◆Question 6: What weapons do you use, if any?◆
This question didn’t filter out a single applicant during the process, but it was still a useful one. By knowing what everyone used, they could cater to their strengths more. It would also give them ideas on how Nathym could improve their existing gear or give them items to fill the gaps. Not everyone had a weapon or were experienced enough to know what they’d be proficient in using, which was fine. Ones such as Harionette were also skipped because it was obvious what she would say.
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{No. 53; Pense Betitahonk (The Usurper [Self-Proclaimed]) - Lesser Fiend | Apparently Laughing Creepily is Their Dream / Gambler / Bounty Hunter | Ahvra's Notes: Probably Dishonest Motives / Likes Money. Mumbles / Asks dumb questions}
“Hmph, anything I can get my hands on is a deadly weapon,” the resounding cockiness in Pense’s voice was unrelenting. “That’s because… I am the only weapon I need!”
A series of groans came from the interviewing table, but Pense seemed too proud of himself to notice.
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{No. 118; Gatrim Foilepe (The Memory [TBD]) - Lesser Fiend | 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}
“Let me proudly present my companion for life,” Gatrim unsheathed the rapier that had been holstered at his hip. “She has no name yet. It is customary for our master to name the weapon for us after completion of our first mission; a sort of bonding ceremony if you will.” He swished it around a few times and then went through some practice stances. “As you can see, she’s light as a feather and made of only the finest metal. She can pierce through anything!”
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{No. 29; Asset 29 - Lesser Fiend | Doesn't Dream / Doesn't Understand the Concept of Hobbies / Specialized Contractor | Ahvra's Notes: Too Compliant / Needs Annoyingly Specific Instruction / Dead inside?}
“I use whatever weapon or tool my employer prefers,” Asset informed them. “They usually have a preference of how the work is done, so I use whatever will best fit that criteria. I have no preference, but I do carry around a multi-tool I’m partial to. It is the greatest invention of mankind. So much purpose in one small package. It is how I aim to live my life.”
For the first time in possibly the entire interview session so far, the others got even the smallest glimpse into Asset’s desires and personality.
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{No. 121; Niloy 'Nini' Spatzel (The Flesh-Eater) - Fiend | 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?}
Kada started to pout after a stream of water hit her face. “What? You’re The Mermaid, aren’t you? Shouldn’t you love water?” Niloy started giggling to herself. She had sprayed Kada with a shot from a water-pistol, one of the two she had attached to her hips. There was also a large water-rifle that was attached to her back. She plucked it off and started waving it around, laughing as everyone else flinched. “Oh come on, it’s just water, guys. Though, I suppose that’s pretty dangerous in my hands. Hehe.”
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{No. 50; Tize Scound (The Refuge) - Lesser Fiend | Standard Dreams / Too Good of a Person / Ex-Military | Ahvra's Notes: Historically Mistreated / Humble / Stiff Ex-Soldier}
There was clear eagerness in Tize’s eyes as he started unpacking the large case he’d brought with him. He showed off the guns one at a time, naming the models, caliber, stopping power, ammunition needs; everything that went over the Fiends heads. Rusa was an exception as she nodded along, and they received some messages from Mallea about how knowledgeable he was. Even if he was now ex-military, he was clearly still passionate about some aspects.
“And this is why they call me The Refuge,” Tize pulled out a large riot shield that was taller and much wider than he was. “Out of all those weapons, this is what feels best in my hands. I know I’m secure, and that I can make those that I’m protecting feel secure too.”
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{No. 144; (The Beacon) - Fiend | 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.}
“It may not be what you call a weapon, but this idol of Cosmos is all I need,” The Beacon brandished the star-spiked ornamental bauble she’d been fiddling with in her hands the whole time. “I use it as a focus for my Curse. It may not have any power on its own, but it empowers my belief, and Cosmos grants me his strength through it. So it is everything to me. I would be lost without it. That said… in a last ditch effort of self-defense, it may have ended up inside of some sinners at some point.”
“Cosmos works in mysterious ways,” she simply shrugged.
