At once, the girl's rifle vanished in a flash of blue light, wanting to show her pursuer that she meant no harm - which, given she had attacked him out of the blue, was probably not going to work, but hey! Fingers crossed! Silas hadn't told her anything about his personality, so she could only hope that he wouldn't hurt her any more. He certainly seemed combat-capable, so maybe that wouldn't go too well.

"If you want answers…" she said, looking up at him with a neutral expression that slowly became a bright smile. "Then you'll have to ask questions, silly!"

Inigo…that was his name, right? Inigo narrowed his eyes at that, keeping his cane pointed at her. "You probably know what I'm gonna ask now." he said, placing his free hand on his hip. "You fucking shot me. Why?"

"Uh…target practice?" she replied, giving a toothy smile that Inigo clearly saw right through. Sighing, he decided to get to the point.

"Are you with Libera?"

At that, she made a disgusted, offended face, shaking her head quickly. "Not on your life!"

"Not a fan, eh?" Inigo raised an eyebrow in curiosity. "Why's that?"

"I don't think those guys have any fans, and for good reason." the girl sighed, looking up at him as she began to stand up. "Most people who know the name know it's wiser to be afraid."

Inigo nodded, which she took as a nonverbal prompt to continue. "People have been going missing, some have been reported dead! And there's way more stuff, but you get the gist!" she explained, to which Inigo listened, having heard much of this from Scarlett already. "They've even taken over a few towns…like Ruben, for instance!"

"Uh huh…" Inigo murmured, making a mental note to go to Ruben and check it out.

"Worst part is, they could be anywhere! That guy over there could be one of them, you could be one of them…even I could be one of them!" the girl exclaimed in a whispered tone. "Don't you think they need to be stopped?"

"Maybe." Inigo shrugged, thinking about Apex as a general concept. "What if it's for a good cause?"

"Bleh…" she stuck out her tongue. "Even if it is, wouldn't you say there's a point where the ends stop justifying the means?"

"I guess." Inigo said calmly, not exactly knowing where to stand on this debate though generally agreeing that kidnapping and murder was bad. "You know a lot about Libera. Been studying for a trivia slam or something?"

"Uh, no?"

"Well, here's my next question." Inigo said. "Does the title 'Red Joker' mean anything to you?"

"I'm afraid not…" she frowned, furrowing her brow as she tried to think. "Hmm…is that the name of a video game? Sounds kinda like a mystery game…"

"Not to my knowledge, no." Inigo narrowed his eyes. "It's a guy they're looking for."

"Ah, of course it's a Libera nickname. What's the Mikado thinking with those names?" she commented, wondering just what naming scheme was being employed here. "I bet he doesn't even tell jokes!"

Inigo resisted the urge to mimic the pun Silas told him as he was serving him, and concluded that Rifle Bitch didn't have much more useful information for him. "Perhaps not." he said, looking down at her. "So, uh…about you shooting me."

"Oh, right, that!" she cheerfully exclaimed. "I guess you could say it was a little test! Oh, but don't worry, you passed!"

"Yay." Inigo deadpanned, shaking his head before beginning to walk past her. "Later, kid."

Hearing those words, Rifle Bitch glared at him, balling her hands into fists as she did. "I'm not a kid! I'm twenty years old!"

Inigo nodded, taking that with a grain of salt as he walked away in silence. He didn't usually judge by appearances, but this girl was about a head shorter than him, and her high voice and childish demeanour only made that less believable.

Seeing he was just walking away without even trying to continue engagement, Rifle Bitch gasped and instantly seemed to grow a little desperate. "W-Wait! You're just leaving?" she said. "Don't you want to know my name? Or how I know so much about Libera?"

"Not particularly." Inigo replied, shooting his signature half-assed wave without even bothering to look back. She shot him. He had all the useful information, and so he didn't need or want to further interact with this weirdo.

"B-But…I…" she stammered, watching as he left her alone, looking to the ground with a frown. She hadn't expected him to be - for lack of a better phrase - such an asshole about it. What possessed Silas to recommend him of all people?

