Chapter 61: The Bank.

The tension in the air was so thick you could have cut it with a knife. The robbers bellowing orders at the terrified staff.

“Get down! I said get down!”

“Stay on the ground and put your hands where I can see them! No one needs to get hurt!”

“Phones! Take out your phones!”

Their voices carried over the hushed silence settling over the bank. Staff and customers alike dropping to their knees. Shivering all the while.

Meanwhile, I stood there in a corner. Unseen and unheard. Doing my best to concentrate Psy into my eyes.

The logic was simple. I had a plethora of abilities that I wanted to raise, such as [Painful Gaze], [Cleansing Gaze], [Entrancing Gaze], and [Degrading Gaze]. The cleansing one in particular was my target, as I’d need it to merge [Healing Song II]. To that end, I’d spent five of the seven points from the last Excursion in order to bring [Cleansing Gaze] to level 3, leaving me with two points.

Not that it helped. I mean, I did notice a faint variation of [Hum of Cleansing] affecting people I looked at, but the effects were so minute they might as well be non-existent.

‘Though it is a passive and doesn’t cost anything. It might be useful later.’

I sighed. Going over the plan once more while trying to massage away the stress.

The idea had been that I would stealth my way past the robbers instead of [Dominating] them. Training up [Hide], [Faint Presence] and to a lesser degree, [Muffle]. All while seeing what the passive gazing abilities could do with enough time.

But the passives weren’t doing their thing and it looked like the stealth ones wouldn’t be levelling anytime soon either.

Level Gained: +500 Maximum Psy. +12 Ability Points.

Ability Evolving: [Hide] 3 has grown to [Hide] 4

Ability Evolving: [Faint Presence] 2 has grown to [Faint Presence] 3

Ability Evolving: [Muffle] 1 has grown to [Muffle] 3

Well never (Gnome)ing mind.

Part of me was giddy at the sudden level, while another was thoroughly annoyed. I’d been using all of these together for weeks now. All without any results. Granted, I had been using them near people I considered friendly or mind-controlled monsters instead of armed goons, but I didn’t see how that mattered. I was still flexing the power. Tensing the strings within me.

[Hide] and [Muffle] could be overcharged with Psy, but that hadn’t helped. [Faint Presence] was a passive so I couldn’t even do that.

It didn’t work in the same manner as the other presence abilities I had merged. Not causing a reaction within an audience that came back to me. Instead, I had to sort of, weave Psy around people so that they had as little reaction as possible. Yet that didn’t make sense either because normal people didn’t have any Psy or ability to sense Psy to start with, so they shouldn’t have been able to feel anything regardless. Meaning this whole exercise with the robbers shouldn’t have increased the level of [Faint Presence], since it did something that would have no effect on random people off the street.

I felt a tap on my shoulder and turned to look at Slab and Monique.

Both of them using [Hide].

“We really should finish up here and get going.” Slab said. His voice strained and weary as he saw the crooks harassing the tellers into a corner.

“What he said.” Monique echoed. “I call dibs on the guns by the way. Those kinds of models were only kept by collectors back in my world. They’re old, but sturdy. The people back in my world could use them.”

I nodded. Trying very hard to keep myself from prying into Slab’s thoughts. More specifically, the thoughts he was having about his sister sour mood in relation to me.

‘I didn’t do anything wrong.’ I reminded myself. ‘I was never in any kind of relationship with Dusty. Why should I feel guilty about having some fun?’

Slab understood that too. Deep down.

However, he also understood that Dusty was his sister and that she was not in a good place right now. The fact that she was almost to the third Tier certainly didn’t help matters.

“Hey! Hey! I said get down! Do you have a death wish!? Is that it!? You wanna get shot bitch!?” The goon hit a skinny man with the butt of an older rifle.

Or, he tried to.

Instead, he found himself suddenly vexed when his body froze mid-motion.

I walked right up to him. As casually as if I was strolling down the park for an afternoon picnic.

Then I punched him.

I had expected some pain in my hand then. The same kind that blossomed after yet another sparring session with either Boris or Charlie. Instead, I felt, nothing. Well, a little bump perhaps, but nothing beyond that.

As for the gun-totting maniac… he crumpled to the floor like a ragdoll. Slobbering all over the tiles.

Level Gained: +500 Maximum Psy. +12 Ability Points.

Ability Evolving: [Hide] 4 has grown to [Hide] 5

Ability Evolving: [Hidden Danger] 1 has grown to [Hidden Danger] 4

‘Uh, what?’

