Chapter 8: Episode 6

Disclaimer: I don't own Nasuverse or any other franchise that can be found in this fanfiction.

Words Count: 6157

Here's my usual spiel:

You can read up to 10 Episodes in advanced plus my other fic: Ars Goetia– Antichrist here.

p a tr e on . com (/) LiamThePoor

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"C'mon, we need to leave now. GET. UP!" I grabbed the dazed Glascheit's heir, throwing his arm over my shoulder. He didn't seem very cognizant, but his body moved along with me, and that was all I want from him. Dragging our feet along the charred wooden floor, Glascheit and I pushed forward amidst the raging fire and ashes. We encountered a few obstacles along the way, mostly collapsed cement blocks or burning furniture, but it wasn't that difficult for someone who had treaded through the Fuyuki Fire.

The same couldn't be said about Sven– Who was choking and coughing harder than a sick, drunken sailor.

At last, we reached our destination, the elevator that had miraculously survived the explosion, next to it was the staircase that had fallen apart. I'd like to take the elevator, I really did, but that was a deathtrap if I ever saw one. The smoke aside, there's no guarantee we could get to ground floor, the chances of the elevator just dying halfway, leaving us stranded inside, or the cable snapping on the way down were very real threat. I didn't want leave things to chances, especially since our lives were on the line, so I directed the limping Sven to the staircase.

"Why are we taking the stair? We could use the elevator?"

I gave him an annoyed side glance and muttered. "That thing is a deathtrap in situation like this, you idiot. Do you want to die choking on smoke? Or be fried alive inside?" Hearing the audible gulp he released, I shook my head condescendingly and dragged him along. The staircase had definitely seen better days, the once beautifully made, whitish marbles were now burnt black, with none of its former glory present. The railings looked ready to fall apart at a touch.

It didn't look safe, but it was our best bet at this point so we went down carefully. Each step we took felt like we were making a gamble with our lives, given the whole thing shook every-so-often and was surprisingly slippery. What's worse was at some point, the railings had crumbled completely, leaving with naught but ourselves to keep our balance. Some parts were also blocked by caved in infrastructure, we had to navigate around those, which was incredibly hard, givem our injuries.

But…! We almost did it. We could hear the voices of firefighters and rescuers nearby already. If I could speak, I'd scream, but my vocal cord had been damaged by smoke inhalation, and my lungs seemed as though someone had poured gasoline and lit them on fire simultaneously. Honestly, if I wasn't a Gamer, I'd be worried of lung cancer and future damage. But being a Gamer had its advantages, all these injuries would heal as soon as I was given some medical attention. What worried me more was Sven, the guy was unconscious, non-responsive and barely breathing.

He did tell me his Magecraft had minor regenerative effect, but I didn't know how powerful it was, for all I knew, I could be carrying a corpse on my shoulder. "C'mon you idiot. We're almost there, hang on!" I whispered to the unconscious man, hoping desperately that he hadn't bit the dust. Our first meeting might not have left the best impression, but through our interactions, I had come to like the brash, if slightly rude heir. Getting easily attached was a problem I had had even before my Death, but habits were hard to change indeed.

I wouldn't necessarily cry over his death, but that would leave me depressed for sure. "O-Over here! W- *Cough*- We're over here!"

As I shouted, I rested my palm against an exposed steel beam and it shifted, causing the ceiling to fall on us. The small bricks and cements were easy to weather, what wasn't was the steel column that dropped on our head. I hurriedly brought my free arm up to shield us. In hindsight, I probably should have thrown ourselves ahead, but what's done was done. I could actually feel the hairline fractures that formed from the impact as I grunted, biting down on a scream that bubbled up my throat. "F- FuCk!"

With herculean effort, I pushed it off me, the column fell as it clanged harshly against the charred floor. "Look! We have a survivor!" I had never felt more relieved hearing someone else's voice, the approaching silhouettes of firefighters were growing blurry by the second, but I couldn't keep the smile off my face as I felt their presences. Finally, I could rest. I slumped against the wall, my limbs heavier than leads as I chuckled, I did it. I had survives

I. FUCKING. SURVIVED! Even better, the Difficulty had also lowered…

[Chain Quest: An Enforcer's Rite of Passage]

Difficulty: Impossible

Every budding Enforcer must have their first Apostle Hunt to be considered a real member of the branch, that is the unofficial rule. Though your first Hunt seems a tad too difficult, don't you think? Hell On Earth is no joke, you know? You will probably die! What are you still waiting for? Run, bitch, run!

