I was seething with pain as the Damnations bit through my body, my nails tried to tear through the floor but the effects were to the contrary.

There was the noise of things crashing and visceral screams coming from upstairs, the damnations who were feasting on me began to leave my partially eaten body to check the commotion above. It felt like this was part of some twisted ritual to turn me into one of them.

The door of the room flung onto the opposite wall, and the last of the damnations rushed towards the source of destruction, but in a few moments, only its scream was the only thing left.

A hand reached out to me, but I didn’t even have the strength to stand up.

“You fought good AoAo,” Harz said as he uncapped his canteen and poured water into my mouth.

I felt better, Harz crouched beside me and examined my wounds, “I warned you about Vongotski, he is a crafty old man.”

I squirmed in my place as I tried to sit, Harz’s touch had soothed the pain, “So what do we do now? Are we trapped in this place?”

Harz chuckled, “No” he replied. I seated myself on the support of the wall as Harz stretched his body, took a deep breath, and began punching the wall like a madman, the mansion squeaked and rumbled as many of its rooms and walls gave away, but there was always yet another wall.

Harz groaned, “Why didn’t I think of it before?”

“Think of what? What the hell are we doing?” I was so baffled by the entirety of the situation that my mind ignored the hundreds of corpses of the damnations lying down on the floor.

I pulled Harz as he now faced me, “Would you care to explain what are we doing?”

Harz sighed, “I can’t, if I say anything Vongotski will hear it, Cursed Mansion though not visible, is still audible to him.”

Harz turned back spread both of his hands on the wall, and began to gently push the wall, as the Cursed Mansion began to collapse again, I levitated above the floors of the Cursed Mansion.

And suddenly I thumped on the floor of Vongotski’s modest house.

I coughed blood, but it didn’t matter now that I was out of the Cursed Mansion, Vongotski was down too. His bones creaked as he attempted to get up, before he could get up Harz kicked the old man in the face.

The old man flew onto the wall, his face was terribly bruised.

“Listen geezer, either you tell us where the Stamp is or I could beat you to a pulp and then ransack the entire house.”

Vongotski began to chuckle, “You fool, I shall trap you again in…”

“CURSED MANSION” Both Vongotski and Harz shouted at the same time.

Nothing Happened.

Vongotski began to cough blood, he pushed himself away from Harz, “What have you done to my Spirit Technique? Why isn’t it working?”

Harz laughed, “It doesn’t matter geezer, for soon your body will see the same fate.”

I was frantically going through every drawer, every closet, but it was to no avail. There was no Stamp.

I had gone through every place where the Stamp could be, but it wasn’t anywhere.

I walked towards Vongotski who was having a quite intense interrogation session, the Old man was squirming and screaming. If pushed a bit more, the man might even die.

“Did he open his mouth?” I asked Harz, he shook his head.

“Why won’t you answer us? What are you getting from this affair?” I asked Vongotski.

He laughed yet again as if the man could only laugh and kill, he felt no other emotion.

“She married him because he was like me, she loved me. But, society won’t accept us that’s why she chose him, who was my substitute, my replica. But, now my substitute is the one running this island, while I have to deal with your pests. I truly loved my sister, but hated her choice.”

Vongotski began to glow, as Harz shouted something, I tried to turn back but… the light swallowed me.

There was a huge exploding sound as the entire house rumbled and shook, and we mere humans got flung onto the walls like flies on fly swatter.

My nearly dead body could sense the concept of death more clearly, and the contrary was true for my eyes and the world around them.

Everything was blurry and shaky, my body was just so tired, that a little nap for eternity seemed quite enticing.

I faintly heard my name, as someone pulled me up. It was Harz, he was saying something, but I couldn’t make it out.

My body relaxed at Harz’s touch, it was weird that Harz was saving me for the second time on the same day. I controlled my breath, and tried to get up, my body protested and so did Harz, however, I still sat up and leaned on the wall for support.

“Thank You” I muttered, Harz smiled, “Rest man, it’s been a tough day. I will handle everything.”

I tried to object, but he shushed me. My body felt quite light, and soon I went into slumber.

***

Harz was alone for some time, he looked at Aoyama’s sleeping body, he must find the Stamp for Aoyama, it didn’t matter if Aoyama was hiding something from him, Harz believed that Aoyama was a good man, and most of the time his beliefs were right.