Maybe the fault was with her. Perhaps she needed to be more upfront about it the next time they met. For now, though, she would have to try again later. If he was looking for Libera, he could be in danger, after all. Keeping this in mind, she stalked off.

………

"Creed, was it? I sense fire in those eyes. You wish to survive, do you not? Then come with me, if you want a chance at a better life!"

Arriving in Furvus, a coyote with a red pelt glowed a bright red, transforming into the dark-skinned Creed, who returned to standing on two feet as he began to look around. His hands in his pockets, he smiled and whistled a brief tune to himself, recalling the above words and reminding himself - he could have fun during it, but he was on a mission, and he had to get results. All for the Mikado and her valiant cause. He knew his orders, and he was determined to carry them out.

He walked around, remembering the procedure that he’d been through in each town he’d visited - go in, take in a bit of the scenery, and then ask around to see if the civilians had seen the white-haired skeleton dude. So far, he hadn’t had any luck, but he wasn’t going to let a little thing like that bring him down!

He passed through, looking around the black town, and observed that it was pretty cosy. Despite the colours of the houses varying, as he came in and out of the residential area, he noticed many of the other buildings matched the roads and pavements; they were black. Black restaurants, black shoe shops, black corner shops, and even a place that sold fireworks. Only some of those were black, though the shop exterior was jet-black all over. It was a nice aesthetic, thought Creed. All grungy and moody.

But enough sightseeing - now was the time for questioning. And this place was rife with civilians to talk to. Its people were lively and full of happiness, and he’d certainly feel bad if someday, Libera had to come after them. But this wasn’t the time for that. Approaching one of these happy people, he made his friendliest face, which wasn’t at all difficult, and asked;

“Hey! I’m looking for someone! Think you could help a brother out?”

The stranger, a late-teenage girl, looked up at him sceptically, sizing him up to try and determine if he was a threat. Which…he might not have been, but going barefoot was just weird. “Uh, sure?”

“Awesome, thanks!” Creed grinned toothily, standing up straight. “He’s, uh, pale, white-haired, blue eyed…”

“Oh, him. Yeah, he was here recently.” the girl replied nonchalantly. “He was going around asking everyone about Libera or something.”

Creed raised an eyebrow at that, a very baffled look on his face as he eyed the girl. “Why the hell did he ask that?”

Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.

“Your guess is as good as mine.” she shrugged. “Maybe he was a journalist or something. Gotta get that scoop, right?”

“Haha, could be!” Creed chuckled, putting his hands back in his pockets. “D’you think he’s still around?”

“I dunno.” the girl frowned slightly, before slowly beginning to walk away. Creed didn’t stop her, knowing she wasn’t likely to have any further information. Of course, had he been Galileo and he was positive she had more answers, he would’ve been inclined to get them out by force. But that guy was an asshole, anyway.

Welp, enough contemplation. Better get to work. This was the mindset Creed put himself through as he advanced through the town, asking the same question to a variety of people. Whether tall, short, young or otherwise, most people he asked had the same answer - they had, indeed, seen him not too long ago, and he’d spoken to some of them, but they couldn’t say for sure whether he was still there.

He asked around for a while, with little deviation in responses, and eventually, he stopped. Standing in front of a dry-cleaner's, he crossed his arms, closing his eyes as he thought about where the Red Joker would be. Maybe he had left already. He thought of many possibilities - maybe he'd been abducted by aliens, maybe he never existed to begin with, or maybe he was a ghost who only showed himself to a select few - but him simply leaving was by far the most plausible. Given he was here and not anywhere before, it was likely he wasn't in Arc anymore. Rolling his neck, he stood up straight, ready to see if he'd already departed, when all of a sudden, he felt a tapping on his arm.

"Excuse me, I'd like a bit of your time."