[Reward: Exp, Title, Two Random Skills, Clock Tower's Scholarship]

[Failure: Death or Enslavement]

Sure, it wasn't back to its original Difficulty, but Impossible was manageable. More manageable than Hell On Earth! at least. "I- Haaahaaa- Did it..." With that, I finally allowed the sleepiness to overwhelm me as my adrenaline wore off and my consciousness sunk into the comforting darkness. Voices could be heard, screams and shouts about my age, my looks, or how miraculous it was that I had survived what I did, I just let it all wash over me as I slept, feeling a strange sense of achievement and pride. I really could get used to this… This excitement and triumph. It's better than the hopeless prospect of a nine-to-five job at least.

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"How on Earth did he survive?" And wasn't that the billion dollars question? The kid had over dozens of fractures in both his arms and legs. He had also lost liters of blood, more blood than the amount he should realistically have in fact, yet here he was, recovering far faster than his medical knowledge could explain. The bruises were the first to go, next was the cuts and scratches, the bones just automatically snapped back into places. If someone had told him the kid was some sort of confidential, governmental bio-weapon, he wouldn't have bat an eye, since that's the only way to explain the bizarre occurence he was bearing witness to.

When he heard of the explosion at the Blossom Sakura Hotel and the supposed survivors, he had expected a lot of things, but not this… Jin stared at the two kids, one around his daughter's age, the other a teenager, both seemingly healing at impossible rate. Their bodies pulling themselves together like dolls being put back after a rough playtime. "… What exactly are we supposed to do anyways? The kids seemed fine by themselves." His nurse– Ms. Fujiyoshi whispered in a shaken tone. He didn't blame her, anyone would be that way if they saw this. "I- I don't know? Ju- Just patch them up?"

They glanced at the two kids, then both decided it was best to not question whatever was happening. Their patients lived, that was all that mattered to them as medical practitioners. "Just patch them up and move onto other patients. From what I've heard, they aren't the only people to survive the accident, there are others as well, though none with injuries as severe as them. Still, keep an eye on them, if their situation turns for the worse, I must be notified immediately, understood?" Fujiyoshi hurriedly nodded.

It was a odd day at work for Mr. Takuma. First the hotel that had stood proudly in the city for nearly a decade exploded, then supernatural children… It was a odd day indeed.

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I woke up to the hospital ceiling, the consistent beeping of machine hooked up to my arm and laughed, I laughed until I choked on my own spit. Not even the ugly, anxiety-inducing white walls of the hospital could bring my mood down. I had survived, perhaps not the amazing achievement most would be proud of, but for me, it was different. This was the first time in my lives I had overcome an overwhelming obstacle all by myself, and it felt amazingly refreshing. Then my thoughts turned to those who didn't make it and my mood grew worse.

It wasn't even sadness or depression at this point, just all-consuming rage that threatened to dominate my mind. I ripped the wires on my arms off, jumping to the ground. I needed to make a call to a certain shitty priest. I had the confidence to finish the mission, but if what transpired was anything to go by, I wasn't ready to deal with the Apostle's schemes and plans. This wasn't a Game, I knew that, yet I had come into this whole mess expecting the Boss to wait patiently for us to fight our way to him.

Never in my wildest dream would I have expected him to bomb our HQ in broad daylight, and that was my mistake, a mistake that had nearly cost me my life. No more. I needed to be more proactive and cautious.

The door to my room burst open, in came a panic-stricken nurse. "Mr. Magnum! Are you alright?" Her heavily-accented English did nothing to hide the worry that seeped deep into her tone. My arms which had tensed for confrontation relaxed, I nodded towards her. "I'm fine Ms…" I looked at the name tag on her chest. "… Fujiyoshi. Please speak to me in Japanese, I confess I'm not the best Japanese speaker, but I believe it will help us communicate easier." She blushed at that, seemingly caught off guard from my perfect Japanese and formal tone.

I had no idea how I could speak and write the language, I meant I had never taken a class before, I had just assumed it was something inherent to this body and never questioned it. Maybe I could check on it later? "May I ask what happened to my companion?"

