So what was the purpose of that failure of a plan other than wasting more of your stamina to almost nothingness?

“I thought you read my mind to know what I was thinking?” Mentally talking to someone was easier than moving his mouth, he used all that energy to talk on Crane, trying to put up a front of awesomeness and badassery.

Not all the time.

“Remember when I grabbed Crane’s leg? I was waiting for him to walk to me, also waiting for him to look at his soldiers to start their ride out of here, I managed to use all my energy to get that stupid tracker in my pocket and grabbed him there, the whole attack and me wanting to sacrifice myself? All a distraction!” He was involuntarily smiling, his lips presenting a half-smile since his left side was unresponsive.

Impressive. I suppose you have some brains in that skull of useless jargon of yours. I should probably yank some of that intelligence to feed myself.

“W-Wait you can do that?”

Any concept that exists in this very world, the concept of everything, of nothingness, to the improbable. I will eat them all.

“That’s...Terrifying…”

Why do you think I am a weapon? But again. I have mellowed out. Remember, I’ve come to accept and learn to co-exist with you Humans and Hunters. And other than the meals, your memories, your grandfather’s, and my previous hosts have given me many things to browse through and know more about this world.

So be at ease, boy. I will not be eating the world into nothingness. In fact, dare I say, I am rooting for you humans to prosper and provide me with more things to entertain me.

“Huh...You sure developed an odd sense of humor that involves alot of threatening and gloating.”

I’m a Devil, boy. We are naturally condescending and superior, and we have the power to earn such traits. But compared to my siblings, I have...for the lack of a better term, improved and behaved to be somewhat subservient.

“Huh...I wish I want to continue talking to you like this, but I think even my brain is like, running out of power...I think I should—”

Something is coming to you.

“W-What?” Alex panicked as his only hearing ear can hear the faint noise of footsteps getting louder with each step.

At ease. I recognize this dangerous, overwhelming presence...again overwhelming and dangerous to you, boy.

“You sure took a beating.” That voice. Alex weakly looked to see some legs and looked up again to see the legs belong to Malek, staring down at the beaten-up Alex. “I’m surprised you’re still alive, after doing something so stupid.”

“Mmmm...Mmma—” Alex tried to call his name, but couldn’t.

“Save your breath. I’ll be taking this.” Malek scooped up the vial that was meant for Alex. “...Did you do it?” He asked him. “Did you plant the bug? If you don’t reply now this’ll be considered a failed mission. And you know what happens if you failed, right?”

He’s kidding, right? He can barely speak, he’s paralyzed and his arm’s dislocated. He even told him to save his breath to not talk and took the only thing that’ll give him a chance to respond.

“I’m you giving you to the count of five to give me an answer, Alex,” Malek said grimly. “One…”

Malek wasn’t kidding. He was counting up to 5 until Alex gave a response. Alex quickly raised his paralyzed arm up. Malek looked at it for a moment to see his wrist wobble. “What? You wanted to wave hi?” Asshole! “Two…three, four…” Double asshole! He's counting fast.

Alex tried to make his wrist move. “Ball into a fist, damnit!” He thought. His heart was beating rapidly in panic and fear of losing what he went through because of this asshole who’s preventing him from passing this mission.

His fingers twitched. “T-They moved!” He felt his fingers twitch. The paralysis is wearing off, not completely, but it’s enough to force his hand into a ball. Alex released audible grunts and groans of frustration as he worked to quickly ball up his twitching fingers. Malek stopped counting completely to watch Alex give him an answer.

He finally balled his hand into a fist, then he stuck out his thumb as high as he could to the sky. Alex giving Malek a forced, painful, toothy half-smile. He answered. Alex answered yes, he planted the bug.

“...Good job.” Malek was just messing with the boy. He’s seen the whole fight from the beginning to the end in secret. He just wanted an excuse to mess with him, ironically enough. He looked back to the vial he took, giving it a little shake.

“This is what Crane gave you, right? I’ll be taking it in as evidence. Elana can probably reverse alchemize it to make more of this stuff.”

“Wait! He said that’s for me to get healed!” He wanted to say it but all he could do was turn to lie on his back and weakly lift his paralyzed wrist up towards Malek.

“You don’t need this.” Malek pocketed the vial as he looked at him. Looking over his injuries from top to bottom. “Your cuts are deep, thin, not enough to bleed out. You have a lot of stains, no wash will get that out. Shouldn’t have worn a white shirt today.” He commented as the most injured part of Alex was his face and arms.

