House of None security and emergency response employees quickly carted me off into the luxurious leather seating of another hovercraft, this one with flashing silver lights on its roof. I was given a fire-proof blanket to cover myself and quickly escorted to a secure location.

The hovercraft’s doors slid open onto a cut-stone cavern. Veins of ore streaked the walls and glimmered in the light of bare bulbs installed at regular intervals. A delf woman with her dark hair in a bun approached me, wearing a navy-blue uniform with subtle armor plating over her vital organs.

“Warlord,” she said, standing in front of me with a nod.

“I’m not a warlord anymore, don’t call me that,” I replied, shrugging out of my blanket. My starfish suit covered my genitals, but I noticed her glance down instinctively when I pulled the scraps of my suit off. I left both at my feet and rubbed my face to clear some of the soot.

“Apologies,” the delf woman said. “I’m captain Serassa, and I’ll be your liaison for the Planetary Defense corps.”

“Captain?” I asked. “How many troops does that rank put at my disposal?”

Serassa frowned and narrowed her glowing eyes. “I’m not sure I understand.”

“How many armed delves can you command on my behalf, Serassa?” I asked bluntly.

She grimaced and nodded back. “Ah. None, I’m afraid. That’s not how this is going to work.”

“Then explain please,” I started, staring down into her coal red eyes. “Tell me how it is going to work.”

“I take your requests and relay them to command, at which point a decision will be made to allocate resources and personnel,” she said. The delf woman turned to face a door at her back, and snapped her fingers as another uniformed delf approached. The incoming delf increased their speed to a jog.

They were holding a garment bag, and offered it to me, along with a damp towel.

I hurriedly scrubbed the blast off my face and hands, then got dressed in the parking lot. My ensemble was a new pinstriped suit to match the one that had been blown off from me, with shoes in the fashion of Midnight, with a higher tongue.

Once I was dressed, I looked back at Sessara. “What now?”

“Up to you, sir,” she replied, clasping her hands behind her back. “I’m here to support your actions on Midnight, and see to your security.”

“Tell me about the attack on the landing pad, in that case,” I demanded, arms crossed.

“Three of our high-point recon bases were infiltrated and taken over. They impersonated our delves and prevented us from finding out about the attack until too late. The missiles were shoulder-launched, and no physical evidence of cult involvement has been found at any of the recon bases so far.”

I nodded before slipping into ad space to order something for my hair. The world wavered, and I found myself floating through the ad space, its darkness flitting through with wild ads, the better paying ones shoving others aside to jostle directly in front of my view.

First, a flashy, holographic bottle of GloryLocks Max whirled into view, surrounded by glowing strands of vibrant hair. A booming voice echoed, "Turn your hair into a crown of glory! Super strength, super shine!" The words floated in front of me, until they were abruptly shoved aside.

In their place, a swarm of tiny drones buzzed in, each carrying a shimmering vial labeled EverFlow Essence. The drones formed a glowing halo above my head as an elegant voice whispered, "Let your hair flow like a river—silky, smooth, forever." The drones attempted to drape my digital reflection in flowing strands, but they were suddenly smacked away by a giant comb.

The next ad crashed into view—a huge animated comb wielding a bottle of Mane-Tastic Turbo Cleaner, with loud rock music playing in the background. "For those who dare! Clean and style in SECONDS!" it roared, blasting aside the more delicate ads in its path.

Just then, a rich, golden mist engulfed my vision. A luxurious bottle of ZBikowski's Hair Heir Insta-Clean Groomer floated elegantly before me, pushing all the other ads into obscurity. A soothing voice announced, "Because true royalty deserves nothing less." The background shifted into a beautiful and elegant bathroom, one much like the one I'd once shared with Molls, and unconsciously I stepped forward, selecting it. It expanded and surrounded me, drawing me in until I stood upon its tiles next to marble countertops gleaming under bright lights. My reflection in the mirror showed my soot-covered, disheveled self with stink lines added in to highlight the severity of my dirtiness. A cheerful jingle played, and a soothing voice chimed in.

"Bad hair day? ZBikowski's Hair Heir Insta-Clean Groomer is here to save the day!"

The reflection of me reached for a sleek bottle of Hair Heir, shimmering in the bathroom light. With just one application, my messy hair transformed—sleek, shiny, perfectly styled, like I’d just left an upscale salon, while my stink lines were replaced by flowers and kittens. A banner appeared across the mirror: "120,000 morties. Worth every shine!"

The scene was filled with vibrant graphics showcasing happy customers with different hair types, all transformed by Hair Heir. Above the mirror, a glowing 4.8-star rating sparkled, with enthusiastic customer reviews scrolling along the bottom.

"Clean. Style. Shine. Because true royalty deserves nothing less," the voice concluded as the mirror version of myself smiled confidently.

After it was applied, and my hair was clean and neat once more, I pointed at the door behind Sessara. “Where does that go?”

“Oh, uh . . . I had you brought to our local HQ, that would take us inside,” she explained.

