Intermission: The Fateful Return.

The man coming towards me was dressed in the typical dockworker garb. Poorly made pants strapped to his bare chest with a rowdy collection of leather cords. Attached to them, and himself, was a collection of bloodstains and other splotches of paint, ink, and other fluids. All no doubt coming from the day’s catch as they were sent over to the nearby canning factories.

His hair was also a half-brown, half-black oily mess. Tangles knots coming together to appear as though it were a rat. Sleeping proudly atop his head.

“Mr. Whitmer!” He called out. “Mr. Whitmer!”

The mere sound of my name coming from those lips was almost enough to make me recoil in disgust. Despite all the practice I’d had with random street scum.

For a second, I imagined those calloused, dirty fingers touching my suit.

I shivered.

‘Considering how much his outfit cost me, I might have to kill him in retaliation. Everything he owns won’t be enough to cover a third of the cloth.’

I gave Gerald a look and he and some more of my boys stepped between us.

“What do you want, employee?” I asked. Emphasizing that last word so that he remembered that his tone was acceptable for a low-brow brothel, but not for his betters.

“I saw something outside!”

I rolled my eyes.

“Is that so? Was it a bird? Or was it a rat, I wonder? Or something worse? Your own reflection?”

“What? No. No, I think it was a man. A, welder. I think.”

“Oh my. A welder in the docks. The place where the shipyards are. How very strange.”

“But…” He looked utterly flabbergasted. Wasting several good opportunities for retreat. Though perhaps he was too slow to take my meaning.

“But the man flew?”

I sighed.

“Out!” I called out to the floor. “Everybody take a half-hour break. Far from here, is you would.”

The would-be messenger looked confused and turned to see me sitting in my office chair.

“Not you.” I told him. “You stay.”

Then, when all my workers were gone, I turned to my closest men.

“Boys. I thought I asked you to make sure my workers didn’t partake in the opium. At least, not at work. You were supposed to check on the ones coming in.”

“My bad boss.” One of my men spoke up.

“The new kids are a bit green. I shoulda taught them better. I’ll take the punishment.”

“No need.” I said casually. “Just get rid of this one.”

I sat, leaned back and listened as the fool was dragged off and away from my factory.

“Bring his supervisor to my office too. I don’t fault his wanting more bodies on his line, but there needs to be a limit. A man like that is bad for business. If he fell into one of the vats, we’d have to fish out the corpse before we got back to…”

I heard a few strangled screams off in the distance. Where two of my men had taken the man.

That in itself wasn’t strange, but they had died off rather quickly. Too quickly.

“Boys? You didn’t kill him did you? I still need him on the line tomorrow.”

There was no answer.

Instead, I saw a pile of offal coming at me. Fast as a cannonball. I threw myself to the ground. Cursing all the way to where my suit touched the filthy floor.

“Gerald! Go kill whatever that was!”

Gerald didn’t answer and I briefly turned my head to see him.

Or, rather, the space where he had been.

I blinked.

“What is this now?”

There was a plop near me. Another clump of offal falling near my head.

I felt it burst open upon impact. I felt warm droplets of blood splattering over my face.

I touched them and brought my hand in front of my eyes.

Then I rolled unto my feet. Old instincts kicking in as I reached for my weapon.

I grabbed the pistol and the club. Bringing them up together whilst my eyes tracked the area around me. At the same time, my feet moved towards the opposite end of the room. Towards the part of the factory that received the deliveries of raw materials.

The space was more open there and there were more windows and even a few hole in the ceiling.

I’d be able to see..

I felt a thud. Then I felt some bones in my left arm breaking. Then I was flying.

Flying, flying, flying. Until I found a floor, which then turned out to be a wall.

More broken bones. More pain.

And only then was I able to scream.

“My, aren’t we lively.” A voice called out from the side.

I gasped, trying to cut off my own cries so that I could focus. So that I could find some way to survive.

“Who?” I wheezed. Hoping to buy time in case the killer was one of those prideful types.

“Charlie.” He said. With a confidence that defied all odds.

‘Either that is a fake name or he’s the dumbest assassin I’ve ever seen. No, there’s no way its real, but that’s fine. Keep on talking. Keep on gloating.’

I tried to feel for my pistol with trembling fingers. My bones sending lancing pain with the most minute movements I made.

“You killed my dog.” The voice continued. “So your fat son could skip his draft. His conscription ticket.”

I… I remembered that.

“The orphan runaway? You? You’d dare do this to…”

“Yes.” He simply said. Throwing out a kick that shattered my right leg.

I screamed and screamed and screamed.

The world turning white as my vision flashed and blurred.

The next kick took my other leg.

I kept screaming.

So much so, that I did not hear the third blow.

----------------------------------------

This was impossible. This couldn’t be happening. She was dead. Mom was dead.

She had to be. Because she wouldn’t have left us otherwise.

