The morning after the debate and the night of supernatural oddities, Deborah sent out an urgent notice to all members. They were to either cancel or put on hold any jobs they were working on. If they were at a point where leaving would be catastrophic, they were urged to expedite their progress. They had until the afternoon to wrap things up and make it back to the Headquarters Building. It also applied to everyone, regardless of if they lived in the main or West compounds.
While the group wanted to give everyone sufficient time, the main reason for why the meeting took place in the afternoon instead of first thing in the morning was obvious. Everyone who had something to say were so sleep deprived that they were hardly functional. It had been an arduous night for all involved, but some got much more rest than others.
Right after lunch, the throne room was packed. While only members were required to attend, those who lived in Fiendish as just residents were also heavily encouraged to take part. “There is a lot to be discussed, so we’re not going to waste words,” the Fiendish King began the meeting.
“We’ll start off by saying that we’ve finally found her. For those who don’t know, over the past year, we have been searching for whomever has spoken in our heads whenever there’s a Greater Fiend announcement, so you all should know her voice well. She is also the same entity who created Fiends and Lessers, and bestowed us our powers. Last night, after Senli uncovered her identity, she formally introduced herself to us as Rathe, the Demigod of Haste.”
Drim then went into further detail about what else had happened that night, not sugarcoating anything. He ended it with the information they’d learned regarding the divine being’s location thanks to his mother. Though he did bend the truth a little bit, saying that Rathe had given them a hint as to where she was, and they’d figured it out as a group.
“Phon and our science team performed reconnaissance at The Drain earlier today. My sister confirmed that there is an insane cluster of aura at the bottom, unlike anything she’d seen before. And unfortunately, it existing means Phon won’t be able to teleport us down there.”
“However, through the scans the science team performed, they identified a structure that we believe is the entrance to Rathe’s lair at the bottom of the sea floor. But the only way to get there is to go down The Drain. We’ll use The Salvation to ride it out, but it’s currently incapable of weathering the trip. That cataclysmic whirlpool only means death for any who would dare get near it, but after a few more modifications, we’re confident we’ll be able to get there safely.”
“Given the time it will take to upgrade the ship, along with other factors, we’ve planned the expedition for the 21st.”
“Hang on a second,” Itsy interrupted. “Ain’t that election day?”
“Yes it is,” the political candidate certainly hadn’t forgotten. “But because of the election, we have commitments we have to fulfill before that day to ensure that everything goes smoothly. There are plans that could go awry otherwise. The day of the election is actually the first over the next week where we have nothing scheduled and are otherwise free.”
“Don’t worry,” Phon interjected. “Before we depart, we’ll give you all time to vote. There will be a few polling stations set up in the lobby of this building. So you all have no excuses to skip out on democracy.”
“Ideally, it would be best to postpone our trip to meet her well beyond that day,” the king continued, “But Rathe has given us a warning, one we should take at face value. If she sees us idling for too long, we may face unexpected consequences. I don’t even want to wait a week, but it can’t be avoided. Hopefully she can forgive the slight delay.”
“Even if we could go today, we’d still have to wait. Simply because this is undeniably the most dangerous mission the Fiends For Hire will ever undertake. There is a good chance that some or all of us will not make it back alive. And I won’t hear any reasons as to why I should stay behind. I’ve already had those arguments today. But what kind of leader would I be if I hid behind my subjects when it mattered most? I’m going, and that’s final.”
“But none of you have to. As always. No, especially for this mission, I ask that you strongly take the time to consider your own situation. Can you afford to risk your life? Is this a path you’re committed to follow?”
“I can’t answer that for you. But what I can do is make sure that you understand what it is you’d be fighting for. It’s time to come clean about everything. You all deserve as much, and I’m sorry that it’s taken this long and such drastic circumstances for us to do so. But no more lies, no more secrets. I’ll tell you everything: the future of this company and nation, along with our plan to change the world.”
Drim began what felt like the longest monologue of his life, even more tiring than the debate the night before. But he’d long since thought of every word he wanted to say, because hopefully in the near future, he’d be saying something similar to the entire world if he won the election.
For his citizens, however, he went into far more detail. The king explained Project Fiendless to them, from the broad strokes down to the most tedious detail. It was honestly a good gauge of where they were at and how much progress they’d made. There was a mix of reactions. Some nodded along in full support, many were confused at first but eventually grasped the concepts. Others were outright distraught at the beginning, but came around to at least mildly content and acceptant by the end.
Granted, the king was certainly playing for his ideal audience, and it would be hard to say for certain how the masses of the world would react. But given the fact that none of them were outright trying to kill him, as Xard once had, it was a good sign. At least on the surface, everyone appeared calm and understanding. But Drim knew that some must have still been struggling with it in their minds.
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“I know what I’ve just told you all could possibly be considered madness. Several aspects of it go against our core tenets as a group and the ideals we strive towards everyday. It might be hard for some of you to align yourself with such a project. And that is why I am now giving you an open invitation to leave.”
