myself,¡± the woman explained. ¡°Wait, you made it by hand?!¡± Xard questioned again in disbelief. ¡°In two days... along with building an entire house? Well, I guess you had a third night too, but that doesn¡¯t make it more believable!¡± ¡°Shed,¡± Mallea corrected once more. ¡°But yes, all of the furnishings and appliances were made by me, with the exception of a toilet in one of the two bathrooms. I took the shell of a toilet that appeared to be made using a bomb and converted it into a working one. You don¡¯t need to worry about the supplies I used for this project. I kept a list of all the materials I used and have already ordered replacements for all of them using my own funds.¡± Drim tried to berate her about that, but she quickly shouted, ¡°Moving on!¡± and continued the tour. ¡°This is my room,¡± the host showed them. It was quite the small modest bedroom, comparable to their ones back in constead, and it only had a bed, a nightstand with a lamp, and several exact copies of the butler suit she was wearing were hung on a rack. ¡°I modified the suit we bought last night to better handle my needs, then made several duplicates for it when it gets dirty.¡± Next was a room for Kada and Xard, or Karma and Xing as she called them, to share. There were two large hammocks, divided by a nightstand, with a dresser for both of them near the entrance. ¡°I apologize, but unfortunately I didn¡¯t have enough materials to make proper bedding for everyone. I hope you understand, but I can assure you that these are quite comfortable. If one of you finds it unsatisfactory, I would welcome a trade of one of them for my own bed.¡± Neither of them seemed to have any complaints in the matter since it would be vastly preferable to the ground they had been sleeping on so far. All of their jaws dropped when Mallea opened the door to Drim¡¯s room. It was at least four or five times larger than the last bedroom. There was a walk-in closet, private bathroom, a desk, a full entertainment center with a large television, and at the center of it, a king-sized bed that would make any potential words used to describe it seem like an insult. The sheets were silky, the pillows were plump and fluffed, and it looked like every sorrow would melt away the moment someone laid down in it. There was quite possibly not another bed in the world that would match its measure, even one belonging to the richest king. ¡°Welp, that explains where all the materials went,¡± Kada was still in shock. They immediately closed the door and all walked away with dazed looks on their faces, the splendor too much to process all at once. The last room was Phon¡¯s, but the door to it was quite off compared to the rest of them. It looked rotten, as if it had been dug up from a landfill, and there was a warning sign plastered to it, stating that it was condemned. ¡°When I was working at an architecture firm, I was taught that every building should have a unique room centered around a motif,¡± The Temp revealed when questioned. ¡°The motif I went with for this one was, ¡®Unwelcome guest, leave immediately.¡¯¡± Mallea opened the door for them, but it was stiff and hard to move, creaking the whole way on its somehow rusty hinges. Even the inside looked straight out of a horror movie, with stained walls and peeling paint. The floor looked ready to give way at any moment, and squeaked incessantly as Mallea walked on it. There were bits of trash all over, and a hole in the wall that looked like it belonged to a large rodent. The only light source, which flickered a bit upon their intrusion, was a single lightbulb dangling from the ceiling via its cord. Instead of a proper bed, there was instead a bed of nails, all of which appeared to be slightly rusted. ¡°I¡¯ve heard that some cultures swear by these and their ability to alleviate stress,¡± the butler proclaimed. ¡°And after spending just one outing with her, I believe Phon is desperately in need of it. I hope you enjoy your room. I spent the most time on it out of any of them. You¡¯d be surprised how long it took to finetune the floorboards to get just the right level of squeak.¡± Phon appeared too astonished to be upset, and the tour continued without incident. Mallea showed off the main bathroom, the small common area, and lastly, the large storage room that took up more than half of the available space of the building. Inside it currently was just a small selection of bombs and a workbench. ¡°See, I told you, it¡¯s a shed,¡± the woman affirmed once more. ¡°I stored the bombs that were dropped over the past few days in here, and will move the rest of Karol¡¯s later. Please let me know if there is a certain way you would like me to organize them.¡± As they put on their shoes, preparing to start their activities for the day, the butler addressed them. ¡°I will have the electricity on early this morning, so I will prepare you all a nice lunch. Oh, and one more thing, I found this creature digging through the trash, shall I dispose of it for you?¡± Mallea was holding up Pox by the scruff of his neck. ¡°Oh uhh, he¡¯s something like a pet, I guess,¡± Drim assured her. ¡°He only eats garbage, so try to save any for him please.¡± ¡°Very well,¡± she set Pox down onto the floor. ¡°I shall treat him with the respect that a pet of the young master deserves.¡± ¡°Oh, be sure to collect any of his poop,¡± Phon insisted. ¡°He¡¯s been wandering off to do his business lately, and I¡¯ve been having a hard time finding it, so my reserves are low. It¡¯s all mine, though, understand?! You can¡¯t have any!¡± After that outburst that would surely leave their new hire confused, the group headed out. As the day went on, they returned for their meals and seemed to enjoy them greatly. The Vixen even joined in on Curse training for once since she was back to being on a normal sleep cycle. At night, Mallea retired first, but insisted that if anyone needed her, to wake her without hesitation. She also said that she would get up when everyone else went to bed to keep watch. Kada and Xard headed off after they showered, but both agreed that the hotsprings was better, and that they¡¯d need to find a way to pump in the water to a big bath once they got their real house. That just left the Drazah siblings, both of whom seemed to be stalling. ¡°I get why I¡¯m hesitating to go to bed, but why are you?¡± Phon asked her brother. ¡°Uhh, well that bed is way too grand. I feel like it would be wasted on me,¡± the boy answered. ¡°I also kind of think that if I get in it, I¡¯ll never be able to get out. Wanna trade? Or at the very least you could join me. There¡¯s more than enough room.¡± ¡°You¡¯re seriously so weirded out by it that you¡¯d prefer a bed of nails? It might be time to consider some therapy, Drim,¡± the sister joked. ¡°But I¡¯ll decline on both counts. Honestly, I¡¯m kind of intrigued by the challenge and won¡¯t be bested by that wench.¡± ¡°Alright then, I guess I¡¯ll suck it up and get to bed,¡± Drim let out a yawn. ¡°And I¡¯m probably wasting my breath here, but do try to get along with Mallea.¡± ¡°Yeah sure-¡± Phon half-heartedly agreed while watching her brother head off to his room. ¡°-Sure as zjik that will never happen,¡± the woman finished once Drim closed the door. When she finally braved heading to her own room, and struggled to close the door, she could hear Mallea stir from her slumber, having likely used the intense groaning from the door as an alarm. It really was insane how much detail the butler had put into making her room look haunted, but The Vixen had stayed in worse places and had overcome all those fears. In the morning, everyone gathered around for breakfast except for Drim. ¡°Y¡¯know that bed of nails wasn¡¯t as bad as I thought it would be,¡± Phon had to admit. ¡°It¡¯s not something I¡¯d want to use every night, but I definitely feel like some tension is gone.¡± Their leader still never showed up even after they were all finished, so the Fiends all assumed he still wasn¡¯t used to the new sleeping schedule and went about their day. Come lunch, he was still not awake, which was unusual, but not unheard of. At dinner, Kada finally spoke out about the issue and declared that she was going to go wake him. Minutes passed, but there was no sign of Kada or Drim, so Phon and Xard went to check on them. ¡°Hey Kada, what are you doing?!¡± The Vixen bellowed when they found her passed out on Drim¡¯s bed next to him. She started climbing in the bed to push her off, but immediately collapsed face first into one of the pillows and began snoring. Xard looked at his three companions, all essentially comatose, and shrugged, diving into an open spot in the bed and immediately passed out. Fiends For Hire Internal Dialogue 1 Eleen: Drim, you should let me speak to Mallea. Drim: Why? Is there something specific you want to say to her? Eleen: I want to tell her that she¡¯s fired! Drim: Why on Rathe would you do that? Eleen: It¡¯s my right as her employer! She¡¯s given me plenty of reasons. She hasn¡¯t shown up for work in twelve years, and it¡¯s due to her negligence that you killed me! Drim: ¡ Eleen: Also, it would be hilarious to have it come from your body. She¡¯d probably start bawling immediately and maybe even go into shock! Drim: ¡ Eleen: You¡¯re being unusually quiet about this. Normally, this is when you¡¯d tell me to shut up or have a witty remark. Drim: Oh, I was just thinking that I can see where Phon gets it from. Eleen: ... V2: Chapter 3 - Shoddy Craftsmanship | Part 1 - Time for an Upgrade Phon woke up in Drim¡¯s bed feeling more rested than she had in her entire life. She looked around, Kada seemed to be just waking up as well, and Xard was wiping the sleep out of his eyes. The Vixen then pulled out her phone to check the time, and her eyes nearly popped out of her head. It was four days later. This bed was truly monstrous if it could make someone sleep for that long, but she couldn¡¯t help but feel great. They all must have been more exhausted than they realized from the labors of the past month. It was amazing that her phone had only dropped by 6% even after all this time. Anything Nathym made was truly astounding. Oh Zjik, Nathym! Phon suddenly remembered when she realized the date. Also on her phone were four new messages from Drim: ¡ºWow, just slept for three and a half days and woke up to everyone around me, guessing it¡¯ll be the same for you all too.¡» ¡ºHe said he¡¯ll be there early tomorrow, we¡¯re planning on leaving at 375.¡» ¡ºMallea just got the truck. I don¡¯t want to wake you, so we¡¯ll just go without you if you¡¯re still asleep.¡» ¡ºLeaving in 15 minutes.¡» As she read the last one and checked the time to compare, a new message popped up on her screen: ¡ºLeaving now, see you tomorrow.¡» ¡°Oh hell no, I¡¯m not being left behind like that,¡± the girl yelled abruptly. She closed her eyes and saw the mentioned pair in a moving truck that was exiting through the front gates. If she was fast, she could still make it. ¡°It¡¯ll be just you guys until tomorrow. Don¡¯t let the place blow up and don¡¯t slack off,¡± she ordered the trainees, then held up her pointer finger and moved it hesitantly between them. ¡°Ehh, Pox is in charge!¡± The Vixen came to a hasty decision as she pointed at the small creature curled up at the foot of the bed. She then moved her hands to her eyes, teleported to the kitchen to grab some food, then teleported into the cab of the moving truck before it crossed the town limits. ¡ô¡ô¡ô Kada and Xard convened in the kitchen a few minutes later. They had both gone to use the bathroom and changed clothes, with the girl using Drim¡¯s private bathroom so they wouldn¡¯t have to fight over it. Already prepared meals were waiting for them in the fridge made by their new butler that they just had to heat up. After they sat down to eat, they began to discuss their plans for the day. ¡°So, what¡¯s to stop us from just slacking off all day?¡± Kada proposed. ¡°We haven¡¯t had a day off since we got here.¡± ¡°We literally just slept for four days,¡± Xard rebutted. ¡°I know what you mean, though. It would be nice to do something just for enjoyment for once. However, I still think we should try to get at least something done.¡± ¡°I know. Phon said Pox was in charge, so we¡¯ll let him decide.¡± It was hard to tell if Kada was joking or being serious. ¡°So Pox, should we be lazy or be productive?¡± The animal had been sitting on the table, eating the plastic wrap that had been covering their meals. He sat up, trotted over to Xard, and patted the back of his hand a few times before returning to his snack. ¡°You know, I really think he can understand us sometimes,¡± the redhead pondered. ¡°What should we do then? It¡¯s a little late to start working on the mountain. We could go one at a time, but I doubt either of us would have much motivation if the other wasn¡¯t there to keep them in check. Maybe we should do something we normally don¡¯t have time for.¡± ¡°I think I¡¯m going to practice with my chain,¡± the girl announced. ¡°It¡¯s been forever since I¡¯ve gotten to use my weapon. While it won''t be the same without the anchor, I can still practice the motions.¡± A few weeks ago, Kada had sent her anchor off to Nathym for modification. It had also been an experiment on how far she could be away from something she had liquified before it reverted back to normal. The result was that it appeared to be indefinite, and she turned it back to normal for him once it arrived. ¡°That¡¯s a pretty good idea,¡± Xard agreed. ¡°I think I¡¯m going to do something a bit different, though. After learning about Mallea and how far behind the news is in reporting our actions, I think I want to spend a bit of time researching what¡¯s going on in the world. As far as I can tell, I have the same mentality as Drim. I want to change the world and make it a better place, but I¡¯ve come to realize I actually don¡¯t know that much about it. Since we¡¯re basically trapped in here and can¡¯t help others right now, I feel like this is the best thing I can do as a step in the right direction.¡± ¡°Somehow you made that sound both noble and boring at the same time,¡± Kada jested. ¡°Good luck with that.¡± After washing her dish, she headed outside and began whipping her chain around. Xard went out on the deck and began surfing through the browser on his phone. It wasn¡¯t long before the daily airstrike was buzzing overhead. Both of them stared up at the sky to try and figure out its trajectory. The war crime was on an unusual path that day, coming from the town and heading north. ¡°Looks like they¡¯re aiming for the shed,¡± Kada yelled from across the way as she began sprinting back over. Three bombs dropped over the shed like they had predicted: one very large bomb and two smaller bombs before and after. ¡°I¡¯ll get the big one,¡± Xard leapt up onto the roof in a single bound. He positioned himself in the large looming shadow it created, and took a wide stance, holding up both arms. The caught missile was completely robbed of its momentum, landing in the man¡¯s grasp like it was a soft pillow. He took a deep breath, and blasted the energy out of his mouth, not wanting to damage his clothes. Then, he began to shift his jaw around, feeling he might have damaged it. Meanwhile, Kada had leapt up on the roof, and jumped off in the direction of one of the smaller bombs while lashing her chain towards the other. As soon as she made contact with the first bomb, she melted it, and as expected, she was unable to melt either of the others. The woman reeled her chain in, pulling the bomb past Xard towards herself and melted it as well. She then let out a sigh of relief as yet another crisis was averted. ¡°Uhh Kada, a little help,¡± Xard cried down to her. ¡°This thing is freaking heavy, and I don¡¯t want it to break the roof if I set it down.¡± Kada leapt up to him, melted the bomb, and apologized. Not a second later, however, a new strange sound cried from below. ¡°Garuu garuu.¡± It was Pox, making a noise they had never heard before. ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± the girl asked him, quickly jumping down to his side. He began flapping an arm wildly in the direction of the skycraft. A new bomb had just been dropped, right over the pile of supplies. It was a rather small one, but the blast would incur a devastating loss that the Drazah¡¯ likely wouldn¡¯t be able to replace easily with their diminished funds. The bomb would be almost impossible for Kada to reach in time, but she had to try. Before she could move, though, Pox leapt up into her hands and began waving his arms again. ¡°I don¡¯t get it¡ you want me to throw you?¡± The creature nodded in response and positioned himself, ready to be tossed. ¡°Well I don¡¯t really have any other option at this point. Go get it, boy.¡± Kada wound up as if she was about to pitch a ball, then flung Pox across the yard with all her might. He blasted through the air, only losing momentum just when he was under the bomb. Pox opened his mouth wide, and the small bomb glided right down his throat and into his stomach. He tumbled as he landed on a pile of planks directly beneath him. A second later, a small puff of smoke slipped out between his lips. ¡°Well that¡¯s new,¡± Xard commented after he hopped down from the roof. ¡°There are tons of strangely evolved monsters out there due to the influx of radiation from the last war, but I¡¯m really starting to think Pox might not be from this world.¡± ¡°Woah, are you saying he¡¯s an alien?¡± Kada asked as if her mind had been blown. ¡°Or maybe something divine,¡± the man elaborated. ¡°Hand Guy used that word before, and he doesn¡¯t seem to be of this world either, so I wouldn¡¯t rule out the possibility.¡± ¡°Yeah, if you excuse me, I think I¡¯m going to get back to practicing before I have an existential crisis,¡± Kada mumbled. The rest of the day passed without incident, other than the two of them constantly gazing over and observing Pox. ¡ô¡ô¡ô Late the following morning, a moving truck rolled into the Drazah compound. Mallea pulled it up right next to the shed. She hopped out and opened the doors to the warehouse section of it. Drim climbed out of the passenger side, followed by another man whom Kada and Xard had never seen before. He was wearing a white dress shirt with rolled up sleeves and the top few buttons undone, along with dark brown pants, sneakers, and a tool belt wrapped around his waist with just about every tool anyone could ever need. There was also a pair of welder¡¯s goggles tied around his wrist like a bracelet. His eyes were copper colored, and his platinum hair was a steep contrast to his dark skin. He was also quite tall, looming over the rest of them, even Drim who was now the former tallest of the group. ¡°Nice to meet you, I¡¯m Nathym Cyper,¡± The man introduced himself to the two of them in a slightly posh accent. ¡°I¡¯ve heard a lot about the both of you, so it¡¯s nice to finally meet in person. And thanks for sending the anchor, Kada. It saved me quite a bit on materials.¡± ¡°Unfortunately, I must ask for assistance,¡± Mallea called from behind the truck, interrupting the greetings and pleasantries. ¡°Most of this equipment is too heavy for me to move. I¡¯d also like to get the truck back soon. Damned if I¡¯ll pay for a whole other day when I¡¯d only be a few minutes over time.¡± Nathym excused himself and went with Drim to help her. ¡°We should probably go help too, but where¡¯s Phon? Wasn¡¯t she supposed to be with them?¡± Xard asked Kada. ¡°There wasn¡¯t enough room on the truck, so I had to teleport all the way back here.¡± The Vixen was suddenly behind them and removing her ribbon from her eyes. ¡°Don¡¯t bother helping them. Make them do all the heavy lifting as punishment for abandoning me.¡± ¡°Why¡¯d you bother to go then anyways?¡± Kada questioned her. ¡°It definitely seems like they could handle it on their own.¡± ¡°I wanted to check Nathym out before he officially joined,¡± Phon answered in a huff, almost as if she was offended by the question. ¡°I¡¯m actually guessing she wanted to keep Drim and Mallea from having too much alone time,¡± Xard rebuked. ¡°To keep the woman from stealing her spot back as main-guardian.¡± ¡°I also wouldn¡¯t rule out that she wanted to make sure he wasn¡¯t gay like you Xard,¡± Kada half-joked. ¡°Is it too much to ask that one new person doesn¡¯t obsess over my brother?¡± Phon blurted. ¡°He does check out, though, but still seems to have high admiration for Drim. That much is to be expected, I guess. My brother is someone who will be fawned over by many for a variety of reasons. I just need to be ready to slap back those that overextend their reach.¡± Soon, the truck was heading off to be returned, and Nathym and Drim were headed back over to the rest of them. The new guy was carrying two suitcases, while Drim had Kada¡¯s anchor lugged over one of his shoulders and was carrying an anvil under the other arm. ¡°Thanks for carrying that stuff, Drim,¡± Nathym expressed his appreciation. ¡°I guess I really should work out more. I¡¯m a Fiend too, but stuff like that is just too much for me over a long distance. I can lift it, but carrying it is another matter. Anyways, I brought gifts for everyone!¡± ¡°Let¡¯s start with Phon¡¯s since it¡¯s the most simple,¡± the man reached into his pocket. He pulled out The Vixen¡¯s yo-yo and tossed it over to her. ¡°I added the upgrades you wanted on the ride over. They¡¯re now the green and purple settings on the ring.¡± Phon caught it, thanked him, and then immediately wandered off to assumedly try it out. ¡°I guess we¡¯ll do Kada next,¡± Nathym continued. He opened up the smaller of the two briefcases and pulled out a large blue and silver purse with a new thermos attached. ¡°Oh wow, it¡¯s so cute, thanks,¡± Kada was genuinely grateful, admiring it while she looked it over. She immediately took off her current thermos and tossed it aside like unwanted trash, then slid the new bag over her shoulder. She reached inside and pulled out a small clear sphere, about the size of a regular bouncy ball. ¡°Huh, what are these for?¡± ¡°Ah, well if you take off the cap of your thermos, I¡¯ll explain,¡± the gifter suggested. ¡°As you can see, there¡¯s a small spike on the underside of the cap. Go ahead and stick the sphere on it.¡± She did as instructed, and the cap immediately reacted. The spike began to widen, as the top of the cap opened up, creating a funnel into the sphere. ¡°Now you can use that to fill up the sphere with anything you melt. Go ahead and try it with the anvil Drim has. It¡¯s an old spare I don¡¯t use anymore, so I won¡¯t miss it. Oh, and remove the sphere from the cap when you¡¯re done.¡± Kada melted the anvil and then flowed the liquid into the sphere. As it filled up, it began to enlarge, but showed no sign of bursting. Once the melted anvil had been completely transferred inside, a small circle popped up on the sphere and then spun for a second. There was then a slight flash, and an icon of an anvil imprinted on the sphere. ¡°Woah, this is really neat and useful, now I can store liquids easily and organized. Incredible,¡± the woman was in absolute awe. ¡°Ah, well there¡¯s more to them then that, but we¡¯ll get back to them in a moment,¡± Nathym assured her. ¡°For now just put it in your bag, or you can touch it against any part of the outside and they¡¯ll stick there. The spheres are the only thing that will do that.¡± Kada stuck it to the side, and it miraculously stayed in place, not even causing the fabric of the purse to droop at all. ¡°One other thing about the purse you should know is that several common materials, fabrics, and metals have been sewn on the backside of the strap to boost your melting capability.¡± ¡°You really think of everything¡ªso useful,¡± Kada complimented him. She ran her thumb down the back of the strap to feel the different materials and activated her Curse for just a brief moment on each one to see if there were any of the present materials nearby. When she got to a piece of fabric, Nathym¡¯s shirt instantly melted off of him. ¡°Ahh, sorry!¡± the culprit apologized, immediately restoring the garment back to its original state. ¡°I¡¯m a bit to blame as well. I honestly should have seen that coming.¡± The man turned around and bent over since his shirt had reconstituted on the ground behind him. This caused the other three to perk up at the sudden appearance of his now-visible Curse Mark. It was a network of platinum gears and cogs running the length of his spine. ¡°Oh, I forget that¡¯s there most of the time,¡± Nathym addressed the matter when he noticed their intrigue. ¡°Okay, the next item is a small one,¡± the crafter continued on. ¡°I just thought of it on a passing whim one day. Hopefully it¡¯ll prove useful to you.¡± He pulled out a silver hairband from his briefcase and handed it over to Kada. ¡°As you can see, it¡¯s exactly the same as the one you¡¯re wearing, but the sunglasses on top are the new edition. Once you¡¯ve put it on, push the glasses down to your eyes.¡± The glasses were on a swivel and spun down into place on her nose. After they had been lowered, the lenses began moving on their own. They formed a seal around her eyes and started to glow. ¡°Oh, everything looks the same. I¡¯m kind of disappointed, not gonna lie,¡± Kada pouted. Find this and other great novels on the author''s preferred platform. Support original creators! ¡°Well, it¡¯s not really meant for these conditions,¡± the gadget¡¯s creator explained. ¡°It¡¯s meant for dark areas, and they form to your eyes like goggles. I mostly intended them to be used when you¡¯re swimming in the ground. It should allow you to be able to see perfectly clearly. They¡¯ll work in caves and other dark areas as well, and at night. Also, they¡¯ll function as regular sunglasses if you look at a bright light.¡± ¡°Okay, that is pretty useful. Disappointment retracted,¡± the recipient changed her attitude. ¡°Lastly, your anchor. Hand it to her if you please Drim,¡± Nathym asked of him. Kada had a big smile on her face from finally having her anchor back in her possession. She had missed it all this time. The weapon didn¡¯t really look any different from when she sent it off, but that didn¡¯t really matter to her since she was content with how it was to begin with. ¡°Guess I¡¯ll go get the chain to put back on it if you¡¯ll excuse me.¡± ¡°Ah, you''ll find that you don¡¯t need the chain anymore,¡± Nathym stopped her, causing the woman great confusion by this prospect. ¡°Instead, grab it by the ring. There you¡¯ll find a small button. Then, swing it as you would when the chain was attached while holding the button down.¡± Kada swung the weapon with a vertical slash. The rest of the anchor detached from the ring and flew out. It crashed down into the ground a ways away, following the wielder¡¯s motions. ¡°It uses a certain type of magnetism to control the anchor, and not just that, it treats it as if there was an invisible chain as well,¡± Nathym explained. ¡°If you release the button the anchor will start to reel in. Think of it like one of those fancy dog leashes. I¡¯m sure it will take some getting used to, but should prove a much more versatile weapon. That¡¯s not the best part, though, in my humble opinion.¡± ¡°Really?! The anchor that flies around like magic isn¡¯t the best part?¡± Kada raved. ¡°Nathym sweetie, you¡¯ll be drowning in girls if you spoiled them all like this. If I wasn¡¯t already predisposed, I¡¯d be leaning towards locking you down myself.¡± The man laughed nervously at this comment, doing his best to move past it. ¡°To start, what you¡¯ll want to do is hold the anchor up horizontally, as if it was lying flat on the ground.¡± Kada did as instructed, but as she held it, she noticed a mark branded on the inside of the ring. It was a six-toothed cog split in half. ¡°Huh, I feel like I know this brand,¡± she announced. ¡°The Enigmatic Engineer, wasn¡¯t it?¡± ¡°Oh, yeah, that¡¯s me,¡± The Engineer confirmed. ¡°I didn¡¯t mean to do that, sorry. I must have put it on there out of habit.¡± ¡°It all makes sense now why this stuff is so awesome,¡± Kada realized. ¡°The Enigmatic Engineer¡¯s works are legendary. Originally, I wanted to commission a weapon from you, but I heard the waiting list is insane and that you reject most of it. So I guess this is kind of like a dream come true.¡± ¡°I¡¯m flattered,¡± Nathym sheepishly accepted the compliment. ¡°I do wish I could have made everyone¡¯s requests, but after that title got so famous, I was swamped with orders and had to become a lot more picky with what I¡¯d make. Honestly, I could probably craft everything in a reasonable amount of time, but the stuff I make has the highest potential to be used for nefarious purposes. So, I began to vet my clients, only wanting to make things I believed would be beneficial for mankind in the end. ¡°I would also release items to the public that I¡¯m confident would be something everyone could benefit from. That¡¯s all in the past now, though. I officially shut down my website, and now my services are exclusively for the For Hires from here on out. Though I may still continue to work on items that help the general populous if I can find the time.¡± ¡°Jeez, it makes me wonder what kind of dirt Drim has on you to get you to join,¡± the girl wondered. ¡°I should have guessed that The Enigmatic Engineer was a Fiend this whole time¡ Sorry, I interrupted your instructions. What do I do now?¡± ¡°Spin the stock 90¡ã to your right,¡± the scientist resumed. Thankfully, Kada grew up in a port town and actually knew what the parts of the anchor were known as. Otherwise, she wouldn¡¯t know that¡¯s what the smaller limbs near the ring were called. After she spun it so that it was now vertical, the stock clicked into place, causing her to jump for a second as the arms at the bottom suddenly split apart. Both sides split in half, causing the arms to become four parts, forming an x. This made it much easier to balance, similar to crossbows and ballista of a similar design. There was also now a hole at the center of the arms, replacing the anchor¡¯s crown at the bottom of the weapon. ¡°Next, you need to pull the stock to the right, kind of like if you were opening a cabinet,¡± Nathym continued. She tugged on the metal, and the ring and stock spun out to the side on a hinge she couldn¡¯t see. There was a new opening on this side too, and she could see light coming through from the other side. She began to have musings about where he was going with this, and was getting quite excited and eager with anticipation. ¡°Now take the sphere with the anvil in it and put it inside.¡± Once she slotted it in, the anchor began to act on its own once more. The ball on the top end of the stock opened up, a laser sight appearing in the gap. A knob appeared on the bottom ball with a button in the middle of it. ¡°You use the knob to dictate how powerful you want it to be, then push the button when you¡¯re ready to fire,¡± The Engineer explained. ¡°I suggest you start out on a lower setting, and be sure to only aim at something you really don¡¯t mind breaking.¡± ¡°Forget that! We¡¯re going full blast!¡± Kada roared. She cranked the knob all the way to the maximum, and before anyone could stop her, she aimed at the mountain that she and Xard had been working on breaking down. After a light press of the button, the sphere came shooting out of it at blazing speed. The cannoneer knew what she had to do now on instinct. Kada unmelted the anvil inside, and it broke out of the sphere. It soared over the top of the border wall, and straight into the mountain. There was a booming crack when the hunk of metal disappeared from sight. Only a deep dark anvil shaped hole in the mountain remained. ¡°I love it!¡± Kada gushed. ¡°I love it so much, it¡¯s the best present I¡¯ve ever gotten! Someone bring me a bomb. I need a bomb! I need to make something explode! If I don¡¯t make something explode right now, I¡¯m going to explode! Someone bring me a¡ª¡± The spastic¡¯s demeanor suddenly went from ecstatic hyperness to a calm mellow as a puff of green dust hit her face. Drim discarded the flower he¡¯d held just beneath her airways. ¡°I knew that was going to happen, so I had this ready. How do you feel, Kada?¡± ¡°I¡¯m good,¡± Kada said slowly with very little enthusiasm. Her eyes went lax, almost looking like she was sleepwalking. ¡°I think I¡¯m just going to chill for a bit.¡± ¡°Alright Xard, now I have a few things for you too,¡± Nathym moved on. The redhead seemed genuinely surprised by this, and a little weary, since he was prone to break anything he used in combat. ¡°I will have to admit, you were a tricky one. You have such natural defensive capabilities that no amount of armor that I could make you would help. In fact, it would just hinder you since then you wouldn¡¯t be able to absorb impacts, which would lessen your offensive capabilities in the process. However, I believe there is one weak spot: the back of your head.¡± ¡°You have to activate your Curse, so a well-timed surprise shot to the back of your head would almost certainly kill you outright. Anywhere else on your body you would most likely notice beforehand, and if you didn¡¯t, it probably wouldn¡¯t kill you right away due to your Fiend durability. So I made you this headpiece.¡± Out of the other suitcase, Nathym pulled out what looked like a red piece of circular plastic, almost like a bulky tiara. ¡°Since you already keep the hair in this area well groomed, it should fit perfectly. You wear it around the back with the thin ends just above your ears.¡± Xard took it with a bit of hesitation since he wasn¡¯t overly ecstatic to wear it, but felt much better once he tried it on. ¡°Wow, I can¡¯t even really feel it¡¯s there,¡± he expressed his comfort. ¡°It¡¯s hard to make out too. It blends in with your hair well,¡± Drim added in an attempt to reassure him. ¡°Yeah, I tried to make it as convenient as possible for you, since you should wear it basically all the time. The headpiece is also waterproof, so it would be fine to bathe with it on,¡± Nathym elaborated. ¡°In terms of potentially saving your life, that¡¯s about all I could come up with.¡± ¡°Figuring out what you could use as a weapon was even harder. I originally started looking into things you could funnel energy into, but ultimately they wouldn¡¯t be much help once you better learn how to control the energy¡¯s flow from your body. That¡¯s when I came to realize that it was dumb to even try and develop a weapon for you, since you are the weapon. So in the end, I came up with these.¡± Nathym pulled out what looked like a small jewelry case. Inside were four rings. Three of them were lined up in a row, with the fourth at the top with a chain around it. There was a small trinket adorning the top of each of the rings, each depicting something different. For the three rings it was a bullet, a grenade, and a missile. On the last ring was the same icon imprinted on barrels to denote a radioactive hazard. ¡°Go ahead and put those three on. Oh, I should probably say that they¡¯ll-¡± Nathym tried to warn him, but it was too late. Xard put a ring on each of his left pointer, middle, and ring fingers, and then immediately began screaming in pain. ¡°Yeah, that will happen, sorry,¡± The Engineer apologized. ¡°They¡¯re fusing with your nerves at the moment. The pain should subside soon. I don¡¯t really recommend ever taking them off since you¡¯ll have to go through that each time, but if you want to, you can press down on the icons and they¡¯ll release themselves.¡± ¡°These rings activate when you try to draw energy from them with your Curse. They¡¯ll give off an amount of energy around that of the icons on them. However, they can¡¯t be used unlimitedly. Each ring has a cooldown before it can be used again, proportionate to how much energy it provides. For the bullet, which is about the same as one fired from a high powered rifle, the cooldown is a little less than a second. The grenade is around five seconds, and the missile is about thirty seconds.¡± Xard now understood the training Drim had been putting him through. It was to let him select which ring he wanted to draw from without tapping into all of them at once. ¡°You¡¯ll have to be the one to get creative with how you use the energy. For example, with the bullet, you could fire it off as one big blast or several weaker ones. I¡¯m not really super innovative with stuff like this, but another idea I had was to use the energy from the grenade ring and fire it through each of your fingers. Then you¡¯d have something akin to a shotgun.¡± Xard gave the bullet ring a test fire. He activated his Curse and focused it on that finger. The energy surged into him as if he had been hit by an outside force. He then pointed a finger on his right hand towards the mountain and let it loose. The damage wasn¡¯t as wild as Kada¡¯s, but there was still a noticeable hole. He took a few more shots to test it further, but then pushed his hand to his eyes and began to well up, becoming suddenly emotional. Until now, the man had always felt his Curse to be lacking. It was great defensively, but relied too much on an opponent to be able to fight back. With this, he could go on the offensive with the others. ¡°Thank you, Nathym,¡± the redhead spouted his sincere gratitude. ¡°This is more than I could ever ask for. Should I put the last ring on too?¡± ¡°No, please don¡¯t,¡± Nathym requested with a sudden seriousness, almost hostile. ¡°That ring has the same destructive capabilities as a nuclear bomb, and I will only give it to you if you promise me that you will only use it in case of an absolute emergency. Even then, I don¡¯t want you wearing it for any reason except for when you¡¯d use it, which is why it¡¯s on a chain. The ring will break on use, so it¡¯s one time only. I also can¡¯t promise that your body will come out unscathed from such a massive intake of energy at once.¡± ¡°Wow, that¡¯s quite the responsibility,¡± Xard was a little stunned. ¡°I swear that I will only use it if there¡¯s no other option.¡± He took the chain and wrapped it around his neck. ¡°Thanks, sorry to get so heavy there. I just don¡¯t want someone to get hurt on accident by one of my inventions again,¡± The Engineer admitted. ¡°Anyways, I do have one more thing for you.¡± ¡°Kada¡¯s right, you¡¯re going to attract all the ladies. Maybe even a few gay guys too,¡± Xard quipped. Nathym let out a nervous laugh once more. ¡°Well uhh¡ I heard you had some trouble picking out a combat outfit since everything is destroyed so easily because of your Curse. Go ahead and undress out of everything except your underwear please.¡± ¡°You¡¯re making me much less enthusiastic for this gift,¡± the recipient groaned. ¡°But if it¡¯s as amazing as everything else, I¡¯ll have to trust you.¡± He disrobed as The Engineer pulled out the last item from the suitcase. ¡°It¡¯s a¡ it¡¯s a sack¡¡± Xard listlessly stared at it. It indeed did look like a sack attached to a pair of shoes. The garb was made up of a red fabric, with several dark gray plates strewn about that looked like pieces of body armor; all of them differently shaped. Nathym gave a small chuckle, ¡°I know what it looks like, but just trust me on this, okay? Put the shoes on, then you should find some noticeable arm holes to stick yours through. Once it¡¯s on, tap your headpiece twice, and it will sync up.¡± Xard finagled his almost naked body inside the baggy fabric, feeling more unsure about the situation by the second. He finally got his arms through the holes and tapped his headpiece. All of the fabric tightened around him, bringing all of the plates close together, forming a skin tight suit. There were no sleeves, leaving his arms completely bare, but there were two large shoulder pads. They were a bit more streamlined than what someone in sports would use, and seemed to be made of a softer material. The plates covered the rest of his body entirely, except for where it would make it hard to move like the inside of his thighs. Finally, as a purely cosmetic piece, was a red banner with golden trim attached to his left hip. It extended just past his knee, with a golden Fiends For Hire logo embroidered on it. ¡°Heh, nice butt Xard,¡± Kada snickered slowly from the side. Xard turned his head to get a glance. It was true that the suit formed to him more than he would have liked, but couldn¡¯t deny that he appreciated how it made his butt look. The past months of rigorous exercise were paying off. ¡°I do really like the design,¡± the redhead complimented the outfit. ¡°It makes me feel¡ I don¡¯t know¡ respectable? Like, now I¡¯ll look like someone to be taken seriously instead of running around in rags. The banner is also a nice touch, and of course it¡¯s color coordinated¡ Though I kind of always imagined myself in either a cape or cloak, kind of like Drim¡¯s.¡± ¡°No cloaks!¡± The leader sternly butted in. ¡°Cloaks are my thing. Get your own.¡± ¡°Okay... let me explain some of the features,¡± Nathym interrupted their fashion discussion. ¡°Obviously, the most important one is that it¡¯s durable. Your energy will pass through it like it isn¡¯t even there most of the time. It may cut it if you focus it finely like a blade, but if you or anything else does manage to cut it, it will reform itself as long as there is extra material available. This is one of the main reasons it is so big to begin with. Next, the shoulder pads. Those are shock absorbers for when you have extra energy with nowhere to put it. After a bit of study, it seemed that your shoulders are one of the least likely areas where you¡¯d get hit.¡± ¡°That makes sense,¡± Xard agreed. ¡°I have run into that situation in the past where I needed to dump energy. I¡¯d rather not fire blindly, so I appreciate it. What about the rest of these panels, are they shock absorbers too? Because I kind of feel like that would be counter intuitive to absorbing energy from others.¡± ¡°No, those are shock enhancers,¡± Nathym corrected him. ¡°They should increase any impact you receive by around double. Lastly, your shoes; Energy will completely pass through them as well, and will help you keep your balance even when high in the air.¡± ¡°So wait¡¡± the combat-ready man pondered for a second. ¡°You¡¯re saying I could fly.¡± ¡°Well to be a bit more technical about it, you would be applying energy in bursts to maintain height and speed, but I guess in laymans terms and with enough practice, yes, you¡¯d be able to fly,¡± The Engineer responded. ¡°Okay, I¡¯m going to give it a try,¡± Xard walked a few paces away. He absorbed the energy from the missile ring and sent a strong blast through his feet. It sent him shooting into the air, about 50 feet above the ground, and still managing to keep upright. He then absorbed the grenade ring, and expelled the energy slowly to keep him hovering. There was definitely a good amount of assistance coming from his shoes keeping him balanced, because he felt he¡¯d be spinning out of control otherwise. Xard decided to try moving forward a bit, but let out too much energy, causing him to spin and lose his composure. A second later he crashed back down on the ground, the back of his head taking the brunt as the point of impact. ¡°Alright, I completely understand the point of this headpiece now,¡± the failed flyer groaned as he rubbed his head. After a second of recuperating himself, he asked, ¡°This stuff is incredible. As far as I know it completely defies the laws of energy. You¡¯re spawning it from essentially nothing and creating more from energy that already exists. How does any of this stuff work?¡± ¡°Uhh Xard, it¡¯s probably better if you don¡¯t ask that,¡± Drim cut in, clearly a bit worried based on his tone. ¡°It¡¯s fine, Drim,¡± Nathym assured him. ¡°It¡¯s probably better if it¡¯s not a secret. The truth is, I don¡¯t know.¡± ¡°Wait, are you serious?!¡± the redhead exclaimed. ¡°How is that even possible if you¡¯re the one who made it?¡± ¡°My Curse is called Blueprint,¡± The Engineer answered. ¡°I think of something, and then it tells me how to make it, what I need to make it, how to use it, and imparts the skills I need to be able to create whatever it is. Essentially, I just follow a preset list of instructions. I understand if that makes you trust the equipment less. It wouldn¡¯t be the first time.¡± ¡°It¡¯s why I had to adopt the alias of The Enigmatic Engineer, though that wasn¡¯t what I went by originally. I¡¯ve found that for some reason, people trust an invention from a completely anonymous source more than someone who is unable to explain it. After all, the name Nathym Cyper is blacklisted in the scientific community.¡± V2: Chapter 3 - Shoddy Craftsmanship | Part 2 - Persevering Passion Nathym Cyper, a 15 year old high school student was happily walking home from school. That day was the most prideful he¡¯d felt in a long time. In one hand he was holding a trophy, and under his other arm he was toting a box carrying his winning invention. He couldn¡¯t wait to share this news with his family and was rushing to tell them. When he got home his mother was putting her shoes on, preparing to head somewhere. The boy briefly considered waiting until she and the rest of his family were around before sharing the news, but he couldn¡¯t help himself. ¡°Hey mom, I have something important to tell you!¡± Nathym gave her a bit of a shock, yelling suddenly behind her. ¡°Can it wait until later, Nathym?,¡± his mother brushed it off. ¡°I¡¯m heading out to meet your father to go to your brother¡¯s game.¡± ¡°It¡¯s just, I won first place in the science fair!¡± the boy couldn¡¯t contain his excitement. ¡°That¡¯s great honey. You can tell me all about it when we get back,¡± His mother didn¡¯t even come close to matching his level of enthusiasm. ¡°This is your brother¡¯s first game since he got promoted to the varsity team, and I don¡¯t want to miss it.¡± ¡°Well, could I show you how my invention works real quick?¡± Nathym insisted. ¡°It will only take a minute. It¡¯s a capture device that will allow hunters to safely trap medium sized monsters with no risks to them!¡± ¡°Will you quit it with the jokes, Nathym? I know there¡¯s no way you could make something like that,¡± his mother chastised him, acting as if he¡¯d lied straight to her face. ¡°I¡¯ve told you again and again, leave the science stuff to the professionals. I really wish you would focus on something that would actually be beneficial to your future. Take your brother for example. Kassin is a zoneball prodigy, and there¡¯s quite a good chance he¡¯ll get a full scholarship. Why can¡¯t you be more like him?¡± His mother left without saying anything else, leaving her son dejected, mulling over those words. He had heard those words countless times since childhood: ¡®Why can¡¯t you be more like your brother?¡¯ Kassin was his twin brother, but they were nothing alike. His brother had always been much more outgoing and social, spending his days with his friends or playing sports. Nathym preferred time alone, either playing games or tinkering with things. He¡¯d always had a passion for science. When they were younger, the two brothers got along quite well. They would hang out all the time and enjoy the perks of being twins¡ªmostly pranks. However, that all changed once they got into middle school and Kassin joined the zoneball team. It was soon discovered that he had quite the knack for it, and since then, their parents, especially their mother, had always held him in higher regard. Nathym didn¡¯t mind their preferential treatment too much since he enjoyed his space and being out of the spotlight. However, he couldn¡¯t deny that it bothered him at least a little. The division between the brothers increased as Kassin soared in popularity at school. Before long, he was well respected by both his peers and teachers. It wasn¡¯t just his parents who started looking down on Nathym then, it was everyone else too who tried to compare them. Kassin¡¯s attitude changed over time as well, and he seemed to start holding himself above his brother. He began to act more rude and selfish, making sure he always got priority in just about everything. Even now in high school, they still shared a room, but Nathym¡¯s twin had all but stopped talking to him, and would barely even acknowledge he existed. While Nathym still cared about and loved his brother, there was a small bit of resentment on his end as well. ¡°Damn it, I¡¯ll prove to them I¡¯m just as good as him,¡± the boy grumbled to himself. He grabbed his invention and stormed out of the house. After wandering around for a bit with no direction, he cooled off, but was still determined. He decided that he was going to catch a monster with his invention to show his parents once and for all how capable he was. However, he wasn¡¯t exactly sure where to go next. The hunters and police of his town kept it a very safe place to live, so finding a monster wouldn¡¯t be easy. Eventually, he just picked a random patch of woods and headed in as deep as he could go. He tried a few different spots, laying his trap and then hiding for a while. As the sun started to set, he realized it was a pointless endeavor and he¡¯d give up at least for today. If he didn¡¯t get back before his parents did, he wouldn¡¯t be able to avoid another lecture. That was when the explorer realized he was irrefutably lost. I¡¯m suddenly regretting dropping out of those nature exploration courses¡ Nathym thought to himself as he wandered around. He had ultimately decided to just pick a direction, figuring he¡¯d find a road or some sign of civilization eventually since the woodlands where he lived wasn¡¯t that big, or so he had always assumed. And during his aimless trek, he heard rustling off in the distance, so the boy stopped moving. He looked to the clearing up ahead and saw a herd of Freer. Freer are a cross of frogs and deer. Aesthetically, they mostly match that of a buck, but have bent hind legs like a frog, and their rear ends are more smoothed. They also have the long tongues of a frog which they use as their main way of hunting prey, wrapping their tongues around something and pulling it towards them while simultaneously leaping in that direction. They then impale their prey on their antlers. Like regular deer, though, they were semi-domesticated and were more likely to run when confronted or spooked. These are ideal for my trap. Nathym felt like things were turning around. If he was going to be late anyways, he may as well try to succeed after all. A Freer would fetch a high price, and that would show his family how successful of a scientist he could be. The optimistic hunter laid the trap which resembled that of a four-pronged star. There was a knob on the side that changed what kind of odor to emit, which was useful for baiting many kinds of animals and monsters. When one came to inspect it, it would detect their heat signature and wrap around the creature and subdue it. He could understand his parent¡¯s skepticism, since it was something that would normally be difficult for a 15 year-old to make, but the budding scientist had put his all into this. It wasn¡¯t long before three Freers headed over in the trap¡¯s direction. They circled around it and all began sniffing the device. However, the more time passed, the more worried Nathym got. What¡¯s going on? the trap should have gone off by now! he started to panic. Is it because there¡¯s multiple of them, so it can¡¯t decide which one to capture? Soon, the machine began to vibrate incessantly, accompanied by a loud hiss. A moment later, there was a puff of smoke followed by silence, signaling the machine''s demise. ¡°Ah that piece of junk, why did it have to break now?! It worked just fine earlier!¡± For the science show, Nathym had used his own body to demonstrate how it worked since he didn¡¯t think anyone would volunteer. At the sudden realization that he had yelled his complaint out loud, he clapped his hand to his mouth and slunk farther behind the tree he had been creeping from. The boy had been far too careless, and the three monsters that had been captivated by the machine glanced over in his direction. A long tongue zoomed over to him, wrapping around his body and pulled him from the tree. The Freer that had grabbed him was readying to jump, so in a panic, he closed his eyes. Nathym then suddenly found himself lying on the ground, his body aching a bit, but overall he was somehow unharmed. He opened his eyes to see a blade dripping with blood mere inches in front of him. The entrapping tongue that was wrapped around his body had been severed, and was now slumped down on the ground. Holding the blade, which Nathym could now identify as a saber, was a small figure. It was getting darker by the second, so the boy couldn¡¯t really make out his savior, but what he could see was that in their other hand was a tonfa. Said tonfa was clashing with the Freer, keeping its antlers at bay. The person pushed the tonfa back with immense force, causing the Freer to rear its head. And the figure took advantage of the opening, stabbing the Freer in the neck with the saber. The monster started to double over, but looked back towards its attacker. It was met with a strong blow to the back of its neck, cleaving its head off in one stroke. The hunter didn¡¯t waste a second and dashed over to the other two Freers, dispatching them just as easily as the first. Before Nathym could process what had happened, or even say a word of thanks, the person had scampered off towards the rest of the distant herd that were now starting to flee. Ahhh, what do I do now? That person saved my life¡ but I wish they had stayed with me. Nathym curled up into a ball. It had turned completely dark, and he was still entirely lost. A few minutes later, the nearby bushes began to rustle, causing the boy to tense up. He thought about bolting, but didn¡¯t have the spirit or courage required. Once the same small figure from before popped out, he only felt slightly more relaxed. Nathym could hear what sounded like a zipper, which made him think the person must be rummaging through a bag. A flashlight clicked on, and a second later it was flying towards him. He caught it as a second one was turned on for the person to use. Now the high schooler could finally get a good look at his savior. Ehhhh¡ A child?! He was stunned. The figure before him was a child of no more than 10 or 11. From Nathym¡¯s best guess, it appeared to be a boy, but it was hard to tell. His clothes were ragged, and his head was wrapped entirely in a black scarf with only small slits for the burning light of his green eyes to shine through. The boy slowly walked over to him with a notepad in hand. When he got close, he began to flip through it. Prewritten messages were scribed on each page. Eventually he got to one in particular and held it up. It read, ¡®Are you alright?¡¯ ¡°Uhh, yes¡ I am, thank you,¡± Nathym replied, still phased by the events that had transpired. ¡°If you hadn¡¯t saved me, I¡¯d be done for. What¡¯s a child doing out here in the first place, though? I should be the one asking if you¡¯re alright.¡± The boy seemed to ignore those comments and turned to the next page. ¡®Please be more careful in the future.¡¯ He then flipped through a few more. ¡®Do you need help getting back to safety?¡¯ The victim felt that these questions were getting strangely specific to all be written out ahead of time. He had to assume this wasn¡¯t the boy¡¯s first time doing this. ¡°Uh well, about that,¡± Nathym responded, feeling a bit ashamed. ¡°Once I get back to town I should be fine, but I don¡¯t know exactly what direction it¡¯s in. I don¡¯t suppose you do?¡± The boy walked over to him and put something in Nathym¡¯s hand. It was a small pocket compass. The young hunter then pointed off in a certain direction, bowed his head, and headed back over to his bag. Anxiety started to fill Nathym at the thought that the boy would be leaving so soon. Given the fact that he was believing this to be a dream more with each passing second, he suspected that he¡¯d never see this boy again. There had to be some way to get him to stay. The lost teen felt he would be fine on his own, though he did still feel a little shaken. He just didn¡¯t want this strange enigma to vanish so soon. ¡°Oh, your weapons!¡± Nathym blurted as he noticed them sitting next to the boy''s bag. Though in the state they were in, it was hard to call them weapons at all. The blade of the saber was dulled with a few chips missing. It was also slightly rusted. Even if the owner neglected it entirely, it likely wouldn¡¯t end up this bad if it was something newer. This meant it was most likely something that the boy had found, either a discarded piece or lost by its original owner. It was a miracle that it could cut through anything at all, and made it even more impressive and mind-boggling that it could sever a mutated monster¡¯s head in one stroke. The narrative has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the infringement. The tonfa wasn¡¯t in much better condition. It was made of wood which was thrashed all over. There were bite and claw marks covering almost every inch. It looked like the wood was rotten in spots, and there were several cracks. There was a small metal patch on one part which looked like a quick attempt at a repair. If it was up to Nathym, he¡¯d chuck them in the trash as soon as possible. It seemed almost negligent on his part to let this boy use something that could disintegrate at any moment, potentially endangering his life. However, the budding engineer knew there was nothing he could do about it now¡ªnot if he stayed like this, making inventions that failed in their most crucial moment. ¡°Someday I¡¯m going to be a great scientist, and if you come find me, I¡¯ll make you the best weapon you¡¯ve ever seen!¡± Nathym declared to the child. ¡°I swear it!¡± The boy gave him a slight nod, and then sprinted off into the darkness. The high schooler hoped that would at least make the kid remember him, though he knew the declaration was more for his own sake. He had to follow through now, or he wouldn¡¯t be letting only himself down. Nathym shined his flashlight on the compass to get his heading, then trekked through the dark woods with new found determination. When he got home, his parents were waiting for him. They furiously yelled at him until their voices were hoarse, not letting him get a single word in for himself. Eventually, they sent him off to his room. He regretted not having stopped at a convenience store while he was out, hungry from missing dinner. Waiting for him in his room was his twin brother. Kassin immediately grabbed him and slammed him against the wall. ¡°Get your zjik together!¡± he yelled at Nathym. ¡°I won¡¯t be letting my chance of getting a scholarship be ruined because my dumbass brother was found dead in a ditch somewhere!¡± It took awhile for Nathym to fall asleep that night, not because of the yelling, his mind was too preoccupied to be bothered by that. He had more important things to worry about. ¡ô¡ô¡ô Four years after that fateful encounter in the woods, Nathym was a college student at one of the various universities in Savant, the Hub City of Education. There were 38 colleges total in the city, the majority of which focused on a specific field of study. However, there were some that covered a vast array of courses without a designated specialty. It was one of these that Nathym was attending as an engineering major. Ideally, he would have been able to go to a school that focused on science, but that wasn¡¯t in the cards for him. A specialized school would cost a lot of money, and the only degree his parents would foot the bill for was a general education degree. However, he had managed to get a full scholarship to this school instead, allowing him to continue pursuing his dream on his own merit. He was alright with this situation since it was only a stepping stone for him. His dream was Logyst, the hub city of science and technology. They didn¡¯t have any colleges there to begin with, but did have graduate schools. These schools were notoriously hard to get into but were free of charge to anyone who was able to gain entry. Nathym was nearing the end of his second year, meaning that he was spending most of his days in the school¡¯s lab. Engineering students had a bit of a different curriculum than others. The first semester of each year was focused on learning and ended with traditional exams. For the second semester, it was focused on practical application. In lieu of an exam for the second semester, the students are required to develop something using the knowledge they gained from the first. They either had to invent something, or come up with a detailed design if it was not feasible for them to make it on their own. In the mornings, they had general studies courses and were completely free in the afternoons. Most of them spent their time in the dedicated labs in the afternoons. However, some students opted to work on their designs elsewhere or at night and would spend that time at part time jobs or goofing off. Nathym was quite studious, though, and he spent as much time in the lab as he could get. That day was no different, and the young engineer was absorbed in working on his invention. He was especially dedicated in recent days since he was very close to completion, even though there were several weeks left before the deadline. He was so entranced that it took his peer several calls of his name before she finally got his attention. ¡°Oh hey, Cast, what brings you down here?¡± the student asked the girl who was pouting while leaning against his workspace. ¡°Finally, you paid attention to me!¡± Cast ranted. ¡°You weren¡¯t answering your phone, so I got impatient. I knew I¡¯d find you down here, but you look busy, probably too busy to buy me food. It¡¯s fine! You can just make it up to me another time!¡± ¡°Oh sorry, I got wrapped up in this since I¡¯m so close to being done.¡± Truthfully, Nathym wanted to stay and continue working on his project, but he was always pretty weak-willed when it came to Cast. ¡°But it¡¯s probably best to finish it up tomorrow anyways, or I¡¯ll be stuck here all night. Thanks for keeping me from overworking. If you give me a few minutes to clean up, I¡¯ll be right with you.¡± Once the lad finished tidying up his station, he and his friend headed out. Cast was an architect major, and the two of them had met in a design course during their first year. They also had almost all of their general studies classes together in the second. That led to them becoming fast friends after they had been forced to pair up for a group assignment, and it wasn¡¯t long though before they realized how different they were as students. Cast was an amazing all around student. She did well in each of her courses, but was never at the top for any of them. On the contrary, Nathym excelled in math and science, almost always the first in his class. However, when it came to any other subject, he was just about hopeless. This semester in particular, Art History was going to be his undoing. So the two came to an agreement. Nathym would take Cast out to eat somewhere on occasion, and in return she would help tutor him. The pair walked across campus, chatting away like any other day. ¡°So you¡¯re almost done with your invention, right?¡± the girl asked him. ¡°Can you finally tell me what it is?¡± ¡°Well I wanted to wait and make sure it worked before I told anyone about it,¡± the boy responded. ¡°But now I just need to adjust the output, and run a few more tests on the fail safes, and then I¡¯m done. So I guess there¡¯s no harm in telling you. It¡¯s a glove that shoots a special electric charge. It¡¯s designed to temporarily paralyze people without hurting them. Hopefully, the police will be able to make use of it in the future to help cut down on accidental injury and death.¡± ¡°That¡¯s just like you Nathym, always wanting to keep people from getting hurt,¡± Cast chuckled slightly. ¡°I remember in our first year when you got between those two trying to fight each other. Who would have thought they¡¯d team up and beat you up instead?¡± ¡°Yeah, that was a bit of a failure, huh?¡± the young man sighed. ¡°A few years ago, I was saved by someone whom I¡¯ve really come to admire. I know I¡¯m not strong like them, but I want to do my part to help out. That¡¯s why I want to invent things to give to people like that, so they can be even better at it, and help others in ways I never could. You saw yourself how well I¡¯d do in a fight.¡± ¡°Yeah, well, it suits you,¡± Cast smiled. ¡°You¡¯re too sweet to be getting into fights anyways.¡± There was a sudden slap across Nathym¡¯s face as a new woman stepped onto the scene. ¡°How dare you do that to me, Kassin?!¡± the hysterical woman yelled at him. ¡°And now who¡¯s this tramp?! You¡¯re already tricking some other girl, huh?! Yo Draz, you better run away fast, or this bastard will play you too!¡± The woman stormed off as quickly as she came, and the scene she caused eventually dispersed as onlookers carried on. ¡°What¡¯s that, the third time?¡± Cast asked her friend. ¡°Eighth, actually,¡± Nathym corrected her as he rubbed his cheek. ¡°They still come even when you¡¯re not around, but they seem to slap harder when you are.¡± ¡°Hehe, sorry,¡± the girl snickered. ¡°Maybe you should talk to your brother about it, though. You shouldn¡¯t be the one being punished because he¡¯s such a sleazebag.¡± ¡°Nah, it¡¯s fine,¡± the pushover assured her, ¡°I¡¯d rather face a few scorned women than open that relationship again,¡± ¡°You know, I don¡¯t think I¡¯ve ever met the guy,¡± his friend recounted. ¡°Though I¡¯ve been hearing so many rumors about him lately, I feel like I have.¡± ¡°It¡¯s probably because you hang around me so much that people bring it up with you,¡± Nathym guessed. ¡°Well to ease your mind, he basically looks just like me, but his personality is the complete opposite.¡± Through some cruel twist of fate, the twins had ended up with scholarships to the same school from entirely unrelated sources. However, since they had enrolled, neither of them had spoken to the other. Instead of going back home during the summer like Kassin, Nathym stayed and worked a part time job, as was offered to all students. So besides the occasional passing by encounter, he really hadn¡¯t seen his brother. They lived in separate dorm buildings as well, so it really was uncommon to run into him. The only downside was the occasional slap and people talking behind his back. It was nothing Nathym couldn¡¯t bear until he graduated, then he would never have to see his brother again. After they made it off of campus, the two friends went and had a nice meal at a fast-food restaurant. Then as usual, they headed back to Nathym¡¯s dorm room to study. Since it was nearing the end of the semester, though, they had been goofing off more than usual. Nathym only had regular tests in his general studies classes rather than final exams so the stress wasn¡¯t too high. Eventually, it came time for Cast to head off, which was always a struggle. For reasons Nathym could never figure out, she never seemed to want to leave and always looked for some excuse to stay longer. The host didn¡¯t really mind her staying late, but he enjoyed having a bit of time to himself to unwind for the day. So there would always be a breaking point where he¡¯d have to get serious and basically throw her out. The next day, Nathym arrived at the lab later than he would have liked. One of his professors had stopped him in the hallway and asked for his help with class prep. Since the student was almost done with his invention, and it would only take him a few hours, he didn¡¯t mind, but still wanted to get it done as quickly as possible. ¡°Yo, Nathym,¡± one of his labmates greeted him. ¡°Didn¡¯t think I¡¯d see you here today. Your date over already? That must be a new record dude!¡± ¡°Huh? What are you talking about?¡± the man questioned. ¡°You and that Cast chick who¡¯s always coming to see you,¡± his peer explained. ¡°I saw you leading her by the hand like 15 minutes ago towards the dorms. Never took you for the aggressive type, but hey, good on you. Don¡¯t tell me she dumped you already.¡± ¡°Uhh, no, that¡¯s... ¡° Nathym stammered. His mind suddenly started racing, and it became hard to concentrate. Before he could stop himself, he had grabbed his invention and rushed out of the room. The man raced towards the dorms as fast as he could. Kassin, why are you doing this?! was the only thought that kept racing through his mind on the way there. He checked his pockets as he ran and found his dorm key was missing. This confirmed his suspicions about where they¡¯d be, but didn¡¯t know how it had been taken from him. When he got to his door, he prayed that it would be unlocked, and thankfully it was. He burst in, and found Cast pinned to the floor with Kassin on top of her. ¡°Nathym, help!¡± Cast screamed to him. He could deduce what had happened. Kassin had invited her back to Nathym¡¯s dorm room while pretending to be him, and somewhere during this time, she had discovered who he was. ¡°Oh, he won¡¯t be helping you,¡± Kassin smirked. ¡°He¡¯s a weak little piece of zjik who¡¯s never been able to do anything right. How you could fall for a loser like him is beyond me.¡± Nathym was confused, it was the first he had heard of anything like that. Kassin laughed at him. ¡°Look at that dumb face. You didn¡¯t even know, did you? All I had to do was say a few sweet lines to her and she was all over me, but when she found who I was, she tried to run away.¡± ¡°Dammit Kassin, get off of her!¡± Nathym yelled. ¡°Oh, I don¡¯t think I¡¯ll be doing that,¡± his brother sneered. ¡°You don¡¯t deserve a fine girl like this. I¡¯ll show you how a real man does things. Now you just sit there and watch, and maybe you¡¯ll learn something.¡± ¡°Kassin, I¡¯m warning you, let her go!¡± Nathym threatened him as he put on his glove. His twin didn¡¯t even look his way, instead he slowly moved his head downwards, trying to kiss Cast as she struggled. Damn it, brother, why did you have to push me this far?! I hope one day you can forgive me. The scientist steadied his gloved hand with his free one as he pointed two fingers at Kassin. He pushed his thumb down onto the extended fingers and a glowing light shot forward. The light hit Kassin and swirled around his whole body. A second later, the man fully collapsed onto the girl beneath him. ¡°Oh thank you so much, Nathym,¡± Cast began to cry. ¡°Now help me get him off of me, will you?¡± ¡°Sure, and then we¡¯ll call the police,¡± her savior assured her¡ªdone giving his brother any leeway. He started walking over to help his friend, but was stopped in his tracks by a foul odor. It was at this time that Kassin¡¯s body started to smoke and Cast screeched at the realization. What happened next was fuzzy in Nathym¡¯s memory, after the copper light flashed in his eyes. V2: Chapter 3 - Shoddy Craftsmanship | Part 3 - Unexpected Variables ¡°So what do you think of my invention, professor? Do you think it will get me in?¡± Nathym inquired with expectant eyes while visiting his teacher¡¯s office. A little more than two months had passed since Kassin¡¯s death. Like last year, Nathym had opted to stay over the summer break rather than go home. Not that he would be allowed to even if he wanted since his parents had stopped speaking to him. ¡°This is truly incredible, Nathym. You¡¯ve just jumped up to my prize pupil. I can¡¯t see how you wouldn¡¯t get accepted with this,¡± Professor Qusiir offered never-ending praise. He was Nathym¡¯s engineering professor, and by far his favorite of the lot. They had spent a lot of hours together as the student would often seek him out for additional advice. ¡°Tell me, what inspired you to make it?¡± ¡°Ah, well you see¡ before my brother died, he was salacious and a bit of a player. It turned out that he managed to get a few women pregnant,¡± the twin recounted. ¡°However, one of the women decided that she wanted to keep it, but about a month ago there were complications. The doctors told her it would be her life or the baby¡¯s. She called me up, erratic and crying, and a sudden burst of inspiration hit me. It¡¯s hard to explain, but I just somehow knew exactly what I would need to make.¡± Nathym¡¯s invention was an artificial womb. It allowed a fetus at any stage of growth to be transferred inside, and it would develop exactly as it would inside of a mother. The only additional effort was putting in nutrition tablets every day since they wouldn¡¯t be able to get it from any other source. It even had its own backup power supply which would function for up to a week without being plugged in, incase of an emergency. ¡°I¡¯m proud to say that last week, her healthy baby boy was born,¡± the creator smiled. ¡°Truly astounding,¡± Qusiir commented. ¡°I¡¯m glad you landed on your feet, Nathym. I was worried when I heard you suddenly stopped showing up for classes, but was relieved when you still submitted an invention by the deadline. I have to say, you look great, all things considered, though it¡¯s a bit weird that you¡¯re always wearing a hat now. I don¡¯t know how you can stand it in this sweltering heat.¡± ¡°Aha, well it doesn¡¯t really bother me much,¡± Nathym brushed it off. ¡°Do you mind if I ask how it works?¡± the professor questioned him. ¡°I get the concept, but the specifics are hard to imagine.¡± ¡°You see, well that¡¯s the thing¡¡± the student let out a sigh. ¡°I was able to fully recreate a schematic, and I¡¯ve triple checked all the data from it, but for some reason I can¡¯t really seem to properly put the mechanics of it into words.¡± ¡°That¡¯s quite an issue,¡± Qusiir admitted. ¡°The expo is next week, isn¡¯t it? If you¡¯re unable to present it properly, it won¡¯t matter how amazing that device is.¡± The expo he was referring to was a semi-annual event in Logyst. Inventors from around the world were allowed to come and present their gadgets to a panel of judges regardless of scientific background to try and secure funding. The boy was interested because it could fast track his education. Normally, the graduate schools only accepted those who had fully completed a four year degree, but there was an exception that allowed someone with two years completed to start early if they had an invention funded. Nathym just sighed again, unsure of what to say. He knew this already, but was unable to come up with a solution. Qusiir leaned forward in his chair and sat in silence for a minute. ¡°I assume this isn¡¯t your only copy, yes?¡± he asked, to which his student nodded. After another minute of pondering, he offered, ¡°Okay, here''s what I¡¯ll do. Leave this copy with me for the next week and I¡¯ll study it, then I¡¯ll meet you in Logyst on the day of the expo to give you my notes. I have business there anyways, and I wouldn¡¯t miss out on supporting my prize pupil.¡± ¡°Wow professor that¡¯s¡ thank you so much. I don¡¯t know what to say,¡± Nathym found it hard to express his gratitude. ¡°Think nothing of it,¡± the professor smiled back. ¡°You¡¯re the one doing me a favor. It¡¯s not every day I get to evaluate such an amazing invention.¡± Nathym turned to the door to excuse himself, but stopped after a single step. ¡°Professor, one more thing,¡± his shoulders slumped and his voice became more shy and reserved. ¡°Have you¡ heard from Cast? She uhh¡ she hasn¡¯t been talking to me.¡± ¡°Oh, I¡¯m so sorry. Didn¡¯t you hear?¡± Qusiir relayed. ¡°Cast dropped out of school.¡± ¡°I see.¡± A sudden twinge of pain stabbed the boy¡¯s heart as he left the room. ¡ô¡ô¡ô Nathym stared at his phone nervously as the crowd of fellow inventors in the staging area slowly dwindled. It would be his turn in no time, but there was no sign of Professor Qusiir. The student had received a text from him this morning when he inquired which simply read ¡ºDon¡¯t worry, I¡¯ll be there¡» but it had been radio silence since. Nathym had arrived in Logyst yesterday and spent the night in a provided hotel, but he was unable to sleep, which really wasn¡¯t helping his stress. ¡°Oh, there you are Nathym!¡± he heard suddenly¡ªfilled with immediate relief, but when he spun his head, it wasn¡¯t the person he had been expecting. ¡°I was beginning to think I¡¯d never find you,¡± the woman excitedly greeted him, toting a baby-carrier basket. ¡°Gratzi? What are you doing here?!¡± Nathym was stunned. He hadn¡¯t seen her since her baby was born. ¡°Silly, I¡¯m here to support you of course,¡± she replied. ¡°It¡¯s because of you that both Kathym and I can even be here. Plus, I thought that if you needed proof that your machine worked, well it¡¯s right here! Isn¡¯t that right Kathym¡? Ah, it seems he¡¯s all tuckered out from the trip. That¡¯s too bad, I know his adorable face would help calm down his uncle.¡± ¡°Thanks, I appreciate it, really. This whole thing has gotten me a bit stressed,¡± Nathym felt a bit more relaxed now. He was a bit unsure about having a child named after him and his brother, but he guessed that they were in fact the two men responsible for bringing him into the world. A few minutes later, Nathym¡¯s name was called with still no sign of Professor Qusiir. There was no more time to stall. He just had to go out and hope for the best. ¡°You¡¯ll do great, I know it,¡± Gratzi cheered him on before he headed out. The venue was much more intimidating than the student had already feared. When he heard about the expo, he had just imagined presenting his idea in front of a handful of people in a small room. Instead, he found himself on a stage in front of thousands in a layout similar to a concert hall. Apparently, this had become one of Logyst¡¯s most famous events. There were five judges front and center, already eyeing and evaluating him as he made his way forward. The presentation went off better than he had expected. He was able to keep his cool and present both the product and data professionally. Then it came time for the Q&A he had been dreading. The first few questions weren¡¯t awful, similar to ones Qusiir had asked him before. But alas, the dreaded question finally came from one of the judges. ¡°In your own words, could you explain to us how this device functions from start to finish in a typical cycle?¡± Nathym felt like there was a gaping hole in his body as he thought about how to respond. Over the past week, he had thought of over a hundred lies and possible explanations that may be close to the truth. Unfortunately, he could never bring himself to commit to any of them, knowing it would be much worse in the long run if he were to be found out later. ¡°I¡¯m afraid I don¡¯t fully understand all the complexities of it myself,¡± the invention¡¯s creator admitted. ¡°I know how to make it, and I know how to use it, but as for why it''s successful... I¡¯m sorry, but I just don¡¯t know.¡± Murmurs spread throughout the audience before one of the judges asked aggressively, ¡°Do you really believe mothers would be able to trust your device? You just admitted to not understanding it. How can they put their faith in it and you? Their baby¡¯s lives are at risk.¡± ¡°I understand that concern, and it''s completely valid. But I do have proof it works! With me is a mother and her child, both of whom survived because of it,¡± Nathym gave his defense. ¡°I know that it would be hard to go off my word since I am still an inexperienced student. If it came to it, I would be willing to split the patent and profits. with someone more capable than I am. Then we could figure out the specifics of it as a team.¡± ¡°That certainly is generous and humble,¡± another judge commented. ¡°Most of these applicants would never dream of sharing their work. I imagine there would be some even at this table who would be willing to accept that offer.¡± ¡°I¡¯m afraid I can¡¯t allow that!¡± a familiar voice boomed from the audience. A man stood up, and began walking towards the front. The heckler made Nathym panic, but he felt so relieved when he saw that it was Professor Qusiir. ¡°Ah Qusiir, it¡¯s been a while since we last saw you here in Logyst,¡± one of the judges proclaimed, clearly having history with the professor. ¡°Yes, I took a break to dabble in some teaching. Young Nathym there is one of my students,¡± The teacher claimed. ¡°He was one of my prized pupils, so it is with a heavy heart that I must do this. The reason why he can not explain how it works is because it is one of my inventions! Yes, Nathym was a big help in creating it, but he was no more than an assistant. Now he has stolen it to present to you all as one of his own!¡± The student couldn¡¯t believe what he was hearing. It didn¡¯t make any sense to him, and he couldn¡¯t understand the professor''s actions. Normally, he would start to feel nauseous and dizzy like he was about to faint in this situation, but somehow he was able to keep his composure. ¡°Do you have evidence to substantiate your claim?¡± another of the judges asked. It was encouraging to hear that they wouldn¡¯t immediately take the fraud at his word. ¡°Yes, I do!¡± Qusiir announced as he held up a file. ¡°I have a full write up of the inner workings and mechanics of the device in its entirety, which I know my poor student has been unable to provide. I also have the original prototype of the device with me.¡± ¡°Then this has become quite the serious accusation, Mr. Cyper,¡± a judge returned his attention to Nathym. ¡°If this is found to be true, not only will your application be immediately rejected, but you will also be banished from any future expos as well as blacklisted in all official Logyst scientific communities. Do you have anything to say in your defense?¡± Support the author by searching for the original publication of this novel. Nathym¡¯s mind started racing. He was trying to think of what to say, trying to understand why this was happening, and desperately trying to figure out the functionality of his device to prove it as his own. It became too much¡ªtheir stares were burning into him. The whispers in the crowd started to sound like shouting and condemnations. He couldn¡¯t take it anymore. All his dreams were crashing down around him. No matter how hard he thought, the boy couldn¡¯t conceive of a way out of it, and eventually there was only one instinct left in him. He ran. The betrayed student bolted off the stage, and ran through the staging room past Gratzi, who was calling out to him, and a crying Kathym. Once he got outside, he didn¡¯t even think about where he was going. He ran through the streets, wandering aimlessly, but his legs never tired. When his tears finally stopped, he looked to see where he was. The boy was at a dead end in a back alley. There was quite literally nowhere left to run, so he just slumped against the wall. Not a moment later, a shadowy figure descended from the sky, landing in front of him. They were wearing all black, and had a hood up, covering their face. For some reason, Nathym felt comfortable again, like he had been saved, but didn¡¯t understand why. The person walked over to them and stared at him for a moment. Am I about to get mugged? the student wondered, but was surprisingly calm about the prospect. That would just be the perfect end to the worst day of my life. The next thing Nathym knew, the stranger¡¯s face was mere inches away from his own, and he couldn¡¯t help but gaze at the deep eyes that were staring back at him. Wait, is this- the young man¡¯s thought was cut off as the person lifted Nathym¡¯s hand and sliced it. ¡°What the hell are you¡ª?!¡± Nathym was the one to cut himself off this time as he looked at his blood. The copper colored liquid had begun to dribble down his arm. A second later, the bleeding stopped. ¡°You¡¯re like me, aren¡¯t you?¡± The boy lowered his hood, exposing his face clearly. Nathym could immediately tell something was off about his hair, just like his own. And he pulled off his own hat, allowing his platinum strands of hair to fall around his head. ¡°But you¡¯re not like those with red eyes. You killed someone, didn¡¯t you?¡± the stranger inquired, causing the student to panic once again, just like he had been moments ago at the expo. ¡°Was it someone you loved?¡± This new question shocked Nathym, not expecting it to be so intimate. There was no way, right? Kassin was a terrible person who had ruined his friend¡¯s life, but then again¡ ¡°Of course I loved him,¡± the twin cried out. ¡°He was a bastard, but he was still my brother.¡± ¡°I see. That has to be a connection. The one my sister met said she loved them too,¡± the boy stated. ¡°May I see your mark?¡± Before waiting for permission, the lad was already lifting up Nathym¡¯s shirt and searching his body. The student had no idea what was going on, but he immediately knew what he was talking about: the strange pattern of gears that had appeared on his back after he killed Kassin. He eventually accepted and turned around to show it off without a fight. ¡°How did you find me anyways?¡± the student asked to try and stifle the awkwardness of being inspected. ¡°A good person was running from a bad person, so I wanted to make sure they were okay,¡± the boy said as if that was something normal. ¡°I didn¡¯t think it would be you that I ran into, though. I¡¯m very glad.¡± ¡°Oh, why¡¯s that?¡± Nathym was astounded once again. The boy pulled out a hilt and a piece of wood. Nathym recognized them as his weapons back from the night in the forest, or what was left of them. ¡°I was here to find someone to make me a new one, but luckily I ran into you,¡± the hunter sounded genuinely happy. ¡°Do you think you¡¯re good enough now to keep your promise? I¡¯ve also started using a bow, and would like to incorporate that somehow.¡± No, I don¡¯t think I am, the now-blacklisted scientist doubted himself. You wouldn¡¯t want me, no one ever will. However, Nathym¡¯s eyes began to feel weird as a picture suddenly rushed to the forefront of his mind. He could now clearly visualize a weapon, exactly how he had the idea for the artificial womb. ¡°Yes¡ yes I can do it! I don¡¯t know how I know, but I can,¡± the man shouted, full of pride. Somehow, this boy had saved him once again. He was a wreck a minute ago, but now after just talking to the kid for this little amount of time, he felt like everything would be alright. ¡°Your eyes¡ So then that must be your Curse,¡± the boy remarked. Nathym was extremely confused again, and he guessed it showed on his face. ¡°Would you mind coming with me? It seems we have a lot to discuss. I¡¯m Drim by the way, Drim Drazah.¡± ¡ô¡ô¡ô ¡°So you didn¡¯t get weirded out when you heard Drim¡¯s name?¡± Phon asked Nathym when he finished his story. ¡°Honestly, I was so caught up in the moment it didn¡¯t even register until much later,¡± The Engineer answered. ¡°By the time I realized, I already knew what kind of person Drim was. So no, it didn¡¯t bother me.¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t know you were listening in,¡± Xard commented, glazing over to The Vixen. ¡°It had Drim in it,¡± Phon scoffed. ¡°Of course I was listening. ¡°Agreed,¡± Mallea chimed in just as abruptly. ¡°I will always appreciate stories of the young master that I was previously unaware of. Feel free to tell me more any time.¡± ¡°So, how did you know your Curse''s name? I wonder if mine has one too. I wanna know!¡± a somewhat more lucid but still semi-dazed Kada shared her thoughts. ¡°I don¡¯t know, I just knew it,¡± Nathym responded. ¡°Sorry, I¡¯m sure that¡¯s not the answer you wanted to hear.¡± ¡°Feel free to ignore any dumb questions from her in the future,¡± Phon stated seriously. ¡°Yes, well, it has been nice meeting you all, but I really feel I should be getting to work,¡± The Engineer changed the subject. ¡°If I could get your help to bring a few supplies from the pile, then I will begin creating what we need in that warehouse space you mentioned. Oh, and please send Kada my way once she has sobered up, I will need her assistance.¡± A couple of hours passed after those instructions. Everyone in the group, excluding Mallea and Kada, helped move the requested supplies and then went back about their daily routines as normal. When Kada was feeling better, she went to Nathym who had her melt several deep holes around the perimeter of the compound. The Engineer then had her remove all the liquid using her Curse. He then constructed large pylons in the new holes that stuck out a fair amount both above and below the ground. As the rest were settling in for dinner, Nathym asked them to come outside to show them his completed work. They all stood out in the middle of the field and stared up at the sky. The man pushed a button on his phone, and a glow of pink shimmered in the shape of a bubble around the entire compound before it vanished. ¡°Awesome, it was a success,¡± the scientist proudly declared. ¡°What I have just made is an impenetrable force field around the entire estate. The only thing it will allow through is validated users, wind, and a toggle option for rain and snow depending on what you guys want at the time. It also goes quite a bit underground, so we don¡¯t have to worry about attacks from there either. Don¡¯t worry about power lines and pipes, there are exceptions for those as well.¡± ¡°That¡¯s incredible!¡± Kada cheered. ¡°That means we can finally come and go as we want, right?! I kind of feel like I should be bowing down right now. Nathym definitely has a sort of deity radiance going on in my eyes.¡± ¡°Another magnificent invention,¡± Xard agreed. ¡°Is it alright if I ask what powers it? I imagine it wouldn¡¯t be cheap if we used a standard power supply.¡± ¡°Ah, that''s fine because I actually know how to answer that one,¡± The Engineer relayed. Before he could answer, though, a familiar buzzing sound filled their ears. ¡°And the answer is conveniently timed,¡± Nathym smirked. The CP made their daily bombing run, but as to be expected, the bombs immediately exploded when they hit the shield. However, the explosion seemed to be sucked into the pink glow before the barrier faded away once more. ¡°Well, that explosion alone should cover us for about eleven months,¡± Nathym told them once he had checked the data on his phone. ¡°So basically, that¡¯s how it works. It steals the energy from the bombs and stores it for its own use. I¡¯ll ask that you wait until they figure out they¡¯re helping us, Kada, but after that, feel free to fire as many of your stored up bombs at the shield as you want.¡± ¡°I think that might be the single greatest day of my life. I can¡¯t wait,¡± the woman was teeming with excitement. ¡°Now, if you all will excuse me,¡± the Fiends For Hire¡¯s newest recruit gave a brief yawn. ¡°It¡¯s been a long day, and I¡¯ve been dying to try out the hot springs I¡¯ve heard so much about. You don¡¯t need to worry about my accommodations. I¡¯ll take care of them on my own. Though, I will likely be requesting Miss Mallea¡¯s assistance with some of the finer lavishments. Those were never my speciality.¡± ¡°Of course, anything you need,¡± the butler gave him a bow. As Nathym headed off, he stopped by Drim who was standing a bit away from the rest of the group and put his hand on his friend¡¯s shoulder. He then said quietly so that no one else could hear, ¡°It seems you haven¡¯t told the rest of them about Project Fiendless. I take it I¡¯m supposed to be keeping it a secret then?¡± ¡°For now,¡± Drim answered in a hushed voice as well. ¡°I can¡¯t say where their ideals fall yet, and I won¡¯t let anyone stop us, even them.¡± ¡°Fine by me,¡± Nathym said a bit cheekily. ¡°I¡¯ll leave them to you. I know my part in all this. Don¡¯t worry, with us working together we¡¯ll see this through to the end. Even if the whole world is against us. They seem nice, though, so maybe it won¡¯t come to it. I¡¯d tell them sooner rather than later if you don¡¯t want to see them on the opposing line, but it¡¯s your call. Have a nice night.¡± The man headed off towards the mountain to enjoy a well deserved soak. Fiends For Hire Text Conversation 7 Date: Trimayber 26th 2077 ¡ºMallea: It¡¯s my first time in one of these group chats. Please treat me well.¡» ¡ºKada: Gross, don''t be so formal Mallea, and hang on, I¡¯ll get to you in a second.¡» ¡ºKada: So Nathym, what ever happened with that scummy professor. Did you ever get your sweet revenge and murder him too?¡» ¡ºNathym: Uhh, no, nothing like that. He actually got a grant and was successful for some time. However, some anonymous person a few years later may have put out better and cheaper models of all his current inventions that didn¡¯t violate his patents.¡» ¡ºNathym: This may have driven him completely out of business, and led to investigations into his research where it was found that he had stolen a few other inventions, leading to his arrest.¡» ¡ºKada: Cosdamn, that¡¯s so satisfying. Okay, Mallea! Wouldn¡¯t you be able to duplicate anything Nathym makes using your weird brain copy thing?¡» ¡ºMallea: I¡¯m afraid not, though I have tried. Anything he makes through regular processes I can memorize as usual. However, any time he uses his Curse, the process doesn¡¯t register as a complete action, so I am unable to reproduce it.¡» ¡ºNathym: That¡¯s good to hear. I was actually a bit worried that I wouldn¡¯t be as useful once I heard about you.¡» ¡ºKada: Don¡¯t worry Nathym. No matter what happens you¡¯ll always be the guy who gave me a bunch of sweet zjik.¡» V2: Chapter 4 - Lolita’s Laboratory | Part 1 - Requesting Assistance The next few days after Nathym¡¯s arrival were the most relaxed the Fiends For Hire had ever been since the group had moved to Bisomote. Not wanting to tip off the CP in order to exploit them for as much energy as possible, they still only left the compound two at a time at most. Kada and Xard were still not freed from their task of moving the mountain in the morning, and The Engineer was also barred from helping them. However, they now had their afternoons free to do with as they wished. Their options were to either take a job, train on their own, or they could request training from one of the others. Phon had raised the limit of the jobs the pair could take to level six, feeling they could better handle the dangers involved. Other than that, they were basically allowed to do whatever they wanted with the time as long as it was productive. They had been promoted from trainees, and being members of the Fiends For Hire was now their official job. As such, they were only allowed to slack off up twice a week. For the first two days since their promotion, Xard spent them training to get used to his new gear. On the first day, he trained alone up in the mountains, sending the occasional mass of vibrations and noise towards the compound for the rest to enjoy. Drim accompanied him on the second day to assist by making pseudo-monsters using his plants that the redhead could attack with full force. It was still too soon for him to fight against another person, anyone that he didn¡¯t want to end up hurting anyways. On the third day, he took his first bounty hunting mission. To Phon¡¯s dismay he had captured his target alive with only one blown out ankle. The two of them butted heads on the morality of murdering criminals well into the night afterwards. Kada had spent the first day training as well, and managed to master controlling her anchor¡¯s new mechanics in just a single afternoon. On the second day, she asked Nathym to make her a high capacity oxygen tank along with a device that would allow her to tell which way was up when underwater. She then spent the day exploring the underground by swimming as deep as she could go. When asked how far she got, she answered, ¡°Until it started getting hot.¡± Given their difficulty in discerning temperature, it was impressive, needless to say. This had also led to them inadvertently discovering that Fiends don¡¯t get the bends like normal humans. Phon had wanted to count this as one of Kada¡¯s slacking off days, but ultimately lost that argument. Kada took a job on the third day as well, working in demolitions, which everyone agreed was perfectly tailored for her. There was an old condemned building that needed to be destroyed to make way for something new. The woman had insisted to her hirers that launching a few bombs at it would lessen her workload, and they ultimately allowed her to do it. However, the other Fiends, knowing the nature of how her Curse worked, all gave her disapproving stares when they found out about it. There was no airstrike on the third day, leading them to believe that the CP had given up on that tactic, so all restrictions on who could come and go were removed. At the end of the fourth day, the primary member group of Drim, Phon, Kada, and Xard returned to the compound after completing a job together. They were teleported in by Phon¡¯s Curse to the middle of the compound. Both boys were perfectly unharmed and in good condition. However, the girls were much worse for wear. They were both completely covered in a strange goop from head to toe. The Vixen was taking it in stride, but Kada had been holding back tears the whole way home, sniffling even now. This was the aftermath of the job they had taken. Over the past two weeks, there had been a recurring request from a local farmer. They had posted their request 18 times online and left 20 phone messages, each time raising the value of the reward. It was quite the substantial sum, so it was hard to ignore. Phon had gone ahead to scout on her own but had immediately returned, claiming there was no way she could handle it by herself, so the whole group headed out. The request was to find out what was wrong with the farm¡¯s water system, which had apparently only been leaking out a strange goop for the past couple of weeks. Any plumbers that the farmer called had run away screaming before the farmer could get a proper explanation. After they arrived, the Fiends talked to the farmer for a bit. She seemed so ecstatic that they had finally answered her request, thanking them graciously in advance, claiming that if they were unable to fix the problem, she would most likely lose her farm. The group then headed out to inspect the water system first hand. After turning it on, the aforementioned goop began seeping out of each water source. Drim insisted that they let it run longer since there was something he wanted to confirm. ¡°Cosdammit, it¡¯s what I thought it was,¡± The Slayer groaned. ¡°Have I ever told you guys that there was a monster I was never able to defeat?¡± Drim said this as they all stared at the new lumpier pile of goop that had come out of a sprinkler and was now wriggling. They followed the pipes back to its source, a large well that supplied water to the entire farm. All of them stared down the well with grimaces on their faces at the repulsive monster residing below. It was a Slugroach, and not just any Slugroach, but a Princess Slugroach. Slugroaches were a combination of slugs and cockroaches. Normal variations were about the size of a large cockroach. One alone wasn¡¯t a huge deal, and could easily be killed with a good stomp, though the killer would most likely want to throw their shoes out after. The monsters possessed incredible regenerative properties, so unless the entire body was destroyed in one blow, they would quickly recover. They were drawn to confined spaces with lots of water, normally damp caves. A secluded well like this was prime real estate to attract one, since it didn¡¯t have any form of protection. A Princess Slugroach was on a whole other scale from the normal ones. They were massive in comparison, about the size of a large car. What made them even worse is that they could spawn more Slugroaches that would go out and find nutrients for the princess, which it would use to spawn even more. Slugroach bodies were entirely viscous in nature, with not a solid point on them, and they also left prominent trails of goop wherever they went. They could not be definitively cut with any blade, and it would be hard to blow them up or burn them. The only way to take them out was with a single blunt force. Drim had faced a Princess Slugroach before, but wasn¡¯t able to kill it on his own¡ªsimply unable to apply enough force that would cover the entire area of the Slugroach¡¯s body to destroy it in one go. There was another way to defeat them utilizing a slugs natural weakness to salt. However, because cockroaches possess resistance to most forces, it was lessened greatly. Therefore, the salt needed to be of extremely high quality, and in massive quantities. By the time The Slayer had managed to procure the salt and return to the area, the Princess Slugroach had already moved on to another territory. This new encounter left Drim with a chance for redemption, which he was determined to achieve. ¡°Alright, here¡¯s what we¡¯re going to do,¡± he divulged his plan to the group. ¡°Obviously, we can¡¯t destroy it while it¡¯s still in the well, or the aftermath will ruin this water system forever. Kada, I want you to make a large pit in a secluded area that we can move it to and trap it. Phon will then use her Curse to teleport it into the pit. I¡¯ll make a large woven tarp to cover the top with my plants, to keep it from escaping. Then Xard, you¡¯ll hit it with a huge blast. I¡¯d start stocking up now since I don¡¯t think a regular missile blast would do it.¡± Once Kada was done making the pit as directed, Phon teleported the monster into their trap. ¡°Gah, even its piece was all mushy and slimy!¡± The Vixen wretched as she tried to shake nonexistent slime off of her hands. Drim¡¯s tarp was securely keeping it in place even with clear signs of struggle, and the restraint bulged in spots every few seconds. ¡°Let me know when you¡¯re ready to go Xard, and I¡¯ll make an opening¡± ¡°Let¡¯s do it now please before I explode prematurely,¡± the redhead was convulsing on the ground, clearly having taken in too much energy, even though his training had greatly increased how much he could stockpile. He crawled over to the tarp and raised a hand to it. Drim made a small hole in front of the man¡¯s hand, and Xard unleashed all his stored energy into the trap. ¡°Ahh crap, it¡¯s too much,¡± The Slayer yelled, swiftly backing away. A second later, the tarp ruptured, and a fountain of goop exploded out, raining down on the area and the Fiends below. Drim had managed to dodge all of it, not getting a single drop on his clothing. The rest weren¡¯t so lucky. Phon was the most unscathed, only getting it on the front of her torso, but the other two were soaked through. Xard immediately absorbed some energy from his rings and used it to blast all of the goop off of himself and his new combat suit. ¡°Ahh, that''s not fair Xard, do me too!¡± Kada pleaded. ¡°Do you want me to pop you like a skin balloon?¡± the man asked her. ¡°Because I¡¯m pretty sure that¡¯s what would happen. Did you know this text is from a different site? Read the official version to support the creator. Kada tried just about everything she could to get it off. She tried wiping it, melting it, even swimming in the ground, but it stayed clung to her. The girl even got Xard to at least blast some energy her way like a high-powered fan, but that only had marginal success. ¡°Suck it up, we¡¯ll deal with it when we get home,¡± The Vixen berated her. That didn¡¯t seem to sit too well with Kada who began picking up handfuls of goop and tossing them at Phon. In retaliation, her boss tried to punch her, but Phon¡¯s hand slipped right off, causing her to trip and slam down into the goop, covering her as well. Being the only clean ones, the boys went to claim the reward from the farmer, and then they all headed home. ¡°I¡¯m¡ I¡¯m gonna go take a bath,¡± Kada managed to get out after they got home, still sniffling. ¡°Go to the hot springs, we don¡¯t want you ruining our own pipes,¡± Phon directed her. ¡°Okay¡¡± the girl shuffled her feet, slowly heading in the direction of the mountain. ¡°Ugh, hang on, I¡¯ll teleport you,¡± her employer sighed, clearly annoyed that she was helping Kada, but even she couldn¡¯t stand such a pitiful sight. ¡°Aren¡¯t you going to go join her?¡± Drim questioned once Kada vanished. ¡°You know I¡¯ve been thinking...¡± his sister brought up suddenly, a hint of maliciousness in her voice. ¡°You¡¯re right, Drim. Mallea and I should take steps towards getting along so we can work together as a cohesive team. As a sign of acceptance, I¡¯m going to go find her and give her a big hug!¡± Before anyone else could comment, Phon vanished as well. Ignoring the bizarre state of events, Xard pointed off in the distance and asked, ¡°Hey Drim, is that another new building that miraculously and spontaneously appeared as if from nowhere?¡± He was looking towards the north-east corner of the compound. There was indeed a new large building that looked like a warehouse. ¡°Ah, that must be Nathym¡¯s workshop. He did say he was going to build one,¡± Drim explained. ¡°It¡¯s still hard to believe how fast he works, though I¡¯m guessing Mallea must have helped him with some of the simpler structure.¡± ¡°I really should stop acting so surprised. Stuff like this is going to become an everyday occurrence, isn¡¯t it?¡± Xard asked rhetorically, already knowing the answer. ¡°Do you think it¡¯d be alright if we went to take a look?¡± ¡°Uhh, we probably shouldn¡¯t,¡± Drim commented. ¡°I imagine the interior still needs some work. Nathym will most likely call us over when it¡¯s finished and show it off. Given his pace, it probably won¡¯t be long at all. The two men decided to head back towards the shed to unwind, but as they approached, they heard the unmistakable sound of Mallea shrieking. ¡ô¡ô¡ô The next morning, as Drim had predicted, Nathym called them all over to his new workshop after breakfast. Though the outside still looked pretty basic, the inside was lavish and would be a craftsman¡¯s dream. There was every machine one would ever need in any artisan trade. Lining each wall were tools and bits of every size, all completely organized. ¡°This is quite impressive. It¡¯s a lot grander than your last workspace,¡± Drim commented. ¡°Well that¡¯s because my last workspace was just a rented out bunker left over from the war,¡± Nathym retorted. ¡°I now finally have all the space I¡¯ve ever wanted, so I¡¯m going to take advantage of every inch.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t see your bedroom anywhere. Didn¡¯t you say you were going to make your own room?¡± Xard wondered. ¡°It¡¯s in the secret lab,¡± The Engineer admitted without a second thought. ¡°You have a secret lab?!¡± Kada gushed at the thought. ¡°Of course we have one,¡± Phon remarked snidely. ¡°We¡¯re a criminal organization after all. It would be absolutely shameful if we didn¡¯t.¡± ¡°Can I go look? I¡¯m gonna go look.¡± Before receiving permission, Kada melted the floor beneath her feet and slipped underground. Phon moved her hands to her eyes in response and instantly teleported her back up. The girl tried again and received the same response. ¡°Ahh, cut it out!¡± Kada whined after the fifth failed attempt. ¡°Oh well, what I briefly saw was good enough to satisfy me.¡± ¡°Anyways, this isn¡¯t the main reason I asked for you guys to come,¡± Nathym continued. ¡°I want to talk about the partner the Drazahs promised me. Now I¡¯m pretty patient, so take all the time you need, but I¡¯ve been here for almost a week and haven¡¯t heard anything. Drim knows full well the limitations of what I can manage, so the longer you guys hold off, the more it will hurt us in the long run.¡± ¡°It¡¯s definitely helpful to know Miss Mallea is an expert in programming. I taught myself a bit, just enough to make your phones, but that¡¯s about all I could wrap my head around. However, there are still many more scientific fields we need to cover. Particularly, dealing with stuff involving anything living. I could try to learn a bit on my own, but I¡¯ve always been hesitant in that area since my failure led to my brother¡¯s death.¡± ¡°Well, coincidentally, the person we had in mind is an expert in biology,¡± Drim recalled before turning to Phon. ¡°How¡¯s that coming along? You said you were going to contact her.¡± ¡°Ah, well you see, about that¡¡± his sister was suddenly acting quite frantic¡ªrather unusual compared to her everyday demeanor. Her whole body started to fight, and she seemed to be sweating slightly. ¡°The truth is¡ uhhhh¡ I don¡¯t wanna!¡± Phon tried to move her eyes to her hands in an attempt to escape, but her brother was too quick. He wrapped her wrists in vines and then pinned them behind her back. ¡°Dammit, let me go! Let me go! Let me go! I don¡¯t wanna! Don¡¯t make me see her again!¡± Phon started to throw a full-blown tantrum. ¡°She¡¯s evil, okay! Well not like evil-evil, but I-hate-her-evil. Her Curse is so messed up. If she wanted to, she could kill us all with ease! Oh Cosmos, please don¡¯t let that happen to me again¡!¡± She had begun sobbing now. Her whole body shook as she remembered her past trauma. The group stared at her wide eyed. None of them ever expected that kind of reaction to come from the stalwart sadist they knew. Mallea had to turn away her hands clasped over her mouth as she tried to hold back her amusement. Drim placed his hand on his sister¡¯s shoulder and bent down to match her eye level. His face bore a big innocent smile as he assured her, ¡°Don¡¯t worry Phon, nothing is going to hurt you.¡± ¡°Oh Drim, that¡¯s so¡ª¡± the woman started to say as she calmed down, but was cut off. ¡°Because you¡¯re going to suck it up and do what you promised.¡± Drim¡¯s smile held as he said this, but his grip tightened. ¡°Or else I¡¯ll have to punish you for lying to me by banishing you until you come back with results. You won¡¯t make me have to do such a thing to my dear sister, will you?¡± The whole room was stunned again by another rare encounter. ¡°Oh it¡¯s Tough Love Drim again,¡± Xard whispered to Kada. ¡°Yup, he totally knows what he¡¯s doing,¡± Kada remarked. ¡°It¡¯s still always surprising to see, though.¡± Mallea pulled in close to both of them. ¡°Tough Love Drim? I was unaware of this side of his personality. You all must inform me later.¡± ¡°Okay, I¡¯ll do it,¡± Phon wiped away her tears as she started to relax again. ¡°I really don¡¯t have a way to contact her, though. It¡¯s not like we exchanged information. So we would have to go there ourselves. But she said the next time she saw me, she would make me her captive and perform experiments on my body until I died, then bring me back to life and do it again for all eternity. So I can¡¯t exactly say we¡¯d get a warm welcome.¡± ¡°Guess we should probably bring the main team then,¡± Drim decided. ¡°She lives in the mountain range that runs along the southern part of the continent, right? So it¡¯d be quite the trip. Mallea, can you fly a helicopter?¡± ¡°Of course,¡± the butler confirmed. ¡°I am able to operate all known forms of modern transportation, and a few outdated ones as well.¡± ¡°Well that tackles the first issue. Nathym can you build us one?¡± the leader asked him. ¡°Uhh, let me take a look at the supplies we have,¡± The Engineer went over to a nearby desk and picked up a tablet. ¡°Woah, his eyes,¡± Kada remarked when she saw them. The copper colored irises had changed to the shape of a gear and began to spin. ¡°Yeah, that happens when he activates his Curse,¡± Drim informed the rest. ¡°Also, he can¡¯t really hear us right now.¡± ¡°That¡¯s so cool, I wish my eyes did something like that,¡± the girl pouted a little. ¡°Huh? They do. How unobservant are you?¡± Phon insulted her, now back to her usual mannerisms. ¡°Our eyes do stuff too, but they¡¯re more tied to emotional states or adrenaline, rather than Curse usage. Mine pulsate, yours shimmer, Xard¡¯s glisten and Drim¡¯s burn. I don¡¯t know how Drim was the only one of us to luck out and not have alliteration with his color.¡± ¡°Now that you mention it, I do recall Drim¡¯s doing something like that before,¡± Kada remembered. ¡°Ahh right, when he yelled at me¡ It would be nice to be able to see my own eyes, though. I guess I¡¯ll have to find a mirror next time I¡¯m all excited.¡± ¡°You get excited about something every five seconds, so it shouldn¡¯t take long,¡± Phon rebuked. ¡°Sorry about that,¡± Nathym returned from his trance. ¡°I had to update the stock because of all the materials I used to make the workshop. Yes, we have enough supplies for a helicopter. It¡¯ll take me about an hour, so I suggest finding something else to do while you wait.¡± ¡°Hold up, can I make a suggestion?!¡± Kada was already excited about something. ¡°You guys said it would be dangerous right? So we should totally attach some weapons¡ How about a laser turret?!¡± ¡°Are those even possible to make?¡± Xard asked as he stared at her, trying to decide if it was a stupid suggestion or not. The Engineer¡¯s eyes spun again just for a moment. ¡°Hour and a half.¡± He updated his estimate and got to work. V2: Chapter 4 - Lolita’s Laboratory | Part 2 - Sleep is for the Weak By the afternoon, the Fiends For Hire were already approaching the mountain range to find their potential candidate. The helicopter Nathym had built was exceptionally fast, even able to outpace some of the fastest skycrafts. It would likely prove useful in the future for expanding the scope of their operations, but since Mallea was the only one able to fly it currently, relying on it would be too problematic. During the trip, they were able to get a little bit of information from Phon. The Fiend they were going to meet was named Ahvra. She was stationed out in a mountaintop laboratory near the southern edge of the continent. The Vixen had infiltrated it once before, years ago, for a request. She then got into a fight with the lab-dweller and lost miserably. When they asked her about Ahvra¡¯s Curse, she would freak out, clutch her arms, and start rambling as she rocked in her seat. The word ¡®flows¡¯ stuck out as a common denominator in all of them, however. As they drew closer to the mountain range cresting over the horizon, they noticed the aforementioned resting on a snowy mountain top. There was a clearly marked helipad on the roof, and Mallea began heading towards it to land. ¡°I don¡¯t think it will be that easy,¡± Phon murmured. ¡°She doesn¡¯t really take kindly to visitors.¡± On cue, holes opened on the four corners of the roof. Turrets rose up from inside, and immediately began firing on the helicopter. The butler masquerading as a pilot swiftly dodged the incoming fire while Kada happily spouted, ¡°See! I knew a laser turret would come in handy!¡± ¡°Well then quit bragging and start firing,¡± Xard yelled at her. Kada shifted from the back, where the four Fiends were sitting, to the front passenger seat next to Mallea. She grabbed the controls and a panel lit up. The laser turret was mounted on the underside of the helicopter and could aim in full 360¡ã. The opposing turrets had markers placed around them on the panel, indicating where Kada should fire. As Mallea continued to nimbly dodge the incoming attacks, Kada discharged a massive array of laser bullets in retaliation. It wasn¡¯t long before the first turret was smoking, followed by a small explosion, rendering it inoperable. ¡°Oh what¡¯s this, homing mode?¡± the gunner wondered as she looked at her options. She pressed it and the turret markers changed colors. A new prompt that read ¡®Hold to Charge¡¯ displayed itself in front of her. The woman held down the trigger and a meter began to fill. Once it was completely maxed out, she released and three beams of light shot out from the turret. They weaved through the air, somehow bending right towards their target. Each laser struck their respective turret, utterly annihilating them. ¡°We don¡¯t know what other weapons or traps she might have,¡± Drim announced. ¡°So drop us off, Mallea, and go park the helicopter somewhere safe until we call for you.¡± The butler swooped the helicopter over the pad, and the four Fiends jumped down onto the drop zone. Just as their ride was starting to fly away, walls shot up from the helipad around them and then a roof closed overhead, trapping them. There was a moment of pitch black, but then a light blinded the group as all the walls lit up brightly. ¡°Welcome back, Vixen,¡± a voice rang out. ¡°I always had a feeling you¡¯d come back, so I¡¯ve been prepared.¡± ¡°Hang on guys, I¡¯ll get us out of here,¡± Phon assured everyone while they blinked, trying to get adjusted to the lights. She went to move her hands to cover her eyes, but then metal cables shot out from the floor. They wrapped around the woman, securing her arms to her sides. ¡°You were foolish to return,¡± the voice mocked her. ¡°Don¡¯t forget, I know all about how your Curse works. I¡¯m sure one of your friends has one that could help you out. So I¡¯m not going to take any chances.¡± There was a hiss, and what looked like a yellow fog flooded the cage. As the four of them started to lose consciousness, the voice laughed maliciously. ¡°Thank you all for signing up to be my test subjects for life. The old ones were getting boring.¡± Some time later, the Fiends woke up inside the cage, all groggily getting back to their senses. It was pitch black again, so Kada pulled out her phone to shine some light. According to her clock, only a few minutes had passed. They were all unharmed, but now Phon was missing, and the cage they were in was noticeably swaying. The same voice from before clicked on and said with annoyance, ¡°Ugh, that gas didn¡¯t knock you out for as long as I had hoped, but it doesn¡¯t matter. Be good and sit still. I have some catching up to do with The Vixen. I¡¯ll get to you later.¡± ¡°Well obviously we¡¯re not gonna sit still,¡± Kada retorted after the voice had vanished. ¡°I¡¯ll melt the walls and get us out of here in a second.¡± ¡°I¡¯d hold off on that,¡± Drim stopped her. ¡°Judging by the swaying of the box, I assume we¡¯re not on the roof anymore. I¡¯m guessing we¡¯re being suspended, probably off the side of the mountain. Are you confident you can melt only the wall and not the floor too, so we don¡¯t fall to our deaths?¡± The melting-maniac paused and thought for a moment. ¡°Maybe you guys should try something first.¡± ¡°Allow me,¡± Xard offered with confidence. He moved next to the wall, and absorbed one of his rings. Then he pressed two fingers against the wall and fired, creating a small hole. The redhead repeated this process around the wall until holes dotted a large circle. Absorbing his missile ring, he pressed his flat palm against the center of the wall and released his stored energy. The circle of metal blasted off, leaving them a nice gap to escape from. As Drim suspected, they were indeed dangling over a large drop. He attached several vines to both the cage and the far away lab, and then reeled them in until the cage was as close as it could get. It was a decent enough distance that they could jump over to it without too much hassle. Kada went first, jumping through the side of the building, melting it as she went, and rolled onto the inside floor as she landed. The boys followed behind, leaping through the opening she had created. They found themselves in a hallway, one that was definitely befitting a laboratory rather than in a regular home or office. The floors and walls were sleek and pristine. It was clear that someone took the time to clean and maintain them. With no signs or any useful markers, the group followed the hallway, unsure of the proper direction to go. As they walked around, they opened any door they came across. Some were normal rooms such as a kitchen and bedroom, others were ones that¡¯d only be found in such a scientific place. There was a room with several large tubes filled with green liquid, with what appeared to be deceased animals floating inside them. Another room was pitch black to the point where they couldn¡¯t see the other end, and the floor, unlike everywhere else, was grimy. They heard an unfamiliar pained groaning, and decided to walk away after closing the door slowly. Once the Fiends realized they had gone the wrong way and turned around, they eventually stumbled across a large metal door. More turrets popped out, making them confident this was where they were supposed to be. Kada and Xard stepped in front of Drim to shield him from the incoming barrage of bullets. There was a combination of clinking and plopping sounds as ammo shells, and scraps turned into goo, hit the floor. Kada melted the remaining bullets in the turrets as she had done once before to the police officer¡¯s bullets in Constead, causing vast amounts of metal slime to leak out of them. Xard lashed out a few energy blades to destroy the weapons for good measure. The woman then walked up and pressed her hand against the door. ¡°Oooh, this is made up of all kinds of layers and metals,¡± she stated, intrigued by the composition. ¡°For anyone else it¡¯d take forever to break through, oh well.