"Ah! You mean Mr. Glascheit? He's in the next room. He's fine, though he seemed to heal slower than you. By our estimation, he should be up and about within the day."

"I see. Thank you, Ms. Fujiyoshi. May I ask how long has passed since the… Accident?" Depending on the time, I must get Glascheit out. While the Apostle hadn't come to finish the job, the longer we stayed here, the more vulnerable we became. But first, I must get in contact with that priest. "Ah, it has been a day since, Mr. Magnum. Also, please get back on the bed, you aren't cleared to leave just yet. While you did recover incredibly fast, we can't ignore the possible injuries you might have sustained from the accident." I raised an eyebrow at that, then looked at my HP.

HP: 93.7%

"I think I will be fine, Ms. Fujiyoshi. Now, I must contact my guardian, if you would please point me to the nearest public phone, that would be much appreciated." The nurse looked hesitant at that. I sighed, Magic Circuits humming with power. The nurse's eyes suddenly glazed over, her hesitant look washed away by a slack, almost high expression. "Would you kindly lead me to the nearest phone, Ms. Fujiyoshi?"

[Skill: Mesmerize(Active) – Rookie Lv: 9/10]

My hypnotization wasn't the best there was, partly because I had no talent in the field whatsoever, and even the Game couldn't fix that, and mostly because I had no one to actually practice on. Despite our relationship, Rin wasn't comfortable enough to let me use Mesmerize on her, and the priest never actually taught me much on the subject. At my current proficiency, I could at most give simple commands to an unsuspecting muggle, anything more complicated was a challenge and a half at best, and nigh impossible at worse.

Thankfully, what I needed her to do wasn't all that complex. Following the mesmerized nurse, I cautiously ordered her to take a less busy route, we entered a room at the furthest corner of the hallway. There was no one inside, but it looked like a staff-only office. I could see chairs and tables, almost like what you would imagine would be inside an office building, coats and clothes were strung all over the place, and there were a few table phones there. "Thank you, Ms. Fujiyoshi. You can go back to your business now."

The moment she left, I quickly dialed Kotomine's number. Took a few seconds, but the shitty doomsday cultist disguised as a priest picked up eventually. "This is the Fuyuki Church, how may I help you?"

"Hey there, Kotomine. Remember me, you shitty priest?"

"Ah, yes. Prince Leo, how are you? I trust the Mission is going well? Why are you calling from this number?" I nearly cursed aloud at that. I was sure the priest was aware of what happened, despite his unreliability, he was surprisingly resourceful. There's no way he didn't know about the explosion and subsequent destruction of the biggest vacation spot in Kyoto. "The Apostle knows we are here. I don't get how, but it knows. Most of our team are dead, the Glascheit's heir and I are the only ones left.

My… Equipment and funds have been destroyed in the explosion, the fucking thing rigged our place with bombs of all things."

"I see. Normally, these type of Mission isn't so difficult, but Regul Black has proven to be far more cunning than your average newly-born Apostles. I suppose you need me to extract you from your location then, your Highness?" He almost sounded gleeful at that, and I was sure if I had been there, I wouldn't have been able to stop myself from trying to murder him and failing miserably. "No. I can take care of it, I just need you to mail me more funds and weapons, preferably a baseball bat so I can bash the Apostle's face in."

Kotomine chuckled. "Very well, Prince Leo. Where do I send them to?"

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"Shit… Our HQ is gone. Fine, just send them to the Hokyoji Temple, I'll be there. Meanwhile I'll procure fund from the other people. You be quick about it, and don't accidentally forget something. If I'm satisfied, I'll record me caving the Apostle's head in for you." Kotomine might have been a crazy asshat, but his indoctrination into the Church's Executioners had come with benefits, one of those was his unrelenting hatred of all things Vampiric. His sadistic nature made watching Apostles die horrible deaths almost orgasmic for him.

"You know me too well, Prince Leo. I assure you, nothing will be accidentally misplaced or lost in the package. I'll even put in a small hand camera fir you, is that fine, your Highness?" I rubbed my glabella tiredly. "Just be quick about it, if I die due to lack of equipment, I'm going to haunt you 'till your death, you hear me?"