I sighed and put my hands on my hips. “I don’t suppose you have any current intelligence for me to act on. Nothing like where suspected cult members might be?”

Sessara’s cheeks flushed, and she glanced at her boots. “My apologies, war . . . sir. I was told not to attempt to direct your actions, my orders were to retrieve and aid you however I can. I do have several locations where cult members have been known or suspected to gather.”

I shook my head and sighed. “Not your fault. I just get cranky when I’m blown up. Take me to the nearest cult location, I need to talk to one of them.”

“Yes sir,” she snapped. The hovercraft pulled out of its parking spot and slid into place beside us at a motion from her hand. She provided me with a small device, showing a map of the area. A glowing dot was blinking from a few kilometers above my destroyed shuttle’s landing pad. “This is a meeting room I can show you to, but there’s no guarantee any cult will be there.”

“They’ll be there. Get me a camera crew too,” I ordered. “Small, local crew. Let them trickle it up to the major affiliate presses when we’re done.”

The delf woman blinked in surprise, but snapped a ‘yes, sir’ at me and started talking into her coms. As we traveled in the hovercraft, another joined us and fell into place with our escort. Our craft climbed the cliffside, and I could see the smoking wreck of the landing pad not far below.

When we arrived at the cult meeting room, I was surprised to find that it was a plain location, no frills or luxury amenities at all. In the back of a cargo loading warehouse on the edge of the cliff, a group of delves in black hooded robes were in place around the overlook. Their meeting room was open air, merely a carved out section of cliff that allowed them a view above and below.

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The news crew we hired tried to approach me to ask questions, but I had Sessara’s security officers hold them back. They were allowed to collect footage and audio, but not directly interact with me or the cultists.

A dozen delves in long robes turned to face me as I entered, pulling down their hoods and exposing ornate etched metal masks. From the center of the group, one delf raised their arms in greeting, their robe sleeves hanging down to their waist.

“Welcome!” the leader sang, head thrown back. “All are welcome in the dark. All are destined for it!”

I nodded. “Right, whatever you say,” I sneered. “I’m just here to find out why you blew up my shuttle and killed the delves helping me get here.”

“And what makes you think we are responsible for such acts?” the cult leader asked, dramatically sweeping their arm to their chest indignantly.

“What do I call you?” I asked.

“Darkness, of course,” he replied.

I shook my head and snorted. “No, I’m not calling you that. You look like a ‘Mike’ to me. Everybody knows an asshole named Mike,” I muttered. “So, Mike, tell me what your little viewing party is here to view, if not the attack on my shuttle?”

“Why, your majestic arrival of course, Windowpuncher. Lord of nothing, come to visit our humble world once more,” Mike said. “We came to witness history, as any world you grace flows with both history and blood.”

“I spill no blood. Only the Cult of Eternal Darkness has done that, by intentionally murdering two delves of Midnight for nothing but the crime of service. They were doing their jobs, and you killed them to make a political point,” I calmly replied. “And now that you have me in front of you, what would you like to do?”

At a nod from Mike, the cultists all produced long knives from their sleeves and surged toward the meager security forces present.

“Arrest these cultists, captain,” I ordered

Captain Sessara nodded and stepped forward. “All members of the Cult of Eternal Darkness are under House of None direct control and arrest. Questioning will occur during your detainment, and opportunities to contact personal counsel will be provided.”

One of the news crew screamed as a cultist grabbed hold of them.

I moved.

Pushing the starfish suit and my aimed shot perk patch colonies to their limits, I analyzed the oncoming battle and stepped into motion. The cultists knives all glowed along the sharp edges, indicating monowire edges I needed to be careful of.

In a blur of movement, I slapped the first knife out of Mike’s hand and floated behind him to trip the next three in their charging formation. I shoved one cultist into five, and then flew back across the chamber to do it again on the other side, knocking the last of them to the ground.

In an instant, the attack was thwarted and all the cultists were dazed on the ground.

House of None security troops scrambled into action. My fast action had prevented any real attack. I was also careful not to kill any of them, or even wound them. Of the dozen cultists, only one suffered any injury, and that was from a companion’s knife as they collided. Sessara’s troops applied first aid as they escorted the cultists into more hovercraft.

Then, while the angry, unmasked cultists were bundled away wearing bits to prevent them from breaking any suicide pills in their teeth, the news crew was allowed to approach me at last. I prepared for their arrival by helping place the safety bit in one of the dazed cultist’s mouths and then picking up their long-bladed, ornate-handled knife.

I inspected the weapon with a sneer and cast it aside to focus on my approaching interviewer.

“Mr. Dawes,” she gasped, microphone extended. “Can you tell us what just happened here?”

I shrugged. “I’m working with Midnight security to root out and arrest any members of the Cult of Eternal Darkness. This particular sect attacked me when I started to question them, so I stopped their attack and stunned them long enough for security forces to save their lives with the anti-suicide pill bits you see on each prisoner.”

