◆Question 10: Why do you want to join the Fiends For Hire?◆
This question eliminated the most candidates. Like the one before it, it was meant to get to the heart of why each applicant was here. If someone’s vision didn’t match the group’s mission statement, they’d be asked to leave or offered the choice to switch to residency in rare cases.
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{No. 66; Itsy Humdiddy (The Wrecking Ball) - Fiend | Walking Collateral Damage / Content To Be Ignorant / Strong is Enough for Her / Seriously, like picks up her truck, and just, whamo? I Gotta See This / Likes Monster Trucks and Rocks / Mechanic | Ahvra's Notes: If Joins, Make Sure all Allocated Supplies and Furniture are Reinforced / Too Strong / Big Woman}
It seemed this giant behemoth of a woman was in fact capable of being nervous as she began twiddling her fingers. “I uhh…” Itsy started slowly stammering. “I uhh, my whole life, umm, my whole life I’ve been seen as a monster. Around my tenth birthday I was already as tall as my parents. By my twelfth I’d dwarfed them. By 13 I had to duck under every door.”
“We moved ‘round then, and the new school wouldn’t let me attend, refusing tuh believe I was still a kid. So, I dropped out, started working in my pa’s auto shop. I had to learn quick how to work on cars cus I wasn’t any good at the register. Customers’d go running as soon as they saw me. And eventually, I just started hiding myself in the back.”
“After my pa died and I became a Fiend, it got even worse. A few people were more interested in me now, but as a curiosity and not a person. So, any friends I made didn’t stay friends long. It’s a big reason why I got into monster trucks. Well, first, they were the only vehicle I could fit intuh. But being big at the rallies just fit into my character, I guess. Still, even then, outside of the matches, people would avoid me mostly.”
“So I guess what I’m tryin to say is… I just… want somewhere I can belong. Somewhere people won’t point and laugh at me or run away if I get too close. I wanna make real friends, especially friends I won’t break if we get a bit rough when having fun. That may uhh been part of why we had to move in the first place. Controlling muh strength has never been my strength funnily enough.”
“Oh, and I do really like smashing stuff and pricks who deserve it. So, having a job that revolves around it would be mawhging magnificent if you’ll have me. Though, I’d still plan to work on cars and my monster truck. Be happy to maintain any vehicles you guys have too. I may not be the smartest, but the tech parta’ cars never stumped me much. So, I’d be willing to learn whatever ya got.”
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{No. 8; Hairionette - Fiend | We Do Have Pretty Hair. Thank You / Cosmetologist / Surprise Surprise, Her Curse is Hair / Is She Okay In The Head? / Agree with Ahvra's Assessment / Wig Maker | Ahvra's Notes: Possibly Likes Hair Too Much / Likes Hair A Lot / Likes Hair}
“I like hair,” Hairionette was basically a broken record at that point. “All I want is to style your hair. To play with it, to brush it, to sculpt it into so many looks. I can’t get a job at a normal salon anymore, and all I want is to pursue my passion. I don’t want to hurt people. I don’t really want to fight monsters, but if that’s what it takes so I can keep doing what I love, I’ll endure it gladly.”
There was a lot of discussion amongst the group after her answer. In the event of a rejection, it was almost always Drim delivering the news. Not only was it his duty as the leader, but he also just had the firmest hand in general. However, if it was someone else who had a strong opinion on why that candidate couldn’t be accepted, it’d be their responsibility to break it to the applicant.
In this case, though, Harionette wasn’t necessarily rejected. It was a bit more complicated. “So, we’ve talked over your situation quite a bit, and frankly we don’t think we can give you what you want.” Drim informed her. “We do think you’re strong and skilled. That much is without question. And we do think you could be a valuable member of the team even with your admittedly quirky personality.”
“That said, your specific talents would be wasted here. Sorry to be blunt, but we don’t really have need of a stylist. Not to the degree that that would make you happy anyways. While we don’t believe this is enough to outright reject you, we just want you to deeply consider what would make you happy in life. You’re welcome to continue with the interview if that’s what you want. You’re also welcome to be a resident and we’d see about getting you a job at the local salon or even starting your own here.”
“But… we’d also like to offer you a third option. We have a connection at the Wandering Souls Circus. They’re a traveling performance troupe that specializes in showcasing the skills of talented Lesser Fiends, and I heard recently that a few Fiends had joined too. While they may not have as much pretty hair as we do, I genuinely believe that you’d be appreciated there. You’d be able to use your talents every day and provide a service they really need.”
