[11:30, streets of nightingale city]
Like most nights in nightingale city, it was a peaceful night. At least peaceful for those who were sound asleep. For those who wandered during the darkness, whether it be out of curiosity or unfortunate circumstances, monsters would come out to hunt them.
It was a rather horrific scene that had taken place. A single Fester had slaughtered a group of college students, leaving only one alive. The only reason he was left alive was because the fester was too busy eating his friend's corpses. However despite the graphic scene he had just witnessed, the man was forced to run. If he stopped running for one second, that monster would surely kill him. He had to run.
As he ran and ran, his legs eventually began to give out. They practically turned off, causing him to fall face forward into the ground. He closed his eyes, preparing for the impact, however someone caught him. He opened his eyes, seeing another monstrous looking figure holding him. He immediately began to squirm, trying his best to get out of his grip. He had no way to know, however the person in front of him wasn't a monster, it was Oliver.
“Hey I'm not one of those bastards!” Oliver said, sounding a bit annoyed.
“How can I trust you?!” The man yelled, still squirming.
“Because I'm literally talking to you!” Oliver yelled back.
“W- well… I heard those monsters can now talk if they're high ranked enough!” The man said defensively.
Oliver sighed, dropping the man down on the floor. He groaned in pain, before asking him why he did that.
“You said I was a monster right? Might as well act like one then… hmm maybe I should just leave you for dead” Oliver said, beginning to walk away.
The man stopped Oliver, grabbing his legs as he looked at him pleadingly.
“I- I'm sorry! Please save me!” The man begged.
Underneath his helmet, Oliver smirked. He turned back around before helping the man up. Hearing some growling, Oliver looked forward, seeing the Fester had found him.
“Of course I will… I'm a hero after all”
In about 2 minutes, Oliver completely destroyed the fester that was chasing after the man. The sight was both amazing, but also extremely insulting.
“You killed the guy who killed my friends in two minutes…. So they died for no reason… why am I alive? I should've died with them… j” the man said, falling to his knees. He looked like he was losing his mind a bit.
Oliver felt bad seeing the guy in such a state, so he did his best to comfort him… in Oliver's own way.
“Well, I could've done it in a minute actually… it was surprisingly weak” Oliver said.
The man looked at Oliver with disappointment and shock, as if surprised that someone could actually say something like that.
“Bad timing for a joke huh… well… I don't really know how to comfort someone who saw their friends die but… all I know is that they wouldn't want you to despair over their deaths. I know that's not something I have the right to say, but please don't blame yourself for their deaths. Your life is just as precious as theirs. Oh and by the way if you need therapy, F.A.T.E offers free therapy sessions for anyone affected by a Fester attack. Though you should probably come early, that ward is usually packed…” Oliver said, rubbing the back of his head.
He didn't really expect the man to feel any better, as the line about not blaming himself for his friend's death was ripped right out of a book he read. However, the man's reaction was more warm than he expected.
“Shit you're right… I shouldn't think like that… but you're still an ass” the man said, getting up.
Oliver helped him get up, mostly because he felt bad about his joke earlier.
“S- sorry…” Oliver said.
The man dusted himself off before bowing a bit. Oliver was shocked by the gesture, but a part of him felt quite good about it
“Thank you for saving me!” The man said.
“It's no problem, just trying to help…” Oliver responded humbly. However under his helmet he was grinning from ear to ear.
The man stood up straight before looking at Oliver with conviction.
“Do you think F.A.T.E tryouts are open?” He asked.
“Huh? Why would you ask me that?” Oliver asked.
The man looked a bit embarrassed, looking away from Oliver as he laughed awkwardly.
“Sorry, I thought you were an Investigator. I mean you're super strong and you protected me, a complete stranger, from a Fester” the man said.
To not blow his cover waved his hand and shook his head as he explained that he wasn’t an investigator. The man then turned his head to look at Oliver, before continuing.
“... So who exactly are you if you're not from F.A.T.E?”
Oliver paused for a moment before turning away.
“I'm just a hero passing through…”
In the two weeks since Oliver fought against projector fester, he had become an urban legend of sorts in nightingale city.
