The soggy packaging boxes dropped to the floor. Water leaked out of it.

Florence grabbed a baking tray with it screeching over the top of a stove. She clashed it on Haru’s head, denting the tin.

A clang rang in Florence’s ears.

But Haru does not seem bothered, tightening her grip around Aisling’s neck. Aisling choked, clawing at Haru’s hand.

Stella screamed, pinching her nose. She curled into a ball, rolling under the round dining table. Mai sank her nails into the lever on the armrest of her wheelchair. The tire screeched next to the kitchen sink and a line of utensils above it. One of her arms wrapped around Sam under the blanket on her lap.

In the other glass room filled with musical instruments, Yuze knocked the drum set. She wedged her finger at the edge of the bass drum. Above her on the shelf, the porcelain jar and a photo of Haru wobbled.

Florence bit her lips. She clenched on the baking tray, paling her fingers. She swung at Haru.

In one swoop, Haru uppercut Florence in the jaw. Florence flew into the air, her teeth clamped together, and a crack burned on her chin. Then, gravity pulled her back down, crashing her on the round dining table.

The baking tray clattered.

Stella yelped, jumping up. She hit her head against the surface.

“Mom… Haru, stop it right now,” Mai said. Her fingers convulsed. “Just let her go.”

A low humming grew beneath Haru’s pajamas. Her joints creaked like gears. She slammed Aisling against the glass panel wall, cracking it. Shards flew out of the building. A wind blew in, rustling Florence’s hair.

Aisling swayed her legs back and forth. Her ponytail whipped the back of her neck.

“Stop, please,” Mai said. “You’re going to kill her like that.”

“Unless you hand that NPC over. I might reconsider it,” Haru said.

Florence rolled off the round dining table, plummeting onto the floor with a creak. In a shaky step, she pushed herself up to her feet. Out of the blue, a metal box smacked between her nose. She grunted, falling to her knees and covering her face.

Yuze rushed through the doorway. She raised her fist, swinging it over her head.

“Wait, don’t do it,” Mai said.

Haru clenched her fist, thrusting it on Yuze’s throat. Yuze gasped, grabbing her neck. But, before she could recover, a slap on the head greeted her. She thudded to the floor with her eyes closed, falling unconscious.

The metal box clattered next to Florence. She picked it up, unlocking it with a click. Inside the container, a cluster of repair tools sat.

“A bit of… help here… would be nice,” Aisling said.

“What is with this one?” Florence grabbed a screwdriver. She downturned the corner of her mouth. “Pardon me, you want me to… you know, use this.”

“No… I mean… I think you should give it to me,” Stella said, crawling towards Florence.

“Help… me,” Aisling said.

Sam hissed, forcing his head out of the blanket on Mai’s lap.

“Give me that NPC,” Haru said. She sank her nails deeper into Aisling.

Aisling screamed, kicking her legs.

“Or else you know what’ll happen next,” Haru said.

“What’s up with this stupid threat, pleb? You would have killed her if you wanted to do it.” Sam meowed with his tail, standing up straight. “Plus, you’ll be doing us a service by throwing her off this building.”

“Sam, I’m… gonna… buy… catnip,” Aisling said.

Sam leaped off from Mai’s lap, approaching Haru. He put his paws up into the air.

“Come back to me, Sam.” Mai stretched her arms out. “Like, couldn’t you not do it.”

“Sometimes you just have to sacrifice yourself to get those catnips,” Sam said.

Haru lifted her foot above Sam’s head.

Florence leaped. Her hands reached in front of her, and the metal box was on her palm. The gadgets clattered inside the container.

In a blur, the tool chest split in half. Haru’s foot sliced the tip of Sam’s whiskers.

Florence squeezed her arms around Sam. Her bottom squeaked across the floor as she scrambled away from Haru.

“What are you trying to do?” Florence asked.

“Nothing much,” Haru said, her eyes flickering red. I’m just doing some peaceful harvesting.”

Aisling withdrew her dagger, stabbing it on Haru’s nape. The blade clinked against Haru’s skin without leaving a scratch.

Haru relaxed her grip on Aisling’s throat.

An ear-piercing scream penetrated the air. Aisling plummeted. She grabbed onto the ledge, groaning out loud. Her dagger scattered across the floor.

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“What sort of beef do you have between Sam and Aisling?” Florence asked. “They did not do anything to you.”

“You really want to talk about that,” Haru said. She stomped on Aisling’s fingers.

Aisling screamed.

“As for this one,” Haru said. “Useless.”

A click echoed throughout the room.

Florence turned to the source of that sound. Yuze pointed the barrel of a revolver at Haru’s head.

“Not her,” Yuze said.

“Pathetic.” Haru snarled. “Did you seriously think that would do anything to me?” Her feet pounded across the floor, charging at Yuze.

In a single strike, Yuze jerked her head back, bleeding from her nostrils. The revolver clattered over the floor towards Florence’s side.

Haru wheeled around. “Give me that NPC.”

Florence shook her head, scrambling away. She kicked a revolver, spinning to the wheelchair. Her back collided with a leg of the round dining table.

Haru rushed forward in a blur. Her fist connected with Florence’s chin.

Florence flew across the room, crashing into the line of cooking utensils. Her head hit the faucet of a kitchen sink. Various knives, spatulas, and pots clattered behind her. A tug on her blond, unkempt hair jerked her head back. She bit her lip, stuffing Sam under her apron. Inches away from Florence’s face, Haru hummed with a grip on Florence.

“Give me that NPC,” Haru said. “Don’t make me force it out of your hands.”

