Lee knocked on the squid sisters' house door. Callie answered.
"Sorry, think you have the wrong address." Callie joked.
"Callie, come on." Lee said.
Callie smiled and opened the door. Lee walked in as Callie shut and locked the door.
"Follow us, Lee." Marie said as she appeared to the right of Lee.
Callie and Marie guided Lee around the house, first going to the kitchen. It was a surprisingly large kitchen with plenty of fine china. Callie stated that this is her favorite room of the house. Marie said that any place with food is her favorite. They showed Lee the living room, the upstairs, and so on. After the tour, they showed him the guest room. It was rather small, compared to Lee's size. It had two beds, one lamp, ceiling fan, a window, flat screen TV, a table, several dressers, and a closet. The walls were painted black. The closet doors and ceiling fan, however, silver. Everything else dark red, purple, and a midnight blue..
"This is the guest room. You'll stay here for now, until you save enough money for a better house." Marie said.
"But, rent's 600 a month." Callie said, smirking.
"Wait, wait, wait! How the hell am I going to pay that? What job is there me?" Lee asked.
"Well, most others require degrees and experience. Some require going through 12 years of school." Callie said.
"Ugh! There has to be others!" Lee said.
"There is one job that is suitable for you currently. It isn't a high paying job, but it's from being the lowest paying job." Marie said.
"Which is?" Lee asked, impatiently.
"Turf Wars." Marie said as an evil grin crept to her face.
"Turf...Wars?" Lee asked.
"Don't get her hyped up." Callie said, annoyed.
"Turf Wars is a game in which two teams of inklings battle with paintguns to cover the most territory. At the end of each game, you are paid a percent of the total winnings that depends on your efforts and usefulness to the team. If you lose, you can forget getting a decent wage. Sharks and Minnows out there. Choose who you are." Marie said, never showing any signs of her evil grin fading.
Lee was concerned about Marie's attitude towards Turf War.
"Whenever Marie's asked about Turf Wars, she always gets too excited about it." Callie said.
"Not sure if 'excited' is the best term. 'Crazy' suits better." Lee said.
"I have no shame to agree with that, as Turf Wars is just my favorite." Marie said, still grinning that damned grin.
Lee felt uncomfortable, as he thought Turf Wars was something more than a game.
"In Turf Wars, you not only cover the most territory, you also shoot down enemy inklings and kill them. They respawn afterwards, so no worries." Marie said.
"What the...You know how that sounds?! You are repeatedly killing in Turf Wars!" Lee said.
"Don't be a baby. It doesn't hurt...much." Marie said.
"That helps soooo much." Lee said sarcastically.
"You want money or not?" Callie asked.
"I do, but I don't have a paintgun. Also, paint from enemy teams don't kill me when it touches me." Lee said.
"We will figure that out later. For now, just relax here and watch TV." Callie said.
"Wait, before you leave, do you have a phone charger?" Lee asked as he showed his phone.
"Yes." Marie said.
Lee smiled, happy to hear this.
"For SquidPhones only." Marie said.
"Damn." Lee said as he frowned and Callie and Marie walked out the room.
Lee's phone was on 34%, so he turned his brightness to it's lowest and powered it off. He grabbed a remote on the dresser and turned the TV on. He wondered what happened all those years ago, not when the humans died, but when he was created. After two hours pasted, Callie and Marie knocked on the door. Lee opened it.
"If you are done relaxing, we need to visit Ammo Knights to have Sheldon equip you with weapons." Callie said.
"Alright. Let's go. But who's Sheldon?" Lee said as they all went out of the room, downstairs and about to exit the house.
"He is a weapons expert that makes paint guns to use in Turf Wars." Marie answered.
"He might be able to do something about you lacking the ability to turn into squid." Callie said.
Lee and the sisters exited the house and walked down to Ammo Knights. They opened the doors and Sheldon greeted them happily.
"Hello Callie and Marie. What's your pet's name?" Sheldon said.