Every night for the past week, Oliver had been going out and testing out his abilities while also inadvertently saving people. He was forced to do this, as he couldn't logistically use F.A.T.E facilities without being found out, however, he didn't expect to become some local hero. Since he was hunting Festers to train against, he naturally had to look out for suspicious activities. As such he had stopped many violent crimes, as well as saving people from Fester attacks. What once started as merely a means for training, and also a way for him to live out his fantasies, had become a part time job. However, he didn't really mind it. Maybe it was the childlike wonder of having actual superpowers, or maybe it was the kind words he received from those he had saved, but Oliver really did feel like a hero.
Though, whilst fighting he always had an anxious feeling in his stomach. Like he was being watched by someone, but no matter how hard he looked, it was always just him. He chalked it up to being nervous that he'd be caught by F.A.T.E, however the strangest thing about it was that F.A.T.E had not even sent out a search warrant for him. It was as if the case of the “unidentified crow” had been completely buried. It was something he was thankful for, but Oliver always wondered who was the mysterious person helping him out.
This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there.
In those past two weeks, he also learned various things about his new powers and how it affected him. Firstly, he found out that couldn't use descent energy outside of his suit. This revelation was shockingly revealed to him after trying to fight a Fester without transforming. This also meant he couldn't use his eye of truth as he found out it needed descent energy to properly function. This revelation was also revealed in an embarrassing manner, as Oliver tried to use his eye of truth to cheat in a raffle competition. The next thing he found out was how his training had been affecting his body. Not only did he grow 2cm taller, he started to feel stronger despite his body looking almost exactly the same. His strength had started to get to Oliver's head but he was quickly humbled after asking Olivia for an arm wrestling competition. Although it hasn't all been sunshine and rainbows for Oliver. Ever since he started his “extracurricular training”, he has practically gotten no sleep. His already dead appearance worsened, some investigators even nicknamed him “the zombie of the medical ward”. He tried to counteract his sleep deprivation by sleeping at work, however that has caused even more trouble for him.
"Hey wake up you lazy bum" Sieg said, slamming some paperwork on his table.
Oliver woke up in a panic, frantically looking around for the source of the sound. He eventually set his eyes on sieg, who looked rather displeased with him. Oliver smiled wearily before lowering his head.
"S- sorry..." he said, embarrassed.
Sieg sighed before taking a seat beside him.
"This is the third time TODAY that I've caught you sleeping on the job... What the hell are you doing at night?" Sieg asked, sounding frustrated.
Oliver looked away from him as he began thinking up an excuse.
"Well you know, video games and what not. I also got homework and stuff..." Oliver said, laughing awkwardly as he did.
Sieg was obviously not convinced, so he decided to give Oliver an ultimatum.
"Tell me or I demote you to D tier" Sieg said, crossing his arms.
Oliver was dumbfounded at his willingness to abuse his power.
"Isn't that like illegal to do? I'm telling HR!" Oliver said standing up.
Sieg gestured for him to sit down, which he obviously rebelled against.
"I'm not going to listen to someone who'll abuse his power just to get pry into someone's private life..." Oliver exclaimed.
Sieg glared at Oliver, giving him a bit of the chills.
"Listen, when your private life affects your work, as your supervisor I'm obligated to ask you about it...." Sieg said, sounding worried for him.
"That still doesn't give you the right to threaten me..." Oliver said in response.
"Okay! I know that wasn't right.... But I'm seriously worried about you Oliver. You come in late, you sleep on the job, and sometimes I catch you with bruises. What the hell is happening?!" Sieg said.
Oliver became silent, but he knew he couldn't keep it up. He had to tell Sieg something, otherwise he'd nag him forever. With a deep breath, Oliver channeled all his acting power, and put on a show.
"I- I'm... I'm being bullied at school. I know it's pathetic to hear. But it's the truth! They constantly tell me horrible things and... Sometimes they get physical. I thought that since I only had to go to school for only three days now, they'd forget about me... But it's gotten to the point where I have a hard time sleeping at night... I'm really sorry for being a bad Operator..." Oliver said, on the brink of tears.
Sieg was silent for a few moments before crying and hugging Oliver.
"I'M SO SORRY FOR ACCUSING YOU!" Sieg said, sobbing profusely.
"I- it's fine... I don't blame you" Oliver said, putting on a brave face.
