"Impressed are ya", Giolio laughed. "Dagger of Intention automatically targets any use of aera, locking up your joints and paralyzing you. You won't be able to use your technique or any spells as long as my technique is still on you".

"It's a good technique, but it must have some conditions", Vargas spoke, remaining calm.

"Way to state the obvious my guy, but that's a little secret", Giolio shrugged.

"Hmmm…Well obviously you have to make physical contact with me to activate it and seeing how you don't run away even though I can't stop you right now, I'm guessing you have to be able to see me to maintain the technique?", Vargas guessed, leaving Giolio stupefied.

"You Investigators and your damn brains", Giolio grumbled, disappointed at how fast his conditions were guessed. "Still, I too am capable of thinking. You're in a one lane corridor so there's nowhere to hide, and I am much stronger than you right now".

Vargas didn't waste a second. He rushed at Giolio, hoping to catch him off-guard, but the randir dodged with irritating ease, a smirk plastered across his face as he sidestepped Vargas's lunge and delivered a swift slap across his shoulder, sending him stumbling back.

"Look at you," Giolio taunted, a smug grin widening as he cracked his knuckles. "Still trying to fight, but you know that as long as I can use my aera, there's nothing you can do. Might as well give up now!"

Vargas narrowed his gaze, reaching for his sidearm. He leveled the gun at Giolio, squeezing off a few rapid shots. The bullets struck Giolio's skin, and though they bounced harmlessly off, Vargas noted a flicker of discomfort. Giolio flinched, raising his hands protectively as he barked, "Hey! Quit that! Doesn't hurt, but it sure as hell stings!"

"Even if you enhance your durability with magic…" Vargas replied, keeping his expression stoic as he fired another round, forcing Giolio to step back, "the bullets'll still annoy you."

Giolio's smugness faltered, replaced with irritation. "Seriously? You think you're going to win by annoying me? Is that your grand plan?"

"No," Vargas said, pausing to aim. "This is."

In a sudden move, Vargas fired just past Giolio's head, forcing him to instinctively dodge sideways into the wall.

In that brief moment that Giolio turned his head, Vargas could feel the alien's technique falter giving him enough time to reactivate his own aera.

Vargas used the hand seal to activate his technique, immediately Giolio felt his eyes begin to tear up and nausea inundated his mind.

He fell to the ground, vomiting up whatever he had last eaten, barely making eye contact with Vargas.

Without a second's delay, Vargas lunged forward, taking full advantage of Giolio's weakened state. The Randir was still gagging on the floor, his alien face a shade of greenish-blue, tears streaming down his cheeks as Vargas loomed over him. Before Giolio could even get his bearings, Vargas's fist connected with his face, sending him sprawling back against the metal floor.

"Wait! Wait!" Giolio sputtered, barely able to raise his hands in defense as Vargas's fist met him again, and again, bruising and bloodying his cheeks. Each punch was a grim reminder that, without magic, humans had the kind of raw physical strength that left most Randirs reeling. Giolio tried to scoot backward, his antennae drooping as he whimpered, but Vargas wasn't letting up.

He grabbed his antenna, squeezing it and dragging the alien back to Vargas for more beatings.

"Oh come on! Not the antenna, I need that to find a mate", Giolio continued to sob, as Vargas continued to cave his face, breaking his teeth.

"Please!" Giolio yelped, finally raising both hands in a pitiful attempt at surrender. "I yield! Mercy! You—you mighty Investigator, so full of honor and—um—strength and—uh—such incredible accuracy with that punch!"

Vargas paused, giving him a look of pure disbelief. Giolio quickly went on, his voice turning syrupy with desperation. "I mean, look at you! The finest form a human can take—honestly, it's a privilege to have my face restructured by someone of your caliber!"

Giolio bent down and kowtowed, banging his head against the metal floor of the facility.

Vargas arched a brow. "Re...structured?"

"Yes!" Giolio nodded, attempting a pained but pathetic grin. "Please, hit me again if you'd like! I'm honored to take it! I—I mean, maybe don't hit me again, but just know that you have my utmost admiration! I've never seen such strength or intelligence!"

Vargas rolled his eyes, crossing his arms as Giolio crawled to his knees. The Randir bowed, his forehead almost touching the floor as he spoke, "You have, uh, my deepest respects, Investigator Vargas. Truly! My mother would be so proud to see me... well, maybe not this exactly, but proud to be in the presence of such—uh—"

Did you know this story is from Royal Road? Read the official version for free and support the author.

"Enough." Vargas sighed as he watched the alien grovel, his previous smug attitude completely gone. "Just get up and tell me what I want to know."

Giolio scrambled to his feet, still wincing with every movement, and gave a feeble salute. "Of course, sir. Anything for you, sir. Ask away—I'll tell you whatever you need! My entire life's history, the names of my aunts—whatever you want, just say the word!"

"Then stop wasting time and start talking."

Giolio gulped, his head bobbing eagerly as he stammered out, "Right away, sir! Right away!"

Giolio cleared his throat, his battered face a mix of contrition and eagerness to please. "Right, sir. Truth is, I'm just a humble adventurer—nothing more! I was just looking to make a quick score, earn a few credits, maybe buy the new VS399. Heard the graphics are unreal, like, top-tier visuals, and—" He stopped mid-ramble, shrinking under Vargas's unimpressed stare.

"The mission, Giolio," Vargas prompted dryly.

