The flight back to the Fiends For Hire compound was long and tedious, but Xard was still glad he did it. He was rustier than he imagined, taking a few involuntary dips in the frigid southern sea. When it happened the first time, he played it off as a good thing—the first proper bath he’d had in a year. But the second and third time, after he’d dried off between, were just plain aggravating.
It served as a good motivator, though. And by the time he made it to the main continent, he was once more flying in full form. He did take a brief break in his journey shortly afterwards—just a quick pit stop for a snack and a change of clothes. Fortunately, even without anything on him, he’d been able to pay thanks to the Common Card that was built into the checkout terminal
The primary purpose of the stop, however, had been to obtain a hair tie. Over the year, his crimson red hair had grown to an annoying length, so he tied it back into a short ponytail just to get it out of his eyes.
He didn’t make any more stops after that and flew high to not draw attention. It was for the best if too many people didn’t know they were out of prison yet, or have it be a rumor at most. That and he didn’t exactly want anyone from the ground to see him sporting the latest in gas station chic.
The flight back took the entire night, and he crossed into Segrevide just as the sun started to crest over the horizon. Xard slowed down as he approached Bisomote, observing the town and how much it had changed. There were a few new buildings, and it looked like some shops had closed down or revamped, but that wasn’t the reason that town looked like a shell of what it was before.
No, Bisomote had somehow devolved into a war camp. Tents littered the sidewalks. Trucks, both civilian and military, dotted the streets. There were barricades, barbed wire, and turrets all pointing at the Fiends For Hire compound. Their perimeter was entirely surrounded on all sides, even up to the northern mountain range.
At the very least, it seemed the residential section remained mostly untarnished, though it looked like a few semi-permanent structures had been built to aid the siege. But that left Xard wondering just what kind of lives the everyday citizens must have been living, if there were still any left. Hopefully, most had fled elsewhere when this had all started, but there were a few stubborn mules among them.
He didn’t see much stirring going on during the break of dawn, so Xard left it alone for now and continued to the compound. Inside, there was a lot more life, Fiends and Lessers running around and starting their days, looking unperturbed by the siege around them. The Artillery touched down just beyond the front gates where he noticed Tize standing with his hand up to wave him down to ground.
“Welcome back,” the man greeted him with a genuine heartfelt smile and went in for a hug, like a father who hadn’t seen his child in a long time.
“Ahvra told you then?” Xard was a bit surprised that anyone had been expecting him.
“Yes, but just me and the other generals,” Tize confirmed. “But with you here now, the secret will spread around quick enough. I’ve been up all night, wondering when you all would show up. It’s good to see you, Xard. Will the others be along soon?”
“Unlikely,” Xard dashed his hopes immediately. “Not for a few days at least. Drim and Phon have probably already been here and left without a word. You can check their rooms to confirm. I’d imagine some of their things have gone missing. And Kada and Jaid are off on their adventure.”
“So, Jaid finally came through, huh?” Tize rubbed his chin. “I’ll admit, I had my doubts at times. But after we last spoke, it definitely seemed like an inevitability. Come, let’s talk over breakfast.”
The two men headed towards their headquarters building, but it was a slow walk. Xard’s eyes kept wandering at all the new things around them, mostly temporary lodgings. A few were inflatable homes, others were tarps over crude wood frames, not much better than the tents he’d seen out in the town.
When Tize noticed the man’s curiosity, he mentioned, “The world’s changed a lot in the past year, Xard. It’s no longer safe to be a Fiend or Lesser just trying to live your life. Those who can’t defend themselves will inevitably be hunted down and thrown in one of their prisons, or worse…”
“We’ve taken in everyone who comes for shelter, but we’re also well beyond capacity. And it’s not just up here. A few dozen of the Bisomote citizenry are living in the tunnels beneath us. They got fed up living under militia rule, but they also had nowhere else to go.”
“And that’s just on this side of the world, those who can make their way to us. But not everyone can. So not long after all this started, we began working on a second home. Not just safehouses, but something more permanent: The Fiends For Hire West Branch. Most people just call it ‘West’ though.”
“But building that has made us shorthanded, meaning our own home has had to take a hit. So constructing new apartments for everyone is slow-going, but we’re getting there. And no one complains about the pace, because even though we get death glares from outside these walls, the inside is perfectly safe and sound.”
“Actually, I’m a little envious of West’s headquarters. Given the current world climate, it was built with mobility in mind. It has a barrier like ours, but also the ability to get up and walk away—a mobile fortress. While it’s a more nomadic, radical life, those living there seem to enjoy it.”
“Currently, it walks around the perimeter of Pimitrad to ward off a situation like ours. If anyone tries to lay siege or attack it, they steer the headquarters into the radiation for a time. While the barrier has its own layer of protection, it’s still not ideal for humans, unlike here. But Lessers and Fiends won’t notice any issues for a few days.”
“And you’ll never guess who’s stepped up and taken charge over there. Whill Ponde and Lieu Caffold. They’re in charge of West, and they have my full trust and support.”
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Xard was taken aback with surprise. “You’re right, I never would have guessed that.”
Both men had to jump out of the way when they opened the door to the headquarters building since a lumbering monster came bursting by. It was a yakmule, or rather Laurim transformed as one. She had a large crate on her back and was heading somewhere in a hurry.
“Those would be the daily provisions for those down in the tunnels,” Tize explained. “They don’t come topside, so we take everything to them that they need. We don’t want our aggressors knowing that we’re harboring humans, or it could spur them into attacking. Right now, they’re placated, thinking we’re trapped inside, and we aim to keep it that way.”