Lee walked right up to Sheldon's face with an angry look.
"Cute, but I am just joking. Humans ARE sensitive." Sheldon laughed.
"So Sheldon, do you have anything good he can use?" Callie asked.
"Yes! In fact, I have this," Sheldon said, gesturing to the object to his left, "I call it ' The Shifter'. It allows the human to not only swim in paint, but glide along his team's paint color as well, making him to become even faster than an Inkling swimming in paint, using boosters! He can become one of the most effective players out there! And for fairness, it allows enemies to kill you the same as regular inklings!"
The Shifter was a black suit, with slight red marks across all around it. It wasn't bulky, but something well-built and seemed to be Lee's exact size. The right arm without a sleeve, opposed to the left arm. The legs came with shoes that, according to Sheldon, glides on paint and allows Lee to swim in it. It appears that only the upper half of both arms and legs are covered with the suit, as well as the main body. The
"It's highly experimental, so be careful." Sheldon said.
"All right." Lee said as he put on the suit.
"Wait, but won't he need goggles?" Callie asked.
"No. My eyes are artificial. They also repel substances from it." Lee said.
"But what about a weapon?" Marie asked.
"...I spent all the damn money my shop has stored up for this..I have no money to buy parts for weapons I want to make! This store is literally broke because I worked on this prototype that'll probably fail. I am giving it to the human for free and you ask me for a weapon..." Sheldon said angerily.
"We didn't know." Callie said.
"Look around, damn you! There are no weapons! The only cash left is my own money! And the only weapons are these brass knuckles!" Sheldon said, holding up the brass knuckles.
"But I can't cover territory with these." Lee said.
"No, but you can beat down enemy inklings with it." Sheldon said.
"We'll take those for 500." Callie said.
"500? How about 50,000?!" Sheldon asked.
"You want nothing?" Marie asked.
"I'll do 500." Sheldon said as he gave Lee the brass knuckles.
Callie gave Sheldon the cash. Lee and the sisters walked out of the store.
"If I had spare money i didn"t need, I would have asked Marie for a lap dance. Damn!" Sheldon said.
"Don't worry about Sheldon. We almost bankrupt him about once a month or so. He always gets his money back and more.
Lee put the brass knuckles on as Callie said, "Don't worry about paying me back. You'll be doing that as your monthly rent."
"Thanks." Lee said.
"All right. Now, time for your first Turf War. Let's go." Marie said.
Lee and the sisters walked down to Inkopolis. As they approached the lobby, a cat spoke to them.
"Callie. Marie. Who is this?" The cat said.
"It's a human, Judd. Remember?" Callie said
"Impossible! They died thousands of years ago." Judd said
"Not this one. He doesn't know how he got here, but he is human." Marie said.
"Mainly human. But part cyborg." Lee said.
"Ugh, maybe that is why you survived for so long. Anyways, Callie and Marie, are you two entering?" Judd said.
"No. Just Lee." Marie said.
"Really? You're sending him to fight? A little unfair, don't you think?" Judd asked, laughing.
"That is why he is wearing this. It'll allow him to swim and glide through ink, die, and respawn." Callie said.
"What, no weapon?" Judd asked.
"These." Lee said, holding up the brass knuckles.
"What the hell? You're going to enter a match and beat down 14 year olds?" Judd asked.
"That's the idea. It can't shoot paint though, so I guess it is balanced." Lee said, shrugging.
"Well you aren't experienced." Judd said.
"So why not start now and become experienced?" Marie asked.
"You know what, all right. Let him play." Judd said.
"Good. Go in Lee." Callie said.
"And try to make those inklings suffer." Marie said, grinning her evil grin.
"You're really disturbing, you know that?" Callie asked.
The lobby doors closed. Lee was instantly sent to the arena, waiting for others to join. Quoickly, his team filled up with level two 30's and a 45. The other, two 25s, one 40 and one 12.
