The next few days aboard the train passed slowly. Though it cost a bit more than they would have liked, the Fiends had gotten a private cabin to accommodate the four of them. It wasn’t anything too fancy with two benches and a table between them, with four beds that folded out when they wanted to sleep. Phon’s injuries had completely healed within a few hours, and when she was feeling more up to it, she pulled up a video on her phone
It showed their now-abandoned apartment being searched by a team of police officers. The Vixen had set up small cameras around it before they left so they could watch a feed on their mobile devices. Based on the timestamp of the recording, it showed that law-enforcement had infiltrated within minutes of their initial escape, which matched Kada’s earlier assumption.
Phon had also left them a cake that she had baked with ‘congratulations, you found this place too late’ written on it in icing. She seemed visibly annoyed when that turned out not to be the case, since the police had confronted them just in the knick of time. The highlight of the video, though, was definitely when one of them took a taste, and another slammed their face into the cake for acting stupid. Though, the baker wanted to berate them for wasting food.
Eventually, the girl managed to use her phone to hack into some of the CCTV footage from around the city as well and watched the events that unfolded while she was incapacitated. After a few rewatches, she had to begrudgingly, very begrudgingly, give praise to Kada and Xard for their efforts. She wanted to praise Drim as well, but knew it’d most likely stir up emotions he’d rather soon forget.
With the remaining long duration, the Fiends spent various ways trying to pass the time; from playing cards to telling ghost stories, anything to make it go by faster. They would often take turns exploring the train, but Drim forced all of them to wear something to hide their hair in order to not cause a commotion when they were stuck with their fellow passengers for quite a while. On the second night of the trip, the other three Fiends were all either watching or playing something on their phones.
However, Drim was mentally exhausted and didn’t really want to think anymore. So he was instead just letting his mind drift while staring out the window. Occasionally, he would focus in on the reflection of the window to see how the others were doing, and take a small comfort in their presence. He felt that he should have gotten used to being surrounded by others already, but having been alone for so long had left him more starved for company than he had previously realized.
One of the times when he glanced at the reflection, though, his own face wasn’t there. Instead, the reflection of someone else stared back. That startled him a bit just on reflex, but it wasn’t the first time it had happened, so he was used to it. When he glanced again, the reflection was back to normal, and he let it slip from his mind.
On the morning of the 20th, the group had finally reached the end of their long journey by train, only to then be met with a several-hour bus ride heading north a ways. Kada and Xard had been getting impatient and began more persistently inquiring as to where they were going, to which Drim only replied ‘home’. This left them more confused than before, until they eventually passed a sign that said ‘Bisomote 20’ which gave them a grasp on the situation.
After that, the two trainees sat in silence for the rest of the trip. Drim assumed it was because they didn’t want to cause a scene in front of the rest of the passengers. Which proved correct the moment they had gotten to their stop. As soon as the bus had driven off, Kada yelled as loud as she possibly could, “What the hell are we doing here?!”
“I said we were going home, and this is our home…” Drim doubled-down on his honesty.
“Yeah, I get that, but your home was burned to the ground, remember?!” Kada disputed. “I’m pretty sure I read that it’s under constant guard now too. Plus, it’s in the middle of butt-mawhg nowhere!”
“Quit yapping and calm down,” Phon snapped at her. “The guards won’t be a problem, and I’ve heard the town has developed quite a bit since we’ve been gone.” The two girls butted heads for a while longer until they got tired of it and the group moved out.
The Fiends walked down the main street of the town, and it was true that it had developed quite a bit in the past twelve years. There were several buildings that Drim didn’t recognize, and everything felt slightly more cramped than he remembered. Though, that could just be a result of him growing up and getting taller, changing his perspective on things. As the group walked on, more and more people began to stare, from onlookers on the streets to eventually everyone in the shops they passed.