My eyes went over the notifications as the popped up.

‘Now, hold on a second. That, shouldn’t have done anything. I’ve attacked monsters while hidden plenty of times. How is this one any… oh. Oh, you piece of (Gnome).’

The difference was that I had used a physical attack, instead of a Telepathic one. I’d put myself in danger. Or, at least close to danger.

I turned my focus to my two teammates.

‘Guys! I found out how to level [Hide] more quickly! That and [Hidden Danger]. I think the latter buffs [Hide] when you’re about to do something risky like attacking so that it doesn’t dissipate. You can level both by hitting these guys while they don’t know you’re there.’

It was then, after I’d already sent the [Message], that I realized my mistake.

‘WAIT!’

Too late. Slab grabbed the gunman sprinting over to his unconscious ally by the arm. Yanking him so hard he dropped the rifle and…

There was a pop, as the bone left the socket. Followed closely by a guttural snap. The telltale sign of bones shattering.

The scream the robber released contained the dread of a thousand wailing wraiths. A description that turned out to be more than appropriate, as the man saw empty air where his attacker should have been.

His mind made the connection to ghosts. Then, to the two murders he’d committed last week.

After that, he soiled himself.

Monique had struck her target in a far gentler manner, but the robbers didn’t care about that. Three of the remaining felons bolted. Dropping their guns in their haste to leave.

The last one howled.

“Stop you cowards! This is the work of a hero! A cowardly one! Hold on to your guns and keep a look out! The Projector must be around here somewhere!”

Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.

He grew. An inch at first, then two and three and four.

Covering himself in dirty-brown fur as his snout lengthened. Canine fangs sprouting from where human teeth had been mere moments prior. A colorful orange suit had been hidden inside his street clothes and it now stretched over his enlarged frame. Dark blue boots and gloves contrasted heavily with the rest of the ensemble, so that he resembled nothing short of a particularly flamboyant clown.

In the middle, was the design of a bullseye. Centered around a cartoon mascot digging through a trashcan.

“Come out! Hero! Come out and face the wrath of the Opossum!”

Slab shook his head in sheer disbelief. His jaw hanging loose.

Monique turned to me.

‘I thought this wasn’t your world?’

‘It isn’t.’ I assured her. ‘We’re in Australia. There’s no Australia in my world. Not anymore. I don’t know…’

My eyes caught on to another detail. One that I had missed mere moments prior.

There, on one of the marble pillars, was a wanted poster. Two billion dollars. For the capture or proof of death, of Randall Haroway.

‘Yeah. That checks out.’

‘What does?’

I pointed.

She looked over and clicked her tongue.

‘Yeah. That checks out.’

‘I know right?’

“Huh!? I don’t hear you hero!? Aren’t you coming out!? Aren’t you going to try and defeat me fair and square!? Fine! Have it your way!”

He turned to one of the tellers. Growing the claws erupting from his gloves.

“Let us see how you like it, when I start eating your little sheep.”

My eyes found Slab as my fog picked up on his emotions. I saw him close his mouth and take a couple of steps toward the villain.

‘Wait! Wait! I want to try something!’

He stopped.

‘What did you have in mind?’

‘I want to try the sensory abilities I got. They’re all at one, so it should be safe to use them against him without him dying.’

Slab nodded stiffly, but kept moving towards the Shifter’s intended victim. Moving past the costumed maniac and stepping between him and his target.

I used [Blind], [Deafen] and [Anosmia]. All at once. Calling upon the strings for the first time. Overcharging them with Psy for good measure.

The villain stopped. Frozen so utterly that one could have mistaken him for a statue.

He slowly brought his hands to his face. Waving the gloved limbs in front of his eyes. Then he clapped. Confirmed that he still had his sense of touch and sighed. Then he stiffened, as he realized he hadn’t heard a thing.

He gulped. Loudly.

“You’re a Telepath.” He spoke. With a steady voice devoid of its previous enthusiasm. “Look. Okay. This doesn’t have to get ugly. I… You obviously don’t have powers that can damage directly. That’s fine. This is very impressive. You’re really cool.”

‘I think he’s trying to butter you up like those French girls did.’ Monique observed.

‘Man, are you ever going to stop harassing me about that? How is it any of your business anyway?’

She shrugged.

‘It isn’t. And I don’t care overmuch. You’re old enough to make your own decisions. All I’m worried about is Dusty and she cares very, very much.’

