Being professional was my way to go. It was how I survived as an agent. Sometimes, I met unfortunate people manipulated into strapping bombs to themselves under the covers of religions and ways to heaven. I had no choice but to silence them, despite how much I adored them.
Why would I adore criminals you asked?
Well...
I heard this somewhere; if you wanted to catch a criminal, you needed to think like a criminal. It was true. Before I realized it, I wondered too deep inside the dark.
To find even a clue about a high-level criminal, I studied their story, family, and friends. I spent my time thinking about them, before I went to sleep, while eating, in the shower, and so on. To tell you the truth, I knew them more than I knew myself.
As sick as it may sound, I started to see my prey as my long-lost friends. They were the reasons I didn't have to think about the things I didn't have. They gave me clear goals. They gave me stories. And I enjoyed them. That was why I adored them.
Yet, a predator was a predator. When the time came, I pulled the trigger. It was like; 'Yes. I adore you, but 133 deaths are 133 deaths'. That mentality somehow kept me sane, placing a thin yet define line between right and wrong
I thought I did great.
Sadly, even the word ‘enough’ was not something to begin with. When I saw my junior got promoted before me, I was sure I was dumped. The force might be in no need of me. That thought didn't leave my mind for a single moment. Anxiety ate me. I was tired but I had no means to rest. The only relief I had was when I heard a 'good job' from others.
Then it dawned on me…
Lately, I had been thinking, what if it was not professional? What if it was just slave mentality?
Whatever it was, I needed commands from people I approved. It was the only way I felt useful. It was the only way to give me means. As for 'nobody', no. I didn't approve of her. It was just that I had a huge debt to her.
So, when I saw a quest popped up from the system, I thought I heard the cracking sound of heaven's gate swinging open. An angel had arrived with a command for me, bestowing me with a mission to carry. And I'd do anything if it meant getting stronger and closer to the system.
I wasn't aware of the system's features. When I asked Lian the 'what' and 'how' about the quest, she left me astonished. This DSF system, whoever made it, was the best game engine in my opinion. It had the ability to analyze and assess each holder's desires and needs. The results were then used to create the optimal plan for the holder. That being said, the quest came to me, answering my longing for power.
"Sheena?" Lucy's sweet voice slid inside my ears. I was suddenly stopped from swimming in my thoughts.
The two of us sat by a pile of haystack, on a carriage pulled by two horses. I averted my gaze from the dirt road. It landed on Lucy's twisted expression. She had tightened her bun but her baby hairs still flew around by the wind. She was troubled to keep them tidy all the time. Even now, she was wiping her hair.
While the farmer we hitched on was too old to hear, the trio and Oso the ogre heard Lucy just fine. Each had been riding a horse at a steady speed behind the carriage.
"You looked like your head is full." She continued.
"What is it, my lady?" Pascal spurred his horse faster, closing the range between us. There was a tremolo of disquiet in his tone. This man, I had lectured him multiple times to stop with all that 'my lady' nonsense. I just stopped to care.
"Did you hurt your butt?" Emil being Emil, his words were outrageous. Just why?
"What's that supposed to mean?" Lucas emerged in between the two. His tone was indifferent but he was indeed curious.
It got me thinking, how warm these people were. Living in a place with man-eating monsters, I expected the people being sicker in the head. But, probably, I was wrong.
"Nothing. I am just," I looked up, a tapestry of clouds sweeping in my view, "admiring the weather."
"See. It's good to be outside. Look that way!" Lucy pointed to an open field of wild chamomile flowers. The vast opening of flowers and bushes hit my eyes as we arrived at the top of a hill.
"Woah!" It was beautiful.
This place was beautiful. The sun, the moon, everything was 10 times more vibrant than Earth.
Lucy then stood up, smacking pieces of straws from her skirt, and jumped out of the carriage. Slashing through the greenery, she picked a chamomile flower. Her movement was nimble. She put a little jump every step of the way and brought it to me.
"Look at this powder." She shook the flower lightly and fluorescent yellow powder hovered from it.
"These are calming powders. You take the powder. Dry them under the sun until the yellow turns dull, and you get your calming dust. You can add water just enough to mold them into sticks. You can burn the stick as incense. You can also drink the dust with tea. It will ease your mind a little." Her eyes glittered.
*Calming dust
*Calming dust incense
*Calming dust tea
"Cool!"
"See, my lady! You can plant them and sell them for good money. No need to be like us."
The four of them were not fond of the idea of me accompanying their sudden agenda. When I said it was my independent quest, their faces held a grim bitterness. So bitter, I could feel it in my mouth.
"We do make more money than farmers but our job is dangerous," Emil added, sounding like a totally different person.
