It is currently Saturday morning and I am eating an omelet on Sophia's couch. Sophia herself is pacing laps around me, mumbling to herself from time to time. I don't really know what to think about this, so I just keep to myself and eat my eggs, though I would really prefer meats.

Sophia stops moving in her stupor and turns to look at me, "Okay. I know what to do."

"What is it?"

"First of all we need to get you a valuable skill if you want to follow in my footsteps."

"What do you mean?"

Sophia sits down next to me. "So each hero has their strengths and weaknesses, for example Hyper Thunder is a figurehead and frontline hero, so he deals with the press and one on one fights with villains. I am more of an investigative, transport, and rescue, in which is pretty self explanatory. If any hero takes on a disciple the latter usually follows the steps of the former."

I digest this information. I mean what kind of work do I want to do? What kind of skillset can I offer? Oh wait, "Sophia, I think I want to follow your investigative path, but I also want to be frontline."

"That's fine, so if we want to further your detective skills then you will need a certain skill that pairs well with Observe. Now Observe's truth detection works by making your ear tingle when someone lies and you hear both what they said and the truth at the same time. Now a useful skill to separate this information we found the Transcription skill. Once you get have it, it cannot be leveled up. It is a once and done skill." She still hasn't explained what it does but I get I'll just wait until I can see the description.

"How do I get it?"

"I'll just have you write our conversations on paper until you get it."

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Two hours later and I have a new skill.

[ Through repeated actions you have unlocked the skill: Transcription(Passive) ]

[ Transcription - This skill unlocks the Log of the system. It will keep a record of all conversations you take part of organized by day. This menu can be shown to other people and it can also be annotated. If the Observe skill and is of high enough level then true statements will be stored in a «» ]

Testing out my new skill I see that the logs also exist for times previous to obtaining the skill. I wonder if there are other skill like this, maybe for images and videos.

"Okay. Now that you have this skill, we can move on to our next objective. We are going to have to search the Slum area for any more disappearances. Any questions?"

"Where are we going in the Slums and are there any other skills like Transcription?"

"Red Light District and yes, but we don't need those right now."

Sophia and I grab our gear and she uses her threads to warp us to the Slums. I don't really understand how that works. Walking for a bit we come to a building covered in red drapes and no windows. On the door is a sign that had devil horns that read open, and from outside I can hear some excessive moaning that fills the open air.

Sophia shifts forward and knocks on the door and, without a beat, the door opens. From the side, I can see a woman leaning against the door frame, her pink hair with curved horns near her temples and a tail with a heart wrapped around her leg and all while wearing very revealing clothing. I noticed Sophia's hand is clenched tight when this woman appeared.

"Hello there. We have come to ask if you noticed any disappearances in the area?" Asked Sophia.

"Why do you ask, and why do you think I know anything?" Said the woman in an extremely sensual voice all the while staring directly at me.

"Well, I have information that you, Alayna, are one of two owners of this area. Even if that isn't your real name." As soon as Sophia finishes her statement the woman named Alayna's gaze snaps to Sophia, even if she glances back to me from time to time.

"Of course they aren't. Not many here could even speak the demonic tongue, and we've heard plenty about you Space Weaver. All with your distaste for relations like mine." Alayna continues talking with a glow on her face.

"Everything about both your job and family relations go against my philosophy." Sophia says without any emotion in her voice clearly displaying her internal emotions.

Wait, what? "Family relations? Romantic relations? Friends?" I ask.

"She is-", Alayna interrupts her, "Yeah, I'm a Succubus as you can obviously see and our species don't get energy from food but instead sex. So I run this business that trades people's lives and souls for the best sex of your life. We are theoretically immortal as long as we have enough."

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

"That still doesn't answer my question." Worry growing in my heart almost wishing I don't gain an answer.

"Well, my brother is an Incubus and we both have a constant sexual itch so…we pleasure each other."

"O-Oh." There are several things here that make me want to leave.

"Yeah, speaking of, you look pretty delicious too. I can't really see under the mask, but judging from your proportions you should be a nice snack. I'm not really averse to same-gender sex and I haven't had someone like you…yet." She stares all over my body, violating all of me within her mind.

"I, uhh, don't know about that." I want out of this conversation.

"AHEM. So if we can be back on topic and stop with all of this mess." Sophia interjects.

"So as I was saying earlier, have you noticed any disappearances in the area?" She continues forcefully shifting the conversation.

Alayna ponders this for a moment before replying, "I don't think we have, but there are so many people here it is kinda hard to keep track of them all."

"Well, thank you for your time." Sophia walks away from Alayna at a brisk pace.

Once we were a sizable distance away Sophia whispers to me in a low voice.

"Sorry about taking you there, but really everyone there has something in their lives and it really isn't our place to interfere."

"It's fine. So where to next?"

