Freedom! I’m no longer trapped in the metal orb! Seriously though- How did I make it so tough?

“Demistar, use your powers of convenience to explain this!” I shout into the open air, eliciting no response… I guess she’s busy…

Chamber! Use your powers of convenience to explain this!

You are not funny.

Whatever.

If I knew, YOU would. I can only assume we condensed and shot out our mana in the form of a metal. It’s pretty clever, actually. Since it saved us from another hit.

What’s up with that anyways? I think whatever he was doing was knocking me out…

I’d assume that’s the ability we saw in the vision… It should be ancient, and lost… I think it must be some sort of physical displacement spell- It was tearing us apart on a molecular level… The pain must have knocked you out the moment it happened...

I don’t know how that bounty hunter got his hands on something that’s as rare as that spell is… But there’s no doubt about it. He’s dangerous as all hell. We may not have a choice, I think we have to kill him, and anyone else who wields that power.

Absolutely not! We talked about this man…

Yeah, that’s kind of screwed dude.

Don’t start with me, I’m just looking out for both of us! You should agree with me, Fear!

I do… It’s just… What are we really living for? We already died once…

I want to live, not survive. I want to live a fun and better life, I don’t care how dangerous it is.

I know… I just don’t want to die… Alright? Don’t let me die, Charlotte…

Yeah, I understand. I won’t be stupid.

I better get going-

-√B-

“Hdddf…” My little sister says, seemingly unsurprised to see me… “Hey, kiddo…” I solemnly say, as I walk up to her… “I think I might have found your cure.” I say, as I pull her helmet off her head, and look at her throat…

I sat down on the couch, a bit too small for me… I’ve grown a lot since I left home… When I heard about the war, I feared the worst… I look at her again, as she stares at me with that same indifferent expression… I guess my fears weren’t unfounded after all…

She rolls her eyes, and grabs her helmet… I’m sorry, Qual, I never thought it would take so long… I never thought any of this would happen, I just wanted to fight… I stand up, and look around the now run down and almost unrecognizable living room of our childhood home…

I grew up with my sister, and when I left for Arigold’s army, she begged me to stay… I should have listened…

About an hour later, after I decided to stop wasting my time… I finally met up with Chorim, and a surprisingly sad looking fairy… “What’s with the kid?” I ask, as she looks away, lost in thought. “She recently lost a brother and a sister.” Chorim says, as I fold my arms…

“Anyways, I’ve spoken to Sulsol, and we’ve actually been making some progress towards-” My senses flare up and I kick her out of the way, firing my automatic rifle at an armored soldier with a gun! “Shit!” She shouts, as the fairy summons a heat wave of flame to the enemy!

“Nice shot.” I say, as I approach the soldier, and tear their helmet off. “I guess we missed that one…” Chorim says, as she picks herself up. “Explain.” I say, as I activate the grav-emitter on my gun, and swap it out for my heavy twelve inch magnum.

I slam my foot into his chest, breaking it and the armor, and pinning him to the ground, while I load a thirty-two caliber executioner round into my widow. “No, don’t kill him-” Chorim says, stopping me just before I pull the trigger…

“Lucky.” I say, as I activate the mana-ballasts in my armor, so he’ll have a harder time lifting me off him. “Strong as ever, I see…” Chorim says, as she walks up to me… “You know it.” I say, as I flex one of my biceps.

“How strong ARE you? I think you broke his ribs…” The fairy says, making me realize he’s unconscious… “I’m the strongest soldier, right under Arigold in his personal army, and second in command to squad two.” I say, surprising her. “Wait- You work for Arigold?” She asks, floating away-

“Wait, you’re a blitz fairy- One of the species Arigold wiped out… I made a deal with Sirius Bask, if he keeps up his end, I won’t tell him anything.” I say, as fear grows on her face… “Wow, I really dodged a bullet on this one.” Right, Chorim had me come here, didn’t say anything about the Genesis family…

“You certainly did.” I say, as I continue to think about the dangers inherent in betraying Arigold… “Come on, we should get to work.“ One of the rebel soldiers finally arrives and grabs the Merc, carrying him away. “Right…” I say, as I follow them.

-√1-

“Ready!” He shouts. “Aim!” And so I aim… “Fire!” Azure shouts over the coms, causing me to instantly let rip the weapon! The bullet flies through the air, destroying multiple trees and a couple of the opposing soldiers!

