~~~Stanley~~~

Stanley sat in the sky and watched his new team absolutely obliterate the monsters below.

A week of steady and relentless hunting had paid off for the lot of them. Not only in attributes but also in skill levels and evolutions, with Blindfold as the current prime example.

He still lit everything in his field of view on fire, but now the fiery debuff made the monsters seek out other burning targets as their preferred enemy to maul. It made the man himself far safer.

Of course, his new skill helped even more.

Stanley watched the last two burning monsters fight to the death until only one remained standing, albeit barely. Without another target, it finally turned on its tormenter and charged him in a limping stagger.

That was when the faintly burning vision cone, which was more easily visible from above, collapsed rapidly into a narrow line. A line between Blindfold's eyes and the last remaining monster. The now blindingly bright red light burned a hole straight through the monster's head, then its torso, before finally bisecting the monster down the middle.

"Caw," the crow squawked in his ear.

"Yeah," Stanley said. "I would have taken the damn shard if I knew it would turn into laser eyes."

"Except it would have been something completely different if you learned it," Nate said. "Especially since he merged it with his other skill."

"Caw."

"You're right. Just because it looks cool doesn't make it good." Below, he could see Blindfold down on one knee as he re-covered his eyes. The flashy finale was apparently a real mana-hog, but between it and the sonar skill someone else had passed off to him, at least the guy was less reliant on other people to help him get around, much less fight.

"He's just wasting time," Eve grumbled. "I could wipe that out in half the time."

"Caw!"

"You think she's all talk?"

"I'll show you..."

"Stanley," Nate interrupted Eve before she could start ranting. "Why don't we head out already?" Buzzkill.

Eve had yet to take a shot at him with her rail gun, and sure, he could just ask... but where was the fun in that? She was all talk these days, and not even very threatening talk either. There was lots of cursing and angry tirades, but not much else.

Besides, it was more fun to keep poking at her. She was like a dog toy; give her a squeeze and she'd make lots of funny noises.

"You don't want them to come with us?" Stanley asked, watching the group vanish one by one into the underground lair. "You know, for extra protection?"

"Could they take you in a fight?"

Stanley held back his reflexive denial at Nate's absurd question and actually stopped to think about it. If they all worked together... He shook his head. "No. Especially since Harem won't stop being a little bitch about using his power on me."

Though if they worked together and Harem slowed him down fighting off the domination, then... No. If it was an actual attempt on his life, then Caffeine probably would kill him, and Premonition would let Stanley handle the others. Namely, Bubbles. Since he was the only one who could actually hurt him fast enough to matter.

"Then we should be fine," Nate said. "Your old teammates haven't been slacking off, and while their abilities aren't as decisively fight-ending as some down there, I think you'd be surprised at how strong they've become."

"Really?" Stanley eyed the group arrayed around him while pulling Caffeine up to his lap and carrying them all south. James, in particular, had been rather impotent in the past. "Think your magic can slow me down now? Let's see it."

James shook his head. "I'm not against testing our powers in a friendly match, but let's maybe hold off on that for now?"

"You think I'll drop..."

"No." James made a slashing motion with one hand. "I'm sure you will overpower all of us, but we all know that you use anger to increase your power."

"So what if..." Eve's soul had flinched at the statement, and Stanley trailed off as he looked over at her. What was that about? Is that why she was angry so much of the time? Was she trying to copy him?

"Because this is a diplomatic mission," James said, pulling Stanley's attention back. "And I'd rather we don't go into it with you pissed off and ready to murder anyone who looks at you sideways."

"That's probably a good idea," Nate said while laughing. The dick.

"Caw!"

"I'm not that bad," Stanley muttered, along with a glare for Eve when she smirked and some side-eye for the bird on his shoulder. "Besides, who cares about diplomacy? Just be the strongest one there and it doesn't matter what the other side wants."

"That is one method," Nate said. "But not the best foundation for lasting relationships."

"Who fucking cares about..."

"I care," Nate said. "And while it may feel like this war against the undead is all we will ever know, it's not. We will win this war, and when that happens, we will be thrust out onto the world stage, where our alliances may be the only thing standing between us and the dictatorships that will inevitably arise."

"So what?" Eve said. "You're going to hold an election? Vote for me because I can punch stuff really hard?" She laughed mockingly. "What's to stop a monster like Stanley from just killing you?"

"Hah!" Silas chimed in. "Instead of debates, it'll be duels. Vote for me because I'm the strongest candidate!"