“Cauterized shoulder caused by the one wielding blades who shocked you. Must have sucked getting zapped and cut at the same time.” Then Malek’s eyes shifted towards Alex’s face and he clicked his tongue. “This one’s the nastiest of them all. Crane would’ve lopped off your head If he really wanted to. At best, he could’ve shredded your face with just the back of his hand.”

He was almost done with his examination, finishing at his latest injury. “A dislocated arm. I can actually just do this to save the trouble for myself. Don’t bite into your cheek.” He grabbed hold of Alex’s dislocated arm and forcibly relocated his elbow.

“MMHMMHMHM!” Malek’s physical therapy earned him a gritting, painful, but muffled scream from Alex as his only open eye was shot wide open from the pain of relocation.

“Actually this arm has been dislocated before. The Hells did you do to cause that?” He asked him, but Alex was breathing heavily and still crying a bit from the pain.

“A COUNTDOWN WOULD’VE BEEN NICE, ASSHOLE!” He thought, looking at Malek with a face that was the extremely brutalized version of “Fuck you, that hurt!”.

“You’re an Ares, you and pain go together like pen and paper. Ask your uncle yourself, he knows.” Don’t ask Michel, he’ll just tell both of them to piss off.

“This one, however, will need a countdown. Close your eyes, count to ten very slowly. If you feel something, keep counting down until you reach zero.”

“Is he doing...magic?” He thought to himself, unintentionally asking Peina that question. The pain made him forget his thoughts are linked with his weapon.

I’ll save you the trouble that I will ignore what he is doing to keep you ignorant of that question...out of “respect” for your seniors.

“Thanks for that, I’ll just ask him after what he’s gonna do to me.” Alex closed his eyes...and started counting.

“Ten, nine, eight,” Alex felt something press against his chest. “Seven, six, f-fiiiaavhefuck!” He felt that something go through him, his body jumping in response from the feeling of it. The sensation was unbelievably cold. The kind that chilled you to the bone.

“F-five! Fo-fou-four!” He continued counting, hearing something from Malek, another click of his tongue was heard.

“A stomach laceration? Crane was deeper with his cuts than I thought…” His voice felt strained like he was forcing himself to talk

Alex’s body felt exhausted, the unnatural coldness was making him shiver but his body stopped moving, his thoughts felt slow, making his counting feel sluggish as if not to align with a proper second being passed. “T-three...two…Is this...death?”

Was Malek killing him? He ruined his counting asking that question. “O-one…” He opened his eyes. He looked around, half of his brain came back to consciousness as he can no longer feel the weight on the left side of his face.

“I’m…” Alex lifted his paralyzed wrist, it’s missing the cut he got from Fitz as he flexed his fingers and balled it into a fist. Then he used his hand to stroke the left side of his face, smooth and silky as if he was never grazed or thrashed against the ground. “I’m healed.”

“How did he do it…?” He thought to himself as he looked at Malek, his back turned against him. “Y-You healed me…” He attempted to stand up but his body forced him to sit back down.

“...Don’t sweat it.” Malek said, Alex hearing the strained voice clear as day. “Go use a scroll and go back to the guild...You don’t have to find Slater…” He was heaving, struggling to not let out a single stutter from his shaking body. “I’ll tell him you completed the mission. You successfully planted a bug on Crane Valentine.”

Alex felt proud and compared to the fight with his parents...he felt like he deserved this one. “...Thank you, Sir.”

“I’m not an Official, remember? Call me Malek.” Malek corrected him, turning the right side of his face to look at him with a tired, annoyed eye.

“S-Sorry...thanks...Malek.” He tried standing up once more but fell on his rear once again. “I-I really must be tired…” Wasn’t the first time he went over his stamina limit making his body give out.

“Then don’t try to stand up. Just teleport as is and you’ll end up at the front entrance of the guild. Someone will pick you up soon to get you to a clinic for rest…”

“O-Oh right.” He pulled out the scroll from his pocket, which was miraculously not torn apart like the rest of his clothes. “I-I’ll be seeing you then!”

“Mmm.” He merely grunted as Malek could hear Alex’s scroll burning up and the proceeding noise of air quietly being sucked in as Alex was teleported back to the Capital, specifically at the guild entrance.

“Now...” Malek said to himself as he suddenly fell down, lying on his back. Revealing his front. His face reflecting that of Alex’s previous injuries.

The torn-off left face, the scratches, and cuts caused by the winds of Crane, and presumably, all the Injuries that Alex has succumbed to were all on him. As for his left arm it was wrapped around in a bandage, a recent wrap, the wraps failing to hide beneath it a pitch-black darkness that looked like a decaying arm soaked in tar.