“Direct hit!” I shout, confirming my hit! “Ha! You call that a ‘direct hit’?! Watch this!” One of the men we were partnered up with says, as he aims his rifle and misses another guy… “Nice shot.” I say, as he tosses it to the ground. “Oh fuck you!” He says, as a bullet flies past his head-

“Shit!” I shout, as I grab the console, and start activating the heavy weapons systems!

Mercenaries and guards have been pouring out of that ship all day, as they set up base camps. They’re trying to push into the city, but my new team and I have been holding them off pretty well. I just hope they don’t start sending anyone too dangerous…

“Venetiur!” ANOTHER one of the new guys shouts. “Hello!” I say, greeting Ozbal, as he stops in front of me. “You suck! Also, Azure wants to see you.” The young man says, making me cross my arms. “Did we not talk about your rude language?” I ask, as I stare down at him.

“Screw you!” He shouts, before running off… Forgive him, he was born around the beginning of the war, he’s still young, and he probably lost both his parents…

I enter Azure’s office, as he sits there, with his feet kicked up, his fingers pressed against each other… “Yes, sir?” I ask, as I remotely control the weapon batteries from a small screen on my visor…

“I couldn’t help but notice a few… Additions have been added to our ranks, Venetiur…” He says, the obvious beginning of one of his rants… “Yes, I also just so happen to have noticed…” I say, as I finally get a chance to take some of my attention away from the attacks…

“Good…” He says, as he shuffles his legs… “What did you do? I know you’re behind this!” He says, doing this all over again… “It’s not my fault that you don’t want to move on, Azure.” I say, as I place my hand on my head, trying to rub it, but reminding myself again that I’m wearing a helmet.

He just stares at me, an awkward silence filling the air… “I dislike you. You’re dismissed.” He says, STILL unwilling to accept that things change around him. “Thank you, Sir.” I say, before leaving the room, and meeting up with Turi again.

We bump fists and prepare our weapons. We’re heading out to push forward the front lines. “Come on, Turi.” I say, as the other two stack up behind us… Right, the new guys… Lute and Bahnj.

They, and their captain Olvarge, are the team we were stuck with. Chorim thinks if we start working in pairs like this, we’ll learn to get along… It might work, but it still sucks… We start making our way forward, looking for the first sign of another group.

“So… You’re Venetiur, the guy dating the rebel leader?” Bahnj asks, surprising me. “Sure. What about it?” I ask, as I look at him… He’s a little big, but he carries himself pretty well. “Nothing, just curious. I lost a lot of friends to you guys…” He says, as I smack away a branch, snapping it.

“We’ve all lost friends. You saw the dossier, right?” I ask, as he stares at me in a moment of silence… “No…” He says, as lute suddenly punches him in the head- “What the fuck was that for?!” He shouts, as he crashes into a tree.

“I’ve told you a hundred times to read it! It’s important, you lazy jackass!” He shouts, leaving me surprised… “Hey, we should hurry, we’re burning daylight..” Turi says, as Bahnj dusts himself off, and we move on.

-√2-

“So… What now, Moth?” Barrie asks, as I hand Moth his new cloak. “Thank you, Olmia.” I simply nod. “Find the target.” He continues, as he stands up. “And capture it.” He finishes.

My sister approaches, and shakes her head. “What’s wrong NOW?” I ask, as I fold my arms. “Nexus of the golden kingdom seems to be working with the Genesis Family.” She says, as I suddenly lose my balance- Well yeah, I guess that would do it, there’s no getting the puddle kid like this…

I pull out a note and pen, and start jotting down our message. “You get our stuff together, I’ll tell Moth.” I say, and so she nods and leaves.

I finish and hand it to him, surprising him. “Fuck my life…” He says, as he drops it and places his head in his hands… “Alright, you’ll watch.” He says, confusing me- “We’ll head back.” He continues. “You’ll call us.” He says, as he stands up, and drapes his cloak over his helmet, and wears it like the one he lost…

“Hey, sis.” I say, as I fold my arms again. “Change of plans. We’ll be watching the puddle kid, and we’ll call up Moth and his team, once we see a chance to capture it.” I say, surprising her. “Huh, sounds good. Sucks that it’s gotta’ be us, though.” She says, as the sounds of our stuff clanking together is picked up on the audio.

