Chapter 6

The Mass Murder at Dionaea Salon and Spa 1

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1 Week Later

Hero Alliance Academy

After School

Detention Hall

Theodore Lorne has always believed in the idea that ‘A person is free to do whatever he/she wants as long as he/she suffers all the consequences’.

Everyone was responsible for all the choices they make.

With this logic, it was inevitable for Theo would find himself in detention after skipping 3 days of school without any excuse while he went on a high stake heist against Vermilion City’s most powerful criminal organization.

While the 250000 Rooks payoff was mouth wateringly big, minus 11000 Rooks to pay off his debt and an additional 1000 Rooks expense for the doctors ‘information fee’, Theo was left with 238000 Rooks.

It was still pretty big!

Was it worth the 1 month daily detention?

ABSOLUTELY!

Theo couldn’t help but snicker every time he thought of the small fortune he had safely tucked away in his hideout.

While it would be wise to deposit in a bank, Theo decided against it for now. Banks left a trail of money that forensic accountants could use as clues.

He wasn’t sure how much of a shit storm Diego and him created after their heist, but the logical decision was to lay low and hide for the meantime. If the Triad was looking for their 500000 Rooks, the first thing they would probably do was to check if anyone deposited a large sack of cash in any banks

Thus Theo’s no bank policy.

He’ll probably invest it somewhere sometime in the future.

For now, detention.

The HAA style of detention was easy to understand.

Those under probation was to spend both recess and lunch in the detention hall where they were provided with sub par meals while eating in an extremely boring room under the watchful eye of ‘The Man’.

At the end of the school day, they were ‘encouraged’ to attend a special lecture by a volunteer teacher that was meant to ‘set them straight’ or whatever. These special lectures varied greatly from community service to mind breakingly boring speeches.

In Theo’s case, 3 days of unexplained absences landed him a 1 detention lasting an entire month.

Excessive?

Theo initially thought it was before he realized that this was another one of those schemes the HAA staff made to earn some cookie points with him.

The first noticeable ‘kindness’ was the food.

Theo has prior experience of the life in detention, thus he could say with complete certainty that the food he got was light years better this time around.

Ever tasted a cardboard box?

That was exactly what the eraser bar looking thing that was served to those in detention tasted like.

Just to be clear though, those eraser bars were actually very healthy. Those were prototypes of combat rations and the HAA were using the rulebreakers as their taste testers.

A surprisingly proper way to make use of headaches. Even Theo was impressed.

Unlike the cardboard box eraser bars of the past, Theo’s eraser bars actually tasted good. Theo was shocked how the eraser bars tasted like hamburgers.

Theo decided right then and there to research a means to make his ‘tastes like nothing’ energy bars actually something he would enjoy eating.

The second and most noticeable act of ‘kindness’ from the HAA was Theo’s after class detention ‘lecturer’ (torturer).

Normally, they would assign someone the student cant stand in order to dissuade the youth from repeating the offense unless they want to spend more time with their assigned ‘lecturer’

This was not the case for Theo.

The lecturer assigned to Theo was someone he would gladly learn from. It was Miss Samantha the Lunch Lady.

“Hey Kiddo. Long time no see” said Miss Samantha as she walked in the room.

Relief and joy spread throughout Theo’s face as Miss Samantha entered the room. He was expecting that asshole gym teacher to be his lecturer like last time. The lunch lady’s face was enough to relieve all the tension Theo had bottled inside him.

For the last few days, Theo wasn’t required to attend the after school torture session. The reasoning was that the HAA couldnt find anyone with a free schedule.

It was bullshit since Theo knew that the number of sadistic assholes in the school’s teaching staff greatly outnumbered those in detention.

In a sense, HAA’s method of disciplining malcontents was very effective. Since every lecturer was specifically chosen to piss you off, no one wanted to experience it after the first time.

“I assume that you know what’s the reasoning behind why I’m here.” Said Miss Samantha.

“Yeah, more or less. The HAA bastards are trying to sell me favors. I wish they just ask me what they want up front. That way, I can reject them immediately” replied Theo

“I see you took my words seriously, Kiddo. Remember, interaction with those who are in a higher position than you must be taken with a ton of salt. Trust is not earned but gained, and they have done very little to earn yours.” Said Miss Samantha

Miss Samantha’s training was mostly about how to control people. This could be either in peace or in combat and it can be achieved by many means.

“Amen to that Maam. By the way, are we going to continue on my training? I only have 1 week under my belt after all. It’s a shame if I don’t learn from you while I still can.” Said Theo

Theo’s experience at the Black Bible Incident showed him how powerful controlling his enemy’s emotions was.

