As the sun was rising, Lester sat next to the driver in the front of the limousine. They were driving toward the manor, and the party people, including Nancy, were sleeping in the back. Lester too felt tired. It had been a rough night. A lot of drugs—for the kids, some fighting, some mad science, and maybe murder—depending on if Brad lived or not.

  Lester's mind went to the incident of him shooting Brad and Nancy finishing the guy by emptying the gun on the back of the poor fellow's head. If you really thought about it, it was indeed a bit like murder. One could say that there was some self-defence involved. But still, he might have done something wrong. There might even be some consequences for this. Though, that depended on how well connected Brad had been. And even if Brad had a rich and famous uncle, Lord Psion could probably still make any murder charges disappear. And in the end, Brad might not even be dead, so it was not necessary to dwell on stuff like that.

  Lester turned toward the driver and said, "Is it like this every time she goes out?"

  "I just drive the limousine. I try to stay out of the business. But that said, she goes through bodyguards like one a month."

  Lester nodded, trying not to think about it. Even if it paid well, this bodyguarding thing might not be for him. Far too stressful.

  As they drove, Lester wondered how Nancy had ended up like she was. Sure, having been born too privileged might have a lot to do about it. But even still, she was too much. It had to be her power. The way it messed with her head when she used it. Whatever the thing with her was, maybe it was a good idea to just stay away from her.

  ***

  After they'd reached the mansion, Lester ended up again in the management building that had closets full of suits for bodyguards to wear.

  Now, Lester was changing back to his regular clothes.

  "So, you emptied the gun?" Jeff Anderson, the guy who had hired him, said as he held Lester's empty loan weapon.

  "Yep," Lester said, not wanting to tell that he'd actually loaned it to Nancy, who had then maybe murdered a guy with it. "But I didn't need to use the overdose syringe." Lester showed the unused device.

  Jeff looked worried. "Anything I need to know?"

  "Do you want the truth or plausible deniability?"

  Lester watched Jeff stop for a moment, seemingly considering the deal. The guy had probably had to deal with a lot of Nancy problems in his time here.

  Finally, Jeff shrugged and said, "As long as it won't come back to bite her or anyone in this household, I'm okay with not knowing."

  Lester considered Jeff's words. There was the human-rat hybrid Brad, who might at some point come and literally bite Nancy. But maybe everyone would be happier if they didn't know about that.

  Smiling, Lester said, "Nothing serious. Nancy just had a rough night out."

  "Okay, I'll mark the job as completed." Jeff clicked on his phone a couple of times, and Lester looked at his own, seeing the job complete and the sum of five thousand appear in his bank account. Jeff added, "So, if I happen to have a need for a bodyguard, can I call on you? Lord Psion has, at the moment, thirty descendants, and from time to time we have trouble finding protection for all of them."

  Quest Complete: Keep Nancy alive and unhurt.

  Even though Nancy did get hurt a couple of times, you didn't get blamed for anything. Therefore, the mission is considered a success.

  Because the job turned out to be extra difficult, you gain 3 points.

  While he considered the offer, Lester's gaze was drawn toward the award. Three points was really good. It was even better than the five thousand dollars. Actually, if he thought about it, this bodyguarding thing wasn't half bad.

  "Sure thing," Lester said, "If it's five thousand a day, I can do it."

  ***

  Lester woke up covered in sweat. He remembered the rat creature. It was like it had been in his bedroom, under his bed, reaching for him in the night, calling for vengeance.

  Lester shook his head, getting rid of the remnants of the bad dream. There was no reason to dwell on the past. Now it was time to consider his future. He'd gained five thousand from a job that lasted only a single night. It was definitely beyond good. But then again, the crazy doctor he'd met last night had made two hundred thousand with a quick scam. That only showed that there was room for improvement. Maybe five thousand was just the start. The villain path sure had potential.

  Lester's gaze was drawn upon the dark spot on the ceiling. It was either water damage or something else. And he should maybe move out of this place. Four months ago, when he'd moved here, he'd certainly had no idea of how long he'd have to wait at this place, so he'd chosen a cheap place. But now, it seemed he could easily make the money. What was the point of being a villain if you didn't burn some of the money you got?