Later… We finally head out on our own, Barrie included, because we wanted a little extra help, as our friends wave us off… Barrie’s still pretty young, I think he's still in his early twenties. My sister and I are in our late twenties. He really plays into that fish out of water persona, I wonder where he grew up…

Moth’ll be hiring a ship to cart him and the team around. He’s determined to do the job, his reputation is on the line. We finally reach Everessence... so this is what it looks like… He was right, it really IS generic… I can see why he wanted it so bad, now.

“We just have to follow her, we’re not helping with the war efforts.” I say to my sister, causing her to nod. “Hey! Who are you?!” A man asks, as we turn to look at him. “Speak!” He says, aiming his rifle at us…

“He doesn’t look too strong. What do you think?” I ask my sister, as I reach for my gun. “I’ll distract him, set your weapon to stun.” I say, causing her to nod again, and wait for my signal- “We’re just bounty hunters! We’re not here to fight!” Barrie says, as he approaches the guy…

“I’m Barriecito.” He says, holding out his hand… “Oxe.” The man says, unequipping his gun, to shake his hand. “Oxe. And these two?” He asks, looking at us. “Minma, and Olmia, my partners.” He says, as we stare into the expressionless visor of his battle armor…

“So… What’s got a young miss such as yourself out so far?” He asks, surprising Barrie- “N-No, I’m a dude!” He says, still somehow shocked by the fact people make this mistake… “O-Oh. Sorry, I didn’t know-” He says, as he makes weird gestures…

I tap the butt of my shock-rifle against Barrie’s leg, reminding him why we’re here. “Right- We have a target named Demitall-” I slam the butt of my rifle into his leg, and knock him over! Quieting him before he can do anything else stupid! “Olmia-” He tries to say, but I motion him to stay quiet…

“Oh- Right, I guess we can’t tell him that…” He says, as I climb off his chest, and nod. “Right- Sorry about that, it turns out-” He’s interrupted again- “You mean the Puddle Kid? I could probably take you to it. It got in the middle of one of my assaults on the enemy, and now I have to work with them.” He says, folding his arms, and surprising us…

“Do you think we can trust him?” My sister asks, but I simply shrug. “Really? You’ll take us?!” Barrie asks, beaming with excitement. “Well, I guess I could do with some sort of compensation? The guys back at home may not appreciate my doing this.” He says, as I begin to reach for my gun again…

“Alright, I think I have something-” Barrie says, as he suddenly claps his hands together, and starts chanting in what seems to be an alternative language? “What in the world-” Oxe says, as warm orange fires emerge from the golden ring on Barrie’s back, that holds his clothes together-

A small orb of fire appears in front of him, surprising us with a power we’ve never seen before- Suddenly a large spear appears around it, with the orb sitting in the open spaces of the blade segments… “How did you…” Oxe says, as barrie hands him it…

“It’s just an old gift from my dad. You can have it though, I don’t really use it anyways.” Barrie says, as he inspects it… “Well, it LOOKS impressive. Alright, let’s go.” He says, before finally guiding us to our destination…

-√C-

“That’s a lot of mercenaries…” I say, as I stand on top of this building… “Is this why you brought me here, kid?” Skall asks, as I watch the battle continue… “Yeah, you’re a merc, and you’re training ME to be one… Can you imagine if you just walked right into the middle of all that?” I ask, chuckling to myself...

“Ha! That’s hilarious! They’d lose their shit!” He says, laughing to himself as he places his hand against his head. “I’d totally do it too, but we’ve got other shit to do. Come on, kid. I’ve got a delivery to make, then we can move on to our next job.” He says, as I nod and follow him.

-√C2-

Calvin… Why did you leave me?... “You okay there, kid?” Nexus suddenly asks, as we make our way through the city… “Sorry, just distracted. I’ve been thinking about my brother…” I say, as I consider following him after all…

“So… Chorim… You’ve got soldiers heading for the front lines, and you decide to not send the most powerful person in the city?” Nexus asks, surprising her. “But I did, he’s out there right now winning it for me.” She says, most likely referring to that boyfriend of her’s…

“I don’t like you.” Nexus retorts, as she folds her arms… “Heh.” She replies, grinning at her.