Maam Samantha called it the ‘Lord of Terror’ strategy. And yes, it was a very cheesy name.

A sound of a coin here, a tense atmosphere there, a headless body on the side and some jump scares was what he used in order to equalize being outnumbered and outgunned.

Apparently, Crow was a master of this particular technique.

“Well, that would be a yes and a no” said Miss Samantha

This made Theo very anxious.

What did she mean by ‘yes and no’?

This phrase confused the hell out of Theo

Miss Samantyha may have the face of a motherly woman but Theo knew well that underneath the façade was a calculating, cold and cruel woman.

She’d probably screw Theo over in a heartbeat if she viewed him as an eyesore.

As the unofficial holder of the ‘strongest in HAA’, Miss Samantha’s vague words were enough to make Theo sweat bullets.

“Err… what do you mean by that?” said Theo while desperately trying to keep his voice and face as calm as possible.

And as expected of the master of the poker face, Miss Samantha saw though Theo in a heartbeat.

“Hahaha. No need to be nervous. This is more of a business transaction than anything. I ask for a favor, and in return, I give you my wisdom along with a fair bit of ‘bonuses’ depending on your performance” said Miss Samantha.

Theo couldn’t help but sigh in resignation.

He was foolish to think that him, an amateur bullshiter, could possibly mislead a master bullshiter like Miss Samantha.

Seeing how he would be seen through no matter what he did, Theo decided to abandon his calm façade.

“D-do I have a choice?” asked Theo nervously

“Of course. While I will still teach you my ways, I think giving you a chance to earn money and power at the side while you help accomplish my goals is a very good deal for both of us” said Miss Samantha.

“I see…. I cant say I’m not interested given how good your sales pitch was. But what can I do? I’m just kid that can make stuff. If you want someone to help you, wouldn’t asking someone from the Hero division be the proper course of action?” asked Theo

“If my goal could be solved by brute strength alone, I would have done exactly that. But that’s not what I need. What I need is someone with equal parts of charm, kindness, cunning and cruelty. Crow was supposed to be my prime candidate, but her idiotic ‘thou shall not kill’ mantra made her useless. A waste of 5 years of my life, that’s what that girl is.” Said Miss Samantha with a clear hint of anger in her voice.

“I see… but there are still a lot of people better equipped for the job than a frail human like me.” Replied Theo.

While Theo was indeed interested in working with Miss Samantha in whatever her goal was, his gut instinct was telling him that something was amiss. He wasn’t sure if Miss Samantha’s job was beneficial or harmful to him, thus his reluctance to say yes

If he could shift her interest to someone else, he might be able to get a spectator’s view as to what Miss Samantha was planning.

“You? Frail? I think the slaughter you and Mr. Diego unleashed on the triad would speak volumes of your ability for death and destruction. And besides, if you split your earnings evenly, a quarter million Rooks is hardly enough to fund your escapades.” Said Miss Samantha with a motherly smile on her face.

Theo was shocked.

How could she have possibly known?!

He took extra precaution in covering his tracks, yet she discovered it all with ease?!

Theo realized he has severely underestimated the lunch lady.

He knew next to nothing about Miss Samantha’s background.

While the official HAA database had a boringly normal background info on her, this didn’t explain her phenomenal skill in emotional control. Thus, Theo assumed that the HAA records were fake.

Theo’s shock lasted only for a couple of seconds before turning it into murderous intent.

Theo began scanning the area for potential weapons.

He could transmute a simple sawed off shotgun using the concrete floor, but that would expend too much energy that he didn’t have.

Weakness via energy loss was lethal against Miss Samantha.

And besides, she’ll probably be able to dodge gunfire anway.

He could use the Archon battery charges in his adamantium arm to punch through Miss Samantha’s chubby frame, but this would mean that he had to go to melee range against one of the best CQC masters in HAA.

Crow often fought and won against enemies that were physically much stronger than her.

Now imagine what one of Crow’s masters was capable off?

All in all, Theo was in a bad spot.

Should he just surrender and go along with Miss Samantha’s schemes?

No. That’s the wrong answer.

In Miss Samantha’s words: ‘Blessed are the people who follows without question, for they are the disposable fuel that we use to achieve our aims’

Quite simply, Theo must resist in order to keep himself from becoming a ‘disposable fuel’ for Miss Samantha’s goals

He was drawing blanks at the moment, but he might have a chance if he had his tech with him.

For now, he calmed himself.

“So? What’s this scheme of yours?” asked Theo as he maintained a poker face

Sadly, Miss Samantha has seen through him once again.