This time, Kotomine laughed. "Understood, your Highness. I'll make sure your package arrive within two days." I didn't quite believe him, but the promise of a recording of untold violence I'd inflict on the Apostle should be enough. "Then, I'm hanging up now. I need to check on the Glascheit. Hopefully he hasn't died while we talk…" That last part was whispered, but Kotomine heard anyways. "Already making friends in high places? You surprise me, Prince Leo. I thought you were more anti-social…?"

"Last I remember, don't you stay inside the Church all day, lurking like a dungeon goblin? Pots calling the kettle black?"

"How rude, Prince Leo. I'm quite certain my lack of social relations is not a result of my inability, unlike you. It is mostly a conscious decision." Damn priest. I wasn't that bad at socializing, I swear! I made friend with Tohsaka and Glascheit, didn't I? "In fact, didn't you run away from a group of kids last time we were out for grocery?" I growled. "That's not my fault! Those kids were sociopaths! And shut up! I'm hanging now." I slammed the phone down, wincing at the audible crack from the impact. "I take it back, Kotomine is definitely not best girl…"

I looked around. I felt bad doing this, but it was for the Greater Good. I rubbed the irritation from my eyes, Circuits once again flaring bright as I gasp the structures of the tables. Inside some of them were wallets of the hospital staffs. Some filled with money, others only had a few coins. I picked the locked tables, stealing a few dozen thousands Yen. "I'm sorry… This is for the safety of this City, please forgive me." After the 2020 pandemic, I had a good amount of respect for medical workers, it pained me that I had to resort to stealing money from them, but it's either them or some poorer folks in the City.

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It was the lesser of two Evils. "Now, to get Glascheit."

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Compared to me, Glascheit was in a much worse shape. His body was covered in bandage, and the bruises on his face were still there, though I could see they were healing faster than possible. His heartbeat was stable, and he should wake up anytime now. I shook his hand. "Hey! Wake up! We need to leave!" I kept shaking him until I could hear his groans and grunts. "I'm up, I'm up, give me a sec, Alice…" I bonked him on the head. "Who the Hell is Alice? Just wake up, we need to leave now!"

Sven shot up, his eyes wide in shock as he took in his surrounding. "Welcome to the Land of the Living, sleeping beauty. C'mon, we must go." He stared at me, then shouted, patting himself up and down. "Magnum?! Am I dead? Is this Hell?!" My hand clamped on his head. "Why is that your first reaction upon seeing me? You want to die?!" Sven yelped, sounding much alike the mutt that he was. "Let go of me, you filthy peasant! What happened? Where are we? What about everyone else?"

I grimaced. "They're all dead, there are only us left now."

"Bloody Hell… I will contact my House. They should be able to get us out and to safety–" I quickly interrupted. "No. We're taking that pile of shit down. I already promised someone to cave in its head, and I don't break promises." Glascheit gave me a disbelieving stare. "Are you perhaps short of a marble?! That thing murdered our entire team! How would we kill it? For all we know, he could be coming for us right now! We have to leave, this situation is way out of our league! Two inexperienced against an Apostle, newly-turned or not, is an impossible odds no matter how you see it!"

… "Are you a bitch, Sven?"

"What? It has nothing to do with how manly I am. Defeating an Apostle with two people is suicidal unless you're an Barthomeloi! That's a fact!" I stared at the angry Glascheit. "This Apostle isn't even that strong, it took us by surprise. That's all. You don't think you can deal with someone whose specialty is Flesh Crafting and Bio-Magecraft?" If I remembered correctly, the Black's Bio-Curses were only transmittable through skin-to-skin contact, the Black Plague only spread so fast because it mutated after infecting the then heir of House Malfoy, whose House trait was Corruption.

Sure, Apostles were physically stronger than Mages using Reinforcement in most cases, but he was a Glascheit, who could simultaneously use both Reinforcement and his Beast Magecraft. He's basically protected against Regul Black's strongest cards with his Magecraft, which allowed him to encase his entire body in Magical Energy. As for me, I was skilled enough in Close-Quarter-Combat to avoid, if not outright parry most of its attacks.

We were the perfect pair to defeat Regul, once his Flesh puppets were gone, he was as good as dead. "Someone has to take revenge for our team. If you don't want to do it, I will." Glascheit gritted his teeth. "Y- You–! Fine… I will help." My eyes shone. I knew I could believe in you, Glascheit. You might still have a chance to advance to Gym Bro status yet! "I can't in good conscience let a peasant kid like you do this alone." Sven slumped back. "What are our plan of actions then?"