The old man won’t trouble them any more, he was gone forever. In his place was left a rotting red corpse like one of the Damnations from the Cursed Mansion, which was now buried under the floorboard of the house, so that no one could find it.

Harz looked everywhere he could, he even used his Spirit Technique, but there was nowhere for the Stamp to be found.

Harz sighed, if they didn’t get the Stamp all this chaos, wounds, and death would be all for nothing.

Harz looked back at Aoyama, he was wide awake but not in a state of movement. “Did you find the Stamp?” Harz shook his head.

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The disappointed look on Aoyama’s face stung Harz, he couldn’t do even this for his friend.

“Don’t worry man, I will get you out of this island.”

***

My body had almost recovered completely, even Harz was surprised by its sheer rapidness, but I believe it has something to do with my will to live.

Not a single person came to question us about Vongotski’s disappearance even though we were the last people who were seen at his house. Everyone was awfully silent about the Old Geezer’s disappearance as if he never existed.

The sun was now resting in the sea, as the moon took its place for the next few hours.

I unloaded some bags in a boat, and a voice interrupted me, “What are you doing here Sir?”

The Beach Patrol was here.

“Well… you see I am here doing some work.”

“That’s what I am asking you, what work are you doing?”

“I need to go fishing, my cache has depleted.”

“You aren’t allowed to do so, we have a lake filled with fish go there and fish.”

“I want to eat some Mackerel.”

“You will shut the fuck up, and return to your hut.”

“You are awfully aggressive mate.”

“Listen you little fuck, I ain’t aggressive. I am here doing my job.”

“I repeat, I want to eat some Mackerel, and my wife cooks them the best.”

“If you don’t go back in 5 seconds, maybe you will have to eat something much worse than the food we give you.”

I looked around, now I had the attention of every Beach Patrol Officer.

“5…4…3…2…”

I turned back and began running as the boat behind me exploded.

A few arrows hurled at me, one got me in the knee. I stumbled.

But I kept running, it was just about time that he came.

Panic swept in among the officer, as I heard one of their muffled screams.

They were shouting something among themselves.

***

It was a good day for Zorg, but a really bad night.

That new Fisherman was more troublesome than others, he was a freaking terrorist.

“What don’t we let him do as he wishes all he wants is a fish, right?”

“Don’t be stupid Zorg, we aren’t allowing a lowly villager to bully us,” Greg replied.

“But he just blasted Tark and I don’t think John’s alive either.”

“Shut up Zorg, and look for that man. The fisherman isn’t alone.”

Greg’s face was covered with sweat, 2 men from his unit were knocked out in the best-case scenario and dead in the worst.

He heard a footstep behind him, he quickly turned back and shot his crossbow.

Nothing.

All his men were now guarding the last 2 Boats left on the coast.

2 Men on each, while he looked for both accomplices.

He sipped from his canteen, and murmured, “Snakes in the Wind”, still nothing.

Fuck he thought.

“Shit!” he said.

Punched he did.

His punch was caught in the air, and Harz revealed himself.

“I knew it was you, only you can nullify Spirit Technique.”

Harz was a bit surprised by Greg’s conclusion, it was supposed to be a secret.

Greg used the surprise to free from Harz’s grip and kick him in the stomach.

Harz caught his leg in the air and threw Greg into the bushes.

“Boss, are you alright?” Zorg asked, but no reply came.

“I am sorry Zorg,” Joseph said beside him, his breath was getting more and more ragged, and his face had gone pale.

“What’s wrong Joseph?”

“inform the others”

“What? Joseph, answer me.”

Joseph was on the ground, his face had gone white, his voice raspy and his breath worse than before.

“Joseph calm down, take a deep breath.”

“Tell them, their boat has the fisherman’s package.”

“What?”

“Tell them, their boat has a bag which belongs to the fisherman.”

Zorg turned towards them, they were guarding their boat like normal.

A figure appeared behind them, “Behind You! Run!” Zorg shouted, but his voice didn’t reach them.

Those men were on the ground, the fisherman had appeared on the boat.

Zorg couldn’t understand what the hell was happening.

Zorg looked at Joseph, “What did you do?”

Jospeph’s eyes were filled with tears, “I am sorry.”

Zorg sighed, hopefully, the attack had ended.

He had to check on everyone.

The fisherman had set the boat to sea.