“If you like, I’ll invite their leader, Rallie, up here so she can personally speak with you about it. And if you don’t like what she says, we can revisit the other two options. You’re welcome to stay, and of course we’ll provide lodging in the meantime. So what do you say?”
“I’d like to meet her very much.” For the first time the entire day, there wasn’t a hint of Hairionette’s fanaticism. Just a sweet, smiling, and excited girl.
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{No. 29; Asset 29 - Lesser Fiend | And People Say No One Wants to Work Anymore / Needs To Attend a Comedy Course / Wants Purpose / Good With Any Weapon or Tool / Doesn't Dream / Doesn't Understand the Concept of Hobbies / Specialized Contractor | Ahvra's Notes: Too Compliant / Needs Annoyingly Specific Instruction / Dead inside?}
“I do not feel I really need to repeat myself,” Asset insisted. “I believe I’ve made my intentions quite clear.”
“Yep yep, you’re here to work the jobs that we can provide. Believe me, we get it,” Kada mirrored his frustration.
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{No. 65; Jaid Sparka (The Warrior) - Fiend | Sentimental / Multi-Jaid / Carries a Big Sword / Wants To Follow Mother's Dream / Likes Alone Time and Outdoors / Made Drim Annoyed at Us :c / Ex-Merc | Ahvra's Notes: Weird About Her Arms / Capable Despite Appearance / Formerly Injured. Fiend Anomaly}
“I’ll be honest, I originally had my sights set on joining the Central Peace,” Jaid admitted. “I even got a recruitment letter from one of their scouts once they started enlisting Fiends into their private army. But, I don’t know. It just didn’t feel right.”
“Our mercenary group actually butted heads with them on a few occasions. We didn’t fight or anything, but there were a lot of disputes over jurisdiction and authority. Our group was often hired by citizens for tasks that the CP would often claim they were already ‘handling’. Of course, they would often only take action conveniently right after we’d arrived.”
“That aside, I really like the work that they do. I genuinely believe that they’re a force for good, and I’d be proud to work alongside them. I like the work you all do a little less, especially the criminal side. If I joined, I wouldn’t want anything to do with that part.”
“I know you might say I should just go join the CP then, but there I’d be restricted. I need to carve my own path. That’s what my mother would have wanted for me. And here is the best place for that.”
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{No. 53; Pense Betitahonk (The Usurper [Self-Proclaimed]) - Lesser Fiend | Just Get On With It Already! / Braggadocious / Thinks Highly of His Skills / Apparently Laughing Creepily is Their Dream / Gambler / Bounty Hunter | Ahvra's Notes: Probably Dishonest Motives / Likes Money. Mumbles / Asks dumb questions}
“HehehahahA AHAHAHAHA. You fools!” Pense gripped his face in his hand to try and restrain his maniacal laughter. “Why would I want to join you?! You’re not worthy of me. How could such morons be worthy of my service when you didn’t even see through my ruse?! I am not here to join you, but to kill you!”
Pense now had a remote in his hand. He pressed a button and two small laser cannons ripped through the shoulders of his clothing. They pointed at the Fiends and began charging. “My cannons will disintegrate you into smoldering piles of ash! I spent my entire fortune on them. But have no fear. This may be the end of the Fiends For Hire, but it’s the dawn of a new era. The birth of the rich and powerful Pense Betitahonk!”
Ignoring the pure ball of stupidity that was Pense, those cannons were at least something to be wary against. They should even warrant at least remotely trying to dodge them. However, Phon’s own snickering had turned into a full outburst. She was now banging her fist on the table and fighting through tears. For this reason, the others couldn’t be bothered to move and inch and accepted whatever fate may await them.
The cannons reached their maximum charge, and Pense jovially slammed his finger down on the button. And then he did it again. And again. Again again again until either the button or his finger would break soon, but nothing happened. Well, not quite nothing. The cannons actually kept charging, and soon, they overloaded.
With a satisfying bang, the cannons exploded, singeing Pense’s hair and shoulders. But his agony wasn’t over, the wiring running all around his body to operate the cannons short-circuited, causing him to be shocked until his whole body was smoking a bit.
After several long, agonizing moments of pain, Pense was finally ready to confront his failure. “How, how is this possible?! I planned this out perfectly. I had these cannons made specifically for this job. They were working fine when I tested them earlier. How could they fail me now, on the cusp of my ascension?!”
“P-p-pfffft!” Phon finally spit from laughing so much. “You Cosdamn idiot. Should have checked your gear before coming into this room! When I slit everyone’s necks, I cut some of the wires on your cannons. Did you really think you could hide them from me? I see everything!”