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  Lester heard his phone beep, and he looked at it. It was the Calamity and Woe app, and there was a message there. It read:

  Super Brawl Circuit invitation

  Greetings, Lester, the new villain of the Guild of Calamity and Woe,

  We at the Super Brawl Circuit have a great opportunity for you. It is an opportunity of a lifetime. An opportunity to fight against a hero. An opportunity to gain the glory you were meant to have. Therefore, we at the Super Brawl Circuit welcome you to come here and show those heroes what true villains are made out of.

  On top of that, we can promise you sums of over 100 000$ per fight, when you have advanced to the higher circuits.

  If you're interested, send us a reply with the following text:

  I, Lester, commit to fighting in the Recalm City street-level Super Brawl Circuit. Also, I confirm that the Super Brawl Circuit is not responsible for the injuries I might sustain during the fights I take part in.

  Br. Super Brawl Circuit management

  Lester had his doubts about the message. Even though there was the advertised hundred thousand price there, he knew that it was only for the top people on the higher circuits. In the low-level fights, one didn't actually get any money. And what he'd seen about these low-level fights was that most people just got themselves injured for nothing. It wasn't that glamorous, and since it didn't pay anything, there was no reason for him to actually participate.

  That was when the Villain Interface flashed him a message.

  New Quest: Fight against a hero in the local street-level Super Brawl Circuit.

  Award: 1 to 3 points depending on your performance.

  Lester's attention was drawn to the points. One to three. Not that bad for some small brawl. And if you really thought about it, his damage resistance was C-rank, and he did heal quite fast. Also, the fight, if it went well, might help him improve his reputation, which would then open doors.

  Lester felt his excitement rise. And there was also the possibility that he would do well. Maybe there was a career for him here. Smacking down some arrogant heroes, getting the fame, the money, and the women. Lester the undefeated champion of the Super Brawl Circuit. Maybe not undefeated. There might be setbacks for sure. But if he got points from all those matches he would fight, who would say he couldn't make it all the way to the top.

  I can definitely do this, Lester thought and quickly sent the reply with the required message.

  After a while, Lester started to calm down and think about his situation. Before he would do any fighting, he had a couple of decisions to make. The first one was about the three points he'd gained from the Nancy quest.

  He thought of where he should put them. Will was a strong candidate. It would help him with controlling his powers, which was definitely important. Certainly if he wanted to avoid something embarrassing, like accidentally slipping out from his clothes, which would be bad. Really bad. Another attribute to consider was Energy. His current energy capacity let him completely turn to water maybe only two or three times. And if he ran out of power during the match, he would fall asleep, and that would be that. There was also the attribute Might, which would increase his strength and would definitely better his chances in the coming fight. With more Might, he was more likely to win the fight. And he really needed to win the fight. And so, the question came to Power, Will, or Might. The safe path of more control and energy or the path where he risked the humiliation of losing his clothes and falling asleep but gained more strength to beat his opponent. In the end, it wasn't a choice. On the path to the top, one would have to take some risks.

  "Villain Interface, put three points into Might," Lester said as he stood up from the bed.

  Might increased to 10.

  Lester felt his muscles tighten. Then they started to vibrate. Soon, the room vibrated. The vibration turned into heavy shaking.

  And just like that, it was over. Lester looked around, and he saw a crack in the window glass. Another broken thing that might be taken out from his deposit. He really should stop using his powers inside. But on the other hand, he'd already probably lost the deposit, and he was going to move out anyway.

  Lester sat down on the bed, thinking about the coming match. There was one thing every prize fighter, be they superhero or supervillain, needed. And if he was to fight, he too would need one. A villain name. Something cool but not overly pretentious.

  Lester looked at a list on his phone. It contained the best he'd come up with so far.

  Aquarius

  Liquorer

  Liquidator

  Hydroterror

  Slick Danger

  Slick Waters

  Lester Slick

  Hydropower

  Liquid-Man

  Liquidium

  Lester Liquidium

  Lester Liquid

  The Splasher

  Splash Action

  Aqua-Guy

  Water Master

  Wet Vengeance

  The Undying Splash

  Human Wetness

  He might also keep his first name like many heroes and villains nowadays did. Lester Liquidium or simply Lester Liquid if he didn't want to do anything fancy.

  The problem with the naming, Lester knew, was that one could not simply select any name they wanted. For one, most good names were taken, and also the guilds didn't want to give a name like Galactic Conqueror to a guy whose power was a stretchy nose. To get a good name approved, he would have to show that he was indeed worthy of the name. That was one reason to do well in the coming fight.