"Well, I would check all of the local gangs but as a prominent hero, they would either run or fight us."

"That is a problem." I say.

As we walk the corner, I bump head first into a tall person and get knocked over.

"Oh, sorry for that." I quickly stand up and apologize.

"It is fine ma'am. I wasn't looking where I was strolling." A tall, bearded man stands before me. He holds a top hat to his chest as he apologizes. He seems to look familiar. But before I can place his face he walks away.

Sophia comes up behind me and whispers to me. "Don't mind that. This place is full of strange anomalies." She then walks away at a brisk pace before I can respond so I catch up with her.

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Passing a small, neighborhood school we find a small store hidden in an alley nearby. With a dilapidated, wooden doorframe and a board that reads 'Magical Menagerie' fills me with suspicion. "Sophia, is this a drug store?"

She pauses before opening the door and responds, "He does that on the side, but that isn't his main focus."

Walking through into the shop I am filled with intense dread. Skulls all over the room that seem like they follow me, vials of unknown substances, and extremely gaudy, purple drapes dyed with a crimson hue of light.

Before I could continue gazing I heard a booming voice echo throughout the room, "BEWARE MORTALS! FOR TREADING LIGHTLY MAY MEAN YOUR END!"

As I was frozen in shock, Sophia moved forward and kicked a nearby wardrobe nested in the corner. Then a mousy looking man wearing a tuxedo collapsed out of it, face first, onto the ground. Bewilder at how everything around me was unfolding, I ran to see if the man was okay and try to measure his vitals regardless of my lack of medical knowledge.

"Space Weaver, what should I do?!?" I yell in her direction.

"He's fine, but that does remind me. We need to do a basic training course since we act as first responders and you will need to know first aid." She responds to me with a thoughtful look on her face.

"How do you forget something like that and why are you thinking about that right now?" I respond back.

"…I can't say I'm perfect. I mean even I have faults, for example, I ask you to place absolute trust in me even though you know almost nothing about me."

"…That is true."

"This is all very touching but can you please get off of me now?" A muffled voice complains from under me.

"Oh. Sorry."

"It is fine, and while I have no quarrel with you, I will have to ask you to leave." He said in quite a surprisingly gentlemanly voice.

"Is it because I kneeled on you?" I ask.

"No, you were just worried that was fine, but I do not allow her in here anymore." He points at Sophia when he emphasizes his phrase.

"Come now Madman, are you really going to kick her out without introducing yourself first?" Sophia stares at the man the entire time she says this but I feel as though she has a smug look on her face.

I can see his face shift through several emotions in a few seconds before he sighs. "Well then, I must introduce myself as Madman the Magician of the mendicant. Or in other words, I cast spells for the poor and impoverished for prices other than money."

"And you like titles with alliteration." Sophia adds her two cents.

*Ahem* "And may I know your name?" Madman ignores Sophia.

"I am Silvernight, no other title." I respond.

"Hmm, that's fine, you will find what niche you fit into and at that moment you will have your title." He shifts one of the skulls and the drapes open up, revealing a roundtable with a sole light filling the room. He then sits down at the farthest chair, facing us, he then gestures to two chairs opposite his. Wait, were those always there?

Sophia and I sit down and accept the cups of tea Madman poured for us. I shake hands with him and thank him for taking time out of his day to help us. As I was almost out the door I realize that this sequence of events doesn't line up. Slowly turning around, I give a confused look to Madman, just to see disappointment on his and amusement on Sophia's.

"You almost got her, Madman." Sophia quips.

"But I didn't. Silvernight sit back down." Madman walks back to the table and I stagger behind him.

"Well, I should probably explain a few things. First of all, I have a passive that allows me to derail people's train of thought as long as they are near me. Second, Space Weaver and I are hero and villain and as such shouldn't get along, but she already explained your circumstances while you were…entranced." Madman pours me a new cup of tea as he explains.

"Madman here, will use a voodoo attribute spell, to try and find Dominic. Now, voodoo attributes are strange as the caster cannot cast for himself, but can put extreme costs on his spells. Now I trust Madman will not do that right?" Sophia explains.

"O-Of course." Madman's eyes dart around the room.

"But what can you give as payment?" Madman refocuses on Sophia.

"How does not reporting your midnight habits to your girlfriend sound?" Sophia states flatly and Madman's face freezes solid.

"That sounds wonderful! Let's start!" He reaches into his suit jacket, whispers some words that I couldn't make out and throws the dust into the air. He creates a magic circle on the table and the dust creates a bird's eye view of the city. He pricks his finger with a needle he pulled from somewhere and drops his blood on the table. Then I see a red glow form as Madman starts chanting out loud. The dust coagulates more and more until I can make out the location. Sophia and I glance at each other as we see the Faulken's Robotics and Technology Institute.