“I’ve got a favor to ask,” X said with a sinister smile.

“A favor? That’s unnerving coming from a madman such as yourself,” Haze replied.

“Don’t worry, I’m one of the good guys!” X laughed.

“There are no good guys inside of this cursed city. Here, in this lawless place, there are only desperate survivors.” Haze looked up at the sky.

“I can help you protect them you know,” X exhaled the smoke, “the kids, I mean.”

“The knights would just turn this place into another soldier manufacturing facility,” Haze sighed.

“Would you blame them, considering just what sorts of kids grow out of this place?” X retorted.

“Scholars, doctors, and engineers,” Haze replied, visibly angered.

“Revolutionaries, rebels and terrorists,” X smiled with a slightly unnerving expression.

“Do not blame the many for the mistakes of the few!” Haze growled. “Phoenix was long gone from this place years before he became—” Haze explained before being interrupted.

“I know,” X stated with a serious expression, “Well, you’re lucky that this offer is coming from me personally,” X smiled. “A little birdy told me you were going to seek the contractor shit-head.”

“How do you know?” Haze growled.

“In about 2 hours, a guy named Ludwig is going to come looking for you. I want you to enter the competition and do everything Ludwig asks of you. When you reach the Undercity, I want you to go to the legend hotel,” X smiled.

“So why don’t I just win the competition and ask the contractor king to protect the orphanage instead?” Haze asked.

“Because you despise him,” X grinned.

“What do you want me to do at the hotel?” Haze asked.

***

Haze thought back on the conversation he had with X as he walked through the golden exteriors of the Legend hotel. He and Antonio made their way towards the central building, their shoes left footsteps, triggering the small cleaner bots to rummage around them.

Haze noticed the contraptions, tapping on one of them with his foot, before smashing it into pieces. The pair walked in through the front gate and headed straight into the reception.

The receptionist greeted the pair with a slight bow.

“I wish to meet the owner,” Haze said to the receptionist.

“I’m sorry sir, I’m afraid mister Nolan is out of the office at the moment. Would you like to leave a message?” the receptionist replied.

Haze gestured to Antonio, sending him off to do as they had previously planned.

“Yes,” Haze replied, kicking over her desk before leaning in and grabbing her by the neck. “Tell him to let me in,” Haze whispered.

The receptionist’s eyes lit up in a blue tint. But before she had the chance to say anything, Haze snapped her neck, dropping her lifeless body on to the ground.

Haze heard the elevator arriving, its metal doors releasing a heavy, foreboding clang.

Haze climbed aboard, and before he had the chance to fully settle, the elevator took off, climbing the tower at breakneck speeds that caused its metal walls to vibrate profusely.

Soon the doors opened, exposing the interiors of Nolan’s office to Haze’s cold and malicious gaze.

“Why did you do that?” Nolan asked, standing in front of Haze, about five meters away.

“To get you in the mood,” Haze growled, stepping out of the elevator.

“This will not end well for you,” Nolan stated, slowly making his way towards Haze, taking off his jacket and throwing it down on the ground.

Haze walked up to Nolan and looked into his eyes, standing inches away from his face.

The two locked eyes for what felt like an eternity.

Haze heard a strange noise, turning his gaze slightly towards the sound.

Suddenly, Nolan struck Haze in the face, launching him towards the back wall of his office.

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“Soul!” Haze screamed while flying in midair, summoning his weapon.

However, this action proved almost useless with Nolan as his opponent, as six long, perfectly square stone pillars emerged from the ceiling. Their tips protruded into blades as they reached Haze, piercing him through his arms, legs and torso.

Haze stared at Nolan without flinching, unable to move his body because of the injuries.

“Is this it?” Nolan asked, visibly furious.

He slowly walked towards Haze, rolling up his sleeves.

“This city was made with my magic. All of those bridges and walkways. Everything was made by me. Yet you show up here thinking you can go against me with this?” Nolan spit on the ground. “That’s insulting,” he frowned.

Haze sighed.

“I invoke,” He chanted, covering his body and face in an invocation, constructed out of fleshy spiral tentacles that hardened as they moved across his body.

A mask now covered the majority of his face, only leaving a small gap for his mouth, in the place of his prosthetic. His body appeared skeletal with a tiny, narrow waist. Many tiny rib-like protrusions covered his body in serpentine patterns, splitting off as jagged spikes. His form appeared bestial, almost inhuman in its design.

Haze broke off the pillars piercing his body and lunged towards Nolan.

Ulmak appeared, jumping out from over the corner of the office with his soul weapon in hand, thrusting it viciously towards Haze.

“Two birds with one stone,” Haze growled, narrowly evading the attack, kicking Ulmak in the stomach and smashing him into the opposing wall.

