“May I ask what the three of you think you’re doing?” a disappointed fatherly voice leaked out of Drim as if he had just caught his children messing up the house.

“Chilling,” Niloy answered shamelessly without a care.

“Eating and chilling,” Kada grabbed an hors d'oeuvre off the nearby plate and plopped it into her mouth.

The third one couldn’t answer, since she was currently transformed into a Walrotter and floating on her back, the plate of food balanced on her tummy. If Drim didn’t know any better, he’d think the three of them were wasted on some substance or another, but it was hard for Fiends to be affected by such things. Though if anyone could pull it off, it’d be Niloy.

Regardless of their current sobriety, it didn’t excuse their behavior. The three girls were currently inside what looked like a giant bowl of some kind. Maybe it had been an art piece, but Kada had melted out the middle, and they were treating it like a giant bathtub. The two humanoids were soaking in their very expensive dresses, though at least the stains would come out when Kada reverted the bowl back to normal.

“Hey, I asked somebody for permission!” Kada insisted. “They didn’t say any words, but I got a positive sounding grunt and a dismissive wave. And now the other Bastards are either ignoring us entirely or watching us like we’re doing performance art. Either way, it’s better than having to talk to them. Have you heard the words that come out of their mouth? It’s either the most boring drivel or the most hateful zjik I’ve heard in my life.”

Niloy then chimed in. “Oh, and it takes a lot of concentration, but I can also turn this into a hot tub!” Unlike some other juvenile jokes that many others would make, the liquid art around them started to actually boil, and all the women enjoyed the extreme heat. “You’re welcome to join us, Drim.”

“Uhh, I’ll pass,” he staunchly refused. “You can keep having fun as long as you’re not bothering anyone. But if anyone actually tries to get you to stop, please don’t argue with them about it.”

He left the girls to their merriment, but that inspired him to be a bit more proactive. As the leader of a bunch of misfits, it was likely in his best interest to at least perform a cautionary sweep to make sure any of them weren’t doing anything insane. Or at least more insane than that.

It didn’t take him long to stumble onto Chorus, who while not doing anything particularly brazen, was still acting a bit crazy. They were leaning against a pillar, furiously typing into their phone, distressed with an intense look in their eye.

“Something the matter, Chorus?” Drim got close before asking, expecting that his employee would yell in frustration if he was too far away.

“It’s these damned media outlets,” the PR manager vented a bit of frustration through gritted teeth. “Some of them are trying to claim that we were the aggressors in all this. That we took Last Bastion hostage and that the world’s armies were gallantly trying to liberate it from our evil clutches. But oh no! I’m not going to let that happen. Everyone will know the truth. I’m not going to rest until I see Gedring’s heretical face crucify the Central Peace as the responsible party!”

“Well keep up the good work,” their boss had to admire their drive. “I have full faith in you. And if needed, you’re welcome to use Victori to loosen their tongues once she’s recovered.”

“That might just be the kick I need!” Chorus began typing even faster, their poor phone straining from the savage beating. Perhaps before long it would shatter in their hands.

And Drim left them to it, appreciative that he wasn’t the one who had to deal with all this. Chorus was an insane zealot, but at least they were a loyal one, so they’d get the job done. It certainly would be imperative to their efforts if that misinformation was ever wholly spread and believed. But of course, it being even said once meant some would never change their minds regardless of all the evidence that would follow. Annoying, but the Fiends For Hire would have never received their support to begin with.

After leaving Chorus, Drim was briefly stopped by a Bastion woman who wanted to discuss employment legislation with him as a fellow member of nobility. It was a conversation he couldn’t escape fast enough, and was thankfully saved a few minutes later by her dress suddenly getting an inexplicable tear. The glow around Drim’s wrist that briefly appeared certainly had nothing to do with it.

He bolted from that side of the party as quickly as he could and soon ran into another seasoned mischief-maker, Roque. “Ah, Drim, ole buddy, ole pal, ole friend. Just the man I was looking for.” The Swindler wrapped his arm around Drim’s shoulder and casually dragged him to a less populated area.

“Uhh, hey Roque,” Drim was always weary when the man was acting overly friendly. “Thanks again for all you’ve done. I wouldn’t want to put that burden on anyone, but you’ve been a tremendous help.”

“Well I’m glad that you’re appreciative, my dear employer,” Roque’s grin twisted. “But chum to chum, if you were looking for a way to express such appreciation, all I would ask for is a small favor.”