We finally arrive at city hall, and look up to see the tower where the Mayor’s office is held. “Hey guys, I’m here!” Chorim shouts, waving at some men who of course is also wearing armor. “Seriously? Is this some sort of fashion choice I’m missing out on? I feel so out of place in my dress.” I say, as I sit on Nexus’s shoulder…

“Well I mean, Chorim isn’t wearing her helmet.” Nexus says, as Chorim walks up to the men who look like they’re about to go to war. “So… Arigold…” I say, causing her to place her hand on her helmet- “Kid, I don’t know. He just does whatever the hell he wants. I didn’t really get a say in the matter.”

“He killed MY mother.” I say, as I stare at her. “And I’m sorry about that. I’m just a girl on a mission, and the Arigold Army seemed like the best place to achieve my mission.” She says, as I fold my arms and let her off for now… We’re busy after all…

About an hour later, we finally make it to a meeting room, everyone setting themselves, as Nexus stands at the back of the large table, right behind Chorim, with the mayor on the other side… “Well, I was beginning to think this day would never come, Chorimaxis…” The mayor says, as his eyes dart across the room…

“Neither did I… Mr. Buttface.” She says, making me supress a giggle- “What-” He suddenly shouts- “Sulsol.” She says, looking away… “Please take this seriously, Chorima…” He says, placing his palm against his head…

“I’m taking it very seriously.” She says, as she folds her arms. “Nexus, show them how serious I am.” Nexus raises her hand- “No.” She says… “Shit. Alright, plan B- Vilstrous, plan B-77.” Chorim suddenly says, pulling a black box from a pocket-

Nothing happens… “Vilstrous, you there?” She asks, after pressing it again. “I guess he’s busy… He’s usually so on top of that…'' She says, as she puts it away… “Well there goes my last joke, I was really hoping I would get you guys with it.” She says, as she looks away again.

“This is why your rebellion is failing, Chorima. You pull shit like this, and waste everyone’s time!” Sulsol.screams in a sudden outburst of rage- “Alright- Alright, I’ll stop. See, this is why we fight you, because you guys are no fun.” She says, seemingly refusing to take him seriously.

“One more, and I’m nuking half the city!” He shouts- “Yeah, last one, got it. Let’s just get this over with. I need to be on the front lines with my men.” She says, as he finally relaxes… “Finally… Then may the first gathering of Everessence Capital, and the Federalized Rebellion begin.” He says, surprising me, as he hits a gavel with a small malot.

-√F-

More and more soldiers approach from behind as I make my way to the ship, passing by many trees. A bullet bounces off my forehead, leaving a small cut- “What the hell?!” A merc shouts, surprised as I grab and crush him with my powers.

“Man, Krakens really ARE strong…” Venetiur says, as he runs up next to me. “Yeah, I guess.” I say, as I push forward.

Of course I’M at the front lines, my skin alone is tougher than the armor on everyone here… I guess it only makes sense, I can incapacitate people from range, and I have little to worry about in terms of danger.

We finally make it to a sort of fort, with the large ship towering behind the walls… Everyone gets behind trees, as we spot mercs on the walls...

“Do you think there might be anyone strong in there?” I ask, as I climb up the tree, followed by Venetiur… “Probably just a bunch of guards and mercenaries. I doubt there’s many of them who can outweigh you in strength though.” He says, as I fold my arms…

“We’ll help everyone set up out here, then Chorimax will be able to pull together a larger fighting force to finish them off.” I say, as I look around for a suitable spot… There- I see a spot, it’s got a lot of tall trees…

“We’ll be able to set up a tree base over there. The foliage will cloak the base finely.” I say, as I jump from tree branches. “You go ahead tell everyone the plans, I’ll get started with my larger mana reserves.” I say, before he separates from me, and I land on the tallest tree.

I build small spikes out of my fingertips, letting them dig into the tree… Once I feel comfortable with the length, I begin constructing the floor from it… Well, that’s a start.

After about a few hours, after the commander gave in and decided it was a great idea, I’ve finally set up the couch, and the coffee table, with a wide-screen megaplayer. “What are you doing?” He asks me, as I open up another space for a tactical turret.

“Opening another space, for an automated turret.” I say, as he folds his arms. “I mean the couch.” He says, as I crouch to fine-tune the construction… “Yeah, just a place to chill. I know it’s a battlefield, but I kind of got in the zone, and I think I might have a weird thing for home decoration.” I say, as I form the holding ring, and begin the enchantments…

“Mhmm?” He hums, audible irritation in his voice. “Now that I think about it, I probably got it from my dad. He used to love talking to me about his decorations, and how it all fit with the room… So yeah, it probably stems from that.” I continue, as I finish the enchanting, so one of the manaphasers can install the turret.

