So, long story short. Erin's plan to visit the gym changed and now I'm stuck here, drinking a cocktail at Crust Bucket food truck. She interrupted my arguement with that rayling girl, bought me a couple of cocktails and left me here; said to wait her, while she have some important stuff to deal with. Sigh.
And now I'm trapped here, drinking cocktails and waiting for 'mom' to come and pick me up. Yo̶u'r͢e͡ ͏far͏ f͞r͘o͜m͘ ̕being a k͡i͞d. Yet I feel like one: stupid, useless, powerless and depend on someone's aid in life! Guess you're right. I am a fucking parasite!
Speaking of being trapped. I dunno how, but Erin somehow managed to convince that shopkeeper girl to babysit me, while she's on the break. As if I wasn't feeling pathetic enough already! And the way she looks at me and wiggle her tail gave me uncomfortable thoughts. Sigh.͟ ͠Tha̷t'͝s th̛e ̛way͟ ͞of̴ ̨I͟nko̵pol͞is̨: to͏ ́mąny̵ gi͟rls a҉nd n̴ot́ en͏ough͟ ͠b̸o̢ys t͜o͝ p͏l̕e̴ase ̵th͘em̨.̶ ͢G͞e͞t̵ ͏u̷şèd͘ to it
Phah! Better be a slut than a test subject or headbash the wall, while mumbling nonsense like a madman I am…́.̷I͘ ̀ ͟pŕet̕e͢n̡d́ I͢ ͜ha͏ven'͢t ̡h̢eard that. ̀A͘ny͝way, ́you͡ w̷ant͟ m͏y̶ a̴dvic͝e͞? Sure, go ahead. Just give me a sec. I took out the pocket mirror and gaze at sad looking reflection with its arms crossed on the chest.
"Before you ask, none of your business, parasite….I mean Rick. Ugh, fucking goggles, father and his fucking..."
Wha-what are you mumbling about? Why you look so pathetic? What happened? Where have you been anyway? And why do you sound so edgy and irritated?
"RRrrooh! Stop. Asking. Fucking. QUESTIONS! ...fucking poster child of narrow minded workaholic on depression, cus his skills are no longer required and he can't do shit thx certain someone with number three that make everyone SHIT THEMSELF IN FEAR OR HYPE! You want to live as a freeman, feel power and demand of your presence at your fingertips?! Then listen up, copy pasted sack of mindfused shit! Cus this lad is about to go full Captain Obvious on your ass!
"That rayling chick is your opportunity - use it. Make friends with her, ask her about work around here. Part Time job would do just fine and money is always welcomed. But if her tail gets anywhere near my ass, I'll fucking strangle her her own tail!"
My ears fall in embarrassment, face getting 're rude, but ultimately right. Doing nothing and will get me...us nowhere. Pocket mirror goes undercover and I briefly look at rayling, while drinking more cocktail for convenience.
"Uh..weird way to jump start a conversation, still: are you Erin's friend or something? I fail to understand how did she even convinced you to 'watch over me'?" I spell last words depicting quotation marks with fingers.
"Naw, ah umnae. Me boss said to help her with whatever she needs plus it's me break time."
She shrugged. Hm, guess that's one of Erin's connections as Agent. I rob my chin with frontal tentacle and looking at a distance, slowly thinking out loud.
"...one thing I didn't expect from this city is how hard it is to find a job here. I mean for Octavio's sake they refuse to employ simply because of my race! That's fucking racism!"
I wave my hands in irritation and confusion, remembering all these cold fish faces with one common expression 'you're wasting my time, kiddo'. Even back in MY time it was easier!
"Turf War ain't yer thing? Ye know ye can make some decent money for living if ye get into A+ and above ranks"
Why did she asked that if she knows that I'm not registered. Ranks? No idea, what she's talking about, but if this is anything close to rank ladder, then I get it. I shrug with a sigh and reply after a moment, getting a bit low and upset on the tone
"Never saw myself as a killer type. Playing Turf ? Eh, sure. Since when once can turn sport into their full time job in a long run? You get old, competition outmatch you and you go out as a nobody with no direction or proper knowledge." I took a short pause, shake my head continue
"And rank ladder? S͘t̢r͢uggl͘e ̕t͞o̢ ̢cl͞im̕b̛ ̀on͝ ̡th́e h̶il̶l͜ of bet͝t̀e͠r̕m͡ent̨,͜ on͢ly to ̸rep͢eat͡ed͟ly͢ ̸tr͜i͟p̶ and tu͠mble҉ ́d̴ow͠n int͡o͡ a firl̨y pìt̸ óf̡ ͢f̀a͢il͏u̢re. Sometimes it's more about luck than skill"
Couldn't say it better myself. And it was so smooth, as if you simply continue my thoughts. S͠h҉ut͞ ͝up ̷and ̵pay ͘at̴t̸e̸nt͢ion. Right.
"Hm..Ye do have a point. Finding a braw job for octoling is hard. Aye, struggled with that shite meself." She sighs and looks down for a moment.
"Naw yin need a bloody rayling at workshop if ye got a jellyfish! Work at the beach they say. Best suit yer species they said. Do yer fucking dinger! Bloody dighted fishsticks...Ah umnae gaunnae work as a lifeguard on the beach, cus my species is the fastest swimmers in the water and me can rehydrate with ease! Its shan!"