“And that is?” Suddenly Roque’s friendly grip around Drim’s shoulders felt like icy dread.

“Nothing dubious, I swear,” the man assured him, even though every word sounded like a lie. “All I need is for you to approve a transaction for the master account.”

“Okay, sure,” Drim didn’t hesitate, happy that’s all he had to do. The Fiends For Hire had several accounts where their funds trickled into automatically, such as salaries, expenses, investments, and charitable donations. Roque already had unlimited access for the latter two which weren’t exactly paltry sums.

But only Drim and Phon could access the master account, which was where all the payments for their services went into, along with the interest fees on Common Cards. Did Roque want to drain the account for his services? It wouldn’t really matter if he did. Their operations may be hampered for about a day, but it wouldn’t be long at all before their coffers were filled well past their expenditures.

Drim expected Roque to pull out a Common Card, but instead, the man pulled out a coin, the special coin he’d had Nathym manufacture for him on his first day. “I finally got that lovely young lady Senli to get this thing to cooperate,” Roque mentioned as he gave the coin a jaunty flip. “Though only this one time.”

“So here’s the master account,” a jaw-dropping number appeared on the coin’s projected screen. “And here’s…. Looks familiar, right?”

“That’s the bounty…” Drim’s eyes widened in realization.

“The very same,” The Swindler snickered. “Now I don’t know about you, but I’d say that the bounties conditions have been fulfilled. Last Bastion is a part of the Central Peace, and now every existing country is a member. But as for the ones who made that possible, well, I’d say that’s us, wouldn’t you?”

A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.

Before Drim could even respond, the last few digits on the bounty started ticking down. It was just a few commons at first, but the rate steadily picked up speed. “I could take it all at once,” Roque’s face looked absolutely fiendish. “But where’s the fun in that?”

“I bet right about now, people are starting to notice. Alerts are going off, messages are being sent, dinners are being interrupted. And all the effort that these conspirators put into creating this sizable bounty is being erased—their fortune wiped away, right into the pockets of their enemies! Cosmos, I wish I could see their faces right now.”

“So will they know it was us?” Drim switched his attention to their master account, the number slowly ticking up. It was honestly difficult to tell anything had happened at first since the transfer was diluted by their usual monetary gains. But as the transfer rate increased, it quickly became noticeable.

“Of course they will!” Roque burst out laughing. “That’s the best part! And they can’t say a damn word about it. If anyone claims that we stole their money, we’ll have found our culprit.” The man's elation lasted until the very last Common had been transferred, and then he let out an exhaustive, relieved sigh, experiencing pleasure that Drim could in no way relate to.

“Well while I would have rather experienced their pain and suffering in person, I’ll now have the fun of digging through the network of rich mawhgers and see if any of them throw a tissy fit. And I’m glad I got to share this moment with you, my friend.”

Drim left the scene, happy for Roque, but also just as befuddled by him as the day they’d met. He thought about taking a moment to go check back up on his sister. But as soon as he entered the main hall, he was met with calming, romantic music and couples dancing intimately together, with longing lonely eyes dotting the sidelines. So Drim turned around and vacated the area as quickly as he could.

After a bit of wandering around, the man found Tize enjoying some drinks with fellow soldiers. Though they were all veterans in uniform who likely hadn’t seen combat in some time and had been sent to this festivity against their will, just for political obligations. Drim fully planned to simply walk past, but Tize shot up after him and followed behind, giving the man a nod to divert off to the side.

“Hey, we hadn’t really had a moment to talk since it all happened, so I just wanted to check on how you were doing.” Tize has a soft look in his eyes, almost like a worried father.

It made Drim smile. “Aren’t I supposed to be the one asking you that?”

“Just because you’re in charge, it doesn’t mean that you have to hide your feelings. And it certainly won’t stop us from worrying about you,” Tize refuted. “I’ve been through a few wars in my life, but what we just experienced was horrendous unlike any other. Don’t forget, I’ve been in your head, Drim. I know that the experience was really hard on you. If you say you’re fine, I’ll drop it, but I’m here for you if you need it.”

“Thank you, Tize. I appreciate it, really,” the man was sincere. “But I do think I’ll be alright. Just need a bit of time to process it. And the best thing we can do is move forward and keep trying to improve, so nothing like that ever happens again.”

“I wholeheartedly agree,” Tize nodded along. “But there is one more thing I wanted to discuss. When we were synced, something was off. I know you felt it since I could hear your thoughts. That weird instinct, is it still there?”