"Ugh, the human? A noob human?" One of them said.
"We do not need this." Another said.
"I can hear you." Lee said.
"We don't care. Just stay back here and keep the base covered." The last one said.
"I don't have a paintgun. Just my fists and kicks." Lee said.
"Oh my fucking god, are you kidding me?!" The second said.
The match started to count down.
"Just stay out the way." The last said.
"How about you do what the hell you want, and I do what I want." Lee said.
The match started. The three inklings shot paint everywhere, making sure to paint corners and all around. Lee jumped from the platform and glided on the paint, soon reaching an enemy. The enemy had a paint roller. The inkling tried to roll over Lee, but Lee jumped over the inkling and got behind him. In two swift punches to the face, he knocked out the inkling boy. The inkling boy exploded and respawned. Lee followed his team so he could glide on the paint. As obvious as it seems, he favored gliding over swimming. Once the enemy inkling boy respawned, he sat down.
"Ow! That hurt!" The inkling boy said.
The boy decided to wait a little bit before he continued. Lee smiled as he and his team was dominating the game. Lee usually had to stay with at least one of his team members to stay alive, but when he and a team member met an enemy, that enemy suffered. The enemy team tried to flank, but was met by Lee. They tried to swim up walls and attack from above, but couldn't the spot long enough for any results in their favor. They tried to swim together and attac in a pack, but it did nothing but let Lee test out combo attacks with his kicking. Soon enough, the enemy team was running away. Even though futile, they never stopped trying. Each time they respawned, their misfortune was met with either Lee's team colors or Lee's crushing punch.
"It is so hopeless!" One of the inklings on the enemy team said.
Soon, the match ended. Judd came out to judge who has won. Lee's team won 92.3%-7.7% As Lee's team returned to the lobby, his team congradulated him. Lee walked out the lobby and was greeted by the squid sisters.
"That was so quick! You won, right?" Callie said.
Lee showed them his fists, which was covered by the enemy team's blood.
"Well, barely I guess." Lee said, as he shook the blood from his knuckles.
"Stop kidding, you know you destroyed the competition." Marie said.
Lee laughed as he took off his brass knuckles and put them in his pockets. Judd appeared from the lobby.
"Hope you are happy abusing and scaring the inklings." Judd said.
"I am." Lee said.
"Though, it was funny how they ran away at the end." Judd said.
"Beat them that bad?" Callie asked Lee.
"Being honest, I thought I was being easy. Maybe they didn't a chance because they weren't really high in level." Lee said.
"Heh. Maybe. So, how many kills and deaths?" Marie said.
"25 Kills, 0 deaths. I have to credit my team. I wouldn't be able to have glided around and killed the enemy so efficiently." Lee said.
"True. Well, have fun here and get some money. We will be at home preparing for the party happening here tonight." Callie said, as she and Marie walked off.
"Which reminds me, here is your pay for the match. 20 dollars." Judd said.
"20 dollars? Really?" Lee asked, disappointed.
"Oh thanks for complaining. I could really use some more money. Thanks for the tip." Judd said as he took the money from Lee.
"N-No, I am alright with 20. Thanks." Lee said.
"Good. If you want to be greedy, maybe you should kill more." Judd said.
"Wait Judd. So, you're a cat, right?" Lee said.
"No. I am a hippo. Seriously, what do you think Lee? Why ask that?" Judd said.
"No. I mean, how did you survive so long? Like, how did you live for over 12,000 years?" Lee said.
"It...isn't something I would like to talk about." Judd said.
"What about human life? Don't you remember that?" Lee asked.
"I remember all to well. Please, enter the lobby if you want to fight again. I don't want to discuss this." Judd said.
"I understand." Lee said, frowning.
He entered the lobby again and fought dozens and dozens of times. He increased in levels quickly and was able to buy better weapons, but he decided to keep his brass knuckles. After he was tired of Turf Wars for the day, he went back to his temporary home. He knocked on the door. Callie opened it. Lee walked in and made his way upstairs. Callie stopped him.