A lot more moaning came from Pense after that, from his wounds and from his mental breakdown caused by his defeat. Eventually, he couldn’t take it anymore and passed out, his body sadly slipping out of the chair and flopping gracelessly onto the ground.
Before he could wake up, his body was ‘disposed of’ by Phon; meaning she teleported him somewhere far away. His luggage was just tossed over the gate per the standard practice. Whether he ever got it back or not they never knew.
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{No. 118; Gatrim Foilepe (The Memory [TBD]) - Lesser Fiend | Thinks Highly of What We Can Offer / Actually Lives Up to His Boasting / Uses Rapier / A Lot of Pride / Lives Fancily / Oddly Pure / In Training | Ahvra's Notes: Nerves May be a Problem / Secret Power? / Full of Himself. Stop Shaking}
“The short answer is that I want to get stronger.” It was an answer expected from Gatrim at this point. “But that’s not all there is to it. I can’t just get stronger. I can’t just be better. I have to become the best I can possibly be.”
“You see… I am not the only child of the Foilepe house. In fact, I am the youngest of 22 siblings. And… I happen to be the only boy. That’s right, I have a total of 21 sisters, both full and half, though not all of them are still alive. Growing up in that house was tough to say the least. They did their best to try and shatter my pride as a man. To them, I was their precious plaything. And because I wasn’t like them, they never had high hopes for me.”
“In our house, failure is not an option. Giving up is death, that is the Foilepe way. And yet… and yet I was told that I didn’t need to take on the family mission. Just shut up and be a good heir of the house, that was the future my sisters laid out for me. Our father, he would never let such passiveness; such cowardness stand for any of my sisters. But for me, he just grunted and accepted their wish.”
“In a way, I get it. They love me, I know they do. They just want their precious baby brother to be safe and happy, to leave the dirty work of the house to them. But just because I get it, doesn’t mean that I accept it. No, I Gatrim Foilepe will become the pride of my house. I will not be the figurehead they want me to be. This is my choice!”
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{No. 152; Chorus Mistrion (The Quick Changer) - Fiend | Wants Us To Be Stars? / My Childhood is Being Ruined / Quickly Changes. Spot on Name / Shackled Suitcase / Something About Stars IDK / Looking For Passion / Former Actor/Actress | Ahvra's Notes: My Body is Confused / Smile Haunts Me / Don’t Like. Causes Stress}
“I used to always think monster hunting was for ruffians, and getting your hands dirty was for peasants.” The others had already gotten used to Chorus rambling at this point. “But that’s what the people want to see. They want to see the gritty reality. The high stakes. The heart wrenching dramas. They want to see monsters vanquished, magic fly, heroes rise against all odds.”
“What the masses want is an escape: an escape from their woes and fears, and more importantly, an escape from their mundane lives. Why do you think that the Fiends For Hire are popular? It’s run by the Drazahs. Everyone should be zjikking their pants and gouging out their eyes when they see a picture of you. The last thing they should want is to read every news clipping, watch every debate, and buy Fiend action figures for their children to play with.”
The tale has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.
“We have action figures?” Drim had ignored the rest and only spoke to what caught his attention.
“Yes, you do!” Chorus chastised their ignorance. “And the fact that you’re not making any money off of it is the problem! Well, no one is really, except some bootleggers. For obvious reasons, no major toy seller would be associated with them. Doesn’t stop them from making mawhgloads of money. And yes yes, I know, you all don’t care about money. Neither do I! But there are other things of value that come from being famous. Most importantly, the opinion of the people.”
“And just bravo bravo for what you two did,” Chorus started clapping. “The stunt in Prosper on New Year’s, I mean. It was brilliant, so brilliant that I wish I could have been the one to think of it. ‘The Drazahs are alive’. That certainly would have made headlines everywhere regardless of how you did it. But if it wasn’t a big show, things certainly would have played out differently, wouldn’t they?”
“It’d catch everyone’s eye, but their immediate thought would have been to snuff you out as soon as possible. I’m sure that fear was still the initial emotion, but you two planted seeds of curiosity. The tease of your powers, striking down a criminal, the bomb drop of Fiends, and most importantly, you didn’t kill them. The name Drazah was always associated purely with fear before then, so when they weren’t hurt, they all wondered why.”
