~~~Stanley~~~

Cut

Stanley frowned at the beheaded, feathery badger while its lifeblood drained away into the dirt. It was too weak for any meaningful tests. Everything was too weak! How was he supposed to tell if his soul was doing anything extra when they died no matter what he did?

Eve's explanation of how she used her soul had been... eye-opening. In a way. He was already doing something similar—if not identical—by using his soul to empower his... power. The only difference between them was in the how of it. His way felt mostly passive, a byproduct of his class, and she was using it more directly. Also, how little of her soul she used while claiming that using more made no difference.

She'd been especially nervous when discussing her discovery of how powerful each soul attribute point really was. Also, very disbelieving of his questions. As if she thought he knew everything about souls! He was still trying to get his damn Soul Awareness skill to rank up...

Cut

He killed another monster and still couldn't feel a difference. He was missing something... again. Damn it!

Stanley closed his eyes and took a slow breath. When he opened them, his knife hovered in the air before him. Infuse!

Obviously, nothing happened. As expected. Eve could only infuse her soul into her weird blood metal, so it wasn't strange that he couldn't do the same with some random knife. Still... it was worth a shot. Apparently, souls were all different. So, who knew what was possible?

Eve said her soul was like lightning. Or electricity. Which actually fit somewhat with what it felt and looked like to him... The problem was that he had no idea what the nature of his own soul was and no one who could look at it and tell him what they saw. He'd asked around.

There weren't a lot of people actively using their souls to empower magic or craft, but there were some. None of whom had anything similar to Soul Sight. Though they all seemed to have a decent handle on what their own souls felt like... including that one guy who said his soul was a complex mathematical equation. The freak. It had made his head hurt if he looked at it for too long...

Of course, that was still better than the guy in the tower who said his soul both smelled and tasted like a dark liquor. Based on the smothering scent coming off him, there was a much more obvious reason he would think that. How the hell was he still alive if he hunted while that drunk? Where did he even find alcohol strong enough?

Stanley shook his head and refocused. The main takeaway he'd gotten from Eve and everyone else he talked to was that his soul was loud, angry, smothering, and dark. In that order.

Though Eve had gone a bit more colorful with her descriptions... until she went back to being afraid of him. For no reason. Or one she wouldn't say. Because she only got more terrified when he finally asked about it. He'd never actually hurt her... and hardly ever even threatened her.

Still, aside from the emotional drama, Eve had been helpful. Now he knew there was another way to get stronger. Because he wasn't buying her theory. He wasn't stronger than everyone else because of his higher soul attribute. At least, not entirely. That was a part of it, but only a small part. The simple fact of the matter was that his willpower boosts were far and above anyone else's primary stat boosts. Especially when he got angry.

Part of his willpower boosts did come from his soul, but not in the way Eve was thinking. It was far more of a passive buff than the direct infusion she was using. Which meant, if he could figure out how to infuse his soul into his psionics, then... well, he should become exponentially stronger. Maybe even strong enough to protect Caffeine from a god...

Cut

You have attacked a lair structure. All lair residents notified.

Hitting the lair structures was a marginally better test, but still lacking. Nevertheless, he kept at it. He wanted all the power he could get for tonight. No... that wasn't right. He didn't want it. He needed it.

So he kept fighting—if it could even be called that—while the sun crossed the sky. He picked up the cores from his efforts, even if it wasn't his main priority. A few more points of willpower wouldn't hurt, but figuring out his soul should pay out much larger dividends. If he could manage it...

Caffeine slept the day away. No twitches. No little dream noises. Only his slow, regular breaths.

Which was probably why Stanley felt justifiably upset as he watched the last sliver of the sun vanish below the horizon. He touched the sigil on his magic coin. "Eve, is she there? Any sign of the undead?"

She took an agonizingly long time to respond, only to come back with a simple, "No."

"What do you mean? She's not there, or the undead aren't there!?" Her and her damn spy cameras! After their talk last night, he'd been watching for them and found dozens of the damn things scattered around the base, both inside and out. There was a good chance those spiders were the reason she was acting so scared. If he could find them, then what were the odds that Sam couldn't? Or worse, the undead?