I opened the map I had appropriated in the hospital office and pointed at Hokyoji Temple. "We'll stay here for the moment, I have already contacted my guardian, he will send us fund and more equipment within two days. After that we follow our earlier plan, get more information on the attacks that occurred these last few months, crisscrossing the location and close in on Regul's place. If he hasn't acted, then I'm certain he isn't aware of our survival just yet so we must do it quickly. The sooner we manage to attack his hideout, the higher our chance of success."

"After that what do we do? We can't possibly just charge inside and hope for the best?" I nodded seriously. "Of course not, that's where you come in. Use your enhanced senses to locate where the majority of the Flesh puppets are, we will deal with them first an–" Sven interrupted. "And how we do that?"

I smirked. "As a great ma once said, 'Kill it with fire'. We'll acquire some gasoline and alcohol, create makeshift Molotov cocktail and burn the place to the ground. After that we can corner the Apostle. Regul Black isn't a physical fighter, he's less likely to win in a head-on confrontation against us, we will take advantage of that. Your Beast Magecraft and my Reinforcement can make most of his attacks obsolete. We just have to keep our distance, slowly wear him down until he drops. Easy, right?"

All Magecraft had weaknesses, Regul's just happened to be Holy Power, and his Flesh creations could be easily subdued by fire. After all, there's a reason he's rather low on the Tower's threat level, in spite of his cunningness. He's the type of Apostle that could be taken down by even normal humans, as long as they were sufficiently trained and supplied with equipment and weapons. In fact, I was fairly certain a squadron of highly trained soldiers, geared with flamethrowers, powerful guns and hazmat suits could take him on. Though they would probably all die by the end of the fight.

Sven cupped his chin, looking down at the white blanket thoughtfully, then replied. "That's a decent plan, I suppose. So be it. Now, let's get out of here." He looked down at his hospital gown. "Do you by any chance have something I could wear?" I brought up the clothes I had taken after some thoughts from the hospital office. They were slightly oversized for Glascheit, but I myself wasn't exactly wearing what I would call form fitting, so he would have to make due. Sven didn't seem to agree with the sentiment as he looked at the fit in utter loathing and disgust.

I rolled my eyes. "Butter up, princess. Put those on quickly so we can get out of here before the Apostle comes."

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"You want me to live here? Have you lost your mind?!" Sven grumbled, eyes glued to the broken down Gate of the Hokyoji Temple. I couldn't find it in myself to disagree with him. I wasn't sure if they just didn't want to waste money on restoration, or wanted to keep the old, dusty, cracked looks of the Temple for whatever reason, but the place seemed like it had seen better days. "I mean… At least it has lots of plants and fresh air? That has got to count for something, right? Right?"

Sven didn't answer, but the audible groan of frustration he let out was telling enough. Hey! It's not like I was aware it was this rundown! I just picked it because it was close to the Apostle's hunting ground, but not close enough to bring its attention! "You're a bloody fool, Leo. Urggghhh… Let's– Let's just go in. I'll hypnotize the residents, you take care of setting up Bounded Fields." I scratched my head embarrassedly. "Uhmm… About that–" Coughing into my hands, I stared bashfully at my feet and whispered. "– I don't know how to set up Bounded Field…"

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"… What?" Sven cracked his neck ominously, face devoid of all emotions but a slight smile that did not scare me. No, not at all. "You are joking, right? You must be. There's no way your guardian would send you if you couldn't even do something so basic."

"We– Uhmm… We mostly focused on the combative aspect of Magecraft. Bounded Fields just never came up, you know? Well, actually, I could break Bounded Fields pretty easily, even more complex ones, but I can't make one for shite." Sven's jaw dropped, barely holding his head up with his fingers. "By all the Gods that have ever existed on this Earth… I'm teaming up with an actual idiot. Why, why did I think this would be a good idea? We're going to die horribly and miserably…"

"Relax, Jesus. I'll handle the hypnotization, you go make Bounded Fields." As Sven went to do exactly that, mouth still muttering as though a man possessed, I looked for the residing monks, trying my best to portray the child-like innocence and slightly scared look I expected most kids to have in my situation. It didn't take long for one of the said monks to approach me. He looked young, a year or two older than Sven himself maybe? "Hello, young man. What are you doing here? Have you come to look for peace of mind?"