He put on a pathetic and sad persona, however, deep down, he was ecstatic.
"I don't blame you cause I made all that shit up! Hahahaha, that actually worked! Woohoo!" Oliver thought to himself.
He almost let a little of his excitement out, but told Sieg he was just happy to be able to tell someone.
"Well if you need any help with anything, just let me know. I'll try to let you slack off, but don't abuse it got it?" Sieg said, wiping away his tears.
"Thank you!" Oliver said, bowing a bit.
Sieg just smiled before handing the paperwork that was on the table.
"Oh but you'll still have to do your work kay~?" Sieg said. He was smiling, but his eyes told a different story.
Oliver lowered his head before nodding.
"Yes sir..."
Doing tedious work didn't bother Oliver that much, in fact he found it quite relaxing compared to all the action he's taken part in for the past few days. Being able to just turn off his brain, it was nice. It was so relaxing, that he didn't even realise how long the paperwork took. After signing the last sheet of paper on his table, he leaned back into his chair and stretch.
"I'm finally done!" Oliver said out loud.
He expected there to be a round of applause from everyone, telling him how cool and great he was, however there was nobody else around.
"Actually if anyone was still here, I don't think finishing paperwork is deserving of something that grand..." Oliver thought to himself, feeling a bit embarrassed.
He checked the time, realising it was 5:30. He jolted forward in surprise, as he began panicking. Usually he wouldn't care about what time he came back home, unfortunately tonight was supposed to be his aunt's café's 4th year anniversary. He promised both his aunt and sister he would come, and considering he hadn't spent time with them since he started his career as a cadet, he definitely couldn't miss it. Oliver quickly packed up his things before making a mad dash to the café. He was going to have to take two trains to get there, so if he missed even one of those, he'd definitely be late. From what he remembered, Lavent train station was known for having the longest period between each arrival. As such even though it was the closest to F.A.T.E headquarters, Oliver found no reason to use it. However, on this occasion, he was forced to use the Lavent train station, as it went directly to Heilmborough bay, which was closer to Ibis train station.
"The 6 o clock train should arrive soon, so I'll probably make it in time. But if I miss it, I'll have to wait another hour and a half for the next train...." Oliver thought to himself, grimacing at just thinking of it.
He made a steady pace towards the train station, and surprisingly, he didn't run into any problems.
"Are things finally looking up for me?!" Oliver thought, feeling overjoyed.
Entering the train station, he realised the train hadn't arrived yet. He also realised that he ran all the way from headquarters to the train station in about 20 minutes, so to avoid passing out, he decided to rest and catch his breath. Sitting on one of the many benches, Oliver began catching his breath. He was surprised he was able to run that fast and long, however he chalked it up to all the training he has been getting.
"What's weird though is my body hasn't really been showing any signs of the training. I mean, I still look the same... Although I do feel a bit taller" Oliver thought to himself, trying to past the time.
As he continued to ponder random topics to starve his boredom, his train finally arrived. He stood up excitedly, as his boredom was really getting to him. He was just about to enter the train, when he noticed a commotion in the corner of his eye. He witnessed a random girl being tailed by a suspicious looking man. She seemed to be around his age, maybe older by a year. The girl looked rather uncomfortable with the man, taking faster steps to try and avoid him.
"She'll probably get away safely... Or maybe someone else will help her!" Oliver thought to himself.
He would've helped herself himself, however the train was about to depart. He once again was about to enter, but then he noticed that nobody was helping her. They were all concerned with missing their train to care about her situation.
"What the hell is wrong with these people? Is your train really th- wait... I was just about to do the same thing..." Oliver realised.
He was going to berate them in his head, but he was no better than them. Oliver clenched his fist before turning back to help her.
He walked up to the girl, then put on a big smile.
"Hey weren't you in my class? I didn't expect to see you here!" Oliver said, speaking in a friendly tone.
He was trying to act like an acquaintance of the girl to try and shake the man off, which the woman thankfully picked up on.
"I'm doing great thanks! Hey since we're here, how bout we hang out? I know a place where we can have a drink and chat!" she said, walking beside him.
The man seemed to stop for a moment, which was a relief to both Oliver and the girl.
"You don't know her..." the man said.