Though he had used Soul Sight to find most of them and his domain to discover a couple more. If she really hadn't put any soul in the spider, then... maybe it could go undetected? Of course, the undead were supposedly way ahead in magical ability, at least according to the wizards, so who knew what they could or couldn’t do?

"I mean, there's no one there!" Eve yelled through the coin. "I told you I would tell you when and if they showed up, and I fucking will!"

He hadn't been bugging her that much... maybe she was feeling guilty? Had she seen the undead before and not told him? Or had they found her spider? That might explain her fear. Except... her soul hadn't looked like she was lying.

Stanley tried his best to be patient even as he kept working. He probably should rest before whatever was coming, but he was too wired for that. So he only checked in every hour to see if there were any updates.

Nate answered the magic coin a few of those times, which probably had something to do with why Eve didn't yell at him again... Despite that, he only lasted three hours before flying back. It wasn't because he suspected they were stalling him and wanted to see Eve's soul the next time he asked...

She wasn't lying. She even went as far as to project the supposed camera feed onto a blank wall for Stanley to see for himself. Not that there was much to see.

The angle of the camera and the minor obstructions suggested the spider was hiding inside a potted plant. The fisheye view revealed a large, dark, and nearly empty room, with the only light coming through the floor-to-ceiling windows that covered the far wall and looked out over the interior of the stadium. Flickering fires were visible on the far side, if blurry, and with indistinct figures moving occasionally around them.

"So she's not in her room," Stanley said. "Can you look around? Are you even sure this is her room?" There was a large unmade bed, but he couldn't see whichever wall held the doorway.

"I know it's her room!" Eve snapped. "And my spider isn't invisible! Moving around only increases the risk of detection, something you were oh so adamant about avoiding. Right!?"

Stanley gave up pacing after only a few laps—it wasn't nearly as satisfying without actually walking—and settled for meditation instead of simply staring at the feed. It was the next best thing to sleeping and even reduced his fatigue. Somewhat. He'd still have to sleep eventually, but he could push the need back long enough to see this through.

Or until Caffeine was awake to watch his back.

Not that he didn't trust Nate and the others to watch over him while he slept. Hell, with his domain, no one could sneak up on him even if he was asleep. Anyone or anything moving inside his domain always woke him. Except for Caffeine. The pug never slept straight through the night and would occasionally get up for some stretches and then circle around again until he found just the right spot to lie down. But something about the little dog never set off his senses. He almost felt like a part of Stanley... and with whatever they'd done to their souls, maybe he literally was?

Nate intruded into his domain some unknown amount of time later, and before Nate could touch him, Stanley opened his eyes to see the man's grim expression. "It's time."

A lot more people were in the room with them now, their expressions mostly matching Nate's, but with a few exceptions. All of them were staring at the projection of Eve's camera where the scene had changed. Slightly.

Stanley felt a rush of fear and anger surge through him when he saw the woman he was looking for outlined against the windows. He wouldn't have known it was her in the dark room, but the glowing pink eyes reflecting off the glass were a dead giveaway as she stared out at the stadium beyond.

This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

He almost took off that instant but hesitated. Nate's expression wasn't the only thing that looked grim. His soul was worse. "What is it, Nate? This is a good thing, right? Or is the bad feeling back? Do you... want me to wait again?"

Nate shook his head. "No. You should go after her... because it's going to work. But I don't think this will be as simple as you're hoping. Whatever happens tonight, it's kicking off something... big." His expression darkened. "People will die tonight. People we know. People we love."

Everyone heard him, and Nate's proclamation brought an end to all the other murmured conversations in the crowded room as every eye swiveled to the man. Nate met their gazes silently, then headed for the door. "Let's get ready."

Stanley followed as Nate gave orders through a handful of different coins and found a massive crowd waiting for them outside. It had to be most of the people in the base... and they barely fit in the spaces between the buildings and the wall, with the crowd spilling almost all the way around the fortress.

Nate climbed to the top of the wall, and a hush spread through the crowd as more and more people saw him. Stanley flew beside him, his team and Zeke's detail keeping pace, and really didn't enjoy it when he turned to face the crowd and saw more than a thousand pairs of eyes staring back.