¡± The girl walked through the door as if it wasn¡¯t even there with the two boys following closely behind. If you encounter this story on Amazon, note that it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it. They found themselves in a large room full of machines and computers. Phon was sitting in a chair, still bound in metal cables. The one whom they had to assume was Ahvra was bent over one of the consoles, muttering to herself. ¡°Ehhhhh? They¡¯ve made it this far already? Well the turrets should hold them off. Ehhhhhhhhhhh?! The turrets are destroyed?! Well there¡¯s no way they¡¯re getting through my security door!¡± The scientist spun around to admire her security, but was greeted by three Fiends staring at her. ¡°Wahhh!¡± she shrieked in surprise. ¡°Uhh I mean, Ahhh! You¡¯ve made it here at last!¡± Ahvra pointed at them furiously. ¡°Who knew you all were so eager to become my guinea pigs?!¡± she boasted. While her personality gave off a bit of a mad scientist vibe, her aesthetic didn¡¯t match the vision they had of someone that Phon would be terrified of. She did have an unbuttoned lab coat that went down to just above her knees. It was the traditional white, but the inside lining was magenta, which bled a bit to the outside from the cuffs of her sleeves and up her arms in a flame-like pattern. Her other clothes definitely did not match someone who was revered as ¡®evil¡¯. They seemed like they belonged to a child. She had on blue pastel shorts that barely covered her hips and a pink tank top with a flower in the center that could hardly contain her busty figure, like it was almost about to tear. Her form was also raising the whole piece, exposing her midriff. No matter how someone would justify it, they were definitely too small for her. Her hair was magenta, matching her lab coat¡¯s pattern. The hair itself was fluffy and wavy, and went all the way down to just below her butt. If they had to guess, it would seem she had not cut it in at least ten years. Her eyes were a pale yellow. They couldn¡¯t see her Curse Mark, but she was obviously a Fiend. Ahvra grabbed a bizarre looking broom that was leaning against the wall and pointed it at them. The handle of it was clearly sectioned off in parts, similar to that of a collapsible walking stick, and the bristles appeared to be made of metal, making it look adorned with hundreds of sharp needles. ¡°Get down on your knees and surrender. I don¡¯t like fighting, but I can guarantee you don¡¯t want to go against me!¡± She spun one of the sections of the handle and the head began to shift. The needle-like bristles began to spin and spread out as fabric unfurled between them, causing the tip of her broom to transform into a large fan, and she didn¡¯t hesitate swinging it. A massive gust of air rushed past the three Fiends, nearly knocking them off their feet undoubtedly caused by her Curse. Ahvra followed up with, ¡°That was just a warning shot, and it was only a fraction of what I can do! Though I won¡¯t kill you¡ªon purpose anyways. I wouldn¡¯t be able to run tests on you if you died, but if it happens accidentally, I¡¯ll just bring you back. There¡¯s no escaping me, even in death.¡± As she delivered her spiel, her body suddenly shivered. No one took any stock in this, except for Phon, whose eyes were suddenly bulging out of her head. ¡°Hey guys,¡± The Vixen called over to them. ¡°I think her time is¡ª¡± ¡°Quiet you!¡± Ahvra yelled at her. She wiggled her fingers menacingly in Phon¡¯s direction, causing her captive to immediately flinch. This didn¡¯t keep the woman obedient permanently, however. ¡°Seriously, if you guys do nothing and just don¡¯t agitate her for a minute, I think we¡¯ll win this. She¡¯s almost out of time.¡± ¡°You know what, I¡¯m feeling generous today,¡± the scientist suddenly changed her tune. ¡°If you three just abandon The Vixen and turn around now, I¡¯ll let you all leave, no strings attached. I can¡¯t just let her go since I warned her before, but I have no grudge against any of you. Goodbye now!¡± Her body shivered again, for longer this time. ¡°She should run out any moment now,¡± Phon seemed convinced. ¡°Actually, I don¡¯t even want her now, just take her and go. I¡¯m really busy and have a lot of work to do, so I can¡¯t entertain you all any longer. Farewell!¡± The scientist¡¯s body began to shake uncontrollably, and she gripped her broom tight to help keep herself balanced. ¡°Any second now¡¡± The Vixen assured them. ¡°Please leave!¡± Ahvra cried out pathetically. A moment later, something astonishing happened, causing all of the Fiends eyes to widen immensely as they stared at her. The object of their intrigue then let out a large sigh. ¡°Hahhhhhhh, I need a nap. If you all will excuse me, I¡¯m going to go lie down.¡± The girl¡¯s demeanor had changed completely. That boisterous and emotive attitude from before had vanished. Her words were completely hollow, with no expression or intonation, almost as if she was a machine speaking. Likewise, her eyes had drooped, and she looked barely alive and utterly exhausted. None of this was the surprising part. Ahvra had shrunk. Except that was the wrong word for it. She appeared to have de-aged several years. Her body had reverted to that of a small child. The clothes that looked like they were about to burst earlier, now fit her perfectly except for the lab coat. Her arms seemed to reach about halfway through the sleeves, leaving lots of drooping excess. Both her hair and the bottom of the labcoat now just barely scraped the floor. ¡°We¡¯ll continue this after,¡± Ahvra murmured as she walked past the Fiends, seeming to not care about their existence in the slightest. ¡°Please try not to break anything.¡± Kada¡¯s eyes had been shimmering intensely since the scientist¡¯s transformation. Her body had been trembling, and she soon reached her breaking point. The woman rushed up behind Ahvra, wrapped her arms around her head and hugged her close, lifting her in the process. ¡°Oh Cosmos, she¡¯s so cute! I can¡¯t get over how adorable she is, and the way she seems so dead inside to contradict with her appearance just makes it better. As the woman began to sway Ahvra back and forth, mumblings came from the area buried in Kada¡¯s grasp. ¡°Stop. Please stop¡ Okay, I surrender, just call your dog off of me.¡± For someone in distress, her monotone voice didn¡¯t really emphasize it. Xard grabbed Kada by the scruff of her collar and pulled her away. ¡°Ugh, if I¡¯m going to be forced to stay conscious, I¡¯ll need something to perk me up,¡± Ahvra insisted, still without even the slightest bit of inflection. She went over to a minifridge in the room and opened it up. It was completely stockpiled with energy drink shots, and she began pounding them one after the other until an unhealthily large pile of empty bottles was at her feet. ¡°Ahvra¡¯s Curse requires a lot of energy on her part, especially when she uses it on herself,¡± Phon explained to everyone else after Kada had finally melted away her restraints. ¡°Yes it does, and now since I had to use it up entertaining all of you, I won¡¯t get much work done today, how bothersome,¡± the scientist grumbled after she had finally stopped chugging. ¡°I can guess why you¡¯re here. It¡¯s not to kill me, or you would have done it already and not been so careless. It¡¯s not to rob me or you¡¯d be currently taking advantage of my weakened state. So I must assume it is to kidnap me.¡± ¡°Well, try and recruit you, but yes,¡± Drim clarified. ¡°Semantics. I refuse,¡± Ahvra rejected the offer without hesitation. ¡°I have plenty more research I need to conduct, and with my current resources, I won¡¯t run out of new material to discover remotely soon. Come back in 20 years when I might have free time.¡± ¡°Come on, Ahvra, there¡¯s no way you¡¯re satisfied running experiments on just a handful of normal people anymore,¡± Phon rebutted, doing her best to sound confident again since her tormentor was weakened. ¡°If you come with us you¡¯ll have access to a whole wealth of new potential studies.¡± ¡°Quiet you,¡± the scientist wiggled her fingers towards The Vixen again. ¡°That is quite the tempting offer, but there¡¯s no way I could take your word for it. Remember when you promised to never disturb me again? Last time I let you go because you provided me with some useful information and data. If you wanted me to join you and leave this place, you¡¯d have to provide something worth at least tenfold.¡± Drim walked next to Ahvra, crouched down, and whispered something to her. Judging by the length, it appeared to only be a single sentence, but the girl¡¯s eyes grew wide from hearing it. Ahvra spontaneously turned into the same adult form she was in when they arrived and shouted, ¡°Really?! I¡¯m in! What are we waiting for?! Let¡¯s go!¡± The scientist then immediately turned small again and apologized in monotone. ¡°I¡¯m sorry for the outburst. It was rather uncouth of me. I also understand that I¡¯m jumping the gun a bit. You probably have many questions and things you want to confirm before I officially sign on.¡± V2: Chapter 4 - Lolita’s Laboratory | Part 3 - All the Time in the World ¡°Right now I¡¯m mostly curious as to why you¡¯re only emotive when you¡¯re big,¡± Xard mentioned. ¡°That would require a lot of explanation,¡± Ahvra remarked. ¡°I will try to keep it as efficient as possible. It would probably be simplest to start with this.¡± She began lifting up one of the legs of her shorts causing everyone but Phon to reflexively look away. ¡°Ahh, what are you doing?!¡± Kada gasped while peeking through her fingers. ¡°A small child shouldn¡¯t expose herself to adults like that!¡± ¡°I am older than all of you, I¡¯ll have you know!¡± Ahvra shouted in her big form again before reverting back. ¡°How do you know that?¡± Drim asked, ¡°Did you look up information on us or something? ¡°No, I can see your ¡®time¡¯,¡± Ahvra stated as if that was something regular people would understand. She let out a small sigh after seeing everyone¡¯s dumbfounded looks. ¡°I can see I need to explain more. It is part of my Curse.¡± Ahvra¡¯s eyes suddenly went completely white, then several rings of yellow began rippling all around. ¡°The black and red boys are both 18, the red boy is slightly older. Oh, happy belated birthday blue dog,¡± Ahvra said when she looked at Kada. ¡°It seems you just turned 22 a few days ago.¡± Everyone looked at Kada with confused looks to which she muttered, ¡°What? I didn¡¯t want to make a big deal of it, we were busy. I did treat myself to some good food on your money, though, Drazahs. Thanks!¡± Kada gave an innocent, happy smile. ¡°I¡¯m 24, so that makes me the oldest among you,¡± Ahvra seemed to say with pride, even though her voice didn¡¯t change. ¡°You may call me Big Sis, if you like and¡ hmm what¡¯s this.¡± Ahvra¡¯s gaze turned to Drim and the ripples in her eyes increased in speed and volume. ¡°There is something wrong with the black boy.¡± She walked over and placed her hand over Drim¡¯s heart, having to get on her tip-toes to reach it. ¡°There is another time here, in his heart. It¡¯s very weak, but it¡¯s there¡ Oh, the time flinched when I talked about it. So bizarre.¡± Ahvra¡¯s eyes turned to normal and she looked up at Drim. ¡°You¡¯re interesting. May I dissect you?¡± Everyone seemed unnerved by this sudden inquiry. ¡°I¡¯ll make it as painless as I can, and I¡¯ll put you back to normal after. Come on, it¡¯ll be fun!¡± Ahvra began tugging on Drim¡¯s shirt through the sleeves of her lab coat. ¡°For me anyways¡¡± She smirked to the side with a slightly twisted grin. After reading the room, Ahvra backed off. ¡°Oh right, we got off track. I was going to show you all my Curse Mark. Don¡¯t be weirded out, I give my full consent to be looked at. I¡¯d turn big, but then some stares may have a change of intent.¡± Once again, Ahvra began to lift one of the legs of her shorts, causing everyone to look on, hesitantly. Her Curse Mark was tattooed on her upper left thigh. It was an hourglass, but there was a cracked hole in the bottom half, causing sand to leak out the side. ¡°I know I have mentioned the word ¡®time¡¯ on several occurrences now, and this Curse Mark centers around time as the motif, but my Curse does not specifically revolve around time.¡± Ahvra elaborated. ¡°Rather, I can see and control ¡®flows¡¯. By that I mean things that flow: water, wind, and so on. I can also see the flows in your body: the blood in your veins, and the electricity in your nerves and brain. In the black boy¡¯s case, I can also see a green flow inside of him but I can¡¯t seem to control it. I assume that is due to his Curse that the Vixen explained to me before.¡± ¡°As to what I mean by control, I can do three things specifically. I can change the speed of the flow, reverse its direction, or stop it. I¡¯ll give an example.¡± Ahvra grabbed another one of the energy shots from the fridge and undid the cap. She began pouring the liquid onto the floor, but mid pour, it stopped completely. Then, after a brief pause, it flowed back up into the bottle. Ahvra then let it pour out on the floor entirely. ¡°I should clarify a few things. Now that the liquid is fully on the floor, I can no longer control it. When only some of it was on the floor it was still flowing so I could move it all back up. I can only control active flows, this is why I used my broom to make wind. I can¡¯t make it with my Curse, but once it¡¯s there, I can manipulate it as much as I want.¡± There are also some flows I am better at controlling than others. Liquid and wind are easy, but something like gravity is a lot harder, and I haven¡¯t practiced it much because it¡¯s so exhausting.¡± Ahvra let the bottle fall to the floor but she managed to slow its descent. She seemed to be struggling a great deal to do even that much. ¡°Even though the liquid before was affected by gravity, it still counted as a flow of liquid.¡± ¡°Flows inside a person aren¡¯t too different. However, for whatever reason, flows inside a Fiend are exponentially harder to control. That is how I defeated the cowering Vixen over there, and why she¡¯s so afraid of me. I stopped the flow of her blood. Because she was a Fiend, it didn¡¯t kill her outright, but I imagine it was quite unpleasant. Isn¡¯t that right?¡± Ahvra looked over to Phon, put her fingers flat over her mouth, and made what sounded like the most fake sounding chuckle possible. This was most likely the result of her emotionless voice. ¡°See! Evil!¡± Phon yelled as her whole body trembled. ¡°I hate her, and her stupid Curse!¡± ¡°Lastly, as you saw before with my own body, I can control the flow of time,¡± Ahvra continued. ¡°But it¡¯s not how one might expect. I¡¯m not changing the time of the universe, or moving forward or backwards in it. Rather I¡¯m changing the ¡®time¡¯ of an object. I can make something or someone older, or I can make them younger. For example¡¡± Ahvra pointed her hand towards Drim and he vanished from sight, leaving his clothes behind. There was ruffling beneath the mound of clothes, and then a small head poked up through Drim¡¯s hood. It was a baby version of Drim, but he didn¡¯t seem to be aware of what was happening. Instead, he was smiling cheerfully at everyone and giggling. ¡°People retain their memories when I change them, and are aware of the change, but their personality and intelligence becomes whatever it was or will be at that age.¡± The eyes of the other three lit up, and both Kada and Phon took out their phones. Phon started recording video while Kada took several photos using the rapid snapshot function. ¡°So, this is Drim as a baby, huh,¡± Xard said while staring at the happy pink blob. ¡°I have to admit, he¡¯s pretty cute and really seems to be enjoying life. It¡¯s crazy to think how much he¡¯s changed, he doesn¡¯t seem bothered by anything like this. If I recall correctly, he was hypersensitive to anyone ¡®evil¡¯ and would start bawling. Does that mean he doesn¡¯t see his mother as evil anymore, or did she revert to being a baby as well?¡± Baby Drim had started trying to crawl over to Phon, his head was caught on his hood and he was dragging his shirt and cloak along with him. Suddenly, he stopped, stood up properly, and wrapped his shirt around his body. ¡°No, I¡¯m normal,¡± Eleen¡¯s voice came from the baby. ¡°I can¡¯t seem to properly communicate with Drim, however. Please change us back soon.¡± The baby¡¯s demeanor returned to normal, plopped on his bottom, and began sucking his thumb. ¡°I see, so that must be Eleen Drazah in there,¡± Ahvra concluded as she looked at the baby. ¡°Interesting, meeting her under these circumstances. My mentor was wholly obsessed with her. To think she wanted to desperately save you, but you¡¯re still alive, in some sense anyways. I¡¯ll change the pitiful woman trapped in a baby back to normal.¡± Drim grew again, just as suddenly as he shrank. He immediately wrapped himself in his cloak and sent a shrewd piercing gaze towards the group. It made everyone flinch, including the usually unflappable Ahvra in her emotionless state. After a brief recovery to calm down, Ahvra spoke again. ¡°So, when I changed the black boy into a baby just now, that was the end of the usage of my Curse. If I had left him as a child, he would have grown up normally, potentially into an entirely different person than the one you all knew.¡± ¡°Incidentally, I can not de-age someone until they are unborn, nor can I turn them into a fetus. The lowest age I can make them into is the day of their birth. On the other end of the spectrum, I can make someone grow up to be exactly 105 years old. I don¡¯t know why it¡¯s that specifically. Even if someone would die before then or would live beyond it, that is the limit, and if they would die before then, they don¡¯t die when I make them that age. So, I can not actually kill anyone with my Curse in that manner, but I do possess many other deadly techniques.¡± ¡°I¡¯m starting to see why Phon claimed her to be the strongest Fiend,¡± Xard acknowledged. ¡°She could just turn anyone she sees as a threat into a baby and then dispose of them as she saw fit.¡± ¡°My Curse, while strong, is not entirely infallible,¡± Ahvra clarified. ¡°Turning someone into a baby, especially a Fiend, requires a lot of my energy.¡± She said this while chugging another energy shot. ¡°I¡¯m also somewhat morally against it. My goal is the study of life and all it contains. Changing someone into a baby unlocks the potential of making someone immortal. There can be no life without death. Though, if someone gave me a big juicy chunk of information, I may grant them a shift in time as a reward.¡± ¡°So what¡¯s this ¡®study of life¡¯ business about?¡± Kada asked, finally looking up from her phone since she¡¯d been scrolling through pictures of Baby Drim. ¡°Geez, I still haven¡¯t gotten to the initial question, but fine,¡± Ahvra relented. ¡°I want to know everything there is to know about the concept of life: how it works, why it exists, its purpose. I understand the fundamentals, such as how someone is conceived and born, but I want to know why every life is different. The scientific answer up until now has been differences in brain patterns, chemicals, and DNA. With the introduction of Fiends, though, there has been definitive confirmation of souls existing as separate entities. ¡°I also want to know how it works in case someone else tries to figure out and abuse it, such as trying to bring back the dead. Then I would be able to counteract them. People should not try to revert what has already been done. It will only lead to suffering. That said, I am wholeheartedly for changing the future. If we learn how to control life, think of how we could enhance and modify it.¡± ¡°Yup, you lost me at brain patterns,¡± Kada shrugged. ¡°I see there is no intellectual conversation to be had with this one,¡± Ahvra sighed. ¡°Oh well, that is to be expected of a dog. Well, back to the red boy¡¯s initial question about my emotions. It has to do with my ¡®time¡¯. I became a Fiend at 14 years old, so ten years ago. When that happened, my ¡®time¡¯ was frozen. I stopped aging entirely, and my body is forever stuck at that age. I can use my Curse to temporarily change my age, but it is always fighting me and trying to revert back to my 14 year old self.¡± ¡°To remain in any age other than 14 it requires continuous use of my Curse which drains a ton of energy. I find that whatever my natural age is supposed to be is the easiest to maintain for long periods of time. The form you saw me in would be what I would look like if I aged to 24 naturally. As to why I look younger than most 14 year olds, it is because I always looked younger than normal people my whole childhood, and I hadn¡¯t quite hit puberty yet. Through my Curse. I was able to verify that I was only about a week away from starting it.¡± ¡°It¡¯s so not fair!¡± Ahvra yelled, briefly changing to her Big Sis form. ¡°So, why my emotions only come out in adult me, it''s because I actually turn them off when I¡¯m normal,¡± Ahvra explained. ¡°I turn off the flow of electricity in my brain that controls emotions which saves a surprising amount of energy for me to use in other ways. I¡¯ve since associated being emotional with being big, so I turn my appropriate age instinctively when I need to let something out. Today is definitely the most emotive I¡¯ve been in a long time. However, I understand that it does not incur a healthy psychology to bottle up emotions. So, once a month, I watch several movies from different genres and let my emotions run wild.¡± ¡°That¡¯s quite complex, but I get the gist of it,¡± Xard related. ¡°I have an issue with anger from time to time, so I¡¯m a bit envious of being able to shut it off.¡± ¡°I could shut it off for you,¡± Ahvra offered. ¡°But it would also shut off all of your other emotions as well, and you wouldn¡¯t have free control to change it back as I can. Though this could prove an interesting experiment, are you volunteering?¡± Xard waved his hands and shook his head, intently declining. The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation. ¡°Alright, I have a question now,¡± Drim announced. ¡°It¡¯s hazy, but when I was a baby, I thought I heard you mention about your mentor and how they were a Drazah supporter. Can you tell me about them?¡± ¡°I¡¯m afraid there is not much that I know about it myself,¡± Ahvra confessed. ¡°I know that she was a scientist working under the Drazahs, but I never even knew so much as her real name. She was very private and mysterious. There is a picture of her on that desk over there if you¡¯re interested.¡± Everyone¡¯s eyes drifted over to the frame sitting there. In the picture was a somehow even younger looking Ahvra and a woman in the same lab coat that Ahvra was currently wearing. There was a sharp pain in Drim¡¯s chest, causing him to keel over and clutch at his heart. Thankfully, everyone¡¯s attention was focused elsewhere so no one noticed. ¡°Time to pay up,¡± Ahvra suddenly proclaimed. ¡°I shared a lot of information with you all, so I expect reprimation. Specifically, I want to know about your Curses.¡± Ahvra pointed at Phon. ¡°Wimpy Vixen, when we first met you barely understood your Curse¡¯s true potential. Have you progressed?¡± ¡°Err yes, and don¡¯t call me wimpy, little shrimp,¡± Phon hissed. ¡°I can now teleport myself and others freely with the only limit being the scope of my vision.¡± ¡°Impressive, you¡¯ve definitely grown and now you need a new name,¡± Ahvra ascertained. ¡°You are no longer Wimpy Vixen, I now dub thee ¡®Rude Convenience¡¯.¡± Before Phon could retaliate, Avhra had moved on to Drim. ¡°Your sister explained to me that you could control plants. Is that the extent of it?¡± ¡°Well, actually, it¡¯s more that I can consume the energy of old plants and use it to make new plants. I can then control them however I wish,¡± Drim absolved the misunderstanding. ¡°Oh ho, now that¡¯s much more interesting,¡± Ahvra listlessly showed interest. ¡°With that and having another living soul inside of you, you may very well prove integral in resolving many of my speculations about life. You have truly earned the title of ¡®Useful One¡¯. Next, Dog.¡± ¡°Oh, me?¡± Kada stood at attention. ¡°I can melt any non-fauna solid into a liquid and control that liquid to an extent until I turn it back.¡± ¡°So you are not only a dog but a ¡®Wet Dog¡¯,¡± Ahvra quipped. ¡°Red boy. Go.¡± ¡°Err, I can absorb kinetic energy and then redirect and release it in a method of my choosing,¡± Xard answered. ¡°I see, then going by your radiance, you are ¡®Dandy Mirror¡¯!¡± Ahvra declared. ¡°You seem to be having fun giving everyone names, Ahvra,¡± Phon said with a smirk as she drew close to her. ¡°But why don¡¯t you tell everyone the name the people have given you, the name that spreads terror in so many bounty hunter¡¯s hearts.¡± ¡°Nope,¡± Ahvra immediately declined. Phon burst out laughing at this. ¡°Ahahaha, it¡¯s such a great name. It¡¯s the only time I approve of them using alliteration because it¡¯s so perfect. Look, it¡¯s so embarrassing that she doesn¡¯t even have the courage to say it!¡± Ahvra¡¯s body quivered a little but her face stayed dead. ¡°There¡¯s nothing wrong with it. It¡¯s just a name after all. I¡¯ll say it. It¡¯s w¡.¡± Ahvra¡¯s words became such quiet mumbling that no one could hear her. Phon clearly wasn¡¯t going to let her get away with that. ¡°Oh, what was that? We didn¡¯t hear you.¡± ¡°I said, it¡¯s wid¡.¡± Once again it ended in incoherent mumbling. ¡°Hmmmmmm?¡± Phon held her hand to her ear and got uncomfortably close to Ahvra. Ahvra grew big and yelled, ¡°I said it¡¯s Wittle Witch¡¯! Now hold still so I can freeze your blood!¡± Phon immediately panicked and went to hide behind Drim. Now small again, Ahvra asked, ¡°Is everyone satisfied with their questions now? If we don¡¯t get moving soon, I¡¯m seriously going to pass out from exhaustion.¡± ¡°There¡¯s one last thing before we go,¡± Drim mentioned. ¡°I want you to stop my blood.¡± He was immediately met with strange stares from everyone. ¡°I feel it¡¯s important to know what my sister¡¯s been through, and I¡¯m just generally curious if it can turn someone as strong willed as Phon into the whimpering mess hiding behind me.¡± Drim pointed his thumb behind his back. Ahvra sighed again. ¡°You all are really trying to kill me, aren''t you¡? Fine.¡± She went and chugged down every last energy shot still available. Then without warning, she lifted her hand towards Drim. He could feel his body starting to react. First, his fingers and toes went numb, then his whole body felt cold. Pressure started to build up, his veins began popping up on his skin. His body started feeling tight, as if his skin and veins were constricting around him. Lastly, he felt like he was going to rupture any second, his whole body would explode soon and he collapsed on the ground. When he hit the floor, Ahvra released her Curse. Slowly, Drim¡¯s body began to feel normal again, but he felt awful. Eventually he stood back up and groaned, ¡°Yeah, that¡¯s horrific. I¡¯d definitely classify it as a form of torture.¡± ¡°Alright then, now let me get packed and then we can head out,¡± Ahvra said to them as she tied up her hair into a large messy bun. ¡°All of my data is already backed up and you can provide me with any new equipment I need once we get there. So, I just need to pack my personal effects.¡± ¡°Is there anything we can help out with?¡± Kada asked her. ¡°I don¡¯t want you guys to pack anything, you¡¯d probably just mess it up,¡± Ahvra rejected her. ¡°However, if you bring me all my clothes from my room, that would save me some time and energy.¡± Phon went to go fetch luggage to pack everything while Kada and Xard went to Ahvra¡¯s room. They left Drim behind to recuperate while Ahvra started gathering her things together. He caught himself staring at her and was beginning to understand why Kada thought she was so cute. Every action she took from walking to reaching for things made her look like a small child trying her best to act like a hard-working adult. In particular, what Drim found most adorable, was the way she carried things. Since her arms were so short, they only reached about halfway in the lab coat. As such, she didn¡¯t have full access to her fingers. In combination with her naturally small hands, she had to carry anything larger than a ball with both hands by pinching the item between them as the ends of the labcoat¡¯s sleeves draped down. While she was packing, Ahvra¡¯s poorly constructed bun came undone and she had to redo it. Her hair was definitely unusual to Drim and he felt the need to ask about it. ¡°So, have you never cut your hair your whole life?¡± ¡°No, it¡¯s an annoying thing with my Curse,¡± Ahvra corrected. ¡°For normal people, when I change their age their hair matches what would be a reasonable haircut for that age. However, whenever I make myself older, my hair grows as if I had lived that long without cutting it. Then, when I revert back to this form, it stays. Even if I went back in time to being a baby, it would stay this length. ¡°I used to cut it all the time, even getting quite good at it, but I kept changing my form too much so it got annoying. Eventually, I made myself 105 years old and decided to stick with that length. It should never grow longer than this so I figured it would be best to just get used to it.¡± Drim accepted that answer and let her get back to packing. ¡°Jeez, you sure do have a lot of clothes,¡± Kada commented when she and Xard returned with two piles of clothes. ¡°That¡¯s because I need clothes regardless of what size I am,¡± Ahvra defended her wardrobe. Kada picked up a small shirt from one of the piles and teased, ¡°Y¡¯know, I thought this about the clothes you were wearing, but these small ones definitely don¡¯t fit your age.¡± It was a yellow shirt with a bunny on it. ¡°It¡¯s because it¡¯s hard to find clothes that size for adults, okay?!¡± Big Ahvra cried out before turning back. ¡°In order to save effort and money, I buy children¡¯s clothes for everyday use. Normally, I change into adult clothes when someone breaks in but you guys appeared so suddenly that I didn¡¯t have time. I appear in adult form whenever there¡¯s an intruder to try and dispel that stupid name.¡± The four Fiends sat around as they watched Ahvra slowly pack all of her things. Kada seemed to have the same feelings as Drim in terms of Ahvra¡¯s charm, as she often cheered her on with lines such as, ¡°Do your best Ahvra,¡± even though she was only doing something mundane. Ahvra picked up her broom at one point and twisted the handle again. The bristles turned into ones that would adorn a regular broom and the handle shrunk in size. This would clearly make it easier for the smaller Ahvra to use. Also, a couple of them noticed a familiar brand near the base. ¡°So your broom-weapon-thing is made by the Enigmatic Engineer, then?¡± Xard asked. ¡°I suppose I shouldn¡¯t be surprised that you know of them,¡± Ahvra responded. ¡°Yes, when their inventions were becoming popular, I deduced that they were most likely a Fiend. I commissioned this from them since I wanted to see what they were capable of. It is quite impressive to say the least. In addition to being a regular broom and its battle capabilities, it can also turn into a mop, duster, and a man-catcher that latches around people¡¯s necks.¡± ¡°The Engineer¡¯s name is Nathym Cyper,¡± Drim let her know. ¡°He recently joined our group as well, and it is planned for him to be your partner in this.¡± ¡°I see,¡± Ahvra stated. ¡°That should make the task you presented to me more feasible. Kind of a shame honestly. It leaves less for me to discover, but it will make it more likely achievable in your lifetime.¡± ¡°Our lifetime?¡± Kada wondered. ¡°My current hypothesis is that I¡¯m unable to die from aging,¡± Ahvra explained. ¡°So unless something else kills me, I will likely outlive you all.¡± Eventually, she was all packed, and barely seemed to be hanging on to consciousness. They all headed down the hallway as Ahvra guided them towards the stairwell that would take them to the helipad. Drim had already called for Mallea to come pick them up. On the way, Ahvra stopped suddenly by a door that some of them remembered as the one where the weird groaning came from. ¡°Oh, I should probably let them go.¡± Ahvra opened the door and stepped inside. A light automatically turned on and three cages could be seen, each housing a different person. They all had dazed looks on their glossy eyes but perked up when Ahvra began speaking. ¡°This is farewell everyone. I¡¯m letting you all go early.¡± She walked over to a keypad and started pressing buttons. The restraints around their ankles came undone. Ahvra turned big and started to well up. ¡°Lusk, your spleen was particularly immaculate. Girni, I did some work on your womb, so your chances of having those kids you want should be increased. Marden, your small intestine is smaller than most people, but don¡¯t let that get you down. It¡¯s how you use it! I had so much fun dissecting and experimenting on you all. Good luck with the rest of your lives!¡± The floor below each cage started to descend, and Ahvra continued to sob until they vanished from sight. She turned small again as she walked back out the door, and everyone¡¯s eyes, including Phon¡¯s this time, were almost bulging out of their skulls. ¡°Oh, I have it set up so they leave through a bottom passageway if you¡¯re wondering where they went. It¡¯s a precaution so they can¡¯t act hostile towards me.¡± ¡°Yeah, that¡¯s not even close to why we¡¯re shocked,¡± Xard blurted. ¡°Who are they and why did you have them locked up in the first place?!¡± ¡°Oh, that,¡± Ahvra looked exhausted by the mere thought of having to explain it. ¡°They¡¯re various people that have tried to infiltrate this place. Many people over the years have tried: bounty hunters, raiders, political officials, private detectives, even a real estate agent once. After I capture them, I give them a choice. If they let me use their bodies for experiments, I¡¯ll let them go after a set amount of time.¡± ¡°My Curse can heal wounds through an abstract method. Essentially, I just reverse their time to before I did the tests on them, and then bring them back to their current time. It acts as a nice reset, so they will be no worse for wear when they leave. All it costs them is their complete obedience and a bit of mild suffering. How long they are forced to stay is based on how much they annoyed me, but I¡¯ve never kept anyone more than a year and some as little as a week. Rude Convenience is the only one I ever let go immediately, since she gave me a lot of useful information. Of course, the other option is death, but no one ever took that option, though I¡¯m sure some wished for it by the end.¡± ¡°Alright, let¡¯s keep walking!¡± Drim ordered the group, pretending to ignore the explanation they had just received. Thoughts were drifting through all of their heads about the person they had just invited to join them. When they got to the helicopter, Mallea and Ahvra loaded everything in while the rest got situated. Eventually, Ahvra came clambering into the back. She was having trouble getting in with her small form so she briefly turned big to get inside. Everyone gazed at her with varying expressions as she sat on Drim¡¯s lap and turned small. Then, she immediately turned big again and burst out laughing. ¡°Oh man, I knew this spot would make you guys have the best reactions!¡± Small again, she continued, ¡°That aside, there is nowhere else for me to sit because my things took up all of the cargo space, as well as the front seat. Due to Useful One¡¯s inherent abilities, I calculated that this would be the safest place.¡± No one raised a fuss after that explanation, and they soon took off. A few minutes later, Ahvra took out her phone and a big red button appeared on the screen. She ruffled up her sleeves to free her fingers so the screen would respond and pushed it. There was a loud explosion off in the distance even though none of them could see it. It seemed Ahvra had blown up her laboratory. Before anyone could question her motive, she preemptively answered, ¡°There, now no one can steal my research. If you¡¯re wondering about the test subjects, if they were unable to get out of the blast radius in time, there is no way they would make it back to civilization alive, but they were all pretty strong.¡± Unexpectedly, Ahvra didn¡¯t put away her phone and started typing on it instead. ¡°Texting someone?¡± Kada asked her, seeming genuinely surprised she would have someone to contact. ¡°Yeah, my Dads,¡± Ahvra answered. ¡°I¡¯m letting them know I got kidnapped again.¡± ¡°Again?¡± questioned three of them, with only Xard asking, ¡®Dads?¡¯ V2: Chapter 4 - Lolita’s Laboratory | Part 4 - The Easiest Kidnapping Early Monarchber of 2065, a week after the Cosmic Boon, Ahvra was returning home from her first day back to school after the break for New Years. She was a 12-year-old middle-schooler, but due to her size, everyone assumed she was in elementary school at the highest. Ahvra had never really gotten along with any of her classmates for various reasons. Whether it was her size, her interests, her personality, or the way she talked, a connection was never made. So today, like every day, she walked home alone. Up until a week ago, the country Ahvra lived in had been a military state in the Drazah empire. After the Cosmic Boon, there had been mass panic and confusion, and she wasn¡¯t allowed to leave the house for two days. Then, everything calmed down. Her fathers had tried to explain it to her, but not much had stuck. This was not because of her lack of attention. She loved to learn, but only when something interested her. The political situation of her country far from piqued her intrigue. The only big difference she could see now from before was that there were no longer armed guards walking the streets. Even then, none of them had ever bothered her. This was the only thing she could actually see that had changed from the incident in direct regards to her own life. Ahvra wasn¡¯t far from home now, but as she walked by a park on her way, she heard a few kids yell, ¡°Stranger Danger!¡± as they ran past her. She looked over to the park to see if she could find the cause of the commotion. There was a woman she hadn¡¯t seen before in a lab coat with a flamelike pattern at the ends of the sleeves and near the bottom. She was holding a measuring tape and spat out, ¡°Drat, they got away from me.¡± The woman then climbed on top of the jungle gym and began scouting the area around her. Ahvra knew from her fathers¡¯ teachings that she should walk away and hurry home, but she was just too curious. ¡°What are you doing, lady?¡± Ahvra asked the woman. She twirled around and stared at Ahvra for a moment then jumped down from the jungle gym. After taking various measurements using the tape while Ahvra just stood there, she proclaimed, ¡°Your size is perfect! You look young and impressionable as well. Hmm, perhaps too young.¡± ¡°I¡¯m 12, miss,¡± Ahvra retorted. ¡°It¡¯s not good to lie to your elders!¡± The woman jeered. She pulled a device that looked like a calculator out of one of her pockets, then a light shone out the end and scanned Ahvra. ¡°Well I¡¯ll be, you actually are 12. That is slightly less morally reprehensible. I¡¯ll take it! Tell me not-as-young-as-I-thought girl, you¡¯re on your way home from school, yes? But alone? No Friends? Meeting someone? Are your parents expecting you? How do you feel about heights? Any interest in tearing through the fabric of reality?¡± ¡°Yes, Yes, No, No, My dads both work late, They¡¯re okay I guess, Maybe? I¡¯m not sure,¡± Ahvra answered all of them calmly in turn. ¡°How strange, when I assault¡ asked those other children the same questions they ran off,¡± the woman rambled. ¡°Also, dads you say, how progressive. In the world the Mistress was destined to make, that would become the norm. Well, she never specifically stated as such, but I am certain that is the path she would choose. You¡¯re an unusual one, though, and somehow you match all my ideals. The Mistress must be blessing me from beyond the grave. Don''t worry, Mistress, I will set you free soon! Come, small child, you will now be an instrument in my nefarious-yet-noble plots!¡± The woman grabbed Ahvra by the hand and began leading her down the street. ¡°What are you doing?¡± Ahvra asked, calm as ever. ¡°Don¡¯t you understand? I¡¯m kidnapping you, obviously!¡± the woman seemed almost offended that Ahvra had to ask. ¡°Oh, I see,¡± Ahvra said without showing any sign of fear. With her free hand, she reached behind to her backpack and fumbled around for something. Eventually, she found it, and pulled the tab. There was then a loud blaring screech on repeat that sounded like a wailing banshee. Ahvra covered her ears after her other hand was freed. The woman raced around to Ahvra¡¯s back, grabbed the personal alarm, ripped it off, and began stamping on it with her feet. Once it was broken into tiny shards, she pulled out a tube of some paste from her jacket pocket and squeezed it out over the shards. It started out as black, but then turned into a perfectly edged rectangular white brick. The woman picked up the brick, put it in her pocket, grabbed Ahvra¡¯s hand again, and said, ¡°Please, no more surprise noises. I will fix the annoying device for you later.¡± They eventually reached an open field where a weird machine was waiting. It looked like a helicopter, but it had an open frame. There were no instruments, only two seats, and a joystick used to control it. The woman sat Ahvra down in one of the seats then reached into the bag dangling off the back of it. She pulled out a helmet and put it on Ahvra¡¯s head. It fit well, so clearly she was expecting to bring back someone small, though it was still a little big. Next, she fastened Ahvra¡¯s seat belt and made sure it was secure. Ahvra found it strange that someone who was kidnapping her was taking such precautions in making sure she was safe. Soon after, they took off and began flying in the direction of the mountain range to the south. ¡°So, what do they call you, small child?¡± the woman asked. ¡°You mean my name?¡± Ahvra wasn¡¯t entirely sure she understood. ¡°If so, it¡¯s Ahvra Metissa Zalksin¡± ¡°Oh, a triple name, how rare,¡± the woman enthusiastically expressed. ¡°But it won¡¯t do, it¡¯s too long. You need a codename! Yes, the Mistress taught me that you should always give codenames to the people that matter to you. I know this because she never once called me by my real name, and I was one of the most important people to her. Instead, she called me Science Depot. Clearly, she knew she could come to me with anything she needed in my field.¡± Ahvra was unsure whether that was actually a codename or just the assignment the woman had been given. ¡°Ah, but what name to give you,¡± the woman¡¯s ramblings continued. ¡°Codenames are usually based on aspects of the person, but I don¡¯t know much about you. Let¡¯s see¡ you¡¯re small¡ and¡ ah, I¡¯ve got it! Loli Hostage! From now on I will address you as Loli Hostage!¡± ¡°Loli?¡± Ahvra asked, having never heard the word before. ¡°It¡¯s short for Lolita,¡± the woman explained. ¡°In some cultures it means ¡®small girl¡¯, so it¡¯s perfect for you. Now you may be wondering, woah isn¡¯t that name still too long?! Doesn¡¯t matter! When it comes to codenames, it¡¯s the feeling behind them that matters, so you say them with pride!¡± ¡°So what should I call you then?¡± Ahvra inquired. ¡°Well that is a conundrum indeed, Loli Hostage,¡± the woman admitted. ¡°As of now, I am undeserving of the name Mistress graced me with. However, through my efforts, I will restore her. Therefore, you can address me as Magnificent!¡± ¡°I¡¯ll call you Magni then,¡± Ahvra stated. ¡°Oh, how cold you are, Loli Hostage,¡± Magni whined. ¡°Not even humoring me once by calling me the full thing. No matter, now that names are settled, we can get down to business. I must assume you have many questions. Where are you taking me? What are you going to do to me? Why me? Calm down with all those questions, Loli Hostage, I can only answer one thing at a time!¡± ¡°I am taking you to my secret mountain laboratory of course! Nowhere else would suit my level of genius. The Mistress made it just for me. It wasn¡¯t the main laboratory of course, but she would send me there after we spent a lot of time together working on a project. Clearly, she understood my need for space, so I could refocus my efforts and be of more use to her. The main lab was destroyed during a raid recently, so that is where we¡¯ll be working from now on.¡± Clearly she sent you there when you were being too annoying, Ahvra thought to herself. ¡°As for what we¡¯ll be doing, what else? We will be pursuing the most noble of causes: bringing the Mistress back to life! I¡¯m not sure how we¡¯ll achieve this yet, but I have many exceptional ideas in mind. You are going to be my new assistant. Things with my last assistant ended abruptly, and he is now dead to me. He didn¡¯t have the same level of motivation as me, saying that now he was ¡®finally free¡¯ and didn¡¯t want to bring the Mistress back. Can you believe that?!¡± ¡°I have already removed his old codename from my mind since it is worthless. He will henceforth be known as Trash Ash¡ hmmm or Ash in the Trash? I can¡¯t decide which is better. Thinking more on it would be a waste of thought power that could be used to bring back the Mistress.¡± ¡°Now, why I have kidnapped you specifically to indoctrinate? It is because you are tiny, Loli Hostage. Your small stature and little hands will allow you to perform operations on certain equipment I am too mature to do, and also a bit of light housework since that would be a waste of my time. You also possess a certain level of apathy that I greatly admire, Loli Hostage. Respect.¡± ¡°So who is this Mistress we are going to try and resurrect,¡± Ahvra wondered. ¡°Are you daft, Loli Hostage?!¡± Magni exclaimed. ¡°There is only one woman whom my musings to you could possibly describe. The great Eleen Drazah, of course! She was so close to fulfilling her destiny only to be struck from Rathe in a putrid manner. How dare Cosmos have the gallto desecrate such an aspiration to all. So we shall take the fight straight to Cosmos and right this unholy wrong.¡± ¡°Isn¡¯t she a bad person?¡± Ahvra asked, immediately regretting it. ¡°It is no wonder that you would think that, Loli Hostage,¡± Magni said calmly to Ahvra¡¯s surprise. ¡°You are small and unrefined. You live by what you are told, and those mawhgers controlling the media are pushing their slander nonstop. They have not experienced her excellence first hand, so their tiny brains can not comprehend her splendor.¡± ¡°You seem to really like her, huh?¡± Ahvra mentioned. ¡°Yes, she is everything to me. When I was lost, when no one else wanted me, she appreciated my talents and gave me purpose. I would do anything for her,¡± Magni said somberly. Ahvra expected that tears would come any moment if she continued. The rest of the short flight was in silence until Ahvra¡¯s eyes lit up when she saw the building on top of the mountain. She had never seen anything like it, and wondered how they could have built such a structure all the way up here. Somehow, being kidnapped was already turning out to be one of the best experiences of her life. They landed on the helipad and Magni helped her out of the flying machine. Once inside, Magni gave Ahvra a short tour around. It was the most interesting place she had ever been in her life. When they finally got to the main room, Magni handed her a broom and pointed to a pile of ash in the corner. It seemed that everything she had said about her assistant was meant to be taken completely literally. ¡°If you do a good job, I¡¯ll make sure the rest of the day is fun,¡± Magni swore. Heeding her words, Ahvra got to it. She found that it didn¡¯t seem to bother her that she was sweeping up someone¡¯s remains. The rest of the day was fun just as Magni had promised. She showed Ahvra various inventions she¡¯d been working on, letting her play with a few of them. They ran an experiment together, which Ahvra found exhilarating. It was sad when Ahvra noticed the time. Her dads would be home soon, but then another thought crossed her mind. ¡°If I¡¯m not home soon my dads will worry, but you¡¯re not going to let me go home are you? I¡¯m your hostage after all.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t be absurd, Loli Hostage, that¡¯s ridiculous,¡± Magni sneered. ¡°If you were to stay here then I would be in charge of you. I¡¯d have to take care of you and be responsible. I¡¯ve had enough of that with my incompetent former teams. No, I will take you home now, back to the roof we go!¡± Ahvra didn¡¯t get a word in on the flight home, it was just more of Magni¡¯s ramblings. The actual duration of the flight wasn¡¯t too long, only about 20 minutes, but both ways had felt like hours for different reasons. When they got closer, Magni asked for directions to Ahvra¡¯s home so she could land closer than before. After assisting her out of the flying machine once more, Magni commanded, ¡°Be here tomorrow at the same time. I will kidnap you once again.¡± After Magni flew off, Ahvra took the short walk back home. One of her dads was waiting for her, understandably worried. ¡°You¡¯re home later than usual, munchkin. Were you out with a friend?¡± he asked ¡°No, a strange woman kidnapped me,¡± Ahvra muttered while staring at the floor. ¡°I see, how scandalous,¡± her dad commented. ¡°Was she nice?¡± ¡°Yeah,¡± Ahvra replied a little confused, lifting her head. ¡°Did you have fun?¡± He asked. The narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident. ¡°Yeah!¡± Ahvra said with a grin. ¡ô¡ô¡ô For the next two years, Magni would come to kidnap Ahvra every day. This excluded the first day of each week since that was ¡®family day¡¯ where Ahvra would spend time with her dads. Together, they worked on many experiments, and Magni taught her endless aspects of science. Ahvra found herself enjoying the biology side of things the most, especially dissecting. When they cut open their first animal together, it was as if she had been enlightened. She wanted nothing more than to look inside every living thing and see how it worked. Ahvra had also done quite a bit of cleaning since Magni was psychologically incapable. If Ahvra tried to get her to do anything even related to the matter on her own, she would break down and throw a tantrum like a child. There were definitely times when Ahvra felt like the adult in the relationship. However, she had come to like cleaning, it was almost cathartic to her now. Magni had even gotten her a smaller broom to make it easier for her. Through many trials and tribulations Ahvra and Magni worked to discover the secret of bringing the dead back to life. They had tried resurrection, reincarnation, and many others, even occasionally dabbling in the supernatural side of things such as spirit possession. Surprisingly, zombiism had the most success, but it did not produce the results they were aiming for. Magni still kept the data in case Eleen Drazah would want to put it to use some day after they brought her back. These were all side projects, however, hypotheses to fill the gap as they worked towards their ultimate goal: time travel. To Ahvra¡¯s amazement, Magni had in fact invented some semblance of a working time machine. It couldn¡¯t do much at present, but work was slowly progressing into making it fully functional. An example of the limited range was that they could split an apple in half, place it into the time machine even with the parts completely unconnected, and it would restore the apple to its original state. This only worked up to a certain time limit, however, currently at 27 minutes. Any longer and a sliced apple cut before that time would not go back to normal. It didn¡¯t seem like much, but considering they had started with a window of 16 seconds, it was quite the breakthrough. They were still quite far off from the years they needed, and the expansive range of affecting the whole world. Ideally, they could just bring Eleen back to life but that would require her whole body to be obtainable. Since it had mostly become ash that scattered to the wind, there was no choice but to turn back the time of Rathe itself. Magni was running a few more tests while Ahvra did her daily chores. She was researching with mice, having begun live experimentations a few days ago. They had started by simply cutting their tails and using the time machine to reattach them. Then, they progressed to putting them down with lethal injections, however, the results were quite erratic. Put simply, some were brought back to life and some weren¡¯t. The time limit for each of them seemed to vary at random. Starting with a five minute threshold, 90% of the mice would revive, at 10 minutes, 60%. For 15 minutes it was down to only 20%, at 20 minutes it was barely a handful of them. At their current 27 minute limit for non-fauna, only one mouse had survived. She had been deemed a prime specimen, named ¡®Alpha Squeak¡¯, and was currently having her entire body analyzed in a machine. Magni let out a large sigh. Ahvra understood that meant the current experiment must have failed. ¡°Welp, its body is back to normal, but it¡¯s not alive,¡± Magni groaned. Now after killing the mice, they would dismember them before putting them in the time machine. Every time they were put in the machine, their bodies would go back to normal, but as for reviving, there seemed to be a direct correlation with how mangled the body was and their time limit. For a fully dismembered mouse, their time limit seemed to only be two to three minutes. ¡°Guess I¡¯ll do some tinkering,¡± Magni said aloud. The time machine in its current state was a large metal tube with various wires and buttons adorning the outside. Its length was about five feet, and it had a diameter similar to a tire. This meant that Magni could climb inside for adjustments. She crawled most of the way in, so just the lower half of her legs were dangling out of it. ¡°Ah, I forgot my screwdriver. Loli Hostage, could you grab it for me?¡± Ahvra stopped her sweeping and walked over to the wall rack where the tools were hung. She could just barely reach the size of screwdriver that Magni needed by getting on her tiptoes. Then, she went over to the time machine and held it up to the opening. ¡°I can¡¯t reach it, you¡¯ll have to put in some effort. Loli Hostage.¡± Ahvra strained herself as much as possible, doing her best to stretch herself as far as she could to get the end of the screwdriver to the tips of Magni¡¯s fingers, which she could barely see. Then it happened, Ahvra tripped. While falling, the tip of the broomhandle that she was holding in her other hand hit the ignition switch on the time machine, which was normally out of her reach. There was the familiar charging sound, and before Magni could scream, she was gone. A trickle of ash rained down on Ahvra as she looked up, about to apologize to Magni. Just upon realizing what she had done, her eyes flashed yellow. ¡ô¡ô¡ô ¡°So that proves it then, it was pointless to begin with.¡± Three years had passed since Magni¡¯s death, but Ahvra had never been able to let it go. This was not out of grief. She knew Magni¡¯s plan was a dangerous one with the potential for serious repercussions, but she could not deny that she had enjoyed their time together. However, her intrigue was a result of what happened after. Ahvra had changed in a lot of ways. Her hair, blood, and eyes had changed color, and through her tests, she had discovered that she had some form of abnormal ability. Most notably, was that she discovered that all living beings had ¡®time¡¯ flowing around them. She also became aware that she could control it to an extent. This eventually led to her discovering the concept of ¡®time degradation¡¯. When something died, their time did not immediately expire. Instead, in the same manner as the body, it would degrade. All creatures'' time seemed to degrade randomly, but there were certain aspects that affected it: species, age, body condition, strength of will, and so on. Even if something was dead, as long as there was still even a tiny flicker of time left in them, Ahvra could reverse the flow, and bring them back to life. In essence, everything would eventually die, but they weren¡¯t completely dead until their time was fully drained, assuming Ahvra or someone with a time machine was around. Ahvra leaned back in her chair, sighing as she double checked the data. ¡°This explains why the mice resurrected at random. Even if Magni made a time machine that could go back centuries, she never would have been able to bring back Eleen Drazah.¡± Ahvra slumped out of her chair and walked over to the mini-fridge in the room. She pulled out an energy drink but ultimately decided to put it back. Instead, she was going to go take a depression nap. She wasn¡¯t sad at the results she obtained, but felt lost now that the research was complete. After Magni died, Ahvra had dropped out of school and spent all of her time in the laboratory. She had taken online courses and managed to get her degree that way, however. She didn¡¯t have to worry about money since Magni had left a lot behind, buried under her mattress since she was considered a criminal after all. Before Ahvra could go into the long spiral of contemplating what to do with her life, the lab¡¯s alarm went off. There was an intruder. This was not uncommon. Even when Magni was alive, many people tried to trespass and Magni had disposed of them all. Since Ahvra was in charge now, rather than killing them outright, she opted to experiment on them instead. Ahvra looked at the monitor, someone was looking at the main entrance from the mountain path. ¡°They¡¯re wearing a mask. That¡¯s not too rare though.¡± The person was very short compared to the other people who broke in, and had a somewhat feminine physique, so Ahvra assumed it was a girl. She was wearing a demon mask similar to ones found in folklore, but the eye holes in the mask were blocked with black tape. ¡°So this is it, huh?¡± the girl spoke to the door. ¡°If I¡¯m lucky I¡¯ll find some answers inside.¡± Ahvra was able to hear her through one of the various hidden microphones placed around the lab. The girl suddenly vanished, then a new sensor was triggered, it was in the kitchen on the other side of the lab. ¡°Ugh, not where I wanted!¡± the girl moaned. ¡°Okay, let¡¯s try again.¡± The girl vanished once more, this time appearing in the tub inside the bathroom. ¡°Well it¡¯s closer at least,¡± the girl tried to be positive. ¡°Oh, there are people in cages?! Even if I don¡¯t find what I¡¯m looking for, I¡¯ll at least get a big payday out of it.¡± How can she know that from the bathroom? Ahvra wondered. The girl vanished again, this time from every monitor. This left only one possible location for her to be in. Ahvra spun around in her chair, now facing the mask wearing girl. ¡°I wasn¡¯t expecting to find a girl my age running this place. Hmm, well maybe I¡¯m slightly older,¡± the girl stated. ¡°A girl your age?¡± Ahvra¡¯s eyes began rippling, and then she had her answer. ¡°You¡¯re 13 huh, I should have guessed that based on your size. I¡¯m definitely older, though, since I¡¯m 17.¡± ¡°How did you know that?!¡± the girl yelled. ¡°And I don¡¯t believe you, there¡¯s no way you¡¯re that old. No matter, that¡¯s not why I¡¯m here. I heard there was a Fiend here, but you don¡¯t have red eyes. Explain.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t even know what a Fiend is,¡± Ahvra denied. ¡°So you won¡¯t talk willingly, huh?¡± the girl insinuated. ¡°Guess we¡¯ll have to resort to brute force then!¡± A wooden yo-yo slipped out of the girl¡¯s sleeve and flew right at Ahvra. It donked her hard on the head and then dropped to the floor. ¡°What the zjik did you do that for?!¡± Ahvra cried out as she rubbed her head. This girl was certifiable; attacking with no warning or reason. ¡°No way, that¡¯s never failed to knock someone out before.¡± The girl was dumbfounded but didn¡¯t relent. She flung the yo-yo at Ahvra once again, but this time, Ahvra reacted. She swished her hand in front of her and activated her power. The wind generated by her motion became a mighty gust. It blasted the yo-yo back, sending it flying behind the girl¡¯s head. Suddenly, Ahvra¡¯s perspective changed and the far wall was now a lot closer. The yo-yo, still in flight, whizzed just an inch past her head from behind. ¡°Drat, I missed,¡± the girl clicked her tongue. ¡°You have to admit that would have been really cool if I landed the hit. But I see now, you¡¯re like me. Now I really need answers!¡± Before she finished speaking, the girl¡¯s yo-yo was wrapped around Ahvra¡¯s legs. She was pulled down to the ground, and drug over to the girl. The girl crawled on top of her, pinning her down. Ahvra knew she had to fight back now or she likely wouldn¡¯t come out of this unscathed. She put one of her hands on the girl''s chest. What the? I can¡¯t turn her into a baby?! Ahvra panicked. I almost can, but her body is fighting me. I¡¯m not strong enough! What now?! Maybe that. It explodes everything, but what choice do I have? Ahvra aimed for the girl¡¯s blood. It took a lot of struggling, but the girl eventually loosened her grip, collapsing on Ahvra and¡ª ¡ô¡ô¡ô Ahvra had stopped telling her story abruptly, and all of the Fiends stared at her from inside the helicopter. She had fallen asleep. ¡°I guess she couldn¡¯t stay awake any longer. It¡¯s a shame, I would have liked to know what happened next. I guess we can ask her later,¡± Xard mentioned. ¡°I can fill in some of the gaps,¡± Phon elaborated. ¡°I woke up inside one of her cages with my mask off. However, she didn¡¯t know I could use my hands to teleport. So I went back to her and then we had a¡ completely civil discussion. We talked all night, then I left the next morning. After that, we never saw each other again and didn¡¯t keep in touch.¡± Ahvra stayed asleep for the rest of the helicopter ride. She was curled up in Drim¡¯s lap, clutching to his clothes. He couldn¡¯t move, not wanting to disturb her, basically treating her like a pet who had fallen asleep there. The rest of them idly chatted for the flight. Kada shuffled her way to the front at one point to show the baby pictures she had taken to Mallea. When they were getting close, Phon chopped the back of Ahvra¡¯s head and said, ¡°Wake up mini-pest, we¡¯re here.¡± Ahvra sat up, her eyes droopy. She eventually noticed she had drool all over her mouth, and had even drooled a bit into Drim¡¯s chest. She apologized profusely, or at least as sincerely as she could in her emotionless state. When they were hovering over the compound, Mallea pressed a button that allowed the helicopter to pass through the barrier and landed in the new hangar that had been built since their departure. Pox was waiting for them on the ground, holding two carrots and waving them as if he was an air-traffic controller. Once they all clambered out of the helicopter and unloaded Ahvra¡¯s things, Ahvra finally noticed Pox and she seemed more energetic than she had been all day. ¡°What is that creature?!¡± She exclaimed. ¡°It¡¯s so different from any other monster or animal I¡¯ve ever seen. All of the flows inside of it are bizarre, it¡¯s unnatural. Can I dissect it? I want to dissect it so badly. Please?!¡± She grabbed onto Drim¡¯s clothes as she begged. Drim turned his head to Pox and yelled, ¡°You should probably run!¡± Pox started bolting towards the door to escape. Ahvra pulled out a scalpel from her lab coat and threw it at him, but missed. Pox grabbed it for what they assumed to be a snack later, then left the building. Ahvra seemed depressed, and went back to looking dead tired. A minute later, Nathym came out from the main workshop and greeted them. Without so much as a hello, Ahvra spoke. ¡°Come Assistant, we have a lot of work to do.¡± She then started walking off towards the workshop. ¡°Ehh, but you look exhausted,¡± Nathym argued. ¡°Wouldn¡¯t you rather I showed you where your room is instead? We can get to work once you¡¯re rested.¡± ¡°I¡¯d rather you show me around this secret lab I¡¯ve heard about,¡± Ahvra protested. ¡°Who could possibly sleep when there¡¯s so much unknown to discover? No no, it won¡¯t do. Butler Maid, please bring me every energy drink available in the town. So I¡¯m clear, I mean every single one. Brand and flavor don¡¯t matter.¡± ¡°Okay, well could we at least reconsider my name,¡± Nathym insisted. ¡°This is my lab afterall, and technically, you¡¯re my assistant.¡± ¡°Oh, is that not to your liking?¡± Ahvra inquired with little interest. ¡°How about Tech Support? Oh, or Toolbelt?!¡± Nathym sighed. ¡°You know what, Assistant¡¯s fine.¡± Fiends For Hire Internal Dialogue 2 Drim: I see you¡¯ve finally woken up. You spazzed out at Ahvra¡¯s lab and then passed out. That really hurt you know. Thought I was having a heart attack. Eleen: Sorry, but for some reason when I saw that picture I became really angry. Not sure why. I can¡¯t quite put my finger on who that woman was. Drim: She was Nirco Acker Eleen: Nope, not ringing any bells. Drim: One of your top scientists. By the sound of it she was completely devoted to you. Eleen: Hmm, I¡¯m getting some vague remembrances. Mostly of being annoyed and wanting space, though. Nothing that would make me angry like that. Drim: She made the poison I used to kill you. Eleen: That¡¯s it! Cosdamn! That useless no good piece of- Eleen: ... Eleen: You know what, I¡¯m going to wait until you¡¯re asleep before I continue this rant, Drim. There are some things you¡¯re better off not hearing. V2: Chapter 5 - Spare Some Change of Heart ¡°Target acquired. Taking the shot.¡± Drim was standing on top of a water tower in the middle of a city. The sun was setting at his back. His bow was drawn, and his eyes were burning. Earlier that day, the Fiends For Hire had received an emergency request from the neighboring country of Regend. It was issued by the police force of one of its cities near the Segrivide border. Someone had stolen experimental military technology from the nearby base and was using it to wreak havoc on a suburb near the outskirts. Naturally, the Fiends answered this summons. A job from any form of official government was a big milestone for them. While it may be out of desperation, this acknowledgement of their skills would go a long way to legitimizing their brand. On the helicopter ride over, the chief of police briefed them on the situation. Three tanks had been stolen. What made them unique was that they were unmanned and controlled remotely through thought alone, via a neural headset. It was believed that only one person was controlling them, since only one tank was moving at a time. The chief also gave a damage assessment. A third of the suburb had already been destroyed, and there were several fires raging throughout the debris with fear of it spreading. There was also a steadily growing number of casualties. She gave them a list of priorities in order of importance: evacuations, stopping the fires, preventing the tanks from causing more damage, and finding the culprit. Mallea dropped them off near the tanks then flew off to go join the relief teams since she had medical experience. Kada immediately dashed over to one of the tanks since she would have the best chance at stopping them quickly. However, the tanks had a protective electric field around them so Kada couldn¡¯t get close enough to melt them, and none of the metals worked that she readily had available. She would still be the best person to disable them, but they had to switch to their backup plan to keep in line with the chief¡¯s request. They had discussed the division of labor in the helicopter, and had already made a contingency in case Kada couldn¡¯t disable the tanks right away. Phon would be in charge of evacuations, Kada would put out the fires, Xard would keep the tanks occupied, and Drim would find the culprit. Phon teleported Kada to the center of the destruction site but let her know she¡¯d be on her own afterwards, since Phon had her own matters to focus on. They were told to prioritize putting out any fires endangering the processing plant, since if that got overtaken, it could cause even more damage. By the time Kada found it, the outer walls were already engulfed in flames. Hopefully, she could stop it in time before any dangerous chemicals caught alight. She hurried to one of the walls and melted a section of it, afraid that if she melted too much at once, the building could lose structural integrity and collapse. The fires on that section immediately extinguished, as well as some nearby as the liquid covered it. She began working around the building, liquifying the wall in sections to put out the fire, then restoring it. When she was a little over halfway done, she got a shock after melting a wall. Holy zjik, a person?! Why is someone in here?! There was indeed a person inside the plant, wrestling with what looked like a large piece of machinery, struggling to carry it. Kada wasn¡¯t sure what the device was, but it most certainly wasn¡¯t worth dying over. No way I can¡¯t believe someone is actually looting at a time like this. ¡°Hey, you! Are you crazy?¡± Kada yelled out to them. ¡°Get out of there before you get hurt!¡± The person looked over to Kada after being called out, and Kada felt she looked surprisingly plain. The woman dropped the equipment and dashed out the door. As soon as she got outside, a beam hanging off of the roof collapsed and plummeted to the ground. It fell right onto the woman. Kada couldn¡¯t believe what she saw as she rushed over to her. The woman was gone with no sign of her body anywhere. All that remained under the beam were piles of dirt on each side. With her mind boggled, Kada tediously went back to working on putting out the fires. Eventually, the fire department showed up after she finished on another section. Together, they swiftly and efficiently managed to get the area secured. ¡ô¡ô¡ô Phon and Xard were teaming up to accomplish their tasks. Though to some, it may look like Xard was putting in a great deal more effort. He was outside in the thick of it, facing the tanks head on. Meanwhile, Phon was laying on some random person¡¯s couch. While their levels of seriousness seemed to be imbalanced, they were both working frantically. There were a few dedicated evacuation zones, and Phon was currently distributing civilians among them. It was actually a lot more of a complex scenario than one might think. If she dumped the evacuees in a zone randomly, it could cause more chaos and strife than benefit. She wanted to make sure she was delivering everyone to the optimal location, so she was continuously observing all of them with her Curse. She wanted to make sure someone received any treatment they needed immediately upon arrival, so she would send someone to the evacuation zone that was the least hectic at that moment. There was then the issue of families. She knew her Curse would be unsettling, suddenly being transported to a location they didn¡¯t know while in a state of panic. Having their family there, amidst the sea of strangers, would alleviate some of that. It wasn¡¯t immediately clear if two people had relation to another, but she could somewhat tell based on their auras. They would have similar patterns if they were related, but wouldn¡¯t be exact copies. She did her best to try and match people, but guessed her results weren¡¯t perfect. The whole thing was giving her a big headache. The smoke from the fires wasn¡¯t helping either. The added information to her vision made everything else slightly more blurry. On top of all this, she still had to worry about Xard whom took top priority whenever he requested assistance. Xard was in charge of minimizing the destruction from the tanks, but all three of them were spread out. Only one was operating at a time, which made it much easier to handle. However, when he would be facing off against one, it would suddenly cease operation. He then had to determine which of the other two was functioning before it could cause any damage. He would do this by blasting up into the air, and scouting them. Then, when he determined the right one, he would have Phon teleport him since they were on a call together. Actually, all four of them were on a call, but Kada and Drim had been mostly quiet to let them concentrate. This wasn¡¯t as easy as he¡¯d hoped. Visibility wasn¡¯t optimal, and the tanks were pretty fast. They¡¯d often get out of his scope of vision before he could spot them. He hadn¡¯t always been able to make it to the new one in time, but his presence had still decreased the overall damage significantly. As for holding them off, he had run through several different trial and error scenarios to figure out the best method. Initially, he had tried blasting the shells that were fired while they were still in flight, then he¡¯d fire at the tank with the energy from his rings between shots. This definitely wasn¡¯t optimal, since the resulting explosion could still damage the surroundings and he couldn¡¯t control where the tank would fire. He then tried stopping the shells with his Curse and catch them. This worked well, but he tried firing one back at the tank using his Curse. It immediately exploded in his face when he did that, but was luckily able to activate his Curse to protect himself from the shrapnel in time. After a few more mishaps, he had finally landed on the best solution, or at least the best he could think of under pressure. He could grab onto a shell mid flight, but not absorb the energy at all. Instead, he would flip around, carrying the momentum of the shell, and redirect it back at the tank. Then he would send a wall of energy behind it. It would carry the shell back with a bit of extra speed, then when the shell exploded, the wall would keep the explosion confined around the tank. This had worked quite well, and he had managed to disable the treads on two of them. They could still fire, but were stuck in one place. The cannon on one of them also seemed to be somewhat damaged, firing at a slower speed than the other two. Xard would keep this up for as long as he needed, until Drim could stop the perpetrator. ¡ô¡ô¡ô After the other three had run off to accomplish their missions, Drim had stayed put at the drop off point. Due to his unique ability of being able to sense evil individuals, they had left finding the perpetrator to him since they had no doubt that the person who was doing this would fall under that category. Even with Drim¡¯s ability, finding them wouldn¡¯t be a simple task. After equipping his bracers and extending his blades, Drim wrapped them in thorns and plunged them into the ground. He used this method fairly often for surprise attacks, but it also had another use. Once underground, the thorns split off in every direction as Drim continuously fed more of them into the ground. After his thorns were firmly rooted, he took a deep breath and closed his eyes. Over the years, Drim had come to notice a certain harmony with his plants. He could synchronize with them to a certain degree, and they¡¯d work as an extension of his senses. They couldn¡¯t be used to see, but they could be used to feel. He could feel presences around them as if they were his own body, and if he seriously focused, he could even hear whispers. This also worked with his ability, expanding his range of being able to determine morality. Overall, the scan he could do with this setup was quite weak, but it should at least give him a direction to start looking. That was all he was after for now, not immediately expecting to find the person. The range on the neural transmitter in the headset was limited. It was an impressive length, but the criminal still couldn¡¯t have gone too far. The scan worked, not taking long at all before he felt a strong concentration of maliciousness coming from the city. Drim scaled to the top of the highest building in the city. He was appreciative of his teammates efforts as he listened in on their call through the bluetooth earpiece he had inserted. This meant he didn¡¯t have to rush, and could take his time to definitively find the right person. His ability wasn¡¯t flawless, in that it could sense people with merely the potential to be evil as well. Even if they hadn¡¯t actually ever done a single bad thing in their lives, his senses would still flare up around them, but not as much as when around someone evil to their core. The last thing Drim would want is to mistakenly kill an innocent person just because of their internal morality, due to being in a hurry. Drim was glad when he found a rooftop garden on top of the building, but was a bit sad since he knew he was going to destroy it. Like always, he had a massive stockpile of nature energy, but having more never hurt. It meant he could be more thorough while still keeping a good amount in reserve if needed. Drim sucked up most of the plants, trying his best to leave the most expensive looking ones alive. Then, he moved to the open flat patio in the center of the garden and stood at the edge. He placed both palms on the ground, and felt massive amounts of energy drain from him. Drim never really liked the feeling of using so much energy at once, it left him feeling empty. Within moments, a gigantic cherry blossom tree stood before him. It was quite possibly the largest of its kind in the world, as it now towered over the rest of the city. However, as with most of his plants, the coloration was off, but not to the same extent as some. The bark of the tree was only a bit dark, and the normally pink blossoms now had a slight orange tint to them. Regardless, it was still beautiful. After taking a quick picture of the tree, Drim gave the trunk a light punch. All of the petals flew off in various directions, scattering all over as they rained down on the city. Drim sat down, with his back leaning against the now leafless tree, and started to meditate. He was going through the petals, feeling around with each of them. Thanks to his experience, he could feel from more than one at a time, allowing him to sweep through them relatively quickly. After scanning about 60 percent of the city, he opened his eyes. ¡°Found you!¡± He closed them again and quickly swept the rest of the city, but no one came even close to the ominous presence of that person. Drim opened a map of the city on his phone, and triangulated where the person was. It seemed they were in a pub down a back street. After hopping a few roofs over to get closer to the pub, Drim climbed up on the water tower there and readied his bow. He had briefly considered going down to the pub and confronting the person, but decided that wasn¡¯t in his best interest. If someone caught on tape what he was about to do, it could have serious consequences down the line even if it was righteous and just. There was also a part of him that just didn¡¯t want to face the person. Every time he killed someone, he felt like he lost part of himself. It may be the ideal of some that you should always give the person you¡¯re going to kill the respect of doing it face to face, but he just wasn¡¯t strong enough. When he killed Vinlot, it had been on impulse as had a few more in the past, but he never wanted to watch someone die at his hands again. This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere. Letting these thoughts disperse, he calmed down and took aim. He wasn¡¯t aiming at the bar itself, but a few roads away where he had a direct line of sight. Drim announced his actions to his team, and let a single arrow loose. The arrow was wrapped in a spiraling thorn with a blossoming rose at the end, just below the feathers. Drim closed his eyes again as the arrow flew. He let his mind go blank, focusing solely on the arrow, being able to feel it more clearly than other arrows due to the added plants. He was able to feel all around it, and could almost perfectly see the city in his mind. A few seconds before the arrow would stab into the side of a building, he took control of it with his Curse. The arrow started to fly straight down the road, well above the cars and people below, but he let it slowly descend. When he got to a cross section, he turned the arrow, sending it perpendicular down another road. The arrow began to weave around buildings, in and out of alleys, and down various roads as it drew closer to the evil presence. Finally, the source of the unpleasantness was dead ahead. Drim lowered the arrow to be perfectly in line with it and let it fly straight. There was a small scrape first, feeling like glass breaking around it. Then, there was a solid thud, and the evil presence completely vanished. The feeling of the arrow piercing into flesh resonated through Drim¡¯s entire body as he snapped back to the roof where he stood. Drim slowly sat down, trying to calm himself as he rested his fists against his forehead. There was chatter in his earpiece that the tanks had stopped, the mission was a complete success. After a few minutes of silence and several deep breaths, Drim was finally ready to move again. He put away his bracers and picked up the pack of crime cards he had dropped next to him. There was now one missing, which he had placed in the petals of the rose. Even if he hated it, he was going to own up to it. On the front of the card was ¡®Murder¡¯ with a picture of a gravestone beneath and score of 1000. On the back, Drim Drazah was written in permanent marker. ¡ô¡ô¡ô That night, the Fiends stayed in a motel just outside the city. Mallea had stayed behind to continue to help with treatment of the injured. She said she would pick them up in the morning. The police had offered them a nicer hotel in the city, but they declined, wanting to be closer to an area where the helicopter could land. This didn¡¯t sit too well with the chief, but she eventually gave in. For various reasons, they were not officially allowed to pay them, and as it stood, the request never happened. The reports they submitted stated the Fiends just happened upon the incident and volunteered to help. The chief had wanted to give them the credit they deserved, but one of her higher ups had tied her hands in the matter. All she was allowed to legally give them was her appreciation, and the knowledge that the police force, and those whom they¡¯d saved, would never forget this. She had received completely unofficial authorization of another way to reward them, however. That night, various items from the evidence room went missing, things from cases that had long since been solved and just never redistributed. Among the lost evidence was cash, jewelry, and other miscellaneous items. The four Fiends lounged around in the motel room while listening to the news. They had actually gotten two rooms so everyone could have their own bed, but decided to hang out in one until they were going to head to sleep. Xard had been laying in one of the beds, surfing on his phone, but had started paying avid attention now that a report was playing on today¡¯s incident. On the other bed, Kada was playing a game on the handheld console they¡¯d received in their pile of evidence. Phon was sitting behind her, acting like she wasn¡¯t interested, but it was obvious she was staring over Kada¡¯s shoulder on occasion and watching her play. Drim had just been quietly sitting in a chair, mulling over tiresome thoughts. He sunk down lower into it once the report started to play. The report went over the events from beginning to end. It seemed that they were doing their best to minimize the involvement of the Fiends. It was understandable, since it¡¯d be the same as publicly praising criminals and demeaning the capabilities of their police force and military. They essentially boiled down their credit to having provided ¡®light aid¡¯ in certain lacking areas, which they assured the people that it would be improved upon in the future. They then got to talking about the culprit, a disgruntled former soldier and engineer who had been dismissed from the project and dishonorably discharged. No information was given on how he got access to the project or how he managed to steal the headset. Drim¡¯s uneasiness grew when they talked about how he¡¯d been found. He was sitting at a bar counter, his body slumped over it, with an arrow sticking out of the back of his head. As the report wrapped up, Drim excused himself from the room, saying he was going to go buy drinks for everyone. He walked over to the nook that housed the vending machines and slumped down against the wall. ¡°One, two, three, what about her? Four, he makes five¡ Oh I almost forgot about them, six¡ Ugh no wait¡ One, two, three...¡± Drim had begun mumbling to himself and counting something on his fingers. On his fourth attempt to count something out loud, his train of thought was interrupted. What are you doing Drim? His mother asked him from inside his heart. ¡°Damn it, you made me lose focus, now I need to start over,¡± Drim grumbled. ¡°One, two, three, four, five, six, seven¡ I¡¯m forgetting someone aren¡¯t I? I have to be. I wish I wasn¡¯t but it¡¯s gnawing at me¡ Oh right, I remember now. How could I ever forget¡ Eight¡ I¡¯ve killed eight people.¡± Oh I see, that¡¯s what it was, Eleen murmured. I can tell it¡¯s bothering you. I won¡¯t lie to you and say it isn¡¯t a lot, because it is¡ You know, I only ever killed 4 people. I know my actions and orders killed a lot more, but I mean with my own hands. ¡°Oh great, so I¡¯m worse than you, how comforting.¡± Drim was even more depressed now. ¡°Is my life worth that of eight people?¡± Your life is worth millions, Drim. Now, I don¡¯t exactly know your plans. You¡¯ve done a damn good job at keeping them from me, but I¡¯ve been able to pick up bits here and there. What I do know is that no matter how many people fall at your feet, the path you carve with their bodies will lead this world to a better place. Eleen did her best to try and be supportive the only way she knew how. ¡°Well, I at least know for sure that my life is worth more than yours,¡± Drim slightly chuckled. ¡°Our paths may be similar, but I¡¯ll achieve it in my own way. Your plan was awful and needed to be stopped. I¡¯ll never regret that.¡± Oh how cruel my son is, Eleen whined. At least when you killed me, you had conviction. You weren¡¯t the doubtful depressive wreck you are right now. That¡¯s the only way you¡¯ll achieve your goals, Drim, by never looking back and mowing down anything that stands in your way. ¡°Do you come with a mute button?¡± Drim groaned. There was silence after that, so Drim thought for a moment maybe she wasn¡¯t so wrong about being assertive. He let out a sigh from being forced to have another dreadful conversation with the woman he despised, after an already emotionally exhausting day. As he sat there, a stranger came by, got a soda from the machine and left. She had stared at him for a moment, but said nothing, likely assuming him to be a bum or drunk. Now with the motivation to stop sulking, he stood up and pulled out his wallet. He grabbed a bill and stuck it into the vending machine. The annoyance of this long day continued when the machine spat the bill back out. Drim took it out and put it back in, a second later, it was spat back in his face. He then ran it along the side of the vending machine, trying to smooth it out even though it wasn¡¯t very wrinkled to begin with. He stuck it in once more, having slight hope when it stayed in for longer, but then it was laughing in his face again. Drim took the bill and examined it closely. It was definitely a Regend Regal, the currency of this country. No other currency used different forms of noble headgear as the symbols on their money. The denomination also matched what was listed on what the machine could take. He tried another Regal, but it was spat out too. Wait, this place is on the border of Segrevide, maybe I should try that? he thought. It was at least worth the attempt, so he took out a Segrevide Sapil and stuck that into the machine. He was even more annoyed when that was spat out too. Great, guess I¡¯ll try every cosdamn currency I have then! Since Drim had traveled the world, his wallet was bursting with dozens of different types of currencies. He had small dividers to keep them organized. He tried them all: Archlave Alexims, Horage Horsons, Domister Duss, even the extinct Pimitrad Parsel. Perhaps Phon was right and alliteration was much too overused in this world. Drim¡¯s frustration grew each time a new currency didn''t work, and slammed his fist on the vending machine when he¡¯d tried the last one. ¡°Damn it, what do you want from me?! Why are there so many currencies, and why do none of them work?! Is the machine out of order?! No, that lady just bought something! Damn it, what do I do? I¡¯ve been gone for too long now, so it¡¯ll be weird if I go back empty handed!¡± Drim heard an amused laughter coming from inside his heart. You know, there are times when you should rely on your dearest mother, Eleen spoke up. Even now, I can still teach you a lesson or two. When there is something that annoys you, then change it. When there is something you want, then take it, by any means necessary. Let me show you what I mean¡ Drim¡¯s hand started moving on its own. ¡ô¡ô¡ô ¡°So Drim, do you want to be the Penguin that was lodged in an eye, the skateboard that was wedged into a toe, or the spire that was¡ well you probably don¡¯t want to know where that one was¡¡± Kada was referring to game pieces from a board game that had been gifted to them from the evidence room. She had set it up, and asked this as soon as she heard the door open. When she turned around for confirmation, her jaw dropped and she gasped, ¡°Woah, someone¡¯s thirsty!¡± It was an adequate response to seeing Drim since he was currently in possession of a mountain of sodas. His arms were at capacity, only able to carry 20 or so, but his vines were holding several more, bringing the total to well over a hundred. ¡°Err¡ well¡ the vending machine may have been having some issues,¡± Drim stammered. ¡°I kind of accidentally broke it. I didn¡¯t know what to do with all the sodas and didn¡¯t want them to go to waste¡ so¡ yeah¡¡± ¡°Quite uncharacteristic of you to be so careless,¡± Xard noted. ¡°Yeah, it was a surprise to me too,¡± Drim agreed. ¡°Anyways, drink up. I¡¯ll make sure to talk to the manager about it before we leave. Oh, and there¡¯s something else I want to talk to you all about, I found a job for us.¡± ¡°How important is it, can the client wait?¡± Phon asked. ¡°We were going to look into those weird dirt people. I¡¯ve been looking into it a bit already and they¡¯ve been popping up all over.¡± ¡°Yes, well, this request comes from me,¡± Drim clarified. ¡°And also from our mother.¡± There were astonished looks on everyone''s faces, and no one said anything for quite some time. Eventually, Xard inquired, ¡°Don¡¯t keep us in suspense. What¡¯s the job?¡± Drim answered. ¡°Well, remember when you joked about us robbing a bunch of banks?¡± Everyone sat in silence, their attention fully on Drim as he explained the details of his plan, along with a small portion of what he and his mother had discussed. By the time he finished, it was rather late, so Kada and Xard headed to their own room. Once the door was closed, Phon questioned Drim, ¡°So are you really going to give them the money to replace that mawhged up vending machine?¡± ¡°Yes, it¡¯s still my fault that it was destroyed. However, since it put me through so much annoyance, I won¡¯t give them the full value. I¡¯ll only give 95%¡± Drim was resolute in this conviction, and he wouldn¡¯t give them a cent more. ¡°There¡¯s something else I want to say¡ I can only confide in you for this Phon.¡± Phon seemed both simultaneously shocked and delighted. ¡°Oh? You can tell me anything!¡± Drim hesitated a bit, but knew it was better to say it now rather than keeping it a secret. ¡°It¡¯s mother, she¡ she was able to use my Curse.¡±
| Fiends For Hire Job Report | Job No. 000063 | ||
| Status: Completed | Date Received: 3/35/2077 | Date Accepted: 3/35/2077 | Date Completed: 3/35/2077 |
| Client: Lain Swore (Gubbet Chief of Police) | Reward: Several Various Items from the Gubbet Police Department Evidence Room | ||
| Original Request: This is an emergency request. We are facing a crisis that we are unable to handle. Please respond immediately. | |||
Requirements for Completion:
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Job accepted by:
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| Additional Notes: (Phon) Everything above didn¡¯t happen (Drim) Entirely redacted (Kada) Yup, I only see black lines on this otherwise blank form (Xard) Was there even a job? (Mallea) Why am I included in this too? | |||
| Fiends For Hire Job Report | Job No. 000065 | ||
| Status: Completed | Date Received: 4/4/2077 | Date Accepted: 4/4/2077 | Date Completed: 4/6/2077 |
| Client: A bunch of wimpy so called ¡®rebels¡¯ who needed someone else to save their country for them. | Reward: Was there even an official reward, or are you just counting that stuff you stole as it? Really, you need to be more clear when negotiating or you¡¯ll get taken advantage of. | ||
| Original Request: I don¡¯t know, I was asleep, but I imagine it was something along the lines of ¡®oh help us please, we¡¯re so weak and pathetic, please deliver us salvation with no effort on our part¡¯, disgusting. | |||
Requirements for Completion:
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Job accepted by:
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| Additional Notes: (Eleen) They all seemed too tired to make this report afterwards, so I¡¯m doing it for them while they¡¯re asleep. They can thank me later, but they should know that good organization is important and should always be a top priority. | |||
| Fiends For Hire Job Report | Job No. 000082 | ||
| Status: Completed | Date Received: 4/8/2077 | Date Accepted: 4/12/2077 | Date Completed: 4/13/2077 |
| Client: A misfortunate town full of sick people. | Reward: We wouldn¡¯t take money from sick people. (Phon) Drim does not speak for all of us. | ||
| Original Request: Please retrieve the rare herb from the top of the mountain just south of our town! We have many sick, and we are in dire need of medicine. Please come speak to us for specifics! | |||
Requirements for Completion:
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Job accepted by:
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| Additional Notes: (Drim) The whole thing was a bust. When we got back, I stocked them up with plenty of vulcaris. I even turned some of it into simple medicine that they can use to the best of my ability. I¡¯m definitely no apothecary. Hopefully, they¡¯ll learn from this and not get scammed in the future, and get more doctors! (Phon) Xard and I went and found that doctor¡¯s grave. There is no longer a grave. I got a few good whacks in, but Xard did most of the damage. (Xard) It was definitely a good relief after that headache. I uhh, may have peed on the powdered remains when Phon wasn¡¯t looking. (Phon) I¡¯m always looking, Xard¡ (Kada) So much time in the bathroom. So much pain. | |||
| Fiends For Hire Job Report | Job No. 000149 | ||
| Status: Completed | Date Received: 5/18/2077 | Date Accepted: 5/22/2077 | Date Completed: 5/22/2077 |
| Client: Nilla Dane (Roommate of Victim) | Reward: $2000. Possible further rewards to be sent by other victims in the future. | ||
| Original Request: My roommate hasn¡¯t been heard from in four days. I¡¯ve contacted the police but so far they¡¯ve found nothing. Everything about it tells me they¡¯ve been abducted by a human trafficking ring. Can give more details in person. | |||
Requirements for Completion:
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Job accepted by:
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| Additional Notes: (Feyj) That was so much fun! I think I can undoubtedly say it was the best experience of my life. I can¡¯t wait until my arm heals and I can go on my next adventure! (Xard) I made sure to scold Feyj about everything, but I begrudgingly must admit he did a good job. However, he was an absolute pain to tail, someone else can babysit him next time. (Phon) Feyj what you did was stupid and reckless, but you beat some asses so¡ good job. (Drim) Don¡¯t praise bad behavior Phon, even if it did sound awesome. (Kada) Hypocrites, the lot of you. Feyj I want to hear all the definitely non-awesome details later in person. | |||
| Fiends For Hire Job Report | Job No. 000170 | ||
| Status: Completed | Date Received: 5/32/2077 | Date Accepted: 5/32/2077 | Date Completed: 5/34/2077 |
| Client: Principal of Constead South High School (Forgot to get his name again. Oh well) | Reward: TBD. Different rewards for completing the investigation and acting as substitutes. | ||
| Original Request: Please investigate the incident I¡¯ve disclosed. As for the teaching part, just try to make sure the students learn something. | |||
Requirements for Completion:
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Job accepted by:
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| Additional Notes: (Kada) Teaching was fun, let¡¯s do it again. (Xard) I¡¯m fine with that as long as it''s literally anywhere else. I¡¯m still mad at you, Phon, for making me do that. (Phon) Oh please, I saw your touching moment with Kleff. I thought you two were going to kiss at any moment. (Xard) So much hate! (Nathym) I¡¯m with Xard on this one. Even though it wasn¡¯t my school, I could still feel the awkwardness. (Ahvra) Too much energy spent. Dreadfully inefficient. I¡¯ll pass next time. (Mallea) It was nice to really let loose and use my skills. Though I can¡¯t say it was fun doing it for random children. (Feyj) I would have liked to have been able to observe them for longer. I still don¡¯t have a good enough grasp of the ¡®school life experience¡¯ yet. (Drim) Ahvra¡¯s right, giving that many lectures in front of people is tiring. What¡¯s more important though was Jaimess¡¯ virus. The way it melded with blood like that... I think we may have a use for something along those lines in the future. Need to think on it some more. (Ahvra) Ooo, now you¡¯re speaking my language. Keep me informed, Useful One! (Eleen) What a poorly run school. Not nearly enough discipline. The schools in my domains would put them to shame! | |||
Even in death, their ambition can''t be quelled. Moments after the news of their demise has been announced, the Fiends For Hire make an announcement of their own. They''re recruiting, and all Fiends and Lesser Fiends from around the world are welcome to come and try out. With this expansion, they aim to become something even Greater than before. But not all Fiends are on their side, and there are those conspiring against them from both below and Above.V3: Prologue - Know Your Enemy Art by Fulminaire General Breach stood alone at the podium on stage. Sitting in the crowd were over ten thousand of the Central Peace private army. This included almost every squad from their new Fiend division. In total there were over 100 Lesser Fiends present, and 3 regular Fiends. There were more Fiends now under the CPs employ, but they were deemed either too inexperienced or not suited for this operation. Since Fiends were so scarce, they couldn¡¯t risk sending them all out at once. The auditorium was on floor -91 of the CP headquarters, so deep in the underground that it was practically tickling Rathe¡¯s hard mantle. The lowest floors were dedicated to the military and the science divisions since that¡¯s where the most vital secrets were kept. General Breach was nearing the end of his briefing. It had already gone on for over an hour, covering such vital information as the location, timing, strategy, reasoning, and objective of the operation. It was a lot of information for the soldiers to absorb at once, but all of it was necessary. This was likely the most important, and most dangerous operation the CP military had orchestrated since its inception. All that was left was to cover the known information on their enemy. ¡°The Fiends For Hire have grown considerably in number in the past few months,¡± Breach stated to the crowd. ¡°It is hard for us to give an estimate of their exact numbers, but our scouts have done their best to provide us with the most accurate and up to date information possible.¡± Breach then went through a rundown of all the known new members of the Fiends For Hire. The description of each was pretty brief, saying just their name and a list of their skills, and powers if applicable, as a picture of each individual flashed up on the stage. ¡°It would take too long to go into every minute detail of each of these members, but you will find much more detailed information in the mission briefings that have been distributed.¡± ¡°You would find it wise to use as much remaining time as you can before the mission to study through it,¡± General Breach stressed. ¡°Just because they are not as well known, it doesn¡¯t make them any less dangerous. Never let your guard down for a single moment during this operation. It could mean your life. However, you must be especially wary when confronted with any of the following, the eight Generals of the Fiends For Hire, along with all of their known aliases.¡± ¡°These eight are the highest ranking among them for a reason, from their powers, to their experience and importance in the group. If you are human, do not confront any of them under any circumstance unless you are given no other choice. Leave them solely to the Fiends and Lesser Fiend squadrons. As stated before, all of the enemies are preferred to be captured alive, especially these eight. However, even among them, there is a priority of capture that we will get to momentarily after you¡¯ve been briefed.¡± The first picture flashed onto the screen. It was actually several photos, all different variations of the same person. ¡°The first and newest General: The Reborn Royal, The Phoenix Prince(ss), The Sparkling Scholar, Crowned Princess of Archlave, Feyjrusa Sulatrieve.¡± ¡°The current form of The Royal is unknown. They are no longer bound to their three month restriction of rebirth. It is currently unconfirmed why, but it is suspected to be tied to the powers of one of the other members. The Royal is the information hub of the entire operation. Their wealth of knowledge is limitless, and there is nothing they can¡¯t discover.¡± ¡°In terms of power, The Royal is best to never be faced in a 1-on-1 fight, due to their ability to read and adapt to any situation. They have the ability to process information at a lightning fast speed with incredible reflexes to match. A surprise attack is best, but you¡¯ll only get one shot before you¡¯ll never escape The Royal¡¯s focus, and they¡¯ll have your fighting skills completely analyzed. If that fails, the only other conceivable way to defeat them is by sheer force of numbers or overwhelming firepower.¡± The second image flashed on the screen: what looked like a pair of sisters, but one significantly older than the other. ¡°The Widdle Witch, The Deadpan Dissector, Ahvra Metissa Zalksin. Little is known about her purpose among the group, other than that she is a scientist assisting in their research. However, thanks to a noble sacrifice by one of our agents, we have a deep understanding of her powers.¡± ¡°Up until now, The Witch has been strictly non-combatant. We also suspect that she will not play an active role in this operation. However, do not take her lightly. Under no circumstances must you antagonize her, and strictly leave any confrontation to the Fiends and Lessers. It is without question that she is the strongest Fiend, no, being in this entire world. She can end your life on a whim without warning.¡± The third picture flashed: a platinum haired young male, his dark skin made even darker by the grease he was covered in. ¡°The Enigmatic Engineer, The Impossible Inventor, The Apocalypse Architect, Nathym Cyper. Once formerly blacklisted in the scientific community, but since his reveal as The Engineer, his status has been reinstated with the entire community dying for the chance to work with him.¡± ¡°With the ability to create nearly anything, he is the main reason our attempts to capture or hamper the Fiends¡¯ efforts have proved fruitless in the past. Like The Witch, The Engineer has been entirely non-combative, but he should not be taken lightly either. We have no idea what weapons or devices he may have on hand. Additionally, it is believed that The Engineer has a vault of unreleased prototypes in his workshop.¡± The fourth image flashed: a classily dressed woman, whom many would confuse to be a man at first glance. ¡°The Jumbled Jackal, The Terrifying Temp, named The Bullying Butler internally by our agents, Mallea Dulip. She isn¡¯t a Fiend, but might as well be; a product of Pimitrad experimentation before their extinction.¡± ¡°Anything you can do, she can do too, and perfectly every time without fault. The ideal soldier in every way, with uncompromisable loyalty to the Drazahs. Even though she¡¯s the weakest, she¡¯s the most ruthless of the bunch, and should be feared just as much as any of them. It is unlikely she will be on the front lines, unless given a direct order by the Drazahs, but watch your backs.¡± Find this and other great novels on the author''s preferred platform. Support original creators! ¡°That ends the supporting generals, now onto the headliners,¡± Breach cleared his throat after talking so much, then flipped to the next slide to continue. A red-headed boy in what looked like a superhero suit flashed onto the screen. ¡°The Altruistic Artillery, The Glittering Gallant, The Vixen¡¯s Vigilante, Xard Randex. The main powerhouse of the Fiends For Hire with the most destructive potential by far.¡± ¡°The Artillery lives up to the title and is a one man walking military. Almost all conventional weapons are useless against him, with only early prototype energy weapons showing any results. The more you attack him, the more you give him to retaliate with. If confronted by him, use restraint tactics only.¡± The sixth picture flashed: a blue-haired girl who looked more ready for a day at the beach than a fight. ¡°The Melting Mermaid, The Scantily-Clad Siren, The Beach Bum, The Award-Winning Author, Kada Susten. The honestly most annoying of the group. Her powers can leave you defenseless in a second, with nothing but what Cosmos gave you to fight with.¡± ¡°Because of her, we¡¯ve had to spend a fortune randomizing the materials and metals in every piece of clothing, weapon, and bullet; Multiplying our military deficit all on her own. Additionally, it doesn¡¯t make them any more useful against her, it¡¯ll just keep you from screwing over your comrades if she touches you. However, you have each been given a single clip of experimental ammo, and your knives have all been coated in living fibers, to give you a fighting chance.¡± The seventh picture: a white haired woman with a gleefully evil grin stretched across her face. ¡°The Vivacious Vixen, The Cosdamned Cheater, The¡ The uhh¡¡± General Breach struggled to say her last alias seriously. ¡°The Surprisingly Sexy Sociopath, Phon Drazah. She is the public face of the Fiends For Hire, a face impossible not to know since it is so strikingly similar to her late mother¡¯s.¡± ¡°I¡¯m sure many of you are wondering why we are sending so many non-Fiend, non-Special-ops soldiers on this operation. First, you should not discount your own skills, even normal humans have proven to be able to give Fiends a challenge. But specifically as to why so many, The Vixen is the reason.¡± ¡°To put it bluntly, we need bodies. The more people there are in a condensed area, the weaker The Vixen¡¯s power becomes. Without you all, this operation would be dead from the start. She¡¯d be able to teleport our soldiers far away, or to somewhere they¡¯d never be heard from again. Just by being there, you¡¯re giving us a chance.¡± General Breach began the last introduction without yet changing the slide. ¡°Lastly, The Silent Slayer, The Black Botanist, The Thorned Tyrant, Drim Drazah.¡± The last picture then flashed. The entire auditorium drew deadly silent as a pair of fierce green eyes burned on the screen, staring directly at them. Thousands of photos had been taken of The Slayer since his debut as a Drazah by the scouts. Quite a few of them were as expected, The Slayer killing a monster or chatting with one of his companions. But whenever he was alone or unoccupied, no every single time, he¡¯d stare directly into the camera. It didn¡¯t matter where the scout was, or what The Slayer was doing, even if his back was turned. The moment just before the shutter clicked, before the scouts could even notice or react, he¡¯d stare them down, but return to his normal state before they could check the photo. Even times where he was supposed to be sleeping, or it should have been impossible to notice, he¡¯d glare his burning eyes at them without fail. There had been a committee meeting to decide which pictures to use for this briefing. Overall, the committee wanted them to be as informative as possible; showing as much information about the targets and maybe a little personality, to help the troops really know who they were up against. However, for The Slayer, General Breach had insisted that they use the most intense photo possible. The reason was simple, fear. Breach was absolutely terrified of Drim Drazah, more than anyone else in the world, even more than he¡¯d ever feared Eleen Drazah, and he wanted to instill that fear to the rest of the army as a motivator. It had come to the point that Breach even had dreams about him. It was astounding that a mere 19 year-old boy could rattle his world so much. General Breach couldn¡¯t really pin down why he was so shaken by The Slayer. Sure, he was skilled, but power wise he wasn¡¯t overbearing. He had undeniable physical strength, but there were monsters that far outclassed him. His Curse wasn¡¯t all that strong either, most likely considered on the lower end of their strength and absurdity. It was certainly useful, but rather limiting comparatively to some of the god-like abilities of the other Fiends. Most importantly, The Slayer could be killed, or at least all the data and simulations said so; something that had much higher odds than the rest of his companions. Despite all this, General Breach still feared him the most, for reasons he couldn¡¯t quite put into words. He¡¯d mulled it over a lot¡ªforced to since it was causing him to lose sleep. The best reason General Breach could come up with was that The Slayer was a hunter. ¡®The World¡¯s Greatest Hunter,¡¯ was what most would actually say. However, that title was not so easily obtained. It required skill, strength, knowledge, and an iron will. But there was something more that it needed, to be the true top of the food-chain, the real alpha that stood atop the pack of humanity. No matter what, they could never let themself be the prey. After a few deep breaths for the audience to calm down, General Breach resumed his report. ¡°While previously believed to be his sister¡¯s position, we now have confirmed reports that Drim Drazah is in fact the leader and mastermind behind the Fiends For Hire. Needless to say, you must always be at full-alert around him.¡± ¡°A master of his Curse, and fighting in general, he can counter anything you throw at him in ways unimaginable. Never assume that you have the advantage. On top of that, it has also been confirmed that he possesses the same manipulation power as his mother. However, he most likely will not use it, even if backed into a corner, of that I am confident.¡± ¡°Now, to reiterate, the parameter of this operation is a raid of the Fiends For Hire compound in Bisomote. The primary objectives are the capture of The Witch, Ahvra Metissa Zalksin, The Slayer, Drim Drazah, and The Engineer, Nathym Cyper, in that order. However, if any of these three are captured, the mission will be considered a success. Capture of any other member would be welcomed, praised, and ripe for promotion, but not crucial at this juncture.¡± ¡°Secondary objectives include securing the contents of the vault in The Engineer¡¯s workshop, the destruction of their shield generator beyond repair, and gathering any intel of their plans. Additionally, The Warden has offered up a bounty from her personal funds for the capture of The Jackal, Mallea Dulip.¡± ¡°If you have any further questions, please refer to your mission briefings, or reach out to your superior officer. Now, I¡¯ll turn over the final words of this briefing to the commanding officer of this operation, The Pr- The Paladin, Captain Luciri.¡± General Breach almost choked, not daring to say the full alliteration of her title. He quickly vacated the stage, not wanting to cross paths with her after that hiccup. A young woman stepped up to the podium, an obvious Fiend from a single glace. ¡°Thank you, General Breach. I want to say that I have full pride and confidence in the skills of everyone here, and I fully believe that we will make this a successful operation¡ but I want to make one thing clear.¡± ¡°No matter what you¡¯ve heard, no matter what orders you¡¯re given, there is one rule you must abide by.¡± She paused for a moment as her eyes started to boil. ¡°Drim Drazah is mine!¡± V3: Chapter 1 - Record Scratch | Part 1 - An Opportunity Like This is Hard to Come By About a month before the assault on Sim Twelling¡¯s castle, Ahvra called Drim down to her lab. ¡°I¡¯ll be blunt, Useful One,¡± Ahvra swiveled around in her chair as soon as he entered the room. ¡°We need medical data.¡± ¡°Umm, okay,¡± Drim hesitated for a moment as he tried to decipher the meaning, sitting down in a vacant chair so he could ponder. ¡°I¡¯m going to assume you mean personal medical records of everyday citizens. You don¡¯t mean Fiends or you¡¯d just get it from us, or wait until we recruit more. You also must mean we need it in vast quantities, or you¡¯d likely be able to hijack it yourself, or get Feyj or Mallea to do it.¡± ¡°Precisely. There¡¯s a reason you¡¯re the useful one, Useful One,¡± Ahvra gave a rare bit of praise. ¡°Your goal is ambitious. Understatement. Can¡¯t say whether it¡¯s diabolical or saintly¡ªnot really interested in the morality, just the science. However¡ without that data, people will die. Not a handful¡ thousands. Millions. Can¡¯t give you an exact number, but I can give you that guarantee.¡± Drim didn¡¯t respond again for a while, thinking of how to handle it. ¡°So the CP then¡¡± he finally uttered. ¡°You¡¯re saying we need to break into the Central Peace headquarters and steal the information from their medical database.¡± The CP had a copy of almost every citizen¡¯s medical information from their constituent nations. No one was forced to opt into giving it, but there was appropriate incentive for doing so. They¡¯d receive a discount on their insurance and medical bills, so most jumped at the opportunity. Similar to what Ahvra wanted to do with it, the CP most likely held that information for medical studies, census, and experimentation. ¡°Correct again,¡± Ahvra confirmed. ¡°Unless you want to go around the world once more, breaking into doctor¡¯s offices.¡± ¡°Well, I wouldn¡¯t be opposed to it if that¡¯s what it took,¡± Drim was surprisingly open to the idea. ¡°However¡ I don¡¯t think it¡¯d go as well as last time. They¡¯ve seen what we¡¯re capable of now and would work even harder to stop us once they saw a repeat pattern. Plus, once they knew we were after medical data, there¡¯s a good chance the CP could order the offices to purge that information since they could always provide a backup once we quit.¡± ¡°That really is a huge ask,¡± he sighed. ¡°Again, I¡¯m not opposed to it. I¡¯d love to go to the CP headquarters, steal their data, and honestly just experience what it¡¯s like there. Supposedly, it¡¯s otherworldly, from the whispers I¡¯ve heard. I don¡¯t think it¡¯s something we can actively plan for, at least right now. We need to at least launch the third phase of our plan before it¡¯s something we can worry about. That said, if an opportunity presents itself, I won¡¯t hesitate.¡± ¡°Good to hear you¡¯re motivated,¡± Ahvra said with slightly more enthusiasm than usual. ¡°Probably harder than you already think. The pawn... agent I captured, got her talking. She spilled everything about the security and layout. Even if you break in, you need to specifically get to the science department deep underground. Every department¡¯s data is only in their department. Could probably brute force from other terminals, but would take a long time.¡± ¡°Would be much easier with Annoying Convenience, but they¡¯re actively working on developing Fiend sensors and¡ª¡± ¡°We should probably stop there,¡± Drim cut her off. ¡°If we talk about it more, I¡¯ll start seriously planning¡ªobsessing over it. About that agent, though¡¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry,¡± Ahvra assured him. ¡°She wasn¡¯t tortured, and we test-drove Nathym¡¯s machine on her. She¡¯ll never remember that she talked.¡± ¡°I understand your hesitance to rush this, and we honestly don¡¯t need it right now. Development on the device will still take a long time. The sooner the better, though. The later I get the data, the longer it will take for me to guarantee there will be no deaths. Need it at least months, maybe years before launch.¡± ¡°One more thing to consider. Eventually, we will need live testing. With live people. But that should happen after we have the data. Thank you for coming. Now I have more tests to run. You can stay and watch, but you¡¯ll get bored.¡± Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on Royal Road. ¡ô¡ô¡ô The tape that Sim Twelling had sent to the group popped out of the video player after automatically rewinding. ¡°Well, that¡¯s obviously a trap,¡± Xard muttered. ¡°Of course it is,¡± Phon scoffed. ¡°You¡¯re still going to make us go, though, huh?¡± Kada inquired. ¡°Of course we¡¯re going,¡± Drim declared. ¡°Stopping Sim aside, this may be the perfect opportunity to get a crucial piece needed to advance our plans.¡± The other three stared at him, befuddled as he pondered for a moment. ¡°Phon, even if you don¡¯t know it, you¡¯re an expert at understanding human behavior.¡± ¡°I am?¡± Phon was surprised at what was said but unoffended by the praise. ¡°Yes, you are,¡± Drim confirmed. ¡°You¡¯ve been watching people for over a decade; studying their patterns, learning their motives, figuring out the best way to kill them. I can¡¯t think of anyone who knows what other people are thinking better then you. So, I need you to confirm some things to prove to myself that I¡¯m not crazy.¡± ¡°First, while we¡¯ve all agreed that this is a trap, but who¡¯s setting it? Is it Sim, or is it someone else?¡± ¡°Definitely someone else,¡± Phon answered immediately, without hesitation. ¡°His monologue was way too thought out and scripted, by someone who clearly isn''t him. It must be the CP. No other party would make his threat so unthreatening.¡± ¡°That¡¯s what I thought too,¡± Drim agreed. ¡°Next is how they¡¯ll act. Would they leave it to Sim and pick up the pieces after or actively get involved?¡± ¡°No way they¡¯d leave it to Sim,¡± Phon was certain. ¡°This is their best chance of stopping us yet. They wouldn¡¯t waste it, and no chance they¡¯d leave it in the hands of someone as unreliable and unhinged as Sim. They¡¯re most likely using him as bait, or a distraction, so they can swoop in and force us to fight on both fronts.¡± ¡°If I had to guess-¡± Phon continued after some thought. ¡°-helicopters, a small swarm of them to attack us safely from the air. I have a hunch that my Curse will be weakened when we go there, and being in the air would keep them out of the range from the rest of our Curses fairly reliably. They also don¡¯t know about The Tourist¡¯s upgraded flying capability.¡± ¡°I doubt they¡¯d send all their power at once, just enough to keep us engaged as we fight with Sim. They¡¯ll have a lot more soldiers on standby, but will wait for us to be as weak as possible.¡± ¡°Okay, that¡¯s very good, thank you,¡± Drim appreciated her insight. ¡°That clears the first hurdle of deduction. Now that we¡¯ve concluded it¡¯s the CP, we need to work out what will happen if they win. Would they capture us alive or kill us on the spot?¡± ¡°I want to say capture us without a second thought, but that¡¯s wrong,¡± Phon seemed annoyed by her own mental quandary. ¡°They¡¯d capture Kada and Xard if they were non-resistive, most likely take them to a maximum secure facility for interrogation and experimentation. But you and me, they want us gone. It doesn¡¯t really matter how beneficial we¡¯d be alive. Just us being alive outweighs any of that. Plus, they have the added incentive of gaining control of the Common Cards if we die.