The Opossum kept talking after a pause. Interrupting our [Messages].

“This, doesn’t have to end with us doing something, regrettable. I’ll leave. Okay? I’ll leave and go on home and you will never have to see me again. I swear. On my honor.”

I rolled my eyes.

The police were already on their way, of course. The gang disabling the phone lines and cracking into the system to disable the silent alarms meant little when I could take over the phones of the people here and call the police through them.

There was no way I was letting him go. Not that my opinion would have mattered even if I had been so inclined. Slab had strong feelings for rule breakers and criminals. So much so that the furry pervert should probably consider himself lucky that his limbs were still attached.

I pushed more Psy into the strings.

Prerequisites have been met.

Student has obtained an ability at or beyond Tier IV.

Student has passed level 150.

Student is evolving Telepath to Tier IV.

Level Gained: +1000 Maximum Psy. +17 Ability Points.

Ability Evolving: [Blind] 1 has grown to [Blind] 3

Ability Evolving: [Deafen] 1 has grown to [Deafen] 3

Ability Evolving: [Anosmia] 1 has grown to [Anosmia] 3

Finally. Tier 4. About time.

With that, the limit to my regular Tier 1 abilities rose from 15 to 20. It would be another step to being powerful enough to defend my world from the like of Periwig.

‘Now if only I could merge [Sense Thoughts] and [Mindscape] already.’

The queer mental blocks had been a constant source of frustration, but one that would be overcome in time.

‘Anyway. Now we wait until the cops get here and… wait a second. Whaaa…?’

There was another vehicle entering my fog from the north. A big truck lined with thick metal plates. Behind the wheel and on the back were half a dozen armed gunmen, as well as two Espers.

They were shooting their guns from small windows cut from the frame of the truck. Senselessly spraying lead in all directions.

Sending pedestrians to the safety of nearby buildings as all who saw the scene and heard the shots dove for cover. Lying flat against the ground and sobbing.

[Domination] put a stop to that right away. I flexed the power on the truck and the shooters both. Willing them to freeze in place. The screech of tires must have echoed all around them, because the two Espers I left untouched flinched and covered their ears while swearing.

“What’s the holdup? Get us to the bank! Possum’s waiting!”

The driver didn’t speak. Couldn’t speak. Even if he could, the vehicle had too many electronic systems. It wouldn’t be going anywhere anytime soon.

‘Get down on your knees and put your hands up.’ I commanded. Bringing the two villains under my sway.

“No. No!”

“Telepath! Shit! Get out of my head!”

Their protests did not truly contain the sheer amount of panic each man was feeling. Their minds reflecting on all the horrors I could force them to partake in, now that I had them in my grasp.

‘Man, talk about hypocrisy. I stop a bank heist and I’m suddenly the bad guy because I can mind-control people.’

Monique sighed at the [Message].

‘Yes Sully. I know. You’re a good person. Please don’t have a panic attack.’

‘I’m not having a panic attack. I know I’m a good person now. I’ve saved at least a hundred people today alone.’

Opossum’s whimper resonated within the high hall of the bank. Carrying over the whole interior and containing an entire world’s fill of grief and dread.

“Look man. Don’t do this to me. I, I won’t make a good slave. Okay? I got fleas, man. You don’t want me anywhere near you. I smell too. You’d be puking the whole way home if I got in the car. Please just let me go. I promise I won’t do it again.”

His furry hands were shaking. The entire orange suit vibrating as if the very earth were quaking and giving way under his feet.

A closer inspection revealed that tears were falling down his face. While other things fell down his pants.

“Man. Stop.” I said in disgust. “You’re the criminal here. Not me. Don’t go spinning this arou… and you can’t hear me. Because I’m deafening you. Great. Good job.”

I sighed while massaging my head with one hand.

‘Kneel and undo your transformation.’ I commanded. ‘Do not use your powers to harm or threaten others ever again.’

I passed the same instructions along to the other crooks in the truck some seven and a half kilometres away. Certain that it would, at least, save a couple more lives in the future.

No sooner had I finished doing so, than the shimmer took me and mine back to the Warehouse.

Dropping us in the middle of the safe zone and in front of Peachy’s booth.

She shrieked and stepped back as we arrived. Feathered arms flailing in the air as if in mock surrender.

“You have got to stop doing that. I don’t bite.” I told her.

“Yes! I mean, no! Of course you don’t great master! I will certainly endeavor to avoid displeasing you in the future!”