Finally, a stranger yelled out, “Oh Cosmos, it’s them. The Drazah’s have returned!” There was a bit of screaming, and everyone nearby dashed away. A few seconds later, a siren blared, followed by an announcement over a loudspeaker. ‘“Everyone, we're now in a state of emergency. This is a Calamity-1. I repeat, this is a Calamity-1. This is not a drill.”
Every remaining person out on the streets either ran into, or was dragged into a shop. Metal shutters then slid down in front of every door and every window on every building. The majority of them were rusty with a few struggling to close, likely having been installed after the war but not really used until that very moment. A couple looked brand new and more secure, probably recently installed after the announcement of there still being two Drazahs alive. Very quickly, the town felt like it had been abandoned, with no one around and almost complete silence.
“Wow, these guys must really be afraid of you,” Kada teased. “I do think it’s a bit funny that they think those shutters would actually do anything to stop us if we really wanted to get in there.”
“Well, our family did wipe out a good chunk of the town’s population in a single day, so I can’t really blame them for being wary,” Drim lamented. “Though, I do hope someday they’ll see us as something besides just our parents. Even though we aren’t really doing the best job showing that to the world right now. But I hold hope that we can be friendly neighbors in the future.”
They continued along the main street, heading north to the gates of the Drazah compound. On their way, they suddenly heard a soft and elderly voice. “Drim… that is you, Drim, isn’t it?” They looked around to find an old woman manning a small sweets shop with an outdoor counter and approached it. “It is you, I knew my old eyes weren’t playing tricks on me.”
“How come you’re not hiding from us like the rest of them?” Xard questioned her.
“Oh, I can’t move as fast as those young folks here. When I heard the announcement, I just didn’t have the energy to move so suddenly,” the old woman explained. “That, and Drim was always such a sweet boy. He would come to my shop all the time and stare at the pastries with such delight in his eyes. The maid would usually give in and buy something for him, but I always wanted to give in myself and give him something for free just to see his happiness… Oh, and your sister is here too… That’s… Nice…”
“I think she’s implying you were a rotten kid,” Kada whispered to Phon who then took a swing at her in retaliation.
“I’m really happy that you’re doing well ma’am, and it’s nice that someone here isn’t completely afraid of us,” Drim’s face lit up, genuinely appreciative of her acceptance. “I was beginning to have doubts about coming here, so thank you.” The old woman happily gave them a bag of treats and waved them on their way. The others fought over who got which one as they walked, but The Slayer was satisfied with the random treat handed to him, enjoying the taste of nostalgia as he ate it.
Eventually, they reached the gates of the compound, but were immediately stopped by the armed guard posted there. “Halt, don’t come any closer! No one is allowed in under any circumstances.”
“See, I told you we’d have to deal with guards,” Kada huffed, both happy and annoyed that she was right. “So what are you planning—”
She was cut off by a strong voice coming from the guard tower that Drim didn’t recognize, and must have been built while they were away travelling the world. “Stand down soldier,” the man with a strong build and graying hair ordered as he walked out of the tower and down the stairs. “These are the rightful owners of this land. You have no authority to stop them.”
“But sir, do you know who these people are?!” the guard blurted out. “There is no way that the Central Peace would be alright with letting them in.”
“The Central Peace has already signed off on it,” the man pulled out a sealed envelope and handed it to the guard. “You are now relieved of duty. Go tell the rest of the guards and head back to headquarters for further orders.”
The guard opened the envelope and read the letter. He then gave the man a salute before running off to pass along the message. “What the… Harth Boldur? What’s he doing here?” Kada queried the rest. “And how did you guys manage to get permission to be here?!”
“Well, I can answer that,” Harth interjected. “The Central Peace was initially against the idea. In fact, I was laughed at the first time I brought it up. However, they were having such a hard time finding you that they were keen to the idea of knowing where you’d be living. As to why I’m here, I wanted to see my niece and nephew.”