¡± ¡°No, even that wouldn¡¯t be enough. They need to be certain, to see us die with their own eyes. If they found our corpses, they¡¯d likely shoot us both in the head to be completely assured, and possibly burn our bodies.¡± ¡°What if one of us was still alive, and they could ¡®kill¡¯ that person? Do you think they would mutilate the other?¡± Drim¡¯s questions were starting to get oddly specific. ¡°They''d most likely leave it alone in that case,¡± Phon was getting less sure, but still had the most insight. ¡°Especially if Kada and Xard were ¡®dead¡¯ too. They¡¯d focus all their attention on capturing the remaining Drazah. After that, they¡¯d take the remaining one for a public execution, no doubt in my mind. The rest of the corpses would be retrieved for experimentation. Assuming they got the satisfaction of killing the last one themselves too, they wouldn¡¯t waste that resource and it¡¯d join the other three.¡± ¡°Finally, and most importantly,¡± Drim emphasized. ¡°Where would our corpses be taken?¡± ¡°It¡¯d have to be the CP science division in their main headquarters,¡± Phon concluded. ¡°They¡¯d never trust another lab with such a valuable resource.¡± ¡°Perfect!¡± Drim¡¯s eyes lit up. ¡°Okay, wait,¡± Kada finally interjected. ¡°You want us to die now?!¡± ¡°Sorry, this must be very confusing,¡± Drim apologized. ¡°Let¡¯s meet in the secret lab in about an hour and I¡¯ll explain everything. First, I need to confirm some things with Nathym and Ahvra to figure out if this is even possible.¡± Drim then darted off without waiting for acknowledgement from the others. V3: Chapter 1 - Record Scratch | Part 2 - Blind Loyalty ¡°We should have super important meetings here more often! It¡¯s so cozy and cool,¡± Kada declared as she sprawled out on a couch in the living area of the secret underground lab. ¡°I¡¯ll agree that it has an air of seriousness and espionage that the mansion doesn¡¯t,¡± Xard relayed. ¡°However, I think it¡¯d be worth the time to convert one of those conference rooms into a proper tactical and briefing room, or a mission control. It¡¯d be dedicated and closer.¡± ¡°Anything to make you never meet here again,¡± Ahvra said abruptly and harshly, compounded by how dead she sounded. ¡°Too many noisy people in my quiet realm of science.¡± ¡°Okay, thank you all for meeting here,¡± Drim started before anyone else could raise tensions. Everyone, excluding Mallea and Feyj, was present for this briefing. ¡°I know this is all very abrupt, but after confirming with Nathym and Ahvra, we believe this is our best chance to retrieve some important data from the CP servers, data that could make-or-break our plans.¡± ¡°But before we go over the specifics¡¡± Drim took a deep breath and gritted his teeth for a moment. ¡°I just want to say that I think my mother was right all along. What we need to do is¡ª¡± Phon¡¯s eyes widened as soon as the first sentence left Drim¡¯s lips. Without hesitation, she whipped out her knife, leapt from the wall she was leaning against, and immediately stabbed full force at the back of Drim¡¯s neck. ¡°Watch out!¡± Eleen screamed from inside of Drim¡¯s body. Vines that she was controlling shot out of his back and wrapped around Phon. They tightened around her limbs and restrained her, but it didn¡¯t last. ¡°Your Cosdamned sister! She¡¯s trying to¡ª¡± before Eleen could finish her statement, she ran out of energy, releasing the vines and falling into a deep sleep. Phon put away her knife, and went back to leaning against the wall as if nothing had happened. ¡°Sorry for being so surprising again today,¡± Drim apologized once more as his vines crept back into their glowing home. Everyone except Phon was bewildered at what happened, both at Drim¡¯s statement and Phon¡¯s sudden assault. ¡°This operation is extremely delicate. We can¡¯t have my mother knowing all the details or having any effect or control over my body. It could cost us everything.¡± ¡°That was a code that Phon and I came up with shortly after we reunited. If I ever were to praise our mother, Phon would attack me without warning, no matter the situation. We were pretty confident that our mother would try to save me, and even if she didn¡¯t, Phon wouldn¡¯t do anything fatal. With that energy expenditure, she¡¯ll be asleep well until after we deal with Sim.¡± ¡°Now let me get into the specifics of this mission.¡± Drim monologued for a while, going over the elaborate details of what they expected to happen, the devices Nathym would be making to assist them, and the goal for doing this. ¡°So in summation, you need to complete whatever your objective is when we face Sim, and then find a way to safely ¡®die¡¯.¡± ¡°My devices will make it appear as if you¡¯re dead,¡± Nathym added. ¡°Once activated, they¡¯ll fully disable all motor functions, and provide just enough movement to keep you breathing, though no one will be able to tell. You¡¯ll still have full access to your Curses, and can disable the device with a thought in case of emergency.¡± ¡°This is an absolutely bonkers idea,¡± Kada was stunned. ¡°Sounds fun, let¡¯s do it!¡± ¡°I¡¯m a little less enthused,¡± Xard stated. ¡°But either way, Sim needs to be stopped. There¡¯s no question there. If we can manipulate the CP and get crucial information at the same time, I agree that it¡¯s worth the risk if you believe it¡¯s necessary, Drim.¡± ¡°No, that¡¯s not alright!¡± An abrupt and jolting reply from Drim was not what any of them expected. ¡°Listen, I appreciate how loyal you both are, really, it means everything to me, but this mission is the riskiest one we¡¯ve ever done. If we don¡¯t execute it perfectly, if the CP goes against our expectations, they¡¯ll have us at their mercy and we could die at any time. And you don¡¯t even know why we¡¯re doing this!¡± ¡°To get some medical data, right?¡± Kada confusedly repeated what was mentioned earlier. ¡°Yes, but you don¡¯t really know what we¡¯re using that data for,¡± Drim let out an exhaustive sigh. ¡°I just said that we need it and you blindly agreed. That¡¯s not okay, not this time with so much on the line. Just this once, I need you both to make this decision yourselves; decide if you really think it¡¯s something worth risking your life for¡ And for that reason, I think it¡¯s time I finally told you about Project Fiendless.¡± ¡ô¡ô¡ô Xard didn¡¯t know when he¡¯d leapt from his chair. The past few minutes had started to blur. Now his right hand was pointing at Drim¡¯s head in the shape of a gun, shaking wildly. He¡¯d already absorbed the energy from his bullet ring in a moment of passion, but was hesitating as he stared dead into Drim¡¯s eyes. A couple of tears had dropped from his own as he felt his world crumbling around him, his mind racing faster than he could keep up with. Drim had told them everything, every facet of his plans, even that he¡¯d been spying on them. At first, a few things stuck out to Xard as being strange, or a little too shady, but wanted to give Drim the benefit of the doubt since he was never the best at articulating his ideas. As time went on, the words became more and more deranged. For a while, Xard wondered if this was another test, since there was no way the person he knew could possibly be saying such things, but it eventually became all too clear that Drim Drazah believed every twisted word he was spouting. By the end, Xard could see it as nothing but the ravings of a madman. Xard had checked on the others'' reactions periodically, wanting to confirm that he wasn¡¯t alone in finding this all extremely disturbing. It was clear that no one but Nathym knew the full extent, who¡¯d left part way through. Even Phon who had been nonchalantly leaning up against the wall had her eyes jump open on occasion. Ahvra had fallen asleep at some point, but even if she was in disbelief, Xard would never have been able to tell in the first place. Kada had seemed just as bewildered as Xard, too much so that at some point she¡¯d mentally checked out and her head had been spinning since. Xard couldn¡¯t blame her. The whole thing was too much, causing him to almost lose grip of his sanity a few times. It was deranged beyond belief, something only someone seriously disturbed, truly evil and sociopathic, could come up with. In Xard¡¯s eyes, Drim Drazah was now nothing but a monster, one that needed to be slain for the good of humanity¡ªto save the world that this tyrant would lead to ruin. If you stumble upon this tale on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. However, the moment Xard had acted on this impulse, his past emotions, memories, and love had all collided with it. This had led to an impasse in Xard¡¯s mind. There was now someone he needed to stop no matter what, but couldn¡¯t harm no matter how much he tried to convince himself. Unfortunately, this clash of mentalities had loosened his own self control, and he had already lashed out verbally without realizing. The past few minutes had been silent, except for the insults and threats Xard had roared at Drim, with a few bits of sobbing in between. He¡¯d already called Drim a monster before his mind had even processed the thought. He¡¯d tarnished the world Drim aspired to make, detesting the peace that he claimed it would bring. Xard really even went for the throat and declared that Drim was worse than his mother, which was undoubtedly the harshest thing anyone could ever say to him. This led Xard down another mental spiral, wondering if this was all his mother¡¯s influence on him. She had control of his body to an extent, perhaps that extended to his mind as well. Maybe he wasn¡¯t insane, maybe it was his mother poisoning him. Could it be that Drim really did just need help? Another person to be saved? Before he could fully think it through, Drim finally responded to his actions. ¡°You should go ahead and kill me, if that¡¯s what you really think is best,¡± The sadness in Drim''s eyes was miserable as he spoke. ¡°Seeing how viscerally you¡¯ve reacted to this¡ it¡¯s really put in perspective how the rest of the world would feel. I¡¯ve only ever thought of this as right. I knew some people would be opposed to it, or wouldn¡¯t fully understand my vision right away, but I never knew it would make someone so close to me act so disgusted and violently against it¡¡± Xard¡¯s heart felt stabbed and twisted at these words. Clearly, there was still good in Drim. Xard let his hand relax a little, still not dropping it fully, but let go of the energy that had been circulating in him this whole time. The measure¡¯s he¡¯d been considering didn¡¯t seem as necessary, but he tensed up again a second later. ¡°But I won¡¯t stop,¡± Drim firmly decreed. ¡°Even if everyone sees me as a monster, I truly believe what I¡¯m doing is right. No matter what, I¡¯m going to see this through to the end, even if you¡¯re not with me. I¡¯m going to stick to my convictions, but you should stick to yours. So if you really think that you should kill me, do it. You may not get another- Nathym don¡¯t!¡± Xard tensed even more as he felt something press against the back of his neck. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Drim, but I can¡¯t let you do that,¡± Nathym protested from behind Xard¡¯s back, sounding even more serious than Drim. ¡°Project Fiendless is too important, so I won¡¯t let you die so easily, Drim, at least not until we¡¯re done. I won¡¯t let any obstacles get in our way, even you, Xard, if it comes down to it.¡± Xard turned his head just enough to make out that it was a gun pointed at the back of his neck. ¡°You know that won¡¯t do anything to me, Nathym,¡± Xard tried to reason with him. ¡°You should put it away before I have to hurt you.¡± ¡°You¡¯d be right, if this were a normal gun,¡± Nathym claimed. ¡°This gun fires plasma-based projectiles. If a single drop touches your skin, it will burn through your flesh until there¡¯s nothing left. It was designed specifically to kill you.¡± Xard heated up at this, his eyes starting to glitter, and his hair starting to pulse. ¡°So what, you¡¯ve been ready to kill us this whole time?!¡± he shouted. ¡°We¡¯ve just been tools for you to use and then dispose of when we step out of line?¡± ¡°Simmer down a bit and try to understand.¡± There was clear exasperation and desperation in Nathym''s voice as he sighed. ¡°When Drim and I were discussing some initial plans for this group, we decided it was best that we put countermeasures in place in case someone went rogue and tried to abuse their powers. One of the first things I did upon my arrival here was to make weapons and devices to neutralize everyone if needed, even for Drim, and even for myself.¡± Somehow Xard could understand that rationale, and it did temper his rage a little, but he still couldn¡¯t let his guard down. He went to absorb energy from one of his rings, but found them unresponsive. As if reading his mind, Nathym held up a device with his free hand. ¡°If you¡¯re trying to use your rings, I¡¯ve deactivated them for now. If you don¡¯t stand down, I can also use it to lock your suit to keep you from moving everything but your arms.¡± Xard couldn¡¯t help but feel a little foolish, wondering why he ever thought he could use someone as skilled as Nathym¡¯s own inventions against him. At this point, Xard had calmed down enough that he wasn¡¯t going to attack or try to kill anyone at this moment, but his mind hadn¡¯t slowed down for a second. He needed to leave so that he could process it all. ¡°I¡¯ll be in my room,¡± was all he said before darting off without looking back. He didn¡¯t leave his room until the night just before the mission at Sim¡¯s castle, not even touching the meals Mallea would leave outside his door. This turned out to be for the best, as he later found out that they¡¯d been laced with poison until Drim made her stop. It was a lethal dose for humans but not for Fiends. However, it still would have left him with intense intestinal distress. Apparently, it had been Pox that tipped Drim off that something was wrong with them, happily eating actual food for the first time ever after it¡¯d been left out for long enough. Xard spent most of his isolation listening to his police scanner, trying to take a break from thinking about what had happened. He¡¯d feel a twinge of guilt every time there was a crime he could stop, but never had the motivation to actually do anything. Mostly, he found a strange comfort in the folly of the criminals he heard about. Their poor choices somehow helped rationalize how Xard now perceived Drim. He never did manage to stop thinking about it all, and still never came to a final decision. There were only a few things he was sure of. He didn¡¯t want to leave this place, he didn¡¯t think Drim¡¯s reasonings and schemes were out of malice, and lastly that Drim Drazah couldn¡¯t remain unsupervised for the time being. So for now, he¡¯d play along. He¡¯d go on the mission, and see for himself where Drim¡¯s intentions really lied, and if he felt things were getting out of hand, he¡¯d stop Drim himself. Perhaps emboldened by Drim¡¯s own blunt honesty, Xard even told Drim all this before they left on their mission; the only thing he said to him at all. This was how he felt until the operation started, but things changed once it ended. Under the effects of Nathym¡¯s device, he was essentially left in suspended animation for what felt like years. Most of his senses were cut off, but he could still hear, and would occasionally focus on a noise around him, but it was extremely infrequent. Now he was left with no distractions, just his mind, and the feelings in his heart could finally break through. Those hours tormented Xard, every aspect of his being at war with itself. He couldn¡¯t accept that he¡¯d been deceived this whole time, that all those life defining moments he¡¯d spent with Drim were hollow and fake. Finally, he landed on the only truth he could believe. Drim Drazah cared about nothing more than seeing peace in this world, to atone for the atrocities his parents committed. His plan may sound insane, with not even a hint of the perfect world Xard envisioned, but no matter what, Drim would stick to making the world the best place possible for everyone. If he believed that his plan could ever lead to the misery of a single innocent individual, he¡¯d never go through with it. That was the hope that Xard could cling to. He was still unsure of where his path with the Fiends For Hire would lead, and he still couldn¡¯t fully trust Drim, but it was suddenly more invigorating than ever. They had been all over the world, and it may lead them to shaping a new one. He¡¯d do what he could to make sure Drim didn¡¯t walk down the wrong path, but it was difficult to think about when their path currently had their ¡®corpses¡¯ lying on autopsy tables next to each other. V3: Chapter 2 - Juliet | Part 1 - Up and At Em A woman walked into one of the autopsy rooms deep in the underground of Central Peace headquarters. Going by her garb, one could easily guess she was a doctor, but her pendant identified her further as the head medical examiner of the CP. She took her hands out of her coat, rubbing them together as she breathed hot air onto them. It was clear that she¡¯d been lacking sleep with the deep bags under her eyes. She¡¯d likely been woken up to be briefed at some ungodly hour about what was happening. ¡°Well, this is going to be my whole day, isn¡¯t it?¡± She gazed listlessly into the room. ¡°Mawhg it. I need a big early lunch if I have to deal with this. Or is it late breakfast at this point?¡± she pondered as she turned on her heels and walked out of the room. It securely sealed behind her, not allowing a single person but her into the room until the autopsy was completed. Drim suddenly jolted upwards, taking the first deep breath in at least a day. He was unaware of how much time had passed, but that was his best guess. The room he woke up in was extremely clinical, the kind of place Ahvra would love¡ªand freezing, even by Fiend standards. He looked around for a moment, blinking to restore his vision, and three others sprang up in the same fashion as he¡¯d done just a moment ago. The first thing that was immediately obvious was that they were all naked. Drim covered his eyes, sliding off the autopsy table while he made crude clothing with his Curse. Both Kada and Xard rushed to grab at it, but Phon ignored it for the time being. Instead, she pinched at her eyes and groaned, ¡°Ahhh, someone help me get these mawhging things out, they ache so much!¡± Nathym had made covers for the inside of Phon¡¯s eyelids before the mission. They allowed her to use her Curse without her hands or ribbon, but were extremely uncomfortable. This was how she¡¯d survived through her hanging, constantly using her Curse to teleport herself higher on the noose. Drim had been able to get somewhat of an idea from the seed he¡¯d left with her, but could only really see how much she was suffering. She had to use her Curse perfectly for hours, only moving her body ever so slightly so that no one would notice. It also had to be done endlessly every second without fail or she really would have died, and had to keep shifting her neck into spikes no less. Drim peeked through his fingers, still doing his best to keep her body covered. The wound was still fresh, and purple trickles of blood were dribbling down her front. Nathym¡¯s device hadn¡¯t disabled their healing, but had slowed it down. It would have been an immediate give away that they were still alive, otherwise. Kada melted the covers out of Phon¡¯s eyes, and they all finally slipped into their crude rags that were just a hair away from dressing in vegetable sacks. ¡°Okay, who¡¯s going to do it?¡± Xard posed to the group, finally saying a full sentence to them that didn¡¯t seem to have malice behind it. ¡°I¡¯d do it, but I think mine got damaged. It shoc-¡± on cue, Kada jolted a little. ¡°It shocks me every so often. I think one of the bullets they shot into my back must have damaged it before I could melt it. Seriously, those living bullets were a good attempt by them, and uber scary. If the impact didn¡¯t cause that coating to ¡®die¡¯, then I really might have been dead by now. Thankfully, I was able to trick them by making the melted bullets look like my blood.¡± ¡°Yes yes, we¡¯re all proud of you for accomplishing the basic goal of this mission by not dying,¡± Phon slowly applauded her. ¡°And I¡¯ll do it. I¡¯m already bleeding so may as well add some more.¡± Without warning, and causing everyone else to flinch, she grabbed a scalpel off one of the nearby tables and jabbed it into her back between shoulder blades. It was the same spot as her Curse mark, causing a self fulfilling prophecy with her stabbed-globe tattoo. Purple blood now stained the backside of her rags to match the front. Kada rushed over and jammed a finger into the wound. Nathym¡¯s device had been implanted along their spinal cords to have full access to their nervous system, and to not make it obvious that there was anything hiding in their bodies. Kada dragged out a squirm of liquid following her finger, which she then converted to its alternate form of a portable computer drive. Xard and Kada huddled around the computer terminal in the room after Kada plugged in the device, which began working automatically. Phon went over to dress her wounds and try to clean off the blood. This left Drim alone to finally acknowledge the Elesloth in the room. His eyes wandered to the table closest to the terminal, where a fifth corpse lay: the body of Sim Twelling. Drim slowly wandered over to it as his eyes glossed over the wounds. The cuts were deep and perfect, the gashes still open and unhealed. Sim¡¯s severed arms were laying next to him on the table. His body had been cleaned of its mud-like blood, but Drim could see it as if it was still there. He really hadn¡¯t held back, attacking Sim with every ounce of force he had. A twinge of pain surged through Drim¡¯s chest, both in his heart and from the actual injury Sim had given to him. Killing Sim had never been his goal, and honestly had never even crossed his mind. Sim Twelling was evil, that couldn¡¯t be denied, but he still hadn¡¯t crossed the unforgivable line. He hadn¡¯t really harmed people, just stolen from them and made threats. There was always a chance for redemption. However, the moment Drim was struck, his survival instincts kicked in. They wouldn¡¯t let such an opportunity go by when Sim dropped his guard, and they went for the killing blow. Before he could realize what he¡¯d done, Sim was already unsavable, his life forfeit at Drim¡¯s hands. What pained him the most now was wondering if he was originally destined to be just like Sim, ruling the world together as he¡¯d mentioned. By all counts, Drim should have grown up to be the proud noble and world leader that everyone expected him to be. His personality shouldn¡¯t have been what it was. He should have been a spoiled rich kid with a superiority complex. Drim had never been left wanting for anything and had a loving family on top of that. Even with his oddity of being able to sense the evil in people, he should have grown up entitled. Where would he be, where would the world be if he had never killed his parents, if he had never discovered their secrets so early on, if he had never been to that rally, if that drunken man had never attempted to assault them¡? On the verge of tears, Drim¡¯s mind filled with uncertainty and guilt. A comforting hand was placed on his shoulder. Drim turned his head, surprised by more than anything else to find Xard. ¡°You shouldn¡¯t let his death weigh on you,¡± Xard consoled him. ¡°Sim was responsible and accountable for everything that happened. You just did what you had to do to keep yourself and everyone else safe.¡± The narrative has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the infringement. Drim found it hard to look at him at the moment, and definitely didn¡¯t want to keep looking at Sim, so he opted for the floor. After a few moments of silence, Drim mumbled, ¡°Xard, are we¡ª¡± ¡°Let me say something,¡± Xard continued for him. ¡°I said unforgivable things before the mission, things I can never take back. I was too confused and conflicted, and I¡¯m really sorry for it. Hopefully, you can forgive me someday. As for going forward¡ I don¡¯t know that our views for a perfect world will ever fully align, but that¡¯s not a bad thing. It takes a lot of different perspectives to make sure we don¡¯t lose sight of our goal.¡± ¡°We will make this world a better place, Drim. That¡¯s a promise. And while I¡¯m going to get you to reconsider some of the points of your plan, I¡¯m going to make sure that you get to complete it. From now on, I¡¯m with you one-hundred percent. Project Fiendless is now my top priority as well. Just let me know what you need me to do, and I¡¯ll be there for you.¡± Xard then pulled him in and they gave each other a hug with light pats on the back. This was unbelievably comforting for Drim. For the past few days he felt like he¡¯d lost a friend, and felt like he''d lost more of himself with Sim¡¯s death, but this made him feel whole again. However, he was still a bit uncomfortable, and used his Curse to make a similarly ragged blanket to cover Sim¡¯s body with. Drim then wandered over to Kada to check on the progress of the data transfer. ¡°How¡¯s it going?¡± Drim lightly tapped on her shoulder. Kada jumped in her seat, swiftly turning around, pulling out the earbuds that Drim didn¡¯t know she was wearing¡ªeven more confused as to where she found them, but assumed they must have been left at the terminal. ¡°Oof, sorry,¡± Kada stumbled. ¡°The transfer is going well, slow, but well. You¡¯d think with Nathym¡¯s tech it would have been done in a second, but I guess there¡¯s literally billions of files.¡± ¡°Anyways, I was digging through that lady¡¯s personal stuff. Did you know she has a playlist for performing autopsies? It starts with a punk-rock song called ¡®Getting Slitty¡¯. I shudder to think what would happen if she and Ahvra ever met. Oh, and she ends it with a Virabeldian folk song about death. It¡¯s surprisingly not bad.¡± ¡°Uhh alright, enjoy.¡± Drim knew it best at this point just to nod and smile at Kada¡¯s weird actions rather than question them. ¡°Please let us know when the transfer is done. Thanks a bunch.¡± Drim then slowly strolled over to where Phon was sitting on top of a counter. She was pulling off the bandages she¡¯d placed over her wounds since they¡¯d healed in the past few minutes. ¡°How are you feeling?¡± Drim asked her, relieved that she was finally better. ¡°Doing alright. I took some painkillers from this lady¡¯s stash to see if they¡¯d help. Didn¡¯t get the chance to find out since the pain went away before I even finished swallowing them. I¡¯ll still get some satisfaction knowing that she¡¯ll wonder why her pill count is off. It¡¯s weird that you¡¯re asking when you¡¯re the one who had the big gaping hole in your chest,¡± Phon was on the verge of scolding him. ¡°Yeah, thanks for saving me,¡± Drim smiled at her. ¡°If you hadn¡¯t shown up when you did, I probably wouldn¡¯t have been able to patch myself up enough to get away from Sim¡¯s beasts. Definitely would have run out of blood if I tried to move too quickly. You really did come through for me, and thank you again for being the one to take the hit with the CP. I don¡¯t know that I would have been able to go through what you did in my condition.¡± ¡°You know I¡¯d do anything for you, little brother,¡± Phon said with the softest tone of voice and the gentlest smile he¡¯d ever seen her make. To add on top of it, she then reached out and patted him on the head. Perhaps the pain meds had actually done something after all, and Drim figured he may as well enjoy it while it lasted, knowing it¡¯d be short. ¡°Anyways, this place is pretty amazing, not gonna lie,¡± Phon actually praised the CP¡ªwords Drim never thought would come out of her mouth. ¡°I wish I had my tiara so you could see it, but then I guess we¡¯d need our phones too, and if we had that, we¡¯d have everything, so what¡¯s the point? Anyways, I noticed a hint of our auras when looking around, so I¡¯ll see if I can find our stuff.¡± Phon closed her eyes and slumped down a bit. Drim was unsure if she actually was searching or if she was being forced to take a quick nap from the medication. Drim glanced back over at the terminal and could see that the transfer was almost done. It would also then plant a bug of its own that would hack into the system which they could hopefully use as a backdoor in the future to access more files remotely, assuming the CP¡¯s tech department didn¡¯t notice and quash it. Since he still had a little time to kill, Drim decided to lay a vine trap for the medical examiner. Once she noticed they were gone, she¡¯d immediately bolt from the room to inform someone. This trap would grab her and keep her in place for about an hour. He didn¡¯t want to keep her confined for too long, since most likely no one would come searching for her given the expected length of the autopsy. It just had to be long enough for them to make their escape and get far away. Once Drim finished, Phon vanished without warning. She reappeared about a minute later with a crate of their belongings. About half of it had been tagged, so it was clear the CP was still sorting through it. There was also a smattering of blood on her nose¡ªred, so it wasn¡¯t hers. Phon assured them that she knocked everyone in sight unconscious, so it shouldn¡¯t raise an alarm for a while. Even if the unconscious bodies were found, it would likely be blamed on their gear having some security device. The four of them each took their clothing to a respective corner of the room and redressed. Drim¡¯s top and cloak still had a hole torn clean through, so he used his plant fibers to patch it enough to make himself look presentable. There was some restrained grunting coming from Xard¡¯s corner as his rings reconnected to the nerves in his fingers. Somehow, someone in the CP had been smart enough to figure out how to remove them without lopping his fingers off. When Phon was finished dressing, she vanished again, reappearing with a bounty of food. Nathym¡¯s device had also disabled their Fiend nutrition conversion, so they were all starving and scarfed it down. While all their mouths were full, the device pinged at the terminal to indicate it was done, but no one seemed to mind it at the moment until they were satiated. ¡°Alright, let¡¯s talk about what we¡¯re doing next.¡± Phon addressed the group after the device was retrieved. ¡°Obviously, escaping is our number one priority, but do we want to do anything else while we¡¯re here, or once we get out of here? I¡¯ll admit, I¡¯m pretty tired and wouldn¡¯t mind going home right away or crashing somewhere for a while.¡± ¡°I think we should take our victory and not risk being here any longer than we have to,¡± Drim put forward. ¡°While I really want to explore this place, we should wait for a time when we are welcomed guests. That said, I don¡¯t think we should waste being on this side of the world while we¡¯re here. We¡¯ll know exactly where we are once we get to the surface, but I can¡¯t imagine we¡¯re far from Prosper. I think it¡¯s time to officially put phase 2 of Project Fiendless, Expansion, into motion. Let¡¯s visit an old friend.¡± It seemed that they took too long discussing their plans and the secure doors eventually opened. The medical examiner took one step inside and then dropped the big jug of coffee she¡¯d brought with her from shock. The vine trap did its work, securing her while the doors closed behind her, locking this room while everyone else was none the wiser. Still, the Fiends didn¡¯t want to take any more risks and took this as their cue to exit. The four Fiends reappeared in the bathroom of a gas station out in the middle of nowhere. ¡°Oh, I see now,¡± Phon said loudly after a second. ¡°I can¡¯t believe I¡¯m praising them again, but it¡¯s honestly pretty smart. The entrance is through the car wash. They make sure to time any car entering with one leaving a few minutes later so no one would get suspicious.¡± The group walked out into the gas station and grabbed a few snacks for their upcoming trip home. Everything seemed a little too serene for it being the secret entrance to the most secure place in the world. Even the disinterested cashier didn¡¯t raise an eyebrow as he was ringing them up. It really sold the inconspicuousness of the place. V3: Chapter 2 - Juliet | Part 2 - Breaking News ¡°And now on to the noon headlines!¡± Corein Gedring announced to the camera. It was time for the most important broadcast of the day, and they had just received a breaking report that had gotten her fired up. ¡°This just in, we have confirmed reports that the four main members of the Fiends For Hire, including both Drim and Phon Drazah, have been officially pronounced dead after¡ª¡± ¡°Jeez, whatever happened to fact checking?¡± Phon sneered as she appeared on the news desk, sitting on the front edge of it; several papers sent flying by her displacement. She then turned to Gedring and smiled smugly, ¡°So much for your journalistic integrity. You really will read whatever nonsense you¡¯re handed¡ªthe CP¡¯s favorite lapdog.¡± Clint Crihound, who was also at the news desk, immediately hid under it, cowering in fear. Surprisingly, Gedring wasn¡¯t even looking at Phon and had ignored her provocation entirely. Instead, she was glaring at the three other Fiends standing off to the side, just off camera. Specifically, she was staring at Kada. ¡°Kada Susten, I¡¯ll mawhging kill you!¡± Gedring screeched as she leapt over the desk, then bolted at Kada, attempting to tackle her. Phon smirked briefly at the ensuing catfight and then returned her gaze to the cameras. ¡°As you can see, any rumors of our untimely deaths are completely unfounded. Chalk it up to another wild misunderstanding and failure by the CP, but who¡¯s honestly surprised there? You got played, zjikheads. Anyways, this isn¡¯t really about that. We have an important announcement!¡± ¡°A little over three weeks from now, on October 6th, we will be holding an open recruitment at our compound. Any and all Fiends and Lessers are invited and encouraged to come. We¡¯re expanding our operation, and are looking for talented and motivated individuals to join us, but you¡¯re welcome to come even if you don¡¯t want to do what we do.¡± ¡°From now on, the Fiends For Hire is also a refuge for any Fiend who has lost their place in the world and wants to live an honest life. We¡¯ll find something for you to do, a new passion, as long as you¡¯re willing to try. We will also make sure that anyone who joins us, regardless of position, is offered full salary and benefits, and will never want for anything as long as they earn it.¡± ¡°That said, just because you show up, it doesn¡¯t mean you¡¯ll be invited to stay. We¡¯re going to be selective, but as open minded as possible. If either party decides that isn¡¯t a good fit, you¡¯ll be asked to leave. Don¡¯t let that be a deterrent, though. Even if you¡¯re not accepted, all travel expenses will be compensated, so you have nothing to lose but a bit of time. If nothing else, I can guarantee it¡¯ll be interesting, and you¡¯ll get to meet several others like you.¡± Drim coughed from the corner, reminding Phon of something she¡¯d neglected. She pulled out a prewritten paper from her pocket and began to read. ¡°As a warning, I am legally obligated to inform you that by visiting and applying to the Fiends For Hire that you are subjecting yourself to the standard hiring practices, anti-discrimination laws, and legal recourses of the country of Segrevide. The Fiends For Hire are also not responsible for any physical or emotional trauma you may endure during your application and employment, and we are not fiscally responsible for the damage or loss of any personal property.¡± Stolen story; please report. ¡°Welp, that about covers it. We¡¯ll let you get back to your regularly scheduled biased and censored news once Kada stops sitting on your news anchor. Oh! One last thing. If any CP mawhgsacks are thinking of any plans to mess with our open house, I want you to remember that we now know the location of your headquarters. If you don¡¯t want the whole world to know, you won¡¯t try anything annoying. Don¡¯t mess with us at our house and we won¡¯t mess with you at yours. Bye!¡± ¡ô¡ô¡ô The Fiends left the news station, and Phon teleported them to a private airfield outside the city limits. Mallea was waiting for them with the helicopter since she''d been on standby in Prosper the past two days. She had also checked that The Tourist was still hidden on her way, to make sure that the CP hadn¡¯t absconded with it after the ordeal. She was unable to retrieve it herself due to the immense weight. Mallea hugged Drim upon seeing him, but quickly gave Xard a side-eye for the duration. As if he could see it himself, Drim immediately ordered, ¡°Please get along with Xard, Mallea.¡± ¡°As you wish,¡± was her only reply. Pox also took this opportunity to leap out of the helicopter that he¡¯d snuck onto and reclaim his favorite spot on the back of Drim¡¯s head. It was hard to take Mallea¡¯s claim that she didn¡¯t know Pox was there at face value since he was wearing a new propeller hat she¡¯d fashioned for him. On the flight back, and before they dropped off Kada to pick up the Tourist, they finally had time to relax and shared the details of their escapades with each other. Once that wrapped up, they began discussing what needed to be done before October 6th. That date hadn¡¯t been chosen arbitrarily, and had been given considerable thought. First and most importantly, the facilities weren¡¯t finished yet. It was pointless to have new recruits if they didn¡¯t have anywhere to stay. Ideally, they would have been done by now, and had originally been estimated to be completed in mid-Sextaugber, but their spur-of-the-moment musings and goals had pushed all of that back. Nathym assured them they would be completed by October, if not sooner, as long as they didn¡¯t do anything else crazy. Second, there were a few important dates that were near the end of the month. More important to the others than Drim himself, his birthday was on the 29th, and they wanted to celebrate it properly and more intimately than if they were dealing with their expansion plans. Also at the end of the month would be Feyj¡¯s third rebirth. The group thought it best to wait until there was no longer a potentially crying baby around to disturb the orientation process. It would also give them a few days to get an idea of Feyjrusa¡¯s new personality, whatever it may be. Mallea had already come up with dozens of excuses as to why she would be unavailable to tend to Feyj during his rebirth process. Lastly, before they would be really ready to move their operation to a larger scale, they would need to hire some support staff. V3: Chapter 3 - Aggressive Hiring Practices | Part 1 - Hot in the Kitchen After only a couple of days of relaxing and recuperating at their mansion, the four Fiends were now all off on their own individual assignments. Each of them was to recruit someone beneficial to help run their day-to-day operations. The areas they anticipated themselves needing the most support were food-prep, clerical operations, and training. Mallea would be able to take care of the first two on her own, but that would be too time consuming, and she wouldn¡¯t be able to take care of much else. Instead, they wanted individuals dedicated to those tasks who could do them as assigned and on-demand. Plus, Mallea was less motivated to assist anyone the further removed they were from Drim, which could lead to a diminishing quality of care and attention for lower-ranking members. Additionally, Ahvra requested another assistant. It mostly had to do with the billions of new files she had to sort through and analyze, since it was too much for one person, even with Ahvra¡¯s inhuman work ethic. Also, ¡®Assistant¡¯ hadn¡¯t been particularly assistive lately since he had his own projects to complete. It didn¡¯t help that Nathym¡¯s knowledge was more practical and engineering focused than theoretical and experimentative. The group gathered together and brainstormed a pool of potential candidates, then ordered them based on hiring preference. Hopefully, their top candidates in each category would agree to being head-hunted, but they had a few solid backup choices as well. The top four were split among the group based on their location and personal history with the candidate. Then, they all set out. ¡ô¡ô¡ô Since Xard¡¯s candidate was near Constead, Kada dropped him off before heading into the city. She turned the Tourist back into a proper car before reaching the city limits since a flying vehicle would draw too much attention for such a low-key mission. The place she was going to wouldn¡¯t open for about an hour, so she drove around the city for a bit. The place was mostly the same. A few new restaurants had popped up, and sadly, her favorite hobby shop had been turned into a tanning salon. Kada eventually found her way back to their old apartment. To her surprise, it had been converted into a ticketed tourist destination run by the city. It was a good way for them to raise revenue to pay for the destruction the Fiends had caused, but she still felt bad for the other tenants that had to move out as a result. Her stomach started to rumble which meant it was time to head to her destination. She hoped that they wouldn¡¯t mind her arriving a bit before opening. Kada wanted to talk to them before things got busy anyways. She walked into the familiar back-alley restaurant and was immediately greeted by a bright beaming smile. ¡°Vank, honey, Kada¡¯s here to see us!¡± The old woman called to the kitchen before stepping out from behind the counter. She slowly shuffled over to Kada and gave her a tight hug as if Kada was her own granddaughter. ¡°You better not be messing around again, Hazzle,¡± The old man strolled out of the kitchen carrying a pan he¡¯d been greasing. ¡°Oh, it really is you, Kada!¡± The old man tossed the pan aside flimsily as if it were a dish rag and rushed over to hug her too. ¡°It¡¯s good to see you! What do you want to eat?! You look hungry, I¡¯ll just make you everything!¡± Vank rushed back into the kitchen as quickly as he came. Kada decided it was best to wait on why she was here, since it¡¯d require a serious talk with both of them. For now, she caught up with Hazzle while Vank cooked up a storm. ¡°Oh, I saw that bungling news woman say you were dead the other day. Some people can be so cruel, and she even tried to attack you. I¡¯m glad you put her in her place. You¡¯re so strong dear, have you been working out?¡± Hazzle seemed to not have a fundamental understanding of how Fiends worked, which Kada found a little endearing and a nice change of pace. It didn¡¯t take too long for Kada to realize that they¡¯d only been talking about her endeavors, but found it hard to flip the subject without getting a barrage of new questions about herself. Eventually, she gave up and just went with the flow. Hazzle also asked Kada at one point how to better use her Common Card, since she only knew the bare basics at the moment like how to check her money and pay with it. Once Kada explained a bit, Hazzle immediately tried to use it to gift her some ¡®pocket money¡¯, but Kada vehemently refused. It was a sweet gesture. However, Kada had more money than she knew what to do with at the moment. Vank stumbled out of the kitchen shortly thereafter, carrying a mountain of meals in both arms. He slammed them down on the table and smiled proudly at the spread. ¡°We¡¯ve got a lot of new dishes, so I want to hear your opinion on all of them.¡± Hazzle took this opportunity to get up and flip the sign on the door, so they wouldn¡¯t be interrupted. She then strolled into the kitchen to clean up after the mess her husband had assuredly left behind. Kada happily started inhaling the food, having skipped breakfast this morning and dinner last night since she expected this to happen. Thankfully, unlike Hazzle who would bombard her with nonstop questions, Vank was someone who would talk non-stop whether the listener actively engaged him or not. It was no wonder they made a good couple. This story originates from a different website. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there. Vank started talking endlessly about the restaurant and its success, but Kada tuned out the first few minutes, savoring her meal. Mallea¡¯s food was undeniably better, but there was something comforting about this old couple¡¯s cooking. Eventually, Kada tuned back in, once she¡¯d had a sampling of everything. ¡°So, we finally managed to hire some part-timers to help out. They¡¯re not as nearly as helpful as you guys, though. They mostly handle the online ordering and some delivery. Did I tell you we got online ordering?! I don¡¯t really get that stuff, but hey, if it makes our customers happy, I don¡¯t mind it. Oh, I¡¯ve got something to show you!¡± Vank practically leapt out of his chair and shuffled off as fast as he could, returning a minute later with something in hand. ¡°These just came in the mail the other day. We were still talking about where to hang them, so we hadn¡¯t put them up yet.¡± Vank set down two plaques on what little space the table had left. ¡°We¡¯re a plaqued restaurant! Can you believe it? And not just one, but two! I don¡¯t even know when the judges came. They must have come together if we got them together, right?¡± ¡°One¡¯s for atmosphere, and the other is for nostalgic cooking. And it¡¯s all thanks to you kids! Before you guys came, we were barely staying above water each month, but now we¡¯re famous! Even that rat-bag Rony¡¯s restaurant doesn¡¯t have any plaques, and now we have two! Oh, I can¡¯t wait to rub it in his face.¡± Kada had no idea who Rony was, but guessed that he¡¯d slighted them in some way. ¡°We finally paid off the restaurant too! Hell, we could finally really retire if we wanted. Maybe even take that trip to Shindig we¡¯ve always talked about.¡± It was around this time Hazzle rejoined them. ¡°Oh, I just realized we never asked what you¡¯re doing here. We may be starting to get a little senile, but we¡¯ve got a feeling that you didn¡¯t just pop on in for a meal.¡± ¡°Uhh yeah, about that,¡± Hearing about their success and happy life had made Kada hesitate and start to reconsider. ¡°Well actually, I was originally going to ask if you wanted to come work for us, but¡ª¡± ¡°Oh, that sounds lovely dear, we¡¯d be delighted to!¡± Hazzle responded immediately. ¡°Should we go pack our things right now? It wouldn¡¯t take long,¡± Vank didn¡¯t miss a beat. ¡°We just need to grab a few trinkets, and I need to change into my going-out clothes.¡± ¡°Wait wait wait, didn¡¯t you decide too quickly?!¡± Kada pumped the brakes. ¡°I didn¡¯t even give you the full details. What about how successful the restaurant has been, or your retirement, or your plaques?¡± ¡°Oh, these crummy old things?¡± Vank picked up the plaques and dumped them into the garbage. ¡°We don¡¯t need them anymore.¡± ¡°What he means is that we just got the best offer from one of our most favorite people in the world,¡± Hazzle smiled at her. ¡°Saying no was never an option for us.¡± ¡°Well, okay, if you¡¯re sure¡¡± Kada was honestly too blown away by their confidence to fight them on it. ¡°We actually don¡¯t need you guys to start for a few weeks, so you should take the time to pack thoroughly. I know that may not be enough time to sell your restaurant or even get an agent to take it over. If you want, we can buy it from you and take care of it later.¡± ¡°Oh, don¡¯t mind the little details. They¡¯re not important,¡± Vank assured her. ¡°We¡¯ll be working for the Fiends For Hire, so no one¡¯s going to cause a fuss. Now, I¡¯m going to head upstairs and get packing. Hazzle, you get Kada some dessert before she changes her mind and runs off.¡± Hazzle did as instructed, leaving a befuddled Kada to stew in this reality. She had hoped that they¡¯d agree to join, but things hadn¡¯t gone even remotely as she¡¯d expected them to. After a while, Vank returned downstairs in a change of clothes carrying two suitcases. ¡°So, I was thinking while I was packing. Do you think we should torch this place for the insurance money?¡± Kada was even more shaken at this idea. The couple continued to talk about it as if it were a legitimate plan for a few minutes. Eventually, Kada managed to get them to give up on it, unsure if they were just great at pulling her leg. ¡°Well, like I said, we¡¯re not quite ready for you yet.¡± Kada reiterated. ¡°The place where you¡¯ll be working is done, so you could get acquainted there if you wanted, but we don¡¯t really have a place for you to stay. There is a hotel in town, but I¡¯ve heard it¡¯s not the best. Oh, I know! Why don¡¯t I take you guys to Shindig?¡± ¡°We may have to stop there on our way back anyways, so why don¡¯t you guys use this chance to have that vacation you were talking about? It¡¯ll be an all expenses paid trip from us. We can call it a sign-on bonus.¡± ¡°Sounds amazing! Our Kada is so sweet to us,¡± Hazzle had a calm smile, but it was easy to tell she was bursting with joy from her rosy cheeks. ¡°You kids really are the best. Now let me grab a few things from the kitchen and then we can head out.¡± Vank told them before wandering off. Kada pulled out her phone. She still hadn¡¯t received word from Xard letting her know that he was ready for pickup. If he failed, he could simply fly back on his own. It¡¯d be a long trek, but she thought it¡¯d be funny to make him go all that way. However, if he was successful, forcing him to carry someone would be unpleasant for both parties, so she was stuck for the time being. She wracked her brain about what she could do with the old couple to kill time and where they could go. For now, she figured it¡¯d be best if they stuck around here. After all, she hadn¡¯t given her thoughts on the food yet and could tell them more about the job. That idea went up in smoke both figuratively and literally as Vank rushed out of the kitchen with a fancy mixer in hand. ¡°So I decided to torch the place anyways,¡± Vank was surprisingly nonchalant about the whole ordeal. ¡°Couldn¡¯t leave old Mixy, though. We¡¯ve been through too much together.¡± Kada quickly rushed the couple out of the building and into The Tourist after grabbing their plaques from the trash, leaving no regrets for later. She immediately set it to hover mode and they took off vertically to get out of sight as fast as possible. This couple was crazy, more than any of the Fiends ever imagined, but it meant they¡¯d fit right in. V3: Chapter 3 - Aggressive Hiring Practices | Part 2 - Parole ¡°If it weren¡¯t for your relationship with The Vixen, I would¡¯ve had you arrested the moment you stepped foot on the premises. I hope you know that,¡± A woman sneered at Xard from behind her desk. She was the deputy warden of the Eastern Constead Penitentiary. ¡°I can understand that. You¡¯d just be doing your job.¡± Xard agreed with her. ¡°I¡¯ll be honest, I didn¡¯t know you had any history with her, Lieutenant Malogney.¡± ¡°Yes, she helped us a few years ago, though I doubt she even remembers it.¡± Malogney explained. ¡°There was an¡ unfortunate cooking accident in the kitchen one day. The resulting explosion caused the cafeteria to collapse during dinner. About half of the inmates took the opportunity to escape.¡± ¡°We were scrambling and getting ready to go after them, but then they started appearing. One by one, they popped into our holding cells, as if by magic. It was inexplicable at the time, eventually ruled to be a gas leak that caused both the explosion and a mass hallucination. Now that the truth of Fiends is out, there is no other rational explanation than that The Vixen captured them for us. It was likely just a stroke of luck. She must have just been passing by at the time.¡± ¡°Quite the crazy set of circumstances,¡± Xard agreed once more. ¡°But I¡¯m thankful for it. I didn¡¯t want to, but I was fully expecting that I¡¯d have to perform a show of force before you¡¯d be willing to cooperate with me.¡± ¡°That won¡¯t be necessary,¡± Malogney insisted. ¡°If you wanted one of our death row inmates we¡¯d have to be a bit more scrupulous, but no one will care if the prisoner you¡¯re here for suddenly gets probation. I will say that if it does fall back on us, we will claim that you did force our hand. I assume you¡¯re fine with that.¡± ¡°Yeah, just one more crime for the pile,¡± Xard sighed. ¡°Even though we¡¯re doing this above board, it¡¯s still going to be a lot of paperwork,¡± Malogney sighed in return. ¡°It will take us a couple of hours to process them. I suggest you take this time to go speak with the inmate and make sure they¡¯re willing to be released into your custody. This will all be pointless if they don¡¯t agree to it. Oh, and let The Vixen know we¡¯re even.¡± Xard was escorted out of Lieutenant Malogney¡¯s office and led through the prison by an entire platoon of guards. He received endless jeers and calls from prisoners as he walked by their cells. There seemed to be just as many that wanted to fight him as there were that wanted to garner his favor, assuming him to be a new inmate. Eventually, Xard heard a familiar voice when he stopped in front of one of the cells. ¡°I always knew you would come to see me, Xard. In fact, I¡¯d say you¡¯re even earlier than I expected. I knew you¡¯d have to come confront your past eventually.¡± Mr. Valker slowly walked to the front of his cell, his knees still weak from their encounter. He gripped the bars while grinning at Xard. ¡°Oh¡ well this is awkward,¡± Xard averted his eyes to ease the tension. ¡°I¡¯m actually not here to see you, Mr. Valker.¡± ¡°Wait, then why did you stop in front of my cell?!¡± Valker¡¯s face dropped in disbelief. ¡°Uhh, I was just waiting for the guards to open the door to the next prison block. Your cell just happens to be at the end.¡± Xard informed him. ¡°You can¡¯t just play with people¡¯s hearts like this, Xard!¡± Valker barked at him. ¡°I always knew you were a bastard!¡± The door finally buzzed open and Xard went on his way. The echoes of Mr. Valker¡¯s cursing could be heard for some time. Finally, they reached their destination in the minimum security block of the prison. Xard peered into the cell, which he found unusually nice. It was somewhat reminiscent of their bedrooms in their old small apartment. There was a decent bed, much better than the inmates in the maximum security cells got, a dresser, a desk, chair, a sink, a toilet with a semi-privacy curtain, and even a television. Despite all these luxuries by comparison, the occupant of the cell was sitting in the corner, curled up into a ball, rocking back and forth as if they were locked in a mental institution. Xard sighed at her sad state, second guessing if she was the right choice. ¡°Hello, Ms. Jaimess.¡± Andi Jaimess immediately leapt to her feet and rushed to the cell¡¯s bars. She grabbed them much like Mr. Valker had done a few minutes ago, her bloodshot eyes as wide as they could be. ¡°Xard, thank Cosmos it¡¯s you. Quick, you can break us out of here, yeah?! Just blow down that wall and blast us out of here?!¡± Ms. Jaimess boldly asked, ignoring the several guards standing directly behind him. ¡°Well, I¡¯m here to discuss something along those lines.¡± Xard informed her. A guard let him into her cell and he sat down in the chair. ¡°Okay, so I have permission to take you out of here, but¡ª¡± ¡°Awesome, let¡¯s go. Right now, yeah?!¡± Ms. Jaimess headed to the door but was met with stern looks from the guards. ¡°Please sit down, Ms. Jaimess,¡± Xard requested. ¡°At least hear me out before being so eager. It¡¯s been hammered home to me recently just how important it is to know the full scope of what you¡¯re signing up for before accepting it. I don¡¯t want you to end up in a similar situation, so let me finish.¡± ¡°I have permission to take you out of here, but that¡¯s all the permissions you¡¯ve been granted so far. You¡¯re still a felon, and the Domister government still wants to see you serve out your sentence for your crimes. Umm, how long was it exactly?¡± ¡°58 years¡¡± Ms. Jaimess was on the verge of bursting out into tears just mentioning it. ¡°One year for every person I infected.¡± ¡°Wow, that really is quite the sentence.¡± Xard noted. ¡°Even I think that¡¯s a little harsh for something that wasn¡¯t exceedingly malicious.¡± ¡°Apparently what I did counted as an act of biochemical terrorism,¡± Ms. Jaimess admitted. ¡°Anyways, the point is that you¡¯re still a criminal, and will continue to be so even if you leave here.¡± Xard continued. ¡°However, we did manage¡ through a little combination of blackmailing and bribery, to get custody of your conviction transferred to the Segrevide judicial branch. That still leaves you as a felon, but they¡¯ve agreed to put you under probation in our custody.¡± ¡°In short, you¡¯ll be working for us. More specifically, you¡¯ll be working for our head researcher as her assistant. I¡¯ll warn you now and won¡¯t split any hairs, she¡¯s mawhging insane. If you thought the principal of our school was eccentric, he¡¯s nothing in comparison. We also expect to have some younger members join us soon, ones that haven¡¯t finished their schooling yet, so we¡¯d ask that you assist with their education and tutoring as needed.¡± Unauthorized use: this story is on Amazon without permission from the author. Report any sightings. ¡°Other than that, you will live a mostly normal life. You¡¯ll be restricted to the compound during your work hours, and restricted to the town of Bisomote during your free time. You¡¯ll be escorted if you need to go elsewhere, at least until your probation ends, or until we¡¯re comfortable with it.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll be honest, and it may seem weird coming from me, but from our perspective, we don¡¯t know how much we can trust you. You had everyone fooled, except maybe the principal, and are now known to act impulsively and aggressively. That all said, we still think you¡¯d be a valuable employee, and believe this would be your best shot at a second chance in life if you¡¯re willing to put in the work.¡± ¡°Xard¡ that was all super unnecessary,¡± Ms. Jaimess mildly berated him. ¡°You had me at getting me out of here. It doesn¡¯t matter how or why. I will do literally anything you want, for however long you want, as long as it gets me out of this zjikhole. Seriously, any single minute we can get out of here faster, I¡¯ll worship you even more.¡± ¡°Okay, now I have to ask,¡± Xard¡¯s curiosity was piqued. ¡°What do you hate about this place so much? You have decent accommodations, nicer than some actual living areas I¡¯ve seen. The staff seems friendly and competent enough for this block. And you even have entertainment. I¡¯m sure countless other prisoners would literally kill to be in your cell. Or is that it? Is someone trying to kill you?¡± ¡°I wish someone would kill me. Put me out of my misery,¡± Ms. Jaimess scoffed. ¡°This place is an affront to humanity. You say I have entertainment but this TV only gets three channels: The Prosper City News Network, an educational channel for children, and a channel that plays soap operas nonstop. Sure, keeping up with the news helps me stay sane, but those zjikky songs on the kids channel cancel it out, and I couldn¡¯t give a flying mawhg who is sleeping with whose evil twin-sister.¡± ¡°The only other source of entertainment is books from the library, but they only let me check out one book a day. I¡¯ve already read every book with even a hint of intellectualism. The rest are poorly written fiction and trash smut. The showers are filthy and only get up to lukewarm water. The food is surprisingly very healthy, but it has absolutely no flavor. All the equipment in the exercise area squeaks incessantly.¡± ¡°Oh, and don¡¯t even get me started on my cell neighbor who practices rapping for several hours a day, delusionally thinking their career is going to take off when they get out of here.¡± Ms. Jaimess then raised her voice. ¡°You hear that? Your rapping sucks, and the name Lil Mincemeat is stupid!¡± ¡°Yeah, well I¡¯m going to turn you into mincemeat the next time I see you!¡± A voice yelled back. ¡°Oh umm, the thing about someone wanting to kill me may be accurate after all. We should probably go now,¡± Ms. Jaimess was starting to panic. ¡°I can see you¡¯ve struggled here,¡± Xard surmised. ¡°Most of it seems to be your inability to cope rather than the fault of the prison. However, I can promise you¡¯ll not have any of those problems with us. Guard, we¡¯re ready to go.¡± Processing did take several hours as the deputy warden had promised. Xard¡¯s phone had been held at the front desk until they were ready to leave. There was a bombardment of messages from Kada waiting for him when he retrieved it, mostly about a pair of senior arsonists that he skimmed through. Once Xard and Ms. Jaimess were outside, staring up at the sky on the lookout for a flying car, Ms. Jaimess leaned over to Xard and questioned him. ¡°So why did you pick me for this anyways? Do I really give off that much of an impression of a pushover lackey who will do whatever is asked of them?¡± ¡°It has nothing to do with that, Ms. Jaimess,¡± Xard assured her. ¡°Your name was actually near the bottom of the list. I was especially against it given our past and how rashly you acted. However, your new boss asked for you specifically. She was impressed by your chemistry knowledge, degrees, background, and work ethic.¡± Ms. Jaimess tried to hold back her smile but failed miserably. However, there was one thing she needed to mention. ¡°I¡¯m no longer your teacher Xard, you can just call me Andi.¡± ¡°Ahahahaha, absolutely not.¡± Xard glared at her with a dead-serious gaze. ¡ô¡ô¡ô The door leading into the visitor¡¯s entrance of the city hall dinged exactly one minute before closing time. Deborah sighed and turned back around toward the counter, reopening the shutter to the clerk¡¯s window that she¡¯d already closed. She then started her usual greeting to her rudely-overstaying client. ¡°Welcome to the Cotagerie city hall. How can I¡ª¡± Deborah couldn¡¯t finish her words. After finally getting a good look at who it was, her eyes felt like they were going to melt out of her skull. ¡°Good evening Debby. It¡¯s been quite a while, hasn¡¯t it?¡± Phon Drazah, The Vivacious Vixen, the bane of her existence, smirked at her. After a deep breath, Deborah closed her eyes and smiled at her. ¡°Sorry dear client, but we have just reached our closing time. Please come back tomorrow¡ or never, if that works for you!¡± Deborah then rushed to close the shutter again, only to have it stopped by The Vixen jutting her hand under it. Normally, that would have lopped off a few fingers, but she raised it as easily as a pair of blinds. ¡°Now now, isn¡¯t there a rule that as long as a client is in the office before closing, you have to assist them?¡± The Vixen smugly cited to her. ¡°Yes, of course. That certainly is a rule that exists,¡± Deborah regretfully agreed. ¡°How can I help you today?¡± ¡°Y¡¯know, I¡¯m kind of surprised you¡¯re still working here,¡± The Vixen ignored the question. ¡°I would have thought you¡¯d invest the money I gave you and live off the interest, or start your own business or something. Oh no, you didn¡¯t gamble it all away, did you?! You seem like the kind of everyday pleb who thinks they can magically multiply their money at a casino.¡± Deborah broke into tears at her words, eventually slumping down onto the counter and banging her fist against it. ¡°They didn¡¯t let me keep it!¡± she cried. ¡°They said that it would be a bribe and they¡¯d have to arrest me if I didn¡¯t ¡®donate¡¯ it to the city.¡± ¡°Oh, you poor soul,¡± The Vixen feigned sympathy. ¡°This seems like a terrible place to work if they¡¯d manipulate their employees like that. Lucky for you, I¡¯ve come with an enticing job offer.¡± Deborah immediately jolted upwards, standing straight and calm. She stared directly at The Vixen and stated bluntly, ¡°I will have to decline. I do not want to be part of any professional relationship with you.¡± Deborah even surprised herself by how bold and straightforward she was, having done it out of survival instinct. She knew if she wasn¡¯t clear and completely confident in her answer, The Vixen would try to sway or trick her somehow. ¡°Oh, I can respect that,¡± The Vixen accepted it amicably. ¡°However, you turned me down without even hearing the details, which I find rather rude. The offer has now turned into a demand, or a threat if you prefer. See this bag I have with me? It has a gas can in it. If you refuse to come with me, I will burn this entire building down with you and your snoozing backroom coworker inside of it.¡± Deborah panicked slightly for a moment, but decided to call the bluff. She¡¯d learned a lot about The Vixen from the news in the past months. While she was an insane sociopath, she wouldn¡¯t kill an innocent person, if for no other reason than to not upset her brother. ¡°Thank you for helping keep us warm. It is starting to get chillier this time of year,¡± Deborah said as strongly as she could, doing her best to not let her voice waiver. ¡°Ohoho, you¡¯ve gained quite the spine haven¡¯t you? Now I want you even more.¡± She¡¯d earned The Vixen¡¯s respect. ¡°But if fear won¡¯t work, then let¡¯s try greed. Take your current salary, and add an extra 0 to it. That¡¯s what we¡¯ll pay you. Ah, and to sweeten the pot, we¡¯ll give you an additional thirty percent of that as a sign-on bonus. So what do you say?¡± Phon Drazah stuck out her hand eagerly, prompting it to be shaken. Deborah hesitated, and ran a few quick cost-risk analyses in her head. Money won every time, so she grabbed Phon¡¯s hand and shook it vigorously. ¡°Happy to join the team, boss. I have to ask, though¡ I¡¯m assuming you want me for clerical work, but I¡¯m just a low-station attendant. There have to be people with more experience who are much better at their job. So why me?¡± ¡°Well that¡¯s easy,¡± Phon blurted. ¡°You were the best at dealing with me.¡± V3: Chapter 3 - Aggressive Hiring Practices | Part 3 - A Brawl is Surely Brewing The door to the bar creaked open. Its hinges clearly hadn¡¯t been oiled in some time. The paint on it had been stripped, and the wood was clearly weather-worn and on the verge of rotting¡ªjust like the entire outside siding, just like every building nearby. The inside of the bar was much nicer¡ªdingy, but with a calm ambience. It was likely one of the nicest buildings in the area. The bar was located on the outskirts of Shindig, the hub-city of entertainment. While the center of the city was a lake of lavishments, the further out someone wandered, the more depressing the reality became. The casinos and venues were treasure troves of wealth and fortunes to be made. However, everyone who worked there needed places to live, and the owners of those establishments weren¡¯t so kind as to provide housing. Near the outermost edge of the Shindig city limits was a pile of worn lumber and cracked bricks that was somehow called a neighborhood. Slums would be the more appropriate word, but taboo to say. Most of its inhabitants had the same dream as the guests of Shindig: striking it rich to find a better life. ¡°Hey kid, veterans only!¡± The bartender shouted at the new patron who¡¯d just come through the door. ¡°You should turn around and¡ I, uhhh, mean take a seat wherever you like.¡± The bartender choked on his words when he got a better look at the patron, and quickly averted his gaze and hands to clean some drinkware that didn¡¯t need it. This bar did in fact only cater to veterans. Every other patron of the bar was at least in their thirties, all with a hint of husk. A lot of them were still in old uniforms, most of which had seen better days. There were quite a few with missing limbs or obvious injuries, drinking away their depression before the sun had even finished setting. While a sad place to be, it also served as a recruitment spot. Mercenary bands or the shady rich looking for bodyguards would often drop by and scan the pool of candidates. Drim Drazah walked past all of them and sat next to a man at the bar, catching a glimpse of a collapsed polearm strapped to the man¡¯s leg. Drim nodded to the barkeep. ¡°Another round of whatever he¡¯s having. Actually, leave the whole bottle.¡± ¡°Thanks kid, but trying to get me drunk won¡¯t get you far.¡± The man snickered without looking up from his drink. His voice was gruff, but somehow different than Drim imagined. ¡°Well, the drink isn¡¯t entirely free,¡± Drim informed him. ¡°You have to listen to my offer, but I¡¯ll pay for it whether you say yes or no, Nach.¡± ¡°It¡¯s actually Nachi, but you can call me either,¡± The man corrected him. ¡°I can see why you wouldn¡¯t know. Everyone¡¯s called me Nach for so long, since Nachi is just too feminine for them. It¡¯s funny how much it changes the pronunciation just by dropping a letter. Been annoying how often the nickname makes people confuse me for a man, though.¡± ¡°Wait, you¡¯re a woman?!¡± Drim was genuinely dumbfounded. Nachi let out a pained laugh. ¡°I can see it even got the great Drim Drazah too, but it explains a lot. At least now I know you didn¡¯t mean to brazenly grope my chest back during our fight in Constead. Like, I know I don¡¯t have the biggest tits in the world, but some consideration would be nice. Maybe I should finally grow my hair out now that I¡¯m not in the service anymore to help with the confusion. But I do like it short, hell I may even buzz it shorter.¡± ¡°Sorry, that was a lot to take in at the moment,¡± Drim apologized. ¡°But it doesn¡¯t change anything. Your gender has nothing to do with why I¡¯m here or why I want to recruit you.¡± ¡°So it is a recruitment then,¡± Nachi confirmed. ¡°Funny, I was just thinking about heading your way. I was weighing the idea of a rematch to test out these new eyes of mine.¡± She finally turned to face Drim, showing off a glint of her blood red eyes. ¡°And you¡¯re a Lesser?! I¡¯m getting a lot more surprises today than I anticipated,¡± Drim admitted. ¡°I saw recent photos of you and your eyes were normal. When¡¯d you turn?¡± ¡°Uhh, about fifteen minutes ago, maybe twenty¡ Hour? Hard to say. I¡¯m a few drinks in, which are now not hitting as hard as they did yesterday,¡± Nachi explained. ¡°Some creep tried to fondle me in the alley out back just before I got here. I may have gone a little overboard on my beatdown. Don¡¯t worry about the body, someone gets paid to clean them up¡ªif the ratcoons don¡¯t get to him first. Anyways, tell me about this job. I assume you don¡¯t want someone killed or protected, or you¡¯d just do it yourself.¡± ¡°Yeah, it¡¯s nothing active like that, and it¡¯s not a mission. It¡¯s stable employment,¡± Drim informed her. ¡°I was surprised when I found out that you¡¯d left the CP, but I for one am glad you¡¯re no longer on the opposing side.¡± ¡°Yeah, well, you¡¯re most of the reason for it,¡± Nachi sighed. ¡°There was talk of disbanding our unit, but they didn¡¯t have to. One by one, everyone left for some reason or another. A few quit the army outright, demotivated by how badly they lost. A few were transferred to other divisions or other roles entirely. For me, it was depressing in a different way. No enemy after we fought ever lit a fire in me. Just a few quick jabs and I¡¯d win every time. Once I realized there was no chance for growth, I left.¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry that I caused you all so much strife,¡± Drim apologized. ¡°But it may be for the best. Normal humans have no business fighting Fiends if they want to live, with a few exceptions... By that I mean you if you didn¡¯t catch my drift. You¡¯re the only non-Fiend I¡¯ve ever struggled against. That alone made me want to recruit you, but now that you¡¯re a Lesser, you may be even more qualified for the position.¡± ¡°Basically, I want you to be our trainer,¡± Drim finally got around to the details. ¡°Not for us specifically, though learning from you could probably help anyone. We¡¯re expecting several more Fiends and Lessers to join us soon, ones who probably haven¡¯t had the same experience or development as our current group. So, we need a dedicated trainer, one that can cater to their specific needs and ensure stable growth.¡± ¡°Not to praise myself too much, but I do consider myself decent at it, at least in understanding what other people need, but I definitely wouldn¡¯t be able to give everyone their required level of attention. So, when I saw you were between jobs, I knew I had to at least try to recruit you. From what I saw, you have a lot of experience working with a diverse group, and that¡¯s exactly what we need.¡± ¡°Uhuh,¡± Nachi seemed a little bored by the proposal. ¡°Okay, I have a few questions. What¡¯s the pay?¡± ¡°Uhh, well, I didn¡¯t have a specific number in mind, but we can negotiate. Either way it¡¯ll be several times more than whatever you were getting at the CP or freelancing.¡± Drim answered. ¡°Alright, tempting from the start,¡± Nachi was getting more interested. ¡°All the money in the world isn¡¯t important, though, if you hate what you¡¯re doing. Training a bunch of fledglings sounds like it¡¯d be a snooze fest. I¡¯d like to get at least some real fights, and I want to always be improving myself too.¡± ¡°Well, I can basically guarantee the people you¡¯ll be training will be interesting in some way,¡± Drim assured her. ¡°Either through their strength, powers, or personalities. No Fiend I¡¯ve met has ever been boring. As for fights, you¡¯re welcome to take on jobs against strong opponents and monsters if you like, and could take your trainees on those missions as an excuse. Plus, I¡¯ll fight you anytime you want.¡± ¡°Hmph, fine I¡¯m pretty much sold,¡± Nachi was starting to smirk from the prospect. ¡°Last question, and most important, are there cute girls there?¡± ¡°Yes, several, and I¡¯m sure more will join soon,¡± Drim answered honestly and immediately. He couldn¡¯t deny that he had found himself surrounded by stunning women. ¡°Nice, very nice,¡± Nachi was deeply invested now. ¡°Every army I¡¯ve been in has been mostly a dude-fest. Around here isn¡¯t much better. I was starting to think I¡¯d only see cute girls again in my dreams. So tell me about them¡ª¡± ¡°That¡¯s enough!¡± a stranger suddenly roared from a dark corner of the bar, shattering the glass he had in his hand with a tight squeeze. He was hard to make out, but Drim was able to pick up on the key points. Finding Nachi as a Lesser was enough of a surprise, but casually crossing paths with another Fiend was an astronomical rarity. The man grabbed the table he was sitting at, and threw it towards the pair at the bar. Drim blocked it easily with one hand, but then grabbed it immediately after, pulling himself and Nachi behind it for cover. His eyes hadn¡¯t been deceiving him, and he had indeed seen a glint of metal slide out of the man¡¯s jacket. The other side of the table was pelted with bullets, a few bits of shrapnel breaking off on the side they were hiding behind. ¡°Damn you, Drazah,¡± the man barked as Drim heard heavy boots heading towards them. ¡°First, you dare to show yourself in front of me after everything your family has done. Then, you ignore me for someone else I also hate. Then, you talk about nonsense like cute girls. And worst of all, you made me spill my drink! But I¡¯ll turn this night around. All these years I¡¯ve been planning my vengeance, but I¡¯ll finally get it tonight.¡± Drim used one of his vines to grab a glass from the counter, and angled it so he could get a better look at the approaching man. He was dressed in full military garb, but certainly a Fiend. His hair was golden, as shiny as Xard¡¯s golden eyes, and parted towards the middle to form a short mohawk. He wore a tired red headband below his bangs, just above his indigo eyes. The description matched what Drim had heard about The Grudging Guerilla. If it was true, his Curse mark was hidden under that head band, and that it was a bullet hole right in the center of his forehead. It was also believed he¡¯d killed a fellow soldier, one he would often grumble about when he thought no one was listening. Unfortunately, in those rumors, no one had ever been able to get a good read on his powers. Drim didn¡¯t even see The Guerilla move his hands, but a live grenade popped out from him out of nowhere and rolled towards the table. Another vine shot out from Drim, grabbing the grenade and tossing it at an unoccupied wall. It had more power than expected, blowing the wall clean apart. Drim hurriedly dragged the table along with Nachi towards the hole as another round of bullets pelted against the wood. As soon as they were through, Drim patched the hole with several layers of thick vines, which The Guerilla immediately started blasting. Drim grabbed Nachi again, pulling her up onto a roof to hopefully get them out of sight, and away from the corpse in the alley that was currently being munched on by some ratcoons. ¡°I see you¡¯re friends with Lieu as well,¡± Nachi was surprisingly relaxed despite the situation. ¡°And normally, I¡¯d break a guy¡¯s wrist for grabbing me unexpectedly like that, but I¡¯ll give you a pass just this once.¡± ¡°So, you know him?¡± Drim pried. ¡°Yeah, he¡¯s Lieu Caffold,¡± Nachi elaborated. ¡°He tried out for the CP squad a few years ago, but he wasn¡¯t a Fiend back then. Still, even then he was clearly unhinged and going on about his friend being brainwashed and his vengeance against the Drazahs. Naturally, he didn¡¯t make the cut.¡± ¡°Well, I wasn¡¯t expecting to get into a fight here; at worst blows with you if you were still upset about Constead. But I think I should give you this,¡± Drim presented a silver bracelet to Nachi. ¡°I was planning on using it as a bargaining chip to get you to join if needed, but I think you should have it in case we end up fighting Lieu again.¡± ¡°Sorry kid, but I¡¯m not really a jewelry girl,¡± Nachi was unimpressed. ¡°However, it does look expensive, so I¡¯ll still accept it and use it to make another girl swoon.¡± ¡°Oh, just put it on,¡± Drim grumbled. ¡°And then pull out your polearm.¡± Nachi did as instructed, but the polearm suddenly disintegrated into sparkling dust. Her eyes sprung as she yelled. ¡°You better have a way to fix this, you bastard! That weapon is a family heirloom that¡¯s been passed down to the best fighter for generations!¡± ¡°Quiet down!¡± Drim tried to shush her. ¡°Relax, your weapon is fine. Hold out you hand as if you were about to grip it.¡± Nachi did as instructed again, and her polearm magically appeared in her hand. ¡°As long as you wear that bracelet, no matter what happens to your polearm, whether it¡¯s lost or broken, it will always return to you if you call it.¡± Nachi did a test throw, launching it straight into the air. She then gripped her hand again. The polearm vanished from the air, instantly reappearing back into her hand. ¡°Damn, that¡¯s good zjik!¡± Nachi¡¯s whole body shivered in ecstasy. ¡°If I ever need help thinking of a present, you¡¯re at the top of my list. Now let¡¯s get out of here before that zjikstick finds us. He¡¯s a looner, but he can fight. I can vouch for that.¡± ¡°There you are!¡± Lieu announced his arrival as he jumped on top of a nearby roof. ¡°I¡¯m glad you¡¯re so wily. It¡¯ll make it so much more satisfying when I kill you!¡± Two assault rifles were suddenly in Lieu¡¯s arms, and he was already firing before they could react. Drim managed to get another vine wall up in time, but it was butt-clenchingly close. Drim and Nachi bolted for the edge of the roof, dropping down into another alley and scurrying away as fast as they could. After about a minute of running, they hoped they¡¯d gotten some distance, but rapid explosions behind them proved otherwise. Soon after, it reached a point where the explosions were in every direction, cutting off certain routes. ¡°Damn it, how many grenades does that zjikstain have?!¡± Nachi cursed as she punted one like a zoneball. ¡°We need to get somewhere more open. He¡¯s going to corner us at this rate,¡± Drim relayed as he used a flytrap to dampen another grenade. It didn¡¯t help that Drim couldn¡¯t tell where The Guerilla was. His morality sensor wasn¡¯t activating, so Lieu wasn¡¯t evil at heart. That gave Drim hope that he could be reasoned with, but he seemed even more hot-headed than Xard whose head was basically a bomb. Through a combination of Drim¡¯s mental mapping and Liue cutting off certain routes, they were headed towards the main strip of Shindig. Civilians were already starting to clear out and a terrorism warning had been issued after the first few explosions. Only the few most daring or most stupid onlookers would remain. Thanks to the morality check, Drim doubted that The Guerilla would resort to endangering others for his so-called vengeance. Unfortunately, the path to where Drim had stashed his hoverbike was the first route that had been cut off. Given the level of skill Lieu had demonstrated, chances of escape seemed minimal. Drim could probably manage it by himself, but adding Nachi complicated things. Plus, there was the added annoyance of not knowing how The Guerilla¡¯s Curse worked. He was clearly an expert in firearms and hit-and-run tactics, but Drim didn¡¯t believe any of that was due to his Curse, just raw skill that was enhanced by being a Fiend. Since they weren¡¯t sure on the specifics, their current best course of action was to keep the flow of things and stall for time. Drim had already pinged an SOS to the others. Kada and Xard were together, likely in The Tourist flying at its maximum speed, and Phon was teleporting across the country. Regardless of who came to their aid first, it would still take them time. So for now, they needed to keep The Guerilla engaged, without killing him or forcing him to use his full power. Restraining him would be ideal, but Drim wouldn¡¯t risk it if it conflicted with those restrictions. This made the main strip of the city the best spot. It was open, so there would be no more surprise attacks, and it would keep collateral damage to a minimum. Thankfully, while Lieu seemed to have limitless firepower, none of it was exceedingly strong or damaging. This was immediately proven incorrect as Drim and Nachi were finally about to exit the last alley. A huge explosion from behind launched both of them several feet onto the main strip. Drim¡¯s natural chivalry kicked in, making him slide under Nachi¡¯s body to cushion her fall. Once they were finally on their feet, they looked to the source. The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings. The Guerilla lauded over them from the rooftop with a rocket launcher in hand. It was clear there was no way he could have been carrying that the entire time. Drim deduced that he must have weapon caches hidden all over the city. This made the main strip even better, since he¡¯d have less of a stock to pull from. ¡°So the rats have escaped the maze, but they still refuse to fight,¡± Lieu yelled at them from the rooftop. He jumped down the tall building, launching a rocket towards his feet, using the explosion to cushion his fall. It destroyed a lavish statue in front of a casino in the process, and blew out several nearby windows. ¡°Well if you won¡¯t put up a fight, then my vengeance will finally see its end.¡± ¡°What vengeance? What did we do to you?¡± Drim demanded to know. ¡°I¡¯m sure you¡¯ve done plenty, but my business isn¡¯t with you,¡± Lieu spat. ¡°It has to do with that crazy Draz inside of you. I know she¡¯s dead, but that doesn¡¯t matter. As long as you bear her Curse Mark, and have control of her power, you need to be eradicated from this world. Oh, and I¡¯ll be going after your sadistic sister too. My grudge is more with your mother, but I need the Drazah bloodline to end!¡± ¡°Blah blah blah, who gives a zjik about bloodlines,¡± Nachi interjected. ¡°You¡¯re just using that as a pissant excuse to kill an innocent kid who has nothing to do with your dead friend.¡± Lieu seemed a little shocked at this revelation. ¡°Everyone at the bar knows about it. You won¡¯t shut up any time you get tipsy. You blame the Drazahs for the death of your comrade, but you¡¯re the bastard who shot him through the brain. That mark on your forehead proves it.¡± ¡°I had to do it because that Rathe-eating mawhgsack brainwashed him!¡± Lieu screamed. ¡°There was no way he would have done all that zjik if he wasn¡¯t forced to. I was skeptical about her powers, but now we have proof! That kid can use it too, can¡¯t you?! C¡¯mon, use it on me too, or I¡¯ll blow your damn head off!¡± The Guerilla ditched the rocket launcher and pulled out two revolvers, immediately blasting all their rounds at the pair. Drim put up a shield of vines around them. Thankfully, now that they had a direct line of sight on Lieu, Drim could act entirely defensively until they ran out the clock. Bullets from one source weren¡¯t enough to penetrate the vine walls, and now Drim could properly react to explosives as well. ¡°It seems he has a fundamental misunderstanding of how my mother¡¯s power worked,¡± Drim explained to Nachi. ¡°Yes, she could control people, but all of her orders wore off when she died. The Drazah empire wouldn¡¯t have collapsed so quickly otherwise. He became a Fiend after that, so that means his friend would have been free of it too. There¡¯s no denying it, his friend was evil, whether he wants to accept it or not.¡± ¡°Yeah, well, good luck telling him that,¡± Nachi muttered. ¡°If we want a way out of this, we¡¯ll have to do it ourselves.¡± Drim hadn¡¯t been able to tell Nachi his strategy during the chaos, and now regretted not clueing her in as soon as he possibly could. She did the worst thing he could think of. She grabbed her polearm, skirted out from the barrier, and flung it directly at Lieu. It was an amazing shot, a clean hit to his left arm. He didn¡¯t have time to dodge at all, but somehow Drim felt that he had rather chosen not to. The impaled polearm vanished from his arm, reappearing in Nachi¡¯s hand. Lieu didn¡¯t even look at the Indigo blood pouring from him. He stared straight ahead at the pair with a smile on his face. And then he started laughing, louder and louder until it was blood-curdling. ¡°You fools!¡± The Guerilla could barely contain his glee. ¡°You¡¯ve done it now. I¡¯ve won! My Curse only activates when I¡¯m attacked, and I was starting to worry with how much of a pussyfoot Drim Drazah turned out to be. Fog. Of. War!¡± Lieu¡¯s pupils faded away, replaced by a continuous stream of fog pouring out of his eyes. Fog dripped out of his wound on his left arm for a moment, healing it instantly, crushing even a Fiend¡¯s rapid regeneration. He took one big deep breath, and more plumes of fog billowed out of his nose. In the next moment, a hole appeared in Drim¡¯s vine wall. A second later, there was a half-dozen more. Both Drim and Nachi skirted back while Drim put up several thicker layers of vines, and one layer of solid wood. Drim already noticed a decent gap missing in his nature energy. If things kept up, he¡¯d run out before their rescue arrived. To help a little, he absorbed the nearby foliage adorning an entryway to a theater. Drim made a few small holes in their defense, just so that he could get a glimpse, but that was immediately pointless as new holes popped up one after the other from Lieu¡¯s attacks. It was faint, but Drim thought he caught a glimpse of movement around his chest. The more he focused, the more he could see. Lieu was moving his arms at rapid speed, pulling out shotguns, firing them, and reholstering them in the blink of an eye. It was so hard to follow that Drim had to stop paying attention to everything else, and almost let the plant barrier fall from being so absorbed. One more thing he noticed was that The Guerilla only seemed to be targeting the side of the vines that Nachi was behind. Given how he was standing still, and the fact that his eyes were basically blinded in fog, Drim had to guess he wasn¡¯t really seeing where she was, but perceiving her another way somehow. Speaking of, Nachi had stopped moving or acting entirely. She was sitting on her legs with them tucked under her, with her polearm resting across her lap. Drim didn¡¯t know if she had given up, or if she had blind faith in his defense, but he just needed to keep her safe for now. He once more strengthened the plants in front of her, and would risk leaving her alone for a moment to test a theory. Drim strained himself and created a glowing portal several feet away, sprouting another vine barrier. If Drim wasn¡¯t right about this, he could potentially be risking serious injury, so he prayed his intuition was accurate. Drim quickly skirted from one barrier to the other, but Lieu didn¡¯t so much as flinch. He simply continued his relentless assault on where Nachi was hiding. Now that the basic theory was confirmed, Drim had a moment to speculate before Nachi¡¯s barrier would break and he¡¯d have to act again. He said that the name was Fog of War, which has to do with uncertainty on the battlefield. It¡¯s quite literal in this case since the fog is actively blinding him, but he¡¯s still able to attack with extreme accuracy. However, he¡¯s only attacking Nachi, and said his Curse only was activated when attacked. I need to confirm again. Drim pulled out his bow, wielding his weapon for the first time in this fight. He shot a few arrows directly into the air above his head, and then curved them down towards Lieu. They disintegrated a few feet in front of him. Drim didn¡¯t even see the shot that destroyed them, and the confirmation came a moment later. Lieu¡¯s attention was now fully on Drim. He¡¯d picked up the rocket launcher, and sent another shell flying at him. Sensing the danger, Drim spouted bamboo below his feet, quickly launching himself into the air as his vines were ravaged beneath him. Drim used his vines to reel himself behind the giant flashing sign of a casino, a trail of bullets following closely behind. Thankfully, Nachi was at least being ignored now, as she stayed sitting in her meditative state. So, he will only attack the most recent person who attacked him, Drim deduced. It doesn¡¯t matter where my arrows came from, but that I was the one who fired it. I¡¯m guessing that while it has insane speed, his Curse is actually for defense instead of offense. It¡¯s designed to remove the dangers threatening him while he¡¯s in his fogged state. It¡¯s entirely reactionary. If Feyj¡¯s Curse is absurd perception, his is absurd reflexes. Combined, they¡¯d make an unkillable monster. It also has insane recovery too. I need to test just how insane. If crippling him isn¡¯t an option, then trapping him really will be the only way. At least I don¡¯t need to worry about killing him unintentionally as long as I don¡¯t chop his head off. The sign Drim was using as cover was starting to spark so he knew he needed to vacate quickly. He jumped out from behind it back to the ground, only for it to fall and explode behind him as he put up another vine wall. Sadly, such a grand opportunity for a distraction didn¡¯t even phase The Guerilla. Drim opened a small hole in his barrier, just enough for him to press his palm against. He opened a glowing portal, and shot a barrage of sharp gami leaves out of it. Thankfully, accuracy wasn¡¯t important. This tactic only had speed and danger, hoping to overwhelm Lieu¡¯s Curse. Drim heard a clink, and noticed that Lieu had dropped the pair of guns he was holding to the ground. Unsure of what Lieu was going to use to defend with now, Drim was tempted to stop his assault, but doubt he¡¯d get another chance like this. The leaves impacted, but there were no drops of indigo blood flying as he expected. No, the leaves were vanishing a mere hair in front of Lieu¡¯s body, which Drim now noticed was insanely blurry. Whatever he was doing, it was too fast for Drim to see. Keeping his assault up with his free hand, Drim used the other to snap a picture on his phone to try and get a better understanding. In front of Lieu, the gami leaves were shredded into powder, all done by the two machetes he was holding. This was insanity. Even with his Curse, even with the Fiend buff, this level of speed and reaction should be impossible. Lieu started to yell, more and more intensely each second. If this kept up, Drim had a feeling the muscles in Lieu¡¯s arms would eventually rupture. It would be a battle of whether his arms or Drim¡¯s energy gave out first. Since Drim couldn¡¯t recover any of the destroyed leaves, his energy was depleting rapidly, and felt he¡¯d lose this fight, so he ended his assault. Surprisingly, Lieu didn¡¯t immediately resume his onslaught. Instead, his body drooped slightly as fog swirled around his arms. Drim was right in that his arms must have been damaged, but his Curse would undoubtedly have him back in fighting form momentarily. This would likely be Drim¡¯s only chance to close the distance, so he bolted towards Lieu at full sprint. Thinking quickly, Drim summoned several portals in front of him to create wooden armor he¡¯d surely need if he didn¡¯t make it in time. Meanwhile, from his back, a swarm of vines sprouted and zoomed over to Lieu. They wrapped around Lieu as quickly as possible. Drim wasn¡¯t dumb enough to think he could restrain The Guerilla with just this much, but that wasn¡¯t his goal. Drim¡¯s vines were scouring Lieu¡¯s body for weapons, ripping them away to get them as far as possible. Wave after wave of guns, ammo, and blades were stripped from Lieu in the blink of an eye. The vines did the best to destroy them as much as they could, but they didn¡¯t have much time. Only a few seconds later, all the vines were shredded by a knife they¡¯d missed. The Guerilla¡¯s arms had healed, and his body was changing stances to get ready to attack with his hands, but Drim had never stopped moving. Now, he was less than a foot from Lieu, and slashed at the knife with his blade. It managed to sever the knife, but his follow up attack missed completely as Lieu skirted back several feet, moving for the first time since he activated his Curse. Lieu then dashed away, right to a postbox that he toppled with a single kick. There was a crate underneath. In it were a few pistols, extended mags, and a pair of brass knuckles. Before Drim knew it, Lieu was back in front of him, smashing through his wooden armor like it was nothing. Thankfully it at least served as a buffer, allowing Drim a moment to ready his blades and block Lieu¡¯s next strike. Drim managed to hook Lieu¡¯s brass knuckles with his blades, causing a match of strength with the pair locked together. It seemed Lieu¡¯s Curse didn¡¯t bolster strength like it did reflexes. While his muscles were far bulkier than Drim¡¯s, that didn¡¯t matter when it came to Fiends. Being muscular was no more than vanity, and Drim¡¯s strength overpowered Lieu slightly. After quite the struggle, Drim managed to get a full slice through, cutting off one of the brass knuckles and slicing into Lieu¡¯s hand between his fingers. The injured arm went limp as fog swirled around it. Drim decided to take the advantage and readied for another strike, but that was a crucial mistake. He shouldn¡¯t have gotten cocky and should have defended instead. There was a resounding crunch as Drim felt like he was just hit with a cannon. The Guerilla had landed a solid hit square in the center of Drim¡¯s chest with his working hand. While his strength wasn¡¯t as potent as Drim¡¯s, the unhinged speed from his Curse multiplied the force several times over. The wind was completely knocked out of Drim as he shot backward, crashing through an elaborate statue at the center of a fountain. Drim laid in pain on the ground where he¡¯d landed on the other side of the fountain. He was clutching his chest as it pulsated like mad, most likely meaning his ribs were broken. He managed to lift his head slightly, to see The Guerilla marching towards him at a steady place. Drim blinked, and Lieu was right there, standing over him with a pistol ready to fire. Lieu¡¯s finger twitched without hesitation to fire the pistol, but he never got the chance. A soaring polearm pierced through his neck, its momentum launching him backwards with it and slamming him against a wall. ¡°Y¡¯know, I could get used to this strength boost,¡± Nachi declared smugly as she crouched down next to Drim. ¡°You can capture him, right? With your Curse?¡± Nachi asked for confirmation. ¡°Yeah,¡± Drim coughed. ¡°But I¡¯d need at least an uninterrupted minute to prepare.¡± ¡°And here I was ready to give you five,¡± Nachi smirked. Drim raised a hand after her to try to stop her, but she knocked it back with her polearm after it appeared. ¡°Here, I¡¯ll leave you with this to liven up the mood for the show you¡¯re about to see. It¡¯ll get me pumped too.¡± Nachi set down her phone next to him, and amped rock music started playing She started slowly walking away. ¡°I know you¡¯re worried because I¡¯m just a Lesser, but don¡¯t be. I may not have a fancy power, but I¡¯ll show you what proper training can do. Consider it my tryout for the position. Thanks to your distraction, I can see it!¡± Once her monologue concluded, Nachi ran to the collapsed Lieu at full speed. Thanks to her recent upgrade, she could reach speeds about half that of Drim¡¯s. Normally, a Lesser would only be able to reach about 10-20% of what Drim could do, so it was impressive to say the least. Fog was swirling around Lieu¡¯s neck, taking longer than any time before, most likely due to the severity of the wound. Nachi drove her polearm down at Lieu the moment she reached him. She didn¡¯t aim for a killing blow, since it was most likely fruitless. Instead, she aimed right for his hand which he raised to deflect. The tip of her polearm shattered his remaining brass knuckle. Drim was impressed as he clutched his chest, managing to sit up. She had managed to break his weapon so easily where Drim had struggled. The real test was yet to come, though. The fog vanished from Lieu¡¯s neck, and he sprung off to the side away from Nachi, drawing one of his pistols and firing. Without turning to him, Nachi shifted her polearm and blocked the bullet with the flat end of the blade. She then charged after him, not letting him gain any ground. Lieu fired again with his other pistol, and she blocked that too. Nachi didn¡¯t even flinch from the deflection, and she swung towards his hand. She knocked it back the moment it fired another round. It wasn¡¯t enough force to knock the gun out of his hand, but she managed to change the trajectory of the bullet well away from herself. Nachi then spun her weapon and did the same with the other hand. Then, Lieu aimed for her gut. Nachi spun it again, blocking it once more with the flat of her blade. This time the bullet broke it, but the weapon repaired itself in less than a second. Nachi marched forward as she continued to deflect, forcing Lieu back into a corner. Eventually, he jumped up high to get away from her, giving her an opening to stab him in the leg and leave a huge gash as he continued upwards. Lieu made it up onto a roof in a single bound, and flopped onto his stomach as his leg healed. He leaned over the edge and aimed his guns downward to fire. However, Nachi had already made her move after him. Since she was only a Lesser, she wouldn¡¯t be able to jump that high, so instead, she¡¯d thrown her polearm up halfway, jamming it into the side of the building. She leapt up after it, and used it as a springboard to propel herself forward. Just as Lieu turned back towards the ground, Nachi was already there, grabbing the back of his head and kneeing him in the face. She then summoned her polearm, and held the pole to the back of his neck, pulling him back to the ground with her. Nachi slid away as Lieu crashed to the floor head first. Unfortunately, that wasn¡¯t enough to keep him down, and he was on his feet a moment later. It seemed he¡¯d run out of ammo at some point and ejected the cartridges in both guns. Lieu threw both guns up, grabbed the new rounds, and slid them in perfectly as the guns came back down, firing them again before they were even firmly in his hands. Nachi scrambled back over towards him, barely blocking his shots until she could get back into the rhythm. That was when Drim realized that her movements were surprisingly in tune with the song that had been playing. He started to wonder if she¡¯d picked it for that specific reason, to help her keep up with the pace. It had taken Drim longer than he would have liked to admit to start preparing things on his end, since he had been so enthralled with their fight. Watching a Lesser almost bully a Fiend was an absurd rarity, one he may not get to witness again, or at least until Nachi was training new recruits. However, Drim knew that their dance wouldn¡¯t last forever, especially when one of the dance partners was trying to kill the other. Eventually, Nachi would run out of steam, or get impatient and split him in half. Or Lieu would find himself a weapon with a higher rate of fire. It didn¡¯t matter how fast Nachi could deflect if bullets were flying faster than she could move her arms. Drim forced his body into a meditative stance and closed his eyes. He called upon every ounce of nature energy remaining in him, and focused under the ground where the two were fighting. ¡°Get ready to move!¡± Drim called out to Nachi as a giant green glow appeared under her and Lieu. ¡°Now!¡± Nachi ducked under Lieu¡¯s final shot, and stabbed her polearm down into his foot, impaling it into the ground. She pushed off from it, rolling backwards out of range of the portal, then called her polearm back to her. A moment later, several walls of wood sprouted up where she¡¯d been standing and rapidly closed in around Lieu, forming a pyramid, but it didn¡¯t stop there. The walls closed in on him, only stopping when Drim felt heavy resistance from Lieu¡¯s body, but that wasn¡¯t the end. Next, a wall of vines sprouted, wrapping tightly around the pyramid. Then, a layer of roots sprouted underneath, preventing any escape into the ground. Layer after layer of plants sprouted until Drim was sapped dry, forming an impenetrable crypt around the Guerilla that even the strongest monsters wouldn¡¯t be able to break. ¡°You sure took your sweet time. Were you that captivated by my moves?¡± Nachi asked smugly. ¡°Yeah, you were pretty great,¡± Drim admitted as he collapsed. ¡°I¡¯m even more excited to fight you now, after a good long rest.¡± He closed his eyes again to relax, but his heart sank when he heard a noise come from the crypt. It was a strained breeze, like air leaking from a canister. Fog started to flow out of every pore of the crypt. Drim hadn¡¯t made it airtight so as to not suffocate Lieu, but now he was second guessing himself. Nachi readied herself for another round, but the fog didn¡¯t reform into a human as they¡¯d thought. Instead, it drifted up slowly, vanishing into the night sky. V3: Chapter 3 - Aggressive Hiring Practices | Part 4 - Staff Meeting Drim managed to send an all clear to the others before they arrived, so Phon redirected back towards her original path of teleporting Deborah and herself to the compound. Kada and Xard still met up with Drim and Nachi since they were dropping off the elderly couple for a vacation. From there, they loaded up the Tourist with all of Nachi¡¯s belongings. There was a surprising amount of clothing and cosmetics for a woman who didn¡¯t convey an ounce of girlishness. This nearly maxed out The Tourist¡¯s capacity, and Xard decided to fly home with his Curse instead. There still would have been room for Nachi to squeeze in, but she wanted to ride on the back of Drim¡¯s hoverbike after hearing about it. Since the sleeping arrangements weren¡¯t finalized, the three new hires were dropped off at Bisomote¡¯s hotel for the night so that they could crash from their respective stimulating days. The next morning, they all met outside the center building of the compound which was ready for its grand unveiling. The building had been covered in a tarp while it was under construction, so only Nathym and Mallea had seen it in its entirety. Once everyone had arrived, Nathym pressed a button to drop the tarp. A chorus of ¡®Ooo¡¯s and ¡®Aah¡¯s followed. The building was the new HQ for their operation. It was grand to say the least, with no expense spared, rivaling some of the most elaborate capitol buildings, embassies, and government facilities around the world. The front was adorned with pillars around a luxurious entryway. A hand-engraved Fiends For Hire logo hung above that had been commissioned by a starving artist. On the front end of the interior was the secretary¡¯s desk that Deborah would be stationed at to greet all visitors. To the left and right were halls that would lead to private meeting rooms where Fiends could meet with prospective clients or hold strategy meetings. In the center was a grand hall for larger meetings and events. The backside was more catered to the employee and community side of things. For starters, there was the cafeteria that Vank and Hazzle would be running. All meals would be offered free of charge to employees, and cheaply to any guests. Ideally, they¡¯d have it open as a nice restaurant that the citizens of Bisomote could visit regularly. Continuing with the idea of bringing in traffic, there were a few facilities that weren¡¯t really offered in the city proper. This included a public library, a few smaller halls that acted as mini community centers, a game hall and children¡¯s playroom, several lounge areas and study rooms, and a church with altars and resources for every known religious denomination in the world. It seemed a bit silly since they all worshiped Cosmos in the end, but everyone had their own preferences and rituals. In addition to the HQ, the public would also have access to the rec-center wing of the still-unopened gymnasium that the Fiends would use for training. With the Drazah compound becoming so open and inviting, security was of course a concern. However, Nathym had found a way to set up multiple invisible barriers inside of the main one. These barriers would restrict those who didn¡¯t have the proper clearance, meaning that no one should be going where they weren¡¯t allowed. After a quick tour of the HQ, all the staff met in the main-hall for a meet and greet. ¡°Okay, I have a complaint,¡± Phon spoke up after the conversation had been going on for a while. ¡°Why is it all women?!¡± She gestured towards the three new hires. ¡°Well, Vank is a man at least,¡± Kada corrected her. ¡°Who cares about an old man, he doesn¡¯t count!¡± Phon rebutted. ¡°Ugh, I really hope this trend doesn¡¯t continue when we start our recruitment soon. More people to chase after Drim¡¡± ¡°Well, I for one am not complaining,¡± Nachi smirked. ¡°The Fiend girls are a little young for my taste, but these lovely ladies are just my type.¡± She winked towards Deborah and Andi. ¡°Especially you, my lovely snowdrop.¡± Nachi quickly dashed over to Mallea, and grabbed her by the bottom of her chin before she could react, staring deep into her eyes. Everyone was a little surprised to see Mallea the most flustered she¡¯d ever been. Her face was shocked and blushing. However, her eyebrows were twitching furiously. In a split-second, Mallea had slid behind Nachi, and restrained Nachi¡¯s offending hand behind her back. You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story. Another second later, Nachi had freed herself and pinned Mallea against the wall. The two continued to grapple like this for some time as everyone else moved on to their duties. Fiends For Hire Text Conversation 11 Date: September 24th 2077 ¡ºMallea: Per the Young Master¡¯s advice, and as the Head of Staff, I¡¯ve created this thread for the standard employees. Please let me know if there¡¯s anything you¡¯d like to report or issues you¡¯re having.¡» ¡ºDeborah: Yes, I¡¯d like help with the digital filing system. I can tell it¡¯s very robust, but I can¡¯t quite wrap my head around it.¡» ¡ºMallea: Oh, sorry, that¡¯s my fault. I developed tutorials before you arrived but forgot to send them to you. I¡¯ll do that now.¡» ¡ºDeborah: Thanks¡» ¡ºAndi: Umm, Director Ahvra keeps calling me ¡®Gaseous Understudy¡¯ and sometimes falls asleep mid sentence. Is that normal?¡» ¡ºAndi: Oh, and she insists I call her Director Ahvra.¡» ¡ºMallea: Yes, that is all normal, please bear with it.¡» ¡ºNachi: You can help me out by coming to my room wearing something skimpy ;)¡» ¡ºNachi: Actually, no wait, keep the butler outfit on. It works for me.¡» ¡ºMallea: Die¡» ¡ºHazzle: Hello aviary one. This is Dazzle. I am texting for the thirst time. We our currently on vacation and having a great lime.¡» ¡ºHazzle: Sorry if any ding comes out wired. I am bruising the beach to sex.¡» ¡ºHazzle: Leech to decks.¡» ¡ºHazzle: Speech to text.¡» ¡ºVank: Speaking of beaches. You should see the swimsuit this old lady bought for our trip. She¡¯s still a knockout.¡» ¡ºVank: Here, I¡¯ll send a snapshot. (Attached: Hubbahubba.img)¡» ¡ºHazzle: Don¡¯t. It¡¯s imp ferris ring.¡» ¡ºNachi: Looking good Hazzle. If you weren¡¯t married I¡¯d take you for a ride around town.¡» ¡ºHazzle: Oh my. Thank you four the compile ant deer, it sure makes me feel aflame.¡» ¡ºVank: Now since I haven¡¯t met you, I¡¯m going to assume you¡¯re just being friendly. But if you get too serious with my wife we¡¯re going to have to meet up for a rough and tumble!¡» ¡ºNachi: Don¡¯t worry old man. I¡¯m sure I could never put up a fight against you, and Hazzle is too much of a woman for me.¡» ¡ºMallea: I can see this is already going horribly. If it wasn¡¯t for Drim¡¯s insistence, I would delete this immediately. Please keep this thread professional.¡» ¡ºNachi: I love it when you¡¯re strict.¡» V3: Chapter 4 - Welcome to the Fiends For Hire | Part 1 - First Impressions On the morning of October 6th, they came. A parade of varied eye and hair colors marched down Bisomote¡¯s main street as the citizenry looked on from their shops. Some walked from the hotel they had stayed at for the night. Others drove slowly due to the increased traffic¡ªsome in their own cars, some being dropped off by others, one in a monster truck. Most were calm, but quite a few had eager looks, brimming with anticipation. A good amount had brought their whole lives with them in confidence: all of their belongings, and a few with pets. There were just as many who were nervous and timid who had only brought a day''s worth of clothes, fully expecting to head back that night. One bold vendor was selling good luck charms which got a surprising amount of business. Over the course of an hour, a crowd gathered around the gate of the Fiends For Hire compound. Most arrived in a large bunch, but a few more slowly trickled in over time. One overzealous applicant had camped out at the gate the night before. They were already up and ready before anyone else arrived, and were now passing out warm drinks to the first few. About 70 minutes before the gate was set to open, a news crew showed up and started interviewing anyone they could. At exactly [350], the gates opened, and the 168 candidates swarmed inside. However, for a reason they couldn¡¯t ascertain, the forcefield solely blocked the news crew from entering inside the estate. The road leading into the compound lit up, guiding the candidates to the Headquarters building at the center. A few of the drivers were nice enough to give rides to some of the candidates traveling on foot, but most still chose to walk, especially those with a lot of luggage. The first visitors into the building were greeted by a smiling Deborah who was doing her best to hide her nervousness. She calmly guided the arrivals to the drop off point for their belongings, but asked the fighters among them to keep any weapons, gear, or items they used for combat. She then directed them to the abundant tablets hanging on the walls while trying to end her guidance as quickly as possible. The tablets asked them for a few personal questions such as their name, address, species etc. before taking a fingerprint and retinal scan¡ªthe stolen medical data already proving useful in matching identities. Once their registration was complete, a nametag with an applicant number popped out of a compartment on the wall. The numbers seemed surprisingly random, but it didn¡¯t take too long for the candidates to realize they were given in the order that they had first arrived at the gate, meaning they¡¯d been monitored since the start. As the first few finished up, Deborah ushered them to the grand hall behind her that they crowded into while waiting for everyone else to finish. The hall was lavish and spacious, plenty of room for everyone, but with nowhere to sit so the applicants began to get a bit antsy over time. One or two threatened to no one in particular that they¡¯d leave if things didn¡¯t start soon. Finally, the four main Fiends For Hire appeared on the balcony above. ¡°Welcome, welcome, ye who wish to be we.¡± Phon Drazah greeted their applicants as a hush swept across the room. ¡°First, I¡¯d like to thank you for taking the time to come all the way out here. We know that this isn¡¯t the most convenient place to visit. Hopefully by growing our numbers, we can expand our reach to help more people around the world. Now before we begin, my brother has a bit of an announcement.¡± Drim Drazah stepped forward and peered over the railing. He scanned through the crowd, and it didn¡¯t take long before his eyes started to burn. ¡°Would applicants, 6, 40, 161, and 168 please leave the premises immediately. If you do not, you will be forcibly removed and the authorities will be called.¡± A lot of murmurs started up again as everyone scanned around for the ousted. They weren¡¯t easy to find since people weren¡¯t exactly standing around in numerical order. Two of them left peacefully, grumbling to themselves as they passed through the main entrance. One of them, a Lesser, pulled a knife, but a hole was blasted through his brandishing hand by Xard from up on the balcony. A bit of their blood splattered on a nearby candidate, but a butler appeared from nowhere to clean it off of them before they could even react as the Lesser slunk away. Unauthorized use: this story is on Amazon without permission from the author. Report any sightings. The last holdout yelled up to the balcony, ¡°This is unfair! What did we do?¡± ¡°You¡¯re the worst one,¡± Drim replied coldly. ¡°You know what you¡¯ve done. Leave or be removed.¡± A couple more grumbles came from the candidate before they stomped towards the exit. ¡°Now that the riff raff is out of the way. We can¡¡± Phon trailed off after her eyes had blinked a few times. ¡°Oh, what¡¯s this?¡± Phon quickly wrapped her ribbon around her eyes and then teleported to a seemingly inconspicuous applicant. She poked them, then teleported around them several times, poking various parts of their body from a few different angles, ¡°What''s this? What¡¯s this? What¡¯s this? What¡¯s this? What¡¯s this?¡± she chanted playfully as she continued to prod. Eventually, she stopped and grabbed at the man¡¯s face, ripping off a fake skin-mask. ¡°I knew I¡¯d be found out, but I didn¡¯t expect it to be this quick.¡± Detective Tusmon gave a frustrated smile as his stiff body clenched even more. ¡°Well, nice of you to drop by. But as you can see, we¡¯re quite busy today. So, off you go,¡± Phon ignored his disguise and entirely dismissed the idea of entertaining him any longer. ¡°I¡¯m a Lesser,¡± Tusmon reminded them even though his eyes made it redundant. ¡°And I clearly just passed Drim Drazah¡¯s morality check. Don¡¯t I have every right to try out for the Fiends For Hire as much as everyone else here?¡± ¡°Yeah¡ no¡¡± Phon was direct. ¡°Our interview today is all about compatibility, and you¡¯ve been pre-disqualified. Okay bye then.¡± She teleported to the door and held it open for him. After a few more seconds, he reluctantly complied and headed out as Phon teleported to each additional door to make sure he left. Back on the podium, Phon finally continued the introduction. ¡°Now that the riffiest of raff is gone, we can finally get down to business. Today will be conducted in three parts. First, you will receive a physical examination from our resident crazy¡ resident, uhhh, researcher. After she checks for any anomalies and clears you as fit for duty, you¡¯ll have a personal interview with the four of us.¡± She gestured to those up on the balcony with her. ¡°Assuming there are no issues in either of those stages, you will then proceed to our workshop where you¡¯ll have your gear evaluated and possibly upgraded. After that, congratulations, you¡¯re done for the day, and can head to your assigned dorm room to relax where your luggage will be waiting for you.¡± ¡°If you fail at any of these stages, you will be asked to leave immediately, and be escorted off the premises if necessary. You are also free to leave any time you like if you don¡¯t like the questions we ask or just change your mind. No hard feelings, and you¡¯ll still be compensated for your trouble.¡± ¡°Now then, there are honestly way more of you than we expected. At most, we expected around a third of the applicants than are here. But! We¡¯re going to do our damnedest to get through all of you, even if it means we have to go well into the night. Because of that, any opening ceremonies we had planned will be pushed until later tomorrow after everyone¡¯s had a chance to rest.¡± ¡°Okay, now you will be called one at a time into the examination room. You¡¯ve all been assigned a number, but you¡¯ll be called in a random order. Just because you may have arrived a few minutes before the rest of the crowd doesn¡¯t make you any more special. Blame your bad luck if you¡¯re stuck until the end.¡± ¡°Those waiting around will be provided refreshments at regular intervals and there¡¯s a bathroom back at the front lobby. We¡¯ll see about getting some chairs in here too, I guess. To me that¡¯s a bit too nice, since you¡¯re all at least Lessers you should be able to deal with some standing, but whatever.¡± Phon looked like she was winding down, but suddenly perked up again. ¡°Oh oh oh, one last whimsical notion. Some may think that you¡¯re better than the others here, or even that you¡¯re better than us. Believe what you want, but keep it to yourself and don¡¯t start any trouble. Because remember-¡± Phon disappeared from the balcony once more. There were gasps all round the room, rapidly one after another. Before anyone could realize what was happening, it was all over. Phon had teleported to several of the candidates and nicked their necks with her knife. Nearly half of them had a dribble of variously colored blood running down their fronts before they could clasp at it with their hands. ¡°-we can kill you at any time.¡± Phon concluded with a sinister smirk. ¡°Actually, I wanted us to kill any applicants who failed, but apparently that¡¯s too ¡®morally reprehensible and viscerally disturbing¡¯¡ Anyways, good luck!¡± The four Fiends up on the balcony vanished from sight and left the room in silence. *DING* a speaker chimed from above. ¡°Would applicant 118 please proceed to the examination room to your left.¡± Deborah announced the first lucky contender. V3: Chapter 4 - Welcome to the Fiends For Hire | Part 2 - Turn Your Head And… (EX 1) One by one the candidates were guided into the examination room where Ahvra was waiting. What they found depended on who had entered. There had been much debate and a bit of research done on what form she should take, but it had been decided that she should take the form of an adult when dealing with a man and the form of a child when examining a woman. They believed that these forms would offer the most compliance. The examination consisted of three parts. While the face-value reason of making sure any and all applicants were healthy, and fit for the job, and life in general were true. It was mostly a guise so that Ahvra could gather data. She could have taken her time to examine the new recruits when this was all over, but she had far more willing test subjects this way. Even if they didn¡¯t join, she¡¯d still get whatever data she could from them. It wouldn¡¯t compare to the potential years she may be able to extract if they became members, but she¡¯d take what she could get. ¡ôExamination 1: Fiend Body Inspector¡ô The first examination was a simple one, akin to a physical someone would receive in any doctor¡¯s office. Ahvra took their height and weight, blood pressure, heart rate, temperature, and listened to their lungs. From there, she was a bit more intrusive; measuring the length of each of their limbs and the circumference of their heads, and she also used a scanner to measure their muscle density. She could read their blood flow with her Curse, so no special equipment was required there.