“That just led to intrigue over the following weeks. Sure they were still afraid, but they had so many questions that only the Fiends For Hire could provide. And that’s why you were everywhere, and people’s perception slowly began to change. Maybe you’re not as bad as your parents. Maybe you are the saviors of the world. Maybe you’re a bunch of dumb kids on a power trip. I’m sure the majority still want you gone, but you’re slowly swaying their opinion.”
“But not fast enough, right? I’m unsure of your machinations, but I know you’re plotting something. What would be the point of all those spectacles otherwise. Advertisements for your business? No, you all may be accidental marketing geniuses, but everything has an underlying meaning. I’m sure of that.”
“Now for why I’m here… well, you all are just too tempting,” Chorus licked their lips. “What started as an ember is now a raging fire, but that’s not enough. I want to see you all burn brighter until you engulf the world. These stars need to shine, so I’m going to make that happen. You all will be the greatest talent known to man and Fiend alike. That is my goal!”
“So, what that means, exactly. Well you all will be hiring me as the head of your Public Relations. No choice in the matter. You’ve already signed the paperwork. Don’t remember? Too bad. It’s set in stone. Throw me out if you want, but I’ll be back to gnaw at you like a starving mongrel.”
“I have plans, oh so many plans, and I won’t let you get in the way. In fact, the first project has already reached its point of no return. I just need you to sign something, my lovely Kada, and you will be my first bright shining star.”
“Ohmygosh they called me lovely,” Kada muttered, almost mindlessly, as she signed the paper handed to her without reading it at all.
“Congratulations! Lokka the Brave Quokka will be airing as an animated series in the upcoming broadcast season,” Chorus informed her as they grinned devilishly at the signed contract. “Your bestselling children’s book is about to be the best kids show on television. And thank you in advance for fronting all the production costs.”
“Woah, it’s a bestseller?” Kada only reacted to what she wanted to hear.
“It is indeed, my dear,” Chorus broke the news. “You’ve made quite the amount in royalties. How haven’t you noticed? Oh right, spoiled rich kids. Whatever! The point is, that no matter how middling a book is, who it’s written by and how it’s marketed is all that matters. The sexy star of the Fiends For Hire going at it with the world’s most famous news anchor, you bet that’s going to move copies.”
“Now for my other plans. I’m going to make documentaries, reality shows, films, and so much more! The Fiend TV network is my ultimate goal. I’m sure your little techy boy can whip up something to hijack broadcast networks so we don’t need to worry about being shut down. Freedom of speech shall reign supreme!”
“Oh Chorus, if all you want is to make entertainment, then why are you signing up for all the dangerous hullabaloo?! Fantastic question, oh my valiant clients. If I want my works to be the best they can be, then I need to get down and dirty myself. I was always a fan of method acting, but I’m not the star. So, I need to be method directing. I need to get into the mind of what it means to be one of the Fiends For Hire. So sign me up! Whatever it is! Slaying monsters, burning villages, taking a zjik on every desk at the CP? You can count me in!”
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{No. 100; Rezin Anish - Fiend | Here's Hoping We Don't Corrupt Him / Actually Fun to Play Games With / Hallucinations, yet not quite? Hard to Explain / Pure / Made a Friend / Unemployed / Their Life is Sad | Ahvra's Notes: My Head Hurts / Eyes Playing Tricks / Hard to Pin Down}
“Like I said, I just want to live my life,” Rezin reiterated. “Most people would just say that I should get a job and live quietly, but I don't want that. Living quietly is all I’ve done ever since my parents died. I want to go out, experience things with my own eyes. I want to have adventures, make new friends, be surprised every day.”
“Even if it’s scary, I want to use my Curse to its full potential, whatever that means. It’d just be a waste anywhere else. So, this is where I need to be. I’m sure of it… I’m sure of… I’m sure of it!” It took a few attempts, but Rezin properly reassured himself.
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{No. 144; (The Beacon) - Fiend | Holds Us in High Regard / Purification! / Behold, The Bauble! / Doesn't Impose Beliefs / Get This Woman Her Own Bath / Monster Hunter | Ahvra's Notes: Unsure if Prayer is part of Curse / Religion is Powerful? / Very Religious. Bad sense of age.}
“All I want is to keep doing my work, but under the guidance of those chosen by Cosmos.” It was a simple reason, but all The Beacon needed. “You are the first Fiends, the ones who convinced Cosmos to give us his blessing by purifying the purest evil. There is no better way for me to serve him than for me to follow the wishes of those who inspired even a god!”