"It's better to do a normal job if you're not debt-ridden like us." A blatant tone for such a sad point from Lucas. He was overjoyed by his meeting with Oso. Yet, the joy had gone, slipping into the air like nothing.
Debt-ridden?
"You guys sound like you guys owe millions of coins."
"Sheena, you have lost your memory. So you just don't remember it. Most of us night feeders don't want to be involved with the job. Only some crazy people enjoy this job. We," Lucy gripped her skirt, making the expensive-looking fabric crumpled. She paused, bit her lower lip, and continued, "We don't have any choice but to keep doing this." The rests of them were quiet as if they shared the same revelation. Even Oso, an outsider, seemed to be in the same path.
"Is it that bad?"
" " " Very bad." " " The four of them shouted.
"Whatever you do, please stay away from this job." Oso's sharply added, joining the movement to persuade me. It felt strange being cared for by an ogre. I didn’t know how to feel about it.
"The fact that you're as weak as a pure human despite being a holder means, your previous self has decided to ignore the system. Just decline the quest the next time you see it. Okay?"
This story has been taken without authorization. Report any sightings.
I didn’t give any answer.
No, Lucy. It was not it. It was because of that cursed 'nobody'. This body was not mine. Of course, I couldn't say that out loud.
----
We parted ways with the kind farmer and his carriage after our route came into a different path. The carriage was still in our sight when we heard a commotion nearby.
It was a small rest area with taverns, inns, shops, and other necessary facilities for visitors. Nothing fancy but definitely a great help for tired travels and merchants.
As we walked closer, we saw a bunch of people gathered at the entrance.
"I swear to God. I'll be dead by tomorrow if I am lying!" A chubby and short-figured man with a grey suit and a top hat shouted. His face was red like ripe tomatoes.
All 5 of us looked at each other before agreeing in silence to check what was going on.
"You're not smoking that honey-dipped cigar, are you?"
"Insolent peasant!" The man raged. His shout was extreme that I could see spits flying out of his mouth.
"What's going on, gentlemen?" It was Pascal who disturbed the 'friendly' discussion. Probably it was his thug's face, everyone had stopped their arguments.
"Thank God. These peasants are too difficult to talk to. You're a feeder, aren't you? Can you contact your house? I just ran my chariot here from Prumund. Let them know, the whole village has gone!!!" The fat man ran to us, pushing around all the people. His fatty belly and arms jiggled up and down.
"Gone, you say?" Oso swished forward, eyes wide open.
The man was taken aback but quickly collected his composure. "Yes. It is now a big vacant field."
This story sounded awfully similar with Oso's story.
"Alright. Everybody get inside somewhere save! Don't go outside-"
"Pascal, get back!!!" Lucy shouted out of nowhere. She grabbed me and pushed the others away from the fat man. I was as confused as ever.
Pascal, without question, jumped following Lucy's order. His eyes were moving up and down, studying the man.
The man himself was confused. Lines formed at his wide and glistening forehead. "What?"
All the people who gathered before were running away with terrified looks on their faces. They ran as if their lives were at stake. And, probably, It was.
"I have to exterminate you here. I am sorry." Pascal called his weapon, a boardsword. The other party followed suit.
"What is it???" The man freaked out.
Oso grabbed my hand, pulled me back, and jumped even further.
"What happens?" I looked at everyone, wanting some kind of explanation.
"It's the night eater corruption," Oso said without moving his head.
With that, I understood right away. I took a good look at the man once more. This time I saw it. His complexion had turned awfully purple.
"Do not engage in close combat yet! We don't know what class it is... Lucy!!!" Pascal assessed the situation and declare his decision.
"Got it!" Lucy replied. Her body then shone with a bright green light. Smokes of the same color then appeared on the ground below the man, making a perfect circle.
[Skill: Thousand Fulica lvl 6] (CC)
"No! Wait, let's not!!!" The fat man tried to move but tripped instead. In a split second, the circle had layered the ground with a clear and slimy substance, making the man unable to move for much.
[Skill: Lethal Wheel of Hydro lvl 5] (Burst)
Something happened in the air, above the fat man. It looked like numbers of shining clear beads, spinning around. The beads then stretched until it was as thin as needles.
This time it was Lucas who pointed his palms at the man. As he swung his palms down, the spinning limpid needles crashed into the man. They went through his flesh and bone, accelerated upward, and crashed downward again.
Lucas had created a spinning wheel of needles going in and out of the poor man for at least 3 seconds.
Yet, none of his blood spilled out. The man's body was still intact, although he was silent on the ground.
The four of them vigilantly waited, eyes focused on the man. After 3 seconds of what felt like utter motionless, the man's body shook and then morphed into something bigger.
