I sighed. Was I really going to willingly walk into back to back traps? Then again, the same logic held as before. I was upgraded. My data was backed up. The worst they could do was kill me, right? Then I would respawn at the Restoration Point with only the Restoration fee on the line. I still had 1,300 Crypt. Surely the fee wouldn’t be more than that. Right? Right…?

I reached out and gently fingered the shining Crystals in Razor’s hand. They seemed legitimate. But could this be a scam? Could these Crystals be somehow tainted? Yet it was tempting. 20 Crystals in exchange for a face-to-face. It would be my easiest payday yet. And I had to admit I was curious.

Antisoc had warned me about the leader of the Serpents. What was his name again? But I had not made up my mind about Antisoc either. Seeing for myself if the rumors were true would go a long way to verifying Antisoc’s reliability. And I wanted to know what or who could have caused such a reversal in the behavior of these two ne'er-do-wells. Getting shanked in the street by their ilk would not have surprised me. Receiving a groveling apology was another matter.

Fine. I’ll meet your boss. Lead the way. But don’t try anything. And you hold onto those Crystals for now. You can give me the full twenty once we arrive.

“As you wish.”

Razor and Buzzcut stood up and Razor slowly returned the Crystals to his inventory. Still weaponless, they began to walk out from beneath the overhang of the Residential Towers, beckoning me to follow.

“This way, then.”

Where are we going?

“The Commons. Lower end. Ittying to the Penthouse.”

Penthouse?

I followed them deeper down the y-axis of this Volunteer enclave than I had gone before, toward the opposite end from the checkpoint leading into Royal Heights. It was a long walk. Buzzcut remained sullen and quiet, and I saw him fiddling with his metal hand from time to time. Eventually, the Serpents pointed out one building that stood taller and brighter than the others, marked with the letters NADIR near the top.

Do you live there?

“Sometimes. Some of us spatchka here. Best to lets the boss tell you.”

With that, Razor grew silent again, leading me until we reached a pair of rotating glass doors at the base of the building. I had assumed all Volunteers were crammed in those featureless torpedo tubes like Camel and myself, but perhaps real estate, like everything else in this place, could be had for the right price.

“Now please, we’s ask you to puts your gun away. Others might get the wrong messel and have a baddiwad reaction. Kopat? You’ll be safe.”

I hesitated, then dematerialized my firearm, ready to bring it out at a moment’s notice. When I entered the lobby, two other Serpents I did not recognize were standing guard. Each wore a turquoise mosaic mask accented with feathers featuring two snakes twisting across the face and eyes, in contrast to their familiar denim and leather greaser aesthetic. They watched us pass without comment over marble floors and into a large freight elevator. Razor activated something on a panel that I couldn’t see from my angle and soon we were rising.

When we arrived on the top floor, Razor and Buzzcut led me out into a spacious penthouse. Was it a living space or a museum? Everywhere I looked there were artifacts, sculptures, artwork, even fossils on display. But there were also sofas, rugs, and a very large open kitchen. Panoramic windows looked out over The Commons. I could easily see the Restoration Point shining in the distance. I thought I could see the Residential Towers too. What other landmarks could I recognize from here…?

“Ahem.”

Razor clearing his throat brought me back to the task at hand.

“So do you wants the ten Crystals now or…?”

After I talk with your boss.

“Very well. Follow me.”

Razor and Buzzcut led me deeper into the interior. I was easily distracted by the many eclectic decorations but tried to keep pace. In fact, I was so distracted by the curious sights that I began to let my guard down. We came to a closed door and Razor knocked.

“Der Schlächter. We’s brought the noob.”

I could hear the stern but calm response through the door.

“Show them in.”

Razor slowly opened the door for me and I cautiously stepped past him into what appeared to be a sort of traditional bathhouse. The floor was covered in tiles, and there were wooden stools, wall-mounted faucets, wooden buckets, hanging white robes, and on the far end a large, low tub constructed of blue tiles and framed all around with wood.

Sitting on a wooden stool in the middle of the room was an enormous man. The stool looked comically miniscule in comparison to his bulk. His skin was very white, and he was bald. Come to think of it, he had no eyebrows either, only large folds or wrinkles of skin where the eyebrows might have been. He wore a large robe exposing only his wide hands and thick, strong legs.

You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story.

The man looked up at me and said absolutely nothing. He simply stared for what had to have been a full two or three minutes. Razor and Buzzcut kept silent the whole time, but I sensed tension in the air.

“Leave us,” he said at last.

The man’s voice contained such certainty and clarity of purpose that the two obeyed without a word or moment’s hesitation, quietly shutting the door behind them. The huge man resumed looking me over for another period of interminable silence.

“Welcome, young one, to our home. We are the Gennēma Echidna. The Progenies Serpentium. You have likely heard us referred to as the Serpents, and that is an acceptable enough shorthand for the common people. Our family knows me as der Schlächter.”