“Save their lives?” the delf woman asked.

I looked into the camera and nodded. “Yes, that is my primary goal here on Midnight, to save lives. What happened upon my arrival was a needless tragedy, and I’m working directly with House of None security associates to ensure it doesn’t happen again. This cult has a long, sad history of political violence, and the active members today have been convinced that this violence is worth their lives. I’m here to show otherwise.”

Once I finished my statement, I turned to leave. The crew fell into step beside me.

“Can you tell us what your next steps are going to be?” the delf woman gasped, stepping over a bound and gagged cultist.

“Of course,” I replied over my shoulder. “As I’ve said, we’re going to stop the cult, and save as many lives as we can in the process.”

Sessara’s delves held the news crew back as I entered the hovercraft. They immediately turned to catch more footage of the cultists being hauled away. The bits in their mouths made it look rather oppressive, but the cult robes, masks, and ornately inscribed knives helped our cause.

Once in the hovercraft again, I waited for Sessara to climb in beside me. Once she was seated, I stared at her until she turned to face me. “What are your next orders, sir?” the delf woman asked in a small voice.

“Same again. Take me to the nearest known cult gathering place, preferably those you know will have cultists,” I said. “We’re spending the night arresting them.”

“Sir, I must protest these orders. They are not within my command authority to actualize. Being a member of the Cult of Eternal Darkness is not a criminal act according to House of None Security Standards, as laid out by my governing associate,” she recited. It was clearly something she had practiced.

“Get the next arrest squad ready,” I told her. “They will be needed.”

“But sir!” she said, glowing eyes narrowing in frustration.

“I heard you. The arrests will happen regardless,” I growled. “This cult is unable to resist attacking me, and the primary element in your deployment orders from the House of None is to ensure my personal security. If they attack me, or anyone with me, they immediately become subject to arrest based on your governing associate’s security standards, which I read on the way over. It's all very fresh in my mind, I know what I may and may not do here on Midnight. Why do you think Justin Lee and I organized this visit?”

The dark elf woman at my side closed her mouth and nodded, then straightened her uniform pants and pulled out her comms device. I listened while she sullenly muttered my orders to her own troops. The security delves around us looked confused, but followed their orders.

It took roughly an hour to get to the next location, but that included the time we spent waiting for backup to arrive before we went in. The location was nestled in a storage room behind a popular restaurant's kitchens. By the time our team made it past the cooks and dishwashers, the few cultists there had taken their pills. Only robed corpses awaited us.

Sessara scowled down at the three bodies, each still seated in high-backed chairs. It looked like they had been in a meeting when word of our arrival got to them. As I had suspected, the individual members of the cult were getting together to celebrate or scheme. On Midnight, the cult was established in small cells scattered around the planet. Most of them operated with significant independence from the leadership core.

This meant they would make themselves vulnerable during times of unrest.

I’m sure the Cult of Eternal Darkness had their headquarters somewhere, but there was real potential for some of our captives to talk, assuming we could get to them with our bits before they used their pills. I was also betting on a group of that size having a few holdouts who would prefer to live than die, and I needed to find the main operating core of the cult as quickly as possible. I needed proof to use against their leadership.

They wanted me dead, but that was because most of them didn’t actually remember me. The vast majority of the cult’s members didn’t remember what it was like to be in a violent conflict with me. My job on Midnight was to find the few who did.

To that end I started shaking the cult’s various trees. That first night on Midnight I spent chasing small cells down with my security escort. We visited a handful of locations and captured plenty of cultists to work with. There were the meeting places that were closed and empty, and those filled only with the dead, but we collected them all anyway.

Sessara called in more security staff three separate times, and sighed in frustration at the payroll confusion it was going to cause her later on. I merely shrugged and continued hunting the delves that wanted me dead.

The next day I met Justin Lee at a secure location atop the planet’s richest lithium mine. The House of None operational headquarters was nestled into the rebuilt ruins of an ancient delf capital city cavern. It was the same cavern uncovered below old Lithtin.

New Lithtin was built into the ruins themselves, and served as the political and financial capital of Midnight.

I rode the elevator to Justin’s office in silence, Sessara beside me nearly panting in exhaustion. Her unit was not used to so much action, and certainly not in a single night. Their holding cells were full, and several local dentists had laid claim to much of the security associate’s operations fund.

Justin’s office featured a window that overlooked the mine entrance. Hovering carts of ore floated from the darkened tunnel, slowly moving into a nearby warehouse.

“Well, you’ve had a busy night!” Justin said, running a hand through his hair. “I knew I’d be fielding complaints once we started this, but a hired assassin was stopped by my personal security staff late last night. You’ve really rattled their cage.”

“That’s what I do,” I replied.

“Don’t sit,” he said as I approached his desk. “We have a situation to respond to, come with me.”

I frowned. “What do you mean?”

He flicked me a live news feed. Lithtin was under attack, a small army of cultists with long, glowing knives attacking people in the street.