"The best gift, in my opinion, is honey! Even Lung will understand that. Even just a little bit, a teaspoon, would be good! And especially a whole pot! With love, your Bee."

And at this dramatic moment... the alarm rang. Of course, it wasn’t an accident, but because my replicators activated it. The Undersiders immediately sprang into action, Tattletale grabbed the pot and the note, after which they started to break out. Bitch set her dogs on the guards, and chaos ensued. Meanwhile, I slipped unnoticed into the sewers, made it to my car, and calmly drove away. The replicators took all the cash they could carry with them."

Lung, arriving just in time for the 'hat reveal', saw the black mist of Grue and one of the hellhounds, and therefore was completely convinced that it was the Undersiders who robbed him. This was at the moment when they had agreed to team up against Bee. Because Tattletale took my 'gift', Lung didn't realize that Bee was even connected to this event. Honestly, that suited me too. Let the villains fight amongst themselves, while I quietly take control of the entire city.

In the evening, I contacted the suppliers of rare metals and arranged for the delivery of their products with cash payment. The deal was not entirely legal, as the shipment contained materials prohibited for free circulation. But the magical word 'money' solved most problems.

On Saturday, Taylor and I skipped our usual raid on the city's vice spots, but on Sunday we decided to make up for it. Today, I decided to 'clean up' the Docks, while also checking on Lung's activities. Judging by the surveillance camera footage, he was so furious that he literally breathed fire.

As we approached the ABB territory, my replicators notified me that Lung was 'gathering a raid' against the Undersiders. And arriving at the scene, I received a 'comprehensive' report from Taylor."

"Something is happening there."

"Where is there, and what's happening?" - I clarified, facepalming in a classic manner. She seemed smart, but sometimes she acted just like a typical blonde.

"Two blocks west. A crowd of armed men. They're shouting. Lung is there! And... he's talking about going to kill some kids. What's going on?!"

Thanks to my mentoring, Taylor could already 'hear' what people were saying in the presence of her bugs. By 'kids', Lung meant a group of underage Undersiders. But since Taylor didn't know about the robbery, she couldn't understand the emotional pain of the ABB leader.

"Well, since they've come to this, now you're obligated to save those kids and kill Lung" - I remarked phlegmatically.

"What? But I'm not a killer!" - protested Taylor, whose naive compassion I had not yet completely eradicated.

"If you let Lung kill those kids, you'll still become like her. And even if you stop him today, what guarantee is there that he won't do it tomorrow? Lung, you know, has high regeneration. If you don't kill him within a minute, he'll survive and eventually do what he planned. So, what's your choice? Whose lives do you prefer to save? The lives of innocent children or the life of a vile monster and maniac?"

Faced with this choice, Taylor of course made the 'right' decision, unleashing her deadliest insects on Lung. And they were more than capable. I once used a similar method in Lang to corrupt some great saint. And Taylor is far from being a saint, though she's also not very bright.

Wasps, venomous spiders, and centipedes descended upon the unsuspecting Lung in a relentless stream. He flaunted his bare torso, which only worsened his situation. This was not what he had in mind when he envisioned a 'battle with Bee'. During the raid on the drug dealers, Taylor hadn't used even one percent of her strength. Now she gave it her all, remembering my instructions in the style of 'hit the squirrel in the eye'. As a result, within seconds, Lung lost his sight, smell, hearing, and ability to speak. His sense of touch was mostly unavailable too, as his entire body burned with hellish fire.

The ABB minions scattered with panicked cries, and Lung remained lying on the ground, covered with a thick layer of buzzing and rustling insects that literally devoured him alive. We were close enough for me to monitor his condition using my perception. From what I could see, Lung was already beyond saving. He tried to activate his ability, but regeneration couldn't handle the poison, and the 'heating up' was limited by the restrictions imposed on the villain. To become stronger, he needed to engage in battle, but here he was just a victim of a beating.

And just when I thought one of Brockton Bay's villains was done for, events took a bad turn. I was suddenly thrown into the Void, where Players and the Judge of this Game gathered before me.

The tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.

"What are you doing?" - the Judge scolded me. - "You killed the first official game figure, so the setup couldn't even begin. Moreover, it was an ally figure for you. What do you have to say in your defense?"