“What tactical purpose does this serve?” He asks, as I stand up, and walk over to sit on it. “It allows me to rest and restore my mana reserves- Wait, I should have made a fridge… Do you know how to make one of those?” I ask, as I build a metal box with a door.

“I know how to!” One of the aforementioned manaphasers says, running over! “Nice, come on!” I say, as he constructs the hinges, and starts applying some sort of stretchy material to the outer parts- “This is called a gasket, it presses against the walls of the fridge.” He says, fusing the ends together.

He then starts applying the insulation, and then easier to clean surfaces to place items in. “Thanks man.” I say, while the commander hits his head against one of the trees. “Yeah, now our food won’t go bad too quickly. Here, I’ll help you connect to the high speed mana lines.” He says, as he walks over to the megaplayer.

“Man, we should hang out, you’re actually cool.” I say, as I stare into his visor. “Sure, I recently turned seventeen, so I don’t have many friends around here.” He says, surprising me-

“I give up, just do what you want.” The commander says, as I ignore him- “Oh?” I say, not sure what he means. “Oh- I enlisted in the everessence official army as a manaphaser, to help construct heavy armaments.” He continues as I fold my arms and nod.

“I’ve never been very strong, but my parents died before I got to know them, so I figured I’d at least try and repair what’s left of their legacy… Then I’d go out on my own like I planned, and make a name for myself.” He says, finishing as I notice he’s been carrying one of the large turrets on his back…

“You know… I think I get it… My dad was a crime lord, and he put a lot of responsibilities on me… Maybe I ran off a little sooner than I should have...” I say, as I sit down and think to myself about it… “Hey man, that was your dad’s problem, it doesn’t define you. Tell me all about it.” He says, surprising me.

-√A-

I stare at them, and they stare back in awkward silence…

Demi - “Tell me why I shouldn’t pelt you with a hundred of my bearing shots.”

“Alright, listen-” He says, nervously-

Demi - “I am, get on with it...”

“R-Right. Sorry- Uh- We just kind of want to follow you around, until we see a good chance to capture you.” He says, the dumbest thing he could have possibly said…

Demi - “Are you fucking kidding me? Are you actually this stupid? Why the hell would I let you do that?”

The goblin girl on the left of him just kind of shrugs, then looks up at him, while he shrugs. “I know- We weren’t supposed to be spotted- And well, now you’ve seen us, and I don’t know what to do…” He says, as I sit here and honestly consider it, because fuck it. Why not?

Demi - “Eh, I guess this might be fun. But you have to go easy on me. I’m still less than a year old after all.”

They’re shocked, as one of his little friends throws up their arms in protest- “Seriously? I knew you were young, but damn…” He continues, as he rubs the back of his head…

Demi - “Yeah… That one gets everyone. I’m just like, a hyper-genius or some’n. Heh. Man, let me tell you all the ways you guys are definitely NEVER capturing me again.”

“So you literally don’t mind us just being here?” He asks, just in case I guess.

Demi - “Yep. Go ahead. I can kill you whenever I want anyways.”

“R-Right… Puddle Kids… Man, my dad used to tell me all about the puddle kids he fought, when I was younger.” He says, as he looks away and smiles.

Demi - “So what’s your name? I’m sure you should know mine.”

His two friends walk over to a piece of rubble and sit on it- “Right- I’m Barriecito, and those two are the Goblin Twins. That’s Minma, and her sister Olmia.” He says, as they wave at me.

Demi - “That’s a weird name. Where’s it come from?”

“I dunno’. Dad said it was just tradition, something about weird dialects.” He says, waving it off lightly.

Demi - “Alright, sounds more reasonable than some things in this place. Ever heard of Rapunsal?”

“Uh- No?” He asks as he quirks an eyebrow.

Demi - “It’s an old story. It’s about a young girl who lived her life in a tower. She was kept there by a powerful witch, and so she would sing every day. Her voice was so beautiful, it attracted a prince, and he promised to help her down from the tower one day.”

“Okay… That’s nice.” He says, enjoying the story.