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{No. 121; Niloy 'Nini' Spatzel (The Flesh-Eater) - Fiend | Aww, She Called Us Popular / No / Wacky Water (I Hate Whoever Wrote This. Guessing Kada. -Phon) / Uses Waterguns? How does that work? / Happy With Life / Spends All Day on Her Phone / Seeks Affirmation from Others / Freelancer / Bad at Customer Service | Ahvra's Notes: Many Innuendos / Vain / Trying to flirt?}
“Sounds fun, that’s why!” Niloy’s reason was surprisingly innocent. “Sure, I want to use your popularity to grow my own. I also want to get some legitimacy to my name. The Flesh-Eater, while totally awesome, doesn’t exactly say ‘rescues gerbils from trees and helps old gentlemen cross the street’. But if I’m with you guys, that’s all people will need.”
“Plus, helping people is actually like stupid fun. I did it by accident a few times just out of instinct with my new powers. But now I love it. Weird right? I always hated customer service. Those entitled bastards can go die. But when I see someone suffering for reals, it’s like, oh no poor baby. I will destroy the world for you! And the praise afterwards, oh damn who needs a boyfriend when the world will just worship you!”
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{No. 89; Roque Personson (The Swindler) - Fiend | Seems to Hate The Rich. Isn't He Rich? / Secret Market Connections / Legal Thievery? / Takes A Lot of Stock in Capitalism / Sorry We Ruined Your Dream! / Follows Trends / Sketchy Businesses | Ahvra's Notes: Sold Blood for Cheap. See if you can Buy More / Shifty. Thief?}
“Money and opportunity. This group reeks of both,” Roque wasn’t trying to hide his intentions. “Now you don’t need money, and I don’t need money. But because of our selflessness, we continue to do what we do. That’s right, your old pal Roque is as selfless as they come.” He smiled at the doubting and expected stares for a moment before continuing.
“Now while everything I do is to make a profit in the end, that doesn’t mean I don’t do any good along the way. For example, last month I bought a pharmaceutical company. That place was infested with the most greed riddled vermites you’ll ever meet. They were gouging the hell out of prices for medicine people really need. We’re talking about hundreds of times more expensive than it costs to make.”
“So what I did: fired all the greedy bastards, promoted those who deserved it, and slashed those medicine costs to a fraction of their price. And guess what? That company is now making triple profit. Turns out if you treat people right, they’ll treat you right in return. Crazy.”
“That’s what I want. The money I make to reach those who can properly use it, and in return, I get more connections to make even more money. Oh, and as a rich person who doesn’t actually do any real work, I gotta fill my time with doing crazy dangerous stuff as we people with way too much money tend to do. Only way we can feel alive anymore!”
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{No. 50; Tize Scound (The Refuge) - Lesser Fiend | He's Like a Dad / Good at Being Good / Has a Full Arsenal and a Honking Big Shield / Standard Dreams / Too Good of a Person / Ex-Military | Ahvra's Notes: Historically Mistreated / Humble / Stiff Ex-Soldier}
“So, the day after I was fired from the military, I went and applied at the Central Peace,” Tize informed them. “Unfortunately, this was still early on after the world found out about Fiends. They took one look at my eyes and rejected me immediately with disgusted looks on their faces. This was of course before they started actively recruiting Fiends and Lessers like they are now.”
“I’m sure if I went back, I’d be welcomed with open arms given my record. But mawhg ‘em. They had their chance. And something tells me their ‘acceptance’ now is out of necessity instead of a change of heart. I’m guessing there’s still just as many who deplore the idea of working with Fiends, and that’s not a place where I’d want to dedicate my loyalty.”
“But finding a place I belong is difficult. The military is the only life I’ve ever known, joined right out of school. But they threw me out, then the CP shunned me. I could just retire, but I’m still young… at heart at least. Maybe being a Lesser isn’t making me feel my age, but I’m just not ready to be done. I still have so much left to give…”
“You want to prove that you’re still capable and useful despite your age,” Drim added.
“Harsh, but accurate,” Tize agreed. “And here I see these young upstarts, who have already accomplished more in a few months than I ever did in over two decades of service. They’re giving it their all, making actual change in the world. You all are what motivate me now. I’m sure I was doing good in my community, but it just wasn’t enough. I still want to be part of something bigger than myself, somewhere I can really contribute.”
“So, if you’d have me. I’d love to show you exactly what I’m still capable of.”