"I didn't break any rules" - I replied to this accusation. - "And besides, the setup started and ended right away. I won. Everything according to the rules."

"Are you going to lecture me about the rules?" - the Judge exclaimed. I wisely remained silent. - "Officially, the game will only begin after the setup of figures. And right now, there's a preliminary draw. And you interrupted it. The rules don't account for that, so we'll have to come up with something."

The Players around were agitated.

"I suggest adding another game figure to Taylor and starting over" - suggested one of the Players.

"That won't work" - the Judge replied irritably. - "Firstly, Taylor was promised to Nuhskransurah as a game figure. And secondly, she's already been removed from the list of potential bodies for possession. I'm not going to change anything about that." - The Players grumbled discontentedly. - "So, the closest match to Taylor at the moment is Lung. Let's just possess him with a demon and be done with it. Whose figure are we using?"

"I was promised the first body in the game!" - shouted one of the Players, who emanated demonic energy. - "And I'll get it. I have another figure. Use it. And after that, my queen will kill Shub-Niggurat's pawn, and the problem will be solved."

I was literally bathed in a wave of wild hatred from the Player. But since the rules didn't allow a direct attack, he decided to 'avenge' me using his game figure. Idiot, what else can I say.

The Judge waved his hand, and I returned to the body of Danny Hebert. Before I could gather my thoughts, the situation with Lung suddenly changed. Instead of dying, he was enveloped in flames that immediately burned all the insects. Within a second, his body was covered with strong scales, and his eyes regenerated and disappeared behind a transparent false eyelid, making them impervious to insect attacks.

"What's happening?" - Taylor exclaimed in fear. She had already mentally buried Lung, and now he suddenly came back to life.

"Stay in the car" - I replied.

Getting out of the driver's seat, I opened a compartment under one of the seats and pulled out a motorcycle helmet and a cloak. This was my 'emergency kit' in case I needed to 'officially become a cape'. Wearing this clownish attire, I stepped out of the car and walked towards Lung. He was already walking towards me, transforming into a huge fire-breathing dragon.

According to genre laws, this should have been an epic battle, but it never happened. I didn't get out of the car to fight Lung. Because as soon as he appeared within direct line of sight, my 'black mist' seeped into his skull and 'ate his brain'. The dragon-like figure of Lung trembled and collapsed to the ground, swiftly returning to human form. Simultaneously, my mist began to engulf Lung's body. But before he died, I reached him and... devoured the soul of the demon inside him. Because why not!

Before I could even lick my lips, I was pulled out of my body again.

"What are you doing?!" - the Judge shouted at me.

"What's the problem? I was defending myself. And the fact that Lung didn't manage to make someone else his game figure in time is not my problem."

"Lung is not a problem. What's wrong your shard?" - the Judge demanded. I noticed that the Players were nowhere to be seen.

"Just a regular shard" - I replied in surprise. - "Found it on the street, tamed it, warmed it up."

"It's against the rules!" - The author of the game rules stunned me. - "Your shard is too powerful. Capes are not allowed to possess powers of this level."

I had nothing to say to that. I don't know the rules. Maybe it really is prohibited.

"In any case, I'm confiscating this shard from you. And in return, I'll give you Lung's shard. He won't need it anymore." - the Judge sneered. - "You've knocked Nuhskransurah off track with this. It's a lesson for him. I'll decide what to do with the setup of game figures. So don't count on an easy victory. But you have time to prepare. Now go."

I was back in my fragile body again. The shard I had cultivated disappeared without a trace. Instead, I discovered a shard with Lung's powers. Theoretically, I could now transform into a dragon and breathe fire. Practically, though, I would have to train the worm to follow commands again.

However, I didn't have time to ponder this because, at the far end of the street, a group of Undersiders appeared, riding three massive dogs.

"So, it was you who robbed Lung?" - Tattletale accused as they approached.

"Hold your horses, sweetheart" - I cut her off. - "My name's Black Cloak. I just finished off Lung, and if you don't want to share his fate, I suggest you fall to your knees and beg for mercy."

"My dogs will tear you to pieces!" - Bitch responded to my proposal.