Demi - “Yeah, this is where it gets dark, though! You see, the witch found out about it. And so she was cast out of the tower anyways. So the prince came to visit her again, but the witch laid a trap, and told him that she was gone forever. And so, in his grief, he threw himself out the window, and landed on some spikes, blinding him.”

“Oh my god- That’s brutal!” He says, clutching his chest.

Demi - “I know right? It’s a kid’s story too! So unbeknownst to the witch, he actually survived, and crawled away. By random luck, he reunited with Rapunzal, and she used her tears to heal his eyes. Weird magic, and whatnot. Anyways, he brought her with him to his kingdom, and they lived happily ever after.”

“How do tears heal someone’s eyes?” He asks, as he folds his arms in a weird sense of relief and confusion.

Demi - “I dunno’, I didn’t write it.”

“Alright, well… I’mma go see if I can’t find that floating island of yours. Minma and Olmia will probably just follow you around?” He asks, while turning his head to look and notice them nodding… “Yeah, they’ll do that. See ya’.” He says, before leaving…

Demi - “So you two are just here now…”

They look between each other, then at me to nod again…

Later I returned to the rebel base, surprised to see them right behind me- Damn, I really thought I lost them that time… Well, I guess there’s no avoiding it now… They follow me in, and I activate the lever for the elevator.

The elevator comes to a stop, and I spot Veloura and Calbdin talking to some soldiers!

Demi - “Hey Veloura, check out my new friends!”

Velo - “I’m busy, one moment-”

She finishes whatever she was saying, and turns to look at me with Calbdin, and spots the Goblin Twins that were following me. “There you are, Demi!” She says, as she runs up to hug me-

Demi - “Sorry about the scare, I didn’t think I’d get caught so easily. We probably have a mole somewhere.”

She blinks twice, realization hitting her- “Yeah, I don’t know why I never thought about that… I guess whoever was at the door must have heard us…” She says, as she releases me, and Calbdin hugs me in turn.

“So these are your friends? Who are they?” She asks, as she looks at Olmia and Minma.

Demi - “Yeah, they’re two of the bounty hunters who were hunting me down! Isn’t that awesome?”

Her eye twitches, and she moves between us. “You are LUCKY I can’t kick your skulls in!” She suddenly shouts, surprising everyone-

Demi - “Veloura-”

“Ah, sorry.” She says, hugging me again- “You know how it is, gotta’ protect my baby sister~...” She says, as she glares at the two goblins, who’ve backed up nervously. “So… Do we need to have a talk about you making friends with the people who want to hurt you?” She asks, as she folds her arms...

-√3-

“Master, I’m here…” I say, as I lie here, clutching a lone communicator in this dark room… “Oh look, the failure… You know, I REALLY thought I could put my trust in at least YOU Vimson…” He says, as I stare at the metal support beam that’s dug straight through my body...

“Sir, I’m dying…” I say, as I stare at my blood as it soaks against the beam… “Great, now I can’t even barrate you… Listen, make yourself useful, and prepare your replacement. Luckily for you, I got my special shipment today…” He says, as I feel my life- much like my blood -seep out of me…

“Very good, Sir… I’ll get right on-” The transmission cuts off right before I can finish… He’s right, I shouldn’t waste my time like this… I activated the automatic beacon, and felt my consciousness fade as I smiled for the first time in so many years...

-√4-

I am Vilstrous, I am the powerful son of Soulstrous, who is a member of the world council … This should have been easier to deal with, Serif PROMISED it would be easy… No matter’. I ALWAYS enjoy a challenge…

That puddle kid... I really thought Moth could handle it… He’s never failed me before, but I guess it goes to show nobody is perfect… Whatever. I’ll just send him a little message, make sure he remembers what happens when you fail me…

But how?... I eye the package… I snicker to myself, and switch legs as I sit here in my special room… Those children, they think they can just do whatever the hell they want… Well not quite, kids… Thanks to this, I’ll be able to take them out without being suspected…

Nobody would suspect lil’ ol’ Vilstrous… I’m just Chorim’s little secretary… I kick my legs against the desk, pushing my hover chair out of my way so I can slide off it. I move through the darkness of my room, and stop in front of the door, opening it.

