They put their plan into action. Half of the group would join the Masks, the other half would focus on planning. It was easy for Victus, since he’d already gained a reputation for doing a number on some Raiders, and Wolfe’s size was so intimidating, they hired him on the spot. The two of them gathered intel, learning the exact locations of every hideout, and all the big names that would need to be taken down.

“Their leader goes by the name of Hae Geulimja. Overheard some Masks talking about him,” Victus took off the mask he was given when he joined the gang. “Apparently, he’s a master martial artist. Kind of exciting, to be honest..”

“I’ve noticed you perform exceptionally well in hand-to-hand combat. Are you in training?” Clyme asked.

“Yeah, sorta..I trained with some monks in the mountains for a couple of years, while I was going through a rough time. I should go back and visit when I get the chance.”

“Excuse me, but shouldn’t we be discussing how to bring Hae down?” Alyza interrupted. “Victus, if you get the chance, do not engage with Hae. We need to kidnap him silently, without a trace, and publicly humiliate him.”

“Right, sorry. He’s holed up in this safehouse,” Victus pointed somewhere on the map, and Clyme circled it with red paint. Other locations had already been circled too, labeled as places of interest. Alyza placed her rack of vials onto the table.

“These are for the Eun. Pour this into the soil, and those malicious plants will no longer be a problem.”

“Thanks,” Victus took the vials and placed them in his satchel. He looked at the mask he was given by the gang, and picked it up. “Man, these are ugly. It’s hard to see in them too, I’m surprised the gang hasn’t already been defeated.”

“It’s a theater mask,” Clyme replied. “They’re meant to be used in plays and such, on the stage.”

“Oh. Hats off to the actors that have to wear this, I guess..”

“That’s it!” Clyme snapped his fingers suddenly, “Victus, sir, you are quite the genius.”

“I am?”

“The Manglyeong have been using these masks to inspire fear in the good people of Kamren. Perhaps it’s high time we gave them a taste of their own medicine,” Clyme took out his journal and a sharp piece of charcoal he carried around, then got to sketching. Victus was confused, but not surprised. He shrugged it off.

“Sir Victus?” Auburn peered through the doorway.

“You can just call me Victus. Or Vick,” he turned back to her.

“Mama said she needs your help with the laundry.”

“Again?”

Auburn nods. Outside, Miss Ashflower hung wet clothes onto the clothesline, while Victus moved the rope along. When they were all hung, he concentrated, then blew a large gust of wind through the line of clothes. He breathed heavily afterwards, sighing. Aura applauded him.

“It’s so impressive every time,” she seemed happy. “I’m not straining you too much, I hope.”

“Eh, least I could do, you letting us stay here and all, for the time being.”

“In that case, maybe..I’m just kidding, haha,” she teased, winking at him. For a moment, he was worried he’d have to help with even more chores.

Distantly, he could see Wolfe sitting at the edge of the pond, fishing. Victus joined him, “Catch anything yet, old man?” Wolfe gestured for him to shush, then pointed at the water. The half-elf obliged, remaining silent from then on. The ripples in the water shimmered with the crimson light of the sunset. The silence was calming, after such a stressful day of staying undercover. Still, he quickly became bored and stood up, stretching. Just as he did, Wolfe’s rod bent forwards, and the large man yanked on it, reeling it in.

“Huh? You finally got a bite!?” Victus couldn’t contain his excitement, “Hurry up, don’t lose it! You got this!”

Wolfe smiled, then yanked on the rod once the line was close enough. With a wild splash, the fish soared gloriously through the air. Except, it wasn’t a fish at all, but rather some old muddy boot. He unhooked it and held it up.

“How lame..I mean, er, maybe you could find the other one? And then you’ll have a new pair of boots!” He tried to cheer him up. Wolfe grunted and tossed the boot back into the water, taking his leave.

After dinner, the group rested in the living room again. They had fallen asleep quickly, tired from all the planning and scoping out they’d been doing for the operation. Once she was sure they were asleep, Alyza sat up. She left to the kitchen, where she had continued studying her herbal. Victus crept up on her and placed his hands on her shoulders suddenly, spooking her. She jumped in her seat, turning around and smacking him.

“Ow!” He shouted in a whisper.

“You vile, charming imbecile!” She shouted back, in a whisper.

“Charming?”

She glared at him, then returned to her studies, “You’ll distract me from my work. Go back to sleep.”

He sat next to her, “You need sleep too, y’know. What are you working on, anyways?”

She turned a page, sighing, “Alchemy. It’s a complicated book and an even more complicated science.”

“I could probably figure it out.”

Stolen content alert: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.

“Oh, really? What makes you so sure?”

He took the book, looking at the page she was on, “See, here. In order to make the Philter of Fixation, acquire the following ingredients: rose petals, baby’s breath, the abdomen of a cherry firefly, and iphisnore sap. Heh, did you know that iphisnore sap doesn’t actually induce any feelings of infatuation? It’s just that iphisnore-”

“-Was Aphrodite’s favorite spider, thus its alternative name, the Love Spider. Perfumers tend to sell it in their concoctions. Though, an argument could be made that such feelings are a result of a psychological placebo effect.”

Victus looked back at her, only liking her more. He knew the scent of iphisnore, and noticed that she’d started wearing it when they went steady. “Yeah, well..I guess it’s no surprise that people like people who smell good, too.”

“Agreed,” she pushed her hair behind her ear. “Honestly, you could use a bath.”

“Rude. You know how sweaty it gets in Manglyeong armor? And being undercover, on top of that..”

She giggled, “I’m only teasing. After tomorrow, you won’t have to wear it anymore. If everything goes well, that is..”

“Everything will go well.”

“Do you really believe that?”

“You, me, Clyme and Wolfe. We all make a great team.”