Oliver froze for a moment, shocked that the man figured out his lie so fast. He quickly put his act back on, turning the man with a confused look.
"I'm sorry, who are you? Can you please leave us alone, I wanna talk to my friend" Oliver said, putting the girl behind him.
The man began fidgeting aggressively, as if what Oliver said was blasphemous.
"No! No! No! I know everything about her! She doesn't know anyone that looks like you! I would know! I watch her everyday..." the man said, laughing sinisterly.
The girl seemed to be disgusted by what he said, which Oliver couldn't blame. He took a step forward, trying his best to intimidate the man.
"Could you please just leave?! You're scaring my friend! If you don't leave, I'll call the police!" Oliver yelled.
The man was startled by Oliver's anger, but his words caused him to get angry himself. The man pulled out what seemed to be a dagger, causing Oliver to panic a bit.
"I- I won't... I won't let you take her away!!" The man yelled, raising the dagger.
Oliver was ready to take the girl and run, however the man did something unexpected. He stabbed his own hand, causing blood to fall on the ground. To normal people, they would probably not think anything of it. They would just think that a crazy man stabbed himself due to his delusions... However the burning sensation in Oliver's right eye told him otherwise. That's when he realised what the man was doing. The blood that flowed to the ground wasn't normal. It was reddish purple colour that stunk the moment the wound began bleeding. This was something Oliver had seen countless times before on video, but never in person. The man didn't stab just stab himself, he summoned a Fester.
The ability to contract with, and summon Festers. This is an ability that is only granted to humans. Those have contracted with Festers are aptly named contract holders. To create a contract, a Fester must first set some terms that both parties must agree upon. Afterwards, a human must consume at least one milliliter of Festers blood. Only then, can a human summon a Fester they've contracted with by spilling their own blood. The terms vary on the Fester, but a universal ruling that the Fester's follow, is that every summon requires some sort of sacrifice. However even after all that, Festers have no obligation to protect their contractors. As such F.A.T.E and other military bodies haven't considered contract holders a viable or sustainable alternative to Attachment units. So when you encounter a contract holder, the consensus is that you never underestimate them. As if they're insane enough to create a contract with a Fester, that Fester must be incredibly dangerous.
The puddle of blood began bubbling before a giant tentacle came bursting out of the crimson liquid. It swiped at Oliver, causing devastating damage to the surrounding area. Luckily for Oliver, he managed to block the attack thanks to his reinforced coat. He turned to the girl, flashing his badge at her.
"Hey I'm an Investigator, leave this place immediat-" but before he could finish his sentence, the girl began hugging him.
"P-please don't leave me! I'm scared!" She said.
Oliver's face began turning red, as he wasn't used to being in such a situation. He gently coaxed her off before convincing her it's much safer to be as far away as possible. Instead of heading his words, she tried to hug him again, but Oliver stopped her.
"Please just leave! You'll die!" Oliver yelled.
She was a bit shocked by his yelling, but decided to finally listen to him. As she began running away, Oliver tried his best to regain his composure.
"Alright, no time to think about stupid shit, you've got a giant tentacle monster in front of you... And you don't have your attachment unit with you... Damnit..." Oliver thought to himself.
What made it more embarrassing, was the fact that he knew he left it at the headquarters in his panicked state. He cursed his incompetence, but just as he did so, he was knocked into a tree by the tentacle. The impact caused him to cough up blood, which should've alarmed him, however strangely enough, his body seemed to be fine. Well fine for being knocked into a tree that it
"I don't even have any broken bones... Damn these coats are good" Oliver thought, slowly getting up.
He began looking around noticing that the man from before had disappeared, leaving only his mess behind. Actually, nobody was around at that moment. It was suspicious sure, however it also meant there wouldn't be any witnesses. He rummaged in his pockets, pulling out his transformation device.
"I knew I'd at least have this thing..." Oliver said, remembering the time it practically forced him to bring it along.
He put it on before looking around one more time.
"Coast is clear... Now then, I'm about to kick your ass!" Oliver shouted, his finger on the belt's trigger.
The tentacle swung at Oliver once again, but just before it hit, Oliver pulled the trigger.
[INSUFFICIENT DESCENT ENERGY]
"... eh?"