Ah, what the heck, why not? Opening his eyes, he looked to his right to see who was talking, and at once his eyebrow shot up. Making sure he had the right person, he squinted, taking in his features. And they matched up perfectly - long, curly white hair, dark blue eyes, pale skin. For some reason he wore grey, though, not red like Creed was expecting. Oh well. Maybe it was a disguise. But after all this searching, to think his target had just walked right up to him.

With his hands in his pockets, he flashed him a jovial, toothy grin. "Yo, what's up, my crimson jokey-man?"

Hearing that, the gears in Inigo's head began turning, and very quickly, he stepped away from the taller, tattooed man, eyeing him warily. "...I was gonna ask if you knew anything about Libera…" he said, watching as Creed turned to face him fully. "But I guess you've just answered that for me."

"Heh, guess I have." Creed chuckled, looking down at Inigo with eyes that he observed to be enthusiastic and genuinely friendly. How utterly confusing. "But there's no need to be shy, my guy!"

"Isn't your little mob trying to capture me?" Inigo pointed out, moving a little further away.

"Yep!" Creed admitted shamelessly. "But that doesn't mean we can't bond over a nice, friendly brawl!"

Inigo studied him closely, realising that he meant everything he was saying. Narrowing his eyes, he placed a hand on his hip. "...Aren't you a little too nice to be a gangster?" he asked sceptically.

"Hey, don't underestimate the nice ones." Creed smirked almost proudly. "The Mikado doesn't make just anyone an enforcer, you know! She's done so much for me, so I can't let her down!"

"How touching." Inigo sighed, shaking his head. "Why can't you go after someone else?"

"Sorry, but I was given very specific orders to find the Red Joker! And do you see any other Red Jokers around here?" Creed gestured widely, and Inigo looked around, seeing a few other people in the vicinity, one of whom seemed interested in knowing how their interaction would play out. Turning back to Creed, he raised an eyebrow.

"You're looking pretty red yourself." he commented, focusing on his hair and tattoos, the former of which Creed ran his hand through. "Who are you, anyway?"

"You can call me Coyote!"

Inigo, guessing that that was a codename of sorts, closed his eyes and nodded slowly. "Like the dog?"

"Awesome, you know!" Creed grinned evilly, all of his tattoos beginning to glow a bright red. "Then you know your got a canis major problem!"

Hearing that pun, Inigo began to wonder why this guy wasn't given the name 'Red Joker'. With an audible groan, he summoned his cane and watched him closely to determine his next move. And there, he watched Coyote’s arms transmogrify, growing longer, hairier and more muscular until they took the form of those of a mighty orangutan.

"That's not a dog…" Inigo mused, figuring he'd have to go on the defensive for now. Entering a lightfooted stance, he jumped back and forth, watching as Coyote leapt from his spot, lunging at him with a wild haymaker.

"Fighting already, huh? Game on."

Inigo began his triangular movements, backing out from Coyote’s punch. The man landed and used a volley of straight punches with alternating hands. It was a quick barrage of attacks, but Inigo was used to fighting barehanded enemies and just managed to sidestep out of the way of each attack.

After a while of this, he spread his arms out, corralling spheres of wind forming in his palms. Inigo quickly moved in to deliver twin jabs to his chest with his cane before moving out of the way just in time. Coyote brought his hands together in a mighty clap. Though the actual attack missed Inigo, the massive gust that followed it successfully blew him away, sending him on his back a few feet away.

As Inigo stood up, Creed's arms turned back to normal, while his leg tattoos began glowing. "You're pretty good, Joker! Let's see if you can keep up!" he said, smiling slightly as his legs transformed into the strong, sturdy shanks of a kangaroo. He took a leap up to the sky, and Inigo aimed his cane at him, firing water blasts at him, slowly stepping away.

Coyote's legs were coated in wind, and with that, he was able to kick each blast out of the way, causing them to disperse. He quickly descended, rapidly kicking below him and firing blades of wind with each one. Inigo tried to dodge the blades, but they were very fast, and many of them successfully struck him.

This wasn't enough to distract him from the real threat, however. The moment Inigo saw Coyote was about to hit him, he swerved out of the way, avoiding the attack. He shuddered as he watched Coyote continue, kicking small craters into the pavement where he landed. Instantly, he felt he'd made a good call in dodging.