“I’m going to need a fucking Cleric.” He pulled out a scroll, different from Alex’s. This one would take him somewhere else he and Slater had planned to meet. No doubt the healers were already waiting...

There Alex lied on the front entrance of the guild with his body in the way of the door. Members were stepping over him, looking at him as to why he was lying down, with all Alex can do to them is but awkwardly wave at them.

“Great...Now I’m attracting awkward looks because I’m too tired to move my body.”

It is amusing to see you humiliate yourself. A suggestion—

“What did I say about the human part?”

Let me finish, I suggest you use me to support yourself. You can barely use your essence considering your stamina has been drained to almost nothing after your senior healed you.

“Oh...thanks for the offer.” Alex thought meekly as he pulled out Peina from his back and started to lift himself up by using Peina’s body as a support.

Be gentle with me, boy. You can press your body on me all you want but remember that I am a sharp weapon~

“Yeah, yeah…” This time he responded with his voice. As he finally stood up, albeit barely with how he held onto Peina.

He spotted a bench nearby, thinking that’s a good place to nap on. At this point, Alex didn’t care about being watched and stared at by people because he looked like he just got out of a paper shredder.

He laid against the Bench, placing Peina on his back again. “Yeah, I...I can’t go on anymore. I need sleep. Don’t...don’t put me in the Dream World, P…”

What did you call me?

“P...ever heard of a nickname?”

I know what a nickname is, why did you give me a very...redundant one?

“...”

Boy?

She can hear a light snore coming from Alex as he’s completely unconscious both physically and mentally. Time passed as Alex fell asleep. When he came to, he realized the sky was painted orange and the street lanterns were lit.

“How...how long was I out?” He yawned, scratching the back of his head. A good rest was all he needed after getting healed by Malek. “What time is it?”

“I do not have what your kind calls a watch. Nor do I have a clock in this dream world you made for me. However, It is easy to assume it’s most likely dusk.”

“Sunset...shit! I’m supposed to meet up with Sal and Lea here exactly on Sunset.” He barely got to tour the whole guild. He actually almost DIED from touring the guild because he took a mission that involved facing the former Guildmaster of the guild.

As through my memories of your Uncle would say, “This is more of a you problem than mine.” or something in those lines.

“Not helping!” He kicked his legs and jumped out of the bench, patting himself as his whole outfit was ruined, everything was covered in cuts and dirt. His white shirt had red splotches of blood that dried up. “I’m a total mess...how the hell am I gonna tell the two what happened to me?”

“Holy shit, Sharky. What the fuck happened to you?” Like clockwork, the two were behind him as they were more surprised to see whatever had happened to Alex while they were gone. “Who the hell cut your clothes up like that?” Sal was carrying the group’s massive travel bag.

“...And why are your clothes covered in blood…?” Lea finally spoke up as she had a look of worry and panic. “Who did this to you…?”

“Damnit!” Well, he’s been caught red-handed… “Well...funny story actually—”

“I better laugh or you’re never getting out of our sights again.” Sal crossed her arms along with Lea.

“Even if you do, I’m still never letting you out of my sights. Seriously, I suggested this split up not long ago, and we come back to see you like this?”

“Okay...then It’s just a story then. A long one…”

In the cafeteria where the three are at a vacant spot where not many people can hear them but their shouts.

“...No fuckin’ way…”

“Yeah fuckin’ way…”

“NO FUCKIN’ WAY!” Sal slammed the table, making her spill her drink. “Shit! My soda!”

“I’m with Sal! I don’t believe any of that! You’re telling us that when we split up, you met the Guildmaster, did your stupid plan to quickly go to S-rank by taking a high-ranked mission. And it turns out it’s a mission to kill the previous Guildmaster—”

“Plant a bug on the previous Guildmaster—”

“Still doesn’t change that you’re fighting the previous Guildmaster!” Lea silently screamed. “We shouldn’t even be talking about this.”

“I’m telling the truth you two...have I ever lied to you guys?”

“You lied that you were actually good at the drums but you broke our neighbor’s drum kit.”

“Okay, I broke it because my drumsticks were made of my fire, you know that.”

“You lied that you were an artist and you brushed the paintings too hard that the bristles were yanked off.”

“I got you a new pair of paintbrushes! Okay, so doing some hobbies, I lie. But guys. Other than those. Would I ever lie to you?” He asked them, Sal was rubbing her chin and Lea rubbing the temple of her forehead with a knuckle to remember any other lies than those.