“If you feel that we’ve crossed a line, or if you can’t see yourself being a part of it, anyone who wants to leave the Fiends For Hire is more than welcome to do so. There will be no questions asked, and we won’t try to influence you to stay. You’ll be heavily compensated for your work thus far to the point that you’d never need to work again, as a thank you for your loyalty up until now.”
“Additionally, this extends for anyone who is staying here as a resident. If you feel you no longer want to reside in Fiendish, we will help you find a new location, wherever you want to go. Members are also allowed to downgrade themselves to residents if they want to stay a part of the community but not work for us.”
“Those of you who do choose to stay, and do decide to accompany us on this mission, please use this last week to prepare yourself. Wrap up any jobs you don’t want to remain unfinished. Spend time with friends and family. If you have any lingering dreams you want to achieve or places you want to go, take this as your opportunity. When you go down The Drain with us, come with no regrets.”
“You don’t have to make your choice now, and we won’t put you on the spot one at a time. If you’re planning to join us, meet us at The Salvation that morning.”
“How pointless,” the king found himself interrupted once more. Roque stood up from his seat and made his way to the front of the throne room. “Isn’t our king saying such stupid things? Because I’ve already made up my mind, and I’m sure most of you all have as well.”
“I joined this group to be entertained, to find experiences that money couldn’t buy. And I’d say up until now, you’ve sufficiently provided. But to ask us to risk our lives to face off against some demigod… now that’s something else entirely. You can count me in!”
“And this world you want to make. Now that’s something I’ve gotta see. It sounds like it’ll be even more entertaining. Though I suspect many of my old methods of making a profit will become obsolete, I've never backed down from a challenge. I’m betting it all on you Drim Drazah. You can count on me until the end. That’s a Personson guarantee.”
“I’m going too, even though I’m not a member,” of all people, Rishaki pledged herself next. “I can’t let you hog all the relics and artifacts down there for yourself, Roque! And I suppose I can help bring supplies too.”
“A showdown with a demigod,” Chorus stood up next. “That’s something I have to be there personally to film. I wouldn’t miss it for anything.”
“A new chance to prove my strength,” Gatrim got amped. “The Memory shall become The Godslayer!”
“This Rathe woman…” Nachi pondered. “I wonder how cute she is. I’ll have to see for myself.”
Many from the crowd rose to share their own support, with reasons varying from noble to selfish. Not everyone was so vocal, and it was clear that some were still on the fence, but the king couldn’t hold back a smile from the unwavering support.
“Thank you all from the bottom of my heart,” Drim expressed his gratitude. “But I do hope that some of you haven’t been too swept up in the momentum. If you change your minds before the date, that’s perfectly fine. I thank you for being with us.”
“And regardless of what you do with your life, I hope you can indulge us one more time today. The rest of the week will be yours to do with as you see fit. But tonight, we’d like to have one final event as a group. We’ll be holding a party, a celebration of all we’ve accomplished, and to show our appreciation to everyone who’s been a part of the Fiends For Hire along with everyone who has made Fiendish the best community in the world.”
“It will be held at Mermaid’s Reef, if you want to go ahead and give the details, Kada.”
“Sure thing!” the woman sprouted from her seat and took center stage. “The resort is actually closed right now for our annual cleaning and refurbishment before the holiday rush, so we’ll have the whole place to ourselves! And I’ll give most of the staff the night off so we can really go wild! Don’t worry about food or expenses or even if anything breaks. We’ll make it the best party ever!”
From there, the meeting was dismissed, and everyone was allowed to make their way to the resort at their own leisure. Drim, as many of the other generals, opted for a nap first before the set start time later that evening. And the king may have slightly overslept, making him fashionably late to his own event. He ended up having to text Phon to teleport him since he couldn’t find her, or Valen, or anyone else really around the compound.
By the time he arrived, the party was already in full swing. They were starting at one of the main event halls with a glorious buffet that would put any other social gathering to shame. Once everyone finally arrived, there of course had to be a few bouts of cheers and speeches before the group could spread out and be given full reign of the resort to do whatever they wanted.
Drim, even though he felt absolutely talked out after the debate and another long speech, was of course asked to say the last few words. He kept it short and sweet, leading into a final grand toast. The king then took a deep swig of his glass, the cool drink soothing his aching throat that hadn’t hurt this bad since his vocal chords were severed. Maybe learning to talk again was a mistake after all.
But the pain was fleeting—so caught up in the mood of the grand celebration. Soon he was looking at the bottom of his glass and wondering where he could get a refill. And that was the very last thing he remembered.
◆◆◆
“Kugh, my head,” Drim awoke with a crippling migraine unlike any he’d ever experienced since becoming a Fiend. And since he’d been turned as a child, he honestly couldn’t remember a single other instance of such throbbing and devastating mental agony.
His eyes blinked as he tried to figure out where he was. The calm sound of the waves helped soothe his mind a bit as he got his bearings, but it only raised more questions as to why he was waking up on the beach. From a quick self-inspection, his shirt was ripped to shreds and his cloak was gone. “Just what the hell happened last night?!”