“Wha, he’s your uncle?!” Kada gasped. “Wait, that means that one of the most well known higher ups of the CP is actually a sibling of one of the two Drazahs?!”
“Yes, Eleen was actually my little sister,” the man stated firmly without even trying to hide his tainted connections. “It’s a fact that the Central Peace likes to keep quiet for obvious reasons. And it is my greatest regret in life that I was unable to stop her. I can’t deny that my selfishness got in the way. After Phon was born, I stopped trying to get Eleen to stop her conquest in fear that she wouldn’t let me see her children.”
“That’s why I joined the Reconstruction Division of the CP. I will devote the rest of my life to helping others. Though I know that it will never make up for my sins, and I don’t agree with everything that the CP does, but I do believe that is where I can do the most good. That leads me to another point. I know this won’t change anything by me saying it, but I have to anyways. Drim, Phon, it’s not too late. You could come work with me. I know it would be difficult, but we could find some way to get your crimes erased, and you could start new lives helping others too.”
Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon.
“I’m sorry uncle, but we have our own path,” his nephew didn’t waver.
“I know, and I understand,” Harth sighed. “I don’t know what your plan is, and I can’t say that I approve of your methods. But what I do know is that the world will be better off for it, so I’m not going to try and stop you. That said, I’m still not going to leave without a hug from you both.”
“Sure thing, uncle,” Phon went up to accept the embrace. After she finished, it was Drim’s turn. However, that hug seemed to go on a bit too long, to the point where it was starting to get a bit awkward for the others watching.
“Hey Drim, I know you haven’t seen each other in a while, but don’t you think it’s time to-?” Xard asked, but his last words trailed off. The atmosphere had suddenly changed. Even though it was bright daylight out, the world felt dark, and it seemed like the air was getting thinner and stale.
“Oh Zjik!” Phon yelled. “Kada, Xard, run away and cover you ears! I don’t know what she’ll do!” The two of them looked at her like she was insane, but they would soon understand the reason. ‘Drim’ had moved ‘her’ own arm back, and then struck at Harth’s jaw with a powerful uppercut, knocking him back against the gate.
Both Kada and Xard walked towards ‘Drim’ to try to restrain ‘her’, but ‘she’ raised ‘her’ hand towards them and shouted. What came out was not just their leader’s voice, but another interlaced with it as well—a woman’s. ?Don’t come any closer!?
Kada and Xard froze in their tracks. “What the? I can still move my body, but it feels like if I go forward at all, I’ll be killed instantly,” Xard panicked.
“Same for me. How come you’re not doing anything, Phon?” Kada asked the girl who was now just sitting on the ground, cradling her knees.
“Be quiet, and try not to piss her off,” Phon ordered. “That stuff doesn’t work on me, but she knows I’d never do anything to hurt Drim.”
“I still don’t get who ‘she’ is!” Xard cried out.
Coughing sputtered from over by the gate. Harth was still conscious, and had spit up a bit of blood. He wiped his mouth, then spoke up, annoyed but almost amused, “I would recognize that punch anywhere. Hello Eleen.”
Eleen Drazah now had full control over Drim’s body, all his actions, and his ability to speak.
“Hello, big brother,” a twisted grin stretched across ‘Drim’s’ face, accompanied by wide, unyielding eyes. “You’ve gotten old, but you look better than I expected. I definitely would have guessed that you’d become more of a fatty with your cushy job. Now I hear you’re trying to make the world a happy and friendly place for everyone. What a load. You could have used my name to get anything you want, but instead you're a government dog. Disgusting.”
“And you, Phon,” Eleen hissed as she whirled around and pointed at her daughter. “You left your brother alone for twelve years. He was just a child! Do you know how many times he almost died while I could only watch on helplessly?! You should have been there! You’re a disgrace that doesn’t deserve to be called my daughter.”