I’ve heard of you. You wanted to see me?

“Yes. I’m afraid you’ve caught me at an inopportune time. As you see, I was just about to take my bath. Our mutual associates found you faster than expected. For which, of course, we are grateful, as we are grateful that you agreed to this meeting.”

I looked over at the bath and saw that it was empty.

I agreed to come here against my better judgment. Four of your people have tried to rob me twice already. Not that I had much worth taking. It seemed incredibly petty and predatory.

A deep frown came across the man’s face. His brow furrowed and he rested a hand on his robed knee as if to steady himself. He raised the back of his other hand to his chin and closed his eyes and held that posture for some time, looking like a larger than life Rodin statue.

“We terribly regret what happened to you. Many of the children that come to us are confused, lashing out at the world, in need of guidance. We find them at their lowest point, and unfortunately there is always the all-too-human propensity to slip back into those old habits and patterns. I myself was away when they… accosted you. As the saying goes, ‘when the cat's away the mice will play.’ The children have been disciplined accordingly.”

Disciplined?

“Yes. And now we are gratified that you have come here to receive our apology and accept restitution for the boorish treatment you were subjected to.”

So I can take my twenty Crystals and leave? Your people won’t harass me anymore?

“Before you do, we would like to take the opportunity to get to know you a little better, and to let you better know us. It is not every Cycle that a new Volunteer awakens in the Metaverse. What used to be an open spigot is now but a drip drip drip of new blood. Maybe you yourself have felt confused at times and in search of guidance. In search of a path.”

His voice was deep, firm, but had a soothing quality. It was warm as melted butter, lubricating the speech centers of my brain. Was this man getting ready to preach at me? Proselytize? Try and brainwash me into joining some cult?

Of course I have felt confused but…

“It might be better if we spoke in the bath. This water requires a special preparation and we can’t delay much longer. You are welcome to partake if you wash yourself off first.”

He indicated one of the wall-mounted nozzles and wooden stools. I realized he wanted me to wash off individually before entering the communal bath.

I don’t think that is really…

“I INSIST.”

There was something in his voice, or the way he said those words, that grabbed hold of me. Almost without thinking I had stripped off my armor, my shoes, my clothes, and had taken a step toward the stool. I remembered that I had never at any point been provided with underwear.

Huh? How did I…

The man got up from where he was seated and turned his back to me, moving gracefully over to the communal ofuro and kneeling before some complicated valves and hoses.

Confused and a little embarrassed, I quickly showered off in the cold water and self-consciously wrapped a towel around my body. Not that there was anything to cover up beyond the nipples on my flat chest. My only secondary sex characteristics, and I had no primary ones.

Der Schlächter was absorbed in his work and soon a hissing noise filled the room. Curious, I took a step towards the large blue tiled tub. From multiple silver faucets, bubbling water and steam poured into the bath. And it was pink. As pink as the falling rain.

That water…

The tub filled and, satisfied, der Schlächter stood and turned, almost surprised to see me as if he had forgotten about my existence.

“The treatment only lasts for a short time, so if you are going to get in you had best do it now.”

Drawn to the steaming pink water, I removed my towel, folded it, and laid it on the wood panels framing the tub. Der Schlächter’s eyes moved possessively over my exposed body and rested on the featureless mound at my groin. Did I notice a hint of disappointment on his face or was I imagining it?

I tentatively dipped one foot in the water. It felt warm and exquisitely soothing. So I stepped in with both feet, sinking down to sit on the tile floor and feeling the bubbling water rise up to my neck. To be honest, it felt amazing. I had not felt anything more rejuvenating in all my time here. I let out an involuntary moan.

Der Schlächter smiled and untied his robe, hanging it on a hook on the wall. He was completely naked as he descended into the bath. My eyes went wide.

Oh my… you have a HUGE… uh… tattoo. Yes, that’s it, your snake tattoo.

Der Schlächter turned slightly to show off the twin snake ouroboros design on his back.

“Tattooing is considered a sacred art, a religious practice in many cultures throughout history. The Southeast Asian sak yant, the Nubians and Berbers, the Maori, even the Coptics. It is a way to mark out one’s flesh for a special purpose. For a higher calling.”

And your group, the Serpents. Is this a religious movement? Or are you just another, pardon the pun, snake oil salesman?

Der Schlächter’s eyes gleamed and he smiled at me with his large white teeth from across the tub where he reclined. He said nothing, but kept watching me. The steaming pink waters burbled away. As I sat there partially submerged I felt a strange sensation, as if the warmth of the manipulated pink waters permeated to my bones, to my very core.

I heard a ping and a status notification appeared on my menu screen.

[Essence at full.

Energy restored.]

Woah. How did you do that!?