Dear Esteemed Vixen, I am writing to you today to offer my humble request. You see, I am a prisoner of my own birth. My entire life is laid out before me just because I was born into royalty. While I can¡¯t say I want for much, what I do want is forever out of my reach. In a few weeks, I am to meet with my soon-to-be betrothed. It is said that it is to test the waters, to see if we are a good fit for each other, but it is all a farce. The union is already set in stone and wedding plans have already begun. This is to solely be a political marriage with my own feelings not taken into account, hitching me with a woman I find boring, insufferable, and far too old for my tastes. Life with her would be a miserable life, solely so our parents can bolster their political power. But I understand my position in this and my shackles to this country as its ruler one day. So, I believe there to be an alternative solution to cement our country¡¯s relations without having to sacrifice my own happiness. What I¡¯m about to suggest may sound cruel, but I assure you that you will be handsomely rewarded for assistance. I plan to take Princess Parano to a secluded location, far away from the main force of our army. Unfortunately, we will be accompanied by my personal knight, Jaid, a lackey that my father has bound to me my entire life. There will be no avoiding her accompaniment, but she should be of no issue to someone of your skill. Once they have been lured to the gorge, all I would ask of you is that you kill them and dispose of their corpses over the edge and into the river. There would be no finding their bodies once they¡¯re swept away. For these two small acts, I will bestow upon you all of my riches through a private account of course. You may ask yourself how their deaths could possibly lead to closer relations between our countries, but I have it all figured out. It is the worst kept secret in the world that Jaid has feelings for me. I plan to lean into that and declare Parano¡¯s death to be a fit of jealousy. Then, I will have taken revenge for their dear princess by killing my closest comrade with my own hands. While I can not find any flaws in this plan, I would be foolish to not account for your expertise. Please let me know if there are any alterations you would suggest. I look forward to your expedited reply and discretion in this matter. Prince Lyke Guzmeir of Guzrinn KingdomJaid read through the whole thing, then she read it all again. She didn¡¯t quite make it the entire way on the third pass, stopping at the part where he planned to frame her for the entire thing. It¡¯s not that she didn¡¯t intend to read the last bit, but she physically couldn¡¯t¡ªtears completely blocking her vision. It was too precise, too detailed, too personal to ever be a forgery. Her mind had been racing from beginning to end, but what she kept coming back to were those words the prince had yelled to her while he was clinging for dear life. She had never been able to process them fully until now, her mind rejecting the impossibility of what had been said. But now, she could hear it clearly, word for word. ¡°Forget Parano! Save me!¡± A purely selfish demand; one Jaid couldn¡¯t believe in the moment. Words so cruel could never be uttered by her prince, so she¡¯d convinced herself that her mind must have been playing tricks on her, and her hearing became selective. She¡¯d warped those words into what she wanted to hear, and it cost the prince his life. Jaid had gone against his orders and let him die. It was her own selfish choice. But did he deserve to be saved, or had she actually done the right thing? Above all else, Jaid¡¯s heart ached. It felt like it was crumbling to pieces while her mind went into overdrive. Everything she¡¯d known with absolute certainty was being ripped to shreds, and her mind couldn¡¯t keep up anymore. It almost felt like it had gone blank in self defense, refusing to think about it any further out of self preservation, but she was snapped back to reality when the phone was taken away. V3: Chapter 5 - Vs. Spy | Part 11.4 - Extraction ¡°Now that¡¯s some delicious mind-breaking goodness,¡± Phon couldn¡¯t hide her deranged grin at this point, ¡°But I¡¯m not quite satisfied. Let¡¯s see if we can dig up anything else.¡± ¡°Ah, here we are. Jaid Luciri, born Sextaugber 16th, 2055. Hmph, just slightly older than me. Height, weight, boring. Rank, Lieutenant and in line for promotion to Captain. Don¡¯t care. Scrolling scrolling scrolling.¡± This all sounded oddly familiar. Phon was reading her dossier at the Central Peace. Jaid had no idea how they¡¯d obtained it, but it was certainly classified information. ¡°Okay, personal history. Served as a knight of the Guzrinn Kingdom until the age of 16 where she was framed for the murder of Prince Lyke Guzmeir and fled to avoid execution. Yeah we know that already, blah blah blah blah.¡± ¡°Oh this is interesting. Settled down in a small frontier village where she served as a lumberjack to earn her keep for just over a year. Entire town was killed by a wandering Fiend now known as The Negligent Nutritionist. It is believed that their Curse allowed them to share any nutritional benefits received from food and drink to those around them through a form of area-wide osmosis.¡± ¡°The Nutritionist drank endlessly to deal with their issues but was never able to get drunk due to being a Fiend. Instead, all that alcohol was passed to the villagers around town, and all were found deceased with alcohol poisoning as a cause. Jaid Luciri was the only survivor due to her Fiend constitution. She then murdered The Nutritionist in an act of revenge.¡± ¡°Afterwards, Jaid hid in a remote forest, building her own cabin. She completely separated herself from society except for occasional trade with nearby settlements for necessities. Discovered one of these settlements had been slaughtered and overrun by a group of marauders, led by several Lesser Fiends. Jaid proceeded to kill all inhabitants and then dug a mass grave for both the marauders and former residents.¡± ¡°Well, Jaid, it¡¯s pretty obvious why you¡¯re so biased against Fiends. These are some pretty unlucky encounters. Even I almost feel some pity for you. Moving on¡¡± ¡°After learning the truth about the creation of Fiends and realizing that the assailant that attacked her in Guzrinn could still be alive, Jaid began pursuing them, targeting Lesser Fiends and hitman groups. During this time, she had a run-in with Central Peace forces where she was arrested, interrogated, and eventually recruited.¡± ¡°And¡ from there it just goes on about your time in the CP. Boring, Boring, Boring! You¡¯ve bored the anger out of me. I hope you¡¯re happy. Let¡¯s just get rid of her already.¡± Jaid could feel the weight lifted off her back and arms, but she was still no closer to being able to move. Xard knelt down in front of her, a serious look on his face that drew her attention. ¡°Okay, Jaid. We¡¯re going to put you to sleep for just a few minutes. It¡¯ll be a painless process. Don¡¯t even have to prick you like with anesthesia. You¡¯ll feel pretty groggy afterwards, but we can¡¯t have you see where we¡¯re taking you.¡± Xard got back up, and a moment later, Jaid felt the drowsiness start to kick in. It wasn¡¯t the fastest thing in the world, like she was slowly drifting off to sleep while lying in bed. For now, though, she was still conscious enough to pick up the conversations around her. ¡°Thanks for being the bait, Tize.¡± She heard Xard say. Tize said something in return, but her mind dipped out of focus just long enough for her to miss it. ¡°Where are we even going to get a box that big? Probably need a crate,¡± Their voices had all started to kind of blend, but Jaid was pretty certain it was Kada. ¡°Oh, should I paint it? We don¡¯t want it to look like a coffin after all.¡± Another blur of the reality around her, and the next thing Jaid focused on was Drim¡¯s face crouched down next to her. ¡°Sorry about this, Jaid,¡± his face looked genuinely remorseful. ¡°I¡¯m sorry it came to this. If¡ If you had just surrendered, then we could have¡ª¡± Jaid didn¡¯t hear the rest, pulled into a deep sleep. ¡ô¡ô¡ô When Jaid awoke, it felt like her head was swimming and her entire body was floating listlessly. It took a few moments of blinking and looking around before she could finally focus on anything. The first thing she could make out was a heart-rate monitor on the wall beeping endlessly. Around her was countless medical equipment which made her believe she was in a hospital, but the vibe wasn¡¯t quite right. Everything around her looked too advanced and futuristic to be a standard medical facility. Jaid found herself sitting in a very wide and uncomfortable metallic chair to which her hands were secured in restraints. She tried to wiggle them free but had no strength. Her vision went down into her lap where she saw a small furry creature curled up and dozing. It looked oddly familiar, and felt somewhat comforting that it was there. The creature stirred and looked up at her. When it noticed her staring back at it, the little fluffy thing jumped up and dashed out of the room. Unauthorized usage: this tale is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings. As Jaid tracked it with her eyes and what little bit she could move her head, she noticed a strange feeling around the brim of her skull. It felt like she was wearing a metal dome for a hat. Someone entered the room a moment later, a dark skinned man that looked more like a mechanic than a doctor. His eyes seemed distraught, but he still put on a friendly smile. He looked very familiar too, but Jaid couldn¡¯t quite place him. ¡°Hi, Jaid. Please don¡¯t try to speak. It will only bring frustration. You may not remember me, but I¡¯m Nathym, a member of the Fiends For Hire. I¡¯ve told you everything I¡¯m about to tell you already, so there may be a hint of repetition, but for your sake, we want you to remember this when you wake up again.¡± ¡°Now, I¡¯m going to repeat some basic facts that you should certainly know to help ease you into it. You are Jaid Luciri, born Sextaugber 16th, 2055. You are an enlisted soldier for the Central Peace private army, Lieutenant rank.¡± ¡°For the past month and a half, you have been on a mission to infiltrate and spy on us, the Fiends For Hire. Earlier today, you were caught and captured by our organization. But don¡¯t worry, no further harm will come to you. That is our promise.¡± ¡°In an attempt to keep you from divulging as many secrets as possible, we¡¯ve just performed a procedure on you. It is something akin to memory alteration, but not quite what you may think. If we tried to remove your memories altogether, there¡¯s no telling what damage that would do to your brain and ability to make memories in the future.¡± ¡°The device you¡¯re currently sitting in is one of my creation. It lets us set a window of time from the present to as far back as we¡¯d like. Well, if we go too far it¡¯s risky, and your procedure is already on the very edge of what I¡¯m comfortable with. So, I¡¯m sorry if there¡¯s any adverse effects.¡± ¡°We have basically played a little trick on your brain. All the memories since infiltrating our organization have been converted into dreams. And just like real dreams, they¡¯re fleeting and hard to remember. There¡¯s a good chance you¡¯ll remember key moments and even clear pictures or emotions from those times, but the specifics of those events will be all but lost to you.¡± ¡°I tell you all this as a warning for when you wake up again. Your brain will try desperately to put all the pieces back together, but don¡¯t try to force it. If you start to remember something, let it wash over you and go with the flow, or you¡¯ll regret it. Trying to force yourself to remember dreams will only lead to pain and possible trauma.¡± ¡°Over time, you may remember some or even all of what happened during your time here. But I believe you¡¯ll find those memories hard to trust. Others may try to inform you of what happened, but only you have your perspective, so take them with a grain of salt. That¡¯s all. Your recovery from this is now in your hands.¡± ¡°Now, I¡¯m going to put you back to sleep one last time. When you wake up again, you¡¯ll be somewhere safe, back where you belong. I hope you heed my warnings.¡± Jaid took in his words, a pit in her stomach as she processed them. She of course tried to think back to the last thing she remembered, but it was all a haze. What¡¯s worse, Jaid couldn¡¯t shake this feeling of unfathomable sadness and regret. She was going to break down into tears at any second, but she never got the chance before she fell unconscious once more. The following morning at a gas station in Horage, a very confused clerk found an overly large crate with the words ¡®Return to Sender¡¯ printed on it. When the clerk pried open the crate using the nearby crowbar, she found a giant sword, a pile of luggage, and a woman with green hair grumbling awake from a deep sleep. Fiends For Hire Internal Dialogue 6 The night of Jaid¡¯s departure, Drim sat alone on the roof of their mansion staring up at the sky. They had actually disabled the snow now since it had become a bit more severe, so Drim was watching it plink off the barrier. The weather controls were the only part of that barrier room that had actually worked. Why would they leave something so crucial to their operation out in the open? The barrier room was purely bait for spies. Drim couldn¡¯t help but feel that it was a bit too cruel and bordering entrapment, but what was done was done. That didn¡¯t mean he wasn¡¯t going to spend the rest of the night and probably the next few days over analyzing everything. Could he have done something more to prevent this bitter outcome? Eleen: That hussy, that whore, that mawhging Draz! I¡¯ll kill her! How dare she pull something so shameless against my precious boy?! What was her name again? Jaid Luciri? You better hope you never lose control of your body if I see her again, because I¡¯ll slit her throat. Somehow, her mother¡¯s fanaticism brought Drim out of his funk, even cheering him up a bit. Drim: Let it go. You know I don¡¯t care about something like that. It was the first time Drim had ever actually acknowledged anything of a romantic nature to his mother, and he would certainly play dumb when badgered about it by his friends. Romance had no place in his life. Such things were just a distraction for his goals. Yet, he couldn¡¯t help but lightly touch his lips as he remembered it. Drim: I don¡¯t get why she was so upset, though. It was my first kiss too. Eleen: Oh, my poor son. So oblivious. Ugh, but the hypocrisy of that girl, ranting about Fiends as if she wasn¡¯t one herself. That alone makes me want to strangle her. Drim: Jaid¡¯s experiences may have twisted her perception, but she was certainly right about one thing. Eleen: Hmm? Drim: Fiends are a blight on this world. V3: Chapter 6 - No Time to Explain | Part 1.1 - Fun for All Ages So good, I love this! Faster, faster, I need more! Nothing of a remotely intimate nature was happening as Ahvra sat alone in her lab, staring at the data from her blood experiments. This is so exciting! Who knew our blood had such properties?! I need to increase experiment output. But the samples are running low¡ Hmm, who can I trick into giving me more blood? Well, I guess I should just start with my own. Can always replace it without someone whining. Ahvra drained herself of vial after vial of blood to the point that she could barely stand from light-headedness. Admittedly, she should have taken a break there and gotten some food to help recover from the loss, but she was just too excited. Hmm? Did I add too much? In her fuguelike state, perhaps she had mixed up the measurements. She was used to sleep deprivation, and it¡¯d never cause her to make an error, but this was a different level of delirium. An alarm started to blare. One of the experiments was going out of control. It involved mixing her blood with an artificial viral strain to see how it would react. Oh Zjik, Ahvra¡¯s eyes jumped from the data over to the machine that was running the experiment. Before she could do anything, there was an explosion, and fumes blasted out the lab. ¡ô¡ô¡ô Mallea almost tripped on her walk to the general¡¯s mansion. She¡¯d been carrying a load of freshly washed linens that was tall enough to obstruct her view of the ground. Sadly, those linens were now thrown all over and would need to be washed once more. Oh well, it gave her more to do and occupy her time. More importantly, she needed to figure out what she stumbled over, and then find whoever left it there to scold them. The item in question was a water pistol on the sidewalk next to a yellow raincoat. They looked familiar, but like most unimportant things, Mallea only had a faint recollection. But then the coat wiggled, so she had to assume it was Pox hiding in people¡¯s clothes again. Mallea nearly dropped the furless flesh blob after she fished it out of the coat. It was her worst fear: a baby. Dark skinned with pink hair and caked in makeup¡ªthe little monster also reminded her of someone. What was her name again? Nahida? Nandor? Nichijou? Something like that. Were they related somehow? No, a relative of a Fiend wouldn¡¯t have matching hair and eyes. Her next thought was Ahvra, but even that little gremlin wouldn¡¯t be so cruel as to turn someone into a baby and then abandon them. Mallea needed to figure this out, and more importantly, she needed to push the responsibility of this child onto someone else as soon as possible. Still, it would be unbecoming of her to leave a mess behind, so with baby in one hand, Mallea used the other to tidy up the linens and clothes and then took them back to her shed for now. Not wanting to carry a naked baby around for any longer than she had to, Mallea quickly took a minute to whip up a yellow dress. Up until now, the child had been pretty restless and agitated, but its eyes sparkled at the sight of the clothing and eagerly waved her arms in the air for it to be put on. ¡°Cute cute! Thank you, mam!¡± So the baby at least knew some words, and it knew basic courtesy, how odd. On the what-felt-like-forever walk over to the main building, the baby spent the entire time tugging on and playing with Mallea¡¯s hair. The sooner she could dispose of the pest, the better. ¡°Deborah, do you know whose baby this is?¡± Mallea asked as soon as she entered the lobby. But she was only met with more confusion. ¡°Very sorry about this. I ask that you please come back another time once we¡¯ve sorted this out. Or we¡¯ll be in touch,¡± Deborah was quickly rushing prospective clients out the door with panic in her eyes. They¡¯d been getting more of them lately, clients who wanted to meet in person with more sensitive or difficult to explain requests. ¡°Can I ask why you just shooed away potential clients?¡± There was a stench of tomfoolery about, but that didn¡¯t excuse unprofessionalism. ¡°I, err, uhh¡ It would just be easier to show you.¡± Deborah led Mallea to one of the nearby meeting rooms. For whatever reason, Deborah had locked the door, perhaps to contain whatever was inside for the meantime. Sitting on one of the couches was a boy in an unspeakably oversized suit. He was calm, but had a quizzical look on his face, studying the room and the world around him. The boy looked to be about 3 or 4 years old, certainly older than the baby next to him on the couch that looked to be only about 1 or 2. The baby also had a suit around them, but their body had slipped through the neck hole entirely and they were sitting in the nude. Their very blatant orange hair told Mallea that this had to be Chorus. But before any gender-defining glances could be made, a small trunk appeared behind them. The baby did a backwards somersault into the trunk and popped out a moment later. They were now dressed in very-expensive-looking baby clothes, and the words ¡®Lil Fiend¡¯ were embroidered on the top in jewels. Deborah confirmed that the boy in question was Roque, not that it wasn¡¯t obvious just by looking at him. ¡°I need to check on the others,¡± Mallea tried to keep calm but her heart was pounding with worry. She then plopped the assumed baby Niloy into Deborah¡¯s arms. ¡°You stay here and watch these ones. Maybe try to convert the main room into a daycare for now. I suspect there will be more. Please check the restaurant as well. Some of the residents may be there. If Hank and Vazzle are unaffected, I¡¯m sure they¡¯d be more than happy to assist you. I¡¯ll bring over any other afflicted I find.¡± Mallea quickly exited out of the back of the building, rushing over to the general¡¯s mansion. She needed to find Drim and make sure he was alright. Everything else came second, but she still had a duty to fulfill to lead the staff through this crisis. ¡°Miss Mallea? How can I be of assistance?¡± Crucion answered the phone before the first ring even finished. He was probably a little surprised since she had only ever texted him. ¡°Guess you¡¯re not a baby then. That¡¯s good. I need your help, Crucion.¡± ¡°You do?!¡± Crucion was likely a bit over ecstatic since Mallea had never actually asked for his help, only given him orders. ¡°Yes, where are you?¡± ¡°Umm, sweeping up the tunnels like you told me.¡± Mallea should have guessed as much. Despite him being a little clumsy, Crucion was a very dedicated and orderly employee¡ªhonestly the most responsible and reliable one of all those under her management. ¡°Alright, abandon that for now. We¡¯re in crisis mode. It seems possibly all the Fiend members have been turned into children. I can¡¯t speak for the Lessers since I haven¡¯t run into one yet, but assume they¡¯ve been altered as well. I¡¯m heading to the mansion to investigate. Please head to the resident homes and then the dorms and do a check on all the tenants. If they¡¯re babies, please bring them to the large room in the headquarters. Keep me updated.¡± Mallea ended the call there. She could have gone deeper into planning, but that would be enough for now. They¡¯d still need someone to check out the gym and the entirety of the campus both above and below ground. Anywhere a person could stand, there could be a baby, at least until everyone was accounted for. The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement. She was ready to burst through the front doors of the mansion, but was stopped before she could even reach the entrance. There was an old man Mallea had never seen before sitting down on the front steps. It looked like he¡¯d stopped for a rest, but there was no life in his eyes. They were blood red, so she knew he was a Lesser. His now baggier flashy clothes and extremely long golden blonde hair gave her a good guess. ¡°Gaston?¡± ¡°Huh?¡± The old man looked up at her and then got angry. ¡°Name¡¯s Gatrim Foilepe, and don¡¯t you forget it!¡± He pulled out his rapier and jabbed it towards her face but then his anger subsided a second later. The rapier tip was poked into the ground and he rested his hands on the hilt. ¡°What are you doing here, Gallium? Are you looking for someone?¡± Mallea tried to be as courteous as possible despite the chaotic situation. ¡°Trying to find the restaurant.¡± He was back to looking lifeless. ¡°I¡¯m so hungry. Feels like I haven¡¯t eaten in decades. Can¡¯t seem to remember quite where it is, though.¡± Mallea pointed him in the right direction, and then he thanked her and shuffled on his way, using his rapier as a cane. Still wanting to burst into the mansion, Mallea couldn¡¯t help but send a follow-up text to the staff, warning that there may be old people as well. She instructed them to leave them be if they were safe and coherent enough, but to otherwise bring them to the headquarters building as well. Once inside, Mallea rushed straight to Drim¡¯s room, but he was nowhere in sight. On the off-chance he may be in one of the other rooms, Mallea checked them all. Phon and Xard¡¯s rooms were completely vacant, but there was a lot of screaming and an entertaining sight when Mallea entered the last room on the floor. A tiny Kada was sprinting around the bedroom, tears streaming down her face as she screamed at the top of her lungs. Chasing her was the robot known as Sir Cleaningsworth. Mallea had allowed it to exist under the condition that it never left her room. ¡®Naked baby targeted. Dressing protocol activated. Naked baby targeted. Dressing protocol activated.¡¯ the robot repeated endlessly as it stumbled after the frightened child. As tempted as Mallea was to leave Kada to her fate, she still stepped in and disabled the robot using a nearby remote. It then took all of Mallea¡¯s inner-strength to not shake off the blithering child when Kada ran over and hugged her leg. Not wanting another naked baby to carry around, Mallea dug into Kada¡¯s dresser and altered one of the one-piece swimsuits she found. While dressing the small girl, Mallea finally paid enough attention to realize that Kada¡¯s skin was much paler than usual. It was back to its old pasty self from before Kada had become a Fiend, but the altered hair and eye color still remained. ¡°Huh, you¡¯re not a baby, Rachel,¡± Mallea found Rusa sitting normally in her room in front of her large wall of monitors. ¡°No, why would I be?¡± The elderly Rusa smiled kindly in return but with a hint of confusion. ¡°I know your memory is bad Mallea, but even you should know my rebirth isn¡¯t for a few more weeks.¡± ¡°Oh, I see now. That¡¯s Kada, isn¡¯t it?¡± Rusa deduced once the small child that had been hiding behind Mallea¡¯s legs poked out its head. ¡°Is everyone like this?¡± ¡°All the Fiends I¡¯ve found so far, well except for you,¡± Mallea explained. ¡°I ran into one Lesser who was an old man, but all humans seem to be unaffected so far.¡± ¡°Hmm, hmm, hmm,¡± Rusa processed for a moment. ¡°I must be exempt because I don¡¯t have any time.¡± ¡°So you¡¯re saying Avaline is behind this after all?¡± Mallea pressed for confirmation. ¡°Almost undoubtedly,¡± Rusa was pretty confident. ¡°But this seems a bit bigger than the scope of her Curse.¡± ¡°Well, she¡¯ll have to wait for now. We need to make sure everyone is safe first, so I¡¯ll keep looking around. Is it alright if I leave this one with you? We¡¯re gathering them all up in the events room of Headquarters.¡± ¡°Sure, I¡¯d be happy to,¡± Rusa gave an eager smile like a grandmother whose grandchildren had just come to visit. ¡°Come little one, I have snacks.¡± She pulled a cookie out of one of the bags sitting next to her viewing pillow. Kada immediately rushed over, needing no further temptation¡ªtruly a childlike innocence that would get her in trouble with someone possessing impure motives. Mallea needed to make sure none of these ignorant children made it out into the world until this was fixed. It made her all that more worried for Drim. Down in their private training facility, Mallea found Xard. Unlike the others, he was still properly clothed. Xard¡¯s combat suit had automatically adjusted itself to his size, even popping off some of the shock-enhancing plates so that it could fit appropriately. However, there still had been an incident in the transformation. The outfit was hooked into one of the machines and Xard was dangling in the air. That didn¡¯t stop him from working out, or whatever he was doing, as he continued to punch the machine endlessly with all of his pitiful baby strength. Baby Xard seemed quite frustrated with his situation and didn¡¯t stop attacking even after he was freed. Mallea had to carry him like a kitten, dangling him from his suit at the back of his neck to keep him from trying to punch her. She toted him around like that while she explored the entire underground. After finding nothing of interest, Mallea took him to the headquarters building to join the others. ¡°You wanna go, old man?!¡± ¡°Who are you calling old? Check a mirror, hag.¡± There was a commotion in the events room already, which was well into being converted into a daycare. Some of the babies were even drawing on the walls. It seemed all the resident Fiend babies had been brought over from their homes, but there was still no sign of Drim. A corner of the room had been dedicated to the elderly Lessers, where comfortable furniture and a large TV had been brought in. Even though there were far more Lessers living on the compound, the corner only had a few occupants. Crucion had taken her advice and left them be for the most part. ¡°Oh, stop fighting you two, it¡¯s so unseemly. We must get along.¡± Nachi and Tize were at each other¡¯s wrinkled throats. Their weapons had been confiscated, so they were jabbing each other with an umbrella and a stapler. Of all people, it was surprisingly Kaizu who was trying to stop the fighting. There was a very odd serene kindness and empathy to her that the usual Kaizu was missing entirely. The room was certainly chaos, but it was manageable chaos. Deborah was clearly exhausted, but Hank and Vazzle seemed to be having a great time playing with the kids and feeding them snacks. It would have to do until Drim was found. Mallea checked his profile once more to confirm his location, and he was still listed as being at the compound. She ran all over, every pathway, every building, but there was still no damn sign of him. That was when it hit her. Drim wasn¡¯t the earliest riser, and there was still a lot of time left in the morning. This meant that there was a good chance that Drim had been asleep when this all occurred. Given his unusual sleeping habits, he was probably out of his room, somewhere high up. Mallea ran back over to the mansion and climbed onto the roof. Drim wasn¡¯t there, but it was a good enough vantage point. Just outside the northern gate was a black leafless tree that she¡¯d never seen before. ¡°Garuu garuu!¡± Pox was scuttling around the base of the tree with his arms up in the air like he was trying to catch something. As expected, at the very top branch was a terrified Baby Drim clinging on for dear life with tears streaming down his face. Mallea tried calling to him as the Koala Fox had been doing, but there wasn¡¯t any way of cutting through the child¡¯s fear. ¡°Alright, Lox, I¡¯m gonna go get him,¡± Mallea reassured the creature. Scaling a tree should be child¡¯s play for her, but this wasn¡¯t an ordinary tree to begin with. The tree itself was more like a cluster of skeletal branches than a traditional tree, all of them rigid with sharp points. It would be hard for even the most nimble athlete to climb. On top of that, the tree was constantly shifting. It seemed Drim was subconsciously using his Curse to effect it in his panicked state. Mallea pulled out one of her knives and started scaling. The tree immediately reacted, sending branches her way like it was trying to fend her off. She used her knife to slice away points as she clambered up as fast as she could. It only took her a few seconds to reach the boy and she grabbed him without warning. The tree then went into overdrive, sending every branch it could after her. But Mallea wasn¡¯t going to give it any further chance to strike while she had Drim in hand. She jumped down, using the knife to dig into the tree and slow her progress. The moment her feet touched the ground, the tree vanished entirely. Pox jumped into Mallea¡¯s arms too and the three of them shared a very long group-hug. V3: Chapter 6 - No Time to Explain | Part 1.2 - Fun for All Ages Back in Drim¡¯s room, Mallea quickly crafted a new set of clothes for him. It didn¡¯t take but a moment, since she had already made copies of his clothes in roughly that size before. Speaking of which, Pox had run out of the room during this time to go get his own version of the outfit so that they could match. Mallea may have also added the pointed ear-pouches to Drim¡¯s hood as well because it was just too damn cute. She wanted nothing more than to watch over him all day and relive that blissful life when she first became his caretaker. But she had work to do and knew this problem wouldn¡¯t solve itself if she indulged in her selfish desires. Mallea took Drim over to the main building, and while he was shy at first, he quickly got used to the other children and started playing with them. Things had gotten significantly more under control in the little time since she¡¯d been away, so Mallea, Deborah, and Crucion sat down and got to work. First, they needed to check if everyone was accounted for. It was the weekend, so most members were taking the day off. But, Rezin was out at the assisted living facility again, and a few other Lessers and Fiends were off on missions. Residents and members weren¡¯t required to stay at the compound, but the barrier logged any time someone entered or exited. All residents who were on-site were accounted for. There were a few off on trips or out doing errands or working. One had come back to the compound since the change had happened, but they went back to their home as if nothing was different, and was sent a text explaining the situation. That just left a few members that hadn¡¯t been found yet. While Ahvra was likely at the center of this, the members of the science department didn¡¯t exactly go anywhere, so they should be easy to find. Solving this issue would come after ensuring everyone was safe and sound. In between making sure that the children weren¡¯t about to injure themselves, Rusa was digging through Ahvra¡¯s recent experiment notes to see what she could uncover. So they were at least making progress on that front. ¡°I had a feeling things were a bit too calm and quiet,¡± Mallea quipped in the room filled with restless and screaming children. Phon was one of the only two members unaccounted before, besides the scientists. As far as she was concerned, it¡¯d be for the best if that little tyrant stayed missing until this was all resolved. The other missing Fiend was Itsy. ¡°You checked her room, right?¡± ¡°Yes,¡± Crucion confirmed. ¡°Her room is bigger than the rest, but I checked every inch. Since she¡¯s often working on her monster truck, I checked inside the cab too, but there was no sign of her.¡± As if on cue, there was a thud on the table they were sitting at. A toddler appeared and then fell back onto her butt. She was carrying a small infant in her arms, the smallest they¡¯d ever seen in their lives. It was obvious that the first was Phon. She had dressed herself in an oversized shirt and was still wearing her usual hat, though it was far too big for her head. Who was she holding, though? Process of elimination and the rust-red hair meant it could only be one person, but how could such a behemoth of a woman turn into this little shrimp. The baby was so small it looked like it shouldn¡¯t have even been born yet. ¡°She is actually alive, right?¡± Deborah stared in concern. ¡°Yes,¡± the baby Phon answered to everyone but Mallea¡¯s surprise. ¡°She¡¯s still breathing, but she can¡¯t seem to make any noise or even really move at all. I found her stuck in the engine of her monster truck. She must have been working on it when the change happened and then fell inside.¡± ¡°Okay, great, but why are you acting normally?¡± Rusa had rushed over and was now fully examining Phon with her Curse activated. ¡°As Mallea is sure to remember, I have been fully cognizant ever since I was about this age,¡± Phon answered clearly. She really did seem to have roughly the same mental awareness. ¡°Oh, how I wish I could forget. Maybe if you had stayed a cute innocent baby for longer, then you wouldn¡¯t have grown up to be¡ well¡ you.¡± Mallea had absolutely no quandaries about throwing shade at this baby in particular. ¡°Quite intriguing,¡± Rusa was more excited about this crisis now than she really ought to have been. ¡°It seems everyone''s actual personal and medical history is taken into account when their time is rewound. Oh, how it makes me wish I had some. I feel like I¡¯m missing out on the childlike wonder. Well, if things aren¡¯t fixed within the next few weeks, I¡¯ll just join in then.¡± ¡°Let¡¯s hope it doesn¡¯t come to that,¡± Mallea wanted as little time around all these children as possible. ¡°Now that everyone is accounted for, I¡¯ll head to the lab and figure out what the zjik is going on. If you¡¯d teleport me there, little tyke.¡± ¡°Ask me nicer next time, but I¡¯m going to refuse,¡± Phon pouted. ¡°My Curse is very hard to use right now. This small form just doesn¡¯t have the stamina. Finding and rescuing Itsy and then bringing her here took a lot out of me. I can tell you the usual group was down there the last I looked, though. Oh, and I¡¯m coming with you!¡± ¡°Fine then,¡± Mallea got up and took a few steps towards the exit but then stopped. ¡°Aren¡¯t you coming? Phon glanced at the floor, refusing to look Mallea in the eyes. ¡°Carry me,¡± she demanded. ¡°Huhhhh?¡± Mallea groaned in confused disbelief. ¡°I said, carry me!¡± Phon repeated herself in annoyance. ¡°I¡¯m tired, and small, and walking takes too much time. If I have to do it myself, it¡¯ll take forever to get there.¡± Support the creativity of authors by visiting Royal Road for this novel and more. ¡°Uhuh¡.¡± A grin slid onto Mallea¡¯s face. ¡°You just told me that we need to ask things more nicely of each other, and I agree. So go on then¡¡± Phon let out a deep sigh. ¡°Pl.. Ple¡ Please¡ Please carry me.¡± She finally spat out the words like they were bitter ash in her mouth. ¡°Oh, if only you had been so well behaved when you were actually this age. It brings a tear to my eye when I think of what could have been,¡± Mallea jested rhetorically as she hoisted Phon onto her shoulder. Neither would stand for the indecency of Phon having to be carried around like an actual baby. Just as they were about to actually exit the room this time, the door opened, and a very frustrated Andi entered. She was holding a small Nathym in one hand, keeping him as far away from her as he could. Her other arm was covering her chest as if she was covering herself while naked. ¡°Someone, please take this little wretch off my hands,¡± she begged. ¡°I need to get back to looking after Ahvra, but this bastard keeps causing trouble if I look away for two seconds.¡± ¡°Is he really that bad?¡± Phon asked after Hazzle came to take Nathym away. ¡°You¡¯re cosdamn right!¡± Andi¡¯s agitation was bubbling over. ¡°He dismantled everything he could get his hands on. My pens, my phone¡ my bra¡¡± It was clear his gynophobia didn¡¯t bother him as a child since he was now trying to wriggle himself into Hazzle¡¯s top. ¡°What did you mean that you¡¯d get back to taking care of Ahvra? Is she not a baby like everyone else?¡± Mallea hoped that the worst option was off the table. ¡°No¡ Uhhh¡ she¡¯s sick¡ but¡¡± Andi tried to explain. ¡°It¡¯s better if you just come and take a look.¡± Andi rushed back ahead of them while the other two made a slight detour to Phon¡¯s room. Mallea¡¯s excuse was that she didn¡¯t want Phon¡¯s naked bum resting on her shoulder for any longer than they had to. After making an altered set of clothes, they hurried down to the lab. Ahvra had been taken back to her room, and Andi had hooked up several machines to monitor her vitals. The small girl was lying in bed, unconscious. She was sweating through her clothes and breathing heavily with no sign of waking up any time soon. ¡°She¡¯s been like this since I found her,¡± Andi explained. ¡°Nothing I could do would wake her up. I tried giving her medicine and hooked up an IV, but¡ it looks like she¡¯s getting worse. It¡¯s not rapid or anything, and I¡¯m not a doctor, but it feels like she¡¯ll just keep declining if it goes on like this. May take days or weeks, but she might die.¡± ¡°And if she dies, we might be stuck like this,¡± Phon sounded both concerned and selfishly worried at the same time. Mallea had some clinical experience, but not enough to offer much more. So, Rusa was called down for a moment to give her thoughts, having at least studied various diseases and medical treatment, but it was about the same diagnosis as Andi¡¯s. ¡°All symptoms make this look like a standard viral infection, but this makes no sense for a Fiend.¡± Those words didn¡¯t exactly inspire hope. ¡°Okay, I have an idea!¡± Phon struggled to climb onto Ahvra¡¯s bed and then hovered over the unconscious girl. Slap after slap, Phon slammed her tiny hands into Ahvra¡¯s face, alternating between each cheek. She did it for about a minute, until there were visible marks, but then gave up. ¡°Well, if that¡¯s not waking her up, nothing will. We need a real doctor.¡± ¡°And where exactly do you think we¡¯ll find a doctor that can treat a Fiend?¡± Mallea wasn¡¯t questioning the idea, just the how. ¡°I guess Drome Coli would be the obvious starting point.¡± ¡°Well, as it happens, I heard about a miracle doctor when I was there recently,¡± Phon gave them a lead to go on. ¡°Don¡¯t know where they work or who they are, but basically everyone in the city was gossiping about him.¡± ¡°Okay, let¡¯s get moving then. As much as I¡¯d love to raise Drim again, I¡¯d quit immediately if I was stuck with the rest of you. Abby, can I trust you to keep looking after her?¡± Andi merely nodded in acceptance as she went to go grab another IV. Before heading out, Phon and Ahvra briefly returned to the main room. It seemed the lull had passed where everything was under control. Nachi and Tize had each other pinned, wrestling in the middle of the floor. Several of the babies, and Pox included, were all holding hands and spinning in a ring around the two elderly fighters while humming. ¡°I see everything¡¯s going well,¡± Mallea addressed the now even more exhausted looking Deborah. She called over all the staff and explained the situation. For the time being, the Fiends For Hire would be operating as a daycare, both young and old, until she and Phon returned from Drome Coli¡ªhopefully with some help. Even with flying, it wouldn¡¯t be a fast trip, not to mention tracking down this miracle doctor. So, the human staff would have to keep all these overly strong elderly citizens and superpowered babies alive and well for a minimum of a few days. At least they had Rusa to help, but this incarnation of her didn¡¯t care much for responsibility, and seemed to be growing more and more bored of the situation by the minute. To ease some of the burden, Mallea took a few minutes to make a full line of baby clothes, tailor made to each Fiend. Cosmos knows she couldn¡¯t make them all look generic. Because if the Fiends found out they were dressed in dregs, she¡¯d never hear the end of it once they turned back into adults. It seemed becoming a Fiend also came with an inexcusable fashion sense and aesthetic commitment. While Mallea had been working, Drim had approached her, an eager look in his eye. But, being the good kid that he is, he noticed that she was busy and waited his turn. With every passing minute, however, he started to fidget and pout more and more but still never complained. The moment Mallea was done, Drim raced over, bouncing with excitement. He finally pulled out the item he¡¯d been hiding behind his back and showed it to her with the biggest grin on his face. ¡°I maded you this drawing!¡± It was a picture of her, Drim, and Pox hugging at the base of a tree. Squeeeeee!!!!!!! Wait¡ Squee? Parental instincts that had been dormant for over a decade suddenly started firing in full, nearly melting her heart from pure happiness. The feelings were confusing and conflicting with her unbreakable professional facade, so she couldn¡¯t fully show her joy in the moment. ¡°Thank you Drim. I love it,¡± Mallea still took it with an endearing smile that she¡¯d only let him see. The happy boy ran off to play with the other children again while Mallea examined the drawing once more. It was still in the realm of what one would expect from a child¡ªdrawn in crayon with rough edges. However, it was far more detailed and artistic than he should be capable of. Maybe some sense of skill or talent hadn¡¯t been lost when their bodies had gone back in time. To Mallea, though, it was a masterpiece¡ªsomething she¡¯d want to put on the mansion¡¯s fridge immediately. However, she knew the adult Drim would certainly dispose of it if he ever saw it, so she¡¯d have to hide it in her room. Once the plans had been organized the best they could, and one final hug with Drim from both of them, Phon and Mallea headed off to a helicopter, hoping to make it to Drome Coli before nightfall. V3: Chapter 6 - No Time to Explain | Part 1.3 - Fun for All Ages Actually taking off in the helicopter took longer than it should have. Mallea had tried to put in a child¡¯s booster seat for Phon, but the baby outright threw a fit. That was until the seatbeat was basically choking Phon the entire time and she finally accepted the idea. It wasn¡¯t smooth flying from there either. ¡°Why do you keep clenching your stomach like that?¡± Mallea glanced over at Phon again only a few minutes after taking off. ¡°I uhh¡ I¡¯m so damn hungry,¡± Phon seemed embarrassed to admit. ¡°I hadn¡¯t eaten yet before the change and never got the chance after either. Seems my small stomach can¡¯t make it to lunch. No. I can definitely make it. Ignore this.¡± Mallea did as asked and kept flying for a few minutes, but the grumbling in the seat next to her kept growing in intensity. ¡°It sure is a good thing that you didn¡¯t want to stop,¡± Mallea started teasing her. ¡°They don¡¯t exactly make drive-thrus for helicopters after all.¡± ¡°Since we¡¯re flying in a straight line, we¡¯d have to wait until we stumbled across a town or go out of our way to find one. Then, we¡¯d have to find a place to set the helicopter down without causing a fuss. THEN, since it wouldn¡¯t be anywhere convenient, we¡¯d have to walk all the way to a restaurant since you¡¯re too weak to use your Curse. And when we got there, we¡¯d surely get weird looks from a butler carrying a toddler around on her shoulder.¡± ¡°After that, we¡¯d need to repeat the entire process but in reverse. That would put us very behind schedule. So, I think it¡¯s fantastic that you¡¯re being so resolved. Speaking of breakfast, though, let me tell you about what I had. I know you¡¯re always wanting to improve your own cooking, so I¡¯ll give a very detailed process for the recipe.¡± ¡°I think we should go ahead and stop!¡± Phon blurted out quickly after that. ¡°We¡¯ll uh, have to stop anyways eventually, so may as well get it over with while we¡¯re still in a familiar area.¡± ¡°Uhuh¡¡± Mallea hid her smirk. She knew Phon would never give in and let herself be viewed as inferior in Mallea¡¯s eyes, and would rather suffer in silence¡ªwell not so silent this time. Some coercion would always be required to coax it out of her. That didn¡¯t mean Mallea would let her off easily, though. ¡°Actually, I wasn¡¯t planning to make any stops. I made sure the helicopter was fully fueled so we could get there without incident. Granted, I didn¡¯t pack any food, but in such an unprecedented situation, it must have just slipped my mind. After all, who could possibly think about eating while Drim is in such distress?¡± ¡°Guh¡¡± Phon accidentally let out another groan, pained in more ways than one. ¡°Making him wait for our return for even a moment more, oh I can¡¯t stand it. Think of how afraid and confused he must be right now. You remember how he was as a child, of course. Such a timid and frail boy compared to how he is today. And we¡¯re not there for him when he¡¯s most vulnerable. Cosmos, it hurts my heart. But if you believe stopping is really necessary, then¡¡± Mallea started altering their course. ¡°Really. It¡¯s fine. I can manage. Keep going,¡± Phon sounded less and less convincing with each word. ¡°No no, I¡¯ve already started the descent,¡± Mallea had her fun, so there was no point in continuing this verbal charade any longer. However, that didn¡¯t stop the satisfaction Mallea felt when she stared Phon dead in the eyes as she ordered her a kid¡¯s meal¡ªthe biggest zjik-eating grin on her face. They ordered enough food for the day so more stops wouldn¡¯t be necessary. Regardless of how much Mallea had just been trying to get a rise out of Phon, stopping anywhere actually was a huge pain that took a substantial amount of time. They certainly weren¡¯t the healthiest meals, but Mallea didn¡¯t really care. A truth that many often misconceived is that Mallea didn¡¯t actually enjoy cooking. Sure, she was good at it, one of the best in the world even, but the act of it was pretty monotonous and boring for her. The only part she enjoyed was seeing someone else enjoy the end result¡ªspecifically Drim. When it came to herself, she didn¡¯t really care what she ate or how nutritional it was since she wasn¡¯t an overly picky eater. Cooking just took too much time out of the day for her to do it for herself, so she¡¯d rather eat premade almost every time, even if it was inferior. She¡¯d only kept up her skills over the years in the hopes of one day being reunited. More than anything else, she was thankful for that because of Phon¡¯s own interest in cooking now. Cosmos knows she¡¯d never live it down if Mallea ever produced an inferior dish compared to the girl. This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere. Mallea also didn¡¯t even remotely care about Phon¡¯s nutritional intake on this trip¡ªwhatever kept her sated, alive, and complaint free. If their condition didn¡¯t improve soon, she¡¯d have to take it into account, but didn¡¯t want to worry about it for now. Hopefully, Phon being a child wouldn¡¯t cause more incidents during the trip, but traveling with a toddler never goes quite as planned. ¡°Why are you squirming this time?¡± Mallea¡¯s playful badgering was gone and replaced with genuine annoyance. They hadn¡¯t even fully traversed the next country over before Phon was restless again. ¡°I¡ I have to pee.¡± Phon wasn¡¯t beating around the bush this time. ¡°What? Why didn¡¯t you pee when we stopped for food?!¡± Mallea was bewildered. Phon may be a child again, but she was mentally an adult. There was no excuse for such poor planning. ¡°I didn¡¯t have to pee then, okay?! My bladder is too damn small. That drink must have done this.¡± Once her squeaking rant was done, Phon started violently rocking in the seat. ¡°Ugh, there¡¯s nothing around here either. How much longer can you hold it?¡± ¡°Can¡¯t.¡± Phon¡¯s eyes started to water in agony. ¡°I swear! If you pee all over this helicopter, I¡¯m abandoning you in the woods and finding this doctor on my own.¡± Mallea aimed the copter for the nearest clearing and almost crashed the damn thing, setting it down faster than it was built to handle. She still had to make the landing as smooth as possible. The machine could take a bit of a beating, but doubted that the baby''s bladder could. Phon did actually make it out of the helicopter at least, but she certainly didn¡¯t make it to the next town. They still visited it afterwards. Mallea tried to buy a portable potty for Phon, which the toddler vehemently refused at first, but then reluctantly accepted when the other choice was diapers. There were no further stops on the trip to Drome Coli. Phon did need to use the bathroom once more, but she was able to hide out in the back and use the portable potty. To help ease the justifiable embarrassment of the situation, she made Mallea wear one of the helicopter¡¯s headsets for the duration. Like a typical small child, Phon spent most of the journey sleeping in her seat. Otherwise, she did what all children do these days when they were bored and stared at her phone. For the most part, Phon had grown out of her yo-yo obsession even if it was her current weapon of choice. Her adolescent state seemed to have rekindled her passion, however. She was now watching videos of all the new fancy models that had come out over the years. When she was focused and excited like this, Mallea could almost think she was kind of cute. It was clear there was still a reserved adult hiding inside, since Phon¡¯s eagerness kept being stunted in the heat of the moment. Mallea could see her eyes light up when she came across a yo-yo she really liked, and her childlike wonderment made her want to share it with anyone nearby. Phon had opened her mouth and leaned over to show the phone to Mallea a few times now, only to catch herself in the act and recoil. It had been hard for Mallea to contain herself and not call Phon out on these moments. However, the poor girl had been through enough indignities for one day. Even Mallea couldn¡¯t bring herself to push her further, but that didn¡¯t mean she¡¯d let her off the hook tomorrow. By the time they got to Drome Coli, Phon was already passed out again, so that left the task of finding accommodations to Mallea. It was a surprisingly tedious task, something they probably should have worked on before departing or during the flight. Given the ridiculous circumstances and Phon¡¯s degraded mental ability¡ªwhether she¡¯d admit it or not¡ªthey could hopefully be excused for something so obvious slipping their minds. Finding a hotel at the last minute was probably harder in Drome Coli than anywhere else in the world. There were only two reasons to visit the hub city, and both were usually planned well in advance. It wasn¡¯t the kind of place that someone would just visit on a whim. To that end, most hotels were booked year round, only having vacancies if an event was canceled or someone''s plans fell through. Mallea was able to get one eventually, but they were still reluctant to give it to her. She may have needed to lean into the desperate caretaker act just a little bit to persuade them. Even still, the accommodations, while not exactly bad, were on the lower end of the city¡¯s standard. Drome Coli also wasn¡¯t the most economically friendly place to visit regardless of the reason for the trip. But, it was good enough. The tired child certainly wasn¡¯t going to complain at this point. In the hotel room, Mallea started looking into the alleged miracle doctor but didn¡¯t make much headway before Phon woke up again. She was now completely wide awake, having napped too much throughout the day. The two of them reached out to Deborah to check on things back at the compound, but mostly to pressure her into letting them see Drim in a video call. He was also still awake, but his attention span was too short to keep his focus for long. They both dove into the deep recesses of the internet after that to see if they could find any information on the doctor. Someone so famous should be easy to find, right? Well, that had been the idea at least. Turns out, the alleged miracle doctor was more myth than man. It didn¡¯t mean that they didn¡¯t exist, but rather, every facility in the city had their own version of the myth and claimed that they worked there. If this person actually did exist, their fame was being exploited shamelessly. They¡¯d have to continue their investigation the next day, because even Mallea was nodding off now. V3: Chapter 6 - No Time to Explain | Part 1.4 - Fun for All Ages The next morning, Mallea woke up to a heavy arm. The room only had one bed, since that¡¯s all that had been available, so they¡¯d been forced to share. It was big enough that they could stay spread apart on their separate sides. Yet somehow overnight, both had scooted their way to the middle, and now Phon was fully nestled into Mallea¡¯s side, resting her head on the butler¡¯s arm. Mallea hoped that she could pull away before the child noticed, but the slightest tug sent the baby stirring, and she was up and awake a moment later, wiping the sleep from her eyes. The two of them shared a look after that, but neither of them overreacted, since that would be admitting a loss as if the situation were a big deal. They didn¡¯t say a word to each other for a while as they got dressed for the day, but thankfully, the breakfast they were served that morning gave them an excuse to change the subject. It was horrible, so how could they not discuss it? Drome Coli¡¯s official title was the Hub City of Health and Wellness. What this actually translated to was the city of Sports and Medicine. The idea for the city was to have everything that centered around a healthy lifestyle¡ªbeing active, eating well, and receiving any medical treatment that one needed. While the intent had been pure, things hadn¡¯t quite followed those guidelines when it came to actual development. Rather than the old method before the war of each major city or country having their own sports team that competed, they all now resided in Drome Coli. There were dozens of arenas and even more training facilities for the players. Not every team stayed in the city year round, returning home in the off season, but it was just easier for them to reside in Drome Coli when there were matches to be played. What this meant was that a vast majority of the city¡¯s tourists came to watch the matches and would then return to their daily lives. Fans spending a bunch of money to come and sit on their asses, watch a match, and gorge on some of the unhealthiest food imaginable wasn¡¯t exactly the dream the city planners had aspired to. However, it was loosely stated that it was still in the spirit of the concept since watching athletes perform at the peak of physical condition would inspire others to improve. What¡¯s more, it somehow worked. The city was flooded with health nuts and businesses looking to capitalize on that aspect. There were countless nutritionists, weight loss centers, gyms with specialized trainers, health food peddlers, and so many more¡ªall ready to make someone the best they could be, if they had the money to afford it. Of course, there were hotels that matched this healthy mentality to help support those on their journey of better health. One such hotel is where Mallea and Phon had found themselves, and thus the breakfast served was all healthy garbage. For the most part it was flavorless, and what did have flavor, they wished it didn¡¯t. To make matters worse, since both girls had actually extensively studied nutrition, what was touted as extremely healthy was questionable at best. If they had been able to stay at a hotel meant for sports fans, their morning spread would have probably been pretty good. But it was the weekend, and there were several matches scheduled, so finding a vacancy at one of those hotels would have been impossible, and they hadn¡¯t even tried. Now, Mallea was regretting not going with her backup plan if they hadn¡¯t found a room to stay in. The other proponent of Drome Coli was the medical aspect. Most patients would stay in the facilities themselves, but there were somewhat cheaper accommodations for accompanying family. They were essentially dorm rooms or hostels with minimal privacy, but at least the food would have been better. Since they were still run by the medical facilities, the food probably would have been on par with what was served in a hospital, but it could at least be called food unlike the questionable substances they¡¯d been eating. At least it gave the women an excuse to break through their morning awkwardness. The medical half of Drome Coli, which was entirely removed from all things sports, was fully funded by the Central Peace. These medical institutions were state-of-the-art and the best in the world. Some were solely for treating unique patients, those with rare diseases or odd issues that a standard hospital would struggle with. Others were all for studying drugs or new treatments to further the medical field as a whole. While it was all under the CP umbrella, that didn¡¯t mean there wasn¡¯t competition. Funding wasn¡¯t equal. There was a minimum amount, of course, to make sure that the facilities were able to run at standard procedure, but if they wanted additional incentive, they needed to produce results. That would explain why every institution was boasting their own miracle doctor. The funny thing was, regardless of where someone went, they¡¯d receive the best treatment possible. To the patients, each facility probably did have their own version of a miracle doctor, but that wasn¡¯t what the two girls were looking for. Being the peak of human medicine didn¡¯t help them. They needed someone who could treat a Fiend. What¡¯s weirder was that a Fiend shouldn¡¯t be sick to begin with, so this was something serious. Ahvra¡¯s Curse hadn¡¯t changed everyone¡¯s age. It simply didn¡¯t have the reach or power. It had most likely been an airborne illness that Ahvra had made accidentally, so they needed a doctor who could combat something created by the supernatural. If you come across this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it. They could rule out anyone performing cosmetic surgery, which Drome Coli was filled with. If someone wanted literally any aspect of their body altered, there was a doctor here that could do it. While the Fiend bodies had been physically changed, it didn¡¯t seem like that line of medicine would be particularly helpful. But since they didn¡¯t really understand this time related disease, they couldn¡¯t rule out much else. Unfortunately, this didn¡¯t leave them much to go on, but since this kind of issue likely fell under standard medical practice, they decided to start with the various hospitals in the city. If that didn¡¯t work, they planned to find an information broker. Every city had one, along with its fair dose of sketchy back alleys, whether the government or its people acknowledged it or not. Drome Coli in particular was very keen on spouting that everything was legitimate and backed scientifically. No pseudoscience treatments or sham products were found anywhere in the city, or at least that was the promise. Drome Coli didn¡¯t even have any form of official gambling, but that didn¡¯t mean that there wasn¡¯t unofficial bets if someone knew where to look. That, or someone could easily make a call to a bookie in Shindig if they really wanted to bet on an upcoming match. Coincidentally enough, on their walk over to the first hospital on their list, the two girls already picked up on some gossip of a miracle doctor as they walked by. The group in question was a few middle-aged women sitting at an outdoor table with drinks and a pile of shopping bags. One glance at the bags made it obvious what they were: bored wives who were waiting for their spouses to finish shopping for sports paraphernalia. ¡°Pardon me ladies, could I ask more about those doctors you were mentioning?¡± Mallea boldly walked over to them. They were each mentioning a famous doctor they¡¯d heard of. Word of mouth was often better than official sources for this kind of thing, so it didn¡¯t hurt to ask and may give them a few leads. ¡°Yes, we have a few questions,¡± Phon followed up. ¡°Woah, a butler and a baby?¡± One of the women questioned. ¡°Oh, are you a street performer?¡± the next asked. ¡°You know¡ what was it? A ventriloquist?¡± It wasn¡¯t the oddest leap in logic. Given how they were dressed and how Phon was perched on Mallea¡¯s shoulder, it certainly wasn¡¯t natural. Phon being a doll probably made more sense in their minds, especially with her shiny hair and eyes. ¡°Such a pretty doll!¡± The third didn¡¯t even wait for confirmation. ¡°She looks so real. Can you make her sing?¡± Well, since they had grasped their attention at least, instead of being shunned immediately, Mallea figured she may as well indulge them. Perhaps a few cheap tricks could lead to looser lips. Singing was of course one of the talents that Mallea had picked up. Changing it to match more of a childlike tone was a bit more of a struggle, but Mallea was able to grasp and then perfect it after a few hums. Surprisingly, Phon¡¯s mouth matched the movements of Mallea¡¯s melody rather well, but it was purely unintentional. She had just been baffled that Mallea was entertaining their whims at all and was at a loss for words. But, Phon didn¡¯t go along with the bit for much longer. Fed up with the embarrassment and confusion, Phon punched Mallea straight in the side of her face to get her to stop. While Phon was currently a toddler with insignificant toddler strength, she was still a Fiend. That weak force was multiplied to the point that Mallea felt like she¡¯d been punched by roughly twenty toddlers at once. It wasn¡¯t enough to knock her over, but it still sent her reeling. Phon had to grasp on for dear life to keep from being knocked off. But the women didn¡¯t mind the bit of domestic abuse. No, it just made them applaud even more, thinking it was part of the act. In fact, they even tried to tip Mallea for the show, but Mallea refused, instead asking for her questions to be answered as payment. The confusion of Phon being a doll never did get cleared up, but at least they got some decent information. Two of the women¡¯s answers were useless, but the third had heard tell of just the kind of doctor they were looking for. They didn¡¯t receive a name or even where they worked, but allegedly working in one of the Drome Coli hospitals was a doctor who specializes in unsolvable cases. He¡¯d only see patients with issues he deemed worthy of his attention. And unimportantly, but not only mentioned, but heavily stressed as well, was that he was supposed to be breathtakingly handsome and charming. Ultimately, this knowledge didn¡¯t change their course, but it gave them new hope of finding someone. Phon refined a search on her phone along the way using the new information given. While there was still no specific details, several accounts backed up that woman¡¯s claims. ¡°Oh Cosmos, what¡¯s happened to your child?¡± Mallea and Phon were anxiously greeted by the nurse manning the front station when they entered the first hospital. It hadn¡¯t been the reaction they were expecting, but now were surprised no one had mentioned it up to this point. Maybe the new world of Fiends had made people more used to seeing oddly colored hair, but in the medical world, hair devoid of all color would certainly be cause for panic and intrigue. This actually became a good barometer to test if a miracle doctor was actually present at the facility. If they had someone confident enough to investigate and treat such an obscure illness, that¡¯d be someone worth looking into. That hospital ended up being a bust, with a quick examination bewildering all the staff present. At each subsequent hospital, Mallea played up the unconsolable mother role a little more. She found that the more erratic she acted, they¡¯d receive assistance that much quicker. On the other end, Phon grew more discontent with each visit. She didn¡¯t have to act in order to fulfill the role of the frustrated and severely embarrassed child. ¡°Quick, someone bring Dr. Graf!¡± the front attendant called out to the waiting room. The other patients sitting around gave confused glances at the declaration, but the ears perked up of every staff member. ¡°I¡¯ll get him!¡± a nurse answered and almost sprinted out of the room. She didn¡¯t make it very far, falling flat on her face after tripping over an inconveniently placed mop. The nearby janitor didn¡¯t even attempt to help the fallen nurse, instead they shouted ¡°No, I¡¯ll get him!¡± and dashed away. He wasn¡¯t the last, as nearly a dozen other staff rushed out of the room to try and be the one to reach the doctor first. Mallea and Phon shared a slightly perturbed look at this behavior, but hopefully it meant that they had a winner. V3: Chapter 6 - No Time to Explain | Part 2.1 - All That for a Drop of Blood The two women weren¡¯t quite prepared for the group that approached them. It was an entire gaggle of nurses of both genders, but they were all keeping their distance. None of them dared to get too close to the man leading the charge. Or maybe it wasn¡¯t their choice, because if any strayed from the pack, it looked like they were pulled back in¡ªa group consensus of ¡®look but don¡¯t touch¡¯. And they sure were looking, their eyes glued to the man. He was a young doctor in a standard lab coat. His clothes were a basic dress-shirt and slacks¡ªnothing really impressive and maybe even a little cheap looking for his profession. Perhaps the humble attire was supposed to be part of his charm. The most important part, though, were the few undone buttons at the top, giving a glimpse of collarbone and his discreet muscular figure. The man himself was pretty handsome, not as handsome as the rumors made him out to be, but he certainly wasn¡¯t hard on the eyes. His delightful smile and interested gaze likely did most of the heavy lifting for the impression he left on others. His hair was brown and slightly curly¡ªfairly standard, though it was quite lush. Most intriguing were his eyes. They were a heather color, gray with the slightest tinge of purple. An exceedingly rare eye shade, but it was overshadowed in the days of Fiends. ¡°Good morning, Shanice,¡± the doctor initially ignored them and greeted the attendant who¡¯d made the call. ¡°Thank you for always taking such good care of our patients. I know they feel reassured the moment they see your friendly face.¡± He reached out and gently lifted her hand. Then, he pulled it to his face and gave it the lightest kiss on her fingers. ¡°Oh, I see you¡¯ve been following the treatment I suggested. Your complexion is already looking so much clearer.¡± ¡°Uhuh¡ yeah¡¡± the woman could barely form a response. She was gone, in a dream, fully smitten and charmed. Shanice didn¡¯t even seem to notice the horde of angry glares from the doctor''s entourage. ¡°Hello there, little one.¡± The doctor wasted no further time and calmly strode his way over to Phon. ¡°Don¡¯t be afraid. My name is Dr. Farian Graf. I¡¯m going to take care of you. Whatever ails you, I won¡¯t rest until you¡¯re healthy again.¡± He grabbed Phon¡¯s hand and repeated a similar kiss on her hand. ¡°Oh my gosh,¡± one of the nurses cried out. ¡°I know he gives a kiss to all of his patients, but seeing him kiss a small child is just so cute.¡± The group quickly devolved into nothing but swooning noises for the time being. Dr. Graf didn¡¯t share their same fluffy mood it seemed. It was something only Phon and Mallea could see from their angle, but for a split-second his eyes looked confused, and then the second after, they turned fierce and almost aggressive. It could be thought of as nothing but a trick of the light, because he was back to his usual charm-exuding self a moment later. ¡°Excuse me, everyone, but this patient will require further examination,¡± he declared to all those staring at him. ¡°In private!¡± he made sure to hammer that part. The doctor quickly ushered the two women away, down another hallway in the opposite direction of his following. Yet they still followed. ¡°Wait doctor!¡± one of them called out after Dr. Graf opened the door to a room. ¡°That room is occupied!¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry!¡± Dr. Graf called back. He slammed the door behind them after he¡¯d basically shoved Mallea and Phon inside, locking the door behind them. After a sigh of relief while leaning against the door for a moment, his eyes turned harsh and suspicious. ¡°So you must be Phon Drazah.¡± Phon and Mallea looked at each other, then back to Dr. Graf, then over to the patient in the room. They were asleep, but were more likely in a coma. The beeping machines nearby that were barely keeping them alive seemed to confirm that. ¡°You¡¯re mistaken if you think that change in appearance can fool me. Even if I didn¡¯t recognize your butler, Mallea Dulip, that hair is a dead giveaway. Though, I had my own way of knowing. Regardless, you¡¯re not sick, so why are you here?¡± ¡°What do you mean I¡¯m not sick?!¡± Phon vehemently protested. ¡°I¡¯ve turned into a Cosdamn baby! How can you say there¡¯s nothing wrong with me?¡± ¡°I said what I said. You¡¯d do well not to question a diagnosis from me,¡± Dr. Graf looked positively offended by their doubt. The corners of his mouth twisted upwards, all semblance of his former charm lost as he bared his teeth in a wicked grin. ¡°I couldn¡¯t be wrong even if I tried, because I¡¯m a Fiend too.¡± ¡°Hmm, don¡¯t believe me?¡± he noticed their questioning stares. ¡°Then how do you explain this?¡± He grabbed a scalpel nearby and sliced his arm. Heather colored blood that matched his eyes dribbled out for a moment until the wound healed shortly after. ¡°I guess you could say I got lucky. These eyes are pretty boring compared to other Fiends. I didn¡¯t have to alter them at all to keep blending in.¡± Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon. ¡°Same with your hair then?¡± Phon was still suspicious of that part. ¡°If only I could be so lucky,¡± Dr. Graf was suddenly so distraught. ¡°Those working here would be so disappointed if they found out. Hmm¡ maybe I should actually tell them then. But you see, I¡¯m actually bald.¡± He grabbed his hair with a fist and yoinked it off his head, revealing a shiny, well-polished scalp. ¡°I actually lost all of my hair in med-school from the stress. It was something I was quite looking forward to when I became a Fiend, since I¡¯d heard that their hair forcibly grew back if shaved. Yet, it never came. The other hair on my body, though, did change color. I¡¯d be happy to show you, if you¡¯d like.¡± ¡°Perhaps we should go,¡± Mallea suggested. ¡°Dealing with someone who¡¯d expose their body to children would be unbecoming for our current circumstances.¡± ¡°Oh, relax,¡± Dr. Graf¡¯s mood swung once again. ¡°It was a joke. I don¡¯t get to make jokes in my normal life. It¡¯d shatter the image they have of me.¡± ¡°Yes, hello, can we get back to the part where I¡¯m a Cosdamn child?¡± Phon was starting to lose her patience. ¡°Can you explain how I¡¯m not sick¡? Please, Dr. Graf?¡± she added a vain attempt at cute courtesy, mocking the squeals of those who stalked him. ¡°Just call me Farian,¡± the doctor insisted. ¡°They call me Dr. Graf with cutesy screeches so often that it¡¯s stopped sounding real to me. And it¡¯s obvious. I said that because my Curse told me that you aren¡¯t.¡± Farian opened his mouth wide and then his tongue started slithering out. It kept going and going, like a hose unraveling until it was several feet long. ¡°I can taste disease,¡± he was able to say quite eloquently despite his current oral composition. The tongue then reeled itself back in. ¡°I don¡¯t kiss all my patients to be suave,¡± he insisted. ¡°In fact, I find it quite revolting. Do you know how many germs are on the average hand? But, that is the easiest way to pass it off without suspicion. I just need to touch their skin with my tongue and I know everything about them.¡± ¡°Well¡ not quite everything, and sometimes a simple kiss isn¡¯t enough. Some patients require a longer touch or for me to taste a specific area. It all depends what their issue is, but the casual touch will give me place to start. It will also give me a good overview of their current condition and medical history.¡± ¡°Take this dreg for example.¡± Farian walked next to the man and crouched down. He moved his face next to the man¡¯s so that their cheeks were touching, side-to-side. The long tongue returned and it wiggled over to the unconscious man, lapping up his face and slathering it with drool. It was clear this allegedly miracle doctor was actually a freakshow, but that kind of person was usually easier to work with for the Fiends For Hire. Farian sucked up his tongue once more and then spat on the floor in disgust. ¡°Quite the uncomfortable display, I¡¯m sure, but I can tell you it wasn¡¯t a treat for me either. With that kind of exam, I know everything about this man¡¯s body. I could tell you his blood type, blood pressure, heart rate, allergies, anything you wanted to know.¡± ¡°I also know exactly what¡¯s wrong with him, which I¡¯ve actually known for some time¡ªminutes after he was admitted several weeks ago. You could call me bad at my job, but I¡¯m actually the best. I could have treated him and had him as spry as a young man, even in his old age, and out of this hospital within an hour.¡± ¡°But if you ask me, any minute longer that this drazsucker of a human being can stay unconscious, the world will thank me for it. He¡¯s a politician you see, one whose policies have hurt many. Always treat the sick and injured, no matter who they are, that was the oath we took. What a load of horsezjik.¡± ¡°However¡ he paid a lot of money to be treated by a genius doctor, so he will be healed. Normally, I don¡¯t charge anything for my services, under the stipulation that it is a case I¡¯m interested in. I only treat the rarest and most unique diseases because I want to learn and advance medicine as much as I can in my lifetime.¡± ¡°But, there¡¯s some things that go over my head. Since he paid the right people, or rather his estate did, it¡¯s no longer my choice to treat him. So, I will make him better, but he¡¯ll pay dearly. With money, and with his life.¡± The sinister smirk returned from before. It had started raining outside the window, and would be the perfect time for an ominous lightning strike, but Cosmos wasn¡¯t in the mood to add dramatic flare. ¡°Craziest thing about some of my patients. I have a perfect record of treatment. Every single one of my patients has walked out of this hospital in the picture of health. Yet, some don¡¯t last very long. It could be a few days, or maybe a few months or years, but they¡¯ll die of a sudden health issue. Not what they came to be treated for, mind you, since that would only draw undue suspicion and would be a blemish on my record.¡± ¡°No, my Curse tells me everything about someone¡¯s body. Maybe they have bad kidneys, high blood pressure, a dormant heart issue, the very beginnings of a cellular disease¡ªthings that would be unrecognizable or glossed over during their time here.¡± ¡°In this bastard¡¯s case, he has the start of a brain aneurysm. It¡¯s too small currently to be picked up on any of our scans. At its expected rate, he¡¯d probably live a few more decades before it killed him. But not on my watch.¡± ¡°His current disease is very treatable but still very unknown in the medical community. I won¡¯t bore you with the details, but I¡¯ve been slow-dripping his recovery instead of just healing him all at once. I lied about what it was, but as long as he shows steady recovery, no one will ask any questions. Speaking of. It¡¯s time for his daily dose.¡± Farian took out a syringe from his lab coat and injected it directly into the man¡¯s neck. V3: Chapter 6 - No Time to Explain | Part 2.2 - All That for a Drop of Blood ¡°A concoction I brewed myself,¡± the doctor had a self-satisfied smug smirk on his face. ¡°What I give him while everyone is looking is nothing more than a placebo. This is actually the last dose he needs. Now there¡¯s nothing anyone can do to stop it unless he receives treatment almost immediately.¡± ¡°His wife will come for her regular visit in a few days. About now is when she¡¯d be thinking of complaining to the administration that things are taking too long. But he¡¯ll wake up when she¡¯s sitting right next to him. A touching moment that will surely see a proportionally sizable donation to the hospital and boost its reputation even further.¡± ¡°He will leave this hospital feeling better than he has in decades, but it won¡¯t last. There is an upcoming vote in a few months, a very important one that he¡¯ll be leading the charge on. But, there will be a tragedy that day. A few hours before the vote, he¡¯ll start having an excruciating headache. This isn¡¯t normally how aneurysms work, but I added it for fun. The pain will grow worse and worse. By the time he¡¯s worried about it enough to do anything, it¡¯ll be too late. And then¡ pop!¡± ¡°A master of medicine and a psychopath. Yes, you¡¯re certainly a Fiend,¡± Phon smirked as all doubts were erased. ¡°Don¡¯t think I¡¯m judging you. I have no room to talk, but it¡¯s weird that you¡¯re telling us all this. Guessing the murder that made you a Fiend must be something along those lines.¡± ¡°Sort of,¡± Farian paused for a moment to figure out how to word it. ¡°Well yes, exactly like this case. It was a patient of mine that deserved to die. But it was not a traditional loved one that triggered the change like it is for most other Fiends. No, I long abandoned familial and amorous relationships for my work.¡± ¡°But the truth of it is, I love all of my patients! They are my family now, and their lives are in my hands. How could I not give them all of my attention and affection?! From the moment they enter to the moment they leave, they are all who matter in my life. Even this insufferable bastard here. You see, it is because of my love that I know when correction is needed, that they are a festering wound, just as you have amputated your own father from the world for his mistakes.¡± ¡°As for why I¡¯m telling you, it¡¯s because I¡¯ve been holding it in for so long. There¡¯s absolutely no one here, be it patient or staff, that I can confide in without risking my cover. And I know you won¡¯t tell anyone, not just because you¡¯re Fiends yourselves, but also because there¡¯s something you still want from me.¡± ¡°So I will help you, but there¡¯s something I want as well. Medicine is my life, but I¡¯m at the peak. This is why I only specialize in unique diseases, because everything else is either solved or has a huge backing behind it. There¡¯s very little left to explore in human medicine.¡± ¡°But then came a new frontier. I¡¯ve been interested in Fiends for quite some time, well before I became one. I even submitted a few research papers about the belief of an evolved species beyond humans well before they became public knowledge. I¡¯d based it on snippets of evidence and vague accounts. I even had mentions of you and your brother in it. Some of the papers got decent attention, but most got me laughed out of the room. Who¡¯s laughing now?¡± ¡°Of course, Fiends don¡¯t exactly get sick very often, so there hasn¡¯t been much to explore on that end. Though, I¡¯ve still investigated Fiends as a whole and your group thoroughly. However, I¡¯ve obtained something of a rival: a fellow Fiend known as The Pestilent Plague Doctor. They may not know of me, but I¡¯ve seen their work more times than I¡¯d care to count.¡± ¡°I assume their Curse is something like mine, it¡¯d be hard to explain some of the stuff I¡¯ve seen otherwise. They are in the business of creating new, completely unheard of diseases, and they use live humans as incubators for their experiments. It¡¯s not uncommon for their victims to become patients of mine. After you all, they¡¯re near the top of the CP¡¯s most wanted.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t get me wrong, though. They¡¯re not all bad. We seem to have similar ideologies of who deserves to be subjected to such twisted fates. Not all the time, however. Some don¡¯t quite meet my bar, so I heal them completely and send them on their way. But others, I¡¯ll finish the job that The Plague Doctor¡¯s work should have finished had they not sought out my services. If anything, I¡¯d actually like to meet them¡ªnot as rivals but as colleagues, to see how far we could advance the medical world.¡± ¡°That brings me to my next point. The environment here has become quite stifling and ill-conducive to my goals. To put it bluntly, everyone¡¯s admiration and bickering for my attention has become nothing but a nuisance. However, I¡¯ve always gone where I¡¯ve been needed, which means I¡¯ve stayed put for the most part. But now that somewhere else needs me, it seems like it¡¯s time for a change.¡± ¡°I said I normally don¡¯t charge for my services, but I¡¯m about to lose my livelihood. The cost is that I will join your organization as its head physician, but there are several caveats. First, and most importantly, I will be allowed to continue my work outside of helping your organization. Any who wish to seek out treatment from me will be allowed to do so, regardless of species or affiliation. If you can¡¯t agree to that, the rest is irrelevant.¡± Find this and other great novels on the author''s preferred platform. Support original creators! ¡°Second, I will be given full access to the medical records of your organization as well as those you stole from the Central Peace. Yes, I know about that as well. Third, you will use your vast wealth and distribution networks to release medicines I create to the populace for no expected profit. Fourth, I¡¯m aware you have a chemist on staff and would like their assistance in my experiments moving forward.¡± ¡°Lastly, if anyone ever again attempts to become a burden to me because of their hormones and one-sided emotions, I reserve the right to inject them with a love-stunting serum I¡¯ve been working on. There¡¯s more, but the rest is merely wants and are negotiable. If you agree to all that. I will cure you.¡± ¡°So, you¡¯re saying we¡¯ll be fixed and we¡¯ll get a specialized doctor that we¡¯ve honestly really needed. Nah, no way, terrible deal.¡± Even though her body had regressed, Phon¡¯s snark certainly hadn¡¯t. ¡°Fine, agreed. Let¡¯s finally get to it, but didn¡¯t you say I wasn¡¯t sick? How can you fix something when there¡¯s no problem to begin with?¡± ¡°There¡¯s always a problem,¡± Farian corrected her. ¡°It¡¯s just not always the one you suspect. No, you are certainly not sick. In fact, you¡¯re overly healthy for your age. That¡¯s due to being a Fiend, no doubt. But that doesn¡¯t mean you weren¡¯t sick. If I may, I¡¯d like another taste. The moment from before gave me the gist but not all of the specifics.¡± Phon reluctantly held out her hand, grimacing as it was kissed once more. ¡°0.86 seconds, that¡¯s how long you were sick for. Up until this reading just now, I wasn¡¯t entirely convinced you¡¯d been sick at all. I noticed something the first time, but considered that it could be a remnant of The Witch¡¯s Curse lingering on you. My initial guess was that you¡¯d upset her and she¡¯d turned you into a child. Then you came to me instead of apologizing.¡± ¡°But no, now I can tell you with absolute certainty that a virus did this. I¡¯ll need to come up with a name for it later, but to explain it simply, your ¡®time¡¯ has been attacked. What an interesting concept. I¡¯d heard of The Witch¡¯s time manipulation, but never fully grasped the tangibility of it. That¡¯s a taste I won¡¯t soon forget.¡± ¡°And what exactly does time taste like?¡± Mallea spoke for the first time in a while now that something interested her. ¡°Hmm¡ decay.¡± Farian wasn¡¯t quite sure, but that was the best way he could describe it. ¡°Now, could you please explain the full scope of events so that I can get a better picture before giving my diagnosis.¡± ¡°You do it Mallea. This body is getting tired,¡± Phon¡¯s order was followed by an affirming yawn. ¡°Fine,¡± Mallea agreed since it would move things along. ¡°Yesterday morning, I couldn¡¯t tell you the exact time since it was unimportant. All Fiends and Lesser Fiends had their ages changed. The Fiends were all roughly between the ages of 1 and 4, with one exception that looked almost fetal. The Lesser Fiends appeared roughly between the ages of 70 and 90. For whatever reason, the ages were pretty inconsistent, but all were all within those ranges.¡± ¡°All humans were left entirely unaffected. There were two further exceptions to the change. The Royal, Feyjrusa Sulatrieve remained unchanged and unaffected by the illness, but they do not have any time and age at a fixed rate. The Witch was also physically unchanged, but her body is normally frozen in time.¡± ¡°However, she seems to be the most affected by the illness and is actually showing symptoms of traditional disease. Whatever the cause, it seems she is still sick. Furthermore, the illness appeared to be worsening before we left, slowly over time. I¡¯ve asked a staff member to keep us updated, and her condition keeps degrading.¡± ¡°Alright, that¡¯s enough, thank you,¡± Farian went into thought for a bit longer. ¡°That confirms my suspicions and diagnosis. All of your members were affected by the same time-attacking disease. This virus is very greedy, and is only interested in those with superior time outputs. I cannot see time like The Witch, but I can still measure it with my own Curse. Fiends and Lessers exude much more.¡± ¡°That is why humans aren¡¯t targeted, since they wouldn¡¯t have been satisfying enough to the virus. It¡¯s a good thing too, since the disease would have literally eaten their time to death. The only reason you all only had your ages changed instead of suffering a much worse fate is because of the boosted immune system of Fiends and Lessers.¡± ¡°As I said early, you were sick for exactly 0.86 seconds. Quite fortunate really. If it had reached a full second, your time would have been fully devoured and you would have been unborn out of existence.¡± ¡°This next part is only a theory and would require more study, but I¡¯m guessing that the reason Fiends grew younger and Lessers grew older is because the virus took the path of least resistance.¡± ¡°We don¡¯t have enough data yet, since a Fiend has yet to live a full natural lifespan, but from what I can gather, a Fiend¡¯s immune system will remain relatively unchanged in its life. Therefore, the virus targeted the time in reverse, taking advantage of the weaker immune system of a child and less time to eat through.¡± ¡°For a Lesser, while their immune system will always receive a boost, they should still see considerable degradation in their health as they age. Even though it was more time to eat through, it would still be the better path for a virus rather than fight through resilience of a younger body. And like with humans, a Lesser would be less desirable, so it¡¯s not going to put in as much effort. Fortunate again, since if it went the younger route, all the Lessers would be dead.¡± ¡°That leaves us with The Witch. Obviously, she did not change in age because of her usual quandary with time. However, that doesn¡¯t explain why her immune system didn¡¯t dispose of the virus. She shouldn¡¯t still be sick either, which makes me believe something else must be affecting her. I¡¯ll need to see her in person so that I can examine her properly.¡± V3: Chapter 6 - No Time to Explain | Part 2.3 - All That for a Drop of Blood ¡°Okay, that¡¯s great and all. Brilliant deduction and medical stuff you just said,¡± Phon had gained enough energy to be chatty again. ¡°But how does all that help me, and more importantly, Drim? If we¡¯re not sick, then how can we change back? Don¡¯t tell me¡¡± ¡°I fear your suspicions are correct,¡± the doctor delivered the bad news. ¡°If I am unable to cure The Witch, there will be no one to change you back.¡± ¡°Then that means¡¡± ¡°Yes, the only way for you to return to your former selves would be to wait and grow up naturally. Unfortunately, for the Lessers, they would have to accept their circumstances and enjoy what precious lives they have left to live.¡± ¡°Also, things may be worse than you understand for your brother¡¯s situation. This goes for all Fiends except for you, but I doubt you care as much about their plight. I was able to learn about the unique disease known as Premature Cognition just now due to examining you with my Curse. Thank you for enlightening me.¡± ¡°Because you were not reverted to an age before your Premature Cognition occurred, you should grow up mostly the same as you were before. There would likely be some changes by the time you reached your previous age, since that is a lot of life to live. But more or less, you should be the same person¡ªhopefully a bit more mature after all that time.¡± ¡°In your brother¡¯s case, his mind has fully returned to that of a child, yes? While he should have most of his memories and experiences stored away, they will likely be unprocessable with a child¡¯s brain. In essence, they would do little-to-nothing to sculpt who he would become.¡± ¡°Now, there is a chance Drim may re-experience Premature Cognition around the same age that he did before. That, I cannot guarantee in the slightest. It would come down to if his body remembers that it is supposed to follow that path by the time he reaches that age.¡± ¡°Even if it did happen as it had before, that¡¯d still be what, three to four years from now? That is a long time for someone at the most impressionable age. If you want him as close to how he was, you would need to raise him in as similar of an environment as possible that he experienced before until such a time. He still wouldn¡¯t be the same person, and may have forgotten many of his memories by then, but that is still a possibility. It would be the best natural result.¡± ¡°If you wanted him to be as close to the person as you remember, you would need to trigger his Premature Cognition again as quickly as possible. That would mean subjecting him to a new unspeakable trauma. A brutal path for sure, but his brain would be once again able to process his old memories and personality. That would be the most reliable path to having him return to normal, though he¡¯d still have to grow up of course.¡± ¡°Were this the path you¡¯d choose, you¡¯d want to do it as soon as possible. Every minute that he and all the other Fiends remain a child, that is more impressions on their mind that they may retain. A few days probably won¡¯t do much if anything at all, but a few weeks or months could change who they are permanently, even if we could eventually heal The Witch so she could change them back.¡± ¡°Therefore, it is imperative that The Witch is cured as quickly as possible, and we should avoid further delay so that this all becomes a moot point. As I am planning to stay with you, I would normally require the moving of all my belongings and give proper notice to my place of work. We can forgo that for now, and I will have my things shipped at a later date.¡± ¡°However, all that said, I must insist on a moment of selfishness. As much of a nuisance as my coworkers have become, they have still been good to me. They don¡¯t deserve my disappearance without a word. I would ask that you give me some time to tell them my plans and to come clean with the truth. Given how I expect them to react, I don¡¯t anticipate that it will take long.¡± Farian affixed the wig to his head and unlocked the door. ¡°Please wait for me at the lobby. I will be with you shortly.¡± He left the room and there was still a crowd in the hallway. ¡°Everyone, I have an announcement to make. Please head to the conference room and invite anyone who may wish to hear from me. It¡¯d break my heart if anyone regretted missing out.¡± Phon and Mallea returned to the lobby as requested. A few of the other patients looked distraught since virtually all staff had abandoned the area. That didn¡¯t last very long, though, as Farian had predicted. A few minutes later, the entire facility was filled with endless cries and the wails of pained agony. It sounded like a torture chamber, and some of the waiting patients even elected to leave and escape what sounded like an abandoned, haunted hospital. If you come across this story on Amazon, it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it. Farian strutted down the hall towards the lobby not long after. He was bearing it all, his bald head shining out as a beacon to the public. There was a genuine, blissful smile on his face, and the way he walked looked so light¡ªa heavy burden finally lifted off of him. No one was shadowing in his footsteps now, and he couldn¡¯t look happier. ¡ô¡ô¡ô The flight back to the compound was fairly uneventful. All precautions had been prepared for, and provisions were purchased in plenty. Phon didn¡¯t even argue about being relegated to the back seat since she could lay down and nap to her body¡¯s content. Farian didn¡¯t say much during the trip. Mallea had Rusa send him the file on Ahvra¡¯s latest experiment so he could look it over and start picking apart the disease that had been created. His insightful visage as he studied¡ªlost in his own world¡ªmade it plain to see why he¡¯d captivated so many, not that he¡¯d be stirring the hearts of any of those present. Even though both women understood the time crunch of their mission, they couldn¡¯t resist going to check on things at the headquarters building upon their return. More resident Lessers had come to join the events and were all gathered around Rusa as she played the piano. They were singing as a choir to some of the modern hits that would certainly be considered oldies a few decades from now. Most of the member Lessers weren¡¯t around, which probably wasn¡¯t a good sign, but that would have to be left alone for now. In another corner, a baby Chorus was putting on a stage play. Rezin was assisting them with his hallucination spectacles that really drew in the audience. As one of the few adults around, his efforts were probably better served elsewhere, but this play was keeping a good chunk of the children entertained and quiet. Deborah was even watching along, not that she¡¯d have the capability to do much else. She was dead¡ªdeader than dead¡ªa lifeless husk barely cognizant of the world around her. The poor woman didn¡¯t even try to resist when Roque came to peddle an overpriced snack for the show. He merely handed it to her, and then she obediently pressed her finger to his Common Card to confirm the transaction. Drim was in a temporarily walled off area that had been converted into sleeping quarters. It was stuffed full of small beds and cribs so that as many of the children could sleep at once while still being observed. He was sharing one of the cribs with Pox. The two were curled up together, snuggling with a hug. Mallea and Phon weren¡¯t as crass as to wake him up while he was sleeping so peacefully, but maybe a picture was taken. When they returned, they found Farian being swarmed by the children and a pouting Chorus since they were being upstaged. It seemed one of them had taken an interest in the new person, but the rest quickly followed when the doctor started handing out candy they had on hand in their coat. After all the children were placated and back to their entertainment, the women escorted Farian down to the secret lab. Ahvra¡¯s condition had only gotten worse. Outside of her feverish symptoms, her body was now changing every few seconds to a different age. Each change seemed to be rather unpleasant and only stressed her body that much more. Farian gave her hand a kiss. Well, he did after a few tries since the hand kept sliding away from the rapid changes in size. Then, to everyone¡¯s surprise, he burst out laughing. ¡°I was expecting this to be complicated. Hours ahead of me testing remedies, I was kind of looking forward to it. But the solution is so simple, not that anyone but me could ever think of it.¡± ¡°My diagnosis is as basic as can be. Her time is out of whack, and it needs to be reset. Like the others, she was sick only very briefly. What she¡¯s experiencing now isn¡¯t any virus. It¡¯s her body trying to catch up to her fluxes in time and overcorrecting. She just needs a guiding beacon to set her back on the right path.¡± ¡°Okay, uhhh, how do we reset her time?¡± Andi who¡¯d been watching over her was desperate to see her cured. ¡°We just need a pure injection of present time. I know that sounds obtuse and intangible, but it¡¯s not as serious as you think. Old and mechanical would be best. I doubt there¡¯s any old-styled clocks around here. Guessing everything is digital, but there was an antique shop in the town, yes?¡± ¡°Ms. Dulip, could I please trouble you to go into town and purchase one for us. It doesn¡¯t matter the type or brand, as long as it isn¡¯t digital and still operates.¡± Mallea returned not long after, actually having accomplished an errand someone else set for her that wasn¡¯t Drim. She¡¯d most likely been able to manage it since it still directly affected him in some way. The clock wasn¡¯t that old, barely on the cusp of what could be considered an antique. It was small and built for a nightstand, the kind with actual ringing bells that would have to be slammed to get it to shut up in the morning. Farian wound the clock and put it close to his ear, listening to it tick. ¡°Ah yes, perfect. It is pure time, flowing unimpeded.¡± ¡°So, how exactly do we harness time to administer it to her?¡± Andi was getting invested in the science, and more invested in being relieved of her duty as soon as possible. ¡°Do we need to hook it up to some sort of energy converter to capture the ticking time?¡± ¡°Oh, nothing so involved,¡± Farian huffed, still amused. He gripped the clock loosely between his fingers and returned to the bed. After waiting for a moment where Ahvra was more stable, Farian clonked her on the head. V3: Chapter 6 - No Time to Explain | Part 2.4 - All That for a Drop of Blood ¡°Ow, ow, ow, ow!¡± Ahvra immediately woke and lurched upright, rubbing her head in pain. ¡°Ugh, so tired. Feels like I haven¡¯t slept at all.¡± She blinked at the crowd of people and could immediately tell something was wrong. ¡°How long have I been out?¡± A random person in a lab coat that she¡¯d never seen handed her an old clock. It didn¡¯t have a date on it, so how exactly was that someone who could sleep up to a week at a time? ¡°Who they hell are you?¡± she couldn¡¯t help but question the stranger looming over her bed. ¡°This is uhhh¡ what was it¡ Dr. Fabio Gump?¡± Mallea attempted to introduce him. ¡°Farian Graf,¡± the doctor corrected and introduced himself. Ahvra reached out to his outstretched hand and hesitantly shook the few fingers she could with her small hands. ¡°He just cured you. I thought you were going to die,¡± Andi finally gave a proper explanation, her eyes tearing up a little. Cured? Die? Ahvra¡¯s head was still too fuzzy to process this. Then, she saw the baby in the room¡ªa child that was glaring death at her. It could only be Phon. Why was she a toddler? It then all started flooding back to her. Ahvra leapt out of bed and rushed past everyone to leave the room without explanation. She didn¡¯t run to her own lab and actually stopped at Nathym¡¯s, digging through his things. It took her a minute of throwing everything around into an unorganized mess before she found what she was looking for. When she bolted out of his lab, she realized the crowd had followed her, curious of her actions, but she wasn¡¯t ready to explain. Back in her own lab, she was pleased to find it left as the mess it should be¡ªuntouched after the failed experiment. If things had been cleaned up, it would have been more difficult to figure out why the experiment went awry, like a contaminated crime scene. But she ignored all that for now: the exploded machine, the scorch marks, the scattered furniture and broken glass. None of it was important at the moment. Ahvra rushed over to a cabinet and sighed in relief once opened. All the blood samples inside were still fine, and more importantly, still there. She grabbed them by the handful and quickly stuffed them into the lockbox she¡¯d stolen. It wasn¡¯t padded like she would have preferred, but it would have to do for now. More permanent arrangements would need to be made in the future, but these couldn¡¯t be left out in the open. The lockbox itself had varying levels of security that one could apply. Ahvra secured it with biometric, retinal, fingerprint, and voice recognition. She then handed it over to Andi and ordered, ¡±Protect that with your life.¡± ¡°We need to meet about blood and the experiment as soon as possible,¡± Ahvra finally gave the others the time of day. ¡°But I take it I need to put out a fire. Why else would you all be stalking me?¡± ¡°You¡¯re Cosdamned right there is! Now hurry up and¡ª¡± The baby Phon started to yell, but before she could get far in her tirade, Ahvra walked up to her. She barely touched Phon at all before the girl erupted in height back to her normal age, exploding out of her baby clothes. In hindsight, Ahvra probably should have given a warning, but at least it shut Phon up¡ªteleporting away in terror. ¡°Someone can explain what¡¯s going on while we go to¡ wherever we¡¯re going. I get the feeling I won¡¯t be able to get some sleep any time soon.¡± A dressing room was set up in the events room where the temporary sleeping quarters had been. A baby would be placed inside and Ahvra would poke her hand in through the curtain. When a Fiend was turned human again, there would be a set of their usual clothes waiting for them. After they stumbled outside, one of the staff members would take them away for a proper meal and a full explanation of what had happened over the past few days. Lessers didn¡¯t require as much care in the aftermath, most just shaking it off as a weird dream and carrying on about their days. For the most part, changing everyone back went smoothly. Ahvra did have to take longer and longer breaks after each one¡ªsuch repeated use of her Curse draining her to no end. She did commit to changing them all back in one sitting, understanding the possible damages that could happen if they kept delaying. Mostly, though, she knew she¡¯d never hear the end of it if she didn¡¯t. One slight conundrum was with Itsy because Crucion was wary to leave her alone even for the few moments it¡¯d take for the change to occur. He had been taking care of her personally the entire time, toting her around in a carrier strapped to his chest. They¡¯d all been worried that if they ever took her eyes off of her for a second, she¡¯d die from being so weak and fragile. Her transformation went fine, but she was weaker and had more of an appetite than all the rest. Drim was saved for last. They knew that¡¯s what he¡¯d want as leader, to have everyone else helped before him. There was certainly no mentality involved of them wanting to enjoy him in his cute baby state for even a moment longer. Eleen wasn¡¯t around to complain either, likely having put herself to sleep when the events had started. She¡¯d detested it the last time they¡¯d been turned into a baby after all. Farian got to work after everyone had been changed and had some time to recover, already proving his worth. He examined everyone to make sure there were no lingering bodily issues, but more importantly, he gave each person a full mental health screening. Such an event would have some lingering effect on the psyche, regardless of how strong willed the person was. Thankfully, there didn¡¯t seem to be any long term trauma, though some struggled to cope with embarrassing acts they¡¯d committed. Tize and Gatrim detested their older selves, but no other Lessers really seemed to care. However, plenty of Fiends blushed deeply when they remembered what they could of the past days. While not necessarily harmful, quite a few of them had lingering impulses of nostalgia and a strong desire to pick up old childhood hobbies. A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation. After letting Ahvra get some proper rest for a few days, the generals and the science team finally had their meeting to discuss what had happened. ¡°I see Pill Head is still here,¡± Ahvra stared at Farian suspiciously. ¡°Yes, Dr. Graf has come on as our physician,¡± Drim introduced him properly. ¡°He will be joining the science department and conducting his own research. Farian has also expressed an interest in your personal research and would like to provide whatever assistance he can.¡± ¡°Hmm¡¡± Ahvra stared at him a bit longer, trying to figure out how to best make use of his cooperation. ¡°A bald Fiend. Even the supernatural couldn¡¯t fix your hair. I would like to take epidermal and follicle samples. Maybe we can cure it. Was able to fix problem with Useful One¡¯s hair after all,¡± she boasted with pride. Now that the ice had been broken, Ahvra fidgeted in her seat a bit longer as eyes focused on her. It was her presentation to make, but she hated things like this. She rather would have sent this all out in a message, but some things needed to be said in person. ¡°First. I would like to apologize,¡± Ahvra bowed her entire body. ¡°The recent incident was due to a failure on my part. I was delirious due to blood loss. This caused me to make a measurement error of a compound during an experiment by a factor of 100. Assistant has already installed necessary limiters to all of our machines to ensure nothing like this happens again.¡± ¡°However, I can say that this experiment bore great results, as well as dangerous potential. What I am about to say, I implore you to keep in this room. Some will need to be said to the others, but we need to choose what we share carefully.¡± ¡°The experiment has confirmed what I long suspected about our blood, Fiend blood. It is infused with the properties of our Curses. In this case, it was my blood that caused the disease. The virus took on my Curse¡¯s properties to control the flow of a being¡¯s time.¡± ¡°Alone, blood is harmless, but if processed or mixed with certain compounds, it can become active. This is fantastic news and terrifying. For Project Fiendless specifically, it will advance it by leaps, and may let us expand the project well beyond its original scope. I can not stress enough the potential this holds.¡± ¡°However, if this information becomes public, Fiend blood will become the most sought commodity in the world. It is basically liquid super powers. In the wrong hands, could destroy everything.¡± ¡°Let us take Useful One¡¯s blood for example. It could be imbued into seeds, creating crops that could be grown in minutes and end hunger worldwide. Fantastic for sure, probably something we should look into, but that is not all his Curse can do. With a few drops of blood, a bomb could be created that drains and kills all plant life within its radius. A horrendous biological weapon.¡± ¡°For this reason, we must make sure any samples of our blood stay secure. We also need to warn our members of those trying to take it from us. If someone is injured on a job and blood is spilled, it needs to be reported and cleaned if possible.¡± ¡°Hopefully, the outside world won¡¯t learn of this, or believe it too rare of a resource to be sustainable for them to research. That said, I am also requesting an increased influx of blood samples from all of our members. Just because it is dangerous, doesn¡¯t mean we shouldn¡¯t utilize it. As long as it stays in the right hands, the benefit can not be ignored.¡± ¡°We should also endeavor to keep as many Fiends as possible from dying, even if not on our side. Since every Curse is unique, would be permanently losing an invaluable resource.¡± ¡°Any future samples we procure need to be kept under the tightest security. Given the recent spy, we can not be certain our own compound is even the safest, so may wish to look into other storage locations that only a select few know of. I trust everyone in this room except for Pill Head, but I will keep him under watch until he earns it.¡± The meeting went on for a while longer as specifics were discussed. By the end, everyone was so excited by what this meant for the future that Ahvra was basically off the hook for the trouble she caused. Drim in particular had his head racing with ideas of how this could change the world he wanted to make. Fiends For Hire Text Conversation 13 Date: Monarchber 11th 2078 ¡ºMallea: Please keep this confidential. But I believe you all may be interested in the contents of this folder. (Attached Folder: Drim > 38th Series > Child Adorableness [Contains: 1,017 Images])¡» ¡ºPhon: [Folder Downloaded]¡» ¡ºKada: [Folder Downloaded]¡» ¡ºXard: [Folder Downloaded]¡» ¡ºXard: Some good stuff here, Mallea. Appreciated¡» ¡ºKada: Ohmygosh so cute!!!!!!!!!!!! Which one should I make my background?!¡» ¡ºPhon: I don¡¯t say it often, but good work, Mallea.¡» ¡ºMallea: I appreciate your kind words.¡» ¡ºMallea: However¡¡» ¡ºMallea: In the event that any of you would abuse this trust, I should inform you that I have also acquired several compromising and reputation-ruining pictures of each of you during your time as children.¡» ¡ºMallea: Please bear that in mind.¡» ¡ºKada: ??????¡» ¡ºXard: ??¡» ¡ºMallea: I have also made sure to allocate a small portion of brain space to perfectly preserve the memories of my time with Phon during our trip. Those stories may be recounted at any moment upon request.¡» ¡ºPhon: ????????????????????¡» ¡ºPhon: ???¡â?¡» V3: Chapter 7.1 - Something in the Water Kada carefully climbed out of the driver-side window of The Tourist. What she was doing was undeniably stupid. But with no one else around to tell her it was a bad idea, she was finally going to try something she¡¯d always wanted to experience. The wind rushed past her head, causing her hair to flail about wildly. The speed and pressure had taken some getting used to, but once she was confident enough, Kada hoisted herself onto the roof. She starfished at first, laying flat with her limbs sprawled. As she got more comfortable, she pulled herself up until she was sitting with her legs dangling over the windshield. ¡°Wooooooooooooooooooo!¡± Kada belted her cheer that no one would hear. She was high in the sky, flying about half a lage in the air. It wasn¡¯t high enough for the air pressure or lack of oxygen to kill a human, though it¡¯d possibly still affect them. Jury was still out on what those would do to a Fiend, but Kada wasn¡¯t having any problems. The Tourist was flying on autopilot, so Kada could hang out up there until her destination if she wanted. She probably wouldn¡¯t stay there too much longer, though, since odds are she¡¯d get bored soon despite the stunning view. If she took out her phone, there¡¯s a good chance it¡¯d whip out of her hand if she wasn¡¯t careful. The wind-blasted girl had nearly lost her vest a few times already. Maybe she¡¯d take a nap if she could ever get the adrenaline to die down. That was certainly the most dangerous idea of all, but she¡¯d be fine, surely. If Kada did plummet to what would be another''s doom, she could just melt the ground, and it¡¯d be like diving into the ocean from a really really high height. That would still probably kill some people, but for her, it¡¯d just hurt a ton. There was the issue of The Tourist too in that situation. In theory, the autopilot should keep going and leave her stranded. But no, it was a good car that would never abandon its master, or so Kada told herself. Whether or not it actually had any features like that, she was entirely unsure. Whatever, the point was that she was having fun. It was something that had been in short supply lately. First, the stuff with Jaid had been a real bummer. In the end, everyone was left with a bad taste in their mouth. Boon Day had been fun, Kada got and gave tons of presents, but then there had been surprise drama on Near Years. The drama was that there was no drama. Apparently, there had been oodles of speculation that the Fiends For Hire would enact some sort of new spectacle on New Years as Drim and Phon had done the previous year. The turnout in Prosper had increased by magnitudes. That, along with the added security, apparently made it a very frustrating and lackluster experience, but the participants stuck it out on the chance that they¡¯d get to see something crazy. When the event ended as planned, some tried to flame the group for not living up to their expectations. It didn¡¯t get much traction and died out after a few days, especially with Chorus running the PR side of things, but it was still annoying while it persisted. Then, the baby thing happened. Kada didn¡¯t remember too much of it, but the stuff she did recall sure did make her squirm. The mission she was heading to now was likely to be very depressing as well, so she was stocking up on enjoyment while she could. Still, it was nice to be out on her own again. It had been a while since she¡¯d just gotten to enjoy some peace and quiet. While she wouldn¡¯t mind the company of others, this job wasn¡¯t for the faint of heart. It wasn¡¯t something difficult per se, and they hadn¡¯t actually put any rank limitations on it. But the urgency and nature of the work, coupled with there being almost no one around, caused Kada to head out as soon as she heard about it. Overnight, there¡¯d been one of the worst natural disasters in recent history. A sudden landslide had caused a dam to collapse, flooding the nearby town in a swath of muddy mess and water that could drown even their tallest buildings. The request was from the Central Peace itself. Due to the remote location, it was hard for them to mobilize a full rescue team so quickly. So, they¡¯d put out a request to all mercenary groups. If they were nearby or had means to get to the location, they were asking for assistance in looking for survivors. But, Kada had Nathym scout the area with their satellite first. From what she saw, if there were any survivors, it¡¯d be a miracle. Still, it didn¡¯t mean she wouldn¡¯t try, but she knew what this mission really would be: retrieving corpses. The CP had a sign-up on their request. It asked for the names, group, and banking information of each participant so that payment could be processed for services rendered. Kada fully expected to be outright rejected, but planned to go anyways even if she wasn¡¯t being paid. To her surprise, she was granted approval a few minutes later. The expedited response and willingness to work with them at all really spoke to the direness of the situation. While not a direct request, this would be their first instance of doing work for the Central Peace. The groups had collaborated before like with the Common Cards, but the CP¡¯s hand had been forced. This was an acceptance of their assistance and value. While minor at best, breaking down small walls often led to the larger ones crumbling shortly after. A slightly unnerving thought fluttered through Kada¡¯s mind for a moment. She wondered if Jaid would be there. Boy, that would be awkward. Given what they knew about her position in the CP, this is exactly the kind of mission she¡¯d be sent on. Hopefully, she¡¯d been allowed some time to process the events and memory manipulation before they threw her back in the fray. Kada eventually did slide back inside The Tourist, not wanting to distress anyone further by seeing someone riding atop a flying car. She grimaced when she reached the area since it was worse than she could have imagined. The entire town, and well beyond, was encircled by a giant wall of mud. There were countless emergency vehicles trying to breach through it but weren¡¯t making much headway. Kada was tempted to go and try to melt it away, but it seemed pointless when she saw those that had made it through. They were swallowed up by mud and practically crawling. Her Curse could make it more liquidy and possibly move it, but there was nothing she could do about making mud more solid. She certainly had the advantage of arriving from the air. There were a few helicopters buzzing around that she could see in the distance, but it was a large area and they wouldn¡¯t be enough. Kada headed in the opposite direction of them, wanting to search through the less focused areas. The buildings she found were almost all completely underwater or swallowed whole by mud. She¡¯d still check them, but there was little hope there to begin with. Eventually, she came across what looked like a church up on a hill. There was clear water damage on the exterior, but the building still stood. It likely had been awash with water at one point, but had all drained away now. If there were survivors seeking shelter, it¡¯d be a good place to start. Kada touched down The Tourist a few feet away from the front door. She was glad she left it hovering, since she immediately sunk into the mud down to her knees the moment she stepped out. After melting the goop around her down into pure liquid, she could trudge easier, but it still wasn¡¯t ideal. Kada made her way over to the church¡¯s front entrance and skirted inside. Unauthorized use of content: if you find this story on Amazon, report the violation. Everything in the building was completely water-logged. The pews were still soaked, stinking of mildew. Anything that was made of wood would be rotting soon if it wasn¡¯t already. The holy texts had their ink completely washed away and their pages warped. Kada only got more and more depressed as she looked around. There were no signs of life in this watery grave of a building. Or so she thought until she noticed a hand poking out by the pulpit. Kada rushed past all the pews, the floor beneath her sounding like it could break at any moment. She vaulted over the altar, but her heart dropped after she climbed those few stairs. She found a young boy, but he was already dead¡ªlong dead by the looks of it. Kada touched his neck and it was still wet, their body somewhat bloated. I think I see what happened, she deduced after seeing the boy''s leg. He¡¯d climbed to the pulpit since it was the highest point to try and escape the rushing water. As the water raised, however, he couldn¡¯t escape it, since his foot had gotten caught in an audio cord. This boy had drowned to death, horrifically and alone. It was a depressing way for Kada to start her day, but she wasn¡¯t just going to leave him be. She picked up the corpse and lugged it outside. There had been a playground next to the church that looked to be on raised asphalt or something. It was probably the only solid ground anywhere within lages. Anyone flying overhead should be able to see it, so any bodies she left there should be discovered. Kada gently set the boy down next to a jungle gym. She then knelt down next to him and said a prayer. While there would be many more bodies, and she probably wouldn¡¯t do this for all of them, it just felt right given the circumstances. Huh, Drim? Just as she was about to get up to leave, Kada noticed a dark blur in the corner of her eyes. Had he come out to help too? He¡¯d been out on a mission, but maybe he¡¯d rushed back when he heard the news. Kada turned to face them, but it wasn¡¯t Drim. She found a young woman dressed in all black, so Kada could at least forgive herself for confusing the two. While it wasn¡¯t who she¡¯d expected, the girl¡¯s midnight blue hair pulled back into a spiked ponytail and dark teal eyes could almost pass her off as his body-double. Nevertheless, she was a Fiend that Kada never met or heard of before. It didn¡¯t help that her face was covered. She was wearing a facemask, similar to those that doctors wore, but it was pitch black like the rest of her clothing. Her tunic had some light leather padding sewn into it, so at least she had some protection. However, her sleeves were slit away and draping behind her shoulders. Instead, her arms were covered in sleeves made of netting. The disparity of form and function continued with her black short shorts over ripped black tights. The rugged boots she was wearing had only a very small coat of mud on the bottom. Somehow, she¡¯d manage to get around without sinking as Kada had. Her entire ensemble really did look stolen straight out of Drim¡¯s closet, or as if she was headed to a punk-rock concert. And what was attached to her hips? Syringes? How she dressed didn¡¯t really matter, but it had still taken Kada aback, and now she realized she¡¯d just been rude and staring. ¡°Umm, hello!