I rolled my eyes and walked over to my room. Slab following behind me while Monique made her way to the range.

“Have you, given any thought to our discussion?” I asked him after a few paces.

“I have. It, is certainly a difficult topic to tread upon.” He went quiet for a few more seconds. Delving within his own feelings and grasping for the right words.

“I do agree that our home has a lot to do with it. The status you would have brought to our family would not have been insubstantial. And that was before you slew a Great Devourer. However, you should keep in mind that politics isn’t Dusty’s only motivation. You have plenty of good points aside from that.”

“How so?” I asked. Genuinely curious.

“You’re hard-working. For one. I don’t think I’ve ever seen you resting unless you were pressured into it. That dedication says much about your character. Then there’s the fact that you keep your principles close to your heart. You never ask anything in return when helping those in need and you never hesitate to put your life in danger for the sake of others. What’s more, you have a sense of responsibly when it comes to your powers. You don’t abuse them, despite how easy it would be for you to do so. I think that says a lot about you, Sully.”

“Those don’t sound like good points. More like, the bare minimum of human decency.”

“And yet, we’ve seen no shortage of people with powers abusing them over the past few weeks. Harming civilians instead of protecting them. Stepping all over them when they should be lifting them up. Again, the idea of doing that never crossed your mind. You may not think it’s a big deal, but I know for a fact that all the people you’ve rescued down here in the Labyrinth thank their lucky stars that you’re so attached to the concept of responsibility. Speaking of which, there’s also the matter of your own actions.”

“What about them?”

“You’ve never treated Dusty poorly and you’ve always appreciated her efforts.”

I looked up at Slab, as if he were stupid.

“That’s a no brainer. I appreciate her because of all she and you have done for me. I may not agree with all the explosive violence of the early days, but even I can see that you never left my side and that you stuck up for me through thick and thin.”

“Thank you for saying so.” Slab muttered with a faint smile. “But you’re missing the bigger picture. Dusty, she and I grew up being the target of everyone’s malice. It didn’t matter how hard we worked because we weren’t warriors. It was this way from the moment we failed to manifest abilities. Until we got here. Then, we managed to find you and bring you on board. All the while performing glorious feats left and right. I don’t think Charlie or Monique express their feelings on the matter often enough, but you should know they feel good about what we accomplished. About saving at least a fifth of the people down here. They see the survivor count and the fact that it isn’t decreasing and they relish it. Boris, I don’t know if he cares about it in the same manner. He seems rather detached no matter when I see him.”

He shook his head to dispel the worries.

“That’s not the point. The point is that you made it possible to save more people. You made it possible to keep saving people you didn’t even know. You even made it possible to, eventually, save our world. That, means a lot to us. Both of us. We’ve become heroes of legend and we’re only getting stronger as time goes on. You’re, a miracle worker, in our eyes at least. And yes, you have your, quirks. Yet that hasn’t stopped you even once. It leaves quite the impression.”

Slab patted me on the back as we neared my room.

“So, talk to her. Okay? Hear out her feelings. Listen to what she has to say. If you decide that she isn’t for you, I’ll understand. If you decide that you want to give it a shot, that’s fine too. I personally would love to have you as an in-law.”

He stepped away while waving an arm behind him.

“Sleep on it.”

I did try to sleep on it. Drifting into unconsciousness with an enviable ease.

I was back at the mansion. Looking up to see a sky that was… right?

“Huh. The sun is yellow and the sky is blue. As it should be.”

Oddly enough, the presence of a normal outdoor environment sent a few shivers up my spine.

It, didn’t feel right.

“Drake? Hey, Drake. Are you seeing this too?”

The Drake didn’t answer.

Instead, a faint, pathetic, mewling voice drifted over from the gazebo. Sending goosebumps along my limbs and making all my hairs stand on end.

“Hello?” I called out. Peering around the corner.

“Drake, is that you?”

The sobbing redoubled. Sounding as if the one making them were contemplating a permanent escape form their tormented existence.

My fog couldn’t pick them up. Finding a wall of nothingness where a mind should be.

I tried flashing [Insight] to see a few seconds into the future, but it too, was blocked.

I crept closer. Closer. Turning a corner to stare at the source of the lamentations.

There, huddled on the ground and cradling his head with both his hands, was Randall.

He peeked my way with tears and snot running down his face.

He sobbed harder.

“Please.” He whimpered. Pleading with all the raw emotion he could muster. “Please let me die.”