“I’m so glad.” She said as she hugged Ben. “I’m so glad I could get here in time.”

“Mom!” Ben sobbed into her shoulder.

“You’re alive! You’re alive!” Snot was falling down his face and down mom’s suit. Mixing with the tears that kept flowing down his face.

Both of them were trembling, and I could see that he was hugging the dead woman as hard as he could.

‘But she’s dead. She’s been dead for months. Unless… unless she left.’

“That’s a lie!” I yelled at her. Feeling my eyes turning wet and sticky.

But she was still there. Still hugging Ben. After she’d gone and left. After she left us.

“You! How could you! Why?”

“I couldn’t help it.” She said. Her voice trembling as much as she was. “I was taken.”

“Taken? Wha…?”

“Have no fear children.” Another voice cut in. Sounding even younger than ours. “For the light of Sully has shown her the way. Rejoice! For all may find love and peace under his cleansing fire!”

I angled my head downwards and saw the sword.

Then the sword blinked. With a metallic eye it had grown on its hilt. Next to its mouth.

You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version.

“All can be free and clean under Sully’s light! Let his love enter your heart and warm your body in the night!”

I screamed.

Then I sat and listened for what felt like hours, as mom told us all about her psychotic break from reality. Her hands focusing on the space above the sword.

‘A movie prop? Yeah. Must be. Some old piece from a corny sci-fi show. Or a fantasy one. What shows had a talking sword again?’

Ben tugged my arm some time later.

“Jimmy.” He whispered. “Jimmy, she’s gone crazy.”

“I know.” I whispered back.

“She’s talking to the sword.”

“I know.”

“And the sword talks back.” Ben hesitated. “Am I crazy too?”

‘We might all be crazy. Yeah. That makes more sense. Mom isn’t here and we’re hallucinating from the hunger.’

“You are not crazy.” Mom said.

“I knew it! You’re not here! How else would you know what I’m thinking?”

“Because I can read minds now Jimmy, I told you already.”

“You’re crazy! No! You’re not even real!”

Mom opened her mouth, then closed it again. Then she sighed into her hands.

Her fingers snapped, and I felt my body floating upwards.

“All right then. Let’s go outside and see the zombies.”

Once on the outside, we were treated to another kind of spectacle. The skies burning above us, as pillars of flame zoomed across the flat plains outside the city. Torching middle-class homes by the hundreds, as well as the zombies within them.

I watched it all. Mouth hanging open, as I felt the warmth of the air rushing back into me.

It all felt so real. Too real. But it didn’t make sense.

“Burn! Burn! Hahahaha!” The sword sang through the massacre. “Taste the cleansing fire of Solomon Carter! Praise the Tyrant in your last moments! And know that the gnome and the infidel are doomed to perish in his presence! Praise be to the Tyrant! Praise be to the forces of good! Praise be to the forces of good and justice! HAHAHAHA!!!”

It was then, surrounded by the flames and the mad chanting, that I began to wonder.

Just what my mother had become.

----------------------------------------

Luigi’s face was beet-red as he stared down the adoring crowd. Their ecstatic cries only serving to incense him even further.

“Come brother! Do you not feel the joy? The way all the stress and injustice faded away in his prescience? Do you not remember the joy he brought? The unity? The re-organization? The cures? The powers? The actually functioning economy and deflation? The renewed sense of comradery and security? Aren’t you hungry for more? Aren’t you in pain because you can’t love him as before? Come with us and celebrate his life! Celebrate the absence of crime and the low housing prices! Come!”

“Come! Come! Come!”

The crowd chanted along. People of all kinds and ages joining together in their shared love for this Coffin fellow. The one I really, really, really hoped wasn’t Sully.

I mean, he did tell me what he’d been up to before we all came back, but I could still hope.

“No! I don’t want to talk about this Coffin Tyrant clown! Go away!” Luigi bellowed. Slamming closed the door of our previous dorms.

The wood snapped upon the strike, but far less loudly than what I’d expected. On closer inspection, the reason became obvious.

Luigi’s arms had previously been as two wide hills of meat on his arms. Stretching whatever shit he wore at any given time. A great part of that had been fat, but he still lifted enough weights that it became hard to think of him as weak.

Now, they resembled nothing short of twigs. Remarkably thin twigs, in fact. His chest being all sunken-in so that all his ribs showed through his skin. His stomach was distended too. Sagging out like a loose pouch attached to his hips.

Yet, there was a strength in those eyes. A force of will that had not been crushed yet.

How I envied that.

“Listen, Luigi….”

“No! You listen! The world has gone (Mittens)ing bananas! The streets are filled with freaks! Everyone’s too (Mittens)ing happy! They’re being possessed by something! Some evil spirit did this! I know because I saw a woman just like this back on the Island! All the evil spirits looked like Sully and they’re all controlling these people!”