¡± Kada finally greeted her. ¡°Guessing you¡¯re here for the rescue mission too?¡± ¡°Oh right! Sorry, there¡¯s something I¡¯m supposed to do whenever I run across a new Fiend.¡± Kada pulled out her phone, opened a special app and took a picture of the mystery girl. ¡°Huh, looks like you¡¯ve already been tagged by the CP at some point.¡± ¡°Let¡¯s see here, Alkahest Khemmy, preferred name ¡®Alk¡¯. A Fiend known asThe Pestilent Plague Doctor. Woah, Farian¡¯s been talking about you a lot! Never would have guessed you were so young, and a girl at that! The way he talks about you, I thought you were like some older guy with a big beard and two eye patches. Don¡¯t know if you¡¯ve ever heard of Dr. Farian Graf, but he¡¯s really obsessed with you.¡± The girl just continued to stare at her, so Kada moved on. ¡°Okay, let¡¯s see, uhh Curse is¡ª¡± ¡°Did you kill that boy?¡± Alk finally said something. Kada wasn¡¯t expecting it to be something so accusatory. ¡°Huh? What? No, why would you think that?!¡± she was honestly baffled about this misjudgment of her character. ¡°You¡¯re The Mermaid, right?¡± Alk asked rhetorically. ¡°The one with the power to melt away anything she touches. This melted mess would be child¡¯s play to you. Could have even been by accident. Someone as disheveled and inappropriately dressed as you are likely doesn¡¯t have great control over their power.¡± ¡°Okay, wow¡¡± Kada had just been attacked on so many fronts¡ªnot just attacking her abilities but how she was dressed too. ¡°Gah,¡± Kada yelped as she instinctively swatted at the projectile suddenly flung at her. It had been one of Alk¡¯s syringes, and Kada had also melted it out of habit. ¡°What the hell?!¡± The syringe itself had melted away but the contents remained. It was a thick syrupy blue substance that had coated Kada¡¯s hand. The liquid didn¡¯t hurt at all, but her hand started to feel numb and tingly. She shoved her arm into the mud, converting it to liquid, and then swished her hand around until the goo was gone. ¡°Tch,¡± Alk clicked her unseen tongue. ¡°I should have brought more truth serum, but it¡¯s fine, I have the ingredients I need to make more. I¡¯ll just have to brew it in your body!¡± Alk grabbed another empty syringe and pulled out a few vials of liquid from a pouch behind her back. Kada did her best to prepare herself for such an insane threat. The idea of someone injecting concoctions into her body and treating her like a test tube made her shiver. If she just melted everything before her skin was broken, she¡¯d be fine, right? Most of the tension was severed the next second, when instead of attacking, Alk suddenly went into a fit of coughing. Not just a few light wheezes either. She was doubled over, practically hacking up a lung for about a minute. Kada thought she was going to keel over and die, but the girl did recover eventually. Another sick Fiend? Now that didn¡¯t make sense. Though, she was called The Plague Doctor. While she didn¡¯t exactly scream health-care professional, she could have quite the background in meddling with diseases and medicine like Farian. But, that still didn¡¯t seem quite right. If she had made herself sick, why would she be out here trying to help others instead of curing herself? Certainly, there wasn¡¯t a remedy to be found in this dead place, so her intentions must have been more altruistic. A certain nagging in the back of Kada¡¯s head brought forth a memory from a conversation with Ahvra; about how Jaid had a lasting injury that carried over when she became a Fiend. The former spy had received that injury just before her transformation, and couldn¡¯t process the idea that it should be healed, so it never was. Alk¡¯s coughing was likely a similar case, something she had before becoming a Fiend¡ªa lifetime illness perhaps. ¡°Uhh, are you alright?¡± Kada couldn¡¯t help but offer assistance to her self-proclaimed enemy. ¡°Do you need a cough drop? Maybe some water? I¡¯ve got some in my car. Maybe we can sit and chat about whatever you¡¯re going through.¡± ¡°Shut up! You wouldn¡¯t know anything about it, so don¡¯t act like you care,¡± Alk¡¯s hostility grew even more. ¡°My ailments are mine to bear, but maybe you¡¯d like to share yours. Are you feeling okay? A little woozy, light headed, maybe nauseous from seeing the person you killed?¡± ¡°Uhh, nope, fine, thanks?¡± Kada was confused as ever. The sudden interest in her wellbeing was only compounding that fact. ¡°Oh, come now. There must be something.¡± Even with her face covered, Kada couldn¡¯t help but feel like there was an insidious grin beneath Alk¡¯s mask. She had to swat away an empty syringe a moment later, but Alk continued as if she hadn¡¯t thrown it. ¡°Maybe your skin is irritated from the mud,¡± Alk took a step towards Kada and threw another syringe that had to be melted. ¡°Or maybe your legs are sore from trekking through them,¡± Another step, another throw. ¡°Did you eat something that¡¯s upsetting your stomach?¡± Step. Throw. Just how many of these damn things did she have? ¡°Do you have heartburn, or are you dehydrated? Is your vision blurry, or do you have a toothache?¡± With each new question, Alk quickly closed the distance between them and threw another syringe. ¡°They call me a doctor, so let me help. Tell me what ails you. Tell me your weakness!¡± V3: Chapter 7.2 - Something in the Water Once she was close enough, Alk lunged at Kada, wrapping her hands around her neck. She didn¡¯t hesitate when trying to choke her, even digging her nails into her throat. Before they could break the skin, though, Kada managed to jerk her body back enough to create a gap between them. Apparently it wasn¡¯t a moment too soon, as a blade flashed in front of Kada¡¯s eyes, swiping upwards. But no, it hadn¡¯t come from Alk¡¯s hands. That metal tip was poking out of Alk¡¯s boot. On top of everything else, this woman was extremely flexible. Alk¡¯s leg remained in the air above her head as Kada quickly scrambled away to get some distance. But now, Alk gave chase. It wasn¡¯t the same slow, heavy steps as before. She was gliding across the ground, extremely light on her feet. It now made sense how she¡¯d gotten very little mud on her shoes. Kada kept backing away, doing her best to dodge Alk¡¯s kicks. She still didn¡¯t want to fight the girl if it could be avoided. Hopefully, if Kada remained non-confrontational, Alk would eventually see the futility of her pursuit. This did give Kada some time to more calmly assess the situation, since she just had to stay out of kicking range. But Alk didn¡¯t make it easy. She was quite good at closing the distance, and spinning her body in ways Kada couldn¡¯t predict. Each swipe of Alk¡¯s boot got harder and harder to dodge. Yet, her moves looked familiar somehow, and Kada blurted the first thing on her mind. ¡°Ballet?¡± It was an activity that Kada herself had never actively participated in, but something she had still followed closely for a time¡ªpretty women performing incredible and strangely-flexible dances and moves in tight clothing may have piqued her interests a bit. ¡°One of the only things I can thank my zjik father for,¡± Alk was surprisingly talkative on the subject. ¡°He always made sure I attended my lessons, and made sure I was giving it my all, so that he wasn¡¯t wasting his money.¡± An interesting choice of moveset for someone who looked like they despised all things girly. Yet now that Kada understood what she was up against, it made it that much easier to predict. More than anything, Kada just really wanted to keep some distance. Alk¡¯s questions had been weird, but they had a pattern. It must have had something to do with her Curse. Kada hadn¡¯t figured that part out yet, but staying away seemed to be a reliable course of action. So far, they¡¯d managed to stay in the more open area of the playground, but Kada bumped up against a tunnel for kids to play in that was in the shape of a giant hollow log. She quickly vaulted up on top and ran to the other side. Alk followed and easily closed the gap again, not perturbed at all by the unbalanced surface. Just as she was about to kick again, Kada melted the log underneath herself and slipped into the tunnel. Carrying the momentum of the fall, she melted the inside of the tunnel a bit just to reduce the friction and shoot out the other wide. This created the most distance yet and gave Kada enough time to form a proper sentence. ¡°Come on, Alk, this is all just a big misunderstanding. Let¡¯s calm down and talk about this rationally.¡± ¡°No.¡± Alk denied her request bluntly, but it at least did sound calm and rational. ¡°Even if it is as you say, your existence annoys me. You may as well serve some use as a test subject and participate in my clinical trial. All the other Fiends I¡¯ve met, I actually like. You¡¯re the first Fiend I¡¯ve really wanted to stab with my needles. So let me just stab you a bit and make some concoctions with your body, you shameless airheaded bimbo.¡± What the hell had Kada done to piss this girl off so much? It seemed her just being alive annoyed Alk to no end. Whatever. Since there was no progress being made with words, a bit of brute force was needed. Kada was done dodging, and met Alk head on once the girl pursued her again. All that hand-to-hand combat training with Phon and Nachi had paid off, and Kada was able to block Alk¡¯s incoming flurry of kicks by meeting her arms with Alk¡¯s shins. This continued for a while but got them nowhere. The tragedy of being Fiends meant neither would run out of steam any time soon. There was one close call. Apparently, Alk could extend the length of the blade poking out from her boots on command. Kada had managed to block it just in time so that the extended reach didn¡¯t knick her, but it had been ass-clenchingly close. With her Curse not at the ready, Kada would have taken the hit, but would have been able to stop it from stabbing any deeper into her. Still, she was fed up with these literal steel-tipped boots. It was best to remove them from play entirely. Alk was now performing an impressive spin on one heel that was sending her other boot straight at Kada¡¯s side. Kada activated her Curse, ready to take the hit and melt the boot away. Then, she could grab onto Alk¡¯s leg and hopefully pin her to the ground and end this nonsense. As expected, the boot turned to useless goop on impact, but there was a sharp pain in Kada¡¯s side anyways. It had caused her to flinch enough that she completely missed her chance to grab her attacker¡¯s leg, and Alk quickly pulled it away. To Kada¡¯s surprise, Alk didn¡¯t play on the advantage for a followup attack, and now skirted away on her own to create some distance. ¡°My friends advised me that I should trim my nails like this, just in case I ever ran into you specifically.¡± Alk held her leg up, her knee bent down to show off her foot. Kada¡¯s silver blood was dripping off the woman¡¯s toes, and it took a second before Kada could see what she was talking about. Her nails had been trimmed into fine points, sharp enough to jab into Kada¡¯s unprotected waist. Oh, and they were of course polished black. The wound hurt a little, but it¡¯d heal soon enough. It made no sense why Alk fell back, and why she seemed so giddy about it. In fact, there was even a bit of a gleeful mad laugh that was mostly muffled by Alk¡¯s mask. ¡°You know what they say about recovery, right?¡± Alk posed a weird question. ¡°It often gets worse before it gets better!¡± It hit Kada all at once, the unbridled pain unlike anything she¡¯d ever experienced. Even as a human, even when the hexadillos clawed her to the brink of death, it was nothing compared to this. Her side was on fire, but that didn¡¯t quite cut it. No, it was closer to having lava poured straight into her open wound. The agony was endless, like she was being stabbed a million times a second in the side of her waist. She doubled over in torment, and collapsed on the ground. The pain was so excruciating that Kada didn¡¯t even care what came next¡ªthe pain stopping, or death. It didn¡¯t matter which happened at this point, she just prayed that one would come soon. She¡¯d lost all wherewithal to process anything around her, but her other senses slowly returned when the pain finally subsided. It was completely gone not too much later, but Kada felt like a withered husk. She was drenched with sweat, and her entire body still felt limp. It took so much effort to even summon the strength to stand. ¡°Damned Fiend regeneration. It ruined the fun too quickly. And yet it¡¯s completely unreliable when it¡¯s needed the most,¡± Alk couldn¡¯t help but let out a few more coughs. ¡°So, how did you like my Curse? You probably have a faint idea of how it works now.¡± Kada did in fact. All she¡¯d managed to glance at the description earlier was the word ¡®symptoms¡¯. It seemed Alk had the ability to exacerbate someone¡¯s bodily symptoms to an extreme degree. Now it made sense why she¡¯d asked all those questions about Kada¡¯s health earlier. She was looking for a weakness to exploit. ¡°I¡¯ll tell you what,¡± Alk lowered her guard a little. ¡°That display satisfied my annoyance, so I don¡¯t feel the need to torture you any longer. But you¡¯d be foolish to think I¡¯d let a valuable opportunity to test my skills on a Fiend¡¯s body slip me by.¡± ¡°If you agree to let me use your body to incubate some of my experiments, I promise not to use my Curse again. Hell, I¡¯ll even make the experiments completely painless so you won¡¯t feel them at all. Though, I can¡¯t speak how any after effects will make you feel. Do we have a deal?¡± Alk held out her hand as if to shake from across the playground. ¡°Yeah, I¡¯ll pass,¡± Kada struggled to say even that much. She wasn¡¯t really upset that Alk had so mercilessly inflicted pain on her. Kada had lost the exchange after all. But she knew better than to trust someone called The Plague Doctor and let them experiment with her body. She¡¯d heard Farians tales of Alk¡¯s victims. Most of them were pretty horrific. Plus, there was the whole new issue of not letting any Fiend blood be taken. If needles were stuck inside of Kada, it¡¯d just be asking for blood to be drawn. Something so important couldn¡¯t be left in the hands of even another Fiend. The lie they¡¯d told the others, and the rumor that Chorus had purposefully leaked to the rest of the world, was that Fiend blood had been discovered to be toxic to humans. They didn¡¯t know how long it¡¯d last, but should keep interest away for a while. Stolen novel; please report. Kada finally unmelted her anchor. She¡¯d need to subdue Alk to end this and felt a little less bad about inflicting some injuries now. Her anchor was meant for monsters, not humans. It was too heavy and sharp, and could do some serious damage. But this opponent warranted her full might. Based on what she¡¯d said, it appeared that Alk knew Kada pretty well, or at least her abilities. She wouldn¡¯t be caught off-guard if Kada suddenly melted away the asphalt. And with how light on her feet she was, Kada doubted she could capture Alk by trying to cement her feet into something like she had with many others. If she was going to try and use her Curse in that way, she¡¯d have to make sure Alk couldn¡¯t escape first. ¡°Fine then. If you don¡¯t want to take part, then at least let me brew you a parting gift!¡± Alk pulled several syringes out from the back of her pouch and jabbed them into her own arm. Each syringe was filled with a different colored liquid that Kada couldn¡¯t even begin to identify. She flung her anchor, hoping to stop whatever this madness was before it could come to fruition, but it was too late. Alk had managed to squeeze them all into her arm, and then hid her arm behind her back so that Kada couldn¡¯t see what was happening to it. Ugh, whatever. Just don¡¯t let her get close, and she can¡¯t do whatever she¡¯s planning. Kada reassured herself with a basic tactic as she reeled back her anchor. Kada thought briefly about reattaching her old chain to the anchor that she kept in a separate orb in her purse. However, she doubted its effectiveness in being able to wrap up Alk in it to capture her. Instead, she was going to aim for that damned pouch of hers. Without it, Alk would lose all of her medicinal tricks, and would only have her body to fight. It actually didn¡¯t take long before Kada got a two-for-one. She threw a feint, causing Alk to dodge, but then kada redirected her anchor into Alk¡¯s hip. It sliced through the strap holding Alk¡¯s pouch and also gave the girl a considerable gash that was squirting dark-teal blood. Yet, Alk didn¡¯t even flinch. Even the strongest Fiends would groan in pain after receiving such an injury. Alk merely glanced at it for a second before ignoring it entirely. The blood also stopped flowing way faster than it should have, even for a Fiend. Alright, a change of tactics, Kada quickly switched her anchor to its launcher mode just as Alk started sprinting again. To her surprise, Alk abandoned the pouch and started running around the playground. She began picking up those loose syringes that Kada hadn¡¯t melted earlier when they¡¯d missed her entirely. This time, she made sure to melt it properly so it couldn¡¯t be used again when Alk threw it at her. Of course it was made of randomized materials. She¡¯d really done her homework on Kada and knew how to counter most of her Curse¡¯s usage. Now, Kada reciprocated with a ranged attack of her own, launching one of her sparking orbs that emitted an electric cloud. For even a Fiend, it¡¯d be like being trapped in a swirl of static that should immobilize them and feel like their skin was lightly kissed by dozens of tasers. Yet it had no visible effect on Alk, at least to her ability to keep moving. The effect on her skin and clothes was noticeable, singing them slightly, but she showed no reaction herself. What the mawhg? Can she not feel pain?! Maybe her Curse didn¡¯t just exacerbate symptoms, but could alleviate them too. If that was the case, Alk could prevent herself from feeling basically any pain at all. More syringes were pelted through the air. Kada made sure to melt any that came close, wanting to remove them all as an option since Alk must be running on short supply if she was scavenging for them. While dealing with that annoying peppering, Kada continued to fire whatever she had at Alk, but none of it proved effective. She wasn¡¯t going to use any of her explosives but used just about everything shy of it. Even one of the literal brick walls didn¡¯t do anything. Kada kept a few to try to pin in monsters. She made it spawn directly in front of Alk as she ran, and Alk careened straight into it, but shrugged it off and skirted away before Kada could place another. The restrictive foam Kada had used to take down a CP helicopter once didn¡¯t do much either. Thanks to some inconveniently placed monkey bars, Alk had been able to pull herself free easily. ¡°You really shouldn¡¯t have melted that one!¡± Alk stopped in her tracks after Kada¡¯s most recent deflection. A new strange substance was coating Kada¡¯s entire body now after she melted the syringe. Damn, I thought she was only throwing empties. Kada realized now that it had all been a ruse to get her to melt this particular syringe. Alk stopped her frantic scrambling and held out the arm she¡¯d been hiding. Holy zjik¡ Fear swirled in Kada when she saw what the crazy Draz had done to herself. Her arm, it¡ªwell it wasn¡¯t much of an arm anymore. All of her skin and most of her flesh was just completely gone from her forearm. There were absolutely parts where only bone remained. Kada frantically tried to scrub the new liquid off of her, but nothing of note was happening just yet. ¡°A flesh eating bacteria I made just for you,¡± Alk informed her, clearly not perturbed by the state of her own arm. ¡°I had to increase the symptoms in order to cultivate it quickly, but I removed all pain so I haven¡¯t felt a thing. Unlike other Fiends, I can actually control the speed of my own regeneration.¡± It wasn¡¯t immediate, but within just about a minute, Alk¡¯s arm was back to normal. Kada hadn¡¯t been able to pry her eyes away. Watching the flesh, muscle, and finally the skin stitch itself back together had been mesmerizing. ¡°I¡¯ll admit, that was pretty exhausting, but it saved me days of recovery. I wonder how long it¡¯ll take you to recover after I leave you as a husk on the brink of death. I¡¯ve been so kind as to not let it attack you right away, but get ready.¡± Kada did what she could to brace for the pain to come, but there was nothing anyone could do to prepare for that kind of torture. It started as a slight tingle, a numbing of the skin all over her body. But then it kicked it, the grating pain of her skin being eaten away. It was like her entire body was being attacked by an endless barrage of cheese graters. While utter agony, it actually wasn¡¯t nearly as bad as the earlier wound at her waist. Perhaps that higher threshold of pain was stunting how bad this should be, or hell, even her experience with the hexadillos had been similar so she had gotten someone accustomed to this kind of pain. Regardless of the reason, she was able to stay much more aware. Kada had collapsed to the ground on her back, just letting the torment run its course without resisting at all. She was really tempted to melt the ground beneath her and submerge herself to see if that would alleviate her situation. But not yet. Maybe she could still turn this around. ¡°Huh, you¡¯re still conscious,¡± Alk huffed in disappointment as she bent over her victim. ¡°Either you¡¯re stronger than I gave you credit for, or I¡¯m too weak right now to aggravate it further. You look terrible, though. I felt you should know that. I¡¯d take a picture to send you later, but I don¡¯t want that repulsion in my phone.¡± ¡°Well, anyways, let¡¯s not let this chance go to waste, then.¡± Alk stratled over Kada and put the pouch she¡¯d retrieved down on her stomach. ¡°What should I brew in your body? Maybe make a disease that will leave you ugly and bloated for life so that you¡¯ll never dress so shamelessly ever again.¡± The crazed ¡®doctor¡¯ pulled out a new fresh syringe. ¡°I¡¯m well aware that you may be able to use your Curse to an extent, so I won¡¯t risk trying to stab you directly with this. However, you can¡¯t melt living things, right? Well then, I just need to get this needle inside of you without letting it touch your skin.¡± Alk curled a finger on her newly remade hand. She jammed the tip of the syringe¡¯s needle into the back of her knuckle, and pushed it all the way through the finger until it was almost bulging out of her fingertip. Damn, this chick¡¯s hardcore, the insanity Kada had just witnessed briefly distracted her from the pain. She guessed Alk was going to puncture her body with that finger like she had with her toenails and then be able to inject whatever she pleased. It was definitely something Kada couldn¡¯t let her get away with if she could manage it. She only had enough strength to move her limbs a few times at most, so she¡¯d have to make it count. First, she needed to throw off Alk enough to lower her defenses. There was something that bothered Kada from the get-go: the mask Alk wore. She didn¡¯t seem like the kind of person to actually wear it out of concern for others'' health. Given her title as The Plague Doctor, Kada guessed she wore it virtually all the time¡ªenough to give people a false impression. Why wear it if there was nothing to hide? Alk was certainly caught by surprise, flinching like crazy when Kada¡¯s hand swung for her face. Kada¡¯s fingers caught onto the mask and let gravity do the rest of the work for her, pulling it off of Alk entirely. Her face was regrettably unblemished, and Kada felt it was a bit too cute to match the rest of Alk¡¯s personality. However, there was something to hide after all. Kada could just barely glimpse it in Alk¡¯s mouth which was wide open in shock. It was her Curse Mark, imprinted on her tongue; a bottle of poison, dripping a few drops down to the tip. The mask made plenty of sense now, since anyone would easily spot the Curse Mark any time she spoke. But this did the trick, unexpectedly so. Alk seemed so shaken that her mask was gone that she reeled back and looked like she entirely forgot what she was doing, her eyes wide and almost scared. Not foolish enough to fall for pitying the girl, Kada wrapped her legs around Alk¡¯s waist, squeezing with every remaining bit of strength. Then Kada¡¯s Curse took them. They both submerged into the asphalt and then dozens of feet further down. Ever since she¡¯d had too many close calls with drowning, there was now something Kada never left home without. Her purse was still wrapped around her, and Kada managed to finagle the small device out from inside. She put the rebreather into her mouth, so she¡¯d be fine for hours to come. The goggles attached to her visor automatically flipped down when it sensed they were underground. She was now able to watch Alk struggle, but not for much longer. Her stamina was actually kind of sad compared to how strong she was otherwise, and she stopped moving before long. The pain on Kada¡¯s body had immediately relieved a bit the moment they¡¯d entered the liquid. Now with Alk unconscious, her skin only felt like it was itching slightly. It seemed her Curse required some concentration to stay effective. Kada was now able to move freely, so she grabbed Alk¡¯s body and swam back to the surface. V3: Chapter 7.3 - Something in the Water Alk¡¯s heavy eyes didn¡¯t want to move, but she was eventually able to force them open. Things were pretty blurry at first, and she didn¡¯t get a moment to take in her surroundings. Her illness flared up immediately, and she was sent into a tirade of coughing and shakes. Once Alk got her Curse going, the symptoms quickly subsided. It had been a while since she¡¯d woken up to such unpleasantness. For some time now, she¡¯d been able to use her Curse to a minor extent as she slept¡ªjust enough to keep her symptoms at bay. Now that she had a moment to focus, she stared upwards. Alk could see the sky, but not all of it for some reason. Was there an eclipse? A good portion of her vision was blotted out by a circular shape. Maybe her vision hadn¡¯t come back after¡ªwhatever had happened. Her memory slowly came back to her, yet she didn¡¯t feel panicked when she remembered The Mermaid. No, she was actually quite comfortable at the moment, and felt no need to rush as she recollected the events up to her passing out. She¡¯d been pulled underground and then¡ nothing. Alk rolled onto her side, then was confused when she saw a pair of water shoes. She was even more confused by the tan legs sticking out from them. Alk followed the legs with her eyes until they disappeared into the swim trunks of the lap she was resting her head upon. She jolted upwards and turned to see Kada smiling softly at her. Kada¡¯s skin had already healed completely. Without Alk staying conscious to control the bacteria, it lost most of its potency and would have been killed by Kada¡¯s immune system pretty quickly. She had designed it to be weak by nature, so that there wouldn¡¯t be much risk of it spreading¡ªonly dangerous in Alk¡¯s hands. ¡°Welcome back,¡± Kada greeted her as if she was a friend who had left for a while. ¡°Man, you were out for a while. I guess I did drown you, but even after getting all the liquid out of your lungs, you still wouldn¡¯t wake up.¡± ¡°You¡ Did you give me CPR?!¡± Alk touched her lips in panic, only just now realizing she still wasn¡¯t wearing her mask. Everything else lost importance as she urgently swung her head around to look for it. Each passing second, the air felt harder to breathe. ¡°Here,¡± Kada held out the mask she¡¯d retrieved. Alk rudely swiped it from her hands and hurried to put it back on her face. Once it was adorned, she felt like she could breathe again. It had become something like a safety blanket to her ever since she¡¯d become a Fiend. Alk didn¡¯t know what to do now. She didn¡¯t have any energy left to fight, and even if she did, she was the clear loser. Anything more would just be petty and pointless. Honestly, she was surprised she was still alive. While Alk didn¡¯t really regret her actions, she understood that they warranted being killed or at least left for death. The fact that she¡¯d been saved and cared for, in Alk¡¯s mind, made Kada crazier than she was. She hadn¡¯t done much on this request for the Central Peace yet, so she¡¯d be practically abandoning the mission, but she didn¡¯t know if she had the strength left to be of use at this point. Alk had taken it on a whim to begin with since she happened to be in the area. Just because she did terrible things to terrible people, it didn¡¯t mean innocents needed to suffer. Plus, for whatever reason, Alk¡¯s chest was really aching¡ªprobably leftover damage from gunk being in her lungs. For whatever reason, her Curse wasn¡¯t letting her alleviate the pain either. But that was typical of it; useless when it came to what really mattered. Alk turned to walk away, but was stopped before even taking a step by Kada¡¯s words. ¡°Sorry, but I looked into your background a bit more while you were unconscious,¡± Kada apologized despite the warranted invasion of privacy. ¡°Pulling the plug on your dad. That¡¯s¡ I¡¯m sure it was really tough for you.¡± ¡°Oh, what the hell do you know?¡± Alk didn¡¯t care to stomach hollow empathy. She prepared to leave again, but Kada just kept on talking. ¡°My relationship with my own dad has never been great. I don¡¯t think it ever reached the point that I really thought about killing him, but I get it. Looking back on your situation, he was a bit of a mawhger, wasn¡¯t he? And I¡¯m sure you hate him most of all for your health situation.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll be honest, I didn¡¯t know something like that existed. Kind of went down a rabbit hole of genetic diseases while waiting for you to wake up. It sucks, it really does, but maybe your father gave you something in the end. He was on death¡¯s door, but his soul still became the fuel so that you could live.¡± ¡°Guessing your life expectancy was around the 40s or maybe 50s, but now, who knows how long you¡¯ll live. I don¡¯t know why being a Fiend hasn¡¯t cured your illness, though I¡¯m friends with a few who can speculate the reason. But I do know that you got the exact Curse you needed in order to survive. We get our Curses from those we kill, so in a way, his lingering will could have left you with that parting gift.¡± If you spot this tale on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation. Alk turned around, ready to scream at Kada for the zjik she was spewing, but it never came out of her mouth. She had never thought about her situation that way before. Alk had killed her father as an act of revenge for all the mistreatment growing up, but what sort of revenge had it been? The man was hours from death, so she really hadn¡¯t done anything at all. Now, she couldn¡¯t deny that her life had improved since becoming a Fiend. Alk had been a runaway and criminal since high school, but at least she was living life. ¡°Oh, and I think I get why you don¡¯t like me either. I remind you of those girls from high school who bullied you, right?¡± Ugh, she even knew about that too, huh? Alk frowned behind her mask. She couldn¡¯t deny Kada¡¯s words. Her scantily-clad outfit and airheaded demeanor had brought memories racing back from the worst time in her life. Those Draz¡¯s who bullied her for things she couldn¡¯t control: the prim and proper lifestyle that her father had forced upon her. ¡°I don¡¯t get it, though.¡± Kada looked genuinely confused. ¡°The report says they bullied you mostly because of how you dressed. But look how cute you are!¡± Kada held up her phone, showing a picture of Alk in high school. ¡°I get that the clothes are pretty outdated and prissy I guess, but they suit you. And damn, your hair. It¡¯s so neat and tidy. That must have taken so much work to maintain.¡± Fury and fire had been building in Alk¡¯s eyes at the sight of that old picture. She wanted to smash Kada¡¯s phone to bits and then interrogate her as to where she found it. Yet, the surprise compliments had quelled that anger. Alk had never thought she¡¯d be the kind of person to be affected by such things, but it wasn¡¯t exactly something she experienced often. ¡°You got some great revenge on them, though,¡± Kada continued. ¡°Making all their hair fall out and having their skin turn wrinkly while they were still teenagers is pretty incredible. I can see why you started down this whole disease path. That and I¡¯m guessing you¡¯ve been trying to find a cure for yourself.¡± Spot on again. Yes, Alk¡¯s interest in diseases had started with her own. However, the one she¡¯d used against those girls had been the first she made. It was also what had gotten her expelled. Of course, the school was already weary of her after her change in demeanor when her father had died, along with the sudden change in hair and eyes. This had been an unexpected trip down memory lane. Alk just wanted to get out of here and go collapse now. She also wanted to get far away from this girl who had spurred a wide array of conflicting emotions and outlooks. However, she barely made it a few more steps before she was stopped again. ¡°Hey, I don¡¯t know what you¡¯ve got going on, but maybe we can help you,¡± Kada suddenly offered. ¡°We have the best doctor in the world with us now. He could probably cure you. And¡ I know we started off rough, and you¡¯d have to pass their tests, but you could join if you want. Might be nice to have a group where you belong instead of just wandering around.¡± Hmph, it seems she wasn¡¯t able to dig up everything after all. ¡°I¡¯m already part of a group,¡± Alk declared with smugness in her voice. ¡°And it¡¯s superior to yours in every way. As for the illness, I¡¯ll take care of it myself.¡± Knowing there was nothing left the girl could offer, Alk finally walked away. But for reasons she didn¡¯t quite understand, she couldn¡¯t help but mutter something under her breath that she hoped went unheard. ¡°Thanks anyways. Farewell¡ Kada.¡±
| Fiends For Hire Job Report | Job No. 004342 | ||
| Status: Completed | Date Received: 1/19/2078 | Date Accepted: 1/19/2078 | Date Completed: 1/21/2078 |
| Client: Central Peace (Yes, Seriously!) | Reward: $300 per hour spent searching. $5,000 for every person rescued. $1,000 for every body recovered. | ||
| Original Request: Due to a recent natural disaster, the marked area has been ravaged with mud and flooding. Urgent assistance is required to search for survivors and identify the deceased. Requesting aid for any nearby and all available. | |||
Requirements for Completion:
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Job accepted by:
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| Additional Notes: (Kada) Stayed there for 3 days to search. Ended up rescuing 31 survivors, including a pregnant lady so maybe there¡¯s hope for their future. However, I lost count of how many dead I found. (Kada) Oh! I also ran into The Plague Doctor on the first day. We got into a fight and she may have tortured me a bit, but I don¡¯t think she¡¯s all bad. | |||
| Fiends For Hire Job Report | Job No. 004859 | ||
| Status: Completed | Date Received: 1/30/2078 | Date Accepted: 1/33/2078 | Date Completed: 2/8/2078 |
| Client: Earl Earl Darquees | Reward: The return of several Drazah nuclear bombs | ||
| Original Request: Good day, Lord and Lady Drazah. I, Earl Darquees, humbly request your assistance. My family is being targeted by an assassination plot, and I am requesting that you safeguard my children for a few days while my staff secures a new safehouse for us. We would need you to start on the Bipriber 6th and stay for approximately two days. I believe the reward I am offering is something substantial towards your interests for the service, and I would appreciate return contact either way. This request is only for Drim and Phon Drazah. We will not accept service from any other members. | |||
Requirements for Completion:
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Job accepted by:
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| Additional Notes: (Phon) Boring job. That noble prick was annoying. Would have kicked him to death if I could have. (Drim) It was pretty uneventful besides the assassins. Nice to take it slow once and a while ==Update== (Drim) Apparently this was all some elaborate scheme to get us to fall in love and marry them. (Phon) Ahahahahahahahahahaha, Cosmos, they¡¯re stupid. They clearly didn¡¯t do enough proper research if they thought they stood a chance. Also, I would have just just murdered Victori and buried her somewhere even Drim couldn¡¯t find. (Drim) ¡¡¡¡¡ I really shouldn¡¯t be surprised by these things at this point. | |||
| Fiends For Hire Job Report | Job No. 011112 | ||
| Status: Completed | Date Received: 5/5/2078 | Date Accepted: 5/6/2078 | Date Completed: 5/19/2078 |
| Client: Yonee |
Reward: |
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| Original Request: Hello. My name is Yonee. I am a 14 year old girl who has been stuck in the hospital for the past 3 years. I can only move my head and one arm, so I don¡¯t know how much fun I¡¯d be to hang out with, but I¡¯d really like to hire some friends! | |||
Requirements for Completion:
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Job accepted by:
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| Additional Notes: (Rezin) Friend for life! Just because the job is over, it doesn¡¯t mean we¡¯ll stop being friends. (Niloy) I¡¯ve also offered for her to continue being a model for me during her free time. It seems she really wants to help her father since he¡¯s been struggling to support their family this whole time. He gave his blessing as long as it doesn¡¯t interfere with the mountain of school work that she has to catch up on. (Rezin) We can help with that too! | |||
War is over. Or so they say. With every nation united under a single banner, what further use does it serve when peace is all that remains? Yet every day, the Fiends For Hire work tirelessly to protect that peace they cherish so dearly. But, they''re not so callous as to dismiss humanity''s achievement. In fact, they have their own celebration in mind¡ªa tournament to eclipse all others. A contest of strength, and all species are welcome. To give something back in honor of humanity''s grand accomplishment, the victor will be gifted a single request, one that the Drazahs will do everything in their power to grant. Anything you want, and all you have to do is win. What is your wish?V4: Prologue - Not Every Wish Comes True Jaid dropped her sword, the tip sinking into the arena. It wouldn¡¯t help her anymore against this enemy, so it was best to just get rid of it. Now with both hands, she clawed at the pieces of metal that had fused to the chest of her tunic, trying desperately to rip them off¡ªto little success. More pieces of the sentient armor swarmed around her, attacking her from all sides. She had already tried everything she could think of to fend it off, to swipe it away, but the armor itself seemed invulnerable. Was this really a foe she couldn¡¯t beat? One at a time, the pieces fused to her once they could get close enough. They were avoiding her legs and arms since they were already covered in armor, but no part of the rest of her body was safe. Her torso had been their primary target up until now, but the metal started clinging to her exposed neck and face. That was even more terrifying, her skin tugging away from her like it was going to tear off if she pried any harder at the unwelcomed armor. And it was at this point that she started to rise. The armor was lifting her off of her feet and into the air. Jaid flailed wildly at first, terrified that she was going to fall, but the aggressive outfit was keeping her stable. The narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident. The knight struggled to the last moment, but her defeat was inevitable. With each new piece of armor attached, she lost more control over her own body. Finally, the last piece flew at her from dead-ahead, straight at her face. The metal covered her eyes, and with it, her vision faded and all sound around her stopped. She could no longer hear the cheering and gasping crowd. The announcer had gone silent. For a moment, there was nothing, but then a distorted voice chirped in her ears. ¡ºSynchronization Rate: 96%¡» The world lit up around her, and she could see again. But it wasn¡¯t through her normal vision. No, it was as if she was looking at the world through a series of screens. It seemed familiar to the rumors she¡¯d heard of how Phon¡¯s teleportation Curse worked when she viewed the outside world. Jaid tilted her head downward toward the arena below. She really was flying. There was still some feeling in her arms and legs, so she tried to move them, but the parasitic armor continued to wrench control away from her. ¡¾Your wish¡¡¿The voice of her foe rang directly into her head. It felt like quite the invasion of privacy, especially since her thoughts were being read directly. ¡¾Now that I know your wish, I can¡¯t let you win. No matter the cost.¡¿ The enemy¡¯s voice vanished, and the distorted one returned. ¡ºSelf-Destruction Sequence Initiated. 10, 9, 8¡¡» V4: Chapter 1.1 - Armatize Blood poured down Tize¡¯s face from the wound on his head, some getting into his eyes. He wanted to wipe it away, but he was pretty sure his right arm was broken while his left arm perilously gripped his shield¡ªclinging to the last hope of salvation, but not his. No, he had to protect those behind him if they were even still there. Just how had it come to this? This was supposed to be an easy mission. Not just that, but a simple training mission as well. Over the past few months, Tize had become the unofficial secondary trainer of the group. Ever since the raid from the Central Peace, the need to improve their members even more became painstakingly clear. While it had been a resounding victory, there were a few close moments, and several of their members hadn¡¯t been confident enough to fight in the first place. Whatsmore, after some negative reviews from a few unhappy customers, it became obvious that newer members needed more hands-on training with actual jobs. Strength didn¡¯t always mean competency, especially in a customer service position. Thus, there was a division of labor. Nachi still did the bulk of the training and strengthening of the group, but Tize now escorted those that needed it to help them improve¡ªthe field trainer. The job they were on now should have been babyishly easy. It was to wrangle up a herd of Shoats¡ªsheeps mixed with goats¡ªthat had escaped from their farm. Since the monsters weren¡¯t considered dangerous at all, they were being raised domestically in an attempt to establish proper monster harvesting methods. Them being much bigger than normal farm animals meant there was more profit to make. Tize had brought quite a large group with him since it was a few hundred Shoats they were asked to shepherd. Rezin was along as the more experienced helper since his Curse would be invaluable in this situation, and the boy could always use more training. Laurim had joined as well¡ªstill in her training phase at only a Rank 3. Their hope was for her to turn into a Shoat as well to help lead the pack. The only other Fiend accompanying them was a young man named Dicatta, but everyone called him Dice because of his Curse. He had joined a few months before the raid as a resident student, but after seeing the havoc the Central Peace caused, he decided to become a member after graduating. Dice¡¯s Curse was absurdly overpowered, one that would put him right at the top of the charts for most dangerous in the world. However, it came with a stupid amount of caveats and conditions that had to be fulfilled. His ability was to cut anything clean through¡ªwood, metal, people, anything. It could be cut into as many portions as he wanted, but more often than not, multiple portions were required. In order to cut something, each of the portions had to be equal in some way. This meant they needed to be symmetrical, weigh the same, or have the same volume. Things like a plank of wood were ridiculously easy, but anything with oblique shape or uneven weight distribution required some mental calculation to get right. His Curse would help him with that part, but the more obscure the object, the more mental focus it took. Because of his ability, Dice was often summoned to the cafeteria to assist them. He could chop vegetables instantly or perfectly cut a cake into exactly equal slices. On the offensive side, his Curse meant he could end someone¡¯s life¡ªcutting them in half¡ªwith just a thought, and maybe a bit of gesturing for emphasis. For this job though, his Curse wouldn¡¯t be very useful. But that was all the more reason to bring him since he was out of his element. A newly joined Lesser was with them as well. Their now-oldest member named Ipucco who thought of himself as nothing but a gentleman¡ªironic because he specialized in cheapshots. The cane he walked around with was actually a rifle in disguise, and the crown of his tophat was spring-loaded. It launched forward whenever he tipped it or bowed, giving those in front of him a sudden walloping. Also along for the ride, but not as members, were Bray and Mazie. When the young girl heard about the Shoats, she wanted to tag along, treating it like a trip to a petting zoo. Since it was supposed to be exceedingly undangerous, Bray agreed, but Ahvra had turned them both into teenagers just in case. They were still dealing with monsters after all, and it turned out to be the right choice. If they had still been children, Tize didn¡¯t know if he would have been able to keep them alive for this long. Thankfully, their further developed bodies had let them flee more swiftly. Finding the herd hadn¡¯t taken them very long. That hadn¡¯t been the issue. They hadn¡¯t wandered very far from the farm. The farmers were able to lead the Fiends right to them, only needing a way to shepherd them back. Right as they approached the herd, they were met with death. Monsters come in all shapes and sizes. Most had been encountered by this point since they¡¯d existed for a few decades. This led to them being properly documented with accompanying behaviors and methods of dealing with them¡ªparticularly due to The Slayer¡¯s efforts. As a result, every monster had been assigned a tier of danger and difficulty for monster hunters. The lowest tier was mostly filled with monsters that were made up of two passive creatures¡ªthings like Starbits, Crabsters, and Shoats. Even a human should have no problems dealing with them, individually at least. The top tier consisted of monsters that brought about untold destruction, often needing a small army or a Fiend to bring down. This included monsters like Hippagons, Scobrians, and Polar Lions¡ªexcept for one in particular that had been tamed. Unauthorized usage: this tale is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings. But on rare occasions, there¡¯d exist a monster that couldn¡¯t be classified into the other tiers. Because no matter what anyone tried to do to stop them, they only brought death. Therefore, they¡¯d been shoehorned into a rather uninspired category known as the ¡®Death Tier¡¯. Throughout recorded history, only four Death Tier monsters had ever existed. And thankfully, a hero always rose to the occasion to save humanity from destruction. The first monster was called a Pwhaleican, a cross between a pelican and a whale. This giant bird could attack from both the sea and air and was known for swallowing ships whole. After years of terrorizing the eastern coast, it was finally brought down by a young boy barely in his teens¡ªa feat that would earn him the moniker: The Slayer. The second Death Tier monster was killed about a year later. It was a beast called a Stegatortoise, but more commonly known as The Moving Mountain. Unlike the other monsters of the same tier, it didn¡¯t have any aggressive tendencies. However, with every step it took, it wrecked the world around it. This giant sentient-landmark was taken down by The Beacon. Since her Curse only dissolved the beast¡¯s flesh, its massive shell was left behind. The shell has since been taken over by refugees and turned into one of the biggest new colonies on Rathe. There are currently plans by the Central Peace to turn it into a hub city once a theme has been picked. The third and fourth monsters were fairly recent. Just over a year ago, a Beehexoth was killed by Drim and Phon Drazah, though few actually know that tale. And just last month, a Mam-moth was killed by a squad of soldiers led by Captain Jaid Luciri of the Central Peace. It was a giant wooly moth that liked to careen into any substantial lightsource it could find, usually destroying it. But thankfully, Jaid had been able to strike the killing blow before all of Shindig was destroyed. Rumor has it, though, that the monster had strange black arrows pierced into its wings that grounded it before the destruction could get too bad, not that anyone could ever confirm the source. Over the past decade, more monsters of that scale had likely been killed by The Slayer and The Beacon without them realizing or reporting. But now there was a fifth Death Tier monster. When the group approached the herd of Shoats, the world suddenly shook. It was too brief to react, to flee, to do anything. If only they had run at that point. The ground opened up beneath the herd, and almost the entire flock was swallowed whole. The mouth¡ªno, beak¡ªthat had consumed them shot up a moment later. And it just kept going, the mass of flesh jutting rapidly out of the ground as the monster slithered into the sky. At first glance, it just looked like a giant massive monstrously sized worm, easily as big as the tallest building in the world. But once its entire body had surfaced, wings sprouted all along its body¡ªthe wings of an owl. Quickly named as a Wowl by Laurim, the monster¡¯s wings did not flap like any normal bird. No, the worm was divided into clear sections¡ªan uncountable number given their current vantage, but a few dozen at least. Each section had four wings sprouting out of them, but they weren¡¯t flapping, they were spinning. Each section was like a propeller, rotating, half one direction, half the other, and somehow keeping the Wowl afloat in the sky. Maybe they were just too stunned, their legs locked in awe and fear, but no one had moved. Not the Fiends and not the farmers nearby. Maybe if the farmers had gotten into their trucks at that very moment, they could have escaped. Because then the Wowl chose its next target, its next meal. Tize did all he could to try and stop it. He shifted his gun into a sniper rifle and took countless shots at what he had to assume was the Wowl¡¯s head. The goal was to try and distract it, but the monster was unperturbed. All the sections suddenly spun the same direction, and the Wowl rushed forward, diving at the group of farmers. Hopefully some got away, but most just vanished. The Wowl buried into the ground, cracking through the road and vehicles like they weren¡¯t even there. It was possible it would leave for good, but they weren¡¯t going to take that bet. Tize ordered them to run in the opposite direction, through the woods. As they bolted, Laurim informed them of what she could. It was a monster she¡¯d never heard of, but she could make some educated guesses given its base components. Worms didn¡¯t have most conventional senses, but they could feel vibrations and notice changes in light. Odds were, if they¡¯d stayed perfectly still, the Wowl may have never noticed them¡ªnot that it was particularly an option when it could just pop out of nowhere. However, owls were known for their exceptional hearing, so it probably would even hear their breathing even if they didn¡¯t move, assuming there was nothing else to drown it out. Since they were running, they were luring the monster right to them. But what other choice did they have if it was still hungry? Taking action was still better than standing around and hoping for the best. Thankfully, since everyone was at least a Lesser, they could move faster than a good chunk of other land animals. That was all that saved their lives when the ground erupted from behind them, just a few feet from death. Laurim had been bringing up the rear, so the flinging dirt launched her into the air. She quickly morphed into an egg midflight and was spat out as a Hummingfly that darted over to the front of the group before changing back. The Wowl flew back into the air and scanned the area for sound, likely wondering why it didn¡¯t have tasty human morsels in its stomach. Tize stayed behind, ordering the others to run ahead. He pulled out his gun again, disabling its silencing functions, and began firing, hoping to draw the monster away from his companions. V4: Chapter 1.2 - Armatize That worked a bit too well, and now the floating hellspawn was diving right towards him. Tize tried to aim towards its wings since hitting the main body wasn¡¯t doing much damage. He had the gun in its assault rifle mode to make as much noise as possible, but now he was regretting the loss of accuracy. There were a few noticeable clips and loosed feathers, but most shots just flew right past the spinning wings. Tize readied his shield, unsure if he¡¯d be able to take the force head on, but there were no more options at this point. It was too late to run or even dodge out of the way of the giant mass. But then a single shot rang into his ears. He whirled his head to find Ipucco standing next to him with a smoking gun. His shot had been perfect and precise, piercing through several sections of wings all at once. It wasn¡¯t enough to down the beast, or even really maim it. But the pain it seemed to feel was just enough to get it to divert slightly as it writhed. Tize grabbed Ipucco and pulled him behind the shield, and he was just barely able to angle it so that it slid along the side of the Wowl¡¯s beak instead of being punctured by it. The giant worm tunneled back into the ground, barely avoiding taking the two Lesser¡¯s with it, but they weren¡¯t safe. The insane amount of flesh slid along Tize¡¯s shield that he had to hold back or it¡¯d risk crushing them both. The elder Lesser also put his weight into it, the pair of them pressing against the shield with their lives on the line. They¡¯d been pushing so hard that they almost fell into the giant sinkhole left in the monster¡¯s wake. It had been incredibly straining and adrenaline inducing, but it wasn¡¯t over just yet. The ground rumbled again, signaling the monster¡¯s return. It seemed to be going after the others once more, so the two Lessers bolted to return towards the group. The Wowl missed them again when it emerged, the Fiends having run off in various directions to spread out their vibrations and noise. It flew up into the air again to search for its prey. Rezin tried a few hallucinations to distract the sky-worm. First, he tried making another Wowl, but the monster didn¡¯t acknowledge it in the slightest. Then, he covered the area in a shroud of darkness, so at least it wouldn¡¯t be able to detect the shifts in light as they ran around. Tize and Ipucco had just about caught up to the others when the Wowl chose its next target. Since they¡¯d split up, it went after the most noise¡ªMazie and Bray since they were running together. The mother made the mistake of looking back up at the monster, causing her to trip. Her daughter ran a bit further, only then realizing what had happened to Bray. Mazie turned around, prepared to charge back and help with no regard for her own life, but she didn¡¯t get the chance. Ipucco sprinted at her and grabbed her, hoisting her up over his shoulder as he scrambled away for dear life. Bray had just managed to get to her feet again, unaware of the shadow that loomed over her because of Rezin¡¯s darkness. She didn¡¯t even see Tize coming, and he hoped that he¡¯d forgive her one day. The man rushed straight into Bray with his shield, sending her flying quite a distance until she skidded along the dirt and into a tree. He did his best to get out of the way himself, but it was too late. Tize at least managed to dodge the beak again, but he wasn¡¯t able to move his shield fast enough. The entire right side of his body was rammed by one of the Wowl¡¯s wings, sending him stumbling backwards himself. When Tize went to get back up on his feet, he found he couldn¡¯t¡ªthe entire right side of his body unresponsive. He managed to at least get back on his left knee, bearing the brunt of his weight, and he got his shield in position again, not that it would do him any good. He quickly started feeling light headed as blood pooled down his face. The wing had also sliced into his cranium. It felt breezy and painful around the area, so a chunk might be missing, but Tize couldn¡¯t worry about that now. His own life didn¡¯t matter. That was the realization that quickly dawned on him. As long as he could save the others, it didn¡¯t matter what happened to him. At least Mazie, he had to save her no matter what. But how could he do it? He wanted to move, but his body was betraying him, beaten and bloody. Tize was lucky that all his limbs were still attached, even if they were just dead weight now. He still had his shield and one good leg, but what could he do with them? Thinking was getting more difficult as he struggled for a plan. Maybe his head wound was more than just a wound. The world was getting foggy around him, but he had to do something. An echoing screech blared in his ears. Tize was able to turn just enough to see a mauve-colored Bumblebat. Owls had a tendency to avoid stinging insects, so it was a good choice by Laurim. The buzzing wail seemed to be keeping the Wowl at bay for now as it hovered in the air. When did it even get there? Tize hadn¡¯t even noticed. But he doubted the noise would disway the monster for long. Hell, it¡¯d probably target Laurim next for her efforts. Maybe that was her plan. But he couldn¡¯t let her do that. She¡¯d just be another meal swallowed whole by the Wowl. Damnit! Tize screamed in his head because his worlds failed him. Why couldn¡¯t he do anything?! He was supposed to be the one that shielded the others, The Reliable Refuge who would always come to the rescue. Why was he so weak? Something Tize had never admitted to the others, but he always felt the brunt of his own weakness any time he was around the other Fiends. They could do so much. While Tize never doubted his own power, it was impossible not to compare himself. Why did Cosmos have to forsake him so to only make him a lowly Lesser instead of a powerful Fiend? You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story. Cosdamnit, move! He yelled at his body when he heard the screams of the others around him. The Wowl had started its descent to attack once more. He had to do something, anything, even if it was only throwing himself in the line of fire to save one of them. Tize shifted his left leg, trying to stand, but he only stumbled further. His strength was gone. His hope was gone. But not his will. Tears ran down his face in pain and suffering, but he wouldn¡¯t let that stop him. With every last ounce of energy he had, he roared with all his might. His throat felt like it was going to rip itself apart and his lungs were going to burst. But it was all he could do. All he could do for them. And it was enough. The Wowl changed course mid-attack and was now diving straight towards the screaming man. Please everyone, use this chance to escape. Tize stared his death dead-on. It had no eyes to look into, so he glared at the beak with his one good eye. The monster opened its mouth, and he could see the abyss waiting for him. But suddenly, the blackness was replaced with a flash of orange. Only a few moments from being swallowed, and Tize could suddenly feel the rest of his body again, as if his healing had suddenly and rapidly jumpstarted. But it was still too late. There was no way he could move in time, so it was still hopeless. Strangely, though, his broken right arm lifted itself towards the sky. He had no idea what was happening, since he certainly wasn¡¯t doing it. Then, his hand started to vanish. It ripped itself apart into small fragments of orange light. Tize started to panic, silly because he was about to die anyways, but that didn¡¯t placate the shock of his body dissolving to bits. A second later, Tize Scound was gone, fully dissolved into light. Yet his consciousness remained. He couldn¡¯t quite see, but he could feel everything around him¡ªquite similar to the Wowl that was now burrowing back under ground beneath his existence. Tize didn¡¯t really have control in this incorporeal form, but he found himself floating in a specific direction with a defined purpose. He was headed straight towards Dice. He didn¡¯t know why, but somehow he knew that Fiend was the key to saving everyone. Dice panicked when he saw the orange light twinkling toward him, but no more than the giant monster, so he didn¡¯t try too hard to escape from it. The light flew down to the boy¡¯s fingers, and Tize could suddenly feel his life condense and harden. His existence suddenly felt metallic and rigid as the light turned into long sharp slate-colored claws on the tip of Dice¡¯s fingers. ¡ºSynchronization Rate: 18%¡» Tize could now think and feel and see properly again, but it wasn¡¯t just himself. His consciousnesses had merged with Dice¡¯s, not fully, but there was still decent enough overlap. Tize could suddenly feel all the boy¡¯s terror and anxiousness. He could also read his thoughts and intentions in the moment. Dice had been trying to use his Curse this entire time to slay the Wowl, but it was just too difficult. The creature moving so much was the least of his problems. Its insane size and weight distribution was making it impossible for him to do the mental calculations for how many cuts he¡¯d need. But he could do it. They could do it! ¡¾We¡¯ve got this, Dice!¡¿Tize lifted both of the boy¡¯s bladed-hands towards the skyward invertebrate as it flew up once more. A series of orange gridlines were suddenly overlaid on the monster. Based on Dice¡¯s reaction, it seemed that this wasn¡¯t normally included in his every day Curse, so it had to be something special that Tize himself was adding. Tize could now feel and understand the mental strain Dice went under when he was trying to cut something. The worm body in particular wasn¡¯t that bad. It was fairly similar in size all the way down. What made it a bit more difficult was the organs and everything inside of it that it had already eaten and was digesting. This aspect also wasn¡¯t too bad as Dice himself seemed more used to this part. The main issue were the spinning wings. Each one was a different size and shape. Some had more feathers, and some were injured, making each a different weight and shape. It really, really didn¡¯t help the calculations either that it was rotating the entire time. That was the primary reason Dice hadn¡¯t been able to do this on his own. Once he had a decent grasp, everything would have shifted, and he¡¯d have lost his focus. But now they had two brains to solve the problem. The orange grid shifted around the monster as the two men ran through the analysis. They didn¡¯t have too long, just until the Wowl decided to strike again. Thankfully, Rezin and Laurim¡¯s diversion tactics, while not ultimately too effective, gave them just a bit more time to figure things out. More and more their brains strained as the grid felt harder and harder to move and shape. But finally, cosdamn finally, it locked into place and a number entered their shared consciousness. Not a moment too soon either, as the Wowl began its next dive-bombing. It was aiming for the remaining Lessers¡ªIpucco and Mazie shouldering a hobbling Bray who had been injured from Tize¡¯s earlier bashing. Together, Tize and Dice raised their arms. Aiming at the Wowl, they sliced their claws in front of them, slashing an X into the air as they screamed in unison, ¡¾¡°983 Cuts!¡±¡¿ Their attack probably seemed a little anticlimactic, looking like they flailed hopelessly at the monster to save their friends. But the results were immediate. 983 lines of orange light slashed into the Wowl, severing it into 984 pieces of exactly equal weight. The monster held its shape for longer than expected, but the chunks of flesh started to slide apart as the Wowl corpse plummeted towards the ground. Even dead, the monster still caused a wave of destruction. It was no longer one giant beast, but now 984 fleshy comets raining down on Rathe. Thankfully, the targeted Lessers had been able to hobble away far enough to stay out of range of most of the chaos, but a few errant pieces careened right towards them. Just as one was about to impact, Mazie dropped the side of Bray that she was supporting and punched with all her might. She had a special pair of boxing gloves that added extra power to her impact¡ªenough to bash the cube of meat away. Bray took the next one herself, stiffening her dancer¡¯s ribbon that she mostly used for capturing things into a tight blade. She swung towards a small clot that had broken off from another chunk and sliced it in two¡ªthe halves splitting away and soaring to each side of the Lessers. After the corpse had entirely fallen and everyone was still alive and well, Tize could finally feel himself relax. ¡ºUnsync¡» The metal claws slid off of Dice¡¯s fingers, dissolving back into orange light. The dots of existence reformed the man¡¯s body, and Tize took a deep breath. He looked at his hands, his body now fully restored. All of his injuries may have been gone, but his exhaustion was unparalleled. But now that he had saved them, he could finally collapse. V4: Chapter 1.3 - Armatize Tize awoke two days later in his bed at the Fiends For Hire compound. He got up, expecting to feel groggy, but his body felt amazing¡ªlike he was twenty years younger. The man almost didn¡¯t recognize himself in the mirror. His eyes were now orange and his salt-and-peppered hair had turned fully slate-gray colored. Somehow, he really had turned into a Fiend. He dwelled over the reasons and possibilities as he ate lunch at the restaurant, stuffing his face to make up for lost meals. Had someone he¡¯d injured long ago suddenly succumbed to it? That would be far too coincidental and convenient. No, there had to be something else going on. Maybe the creation of Fiends wasn¡¯t quite what everyone had theorized all this time. But despite sitting in the cafeteria for quite a while, Tize didn¡¯t get much time to let his mind wander. Dice had been helping out in the kitchen, and they spoke a little while he stacked Tize up with portions. The timid duo of Rezin and Laurim came by at some point to thank him as well. At some point during the meal, Ipucco swung by to give Tize an affirming pat on the back. Just as he was about to leave, Bray and Mazie showed up back in their now-six-year-old child forms. They presented him with some homemade cookies and both gave him a hug. While Bray understood that this was such an astronomically uncommon occurrence, she¡¯d still barred Mazie from going out on jobs any time in the near future. And for once, Mazie didn¡¯t really vocalize any objections. Strangely enough, Tize didn¡¯t receive any visits from the higher-ups. The closest thing he got was Nachi stopping by briefly to pound a shot with him before she had to run off for something else. But then he got an explanatory text summoning him to Farian¡¯s clinic to run some tests. The examination was fairly standard, checking out his physical condition and a mental health screening. Farian also had him recite his version of what happened and took endless notes. When he left the clinic, he found all the generals sitting around in the waiting room. Rusa wasn¡¯t around, since she¡¯d just been reborn, but everyone else was present. Tize was also immediately assaulted by Ahvra who began scanning him and running tests of her own. ¡°I can¡¯t believe you let that quack of a physician study him before I could,¡± she mumbled to herself. Once Tize was able to shake Ahvra off for long enough, he was asked to sit down and once more recount his version of events. ¡°So I guess the question we¡¯re all left with then is how did you become a Fiend?¡± Xard spoke for everyone else when Tize was done. ¡°Think I have a theory on that!¡± Ahvra suddenly grew in her seat, excited by her own ideas. After she shrunk back down, she shared, ¡°I think we may be looking at the sequence of events for creating a Fiend all wrong. Up until now, if you¡¯ve killed a bad person, you become a Lesser, if you kill a bad person you love, you become a Fiend. Then, if you give the world a Gift, you become a Greater.¡± ¡°This is the series of progress as we know it, yes?¡± Ahvra got a bunch of nods around the room. ¡°But what if instead of a branching path, it¡¯s actually a linear one. The first step is death¡ªkilling someone. Their soul becomes the Curse Mark on our bodies. Without this step, a Fiend can not be born regardless of the circumstances. It is the very basis of our origin. I propose that you can not become a Fiend without first becoming a Lesser.¡± ¡°The second step is killing a loved one, but what if love is not the catalyst? Given Fiend Conundrum¡¯s explanation of events, it sounds more like a sacrifice needs to be made. Loss instead of love. Since he was willing to give up his life, it fulfilled the condition. This would still match what we¡¯ve experienced, every Fiend has experienced great loss in some way.¡± ¡°Just until now, every Fiend we know has fulfilled the condition for both Lesser and Fiend at the same time, and skipped the Lesser stage entirely. The new path I propose is: Kill bad person and become cursed by them to become a Lesser, experience heavy loss to become a Fiend, give a gift to become Greater. Curse, Loss, Gift; these are the steps for Fiend evolution.¡± ¡°That makes a lot of sense, Ahvra. I think you¡¯re correct,¡± Drim affirmed. ¡°Hmm, does that mean we could turn some of our Lesser members into Fiends without killing more people?¡± Phon speculated the possibilities. ¡°Pssh, I doubt it,¡± Kada rebutted. ¡°Who would want to willingly be subjected to a situation similar to Tize¡¯s?¡± ¡°And I have a feeling that if you purposely tried to manipulate the system, that would negate the feeling of sacrifice required. It probably needs to be genuinely selfless,¡± Xard added. ¡°Well, we don¡¯t exactly want to make more Fiends anyways,¡± Drim admitted. ¡°So we should table that for now unless there ends up being a concrete and safe way to do it. More importantly, we should help Tize further figure out his Curse and what he wants to do going forward.¡± ¡°I can¡¯t say I want anything to change, really,¡± Tize was blunt. ¡°Facing the Wowl was terrifying, but it was where I needed to be. Call it fate if you want, but I was able to save everyone, and that¡¯s exactly what I want to do. Now with this power, I¡¯ll be able to do even more and protect those I care about. That said, I do want to improve. I still don¡¯t really understand what this Curse does.¡± ¡°For a start, would you always turn into those claws?¡± Xard inquired and then he held out his hand. ¡°Here, try it on me.¡± The two men clasped hands, and Tize dissolved into orange light. But the light then solidified into several slate-colored metal shards. The bits of metal clinged to Xard¡¯s arms where they shifted color again to a mixture of crimson and dark-gray to match Xard¡¯s combat outfit. ¡ºSynchronization Rate: 21%¡» What now adorned Xard¡¯s previously bare arms were two metal cylinders. It fully encompassed his hands as well with a focus at the end that looked almost like a lightbulb. ¡°Blaster cannons?!¡± Xard was able to quickly figure out what they were, looking straight out of a sci-fi movie he¡¯d seen. ¡¾It seems they will allow you to increase the spread and output of your Curse, as well as let you fire it continuously for longer.¡¿ Tize shared his understanding. He also didn¡¯t dwell on Xard¡¯s body long, quickly unsyncing and returning his body to normal. ¡°Ooh, Ooh! Me next! Me Next!¡± Kada waved excitedly from her chair. Tize dissolved again, not actually needing to touch her. The light didn¡¯t turn into metal pieces this time, instead it turned into a swarm of slate-colored scales that flew over to Kada and attached around her waist. The scales lined up into rows and stitched themselves together until there was a long flowing skirt that went down past Kada¡¯s feet. Once they were all in place, the color changed to the same ocean blue as her hair. ¡ºSynchronization Rate: 47%¡» If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it. ¡°Ohmygosh, it¡¯s so pretty!¡± Kada grabbed the skirt and fluttered it around with pure joy on her face. ¡¾That¡¯s not all it can do. Try swimming around.¡¿ Kada did as instructed and dove into the room¡¯s floor. She splashed up a moment later, breaching like a dolphin. The skirt had swirled and tightened into a full mermaid¡¯s tail with a fin on the end, flapping around. Kada did a few more laps and splish-splashes around the waiting room before she finally landed on her feet. She squealed and began tiptapping around in delight since the scales had reverted back to a skirt. ¡°Tize, we are now official best friends. We¡¯re going to go on so many missions together!¡± The man reverted back to normal, making sure to take a few steps away from the over-eager girl who was now looking at him differently. But then his eyes drifted to his own hands. ¡°How odd, I could see more into Kada¡¯s mind. Now I know all of her blueprints and plans for her resort.¡± He clutched his head for a moment in anguish. ¡°That was a lot of information to receive at once.¡± ¡°Wonder if that has to do with the synchronization rate,¡± Xard surmised. ¡°What exactly causes the rate to vary from person to person?¡± Everyone¡¯s eyes drifted over to Phon, who groaned, ¡°Fine, I¡¯ll look. Was happy letting you all experiment, but if you want to just skip ahead to the answer¡¡± She bidded Phontext to look him up. ¡°Wow, this Curse explanation is long, even the simplified version.¡± She then read it verbatim. ¡°Curse: Armatize. Allows the user to transform into armor to protect their allies. The armor will merge with the host to improve their physical abilities and boost their mental capacity. The amount improved varies based on the Synchronization Rate.¡± ¡°The Synchronization Rate is based on the compatibility between the Curse user and host body. Compatibility is measured as a comparison of the user and host¡¯s principles, morals, ethics, and ideals. The more closely they match, the higher the Synchronization Rate. Additionally, with a higher rate, the consciousness of the user will gain increased access to the host¡¯s psyche to further improve cooperation and symbiosis.¡± ¡°If the host body is a Fiend, the armor will morph further to best suit the host¡¯s Curse for maximum benefit. Through this, the host¡¯s Curse will be enhanced to lengths that would not be possible on their own. If the Curse can not be feasibly improved, the armor will take a shape that better suits the user¡¯s normal physical needs.¡± ¡°Too many words!¡± Kada tossed her head back in annoyance. ¡°Armor make me stronger! All I need to know!¡± Xard¡¯s eyes grew wide as a realization dawned on him. ¡°Wait, does that mean that you have more in common with Kada than me?¡± The boy''s gaze drifted from Tize to Kada, unsure who he should judge more. Or maybe he needed to look inwards. ¡°Want to try!¡± Ahvra trotted forward and leapt at Tize, headbutting him in the stomach until he turned into light. The man turned into a pillow that snuggled around her neck. ¡ºSynchronization Rate: 11%¡» ¡°Hmm, pretty comfy. Can¡¯t complain. Neck gets stiff after many hours and such heavy hair.¡± ¡°Guess I¡¯ll have a go,¡± Nathym volunteered. He¡¯d been sitting at his counter the entire time tinkering with something, so he¡¯d just been listening up to this point. But he went out to the waiting room with the rest of them so everyone could get a better look. ¡ºSynchronization Rate: 65%¡» Nathym received a powered exoskeleton that covered quite a bit of his body. ¡°I suppose this is to make up for my usual lack of strength.¡± He flexed around in the suit and gripped a few times before Tize departed. ¡°Ugh, that¡¯s a lot of blueprints,¡± Tize gripped his head again. ¡°And I can¡¯t make heads or tails of any of them.¡± ¡°I guess 65% must be a lot then,¡± Nathym sported an unusual bit of pride. ¡°Maybe we should hang out more, Tize, if we¡¯re so compatible.¡± ¡°I wonder who will be the most compatible,¡± Kada mused. ¡°Right now I¡¯m in second place, so none of you better drop me to third!¡± She wiggled her finger over to Drim and Phon. ¡°Well, it won¡¯t be me, so let¡¯s get it over with,¡± Phon shrugged. A purple and white masquerade mask appeared on her face a moment later that also completely blocked her eyes. ¡ºSynchronization Rate: 6%¡» ¡¾Besides replacing your ribbon, it seems this mask also helps alleviate the fogginess of having too many people around¡¿ the voice in her head explained. ¡°That would have been super useful a few months ago,¡± she huffed as Tize returned to normal. He then turned to her with a look of disappointment on his face. ¡°Do you ever think of anything besides your brother?¡± Kada also laughed at this and the fact that Phon¡¯s sync rate was so low. ¡°Yes, cooking sometimes,¡± Phon¡¯s face went serious. After that exchange everyone looked expectantly at Drim who looked less than thrilled at the prospect. ¡°I already have one person chatting in my head regularly. But sure, go for it,¡± Drim invited him. ¡°Hmm, my intuition is telling me that you probably want to stand up for this, or it might ruin the chair,¡± Tize suggested. This only led to everyone else¡¯s eagerness increasing as Drim complied. Their synchronization was a bit different. Instead of turning into pieces that flew and attached to Drim, the light swirled around him for quite a while. The armor was built meticulously, piece-by-piece, from various different points on Drim¡¯s body. Because it did cover his entire body. From head-to-toe, Drim was now adorned in pitch black armor. It was sleek and strong without being too bulky. Even though he wasn¡¯t wearing his blades, two new black ones had manifested along his arms, a bit bigger, longer, and more intimidating than his usual fare. Every inch of his skin was covered, and the only semblance of the boy still remaining was his burning green eyes, protruding through the hollow divots in the faceplate. On the very top of his helmet were black spikes pointing skyward like a crown, the tips of which were suddenly illuminated in green fire. Around his neck, a shroud of green light appeared, draping down into a full cloak that wafted behind him. Drim looked like a dark knight straight out of fantasy¡ªthe villain waiting to crush the hero¡ªthe final boss at the end of the game¡ªthe demon much of the world had always seen him as. ¡ºSynchronization Rate: 100%¡» ¡°Strange,¡± was all the fiendishly-evil looking man said as he moved his arms around, getting a good look at the armor. His voice was also a bit distorted, more gravely and powerful. But no one else said anything, just staring in awe. Tize also didn¡¯t speak as he had most other times to give his perspective. The Fiend removed himself from Drim¡¯s body, but he didn¡¯t clutch his head this time. Instead, his eyes were darting around wildly, his mind racing at a lage a minute¡ªalmost spooked like he¡¯d seen a ghost. ¡°I saw it,¡± he mumbled for a second but then spoke more assertively. ¡°I saw everything! Project Fiendless, your plans, even things you¡¯ve kept from them. Your entire mind, your entire history, your lies, your secrets, the things you¡¯ve done. What you¡¯re going to do¡¡± Everyone leapt into action at those words. Kada unmelted her anchor, Xard pointed his fingers, Nathym grabbed two nearby pistols, Ahvra readied a scalpel, and Phon laced her yoyo¡¯s ring around her finger. All ready to attack in an instant if needed. But Tize didn¡¯t notice any of it. He just kept staring directly into Drim¡¯s eyes that were now burning just a bit more. And what he did next stunned everyone. ¡°My king!¡± Tize suddenly dropped to the floor, kneeling on one knee. ¡°I can not think of a cause more noble than what I¡¯ve just seen. Please, let me join in assisting you in your pursuit of that world. Now that I know, I can¡¯t fathom any other future but the one you¡¯ve laid. I beg of you, let me serve you until the end, until your dream is realized. Now my dream as well.¡± Everyone lowered their guards at that, confusion sweeping across the room. All except for Drim who stared down at the man with an unbreakable glare of seriousness and aggression, bordering on contempt. ¡°Congratulations, Tize,¡± he finally said something. ¡°You¡¯ve been promoted.¡± V4: Chapter 2.1 - 👄Whispers in the Walls👄 ¡°Let the holiday sale roll on!¡± the girl heard from her confinement. Her anxiety only grew, her heart beating faster and faster. She about died from panic when she felt the box that she was trapped in start to move. The single hole of light above her head started to flicker, meaning she was being transported somewhere quickly. But then all the movement stopped for a moment until the girl heard the loud whirring of gears and cranks. It was so clamorous that it even drowned out the whispers for a few moments. ¡°Thank you all for coming to this special auction, everyone,¡± the announcer continued. ¡°With Boon Day and New Years just around the corner, I hope you were able to pick up something nice for you and your loved ones. But before we go, we have one final item for auction, something special that you won¡¯t be able to find anywhere else¡ A Fiend!¡± The box broke apart and blinding light filled the girl''s eyes, making her flinch away. She found herself on a stage in a circular room, a spotlight beaming down on her. There was no audience, but there was a circle of windows around her, high up on the walls. They were tinted so she couldn¡¯t see inside of them, no doubt to hide the identities of the scum that lurked inside. ¡°This is Senli Diormo, but you can rename her whatever you want. She¡¯s 16 years old and an orphan, so you can rest assured that no one will come looking for her. As for her Curse, well, we¡¯re not quite sure what it is. All we know is it lets her garner information she shouldn¡¯t know. But think of all the fun you could have by discovering it together.¡± ¡°She may not look strong now like other Fiends, but just look at her sapphire hair and cream colored eyes. They¡¯re all telling. As for her Curse Mark¡ª¡± Senli couldn¡¯t hear the announcer¡¯s voice anymore, since it was drowned out by a new overpowering voice¡ªone that only she could hear. ??Sorry, sorry, for shining my light. I don¡¯t mean to be so bright.?? The spotlight above her apologized. ??This ought to be such a fright. You must go and escape this night.?? The others around her joined the light in its message¡ªthe windows hiding everyone, the box she¡¯d just been released from, the very walls themselves. Whenever more than one object spoke to her at once, they seemed to harmonize, and it almost sounded like a limerick. ??Get out of here, go, away from this place. You must move fast, ¡®fore they give chase.?? ??In this den, only monsters lie. Get out quick, before you die!?? ??Free of me, you must flee. Through the trapdoor, can¡¯t you see??? ????????Run away. Run away. Run away, don¡¯t stop! Run away! Run away! Run away!!!???????? The chains behind her that had been binding her arms started to rattle. ??You have the strength, my metal will break. Go ahead and do it, for your sake.?? ¡°But¡ you¡¯ll get hurt,¡± Senli quietly whispered to the restraints. Even though they had been actively keeping her captive, it wasn¡¯t their fault. Through this ordeal, they had been her constant, her closest friend that had always seen her through. Her other friends, her clothing, had been recently taken from her since she¡¯d worn them down to rags. The new duds she¡¯d been given to make her look prettier seemed rather jaded to her situation¡ªprobably not the first girl they¡¯d sold to their fate. ??Even though now we must part, I¡¯ll always remain inside your heart.?? Senli tried her best to summon her strength, but it was just too painful. But she had to do it, she had to escape from this nightmare. Without trying to make it obvious, she wrapped the chains more around her arms to tighten them and then started to pull. But she let go a moment later as the entire mood of the area changed, and all the objects sung an upbeat chant. ??He¡¯s here!?? ??He¡¯s here! To save the day!?? ??A blessing sent, to Rathe we pray!?? ??Fear not girl, don¡¯t shed a tear. You¡¯re safe now, the Fiend is here!?? Senli tried to focus on the announcer to see what was going on, but they weren¡¯t speaking anymore. Aside from the chanting voices, it was strangely quiet. But then she heard a thud from up above, and one of the windows seemed darker, like something had been sprayed on it. A moment later, another window went dark, this one covered in something more runny that was seeping down the foggy glass. One room at a time there was a thud and then a darkened window. Not every window got much on them, and some were completely coated. ??Yes, go ahead, I don¡¯t mind the stain. To see them suffer, let justice rain!?? After every window had been painted, it went back to silence for a while. Then Senli heard slow heavy steps coming right towards her. It was from directly in front, behind the double doors she was staring at. The person had to be coming down some steps. All the items in the room went quiet as the door creaked open. The genuine version of this novel can be found on another site. Support the author by reading it there. A man stepped through and slowly walked towards the stage. He had to be the most handsome man that Senli had ever seen, not that she¡¯d seen too many in her life. But with his radiant crimson hair and his glittering golden eyes, he looked so gallant, so dreamy. The man crouched down in front of her to match eyeline and gave her a smile. ¡°Hello, I¡¯m Xard Randex from the Fiends For Hire. I¡¯m here to save you.¡± ¡ô¡ô¡ô Xard stared at the meek girl in front of him, doubting for a moment that she was actually a Fiend. She had to be only second to Creti for the most scrawny Fiend he¡¯d ever seen, clearly malnourished. But her hair and eyes didn¡¯t lie, and she perfectly matched the description of the girl he¡¯d come here to save, so there was no reason to doubt. Strangely, though, the look on her face wasn¡¯t fear or even relief that she¡¯d been saved. It was odd, but one Xard recognized, having seen it often on Kada¡¯s face or even his own sometimes in the mirror. Senli wasn¡¯t just looking at him as a savior, but something more¡ªher emotions exacerbated by the insane situation she was in. She was smitten. ¡°Don¡¯t go falling for me. Trust me, you¡¯re not my type.¡± Was that too cruel? Probably, but it was best to nip it in the bud early on. It sent her face into a scrunch of confusion, but it seemed to snap her out of it while also calming her down from the absurdity. ¡°Now, let me break those chains, and we¡¯ll get out of here.¡± ¡°W-Wait!¡± Senli finally said something, and it wasn¡¯t at all what her savior expected. ¡°Please, don¡¯t break them. They¡¯re my friend.¡± Welp, the girl was crazy after all. But, it matched the intel they had on her. She was often heard talking to people who weren¡¯t there. Given how Roque¡¯s Curse worked, it followed that she could be talking to the inanimate objects themselves. Xard followed the chains to the mechanism holding them in place. It had a pin and a lock, but the girl didn¡¯t seem opposed to him breaking those. Once she was set free, she seemed to contemplate bringing the chains with her for a while, but ultimately left them behind. The pair then went through the doors and up the stairs. Senli stopped for a moment as she looked to her sides at the doors circling the hall that looked down at the stage she was just on. ¡°Did¡ Did you kill them?¡± she asked sheepishly. ¡°I only killed monsters today,¡± Xard assured her and ushered her forward. They walked down a hallway of fine antiquities, and the red-head stopped for a moment next to a particularly dazzling gem-studded gauntlet. He grabbed it and moved forward, not really taking any time to appreciate the details. ¡°Something to pay the ferry.¡± The two then passed through another set of ornate doors, and Xard made sure to ignore the knocked out guards laying on the ground as if they weren¡¯t there. Senli seemed to act in turn, as if it wasn¡¯t something of consequence. Now they were in the public auction hall, which was all that existed on the county record. It had been cleared out in a hurry, but was full of stuff left behind. There were still objects for auction sitting on the stage. Drinks were still in the seats¡¯ cup holders, a few knocked to the ground and soaking into the expensive carpet. Some bags had been left behind too that needed to be returned to their rightful owners, but Xard would leave that to the authorities. The evacuation really had been chaotic, everyone fleeing at the first sign of a Fiend and danger. The moment the two exited the front door and had cleared the steps, the swarm of police officers waiting outside rushed into the building. Senli had clutched to Xard at first, hiding behind his back. She must have thought they were coming for the Fiends. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, my assistant here called them,¡± Xard led the girl over to a woman standing off to the side. ¡°This is Dette. She used to be one of our support managers, but now she assists me personally.¡± ¡°Hello,¡± the woman gave her an affirmative nod before she went back to focusing on her tablet. The Fiends For Hire now had safehouses in every major city across the world. As for who tended to them, they¡¯d employed the local homeless citizens. Besides keeping the safehouses stocked and secured, they also acted as couriers for members out in the field and provided aid whenever needed. Most of them took it quite seriously, since it offered them a place to stay and an easy ticket to get their lives back on track. Dette had been one such homeless person. After losing the civil war in Virabeld, she went on a journey out into the world to help her adapt to this new way of life. However, given her naivety from a sheltered upbringing, she fell prey to even the most common and basic scams around. It didn¡¯t take her long before she was left with nothing and struggling to survive. After about a month of her working as one of the support managers at a safehouse that Xard would frequent, he recruited her as his personal assistant. Now, she traveled with him all over the world to help him with jobs¡ªoften lagging behind since Xard would usually just fly ahead. In recent months, Xard had spread his figurative wings and spent a lot more time away from the compound. He was helping lead the charge in their efforts to spread the Fiends For Hire¡¯s reach to the rest of the world. At the moment, he only returned back home every couple of weeks¡ªmaking sure he was there for the monthly meeting and for whatever else needed attention. Thankfully, he could make his way back in just a few hours in the event of an emergency, but he¡¯d have to leave Dette behind. ¡°Where are we, exactly?¡± Senli looked around at the unfamiliar alley. ¡°Still in Domister,¡± Xard answered. ¡°But not the city you¡¯re from, though not too far. To think that something so heinous was going on in my own¡ª¡± ¡°The orphanage!¡± the now clamorous girl spouted. ¡°I need to get back there! They need me!¡± Both Xard and Dette looked at her with sad eyes. ¡°Actually, uhh¡ª¡± Dette started but then Xard took over. ¡°I¡¯m afraid that the orphanage no longer exists. You may not be aware of how much time has passed, but it¡¯s been about two months. The city wanted to sweep what happened under the rug, so it was quickly demolished. But don¡¯t worry about the other orphans. They¡¯re all safe and happy, and most of them have been adopted. We can go into more detail later, or even arrange for you to meet them if you like.¡± ¡°But for now, we need to discuss your future. Like it or not, you¡¯re now a Fiend. And Fiends have a hard time leading normal lives. We¡¯d like to take you somewhere safe where you can rest and we can properly go over your steps.¡± ¡°No! I don¡¯t want to go anywhere with you!¡± Senli spat suddenly, but then seemed to regret her words immediately¡ªthankless to her savior. ¡°I just, I need to go back there! I need to see it for myself and¡ª¡± ¡°I was afraid it¡¯d come to this,¡± Xard sighed. ¡°Dette, if you¡¯d please.¡± Before Senli could realize what was going on or react to what was happening, Dette had lunged forward and jabbed a needle into her neck. Xard watched her eyes grow weary and her body started to droop. He took a step forward and caught her in his arms before she collapsed. V4: Chapter 2.2 - 👄Whispers in the Walls👄 Senli kept drifting in and out of consciousness. For how long, she didn¡¯t know, but it could have been a few minutes or several days. She had so many dreams¡ªweird and wonderful dreams of fancy clothing and the most ornate antiquities she¡¯d ever seen. During one of her brief periods of lucidity, she heard the following conversation. Though it was hard to discern whether it was real or not due to the absurdity. ¡°You know I don¡¯t like you using my chest to transport living beings, Mr. Xard,¡± spoke a woman¡¯s voice. ¡°Yes, sorry about that. It was just the quickest way to get her here safely. But¡ for your troubles,¡± the man replied. ¡°Ah yes, I see¡¡± the woman paused as she took a deep breath. ¡°Just, uhh¡ don¡¯t let it happen again. But if it does happen again, I am in the mood for pottery.¡± When Senli properly came to, she was sitting upright in a chair, a new bright light shining in her face. ¡°Where¡¯d you hide the body, huh?!¡± A woman with blue hair confronted her aggressively from the other side of the table. Looking around, it seemed Senli had been brought to an interrogation room for some reason. Before she could even mentally process the baseless and boggling question, she was asked several more. ¡°Why did you only beat up one conjoined twin but not the other?! Where were you on the night of October 11th, 2023?! How did you break into the car dealership without being seen? When was the last time you saw Duke Doggington in his cage?! Who stole the cookie from the cookie jar?!¡± None of that made any sense. Senli had never heard of such a dog, and 2023 was well before she was even born! The rest didn¡¯t have enough details and weren¡¯t ringing any bells either. For whatever reason, this woman was wearing sunglasses despite being indoors, and they decided to chime in as well. ???Don¡¯t hold back, this chick is nuts. Make it easy on yourself and spill your guts!??? Senli tried to say something in response, but she wasn¡¯t able to spout a fully complete word. This was just insanity. Maybe she was still dreaming? That¡¯d make more sense, so she¡¯d just settle on the idea for now and go with the flow. But then the thermos attached to the woman¡¯s hip said something to both assuage and amplify her confusion at the same time. ?Relax child, you¡¯re not going crazy. These two are goofing off and just being lazy.? There were so many followup questions. And if this was in fact reality, it seemed wholly inappropriate to do to someone who had just been¡ kidnapped? Senli was still unsure of her situation. And while she didn¡¯t appreciate being messed with, the bizarreness made her forget about her problems for a bit at least. ¡°What the hell are you doing, Kada?¡± A familiar redheaded man entered the room and immediately scolded the woman with sheer disappointment on his face. ¡°Ope, time for me to skiddaddle!¡± Kada looked over to Senli with a look of surprise and panic. ¡°But I¡¯ll be back, criminal! You can¡¯t keep your secrets forever!¡± She then scurried out of the room like a child running from their parent¡¯s discipline. ¡°Sorry about her,¡± Xard apologized as he sat down on the other side of the table, placing a tray of food down in front her. ¡°Help yourself. I¡¯m sure you must be starving.¡± She was starving now that she had a minute to think about it, but she still eyed the food suspiciously. ¡°These are all of my favorite foods. Not even those closest to me know all of them. So how did you know?¡± ¡°You¡¯ll find we know quite a bit about you, Senli.¡± Xard pulled up her profile on a tablet and handed it over for her to see. ¡°One of our members has a way of finding out basically anything they need to about a person.¡± ¡°So you all have been stalking me then?¡± she started to eat, her stomach not as worried as her brain. ¡°Well, not you specifically,¡± he gave a half-answer. ¡°But before we get into it, why not change the scenery a bit.¡± He went over to a panel on the wall, changed a few settings, and then sat back down. The interrogation room changed into a quaint cafe with a lovely view of the beach. ¡°Nice, isn¡¯t it? We¡¯re not actually at the beach just to make it clear. This room lets you change it to whatever you need it to be. We call it the Utility Room because of all the utility it provides, and to confuse people, I guess.¡± If everything in the room was fake, that would explain why no other objects, besides what the woman had been wearing, had tried to talk to her. ¡°Now back to the orphanage. Believe it or not, our leader has actually been keeping an eye on it for quite some time. Maybe you remember, or maybe you don¡¯t, but about two years ago a woman would have been coming to your orphanage to try and buy it.¡± A memory flashed in Senli¡¯s eyes. ¡°Oh yeah¡ she was¡ terrifying. She had so many guards and didn¡¯t even look at us like we were humans. I really thought we were going to end up on the streets for a while. But she just didn¡¯t come back one day, so I figured she gave up.¡± ¡°Her name was Kaselle Vinlot,¡± Xard gave some more context. ¡°She was a real-estate mogul trying to buy up the neighborhood. But, our leader, Drim Drazah, killed her after finding out about some unsavory plans.¡± ¡°Drim Drazah¡¡± Senli¡¯s mouth wrinkled when she heard the name. ¡°Isn¡¯t he supposed to be like super evil or a god or something. I¡¯ve heard a lot of things.¡± She really had¡ªsome terrible, some amazing, all hard to believe. It seemed before that the news only ever really talked about his sister, but lately he¡¯d been in the spotlight. Maybe it was because the sister¡¯s personality and motives were so cut-and-dry that everyone got bored and moved on. ¡°I¡¯m sure to many people he¡¯s both based on their perspective,¡± Xard played it off. ¡°In my experience, it¡¯s best for you to make those judgments about him yourself. And I¡¯ll say he may not be quite what you expect at first glance.¡± ¡°But regardless, it is quite fortunate that they had that run in with Vinlot back then. She made some throwaway comment about your orphanage¡¯s manager being sketchy, which I¡¯m sure at this point you can attest to. This led Drim to keep tabs on the orphanage ever since. If he hadn¡¯t, well¡ I hate to say it, but you¡¯d be somewhere you definitely wouldn¡¯t want to be right now.¡± Unauthorized use of content: if you find this story on Amazon, report the violation. ¡°I don¡¯t even know where I am right now!¡± Senli argued. She quickly lost her appetite and plopped down the bowl of dehydrated ice cream pellets. ¡°That¡¯s a fair point,¡± Xard couldn¡¯t deny. ¡°And we will get to that soon, I promise. But first, I¡¯d just like to confirm a few things with you. Primarily, I¡¯d like to go over the events of how you became a Fiend. It lets us get to know you better, and helps us understand your Curse. The police report gives the gist, but it isn¡¯t very detailed. We think we¡¯ve got it pieced together fairly well, so I¡¯ll state what we have and you just let me know any corrections or additions.¡± Senli nodded in agreement, not really wanting to partake. At least it was easy enough for her. She really didn¡¯t want to spell it all out again herself. The emotions were still quite raw. ¡°You were the oldest orphan at the orphanage and essentially the assistant caretaker¡ªhelping to prepare meals, cleaning, taking care of the other kids, and so on. At some point, you discovered that the orphanage manager had been lying to the children and artificially creating drama between them for his own twisted amusement. At this point you killed him by spiking one of his drinks with¡ kale?¡± ¡°Yes, he was very allergic to it,¡± Senli admitted. ¡°I snuck it into a milkshake he¡¯d drink every day. And he wasn¡¯t just lying to us, he kept a hidden diary in the wall of his office of all of our habits, our secrets, passions, issues, everything about us. He used that to prey on us, to make us feel vulnerable and angry. We¡¯d all go to him with our problems, since he made us believe he was the only one who¡¯d understand. And then he used that to betray us all!¡± ¡°Sorry¡¡± she had to apologize for raising her voice. ¡°I¡ don¡¯t really want to talk about him anymore.¡± ¡°Of course, that¡¯s perfectly fine,¡± Xard acquiesced. ¡°But I would just like to confirm how your Curse works. Even the description we were given straight from the source isn¡¯t super informative. Basically, you hear voices from objects around you and they tell you secrets. Is my understanding correct?¡± ¡°Correct enough, I guess,¡± Senli hadn¡¯t thought too much about how to explain it, since she was abducted shortly after becoming a Fiend. ¡°They don¡¯t just tell me things, though, they care about me. Well, most of them. Some can be grouchy or unfriendly, but the rest are just glad to finally have someone who will listen to them. They¡¯re my friends, and they got me through all that hardship.¡± ¡°I see,¡± Xard nodded along. ¡°I can see how that would be rather comforting. Is it alright if I ask how well you can control it? Like, can you turn it off if you feel you need some peace and quiet? If not, we might be able to get our engineer to make a device that could do just that.¡± ¡°No! Uhh, it¡¯s fine.¡± The idea made her panic a bit. ¡°I¡¯ve gotten quite used to them, and they can sense when I want to be left alone. And if they¡¯re being extra chatty, I¡¯ve gotten used to tuning them out. I¡¯d rather they be always around and able to get my attention if they need to. I haven¡¯t really met any so far that I don¡¯t want to talk to.¡± As if to spite her, the clothes she¡¯d been wearing chose that moment to speak up. ??You¡¯re telling this boy too many secrets. Don¡¯t trust him too much or you¡¯ll be filled with regrets.?? Senli decided to ignore the clothing for now, but she¡¯d need to have a proper conversation later about what to do with them¡ªand probably get some friendlier clothes. ¡°Well, let¡¯s move forward to your situation,¡± Xard changed subjects. ¡°You¡¯ve probably guessed it already, but you¡¯re at the Fiends For Hire compound in Bisomote, a small town in Segrevide, a country in the northeast of the continent. We¡¯ve brought you here in hopes that you¡¯ll consider some of our offers. However, I¡¯ll state firmly upfront, that if we can¡¯t come to an arrangement to your liking, you¡¯re welcome to leave, and we¡¯ll assist you however we can with setting up a new life.¡± ¡°Of course I might be biased, but I¡¯d like to believe that you can find a fulfilling life here. As you''re probably aware, the Fiends For Hire at its core is essentially a mercenary group that takes requests to help others. And I won¡¯t lie and say your Curse wouldn¡¯t be quite useful in an organization like ours, but you don¡¯t have to use it in that way at all if you don¡¯t want to.¡± ¡°Now, you¡¯re a bit young to be a member, but that route could be explored if you were interested. From my speculation, I imagine you¡¯d be more interested in the resident route. You¡¯d be allowed to stay here free of charge, with all of your needs met. The only caveat would be that you¡¯d need to find schooling, or employment, or something else that either contributes to the organization or society.¡± ¡°Why we¡¯re so interested in having you in particular¡ Well, I should probably start over with something else. I¡¯d like to talk to you about children for a moment. That sounds weird, but I hope I can make my point clear.¡± ¡°I¡¯ve always had quite the soft-spot for children. This was only exacerbated when I found out my best friend was responsible for one losing their life by selling them drugs. That¡¯s how I ended up becoming a Fiend, but that¡¯s a story for another time.¡± ¡°In fact, that same soft-spot is why I was the one who rescued you today. Well, last night at this point. Drim was actually planning to do it himself, but I had to practically beg him to let me take it. I couldn¡¯t just let something like that stand so close to my own home¡ my old home. Especially not to someone so young in such dire straits.¡± ¡°But, I also believe you share a similar ideology with me, which is why you worked so hard at your orphanage even though it wasn¡¯t your responsibility. You just wanted to be there for them when they had no one else. That is exactly the kind of person we need right now.¡± ¡°You see, there has been a group rounding up and capturing Lesser Fiends. As far as we¡¯re aware, they don¡¯t have any other regular Fiends detained. I''m guessing you were probably captured by the Red Eyes Gang, as were most of these Lessers. But unlike you, they weren¡¯t sold to an auction house. No, they¡¯ve been taken to a lab and are being experimented on.¡± ¡°In a few days, once we have all the details and everyone is prepared, we will be raiding this lab. By our estimations, there¡¯s somewhere in the range of 50 to 100 Lessers being held captive there. And unfortunately, most of them are children.¡± ¡°For those that have places to return and parents to look after them, we¡¯ll do everything in our power to return them home safely. Unfortunately, we suspect that many of them are orphans or were being raised in environments they¡¯d rather not go back to. In such cases, we plan to bring them back here where they can live safe and fruitful lives.¡± ¡°Unfortunately, the issue is we don¡¯t really have anyone to look after them. We have a teacher who will be overseeing their education at least. While we do have a butler, she has expressed her disinterest in being involved at all. The community will almost be welcoming and happy to help however they can, but we¡¯d like to have someone dedicated to make sure they¡¯re all being taken care of properly.¡± ¡°Now, I¡¯m sure this is a lot. You¡¯re still quite young yourself and have your whole life ahead of you. Regardless of whether you¡¯d choose to accept the position or not, you¡¯re welcome to stay on as a resident with full freedom over your choice. Though, we would still like you to at least finish your standard education too. And as I said before, if none of that appeals to you, you¡¯re welcome to leave.¡± ¡°I¡ I don¡¯t know¡¡± Senli found it all quite a bit overwhelming. In less than a day she¡¯d gone from thinking her life was over to now needing to figure out her entire future. Even though she¡¯d just slept for who knows how long, she really just wanted to go lie down for a bit. ¡°Being the caretaker at the orphanage was never really something I chose,¡± the young Fiend admitted. ¡°It just sort of happened over time. While I can¡¯t say it¡¯s something I ever disliked, I don¡¯t know that it¡¯s what I want to do forever.¡± ??So picky now that you¡¯re met with care. Better safe in here than struggling out there.?? The clothes Senli was wearing quickly changed their tune. ??This whole thing is sudden, and I know you¡¯re shook. But at the very least you should go take a look.?? Senli almost believed that Xard could hear it himself for a moment since he immediately offered something similar. ¡°Well, if you¡¯re unsure, why don¡¯t I at least show you around? Hopefully then you can get a better idea of what you¡¯d be signing up for.¡± V4: Chapter 2.3 - 👄Whispers in the Walls👄 The two Fiends left the room. Xard then showed her around the rest of the headquarters building. They met a woman named Deborah who seemed nice enough, and then after looking at the various amenities, they went to the restaurant. Even though she¡¯d just eaten, they still got her a drink and a snack while waving kindly at a few people. While the restaurant was mostly filled with townsfolk at this hour, there were still more Fiends than Senli had ever seen in her life. Well before today, she had never actually met another Fiend besides herself. After they made it outside, the girl had to pause for a moment to stop and take a deep breath. The fresh air was so refreshing, especially having been kept in tight storage for quite some time. And the mountains simultaneously took her breath away, since she¡¯d never seen any upclose before. They got into a golf-cart and Xard zipped her around the compound showing off the various facilities while talking about their day-to-day lives¡ªa proper tour guide. It was all interesting, and given different circumstances, Senli may have even been quite enthused to visit if offered the chance. However, something just felt off about the whole situation. Was this a cult? It was really starting to feel like a cult. Maybe she¡¯d fallen asleep in front of too many true-crime shows after long days of cleaning, but there was certainly something weird going on here. A compound in the middle of nowhere with an unscrupulous amount of funding and self-sufficiency. Not to mention that everyone seemed far too chipper and happy with their lives¡ªunnaturally so. It was all quite suspicious, and the more she saw, the less she felt like she¡¯d really belong. And to top it all off, something very disturbing and cultish occurred right in front of her very eyes. Drim Drazah, the deity they all seemed to worship¡ªpossibly cult leader¡ªwas doing something quite sketchy to two women behind a building. It was hard to surmise, but he was certainly touching them strangely. And they obviously didn¡¯t like it either, their faces scrunched in discomfort. ¡°What the hell is he doing?!¡± she blurted before her rational thinking got the better of her. ¡°Huh?¡± Xard looked over to see what the fuss was about and chuckled a bit. ¡°I can see why you¡¯d think that¡¯s weird. He¡¯s just draining the life out of them.¡± ¡°Ha! So he is an evil cult-leader god!¡± Senli was proud of herself for finding definitive proof, and also regretted that her mouth was definitely getting her in more trouble. Probably not the brightest idea to spout such accusations to someone who was most likely a devoted zealot. ¡°You really have a strange impression, don¡¯t you?¡± Xard looked at her with bewildered eyes. ¡°They¡¯re giving it up voluntarily. We Fiends and Lessers produce too much of the stuff, so Drim absorbs that excess and redistributes it where it can do some good¡ªusually hospitals for patients that need that extra boost to make it through.¡± ¡°Hmm, alright,¡± Senli still eyed the alleged good-guy suspiciously, but she¡¯d drop it for now. If she wasn¡¯t being lied to, it meant she really was at least safe from everything else she¡¯d seen. Yet, she still couldn¡¯t quite let herself relax. ??Don¡¯t talk badly about our master. He¡¯ll be the one to save Rathe from disaster. Such slander you spout, we won¡¯t accept. Watch your mouth, or watch your step.?? Well, the odd feeling at least had an explanation now. It seemed every blade of grass here was under Drim¡¯s watchful eye since she was met with a harmonious threat. Even if these people weren¡¯t crazy cultists, the plants sure were. Still, it oddly comforted her having found the root cause of why she was so off-put by the place. Maybe it was something she could actually live with. But then another absurdity came her way. ¡°Is this the girl who can talk to things?¡± a well dressed man approached and accosted them. After Xard introduced her, the man ignored him entirely and got right up in Senli¡¯s face. ¡°Roque Personson at your service!¡± He then handed her a business card. ¡°Whatever you need, I can get it. That¡¯s the Personson guarantee!¡± ¡°Now then, if you wouldn¡¯t mind me asking for a little favor. I have this coin, you see,¡± Roque pulled out a coin unlike any she¡¯d ever seen. ¡°It¡¯s not currency in the traditional sense, more a device that helps me find money. However, even though I know it¡¯s capable of it, there seems to be a block in place that prevents me from using the coin to access bank accounts directly. Would you be so kind to see if you can garner some insight as to why?¡± ??This man drinks it down like honey, he shouldn¡¯t be allowed any more money. Listen now, I¡¯ll make it clear. If he gets access, the world should fear.?? The coin seemed vehemently against the idea, and Senli relayed the message as she heard it. ¡°I see,¡± Roque stared daggers at the coin for a moment before stowing it in his pocket. ¡°I guess we just need a little more quality bonding time. Thank you for your assistance.¡± He then sauntered away. The narrative has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the infringement. Xard seemed to be able to tell how weirded out Senli had been by the recent occurrences, so he promised to show her something pleasant and hopeful. They drove right past the apartments which he said they could stop in later so she could look around at everyone''s living conditions. Then, they stopped at something Senli hadn¡¯t expected. In the northwestern corner of the compound was now a huge schoolhouse. Through the windows, it looked like there were a few different classrooms, an auditorium, and a lunch room. There was even a courtyard and a playground for the children. Xard explained that on the other side that she couldn¡¯t see, there were private dorm rooms for all the children they¡¯d be rescuing and any others who may wish to stay there and attend schooling. If Senli were to accept their offer, she would also be placed there in the dorm master¡¯s room. Even though bringing her here certainly felt like bait, she couldn¡¯t help herself from getting out of the cart and walking over to look around. Right on time, the school bell rang. She wasn¡¯t sure if it was supposed to signal the start or end of something since it was still pretty early in the morning. ??Even though we¡¯re done with learning, come tomorrow you¡¯ll be yearning, back for more with passion burning.?? The schoolhouse seemed to answer her question for her. A woman walked out of the building and headed over to them. ¡°This is Andi Jaimess, a biochemist and the school¡¯s instructor.