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"Did he seriously just leave us down here," I exclaimed as I shaded my eyes to look up at the floating building.

"Lisa. He was right about us needing to stay from up there." Trik said, looking at the ground.

"Trik? What aren't you telling me?" I demanded.

"...After he left us, I used my sensors to sense if Ms. Akrosa is really up there..."

"She is, isn't she?" I asked him.

"Yes," he replied. "But so is Mr. Gulliver and the others."

My eyes widened in horror.

"We have to go help him!" I said as I pulled out my board.

"Lisa, how can we help him? We need to find the others for that. Think about your safety," Trik pleaded.

"I'm not leaving Tymon behind while he puts his life on the line to save a friend. If that's something you're fine with...you've disappointed me," I said sternly.

Trik momentarily stared at the ground with his head and shoulders hung.

Then, he looked up at me.

"You're right," he said, straightening himself. "We should help as best we can."

In the next moment, we both were ascending to the building in the air.

Trik sighed heavily next to me as we flew.

"This is not how I wanted to spend my birthday," he muttered.

"Oh, right! I'd forgotten about our birthdays with everything going on," I responded.

"Well, a lot did happen on your birthday; you ended it in a coma," Trik mentioned.

"And now, on your birthday, we're about to enter the lions' den. Let's hope this isn't an omen," I said, chuckling nervously.

When we arrived, we found the door was loose and open. After entering, we saw Tymon standing on the red path with everyone before him.

Their eyes quickly shifted to me.

"And the human followed," Avarice said with a smile. He was sitting on what appeared to be a throne atop a pedestal with four high steps.

This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report.

I walked over to stand next to Tymon, who looked slightly annoyed.

"You could've at least hidden yourselves if you weren't going to listen," he said without taking his eyes off the others.

"It's my mission, so why would I not be here," I commented. "Besides, I couldn't let you come up here alone."

"And how do you plan to be of any help," he asked bluntly.

I noticed Trik hadn't said anything, so I looked to my right and saw he was staring directly at Verin, whose expression suggested she'd found another toy.

"Wow," Trik mumbled aloud.

It was odd. Not once did he ever show any interest in women, or anyone for that matter. That was the first time I'd seen him want someone.

"Trust me, Trik, she's too much for you," Za'Fia said weakly from her glass container.

"Ah," Avarice said as I took a step toward her. His eyes were fixated on me. When I looked into them, I could almost feel the hunger there.

I raised my hands amiably.

"I just want to speak peacefully and ask some questions," I said as I stepped forward.

A guy in orange sitting at a table with the Wren and Junichiro snickered.

"You say that like we're obligated to answer them," he sneered. "You have no power, girl."

Avarice raised a hand for the guy to be quiet.

"Excuse Trevor. I'll answer our questions," he stated. "But only if you agree to answer mine."

"It's only fair," I responded. "Me first; why did you create this army?"

"For security, of course," he responded casually. "I have to protect my assets, don't I? Plus, having a force capable of ending anyone who defies me prevents others from defying me."

"What about your drug? Why'd you create them?" Tymon interjected.

Avarice looked at Tymon in silence, clearly annoyed by his interference.

"To become king," he finally answered. "Put simply, I intend to start a war that'll engulf the entire planet. To do that, I've created something to throw off balance in the world. Something that'll shock its system."

"No...," I said.

"The way I see it, only two things move a human: money and power. I've already given the world money, which grants the fortunate influential power...but what if I gave them actual power? Real power. I taught humans how to access the frail power they already possessed centuries ago. Now, I'll show them a boost in power unlike anything they've ever experienced," he said, divulging his meticulous agenda.

"Sure, that'll incite more chaos, but not a war," Trik commented as he tried to focus on anything other than Verin.

"Indeed, droid," Avarice remarked. "It's all a process. I won't give the JANUS to everyone—money is always a factor, after all. I need to give it to the weak, the oppressed, so that they can overtake the strong: countries under the boots of others. That'll shake this world to its core."

Avarice rested his head on his fist as he tapped the gold in his armrest.

"Unfortunately, I don't want others to know where it comes from, so it has to be done anonymously. Over the past decades, I've founded secret communities within each major country to help steadily distribute it to those who'll receive it. It's been a pain, but after they receive it, they'll stand up to those that govern them. It'll be beautiful. After years, the mighty will eventually fall, and they'll need my forces to set the balance. Then we'll step in to cease revolting across the globe, creating peace once again. This time, however, the balance of power will be flipped. The once mighty will need our protection, while the once oppressed will fear our presence. Creating relationships between myself and those needing my protection will be key to obtaining world control. If they deny my tributes, I'll let them be destroyed. If the once oppressed step out of line, I'll make an example of some of them," he said, concluding his explanation.

I looked at him in terror as he smirked confidently.

"Millions will die...just for you to gain absolute power?" I said in horror.

"More like billions," Verin corrected as she smiled menacingly.

"Now that I've answered your questions, I've got a few of my own," Avarice declared. "There's been a couple of things about you that's piqued my interest. First...who's Viraa?"