“Now you two, Drim’s new ‘friends’” Eleen spat like she hated the word even being in her mouth. “Look at the fear in your eyes. You’re supposed to be there for Drim, but right now you’re looking at him like he’s a monster. He’s done so much for the both of you, but you’ve only taken advantage of his kindness. You will do nothing but hold him back. I should kill the lot of you… Starting with my dear brother over there!”
Even though Eleen could control Drim’s body, she wasn’t strong enough to control his Curse. That made it impossible for her to use his plants or weapons, but she didn’t need them. The dead dictator made a claw with Drim’s fingers, and that’s all she’d need. Eleen walked over to the still-collapsed brother and raised her claw in the air, preparing to strike. Quite honestly, he wasn’t sure if she was actually going to kill him or not. It would likely depend on her mood after a few swipes.
That first attack never happened, though. Vines had crept out of Eleen’s shirt and wrapped around her neck, squeezing hard and cutting off all oxygen supply. The possessive mother grabbed at them, trying to rip them loose, but it was no use. She knew that Drim was trying to force her out, and he was even willing to threaten his life to do so. Heh, this stubborn son of mine. I can’t help but be a little pleased. With that last thought, Eleen’s consciousness faded and Drim’s full control returned as he fell to the ground coughing.
“Sorry about mother,” the boy urgently apologized as he tried to get his breathing back to normal. “I think she just got too excited from seeing this place and uncle again, so she just couldn’t contain herself.”
After confirming that everyone was okay, Harth gave Drim and Phon one last hug. Before he left for good, though, he pulled Xard and Kada aside. “Those two, are the last family I have left. I don’t know what I would do if anything happened to them. So, if either of you ever do anything to hurt them… Well just remember, Eleen was my sister after all.” After that warning that left the two of them speechless, Harth headed over to his car he had parked nearby, and drove off.
◆◆◆
The gate to the compound had been rusted shut, making it clear that no one had actually been inside for a long time. A swift kick from Xard busted it open, and they headed inside. The Fiends made the long walk to the center where the Drazah mansion used to stand. “Wow, it really did burn down completely,” Drim stared into the giant circle of ash that somehow hadn’t vanished after all this time—perhaps protected by the same source that had transformed them as children. There were a few burnt beams, but otherwise, there was nothing left of the building.
“So, uhh, since there’s nothing here, how exactly do you plan for us to live here?” Xard asked.
“We’re going to rebuild, obviously,” Phon sneered. “And it won’t be just a house. There will be so much more!”
“Uhuh… that’s a great ambition and all, but can I ask with what money?” the redhead questioned with a slight hint of skepticism. “You guys were so poor that you stayed in a crappy apartment and were frugal in every aspect of your lives. Are you planning for us to rob a bunch of banks or something?”
“Huh? We’re not poor. I’m not sure what gave you that idea.” The Vixen divulged. “We actually have quite a bit of money. After all, were the world's greatest bounty hunter and monster slayer. Both are quite lucrative when you’re at the top. All that time in Constead we were just being budget-minded so we wouldn’t cut into our savings.”
“Wait… Just how much money are we talking?” Kada asked with just a slight hint of drool coming out of her mouth.
Phon pulled out her phone, pressed it a few times, then held out the screen for the rest to see. The next thing Drim knew, both of his hands had been grabbed. Kada and Xard were both down on one knee, each holding one of his hands, and in unison proclaimed, “Marry me!” It seemed like they were half-joking, with Xard likely following the more eccentric girl’s lead, but that amount of money would turn anyone into a silver-digger.
The annoyed sister delivered a swift blow to the back of both their heads with her gavel. She put it away while the two of them rubbed their heads and moved on, “Alright, we’ll come back to the living situation later. For now, let’s talk about your training. Drim and I will take turns training you personally over the coming weeks, but there is one task you both must overcome without our help.”