I gazed tearfully into his eyes. My own flashed with unseen power as my Mana washed over him. Normal Mages wouldn't have to act that much, they could just look at normal people and hypnotize them, but as I had previously mentioned, my proficiency with this Mesmerize wasn't the best. By putting up an innocence portrayal, I could gain access to their minds more easily. "Would you kindly bring me to the abbot? I need to talk to him."

"Yessshh." He slurred like a drunken man. Yeah, I definitely needed to get my Mesmerize up a few levels. He quickly brought me to the Temple's abbot and I wasted no time mesmerizing him too. "Would you kindly let my cousin and I stay here for a few nights? We're on a trip, but our hotel was burnt down along with our belongings."

"Y- Yes. I will tell the disciples to prepare a room for you two, is that fine, young man?" Hmmm… The abbot's mind seemed stronger than the disciple, made sense. You didn't spend an entire life abstain from meat, women and physical pleasure without having a strong mind. I could actually feel him trying to resist my commands, but I had clamped down my control over his mind. "Two rooms, please. One for each of us."

"V- Very well… Disciple Suzuki, please prepare two rooms for the young man." Waiting for the commands to truly take root in his subconscious was quite annoying, but necessary, or my commands would be quickly broken. After a few minutes, I felt something click. "Well, that's done. Now, to look for Sven." Suddenly, a Bounded Field flashed to life, it wasn't a good one, barely mediocre really, nothing compared to the Church's and the Tohsaka Manor's, I was sure I could break it the traditional way in half an hour at most, brute force it with Reinforcement within minutes maybe?

Still, it would be a good alarm against intruders, and was actually decently-made if you took into account our lack of resources. Beside, we weren't even going to stay long anyways, just a few days until my package arrived. "Well done, Sven."

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Within a dark alley, Primrose– The branch child of House Archelot looked around in a daze. She could have sworn just seconds ago she was amongst the safety of her temporary HQ and team. Most of them had been welcoming, friendly even, which was a quality that she had come to find a rarity for the majority of Mages after her last few Missions. Now though, she wasn't quite sure where she was. The alley led straight down to the underside of dark, damp bridge that seemed abandoned. She could see the large, unfinished sewer line that was seconds away from collapsing, yet something, someone called to her from the darkness.

The invitation was like the soft, caring tone her mother would often use when reading her bedtime stories– That was years ago, long before all the revelations and disappointments she had caused her parents thanks to her own lack of talent. Confused, Primrose followed the sweet whispers like a lamb to the slaughter. Inside she found dozens of rotting corpses, all had been drained of blood, some even stripped of flesh. Primrose had never been a particularly brave girl, she would be revolted by sights that wouldn't faze even the lowest of Mages and sometimes scared of her own shadow.

But this time, things were different. She had the distinct feeling that she had seen this many times before. The fear was still there of course, but unlike in the past, it wasn't overwhelming her senses anymore. She continued on the narrow path, and as the disgusting smell of garbage, filth and wastes grew stronger, her nose twitched cutely. "There used to be people living here…" She spoke out loud, staring at the bloodstained sleeping bags strewn around the wet, sticky path. They were all torn, ripped open by what seemed to be claws.

The voices were getting louder now. Stronger than ever. Commanding, yet comforting at the same time.

She continued forth, this time coming to a closed, rusted iron door. Primrose hurriedly opened it. What greeted her was a strange sight, nothing she would expect from a place like this. Sure, the floor, the walls, they were all moldy, and the water seemed to have seeped deep into the concretes leaving wet stains all over, but other than that, it was surprisingly clean and sanitary. Lining the path were large water-filled glass… Tubes? Some had vaguely humanoid creatures in it, horrifyingly disfigured and mutated beyond recognition with pus leaking from their exposed, pulsating organs.

Others had malformed creatures that looked almost like a perversion of their actual counterparts. "Welcome home, Z-039. You have done well." Primrose turned to look at the man who had just spoken. He wore a black suit with grey shirt. Wavy, almost messy hair swept back with a well-trimmed moustache. He wasn't human– She knew that immediately. If the jutting fangs from his mouth and the impossible red of his eyes weren't telling enough, then the predatory way he moved sure told her of her nature.