“You’re not worried?”

Victus leaned back in his chair, “Well, I wouldn’t go that far. I just think that we can pull this off. We’re prepared, and we’ve got each other’s backs. Even if it all goes wrong somehow, at least we died trying to do the right thing.”

Alyza crossed her arms, stewing in thought. “You know, there’s that pond out there..”

“What do you mean?”

“I’m sure it would make for a great bath..”

Victus connected the dots, “..Wait, really? But, weren’t you the one who was afraid we’re moving too quickly?”

“Th-That’s not what I meant!” Her face grew warm, denying his inference. “It’s just that..! You..You could..”

“Oh. Wow, I smell that bad, huh? Guess I should, then..You better be asleep when I come back, alright? G’night, Alyza.”

“Good night..”

He got up and exited the house, while she looked down at her herbal, flustered and frustrated. Victus undressed and dove into the pond, refreshed by the cool water. Thoughts of Alyza, Clyme, and Wolfe raced through his mind. They all depended on him. No room for mistakes, he thought. Tomorrow has to go perfectly. Still, right now, he was just happy to be alive, and in love, as confusing as it was. Maybe this was what Gunther meant when he said that human women are a handful.

He sighed, looking up at the moon as if it was going to give him all the answers.

* * *

“So, what is it?” Victus was holding something Clyme had made for him, entranced by its beauty. He was already dressed in Manglyeong armor, though the metal was painted a dark shade of green. On his belt, he wore his tattered yellow scarf, and part of it hung down just above his knee.

“A gift from my homeland, befitting that of a hero such as yourself. In my language, we’d call it a Menpō. Would you like to make sure that it fits?” Clyme asked.

Victus slowly lifted the mask up to his face, later that day. He was standing on a rooftop near one of the gang’s hideouts, his scarf flapping in the wind heroically. “Perfect fit.” A loud rumbling rolled throughout the gray, cloudy sky. “Perfect weather. Let’s get this show on the road,” he leapt off of the rooftop.

Inside the warehouse, Masks patrolled rows of Eun, while more men with crossbows watched over them from above. Victus emerged from the shadows, pulling one of the archers into a tight chokehold. They struggled, gasping for air and grabbing at his arm until they fell unconscious.

He tied his ankle to the railing with a rope, then tossed him over the edge. The man hung upside down, his mask falling onto the floor and shattering. This got the attention of the other enemies, “Who’s there?!” They shouted in their native language, looking up at the body, “What the-?! Someone’s here! Find them!”

A dagger flew into the wall near another archer, and he turned around, aiming his crossbow. Victus came up behind him, kicking him in the back of the knee. The man fell backwards, and Victus slammed his head into the nearby railing, knocking him out. He tied his foot, same as the other man, and tossed him off, catching the attention of more Masks.

“They’re toying with us!” One of them shouted, as another body hung down right behind him. He turned and shrieked while the thunder roared, lightning highlighting the man’s bruised facial features. The thug backs away, “Screw this! I’m going to go find reinforcements!” He tries to make a run for the large warehouse doors, stumbling on his way there.

“Hey! Don’t leave us here alone!” Another Mask shouts back, while Victus drops a vial from above. The glass shatters in front of the fleeing thug, enveloping him in a large puff of smoke. He starts screaming within the fog, until he’s thrown out onto the ground in front of the other thugs, incapacitated.

“Sh-Show yourself! I am not afraid!” He pulls out a serrated sword, the other Masks unsheathing their weapons and preparing for a fight. A silhouette slowly emerges from the smoke, no longer a man, but a force. The shiny green mask upon his face mimicked the shape of a wolf’s mouth, its edges lined with gold.

“An angma..From the depths of Hel itself..”

Victus unleashed a surge of wind that cleared the fog instantly, standing still. They felt their hearts race, fearing the monster before them, wanting nothing more than to run away.

The Mask wielding a sword gripped its handle tightly, trembling, “What are you all standing around for?! Kill it!” He shouted, and only one man approached, recklessly rushing at the half-elf. Victus trapped his arm and broke it, throwing him down to the ground. Another man charged him, and Victus stomped, tripping the Mask with a blast of wind. He stepped onto his hand and axe kicked his head into the ground.

The second to last one fired an arrow, and Victus barely dodged it, glaring at the archer. He walked towards him, his crimson eyes fueling fear into his soul. The man scrambled to fit another arrow into his crossbow, quickly firing from the hip. The arrow flew out towards Victus, directly at his face. It bounced off of his mask with a small spark, twirling in the air before falling to the ground.

Shrieking, the archer fell back, while Victus only moved closer, taking out his dagger. He towered over him, appearing as a demon in the eyes of the Mask. “No! No, please!” He shouted in his native language, shielding himself with his arms.

The last man standing shouted before slashing at Victus from behind, allowing him enough time to react. He whipped around and parried his sword downward with ease, stomping onto the thug’s serrated blade. The Mask looked up at him, frozen in fear. He mutters in common, “Wh-What are you..?”

Victus knees him in the face, breaking his mask. He falls to the ground, out cold. Victus side-eyes the final thug, the archer staring at him, petrified. “Angma. Tell me what it means.”

“A demon..A devil..A fiend! You..”

He slowly turns around, facing him. “Run. Tell your leader that an angma has arrived in Kamren.” Victus steps towards him, “Tell him to leave, or he’s next. After you!” He takes another step, and the man cowers, fleeing the warehouse.

Victus tends to the plants, taking out the vial Alyza gave him. He uncorks it, and pours it into the soil. Not long after, the silver plants begin to shrivel up into a disgusting orange color. He then cuts the ropes holding the thugs upside down, and they fall to the floor. After making sure they’re still breathing, he quickly leaves the warehouse.

“Onto the next..”