¡± The woman looked very stereotypical from most teachers Senli had met in her life. Maybe a bit more stern, like she wouldn¡¯t be walked over or take people¡¯s zjik. ¡°Yes, and that is something I¡¯d like to discuss with you all, Xard,¡± Andi seemed a bit frustrated. ¡°Right now since we only have two students, it¡¯s no real issue for me. But if we get as many new students as you¡¯ve been saying, it will simply be too much for one person alone. Not to mention all of my other duties in the lab and tutoring the college kids.¡± ¡°Alright, I get the point,¡± Xard nodded. ¡°We¡¯ll see who we can get soon. If need be, we¡¯ll have those who have some teaching skills assist you in the meantime.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll hold you to that,¡± Andi finally looked over to the other Fiend. ¡°You must be the girl from the orphanage I¡¯ve heard about. I look forward to having you as a student.¡± The teacher clearly wasn¡¯t aware that things hadn¡¯t yet been decided, but she wandered off before hearing otherwise. A moment later, two small girls, assumedly the students, came out of the building. One of them rushed over to the two Fiends, the other quickly following in tow behind her. Senli quickly learned that they were Mazie and Bray, and that they wanted to play. Before she knew it, she was swept up into their pace and dragged over to the playground to have fun with them. And that was how she spent the rest of her entire day. These two little girls were unscrupulous, well one more than the other¡ªtugging on her heartstrings with each passing moment. Before she knew what was happening, she¡¯d eaten lunch with them, played with them at their clubhouse, and then joined them for dinner at their apartment. Even though she learned a bit more about their situation, after watching their small bodies trying to cook dinner, it became just how evident these children needed someone to help them in their day-to-day lives. Xard had left them alone fairly early on in the day, departing with a smirk on his face. This was entrapment, and damn was she being trapped. Shortly after dinner, she found herself unable to refuse their offer to stay when Mazie sobbingly asked if they were going to see each other again. After departing from the girls, she met up with Xard to finalize things and was escorted to her room in the dorms. It was cozy and comfortable, more an apartment than a dorm room. Suspiciously, though, it was already decorated and filled with some of her belongings from her now destroyed orphanage. They¡¯d even recovered the manager¡¯s evil journal that she knew for certain had been taken as evidence. Just how powerful and well connected were these people? She was starting to doubt that she ever actually had a choice to say no, regardless of how much they insisted otherwise. If she had actually tried to leave, they probably would have used more manipulation on her, or maybe some kind of mind control. But it was too late to turn back now. ¡°So are you like my manager or something now?¡± Senli asked when Xard was going to leave. ¡°Should I expect regular check-ins and all that?¡± ¡°Uhh, no,¡± Xard quickly ended that idea. ¡°You actually probably won¡¯t see me around very much after this.¡± For whatever reason, that made her feel a little panicked and sad, but she didn¡¯t let herself show it. ¡°I¡¯ll be back briefly when we bring those we save from the mission, but I¡¯m heading out until then. Then after that¡¯s done, I¡¯ll probably be gone for a few weeks at a time.¡± ¡°But I¡¯ll make sure to arrange for someone to help you get settled over the next few days and go over your duties. After that, you¡¯ll mostly be on your own to do as you see fit. If you ever need help, though, you just need to ask. There will always be someone there for you, that¡¯s just the kind of place this is.¡± Senli was left to mull over those words as she reorganized some things in her room. All that was left was to decide what she was going to do with the journal. It made some sense to keep it for posterity¡ªa memento of where she¡¯d come from and what she¡¯d gone through, along with a memory of all those she¡¯d grown up with. Or maybe she¡¯d just burn it. Speaking of, she also had a conversation with the clothes she was still wearing, to see what they wanted to do in the future. ??It¡¯s best we part ways, our looks just clash. Let me return to Rathe, burn me to ash.?? V4: Chapter 3.1 - Freedom by Force ¡°Remember everyone, this is an unrestricted mission,¡± Drim called out over their comms to every member stationed around the area. ¡°We must be successful no matter the stakes or cost. If you meet any resistance, you have full permission to do whatever is required to resolve it. Try to restrain or disable any enemies if you can, but don¡¯t take chances. Wait for my signal to start.¡± He then fielded a question. ¡°Yes Kaizu, you have permission to kill anyone the glove detects.¡± Then as the last bit of preparation, he called up Victori to give her the go ahead. She wasn¡¯t present, but she didn¡¯t need to be. ¡®To all those in captivity at the hidden laboratory known as the Power Station, help is on its way. It would be best to relax and listen to the instructions of the Fiends For Hire. They are trying to get you somewhere safe.¡¯ ¡®To all those running, employed, aiding, or abetting the hidden laboratory known as the Power Station, retribution is coming. You should fear for your lives. It is best to surrender immediately if you want to save yourselves.¡¯ The lab was called that because it was actually in a power station¡ªthough not one accessible by conventional means. It was all a cover, both in name and export. They wanted it not to appear on anyone¡¯s radar, and it could also be talked about publicly among their employees without raising any eyebrows. For quite some time now they¡¯d been able to hide in plain sight. They¡¯d first gotten wind of the Power Station about a month ago. A few of their newly recruited members had been targeted by the Red Eyes Gang for abduction. The gang must not have been aware that they¡¯d joined the group yet, since every other time they¡¯d come across the gang, it seemed they¡¯d been on strict orders to flee as fast as possible. After the incident with Mazie, they¡¯d done a little bit of digging into the gang but didn¡¯t get too far. This time, one of the members had been brought back for questioning, and through Phon¡¯s ascended Curse, along with some ¡®motivation¡¯, they were able to uncover a lot of the gang¡¯s plans and operations. Most of it was petty crime¡ªbest left for local law enforcement, but the Fiends For Hire could step in if it ever got out of hand. It seemed the gang had a lot of clans and subsidiaries spread out around the world, so bringing them down entirely would be a gargantuan task. However, the Fiends For Hire simply could not leave the Fiend abductions alone. Through a lot of digging by Phon and Feyjrusa over the span of two lives, they¡¯d eventually tied them all to the Power Station. In almost every situation, Fiends and Lessers that were kidnapped went to the secret lab. There were a few obscure cases. A couple of Lesser¡¯s got sent to an underground fighting ring. Nachi had seen to their liberation herself by going undercover as a contestant, winning easily before she brought the whole thing crashing down. The only case where it was a Fiend sent elsewhere was Senli¡¯s incident. They speculated it was because of her ability to find out information and secrets. Since they didn¡¯t quite know how her Curse worked, they couldn¡¯t risk being compromised. The generals very briefly entertained a discussion about whether or not this information should be passed along for the Central Peace to handle. This kind of infraction of their treaties and laws was certainly more suited for direct government interference. They probably would have if there weren¡¯t Fiends directly involved. But unfortunately, they just couldn¡¯t trust such an organization to ensure their freedoms in the end. Plus, there were a few rumors and inklings that the Central Peace, or at least a small group inside of it, might have their hand in all of this. They¡¯d already linked the beginning of a connection between the Red Eyes Gang and a CP Rep, though they weren¡¯t sure which. Finding out they were also involved with the Power Station wouldn¡¯t really be surprising, and it was something they were hoping they could also confirm during this mission. Now with everything in place, Drim signaled the start of the mission. Kada rushed ahead, trailblazing the path forward for everyone else. It was her job to take down the exterior defenses. The Power Station was built next to a river, so they could feign using hydroelectricity to generate their output. The main entrance was a bridge across the river to the building on the other side. To stop people from randomly wandering into the facility, there was a checkpoint and guard station. But this was something fairly typical that wouldn''t cause any undue suspicion. Behind the Power Station was nothing but empty woods, or so it would seem. Of course as a first line of defense, there was a large fence encircling the entire area and marking it as private property. But for anyone bold enough to ignore that, there were a bunch of hidden defenses and traps. Hell, they even went so far as to place transmitters that emitted a frequency normally unhearable by humans that would dissuade them from pressing forward. This narrative has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. If you see it on Amazon, please report it. Kada touched the fence and it vanished into a line of goo around the perimeter. Since it was supposed to be as inconspicuous as possible, it didn¡¯t have any fancy aspects like being electrified. ¡°Let¡¯s go, Tize!¡± she shouted before diving into the ground, orange light trailing after her. She erupted from the dirt a moment later, her mermaid tail breaching beautifully into the sky before she dived back in. This let her swim faster than any other person alive, and most animals. It didn¡¯t take long before the defenses activated. A few fake hollow trees slid open revealing turrets hidden inside. They started firing to no avail. Even with how advanced this facility was supposed to be, they were still behind the times in their standard defense. No living ammo, no paralysis energy shots, just regular bullets that couldn¡¯t even touch Kada. They must have never guessed that she herself would come attack them personally. Kada dove through one of the fake trees, melting it and several around it. She didn¡¯t want to dispose of every bit of standard metal nearby, though, unsure of what infrastructure she could be ruining that was for the citizenry of the local town. After clearing out one section of anything that would attack her, Kada began speeding around the area in a circle, hoping to draw in new attention. Phon was also in direct communication with her, pointing out tripwires and mines for her to hit, able to find them through all the dirt and clutter. After a bit of thoroughly trashing their defenses, it seemed someone noticed and decided to take the initiative. Drones began swarming the area and firing at her. They were smart enough to stay higher in the air than she could reach with momentum alone. But unfortunately for them, she wasn¡¯t alone. A few of the scales slid off of Kada¡¯s tail and began flying around. They attached to the drones, useless by themselves. But since Kada and Tize were synced, Kada could funnel her Curse through them, melting the annoying pests out of the sky. It was around this time that Xard began his assault. If they were being reactionary enough to send out drones then there wasn¡¯t any further point in acting stealthy. He strode across the bridge right up to the front gate. The two guards stationed there of course tried to stop him. He couldn¡¯t fault them for doing their jobs, but how many power stations hired Lessers as guards and gave them full-auto shotguns to defend their gate? The two tried to surround him, yelling orders to get down on the ground. Just to humor them for a moment, Xard held up his hands like he was surrendering. But then he quickly swung them to his side and blasted energy out of both. The guards went flying off either side of the bridge and were swept away by the rampaging river. All gloves were off at that point and any pretense was dropped. Turrets popped out of the building itself and a few dozen guards rushed out of the building. They really didn¡¯t want someone to steal all their precious power. Xard made quick work of them, to the point that it was almost trivial. The only one to give him trouble was a Lesser using some kind of wind gun. It sent a constant jet of wind his way, knocking Xard off his feet for a moment. But he was able to recover without incident and blasted forward with more energy than the gun could produce. After taking out that Lesser, it was just a tedious cleanup job of the rest. The rest of the Fiends For Hire descended towards the Power Station once the all clear had been given. ¡°Still quite a few guards down there,¡± Phon gave her report. ¡°So we still need to proceed with caution. Oh, found the containment area. Damn, they¡¯ve got it packed tight. Too foggy to move on my own, but maybe with Tize I can¡ªkuh!¡± Her head suddenly reeled backwards as she clawed off her ribbon. She blinked her eyes a few times and rubbed them, like she¡¯d been hit with a sudden bright light. ¡°What the mawhg¡ They just surrounded the entire building in someone¡¯s aura. I can¡¯t see zjik inside now.¡± ¡°Well, at least that gives us the kind of idea of the experiments they¡¯ve been doing here,¡± Drim looked on the brightside. ¡°Any clue whose aura it is?¡± ¡°Just some schmuck Lesser,¡± Phon was unimpressed, but she did find a bit of interesting information after examining them with Phontext. ¡°Huh, they have them stuffed into some machine like a battery. If someone on the inside removes them, I should be able to use my Curse freely again.¡± ¡°Well, having you teleport everyone out would have been too boring anyways,¡± Niloy piped up. ¡°How am I supposed to gain more adoring fans if you generals just do everything yourselves!¡± The Fiends For Hire had never anticipated this mission to be hard, but they still brought along quite a few members anyways. It was likely more than they¡¯d need, but it was better to play it safe when so many lives were on the line. ¡°Well, you not being able to teleport negates the first few plans,¡± Xard pondered which one they should go with now. ¡°I can still mark the edges of the building for excavation,¡± Phon informed them. ¡°Woo, plan J it is then!¡± Kada followed Phon around while she dug some scratches into the dirt. Once the outline had been drawn, The Mermaid shoved her hands into the soil and got to work. Everyone else had to take a few steps back as waves of liquid dirt washed around the area. The Power Station was a bit small compared to most of its ilk, but that was only the building set above ground to fool the public. What lay beneath was far more massive and sinister. Like excavating an ancient ruin, the facility became exposed to the world above. Kada didn¡¯t stop until every inch of the building was uncovered. They could have just gone in through the top, but this way gave them several more infiltration points and means of escape. Especially since they¡¯d need to be leading the captives out in person now, the shorter the route, the better. V4: Chapter 3.2 - Freedom by Force As soon as she saw an opening, Kaizu rushed to a vent and clambered inside. She undoubtedly wanted to get as much killing done as possible before someone else took her prey. The serial killer had worked hard to be a part of this mission, since only those of Rank 8 or higher were allowed to participate. This limited most members, but quite a few had made great strides in improving their standing over the past few months. Niloy and Itsy, who were both present, eventually were able to overcome the wall of Rank 7, the stealth test where they had to steal a bottle of booze. Itsy had racked her brain for quite a while until she came up with a simple solution. After examining the security footage for a few days, she went around outside to the back of the store and punched a hole through the wall amongst the racks of alcohol. By the time anyone could look over at the commotion, she had grabbed a bottle and skedaddled. Niloy had employed similar thought since she was struggling with the basics of the test. She had simply waited for the store to be closed and made her attempt then. There were still a few stockers, but it was far simpler to navigate. Nachi allowed this under the idea that picking the right moment was an important part of stealth. She gave a condition, though, that Niloy couldn¡¯t tell any lower ranks how she did it, since they¡¯d have to come up with the idea on their own. For Rank 8, both of them had passed with flying colors. Itsy¡¯s fight against Nachi didn¡¯t even last a full minute. Nachi had stabbed Itsy in the leg with her polearm, but then couldn¡¯t pull it back out from Itsy flexing. The moment she was grabbed by the behemoth woman, she surrendered. Niloy¡¯s fight lasted a little longer, but not by much. She kept melting Nachi¡¯s polearm with her acidic water. The trainer was quite fortunate that the weapon could now repair itself or she would have quickly lost a longtime heirloom and partner. Nachi surrendered again the moment she herself was soaked, not wanting to meet a similar fate. Kaizu¡¯s fight to raise her rank hadn¡¯t been a fight at all. She¡¯d launched a surprise attack¡ªmore like an assassination¡ªagainst Nachi in her sleep. The woman awoke to find herself completely pinned with both daggers against her neck. Even though it wasn¡¯t the parameters, it still counted as a defeat. Roque, per usual, skirted the rules more than anyone else to reach Rank 8. He had walked into the arena, pulled out a bottle of the single-most expensive liquor in the world, and held it hostage¡ªa gun pressed against it. That ¡®fight¡¯ lasted quite a while without a single punch thrown. After about an hour of toiling over her principles, Nachi surrendered. An attack on someone¡¯s mind and taking advantage of an opponent¡¯s weakness was still considered fighting. Of those four, who were all present on this mission, the three women had gone on to achieve Rank 9 shortly afterwards. Roque hadn¡¯t even attempted it yet, not coming across eligible monsters often during his daily life. However, none of them had managed to pass Rank 10. Kaizu hadn¡¯t tried, content with her standing for the moment. Niloy wanted to beat Kada, but had almost drowned in a whirlpool during her last attempt, so she wanted to train more before trying again. Itsy had challenged every single general so far and failed. Despite her insane strength, it went to show how much of an advantage someone with a Curse had, especially those with a lot of experience in using them. One person had achieved Rank 10, though; Tize. He had been made a general after becoming a Fiend and moved into their mansion shortly after. But in order to keep the actual reason for his promotion a secret, he was tasked to raise his rank as quickly as possible. That said, he still wasn¡¯t going to have it handed to him. Tize had been spinning his wheels all this time, still discontent that he didn¡¯t get to fight Jaid for that honor. But since his hand was forced, he chose Xard and beat him soundly. Being able to block almost all of his attacks was already a huge advantage, but Tize¡¯s Curse was a natural foil to Xard¡¯s¡ªone of the few. After hitting Xard with a paralyzing shot, The Refuge turned into blaster cannons on Xard¡¯s arms. It was a good test as well, since they found out Tize could still move a host¡¯s body even if the host themselves was incapacitated. Tize pointed one of the cannon¡¯s straight into Xard¡¯s gut. At that range, Xard¡¯s Curse didn¡¯t work, and the shock absorbers didn¡¯t help either¡ªso much energy pumped through them that they actually shattered. While he had probably gone overboard, it was the only way to land a definitive blow on the boy and win. Xard didn¡¯t move again for the rest of the day, even with Ahvra and Drim¡¯s healing. Not every member of an eligible rank was participating in this mission either. Staff who¡¯d be allowed, such as Mallea and Nachi, were seeing to other duties since there were already enough volunteers. Notably, though, Gatrim was missing. This kind of mission was right up his alley to prove his heroics, but he hadn¡¯t been around lately. Similarly to Xard, he had been on lengthy excursions away from the compound, taking on missions around the world. It had all started the day he¡¯d finally beaten Nachi. It was a somber moment for the trainer, losing a regular sparring partner, but she was also proud since it was the culmination of all the training she¡¯d provided. When she went to block one of the attacks from his rapier, the tip pierced right through the flat of her polearm¡¯s blade. It stopped just short of piercing through her skull, leaving a scar on forehead that still hadn¡¯t fully healed, even as a Lesser. What should have been a momentous moment to relax and celebrate, it only fueled his momentum and drive. Within the hour of his victory, he had returned with a 2nd-rank monster¡¯s head and threw the still-decomposing flesh at Drim¡¯s feet¡ªchallenging him. Gatrim always wanted to prove he was the best, so what better way than beating the leader of the organization himself? If you find this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the infringement. However, Gatrim had specifically requested that Drim not hold back, so he could fully understand the gap between them. And Drim complied, fighting without mercy. They went for three rounds, three very short rounds. For the first, Drim captured Gatrim in a tangle of vines mere moments after it started. For the second, the pompous boy managed to dodge the first attack of vines and dashed at Drim, attempting to stab him. But Drim deflected it easily and grabbed Gatrim by the face. He absorbed almost all of the boy¡¯s life, leaving him barely more than a withered husk on the ground. Even after his life had been restored, Gatrim still wanted to go again, not yet fully accepting his place. The moment the round started Drim uttered a single word and then walked away. ?Surrender.? Since then, Gatrim had been scarce, but he was near the top of the charts for most missions completed every month, even winning a few more times. There were a few other members nearby who didn¡¯t have the rank to participate, present to fulfill other roles. This included Senli, who was unranked, and Rezin, who had made it up to Rank 7. He¡¯d tried fighting Nachi a few times, even getting close once or twice. But it was getting more difficult the more he tried, since Nachi had been regularly training herself against hallucinations and mental attacks. Chorus was around somewhere too. They weren¡¯t invited, but people had seen glimpses of them in their peripherals. So far, they¡¯d only made it up to Rank 6, having a similar experience to Niloy and being recognized for fame when they tried to perform stealth, even in disguise. Also sort of in attendance was Rusa. She was back at the compound but observing the area through one of their satellites, ready to relay any intel she spotted. They were expecting reinforcements from the Red Eyes Gang or possibly other groups to swarm the Power Station soon, so she was mostly present to warn them of an ambush. This same reason was why not everyone invaded the facility. Xard and Itsy stayed stationed outside, since both of their strengths worked better in open areas. Tize also stuck with them for the time being, at least until the initial danger had passed. Those three wandered off to find a good spot to hold up, and everyone else rushed inside from different entrances. Only Drim and Phon were left standing there for a moment. ¡°Since you can¡¯t really see inside, it¡¯s probably best that you wait out here,¡± Drim said loudly in case anyone else was still listening. He then whispered to her, ¡°I assume you remember what you need to do.¡± Phon gave a short, confident nod, and then Drim headed into the Power Station on a mission of his own. ¡ô¡ô¡ô Roque was all by his lonesome as he wandered around the facility. Though it was a rather creepy and sketchy place, he hummed without a care in the world as he boldly strolled through hallways¡ªopening doors and checking inside rooms without a moment¡¯s hesitation. ¡°An intruder!¡± Someone called to him, but Roque didn¡¯t even look their way. They were incapacitated before The Swindler could even turn his head. A moment later, Roque felt some clambering on his back followed by a small, metallic hand holding out a wallet for him. ¡°Thank you, Thievius,¡± Roque took the wallet from the automaton and stuffed it into his pocket. Thievius was Roque¡¯s new weapon/companion. It was a fully automated robot with a small bit of sentience and actual artificial intelligence. The world was still a ways away from full artificial intelligence, at least until Nathym had the time to sit down and figure it out. However, with Roque¡¯s ability to gain the loyalty of objects, they were able to synergise that with machine learning. Thievius used the gun that Roque had built a bond with over the past several years for its core. It was essentially the same weapon with the same experiences, just in a new shell. The automaton was based off of a Racrown¡ªa racoon mixed with a crow¡ªthat were the sneakiest kleptomaniacs to plague the world. If something randomly went missing with no other explanation, it was usually by the hands of a Racrown, especially food and shiny things. This made it the perfect companion for Roque. Though he still insisted he never stole anything, just ¡®unburdened simpletons from possessions they shouldn¡¯t have¡¯. While Roque wandered around the Power Station, exploring without a direction in mind, Thievius kept him safe from the guards and brought back any worthwhile loot it could pilfer from its victims. Like Tize¡¯s guns, Thievius could fire both kinetic and paralyzing shots. Roque also bothered Nathym until he added a few new types of ammo that put someone to sleep and another to make them more truthful. The metal-creature itself was pretty indistinguishable from the real thing, besides not having any fur. Even mimicking a real Racrown, its synthetic feathers folded behind its back like a cape when not in use, really leaning into the master-thief aesthetic. And while the robot could fire bullets from its paws, it could also pull out the gun at its core if Roque wanted the threats to be less vague. ¡°Oh, now this looks promising,¡± the man wandered into what appeared to be a recently-evacuated records room. A mystical contract unfurled in front of him and then files began disappearing from around the room one at a time. Roque could now hold up to 17 item contracts, more than double from when he first joined the Fiends For Hire. He now had ten items on permanent retainer, Thievius the latest among them. This left a handful more he could play around with. So there was no real reason not to take anything he wanted. In this case, he had actually been tasked with robbing every scrap of intel he could find. Fortunately, it all only took up one contract, ¡®Intel from the Power Station¡¯. Thus far, he hadn¡¯t found anything lucrative enough to keep to himself and risk ruining the group¡¯s trust. ¡°Well that¡¯s some mawhged up zjik.¡± After taking a few dozen files, Roque had to rest for a moment and lean against the wall. Even though he didn¡¯t know what each file said specifically, when he took possession, he was given the gist of what each document said¡ªas if he¡¯d skimmed it. This was a lot of new information to gain at once, and it didn¡¯t help that a lot of it was morally reprehensible¡ªeven Roque still had some morals to an extent. Once he finally left the records room, his head throbbing from all that new information, he nearly tripped over the pile of bodies just outside the door. There was a mixed bag of alive and dead. Like the link Drim shared with the glove Kaizu wore, Roque was able to share his own principles for Thievius to make an informed decision on which action it should take. The Racrown was sitting on the pile and held up a trove of goodies in its hand, mostly jewelry, and also a set of silver false teeth. After securing the valuables and hopping over the pile, Roque headed down the hall with Thievius riding on his shoulder. It didn¡¯t take them long to run into two more guards. Roque¡¯s metal companion lunged at them and started clawing at one of their faces. The other guard tried to shoot the creature, but the bullet merely ricocheted back into her own chest¡ªnot the brightest among them. More bodies to skip over led Roque into one of the experimental labs. ¡°Now let¡¯s see what kind of valuable monstrosities we can find in here.¡± V4: Chapter 3.3 - Freedom by Force Kada and Niloy infiltrated the lowest floor directly, since that¡¯s where Phon had mentioned the captives being held. As an unexpected side-effect of the building being covered in aura, Kada could no longer melt the outer walls. This at least explained why she could melt byproduct from animals but not the animals themselves when they were still alive. However, that didn¡¯t impede Niloy¡¯s Curse in any way, which was now rather infamous for the damage it could do to the living. In a recent online poll by some¡ fan? of the group, they conducted a survey of which member someone would most and least want to fight. Niloy won the ¡®least¡¯ category by a landslide, most survey takers rather dying outright than risk being melted half to death. Roque was the runner up, again rather dying than being left in financial ruin. And surprisingly in third place was Tize. Apparently several people thought he¡¯d ultimately end up lecturing them about their lives instead of actually fighting. On the other end of the spectrum, Rezin won for ¡®most¡¯ want to fight. A lot of people were intrigued by his power and wanted to experience it for themselves. Even more thought he was their best bet of beating in a fight. Second was Phon for reasons that didn¡¯t really have to do with fighting. Third was Niloy again, mostly comprised of her personal online fanbase that wanted to meet her. Fourth was Itsy, a mixed split of fighting and other reasons. And fifth was Jaid of all people. She was still counted as a member in these polls. Perhaps they wanted to include everyone that had ever been one as well. Most of the reason she was so high was people saying they wanted to get vengeance for her betraying the group, not fully understanding the complexities of what had actually happened. Only a few knew she was a spy, most thinking she was just a traitor. After Niloy melted a hole through the wall of the Power Station, the two girls continued unimpeded. They started at the far end away from the captives, wanting to secure the area as much as possible before releasing a bunch of people. Kada took the front since she was the more defensible of the two. A good choice since she ended up taking a few surprise shots from hiding guards. The moment either girl laid eyes on them, though, they were doomed. After getting a bit annoyed by some, Kada just started making the guards sink into the ground to disappear forever if they tried to attack her. Niloy watched her back, choosing to go with a stinging concoction to coat the enemy with. She was more inclined to watch them suffer than kill them outright. Neither of them felt any sympathy after they found the facility¡¯s morgue. Some of the states that the bodies were in would haunt their nightmares for quite some time. It was baffling that this many people could be complicit in something so sinister. Fiends were often called monsters, but humanity always seemed to win back that title in the end. And for what, minor advancements in technology and new weapons for war? The world was supposed to be at peace, but whoever was in charge of this place certainly didn¡¯t think so. The girls got several mixed reactions when they finally found the captives. A lot of them recoiled in fear, thinking they might be being retrieved for further experimentation. Some looked elated, possibly knowing of the Fiends For Hire, just ecstatic to see a new face, or they fully believed Victori¡¯s message. Most, though, had no reaction whatsoever¡ªno life left in their eyes. There was surely a look of surprise on the girls¡¯ faces as well, not expecting to find them all in such an odd situation. They weren¡¯t in cells or in any kind of restraints or cages that they could discern. Everyone was scattered around the big open room, huddled up in piles with a good amount of space between each group. Yet for reasons hard to surmise, there was a door frame near each huddle. It had no actual door in it, but there was a lock about where one would expect. ¡°No, stay back!¡± one of the Lesser¡¯s shouted at Kada when she approached the lock. She didn¡¯t heed their warning, though, and tried to melt it. But she couldn¡¯t get close enough, not even with radiating her Curse at its maximum range. Instead, her hand jolted backwards in pain when she touched the invisible barrier of electricity. Silver blood dripped to the ground out of the tips of her fingers, the flesh shredded apart. Streaks of static were singed into her skin down her hands. Kada dove the damaged hand into her armpit to try and dampen the pain. It¡¯d heal soon enough, but it still hurt like a mawhger. So what could they do now? Odds were the electricity went to the ceiling, and Kada wouldn¡¯t be surprised if it somehow went through the ceiling and floor too since they were trying to contain Fiends. ¡°Ugh, just let me!¡± It seemed Niloy didn¡¯t have enough patience for Kada to mull over the situation. ¡°This just goes to show why my melting is better.¡± She pulled out a specialized attachment for her water gun. It looked like something a dentist would use. The new nozzle fired a small, concentrated stream of water that Niloy fired onto the lock. Thankfully, the water was pure enough to not conduct electricity, but the tool was rubberized just in case. Some of the drops of water were vaporized immediately when touching the electricity, but plenty made it through with just a spritz that Niloy could easily melt the lock. Kada directed traffic, grouping everyone up in an orderly fashion while Niloy freed the rest. A few cried and hugged her, many more with questions. She did her best to reassure them without overburdening them with info. It didn¡¯t take too long, and Kada¡¯s hand had finally healed by the time every invisible cage was opened. If you discover this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation. ¡°Alright, that¡¯s everyone! Let¡¯s get Tize down here to lead everyone to safety,¡± Kada cheered to her partner. ¡°Okay, I¡¯ll call him,¡± Niloy held out her hand to the open nothingness and pleaded. ¡°Tize, help me!¡± ¡ô¡ô¡ô Outside the Power Station, it didn¡¯t take long before reinforcements arrived. Within minutes, Rusa called in that she had spotted convoys headed their way from every direction. Some were the Red Eyes Gang, and some others that looked like random mercenary groups too woefully uninformed of what they were getting into, or too stupid. These hired-guns were loaded to the teeth too¡ªmounted turrets on just about every vehicle with each aggressor carrying weapons even the police didn¡¯t use. Just about everything short of a tank, probably just because tanks would be too slow. And that was only on the ground. In the air, helicopters swarmed around, dropping a battalion of drones. These criminals and mercenaries were on par with some of the best armies in the world¡ªsomeone¡¯s own private army. Bullets began flying the moment the criminals were in range. They didn¡¯t even try for a surrender. Whatever secrets the Power Station had, they wanted it to stay buried. It was possible they¡¯d resort to more drastic measures, so the Fiends For Hire would need to keep an eye open. Xard took to the skies, explosions and debris already raining down when he sliced the blades off of some of the choppers and blasted some drones. This left Tize and Itsy to take care of the ground troops. Both could deal with bullets pretty easily. Tize could obviously block them, but during the raid on the compound, Itsy found she was pretty resistant to them as well. Due to her thick skin and bulging mass, they never got very deep into her body. She also figured out how to pop the bullets out with some flexing so that she could heal. There was a lot of speculation that this somehow involved Itsy¡¯s unknown Curse. Phon took a look after the battle, and found that the lock to be somewhat damaged. However, over the next few days as Itsy healed from her wounds, so did the lock. This led them to believe it was in fact related to taking damage, but everything up to that point was just a result of her absurd body and had nothing to do with her unactivated Curse. In the meantime, as long as she didn¡¯t take a fatal wound to the head, she was very hard to kill. To combat that, Itsy had started wearing a welder¡¯s helmet out in the field with a visor she could flip up. She should be fine to whether this storm, but it was still going to be a torrential shower of bullets headed their way Instead of taking the risk of having Tize and Itsy act separately, they decided to combine into one unstoppable unit. ¡ºSynchronization Rate: 50%¡» Bulky rounded rust-red armor clinged to Itsy¡¯s limbs. There was a bit on her chest and back, but not enough to protect everything vital. But its purpose wasn¡¯t really protection. Itsy crouched down and the armor shifted. The pieces started connecting until they shaped around her in a perfect, smooth sphere. Only one bit stood out, her welding helmet that was poking out at the crest of the sphere. The two sides of the sphere started spinning in place while the center remained. It operated similarly to a tank instead of rolling around like one might think. The Itsy sphere bolted forward, straight at an oncoming truck full of soldiers. It tore right through the vehicle, exploding the gas line and sending those inside of it flying in every direction like bowling pins. Itsy had scored a strike. This was it, the final form of The Wrathful Wrecking Ball. She zipped around the area¡ªnow a battlefield since blood had been shed. The sphere moved much faster than any of their vehicles could dodge, and it could change direction instantly. Her enemies had believed they were the ones coming to terrorize the Fiends, but Itsy was the real terror here. Bullets flew, grenades were thrown, and someone even pulled out a rocket launcher. There wasn¡¯t so much as a scratch of damage on the sphere, its defense as unparalleled as its offense. The wrecking ball, or the Ball of Doom as it would be known by enemy groups after this fight, destroyed their forces without mercy. In minutes, half of their ground forces had been wiped out. Itsy had little control over whether they¡¯d live or die, but she didn¡¯t try to run down any who had escaped the vehicles and were just trying to save their own lives. When there was only about a quarter of the ground forces left, they began retreating at full speed. Itsy only gave chase for about a lage and then did a lap around the area to make sure it was all clear. Shortly after, Tize directed her back towards the Power Station. ¡¾I¡¯ve been called.¡¿ A part of Tize¡¯s Curse that wasn¡¯t listed in its description was that he could hear when anyone called him specifically for help. As far as they could tell, the range was limitless across the world. This led to innumerable pranks the first few days to the point that it had to become a fully banned rule of the organization. The members were only allowed to use it in an actual emergency or if it was preplanned like this situation. After separating from Itsy, Tize turned back into light and drifted through the walls of the building. In that form, he could phase through anything. And while he couldn¡¯t move quite at the speed of light, it was still insanely quick, inadvertently making him the fastest man alive. Unfortunately, this sequence couldn¡¯t end at just travel. Tize still had to merge with the host who called him even if it was just for a split second. In Niloy¡¯s case, he became skin-colored patches that covered her Curse Mark, negating the need for makeup. For whatever reason, this also made Niloy and her clothing completely hydrophobic, so she couldn¡¯t be damaged by her own Curse. When he returned back to his own body, the man was met with countless stares. But he didn¡¯t have time to gawk, knowing the more unsure he looked, the less confident everyone else would be in him. Niloy pointed in the direction where she¡¯d made an opening, and he whipped out his gun and shield. ¡°Alright everyone, follow me!¡± Only a few steps out of the room he heard Kada giddily shout, ¡°C¡¯mon Nini! Let¡¯s start wrecking the place!¡± V4: Chapter 3.4 - Freedom by Force Drim was the only one of the group who entered the Power Station through the front door. It didn¡¯t take him long to find the hidden entrance to the sublevels, still open from when the slew of guards had rushed out earlier. Everyone else was meeting varying levels of resistance, but not him. When he took the last step down to the first sublevel, he found nearly a hundred individuals prostrating in front of him on the floor, surrendering¡ªthe fruits of Victori¡¯s labors. Most of them seemed to be scientists, but there were a few guards and other operators. It was a big batch of morality too, and would be quite the burden to sort through on the spot. Instead, Drim restrained them all with vines against the walls. He had more pressing matters to attend to at the moment, but they¡¯d still chosen the correct path, so he¡¯d make sure they got due credence. Even if some were evil, they at least had the guilt and sense to surrender when justice came knocking. That meant there was the possibility for redemption. But any who were left against them at this point, they had no hope, and Drim wouldn¡¯t feel bad for any actions he had to take. Notably, there were two rather sinister moralities up ahead standing next to a mixed one. For the most part, Drim couldn¡¯t feel the presence of those who weren¡¯t evil. He had the ability to do so, but he just naturally got used to filtering them out. It was something he sort of regretted in hindsight, because it made it that more difficult now when he wanted to hone in on one to find an unsuspicious individual. But at least now he had a direction. There were a few other evil signatures on this floor, but if someone was in trouble or being held captive, that took priority. This first sublevel of the Power Station was mostly still a facade. It was probably meant for inspectors who wanted to see the piping and other utilities that would naturally be underground. Besides those facilities, there were a lot of offices. It wasn¡¯t unheard of for places like this to have their administration underground as well, especially when the manufacturing happened upstairs, but it also wasn¡¯t too common, so it was immediately suspicious. Drim quickly found the source of two evils in the form of two guards guarding what looked like a very inconspicuous closet. How conspicuous. But what should he do? Should he kill them? It¡¯d be no effort at all, and the morality reading he was getting from them, the world would almost certainly be better off. It was an issue Drim was still struggling with, but one he¡¯d been flip-flopping on quite consistently lately. More and more often it seemed like it would just be better to do the dirty work himself. In this alleged world of peace, justice seemed to be absent more than it ever was. What¡¯s worse is that he knew it was getting only easier for him to do it, but it still ate at him. Meanwhile, Kada and Xard, as well as some of the more recent members were now able to kill someone without barely a second thought. Yet before joining the group, they had only killed someone in the most drastic situations which led to them being Fiends. Maybe the Fiends For Hire was just a toxic environment that was breeding mass murderers, or maybe he¡¯d been reading too many contrarian articles on their group lately. For the case of these two, Drim had to weigh the ethics of letting them live more than killing them. Given how secretive the Power Station had been, there was no question that someone of high-standing was behind or at least funding it. There was a good chance that they could get these criminals insane legal representation that could possibly lead to them walking free. That or they¡¯d end up getting killed anyways to preserve their secrets. Ultimately, Drim decided to kill the more evil of the two. Vines shot through his torso and neck, taking the second guard by surprise. But before she could do anything, the vines grabbed her and pinned her to the wall. Maybe the trauma from this could lead towards repentance down the line for her, but the boy didn¡¯t hold high hopes. After having his vines clean up a bit of the mess, Drim opened the closet and scowled. A man was sitting inside, blindfolded, gagged, and restrained. Half of his body was inserted into some odd device that looked like a human shape had been cookie-cuttered out of it. A convenient sign read ¡®Aura Field Generator¡¯, and this man was just the battery. At least he didn¡¯t seem to be in any pain, but after Drim disabled the device and pulled the Lesser free, he was completely despondent. It was like he was in a coma, but his eyes were still open and unblinking. ¡°Phon, I should have deactivated the aura field, can you teleport this man next to me to safety?¡± He called into his earpiece on the siblings¡¯ private channel. The man vanished, confirming that her Curse was working properly again. Drim then took a few pictures of the device and plugged his phone to it in an attempt to download some specs. If this technology became widespread, it could be quite a roadblock in the future, especially since it affected more than just Phon¡¯s Curse. Imagine if criminals started using them for protection, or if the entire CP headquarters became enshrouded in it. That would be a nightmare. Drim made quick progress through the rest of the floor. There were still plenty of morality twinges bothering him¡ªa lot of people hiding in offices, many clearly by the door waiting to ambush him when he went inside. But they¡¯d be left waiting. There was a grand prize that Drim couldn¡¯t let escape, so he couldn¡¯t drag his heels. For now, he just barricaded the doors of any room where he felt someone was inside with vines and wood so they couldn¡¯t escape. It¡¯d make a fire marshall cry, but if they knew what was going on in this facility, they¡¯d be the ones setting the building ablaze. Once Drim felt the area was secured, he sauntered over to the double doors at the end of a long hall. Why did all villains love double doors? They were just that much easier to break down. These doors put up a bit more of a fight, clearly reinforced with a barricade on the other side. Just as Drim was about to break through, his instincts flared and he whirled around just in time to dodge a crossbow bolt that pierced into the door. He then hoisted his blades to block as two pickaxes clanged against them, his attacker dropping down from the ceiling. ¡°Hmm¡ a disguised Lesser Fiend who uses pickaxes that turn into a crossbow,¡± Drim uttered after he got a good look at the assailant. ¡°I know someone who¡¯s looking for you.¡± Even though their face was covered, Drim noticed a glance of surprise at his words. Before they could try and do anything, the Fiend broke their clash and grabbed the Lesser¡¯s wrists so they couldn¡¯t escape. ¡°I¡¯ll be sure to deliver you to her in a nice package.¡± Drim made a portal appear beneath their feet. Before his foe could try and shuffle out of the way, roots had sprouted to grab them. Once they were stuck firmly in place, the roots began to grow and spawn more, wrapping around the assassin¡¯s entire body. Not long after, Drim was left with a fairly realistic wooden statue. There were enough gaps to let them breathe, and it wasn¡¯t too tight to the point that they couldn¡¯t shift around and try and get more comfortable. While Drim wouldn¡¯t keep them stuck like this for the entire journey he was planning, they¡¯d be restrained completely until he finished his business here. Back to the door, Drim broke it down with one great push. He shielded himself with a bit of wooden armor, expecting to be shot at. But he merely found the director of the Power Station sitting at his desk with his fingers laced¡ªanother classic villain habit. ¡°So you¡¯ve come to shut me down, have you?¡± the man tried to act suave. Drim took a moment to scan the fellow with his phone to learn his name¡ªsomeone he¡¯d never heard of. Getting more personal information didn¡¯t matter now, since Phontext could just look it up later. But Drim had to at least try and learn some connections. ¡°I certainly have,¡± Drim acted calm in return. ¡°While I¡¯m sure you¡¯ve desperately tried to avoid this day, you had to know it was coming eventually. Even if you think Lessers and Fiends are disposable monsters, there will always be someone looking for them.¡± Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon. ¡°The downfall of empathetic society,¡± Drim rolled his eyes at the man¡¯s philosophical nonsense. ¡°Not using every resource they have to advance will only lead to collapse. Surely you can understand, the strives your group has made towards advancement.¡± ¡°Can we skip the part where you try to appeal to my greed and ambitions, and you just tell me who you¡¯re working for?¡± The Fiend wanted to get this over with as soon as possible, eager to leave unpleasant company. ¡°What makes you think I¡¯m working for anyone?¡± The man seemed to be under some misconception that just because they didn¡¯t have everything figured out, he could get away with this. ¡°We had one of our members do a deep dive into your financials,¡± Drim was happy to inform him. ¡°For starters, this facility already uses up more power than it exports. Based on how much you¡¯re profiting, you should barely be keeping the lights on at the public side. From that alone you¡¯re not generating any real revenue.¡± ¡°Let¡¯s assume that some of your innovations are being sold and laundered back to you, based on our market analysis, it wouldn¡¯t be nearly enough to cover all the employees working here, let alone all the fancy tech and your own private army through the Red Eyes Gang. No, you¡¯d be roughly a few billion in debt.¡± ¡°So let me ask again, who are you working for?¡± ¡°Ha, you think I¡¯d tell you?!¡± the director whipped out a trigger from their jacket and held it up threateningly. Sadly, he never got the chance to actually issue a proper threat. Drim had been expecting this. So the entire time he¡¯d been talking, he¡¯d been slowly creeping a vine towards the director down on the ground. The vine had been in the middle of crawling up his body when the man made his move. It then dropped all stealthiness and jumped out of his pants, grabbed the trigger, and tossed it over to its master. He had to guess it was to blow the facility up with everyone still inside. ¡°So let me ask you a third time, and I hope you don¡¯t make it a fourth. Who are you working for?¡± ¡°A Central Peace Representative,¡± the director finally answered as the vine ¡®gently coaxed¡¯ him into sitting back in his chair. It was hard to hear. They had suspected as much, but they just didn¡¯t want to believe it. What was supposed to be the world¡¯s salvation still had corruption at its core. Just how deep rooted was this tumor? It probably wasn¡¯t for them to find out, but they also couldn¡¯t ignore it depending on the circumstances. ¡°Who is it?¡± Drim asked for more clarity. ¡°I¡ don¡¯t know,¡± the man answered with a distressed look on his face. ?Tell me their name.? It turned into a demand. ¡°I really don¡¯t know!¡± he told the truth, for he could no longer lie. It seemed the remnants of the demand strained his brain to try and force an answer, bringing him to the edge of a breakdown. Since he rarely used it, Drim didn¡¯t have very much control over the severity of his mother¡¯s power. How very vexing. There was an extent to how well Phon¡¯s Curse could dig things up. If the director really had no more hints beyond that, even Phontext wouldn¡¯t be able to link them to the culprit. Their hopes would now lie in there being unredacted intel that Roque had found. They could interrogate any other surviving members, but it was unlikely they¡¯d get anything more if even the man in charge didn¡¯t know. ¡°Well then, you¡¯re of no further use to me,¡± Drim turned around to leave. ¡°You fool, you should never turn your back on the enemy!¡± The director whirled out a gun, but Drim didn¡¯t look back right away. He didn¡¯t need to, already knowing what the man¡¯s fate would be. ¡°You should take your own advice, director,¡± Drim mentioned casually when he heard the piercing of flesh. He turned around finally when he heard a meaty thump hit the floor. ¡°And how are you feeling about all this, Kaizu?¡± ¡°Frustrated and unsatisfied.¡± She checked the puny Curse Mark she¡¯d just gotten on the back of her leg and frowned. ¡°Ever since I got this damned glove, each kill brings me less joy than the last. Something about being given permission ruins the satisfaction I suppose. It¡¯s been more like feeding the beast lately than doing it for fun.¡± ¡°Well, it seems the rehabilitation is working then,¡± he couldn¡¯t help but be a little self-satisfied that something had come from all their efforts. If the worst of them could be helped, maybe he didn¡¯t have to worry about the complexities of it all too much. ¡ô¡ô¡ô Drim personally swept through every floor after leaving the director¡¯s office. He made sure there were no more captives, and that any remaining adversaries had been sufficiently detained. By the time he made it down to the last floor, Kada and Niloy had wrecked it to bits. By the time he climbed back up, Phon had already teleported away all those he¡¯d captured. She met up with him the moment he stepped back outside the building. ¡°Quite a few of the captives tried to make a break for it the moment they felt fresh air, about a third. I made sure to get all of their names before they got too far away.¡± She then flashed a dart before breaking it so that it dissolved into dust. ¡°They¡¯ll all think that the woods are strangely full of bugs biting them too. Any children that tried to run, I made sure to bring back.¡± The two siblings then joined the rest of their party at the rallying point. As soon as they got near, the dreary countryside on this gray day turned into a bright and cheery, sunshiny landscape thanks to Rezin¡¯s Curse. All those rescued were currently being loaded onto a bus by his and Senli¡¯s direction, and Itsy was lumbering into the driver¡¯s seat. ¡°So how do you feel now that you¡¯ve been saved?¡± Chorus had finally shown their face publicly and was interviewing some of the former captives. ¡°What¡¯s with the bombs?¡± Drim couldn¡¯t help but question the pile that Kada and Xard were stacking. ¡°Not too long ago, a skycraft buzzed overhead and tried to bomb the place,¡± Xard answered as he heaved the last bomb onto the stack. ¡°I managed to make an energy cushion to catch them all. And then Itsy threw a bomb back at the skycraft when it tried to do a second pass. The pilot didn¡¯t make it, but you can find the wreckage still smoldering over yonder.¡± ¡°Alright, Kada if you don¡¯t mind, go ahead and move it over to the pit when you¡¯re free,¡± Drim directed her. The pit was quite a sad necessity. Niloy had made a pool of acid to throw any bodies and dangerous debris into and dissolve them. Afterwards, she¡¯d turn it back into pure water. Really, the deceased should either be left to the authorities or given a proper burial elsewhere, but there were just too many. In the meantime, they couldn¡¯t leave them lying around to decay and contaminate the area or become monster bait. Through Roque, The Fiends For Hire had become acquaintances with a body removal and crime cleanup business that was run by Lessers. For the odd occasion when they left a mess that was best to not let the police find. Drim and Phon had done background checks on them personally first to make sure they were people that could be trusted, but even this job would be too much. Speaking of Roque, Drim made sure to meet with him next to see what he¡¯d dug up. ¡°Pretty much what we expected,¡± Roque reported. ¡°All the crazy new tech has come from this place; aura sensors, draining handcuffs, some of those new body enhancing drugs.¡± ¡°They¡¯ve also put a lot of research into both trying to make Lessers and Fiends artificially without having to kill someone, as well as trying to revert them back into human. No real progress made on the latter front, though. It goes into some weird occult stuff too since they¡¯ve confirmed we¡¯re dealing with the supernatural. There¡¯s still a lot to dig through, so I¡¯ll pass it over to Rusa when we get back.¡± Lastly, Drim got on the bus to do a quick check of all the people they were bringing back to the compound. None of them were evil, though there were a few headed in that direction. It was most likely because of the extreme circumstances that would eventually lead to them snapping past the point of no return. Hopefully with proper time and rehabilitation, they could all be comfortably moved back to being mentally stable and productive members of society. He did a short run up and down the aisle, replenishing the life of a few who needed it. Before he got off the bus, though, he gave a little speech. ¡°Hello everyone, I¡¯m Drim Drazah, leader of the Fiends For Hire. I just want to let you all know that we will be taking you back to our estate, to somewhere safe. There you¡¯ll get a nice meal and a warm bed to sleep in for tonight.¡± ¡°Tomorrow, or whenever you¡¯re ready, we¡¯ll have personal discussions with each of you to decide your next steps. Whether you stay, need help returning home, or want a fresh start somewhere else, it¡¯s up to you. More than anything else, I want to stress that your lives are now back in your own hands, and only you get to decide your future.¡± ¡ô¡ô¡ô At a certain gas station the next morning, the clerk wondered why it was only ever when she was on duty that they received deliveries of people shipped in crates. It had been about a year since she opened up the crate with a green-haired knight inside, so she thought the worst was behind her. But now that she found an assassin entombed in wood, she''d seriously need to consider finding a new job if this was going to be a recurring thing. V4: Chapter 4.1 - Haunted by Guilt In early Monarchber 2079, the Fiends For Hire received a rather unusual request from a real estate agency. However, it went largely ignored for some time since they were still dealing with the aftermath of the Power Station. Turns out, trying to help approximately 70 people of varying backgrounds, ambitions, and mental states wasn¡¯t a quick process. It had been much easier during the first round of member and resident recruitment over a year ago. That had been a comparable number, but everyone there had the same destination in mind. To add to the complexity, the CP Representative overseeing the country where the Power Station resided had decided to get involved. They sent a few social service workers along with a few trained psychiatrists. This was both helpful and a burden in a number of ways. The social services department managed to convince a few more who were initially hesitant to return to their families. However, they laid the pressure on a bit too thick for some who were quite resistant, to the point that the Fiends For Hire eventually had to step in and throw them out of the compound. The psychiatrists were a bit more useful. They took a lot of the burden off of Farian to the point that he could merely oversee the mental health progress while focusing on their physical condition. Through their combined efforts, each one of the refugees had reached a healthy state both physically and mentally within a month to the point that they could live regular lives. Whether those lives were thriving and fulfilling was still yet to be seen and would take a lot more work. In the end, the Fiends For Hire ended up with 7 new members: 2 Fiends and 5 Lessers. Then of the remaining 30 or so adults, 18 became residents, and the rest moved on to different horizons. Still, it was honestly more than the group was expecting to stay. They had only built a new level on their barracks for the members and another onto the apartments for the residents. But now they¡¯d need to build an entirely new residential building, meaning some would have to double-up in the meantime. They didn¡¯t really seem to mind, though¡ªinfinitely better than their previous accommodations. But, the organization wanted to get it ready for them quickly, so they even resorted to using outside contractors to assist Mallea and Nathym with the construction. While that was quite a lot of adults to manage, there were just as many children. In the end, 36 wound up enrolling in their boarding school program with ages varying from four at the youngest up to eighteen. The two Lessers who had previously been commuting to Hedgehind every day decided to enroll as well now that they had peers¡ªand really didn¡¯t want to commute anymore. Senli and Crucion were also enrolled since neither had finished their compulsory education. Some jokingly argued that Drim and Phon should join as well, since they¡¯d never had school lives, but they were only met with annoyed stares and honorary diplomas from Constead South High School thrown at their heads. With the two already enlisted students, Bray and Mazie, it brought the grand total of enrolled students to 42. Mazie had also tantrumed until she convinced Bray to let the two of them move into the dorms as well, wanting to share the same experience as all the other children¡ªthough she ultimately claimed it was so one of the refugees could have their apartment. While the school had been built to handle this many students, it still presented a problem with staffing. Vank and Hazzle wouldn¡¯t be able to run a second cafeteria at the dorm. And now that Crucion was attending classes, it took away his time that he could be cleaning along with any other duties, so they¡¯d need additional janitorial and facilities staff as well. After much deliberation and investigation, they actually ended up coming to an agreement with the nearest prison. Drim and Phon did a combing of their inmates, looking for those who either deeply regretted the crimes they committed or were falsely imprisoned. Those that didn¡¯t qualify for traditional parole or probation were offered a work-release program similar to the one Andi had. For those who were actually innocent, they hired lawyers to reopen their cases. But in the meantime, they were allowed out of prison to work at the Fiends For Hire compound. As for teaching, since it was too much for Andi to handle by herself, they assigned three new staff, leaving the math and sciences to her. Ipucco became the history and language teacher while also taking on the role of the school¡¯s headmaster. One of their new Lesser residents had been a physical trainer, so they took over gym class and any courses pertaining to health. Lastly, one of their recent college graduates became a teaching assistant to earn credit towards obtaining their license. He had originally been planning to become an engineer, but had been inspired by Andi and her dedication towards teaching them that he changed his career path. A crush might have played a part too. But with all that finally taken care of, back to the strange request. After their initial request got ignored for a few days, the real estate agency submitted it again, twice. The next day they submitted it four times, and then eight, sixteen¡ªdoubling it every single day. It got to a point that they mentioned they¡¯d also sent the request to Above, and that if they didn¡¯t hear back soon, they¡¯d be forced to lobby the Red Eyes Gang for help. Apparently, a piece of property they were trying to sell was haunted. However, the property was only haunted for Lessers and Fiends. Humans didn¡¯t notice anything besides the innate eeriness of the place, so they required one of the specialized groups to assist them. The author''s tale has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon. After that last threat, Deborah finally had to intervene and bring it directly to the generals for action. Anyone asking the Red Eyes Gang for assistance was a worst case scenario. And while they didn¡¯t like their hands being forced, the Fiends For Hire would rather alter their own plans to accommodate them than have those fools play with fire. So as soon as the four Greaters were all available, they headed out to this so-called haunted mansion. Rusa also joined them because of the nature of the hauntings. However, since she was in her last days of life, Drim went ahead and triggered a rebirth. She was born as a new girl, but since they didn¡¯t have time to wait for her to grow up, Drim did it for her, bringing her to around the same age as the rest of them. Before one of the previous rebirths, they¡¯d tested this out to find the implications of forced growth¡ªplanning to just recycle their life anew if the experiment was a failure. They did find that Feyjrusa¡¯s personality was severely affected by this process in the sense that they didn¡¯t actually get a new one. Instead, that life became an amalgamation, a rough average of all their past lives. After Drim aged them up as well, they became unable to use their Curse for a few hours¡ªprocessing all the information of their past lives that would normally be relegated to their early days of existence. The reason Rusa tagged along was because the agency claimed that Fiends and Lessers saw the dead at this mansion. Specifically, they saw and were attacked by those that they killed to become Fiends. Rusa wanted the chance to finally meet her mother, even if it was a hostile spirit version of her. From the rumors she¡¯d heard, it didn¡¯t seem like it¡¯d be that far off from real life. So their mission was to infiltrate this mansion, find the source of the hauntings, and hopefully get rid of it. Many other mercenary groups had tried, and many more were sneaking in to witness the hauntings even if they didn¡¯t qualify. The real estate agency wanted this resolved as quickly as possible since it was currently an unsellable property. The mansion in question was actually an estate of a former governor planted by the Drazahs. However, Drim and Phon would have long lost any claim to ownership of it due to military reparations and relinquishment of territory from the losing party. Of course, Drim had asked his mother if she had any insight on the hauntings, but nothing came to mind. They¡¯d also consulted Ipucco, a history buff, and one of their new Fiends who was into all things occult and spooky, but neither had a decent explanation. That could only mean two things. Either she was somehow involved, which Eleen doubted, saying it didn¡¯t match her usual machinations, or this was the work of a Fiend. ¡°Did we really have to come on the Cosdamn spookiest day we¡¯ve had in years!¡± Kada looked up at the foreboding sky as they stood outside the gate of the estate. It was gray and thundering, almost as dark as night despite being midday. The wind was howling, as if a great storm was on the horizon, but the forecast didn¡¯t show even a drop of rain. It seemed Cosmos just wanted to mess with them. ¡°Whatever, let¡¯s just get this over with,¡± Xard sighed, not looking forward to the idea of what was to come. ¡°Then we can just fly The Tourist over the clouds and back into the sunshine on the way home.¡± ¡°Does it creep anyone else out that we¡¯re obviously not the first ones here,¡± Rusa gestured to the wide open gate. ¡°Well, just going by the nearby feelings I¡¯m getting, we¡¯re not alone,¡± Drim looked ahead, down the drive towards the mansion. Phon did a quick scan, ¡°Ugh¡ Yeah, we¡¯re not alone. It¡¯s them again.¡± She didn¡¯t elaborate before starting her march into the property, and the others followed suit. When the group was just a few feet away from the front doors, they burst open, and Above strolled out. Well, it wasn¡¯t anything so casual. They hurried outside, but they were haggard to the point that they were practically crawling on their feet. Lieu was being dragged by Creti and Kalter, barely upright with his arms wrapped around them. He¡¯d clearly been shot several times in his chest and arms, indigo blood pouring down his front. The wounds looked nonlethal, but he was in a bad way. When Xard rushed over to help, Kalter scowled at him, kept walking, and growled, ¡°We don¡¯t need your help.¡± Alk stumbled out of the mansion after them a moment later, not looking the best herself. She shuffled over to Kada, and to everyone¡¯s surprise, she wrapped her arms around the unsuspecting girl and hugged her tight. ¡°Uhm, buh, guh¡¡± Kada couldn¡¯t quite form an entire sentence. Her whole body was fidgeting and she was keeping her arms up in panic. ¡°Just¡ let me have this,¡± Alk hugged tighter as she buried her face. Kada finally reciprocated and they shared a touching but confusing embrace. A few seconds later, Alk finally broke off and warned them, ¡°Be careful in there. We took it too lightly, and it was too much for us.¡± She then hustled to catch up with her friends. ¡°Hey, uhh¡¡± Drim called after them briefly, holding out his hand, but his words trailed off. ¡°What¡¯s up?¡± Phon seemed to be the only one to catch the weird moment. ¡°It¡¯s just, uhh, Creti. Her¡¡± Drim paused again for a second, ¡°Well, it can wait. They have more important things to worry about at the moment.¡± ¡°So how are we going to do this?¡± Rusa questioned once they¡¯d regrouped. ¡°The rumor is that the hauntings won¡¯t happen if we stick together, so I guess we need to split apart. There are two floors, an attic, and a basement. Someone should also patrol the grounds.¡± ¡°Sounds reasonable. That evenly splits us,¡± Drim agreed to the suggestion. ¡°I can¡¯t believe we¡¯re skipping right to the part of the horror movie that gets us all killed!¡± Kada moaned before they headed inside. V4: Chapter 4.2 - Haunted by Guilt The group did a quick walkthrough of the first floor of the mansion together. For a place that had been abandoned for over a decade, it was in shockingly nice condition and well maintained. But they supposed that was expected for a place the real estate group was actively trying to sell. One suggestion they might have would be to get rid of all the old antique furniture covered in white sheets. That alone could make people think of ghosts. As they¡¯d been told, nothing of interest happened when they were together as a crowd, so they split up. Xard took the attic, not for any particular reason other than no one else was excited to take it, and he didn¡¯t have any preference. What was surprising, though, was how quickly the haunting started now that he was alone. Like the rest of the house, the attic was chock full of old furniture and junk. It seemed the real estate agency wanted to sell it as is instead of going through the headache of sorting what could possibly be worthwhile to keep or put up for auction. Little by little, things started to shift in the room. A chair moved a few inches. An old map unfurled for a moment then scrunched up into a ball and went flying across the room. Drawers of a dresser opened in succession, and then clothes and other knick knacks went jumping out of it. Lastly, an old bicycle suddenly stood up on its own and began riding riderless slowly around the room. All these hauntings didn¡¯t seem aggressive at all. Instead, it looked like the ghost, or whatever it could be, was just bored and killing time. ¡°Reminds you of the old junkyard we used to play at, doesn¡¯t it?¡± Xard heard a voice coming from the bike. The area around it shimmered and Warig, the friend he¡¯d murdered, sat atop the bike¡¯s seat. The rumors really were true after all. For Fiends, those they killed were brought back in this mansion. ¡°But you¡¯ve moved on from that, haven¡¯t you?¡± Warig vanished from the bike, and it crashed into some boxes. He then reappeared sitting on an old television that started producing static from his presence. ¡°It¡¯s been what, two years? I hardly even recognize you.¡± ¡°The hair¡¯s an obvious change, but you¡¯re certainly not the Xard I remember¡ªa boy just coasting along, barely a dream to his name. But I was right there with you, wasn¡¯t I? Wasting away our youths in that damned junkyard. Well, at least I was trying to do something about it.¡± ¡°By selling drugs to kids, you mean?¡± Xard wasn¡¯t going to give this damnable spirit an inch of his regret. ¡°By trying to make our lives better! By any means necessary,¡± the ghost was suddenly screaming in Xard¡¯s face before backing up a bit. ¡°But it seems you didn¡¯t appreciate my efforts. And here I thought you loved me.¡± That actually did make Xard uncomfortable. His spine tensed up and his stomach felt heavy. ¡°You knew?¡± he couldn¡¯t resist asking. ¡°Hmph, I always thought there was something weird with you,¡± Warig started drifting around, almost listlessly. ¡°What really made me start thinking was when we found that box of porn. It was odd enough when you didn¡¯t want to look at it, but it was even weirder when you got annoyed that I¡¯d look at them. Then I started piecing it together, and it became obvious after a while.¡± ¡°And honestly, even though I¡¯m not gay, it still flattered me. Made me work even harder for us to find a way out of that zjikhole, away from our families who didn¡¯t care about us. And despite all I did, you just moved right along.¡± ¡°Got fancy new powers that led to you joining that group. Got a new dream, a new home, a place where you belong. Got a new crush, what was his name? Grim something? But now you¡¯re up there flying high, forgetting everything you left behind, everyone.¡± ¡°I suppose in a way, I should be happy. After all, you only got this far in life because of me. Because of my sacrifice, that¡¯s what set you on this path. And that¡¯s just what it means to be a best friend, to be there for someone, even when they stab you in the back!¡± Xard felt a smidgen of pressure at his backside and whirled his head, unimpressed. The ghost of Warig was trying to stab a flagpole through his back, but Xard had turned on his Curse long ago. ¡°You never were great at trying to trick me, Warig. Except for that one big lie, you never got the jump on me, but even that one was because of my own delusions and refusal to accept it. I was the one choosing to ignore the warning signs.¡± Xard slammed his fist into the middle of the ghost¡¯s chest, but it went right through, disappearing into the incorporeal form. ¡°And yeah I have moved on. I blamed myself for a long time, that I could have led you down a different path. But the person I loved never existed. I was just projecting my feelings onto the guy closest to me. We may have been best friends, but I don¡¯t owe you a damn thing. You dug your own grave!¡± A blast of energy exuded from Xard¡¯s hand, vaporizing the specter into nothingness. The Fiend didn¡¯t know if this meant the ghost was gone for good, but Warig didn¡¯t immediately return. If that was all the dead man was capable of, he really didn¡¯t have anything to worry about. ¡ô¡ô¡ô Rusa wandered the second floor for quite some time before anything finally happened. In most rooms, she didn¡¯t get so much as a whiff of anything supernatural. Only in the master bedroom did she finally meet her mother, Fassis Sulatrive, former queen of Archlave. ¡°I gave birth to you on a bed just like this.¡± If you spot this tale on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation. ¡°Well, actually, I never even finished the job, did I?¡± the dead queen appeared on the bed, floating the covers over herself and looking like a sick patient. Rusa went and sat in a chair next to the bed, properly getting a look at her mother for the first time. She¡¯d mostly seen portraits, and some old pictures in a few albums, but none of her mother later in life. This specter was still dressed in a gallant gown with her crown still on her head. ¡°So you¡¯re my daughter then?¡± the woman gave Rusa a once over. ¡°Has it really been so long since my own death? You¡¯re already a grown woman.¡± ¡°Uhh, no, it¡¯s only been about two years,¡± her daughter corrected her. ¡°I¡¯m just a bit different, I guess you could say.¡± ¡°Ah, right, one of those Fiend things you talk about with your friends,¡± Fassis looked away as if she¡¯d lost interest. ¡°So how is Archlave faring?¡± ¡°Umm, alright I suppose,¡± Rusa made her best guess. ¡°I haven¡¯t looked into it in a while, but father seemed to be doing a decent job leading the country last I¡¯d heard.¡± ¡°Hmph, that oaf could barely lead himself to the bathroom in the middle of the night,¡± Rusa¡¯s mother vanished from the bed and reappeared at the window. ¡°I was the true ruler of Archlave! Your father was little more than a figurehead in that sexist society, but everyone worshiped the floor he walked on.¡± ¡°Just because I wasn¡¯t born of noble blood, just because I was the one who married into the royal family, just because I was a woman. My opinion didn¡¯t matter in the court. No one took me seriously. Even though it was my hard work, my doctrines, my trade agreements that allowed Archlave to prosper. I just couldn¡¯t be the one to write them. No, I had to whisper them into your father¡¯s ear.¡± ¡°Because of me, Archlave became the trading hub of the seas! Every merchant ship docks at our ports, every bit of commerce pays our tariffs, every island thriving because I allowed them to! And what did I get? Resentment, threats, our most loyal subjects talking about me with venom in their words, cursing my name. I should have let the nation fall apart, but I did it all because of my love for that island.¡± ¡°But what about the people?¡± Rusa had to ask. ¡°I heard that you ruined so many lives in the pursuit of your goals. Even though the economy boomed, too many were left starving. Meanwhile, you adorned our castle with priceless lavishments that we didn¡¯t even need.¡± ¡°Necessary sacrifices and due rewards,¡± her mother quickly dismissed her words. ¡°When you are queen, you will quickly understand the importance of both. You can not climb to the top without using others as your steps. That is just the way of the world.¡± ¡°Hmph, if I ever even become queen,¡± the idea was now turning bitter in Rusa¡¯s mind, not that she ever particularly wanted the responsibility to begin with. ¡°Or if we even make it that long. These assassins are becoming a pain to deal with. We even encountered one on the way here, not that they were difficult to handle.¡± ¡°You would dare let Archlave fall into another¡¯s hands?!¡± The ghost jumped in front of Rusa¡¯s face, and her icy hands gripped the girl¡¯s shoulders. ¡°Huh, what, no?!¡± she was baffled that her mother would jump to that conclusion. ¡°We¡¯re working hard to find out who¡¯s behind this, and we¡¯ll definitely stop them. They just don¡¯t want a Fiend as their ruler, and I can¡¯t say I blame them. Honestly, it¡¯s never really felt like that¡¯s the path I should follow.¡± ¡°Hmph, rebellious,¡± Queen Fassis let go and drifted away. ¡°I was the same at your age. Well, the age you are now. I was only sent to the palace by my family just because I knew how to fake a smile more than the rest of my village. It was a longshot, and I expected to be sent home very quickly. Imagine my surprise when your father picked me over all the other suitresses.¡± ¡°I actually rejected him at first. Not because I didn¡¯t like him, but because it didn¡¯t feel real. But he persisted, filled my head with fantasies and big talk of the nation we could build together. Yet the moment the crown touched his head, he threw away all his promises and dreams¡ªcontent to stay the course and live in his father¡¯s shadow.¡± ¡°But I had already been sold on the future, so I wasn¡¯t going to be cheated. If your father was too spineless, I¡¯d just have to guide his hand. My dreams came true. Well, until¡¡± Fassis¡¯ eyes drifted over towards Rusa. ¡°I was looking forward to raising my heir properly¡ªthe person who¡¯d succeed me and rule the Archlave dynasty.¡± ¡°It¡¯s a shame that I¡ that we never got the chance. So I can understand your hesitance, but you will learn in time. Archlave was everything to me, as it will be for you. Perhaps you just need to spend more time there, to really learn to love it, to understand your heritage. You¡¯ve been away from home for far too long, Feyjrusa.¡± ¡°Well, it¡¯s not Archlave I had any issue with,¡± Rusa admitted. ¡°Even after seeing most of the world, it will always hold a special place in my heart. It¡¯s beautiful, and it¡¯s my home. I always believed that I would return there someday, but maybe not as its ruler.¡± ¡°I¡¯m really not like everyone else, not even like other Fiends. I¡¯m immortal. No matter how many times I¡¯m reincarnated, even if someone kills me, I¡¯ll never die, just reborn again. And each time I do, my personality changes. Even if I¡¯m committed to ruling Archlave in one life, who knows what I¡¯ll be like in the next. The citizens don¡¯t deserve that.¡± ¡°Immortal body you say¡¡± The look in the queen¡¯s eyes changed. The next thing Rusa knew, icy hands were reaching into her chest. ¡°I didn¡¯t give my life so that my heir could shirk her duties and insult my legacy! If you won¡¯t use the powers I gave you to further my dream, then I¡¯ll just take it for myself and rule Archlave forever!¡± Rusa¡¯s Curse kicked in immediately since her life was in danger. Hell, it felt worse than that. Her mothers hands were clasped around her heart, squeezing the life out of her. She wasn¡¯t quite sure if it would work like Fassis expected, or if it¡¯d just kill them both. The overdrive of her brain let her block out the pain and focus on her surroundings. She didn¡¯t have a lot of time before whatever fate had in store for her. But now she had 315-times that window to figure something out. She had to get away from her mother as quickly as possible. If she ran towards the door, that would just push them together anymore. Given the intangible nature of the queen¡¯s form, Rusa doubted she could fight back. That only left one avenue of escape. The Fiend lurched back in her chair, sending it tumbling backwards. Rusa kept the momentum and went careening through the window, shattering the glass, and sending her crashing down into the hedge below. She then deactivated her Curse so it wouldn¡¯t take as long to scramble away, but reactivated it to hunt down her mother again. The ghost, though, was nowhere to be found. V4: Chapter 4.3 - Haunted by Guilt Kada walked the entire perimeter of the estate and nothing spooky happened. She had vehemently fought to be the one to take the outdoor shift. Ghosts wouldn¡¯t haunt her if she stayed outside the entire time, right? There was nothing terrifying about a wide open space. Yet she still glanced over her shoulder every time there was so much as a whisper in the wind. Once she¡¯d done two full laps, she found herself drawn to the pond in the garden behind the mansion. Cosdammit, don¡¯t do it Kada, don¡¯t look! She tried to talk herself out of staring into the pond. You¡¯re going to look down and see your dead friend, and then you¡¯re going to zjik your pants! So don¡¯t even look! She looked. First came a sigh of relief when she was only met with her own reflection. ¡°Oh lordy Cosmos!¡± But the regret came when the reflection turned into Bosef, the dead friend and crush that she¡¯d killed to become a Fiend. Her arms flailed wildly in front of her as she fell back on her butt and scooted back as far away as she could until her back bonked into a statue. The ghost of Bosef rose out of the water and hovered in mid-air. He looked down at her and grimaced. ¡°Great, now I have to deal with you again. The one nice thing about dying was that I didn¡¯t have to deal with your annoying ass every day. Oh Bosef, walk home with me. Oh Bosef, eat lunch with me. Oh Bosef, pay attention to me or I¡¯ll die!¡± ¡°There was a reason I was your only friend, Kada. That¡¯s because you were insufferable, and I was the only one nice enough to put up with you! Then you dared to hold yourself higher than me!¡± ¡°You were drowning puppies!¡± The words jumped out of Kada¡¯s mouth. She felt a flash of anger from a mostly-repressed memory. ¡°Says the girl who stalked me,¡± the ghost threw shade right back. ¡°Sure I had a quirky little hobby, but I had to find some way to deal with the stress. It¡¯s all your fault, really. You and everyone else only saw me as this cute little boy when all I wanted was to be treated like a man! I couldn¡¯t stomach it anymore, and wanted to wash away all the cuteness from this world.¡± ¡°But what¡¯s the matter?¡± Bosef flew over to her, getting right up next to her. ¡°Why do you look so scared?¡± He got even closer to her wincing face. ¡°You used to love looking at me, like I was some cute little pet. Do yOu ThiNK i¡¯M NOt cuTe AnYmoRe?!¡± His voice became distorted and screechy as his appearance shifted for just a moment. His body went blue, his skin bloated¡ªhis drowned self. It only lasted a moment before he turned back to normal and floated away, giggling to himself. ¡°Even if you don¡¯t find me cute anymore, it¡¯s so sad that you never outgrew them. You still ogle every cute person and stuffed animal you see. Hell, you¡¯re even treating that fluffy girl like your pet and cuddling with her almost every day.¡± ¡°Yeah, well, I don¡¯t need to outgrow the things I like,¡± Kada finally said something to defend herself. ¡°I am who I am, and I like what I like. I didn¡¯t outgrow cute things, but I definitely outgrew you!¡± ¡°So she finally gained a spine,¡± Bosef stared back mockingly. ¡°Well go ahead then, get rid of me. If you¡¯re so big and brave now, it shouldn¡¯t be a problem. You¡¯ve got that fancy anchor, right? So blow me up or chop my head off. Or do you want to drown me again?¡± He vanished for a moment and reappeared in the water. The boy started flailing around, splashing wildly. His head kept bobbing up and down, submerging under the water only to resurface a second later and gasp for air. He was obviously trying to bait her. And even though Kada felt no obligation to assist him, she wandered over anyways. It was best to get this over with so she could be free of this spooky nightmare¡ªnot quite as spooky as she thought, though. She bent down and held out her hand to the boy, but he vanished. Before Kada could move back or look away, a statue came crashing down, pushing her into the water. The massive slab of stone followed her, pushing her body all the way down to the bottom of the pond and pinning it in place. It was pretty dark down there, so the goggles on her headband automatically flipped down so she could see. ¡°Ahahahahaha!¡± the boy ghost appeared next to her, somehow his evil laughter wasn¡¯t distorted by the liquid. ¡°Finally, I¡¯ll have my revenge! Just like you drowned me, now I get to watch as the light leaves your eyes as you plead for air! It will be marvelous. It will be spectacular. It will be¡ why¡¯s nothing happening?¡± This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience. ¡°Oh yeah, I can just like breathe underwater now,¡± Kada garbled, her words pushed through bubbles of pond water. ¡°So I can hang out here all day, and I can also free myself at any time.¡± She melted the statue, and the new liquid started floating towards the surface of the pond. After Kada pulled herself out of the water and shook her hair dry like a dog, Bosef appeared again, staring down into the water. He was clearly distraught and devastated that his plans had failed, so the Fiend decided to leave him alone. She should probably investigate that glass crashing noise she¡¯d just heard anyways. ¡ô¡ô¡ô Phon tried several different rooms first where she expected her father to appear. The map room was obvious since it was where he spent most of his time in life when they weren¡¯t out on a campaign, but there wasn¡¯t so much as a paper being rustled. She tried the meeting room next, study, offices, library, nothing. Only when she visited the kitchen, and pulled out a knife to see if it was in good enough condition to be worth stealing, did she see her father behind her in the reflection of the blade. ¡°Of course I find you in here, the room where you¡¯re wasting your life.¡± What a wholly unfair comment since she¡¯d literally just gotten there. ¡°Cooking of all things. With your talents and the power I gave you¡ yet you put all your ambition towards something anyone can do. Let Mallea handle the cooking or any of the other staff you¡¯ve acquired. And it¡¯s not even a passion for yourself. You do it for your brother since you never shook your obsession.¡± ¡°That I can understand at least. Everything is for those we love. But you¡¯re going about it all wrong. To help Drim, you need to be doing what only you can do. Your power can be used for much more than your limited scope. With the proper application, you could bend the world to your feet in a week!¡± ¡°Go dethrone kings, go assassinate your enemies! Topple the Central Peace and make them beg on their knees for forgiveness for ever dreaming of going against you. The world is at your fingertips, so take it for yourself! Your brother may disagree with some of our ideology, but he¡¯ll forgive you when you hand him exactly what he needs for his plans.¡± ¡°And most importantly, Phon¡ my daughter¡ You must fulfill our legacy! You must get revenge on her! For us, for all those who have suffered by her hands! Only then can your brother¡¯s dreams fully come to fruition.¡± ¡°Wait, her? Like her her?¡± Phon had been taking the verbal lashing like a champ and was planning to ignore her father entirely. But that was one tidbit of information she couldn¡¯t ignore. Her father nodded in response. It seemed he wasn¡¯t quite as restricted as their mother when talking about her. ¡°Who is she? Can you tell me her name?¡± If Phon only had the Draz¡¯s name, she could use Phontext to look into her. Or that was the hope. She hadn¡¯t been able to find a single connecting thread, but maybe that¡¯s because it wouldn¡¯t be possible to begin with. ¡°No, your mother could never tell me,¡± her father looked genuinely remorseful while he dashed her hopes. ¡°Damn, kudos to you though for believing her in the first place if she couldn¡¯t even say the mawhgers name.¡± Phon started thinking of what else she could ask him while she had the opportunity. ¡°Well, I was unfortunate enough to experience her wrath firsthand¡ªthe only other person who ever did. We never told another soul about her, not that there was much we could say. For everyone else, we sold the lie of world conquest. But the truth of it is that everything we did, the war, all those deaths, they were all because of her. All that bloodshed is on her hands and hers alone.¡± ¡°Jeez, just what did she do to the two of you that you¡¯d conquer the world because of it?¡± Phon was unsure how much she should actually believe him. The chain of events didn¡¯t really seem to add up. Plus, he was a ghost that was supposed to be hostile towards her. ¡°She¡ I can¡¯t say¡¡± the ghost of Relyk Drazah started to look distressed. ¡°Oh, got the same affliction as our mother then?¡± Phon was starting to lose interest if he wasn¡¯t going to be of any further help. ¡°No, not that,¡± the look on her father¡¯s face changed. ¡°Whatever¡¯s controlling me, they¡¯ve forbidden me from giving you any more help. They are very angry, and it¡¯s passing along to me, clawing at my enmity that I have long since forgiven. Soon, I will not be able to control myself,¡± his ghostly body started to shake. ¡°In a moment, I will try to choke you, as you choked me to death. Please, take this moment to flee before I have to dirty my hands. Just remember, your mother and I loved you two with all of our hearts. We are proud of you in whatever you do, just do not forget my words and heed my warning. She must be stopped, or Rathe will never know peace!¡± Relyk¡¯s hair stood on end and his eyes went manic. His hands raised into claws and he charged at his daughter. Phon vanished before it was too late, teleporting to the other side of the mansion. Even after she walked back to the kitchen, he did not return. V4: Chapter 4.4 - Haunted by Guilt Is it alright for you to be so nonchalant about this? Eleen asked after Drim had plopped down into one of the beds in the basement. No one else seemed particularly thrilled about the idea of going down there, so he volunteered. After a good look around, he decided to stay in the servant¡¯s quarters and possibly catch up on some sleep. The best way to lure out an enemy is to look vulnerable, wouldn¡¯t you agree? Drim yawned and then shifted into a more comfortable position. Plus, you may not have noticed, but one of the beds is disturbed. Someone else has been sleeping down here. How kindly will they take to their territory being invaded? Well no I didn¡¯t notice, Eleen admitted. But in case you¡¯ve forgotten, my view is pretty limited. Right now I can see either the ceiling or the blackness beneath your back. So I¡¯ll be sure to let you know if someone drills a hole above us. Wait, actually aren¡¯t I supposed to be the one attacking you? Shouldn¡¯t you be worried about me? Don¡¯t you fret, I¡¯m worried about you every single day of my life. Even internally, Drim really didn¡¯t sound particularly perturbed. Hell, I¡¯d even welcome you being out of my body for once. Maybe you¡¯ll even be in a form I can finally get rid of for good. So no, I¡¯m not too worried about you trying to kill me, since that¡¯s just a regular day in our relationship. But you go right ahead and let me know if you suddenly feel like stabbing me. Hmph, now you¡¯re not the one who has to be worried about that, Eleen started to pout. Whatever happened to my sweet little boy. The arrogant man you¡¯ve become is so disrespectful towards his parents! I¡¯ll start when you do something worth respecting. Now be quiet please. I might as well actually try to get some rest. Drim even almost got to the point of nodding off, but he suddenly lurched upwards when it felt like part of his very being was ripped out of his body. It should have felt like a weight being lifted, but he only had more of a headache when he opened his eyes. ¡°Well this is new,¡± the ghost of Eleen Drazah floated in the air, wiggling her fingers and arms. She then did a big stretch and frowned. ¡°That wasn¡¯t as satisfying as I thought it would be. Can¡¯t relieve muscle tension if you don¡¯t have muscles, I suppose.¡± Eleen wasn¡¯t the only one annoyed. Drim didn¡¯t know what was worse, that he had to see his mother in person again, or that she looked exactly the same as the day that he killed her. ¡°Wake me when this nightmare is over,¡± he closed his eyes again. But he didn¡¯t get to rest for long and found him sitting up in annoyance a few minutes later. There was just too much noise. He found his mother hoisting an entire dresser over her head and then slamming it back down. ¡°Look, I¡¯m so strong in this form!¡± She then went over to one of the beds and flipped it with a smile on her face. ¡°Though, I don¡¯t really think it¡¯s my strength. The Fiend that manifested me is causing it, like I¡¯m leeching their strength.¡± ¡°So it is a Fiend then?¡± Drim swiveled his feet to the edge and stood up now that they were making some form of progress. ¡°Hmm¡ yeah, a weird one too,¡± Eleen let their head drift as if she was looking for them. ¡°Since they¡¯re trying to control me, we¡¯ve made some kind of connection. I can feel their presence, and a bit into their psyche. I¡¯d have to say they¡¯re about my age, well my age before I died, possibly a bit older. They¡¯re not too scared, more annoyed and upset. They really want me to make you go away.¡± ¡°A mutual feeling then,¡± Drim couldn¡¯t help himself. ¡°Anything more you can tell me about them? I honestly can¡¯t sense their morality at all. No feeling of evil, and no weak sense of any other kind. It¡¯s like they don¡¯t exist.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not sure they do¡¡± his mother drifted away in thought. She went over to the fireplace meant for the servants and grabbed the shovel that was propped next to it. Eleen then whirled around and pelted it right at her son. Well, it missed by quite a wide margin, but the intent was certainly there. ¡°It seems the pleasantries have come to an end. Now I have no choice but to try and kill you.¡± She then reached over and picked up the fireplace¡¯s poker. Drim merely shrugged. ¡°Go ahead and do what you have to do. I¡¯m sure you¡¯re aware that I can take care of myself. If it leads us to the source, you don¡¯t have to hold back.¡± ¡°Good, because I don¡¯t think I could if I wanted to!¡± Eleen¡¯s arm lunged forward, trying to skewer her son. Drim dodged easily, and didn¡¯t find any of her following attacks pretty threatening. She always took a long time to line up the shot. He wasn¡¯t quite sure if she was actually aiming, or trying to resist as much as possible to give Drim more of a window to prepare himself. But with each subsequent attack, where she was attacking seemed more and more purposeful. Find this and other great novels on the author''s preferred platform. Support original creators! Eleen was trying to guide him somewhere, he figured out that much, but still wasn¡¯t sure of the reason why. But he¡¯d play along for now. Since she wasn¡¯t really a threat, he hoped she¡¯d eventually lead him to something useful. Only when he had his back pressed up against a specific part of the wall did she actually try to hit him. Her speed and accuracy were incomparable to every attempt before. Drim just barely managed to scramble away, the point of the poker slicing through his sleeve and scratching his arm. His mother had been using her full force, and the poker plowed through the wall until it was almost fully embedded. But when she pulled back, it didn¡¯t cleanly return like Drim thought it would. The poker was clearly stuck on something, and the wall started to break apart as the ghost pulled back with all her might. Eventually, a giant hole was ripped when Eleen did one final tug. Out of the wall came a¡ a person? Drim was quite hard pressed to call them that. They didn¡¯t look alive. In fact, they looked rather undead. It was like a real life zombie or ghoul. Their skin was wrinkled, leathery, and unnaturally colored to the point it looked decayed. This had to be the Fiend his mother had been talking about. There were a few long strands of Khaki colored hair still sticking out of their scalp. As for the color of their eyes¡ well¡ they didn¡¯t have any, just empty voids where their eyes should be. However, the color of their blood answered the question. Eleen had stabbed them with the poker and pulled them back with the hooked edge. They were impaled just below their neck, a trail of black blood now dribbling down their front. Even though they were naked, Drim couldn¡¯t discern a gender. Whatever had been down there was long since rotten away and been sealed over with more leathery flesh. This poor being, they were also just a child. Their age couldn¡¯t have been more than six or seven just going off their height and build. Of course the condition their body was in made them look ancient. So why had his mother told him that they were an adult? But Drim would get his answer. The only downside was that he actually had to rely on his mother to solve the problem. After Eleen twisted the poker a bit to make the undead child squirm, she pulled it out but then shoved it right back in. This time, she plunged it right through the navel, right where their Curse Mark depicting a swaddled baby had been. What happened next even threw Drim from a loop. The poker pierced out of the other side of the child¡¯s body, but so did a woman¡ªthe ghost of one. ¡°How the hell did you do that?!¡± Drim had to ask. ¡°Dunno, just knew I could,¡± Eleen stared down the woman who was just as shocked as anyone. ¡°Must be some facet of the child¡¯s Curse, well, her Curse. Like when she tried to control me, my will was just stronger, and she didn¡¯t stand a chance. I hope you¡¯re not mad at me for attacking since I was just faking it the whole time.¡± ¡°And don¡¯t be fooled, Drim, and don¡¯t feel pity. This child is already dead. In fact, they were never born. Through the shared connection, I could see their circumstances.¡± ¡°This woman, this monster, was ironically a child trafficker who was pregnant herself. She died from pregnancy complications all alone in the middle of nowhere. The fetus was made into a Fiend, but of course didn¡¯t survive. Through the power of their Curse, however, the mother was able to manifest and take control of the corpse, using it as a vessel to keep living all this time. Seems she¡¯s been hiding out here for a few years.¡± ¡°Now I may not have room to talk, but it¡¯s time for you to let go, so that your child can live in peace!¡± Drim really didn¡¯t understand it¡ªmust have had something to do with the Curse or ghosts in general¡ªbut Eleen was able to decapitate the ghost of the woman using the poker. The moment she did, the poker slipped from her hands and clattered to the ground. ¡ô¡ô¡ô ¡°So¡ who¡¯s up for never speaking about today ever again?!¡± Kada asked the group once her hands left the dirt, resealing the ground. After they¡¯d regrouped and Drim informed them of the fate of the Fiend, they took the long dead body to the local graveyard so that they could finally get a proper burial. They found a nice tree away from the main grave site and Kada had liquified the ground to put them in. This way, no one would ever know they were buried there, except for the ground now being ever so slightly raised to account for the displacement. Maybe now they¡¯d be absorbed by the tree''s roots and could become something new in life. ¡°I¡¯d be down for that,¡± Xard all but raised his hand. ¡°Well, I actually enjoyed meeting my mother,¡± Rusa argued. ¡°Even if she did try to take over my body and purge my soul¡¡± ¡°Unlike you lazy asses, I actually used my haunting to get some valuable information,¡± Phon lauded over them. ¡°Was just more of the same for me,¡± Drim sighed. ¡°Welcome to my everyday life. Now you all go ahead. I¡¯ll catch up. I just want to leave some flowers.¡± He bent down and placed a proper living bouquet at the foot of the tree¡ªthe child¡¯s unmarked headstone¡ªmaking sure to include one of his signature green roses. Fiends For Hire Internal External Dialogue 9 After Drim stood up and turned to walk away, he felt arms wrap around his neck from behind. Well, he couldn¡¯t feel their physical touch or their weight, but there was no mistaking their icy presence. He also felt anti-body heat from the woman leaning into him, clinging to him like only a mother would. Eleen: So why didn¡¯t you tell them that I¡¯m still here? Drim: Well, it seems like they can¡¯t see or hear you. They already know you exist, so why bother worrying them even more? Eleen: I guess that kind of makes me like your imaginary friend. Probably for the best not to tell anyone. They might think you¡¯re going crazy¡er Drim: If only I was seeing a friend. Or even better, if only you were imaginary. Eleen: Oh shouldn¡¯t we try to get along already? Since now I really will be by your side forever. V4: Chapter 5.1 - Shipped in Blood ¡°Oh there it is! Oh thank Cosmos! My¡ Our precious blood!¡± The adult-bodied Ahvra had rushed to the wrecked vehicle and popped open the trunk. She picked up the case that contained the blood samples they¡¯d been transporting. Or she tried to. The moment she touched the case, it vanished out of existence. ¡°This is definitely a trap then, be careful!¡± Xard flew down next to her, scanning their area for any would-be perpetrators. ¡°Let¡¯s hope we can recover it,¡± Drim had to agree as he took a defensive stance and grouped up with the other two. ¡°It¡¯d be a serious issue. If that ends up in the wrong hands, it will take some intensive damage control to rectify this.¡± Lately, Ahvra had been working on getting another full collection of blood from all the current Fiends For Hire members for her experiments. However, she had made sure to get double the amount she¡¯d need for the foreseeable future just in case there were any unseen departures from the group regardless of the reason. This second batch of blood was to be hidden at a secured external location that only she and Nathym would know the location of. The idea being that those two left the compound the least out of anyone else, so they¡¯d be the least likely to be captured and interrogated for intel¡ªof those that knew about the blood and its usefulness at least. So Nathym had built an automated and inconspicuous hatchback that would look like any other car driving the road. It even had dummies with minimal movement in the front seats. When the car got to its undisclosed location, it would dig itself deep down and transform into a bunker to contain the package inside. No one should have been able to tell the difference. But shortly after the car drove down an isolated road, it was attacked somehow. It looked like the tires had been popped, even though they were some of the toughest in the world. This caused the car to swerve off the road and crash, letting the attacker claim the prize inside. ¡°Didn¡¯t Eye Pain say he was attacked recently?¡± Ahvra brought up suddenly. ¡°And yes before you ask, I read the reports whenever an incident happens.¡± ¡°Uhh, Rezin?¡± Xard guessed who she was referring to. ¡°Yeah, he just said he was randomly tackled on his regular walk to the care facility. Since most people can¡¯t see him, he gets bumped into quite often. Didn¡¯t seem that suspicious.¡± ¡°So no possible blood loss then?¡± Ahvra really wanted to be sure. ¡°Huh, he did say his arm felt itchy later,¡± Drim added. ¡°Like he¡¯d gotten a bug bite or something.¡± ¡°That¡¯s bad!¡± Ahvra pulled out the head of the broom from beneath her lab coat and extended the pole. ¡°If this person knows how Fiend blood works, they could be anywhere! Useful one, do a scan for goodbadness!¡± Drim had to assume she meant morality, so he focused on it and tried to see if he could find anyone. ¡°Hmm, it¡¯s very faint, but I think there¡¯s someone over there,¡± he pointed almost directly in front of them. But before anyone could take any action, a glinting object soared from that direction. They all managed to dodge it, and it crashed into the car, shattering. It became quickly obvious that it had been a vial. As for what was inside, Xard started, ¡°Hey isn¡¯t that¡?¡± ¡°...my blood?¡± Drim finished for him. The green blood had splattered all over the metal, coating the backside, and some was on the ground nearby. Before they even had the idea to scatter, the blood had activated. All foliage around them suddenly died, and new plants sprouted from the pools of blood. ¡°Zjik! Cover your¡ª¡± Drim cut himself off, the rest of the words reduced to mumbles as he covered his mouth with his elbow. Either his warning hadn¡¯t been coherent or quick enough. Both Xard and Ahvra collapsed to the ground the second the plant spewed its toxins. Since he didn¡¯t have a proper way to filter it, this only bought Drim a few more seconds while his body rapidly lost strength. He tried to hold himself up on the car at first, but quickly slipped and slid down the side. Before he passed out completely, he heard footsteps. Through his weary blinks, he saw someone suddenly appear, as if they¡¯d removed a cloak of invisibility. He wasn¡¯t able to figure out much about them in his last few moments of consciousness. But his focus was drawn to their pink eyes. ¡°Oh wow! Hehehe! I was hoping my bait would lure one of you, but to think I got both! Lucky day!¡± Their pink irises then curved into the shape of hearts. ¡ô¡ô¡ô Xard woke up to blood rushing to his head. But also past his head. Some of his golden blood was trickling down his dangling arms. It was hard to see, but after a bit of neck straining, he found some running up his chest as well and into his face. Why was it defying gravity and moving upwards? After shaking off a bit more grogginess and delirium, he realized he was hanging upside down. The genuine version of this novel can be found on another site. Support the author by reading it there. That¡¯s when the pain kicked in, and Xard realized metal hooks were pierced into his legs. And not only that, he was naked. Someone had figured out how to remove his combat outfit. Well, his underwear was still on, but thanks to gravity, everything was dangerously close to being revealed. He had been abducted by some sort of psychopath. Not to mention the deep cuts all over his body that were causing his blood to drain. Hopefully his healing would kick in soon. He took a few deep breaths to try and calm down and glanced around the room. It looked like a dungeon, but something felt off. Even though rusted chains were dangling everywhere, the room looked too clean and new, like it had been set up just for this. And only now did Xard notice the person dangling next to him¡ªDrim also hanging upside down. Of course the man courteously looked away from his almost naked figure out of reflex, but then had to refocus on him to make sure he was okay. It seemed Drim was in a similar state of dangling and cuts, but he was still unconscious. Whoever had captured them hadn¡¯t thought to remove Xard¡¯s rings. But even if they did, he had so much energy stored up that he could easily get them out of this situation. Two quick blasts to the chains above and Xard flopped to the floor. He did his best to angle his body so that he wouldn¡¯t land in the pan beneath him that had been collecting his blood. But his hip still clipped it and a bit tipped over and splashed all over his legs and underwear. After removing the hooks from legs, he attempted poorly to clean himself up since there wasn¡¯t even a rag in the room. Xard then went over to help Drim. First, he moved the pan so there wouldn¡¯t be any more erroneous splashes. Then, he hoisted Drim¡¯s torso up with one of his arms so that he wouldn¡¯t collapse once the chains were broken. As soon as Drim¡¯s feet hit the floor with a thud, he started to stir. ¡°Ugh, Xard?¡± he groaned drearily, trying to wake himself up. ¡°Here, let me help you,¡± Xard insisted. Drim wrapped one of his arms around his friend¡¯s neck and pulled himself up while Xard kept him balanced until he could get firm on his feet. ¡°Just where the hell are we?¡± he asked, a bit groggy and still leaning on Xard for support. ¡°I have no idea,¡± Xard answered, the confusion of their reality slowly setting in. ¡°But at least we¡¯re okay, and we can get out of this together.¡± ¡°But where¡¯s¡ª¡± Drim started to ask another question but he was cut off by a monitor clicking on in the room. ¡°Oh my gosh, that was so perfect!¡± a woman appeared on the screen and squealed, one with pink heart-shaped eyes. ¡°That was so much better than anything I could have ever written. Thank Cosmos I¡¯m recording this! My slashfic will be reaching new heights!¡± The two boys were still a bit confused and trying to process everything, so neither of them responded right away. The woman seemed to have caught on and introduced herself. ¡°Greetings my two favorite boys in the whole wide world! My name is Savs Valen, and I¡¯ve had the pleasure of capturing you two today!¡± ¡°But you can just call me Valen like everyone else. Savs is the name my Draz of a mother gave me, but Valen is my history, and I¡¯ll never be ashamed of it.¡± To add to the eccentricity of her words, the rest of her appearance matched it. She was wearing a dark purple dress that bordered on formal wear and matched her hair that was draping over her shoulders. And she also had on a pair of long black dress gloves that went up above her elbows. ¡°You¡¯re a Fiend¡¡± Drim muttered, still a little out of it. ¡°Yay, thank you for noticing!¡± Valen applauded herself. ¡°Most people don¡¯t believe me when I say I¡¯m a Fiend, and everyone thought I was cosplaying one at the most recent Fiendcon. I suppose I can¡¯t blame them, since I was still my old frumpy self at the first Fiendcon.¡± ¡°What the hell is Fiendcon¡?¡± Xard struggled with the idea. ¡°Only the number one convention for fans of the Fiends For Hire and all related Fiendom!¡± their captor eagerly answered, happy to talk about it! ¡°And I¡¯m still annoyed too. I didn¡¯t expect you guys to attend the first one because it was still brand new. But as one of the head organizers of the second one, I sent your group so many invites but not even a single one of you showed up! So rude. I had guessed a few of you would come at least out of curiosity! Had to do a bit of damage control with disappointed guests¡¡± ¡°Seriously, what?¡± Xard still didn¡¯t grasp it. ¡°I¡¯ve never heard of it.¡± ¡°I think I have,¡± Drim mentioned as he shuffled a few steps away, finally garnering enough strength to stand on his own. ¡°The name sounds familiar, but we definitely never saw any invitations. It must have gotten caught by our spam filters. Sorry, Valen.¡± ¡°Oh, it¡¯s okay, I forgive you!¡± she quickly rebounded from annoyed to cheery. ¡°Today is totally going to make up for it anyways! Alright, I know this all must seem crazy and sudden, but we¡¯re going to have a lot of fun. Well, I¡¯m going to have a lot of fun. So why don¡¯t we just go ahead and move on to the next event! There¡¯s¡ª¡± ¡°Before we do anything, I¡¯m afraid we must insist on asking a few questions,¡± Drim interrupted her. He was honestly doing a much better job at keeping it together than Xard had been so far. The redhead wasn¡¯t sure he could have kept his composure for this long when dealing with a foe. Certainly, he wouldn¡¯t be engaging them like Drim was doing and would already be trying to blast his way out of here. But if Drim was able to get her talking and get some information out of her, it was definitely the better the route. Xard could only now chastise his own hotheadedness that he still needed to become better at managing. ¡°Yeah, I suppose that¡¯s fair. I guess I jumped the gun a little bit.¡± It appeared that Valen could be quite rational at times, another surprise. ¡°This whole thing was just so sudden, y¡¯know? So I¡¯m kind of winging it and got a little greedy. I really wasn¡¯t expecting to capture both of you today, so I hadn¡¯t fully prepared. The plan was to get one of you and have the other come for a heroic rescue! Oh well, your touching friendship and reliance on each other more than made up for it just now.¡± And now that rationality was gone. V4: Chapter 5.2 - Shipped in Blood ¡°First, what did you do with, Ahvra?¡± Drim¡¯s tone got a bit more serious. ¡°Is she alright? Can we see her?¡± ¡°Sorry, that¡¯s a no go!¡± Valen crossed her arms into an X. ¡°She¡¯s my little trump card to make sure you two play along and don¡¯t do anything crazy. But that¡¯s only a lost resort in case of an emergency. Something tells me that my actual offer will be enough to convince you to placate me.¡± ¡°And what exactly could you offer us?¡± Xard had his doubts that it would be anything of worth. Valen framed her face with her hands and stated shamelessly, ¡°Me!¡± Both boys shared a look of bewilderment and then stared back at the screen. ¡°Oh don¡¯t look so dismayed. I can promise you that I¡¯m something you want desperately. First, I¡¯m a Fiend, and you want to make sure all Fiends are properly supervised, don¡¯t you Drim? The second thing is my Curse. It will be irreplaceably useful to you.¡± ¡°If you hadn¡¯t guessed already by the motif I laid out and the heist I did, my power centers around blood. Specifically, I can control it. For example¡¡± Xard suddenly felt the veins in his right hand being tugged, as if someone was pulling on them like they were strings. He didn¡¯t try to fight back immediately, not knowing what damage it would cause. His hand floated upwards slowly, and he got ready to resist despite the potential danger when it started drifting over to Drim. ¡°Boop!¡± Valen chirped with glee when the tip of Xard¡¯s finger touched Drim¡¯s nose. Then the power was released and his hand dropped back to his side. ¡°That will make such a Cosdamn good picture,¡± their captor was quite pleased with herself. ¡°But boy was that exhausting. Even though I¡¯m not that far away, that still took a lot out of me. Controlling blood that¡¯s still inside people is way more effort than it¡¯s worth. Where my power really shines though¡¡± Valen started wiggling her fingers and a ball of peach-colored blood rose up into the air. ¡°You¡¯ll probably recognize this as the blood of Rezin Anish. Going after him first really was the smartest idea I could have had. As I¡¯m sure you¡¯re aware, or you wouldn¡¯t be handling your blood so studiously, but Fiend blood contains the same properties as their Curses.¡± ¡°And that is something I can control, though to a weaker extent than any Fiend using their powers naturally. The peach blood dissipated into a mist and then shrouded Valen. She vanished from sight for a few seconds entirely until the blood recongealed back into a ball. ¡°So with his blood I can make myself invisible, but that¡¯s all. I can¡¯t make hallucinations or control perceptions. A single facet of his Curse, but still a very useful one.¡± ¡°Ah, I can already see the wheels turning in your head, Drim.