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{No. 66; Itsy Humdiddy (The Wrecking Ball) - Fiend | Likes Monster Trucks and Rocks / Mechanic | Ahvra's Notes: If Joins, Make Sure all Allocated Supplies and Furniture are Reinforced / Too Strong / Big Woman}
“I use my truck,” Itsy stated plainly.
“What, like, you run people over with it?” Xard inquired further.
“Heh, no, though that’d be funny,” Itsy snorted slightly. “Nah, I just pick up my truck and hit people with it.”
“You pick it up… with your bare hands and strength… and swing it at people… accurately?” Drim pressed for clarification.
“Yup, swat at ‘em like flies.” A smug grin popped up on her face and she seemed to space out for a moment, likely remembering a specific rambunctious altercation.
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{No. 89; Roque Personson (The Swindler) - Fiend | 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 is my weapon,” Roque was completely serious. “It can get you anything you want, whenever you want, and how many you want. So, if you guys ever need weapons, any kind of weapon you can dream of, just let me know and I’ll have them delivered the next day. For a modest commission of course.”
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He then changed his tone slightly and continued. “Now to be a bit more serious about your question, I don’t have any preference when it comes to choice of weapon for fighting. Nor do I need to. It’s hard to explain now, but with my Curse, how good I am with a weapon doesn’t matter as long as it belongs to me.”
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{No. 152; Chorus Mistrion (The Quick Changer) - Fiend | 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}
Chorus held out their hand, as if they were about to pick something up, and then it appeared: an old-fashioned suitcase. It was boxy with hard edges and straps that went all around—more like a portable trunk instead of what everyone else used for luggage these days. Then a chain appeared, it curled around the handle of the suitcase and then latched onto Chorus’ right wrist with a handcuff.
“This is always with me. It’s part of my Curse,” Chorus explained. “While its main use is in the Curse itself, the chain and case can certainly work as weapons on their own. They’re indestructible as far as I’m aware. I know I’ve tried everything to break it off of myself. The chain can go as long as I need it to, and the case can change shape as well, but we’ll get into that later.”
Both items then completely vanished from sight. “They may seem like they’re gone, but I can always feel the weight of the chain around my wrist.” An exacerbated sigh was quite telling in how much it bothered them.
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{No. 65; Jaid Sparka (The Warrior) - Fiend | 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}
Jaid slowly unraveled the weapon she’d brought with her from the long cloth covering. It was a giant broadsword, nearly as tall as she was, with a flared diamond-shaped tip at the end. After Jaid propped it up, the tip sank slightly into the floor, leaving a crack. “Wow, the weight on that must be quite significant. Quite impressive if you can actually wield that properly even as a Fiend,” Phon gave one of her only bits of praise throughout the entire interview process.
“Actually, it was my mothers,” Jaid elaborated. “I finally accepted recently that she must have been a Lesser Fiend. After a mission one day, she refused to take off her helmet in public ever again, even in front of me. Her hair didn’t change, so she wasn’t a real Fiend, but even then she was able to start fighting with this sword.”
“Your mother must have been someone amazing,” Drim smiled softly at her. “Even if it was from becoming a Fiend, I’m sure she’s proud of you for being able to carry on her burdens after her passing.”
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{No. 44; Kaizu Izuzu - Lesser Fiend | Clearly Something Going On / Uhh ??? / Corporate Drone | Hard Worker | Ahvra's Notes: Unnoteworthy}
“Well,” Kaizu slyly smirked, completely breaking her professional persona. “I guess I have to show you then. Good… I wasn’t going to be able to hold it in for much longer. It’s so stifling, not letting them breathe. They get quite upset being stuffed under all these clothes.” She quickly slipped off her blazer, then reached up to her already slightly unbuttoned blouse and began to undo the rest.
Normally, this would immediately warrant for the rest of the group to try to cover Drim’s eyes, but they didn’t budge. Instead, all eyes were on Phon, wondering why she wasn’t acting spastic in the presence of such an act. No, Phon was more focused than she’d been all day, staring unblinkingly at Kaizu.