I look around as I step out, and greet the kind soldiers who still believe this is weapon testing… Yeah that’s right, it’s not about something PRODUCTIVE like that, I just love watching them suffer! Although, I guess it might be useful for chemical weapons testing, then maybe someday I could nuke the crap out of it…

“Vilstrous, can you give this to Chorim for me? It’s from the front lines!” The mail lady says, after having spotted me. “Just leave it on her desk, she’ll get to it.” She nods and makes her way towards the stairs, leaving me alone-

“Hey, Vilstrous, tell Chorimax we said bye! We’re headin’ out!” Some of the men say, attaching their weaponry to their armor plates as I nod and wave, before finally getting out of the building, and looking around to see the puddle kid itself sitting over there…

Are you kidding me? She’s right there, I could kill her where she stands… Well, more like, sits… Man she’s huge… I take a sharp right and then again into an alley as I fade into the darkness… I find myself on the other side…

I aim… And… Fire! Direct hit! The little goblin girl falls down as the weapon injects its deadly element in liquid form… But before I can celebrate, a bolt and then a metal orb flies past me, barely missing before I can escape!…

I find myself in my room again... They’ll be on guard, so I won’t be able to get another hit in… I’ll just have to wait...

-√C-

“Are you sure you should have given it to a kid like that?!” I call out to him, as we jump from roof to roof- “What’s the matter?! You goin’ soft or some’n, kid?!” He calls back, as I mentally stop myself from face-palming…

“I’ve seen what that stuff can do, Skall! How the hell did you even get your hands on it?!” I ask, as we exit the borders, and onto the open grass… “Heh- Now wouldn’t you like to know…” He says, as I fold my arms, and stare at him disapprovingly...

-√A-

She’s dead… At least… I think she’s dead… I can sense doom magic, that thing must have been filled with doom in liquid form… We have to at least try...

Demi - “Veloura, get her out of here, Glant’s the only person who can help her now!”

She nods, and I separate them for her, before veloura teleports away with Olmia, causing Minma to aim her weapon at me- “Calm down, we can heal her-” Calbdin says, surprising her… “Well, we’re not certain, but our brother is doing everything he can as we speak!” He continues, trying to calm her down...

Her expressionless helmet just stares at him, as she stands there… This wasn’t supposed to happen… Nobody was supposed to die… Why would they do this to their own teammates?!...

Velo - “Alright, Glant was nearby, and he’s looking at her now- I’m so sorry… Glant told me there’s nothing he can do for her…”

Glan - “Even if she WAS alive, it’s too dense, I don’t have enough mana on me to scratch the surface… NONE of us does… I’ve never seen anything like- I found something. It’s a note- It was attached-”

Silence… Forcing me to consider my mortality, and the mortality of others… I’ve already died once, I think I could handle it happening again, and I’m fifty percent certain I’ll just go to another place… Maybe another world, maybe another time… But who knows what happens to these people, they’re not from earth…

Veloura finally returns with Olmia, placing the small girl in the arms of her sister… “I’m sorry… We can’t fix this… My brother said there’s no way to save her- Here, I think you should look at this…” She says, handing Minma the note, as she sits down with her, holding her...

She looks at the note, and suddenly crushes it in her hand- “Whoever hired her must have done this… It was a warning to never fail them again…” She says, as the girl stands up with her sister again, throwing it to the floor, and shoving her boot into it…

Demi - “I don’t know what to say… I never imagined something like this would ever happen… I just wish I did something to stop it…”

She looks at me one last time, returns to the elevator, and slams her fist into the button...

Demi - “This wasn’t supposed to happen, Veloura… I’m supposed to save everyone.. I’m supposed to be a hero… I just wanted to help people… Can I even still be a hero?...”

Veloura opens her mouth to say something, but looks away… “I don’t know how I can-” She tries to say, rubbing her arm-

“Of course you can! Maybe- Maybe you can’t save everyone… But can’t you still save everyone who’s still here?” Calbdin says, as he looks at me, reminding me of what’s left…

Demi - “You’re right. Let’s get to work, guys. We can’t just let them do as they please, we have to bring them to justice.”

End of Chapter: 38:√ABCF_1-4 “Betrayal of Everessence, evil rising."

Thank you for reading.

“Thanks! Now tell that idiot to go fuck himself.”

“No! Go away!”

“Good lord… Thank you for reading.”

“I don’t have time for this- No that doesn’t mean go bother my men!”

“Mm… Yeah, he probably wasn’t- What-'' … “You’ve met this guy? Oh- Sure… Thanks?”

“Thank you! What’s it about, again?”

“Thanks! Now let’s move out boys!”