“Did you think that I would do it?” Florence grinned. “That is if I would do it in the first place.”

Haru clenched her fist. Her knuckles smashed into Florence’s nose, and Florence bled from her nostrils. A trail of blood sipped between her lips, leaving a metallic flavor lingering on her tongue. At this moment, Sam slipped out beneath Florence’s apron, slapping his paws across the floor. He dove under the round dining table.

In a swift motion, Florence grabbed Haru’s shoulders.

Haru wrapped her fingers around Florence’s throat. Florence kicked and thrashed from the scorching grip. Her airway constricted. The passage of oxygen was restricted from going to her lungs.

“Your stats are pathetic. All of them are just errors,” Haru said. She snarled at Florence. “Did you think that I would have any regret in killing you for getting in my way?”

A cluck of a wheelchair and a thud reverberated next to the stove.

“Like both of you, stop right there,” Mai said.

Florence and Haru turned their heads toward Mai.

Mai pointed the barrel of a revolver at her head. Her finger twitched on the trigger.

“Put that gun down,” Haru said. Her eyes stopped flickering red. She relaxed her hold on Florence’s neck. “Do it now.”

“Why? Just… like, stop for once,” Mai said.

“You know what those NPC did in the past.”

“But… like, not all of them are the same.”

“Did you forget what those NPCs had done?”

Haru froze, dilating her pupils. Her body limped. Like the grinding of gears beneath her pajamas, the hums died down. She fell forward, crashing onto Florence’s ribcage.

Florence groaned from the searing burn, swinging her legs up. She pushed Haru’s body, setting Haru down to the floor.

Behind Haru, Stella stood with a screwdriver and a glowing red crystal in one hand.

“I didn’t notice you there. Also, where did you get that from? Florence asked.

Stella shrugged. “I mean… which one?”

“Hello,” Aisling said. She still held onto the ledge. “Is anyone there? I need someone to help me.”

Florence pointed at the glowing red crystal, “I have seen something similar before. But why is this one glowing in a different color?”

“Help,” Aisling said. “Is anyone gonna come here or something?”

Florence rolled onto her feet. A gust blew into the room, whipping unkempt hair aside. She trudged towards the edge.

Aisling smiled, dangling onto her dear life. “Finally, someone is here to save me.”

“Don’t help her, pleb.” Sam hissed under the round dining table. “You don’t want to… I know it.”

Florence crouched and bent over the ledge. She wrapped her fingers around Aisling’s wrist. Florence gritted her teeth. Her muscles strained as she pulled Aisling up slowly. Stella came over as well, hugging and tugging Florence at the hip. In one final yank, Aisling climbed back up.

The floor creaked as Florence and Stella fell to their bottom.

Aisling wheezed, scratching her nails across the surface towards Sam.

Sam jumped, banging his head beneath the round dining table. “What do you want?”

“Wait… I mean, Florence,” Stella said. “Didn’t you want to know what this crystal was supposed to be?”

At this moment, Aisling leaped at Sam. He hissed, bolting in circles away from her.

“Absolutely, I want to know,” Florence said. She trudged nearer to Stella.

Stella scratched her chin. “Well, I mean… how should I say this?”

“Don’t worry, take your time.”

“Let’s just say that it is a Memory EXP crystal… I think.”

“A Memory EXP crystal? Wasn’t there another one similar to this one but blue?”

“Those blue ones… I mean… they’re Natural EXP crystals… I think.”

From the corner of Florence’s eye, steam floated from a hole at Haru’s nape.

“Pardon me, how is a hole on Haru’s nape steaming? I am certain that was not there a moment ago,” Florence said.

“Help me right now, pleb,” Sam said. Behind his tail, Aisling chased after him.

Mai lowered her head as she opened the cylinder of a revolver with zero bullets sitting inside. “What… I was like totally ready to die.”

“Yeah.” Yuze put her thumbs up. “Empty.”

“Yuze, this is wonderful,” Florence said. “Since when are you awake?”

“Don’t get fooled by her, Florence,” Aisling said. She dove under the round dining table, catching Sam. “She always has been.”

Sam hissed, pawning at Aisling’s face.

“Anyways, those crystals.” Stella tossed the Memory EXP crystal up and down. Then she glanced at the porcelain jar next to a photo of Haru in the other glass room. “Well, I don’t know… I mean, the name explains itself… I think.”

“What do you mean by that?” Florence asked.

“Sorry… I didn’t mean to confuse you… I’m… I mean… sorry.”

“Pardon me, could you slow down? My brain is going to explode at this rate.”

“Sorry… This is one of the first times I get to use my bachelor’s degree.”

A knock vibrated the front door.

Everyone wheeled around.

“What was that?” Florence asked.

Aisling crawled up to her feet. “Gosh, I really want to take a shower.”

A bang rocked the entrance.

“All of you’ve got to get out of here right now,” Mai said.

Florence rubbed the scab on her forearm. “But why?”

“Haru. I mean, it is Haru,” Stella said. “She must have sent a warning signal to the Wellor System, which would inform them that a threat or an NPC is here… I think.”

Aisling pushed the round dining table. Its legs screeched across the floor, blocking the front door. She pointed at the cracked-open glass panel. “We could jump out of there,” she said.

“This is baloney,” Florence said. “Who are they? How did they get here so quickly? And secondly, I am not jumping out of there.”

The entrance shattered.

The debris scattered.

Those pink androids… with one arm transformed into a crackling rifle, stood in the hallway, aiming at Florence, Aisling, Yuze, and Sam.