"I'm sure most of you have heard about my... hunches by now," Nate said into the silence. "So believe me when I tell you, this is it. This is the moment we've been preparing for, fighting for." He paused as mutters broke out, then said loudly, "The undead are coming for us. They are coming to enslave us! They are coming here to convert us into their puppets! But believe me when I tell you we're ready, and believe me when I tell you we are going to win this war!"

Someone cheered. A lone voice in the crowd at first, then more joined in. Stanley didn't; he only studied Nate. Because the man was lying. Not about there being a war coming; he believed that, but about winning said war...

Nate went on, shouting now to be heard over the crowd. "It won't be easy, and we may not all survive, but those eternal bastards are going to find out once and for all that this is our world! This is our country! Our city! We are Americans, and we will never bow down to any masters! We are free, and we will fight for that freedom no matter what!"

Louder cheering followed. Until Nate held up his hands for quiet. When he could be heard again, he said, "You all know what to do. Get to your posts and listen to your team leaders."

"Nice speech," Eve said as the man turned back to those gathered atop the wall with him. "Very... patriotic."

Stanley was ready to go—itching to go—but Nate's soul was... worrying. Despite Stanley's burning, aching desire to find and end the undead, he didn't want to sacrifice any of his newfound family to make it happen. Not if there was another way. "What happened last night, Nate? What changed between then and now, and why do you still want me to go if you're this scared?"

Nate's frightened soul flickered with annoyance at Stanley's words, but his inscrutable gaze roved over them with no outward display of the rioting emotions within. "Stanley, can I talk to you in private..."

A lot of the surrounding souls didn't like that, and Nate must have picked up on it because he shook his head. "Never mind. You should all hear this." He took a deep breath. "I am scared, and I don't know what changed from last night. All I know is that everyone would have died, and now... well, now we have a chance."

"I can..." Stanley clenched his jaw but forced out the words. "I can wait..."

"No!" Nate said. "That's the problem, you see? Now my intuition is saying it's worse if you don't go tonight, and I..." The calm facade broke, and he threw up his hands while exclaiming, "I don't know why!" Despite his words, there was a touch of something more in his soul, and his gaze flicked briefly to the sleeping Caffeine in Stanley's lap before returning.

"Does it have something to do with Caff?" Stanley asked. "Is he waking up soon!?"

"I don't know," Nate said. "But it's the only reason I can think of that makes any sense." He put a hand gently on the sleeping pug and scratched his head. "He's fine, Stanley. I know he is." He'd been saying that a lot, and his soul said he believed it... for whatever that was worth. Which... was something.

"But you don't want to wait for him to wake up?"

"No. This is the right play, right now. We have a brief window of opportunity here, and it's closing fast. So go."

Whatever would happen, Stanley set it in motion by dragging his team into the night sky and heading south toward their target. If it hadn't been for feeling his soul, Stanley might have thought Nate was trying to manipulate him into something. Like a trap. But he knew better. Nate was in the dark as much as the rest of them. If anything, Nate was being manipulated by his intuition...

Nate might be going into this blind, but at least he wasn't slacking along the way. He'd spent the last twenty-four hours preparing. Well, technically, he'd been preparing for war ever since this nightmare started, but this last stretch had been more... frenetic.

People were going to die... that's what he'd said. Did he know who? He had some strong people beside him. Or he was counting on Stanley to make up the difference.

Stanley brushed his fingers over the coin in his pocket one more time, even though his domain told him it was still there. One of two coins. He'd brought a backup just in case. Nate would call him if the undead attacked, which he expected them to... only not if Stanley stayed at the base. Stanley had to attack Sam first... which practically screamed that they'd set up a trap for him. One they thought would take him out of the fight.

Stanley looked forward to disappointing them.

To that end, Stanley looked over the strike team he was taking into the belly of the beast. Quinn, June, and Brett. He wasn't taking Blindfold. The guy was decent, but not for what they were going up against tonight, whereas June could hopefully block or even reflect Sam's pink magic. She'd reflected every other type of magic they'd tested, including Bubble's black holes, much to the man's annoyance.

It should never come to that because Brett was, of course, the star of the entire show, and he would be responsible for taking over Sam's mind. The entire point of this endeavor and something that shouldn't require any fighting.

Quinn was straight damage, and he'd gotten... marginally better at intercepting magic with his bubbles. Which was great since they destroyed everything that touched them, including magic. So maybe—just maybe—there might be something special about his legendary class...