"Don't stay in your room forever, now. Me and Marie are going to the party in a couple of hours and I know those inklings will want to see you there." Callie said.
"Ugh. I'm not sure I feel like going to a party." Lee said.
"Come on. It'll be fun." Callie said.
"Do I have to dress up?" Lee asked.
"No, but we will. Though, you might want to wear your clothes. I don't think battle armor is a decent attire." Marie said as she walked towards them.
"Oh please. I don't think anyone cares if I wear this." Lee said.
"Ok. Have it your way, I guess. So, this means you'll come?" Callie said.
"I'll think about it." Lee said.
"Why? It will be exciting and fun. There is nothing bad about it." Marie said.
"Everything isn't bleak, Lee. Is there something wrong?" Callie said.
"Yes, there is." Lee said.
"Loss a match?" Callie asked.
"No. But I did lose my family. There aren't any normal humans anymore. Only one part cyborg human and a cat." Lee said, sincerely.
"Oh. We know you'd feel like this eventually, but we just want you to know that you shouldn't dwell on the past. Maybe you can just relax tonight." Marie said.
"I'm hurting. Partying is a pleasure I don't feel like granting myself." Lee said.
"Everything was fine today. What happened?" Callie said.
"Reality happened. When I saw Judd, It made me think about how my kind is gone forever." Lee said, as he walked upstairs into his room.
Callie and Marie exchanged looks before returning to the living room. Lee closed his door and sat on his bed. He wept slightly, allowing but a tear escape from his grim face. He wiped his face. He tried to sleep, but couldn't. He watched TV as he laid back, trying to remember his past. Hours past faster than Lee imagined. Callie and Marie should be leaving for the party now. Soon, he heard one of them call his name. He walked to the edge of the top of the upstairs. He looked down and saw their beautiful dresses.
"Lee, we are heading for the party. Lock the doors when we're gone. If you reconsider your decision...you know where to find us." Callie said.
"We're sorry for your loss." Marie said.
Callie and Marie opened the door. Before they left, they abruptly stopped.
"You know, being sad doesn't mean you have to be alone and suffer. And having fun isn't a futile distraction from reality." Callie said.
"Fun isn't something to make reality perfect. Fun is something that makes reality less stressful. We hope you can have fun, either at the party or here. Bye, Lee." Marie said.
Callie and Marie left, leaving Lee pondering what to do next. He decided to go back to his room.
"Ugh." Lee said, as the sisters' words got to him.
He turned on the TV. It talked about something familiar. Very, very familiar. He started to remember something. He had a flashback. He was in an apartment. This apartment wasn't broken down and dirty, but nice and clean. It had a greyish color. He was on an operating table. He saw tools, such as a blowtorch and screws. He sat up and looked over to a man, shifting items in a fridge until he found a beer. He popped it open and took a swig. He looked back over to Lee.
"You're awake, Eel?" The man said.
"What the hell? Eel? He named me Eel?" Lee thought to himself.
"Who...Are...You? Who...Am...I?" Eel struggled to say.
"You're Eel. I am just someone who helped." The man said.
"Why am I here?" Eel asked.
"Because I was saving you. I brought you back to life." The man said.
"I died? I died?!" Lee thought to himself.
"I died? I died?!" Eel asked.
"Don't worry. You're alive. Though, there were somethings that needed to be changed beforehand." The man said.
"What things?" Eel asked.
"For one, some parts of your body, like your eyes, is...well..artificial." The man said.
"I'm a cyborg?" Eel asked.
"Yes. Um, in a way. Anyways, the last thing that needed to be changed. Your brain's host." The man said.
"What?!" Eel asked.