I looked him up and down.

Sighing.

‘Dammit Sully. What did do now?’

“Okay, okay. Slow down for a moment. The evil spirits. Did they ever do something to save you? Or help you in any way?”

“They carried us away from a (Mittens) named Halkon. He and his (Mittens) had us tied up and they were gonna turn us into…”

His eyes narrowed.

“Wait a second. That’s a very specific question to ask. Do you know something?”

‘Yes. But I’m not gonna tell you for a few days. I’ll let you calm down first. Sully might have (Cherub)ed up, but he’s still my best friend.’

“I just think that maybe, just maybe, those evil spirits are not all evil? I mean, they might have starved you a little bit…”

“Wha? No. They fed us….”

‘Oh thank goodness!’ I thought.

Physically reeling backwards from the sheer relief I felt at that.

“Over at the mansion that came from nowhere and… Henry? Henry are you okay?”

“I’m good. Yep. I’m good. I’m just, so relieved.”

“To see me?”

“Yeah. Yeah lets go with that.”

Luigi appeared as though he was about to say something else, but I raised a hand to forestall him.

“Okay. Let’s get back to business. One step at a time. We know we were both in the Tutorial. We know there are five difficulties.”

“There are five difficulties? I didn’t know that!”

“Okay. I know there are five difficulties. I’ve got several sources on that. I got a whole bunch of privileged information from Granny Golden and principal Banerid so I know things that you don’t. Well, that and I landed on a difficulty that was more like a school?”

“What!” Luigi yelled. Pupils dilating. “You got thrown into school!?”

He looked me up and down. More closely this time.

“YOU HAD FOOD!?”

“Whoa! Whoa! Whoa! Whoa! That had nothing to do with me! Okay? I did not choose to go to the nice Tutorial instance with buffets and sports and Jacuzzis, okay?”

“I’M GONNA KILL YOU!!”

“WHY!?”

“NOT YOU YOU (Mittens)! THE MOTHER (Mittens)er WHO DID THIS TO ME!!!”

I paused.

“You mean, to us. Right?”

His right eye twitched. The veins within it plain and visible for all to see. Indeed, I saw them pulsating with every labored breath Luigi took now.

“To us, right?”

There was a knock at the door.

And it was followed by a soft, barely audible voice that cut through Luigi’s rage like a hot knife through butter.

“Vince is hungry.”

I blinked twice. Luigi blinked many times in quick succession.

“Vince is hungry. Vince is hungry! Open the door and let Vince in! Let us in! Let us IN!!!”

My brain froze. Images of that (Cherub)ing Cherub flashing through my mind.

A quick glance at the dread on Luigi’s face told me he was thinking of more or less the same thing.

We both rushed to bar the door.

“Let us in! Let us in! Vince is hungry for meat and sinew!”

The blows on the door became more and more powerful, until a dark-skinned hand burst through the center of it and started trying to claw us away.

I dropped and pressed myself against the lower part of the door. Sinking my feet into the floor this a pair of thundering cracks as I focused on all my active Enhancer abilities to lend me strength.

Higher up, I felt a small shiver of displaced air and saw the nigh-invisible outline of a [Force Wall].

I almost breathed a sigh of relief, but the hand smashed through the telekinetic obstacle with barely a hint of effort. The voice redoubling in volume and intensity.

“Vince is hungry! Vince is starving! VINCE WANTS WHAT IS HIS!!”

I released an embarrassingly feminine scream as I felt the door coming loose.

The thing that came through was an odd blend on forceful, taught muscles and exposed bone. Seeming as if they’d been starved to death and back but with their deterioration focusing exclusively on fat and the less-used muscles around the body. So that they resembled nothing so much as a ghoul with hints of Vince’s face and features.

“VINCE WANTS HIS CHICKEN NUGGETS!!!”

“WHAT!?” Luigi yelled.

“WHAT!?” I echoed.

But Vince, or whatever the (Cherub) was possessing Vince, didn’t stop to chat. It leapt through the entrance as soon as it was cleared and then it proceeded to tear the fridge’s door off its hinges with an ease that beggared belief. Even for an Enhancer like me.

“NOOOOOOOO!!!! THEY ARE GONE!!! WHERE IS ALL THE FOOD!?”

He sounded as if he were about to tear up.

“I think there’s some broccoli and zucchini in there. I saw them earlier.” I offered.

Vince actually started crying.

“I don’t blame him.” Luigi cut in. “I wouldn’t call that food either.”

I was about to remind him that he currently looked like he’d just survived a death march in a desert, but I managed to hold my tongue at the last minute.

The shock had calmed the tensions around here a bit and that could only lead to good things.

“Excuse me brothers.” A new voice came through the door.

“If it is food you need, we would be happy to provide you all a meal.”

I whirled to see one of the Sully-presence-junkies standing a few steps away.