“HAHAHAHA! That’s the face I wanted to see! In an event that you’re in a weaker position and the other side is willing to compromise, never surrender on finding a way to get the other side within the range where you can hurt or kill them. It’s good to see a student who follows his teacher’s words.” Said Samantha in a manner similar to a mother watching her toddler taking his first steps.

Once again, Theo was confused.

“Er… is this a test or something?” asked Theo

“No no no. My offer is genuine. However, I’m still pleased that the 1 week I spent teaching you was not wasted” replied Miss Samantha

“I see… well whatever. What do you want from me?” asked Theo.

Since both of their cards were on the table for the other to see, both decided to just treat this talk as a business transaction.

“For now, I’ll tell you something about myself in good faith. That way, you have a gun to my head in the same manner as how I have a gun to yours. Fair is fair right?” said Miss Samantha

“Does it have anything to do with the job?” asked Theo

“Yes. It has everything to do with it. Kick back and relax. While my tale isn’t long, it’s still very informative.” Said Miss Samantha. “Let’s start with my real name Constanzia Andolini. Maybe you have heard of me before? ”

Theo did feel like he has heard the name before. It was at the back of his mind, but he couldn’t just put a finger on it.

“I think I’ve heard of it before, but I’m not entirely sure where” replied Theo

“Understandable. I’ve always kept a low profile after all. But I’m certain you heard of my brother, Sonny Andolini. The media calls him Sonny ‘The Butcher’ these days.”

Theo’s couldn’t help but flinch at Miss Samantha/ Constanzia Andolini words.

Sonny ‘The Butcher’ was all over the news 8 years ago for multiple bloody robberies all over the Commonwealth.

He was eventually captured by the Superheroes and was sentenced to life imprisonment

And guess what happened after that?

If you were thinking ‘He obviously escaped’, you guessed wrong.

After 1 year in the slammer, he was actually bailed out of prison!

Theo didn’t understand the complex shenanigans of Law, but he was pretty sure that the slaughter of many innocent lives was a non-bailable offense. Theft was just the cherry on top.

Surprisngly, Sonny has been non-existent in the media ever since his release. No bank robbery, no slaughters, no nothing.

Why?

Theo didn’t know, but it was good assumption that he was about to find out.

“The mafia with the largest sphere of power is the Leggero Family. Did you know this?” said Miss Samantha

“Sadly, no. I’m still new to this whole criminal underworld thing” replied Theo

“I understand. I’ll leave the messy lecture of Vermilion’s criminal underworld for another time. For now let’s focus on my brother and the Leggero Family. Around 10 years ago, the 5 main Mafia Families back in Byzantine voted the Andolini family to manage the operations here in Vermilion” said Miss Samantha

“And I assume that you were chosen for the job?” asked Theo

“Naturally. I used to be a seductively charming woman back in the day. If you saw me 10 years ago, I bet the very sight of my curves would have made you orgasm. And if you add my wit to the package, then calling me the most powerful woman in the mafia was no understatement.” Said Miss Samantha in a very self appreciative manner.

“Yeeeaaahhhh…. I’ll take your word on that. And I assume that you posing as a lunch lady and have gained so much weight has anything to do with you being used to hot?” asked Theo

“Kind off. The main reason is for concealment purposes. Who would have thought that the once bomb shell me would have the same appearance as a regular housewife? And besides, when you have a harem of 5 men and they make love to you on a daily basis, giving birth to 10 kids, maintaining a smoking hot body is no laughing matter.”

Theo nodded in agreement.

Childbirth was a destroyer of the womanly figure.

Theo’s mother only gave birth to three children (him and his 2 elder brothers) yet her figure was only slightly less chubby version of Miss Samantha.

Now imagine churning out 10.

But more importantly…

“You have a harem?!” Theo asked in shock

“Of course I do. Like I stated earlier, I was a woman beyond compare. And besides, my charming personality/emotional manipulation is as beautiful/effect as ever” replied Miss Samantha

Now that Theo thought about it, the fact that having multiple lovers was fairly plausible for a pro manipulator.

However, this did raise one question..

“Werent you the one that told me to ‘never allow myself to be swept by the foolish emotion of love because it is the most powerful and most uncontrollable side of man’?” asked Theo

“That’s correct. But I also recall saying that ‘Always approach love with logic and reason because it is also the most powerful shackle that binds someone to your will’. In short: Weaken your ability to love but never forget it. You’ll be using it a lot later.”