"Which, if you are that powerful, then do votes even matter?" Serenity asked. "That just sounds like a dictatorship with extra steps..."

Nate’s soul pinged off something they'd said, and Stanley saw him shoot a glance toward James. "There is..." He shook his head and didn't say whatever it was he'd been about to say. "It will matter," he said instead. "Democracy isn't dead yet."

"I just can't see it working," said the new guy. "I think we're headed back toward the monarchy."

Stanley didn't know his name, but he was probably the replacement for Edward. Or Byron. He had a similar-feeling soul to the giant. The dead giant... as Stanley had found out after asking Zeke where he'd gone and the boy had burst into tears.

"Why bother?" Stanley said, shaking off the gloomy thoughts. "If you're strong enough to take over, then you don't actually need anything from the weaklings... Plus, dealing with so many people sounds like a massive pain in the ass."

"Says the guy living in a penthouse with a butler waiting on him hand and foot." Eve was obviously jealous.

"That's nothing if you're powerful. You just pay a few non-combat people to take care of it."

Nate smiled knowingly. "Except you'll need some guards to keep them safe while you're gone. Plus, some more supports to provide for the guards. Then they might need equipment to really shine, and probably some more hunters to bring in more food for all the extra..."

"Yeah, yeah, I get it," Stanley said, waving him off. "It's always a shitshow. So just put someone else in charge and let them deal with all the... bullshit."

"That's just a second-hand dictator," Serenity said. "And isn't that what you already did with Nate?"

"No," Stanley said, even though he'd just had the exact same thought.

She laughed. "Except you did. Everyone knows that Nate's in charge only because you don't want to be bothered. Which means anyone who even might want to take over also knows that they'd probably have to deal with you as well."

"Stanley, the dictator," Eve muttered. "You would be."

"More like a king, since I already have a crown," Stanley said as he lifted the crown from his head to look at it more closely.

Buff Removed: [Onrushing Thorns]

"King Stanley... it has a nice ring to it, doesn't it?"

"It sounds ridiculous," Eve muttered.

"King Cascade?"

"That... actually, that does sound better. Like a natural disaster..."

Buff Gained: [Onrushing Thorns]

Stanley smiled and put his crown back on. "Okay, from now on, you all have to call me Your Majesty..." He frowned. "Your Highness? No, that's worse. My Lord? Wait... Caffeine is already a lord. You know what? He can be the king. King Caffeine."

Caffeine looked up with a wagging tail at his name being mentioned. Then, when nothing else happened, he rolled over for a belly rub.

"A truly benevolent dictator, if ever there was one," Nate said. "But what is his stance on taxation?"

"That's obvious. He gets all the food he likes, and the peasants get the rest."

"Simple, if a bit limited in scope."

"He also requires a lap to sleep in and a dedicated belly scratcher who is available twenty-four hours a day," Stanley said, both hands busy doing just that.

"Wow," Serenity said. "You just demoted yourself from king to dog bed."

"I... did, didn't I?" Stanley shrugged. "I think I'm okay with that... but I wonder if Hugo could make him a little crown."

Serenity clasped her hands together with a huge smile on her face, while Olivia grinned beside her. "That would be so adorable!"

Most of them smiled at the upside-down pug, but Nate turned serious. "While we're here, Stanley, how's the new team doing? More specifically, how's Brett behaving?"

"Who?"

"Brett Marcos? The guy with mind-control powers?"

"Oh, Harem. Yeah, he's still a coward. I'm seriously thinking I might have to torture him into cooperating."

"I was thinking more along the lines of how much he can be trusted... but I guess nothing's changed for the worse?"

"No, still a little bitch. Speaking of... I don't like his girlfriend."

"June? What did she do?"

Stanley shrugged. "Nothing specific, but she feels... conniving. Also, Caffeine doesn't like her."

Nate perked up at the last bit. "That sounds... damning."

Stanley stared at the dozing and upside-down pug in his lap. "He hasn't growled at her or anything. He just never goes near her, even when she offers him food."

It was a bad look for sure, but perhaps not on the level of earning her a death sentence. Especially when she wasn't even an actual threat.

"Okay, I'll take another look at her later. What about the others?"

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"Caffeine likes Blindfold, so he's good. Bubbles is an arrogant prick who thinks he's hot shit..." Eve choked on something, and Stanley ignored her. "And the creepy pervert is still a creepy pervert that keeps begging to suck the life out of me."

