Chapter 31

With a nickname like “Reaper”, Henry had been expecting something a little more…ominous. Instead, the individual in question, Reaper, was rather…normal? Normal probably wasn’t the right way to describe any of this, but honestly, she didn’t strike him as deserving of such a nickname. Hell, given her alternative style, with hair streaked in various hues of blues, the piercings in her lips, ears, and nose, and the outfit reminiscent of the early 2000s, she would have fit in at most places Henry hung out. In fact…looking at her, he couldn’t help but wonder if he’d seen her before. At the very least, based solely on appearances, she was someone he should be able to get along with.

“This is Reaper,” Jon said as she approached the two of them. For once, unlike Jon, and JJ, and Emelia, ‘Reaper’ at the very least, had a D.E.D. near her. That being said, the D.E.D. in question, terrified Henry. If appearances were anything to go by, it fit the description of reaper much better than the woman did. The D.E.D. floated silently behind her, covered in a tattered, torn cloak of ghostly like cloth. It’s face, just visible from within the dark folds, was covered in disheveled hair. It looked at him, with a blank face, and tilted its head slightly to the side. A sinister smile crept across its face for a moment, revealing black, pointed teeth. In doing so, Henry suddenly felt a strong urge to nope out of the location. If he had to spend 12 hours with that creature, he was going to die of fear.

“Ignore my Cyoeraeth.” The woman said, likely noting Henry’s immediate loss of three shades of color, and probably the whites of his eyes. “It’s mostly harmless to humans.” She chuckled and looked at Henry’s side, to his Evil Eye and Bladed Drakeling. “I’m guessing you’re the dead weight I’m supposed to level up?” Well, there went part of her charm. Straight to the point, and insulting.

“I-“

“He’s our newest member Jewel. And it’s your task, to make sure he’s not dead weight.” Jon cut in, as Henry fought for words. Or breath. He was finding it rather difficult to breath looking at the Cyoeraeth.

“He’s D.E.D. choice could use some improvement.” Jewel, which he was guessing was the Reaper’s actual name, said simply. “That Drakeling has potential, but the Evil Eye is a waste of space. If he’s going to carry it around, it’s going to slow the process.”

“It’s his choice.” Jon replied. “And trust me, I tried to encourage him away from it as well. Loki has a twisted sense of humor, giving him that thing.” At this, Jewel’s eyes narrowed as she turned her focus back to Henry.

“Loki’s involved?”

“Loki was the Exorcist assigned to bringing him to the organization when he resonated for the first time. Henry here, has a Triple-S potential. Loki gave him the Evil Eye, and also took him into the rift to view a Larpen battle, according to Emelia.”

“If he’s got that high of a potential, Loki should have given him something else. We all know that arrogant prick has D.E.D. far more powerful than an Evil Eye. Come to think of it,” she paused, eyeing the Evil Eye in particular, “why did Loki even bother to have such a pitiful creature in his collection? Honestly, all they’re good for is killing, and even then it’s barely worth the effort.”

“I’m still here.” Henry cut in, turning both individuals attention to him. “And I’m really getting tired of everyone saying how weak my Evil Eye is.”

Jewel let out a heavy sigh as she gave Henry a bored look. “Don’t tell me you’re one of those sentimental types? You do realize these creatures are just tools yeah? If you form attachments with them, you’re just going to cause yourself pointless pain and suffering.”

It was Henry’s turn to stare blankly at her. How cold hearted was she? Between her attitude, and the D.E.D. that was with her, he was starting to see why she had the nickname she did. After all, while he couldn’t see the stats on the Cyoeraeth, he could sense it was extremely powerful. Combined with her cold nature…he doubted any D.E.D. were even given the chance to speak to her when they came through a rift.

“You two can battle out your ideals later on.” Jon cut in, even as the tension in the room started to change. “For today Jewel, you’re going to bring him along, and power level his D.E.D. Make sure he is able to tag each one that comes through a rift, before you kill them. That way, he can ensure his D.E.D. gather the experience they need. The sooner we get him into the 20s, the better. Especially if he can evolve his Drakeling.”

Jewel let out a heavy sigh, but nodded towards the Strike Team Leader. “Yeah, I know how the gig goes. And I suppose I don’t mind, it just means we have to kill twice as many D.E.D. to get him to the appropriate level.” She shrugged and turned a twisted smile to Henry. “But, given his resonation potential, I suppose at the very least, he can serve as good bait for summoning better prey.”

Henry really didn’t like the way she spoke about the D.E.D. Sure, he’d only interacted with them for a few days, but he could already tell they had distinct personalities, and quite an array of intelligence. They were living things. And yet, she was callously acting like they existed simply to be killed to help make herself stronger. Then again…Henry had done the same in things in video games that involved monster leveling and training. But this…this was different.

“I can see you’re still struggling with this.” She walked up towards him, her D.E.D. floating silently beside her. As she neared, Henry could feel the air practically drop a few degrees, and it almost seemed like a faint, wailing sound was emanating from her D.E.D. “Whether you like it or not, D.E.D. are just a means to an end. They are our tools, to deal with a problem they’ve created. The only good D.E.D. not bound to an Exorcist, is a dead D.E.D.” She was so close he could smell her perfume, as she smiled sweetly up at him. “And as the Reaper, I excel at making sure they are dead.”