“Uhh, no,” Drim rattled around in his head for a moment, trying to find any trace. “Well, actually sort of. It’s there, but it looks like it’s back to being dormant, whatever it is. Great, now I’ll probably focus on it for a while…”

“Well, I can perhaps offer one insight that you may not know,” Tize grabbed his attention. “I actually spoke to your mother about it. Forgive me, but there wasn’t much else to do since you and Asset were handling most of the functions on your own. And she told me something interesting. That she recognized that feeling from a long time ago, back when she was pregnant with you.”

“Hmm, guess it must have always been there then,” Drim speculated briefly, but didn’t really have the desire to give it more thought at present. “Thanks for letting me know, Tize.”

“You’re welcome,” he nodded his head slightly. “Now if you’ll excuse me, I’ll be back to catching up with some old friends. And if you run into Niloy, send her my way. These drinks aren’t nearly stiff enough. It’s the only thing I hate about being a Fiend.”

Drim continued his journey around the castle, which had now become a journey to find the study if it existed anywhere. But the layout of the place was an absolute mess. Whoever had designed it clearly had no actual intention of living there. Though it had belonged to the since-passed Bastion founder, so perhaps the layout had been renovated after his death.

Over time, he eventually came across most of his other employees in some fashion or another. And thankfully, the majority seemed to be having a decent time at least. He saw Gatrim and Kaizu running off somewhere together, and figured it was probably best that he didn’t know what they were up to. And then he happened to stumble across Rezin who was hiding in a potted plant that Drim stopped to admire. The boy was happily playing on his portable gaming system in solitude.

In a second plant, shortly after, he actually found Drimini hiding as well. But instead of playing a game, she was eating the plant from the inside out. Drim replenished what she’d taken, but it would likely just get devoured again.

After that, it didn’t take him long to find a second group drinking together. Though at this point, it was just down to one. Nachi was still enjoying her drinks while a group of men were slumped over all around her. Judging by the empty glasses, they’d tried to go shot-for-shot with her and failed miserably. Now Nachi was flirting with one of the wives of the passed-out individuals.

The most distressed person he found was Xard who happened to be cornered. Three noble brothers were all trying to court him at the same time. Drim felt empathetic to his plight, having found himself in similar positions in the past. Though he felt little pity since Xard had often been on the other end, so he left the man to deal with the situation on his own.

“Ah, Drim Drazah, greetings,” a hand was suddenly outstretched in Drim’s direction, prompting him to shake it. “Marigauld Viscelli, Representative of Regend, but you can just call me Gauld. And this is Callum Briz, one of my Vice-Reps and my personal protege.”

“It’s a pleasure to meet you sir!” Drim found his hand shaken again, this time with unceasing vigor. “I’ve been following Fiends ever since they were still speculation, and I’ve admired your work since the Fiends For Hire’s founding. Honestly, I’ve taken a lot of your group's core principles and implemented them in my own legislation.”

Drim was genuinely taken aback. Normally when he met with politicians, they were either kissasses who wanted to exploit him, or enemies who wanted him dead. There were a few in the middle that were pleasant enough, but none that actively praised him—openly at least.

“If it’s alright, it would be an honor to sit down with you and discuss some of your philosophies,” Callum continued. “While I’d also love to hear some about your plans going forward, I understand that some may be confidential. And if you like, I’d be happy to share anything that’s not confidential on my end and hasn’t fully reached public ears. In my experience, cooperation and trust has always been more reliable than secrecy.”

With genuine wholeheartedness, Drim wanted to accept his offer, but then something caught his eye that he simply couldn’t ignore. “I’d love to, but I just saw an old acquaintance that I need to catch up with. If you’ll excuse me…”

But Drim only took one step before he turned back around, so compelled by the man that he didn’t want to leave their relationship dead from the start. “Unfortunately I don’t have time tonight, but reach out to Deborah at our compound, and she’ll make an appointment on my schedule. I do genuinely want to discuss this with you, Callum. I mean that.”

The man then whirled back around and rushed off, snatching a full tray of food from a roaming waitress as he passed. “Would you care for anything, miss?” he asked once he’d caught up to the woman who had just walked out to one of the balconies. “It’d be a shame to go the entire evening without at least trying something.”

“Well, I guess I could—” Jaid whirled around from the railing, adorned in a beautiful sparkling blue dress that matched her eyes. Her look of interest quickly shattered when she saw that it was Drim, nearly tumbling back over the railing in surprise.