"Your brain was from a dead 25 year old, whose name was Patrick Leni. He was a dear friend, and when my son died, I couldn't stand it. I decided to...use his brain and my son's body to make you. Even though you have Patrick's brain, I had 'modified' it so that you wouldn't be just Patrick. My son wasn't like Patrick and I wanted you to be more like that. The parts that I couldn't save, like some organs, cybernetic parts helped. The cybernetic parts are keeping you alive and your organs healthy. Since I couldn't make you look exactly like my son, I did what I could to make you look similar. The man said.
"Oh my god. This is how I came to be?" Lee said.
"It mattered that much to you to do this?" Eel asked.
"Yes. My life has been dreadful. I need happiness. I need fun. I need comfort." The man said.
"Why have fun when death and disappointment will creep around every corner to haunt you? Fun won't fix things." Eel asked.
"Eel, Fun isn't something to make reality perfect. Fun is something that makes reality less stressful.
Those words...It is just like the sisters said. Lee was shocked.
"I can't handle being alone. I need my son with me." The man said.
"I'm sorry I can't be that." Eel said.
"Not biologically. But who says you can't be my adopted son?" The man said.
The man hugged Eel. The flashback ended.
"My first memory recovered. What is his name?" Lee asked himself.
Lee thought again about his creation. He was someone's creation because of a man's loss. He was made to comfort a sad man. He was made for happiness and fun, and to be the closest match to his dead son. He can't dwell on the past. For he wasn't made for the negitives of live. He was made for the positives. He could not let sadness consume him, but only drift onto and off of him, like a river crashing against a sturdy stone. He didn't to suffer like his creator did before his creation.
"I think..He would want me to enjoy my life and bring happiness and fun to others. And to bring...Comfort." Lee said, as tears escaped from his face.
He stood up and walked to the guest closet. He took off his suit and put it into the closet. He looked at his clothes. Some parts stained with dry blood. He shrugged and walked downstairs. He unlocked the door, then locked it back as he left. He ran down the streets that were lit by street lights. He made his way to the Inkopolis Center, running as fast as he could. He soon reached the party, that was filled with inklings. He looked at Callie and Marie sing beautifully. Everyone shouted and started to sing to the song. After the song was over, Callie and Marie announced that the next song starts in half a hour. Callie and Marie walks off the stage. They noticed Lee looking at them from the crowd. Wasn't hard because he was at least a foot or so taller than everyone. He walked to the side of the stage. The sisters ran to him.
"Lee!" The sisters said in unison, as they hugged Lee.
"Omhp! Ok, ok." Lee said as he took the impact from the hug.
"You really came to the party." Callie said.
"You're ok now?" Marie asked.
"Yes. I..figured that I couldn't stay sad forever. It'd be bad for my health." Lee joked.
"So, you ready to have fun?" Callie asked.
"Sure." Lee said.
The sisters grabbed Lee and pulled him into the crowd. They danced and danced. They ate snacks, interacted with inklings, and had a great time. Soon, the sisters onto the stage and sung the rest of the songs. The rest of the night was just filled with dancing and replayed music. Soon, a slow dance played. Inklings paired up and danced with each other. Lee looked the sisters.
"Uh.." Lee said.
He awkwardly held both of the sisters as they danced. He did so for under a minute.
"Ok, I'm done." Lee said, as he backed away.
"Thank you." Callie and Marie said, sighing in relief.
The night didn't last long afterwards. The party ended in a hour afterwards. Lee and the squid sisters walked back home.
"Thanks for coming to the party, Lee." Callie said.
"Welcome. Well, I will see you in the morning." Lee said.
"Good night." Callie and Marie said, as they gave Lee a quick hug.
Lee walked upstairs. He crawled into his bed and quickly slept. He dreamt of the flashback he witnessed and hope to uncover more later on. He still needed to find out his entire past..
Well, that's it for chapter 3. Hope you enjoyed it. I will be posting chapter 4 later on next week or the week after. Thanks for waiting. I am thinking of how i want the story to go, so don't expect daily or even weekly chapters. College is taking up most of my time, so it isn't easy getting the chapters done while handling school. Hope you can understand.