Z-039, that's what he had called her… Suddenly, as if a trigger had been pulled, memories she didn't know she had came rushing in. Ah, that's right. She wasn't Primrose, not really, that girl had died months ago, she was merely the replacement, one of those disgusting creatures created and placed inside the girl's body to imitate and trick the Enforcers. That was her Mission, her real Mission.

Yet, as she remembered the moments she had spent with the same people she had recently murdered with almost a hundred explosive runes, she couldn't help but feel remorseful. However short it was, the time she had with them felt nice, far nicer than this dreadful place her creator had chosen. "You are compromised... Hmmm, that doesn't matter. You have accomplished your orders, you're free to die now." Her creator's face was expressionless, bored, as though she hadn't mattered, and she found herself resenting him, which was weird, since that wasn't in her program.

As her body melted and her flesh fell off, her true form, a tentacled, multi-eyed rat bursting from the lungs of her humanoid vessel, Z-039– No, Primrose found she wanted to live. The resentment that was barely there at first exploded in angry waves that took over her mind. She lashed out at her creator, but a clawed slap from him sent her tumbling to the ground. "Know your place, you filthy rat. You exist because of me, and you will die at my convenience."

She stared at Regul, and laughed. She couldn't hold on any longer, it was his Magecraft that kept her form, without it, she would soon die, reduced to a puddle of watery substances. She had had the last laugh. Her Mission had been to infiltrate the Clock Tower, gather information and kill all pursuers via explosive, then finish off the surviving members, but she hadn't done the last orders. Some of the Enforcers were bound to be alive, and they would come for him.

Not now perhaps, but they would come sooner or later and he would die. Nobody would mourn his death, just as nobody would hers.

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Sven and I had decided to rob– Ahem, I meant borrowed some alcohol from the convenience store for our molotov cocktails. It wasn't that hard, since most of the employees were dead tired and half asleep. A few Compulsions here, a couple of hypnotization there and we were golden. We did encounter some troubles when the meddling adults found two children carrying far too much alcohol to be legal, especially since we were caught on a busy street, but nothing a few lies couldn't get us out.

And when I said lies, I meant I lied, while Sven just kept up the stuck up, resting-bitch face that was seemingly always present on him. We even went to a Gas Station just to be sure we had enough to fry the hiding Apostle's hide. It was fun, I had forgotten how good it felt to go out with male friends, to trade good-natured banters and insults. It was something I hadn't done since middle-school. After that, I was mostly the quiet kid. You know, the type people would expect to pull out guns, screaming 'I'm tired of this shit!'?

Yeah, that was me. I wasn't even sure what went wrong, I just never connected to anyone after I transferred to another school.

Back to our cocktails. We might have had a bit too much fun and created a few makeshift weapons. Sven even alchemized himself a silver stake with hardened wooden tip, vampire hunter's style, while I settled for a small, jagged teeth tomahawk axe. It was amazing how much you could accomplish with Magecraft even if you didn't have the know-how. What was even more amazing was the content of our molotov cocktails, each filled to the brim with filtered, concentrate alcohol, courtesy of Sven's Alchemy and a scrap bit of random knowledge I retained from my past life.

The day ended with us having enough flammable to put entire street on fire… We both decided we needed more for emergency. Though whether that was true, or just our inner pyromaniac speaking was beyond me. "This is fun. Regul Black wouldn't know what hit him." I grinned toothily. "While my Magus side would rather we not rely on the mundane means, I must say it's a requirement in our situation…" He spun the my tomahawk. "You sure we have to wait for your stuff, I feel like we can take on Regul with just this."

He gestured at the caches of molotov cocktails. "Relax, Glascheit. We need to find him first, the next two days will be spent scouting the City. And honestly? I'd feel much safer with my Black Keys." Wasn't that sad? I just got mine about a week ago? And they were lost in the explosion, thankfully I only brought two pairs of suits bought by Rin. If they had all been destroyed, I'd probably cry bloody tears. What? Those things were fucking expensive, alright?! "Welp, I'mma go to sleep."

"Yeah, we need rest, I don't want the Apostle catching is with our proverbial pants down." Sven replied, yawning slightly. After he went back to his room, take a few cocktails for presumably safety reasons, I dropped on my futon. It didn't take long for sleepiness to creep in, and I welcomed it with open arms. It had been an exhausting day, successful? Yes, but very, very energy and time consuming. I put my newly made axe under the pillow, and slumped back.

I was out in a flash.

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