“Wow…. The way you say it, it’s like you’re turning me into a scumbag.” Said Theo

“Yes I am.” Miss Samantha replied without hesitation. “And besides, now you have material to use against me. Just find my husbands and kids and you can attack the people that I value the most. I’m not sure what your prowess in information gathering is, but I’m fairly sure you can track them all down eventually”

“I cant believe that you let your family became hostages.” Said Theo

“That’s how much I want your cooperation in my plans. With that in mind, let’s continue.” Said Miss Samantha. “The main reason why me, my husbands and my family are in hiding is because of a hostile takeover by my brother Sonny with the backing of the Triads. I’m not entirely sure how they bought his loyalty, but the carnage that ensued points that there was a lot of money involved”

The criminal world was always about money after all. Trust was something of a rare commodity there.

The fact that the frog faced doctor has been up front with Theo was a miracle.

As for Miss Samantha’s scheme, Theo could easily tell where this was going

“I assume that you want my help to take back control of Leggero Family, correct?” asked Theo

“That’s the final goal, but that’s not the entirety of it. What I want is for you to help me gain control of the Leggero family while keeping the causalities to the absolute minimum, and at the same time, creating maximum amounts of casualties upon the Triad. Not so straight forward, right?”

Indeed it wasn’t.

Pilling up the body bags with Triad corpses was easy. Just aim and fire.

Keeping the Leggero family casualty free was impossible but Theo could see why Miss Samantha wanted it.

The Leggero family probably had their numbers culled after Sonny’s takeover. If the structure remained intact, it would be easier for Miss Samantha to take over.

“Well, I understand what you want, but I'd like to remind you that my forte happens to be killing people. I’m complete shit at bloodless takeovers”

“And that’s why I’m here. The key of this operation is to steal away my idiot brother’s followers. With my information network, teachings, a pinch of invasion of privacy, a fair bit of cheating and a tiny bit of blackmail, I can help you do just that.” Said Miss Samantha

“You know, the more I listen to you, the more I realize that you are a genuine scumbag.” said Theo

“Why thank you. The basic technique of seduction is flattery. It’s good to know that you took my words to heart” replied Miss Samantha

Theo couldn’t help but sigh in annoyance. Miss Samantha has always been skilled at pushing his buttons.

As he calmed himself down, Theo noticed something peculiar of Miss Samantha’s statement.

“Hold on… what do you mean by ‘a bit of cheating’? Can you go even lower than invasion of privacy and blackmail”

Miss Samantha showed Theo a string necklace with a creepy shrunken eye at the center.

“This is called ‘The Succubus Eye’. It’s a magic item that accurately gauges the level of emotional attachments of the target to the wielder. Aside from that, it has no other function. Naturally, this only works if the wielder is female and the targets are of the male.” Said Miss Samantha

“Holy crap. You relied on a magic item all this time? And here I thought you were a master manipulator. Cant say I’m impressed” replied Theo

“I did say I had to cheat right? Truth be told, I don’t really need the Succubus Eye anymore. My experience has long passed the point that I need a crutch. On the other hand, I doubt you’re suave enough to deal the enigma that is a woman’s heart. I mean, I’m a woman and I cant understand women.” Said Miss Samantha

Theo couldn’t deny that.

As cool, calm and collected as he was, his experience in romance was zero.

At least he wasn’t a virgin anymore. That’s worth something, right?

“I concede to your point. Any suggestions to cure my inexperience?” asked Theo

“Of course. Your first mission is to find a magic item called ‘The Incubus Eye’. It has the same function as the Succubus Eye but it only works when the wielder is male and the target is female” replied Miss Samantha.

Truth be told, Theo was a bit excited about the prospect of wielding the Incubus Eye. Who doesn’t want to get an accurate read of how other people feel about them?

While it was useless in combat, the practical uses of such ability were limitless!

Even Theo’s impossible harem dream might actually be doable!

“So, how do I get it?” said Theo in a calm manner while desperately hiding his excitement.

“That’s part of the test! Since you belong to the SciFi category of power, making the Incubus Eye is literally impossible for you. You have to find someone who knows how to make such an item and convince him to do it. You also need to find an Incubus who is willing to donate an eye to you. If that doesn’t work, you have to ‘convince’ him to donate his eye. This assignment has no limitations on how you accomplish your goal. Be as kind or as cruel as you want. All I want from you is to get the Incubus Eye. We’ll continue on with the plan after that.”

Theo facepalmed at Miss Samantha’s statement

Of course it was going to be like that. Miss Samantha is a cunning bitch. There’s no way it would be straightforward if she was involved.

Theo could only sigh in futility.

“Would it kill her to make it a little easier?!”

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