“After all, it is the least I can do for my fellow man.”

“He is addicted.” Vince murmured. His eyes devoid of hope or reason. His cheeks sunken in and gaunt to a degree that made Luigi look plump.

“I read his thoughts. He is happy. But the happiness has never been the same since he left. He feels good helping people and he tries to help because it feels good. Helping reminds him of that time. Of that bliss.”

Vince turned his body around, as well as his head. Only then did I realize that he had previously turned his neck 180 degrees without so much as a flinch.

“Tell me then, brother. What would your master want of Vince?”

The fanatic smiled widely.

“To protect humanity! To show love, care and concern for our fellow man! To not commit crimes! To treat others the same way we wish to be treated! To kill all the gnomes!”

Vince’s stoic, expressionless mask turned into the very picture of ecstasy.

“Yes! Finally! Someone else gets it! You truly are Vince’s brother!”

“Brother!” The man repeated. Opening his arms widely as if to bring Vince into a hug.

Then Vince cried into his shoulders. Sobbing, and murmuring a whole host of disturbing things under his breath.

“Kill gnomes. Drown gnomes. Set gnomes on fire. Step on gnomes. Strangle gnomes. Kick gnomes across the room. (Gnome) on gnomes. Kick gnomes in the (Gnome)s. Poison gnomes. Electrocute gnomes. Cut off gnome heads. Vut off gnome hands. Drop gnomes on their heads. Fart on gnomes. Tear gnome bellies open. Bite gnomes. Eat gnomes. Barf up gnomes. (Gnome) on goblin scorpion stew. Push gnomes off cliffs. Push gnomes on train tracks. Run over gnomes in big trucks. Seduce gnome mothers. Divorce gnome mothers. Break gnome mothers’ heart. Take gnome houses in settlement. Flee with gnome inheritance. Break gnome families. Break gnome kneecaps. Tie gnome up to cinder blocks. Call gnomes odd hours of the morning. Fake gnome signatures. Burden gnomes with second mortage. Commit tax fraud on gnomes’ names. Defenestrate gnomes. Decapitate gnomes…”

‘Well, he and Cherub should get on famously.’ I thought. Cringing as soon as Vince turned his head at impossible angles once again.

“Another friend for Vince!? How great! Tell Vince more about this Cherub!”

----------------------------------------

“Hello neighbour!” Someone called out on the street.

“Hello to you neighbour!” I called back. Strolling down the road with my sisters in hand.

This sight, that of a snowy trail willed with eager, openly caring people, would’ve been unthinkable mere weeks ago.

But that was before Sully.

Everything had changed now. From the smiles on the peoples’ faces to the prices of the food and housing.

There was an eagerness to be found now. A spring to their steps.

A light in their eyes that hadn’t been there before.

‘And they all have powers.’ I thought with a smile. ‘None of them need fear the Rifts and the monsters. They don’t need to throw themselves at the feet of warlords or crooked officials. It is finally done. The world is fixed.’

It was such a perfect picture, that I had to cry. Reeling as my new Telepath Type took in their feelings and their genuine joy. Their hope for the future.

“I’m so, so sorry that I didn’t come sooner.” I told them. “I have no excuses. Only that I was afraid. But that’s all in the past. I won’t let anything happen to you ever again. I’m going to be your hero.”

“Boris.” They spoke as one.

“You don’t need to be our hero. Just our brother.” Nina said to me.

“Besides, it’s all good now. The bad people are gone. No one is imprisoning people anymore. We have food now! And we can go wherever we please!” Sophia followed up.

“Now come. We’ll get you a job too. You can stay at our house while you recover. You look like death.”

I followed them and was awed by the unimaginable changes I saw.

Houses were being raised off the ground at speeds I never thought possible. Several Enhancers working together. Most of them having Telepath as a second Type. They shared memories so that the most senior among them taught the ins and outs to the junior members. The few tradespeople with skills relating to plumbing and carpentry throwing around their knowledge near instantly for next to no regard.

I felt the aftershock through my own fog, and immediately sense the difference between their shared memories and Sully’s own way of doing things. It seemed less efficient. Less complete.

Mere glimpses here and there that only mattered when several of them did it at once and for repeated sessions.

Then I saw the farmers selling their crops openly, without fear of reprisal for crooks or gang members.

People bought and sold and traded with relaxed postures. Never fearing for their well-being as they exchanged good hard cash.

‘This would have been impossible before Sully.’ I thought to myself. ‘I need to let him know. It might make things easier for him.’

Then again, he might already know. Me might have known for a week now.

I felt another surge of emotion, as I noted that the few scars my sisters had were healing, as if from unlevelled Shifter abilities.

‘I will help them.’ I decided instantly. ‘And I will help Sully. This… this cannot be a one off thing. It’s too good. Too precious to hoard.’

I nodded to myself.

‘This must happen again.’