The two men walked past the unoccupied front desk since it was too early for Deborah to start her shift. They then proceeded through the vacant throne room, and Xard stared at the empty throne. Drim had only ever sat on it the one time, since there’d been no more cause before the tournament. But maybe now it would see some actual use.
However, he also noticed a thin layer of dust. Normally, that would be expected on unused furniture, but seeing dust at all in the Fiends For Hire compound was a rarity. In fact, just about everything had the slightest tinge of wear and dirt that Mallea and Crucion would normally never allow. Xard guessed they were preoccupied with the construction efforts, but it still raised some questions that he let drift to the back of his mind for the moment.
“Oh honey, Xard’s back!” Hazzle ran into the kitchen as soon as she saw the redhead enter the restaurant.
“Better not be pulling my leg!” Vank came stomping out. “Cosmos it is! Good to see ya, kid!” Both of them came around the counter and gave him a big hug.
“We’re throwing out today’s menu!” Hazzle then declared. “We’ll be making all your favorites to celebrate. Isn’t that right, dear!”
“Oh, I’m on it!” Vank shuffled back to the kitchen. “You pack up everything we already made, and I’ll get back to cooking! Give me ten, no, seven minutes!”
In no time at all, Vank prepared a new meal while Hazzle berated Xard with questions about his time away. It was a tender and warm moment, but the man tried to not let it distract him from the bigger issues at hand, lest he get complacent and lazy. He’d already had a year of rest. It was time to get to work. Well, at least after finishing every bite of the meal made especially for him.
“So tell me about them,” Xard asked once the men finally sat down with their food. “The group outside. I don’t recognize their banner.”
Tize sighed, clearly tired of dealing with them. “They call themselves Humanity. From what they claim, at least, they’re a group of humans dedicated to proving that Fiends and Lessers aren’t needed, and that humans are still the dominant species in the world. But what they really are is a terrorist organization that means to either imprison or kill all of us.”
“And what most people don’t know, is that their ranks have been infiltrated by a lot of Lessers from the Red Eyes Gang disguised as humans. Clearly, they’ve been bought by the same person to serve their means. Or at the very least, to rile them up and point them at their enemies, all while bankrolling them. We don’t know if the person behind it genuinely wants Fiends gone, or if it’s all a guise to drum up chaos. Whatever the reason, it’s Cosdamn annoying, but we’re making do.”
“The reason you’re not doing anything about it is Drim, right?” Xard wanted to confirm.
“Yes, that was his orders,” Tize nodded. “On that day at the tournament, he said to me, ‘When they come, don’t fight back. Let them think they’ve won.’ So we’ve been doing everything in our power to abide by that.”
“When Humanity came to fight us, we didn’t fight back. They screamed at us for days, launched countless volleys at our barrier, but we in no way retaliated, so they decided to lay siege in Bisomote.”
“And on that day, we unofficially declared them the victor, acted like we were trapped. But for the most part, besides having to care for more occupants and build new facilities, we’ve been operating as normal. Valen’s been working overtime sending everyone to safehouses around the world. And our members have been completing missions just as they were, but with a handicap.”
“We don’t take any commission for doing them, and we complete them in secret. No contact with the requestors, never seen if possible. It certainly makes it all more tedious, so it’s slowed down our completion rate, but that just adds to the lie that we’re suppressed.”
“Other than that, we also make sure everyone is seen walking around here every few days, even if they just immediately turn around and leave again. We also have Crucion or a Lesser member purposefully spotted outside the compound on occasion, so they think we’re trying to sneak out for supply runs. It gives them something to chase for a while, though it’s recently become a problem.”
“On the publicity side of things, Fiend TV has gone dark entirely. Right now the channel just displays a counter of the days and hours since our siege began, making us look desperate, as if we’re asking for help. Chorus has been going mad without putting out any new content. But they’ve been preoccupying themself by toying with Gedring lately.”
“Gedring?” Xard was confused. “What does she have to do with any of this?”
“After Humanity’s methods took a more drastic turn, the Central Peace tried to censor it,” Tize began to explain. “But that didn’t sit right with Gedring. She was apparently fed up with being their mouthpiece, twisting the truth to serve their ends. So she stormed off after some big confrontation with her producers.”
“Now she has her own online news series. It boasts itself on reporting purely factual news with no hidden agendas. Her operation runs entirely on donations, so of course, Chorus became her prime benefactor. They don’t try to force our agenda or anything, but they also provide her with tidbits of news and verifiable facts that she can’t afford not to report, even if they make her uncomfortable. In a way, she’s unintentionally become our biggest supporter just by reporting things as they are.”
“I see.” Xard paused for a moment to take it all in. “Thank you, Tize. I’m sure you’ve heard it a lot, and will only hear it more when the others return. But this was only possible because of you. We knew we could do what we had to, that everything would be secure when left in your hands. And thank you for playing along with this farce.”
“But that all ends now. We have new orders from the king. Once Drim and Phon make their move, the Fiends For Hire is to resume operations at full capacity. And… I’ll be liberating Bisomote today.”
“And by that you mean…” Tize raised an eyebrow.
“Yes,” Xard gave a heavy nod. “Killing them all if that’s what it comes down to. We are no longer holding back against our enemies. Per the king’s words, this world no longer has a place for those who would oppress others just for existing. So if they don’t repent, don’t lay down their arms or run away, I will be their executioner.”
“I understand,” Tize clasped his hands. “I hate to see you running off to fight just as you get back. So let’s at least enjoy this meal, and before you go, there’s a few more things I’d like to show you. I also imagine you’d like a good shower and more familiar clothes before The Artillery properly makes his return.”