"I guess the real question is, will they help you take down the next invader?" That was indeed the million-dollar question.

"Harem's power doesn't work on the undead, so... no help there. Though maybe it'll work better on the actual invaders... His girlfriend, on the other hand, well, she could be a total game changer if we end up dealing with another caster."

"They have names, you know?"

"And I'll remember them when they prove worth remembering," Stanley said without missing a beat. "Blindfold will be mostly useless, and I have no idea how the pervert will hold up against an actual invader. They might kill him faster than he can drain the corruption, or he might kick their asses. Won't know until it happens."

"You remember our names," Serenity murmured, completely missing the point of this discussion. So, of course, everyone only stared silently after that while waiting for his answer. Even Nate.

Stanley considered ignoring her non-question, but... "You earned that right when you came back." He shivered at the memories but soldiered on. "Obviously, you were idiots who had no chance, but... you still came back to fight. That..."

He looked away from them, out across the countryside, and blinked his burning eyes rapidly. It was the true test of a man... of a person. A good person. The ones who fought beside you, even when it was hopeless. No, especially when it was hopeless. "That earned you a lot, all right!? Now shut the fuck up about it already!"

Stanley flew faster, trying to ignore the mix of emotions coming from the people behind him. Until, only moments later, he slowed, and then, after peering through the lens of his Soul Sight, he stopped completely. "I think I found what the wizard was talking about."

Ahead and far below was a stadium. Still plainly visible despite the massively overgrown, and now rather corrupted, flora.

The building, as large as it was, wasn't really what stood out to him though. It was the dense, glowing mass of souls packed within its walls.

Human souls. Thousands of them.

At this range, the souls were little more than a multi-colored blob of light, which meant his estimate was more of a feeling than any actual counting, but something told him he was close. A sense of... multitudes. More than he'd ever seen gathered together since gaining the ability to see souls.

"Are we going in, or are we just gonna fucking sit here?"

"Keep your pants on, Eve," Nate drawled. "Stanley, care to share with the rest of the class?"

Stanley told them what he saw, including a feeling he couldn't quite put into words. "There's something off about them, but... I don't know what."

"Take us in nice and slow. Everyone, be ready for a fight." Nate met his gaze. "Just in case."

It was only as he was dropping his cargo onto their own feet with the stadium looming ahead that Stanley realized what was wrong with the souls he was seeing. "Are you fucking serious?"

"What is it?" Nate said, a glowing light appearing on his hands and feet as he scanned their surroundings.

"They're F-grades. They're almost all fucking F-grade!"

Nate relaxed slightly. "That's... odd, but I guess it makes us safer?" Then he frowned. "Are you sure?"

Stanley kept drifting forward as he eyed both the structure and the souls hidden behind its walls. "The vast majority are definitely F-grade, though I'm seeing some E-grades around the fringes..."

"Maybe the guards?" James asked. "They'd all be dead otherwise."

"Hell, they must be doing something right if they're keeping thousands of F-grades alive out here," New Guy said. "Impressive, to say the least."

Stanley shook his head in disgust. "It's fucking pathetic." He turned off Soul Sight; it was practically worthless with so many souls piled atop one another. Soul Awareness and Premonition should give him plenty of warning if shit went sideways. "Nate, I got you here. Now go do your diplomacy crap or whatnot."

Nate was a freak who loved that shit because his soul lit up at the very mention. "Thanks, Stanley. Everyone, we'll play it by ear, but let me do the talking unless..."

"Why the fuck are you telling us this?" Eve asked with a pointed look toward Stanley. "Tell your little pet psycho to..."

"Eve." Nate stopped walking and turned to her. "I know you have some anger issues with Stanley for past grievances." She flinched and opened her mouth, but he talked over her before she could reply. "But who would you rather have watching out for your brother?"

"Anyone..."

"Lie to yourself all you like, Eve. But don't lie to me."

She glowered at him but shut her mouth.

"We don't all need to be friends," Nate continued. "But we have to work together. It's the only way any of us will make it out of this alive. So how about we hold off on the sniping for a few minutes?"

Eve kept glowering at him. Silently.

"Caw!"

"Yeah," Stanley said. "She is a..."

"That goes for you as well, Stanley."

"Caw!"