“Mmm...no. You don’t.” Sal sighed and admitted he’s not that much of a liar.

“Yeah, I’m blank too. You really did all that?”

“Damn right I did. I fought two futuristic soldiers. Fought the former Guildmaster with a Paralyzed wrist. And not only that, I actually managed to hit him! I bashed his head with mine. It was awesome!”

“Then the guy you previously met came to pick you up and heal you. Leaving you fully healed but your clothes were left the same.”

“Yeah...right now the only proof I have is that I’m a total mess right now. Look at these cuts, I’m like swiss cheese with a leaking jam pudding with this outfit.”

“you are more like a potato riddled with holes to be used as an instrument, but the musician stopped halfway because they cut themselves by accident.” A girl munched on some french fries from Sal’s plate.

“Yeah...I’m probably that.” Alex sighed, fiddling with his holed jacket and shirt.

“you are that.” She corrected him as she slowly munched on the french fry like a hamster.

…

“WHO THE HELL ARE YOU!?” Sal and Alex both slammed the table, making the plates bounce a bit as they looked at the sudden appearance of the girl sitting beside Lea, which Lea retreated by scooching away till she reached Alex. They were seated in a semi-circle table.

The small girl clad in gothic black, with an eyepatch covering her eye, she was munching on stolen french fries before cutely gulping the fry. “i am your dinner’s nemesis. the thief who steals all of your starch. i am...the freaper.” All spoken in a monotonous blank voice with an equally blank look.

“...” The three were silent at the appearance of the girl. “Okay?” Alex finally spoke up. “Uhh…what do you want?”

“the souls of your french fries.”

“My french fries, by the way…”

“Just-...just give her the fries Sal.” Lea said as she just sat beside the girl not too long ago so she’ll be her next target if they do anything to make her sad.

“...Fine” She raised her hands in defeat as she pushed the plate to the Freaper. “Here. You can have the rest of it too.”

“you can call me celia.” Celia happily...well she’s not smiling or look happy at the least but her actions were happy-like from how she snatched the french fries to munching them down.

“So Celia’s your name—”

“freaper.”

“But you just said—”

“my true identity is spoken to those who are close to me, ones who offer me tribute and sacrifice deserve to call me that.”

“...” Alex silently pushed his plate of burgers and fries to the Freaper.

“thank you, fairy godmother.” Celia started taking french fries from Alex’s plate that was generously offered to her.

The two’s worry and concern at the sudden appearance of the girl broke almost immediately as Lea stifled a laugh and Sal not bothering to hold back at all, started heckling.

“Ghahaha! F-...fairy godmother? Ghahahahah!” Alex was less than pleased with the new nickname given to this stranger Gothic Lolita.

“Right—Celia...seriously asking. Why are you here?”

She slowly gulped as she faced Alex. “look at me.” She asked him. “directly into my eye.”

“Okay?” He did as she told him to do. “I’m looking at your eye—...eye…” smooth.

“answer. did you really fight crane valentine? and you actually hit him with your head?”

“...Yes.” He answered with no hesitation as Celia tore apart Alex’s burger, removing the vegetables like lettuce, tomatoes, onions…

“pickles...disgusting.” Celia said, this time she actually had a tone shift from the mention of pickles, the light tone of disgust and hatred. “you are not a liar.” Celia said, picking up a squeezing bottle of ketchup and mayo and started flooding the patty with the two sauces till it overflowed.

At first, Alex was offended she doesn’t like veggies in her burgers. Now he felt queasy and sick, the feeling was spreading to Sal and Lea with Lea actually gagging a bit.

“Yo, what the fuck are you doing? That’s nasty…” Sal said as it didn’t smell it, but looking at it was making her stomach turn. She’s witnessed messed up things but this? This was foul.

“i am eating a burger with my favorite sauces, overflowed ketchy and mayo.” Celia completely emptied out the condiment bottles as her small hands reached for the mustard. “do not forget about the musty.”

Is this torture? Boy, I wanted to inform you—no. Warn you of what you are facing. The threat of all appetites that even the most Insatiable such as I cannot stomach. This brat. This brat i—

“A monster? Okay she’s definitely a monster. Kill her using you? Still a big no because even monsters are like humans and the only way to stop this monster is to not let her reach the mustard!”

No she’s—

“Okay!” Alex caught the mustard bottle before she could do the next unspeakable thing to that poor burger. “Before we continue with your uhh...uhhh…”

“Food torture?”