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{No. 44; Kaizu Izuzu - Lesser Fiend | Condescending / Why is She Here, Exactly? / Professional Hobbyist Serial Killer / Haunted By The Dead / Mass Murderer / Clearly Something Going On / Uhh ??? / Corporate Drone | Hard Worker | Ahvra's Notes: Unnoteworthy}
“Tch,” Kaizu clicked her tongue again at the mere thought of having to answer the question. “Like I said. I really have no interest in being a member. I don’t want to hunt monsters, and the thought of helping others makes me viscerally ill. But if that’s the price of admission then… so be it. I’ll do what I must. Whatever you ask, whatever it takes.”
“I am here for one reason and one reason only,” One of Kaizu’s daggers slipped into her hand and she pointed it at Drim. “My Marks tell me that you, and only you, can give me what I want.”
“Err, and what is that exactly?” Drim was confused, and still processing the idea that Curse Marks could talk. His mother could talk, but this was something different entirely.
“You can tell me who to kill, those who will give me more Curse Marks. That’s all I want in life. They demand it, and it’s the only happiness I can feel anymore. I can’t kill another innocent person, not again. I can’t take the anguish, the pain. It hurts so much. I’d probably just end up killing myself than go through that again. I can’t bear it.”
“But I can’t stop killing. I won’t! It is everything to me! So either help me, or kill me! They’re the only options left.”
There was a frenzy of discussion after this, more than anyone else got for the entire day. The Fiends lost track of time as they debated endlessly on what to do. Finally, they surrendered to Drim’s judgment and higher authority on the matter.
“I should congratulate you. You’ve been accepted, and the first to pass this early in the interview. But that’s not quite right.” What should be a cause for celebration, were only cold, bitter words in Drim's mouth. “Rather than us offering for you to stay, you’re no longer allowed to leave.” On his cue, restraints shot out of the chair Kaizu was sitting in, and restrained her hands to the back of it.
“From everything you’ve told us: your murders, your Curse Marks, your ambition. You’re a serial killer. There’s no other word for it, and you’re undoubtedly one of the most dangerous in the world. So, it would be negligent of us to allow such a person to walk free.”
Kaizu’s eyes bulged as she stared at the ground, tears starting to pour from her face. Clearly she hadn’t anticipated this outcome, and it was the worst possible scenario for her. Then, the glimmer of hope.
“But we’re not giving up on you,” Drim’s voice suddenly lightened, his words sincere and compassionate. “It’d be hypocritical of us to do so. You see, at this table is a serial killer with way more kills than you. And for lack of a better word she’s… mostly…reformed. At the very least, her heart’s in the right place.” Phon looked like she wanted to be offended at first, but couldn’t seem to contest those words.
“You will be a prisoner, but we, no, I will give you what you want. You will be allowed to go on missions, supervised of course, and in the event it is necessary, you will be allowed to kill. Personally, I deplore killing, and would love nothing more than a world without it. But that’s currently not feasible, and I understand the positives it can bring. So in the event it is required, you will be our executioner, for only those that I’ve personally vetted. I have an idea on how you can still defer to me even if we’re not together.”
“During your free-time, you will be limited to this campus, but you’ll be free to live your life normally otherwise. The barrier around this place actually works both ways. So we can keep you in just as we can keep others out. Obviously, if you attempt to harm anyone here, our deal will be off and we’ll resort to more drastic measures.”
“That all said, our goal will be rehabilitation. I don’t know why you started killing, whether it was accidental, intentional, or self-preservation. But that doesn’t matter. It’s clear that there’s other factors at play. Whether or not you can or would admit it yourself, you’re being manipulated by your Curse Marks. Your desire to kill may be your own, but it’s blatantly obvious they’re compounding it.”
“So, our hope is to help you find some other reason for living. Whatever it is, hopefully something healthy. We’ll also have our research department studying the effects of your Curse Marks, and they’ll see what they can do to lessen, or hopefully remove, their influence on you. If we can remove that as a factor, we’ll have a better idea of how we can help you.”
Kaizu’s body raged at that, struggling in her restraints. Her face silently snarled as she bared her teeth. “They didn’t like that,” Rusa was referring to the Curse Marks on Kaizu’s body that all seemed to be pulsating wildly. However, her eyes told a different story. It looked like they were terrified and pleading for help.
After a minute of this, her Marks seemed to settle down, and Drim could continue. He went over a few more specifics, and finally asked, “Not that you have a choice, but do you have any objections to this?”
“Why would I?” Kaizu was back to her condescending self and then gave a slight smirk. “This is exactly what I wanted.”
<{No. 44; Kaizu Izuzu; Status: FORCEFULLY ACCEPTED | Reason: Danger to Humanity>
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