"Right?" Stanley whispered loud enough for everyone to hear. "Not even the king yet and already taking away our rights!" He shook his head dramatically. "Today it's our speech. Who knows what he'll outlaw tomorrow!"

Nate rolled his eyes and kept walking toward the stadium. "Glad we're all on the same page."

"Caw."

"No, I think it's still too early for a revolution. The people aren't ready..."

"Caw!"

"Sure. I don't mind if you want to lead the resistance."

"Can you actually talk to the bird?" Serenity asked as her curiosity finally bubbled over.

Stanley put on his best, shocked face. "You can't!?"

She pouted. "Why can't I tell if you're lying or not? Nate, is he messing with us?"

Nate laughed but didn't otherwise reply.

"He's lying," Eve said, her eyes narrowing as she looked between him and the bird on his shoulder.

"Caw."

"You can't kill her for that!"

"Caw!"

"No, we serve a benevolent dictator, remember?"

"He's obviously messing with us," Olivia finally chimed in. "You can feel it in his soul."

Stanley leaned forward to whisper in Caffeine's ear. Loudly. "My lord, the peasants speak heresy and blasphemy. Shall we execute the traitors? Or will banishment suffice?"

Caffeine remained sprawled on his back and only kept snoring as he dozed.

Serenity ruined the game by becoming actually afraid. "Stanley," she said nervously. "I know you're joking about killing us... but it feels less like a joke when your soul goes all... murder-y."

"Caw!"

"You too, Crowy? When have I ever tried to kill you?"

"That’s a terrible name for..."

"Caw."

"Okay, but aside from when we first met?"

"Caw."

"Well, you were asking for it by..."

"Stop talking to the fucking bird already!" Eve lost it. Still didn't shoot him, though. Maybe she thought the others wouldn't agree with her actions?

"What is the deal between you two?" New Guy asked. "Was it like a bad breakup or something?"

Eve choked and sputtered out what sounded vaguely like denials, while Nate and a few of the others chuckled at her discomfort.

Stanley nodded sagely. "I tried to let her down gently, but she just kept begging and throwing herself at..."

"Fuck you!"

"For the last time, Eve, I just don’t feel that way about..."

"You... fuck... ahhh!" Eve apparently ran out of words because she screamed, lifted her rail gun, and shot Stanley in the face before anyone else could react.

Well, anyone other than Stanley. He saw it coming and was ready. Also, Nate might have seen it coming, but he only stopped walking toward the stadium and stood dejectedly without turning around.

Skill Level Up: Psionic Barrier

Debuff Gained: [Minor Bleeding]

For whatever it was worth, she only took one shot. She also felt bad about it after the fact. A little bad. She was still really pissed off... for some strange reason.

Stanley grinned and looked at the hole in his sleeve, including the hole through his forearm beneath the fabric. "You got through the jacket that time!" He turned his arm over to look at the other side—the unblemished side—and Eve's mangled bullet rolled out of his sleeve. "Well, you got through one side, at least."

Nate sighed without turning around, staring toward the growing commotion along the stadium's walls. "Well, I guess they know we're here now."

Eve's guilt didn't last, being rapidly replaced by renewed rage as she stared at Stanley, her chest heaving for air. "You..." She moved as if to throw her gun at him. "Bastard!" Then the rage drained away as quickly as it had come, and she fell to her knees in the dirt. "Why are you doing this to me?"

"I'd actually like to know that, too," Nate said, finally turning around to look at Stanley. "Is this really the time for you to be egging her on?" He looked at Eve. "And you, what's your deal? I really thought you two had hashed out most of your issues way back. Did something change?"

"I..." Eve clutched her rifle to her chest while looking back and forth between them. Her bloodshot eyes settled on Stanley. "You... you did this to me!"

"You can't keep blaming me for..." Stanley glanced at Zeke and then away. "For not doing what you wanted. As for the rest... I thought we were good. You're the one who gave up on learning my soul skills."

"It's not about that!" she screamed.

"Then what the fuck is it about!?" Stanley shouted back at her.

"You're a fucking freak who..." Eve's screaming tirade ended abruptly when Stanley squeezed her throat shut.

"I've let a lot of your insults slide," Stanley said into the sudden silence, his voice a low growl. "But they do get old."

"I didn't want to," she whispered when he let go of her.

"You didn't want to what?"

"I..." Eve cut off whatever she'd been about to say as fear blossomed sky-high in her soul.

Then she burst into tears.