Without sparing any more time, Creed quickly approached Inigo and unleashed a flurry of kicks from one leg, which he stayed out of reach from. Then, he began delivering a slew of swift kicks. Inigo found them harder to dodge than the punches, and eventually, one struck him in the side of the head. Feeling like he would've died if not for his shield, Inigo fell on his back, dazed.

The kangaroo-legged man smirked, jumping into the air before descending, ready to land on Inigo. Seeing this, Inigo was just about able to roll out of the way before Creed landed, forming a large, windy shockwave and making a rather wide hole in the ground. The blast of wind, however, sent Inigo tumbling onto the road. He heard a car coming and quickly leapt to his feet, looking to his right to find the vehicle, a black car, with the driver scrambling to hit the brakes without running him over.

Creed watched as Inigo jumped to the roof of the car before leaping off it, towards him. He prepared himself for defence, returning to his fully human form, but before he could do anything else, he felt a powerful bullet strike him by the ear. Startled, he couldn't defend himself when Inigo grabbed onto his shoulders, propelling himself over his head, and turning around with a swift kick to the head once he landed.

He then looked where the bullet had come from, and found that in front of an alley next to the dry-cleaner's, the vertically-challenged redhead from earlier was standing there, pointing her rifle at Coyote with a confident smile on her face. "Need a hand?"

"Rifle Bitch?"

"In the flesh! Wait, what'd you just call me?"

Creed quickly shook his head, watching the two of them as he stepped back, generating two wind spheres in his hands. "Now, what's going on here?" he asked. "Didn't sign on for a two-on-one."

"What's going on is that you're going down, Libera scum!" Rifle Bitch pointed indignantly at the man. "Let's do this, Whitey!"

"Uh, yeah, sure." Inigo nodded, a disk of water brimming beneath his feet. Creed examined the situation and chuckled, noting that he might be able to get just a little more information out of this before making his retreat.

"Not without a fight! C'mon, get your game on!"

At once, Inigo began to circle him quickly, using the water disk to hydroplane on the ground as he looked for the right time to attack, dodging Creed's attempts to grab him. Meanwhile, Rifle Bitch surrounded herself in a thick coat of blue lightning, charging towards Creed at a high speed while firing rapidly from her gun. Eventually, Inigo jumped up and smashed his ride into the ground, sprouting a small wave that soaked Creed just in time for Rifle Bitch to body tackle him, shocking him painfully.

Still, he didn't let this faze him too badly, as his arms glowed again, transforming into a complete set of brown octopus tentacles, each of them forming a solid green blade of wind at the tip. At once, he extended each tentacle, allowing four to attack the Joker and four to attack Rifle Bitch. And what a relentless attacker he was. Immediately forcing the two of them to keep their distance, he swung his blades harshly and wildly, keeping them guessing as they danced around his slashes.

They were doing a good enough job - more so on Rifle Bitch's part, due to her small size and superior agility - but the Red Joker took a relatively low number of hits, too, evidently quite the practised combatant. Both of them watched closely, with Rifle Bitch slowly channelling Natura into her gun while she stayed out of reach. Eventually, she jumped backwards, taking aim as blue particles floated around her barrel before a thin, sharp and crackling stream of blue electricity was fired at him.

He took the hit, the empowered bullet travelling too fast for him to dodge, and yelped in pain as Inigo took advantage of his brief faltering to stomp his tentacles to the ground. Quickly, Creed transformed his arms back to normal and saw the two of them charging towards him from both directions, and at once he knew he had to act quickly. Swiping a silver stone from his pocket, he used his other hand to form a small, cutting tornado around him, before looking at the stone and saying, "Take me to Modum!"

And in a flash of bright light, Creed was gone, and Inigo and Rifle Bitch at once had to hit the brakes. They weren't each other's opponents, after all. She looked up, and he looked down, both exiting combat mode to determine the other's next move.