“Gastrophobia?”

“SNT? Stomach Nose Torture?”

“Interrogation?”

“Interrogation, yes! Before you interrogate us further. What do you say about me not being a liar?”

Celia pondered, why would a new friend deny her of the final sauce for her masterpiece of a burger. “i believe you. you fought crane valentine and lived to tell it. i came here to hear out and listen to hoaxes and rumormongers, thinking they have fought the former guildmaster. only to find someone who is really telling the truth that they have fought valentine.”

“O-Oh...well I’m obviously not lying since I did do that. Thanks for believing me compared to these two who needed more time to be convinced…”

“I wish I could retort, Alex. but I’m really gonna vomit…” She gagged, looking away from the former beauty that was a burger to avoid looking at it, but she can avoid the smell of overflowed mayonnaise and catsup.

“Same, don’t give her the mustard. I’m begging you, Alex.” Rare instance of Sal calling his real name again.

“You guys are overreacting.” Coming from someone who thinks of her as a monster.

“may i have my bottle of musty back?”

Alex immediately chucked the bottle as far as he can. “Woaaa! My hand slipped when I passed it to you! I’m sorry about that, really! I am! Why don’t I offer an apology by personally buying you a whooooole tray of french fries and a brand new burger? Hmm? Good? Good.” Hypocrite.

Alex quickly took the tray from her and stood up. “Move it!” He shoved Sal aside, falling on the floor with her hands holding her stomach as Alex hurried to the furthest trash bin to get rid of this monstrosity.

He found the furthest trash can away from Celia’s eye so he could discreetly throw this away. Then he was halted by a gun placed on the side of his head.

“Drop the fucking tray. I know you Ares are a weird bunch but I didn’t know you were fucking disgusting.” That bitchy voice.

“R-Ria? Y-You’re Ria, right?” Alex stuttered with understandable fear running through him.

“And never forget it. You ruined a perfectly good burger.”

“N-No this is a misunderstanding! And why do you care!? This isn’t your burger!”

“It could’ve been! And that’s enough to make me want to pull this fucking trigger and blow your brains out!” She pushed the barrel against his head further.

“Wait wait wait! That's just a BB gun, right? You’re just gonna—” A loud bang was heard as the nearby Guildmates ducked and covered and some raised their weapons in response as Ria shot the floor, a smoking bullet hole shown where she shot.

“OKAY IT’S A REAL GUN NOW!”

“what is happening?” Celia approached the two with her eye looking up at the livid Ria. “hello, Riri.”

“Hey Celia.” Ria greeted back with no anger or frustration in her voice. “Step back, I’m just gonna punish this guy who sullied this burger.”

“she is holding my burger.” Ria stiffened as she lowered her gun.

“Your burger?” She repeated, adjusting her glasses.

“yes. she accidentally threw my last bottle to finish this burger. but without my musty, this burger is nothing but a failure. so she is going to buy me a whole tray of fries and a brand new burger to eat.”

“...” Ria puts the safety on her gun and spun it on her hand for a moment and holstered it in her pocket. She pulled Alex to whisper, “You don’t deserve an apology because you’re an accomplice.” Then shoved him. “Okay. With that problem settled, I’m now here to do my job.”

“...Which is…”

“Looking for you. To give you this.” Ria pulled out a key from her pocket. “For being an Ares, part of the foundation that created this guild. You have been given a key and room to live in the Lodge.”

“...What?”

“I said you’re getting a free room.” Ria took Alex’s tray and started walking off to the nearest trash bin to throw away that monster. “Now I’m going back to my office. No one interrupt me or I’ll make sure there’s no warning shot this time.” After throwing away the burger she left the cafeteria, the guild slowly trying to go back to normal after what just happened.

“...What is happening today?” Alex went to order himself a brand new tray of fries and burgers for Celia as he came back, looking vaguely traumatized.

“We saw what happened…” Lea said with her face covered in shame.

“But we were too sick to do shit…” Sal rested her hand on her forehead, slamming the table with the other.

“You...you guys haven’t found an apartment yet, right?” Alex tried to calm himself as Celia was already innocently munching on her fries and also deconstructing the burger to remove the vegetables. He asked her how she wanted it...she wanted it normal instead of having no vegetables or extra meat.

“No…” Lea raised her head from her hands to look at Alex.

“Nope…” Sal raised her head to look at him.

“Why?” Both almost said in Unison as they saw him holding out a Key from his hands.

“I think the guild just gave us a free room…”