Zeke was at her side an instant after Caffeine arrived, and Stanley turned away rather than pull his pug back from the crazy bitch. She was certifiable, and crying was just plain cheating. How was he supposed to keep yelling at her if she cried? She never cried. Her whole deal was being a hostile, angry bitch. So what the fuck was this bullshit!?

Instead, he watched the stadium's forces gathering in the distance. A pulse of Soul Sight told him they were all E-grades. Unfortunately, it also showed him all the other souls within the walls.

"What's going on?" Nate asked, sidling up beside him. "I know you guys like to take shots at each other, but right now it feels more... hostile than usual."

He was right. Stanley was angry, enraged even, and it wasn’t Eve’s fault.

"I can feel them," Stanley said, his gaze trailing over the stadium walls, which did nothing to hide the mass of humanity within from his senses. "I can feel all of them."

Nate followed his gaze. "The F-grades?"

Stanley's hands clenched into involuntary fists, and he only relaxed them with conscious effort. It didn't help. His soul shield wasn't even enough. Because nothing could hide the sea of fear and despair that crashed against him in never-ending waves from behind those walls.

"They aren't even trying," he growled. "There are thousands of them! Thousands of people who could be fighting... and I don't know if I want to scream at them or just put them out of their—and my—misery."

Nate put a hand gently on his shoulder. "It's not over yet. Maybe they just need someone to show them the way... like, say, a flying man with a crown on his head?"

Stanley looked sideways at the other man and his stupid grin.

"Or," Nate said, and he glanced back. Stanley followed his gaze to where a horse-sized pug was bouncing around a young boy and his sister. Both of them were protesting but laughing as they tried to shield their faces from Caffeine's tongue. Tried and failed. "Maybe our benevolent king will show them the way?"

Stanley shook his head and flew out from under Nate's hand to keep approaching their destination. "Let's just get this massive waste of time over with already. You’re not going to find your army here."

Eve studiously refused to look at him when they caught up, but at least she'd stopped crying and was ready to continue. Caffeine followed beside the girl—the still-frightened girl—and Stanley let the pug do his thing. Whatever bullshit drama she had going on now, Caffeine was definitely the best one to help her get over it.

"Caw!"

"I know, Crowy. I know."

"You really take after your parents, don’t you?" Olivia said.

"How so? You never even met my..."

"You have their same terrible naming sense."

"Caw!"

"Damn haters."

They finally finished their slow approach, and it wasn't all bad in the stadium; the E-grades who blocked the makeshift gate still had plenty of fire in their souls. Too much, even.

"Hi guys," Nate said cheerfully. "How's it going? You know, other than the obvious..."

"Where did you come from?" the boldest of them asked. "And why are you here?"

"I'm here to help," Nate said, spreading his arms and smiling.

They didn't buy it and only stared in stony silence.

Nate sighed and dropped his arms. "Take me to your leader?"

A few glances were exchanged before the first speaker said, "She's not taking visitors at the moment. Come back later."

As much as he didn't want to, Stanley grimaced and fired up Soul Sight again. For two reasons. Of course, the guards all flinched when he did. He might have forgotten about that little side effect...

Still, a quick scan gave him one useful bit of information and answered his first question. "She's not home."

Either that, or their leader was a weakling. Or she could hide her soul, though he knew he was right about her absence when the guard’s souls betrayed them. "Also, one of your... people is under attack in there."

His scan hadn’t been able to pick out the soul that had just started screaming, but he could feel it all the same. Like a nail scratching against his soul. An extra-sharp nail amid the bed of nails that was this entire miserable shitshow.

The guards didn't like what he said. Either bit. "She's busy. You are welcome to wait out here until she has time for you, and I can assure you, there are no monsters inside the walls. We take our job very..."

"You idiots," Stanley growled, floating higher into the air as the guards all tensed up. "The damn place is full of the worst monsters of all."

Though maybe that wasn't fair. Sure, humans were terrible, but the undead were actually worse. So... second-worst monster. Whatever it was, that screaming soul was grating on his nerves even worse than the soup of misery that surrounded it. "Caff, stay."

Caffeine whined at him as he flew toward the peak of the towering stadium, but the pug remained at Eve's side. In fact, he hadn't even run ahead to sniff the guards. Was he that worried about the girl? What the hell was going on with her and... "God damn it, stop screaming already! I’m coming!"

Stanley ignored the protesting voices from below—Nate’s and the guard’s—and he moved.