It was the first time I saw it. A night eater. Body covered in purple veins, skin covered in dark scales of what looked like stone or concrete. It was no longer a human-looking frame, rather it was like a monkey. Four times bigger than the man before.
Humanity had left the fat man. It was obvious. His eyes were no longer that of a human.
It roared, sending a wave of purple energy around, distorting the space.
[Skill: Barrier of the Brave lvl 6] (Shield)
But before it could reach anyone. It hit a brown see-through barrier. It surrounded the monkey like a cage for 2 seconds before it disappeared.
"Crap!" Emil held his heater shield to his chest. "Almost didn't make it."
[Skill: Chronos's Joke lvl 6] (Slowed)
"I'll hold it!" Lucy stretched her arms. Her palms and the eater gleamed with tender green smoke and light. Whatever it was, it made the eater movement slower, similar to a slow motion scene in movies.
[Skill: Strengthen Slash lvl 9] (Burst)
With the eater movement slowing, a wide opening was created. Pascal gripped the hilt of his broadsword. He lowered his stance, holding it for 3 seconds, as if charging, and swung it in the direction of the eater for 5 times.
The surrounding was blasted with winds caused by Pascal's arms movements. 5 neon-red rays of what looked like curve blades hit the eater. 4 slashes separated the limbs and the body. The last slash landed on its head. Yet it did nothing.
Losing all limbs, it dropped and growled in anger.
Is that what a strength slash is supposed to look like?
"Let's retreat. It's an A class. We can't beat it." Pascal pointed his sword down to the ground. It was still smoking red.
"Let me cast another slowed. Then, off we go."
"Give us a sign!!!" Emil shouted.
Lucy only gave a firm nod. No glances exchanged.
It was my premier seeing a synchronized attack well paired with combos. The defender and offenders worked together. Although without clear instructions, everybody's moves seemed to complement each other.
While Lucy was getting ready, the others cast their skills, keeping the offense fierce. Pascal kept making slashes, trying to damage the hard-skinned monster. Lucas threw limpid balls of viscous liquid, making the eater's movement rather odd. Meanwhile, Emil deflected the eater's energy burst away from them.
When she arrived behind the eater's back, she pointed her palms.
"It's null! Watch out!!!" Oso screamed, deafening my ears. It was so loud that I was sure there was magic in it.
What I saw later was a metallic black light piercing through the air between the eater and Lucy, hitting her body head-on. The light was shot with a deep looming sound. A sound that I had heard before, but couldn't really tell what.
Lucy crashed the land hard. At least some ribs must be broken.
The others sprinted to her like mad dogs. Their whole faces were glaring in anger, veins popping out.
"Let's go!!!" Oso gripped my right wrist too tight. Probably, the critical situation had pumped his adrenaline to the roof.
As I was forcefully turned in the other direction, I saw a perfectly covered man, drifting his way to us, looking like he was flying. I could only see his eyes as the other parts of him were wrapped in black fabric. I swore to God he was gracefully floating, yet he was so fast.
[Skill: Wind Sickles lvl 9] (AoE, CC)
I jerked my head. The man had stood near the eater in a split second. Numbers of whatever it was, pierced the eater without missing a beat. The eater couldn't move. It only growled in agony.
The things eroded the eater's body piece by piece. It took only 5 seconds until the big monkey: eater turned into a pile of minced meat soaked in purple blood. The blood was so strong. It spoiled the air with an iron smell.
Overwhelmed by the strong aura the man in black emitted, we froze. A single move of a hand had activated whatever skill this man had. He obliterated the 6 meters monkey that the party had gone all out to put down with ease. The stoned-like skin looked like tofu thanks to the mysterious man.
"It's here, boss!" The man raised his voice, his eyes didn't move from the minced meat.
As soon as he said that, I could feel a cold breeze present itself meters behind me. As if there was a block of ice there.
I spun my head fast, almost cracking my neck bones. There, my eyes met a man, standing with a shotgun pointed at us. His mounting stance was perfect. His arms were raised straight to his shoulder. The shotgun's stock pressed to his right cheek. His right eye couldn't be more in line with the shotgun rib.
For me, whose best friend was firearms, it was as clear as the day that this man was a trained shooter.
Why would there be a gun in this magical world? I didn't expect any since people could just shoot fire with their bare hands.
"Got you." The man uttered. I was caught momentarily mesmerized by a little twist at the sides of his lips. The smirk was full of smug, yet I didn't complain. It perfectly matched the man's marvellous aura.
The next thing I knew, Oso had smashed the ground. His heart was blasted. There was a hole in his chest now.
***