Her fingers were lightly tugging on the ribbon around her hat, ready to pull it down at a moment’s notice. Clearly, Phon was ready to take action if needed, wordlessly suggesting the others to do the same. They all stiffened in their seats, with Drim and Kada now readying to grab their weapons if needed. Kaizu didn’t seem to care about the tension at all as she continued to strip, her face growing more elated with each button undone.
Finally, it was all bare out in the open as Kaizu flitted away her shirt. She wasn’t wearing a bra or any other kind of undergarment. Her breasts were wrapped in bandages, but that barely drew any attention. There was a chain wrapped around her stomach, coiling from just below the bandages to well past her navel.
Both ends of the chain went up her sides and then spiraled down her arms. Finally, they connected to a dagger at each end, strapped to her forearms. “There’s my weapons,” she smugly acquiesced. But no one was looking at her weapons, or even thinking about them. They were now completely irrelevant.
Everyone was staring at her skin, the bare skin that they could see. It was covered in red marks. From the base of her neck, down and well past her torso into her pants. From her shoulders, down to the ends of her wrist. Red marks, dozens, maybe hundreds of varying shapes and sizes. And those were only the ones that they could see; each mark representing a life she’d taken. All of them were her Curse Marks.
“Gahaha, it feels so good to let them breathe,” Kaizu exulted as her whole body shivered in relief. “I’d take off the rest, but even I have some sense of decency. Those poor babies. They’ll just have to wait until we’re alone.”
All eyes slowly drifted from the clearly crazed Kaizu over to Drim who seemed to be undergoing a crisis. His eyes were darting madly, scanning all over her body, trying to count the marks again and again, but he could never keep track of them all. “She isn’t…” he finally uttered. “She isn’t evil. I don’t know how. I don’t know how it’s possible, but my senses aren’t picking up a single hint of maliciousness or corruption.”
Kaizu then glared at him, deep disdain in her eyes. “You think I would ever commit an act of evil? You dare compare me to those scum?!” Her body then twitched, and she squeamishly clutched at her arms as if she was in pain. “No, you’re right, you’re right. Can’t get upset. We need him.”
“How many have you killed?” Drim demanded, ignoring her outburst.
“Two hundred and… eighty four,” For some reason Kaizu seemed hesitant and embarrassed about that number.
“And how many Curse Marks do you have?” Drim demanded again, his aggression growing in intensity.
“Two hundred and… eighty… two…” She quietly muttered.
“So then those two—” It was an easy deduction for anyone paying attention, but Drim didn’t get to finish speaking it.
“I’m sorry!” Kaizu wailed, tears now streaming down her face. All of a sudden, her personality changed entirely again, close to that of a blubbering child who’d been caught doing something wrong. “I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I’m so sorry! I didn’t mean to, I didn’t want to. It hurt, so much so so much. It still hurts. It hurts, it hurts, it hurts!” She collapsed on the ground, clutching at the marks on her skin. They seemed to light up in anger, pulsating a bit one at a time as they tormented her.
“Please be quiet. Please! I’ll never do it again! That’s why we’re here, we swore. We will never do it again. I will make it up to you all. I promise!”
Everyone stared awkwardly at this outburst, completely unsure how to handle it. All except for Rusa. She left her exercise ball completely and slowly padded over to Kaizu, her Curse in full swing. “They’re speaking to her,” Rusa informed them matter-of-factly. “It’s… like a code. The pulsations, the intensity, the duration. They all have meaning.”
“How can that be?” Phon spoke for everyone else’s confusion. “Drim and I have the lingering will of our parents in ours, with our mother much more aware, but there’s been no other cases. She’s killed nobodies if she’s only a Lesser after all this time. How could they possibly be sentient at all?”
“It seems they have merged, to create a new form of life,” Rusa deduced. “Curse Marks are brands of the souls of the damned, are they not? Each one requires a bit of that person’s life to make. So all those lives must have added up and made a new one that has fused with Kaizu. It seems it has its own personality.”
After a while, there seemed to be a whimper from Kaizu, vaguely confirming Rusa’s thesis. “I would avoid telling Widdle Ahvra about this for now,” Rusa added, “Or she’ll be strapped to a dissection table for months to come.” The others nodded in agreement.
After even longer, Kaizu was able to calm down enough for the interview to continue.
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