Before Haze had the chance to do anything more, the ceiling erupted into a sea of square pillars. The windows of the office exploded. A rain of glass erupted, with countless stone spikes protruding out of the windows. The pillars swarmed Haze, encasing his arms, legs and torso into a serpentine binding as Nolan slowly approached.

“Disappointing,” he remarked, grabbing Haze by the throat.

“Now tell me, why are you here?” He asked, coming even closer to Haze.

“A fellow acquaintance asked me to give you a warning,” Haze growled.

“An acquaintance?” Nolan laughed. “Is he as pathetic as you?”

“You have no idea.” Haze scoffed.

Nolan grabbed Haze by his prosthetic, digging his fingers into Haze’s mask, cracking and fracturing it, squeezing his prosthetic further before pulling it out of his face.

Haze’s face bled. He squirmed, revealing a bone jaw with a surgically cut out nose. His face started healing, with muscle tissue and skin making a squishy noise as they slowly molded together while growing back.

“Disgusting!” Nolan spit on the ground again. “Now tell me your name.”

***

A memory of Haze and X sitting by a river under an almost collapsed bridge flooded his mind. The river was cold and green, almost swamp-like. Its banks filled with cattails, pickerelweeds, and weeping willows.

“How do you live with yourself?” Haze asked, calmly gesturing towards X.

“What do you mean?” X wondered with a slight smile, not befitting of his sorrow gaze.

“You are like this muddy water.” Haze touched the mud, gently rubbing it in between his fingers. “People might bathe in it. Children might play in it. Some might even drink it out of necessity. But no matter what they do, no matter how much they like to pretend, it isn’t and never will be good for them. This water, if used without caution, will inevitably kill them.” Haze mumbled.

X lit his cigarette.

“Years ago, I heard a rumor. A funny story, really! A ferocious demon was seen scouring the wasteland. A terrifying goliath towering over abandoned buildings. Made of flesh and bone, twisted into the shape of a living creature. When the knights approached it, the demon attacked, killing almost everyone who got close. Yet one day, a single knight managed to sneak past it to see what the creature was up to. It was playing with children, guarding them, letting them ride on its back, dangle off its large, exposed ribs,” X sighed. “Such a terrifying being, looking after those kids, and all the while, killing everyone who got near. Crazy huh?” X smiled as he looked Haze directly in the eyes.

“Give me one,” Haze ordered, gesturing his hand towards the cigarette.

“Sure,” X reached out towards Haze with a pack and lighter in hand.

Haze took off his mask, grabbed a cigarette and lighter, stuck the cigarette into his mouth cavity and lit it, taking a long deep breath full of smoke.

“Doesn’t that hurt?” X asked.

“What?” Haze questioned.

“Having your doctor remove a part of your skull every time you run out of drugs. Having those fangs constantly digging into your skull administering poison to your body.” X clarified .

“Oh, that,” Haze took another large hit of his cigarette, “It does,” he replied.

X smirked.

“You and I are a lot alike; you know?” X said while looking deep into the river, “I too am but caged animal, chained in an elaborate contraption of my own making.”

“I am no prisoner,” Haze coughed.

“The illusion of choice? Are you sure it’s not a delusion placed upon your free will?” X asked.

“What do I know?” Haze replied, blowing out smoke.

“I’ll do it!” Haze growled.

“Fantastic! I knew you’ll come around!” X stood up.

“So, what now?” Haze put on his prosthetic.

“Now,” X scratched his beard. “Now, we erase all signs that this conversation ever happened,” he said while pulling out his blade.

“And how do we go about doing that?” Haze stood up.

“Easy! We go at it,” X laughed, dragging his saber across the ground, “One piece of advice before we start. Use your invocation, or I might just accidentally kill you.”

***

“Pierrot,” Haze replied.

Suddenly, a sea of fleshy, bony tentacles emerged out of Haze’s body, throwing Nolan I back, and slamming into Ulmak. Another set of spikes emerged, piercing Nolan through the chest. These tendrils detached from Haze, dug into the ground, and immediately began calcifying, becoming a net of bone.

Haze stood up, picking his mask up off the ground.

“This is a warning. Should you choose to assist the figure known as Phoenix any further, my associate will come and take your head,” He said, attaching his prosthetic back to his face.

“Now!” Haze screamed out.

The pillars supporting the building on the first floor exploded, crushing the first few floors below its weight. The tower began to crumble, dangling from the roof of the cave with what little support it had.

Haze kicked away the wall closest to him and leaped out through the hole.

“Reinforce!” Nolan screamed.

Giant square stone hands protruded out of the ceiling of the cave. They grasped the tower, wrapping their fingers around it, firmly holding it in place, causing the shaking to cease.

Nolan broke free of his entrapment, breathing heavily.

Ulmak stood up, looking through the hole made by Haze.

“What now?!” He asked with a scared expression, still trying to catch his breath.

“Now, I teach you how to deal with that clown,” Nolan growled, his face twisted into an expression of pure rage.