¡± Xard looked over after she spoke, and he saw a look that he¡¯d seen only a few times now; one where Drim was entirely recontemplating his plans and their future. That spoke volumes of just how much she actually had to offer, or how much of a threat she really was. Xard was certain now that Valen couldn¡¯t be taken lightly either way. ¡°So there are basically two paths you all can take,¡± Valen¡¯s smile turned devious. ¡°You can break out of here and capture me. It would probably be pretty easy for you two. And I know that now that I¡¯ve done this, I couldn¡¯t escape. Hell, that¡¯s why I even committed so far as telling you my name and showing you my face. I know all about what Phon can do with just a name.¡± ¡°There¡¯s no turning back for me. One way or another, I¡¯m certain I¡¯ll be taken into your custody. But the nature of our relationship after that is still open for discussion. If you take me by force, and treat me like a prisoner, I¡¯ll fight you every step of the way and never give you what you want.¡± ¡°But¡ if you play along with my game and appease my requests, I¡¯ll come along with you willingly. And not only that, I will use my Curse and my life to help you achieve whatever you¡¯re scheming. I¡¯m not quite sure what it is yet, but I can tell it¡¯s so fiendishly wicked. Just like those machines you put in every body to monitor them. Yes, that¡¯s right. You can¡¯t hide what¡¯s hidden in blood from me.¡± ¡°And something tells me that my Curse would be ridiculously valuable to you. Given what I can speculate, Ahvra must be studying Fiend blood for your plans. I¡¯m sure I could open all sorts of new gateways in that regard. So what do you say? A day of catering to my whims for a lifetime of servitude. You can even use a Drazah Demand on me if you like, to seal the deal.¡± This novel is published on a different platform. Support the original author by finding the official source. ¡°No, I don¡¯t think that will be necessary,¡± Drim seemed to have dropped his guard a bit. ¡°I¡¯m still a bit confused, though, as to what we¡¯ll be doing here and what you¡¯re getting out of this. I have a guess, but it couldn¡¯t be that obvious, right?¡± ¡°I have a feeling you know exactly what I want, Drim, as an avid reader yourself. And it¡¯s probably exactly what you¡¯re thinking. I¡¯m a simple girl. I like what I like, and my tastes may be considered a bit off-kilter to some. So what I like isn¡¯t always the easiest to find. I have to make most of it myself, writing and drawing. Hell, I¡¯ve even gotten pretty good at it.¡± ¡°This whole day is being funded from commissions I¡¯ve done. Let me tell you, people with other unique tastes pay the most money. They¡¯ll give anything to see their imaginations come to life. I¡¯m just the same, but I¡¯ve hit a bit of a block recently. That¡¯s why I decided to make my tastes reality and witness it in person.¡± ¡°Then you¡¯re¡¡± Drim had a look of understanding and slight reluctant acceptance on his face.¡± ¡°That¡¯s right! I¡¯m a Fiend Fanatic as they call us. I love everything Fiend! Well, more specifically the Fiends For Hire. The Central Peace and Above just don¡¯t hit the same for me. But there¡¯s some decent crossover pairs. When people ask me why I¡¯m so obsessed with Fiends, I just tell them my motto: ¡®Fiends are Undeniably Just Oh So Hot and Infatuating!¡¯ Nothing compares to them in this world!¡± ¡°You all just about killed me with your Fiend TV station. I basically have it playing nonstop. I almost died from binging all the new content. Thank you for the meals. But outside of that, I love talking about them on the forums¡ªI operate six sites myself. Love speculating and discussing your adventures.¡± ¡°I¡¯m just so obsessed with the culture. Have you all seen some of the fanart people have done of you guys?! It¡¯s just fantastic. And attending Fiendcon is a blast¡ªhopefully you guys will come to the next one. But¡ most of my joy comes from reading and writing Fiend fanfics.¡± ¡°I can understand if you all haven¡¯t dabbled in it. I¡¯d find reading about myself a bit awkward too. But there¡¯s just something for every taste. For the more normal and boring people, Drim x Kada is the most popular. But for people who love a good rivals-turned-lovers then you¡¯ve got Drim x Jaid.¡± ¡°Then as we break away from that, you get into more specific tastes. Most of these aren¡¯t as popular except for the girlslove ones. Phon x Kada wins that by far, but ever since the raid, Kada x Laurim has been soaring in popularity. They get in fights a lot with those who write Kada x Alk. And pretty much anyone paired with Nachi is a hit.¡± ¡°For some more obscure ones we have Chorus x Roque, Niloy x Rezin, and Drim x Creti has been building up steam lately for more rivalry. Drim x Phon is popular for some reason I can¡¯t explain and is probably the worst we allow. Of course, we had to ban some outright like Itsy x Crucion for obvious problematic reasons. But for the most part, we¡¯re pretty welcoming of everyone¡¯s tastes.¡± ¡°As for my own personal inklings, you probably could have guessed it. My moniker is The Boyslove Bloodletter! While it¡¯s also my Fiend name, most people just think it¡¯s an online handle. Drim x Tize was really good recently, and Xard x Dura was fun to dabble into after the raid. Lieu x Xard has also been coasting steadily for a while.¡± ¡°But my now-and-forever OTP will always be Drim x Xard! There are some people who write Xard x Drim too, but sorry Xard, let¡¯s be real¡¡± Valen laughed to herself. ¡°So I think you can understand now why I¡¯ve captured you. I just want to play out my fantasies in real life!¡± Xard¡¯s jaw dropped, not from anything he¡¯d heard, but his unbridled confusion. ¡°I¡ I didn¡¯t understand a single word she just said.¡± Drim shoved his face into his hand and shook his head. ¡°I did¡¡± he groaned. ¡°Just trust me on this, Xard. It¡¯s better if you just forget about it. This woman only wants one thing.¡± ¡°And it¡¯s disgusting?¡± Xard¡¯s eyes tweaked in curiosity as he tried to prepare himself for absurdity. ¡°I¡¯m sure some would put it that way,¡± Drim admitted. ¡°Though I¡¯m not sure I would. It really comes down to each person¡¯s tastes and outlooks. Most of the time, they don¡¯t hurt anyone, so it¡¯s perfectly fine. Valen¡¯s just gone a bit overboard with her obsession.¡± ¡°But that said, I think we should play along for now. I don¡¯t think we¡¯re in any real danger, though things might get a bit uncomfortable. But if she goes too far,¡± Drim raised his voice, as if he was warning her. ¡°Then we¡¯ll have to change course!¡± ¡°Hehehe, I knew you¡¯d see it my way!¡± Valen had turned inconsolably and erratically excited, practically vibrating in her seat. ¡°And we¡¯ll see what the limits are. Who knows what you two will be up for after the mood is just right.¡± ¡°Now¡ while I wouldn¡¯t mind seeing you two like that for the rest of the day, it wouldn¡¯t quite fit the next scene.¡± The wall slid away in two places. ¡°I¡¯ve prepared changing rooms for both of you. Drim you¡¯re on the left, and Xard you¡¯re on the right. Don¡¯t keep me waiting!¡± The monitor clicked off. ¡°Wait¡¡± Xard was worried about one final thing. ¡°If she¡¯s the one that stripped us down to our underwear. Then do you think she¡?¡± ¡°It¡¯s probably best not to think about it,¡± Drim sighed one more time before heading into his changing room. V4: Chapter 5.3 - Shipped in Blood Xard was quite surprised when he saw the outfit waiting for him in the dressing room¡ªmostly surprised with how normal it was. Pajamas weren¡¯t even on the list of what he was guessing it¡¯d be. The fact that it covered basically all his skin was the most impressive part of all, a complete flip from his near-nude state. He also had to thank Valen that they weren¡¯t gold and red. That had been his first intuition regarding clothes after she mentioned her love for Fiends. Since she herself was color coordinated, he¡¯d anticipated her inflicting it on them as well. Instead, the pajamas were dark gray with red stitching, quite close to the colors of his combat outfit. So in a way, he still matched her expectation of him. The clothes were well made and quite soft so he eagerly put them on to cover up. Somewhat disconcertingly, though, they fit perfectly, only rivaling Mallea or a professional tailor. That meant Valen somehow knew his exact body size and shape. The word ¡®fan¡¯ didn¡¯t begin to describe her. ¡®Stalker¡¯ was starting to seem more like a fitting label. While Xard felt the matching slippers were a bit excessive, and not really something he¡¯d ever use, there was a note explicitly telling them to wear everything provided. He wasn¡¯t in the mood to put up a fight. Nitpicking pointless demands would only make it take longer, and they still needed to hurry this along so they could make sure Ahvra was alright. Hopefully, she wouldn¡¯t ask anything too demanding¡ The confusion increased when Xard stepped out through the second door and into a quaint living room. It was much smaller than he¡¯d grown used to these past two years, but his perspective had been skewed a bit. The room actually reminded him of the house he grew up in, and he almost expected to see his parents sitting on the couch and watching the TV that was on in the background¡ªbouncing a logo as it waited to be used. Instead, Drim was already sitting there, his nose deep in a book. He was wearing a black polo and plaid green and black lounge pants. The outfit alone aged him up a bit compared to what he usually wore. To complete the look, he had on a pair of reading glasses. Fiends certainly didn¡¯t need them, so it was undoubtedly Valen¡¯s doing. There was a slight twinge in Xard¡¯s heart. He got a momentary glimpse of what a life together would look like, coming home to him every day. It was a rather pleasant thought, yet it felt impossibly distant at the same time¡ªan annoying array of emotions. But now he was starting to get an idea of what Valen was going for. ¡°Oh, sorry,¡± Drim looked up from the book. ¡°She baited me with a rare novel, and I was going with the flow before I knew it. I¡¯m stealing this, Valen!¡± Drim closed the book, shouted to their currently unobservable observer, and then set it aside. He then got up and joined Xard at inspecting the room. It was pretty basic, and there didn¡¯t seem to be anything absurd besides the cameras obviously watching them. But what drew their attention were the photographs sitting on one of the shelves. It depicted what should look like a fairly happy family of three¡ªmother, father, and a somewhat familiar looking daughter all taken as the daughter grew up. However, the mother¡¯s face had been cut out of all of them. ¡°Is this you, Valen?¡± Drim asked the open room, knowing their captor would hear them. The pictures were almost certainly her, but the girl in them had a sizably different build and air about her. ¡°Yes, that¡¯s me,¡± she answered. ¡°It was crazy how quickly I shed the pounds once I became a Fiend. Who knew murder would be the best diet plan. Would have done it sooner if I knew about that perk. Then maybe he¡¯d still be around too.¡± Xard guessed she had to be referring to her father, even though it was the mother cut out. ¡°So you killed your mother after she did something terrible to your father, then?¡± Xard deduced but asked for confirmation. ¡°Your questions are boring me now!¡± Valen was losing patience. ¡°Do some more scenes for me, and I¡¯ll answer whatever you want. This day is about you two after all, so forget the decor. It¡¯s just some stuff that was leftover from our family home, and I wanted to get the feeling just right. Now get to relaxing!¡± ¡°You two just need to sit on the couch together and watch TV. I¡¯ve already picked out something for you. That¡¯s it, just a nice quiet intimate evening after a long day. I thought about putting candles to help set the mood, but that felt a bit overboard.¡± The two boys sat down on the couch as instructed and the TV screen changed without them doing anything. A few moments later, the title card for a generic horror film appeared before the movie started fast-forwarding. The tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation. ¡°I¡¯m not gonna make you guys watch the whole thing,¡± Valen informed them. ¡°That¡¯d take too long, and my goal isn¡¯t to try your patience, or my patience for that matter. Ah, here we go.¡± What followed was a fairly typical scene of the main character hiding from a killer as they stomped around and wrecked the place. Through stealth and a few tricks, the main character managed to escape, just barely, with their life. Overall, it wasn''t a bad scene, doing a good job on building the tension and horror without relying on cheap thrills like jump scares. But still¡ ¡°Seriously! No reaction from you guys at all?!¡± Their captor was distraught at her foiled plan. ¡°I wasn¡¯t expecting you two to jump into eachothers arms from terror, though I may have been hoping for it, but you two didn¡¯t so much as flinch!¡± ¡°Oh, were we supposed to?¡± Drim clearly hadn¡¯t followed the thread. ¡°Sorry, Kada shows us stuff like this all the time so we¡¯re pretty numb to it, I guess.¡± ¡°Plus there was the incident very recently where he had to deal with actual ghosts in a haunted mansion,¡± Xard added. ¡°After that, I doubt these films will ever have nearly as much effect.¡± ¡°Really, why haven¡¯t I heard about that job yet?!¡± The two boys heard scribbling over the speaker. ¡°One spooky haunted mansion fic coming soon. I hope I can get some chapters out before everyone else finds out about it. This is gonna be great! Gah, I can picture it already! But wait, I''m getting off track. Since the horror film didn¡¯t work, it¡¯s time for the backup. If not fear, let¡¯s try inspiration!¡± The men were now forced to watch the ending of a war tale. It was the final fight of a single soldier who had to defeat an entire enemy platoon so that he could get home. While a touch unrealistic, it was still enjoyable and presented in a way that the events could have been plausible. ¡°This is just our daily life¡¡± Xard elaborated when Valen complained again about a lack of reactions. ¡°Yeah, I think I was in about three similar situations just last week,¡± Drim had to stifle a yawn that started to leak out, trying not to be rude. ¡°Fine then!¡± The movie changed once more. ¡°If fear and inspiration don¡¯t work, then we¡¯ll just have to resort to tragic sadness! This is my last gambit. When you¡¯re bawling in tears, just remember, you made me do this! And spoiler warning, the dog dies at the end!¡± ¡°Well, maybe if you told us what you were looking for, we could help you out,¡± Drim suggested after he and Xard shared a look that they really didn¡¯t want to have to endure that movie. ¡°I just want some intimacy!¡± The speaker newly blew out from Valen¡¯s ranting. ¡°Just some closeness, a nice shared moment. A little gesture that says ¡®hey, I¡¯m glad you¡¯re here with me as we experience this together.¡¯ That shouldn¡¯t be crossing the line, right? The chemistry between you two is great already, even when you two were fighting. But right now it¡¯s not even like trying to get oil and water to mix. I can¡¯t even get the caps off the bottles!¡± ¡°Okay, I think I get it,¡± Drim suddenly scooted over on the couch. He then wrapped his arm around Xard¡¯s shoulder and pulled him in close. Xard suddenly found his head resting on Drim¡¯s shoulder, his whole body now leaning against him. Maybe it was just the abruptness, but his heart started to flutter and he felt his face blush. ¡°Is this what you¡¯re looking for?¡± ¡°Oh Cosmos, yes!¡± The cameras placed around the room started zooming and adjusting themselves¡ªa symphony of shutters clicking echoed around them. The two boys didn¡¯t move for several minutes besides a little shuffling. Xard couldn¡¯t help adjusting himself a bit to get more comfortably, but he immediately regretted it, since it just led to several more squees. But they eventually stopped, and then they just heard scribbling again, meaning Valen was most likely writing something. ¡°Can we move now?¡± Xard asked. He wasn¡¯t particularly eager to move, but his anxiousness was swelling with each passing second. ¡°Oh, uhhh, sure,¡± it seemed Valen had gotten lost in her own little world and forgotten she was supposed to be some grand mastermind for a moment. ¡°You guys can go ahead into the next set of changing rooms while I finish writing down my thoughts.¡± ¡°Wait a second,¡± Drim¡¯s voice suddenly got more serious after the two boys separated from each other. ¡°I believe you owe us an answer, Valen, since we completed your task. How did you become a Fiend?¡± ¡°Nnnnnnnngh, fine,¡± she reluctantly agreed. ¡°It¡¯s not that interesting. Most of it happened while I was away at college, so some of the information I got second hand, but the outcome was all that mattered anyways.¡± ¡°Basically, my dad caught my mom cheating one day so he filed for divorce. He was all set to win most of their stuff in the proceedings, but then my mom came out with some zjik allegations about him with forged proof. This led to him getting arrested and sent to prison with not a soul who believed him except for me.¡± ¡°That¡ uhh¡ he didn¡¯t last long in there and took his own life after just a few weeks. So because of that, I snuck up behind my mother one night, stabbed her in the neck with a screwdriver, and she choked to death on her own blood. And now you know how I became a Fiend. Let¡¯s move on!¡± V4: Chapter 5.4 - Shipped in Blood Xard was certain he was being mocked for a moment when he put on the next outfit, not realizing the insult until the outfit was complete. Over the red and white checkered dress shirt was a baby blue sweater vest¡ªthe exact same color and pattern of clothing he wore all the way back when he was chased by police in Constead. In a way, that had been his public debut, so it made unfortunate sense that the outfit would be semi-iconic. But once he had it all on, it didn¡¯t clash like he thought it would. In fact, it was rather fetching. Maybe he¡¯d keep it for the times¡ well, there were no other times he¡¯d dress like this, so he¡¯d just have to enjoy it in the moment. When he got into the next room, he found Drim waiting for him again even though his clothes were more difficult to get into. He must have just put them on without question or hesitation unlike the wary redhead. The man was in a full black suit with a green tie, sitting at a table in a fancy restaurant. Or at least that was the ambience Valen had been going for. The table was real, but the room was just a small cube with painted walls. Food was already on the table, and it smelled delicious. Xard¡¯s stomach growled as he sat down, making him realize that he really had no idea how long it had been since he¡¯d eaten. ¡°I guess I should say sorry for being late, or something like that,¡± he gave a cheeky smirk, deciding he may as well get into the roleplaying a bit. ¡°What are the odds that this is edible¡ or poisonous?¡± ¡°I¡¯ll have you know that¡¯s the finest takeout I could find nearby,¡± Valen chimed in. ¡°I certainly wouldn¡¯t use poison if I wanted to kill you. Although maybe one of you choking and the other has to save them¡¡± ¡°What would you like us to discuss while we eat?¡± Drim diverted. ¡°I dunno¡ whatever couples normally talk about on dates!¡± She started getting flustered. ¡°Your days or a cute cat you saw or something.¡± ¡°Well, today I was kidnapped and forced to roleplay against my will,¡± Drim played along and then took a sip of his drink. ¡°How dreadful,¡± Xard started to cut the meat in front of him. ¡°Quite similar to the day I¡¯m having, really. What¡¯s wrong with the world these days if you can¡¯t even fight monsters and criminals in peace?¡± ¡°Ugh, not like that!¡± Valen had critiques. ¡°Well, sort of like that, but more normal and wholesome!¡± The two boys pondered in silence for a moment. ¡°So how have your adventures been, Xard?¡± Drim fiddled with his glass. ¡°I know I was never really one to lounge around at home, but there¡¯s definitely something missing in the mansion lately. Still feels weird whenever I walk by your room and it looks like it hasn¡¯t been touched in weeks.¡± ¡°I won¡¯t say it hasn¡¯t been lonely out on the road,¡± Xard admitted. ¡°But it¡¯s where I need to be. Things are just too quiet in Segrevide lately. Our very presence is the biggest deterrent to crime in the world, except for maybe Prosper. I can only stop muggers, pickpockets, and insurance scammers so many times.¡± ¡°Living in Constead my whole life, and then to Bisomote where it¡¯s pretty peaceful, it definitely warped my perception of reality a bit. I always wanted to help people, but I was woefully unprepared for how many people actually need help out there in the world.¡± ¡°Since I¡¯ve been all over, I¡¯ve seen the worst that humanity has to offer. I imagine it was very similar to when you traveled the world growing up, how eye opening it is. I got a glimpse when we robbed those banks, but you don¡¯t really understand until you go looking for it and face it all alone. Now more than ever, I understand that the real monsters aren¡¯t the ones roaming around in the wilderness.¡± ¡°I¡¯ve killed more people in the past few months than I ever expected to in my entire career back when I wanted to be a cop. But it¡¯s not enough. No matter what I do, it just feels like trying to prune a limb that just grows back. If anything, it¡¯s all just reaffirmed how much this world really needs our project to succeed.¡± ¡°But at the same time, I¡¯ve seen how beautiful it is. There¡¯s just as many wonderful people out there as there are terrible ones. More than anything else, we need to make sure that we don¡¯t hinder their lives. Because they don¡¯t deserve to be victims, and we can¡¯t let their freedom and individuality be a casualty justified in the name of a better world. That would be a terrible world to live in.¡± ¡°I completely agree,¡± Drim looked serious for a moment before returning a smile. ¡°And I¡¯m glad that I have you with me on this to help remind me of things like that¡ªto provide perspective I can be too far removed from their experiences to see.¡± He then held out his glass, prompting for a toast. ¡°To a better world, where hopefully one day we¡¯re no longer needed.¡± Xard clinked his glass in return, and they both took a few deep gulps. ¡°Wow, I¡¯m not entirely sure of everything you just said, but that was amazing!¡± It seemed they¡¯d appeased their captor. ¡°The raw emotion, the vulnerability. Yes, perfect! Beyond perfect! I¡¯m literally dying from joy!¡± ¡°Well, you¡¯ll be part of it soon too, Valen,¡± Drim reminded her. ¡°So you¡¯ll be seeing it a lot more. With your help, we¡¯re going to take this a step beyond where we thought possible in the past.¡± ¡°Cheh, anything if I can see you together all the time!¡± she was ultimately an easy woman to please. The two boys peacefully ate the rest of their food over smalltalk and a few jokes which Valen didn¡¯t seem to mind, too busy scribbling ideas from what she¡¯d already heard by the sound of it. This story has been taken without authorization. Report any sightings. With the meal deemed a success, Valen let them proceed into the next changing room, but not before Drim asked another question. ¡°So how did you find our blood shipment? Even with our resources, only Ahvra and Nathym should have been able to find it.¡± ¡°Oh, that¡¯s pretty simple,¡± their captor found the question a bit boring. ¡°If I have blood in my posession, I can track any other sources of it. That¡¯s how I found the shipment since I had Rezin¡¯s blood, and how I knew it was you two coming to claim it. I wouldn¡¯t have stuck around otherwise.¡± ¡ô¡ô¡ô Well, this is familiar. Xard picked up a gray shirt that was just like several he had back at home. The pants were pretty similar to something he owned as well. It was the kind of clothes he¡¯d wear on a day off if he wasn¡¯t wearing his combat outfit¡ªpractically never these days. When he entered the next room, he had to blink a few times to make sure he wasn¡¯t seeing things. The redhead even went so far as to turn around and look back into the changing room to make sure he hadn¡¯t been transported. It was his bedroom at the Fiends For Hire compound, or half of it anyways, recreated in painstaking detail. Basically the only thing missing was his bed, but the rest of the furniture, even the police scanner was in place. The bulletin board where he kept a list of criminals, suspects, and problem locations was a few months outdated but still eerily accurate for the time. ¡°So how exactly did you learn what my room looks like?¡± Xard asked since he was still waiting on Drim for once. He really shouldn¡¯t be surprised at this point, but it was both impressive and rather disturbing. ¡°Uhhhh, I may have bribed the Bisomote clerk for the floorplans of your mansion,¡± Valen openly admitted. ¡°Was honestly shocked you all had even submitted them. As for their interior, I pieced together a mockup using the photos you all, mostly Kada, have posted over time.¡± ¡°Well, if being a stalker blood-Fiend doesn¡¯t work out for you, recreating crime scenes might be right up your alley,¡± he was only half-joking. ¡°So what am I supposed to be anyways?¡± ¡°Just waiting,¡± she instructed him. ¡°No wait, brooding. You should be brooding. That¡¯d be better. It¡¯s been a long day, and things haven¡¯t been great lately. To make things worse, you and Drim aren¡¯t on speaking terms¡ªhad a big fight a few days ago and you¡¯re not ready to forgive him just yet.¡± ¡°Why wouldn¡¯t I be speaking to him?¡± Xard found his motivation lacking. ¡°Well, it would totally be him that caused the fight, right?¡± Valen suspected. ¡°Back when you guys were off to fight Sim Twelling, Drim did something that upset you for a while, didn¡¯t he? I don¡¯t know what it was, but you two certainly weren¡¯t on good terms. And then Drim doesn¡¯t seem like the type to apologize easily, not because he¡¯s a prick, but because he doesn¡¯t get as emotional or empathetic as you do and fully understand what he did wrong.¡± ¡°Pretty spot on,¡± Xard couldn¡¯t deny. ¡°Heheh! I¡¯ve been writing about relationships ever since I discovered the internet! I¡¯d like to think I¡¯ve mastered the human heart. Not that I actually have any experience myself¡¡± She probably could have left that last part out. ¡°But let¡¯s get on with the scene, start brooding!¡± The man didn¡¯t exactly know how to brood. He¡¯d certainly done it unconsciously in his life, but how was he supposed to bring it about unprompted? Ultimately, he landed on just sitting at his desk and fiddling with the police scanner. Surprisingly, it turned on, but it wasn¡¯t picking anything up, so he tried to tune it. While he worked, rain started hitting the window to the fake outside¡ªanother painted wall disguised to look like their compound. This led to several questions such as why was there rain inside? How was she making it rain¡ªa hose or a sprinkler perhaps? Was there proper drainage to deal with the water now flooding the room? But despite all those questions, the ambience really did add to the brooding. Just as Xard refocused on the scanner, there was a rapping on the window behind him. He spun in his chair to find Drim standing pitifully outside his window in the rain, despite it being on the second floor in reality. Xard, of course, hopped up and flung the window open, and a drenched Drim stepped inside, carrying a bouquet of his signature roses. ¡°I know we¡¯re fighting, but I heard you were having a bad day,¡± the soaked man began his clearly rehearsed speech. ¡°And I just couldn¡¯t leave you be. I need you to know that I¡¯m here for you, always, even when you don¡¯t want to see me. And even if you¡¯re not ready to forgive me, I¡¯ll be here for whatever you need.¡± ¡°Oh, uhh¡¡± Xard was a bit stumped, still unsure why he was supposed to be upset. ¡°Uhh-of course I forgive you. I¡¯m so glad you¡¯re here. There¡¯s no one else I want to be with right now!¡± Drim set the roses down on the desk and then held out his arms to his side¡ªopen and inviting. Xard would normally have a few more questions and reservations because of the dampness, but mawhg it. He just had to live in the moment for both this scene and himself. The two men both took a step forward and wrapped their arms around each other. It wasn¡¯t like one of those guy hugs with a quick pat and the back and stepping away as soon as possible. No, it was a warm, tender embrace that left Xard feeling loved and secure. Hell, in that moment, he really didn¡¯t want to let go. The moment was ruined a bit by the sound of snapping shutters. Their hug went well beyond the point of touching and comforting, straight into awkward. But neither of them pulled away, not wanting to ignite the ire of their captor if they messed up her scene. Only, finally, when the majority of noise around them slowed did they actually separate. ¡°So what do you want us to do now?¡± Drim looked towards one of the cameras. ¡°Uhh, that¡¯s it for this scene,¡± Valen wrapped it up. ¡°There was originally a bit more, but I scrapped it, which is why the bedroom is incomplete. I just don¡¯t think my heart is ready for it¡ So let¡¯s move right along, shall we?!¡± ¡°Wait, I have a question this time,¡± Xard interjected. ¡°All of this is very impressive, technically and artistically. Did you make it all yourself or did you pay someone to do it. Hard to imagine any reputable contractor signing off on what¡¯s basically some weird murder playhouse on the surface¡± ¡°Yes, I did it all myself!¡± their captor answered with pride. ¡°I was a theater arts major in college, mostly doing set design and a bit of script writing.¡± ¡°Alright, that explains a lot then,¡± his question was answered. ¡°Skepticism retracted.¡± V4: Chapter 5.5 - Shipped in Blood In the next, and what Xard had to assume was the last changing room, was his combat outfit. At least it looked like his. With Valen¡¯s now known history of set designs and artistic talent, it was entirely possible she could stitch it together¡ªthe look at least. The man doubted she could install the same functionality his suit had, but he didn¡¯t know the extent that she could use Nathym¡¯s blood. To be certain, he gave it a whiff. Yup, that¡¯s mine. Xard had unfortunately not been able to give it a deep cleaning upon his most recent return since they¡¯d rushed back out due to the blood crisis. A wave of comfort washed over him as soon as put the suit back on. He¡¯d almost felt naked this whole time without it. To his surprise, he was first into the next room again, but that was probably because Drim had more accessories to put on¡ªalso back in his combat gear. The room itself was just a black cube, dimly lit and empty. ¡°So what are we doing here?¡± Xard asked when the two men were back together, ready to get it over with since it felt like there couldn¡¯t be much more. ¡°Oh, it¡¯s already started,¡± Valen snickered. ¡°Just your normal everyday life as members of the Fiends For Hire; Monster hunting! Better find it quick before it hunts you.¡± Both men started glancing around the room with expedience, desperately trying to find whatever monster she was talking about. But they couldn¡¯t see anything, and the only noise was their own breathing. That¡¯s when Xard was hit by something over the head, knocking him down to the ground. He desperately pushed at the weight on his face, ripping the creature off of him and holding it in the air. At first it looked like a fat lizard, but then it opened its giant mouth. Before he could do anything else, countless rows of teeth started chomping towards his face. The terror didn¡¯t last long before the monster was ripped out of his arms and flung across the room. It looked like its belly had been sliced open, but fortunately blood didn¡¯t start spilling until it was far from Xard¡¯s head. Drim had killed it in a single cut, as to be expected, and then reached down an arm to help up his friend. From start to finish, that had made Xard¡¯s heart race, but at least it was over now. ¡°Never seen that one before,¡± he glanced at the corpse once he¡¯d had a moment to steady his nerves. ¡°It¡¯s a Chameleech,¡± Drim shared. ¡°And it¡¯s been a long time since I¡¯ve seen one. I thought they¡¯d been hunted to extinction. You can see why humans would be eager to get rid of them. On top of being able to turn invisible, they try to suck out all your blood. Where¡¯d you find one, Valen? And more importantly, how¡¯d you even manage to trap it and drag it here. That¡¯s something even I¡¯d struggle with.¡± ¡°Oh, I was just out in the swamp one day, doing Fiend things as we do,¡± her story already felt unreal. ¡°Got attacked by one of those mawhgers and managed to wrestle it away. It scampered off, but since I was able to track the blood it took from me, I followed it back to its home. And since it¡¯s got more blood in it than the average everyday living creature, it was rather simple to make it dance its way into a cage.¡± ¡°Well, at least we can move on now,¡± Xard was eager to leave the decaying wretch to decompose and finish things up. He wasn¡¯t quite sure what this was all supposed to accomplish. Had she wanted to see one of them actively save the other? It felt both like too much effort had been put in and anticlimactic for the result. ¡°Who said you were done,¡± Valen could only laugh to herself. ¡°And who said there was only one?¡± Three of the walls around them collapsed. Though it wasn¡¯t the most obvious thing at first besides the noise, since it just opened up to an even bigger dimly lit room¡ªseveral times bigger. The walls they¡¯d been boxed in must have been quite soundproof as well. Because while the one Chameleech had been quiet and biding its time, they could now hear endless skittering around them that sent a chill down Xard¡¯s spine. ¡°Turns out, there was a whole marsh of the things that those hunters missed. But unless there¡¯s more, this should be every last Chameleech in existence. Won¡¯t the two strong men of the Fiends For Hire help a poor girl and humanity itself by purging these vicious monsters from the face of Rathe?!¡± It was true that they had to be dealt with. Some monsters could be left alone or cordoned off into certain areas, but the Chameleech was better off in extinction. They were aggressive and dangerous, and while a single one wasn¡¯t the toughest monster in the world, their ability to camouflage made them difficult to kill for even the most experienced hunters. Drim held out his hand, opening a green portal that sprayed glowing spores around the room. They attached to all the Chameleeches in front of them, and for a brief moment, the two men could see them all¡ªseveral dozen at least. It didn¡¯t last long, though, before the monsters adapted to the spores, refreshing their camouflage so they were invisible again. ¡°Well, I didn¡¯t expect that to work, really, but now we know how many we¡¯re up against,¡± he justified his actions. ¡°They¡¯re all on the walls and the ceiling, only a few on the floor. So I have an idea how to end this quickly.¡± Drim held out his hand to Xard, prompting him to take it. Then, he started walking to the center, pulling the redhead along with him. He was careful with his steps, clearly trying to remember the locations of those on the floor so they didn¡¯t step on any. To be certain at a few spots, Drim sent out thorns to check that the monsters were still there, piercing them if he could, but usually just scared them away. During their walk, another fell from the ceiling to attack them, but Xard was ready this time. He aimed a finger above their heads and sent out a laser of energy, spinning it around like a lasso to cover the area. It sliced the beast into a few pieces before it could hit them. Once they were in the center of the room, Drim pulled Xard close again, snuggling right up until they were touching and clutching to the front of his torso. ¡°Alright, blast from your back so you won¡¯t hurt me. As high as you can from the floor to the ceiling. I¡¯ll take care of the rest.¡± The sudden closeness had caused a variety of emotions and jitters to well up in Xard again, but at least he had a way to redirect it this time. Stored kinetic energy blasted out his entire backside as instructed. Countless squeals echoed behind him, but Xard quickly tuned it out, focused on what was ahead. Drim started to move the two of them, shuffling their feet around so they were meticulously rotating around the entire room in a circle, taking care not to go too fast and miss any Chameleeches. Even though it was raining death around them, Xard barely even noticed it, too absorbed by their movements. It was clunky and awkward, but in a way it felt like slow-dancing. Their full revolution probably only took about a minute in total, and then they did a second quicker one to pick off any stragglers that had been left behind and dodged the first wall of death. Drim then did another spray of spores to check for any survivors. There was only one which he quickly dispatched himself. ¡°Gahh! You ruined all my cameras!¡± Valen sobbed¡ªa bit gargled since the speaker was damaged as well. ¡°Oh well, what I got to see of it was amazing! Since I can¡¯t see in there anymore, let¡¯s move on to the final scene! Just in time too, the lighting should be perfect!¡± So it really was the final scene at last. This craziness would come to an end. And instead of two changing rooms appearing, a single set of double doors opened, creaking a bit since they¡¯d been clearly damaged as well. The two boys entered and ascended the steps that were just beyond. The author''s tale has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon. It didn¡¯t take them too long to reach the top, and together they pushed open the next set of doors. Light flooded their eyes, taking a moment to adjust while they breathed in the fresh, salty air. They were back outside, on top of a balcony that overlooked the sea, above a rocky alcove. That, and the tropical foliage around them, was enough to give them a good idea of where they were: somewhere along the south-western coastline of the continent. Valen really had transported them quite a ways, which raised the question of how she¡¯d moved them that far and so inconspicuously. The villa they were at seemed to be the nicest around, certainly in the best condition. Most of the surrounding town looked deserted from what they could see. It was a good place for Valen to set up her insanity playhouse without drawing much attention. They of course wondered if she had any connections to the place, but that could be asked another time. Nothing else seemed out of order from their glances except a small vial of purple blood sitting on a pedestal. By the color, it had to be Phon¡¯s, so they could only make an educated guess as to how it could be used. But it had been placed out of the way, likely to not draw attention to it, so they left it alone for now. ¡°And what are we doing here?¡± Drim asked. ¡°Are we just done? We¡¯re clearly outside and there¡¯s no traps or restraints left, so we could just leave.¡± ¡°Yes, you could,¡± Valen admitted. ¡°But the two of you just fought a hard battle, completed the mission successfully, so why don¡¯t you just take a moment to relax. Go stand by the railing and enjoy the scenery.¡± The Fiends did as instructed, even leaning over the edge a bit to get a better view. It really was a beautiful place, and the sun setting over the water just enhanced it that much more. A lovely end to a crazy day. ¡°There¡¯s no real need to do anything. You¡¯ve both been through a lot today, but you got through it together. I hope it brought you closer, let you have some bonding time that would be hard to find otherwise. Maybe it even strengthened your relationship, let you see each other in a new light.¡± The two of them couldn¡¯t help but let their eyes drift towards each other because of Valen''s narration, locking their gaze and staring deeply at each other. ¡°And is there anyone else you¡¯d rather be with right now? Someone else you rather would have gone through this day with? The two of you handled it just so perfectly. A perfect pair to take on anything. You¡¯re just so great together. Maybe, you should seal that bond with just a little kiss¡¡± Drim couldn¡¯t stop himself from smirking and huffing a little laugh. ¡°So that¡¯s your endgame, is it? You want us to kiss?¡± ¡°I mean, is that so crazy?¡± Valen desperately tried to play it off casually. ¡°Look at where you are. The mood is perfect, the time is right. It wouldn¡¯t hurt to show each other just how much he means to you. Even if it¡¯s just as friends, an expression of undying commitment and loyalty.¡± This was simply too crazy. Xard couldn¡¯t believe what he was hearing. Did she seriously think that they¡¯d go along with it? He wouldn¡¯t exactly turn it down if Drim offered any other time, but this situation was just too forced and chaotic. The mood was nice, and they had been through a lot like she said. But there was just too much craziness to the circumstances. ¡°Yeah, I don¡¯t think¡ª¡± Xard started but he got cut off. ¡°And then we¡¯ll be done, right?¡± Drim asked for confirmation. ¡°You¡¯ll let us go, let Ahvra go. And you¡¯ll come with us, no resistance, no more demands, and you pledge to help us complete all of our goals.¡± ¡°I solemnly swear!¡± their captor made their oath. ¡°No, Drim. This is crazy. We don¡¯t have to do this. We¡¯re outside now, and we have a good idea where she is. We can just go find her, or you could¡ª¡± Xard¡¯s words were cut off again, but not by anyone saying anything. Drim took a quick step forward and grabbed Xard¡¯s shoulders, pushing their lips together. It was warm, and wet and¡ Xard wasn¡¯t really sure after that. His mind went hazy a little bit, so focused on the contact, the moment shared between them. He didn¡¯t even hear the sound of vial breaking nearby¡ªonly processing what had happened later. He didn¡¯t see the purple blood swirl into a portal and Valen stepping out of it. Only when she was scampering around them, taking nonstop pictures, did he finally snap back to reality. The kiss had only lasted a few seconds, but it could have been hours for all he knew. Drim was the one who eventually broke it off and took a step back, giving him another smile and a quick pat on the shoulder before turning his attention to Valen. She had stopped looking at both of them too, losing interest once the kiss ended. Instead, she was crouched down over by the doors and flipping through the photos with a disturbing look on her face. ¡°What the mawhg was that?!¡± an unexpected visitor with a familiar voice dropped down from the roof above them. Kada had Phon slung over her shoulder, who she then set down against the railing. The unmoving girl¡¯s head seemed to be spinning, struggling to process what she¡¯d just seen. ¡°What the zjik, Xard? I thought we made a pact to not¡ you know!¡± Kada was less confused and more agitated. ¡°Totally not cool and not fair! Phon and I were so worried about you, so we rushed to find you, but then we see this!¡± She then turned to Drim. ¡°If he gets a kiss, I want one too! There should be no special treatment, and¡ª¡± Before the rant could continue, Drim stepped over to Kada, pulled her in close by her vest, and kissed her too. When he broke away, the man said nonchalantly, ¡°Don¡¯t let it ever be said that I don¡¯t treat all my employees equally.¡± This led to a crazy spectrum of reactions around them. Phon, who had just been on the verge of getting her head back on straight, was hit with another punch right to her psyche. Kada slid her back down against the railing and wrapped her arms around her knees. ¡°I have very mixed and confused feelings about this.¡± Xard, who was still reeling from his own kiss, caught off guard by Kada and Phon showing up, and now watching her get kissed too, decided to just turn and stare out at the sea. And Valen, who had been in a state of bliss looked the most distraught of them all and started to bluster. ¡°What? No that can¡¯t be. I refuse to believe that just happened! This goes against everything¡ Wait, no, I can work with this. Drim is lured away by the evil temptress and then Xard¡ yup, got it, I¡¯m good.¡± As the only one still thinking clearly, Drim went back over to Valen and demanded, ¡°You¡¯re going to let Ahvra go now, right?¡± ¡°Oh, uhh, sure,¡± she set down her camera and notepad and then reached into her handbag, pulling out a vial of what looked like grease-colored blood. The blood, which had to be Roque¡¯s, swirled into a portal and showed what looked to be like a small room that existed outside of their dimension. Inside was a ruby colored chest, likely a creation of Rishaki¡¯s blood. Once taken out of the portal, the chest expanded in size to roughly the size of a small child and then melted back into goop before returning to Valen. Ahvra was left on the floor, still asleep. ¡°She seems unharmed, and still looks like she¡¯s under the effect of the plant,¡± Drim surmised. ¡°Yes, anything stored in Rishaki¡¯s blood is frozen in time, stuck in the same state in perpetuity,¡± Valen clarified. ¡°And then I can store them into Roque¡¯s blood and retrieve them from anywhere. It seems three items is my limit, fortunately. That¡¯s how I got you all here.¡± ¡°Ah, Useful One, we¡¯re under attack and¡ and¡ where are we?¡± Ahvra suddenly sprung awake but then got confused by her surroundings. ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it too much, Ahvra,¡± Drim attempted to placate her. ¡°This is Valen. She¡¯ll be joining our science department today under your command. She¡¯s a Fiend who can control blood, and more importantly, stimulate the use of Fiend blood to exploit their powers.¡± ¡°You don¡¯t say?!¡± Ahvra gasped with excitement, sprouting into her adult form. She then rushed over to Valen and began inspecting her body. Only after a thorough examination did she finally notice the others. ¡°What happened to them?¡± She asked about the three who looked like they¡¯d just lost a devastating battle. ¡°It¡¯s been a long day,¡± Drim played it off. ¡°Why don¡¯t the three go find somewhere to discuss things while they take some time to work through their own dilemmas?¡± He then hopped over the railing to the street below and started walking away. ¡°You¡¯re coming, aren¡¯t you Valen?¡± He stared back at her with a demanding gaze. ¡°Uhh, right!¡± But instead of attempting to jump over in her dress, she floated some of Phon¡¯s blood down towards the ground. Two portals then opened, one at the street, and one up on the balcony, and she walked right through. It was an impressive display of how that worked, and Drim would get more ideas for the future from it. Xard looked turned his head back around just in time to see Ahvra hoist her small body over the railing and flop down to the street. She landed on top of Valen, smooshing them both to the ground. ¡°You¡¯re already doing a great job as my fourth assistant, Blood Bag.¡± He watched them start to walk away, and then glanced back over to the two distraught girls. Not wanting to stick around and mope any longer, he decided to jump over the railing and join the others. V4: Chapter 6 - Forced Enjoyment | Part 1.1 - Family Outing ¡°Work sucks,¡± was the opening line of Chorus¡¯ contribution to their monthly meeting. ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter if you love your job, if you hate it, or are just plain indifferent to it. No matter what, there will always come a point where it¡¯s completely tedious and you really don¡¯t want to do it.¡± ¡°Now some people have joined the Fiends For Hire because it¡¯s their dream job. Others joined since they felt they had nowhere else to go or no other opportunities in life. Some view it as their passion, while for others it¡¯s just a paycheck. Ultimately, the reason¡¯s are unimportant, as long as it is treated as work and not one¡¯s very reason for existing. That is the same reason why you rejected Asset 29, is it not?¡± ¡°You all are undoubtedly the most dedicated to your jobs. And it¡¯s fine if that¡¯s your biggest passion in life. But you all also have the worst work-life balances I¡¯ve ever seen,¡± Chorus started wagging their finger accusatorily around the room. ¡°Except for you Kada, yours is actually pretty good.¡± ¡°And there¡¯s been some pretty chaotic missions lately, big serious types that have left everyone feeling down and haggard. When they almost died to the Wowl, rescuing Senli from those horrible monsters, rescuing all those children from the other horrible monsters, that business with the ghosts trying to kill you all, and now some unrecorded kisses have been causing chaos.¡± ¡°Thankfully, Valen¡¯s pictures are pretty good quality. I¡¯ll include them in some montage later or something. And now that she¡¯s gotten settled, I¡¯m thinking of her doing some cinematography and screenwriting for me. Her talents are being wasted in that lab.¡± ¡°The hell you¡¯re showing that,¡± Xard protested. ¡°And we all know you don¡¯t give a ratcoon¡¯s ass about our mental health. So why don¡¯t you get to the point already.¡± ¡°You¡¯re right, I don¡¯t,¡± Chorus smirked, not even going to attempt and refute the accusation. ¡°The point is, work is boring. While you may have the most interesting jobs on the planet, it¡¯s bogged down because it¡¯s work. And the people are getting bored.¡± ¡°So it¡¯s about our viewership after all then,¡± Kada put together and lost a little interest. ¡°I was kind of hoping this was leading somewhere more meaningful or actually helpful.¡± ¡°Of course it¡¯s about the show!¡± the presenter flourished their arms for emphasis. ¡°But life is just one big show. And people will get bored if they see the same thing again and again no matter what it is. So that brings me back to my point. People are getting weary of seeing you all do your jobs.¡± ¡°Now don¡¯t get me wrong, viewership is still rocking. ¡®Fiends¡¯ is still the most watched show on Rathe right now with the numbers still growing. But Cosdamn there¡¯s such an outcry for more normal, casual, and unscripted content. We did a poll, and while intrigue in the group, along with both awe and fear are up, relatability is on the verge of plummeting off a cliff.¡± ¡°The last boost we had was during the parents day special, and I¡¯m guessing you all won¡¯t allow me to do something like that again.¡± There were stern headshakes around the entire room. ¡°So the answer is to have you special people do normal things. Have fun, take the day off, do what normal humans do when they don¡¯t have to work. Do you all even remember what those things are?!¡± Now there were a lot of guilty glances and scrunched lips around the room. ¡°My point exactly. That¡¯s why, for the next business week, there will be absolutely no work! For you four at least, we still have a business to run. But anyone else who wants to join will be allowed to do so.¡± ¡°And why exactly do you think we¡¯d go along with that?¡± Phon huffed. ¡°You were just starting to get some good grace back after your last stunt, and now you want to blow it on telling us what we can and can¡¯t do?¡± Chorus¡¯ smirk turned devilish. ¡°I actually have already received permission from the head honcho sitting there.¡± All eyes drifted towards Drim, ¡°What can I say,¡± he merely shrugged. ¡°Morale is down, tension is up, and I¡¯m not particularly good at doing anything about it. While I can¡¯t complain about the increased productivity, I myself am starting to feel a bit burnt out from working nonstop. And if even I, who is the most passionate towards our goals, feels like they need a break, it must be even worse for you all and you¡¯re just keeping it buried.¡± ¡°When Chorus came to me with this, I couldn¡¯t really find a reason to say no. Cosmos knows if I tried to come up with a fun activity for us all to do, we¡¯d be hunting stuff in the middle of the woods in no time. So, I¡¯m letting them take the reins on this, though I¡¯ve already vetoed some ideas. Like a day at the beach since we¡¯ve already done that chapter before. They also wanted us to do basket weaving, and I couldn¡¯t possibly conceive of how that would be entertaining.¡± ¡°Well, I¡¯m admittedly not the most focused-in on the regular populace either.¡± A sentence from their now event-host that didn¡¯t exactly boast confidence. ¡°But this is why we have focus groups! I am open to suggestions since we only have a few things firmly scheduled. But if there aren¡¯t enough good ideas, we¡¯ll go with suggestions from our viewers.¡± ¡°I guess we could go watch some movies or something,¡± Xard considered. ¡°Been a while since I¡¯ve caught up on all the recent stuff out there.¡± ¡°Unfortunately that¡¯s already been rejected,¡± Chorus buried the idea. ¡°First of all, it¡¯s boring. Secondly, there are legal issues with filming inside a movie theater. But we do have an idea along those lines.¡± ¡°I¡¯m guessing reading is off the table then?¡± Drim had to try his hand at suggesting essentially his one and only hobby. Reading on Amazon or a pirate site? This novel is from Royal Road. Support the author by reading it there. ¡°Yeah, that¡¯d suck,¡± Chorus was blunt. ¡°Would be happy to get plenty of B-roll footage of that, though. A certain subset of our fans would go nuts for it.¡± ¡°Oooh, how about taking naps in interesting and exotic places?!¡± Kada eagerly waved her hand. ¡°Naps are like super normal, right?!¡± ¡°You somehow failed in both aspects of the assignment,¡± Chorus shook their head in disappointment. Boring to watch and in a way that would be wholly unrelatable. But I must repeat my comment about B-roll footage. I should have known asking this group would be hopeless since you¡¯re the problem children to begin with. Unless you have something you want to contribute, Phon.¡± ¡°C-Cooking?¡± Phon hesitantly answered when eyes drifted towards her. Chorus then suddenly started applauding with an approving nod. ¡°At least someone understands the assignment. Cooking is on the list, but not in the way that you might think. I¡¯ll just have to iron out the itinerary for the rest of the week as we go, but tomorrow¡¯s set at least. We¡¯ll be waking up bright and early. ¡ô¡ô¡ô ¡°Welcome to the mall!¡± Chorus greeted everyone after they walked through the portal. ¡°Enjoy it while it lasts before corporations and online shopping destroy the medium and culture by undercutting prices and convenience.¡± ¡°Wait, this is the Domister mall,¡± Xard recognized it instantly. ¡°The one we visited after we had a race here.¡± ¡°Yes, like scared little kittens, it¡¯s best to bring you to familiar territory,¡± their event organizer had no shame. ¡°Holy zjik, that¡¯s so far then!¡± Kada was stunned. ¡°Valen¡¯s portals are amazing then if she can take your blood and transport us even farther than you can, Phon! And all of us at once too.¡± Phon then stared at Kada with a murderous gaze, causing her to whimper. ¡°Yes, it¡¯s quite impressive and the key to our events this week,¡± Chorus boasted with a smile. ¡°It has massively increased the scope of what we can do during the time. I¡¯ve had members go ahead and place vials of Phon¡¯s blood at all the locations we¡¯ll be visiting. And while it takes a lot out of Valen to activate them from so far away, she is committed to seeing this through, aren¡¯t you?¡± Valen, who was doubled-over on a bench, wheezing for her life, gave a shaky thumbs-up and muttered, ¡°I will die for my passion!¡± A moment later, though, she sprung up again, back at full energy. ¡°So can we get started then?!¡± She asked with hearts in her eyes. ¡°You still haven¡¯t told us what we¡¯re doing here,¡± Drim reminded them. ¡°Obviously, we¡¯re doing makeovers!¡± Niloy, the only other person accompanying then, excitedly jigged at the idea. ¡°Alright, I¡¯m out,¡± Xard threw up his hands in protest. ¡°We were just Valen¡¯s personal playthings and now you want us to be Niloy¡¯s too? So if you¡¯d please reopen the portal so I can head home. Or actually, I¡¯ll just go and head out for another trip, see you all in a month.¡± He started walking towards the front doors. Niloy quickly dashed ahead and held out her arms. ¡°Look, we¡¯re just going to dress you up in something casual, alright? Remember the assignment for this morning was to wear regular clothing? Well, both you and Drim came in your combat outfits! At least Kada and Phon complied, but even they could use something fresh.¡± ¡°We¡¯ll be spending a lot of time outside and in public, so we just need something a bit less conspicuous. And don¡¯t forget that the whole point for this week is to relax, so we¡¯re aiming for cute while also comfortable. Plus a few more layers since it¡¯s still a bit chilly outside. Not that we can feel it, but at least you won¡¯t stick out so much.¡± ¡°Alright fine,¡± the protester conceded. ¡°I¡¯ll at least see what you¡¯re going to try and force me to wear.¡± ¡°Well, actually Valen will be picking out your outfits,¡± Niloy gave an innocent smirk. ¡°She just has better sense when it comes to men¡¯s clothes than I do, but I promise it won¡¯t be something you hate. Now if the ladies would come along with me.¡± The Fiends dispersed for a while into two groups, Chorus floating between the two of them to film. Drim and Phon were of course the first ones to be done. Phon only asked for minor changes, and Drim literally accepted the first thing that was handed to him since it matched his preferred colors¡ªnot caring about the design in the slightest. He was put in a black peacoat with a long green scarf, perfect for a chilly day out in the elements. Phon¡¯s blouse was left alone, but instead she ended up weaning a letterman jacket with the Fiends For Hire logo on it. This wasn¡¯t a logo that any of them attached themselves or brought with them. No, the logo was already on it. Turns out, there was a full collection of clothes and accessories centered around their organization. There were letterman jackets matching the colors of the four Greaters, along with a few other members¡ªPhon¡¯s of course being purple and white. Niloy had been tempted for a moment to have them all dress in their respective jackets, but decided it¡¯d look way too dorky as a group. The store clerk nearly fainted when she saw who came to the register to purchase it. Along with the jacket, she wore tights and a zoneball cap to replace her usual one, really looking ready for a day at a sports match. Kada had tried on a lot more options, but Niloy eventually convinced her to wear a tubetop and denim short-shorts with ripped fabric at the bottom since showing a lot of skin ¡®was her thing¡¯. After complaints that it didn¡¯t match the more cozy, comfy vibe they were going for, the woman was adorned with a large, oversized puffy jacket that she had to wear unzipped. Xard, the pickiest out of all of them, refused about a dozen options from Valen before he¡¯d even try any of them on. But at least when they got to that point, he liked it on the first try, ending up with a quarter-zip burgundy sweater over a dress shirt with slacks. Lastly, he let Valen tie up his hair which had admittedly been getting a bit long lately. After everyone was properly adorned, they met up in the food court for a quick meal. Unlike the last time they were here, everyone was allowed to pick out whatever they liked. Though, Chorus suggested everyone should lean more into the cheap and humble fastfood options to seem even more normal, which was what most of them would have picked anyways. But everyone still took their advice except for Kada. ¡°Why the hell did you get The Sugar Coma again?¡± Xard asked with disappointment in his eyes, watching the woman shovel endless spoonfuls into her mouth from her gluttonous tub of ice cream. ¡°Listen,¡± she blubbered at first until she swallowed down her current mouthful. ¡°This tub may have defeated me last time, but today, I will be victorious and eat it all in a single sitting! I¡¯ve been training my entire life¡ or the last few years, at least.¡± It was both intriguing and disturbing for all parties to watch, but they had some time to kill, so they sat around and chatted while Kada scratched off another one of her life goals¡ªsurely to regret it later. V4: Chapter 6 - Forced Enjoyment | Part 1.2 - Family Outing ¡°So much for casual and blending in,¡± Phon scoffed. ¡°We¡¯re the most underdressed people here by a few societal classes.¡± ¡°Well that just adds to the charm,¡± Chorus blew it off the concern. Yet they weren¡¯t participating, dressed as if they were ready for a gala. ¡°It will just make you look that much more down to earth to our viewers. And it will really upset the other bidders if they lose everything to snotty brats that look beneath them. I can¡¯t wait.¡± The second item on their agenda for the day was an auction. It was a wide range of lots, from toy collectables, to antiques, to murder weapons from solved cases, to swaths of land that had been claimed by the Central Peace. There was a bit of everything for all walks of life. Yet the only ones in attendance were the rich and powerful. ¡°I¡¯m lost as to how this is supposed to make us look like everyday folk,¡± Drim couldn¡¯t wrap his head around it. ¡°It isn¡¯t,¡± Chorus responded bluntly. ¡°But a lot of regular citizens dream of going and buying something they really want at an auction. And while you all are welcome to buy anything that strikes your fancy or nostalgia, we¡¯re also doing this for charity. Watching this stream are a few organizations we partnered with that are in need of donations of items for just about everything.¡± ¡°What better place to get them than snatched from the hands that need them the least? We¡¯ll be quite literally taking from the rich and giving to the poor. So go nuts, buy whatever you want¡ªwhether it¡¯s for yourself or to give to some kids or other charitable organizations. Even better if you get to piss off some entitled snobfactories while you do it. I¡¯ll be sure to get a good angle on their bluster.¡± The group took their seats. Confused, judging, and malcontent eyes watched them the entire time. They found Itsy and Roque already seated and waiting for them, who of course stood out as well. Roque was at least dressed in the right direction, but the lack of quality in his suit definitely stood out. Meanwhile, Itsy was in her usual overalls, certainly dirtying the chair she was sitting in with grease stains. ¡°They got some vintage cars up for auction,¡± Itsy explained why she was participating. ¡°Planning to fix them up for us to drive around in style?¡± Kada started getting excited at the idea, possibly enough to even cheat on her own beloved vehicle. ¡°Heh, nah, nothing like that. These ain¡¯t gon¡¯ be for driving mostly,¡± the big woman elaborated. ¡°I¡¯m planning tuh make a car cannon. Yes, that is in fact a cannon that shoots cars. Could just load up some old clunkers, but that just ain¡¯t got the same feel, ya feel me?¡± This plan of hers got a few wide eyes and murmurs from the crowd around them, likely spurring some car lovers to bid more than they were planning just to try and keep them out of her hands. ¡°I¡¯m just here to ruin some lives,¡± was all Roque said when attention went his way. The auction started shortly after everyone got settled. Drim bought up the first lot immediately¡ªa complete set of first edition action figures that were popular when he was a kid. He probably overpaid, but there wasn¡¯t much resistance from the rest of the crowd. ¡°Oh, the children from the charities will love those,¡± Chorus made sure to film the generous act. ¡°Yes¡ the children...¡± Drim¡¯s eyes glanced away and went dour. Maybe he could at least enjoy the fact that for just a fleeting moment, he¡¯d collected them all. Not much else was bought by the Fiends until they got to the vintage car showcase. Itsy bought the first few outright, getting more giddy each time. Once they got to the rarest models, though, bidding wars really began. But no matter how high the competition got, Itsy always outbid them in the end. This led to several other participants storming out in a huff, spouting countless and sometimes creative slurs under their breath. ¡°I thought you sent most of your money back home, Itsy. Surprised you have enough to be buying all of these. Not going into massive debt for this, are you?¡± Xard was a touch concerned. ¡°Huh, company¡¯s paying for this whole outing, didn''tcha hear?¡± Itsy returned his confusion. ¡°Fancy pants over there told me to spend as much as I want.¡± ¡°Yes, the Fiends For Hire will be covering the cost for all member purchases made today,¡± Roque confirmed. ¡°We agreed to that?¡± Phon quickly looked over to Drim. ¡°Oh¡ right, I guess I did,¡± Drim recalled a clearly unimportant memory. ¡°We have more money backed up that we need to burn through,¡± Roque explained. Chorus then added, ¡°And what better place to blow it than at an event where both the proceeds and the items we buy go to charity?¡±There were no further arguments after that. ¡°So we can just buy anything we want for however much money we want?!¡± Kada¡¯s eyes lit up. ¡°100 million!¡± She shouted immediately when the next lot was unveiled. ¡°Not to dissuade your gross overspending,¡± Roque couldn¡¯t help but twinge at the purchase. ¡°But pray tell, what do you plan to do with 38 antique clocks?¡± ¡°Juhh-I hadn¡¯t thought that part through yet!¡± She immediately went on the defensive. ¡°Oh, we¡¯ll just give them to charity or orphanages, yeah! They¡¯ll be the most punctual orphans you¡¯ve ever seen in your life!¡± More frivolous purchases soon followed, though none nearly as egregious as that. The crowd thinned out a bit more when they realized they had no hope of getting what they wanted. But the Fiends For Hire didn¡¯t buy everything, mostly ignoring art that wouldn¡¯t service anyone. Stolen novel; please report. A few small, personal purchases were made. Phon bought a set of masterwork kitchen knives. Kada bought the rights to a defunct arcade and food chain, mostly wanting their singing robot mascots. When the released-evidence section came, Xard bought quite a few weapons and criminal possessions¡ªmostly from those that he himself had brought to justice. ¡°This next lot is a variety of odds and ends used as murder weapons by an unnamed serial-killer from Tooshifont,¡± the auctioneer presented the next lot. ¡°Hey, isn¡¯t that-?¡± Kada started. ¡°Yup, Kaizu¡¯s,¡± Drim immediately raised his hand to bid. It actually took some fighting from other members of the audience for some reason. But regardless of the cost, those items were best obtained and destroyed. Next on the agenda was lots of land. ¡°Do we need any more property?¡± Phon asked no one in particular. ¡°It¡¯s always good to have land,¡± Roque smirked. He then proceeded to buy up almost every single piece of it that he believed had some value. However, there was one piece he seemed uninterested in entirely that drew the rest of the group¡¯s attention. ¡°Isn¡¯t that the spot where Senli¡¯s orphanage used to be?¡± Kada pointed out. ¡°Huh, so it is,¡± Drim confirmed. ¡°I suppose we should buy it. Do you think you¡¯d have any use for it, Roque?¡± ¡°Doubtful,¡± he seemed wholly uninterested. ¡°Probably good for a shop, but that¡¯s about it.¡± ¡°Well, let¡¯s buy it anyways,¡± Xard insisted. ¡°If nothing else, for Senli¡¯s peace of mind, but we can always just build a new safehouse.¡± By the time they reached the last round of auctions, most of their fellow patrons had cleared out. But what was left were items that only very specific collectors would want anyways¡ªoverpriced oddities that were worth a lot to a select handful of people. The Fiends ignored almost all of it. Kada, though, tried to buy a bobsled that had been used to win a championship. However, she dropped the idea after a few bids when she got an intense death glare from the woman she¡¯d been bidding against¡ªclearly much more of a fan. But of course there was something Drim¡¯s hand was forced into buying. ¡°This rare vase was brought by Eleen Drazah on all of her campaigns. It is believed that she used it to store the ashes of all of her enemies that she bombed out of existence.¡± Did you really do such a thing? Drim asked, pre-annoyed, to the ghost floating around him. Nope, I brought that vase just because it was sturdy, looked nice in my mobile office, and was really convenient for burning sensitive documents into. I guess they¡¯ve misconstrued what the ash was. We actually just found it abandoned on the side of the road one day. It¡¯s junk that they¡¯re pawning as a war artifact. Drim bought it, going toe-to-toe with a few other bidders until they realized who they were up against. But once they figured out that Eleen¡¯s son himself wanted it, no other bids were made. Most of the time, the items were claimed after the auction, but Drim went up to the stage immediately and grabbed the vase. He hoisted it up over his head and flung it over at a vacant wall, shattering it to pieces. Endless cries from collectors filled the room as he returned to his seat. ¡°Next up is the china set that Eleen Drazah ate off of the night that she signed the death warrant for Pimitrad.¡± Eyes in the room drifted to Drim to see if he was planning to bid again. Does that plate hold any significance? No clue, it looks like a million other plates I ate off of. Even the specter couldn¡¯t give two zjiks about it, so Drim would let them fight over the useless dinnerware with inflated importance. ¡°For our last item of the day, we have not only a one-of-a-kind painting, but the rarest, most sought after painting in the entire world!¡± The auctioneer pulled away the sheet covering a dazzling abstract piece locked in a glass case. It had dotted history books since the beginning of the written word. The original meaning was lost, so it was pretty common for people to come up with their own. Most often, though, it just went over people''s heads. ¡°The Stultus Nummorum! Yes, you can believe your eyes. It is the genuine article. We¡¯ve had it tested by the thirty most renowned art groups across Rathe. It was generously donated by one of our audience members here today, Mr. Roque Personson. The painting is currently valued at over 800 million commons, but we will start the bidding today at 600 million.¡± This was what everyone had been waiting for¡ªeveryone left but the Fiends who couldn¡¯t care less. What use would they have for it? Decorate their mansion, they supposed, but none of them particularly liked it to begin with. Plus, since Roque had been the one to donate it, that really showed how little value it had to their group to begin with. ¡°You seriously donated that thing?¡± Phon was the one to pry. ¡°The king of greed himself gave away something that valuable? Hell, you probably could have just sold it to Rishaki outright for a fortune.¡± ¡°She didn¡¯t want it,¡± Roque huffed. ¡°Something about it being cursed in Zjiksan legend. And, well, sometimes you just have to¡ do¡ something good¡ for people¡¡± He couldn¡¯t keep a straight face and started snickering to himself, clearly up to something. ¡°Sold for 1.267 billion commons to the CEO of VisageVista Corp!¡± The auctioneer eagerly slammed his gavel to end the event. ¡°Isn¡¯t that the company that does a bunch of horrible animal testing?¡± Kada whispered to the rest of the group. ¡°Hmm, explains the annoying vibe I¡¯ve been getting,¡± Drim focused on the man who was self congratulating himself. ¡°Yes, that¡¯s the prick indeed,¡± Roque confirmed. ¡°And one of my age-old business rivals, how good for him that he won.¡± In that moment, Roque¡¯s face turned so wicked and sinister that an entire religion could have been spawned just based on having him as the picture of evil. ¡°Congratulations!¡± Roque went over and shook the man¡¯s hand. ¡°Thank you for donating so much to charity. I hope you enjoy your time with the painting. Your very little time.¡± He then held out his other hand and a contract unfurled. It was a brand new contract, writing itself in the moment, and even wrote out a bill of transfer from the current owner. A moment later, a picture of the painting appeared on the paper, and then the document vanished entirely. And so did the painting, out of the glass case and into the void. ¡°Just in case you weren¡¯t aware, all purchases from this auction are completely non-refundable, regardless of what may happen mere moments later.¡± ¡°So thank you for donating so generously to the ¡®Go Mawhg Yourself¡¯ fund. I hope you¡¯ll continue to patronize it in the future. And remember, Go Mawhg Yourself.¡± The man tried to stop him when he walked away, but Roque merely brushed him aside, laughing maniacally until he was gone out the front door and gasping for air. V4: Chapter 6 - Forced Enjoyment | Part 1.3 - Family Outing ¡°So the point of the game is to get the most points, right?¡± Kada started explaining the rules of zoneball since she was basically the only one in the group with any inkling. ¡°You see those six rings on the field, three on each side? Those are the titular zones.¡± ¡°To score points, you have to keep a ball in one of the zones. Each second the ball is in the zone, it scores points for that team. The four bigger zones near the center are 1 point per second, and the two small zones on each end are 3 points per second. There¡¯s three balls going at once so it stays constantly active with movement all over the field.¡± ¡°All players are allowed to go to the other sides except for the zone keepers. The big zones have two each, and the small zone has one. Only the keepers on a team can enter their zones, but the other players can help defend around it. The other team can all go in to try and steal the ball, though.¡± ¡°And you¡¯ve probably noticed that they can only use their feet to move the balls, well really anything but their hands and arms are fine. Also, two balls in the same zone won¡¯t count twice. So ideally, the team would keep one ball in each zone for as long as possible.¡± ¡°Most points when time runs out wins. Since eventually things could become too one sided, and one team could possibly have too many points for the other to ever overtake them, they added the catchup rule. During the last few minutes, points for the losing team are multiplied based on how far behind they are. It scales, so if they¡¯re too far behind, they¡¯d basically need to play a completely perfect game in those last few minutes to win.¡± ¡°Very few teams come back from it, but it definitely adds tension and excitement. I imagine a victory at that point would feel Cosdamned amazing too. Was tempted to try out for the zoneball team when I was young, but never worked up the courage.¡± ¡°I¡¯m surprised you know so much about it,¡± Xard applauded her. ¡°You never seemed to have much interest and haven¡¯t talked about it at all before now.¡± ¡°Oh, no, I don¡¯t really care much,¡± Kada sighed. ¡°My dad just watched it all the time, so I was stuck watching with him. Of course, I now have a lifelong pledge to the local zoneball team growing up, the Anchors. Couldn¡¯t tell you any players these days, but I¡¯ll be damned if they lose to the Echidnas in the championship again!¡± ¡°So, we¡¯re really just supposed to sit here and watch?¡± Phon sounded bored already. ¡°I can¡¯t imagine that would be entertaining for other people.¡± ¡°Well, it may be a bit much to ask from you, but you could do more than just watch,¡± Chorus encouraged them. ¡°Get up and cheer, show some nice reactions, actively watch. But even if you just sit and zone out or look bored, that¡¯s relatable too. Hell, it¡¯d make for a fantastic image if half of you are enjoying it and the others look like you want to die. Just being here is the content we need. So sit back, relax, and do whatever comes natural. Oh, and we have someone bringing food too.¡± Right on cue, two pairs of legs holding towers of food made their way up the stairs to the Fiends¡¯ seats at the top of the stands. The group was sitting in a reserved section, a few rows away from the general populace to not cause a fuss. Originally, the idea was to have them in a private box, but that would hamper the relatability they were going for. This way, they still looked like part of the crowd. Only when about half the food had been distributed did they finally get to see who was behind it¡ªNathym and Tize. ¡°Go ahead and sit behind the rest of them, Tize,¡± Chorus directed and then snickered to themself. ¡°That way it will look like pops took the children out for a fun day at the ballpark.¡± The food was an array of stadium snacks that one would expect, beer for those who wanted it, and several of the industrious pretzel-dogs. Sporting the classic shape of a pretzel, the meat inside was twisted alongside of it with a coating of sauce all in one portable package¡ªthe perfect overpriced meal that could only be gotten at sporting events. ¡°Huh, didn¡¯t think you of all people would want to come to a zoneball match, Nathym,¡± Drim mentioned to his friend when he sat down in the empty seat next to him. ¡°Because of my brother?¡± Nathym surmised. ¡°Yes, I can¡¯t say I¡¯ve ever cared for the sport, or sports in general, but I try not to let my family history bother me. That said, I wasn¡¯t planning to come. I was just in Drome Coli already working on¡ well, you know. But I had some free time, so Chorus invited me.¡± The author''s content has been appropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon. The next hour or so passed pretty uneventfully. While the match was entertaining enough for some¡ªlike Kada who got far more into it than she¡¯d earlier let on, even throwing food at a cheating player once¡ªa lot of the others found the environment and ambience more of a spectacle. There was just a certain energy seeing an event like this live and in person that couldn¡¯t be witnessed anywhere else, and that showed on everyone¡¯s faces, even if they tried to hide it. Chorus couldn¡¯t hide their smirk when even Phon was in awe at times. A lot of it was due to the stadium itself. Zoneball was played around the world, but Drome Coli added its own flare. Before technology advanced too far, the sport was monitored manually by referees with stopwatches. One or two assigned to each zone to keep track of points earned. These days, both the balls and the zones had sensors in them to monitor whenever one was in a zone. It would tally up the points automatically. This stadium in particular, though, was built for the sport. Any time a ball was in a zone, the ring around the zone would start to pulse with light. The longer the ball was in the zone, the faster it would pulse along with an added sound effect over the speakers. Eventually, it got to a point where the light would ripple out through the stands, building reverberation that shook the seats of the crowd nearby. The longer the streak, the more hype the crowd would become and the tension would build. That alone made attending worth it for some. ¡°Wait, isn¡¯t that Kalter?¡± Kada pointed at the new ¡®player¡¯ running out onto the field, clearly not in either team''s uniform. He ran around the field, kicking every ball so that he could take control of them with his Curse. Once they were all ensnared, he brought them all to the high-scoring zone of the losing team. As the other players tried to steal the balls, he¡¯d kick them all and have them come right back to his feet. ¡°Back on his zjik then, it seems,¡± Xard groaned. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯ll take care of it.¡± He stood up and aimed his pointer finger. After a deep breath and steadying his arm, a burst of energy shot forth. It slammed into Kalter¡¯s forehead, spurting a bit of fire-colored blood while he was knocked to the ground. ¡°Not enough to kill him, but he¡¯ll wake up with a nasty headache,¡± Xard gave one last proud smirk before sitting back down. The match then resumed unimpeded after security dragged the incapacitated Fiend away. It stayed mostly one-sided until the catchup rule kicked in. That¡¯s when things got really intense, as if the losing team had been saving up all their energy for a moment, and they scrambled to give it their best. By the end, Kada had long left her seat and was cheering at the top of her lungs. Tize and Xard joined her, though not quite as enthusiastic. Even the Drazah siblings were leaning forward in their seats as it came down to the last few seconds. Chorus never looked at the match once, their eyes fixated on the group, making sure to get the best angles on each reaction. ¡°Damn, down to only a 4 point difference at the end. Close match.¡± It had even left an impression on Nathym. ¡°My brother, the famed prodigy, couldn¡¯t have pulled that off.¡± ¡°It¡¯s a shame they didn¡¯t win in the end, though,¡± Kada was still moping as the stands cleared out. ¡°But at least we got to see something great! Maybe I¡¯ll tune in if these two teams have a rematch.¡± ¡ô¡ô¡ô The group stayed in Drome Coli that night. While it was mostly to give Valen a break from overusing her Curse, apparently Chorus wanted to get footage of them hanging out in a hotel just like ¡®everyday travelers¡¯. Unlike Phon¡¯s last stay in Drome Coli, it was a higher-end hotel on the sports-side, built for relaxation in splurging. That said, they didn¡¯t spring for the highest-end suites, not that any of the group would appreciate them anyways. After a hearty breakfast the next morning¡ªspecifically instructed by Chorus to overeat since they wouldn¡¯t again for a while and needed the extra calories¡ªthey stepped through the portal onto the runway of a small private skydock, back in their usual adventure gear. ¡°Didn¡¯t that zoneball match yesterday just get you all hyped and excited to do some exercise and outdoor fun?!¡± Chorus was only met with weary stares. ¡°But I¡¯ll admit that this isn¡¯t my forte, so I¡¯ve brought on someone else to lead today¡¯s activities in my stead.¡± ¡°Of course you got the fitness freak,¡± Phon glared over at Nachi. ¡°Come now, it won¡¯t be too bad,¡± Nachi grinned. ¡°Your own physical fitness has improved in leaps and bounds, Phon. Think of this as just another good workout. A fun, insane, dangerous work out. I¡¯m sure you¡¯ve all heard of triathlons, right? Well today we¡¯ll be partaking in a pentathlon: five events of outdoor activities that people enjoy. Myself, I enjoy some of them far more than others just for the rush.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not going to tell you what they all are until you get to them. But by what I¡¯m wearing and where we are, I¡¯m assuming you can guess that the first event is skydiving! So what are you waiting for? Pray to Cosmos if you need to and load on into the skycraft!¡± ¡°Alright, so where are our parachutes then?¡± Drim looked around. ¡°Only you seem to have one.¡± ¡°Well, I¡¯m the only one who needs one,¡± Nachi¡¯s zjik-eating grin didn¡¯t falter. ¡°You¡¯re all Fiends, arentcha? Gonna be defeated by a little gravity?¡± V4: Chapter 6 - Forced Enjoyment | Part 2 - Fun in the Sun ¡°Since I won¡¯t be able to keep up with you all, I¡¯m going to explain the first three events,¡± Nachi started once they were up in the skycraft. ¡°As you can probably tell now from the view, we¡¯re along the southern coastline. Mountains and beaches. Normally pretty treacherous for everyday tourists, but it shouldn¡¯t be an issue for you four.¡± ¡°Obviously, the entire pentathlon is a race to the end. For each event, you¡¯re allowed to use your Curses as much as you want as long as it doesn¡¯t negate the spirit of the event. That means no flying or teleporting over the course to skip the entire thing. And you can only use your Curse to move yourself directly a few yards at a time, but other than that, each event will only have a few restrictions.¡± ¡°The first, as I said, is skydiving. You¡¯ll be jumping out of this craft and landing on top of a mountain just off the coast. If you miss your mark, well you¡¯ll just have to climb back up. Pretty much anything goes for you to land safely.¡± ¡°At the top of the mountain will be four bikes waiting for you. Hop on one and then ride down to the bottom of the mountain. Doesn¡¯t really matter what side you go down, as long as you survive. Either way, you¡¯ll end up in the sea below. Additional rules for this section are that you must be on the bike at all times, and it can¡¯t be off the ground for more than a few seconds.¡± ¡°And for the third event, swimming. Once you¡¯ve crashed into the ocean, you have to swim back to shore. I¡¯ll have made it over to land by then and will set off a flare, so it should be obvious where you need to go. The only condition here is that you must be touching water pretty much the entire time. If you jump out of it, you better let gravity pull you back.¡± ¡°That¡¯s it for now. I¡¯ll let the fourth competition stay a secret until we get there. But as an incentive to do well, the last person to arrive will have to do the fourth event in a very tight outfit that doesn¡¯t leave much at all to the imagination. Good luck, and jump whenever you feel the time is right!¡± Nachi led the charge, doing a backflip out of the craft. The others waited a bit longer, needing to wait for the proper window to make sure they hit the mountain. Xard went first since he would have the easiest time redirecting himself in midair. Drim and Phon went about the same time, also not having to worry too much. Kada on the other hand really had to line up the shot. If she didn¡¯t aim correctly and entirely missed the mountain, there wasn¡¯t much she could do but sadly swim back. She dove out of the plane headfirst, wanting to get her body¡¯s direction right from the get-go so she wouldn¡¯t have to fight the wind resistance. Her goggles flipped down, to keep it out of her eyes, so she could see her target better. The initial trajectory had been pretty good, but she still tried to shift in the air slightly to hit higher up on the mountain. As long as she hit land at all she¡¯d be fine, but the higher she started, the less she¡¯d have to make her way back up. Kada couldn¡¯t help but flinch when she impacted the rock, though it had to turned into soft¡ªwell not that soft¡ªliquid that broke her fall. She probably went halfway into the core of the mountain before the friction stopped her movement. But then, she used her Curse to rocket herself back up to the top, shooting out of the mountain with almost as much speed as she¡¯d hit it. In fact, she almost collided with Xard who had landed first, knocking him off his bike in panic just as he¡¯d gotten onto it. Phon joined them next. She¡¯d learned how to cancel momentum using her Curse, basically just having Phonscience hold that piece firmly to a spot so it couldn¡¯t move for a few seconds after. So she merely blinked out of the air and onto solid ground. Drim came in last, only a few moments behind. He didn¡¯t really have much of a way to increase his speed since he had to use a proper parachute. Because this was a genuine freefall and not just jumping off of a tall building, he¡¯d fully detached his cloak and had vines tie all four ends so he could steer it. Once he got close to the mountain top, he shot another vine at the peak to reel himself in. Within only about a minute or two, they¡¯d all hopped onto their bikes and started speeding down the mountain. It was an insanely fast and bumpy ride. Just maintaining their balance took most of their strength. Rocks and ridges sent them flying every few seconds, but they all had ways to readjust in the air so that they¡¯d land safely. Kada was the only one who didn¡¯t take that approach. Instead, she clung onto the bike for dear life, letting one of her feet dip to the ground to melt it. Only about an inch or so turned into liquid, but it was enough to change the entire slope into one big water slide. Steering didn¡¯t matter since gravity would do all the work at this point. She only needed to worry about staying upright, which wasn¡¯t completely successful. More than once, she¡¯d tip over, and to avoid a painful crash, she melted the ground more into giant puddles to catch herself and then used the liquid to right the bike before she carried on. Since it was the most reckless method, Kada reached the water first. But she was also at the biggest disadvantage in the water, despite being called The Mermaid. Even though she was by far the strongest swimmer of the group, and could clear the distance with relative ease, her Curse was practically useless in the ocean. This meant she had to swim the entire length purely with raw ability. She briefly floated the idea of swimming down to the ocean¡¯s floor and melting that to make footholds that she could propel herself with. But she didn¡¯t know how deep that was, and thinking cost precious time, so she just started swimming. Even though she had a big head start, it wasn¡¯t long before Xard rushed past her. He had the clear advantage here, blasting energy out of his feet like they were turbines. Since he was only keeping his head above the water, it didn¡¯t count as flying, and thus well within the rules. Phon was also very narrowly skirting the line of her teleportation limit. Her power was also quite useless in the sea, since she couldn¡¯t move herself onto water. It had to be solid footing, and the only solid thing at the moment was bodies. She of course went after the fastest ride and had latched herself onto Xard¡¯s back. But the speeding man didn¡¯t take that lightly, constantly wrestling to throw her off his back. Everytime he managed it, though, Phon teleported right back on before he could get too far away. Eventually, he gave up entirely, saving his last trick for the end. Just before reaching the shore, which was a slight cliff face they¡¯d have to climb, Xard leapt into the air, doing a flip to dump Phon back in the water before he landed at the finish line where Nachi was waiting. Even though she now had to climb back up herself, Phon still easily secured second place. Having been slightly distracted by the spectacle, Kada glanced backwards to see how Drim was doing. His Curse also wouldn¡¯t be too useful in the water. It¡¯s not like he could just make a boat or something, since that wouldn¡¯t count as him being in the water. Or could he? This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere. What crazy friends she had, since Drim was yet again doing something she never would have thought of. The basic idea was simple. He was using his makeshift parachute from before as a sail now to pull him across the water. But there was no way the wind would work so well in his favor, so that¡¯s where the creativity was coming in. Kada guessed he probably had wood under his feet to keep him upright to begin with. With one hand, he was holding the sail, and with the other, he was keeping a portal open. Several giant leaves had spawned partway out of the portal and were spinning like a propeller, constantly blowing wind into the sail. It wasn¡¯t the fastest thing in the world, but it was certainly better than if he just chose traditional swimming. While impressive and ingenious, Kada¡¯s pride was on the line and she just couldn¡¯t lose to it. She summoned all of her might and swam like her life depended on it, straining her muscles to a point that she almost reached speeds similar to when she was fused with Tize. On the verge of passing out, Kada crossed the finish line, just a hair before Drim. A waiting Nachi gave her a quick congratulations before grinning devilishly at the loser. Before he could recuperate, he was already being handed the skintight bodysuit he¡¯d have to change into. It only covered his torso and halfway down his thighs, everything else was out in the open. And the next activity would only flaunt his form even more; yoga! After Drim got changed, he joined the others over on the mats overlooking the ocean. Any other time, it¡¯d be the most majestic yoga class in the world, leaving them feeling serene and powerful. But this would be more stressful than relaxing since it was a race to complete the list of poses up on the screens in front of them. The screens also had scanners that told them when they¡¯d successfully performed a pose. Basically, the goal was to match the shape as closely as possible even if the form wasn¡¯t completely perfect. And unfortunately for the Fiends, these weren¡¯t beginner poses either. They weren¡¯t the hardest in the world, but definitely best saved for an advanced class. At least they wouldn¡¯t hurt themselves if they twisted wrong or pulled a muscle. But it would still be a pain to try and flex into those shapes with no prior experience. Yoga definitely wasn¡¯t part of their usual workout routine. But as a sign of solidarity, Nachi participated along with them and outclassed them all. The sets they were working through were mostly named after animals. Like the ¡®Big Stretch¡¯, ¡®Ball Curl¡¯, ¡®Self-Bathe¡¯ poses from the Cat set, and ¡®Soar¡¯, ¡®Swoop¡¯, and ¡®Fan¡¯ from the Bird set. But there were also a few named after everyday tasks, to give people a good idea of what they were without having to see them first. This included ¡®Tie Your Shoes¡¯, ¡®Lift a Heavy Box¡¯, and ¡®Catch a Fly¡¯ which involved lunging forward and clapping above the head. Phon was the only one out of the group who didn¡¯t have an advantage because of her Curse. But she was innately the most flexible, so she still finished first. The rest were all forcibly moving their limbs in ways only they could. Kada, who finished second, had the ground sprout up into pedestals that she could use to rest her limbs. Xard, who finished third, expelled energy to hold certain parts of his body in place and bend farther than he¡¯d ever be able to otherwise. Drim probably would have finished second or third if he didn¡¯t have to change. He used his vines to grab his limbs and contort himself like a marionette. Combined with his super tight and skimpy outfit, it really looked like he was participating in something else. ¡°I think we might actually have to blur some of that,¡± Chorus commented from their spot on the sidelines. But thankfully, all the other participants were too enraptured with their own struggle to notice. The next event didn¡¯t start immediately since Nachi would need to explain the rules to all of them. However, how quickly they finished yoga determined their starting order. ¡°The last game is a classic among the rich and powerful, yet none of you play it. Probably because you¡¯re still young and have literally anything else to do,¡± Nachi introduced it. ¡°That¡¯s right, it¡¯s golf! All 18 holes of it. But today, we¡¯re not playing for score. No, this is speed golf. First one to get their ball into every hole wins. And I honestly don¡¯t care if you go in order as long as you complete all 18.¡± ¡°For this event, there¡¯s literally only one rule. Once you set your ball down to tee off, you can¡¯t pick it up again until that hole¡¯s complete. Otherwise, you¡¯re free to use your Curses as much as you like. We¡¯ve reinforced the balls too, or else they¡¯d probably just break from a single hit. Feel free to tear up the place as well, since we¡¯ll just have you all repair it when we¡¯re done.¡± The four of them all started at the same hole. Once the first person had gone, then the next could tee off, and so on down the list. But after that, it was a free-for-all. Phon went first, hitting the ball normally with her club since she couldn¡¯t do much else. It was obvious she¡¯d never played before, well overshooting the hole. But with her ability to teleport immediately to where her ball landed, she was swinging again within a second. Her aim and power didn¡¯t matter too much, as long as she kept getting close to the hole. And as the game went on, her control only got better. ¡°Liquid ball, go!¡± Kada dropped a small speck of melted dirt on her ball so she could liquify it after the initial hit. The liquid ball mostly kept its shape, but also melted the ground beneath it, and Kada repeated a similar trick as before with the mountain and the bike, creating a slip-n-slide to the hole. Xard forgoed using a putter entirely. Instead, he laid on the ground and fired a blast into the ball, almost as if he was playing a round of pool. Before he¡¯d set the ball down, he¡¯d loaded it up with dozens of specks of stored energy on all sides, each spot containing varying levels of energy. After the ball was in the air, he released the spots to make corrections mid-flight. This let him get it on the green easily on the first shot. Then as he flew over, he released bits more to roll it into the hole before he got there. Drim went the more slow and steady route. It could also be considered outright cheating since it let him get a hole-in-one on every single hole. If they weren¡¯t playing for speed, he would be the de facto winner by default. The boy created a long pipe made out of wood and bamboo that arced all the way across the course. At the green, to make sure to sink the putt, and to try and not get in the way of the others, the pipe ended a few feet directly above the hole and then fell straight down into it. All Drim had to do was hit it into the pipe, which was impossible to miss, and then the plants took care of the rest. Since he had to set it up for each hole, it certainly wasn¡¯t a speedy process. But it was concrete, and on average, it put him above the others since there were never any obstacles, unexpectedness, or wind that he had to deal with. On the very last hole, he was primed to win, a smile already on his face after he hit the ball into the pipe. But moments before it was set to exit, another ball rolled onto the green, mere inches from the hole. Phon then instantly appeared and lined up her shot. Instead of a soft putt which would be all she¡¯d need to sink the shot, she hit it significantly harder, to the point that it would certainly bounce over the hole. But she¡¯d timed it perfectly. As Drim¡¯s ball fell from the pipe, hers collided into it, knocking it away, and sinking her own ball with a resounding ring of clinks. ¡°Congratulations to our grand champion!¡± Chorus held up Phon¡¯s arm once everyone had gathered. They then began some long speech that no one really paid attention to about the thrill of sports and everything they¡¯d just gone through. ¡°So what do I win?¡± Phon interject eventually, getting impatient. ¡°Oh yes, of course,¡± Chorus smiled at her. ¡°Since these events are all hobbies that people do regularly for fun and not really anything else, what you win is the fun that you had along the way!¡± Everyone else went to go clean up the golf course and then have a meal at the clubhouse, leaving Chorus behind to try and unravel themselves from the golf club wrapped around their head. V4: Chapter 6 - Forced Enjoyment | Part 3.1 - Quiet Time at Home ¡°Yesterday sure was a lot of high energy activity, wasn¡¯t it?¡± Chorus approached the group sitting at the breakfast table on the third day. They¡¯d been specifically directed to eat breakfast together around their dining room table in the mansion instead of at the restaurant, to get a good shot of them looking like a found-family. ¡°But time off isn¡¯t always about going out and doing things. Sometimes you just need to stay in and relax. So that¡¯s what today is all about¡ªfun at home. When you¡¯re done with your food, we¡¯ll be doing something very casual. It¡¯s just putting together a jigsaw puzzle.¡± They held up a box with a picture of the Prosper skyline printed on it. ¡°Oh, I get it. We¡¯re going to race to see who can complete their puzzle first,¡± Xard surmised. ¡°Nope, you¡¯ll all be completing the puzzle together.¡± ¡°Ah, then my guess is that we¡¯ll be competing against Rusa to complete our puzzle first while she completes some crazy hard puzzle that¡¯s all one color or something!¡± Kada shared her speculation. ¡°Uhh, no,¡± Chorus looked confused at the idea. ¡°You¡¯ll just be putting together a normal puzzle in a normal way.¡± ¡°Seriously, no catches or twists?¡± Phon was quite doubtful. ¡°It¡¯s not going to explode in our faces if we don¡¯t complete it in time?¡± ¡°Just a regular puzzle that you all can do at a leisurely pace.¡± The more Chorus reemphasized it, the more unreal it sounded. ¡°And people would really find that interesting enough to watch?¡± Drim had his doubts. ¡°Yes, of course!¡± Chorus reassured them. ¡°We¡¯re going for relatability, remember? Just some friends hanging out and having fun together is the peak of that. And it will be infinitely more interesting if you chat while doing it. Whatever you want to talk about, whatever comes natural. Juicy gossip would be best, but I don¡¯t have high hopes for this group, maybe Kada. But feel free to drop any scandals.¡± Once the dining room table was cleared, they got to work on the puzzle. It was a massive 5,000 piece puzzle, so it would take them a while, but the Greaters each quickly fell into their respective roles. They hadn¡¯t actively assigned a task to each of them. It just happened naturally. Drim was finding all the edges, Kada was sorting all the pieces by color, while Phon and Xard were actively putting the puzzle together. They were focused and quiet for a bit, only really discussing the puzzle itself, but the conversation did shift at some point. ¡°We¡¯re supposed to talk about gossip, right?¡± Kada broke the ice. ¡°So I saw Andi and Farian driving off together somewhere the other day. Think it was a date?!¡± She only got blank stares in return. ¡°I mean, they spend so much time down in the lab together all by themselves. Who knows what could happen? But who else do you guys think would make a good couple?¡± Xard¡¯s eyes went blank at the statement, prompting Drim to plead, ¡°We had to deal with that topic a lot recently. Maybe we should table that for a while.¡± That killed the conversation for a bit, smothered by awkwardness, but Xard pulled them out of it once he worked past his recent trauma. ¡°You know, I¡¯ve come across quite a few strange things in my travels, a lot of it Fiend related. I check out pretty much all of it, just to make sure there isn¡¯t something we need to monitor. A good amount, though, is scams or people trying to peddle their wares.¡± ¡°One of the weirdest ones I came across was a roadside attraction where they claimed that a Fiend could invert rooms. Really it was just a bunch of complicated mechanisms that caused the room to rotate and all the furniture was nailed down. I got them to promise to remove the Fiend branding, or I¡¯d report them to the business bureau.¡± ¡°As for merch, there¡¯s been clothing like we saw, toys, posters, a whole bunch of themed jewelry and accessories. A lot of it was just cheap cash grabs, but there was some really well made stuff too. Say what you will about Chorus¡¯ crazy and intrusive practices, but Fiends are certainly a craze in every aspect of society.¡± ¡°You¡¯ll bring a tear to my eye,¡± Chorus sniffled from off camera. ¡°Oh yeah, and there was one small village that basically treated us like folk legends,¡± Xard added. ¡°Each of us was reimagined as an animal, and someone was selling hand carved and painted wood sculptures. So I bought them and meant to give them to you all, but forgot until now. Be right back.¡± He briefly left the table and rushed up to his room, returning a few minutes later with four figures in his arms. Everyone else took their respective carving and admired it in awe. Phon was a white owl, wearing her usual purple cap. Drim was a green fox, draped in his cloak. Kada was a silver seal, her vest around its flippers. And Xard was a red bear, his golden banner dangling off its waist. ¡°Well, if we want to get back to gossip,¡± Phon re-steered the conversation to everyone¡¯s surprise. ¡°I guess I have a few things I can share. Not that it¡¯s something I can help, but I see a lot of stuff that probably shouldn¡¯t be seen around here¡ªa few little quirks and habits people have that they only do behind closed doors.¡± Enjoying the story? Show your support by reading it on the official site. ¡°Hopefully, no one will mind some of these getting out, and I won¡¯t say some of the worse, reputation-ruining ones. Let¡¯s see, for starters, Rezin curls up into a ball in his chair when he¡¯s gaming alone in his room. Nathym asks Ahvra to hold hands with him every few days in her adult form to try and get over his gynophobia.¡± ¡°Niloy often forgets or is too lazy to remove her makeup before bed and ends up staining her blankets and sheets with it. She has more laundry than anyone else as a result. Deborah often makes fake accounts on a work review site to flame her last place of employment. Victori is an outright slob.¡± ¡°Itsy often looks at girly clothes in online stores but never buys any. Tize paints military minifigures and acts out fake battles with them. After her killings came out, Kaizu started sending anonymous letters to the families of all the people she¡¯s killed so that she can get closure.¡± ¡°Roque is actually the leading anonymous donor to almost every charity in the world. Nachi does crunches in her sleep. Crucion often falls asleep standing up in the middle of sweeping. Gatrim will stare at himself in the mirror in just his underwear and spout insults to try and motivate himself.¡± ¡°This is pure silver, Phon dearest. Keep it up!¡± Chorus encouraged her. ¡°Despite all their big talk about content and what people want, Chorus almost exclusively watches the worst and trashiest reality TV.¡± ¡°Okay, that¡¯s quite a lot, Phon,¡± Kada¡¯s mind was blown trying to process all that information. ¡°Maybe you should stop now. A lot of those are pretty funny, though. I bet they feel totally embarrassed.¡± ¡°I have plenty for people living in this mansion too,¡± Phon stared Kada dead in the eyes. And before the ocean-haired girl could try to stop her, she spouted, ¡°Kada often accidentally drinks her paint water cup. But sometimes she tries it on purpose if it makes an interesting color.¡± She then targeted Xard who couldn¡¯t help but snicker at that fact. ¡°Xard spends more time on his hair care routine than anyone else to try and negate the damage from flying around.¡± ¡°Drim will sometimes wear his cloak backwards when it¡¯s fresh out of the laundry with the hood up over his face. Then he¡¯ll lay down and take a nap while it¡¯s still warm.¡± Her brother glanced over to her, shocked, like she¡¯d betrayed some level of trust. ¡°Sorry, that just came out. I said too many that I couldn¡¯t stop myself.¡± ¡°Phon gets so upset anytime she loses a cooking match to Mallea that she obsessively toils in her kitchen until she can perfectly reproduce the dish,¡± Drim spouted back at her, a satisfied smirk left on his face. ¡°There. Now we¡¯re even.¡± ¡°Speaking of Mallea,¡± Phon pressed forward. ¡°In private, she¡¯s basically an entirely different¡ª¡± The woman didn¡¯t get to finish her sentence. A perfectly polished fork whizzed from somewhere indiscernible in the mansion, the prongs just slightly embedding themselves into the brim of her hat. ¡°Oh yeah, I randomly started getting letters from Alk a while ago,¡± Kada brought up suddenly when she finished putting together the section for the Postmaster building. ¡°What does she write about?¡± Drim was immediately interested ¡°Oh, mostly jobs they¡¯ve been going on and stuff they¡¯ve been doing,¡± she elaborated. ¡°Not much that we don¡¯t already know besides some small details. But she¡¯s also been telling me some personal things like issues she¡¯s worked through with her past and dad and forgiving herself. Won¡¯t give those specifics obviously, but I¡¯m really happy for her.¡± ¡°I¡¯ve been writing her back too with similar stuff. Talked to her a lot about my own family issue, and she¡¯s been surprisingly supportive. Having a sudden pen-pal has been kind of awesome. I¡¯d definitely recommend it. Just send out letters to people you want to be closer to and see if anyone bites!¡± ¡°Oh yeah, that reminds me. I got a letter from Jaid just the other day.¡± It was now everyone else¡¯s turn to focus their attention. All of them stopped moving their hands to look over at Drim. Even Chorus literally focused in the camera, framing him alone. ¡°It¡¯s nothing special, really. She was just thanking me for sending over that assassin. While she wasn¡¯t able to get much information out of her that she didn¡¯t already know, it let her get some closure.¡± ¡°Oh, and there was also a signed release form for some of that footage of her time as a spy, Chorus.¡± Drim pulled out his tablet and sent over an attachment. ¡°They marked down all the times of the raw file that you¡¯re allowed to show. Clearly it went through the CPs PR team. She also included a note that if you ever bother her about it again, she¡¯ll ¡®Hunt you down and fire bolts of lightning directly into your eyes.¡¯¡± Chorus looked through the email and their face lit up giddy with glee. ¡°Of course they¡¯ve cut out all the best parts, but I can damned sure make a compelling narrative from this still. It will be my masterpiece! I¡¯ve suddenly lost interest in this puzzle nonsense, so go ahead and wrap it up so we can move on!¡± The group was already fairly close to finishing at this point, only a few spots left to complete, so they worked quietly towards the end. That is, until it came down to the last piece. ¡°It won¡¯t fit,¡± Xard grimaced as he tried to smoosh it into place. Phon picked it up and examined it thoroughly, ¡°Yeah that¡¯s definitely the piece for this spot. It¡¯s even the right shape, but it looks like it¡¯s been miscut a little too big.¡± She then tried to mash it into place, even slamming into it with her fist, but it didn¡¯t budge. ¡°Of course it¡¯s the last piece, too,¡± Drim leaned his lead back in disappointment with a groan. ¡°No, we won¡¯t be defeated by cheap cardboard!¡± Kada decreed. ¡°I¡¯ll take care of it.¡± She took the piece and then melted it into place. But then it didn¡¯t look right, so she melted the entire puzzle and stretched it ever so slightly, also sealing up the seams to make it into one solid picture. ¡°Now that¡¯s satisfying!¡± They all agreed, enjoying the picture of the Prosper skyline that they¡¯d later hang up somewhere in the mansion. V4: Chapter 6 - Forced Enjoyment | Part 3.2 - Quiet Time at Home It was already lunchtime when the group finished up the puzzle, so they headed to a pizzeria in town instead of to their own restaurant for a change. When they got back to the compound, they were directed to one of the auxiliary rooms in the headquarters building. There they found a felt-covered table with stools around it. Pox was sitting on top of it, munching on a deck of cards and wearing a green visor. ¡°And this is why we have plenty of backup decks,¡± Chorus pulled out another from the blazer they¡¯d changed into. ¡°If you haven¡¯t guessed, we¡¯ll be playing the classic card gambling game, knocker. How much experience do you each have with it?¡± ¡°Only ever played it with my one friend, and not often,¡± Xard answered. ¡°Never played it, but my dad had his buddies over playing it all the time, so I know the gist,¡± Kada shrugged. ¡°No experience outside of often seeing it played at taverns around the world,¡± Drim admitted. ¡°Heh, I made my first million scamming bounty hunters out of their earnings,¡± Phon was strangely, yet unexpectedly pleased with herself. ¡°Ah, yeah, wait!¡± Kada interjected. ¡°Wouldn¡¯t we just all lose automatically playing with Phon?¡± ¡°Yeah¡ even if I tried not to look, I¡¯d see their cards anyways when I blinked subconsciously,¡± she couldn¡¯t deny. ¡°And that¡¯s exactly why Phon will be the dealer,¡± Chorus had planned for this. ¡°But it seems like we¡¯ll need a brief explanation of the rules. Basically, you get seven cards to start, then you discard any you want, but must discard a minimum of two. The dealer will then shuffle the discards and add one card per person at the table, in this case, three, and you will then be dealt back up to eight cards.¡± ¡°Then, you try to play the best hand possible. I¡¯ve made up charts for each of you of all the possible hands and where they land in the hierarchy. We should probably just play a few test hands to get you all into the swing of it before we get into the real meat; the gambling.¡± ¡°Well, since money¡¯s not really something that interests any of us at this point. What the heck are we gonna gamble for?¡± Kada wondered. ¡°Yes, it is quite difficult to spur the stupidly wealthy into risking anything of worth,¡± their host agreed. ¡°Which is why, you¡¯ll be betting your time instead. We¡¯ll start off betting minutes, but can jump to hours if you feel frisky. Basically, you can take any time you¡¯ve won and hold it as a debt over the losers.¡± ¡°Anything you don¡¯t want to do, such as your paperwork, or cleaning, or obligations raising Feyjrusa, or helping Nachi with training, or me with filming. You¡¯ll be able to ask the other two to do whatever you want them to do until the time is repaid. I¡¯m not going to impose any silly limits like having to keep it within reason. The more creatively you make them pay off their debts, the more fun it will be for me to film.¡± ¡°More free time? Yup, let¡¯s play,¡± Drim was immediately interested, flipping a switch of competitiveness he normally didn¡¯t have. They played a practice round and it went well enough, Xard winning with a very basic triple pair. There were four colors of cards, numbered 1-9, also known as the citizenry, and four royal cards, the prince, princess, queen, and king. He had two 3s, 8s, and princesses. Both Kada and Drim only had a pair each. Onto the actual gambling, not much happened the first few rounds, but things picked up and the group got invested quite quickly. ¡°Gah, we¡¯re up to 4 hours already?! I fold!¡± Kada threw down her cards and immediately felt relieved. ¡°I¡¯ll bet another hour,¡± Xard moved in a chip. ¡°And I¡¯ll double it,¡± Drim didn¡¯t take his eyes off of his opponent as he slid his chips. ¡°Match,¡± Xard threw in another and then showed his hand. ¡°A royal marriage!¡± It consisted of a prince along with three citizens of the same color, and a different colored set with a princess. ¡°Damn¡¡± Drim looked depressed for a second. ¡°Is what I would say any other time. A Full Harem!¡± That consisted of a single king together with all four queens, one of the highest ranking hands. ¡°You¡¯re going to be attending so many meetings, Xard.¡± Support the creativity of authors by visiting Royal Road for this novel and more. A few more uninteresting hands happened until they got to a round where none of them backed down, with several days worth of time already in the pot. ¡°Triple Date Night,¡± Drim laid out his hand. It consisted of two of the same numbered cards, in this case 1s, and 7s, across three different colors. ¡°Not bad, not bad, you Cosdamned loser!¡± Kada couldn¡¯t contain her giddiness. ¡°But too bad for you, I have a Vox Populi!¡± The ultimate hand, the Vox Populi consisted of 8 citizen cards all in numerical order. The only thing that could beat it was a Revolution deck, which was the same thing but all the same color. ¡°Not so fast, Kada!¡± Xard grinned devilishly at the girl who¡¯d just lunged at the chips. ¡°Because I have a War of Arrogance!¡± He laid down four princes. This wasn¡¯t a winning hand, but rather a wild card move when someone was cornered. It caused the round to be voided¡ªthe world ruined by the arrogant princes seeking glory¡ªand all players, even those who had folded, split the pot evenly. No round after that came close to the same level. Kada had a run of six Diddly Squats in a row where the hand had not a single matching pair of any kind. It beat about half the other hands, so bad luck turned good. Eventually, Drim had amassed a sizable debt of time already from the other two, so they got much more hesitant to bet. ¡°Alright, since things are winding down for this group, we¡¯ll bring in the next few that want to play a few hands. You four can stick around if you want, but odds are you¡¯ll lose everything, since they¡¯ll be playing for real money and are all seasoned gamblers, or can at least tell a bluff.¡± Ipucco, Hazzle, and an aged Rusa entered the room around the table. One look in their eyes caused the Greaters all to flee, fearing for their wallets and just peace of mind in general. ¡°I¡¯ll stay here and film for a bit longer,¡± Chorus told them. ¡°Go ahead down to the auditorium. There¡¯s something for you to watch there while we get the next event set up.¡± ¡ô¡ô¡ô Down in the auditorium, the generals were surprised to find a play waiting for them. It was hard to keep secrets around the compound, but apparently there had been a great effort to keep this one. The play was being put on by the children they¡¯d saved from the Power Station, though anyone involved was welcome to join. It was a retelling of their tribulations through life¡ªtheir troubles becoming Fiends, how they¡¯d been abducted, and finally ending with them being saved by the Fiends For Hire. It was quite the emotional rollercoaster for those watching, even Phon getting a bit misty eyed at times. In terms of production, it was actually put together quite well. Clearly Valen had helped with the set and costume design. The writing wasn¡¯t bad, and the children genuinely performed quite well, as if they¡¯d been given proper acting lessons. Which they probably had from Chorus. To add to the ambiance, one of their new Fiends, Egawo, provided the narration. Her Curse was called Audiophile, and it allowed her to mix and adjust audio in realtime. If one of the kids was quiet, she could boost their volume, or bring down the loudness of one who was overbearing while also perfectly balancing the sound effects. And the audio she then produced was so clear and fine-tuned that it felt like it was being played directly into the listener¡¯s mind. Offensively, she could use it to make the most calm sound become deafening to the point of ruptured eardrums and debilitating headaches. Or, she could also silence someone so that no sound at all came out of their mouths or from their actions. Then lastly, Rezin was adding a spritz of his hallucinations for flare. He didn¡¯t do too much, not wanting to overshadow their children. Plus, they were still testing out some new technology on the cameras and didn¡¯t want to overload it. Normally, Rezin¡¯s power couldn¡¯t be recorded, since it was localized in the witness¡¯ mind. But by altering the technology that Phon used to stream her inner mind, they were able to make it so the cameras could capture them by tapping into the subconscious of the camera operator. None of this mattered to those in attendance for the play, but of course, Chorus was going to turn it into a full production and release it worldwide. This kind of heartwarming, heartfelt, heartpounding story would surge through the masses. Even though it was only meant as thanks for a few people, it would still be used to advance their own ends. ¡°Well that was really reaffirming,¡± Drim broke the silence at the table, his face still pressed into his clasped hands. ¡°If there¡¯s ever been any doubt about what we¡¯re doing, that¡¯s entirely erased now. It just makes me want to do better going forward.