She pointed over to the closest mountain along the ridge to the west, right outside the walls of the compound. It was much smaller compared to some of the other mountains around, but still substantial in its own right. “You see that mountain directly next to the west wall? Because of its placement, it would always get dark here way too early. So, it’s going to be your job to move it to the open space just off to the north.”
“Hmm, alright well that shouldn’t take too long,” Kada chimed, ready to tackle the challenge.
“Oh, and you can’t use your Curses,” Drim added. “It has to be done entirely by hand.”
“Wait, are you serious?!” the once-eager woman whined, losing all pep for the project. “That will take forever!”
“Yup, dead serious,” Phon assured. “There is a valid reason for it, though. As I mentioned before, the enhancement that comes from being a Fiend stacks with your base strength. So, the stronger you are naturally, the more it will be improved. From what I can tell, you’re both still pretty weak. Now I know you’ll want to complain about that statement, but I’ll go ahead and give a comparison for example. Xard, take off your shirt.”
It looked like the spotlighted man wanted to argue, but he likely figured it was for the best to just go along with it. Xard’s skin was a little pale, but other than that, he had an exceedingly average body. The boy was lean but not too skinny, and had a little muscle. He stood with a grimace on his face as the rest stared at him, ogling his uninspiring body, before he finally got too self conscious and put his shirt back on.
“Yup, Xard is basically the most average person I’ve ever seen,” Phon snickered. “Okay, now for the comparison. Drim, take off your shirt, and you two, try not to gawk too much.”
Her brother did as he was instructed, but he was a little self conscious about it as well. It was the first time anyone in a long time would see him without a shirt. He mostly hid it because otherwise his Curse Mark would be in full view. It should be the first time anyone was seeing that as well.
Drim’s body eclipsed Xard’s in basically every possible way. He wasn’t pale at all, but also wasn’t bulging with muscles as one might expect. Instead, he would be the textbook definition of ‘toned’. His muscles were extremely defined, and he had abs so firm that someone could sharpen a blade on them. Which Drim may have done once or twice in an emergency.
His Curse Mark was on full display, on his chest right where his actual heart would be—a heart wrapped in three black thorned vines. Two of the vines were diagonal, and one was horizontal, all of them crossing in the middle. He had made the clasp on his cloak have the same icon, minus the color, so they had all seen it before, but it still felt embarrassing having them look at the real thing.
Once again, Drim found himself with both of his hands grabbed, with Kada and Xard proposing at the ends of them. After they were done recovering from their now second smack of the day, Kada stared at her own exposed stomach and commented, “I really like how Drim looks, but I’m not sure I would like it if I ended up with a body that defined.”
“I don’t think you have to worry about that,” Phon reassured her. “I may not be great at cardio, but I’m almost as strong as Drim is. However, my body is still slender and smooth. I’d show you, but I don’t want to be stared at by your lewd eyes... I think it has something to do with being a Fiend, and that makes our physical bodies not stray too far from what we’d consider normal.”
The group spent the next hour or so discussing plans they had, and were finally about ready to act on them. But just as they were starting to walk away, Xard stopped moving. “I have something that I have to ask,” he insisted. “You have more money than anyone could ever spend in a lifetime. So I have to ask, why? Why are you doing any of this? Why come out to the world and make everyone hate you? Why not go buy some private island and live out your lives in peace? Why form the Fiends For Hire?!”
Drim turned back to him with a somber yet serious look on his face. “I’m not sure how much digging you’ve done into the real nature of this world, but it’s far more corrupt than many would assume just looking at the surface. Criminals, monsters, bought politicians, inhospitable wastelands… Fiends. This world is infected, with blighted roots digging deep to its core, and humans have proven incapable of saving it themselves.”
But then their leader’s face softened, and he flashed the group a genuine smile. “As for our plan. It’s quite simple really. If they can’t change the world, we will do it for them!”
Discord, , and Amazon Release (Pending), can be found on the Fiends For Hire .
Do you agree with Tusmon's assessment that Fiends are walking weapons of mass destruction?