Also, Stanley was taking the pervert. A damage sponge and backup damage dealer, if nothing else. The guy was a freak, but he was hard to kill. Not that Stanley had ever tried, even if tempted to occasionally.

Stanley kept his Soul Shield as strong as he could and only wished he'd gotten the damn thing to level up before this. According to Sam, the undead could see his soul like a beacon... so his shield might not even matter. If they were waiting for him, then they would know he was coming. But he didn't dare use Soul Sight because everyone would know he was coming if he did...

He was definitely flying into a trap.

While he flew, he went over a few last-minute details with the team. Nothing they hadn't discussed before, but important enough to reiterate.

"June, I'm going to take us in fast. You need to be ready with your shield the instant I let go." It was a slight wrinkle in that he couldn't carry them if she used the shield. A tiny delay that could prove fatal against someone like Sam. "Don't worry about where we are or what is happening. Just get that shield up the moment..."

"I know!" she snapped. "Stop harping on it!" She didn't like Stanley forcing her boyfriend to do this, or at least that was his best guess for the attitude she'd been nursing for the past two days. She shouldn't complain. His harping on it was all about keeping her boyfriend safe. Exactly like she wanted. Though for different reasons.

"Brett, you..."

"I know, and I won't hesitate." The man himself was less opposed to the plan than Stanley had expected. Especially after Nate had taken him aside for a chat...

"I'll catch anyone coming your way," Pervert said. "And suck the life out of 'em!"

"Bu... Quinn," Stanley corrected himself. "Try not to kill her. Only use your bu... black holes defensively. Unless it is a trap and the undead attack. Then you can go nuts. Oh, unless there's only one of them. Then don't kill it until I have time to find out where the rest of them are hiding."

"Yeah, yeah," the man drawled, far too confident for his own good. He put too much stock in his legendary class...

There was a chance Stanley might be overestimating his own power while underestimating the undead, especially with Caffeine still asleep... but he didn't think so. The undead had hidden for a reason. They feared him. He'd felt the fear when he killed their D-grade and almost killed the E-grade after Zeke.

Sure, that victory had cost him dearly, but Stanley wasn't the same person from back then. If he faced that same D-grade skeleton now, he would crush it. Immortality or not. Higher grade or not. He could do this. He could end this! Plus, it was better this way. Caffeine wouldn't have to help. He wouldn't have to bite any more undead heads off and make himself sick. He wouldn't have to suffer like before.

If this attack panned out the way Stanley hoped, then they would be on their way back to Lee when Caffeine woke up. Maybe even all the way to Lee... He could fly pretty fast these days, and wouldn't that be a wonderful surprise for the pug? Plus, if he hadn't woken... maybe Lee could help... he'd seen what did this to Caffeine... maybe he would know some magic to fix it... unlike those useless wizards!

It turned out that he didn't even need to follow the souls to find the stadium in the dark. The place was lit up and stood out wonderfully from the sky. The only problem from there was picking out where Sam's room was without alerting her with his Soul Sight...

So Stanley activated Still Mind. It left him slightly weaker without his anger, but he needed speed more than power for this. Plus, it might not hurt to have a cooler head for the coming... interrogation?

He had to rely on Soul Awareness to pick out Sam's soul from the surrounding cacophony of souls... and it turned out to be easy. Her pink soul wasn't exactly pink when sensed this way, but it still stood out as the strongest one around.

Cut

You have attacked a lair...

Stanley opened one of the floor-to-ceiling windows by removing it entirely and followed the glass inside. He was fast enough that Sam hadn't even turned when he set his passengers down behind her and surged closer with both his body and mind. He needed her inside his domain to do what he could to keep her from escaping or killing one of them. For whatever it was worth with her ability to tele...

His domain found... nothing. He could still see her and feel her soul. Even Soul Sight confirmed it. But there was nothing there for his mind to touch—only a slight... buzzing? And she still hadn't moved.

He heard the voices of his team crawling slowly into his accelerated mind as he grasped what was happening, and they reached the same conclusion that he did. She wasn't real. She was an illusion. It was a trap, after all.

So he wasn't surprised when a voice rang out behind him. "I knew you'd come."