¡± The group had been rushed to an early dinner, since it was claimed their final activity would take the rest of the day, but none of them had a big appetite. ¡°How dare. They make me. Feel my own feelings. So Cosdamn much!¡± Kada¡¯s eyes hadn¡¯t stopped leaking well after the play had ended, a mountain of tissues next to her from dabbing her face dry. ¡°It was pretty impressive that they got Pox to play you, and so well, Drim,¡± Xard was genuinely astounded. ¡°Well, he doesn¡¯t say that much to begin with, so it wasn¡¯t that far off from the real thing,¡± Phon couldn¡¯t help herself with that jab. ¡°Next time let¡¯s hope such an uplifting moment isn¡¯t born from tragedy,¡± Chorus suddenly popped up, ready to usher them to their next event, dressed like a fictional mage for some reason. ¡°But you know I¡¯ll be there to film it either way! Now come along!¡± V4: Chapter 6 - Forced Enjoyment | Part 3.3 - Quiet Time at Home The group was led to their Utility Room, an odd choice since it wasn¡¯t really that big, so it¡¯d be a little cramped with this many of them. They found Rezin there waiting, sitting at a round table and wearing a cow-print cap with stitched-in horns. On the table already were several books, grid paper, figurines of all kinds, and countless dice in varying shapes and sides. ¡°Today we¡¯ll be playing Battles & Bovines!¡± Rezin introduced the game once everyone had a seat on a stool around the table. ¡°It¡¯s a table-top game made by Bovination from one of their marketing ploys a few decades ago. There¡¯s always been a cult-following, but it¡¯s been gaining a surge of popularity in the mainstream lately.¡± ¡°You pick the character you want, and then I¡¯ll guide you on a journey to solve a dairy-based disaster plaguing the world of Cheddatia. The way you save it is through dice rolls and your own imagination. I¡¯ll be controlling the enemy forces and moving the story forward, but you can do whatever and play however you want! It¡¯s really quite a spectacular and innovative game, and is the inspiration for a lot of video games.¡± ¡°So we should attack you?¡± Phon raised a fist as a vague threat. ¡°Huh?!¡± Rezin flinched reflexively. ¡°You said you¡¯re the enemy, right?¡± Phon confirmed. ¡°So if I beat you up, we win, right? That¡¯s what my imagination came up with.¡± ¡°Uwah, no!¡± Rezin gravely protested. ¡°No actual violence in this game. It¡¯s all about having fun and enjoying the world. But you can imagine beating up the enemies all you want, and we¡¯re playing in the Utility Room to help with immersion even more.¡± ¡°Haha, I''ll be great at this!¡± Kada boasted her superiority. ¡°I¡¯ve got so much imagination, it¡¯s spilling out my ass. I will trump your imaginations so hard that the only thing you¡¯ll be able to picture in your minds is how great I am!¡± ¡°It¡¯s also not a competition,¡± Rezin clarified. ¡°You¡¯ll be working together for a common goal. Though, it is allowed for you to steal, trick, manipulate, or even attack each other if that¡¯s a route you want to take. But to keep this campaign at reasonable length, it¡¯s probably best to work together.¡± ¡°This will be a fairly short one, since Chorus has said we¡¯ll either go until it¡¯s done or pass out from exhaustion, so I¡¯ve picked the most basic campaign possible. But it will still likely take several hours. You¡¯ll all be starting out with partially leveled characters, so go ahead and pick your classes. I have a list here.¡± The group took a few minutes to look through the selections before everyone was ready. ¡°I¡¯ll be the Druid Ranger,¡± Drim picked the obvious choice for him just looking at them. ¡°Mermaid Songstress!¡± Kada was ecstatic that they had a class that was practically tailor made for her. ¡°Battle Mage,¡± Xard picked up the piece and slammed it down. ¡°Vanishing Rogue,¡± Phon knocked over Xard¡¯s piece to present hers more prominently. ¡°Okay, uhh, yeah, no,¡± Rezin outright rejected their choices and picked up a sheet of paper. ¡°Chorus said that if you all were super predictable, and picked exactly those classes, that I was to assign you different classes instead.¡± ¡°For Drim, you get to be the Void Ripper,¡± Rezin set down a piece that looked like a monstrous horror. ¡°They attack by sending everything they touch to the void and only know destruction.¡± ¡°Kada is going to be the Retired Warmonger.¡± The piece depicted a very burly older woman with a massive club. ¡°You¡¯re old and surly, saying you never want to fight again, but it doesn¡¯t take much to spur you into battle. Very low charisma, mostly grunts, but high battle stats and wisdom.¡± ¡°Xard is the Dairy Enchanter.¡± ¡°What the heck is that even?¡± Xard looked at the figurine of a busty woman holding a staff with a wedge of cheese on top. ¡°Buffs and support spells mostly,¡± Rezin answered. ¡°But if there¡¯s any dairy products nearby, you can manipulate them.¡± ¡°And Phon will be the Thespian,¡± he handed the piece over to the girl who looked disgusted by the idea. ¡°Almost no combat stats but the highest charisma in the game. If you play it well, you can talk your way out of anything or persuade the most strong-headed foes.¡± ¡°Can I intimidate them into doing whatever I want?¡± Phon asked with a burning curiosity in her eyes, like her cooperation solely depended on the answer. ¡°Uhh, yes, but you won¡¯t make many friends that way,¡± the boy replied sheepishly. ¡°Then we have no problem.¡± ¡°Okay, let¡¯s get started then. I, the Farm Master, shall be your guide on today¡¯s journey through Cheddatia. You¡¯re an adventuring party that has been traveling together for a while. After your last quest, you decided to stop and relax in the closest city for a few days. It¡¯s a decently sized place, the biggest dairy producer in the area.¡± ¡°You all slept in at the inn, so when you head down for your meal, most of the regulars have already cleared out. They¡¯re still serving breakfast, but also preparing for lunch, so you can order for either menu. A waitress comes over to your table and asks, ¡®What will you have?¡¯¡± ¡°Eh, that didn¡¯t sound like a waitress to me. It sounded like our buddy Rezin.¡± It seemed Phon planned to be obstinate for the entire play session. You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story. ¡°Yeah, Rezin, it¡¯d be awesome if you did a voice,¡± Kada encouraged him. ¡°Think of how much more immersive it¡¯d be!¡± ¡°Oh, speaking of immersion, I almost forgot,¡± the Farm Master picked up the control tablet for the Utility Room and changed the scene. Next thing they knew, they were surrounded by the decor of a fantasy diner with matching noise and ambiance playing in the background. There were even a few other ¡®patrons¡¯ displayed, enjoying their meals and engaging in conversation. ¡°¡®Thank you for visiting our establishment, brave adventurers. What can I get you to eat this morn?¡¯¡± Rezin performed his best feminine voice, which really wasn¡¯t that far off from his normal voice. ¡°Is it really imperative that we order something?¡± Xard was doubtful. ¡°We¡¯re trying not to take forever with this, right? Shouldn¡¯t we skip ahead to the plot.¡± ¡°No, I¡¯ll defend it there,¡± Drim disagreed. ¡°A lot of storytelling is setting the mood and getting you in the right headspace. Just go along with it. I¡¯ll have some milk tea and a slice of cheesecake,¡± he selected from the menus that Chorus handed out to them. ¡°Fruit parfait,¡± Phon quickly ordered next. ¡°I guess I¡¯ll have the cheese omelet with buttered toast,¡± Xard went with a classic breakfast. ¡°You all are thinking too small,¡± Kada tutted at them. ¡°Clearly we are strong, active adventurers who need lots of calories, especially since we¡¯re about to be thrown into some epic quest. Who knows when we¡¯ll get to eat next. I¡¯ll have the triple decker cheeseburger, extra large flies, and banana milkshake in a glug-glug jug.¡± ¡°And, uhhh, are we going to get this food in real life?¡± Kada glanced over to Chorus for some gluttony induced meta-gaming. ¡°We literally just ate minutes ago,¡± Xard shook his head. ¡°Well, all this food talk made me hungry again, alright?¡± she protested and then pouted when nothing was served. ¡°¡®Thank you for waiting, I¡¯m back with your meals.¡¯ The waitress returns with a tray of food. ¡®I¡¯m afraid that we¡¯re out of some ingredients, so some alterations had to be made. I hope you don¡¯t mind.¡¯ She begins setting your food down in front of you.¡± ¡°In front of Drim, she sets down a cup of regular tea and a slice of crust. For Phon, it¡¯s a cup of mixed fruit and granola. For Xard, it¡¯s a sheet of plain egg and dry toast. And Kada gets a hamburger, fries, and a glug-glug jug of unknown contents. You can¡¯t see what¡¯s inside at this angle.¡¯¡± ¡°So what¡¯s in it?!¡± Kada began glancing around in real life as if that would somehow help her. ¡°Uhh, roll for perception,¡± Rezin suggested. Kada picked up one of the dice and rolled a 2. ¡°You have no idea what¡¯s in the jug. You tried to look but something shiny distracted you at the last minute.¡± ¡°Can I look for her?¡± Xard offered. ¡°Sure!¡± He rolled a 13. ¡°It¡¯s a jug full of bananas. Just regular, peeled, unmushed bananas.¡± ¡°Okay, so it seems that the connecting thread is that none of our foods have dairy in them,¡± Drim pieced it together. ¡°Excuse me, miss. I take it this means you don¡¯t have any dairy products?¡± ¡°¡®Yes, it¡¯s so weird,¡¯ the waitress looked just as puzzled as your group. ¡®There were apparently none at all when the chef got in this morning. No milk, no cheese, no cream, no butter, nothing! I apologize for the adjustments, but¡ no refunds!¡¯ She then walks away in a hurry.¡± ¡°Okay, let¡¯s evaluate the damage here,¡± Kada laced her fingers together. ¡°Phon just got some fruit, that¡¯s fine enough. Drim¡¯s tea is also fine as it is. The crust is a bit weird, but probably still pleasant to munch on. Plain eggs are fine for Xard, and he can just use jelly on the toast.¡± ¡°Now, I¡¯m not really mad about the jug of nanners, but to serve me a plain burger with no cheese at all. That¡¯s Cosdamned heresy!¡± she mimicked trying to grab something at the table, her eyes darting over to Rezin. ¡°I pick up my burger and slam it to the ground.¡± ¡°Roll for slam. It¡¯s an attack roll.¡± ¡°Woo, a 30! That¡¯s the best one, right?!¡± Kada leapt up and cheered. ¡°Uhh, yes,¡± Rezin seemed a little taken aback that she¡¯d roll one so easily. ¡°Add your modifiers and that¡¯s a 57. You pick up the burger and slam it down to the ground with such force that it breaks the wood floor. The burger disintegrates into a million pieces and sprays all over the room, permanently staining some spots forever.¡± ¡°The chef looks over from the nearby kitchen, bits of tomato sliding down his face. He is distraught, and his soul is crushed. Second thoughts are going through his mind if he should have ever become a chef in the first place. Even though he couldn¡¯t make your meal perfectly, he tried his best, but now he may quit his job.¡± Kada slumped back in her stool, her face twisted in horror. ¡°What have I done¡? I¡¯m sorry Mr. Chef. So sorry¡¡± ¡°You eat your meals, or what¡¯s left of them, and then head outside,¡± Rezin ushered the story along. ¡°Suddenly, you¡¯re met with panic. A single father shouts, ¡®Milk! Does anyone have any milk! Please, for my baby!¡¯ Nearby there is a cheese wheel merchant whose cart is up on blocks because the cart¡¯s wheels were also made of cheese.¡± ¡°A crowd rushes by you, all head in the same direction. One of them spouts something about an announcement being made to find out what''s going on. Do you follow them?¡± ¡°Well, the plot¡¯s not going to progress itself if we don¡¯t gather information, I guess,¡± Phon admitted. ¡°We follow the crowd, but not run among them in some big erratic stampede.¡± ¡°You follow the crowd to the town¡¯s square. There, a public official is standing up on a stage and making an announcement. ¡®We have heard everyone¡¯s concerns and have looked into the matter as quickly as possible. It is with great regret that I inform you, that sometime in the middle of the night, all milk and milk accessories were stolen!¡¯¡± ¡°¡®Through contact with our neighbors, we believe this to be a global issue across all of Cheddatia! Furthermore, any new milk that is produced from a cow is immediately teleported away by some strange magic. But because of this, we believe that it is the evil fiend-¡¯¡± ¡°I just want to take a moment to interrupt and clarify that this game was made before Fiends existed, so it is not referring to one of us.¡± ¡°¡®We believe that it is the evil fiend and cow rustling overlord, Brutacious, that is behind this!¡¯¡± There are gasps among the crowd, because they all know that Brutacious is the worst fiend, again not us, in the surrounding lands. ¡®Until the villain is stopped by brave adventurers, I¡¯m afraid that we must push forward with our lives that will remain¡ lactose-free!¡¯¡± ¡°Panic ensues. Several women faint on the spot. The citizens cry out, begging for someone to save them. A few rush to the local deli, needing to confirm for themselves their grim fate.¡± ¡°Now then, brave heroes. What will you do?¡± V4: Chapter 6 - Forced Enjoyment | Part 3.4 - Quiet Time at Home ¡°Bring back the milk!¡± Kada pumped her fist into the air. ¡°I mean, specifically, what are you going to do next,¡± the Farm Master asked for clearer clarification. ¡°Well, I know Drim¡¯s normally the leader,¡± Kada started a spiel. ¡°But I am hands down the most experienced with these kinds of games, so I¡¯ll try to lead us in the right direction, if everyone¡¯s fine with that.¡± The other three Greaters all grunted and shrugged in agreement. ¡°Okay, it looks like we have pretty good gear, but our inventories are looking a little light. Did we get any starting funds, oh great Farm Master?¡± She checked. ¡°Yes, you each start with 500 silver.¡± ¡°Cool, then let¡¯s go to an item shop and get some supplies. Potions and whatnot.¡± ¡°You head away from the town square and to the first item shop you see. ¡®What can I getcha?¡¯ the clerk asks as you step inside.¡± Kada quickly stopped everyone before they could say anything. ¡°Don¡¯t be fooled, it¡¯s best to browse first. Otherwise they¡¯ll only tell you about the super cool thing after you¡¯ve spent your money.¡± ¡°Learned that from experience?¡± Drim huffed. ¡°Too many times,¡± she let out an exhausted sigh. ¡°Alright shopguy, we know the basics of what you¡¯ve got. Tell us about the good stuff!¡± ¡°¡®Well we have an assortment of weapons,¡¯ the shopkeep nods to a rack nearby.¡± ¡°No, we¡¯re all geared up,¡± Kada brushed past that. ¡°Show us the special items, y¡¯know, the magical and rare ones.¡± ¡°¡®I¡¯m sorry, madam, but we are a general goods store, so we mostly deal in day to day items,¡¯ the shopkeep apologizes. ¡®But we do have a small selection, if any of them take your fancy.¡¯ He points to the glass display below.¡± ¡°There¡¯s only three items: An amulet of cowspeak. Its effects should be obvious.¡± ¡°Oh, I have one of those,¡± Xard interjected. ¡°I guess it¡¯s part of being a Dairy Enchanter.¡± ¡°And then there¡¯s a neverending milk flask that would normally supply you with an infinite amount of milk to drink. But just a bit of meta knowledge, it would currently be teleported away as soon as it left the flask.¡± ¡°Hey, I have one of those too,¡± Xard looked closer at his character sheet. ¡°Good to know that it¡¯s worthless. I feel like my class is being personally targeted by this campaign.¡± ¡°And this shop, apparently,¡± Kada grumbled. ¡°For a general goods store, it sure is useless to most of us!¡± ¡°Well, it is a dairy based world,¡± Drim argued. ¡°It¡¯d make sense for it to cater towards that regardless of the class.¡± ¡°I will say that in almost every other campaign, Dairy Enchanter is widely considered the most overpowered class,¡± Rezin shared that tidbit. ¡°So these items would be good purchases any other time. A lot of Farm Masters will outright ban the class except for this and a few other specific campaigns. Oh, and the last item is a mystery box.¡± Kada¡¯s eyes lit up immediately, ¡°Hey, what¡¯s in the box?! I¡¯m asking the shopkeeper if that isn¡¯t clear.¡± ¡°¡®I dunno, it¡¯s a mystery box,¡¯ the man admits. ¡®If I opened it up, I wouldn¡¯t be able to sell it. From what I know, it can do many things like cast god-tier magic or contain a legendary item. There could even be a box inside! If you¡¯re interested, it¡¯s 2,000 silver.¡¯¡± ¡°Oooo, if we pool our money, we could just buy it!¡± Kada looked around eagerly at her companions.¡± ¡°Weren¡¯t you the one who said we needed to stock up on items, and now you want to blow all our money on something that could be worthless?¡± Even though he wasn¡¯t the leader this time, Drim still had to be the voice of reason. ¡°Eh, since we¡¯re just doing this in a single sitting, let her have her fun,¡± Xard defended it. ¡°If this was something we were going to play for a while, I¡¯d agree with you on being frugal. And more importantly, if we don¡¯t do it, she¡¯ll never shut up about how every single problem we run into could have been solved by the mystery box.¡± ¡°Alright, you sold me,¡± Drim immediately relented. ¡°You can have my money, Kada.¡± ¡°Well, I should at least try to keep her from bankrupting us,¡± Phon reluctantly tried to help. ¡°We can haggle, right? So, I guess that¡¯s what my class would be best at. Hey, shopkeep, how about you give us a five finger discount¡± Meaning knock the price before I break five of your fingers!¡± ¡°Ooo, good intimidation, go ahead and roll,¡± Rezin encouraged her. ¡°Oh wow, a 3. But your modifiers bring that up to a 26, not bad. This shopkeep has been around for a while, though, so they have Extortion Resistance¡ªrolling¡ªthey rolled well, plus their modifier. That brings your intimidation down to a 4.¡± ¡°¡®Got quite the mouth on you young sir¡¯. Oh, your character¡¯s a guy by the way. ¡®But I can bring it down a bit. Hows about 1,999 silver?¡¯ Do you agree to his offer?¡± ¡°Well that¡¯s just a Cosdamned insult!¡± Phon couldn¡¯t let it slide. ¡°He¡¯s playing us like chumps. I punch him in the face.¡± ¡°Uhh, wow, okay.¡± Facing the curse of the Farm Master, Rezin could only Yes/And. ¡°Roll for an unarmed attack.¡± ¡°18, that¡¯s not too bad, right?¡± she was impressed with herself. ¡°Maybe he¡¯ll even get two black eyes.¡± ¡°Uhh, normally it¡¯d be fine,¡± Rezin started doing some math. ¡°But like I said, your class is really bad for combat. With your stats, that brings it down to a -3. Okay, you throw a punch at the shopkeep but miss entirely, and instead slam your fist into the receipt tack on the counter. Taking¡¡± He paused to roll. ¡°Oh wow, 25 damage.¡± ¡°Isn¡¯t that all your health?¡± Xard quickly pointed out. ¡°Haha, no way, did Phon just kill herself by missing a punch?!¡± Kada couldn¡¯t believe it. ¡°Wait, hold on, I didn¡¯t do the modifiers yet,¡± the Farm Master cut in. ¡°You¡¯re actually saved by your weak strength this time. It brings it down to 4 damage.¡± ¡°I hate this game,¡± Phon leaned back in annoyance on her stool. ¡°You should have just let me die so I could stop playing.¡± ¡°I¡¯m sure you¡¯ll do better in the future,¡± Drim tried to reassure her. ¡°This was just a bad choice of target and a slew of bad luck.¡± ¡°Yup, no one else should have nearly that high intimidation resistance,¡± Rezin reaffirmed. ¡°Even the final boss of the campaign is lower, so could feasibly make him surrender immediately if you roll right.¡± ¡°Fine, let¡¯s move on then,¡± Phon reluctantly agreed to continue. ¡°But I¡¯ll be intimidating everything until something cowers in fear. You better hope that it¡¯s one of these imaginary characters.¡± She sent Rezin a look that made him shudder. ¡°Well, I guess we need to figure out where that Brutacious guy is and go from there,¡± Kada was back to being a competent leader again for a moment. ¡°Maybe we should return to the inn and¡ª¡± This narrative has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. If you see it on Amazon, please report it. ¡°¡®Eh, Bruatacious?¡¯ the shopkeeper cuts you off. ¡®You folks must not be from around here then. Everyone knows where Brutacious is.¡¯¡± ¡°Oh, but you¡¯re not going to tell us?¡± Phon was already annoyed. ¡°I guess I¡¯ll just have to try intimidation, then.¡± ¡°¡®Huh? Why so eager to start a fight, I¡¯ll tell yuh,¡¯ the merchant insists. ¡®He runs that big factory right outside the city called The Creamery, can¡¯t miss it. There¡¯s even billboards everywhere that¡¯ll lead you right to it. Hell, there¡¯s one right above my shop. On days when he¡¯s not being nefarious, he holds tours. But today¡¯s a nefarious day, so you¡¯ll only be met with aggression if you go there. Try again next week if you want a tour.¡¯¡± ¡°Alright, I guess we should head out of the city then,¡± Drim suggested. ¡°Hey, I¡¯m the leader here,¡± Kada took offense. ¡°And I say¡ let¡¯s head out of the city towards The Creamery!¡± ¡°Your party follows the billboards out of the east gate of the city. You¡¯re met with a lovely vista of rolling hills with fresh grass beneath your feet. The smell of nature fills your nostrils and spurs your sense of adventure!¡± In the Utility Room, the images around them change to perfectly match Rezin¡¯s description. ¡°You walk to a crossroads. There are three paths you can take, each leading in a different cardinal direction except the way you came. To the north, you see the pastures with several cow farms. You think you can see some distraught farmers that could use your aid.¡± ¡°To the south, you see the milk chocolate forest. On your way out of the city, you heard rumors of some dairy fairies who could possibly aid you in your quest. And to the east, you see even more signs to The Creamery which really isn¡¯t that far, just a short walk away.¡± ¡°But before you can make a decision on which path to take, you¡¯re suddenly ambushed by some monsters! Uhh, I should say this normally isn¡¯t part of the campaign, but since none of you have played, we thought you should do an introductory combat tutorial to get used to the systems.¡± ¡°So the first thing you need to do is Roll For Sequence!¡± ¡°Alright, order is Xard, Drim, Phon, Kada. And now I¡¯ll add in the enemies. Oh, you¡¯re fighting two Bull Bruisers and two Cowkateers.¡± Rezin placed their figures on the opposite half of the graph paper as the players. ¡°Okay, Xard, you¡¯re first, what are you doing?¡± ¡°First a question,¡± Xard was reading over the monster sheet for the Cowkateer. ¡°It says these fire off a milk ranged attack from their udders. Would that be teleported away like everything else?¡± ¡°Uhm, no,¡± Rezin thought for a moment on how to explain. ¡°They¡¯re considered monster-class enemies, and this game came out right around the same time the first mutated monsters started appearing, so they take a lot of inspiration and share a lot of properties. In this case the milk is poisonous and damaging to humans, so whoever¡¯s taking it wouldn¡¯t want it.¡± ¡°Okay, then I cast Milky Ward,¡± Xard said with a firm confidence. ¡°Uhh, do you mean Milky Shield or Dairy Ward?¡± the Farm Master pointed out the issue. ¡°Milky Shield shrouds the party with milk to reduce the damage of incoming attacks. This wouldn¡¯t work currently since you don¡¯t have any milk. Meanwhile, Dairy Ward provides a buff against dairy-based attacks¡ªa chance for them to not hit entirely, with a further chance to reflect the damage back to the attacker.¡± ¡°Yeah, the second one,¡± Xard answered with a clear bit of embarrassment. ¡°A milky shine gleams over your party,¡± Rezin informs them. ¡°A good move too, since it¡¯s now a Cowkateer¡¯s turn and they¡¯re going to attack Phon since she¡¯s closest. Rolling¡ They fire four shots from their udder right at you. It¡¯s a hit¡ and yup, it¡¯s blocked¡ and reflected¡ doing¡ That¡¯s a crit. 24 Damage. And it¡¯s dead.¡± ¡°Great. I do more damage just by being a meat shield than actually attacking,¡± Phon sighed. ¡°Okay, now it¡¯s the other Cowkateer¡¯s turn. They target Kada and fire. It¡¯s a hit and ignores the ward, but it only does 2 damage because of Kada¡¯s high defense. Now it¡¯s Drim¡¯s turn. And for reference it will be Drim, the left Bull Bruiser, then Phon, then Kada, then the right Bull Bruiser; if that affects your decisions.¡± ¡°Alright, guess I should get them before they move then,¡± Drim pondered for a moment. ¡°They¡¯re too far away for me to get to, right? Okay, I use the special move action Void Tear to put me right between the two of them and then the attack Dual Destruction¡ªAttack two targets (or one target twice) in melee range and impart Void Rip status. It seems pretty much all my attacks do that.¡± ¡°Okay roll two attacks for me. A 19 and a 28, nice. Both hit, now damage. Okay, the right Bull Bruiser loses about half its health. Also, one of its arms is ripped into the void, so it will be at a disadvantage for all attack roles. The left loses half of its entire body to the void and falls over prone, near death.¡± ¡°Since it¡¯s prone, it will spend its turn trying to stand back up. And nope, it fails. Plus, it¡¯s losing blood rapidly, so it takes 5 bleeding damage. Really, if you don¡¯t do anything, it will die soon. Good move, and now it¡¯s Phon¡¯s turn.¡± ¡°I can skip performing an attack to move twice, right?¡± Phon double checked the rules. ¡°Okay, I¡¯ll do that to get to the other cow and use my bonus move to intimidate it.¡± ¡°How are you going to intimidate it?¡± Rezin tried to get her to be more descriptive and imaginative. ¡°Uhh, cow, so they have horns right,¡± Phon mused for a moment. ¡°I grab both of their horns and start to pull while staring dead into their eyes. And I roll¡ a 29. Hell yeah, that¡¯s gotta work.¡± ¡°Oh yup, they¡¯ve definitely been intimidated,¡± Rezin double checked the numbers anyways. ¡°In fact, you were so scary that they were terrified beyond their wits end and die on the spot.¡± ¡°Damn,¡± Phon clicked her tongue. ¡°I wanted a monster minion to attack for me, but I guess that¡¯s decently satisfying too.¡± ¡°Well, I¡¯ll take advantage of it!¡± Kada eagerly started her turn, not needing to be prompted like the others. ¡°I run over to the dead Cowkateer and perform Corpse Crash¡ªThrow any corpse on the battlefield at the enemy for area damage. If the attack is strong enough, the corpse will explode for additional damage and transfer any properties the corpse has for additional effects.¡± ¡°Okay, a 22, plus your modifiers, a 48, that definitely hits and explodes,¡± Rezin did some more math. ¡°The left Bull Bruiser died instantly from the impact. The right one dies from the explosion, so that¡¯s all enemies defeated, congratulations!¡± ¡°But¡ since Drim was also in the radius, he takes¡ 39 damage.¡± ¡°Holy zjik, Kada! I¡¯m down to one health!¡± Drim shot a look of pain and betrayal at his so-called friend. ¡°Sorry, I didn¡¯t know we were playing with party damage on!¡± she pleaded for forgiveness. ¡°Oh, and since the Cowkateer was a poison-type monster, Drim is now poisoned as well,¡± Rezin informed them of his cruel fate. ¡°We¡¯re still in combat until it¡¯s dealt with one way or another, so we have until the end of Drim¡¯s next turn to deal with it. Do you have any anti-poison potions.¡± ¡°Nope¡ since we spent all of our money on the mystery box instead of potions,¡± Drim gifted Kada another condescending glare. ¡°Oh, maybe the mystery box could save you!¡± Kada suggested as a last plight. Rezin glanced over the situation and stated, ¡°Unfortunately, I don¡¯t think that¡¯ll be possible. Only Drim and Xard act by then, and neither of them could reach you since Drim¡¯s movement skill is on cooldown. Plus, there wouldn¡¯t be enough actions between them to both trade and use the box.¡± ¡°But¡ there is a way he can be saved. Normally, I wouldn¡¯t tell the party since I¡¯m supposed to be your enemy, but it probably wouldn¡¯t be best for this play session if one of your characters died in the tutorial fight. So I can tell you all if you want.¡± ¡°No, wait, I think I¡¯ve figured it out,¡± Xard interjected, clearly already praising himself with a hint of pride. ¡°I cast Unsoured Milk on Drim. This turns any liquids with negative effects into milk. And with my passive as a Dairy Enchanter, any milk I¡¯ve interacted with that is then ingested gains healing properties. Would it count as healing since it¡¯s already in his body?¡± ¡°Bravo, you figured it out!¡± The Farm Master started applauding. ¡°Yes, and since it¡¯s inside his body already, it won¡¯t be teleported. The poison has turned into healing, go ahead and roll for healing¡ Okay, that¡¯s plus 12 health, and we¡¯re now officially out of combat. While you¡¯re out of danger, I¡¯d suggest taking another health potion before moving forward.¡± ¡°Sure, I drink it,¡± Drim crossed it off his inventory. ¡°But that¡¯s the only one I had, so please be more careful in the future.¡± ¡°Yes, I swear to make up for my grave error,¡± Kada put her hand to her chest as if she was making an oath. ¡°And for the rest of this campaign, I will be your shield and keep you from harm! I also get a buff defending other players called Leave It To The Next Generation.¡± ¡°Alright, now that it¡¯s over, where will you go next?¡± Rezin asked them. ¡°East will take you to The Creamery, the clear endpoint for this campaign. North and South will take you on side adventures to get you bonuses that will help in the future, or you could try your luck without them. Or you can go back west to the town if you want to rest or get more supplies.¡± ¡°Well, we¡¯re already pretty well leveled,¡± Kada thought about their situation. ¡°I¡¯d say we should go check out The Creamery and see where we stand. While I¡¯m having fun playing, it¡¯ll be tomorrow morning before we finish if we do all the side quests. So I¡¯d say gamble it for now since we can just escape. Xard, you have a spell that¡¯d get us out of there right? If we¡¯re locked in.¡± ¡°Yeah, I have a Return to Pasture scroll,¡± Xard confirmed. ¡°It teleports the party back to the last place we rested, so back to town I guess.¡± ¡°Then onwards into danger,¡± Kada pointed her finger at nothing in particular in real life. ¡°I rush ahead towards The Creamery before anyone else can change their minds!¡± V4: Chapter 6 - Forced Enjoyment | Part 3.5 - Quiet Time at Home ¡°Your party makes your way down the path until you arrive at the dairy-production factory known as The Creamery. The building itself is shaped like a giant churn that¡¯s being worked by an equally large Bovitaur that¡¯s a spitting image of Brutacious.¡± ¡°You make your way through the double doors and are met with a receptionist''s desk. A busy-looking Cowbrid is currently taking a call. A nameplate on her desk reads ¡®Mootitia¡¯.¡± ¡°After a few final pleasantries with the other party, she hangs up the phone and greets you all. ¡®Welcome to The Creamery. As you could tell by our sign outside, today is a day for nefarious purposes and not for tours. May I jot down the nature of your visit as an act of aggression?¡¯¡± ¡°Yes, that¡¯s acceptable,¡± Kada spoke for the group. ¡°Tell us, are you the ones that have been stealing the world¡¯s milk?!¡± ¡°Roll for Interrogation,¡± the Farm Master insisted. ¡°Dang, a 4, should have had Phon do it,¡± Kada knew the outcome wouldn¡¯t be great. ¡°¡®I¡¯m sorry, I only answer questions by appointment,¡¯ Mooticia refuses to answer. ¡®If you like, I can pencil you in for 47 weeks from now. But, if you plan to proceed with your act of aggression, you may take the door to your right. However, if you would like to take the mystic moo-moo shortcut to Brutacious¡¯ office, you may use the portal to my left.¡¯¡± On one of the walls of the Utility Room, which had already turned into a cow-themed front office, a white portal started to swirl. ¡°¡®That is, if you can figure out the secret to passing through it,¡¯ the receptionist gives a slight chuckle.¡± ¡°I got this one,¡± Phon looked determined. ¡°Listen here, cow, you better tell me whether that portal is a trap or not!¡± She preemptively rolled for intimidation. ¡°An 11, pretty high with your modifiers,¡± Rezin did some thinking. ¡°But she¡¯s a receptionist who deals with aggression all day, plus you just used the racial slur ¡®cow¡¯ against her, so she¡¯s less inclined to help. We¡¯ll say she¡¯ll give you a slight hint.¡± ¡°¡®The portal isn¡¯t a trap and will take you directly to the office,¡¯ Mootitia reiterates. ¡®But it may take more than the four of you to figure it out.¡¯¡± ¡°Well we won¡¯t take that insult lightly! I rush straight into the portal!¡± Their leader was quite headstrong. Rezin seemed amused that she¡¯d fallen for the bait. ¡°A new portal opens in the ceiling above you and Kada falls through it, landing back on the ground, and loses half her health. Does anyone else give it a try?¡± ¡°Sure, I will, I guess¡¡± Xard submitted. ¡°You step through the portal, only to find yourself back on the floor, on top of Kada¡¯s still prone body. What should have taken half your health only takes a quarter since Kada cushioned your fall. She takes an additional quarter of her health.¡± ¡°I drink a health potion before anything else!¡± Kada quickly marked it off of her inventory. ¡°Does anyone else want to try?¡± Rezin looked over towards the siblings. ¡°You¡¯d have to be dumb if you think we¡¯re going to go through the portal after that,¡± Phon sneered. ¡°Yeah, I¡¯m out of health potions and I like living,¡± Drim reinforced her argument. ¡°No way!¡± Kada refused their refusal. ¡°I¡¯m the leader, and as the leader I say that everyone has to give it a try! Power of friendship, team solidarity and all that! Plus, I¡¯ll catch you, so you don¡¯t take damage!¡± ¡°Still no,¡± Phon didn¡¯t budge. ¡°Then I grab you and throw you both through the portal!¡± ¡°What the hell happened to protecting me through the rest of the campaign!¡± Drim rebutted. ¡°Well, that was more just fancy lip service in the moment,¡± Kada shamelessly admitted. ¡°And this is more fun. Plus, you¡¯ll be fine! I grab and throw them,¡± ¡°Roll for an attack,¡± Rezin prompted her, ¡°And you two roll for defense if you don¡¯t want to be thrown.¡± Drim, of course, resisted, but Phon didn¡¯t bother since she already knew the outcome. ¡°Kada, with her absurd strength, grabs you both and hurls you violently through the portal. You both appear at the top of the ceiling and fall.¡± This story has been taken without authorization. Report any sightings. ¡°Now you have to roll if you want to catch them, Kada.¡± ¡°Hmph, maybe I should let them fall if they¡¯re not going to be team players,¡± she suddenly pouted. ¡°Catch us or I¡¯m going to intimidate you for real,¡± the tone of Phon¡¯s voice changed to show that she wasn¡¯t kidding whatsoever. ¡°You catch them, but there¡¯s still some damage from the momentum. Everyone takes one quarter damage. Do you want to continue trying to solve the portal?¡± ¡°Nah, we really will all wipe if this keeps up,¡± Kada had finally had enough. ¡°Will you tell us what the answer was?¡± ¡°I¡¯ll tell you if you go through the other door,¡± the Farm Master informed them. ¡°When you do, the portal will close and be unavailable to you for the rest of the campaign.¡± ¡°I go through the right door,¡± Xard went ahead so they couldn¡¯t have time to reconsider. ¡°After Xard passes through the right door, the portal shuts off for good. If you recall Mootitia¡¯s hint about ¡®more than the four of you¡¯. Someone needed to go through the portal one more time for it to start teleporting you all to the end. It¡¯s always the amount of party members plus one. So if you hadn¡¯t stopped there, you would have made it.¡± ¡°¡°¡°I hate this game.¡±¡±¡± Three of the four players agreed. ¡°Ah, cosdammit!¡± Kada was worse than the others. ¡°Such a simple ass puzzle. I should have gotten it. I am no longer fit to be the leader. Someone else can do it.¡± Xard put his hand on Kada¡¯s shoulder. ¡°You were never fit to be leader in the first place.¡± ¡°I know¡¡± Rezin pressed on. ¡°You enter a wide room, the center of The Creamery. There are many doors and many paths you can take. Around the room are a few cheese bushes and two ornamental waterfalls of milk. What do you do?¡± ¡°Well, let¡¯s use my passive to start,¡± Xard took the lead. ¡°If I touch the milk, we can heal up, right?¡± Rezin nodded in confirmation. ¡°Okay, I stick my arm into the waterfall and let the milk run down the arm and out of my hand like a faucet. Come take a drink everyone so we can top off.¡± ¡°I can¡¯t quite put my finger on it, but something about the idea of Xard asking us to drink his milk is off putting,¡± Phon struggled with the scenario in her mind. ¡°But whatever, I¡¯ll take free health.¡± ¡°The party laps up the milk and everyone is healed back to full,¡± Rezin progressed the scene once everyone agreed. ¡°But then you suddenly hear a cry from an opening door. ¡®Hey, these guys are touching our milk! Get them!¡¯ A swarm of guards known as the Bulltallion rush into the room and surround you. What do you want to do? We¡¯re not officially in combat yet, so we won¡¯t roll for sequence.¡± ¡°Oh, I know, it¡¯s finally time for the mystery box!¡± the former-leader proposed. ¡°Surely it will do something to stop this big army.¡± ¡°Actually, wait,¡± Xard intervened. ¡°I think I have something that can take care of it. But¡ uhhh¡ do I really have to say the full incantation out loud?¡± ¡°If it¡¯s the spell I¡¯m thinking of, then yes,¡± Rezin confirmed. Xard let out a deep, guttural sigh before sitting up straight in his chair and recited, ¡°Spirit of all that is farm-fresh and dairy, surrender to my subligation. Milky Madness! I take control!¡± ¡°Alright, you can now directly control any dairy products in the room. So what are you doing?¡± ¡°Well¡¡± he thought for a moment. ¡°I command the waterfalls to surge outward and sweep up the army, maybe incapacitate them if possible.¡± ¡°Okay, that¡¯s pretty complicated,¡± Rezin crinkled his mouth. ¡°Let¡¯s say you need a 20 to hit them with it and a 25 to incapacitate them.¡± Xard picked up his dice to roll but then was stopped by Phon. ¡°Wait, I have a skill called Sweet Talking Fate¡ªadd +5 to any dice roll outside of combat.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll also add Send It To The Void¡ªlets you send one dice roll to the void and force a reroll.¡± Drim helped out as well. ¡°Well that¡¯s good, because the first roll was a 6,¡± Xard laughed in relief. ¡°And now a 21, nice.¡± ¡°Yup, that¡¯s a 26 with Phon¡¯s +5,¡± Rezin noted. ¡°The milk from the two waterfalls leaps away from the wall and the torrenting spouts swirl around the room. Liquid dairy surrounds the army in a great vortex and begins to shrink, pushing the Bulltallion together into one clump. Then the milk begins to curdle, solidifying and turning sticky, trapping the army in one big blob of cottage cheese!¡± ¡°Okay, I can see why people say this class is overpowered,¡± Xard acquiesced. ¡°Yeah, that probably would have been a long drawn-out fight otherwise,¡± Drim shrugged. ¡°But I¡¯m starting to get a bit tired, so I don¡¯t mind.¡± ¡°Yes, I¡¯m actually getting a signal from Chorus that we should start wrapping things up,¡± the Farm Master glanced at their offscreen director. ¡°Because I just looked at the time and damn, yeah, it¡¯s getting late. We were supposed to go through a long puzzle sequence where you all try to pick the correct door in the room that leads to a variety of scenarios and mazes, but I¡¯ll just tell you now the answer is the door you came in from.¡± ¡°As if fate itself guides you, your party gets a sudden burst of inspiration, as if led by the Great Bovine herself,¡± he wasn¡¯t going to give them the chance to do anything else. ¡°You open the door you came in from and see the same milky-white portal that was in the lobby before. It will no longer harm you, so the party steps through.¡± The scenery in the Utility Room changes once more. It displayed an oddly shaped room, almost like the inside of a skull¡ªonly further confirmed by the two ¡®eyehole¡¯ windows on one side. ¡°You¡¯re all teleported to the very top of The Creamery¡ªBrutacious¡¯ office that is located in the head of the Bovitaur.¡± V4: Chapter 6 - Forced Enjoyment | Part 3.6 - Quiet Time at Home ¡°The Bovitaur himself glances your way from behind your desk. ¡®Ah, you must be the unscheduled tour group I¡¯ve heard making a ruckus.¡¯ The monster addresses you all. ¡®I¡¯m busy with nefarious deeds today. Please leave immediately, or you¡¯ll force me to change my schedule. You won¡¯t like me when I have to change my schedule!¡¯¡± ¡°Are you the one stealing the world¡¯s milk?¡± Drim asked him. ¡°¡®Obviously,¡¯ Brutacious answers. ¡®If you have no more pointless questions. Leave, or I will churn you into the next batch of butter.¡¯¡± ¡°I¡¯m guessing intimidating the big boss probably won¡¯t go in my favor?¡± Phon threw out that idea. ¡°Hmm, I¡¯d say you¡¯d need at least a 25 before modifiers,¡± Rezin did a quick math check. ¡°And if you failed, he¡¯d retaliate and probably kill you on the spot since you don¡¯t have much natural health or defense.¡± ¡°Well, I guess we should get the fighting started then,¡± Drim said and then rolled some dice. ¡°I perform Void Tear to teleport behind him and then perform Stealth Stab. It doesn¡¯t have the Void Rip, but should do four-times critical damage if both my claws hit.¡± ¡°Okay, you rolled an 11 and a 19, both would hit with your modifiers. And they do both count as stealth since Brutacious doesn¡¯t have high detection. You sink both your claws into the Bovitaur¡¯s hind-quarter doing¡ 77 damage. That¡¯s a great first attack, one of the highest damages I¡¯ve seen, but it is the boss, so he has a lot of health.¡± ¡°But you also made one crucial mistake that a lot of new players make. You should never attack a Bovitaur from behind. You trigger his passive, Buck and Cover. He defends from the front until his next turn and kicks wildly with his back legs. That¡¯s definitely a hit, too.¡± ¡°Drim takes a hit from one hoof and goes flying across the room, slamming into the back wall¡ doing¡ Well, it¡¯s way more than your maximum health. You are now prone and in Teetering Death mode. If someone doesn¡¯t use a health potion or spell on you before your next turn, you¡¯ll die.¡± ¡°We¡¯re now in combat, so Roll for Sequence,¡± it was time to really start. ¡°Okay, the order is Brutacious, Kada, Xard, Phon, and then Drim. He definitely lucked out since he has the most opportunities to be saved.¡± ¡°To start, Brutacious is going to do Trampler¡¯s Trot. He tramples in place, destroying most of the furniture around the room and doing area damage. Drim is fortunately out of range, but the rest of you take 7 damage. Then, he¡¯s going to use his second move to summon Cheddarmor that completely protects him until it¡¯s destroyed. ¡®I¡¯m going to Mozzerelish your demise!¡¯ he roars at the party.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t have any health potions, so i¡¯ll distract him for now,¡± Kada decided. ¡°So I¡¯ll run to his right side and do Whirling Wonder¡ªa spinning attack with a high chance of knockback. Damn, only a 12, but that should hit, right?¡± ¡°Yes, that does hit,¡± the Farm Master confirmed. ¡°It does a decent dent in the armor, and the knockback is triggered as well, sending him stumbling towards the left side of the room. However, the Cheddarmor is strong against blunt attacks, and as such, your club gets stuck in the cheese and goes flying along with Brutacious, leaving you weaponless.¡± ¡°Phon, you have a potion, right?¡± Xard asked her at the start of his turn. ¡°Okay, then I¡¯ll leave it to you since you can move more anyways. And I¡¯ll cast Pay Your Fondues¡ªAny source of cheese that you cast this spell upon is melted. If it¡¯s melted successfully, it can be turned into a sticky trap that can slow or halt movement. And I rolled a 20.¡± ¡°Alright, that would normally melt it for sure if it was just an object, but I have to take Brutacious¡¯ defense into account. We¡¯ll say that the armor melts it a bit over halfway. So it¡¯s definitely weakened but not gone entirely.¡± ¡°Damn, and that¡¯s my last offensive spell token gone,¡± Xard was left disappointed. ¡°All I have left are dairy buffs, but we don¡¯t have milk to drink. Guess I can whack him with my staff if nothing else.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll obviously do my sisterly duty and save my foolish brother from certain death.¡± Drim gave Phon a look after that, but she just gave a smug shrug as if it was something she¡¯d always wanted to say. ¡°I¡¯ll use double movement to get over to him and give him a potion.¡± ¡°And Drim, I take it you¡¯ll drink the potion?¡± Rezin laughed to himself. ¡°Since your only two options are that and death. You gain back some health, but you¡¯re still fairly low. And you¡¯re still prone, so your action would be trying to stand. Which you do. So you can¡¯t do anything else, but you can still move if you like.¡± ¡°Sure, I¡¯ll start moving towards Brutacious but around the perimeter to stay out of range.¡± Drim had a whelmed look since he couldn¡¯t really do anything of note. ¡°Okay, back to Brutacious. He loses one of his moves because of the knockback. For his other move, he¡¯ll ready Raging Bull¡ªA charged up move where he¡¯ll rush across the room and can¡¯t be stopped once he starts moving, doing massive damage to anything along the path. And to be fair, I¡¯ll roll a 4-sided dice for the target¡ Xard. Now we¡¯re back to Kada in the turn order. Brutcaious yells ¡®I¡¯m just about Feta-Upped with you all!¡¯¡± ¡°Welp¡¡± Kada shifted her face to a look of self-righteous acceptance and pride. ¡°I guess it¡¯s on me to save this party. Drim¡¯s almost dead, Phon can¡¯t attack, and Xard will totally die if I don¡¯t stop this. So I¡¯ll be the leader I always should have been and put my own life on the line.¡± ¡°I use the Warmonger¡¯s ultimate move, Death Must Earn Me¡ªReduces my health to 1, but I gain a massive boost to all stats including movement. It also lets me attack four times in a row. So for starters, I run over to Brutacious and grapple him.¡± ¡°That¡¯ll be pretty tough, but you have a lot of chances,¡± Rezin did some checks. ¡°And nice, you got it just barely on the first try thanks to the stat boost. How do you want to do the rest of your attacks because you can¡¯t use your arms?¡± ¡°Perfectly fine, since I¡¯ll be using my face!¡± she boldly declared. ¡°I eat the cheese armor! Rolling¡ damn, only a 6.¡± ¡°You eat away a bit of the armor, but have to stop quickly when your jaw gets tired. Next attack?¡± ¡°I eat the cheese armor again!¡± Kada was persistent if nothing else. ¡°Hahaha¡ 27!¡± ¡°With that, Brutacious¡¯ Cheddarmor is nullified and he can be damaged again. But you do get the constipation debuff from eating too much cheese. So your movement will be halved until your next rest or the next time you use the bathroom.¡± ¡°Well, I don¡¯t need to move, because I¡¯m not going anywhere,¡± she was just getting more pumped about the situation. ¡°I bite into his exposed stomach!¡± ¡°Okay¡ uhhh, biting,¡± Rezin had to look up the rules. ¡°Apparently biting counts as attacking with dual daggers. Even with the buff, you still have relatively low dexterity, so it won¡¯t do too much. Yeah, only 11 damage, but it does inflict bleeding. You¡¯re up, Xard.¡± ¡°Well, now that Kada has eaten some cheese, I can be useful again,¡± he was glad he could actually do anything at all. ¡°First, I¡¯ll move to the opposite end of the room as Drim and Phon to try and get them further from my target, and then I¡¯ll cast Dairy is the Best Food Group¡ªIt lets me heal the user or buff any of their stats if they¡¯ve consumed dairy. I doubt healing Kada would help if the boss gets to move, so I''ll boost her strength instead.¡± Support the author by searching for the original publication of this novel. ¡°Not that it matters, but Kada loses her movement debuff since the cheese has been processed,¡± the Farm Master added. ¡°Phon, you¡¯re up.¡± ¡°I guess if we¡¯re going for gambles, I¡¯ll try one of the Thespian¡¯s called Missed Connections. It lets me summon any sentient being we¡¯ve come across in our travels. If I roll high, they¡¯ll be charmed and do my bidding, but if I roll low, they¡¯ll be aggressive and attack me. ¡°Who are you going to summon?¡± Rezin asked. ¡°Mooticia! Because she¡¯s the only character whose name I remember. Rolling¡Oh wow, a natural 30! Probably the only great roll I¡¯ll have all day!¡± Even Phon could enjoy the game under certain circumstances. ¡°Yes, a perfect throw. And she¡¯ll get two moves right away since you got a critical roll. What do you want her to do?¡± ¡°Attack him, obviously,¡± she seemed annoyed that she even had to be asked ¡°The receptionist, Mooticia, suddenly bursts through the office doors and shouts ¡®You should have approved my time-off request!¡¯ She then runs over to Brutacious and stabs him in one of his eyes with her resignation letter. It does 34 damage and permanently reduces his hit-chance by half.¡± ¡°For her second move, she notices that you¡¯re trying to restrain him. She pulls out a stapler and runs behind him, but not all the way, and grabs his tail, stapling it to the wall. This will count as four ¡®bound¡¯ debuff stacks when he tries to use his move. Are you going to move, Phon?¡± ¡°No thanks,¡± she refused. ¡°I¡¯ll stay as far away from the rampaging monster as possible.¡± ¡°Alright, time to get revenge on those legs!¡± Drim decreed when it was his turn. ¡°I use Old Void, New Friends¡ªOpen a portal to the void and pull in one enemy with you. The portal will close at the end of the enemy¡¯s next turn. If they are still in the void, they will continuously take damage each turn they¡¯re stuck in the void based on their resistance.¡± ¡°If the enemy is too big to pull through the portal¡ªit specifically mentions boss monsters¡ªlimbs and body parts can be pulled through. They will be severed if they are still through the portal when the portal closes. The Void Ripper takes no damage in the void but must use another action to leave it on their next turn. So I move next to Brutacious, open a void rift under his legs, and then jump and pull his legs down with me.¡± ¡°Since Brutacious is busy charging, he can¡¯t fight it,¡± the Farm Master explained, ¡°But that brings us back up to his turn. You¡¯ve all done a very good job damaging and debuffing him, but let¡¯s see if it''s enough. He¡¯ll roll seven times to determine whether he can break free, and if he does, he¡¯ll unleash his charge attack. So if he succeeds even once, Kada will die no matter what.¡± ¡°Alright, fail, fail, fail, fail, fail, fail, and fail! Brutacious has been fully restrained. Wow, I¡¯ve never actually seen anyone completely stop a boss¡¯ supermove successfully before. You guys did amazing for your first time, and there¡¯s still some effects to play out.¡± ¡°First, the void portal closes, and Brutacious¡¯ rear legs and¡ other bits¡ are severed off completely for major damage. It also halves his movement and disables several of his attacks, and it adds another stack of bleed. That along with Kada¡¯s bite does double bleeding which does another good chunk of damage. He¡¯s now very close to death. One more good hit should do it.¡± ¡°And that honor belongs to me!¡± Kada couldn¡¯t sit still in her seat with anticipation. ¡°With my innate strength, my buffs, and the power of friendship from Xard¡¯s spell and the other two, who I know believe in me even if they won¡¯t say it. I suplex this cow onto its head! A 17¡ Kind of anticlimactic, but it¡¯s gotta be enough, right?¡± ¡°More than enough,¡± Rezin nodded. ¡°And we don¡¯t need to bother rolling damage since your minimum at this point is all we¡¯ll need. Kada hoists what remains of Brutacious¡¯ body over her head and slams it to the ground behind her. His horns pierce the floor and his skull cracks against the ground. Brutacious has been defeated!¡± ¡°Oh, since you haven¡¯t played, I should also let you know that bosses and story-relevant enemies don¡¯t automatically die when they are killed. They might spout some exposition or answer some questions. You can also choose to heal and spare them, with some possibly becoming party members. Not this one, though.¡± ¡°Brutacious bellows with his dying breaths, ¡®You all got me Gouda¡ He who controls the flow of milk, controls the world. We made a deal with the CatCats to provide them unlimited milk in return for power. Go to the Catican, that¡¯s where you¡¯ll find all the dairy reserves that were stolen. So much for my Brie-f reign.¡¯ The last light then fades from his one remaining eye.¡± ¡°And that¡¯s it, the end of Part 1 of this campaign. Obviously, we won¡¯t get to Part 2 today, and that¡¯s an even longer campaign. So we can either call it good there or try and find time in the future to continue.¡± ¡°Yeah, I think it¡¯s probably best to end it there,¡± Drim said his feelings flat-out. ¡°I¡¯ll admit that I had a lot more fun than I expected, and we could probably find time to schedule the other part, but that¡¯s not how I¡¯d want to play if we did this again in the future. I¡¯d rather start a character from scratch and from the beginning of an adventure that¡¯s not railroaded where we actually had the freedom to do what we wanted.¡± ¡°I agree,¡± Phon chimed in. ¡°I didn¡¯t think I¡¯d like this, but if we¡¯re playing again, I definitely won¡¯t be a Cosdamned Thespian. But I wouldn¡¯t mind trying out something else.¡± ¡°Unfortunately, I doubt that we could hold the regular sessions required with our schedules,¡± Xard beared the bad news. ¡°I wouldn¡¯t mind flying back once a week to play, but the odds that all of us could reserve several hours routinely each week just isn¡¯t in the cards. Not until we finish our main goal, right Drim?¡± ¡°Well, if we¡¯re stopping there, I at least want to open the mawhging mystery box!¡± Kada looked around for resistance from the others but didn¡¯t get any. ¡°One second, I need to pull it up,¡± Rezin got out his phone. ¡°We didn¡¯t print it out since there¡¯s 1000 possible outcomes, and that¡¯d just be a waste of paper. Okay, roll these three 10-sided dice, then we take the numbers for 000-999 to figure out what happens when you open the box. Let¡¯s just hope you don¡¯t roll a 555.¡± ¡°Why, what happens then?!¡± she was immediately interested. ¡°Well, it opens up a vortex and the world just implodes on itself,¡± the Farm Master said with a straight face. ¡°Though, if we¡¯re ending the campaign, I suppose that wouldn¡¯t be the most tragic outcome in this case. But it would mean all of your time and effort just now was for naught.¡± 5. Kada made the first roll, and there wasn¡¯t much reaction. 5. Kada made the second roll, and eyebrows were immediately raised. Everyone around the table was leaning forward in their stools a bit when she made the third roll. There were audible sighs of both relief and disappointment when she rolled a 6. ¡°Oh, 556, that¡¯s an interesting one,¡± Rezin found it after much scrolling down the list. ¡°It¡¯s called View of the Great Bovine. You open the lid of the box, and inside, you see wide open space as far as the eye can see¡ªstars twinkling in the distance. In the center, you see Cheddatia, all of it, the entire planet, floating in the cosmos. If you move the box around, you can change the angle at which you can see the planet.¡± ¡°Cool, so what can we do with that?¡± Kada seemed a bit perplexed. ¡°Whatever you want,¡± Rezin shrugged. ¡°I should clarify that it is the actual planet inside, so anything you do to it will affect the world around you. The fate of the world is literally in your hands.¡± ¡°Oh, I¡¯ve got an idea,¡± the girl suddenly perked up. ¡°Would my character know where the CatCats live?¡± ¡°Yes, she would.¡± ¡°And would the Catican stand out on the globe?¡± ¡°Probably, it¡¯s the biggest and fanciest building in that realm.¡± ¡°Okay, then I move the box around until I find the Catican and squish it with my finger. Now there¡¯s no need for a second campaign! I¡¯ve defeated it with just a single finger. Hahaha! I¡¯m the best B&B player in the world!¡± ¡°Well, that would certainly kill everyone in the building and everything nearby,¡± Drim mentioned something as unimportant as genocide. ¡°And if all the milk reserves were there then it would be destroyed as well, it doesn¡¯t really solve anything,¡± Phon pointed out the most minor of details. ¡°Not to mention that something from space with that level of force would probably just destroy the planet entirely¡¡± Xard really just couldn¡¯t let her have her fun. Kada¡¯s arms slumped down mid-self-cheer and she got rather quiet as she curled up in her stool. ¡°Alright, great stuff everyone,¡± Chorus started the wrapup. ¡°Since it¡¯s already tomorrow, we¡¯ll start the next day''s activities in the midmorning so everyone can get a decent amount of sleep. Goodnight!¡± V4: Chapter 6 - Forced Enjoyment | Part 4.1 - Surprise Vacation ¡°Ledmer?! You didn¡¯t tell me we were coming to my resort, or I would have dressed more bossily!¡± Kada complained the moment they stepped out of Valen¡¯s portal. ¡°Quick, someone get me a business suit, stat!¡± She tried to cover up her usual, breezy beach-bum getup. To everyone¡¯s surprise, an employee did show up shortly after with a suit for her which she threw on over her garb. ¡°Wow, it¡¯s evolved quite a bit since we were last here,¡± Drim looked the most impressed of all. Not even two weeks after they¡¯d completely terraformed the island, construction had begun. Now, not quite a year later, the Mermaid¡¯s Reef resort, water park, and animal sanctuary was nearing completion. Normally, a project of this size would take years, decades even. But no expense had been spared. Many contractors with greed in their eyes kept promising Kada shortcuts she could take, but she rejected them all. Instead, she hired only those that would work hard and do it right. Each company was allowed to hire as many workers as they needed, all paid extremely well. Roque had also suggested a few contractors who had done work on their low-income housing projects, knowing how well they worked. And they produced results. There was no deadline, just whenever it was done, but it was still one of the fastest and most well produced construction projects in recent history. Only the Central Peace headquarters itself could probably match the scope and efficiency. ¡°We¡¯re still a few months out from opening. I don¡¯t know that I want people to see the resort before it¡¯s done,¡± the owner began to protest the filming. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯ve got you covered,¡± Chorus insisted. ¡°We¡¯ll only be shooting from angles that perfectly encapsulate what¡¯s already been completed. Most of today will be inside the event venue and some waterpark rides that are already fully built and just awaiting inspection.¡± ¡°Well, I guess that¡¯s fine then,¡± Kada conceded. ¡°But I want to review all the footage before any of this goes out!¡± ¡°Of course, as is your right,¡± their PR manager was surprisingly amenable, the complete opposite of how little they usually cared about their personal privacy. ¡°And I¡¯m sorry to say, but we¡¯ll be splitting up here.¡± More staff came and approached the group. ¡°Kada and Xard, please go with them. I haven¡¯t told you what you¡¯re doing yet, but you¡¯ll want the morning to plan and prepare once they tell you. So take your time, and be creative. I¡¯m expecting a lot. Drim will be too if you want his vote.¡± There were many looks of confusion from all parties as the two were led away, leaving the siblings alone with Chorus. ¡°Now for you two....¡± They launched their wardrobe at Drim first and then Phon, changing them into bathing suits. ¡°You two are just going to have some fun.¡± ¡°Well, it¡¯s still work, I suppose. The team building the attractions just needs to run the safety tests and certifications on some rides. But some of them have pretty advanced and otherwise dangerous features if things go wrong, so they¡¯d like a Fiend to test them out first¡ªless chance for a lawsuit. You¡¯ll understand more when we get there.¡± ¡ô¡ô¡ô ¡°So this is my ingenious always-flat surfboard,¡± a rather enthusiastic scientist waited for them at one of the attractions. He was surrounded by other engineers and construction workers who also wanted to witness the testing, and he began presenting as soon as the Fiends arrived, eager to show off his work. ¡°It is designed to never flip over, and will keep your feet firmly planted as long as you don¡¯t forcibly try to remove them. When it¡¯s on a track like the one behind me, though, it won¡¯t let the rider off unless it¡¯s at a designated loading station. This is to keep idiots from hurting themselves on purpose.¡± ¡°But we¡¯re also planning to have them available out in the wave simulator section of the beach. If you haven¡¯t checked it out yet, it produces the perfect waves all day every day¡ªwith some purposeful variance of course. There, the board will release you if the wave itself flips you over, or if you try to remove yourself from it. Otherwise, it won¡¯t let you fall into the water until you¡¯re back on land.¡± ¡°As long as you are able to stand for a few minutes, anyone can ride this ride while having no prior surfing skills. People can also sit down if they¡¯d prefer, and we have a wheelchair accessible variation as well.¡± ¡°And how confident are you that it¡¯ll work?¡± Drim was curious. ¡°100% certain!¡± the scientist hoisted his nose up to the sky in pride. ¡°Then why don¡¯t you go ahead and test it out yourself if you¡¯re oh so confident,¡± Phon suggested smugly. ¡°99.7% certain,¡± the man corrected himself. ¡°There¡¯s always a margin of error. And while I¡¯m very sure it will work, and be completely safe, I¡¯m marginally worried that the error will be physical harm to my own weak fleshy meat sack. That is why we need your much stronger and durable physiques, since if you fall off, you won¡¯t be permanently hurt, scratched, scarred, disabled, or killed, which would leave us open to lawsuits.¡± Drim went first. He stepped onto the watery track of the attraction and a surfboard automatically floated over to him. The moment he stepped on, his footing felt firm, like standing on solid ground. He wiggled his feet a bit, and the board shifted in the water, but he felt secure the entire time. ¡°The board will allow you some movement since we want it to feel like you¡¯re actually surfing,¡± the scientist explained. ¡°But if all goes well, even if you try to swerve out of the track or tip over, it should correct the balance itself and prevent you. For this run, just enjoy yourself and do what feels natural. We will try to break it on the next one. Just lean forward a bit when you¡¯re ready to start.¡± If you encounter this narrative on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. Drim did as instructed just until he got out of the staging area and then the current took him. It started slow but quickly built up speed, and in seconds, he felt like he was really surfing. The track was a halfpipe that winded around the entire park. It looked like it¡¯d take a while, possibly too long for some people to stand, but with how fast he was going, the ride might even feel too short. It seemed he could control the speed a bit by leaning forward and back, and also drift left and right by adjusting his weight. For now, he was taking it slow and enjoying the scenery of the park. Kada really had done a fantastic job designing it, and the workers had fully brought it to life. Some parts were still under construction, but most of it was ready to go. Drim could see the main street down below, the stalls and restaurants set up. He could already imagine the smells that would be wafting up towards the rider in the future, and that alone made him hungry. The ride itself took him through some interesting set pieces: a giant skull rock, behind a waterfall into a hidden grove, and there was even a circular tube that simulated passing through a giant wave, as if he was really surfing out in the ocean. Not long into the ride, Phon had caught up with him, but the boards wouldn¡¯t let her overtake him until they were in a wide enough area, though it still wouldn¡¯t let them ride side by side. Eventually, they reached a split that took them down two separate paths, with large signs pointing in both directions. Phon went down the path that took her around exploding volcanoes, or they at least seemed real enough. Drim didn¡¯t really have a preference between that and the decaying ruins, so he let the board decide for him. It was a good test to see what would happen, since he aimed straight at the split. But before he could hit it, the board steered him towards the ruins. As he sped by, ancient stone buildings collapsed around him, with accompanying sound effects and a bit of smoke and dust flying. Some parts of it were always rebuilding itself in the background, ready to fall apart for the next surfer. After that section, the track merged back into one and dropped him and Phon off at the disembarking pool. He stepped off the board and it floated itself into a slot nearby for it to be delivered to the next rider. ¡°That was pretty impressive, I¡¯ll admit,¡± Phon gave some rare praise. ¡°But now let¡¯s see how badly I can break it.¡± She went ahead and hopped on for the next go-round. Drim shortly followed suit, and he immediately tried to crash as well. After shifting his body as much as he possibly could, he gave up on the idea of trying to tip the board over that way. It really wouldn¡¯t budge, even if he tried to let his body go limp and drop his full weight to one side. Whatever gyroscopic mechanics were in the board always managed to sense it and adjust to keep him upright. So Drim had to try some external factors. He latched some vines to the side of the track and attempted to pull himself over the edge. It really fought him. With a bit more effort, he felt he could probably rip himself free of the pipe, but he was already expending far more strength than a human or even a Lesser could manage, so they wouldn¡¯t need to worry about it. He tried putting some roots on the track ahead of him to simulate debris, but the board just smoothly went over most of it. There was a time or two where he actually got a bit of air, but the board desperately angled itself to stay within the confines of the pipe and keep the rider safe. Maybe that scientist had every right to be so full of himself. The technology in this board was fantastic Drim gave up trying to break it until he reached the volcano section. He attached another vine to a fake rock that flew straight upwards when an eruption happened. The chances were low, but he had the idea that it was possible a large bird or monster of prey could swoop down to try and abduct someone. Since they¡¯d done their mass culling, coupled with the resort''s defensive measures, it would likely never happen, but he had no other ideas of what to test for. The board fought for quite a long time, but eventually it gave up and released Drim from its hold and the rock sent him soaring a bit. The board itself started to beep, likely to report back to the staff that an incident had occurred. When Drim touched back down onto the track, that part of the pipe lit up, and the now riderless board turned around to come and get him, which he rode back to the end. ¡°I couldn¡¯t get it to break either,¡± Phon admitted upon his return. ¡°The only way to get anything to happen was to teleport myself and the board away. When I did that, it let me step off freely, and when I teleported back to the ride, it continued as if nothing had happened. ¡°Well, that was the main issue we wanted you to test,¡± the scientist thanked them for their service. The other employees began to line up, eager to try it for themselves. ¡°But everything else around here could still use a few test rides, so feel free to help yourselves.¡± The scientist then ripped off his jacket, swim trunks already underneath, and joined the line. ¡°Go on ahead,¡± Chorus nodded to the siblings. ¡°We still have a good amount of time, so just have some fun. I won¡¯t crash on your sibling bonding, but I¡¯m sure you¡¯re aware I¡¯ll be watching from nearby.¡± Drim and Phon then went all over the park, quickly experiencing all there was currently to offer since there were literally no lines. Occasionally, an employee had to start a ride for them, but most of them were fully operational already and self-sustaining. They rode tandem down some giant slides on tubes, and a few more where they just used their bodies. There were some faux rapids that they rode through on a canoe¡ªwith similar technology as the surfboard to make sure it stayed upright. Kada had even come up with the world¡¯s first water roller coaster that used jet streams to move the guests up hills before they came crashing back down. Why the hell are you sniffling? Drim asked internally to the ghost of his mother floating beside him so that Phon couldn¡¯t hear. ¡°It¡¯s just¡ this is almost like the family vacation that we never had, that I always wanted to take you two on,¡± Eleen blubbered a bit. ¡°I hope the ghost of your father is conscious enough to see this. It¡¯s so rare that you two genuinely have happy moments like this these days¡ªwarms my heart as your mother. Maybe someday you could invite your uncle, and while he couldn¡¯t see me, it¡¯d be nice for all of us to be together.¡± Well, maybe that¡¯s not such a bad idea, Drim mused on it. Having a nice trip with uncle, not anything involving you, let me be clear. Maybe after¡ª ¡°Ugh, Kada really couldn¡¯t have let them keep a single restaurant open?¡± Phon complained as they walked down the main street of the park. ¡°Not even a snack cart?! I¡¯m starving.¡± ¡°It¡¯s great that you have an appetite,¡± Chorus popped out suddenly from wherever they were skulking. ¡°Because it¡¯s time for our next event. Right after I get you changed. Can¡¯t have our guests, or should I say judges of honor, looking like tourist trash!¡± V4: Chapter 6 - Forced Enjoyment | Part 4.2 - Surprise Vacation ¡°Welcome everyone to the Inaugural Mermaid¡¯s Roof Supper Showdown!¡± Chorus spoke directly into the camera for once. The audience cheered¡ªseats filled with workers given the afternoon off to watch, but the next year it¡¯d be open to guests of the resort. ¡°We have several top chefs here with us, all from multi-plaque restaurants around the world, who will be competing for today¡¯s grand prize: a restaurant of their own here at the Mermaid¡¯s Reef that they¡¯re able to design and operate however they wish, fully funded by the resort itself. Truly, a once-in-a-lifetime chance to make their culinary dreams come true.¡± ¡°All they have to do is serve their perfect meal¡ªa pretty simple task for any chef worth their kosher salt. But they¡¯ll have to dish out something special if they want to impress our panel of judges. Let¡¯s go ahead and introduce them now.¡± ¡°First, we have Drim Drazah. He¡¯s traveled the world and eaten the most unique and disgusting things. Now he¡¯ll say just about anything is good, so if you want to leave an impression, you¡¯ll really have to pull out all the stops.¡± ¡°Our second judge is Phon Drazah, and she couldn¡¯t care less about any of this. Who wins or who loses doesn¡¯t matter at all to her, but expect her to be watching her brother closely. Because she will blatantly steal your recipes or spin them into her own if you put a smile on his face¡ªa home-chef who could hold her own in today¡¯s competition.¡± ¡°And now we have Mallea Dulip, an esteemed chef who has worked in many plaqued restaurants herself. Some of our competitors today have even worked under her and learned from her in the past. But don¡¯t be mistaken in thinking that old relationship would give them an edge. She won¡¯t remember them anyways.¡± ¡°But these three sitting there aren¡¯t the only ones. We have two more up here on the stage with me who will also be participating in the judging as well. First is Xard Randex, who really has no experience, accolades, or knowledge of the culinary arts. But that¡¯s an important perspective to have for these judgments, since everyday folk like him will be the most common patrons to their new restaurant.¡± ¡°And lastly, we have the proprietress of Mermaid¡¯s Reef herself, Kada Susten. If you don¡¯t make her happy, well your future here wouldn¡¯t be long to begin with. Do you have anything to say to these chefs aspiring to serve under you?¡± Chorus presented the mic to Kada. She put her hands on her hips just above her suit skirt and said with confidence, ¡°If you serve me anything with mustard or pickles, you will never work here!¡± ¡°A good warning to avoid early pitfalls,¡± Chorus nodded. ¡°More than I would have given them. Now then, before we get right to the competition, Kada and Xard here will be performing an opening act for us¡ªa bit of culinary creativity to get us into the spirit of things.¡± ¡°These two were tasked with coming up with their own creative dishes. And we prompted them to try and include their own Curses if possible, so it would be something completely new, something only they can make. Obviously, it won¡¯t become a regular dish that could be served here, but maybe it will inspire something along similar lines.¡± ¡°They¡¯ve already prepared their dishes with only a few minor touches needed, so we¡¯ll get right to presenting. Madam Susten, you¡¯re up first!¡± A staff member rolled out a cart in front of the judges and Kada walked over to it, pulling up the silver cloche covering her dish. ¡°Dun duh duh dun! Here you go!¡± ¡°It¡¯s¡ a meatball,¡± Phon was the first to comment, disappointment in her eyes. ¡°A very big meatball,¡± Drim was a bit more impressed. It was about the size of a zoneball. ¡°Impressively shaped,¡± Mallea admitted, noticing its perfect sphericalness. ¡°But I have high doubts that it was properly cooked through unless you baked it for far more time than you had. Though, I suppose you could have cooked it as a flat patty and then used your Curse to shape it afterwards.¡± ¡°Wrong on all counts!¡± Kada lauded her own brilliance. ¡°Except for you, Mallea, you¡¯re on the right track. But you missed something fundamental. It¡¯s not a meatball, but a Meat Bowl. Wacha!¡± she grabbed the giant knife on the tray and cleaved the ball in two. Both halves of the meatball fell to either side, resting perfectly on the curve, sitting now as two proper bowls. It turned out that the meat layer wasn¡¯t that thick at all, filled to the brim with steaming pasta that it now cradled, ready to eat. ¡°The idea is for it to be like a bread bowl,¡± the amateur chef explained. ¡°Get some pasta on your fork then stab off a piece of meat at the end¡ªeat the dish as you go! Fun and delicious. Eatertainment for the whole family!¡± This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it. Drim quickly gave a thumbs up after he was served his portion, stuffing his mouth, but that was more likely due to just being hungry than anything. Mallea only took a single bite and then gave her review. ¡°Hmm, I can understand the novelty of it. In fact, I may adapt it to something else, but as for a regular dish, it seems far more tedious than just making it conventionally. The flavor is better than I expected, and the sauce and cheese have melted together nicely. However, the pasta is a touch overcooked, most likely from being trapped in the meat with no ventilation. Undercook it a bit next time to account for that, and it will be much better.¡± ¡°It¡¯s fine, Kada,¡± Phon at least took a few more bites due to her own hunger. ¡°A little bland for my tastes, but you could easily serve a good family meal with this since it¡¯s so big. Just needs a bit more seasoning, but you definitely get some points for creativity.¡± Kada wiped away a big sweat of relief, far more nervous about the judging than she¡¯d let on. At least she hadn¡¯t been roasted over the pit. They probably took her lack of experience into account and were nicer than they¡¯d be to a professional. Xard was next, and an employee rolled out a rack and a cooler. Out of it, they pulled out a frozen chicken and hung it on the rack, suspending it in midair. It looked like the chicken was coated in some sort of icy sauce as well. ¡°This took a few tries in practice to get right and mostly just to keep it from exploding,¡± Xard admitted. ¡°So apologies if it doesn¡¯t go right the first time. We made a few backups just in case.¡± A second employee also set up a curved barrier behind the chicken. The redhead walked up next to it and took a deep breath. He then wound his hand back and then thrust it forward¡ªslapping the check with insane power. It was clear that he must have added extra energy with his Curse, and frozen sauce went spraying into the barrier, coating it but leaving an almost perfectly chicken-shaped spot that remained perfectly clean. It took a second to fully realize what he¡¯d done, but the sauce started to drip and steam began radiating off the chicken. A delicious smell filled the room. Xard had cooked the chicken entirely with a single slap. ¡°I call it Kinetic Fried Chicken,¡± he introduced it with a smile. ¡°Wow, this is cooked through perfectly,¡± Mallea was the first to speak after it was served, clear surprise in her voice. ¡°Obviously, you can¡¯t add as much flavor or some breading since it would just fly right off, and you overcoated it in sauce originally to account for the loss. This leads to some inconsistency in the flavor and sauce, but it is extremely tender and just the right temperature. Unfortunately, it also doesn¡¯t have that extra crisp from traditional roasting, but still, it¡¯s a very impressive concept.¡± ¡°We''ll definitely have to look into making some device that mimics a similar effect,¡± Phon insisted. ¡°Bit bland, same problem as Kada¡¯s, but it¡¯s crazy how tender this is.¡± ¡°You have no idea how badly I wish I could cook something this fast when I was starving out in the wild,¡± Drim nodded in approval before diving into his second course. ¡°How creative and clever were those dishes?!¡± Chorus took focus in front of the camera right after and prompted the audience to applaud. ¡°Fiends aren¡¯t only for killing monsters after all. Who knows what industry they¡¯ll revolutionize next, but these chefs have nothing to worry about for the time being. It¡¯s time for them to strut their stuff. Let¡¯s get cooking!¡± Stagehands rolled out ten cooking stations onto the stage, already filled with ingredients and some prior preparations that had been allowed. Chefs then came out of the back, each taking their spot. There were a few mumbles from the audience, since a few of the chefs were well known enough to be recognized, but none that the Fiends knew. The only one that seemed to draw their attention more than the others was the Lesser among them. The cooking started immediately while Chorus explained the rules. ¡°This is a cooking gauntlet, and it¡¯s up to the chefs to decide how they want to serve it up. There¡¯s no time limit, so they can take as long as they need, but that alone might alter the outcome. If they take too long, the judges might get impatient, or if they present too early, they might be forgotten by the end.¡± ¡°They¡¯ll be serving three courses, and it¡¯s up to them as well if they want to serve each course as they¡¯re ready, or present it all as one complete meal. We won¡¯t be asking the judges for scores, but they¡¯ll be taking notes and making comments. And once all dishes have been served, they¡¯ll deliberate until we have a winner.¡± It didn¡¯t take long, barely a few minutes, until a chef overflowing with ego served the first dish. He didn¡¯t even stick around to see the reaction, walking off with an already smug, self-satisfied smile. ¡°Something is off about this,¡± Phon noticed immediately as she prodded at the foliage. ¡°Is it supposed to dissolve in my mouth like this?¡± Xard tried it, and he garbled in confusion with liquid still in his mouth. ¡°I think I understand. How intriguing,¡± Mallea figured out the gimmick. ¡°This isn¡¯t a salad at all, but freeze-dried soup¡ªa few different ones so they can have different colors.¡± ¡°Not sure that I care for it,¡± Drim said with reluctance. ¡°My mouth is just too confused.¡± ¡°Yeah, I just melted mine back into soup in the bowl, and it¡¯s much better,¡± Kada slurped hers down. That caused the chef responsible to scowl a bit, but he took the hit on the chin and kept working. There was some time before the next dish was served, so Chorus went around interviewing the chefs. They mostly got short answers from those actually focusing, but a few took the time to stop and gussy up to the camera. V4: Chapter 6 - Forced Enjoyment | Part 4.3 - Surprise Vacation A few more appetizers trickled their way to the table, but then a whole bunch were served at once¡ªthe chefs fighting for attention. It got to the point that the judges couldn¡¯t really enjoy the food at their own pace, and just had to take a few bites of each before moving on to something else. Certainly not the best way to leave a good impression. One chef took notice and held off on serving, and instead served both their appetizer and entree at the same time. This rewarded them with far more attention, and the other chefs seemed to wise up and held out for the best moment instead of rushing to serve as quickly as possible, even if it meant letting their dishes sit on a warmer for just a bit longer. Most of the entrees they had were unsurprising, all things they¡¯d had before but usually with a slight twist or flavor. The most out-there one was an inverted pasta¡ªstrands of gelled sauce-noodles coated in pasta breadcrumbs. It worked surprisingly well and got satisfied nods all around. As for critique, it was sparse in the moment. Most of the chefs didn¡¯t want to wait around and hear it, rushing on to their next dish. But those that did didn¡¯t get much from the boys, just general approval or slightly downturned or disapproving faces. If they stuck around longer than that, Phon would give a general critique, usually something having too much/little salt or seasoning or being under/overcooked. And if they hadn¡¯t already gotten their morale destroyed by that point and were still loitering, Mallea would begin picking their dish apart, inadequacy by inadequacy. A lot of it was just pulling hairs, but she had a way of expressing her disapproval as if the entire dish was ruined because of a mistake unnoticeable to most. It really drove the point home to the chefs, and most chose to abandon any judgment after that¡ªserving their dishes and retreating immediately. To much of the chefs¡¯ chagrin, none of them got any feedback whatsoever from Kada¡ªthe one they were most looking to impress. She was far too absorbed in cleaning her plate every single time, far behind the others in the eating and judging process. And as the meals kept coming, the slower she ate, a bit of a noticeable bulge forming in her stomach by the end. ¡°So why are you so insistent on finishing each dish?¡± Chorus came over to ask her at one point. ¡°Well, if they¡¯re going to be working here, I need to be evaluating the entire meal,¡± Kada explained. ¡°Not just a few bites. Is the first bite as good as the last? Do you get sick of it by the end? Is the portion too small? It¡¯s all important! And if someone makes me food, I¡¯m going to clean my plate, Cosdamnit! Anything else is just disrespectful.¡± And one chef paid respect to her decision, holding up the entire competition. She didn¡¯t serve her dessert until Kada had finished everyone else''s, giving her time to eat and enjoy them properly¡ªwith a few breaks for digestion and stomach medicine. ¡°This dish is best served fresh, right out of the freezer,¡± she insisted when asked about the holdup. Everyone stared with intrigue as the dessert was swirled into cups before them. The chef was good with her technique as well, the dish looking like a crystal-clear unicorn horn. Most of them guessed that it was an icicle, looking like it would be hard and unpleasant to eat, and also impossible with the provided spoon. Instead of a hard clink, the spoon glided through the clear spiral smoothly, even softer than everyday ice cream. The texture was about the same, maybe a bit more rigid, but in essence it really was just a completely clear ice cream. There wasn¡¯t as much flavor, mostly just sweet, but it was unbelievably refreshing¡ªthe perfect dessert after a long day out in the sun. The chefs were taken backstage for a break while the judges deliberated. ¡°Well this is annoying, it¡¯s split across the board,¡± Xard had been keeping track of everyone¡¯s opinions. ¡°Yeah, they were all good, so it¡¯s just coming down to splitting hairs over preferences,¡± Drim reaffirmed. ¡°Except for Mallea.¡± ¡°What can I say,¡± she leaned back in her chair with a shrug. ¡°Mediocrity in every direction. None of them were particularly outstanding to me, except for some flares of creativity.¡± ¡°I hate to say it,¡± Phon really hated to say it, ¡°but I think we need to leave the final decision to Kada. They were all good, and would all be fine restaurants for this place, so the owner should have the final say.¡± ¡°That does sound like the fairest decision at this point,¡± Xard had to agree. ¡°You¡¯re welcome to take our opinions into consideration, Kada, but we¡¯ll be happy with whatever you decide.¡± The owner, with a big decision to make, exaggeratedly stroked her chin in thought for a few moments and then declared, ¡°I¡¯ve made up my mind. You can send them back in!¡± Chorus directed the showrunners, and the chefs lined up in front of the judges table. ¡°You!¡± Kada¡¯s finger quickly landed on one of the chefs after Chorus had declared that there¡¯d been enough built suspense. There were looks of confusion and surprise from the other judges, since this person had been the overall lowest of their shared opinions. It was the chef that had served the odd dissolving salad. He took a step forward, smirking to himself as he knew it would be him all along. ¡°Yeah, no, you lose. Get out. None of your food tasted bad, but it was all just weird to eat. Might be good for a gimmick, but if I ate a meal at your restaurant, I¡¯d just leave confused instead of satisfied. Try your luck in Shindig.¡± ¡°The rest of you, though, they were all great, and I enjoyed them all to the end. You can all have restaurants here!¡± There was massive applause from the audience and confetti rained down from the ceiling¡ªfake confetti made of light to save the pain of cleanup. If you spot this story on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation. ¡°Wow, what a wild competition!¡± Chorus took over presenting once more. ¡°Even I didn¡¯t see that coming, especially since there¡¯s not enough spots for 9 more restaurants. But oh well, they¡¯ll just have to build more!¡± ¡°And although the main competition is over, the show isn¡¯t!¡± The camera spun to get the judges reactions, who clearly weren¡¯t notified ahead of time in that regard. ¡°You see¡¡± Chorus walked over to their table. ¡°We have two lovely ladies here whose very existence centers around cooking, whether they enjoy it for themselves or not.¡± ¡°It would be an utter shame to not let them flex their prowess, especially since they just talked so much zjik in their critiques. And the biggest shame is for our studio audience. They just had to watch you all eat so much delicious food but didn¡¯t get a morsel for themselves. I bet you all are hungry, right? Let me hear just how much!¡± A roar of cheers bombarded the stage from the crowd. ¡°You two wouldn¡¯t be so callous as to let our guests go hungry, would you?¡± The host eyed them directly. ¡°So if you¡¯d be so kind as to join me on the stage for one final competition!¡± Both women looked to Drim, their eyes pleading for an out to not actually have to go through with this. But the boy only gave a slight shrug and nod to the stage to encourage them. ¡°This competition will be a little different,¡± Chorus stood in front of the cooking stations that had been left out once the women had joined them. ¡°There¡¯s no point in making you two fight it out over cooking since you already do that almost every day. The audience surely is sick of seeing that pointless bickering.¡± ¡°So for a real challenge, we¡¯re going to have the two of you work together! Through your efforts combined, you must create one single dish to serve to the entire audience. We won¡¯t be picking a winner, as it¡¯d be impossible to measure, but we¡¯ll all know who contributed the most, won¡¯t we? There may be no winners, but you¡¯ll know yourselves who the loser is. Will it be you?¡± ¡°So give it your all. Oh and one final caveat. We¡¯ve cleaned up the dishes at these stations for you, but as you can see, there¡¯s plenty of leftover ingredients. We don¡¯t want to be wasteful, so the dish must be entirely made from what you can scavenge. This would normally result in something mediocre, but I¡¯m sure the two of you can make something delicious, if you¡¯re actually good at cooking, that is.¡± ¡°Now since this competition is all about cooperation, how about starting it out with a nice friendly handshake?¡± Both women didn¡¯t oblige right away. Instead, they scanned the area, taking stock of what they had to work with at a glance. ¡°Well, with dregs and a lot of people to feed, that only leaves one viable option,¡± Phon quickly worked it out and then held out her hand. Mallea reached out and grabbed it for a shake. ¡°Stew.¡± ¡°Stew.¡± Phon nodded in confirmation and then they shook, but then neither of them let go. ¡°And since we both know that the broth is the most important part, I¡¯ll go ahead and start on that.¡± ¡°Not a chance,¡± Mallea immediately refused, tightening her grip. ¡°That should be left to the professional, since as you said, it is the most important. Someone like you is more suited to prepping the meat and vegetables.¡± ¡°Ah, but see that¡¯s where your unique skills would come into play,¡± Phon protested. ¡°You would certainly make them far more uniform and evenly cut than I ever could. Meanwhile, making the broth is just stirring. Any simpleton can do it.¡± ¡°Thank you for the compliment,¡± that only made Mallea smile with even more ferocity. ¡°But the benefit of stew is that everything doesn¡¯t need to be even and uniform. Each bite is a new surprise, so I think you¡¯ll be perfect. Get it all done and then we can possibly consider any additions you¡¯d want to make. Sound fair?¡± ¡°Fine,¡± Phon jerked her hand away and then walked away with a devilish sneer. She scrounged around the tables, picking out any suiting ingredients that would be in good condition. After she had a tub full of vegetables, she brought them over to the same station that Mallea was using and began peeling¡ªmaking sure to get as close to the woman as possible, forcing herself into her line of sight.¡± ¡°Whoops,¡± Phon cried as insincerely as possible when she carved out a huge chunk of potato. ¡°Oh no, how clumsy of me,¡± the peeling got even worse. ¡°Wow, there¡¯s going to be barely any left for the strew. Unless you think they¡¯re fine with these long shavings.¡± ¡°Ugh, switch with me,¡± Mallea yoinked the peeler out of Phon¡¯s hands and began meticulously and perfectly preparing the vegetables. Phon moved over to the broth, took a sip, winced, and immediately began making modifications. After letting it simmer a bit, she began adding the ingredients as Mallea prepared them, but quickly outpaced her. So, she got bored and began wandering around to the stations again. There were a few spices she¡¯d overlooked on her first pass that she made sure to grab. ¡°Huh, interesting,¡± something stopped her in her tracks. ¡°There¡¯s a bunch of already-proofed dough here. Guess one of the chefs decided against using it. Hmm, we could possibly make bread bowls or rolls to go with the stew.¡± ¡°Breadsticks,¡± Mallea called back to her. ¡°We don¡¯t know what kind of dough that is or how well it will bake. But the texture doesn¡¯t matter as much with breadsticks since they can dunk them in the stew. And they¡¯re simple enough that even you can make them.¡± Phon didn¡¯t deign that with a response, but she brought back the dough and began shaping it into sticks. Once Mallea finished up chopping the meat, she seared it a bit before putting it into the stew to really let it cook. There ended up being so much that they had to divide it up into several giant pots, but that meant the audience could eat their fill. Stomachs started to rumble around the room to the point that Chrous began playing some background music to drown it out. There wasn¡¯t much to distract them at this point since it basically just turned into a waiting game. Kada even came up at one point to ask if they needed a taste tester¡ªsomehow still having any room. Eventually, Drim and Xard had to intervene, as the cooperative cooking devolved into a war of spices. Both Mallea and Phon kept adding tiny dashes of spice to try and correct the other¡¯s changes. The boys dragged them away and Chorus did a taste test themselves to make sure it was adequate. After dishing themselves out a bowl, they gave the okay for the stagehands to begin serving the crowd as the women were taken off the stage kicking and screaming, spice raining out of the shakers in their hands. ¡°What a lovely meal!¡± Chorus took a bite on camera after everyone had been served. ¡°Don¡¯t you agree, everyone?!¡± the most cheers of the day erupted from the crowd. ¡°Thank you for watching everyone and tune in next year, maybe, possibly, if there¡¯s restaurant space or some other prize if we do this again. For the Second Annual Mermaid¡¯s Reef Supper Showdown!¡± V4: Chapter 6 - Forced Enjoyment | Part 5.1 - Conventional Fun ¡°Welcome to FiendCon 3!¡± Valen, who was wearing a pair of Pox ears, greeted them with vigor after the group stepped out of her portal on the last day. On cue, a giant banner unfurled behind her over the convention center. ¡°I know what you¡¯re all thinking: Wasn¡¯t Fiendcon 2 just recently? Yes, yes it was. But once the organizers heard that you all would be participating, they managed to scrape it together and get the word out in just over a week!¡± ¡°No, I was thinking what the hell is Fiendcon,¡± Phon was annoyed already but then her eyes drifted over to Drim and Xard. ¡°Seriously, what the hell is it¡?¡± her interest and bewilderment only grew when she saw the distress in both of their faces. ¡°Oh yeah, I heard about this!¡± Kada at least somewhat knew. ¡°Only found out about the second one after it had ended, or I totally would have gone. Been to a few conventions before, but none like this. The uhhh, convention center looks a bit shabby, though. Wait, are we in Shindig? This place looks like a rundown warehouse compared to the rest.¡± ¡°Yes, this was one of the buildings destroyed in the recent Mam-moth attack,¡± Valen informed them. ¡°The owners gave us a steep discount since we¡¯re probably the only business they¡¯ll have until they open again in full. But the outside doesn¡¯t matter. All the fun is indoors. So let¡¯s get going!¡± The Fiends were not ready for the deafening screams and applause when they rounded the corner. Someone in the crowd pointed them out and they got a bit rambunctious to say the least. The doors hadn¡¯t been opened yet, so they were all still waiting to be let in, and it was more fans than any of them ever could have anticipated¡ªexcept for Phon who had already taken a peek. Still, the Fiends all became a bit overwhelmed even though the day was just beginning. Certainly, there¡¯d been a surge in popularity of their group, mostly due to Chorus¡¯ efforts, though they¡¯d prefer to believe it was due to the Fiends For Hire¡¯s hard work and good deeds. The fact that there were this many overeager and zealous supporters was staggering. Tons of them were dressed in cosplay¡ªCountless Drims and Xards. There were a few less Phons and Kadas, probably because their outfits were a bit more revealing and the season was only just starting to warm up. Some of the other Fiends For Hire members could be spotted throughout the crowd, though not nearly as many as the main four. There were also a few Jaids and at least one Dura to represent the Central Peace. It didn¡¯t look like anyone had a full Alk cosplay, mostly because her outfit was quite impractical to most, though there were a few black masks to showcase her in spirit. Unfortunately for Creti, it was hard to discern if someone was trying to look like her or was just so poor that they only had rags to wear. In addition, some seemed to be putting their own spin on Fiends. A few appeared to be taking a more monstrous inspiration of those that already existed while others were cosplaying as their own original Fiends¡ªhair and eye color combinations that had never been seen before. If someone actually was a Fiend, it¡¯d be a good place to hideout in plain sight. The chaos that swelled seemed to be getting a bit over rowdy. And the barriers¡ªwhich thankfully there were barriers protecting the Fiends from the crowd¡ªbegan to shake from the fans getting restless. Security stepped forward to try and calm things down to little success. ¡°Oh, you should put up a vine barrier, Drim,¡± Valen suggested. ¡°Block them from seeing us so they calm down.¡± ¡°Wouldn¡¯t that be kind of rude?¡± he had to ask. ¡°Since they are here to see us after all.¡± ¡°Nah, they¡¯ll love it,¡± she convinced him. ¡°And it¡¯ll be good proof that you all are the real deal. Wouldn¡¯t be surprised if some of them are still trying to figure out if you¡¯re well dressed fakes.¡± Drim held out his hands and countless strands of vines rushed over to the barriers. They latched on and built a wall that completely obscured them from the crowd¡¯s view. ¡°What the heck did you do?¡± Xard asked when the crowd, which they now couldn¡¯t see, got even wilder. ¡°Oh, I added some of my usual roses on the other side that they could pluck as souvenirs,¡± he mentioned. ¡°In hindsight, I now realize that it may have been a bad idea.¡± ¡°Well, there¡¯s still some time before opening, so let¡¯s get you all inside,¡± Valen ushered them towards the side door. ¡°Go ahead and go through security, and I¡¯ll meet you all in just one second. After I get one of those roses!¡± ¡°Hmm, that¡¯s some impressive security,¡± Xard admired the machine that they walked through after Valen caught up with them. ¡°It even found Phon¡¯s hidden baby knife.¡± ¡°Ahh, yes, that was definitely something vital,¡± Valen nodded. ¡°We can¡¯t exactly discern the good from the bad. So at a venue with so many wanted criminals, we have to keep further criminals from infiltrating the place while also keeping the criminals inside safe from bounty hunters and law enforcement. We won¡¯t ask you all to surrender your weapons, though.¡± ¡°And more importantly, you may have also noticed a bit of mist floating about in the scanner. Should be fairly undetectable unless you know what you¡¯re looking for, which is good because some attendees would refuse if they noticed. That¡¯s a deodorizer. So if you didn¡¯t take a shower this morning, no one should know. Trust me, you¡¯ll be thankful later.¡± ¡°Now, your days aren¡¯t too busy. We wanted to give you time and walk around so you could enjoy the event too. You guys will be the opening panel in the biggest room. Since it¡¯s already full to the brim with reservations, we¡¯ll be broadcasting it around the center for everyone to see who can¡¯t attend.¡± ¡°What, you want us to like present or something?!¡± Kada started to panic. ¡°But I don¡¯t have anything prepared. Ahhhh, I haven¡¯t had nightmares like this since back in high school.¡± ¡°No need to worry about that,¡± Valen assured them. ¡°You¡¯re welcome to talk about anything you want, but we have a few other presentations in mind. For you all, it will mostly be Q&A at the end that will take up the majority of the time. So let¡¯s get you back to the yellow room before people start flooding in.¡± ¡ô¡ô¡ô The Greaters hung around backstage, relaxing and noshing on the provided snacks. The organizers decided not to bring them out on the stage right away at the start of the panel since it¡¯d just cause the audience to get restless and disinterested while the other speakers were presenting. But the group still got to watch what was happening on a monitor in the yellow room. Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon. ¡°Greetings everyone and welcome to Fiendcon 3!¡± Valen began the panel. ¡°I know it was short notice, so I want to thank you all for such an amazing turnout. Without a doubt, this will be the best Fiendcon yet!¡± ¡°Before we go any further, we do need to lay some additional ground rules since we do have a lot more Fiends on site than at previous events. Most of them are common sense, but sometimes you have to reinforce the basics.¡± ¡°First and most importantly, the Fiends are here at our behest, but please understand that they do not owe us or you anything. I¡¯m sure most of them will try to make your experience here as memorable as possible.¡± ¡°But if they get annoyed or upset, they are welcome to leave, and we won¡¯t try to stop them. So please be on your best behavior. Don¡¯t ask anything of them that you yourself wouldn¡¯t want. Definitely don¡¯t try to goad or attack them because you think they¡¯ll be fine. And certainly don¡¯t touch them in any way without their permission. That¡¯s more for your safety than theirs.¡± ¡°If they don¡¯t want to answer your question or complete your request, they don¡¯t have to. Just because they¡¯re Fiends, some of you might have forgotten that they¡¯re still people and not animals at the zoo for you to gawk at. They can get uncomfortable and have their feelings strained just like everyone else.¡± ¡°I know this because I myself just recently turned into a Fiend, and I wake up everyday feeling just the same as I did when I was a human. So that brings us to the panel, and allow me to reintroduce myself. I am Valen, The Boyslove Bloodletter, a Fiend who just recently joined the Fiends For Hire.¡± ¡°And I would like to talk just a bit about my experience with them so far. I am not a traditional member. Instead, I work in the science department. I¡¯m sure a few of you all have already read about my circumstances in joining, about the fun day I had kidnapping Drim and Xard which has led to my lifelong servitude.¡± ¡°But, just because I am a member now, do not expect me to be spilling all their secrets. In a first for the group, I was actually hit by a Drazah Demand from Drim to not share anything confidential. Either speaking aloud or writing it on one of the forums online, I physically can¡¯t do it.¡± ¡°It¡¯s certainly for the best, since I have a certain reputation among the community about being a bit of a blather mouth, and I¡¯m terrible at keeping secrets. But because of that, you can be assured that anything I say is the genuine truth, and that there won¡¯t be any repercussions of me saying it.¡± ¡°I know most of you didn¡¯t believe me at the last Fiendcon, and unfortunately, I can¡¯t actually use my Curse as proof. As a surprising side effect of the demand, I¡¯m not allowed to actually discuss the nature of my Curse anymore, as even that would be telling of some confidential facets. Some of you may remember bits of it, and I would ask that you keep them to yourselves, but I understand that the speculation mill will do what it will, so you¡¯ll probably have a good idea soon enough.¡± ¡°So anyways, my first few days were a lot of tests, mostly judging the limits of my Curse. After that, I was released into the care of the science department, mainly Ahvra as my direct supervisor. She hasn¡¯t been quite what I expected. Sure she¡¯s short, both physically and with her words, but she¡¯s far more compassionate and considerate than I¡¯m sure any of us realized.¡± ¡°Sadly, she¡¯s not here today at the convention, so you¡¯ll just have to take my word for it. But she¡¯s almost taken on like a mentor role for me¡ªvery patient and willing to explain things when I make mistakes. She says that they¡¯re just variables to change instead of anything I need to fret over. I have been dissected a few times, but it¡¯s honestly not bad at all once you get over the mental hurdle.¡± ¡°She¡¯ll probably hit me for saying this, but I¡¯ve come to think of her like a big sister, and I think she¡¯s reciprocated, and probably welcomes it because Andi has mostly transitioned under Farian¡¯s care. So I think she¡¯s just been a bit lonely.¡± ¡°And Farian and Andi have been great as well, and are here today, by the way. They¡¯re usually up in the clinic, so I don¡¯t see them much during the day, but we hang out quite a bit in the lounge of the secret lab after hours. It¡¯s been a lot of fun, like being back in college with roommates again. Though, they go out a lot on their own.¡± ¡°Honestly, I think they may actually be dating. They¡¯ve never said as much in confirmation, but there¡¯s plenty of signs. We may actually have our first official FFH couple! Shoutout to the Fariandi squad for calling it first!¡± There were a few woos in the crowd. ¡°And before you ask, since I was able to mention it, the secret lab isn¡¯t really confidential anymore. Definitely one of the worst kept secrets like the CP headquarters. Of course, I can¡¯t actually tell you anything about how it¡¯s accessed.¡± ¡°Anyways, as for Nathym, I actually haven¡¯t seen him around much at all. He¡¯s been out working on some big project I can¡¯t talk about. But when I do see him, he¡¯s friendly enough, but avoids getting too close to me because of his condition. Yup, I can confirm that to everyone, but he just has to know it makes us want to write about him even more!¡± ¡°So anyways, my time there. My day to day is pretty routine, lots of experiments, lots of waiting around, not the glamorous dream most people have of the Fiends For Hire. However, I have free reign of the compound and can come and go as I please as long as I show up for work.¡± ¡°The place really is everything like we¡¯ve imagined. I¡¯ll be posting a lot of pictures soon, once they¡¯ve been approved¡ªgot in trouble for that already¡ªsince I know the bits that people really want to see. And just being around them has been amazing. Pretty sure the other members find me creepy since I just kind of lurk and don¡¯t say too much¡ªjust so starstruck¡ªbut it¡¯s getting better.¡± ¡°And even though I¡¯m not a full member, they let me take the ranking tests since I wanted to witness them first hand. These aren¡¯t confidential, but they haven¡¯t really released all the details, so I¡¯ll clarify some things.¡± ¡°First of all, yup, that¡¯s lube on the first two tests. I didn¡¯t have to interact with it at all on the first test, but I found out personally on the second when I was knocked into it by Nachi. That wasn¡¯t a fun rest of the day since she didn¡¯t let me do anything about it until after the third test, but that was no issue.¡± ¡°I still haven¡¯t attempted the fourth yet since I¡¯d have to do it over the weekend, and I can¡¯t use it as an excuse to miss work. Plus, the wild has never been my favorite thing. I need to figure out the best way to use my Curse and a plan of attack before even attempting it. If I do make more advancements, I¡¯ll be sure to post about it.¡± ¡°Now I have actually done two real missions¡ªone by choice. It was to transport a witness in protective custody stealthily across the continent, something my Curse is quite suited for. That was so thrilling and went off without a hitch, probably because I¡¯m so unknown as a Fiend so far.¡± ¡°The second mission was a punishment for posting a photo I didn¡¯t have permission to post of the secret lab. I thought it wasn¡¯t anything serious, but apparently there was part of a scientific formula in the background that¡¯s confidential, so they had to use their resources to scrub it from the bowels of the internet. And let me just say, if you have a copy of it somewhere, post it at your own risk.¡± ¡°It was definitely an oopsie on my part, and I accepted my punishment with grace. The mission was to clean the sewer system of Bisomote¡ªas far from glamorous as you can get. But it wasn¡¯t too bad. Thanks to some remote assistance from The Beacon, I got it done pretty quickly. Can¡¯t quite say how she helped me, but it would have been so much worse without her.¡± ¡°And just a shoutout to The Beacon, by the way. I can understand why she wasn¡¯t allowed into the Fiends For Hire, but she does some good work out there. And she¡¯s always willing to help out anyone, especially Fiends, or Cosmos¡¯ Chosen as she calls them. Really a good soul that I feel is underappreciated in the Fiend community, probably because of so few interactions.¡± ¡°Anyways, that¡¯s been my story so far. It¡¯s only getting started, but I won¡¯t take up any more of your time, so we can get to what you¡¯re really here for. That said, I¡¯ll be walking around after this, so feel free to approach me with any questions you have. But let¡¯s go ahead and move on to our next speaker! V4: Chapter 6 - Forced Enjoyment | Part 5.2 - Conventional Fun Deborah was the first presenter. She mostly just gave out a bunch of numbers, like how many jobs they¡¯d done, completion rates, average time it takes, etc. For the Fiends in the yellow room, it sounded like just another boring meeting to them, but the fans listening were deeply enthralled. ¡°That is only just a taste,¡± Deborah gave them a teaser. ¡°If you¡¯d like to hear more, you can come to my panel later today called ¡®Being a Human in the Fiends For Hire¡¯. I¡¯ll be joined by the other human staff members as we discuss our times there, and go deep into the business side of things as well as dealing with self-imposed inadequacy.¡± She got quite the round of applause as she exited the stage. ¡°Now before we move on, we have a brief interstitial!¡± Valen informed the audience, and two of her portals made of Phon¡¯s blood appeared. Fortunately, they wouldn¡¯t know the truth behind it, and would just think of them as regular portals¡ªno idea how they were made. A small train rolled across the stage, Rishaki sitting as the conductor. Behind her on the train cars were priceless antiques, pottery, and jewelry that were all well protected in glass cases. ¡°Ahaha, you poor people,¡± she didn¡¯t hold back. ¡°Look at all this wealth and wonderful trinkets being a Fiend has gotten me. Stolen by the Fiends For Hire, or swindled from fools like you.¡± ¡°All of it is for me, and none of it is for you!¡± Rishaki gave a piercing haughty laugh. ¡°Well maybe I am feeling a bit generous. Sometimes you just need to share your wealth, let the people know what they¡¯re missing, so they can aspire to something even greater!¡± She picked up a small chest, flipped the lid, and aimed the opening towards the crowd. A confetti of knick knacks poured out and rained over the room. There were antique coins, jewels, rings, anything small enough to be of value that one could fit easily into their pocket. The bits that could be sharp or dangerous were pre-wrapped in bubble packaging so the audience wouldn¡¯t be hurt by the rain of rarities. In truth, it must have mostly been junk in Rishaki¡¯s eyes¡ªthings she viewed as worthless or had too much of and was probably planning to throw away. This was an easy way to relocate it to someone who would truly value it, and give the Fiendcon goers an invaluable memory. Those who presented themselves as the most selfish often had the most generous hearts among the group. ¡°I hope you all enjoyed that surprise!¡± Valen waved the train goodbye. ¡°Our next speaker is Tize Scound. The newest general of the group and the only reported case of a Lesser turning into a Fiend after the fact.¡± Tize came on and spoke for a bit. He retold the story about the Wowl and how he¡¯d turned into a Fiend, since that was what most of the audience wanted to hear. But he also delved into the differences between military and mercenary life and what it had been like shifting his lifestyle when he joined the Fiends For Hire. The audience listened intently, and he probably could have hosted an entire panel on his own. ¡°Now without further ado, and what you¡¯ve all been waiting for, the four Greater Fiends of the Fiends For Hire!¡± The applause as they took the stage was unruly to the point that it almost looked like their hands would break or bleed from non stop clapping, or their vocal cords would strain or tear from all the cheering and hollering. ¡°Hey Drim, you should do the thing or this will just keep happening.¡± ¡°Ugh, really?¡± Drim groaned as he took his seat. ¡°Fine,¡± he conceded when it really didn¡¯t stop. ?Settle down.? A wave of calm and quiet washed over the crowd, and they all sat unmoving and orderly in their seats as if they¡¯d be scolded if they moved an inch out of line. But that didn¡¯t remove the smiles from their faces. ¡°So here¡¯s how this will go,¡± Valen of course took the role as moderator. ¡°We have a few mics set up around the room. If you have a question, go ahead and line up at one of the stands and we¡¯ll rotate the turn order. Try to keep your questions as simple and short as possible with a clear path to an answer¡ªno hypotheticals, riddles, or anything that takes a lot of thought.¡± ¡°We want to get through as many questions as possible within the time. If I believe your question is out of line or doesn¡¯t follow the guidelines, I will have it skipped, but the Greaters are allowed to skip them as well if they wish. If your question is rejected, sorry, but you¡¯ll have to return to your seat. No arguing, no second chances, no takebacksies. Alright, first question!¡±
| Fiends For Hire Job Report | Job No. 082492 | ||
| Status: Completed | Date Received: 1/1/2079 | Date Accepted: 1/4/2079 | Date Completed: 4/20/2079 |
| Client: Callum Briz, Vice-Representatative of Regend | Reward: As much as I can leverage from the outsourcing budget. Minimum $50,000 Commons. Post-Job Additional Reward: 7% of silver sales. | ||
| Original Request: Greetings, Fiends For Hire. I¡¯m one of Regend¡¯s Vice-Reps, Callum Briz. There¡¯s a certain prison in our country where Lessers have been going missing and returned in ill-form. I¡¯d like your group to infiltrate the prison under-cover and obtain any evidence of wrong-doing. | |||
Requirements for Completion:
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Job accepted by:
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Additional Notes:
(Itsy) Wonder if they got prisons made for big people. That whole dang place was too small and weak. After I broke my bed twice they just left my mattress on the floor. Disrespectful and uncomfortable.
(Kaizu) After seeing what my life could lead to if I ever got caught, I will now strive to be a better person. At working even harder to not get caught. I don¡¯t mind the Fiends For Hire prison, but that existence was just miserable.
(Crucion) Happy to have been included on the mission, but I think I¡¯ll stick to my usual job for a while. Mallea has been working me to death to make up for all the time I missed.
(Gatrim) All evidence has been compiled and submitted. It¡¯s out of our hands. We can only hope that it will lead to proper change.
(Gatrim) Update as of 5/24/2079: I have included the report from our requestor below, verbatim. Greetings, Fiends For Hire. I am skirting protocol to provide you with this information, but I believe it is well deserved. Thanks to the evidence you¡¯ve submitted, all culpable guards and administrative staff have been caught and prosecuted. Part of the prison had to be temporarily shut-down due to staffing issues, minor structural damage, and the extraction efforts of the mine, but it should be back up and running at full capacity next month. The rights to the mine itself were claimed by the Regend government. Repairs to the prison will be paid directly out of this fund, along with reparations to the Lesser Fiends who were forced into labor and poor conditions. Additionally, a small percentage of the silver sales will be included in your reward until the mine is depleted. I hope this is a sufficient reward for all that you¡¯ve done and that the Fiends For Hire and the country of Regend can have an amicable business relationship moving forward. Thank you for all your hard work, Callum Briz, Vice-Representatative of Regend (Roque) The guy I planted is now Vice-captain of the guards. Do I know how to place people or what? |
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| Fiends For Hire Job Report | Job No. 339919 | ||
| Status: Completed | Date Received: 2/34/2081 | Date Accepted: 9/10/2081 | Date Completed: 10/8/2081 |
| Client: The Angler, CEO of Smooth Shores, and Chairman of Weathered Woods Academy | Reward: Full year¡¯s teaching salary for teaching one course and access to a new line of unreleased products. | ||
| Original Request: Slayer, I would like to request your expertise for a non-traditional job. For however much time you could spare, ideally a month or more, I would like you to become a teacher at my academy and help the students break through to their full potential. It can fully work around your schedule, and you can teach the course however you wish. Please reach out to me for further discussion. | |||
Requirements for Completion:
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Job accepted by:
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| Additional Notes: (Drim) Not a bad group of kids. I don¡¯t think I¡¯d be opposed to the idea of teaching again, but it might be nice to have a bit more time so I wouldn¡¯t have to be so crude and rush to whip them into shape. (Phon) I think your teaching methods were spot on. Those kids needed to be hit with hard reality. It was fun to watch. (Kada) Wish you¡¯d let us know further ahead of time about this because I totally would have come along! This time I think I would have taught creative writing. (Xard) There¡¯s no way you would have managed to clear your schedule for a month, Kada, and I doubt they even teach such a course at a Monster Hunting academy. But I do agree it would have been nice to know. Glad to hear that Kleff and Jordi are doing well, even if I still can¡¯t wrap my head around how they ended up there. (Jaid) I met with that Hagath girl during my time as a substitute. Turns out she was actually a squire at Guzrinn before the king dissolved the peerage! Good eye Drim! Though she only joined after my departure. And she was one of those we watched in the recent knight games with her helmet always on. She came in third. It was fun to reminisce about the old days of the country. I wish her well. (Andi) Encroaching on my territory now, are we? | |||