"Ah, yes. Right. So, this job came up on the black market—a mercenary gig. The deal was to take out some pesky scientists in this facility. Paid pretty handsomely too." Giolio rubbed a sore spot on his jaw, his antennae twitching nervously. "Didn't think much of it. Just a typical wipe job. I figured, get in, handle the business, get out, you know? Only… the facility here was a little, uh, more than I was told."

Giolio glanced around the dim corridor as if to emphasize his point. "They didn't tell me this place was as big as Fort Kaelos. So, I figured, no problem—I'll blend in. I, uh, bought a shapechanger—" he leaned in as if sharing a secret, "pretty expensive piece of equipment, mind you—so I could look human, blend in as a Citadel member, and stroll right through Triton I security."

"You infiltrated the whole planet?" Vargas raised an eyebrow.

"With ease, actually! The shapechanger works like a charm. I spent months preparing, studying human expressions, gestures—the whole act! I pride myself on my name to always complete a mission to the best of my ability." Giolio chuckled nervously, then cut it off when he saw Vargas's expression. "Uh, anyway… I made it to the facility after all that effort. Started picking off the scientists, one by one, but… well, the whole thing ended up being a lot bigger than I initially thought. I got lost along the way. So it took longer than I thought, and then—" he gave Vargas an exaggerated sigh, "then the Investigators showed up."

Vargas folded his arms, piecing it together. "So you got cornered here, where you decided to try your magic tricks to buy some time?"

Giolio nodded sheepishly. "Exactly. Didn't expect anyone would show up this quick! Thought I had a few more weeks, maybe more."

Vargas frowned, leaning closer. "Who hired you?"

Giolio rubbed his bruised cheek, looking genuinely apologetic. "I swear, it was a burner account. Name was, uh…" He hesitated, bracing himself, "demonSsuck123."

Vargas stared blankly for a moment, then raised a hand, looking all too ready to smack some sense into Giolio. "demonSsuck123? You expect me to believe some intergalactic assassin ring is using handles like demonSsuck123 to conduct high-profile hits?"

Giolio flinched, raising his hands in a panicked surrender. "No, no! That's just the name! I'm telling the truth! They always use burner names, and trust me, they're almost always that dumb." He stammered on, "I didn't pick the name, I just answered the job! Whoever it was had it out for the scientists, not me."

Vargas paused, his hand hovering mid-air before he sighed, letting it drop. "Fine, I'll let that one go. But you're telling me you slipped through Triton I's security in, what, three days? And no one noticed?"

Giolio looked proud for a split second. "Three days! The shapechanger was top-tier, top-of-the-line gear! I was practically one of you Investigators by the time I finished calibrating it." He gave a slightly embarrassed shrug. "But, uh, yeah, for a top-security planet, it wasn't hard. Kind of disappointing, really. "

Vargas shook his head, barely restraining a groan. "You make it sound like a stroll through a park, and yet here you are, outed by a scientist and getting your tail handed to you by someone half your size."

"Ah," Giolio rubbed the back of his head, still grinning sheepishly. "Yeah, I don't have the best track record with… complicated jobs."

Vargas shook his head, looking at Giolio with a mix of exasperation and curiosity. "So, who exactly is this mysterious client? And why would they want these scientists dead?"

Giolio shrugged helplessly. "That's the beauty of the black market, pal. You get the job, you do the job, and you don't ask questions if you want to stay in one piece." He paused, scratching his chin thoughtfully.

Vargas raised an eyebrow, clearly unimpressed with the vague answer. "Something tells me you know more than you're letting on, Giolio."

"Look, man, all I know is this client was willing to pay top creds," Giolio admitted, hands raised in surrender. "You don't just hand out a payout like that unless you're either super rich or super paranoid."

Sighing, Vargas decided it was time to loop in Beirut. He pulled out his communicator, paging his partner. "Sebastian I've got our guy."

Beirut's voice crackled over the communicator, a trace of satisfaction in his tone. "Well done, Raul. Hold him there—I'll be at your position shortly."

Vargas tucked away the communicator, shooting Giolio a warning look. "Stay put, and don't try anything funny. You're lucky Sebastian's a little more patient than I am."

Giolio laughed nervously, raising his hands. "No problem, boss. I'll be as quiet as a mouse."

Vargas fixed Giolio with a hard stare, his arms folded, and his voice laced with suspicion. "All right, so let's get this straight. The only reason you're even here right now is because you got lost?"

Giolio glanced around the empty corridor, his antennae twitching nervously. "Listen, you make me sound like some idiot. There was a method, okay?"

"A method," Vargas repeated skeptically, arching an eyebrow. "And what exactly is the method behind clawing out a scientist's eyes and leaving him like that?"

Giolio chuckled awkwardly, scratching the back of his head. "Uh, well… that was just a personal touch. You know, to let the client know I'm good for it."

"A 'personal touch,'" Vargas echoed, his voice dripping with sarcasm. "This isn't some juvenile territory-tagging, Giolio. You're dealing with the Federation, and now you're sitting here like a kid caught with his hand in the cookie jar."

"Look, they told me they needed proof," Giolio said, shifting uncomfortably. "So, I leave a signature mark. It's a way to make a name in the industry—my 'calling card,' if you will."

Vargas shook his head in disgust. "That's your idea of professionalism? Gouging out people's eyes?"

Giolio looked down nervously, realizing he had bit off more than he could chew.

As Vargas waited, he eyed Giolio closely, contemplating the mystery further. The assignment, the money trail, even the ridiculous burner name—none of it added up. Whoever wanted this operation hushed was either desperate or playing a bigger game, and Vargas was determined to get to the bottom of it.