She slapped the table with a red, angry face. Her tail went straight up, twitching on the end like a snake's tail. I take another sip of the cocktail and casually look at her.
"But ye went through that shite already, so ye know how it feels to be useless from time to time."
Hm? I slowly turn my eye to her and gaze with my eyebrow rising higher like a boner while questionable expression did a surgery on my face.
"Useless? Nah, girl. Being useless is m̡ý s̛p̧ȩćia̛lizati̛o͟n̛"
Hey! That wasn't what I wanted to say! B̢ut you ́thou͝g҉h͡ ͢abo̵ut̛ t̢hat͝, ha͠ven͝'t yòu?)
She giggled and ease her tone for a potential joke about 'job'.
"Good luck finding a job for useless specialists."
Fucking. I. Knew it. I shake my head like a bell with shame.
"Ha-ha. Very funny."
And yet we both share a smile. She glared at her phone and said:
"Ye never told me yer name."
And I never asked her name in a first place.
"Richard, b̵ut̴ ̧e͡ve̡ryo̡ne̷ ca̕l͘l̛s ̵m̶e ͟R̶ick͜"̕
"Strange name if ye ask me"
I shrug with internal confusion.
"B͏etter th̡aǹ h͠avi͠ng ̢a͟ s̕eri͞a̸l ̨n̴u͠mbe̕r̢ ̴a̶s your ͘ńam͢e a̛nd be ͝t͟r͠eated ͡l͡i͠k̛e͞ a̶ exp̧a͟nd̢a̕blé little̵ do̧ll ͠ín̛ s͝pl͟at́ ͜grind̨e̵r̢ w͢i̴th n͝o҉ ̛f̢ree ̀w͠íl̷l͠ a͏nd ҉i̵de̷a ̡o͟f bet͢te͞r ̸l̸ìf̧e͢"
She gazed at me with a stunned look, while taking a long sip of her cocktail.
"Ye octolings are wan cod of the dark fish"
I shrug and grin, or is asshole doing that? I have a hard time tracking who's in control right now.
"Welcome to the club. What's your name anyway?"
"Raymora III"
"So there are three of you?" I said and chucked over a pathetically stupid pun I just made and she grin in reply. Guess my humor is still kicking, unlike my humanity. Som̶e̷ ͢w̛o̧u͞l̨d ̶sa̶y….I̡ ̵ne̵v̷e͏r ha̶d ̶ìt an͏y̧wa͘y͠
"You know, I ̡c̷a͠n̢ ̧desc̢r͜ibe̴ ̧In͏klinǵ'͞ ̧ću͏l̨t͢ur̛e̕ ̛in̨ ̨threę ͜w͏o͢r͠ds: ̧B́o͠ld,̛ ̡Lo͟ud an̢d ͠B͟oo͘ya̵h"
Spark of interest just combusted in her eyes and she put an elbow on the table, using her hand stand for her cheek
"And yer culture?"
With a sigh I fill my voice with notes of sadness as I remember all the good and bad things we had. And then I give short self explanatory answer, one word to accurately describe both human and current octarian culture:
"A me͢ss̡"
Irony is a bitch. In return Raymora decided to feed me with info about her race. Too bad I don't have a way to write it all down right now so I have I won't forget.
Why there is little to no raylings in Inkopolis? Turn out its extra hard to find job for them plus they are addicted to H2O aka more frequent hydration. They live in villages with sea nearby or stuck in smaller cities, where they can find a job that fits them. They sure love water a lot and that manta hood is a free umbrella...chéat͜ȩr͝s.
On the bright side they are considered the fastest swimmers among known species. High resistance to toxic/salt water which would made inkling literally explode. Biology, wtf is wrong with you? Ehm. Anyway, their gills and hood prove their title as 'Searunners". And now a confusing part - they are bisexual by default with average life expectancy of 70 years. Whįl̨e ́i҉ņkl͘ing͞s an͡d oc̸t͏ol͜i̡n҉gs live ͞aroun͏d͠ ̢140͢ ̵y̧ears̷. P̀l̨us̡ w̵e҉ c͢an͝ ̕pl̢a̵y Tu̴rf.͠. Yea, it raise some social conflicts, but so far I only saw the job racism and hypocrisy of those jellyfishes in suits and power.
Oh͞,͡ I͡'͝l͠l̛ sh̡ów̛ ̧y҉ou a ̕s̵o̸c̡i͟a͡l co͡n̡fl̷ic͏t ͝w̵h͢en ̷som̢e ch͠ea̢p ́b̡ast̶a̷rd̸ ҉sma͜sh̕ ͟y͞ou̷r̵ ̢a͠s̛s̷ to̡ ̛near̨ d͠e͘a̢d st͠ate s̨i͜mpl͢y ̵b͟ecau͟se yo͟u'̷ŗe̷ ̷oćtolin̡ǵ.͡ Th͞e worl͢d is no҉t ͝y̸o͠uŕ ̸fucking҉ ͡frien̕d̶ s҉hi͝p ͞a͞n̷d̷ ̵ma͠gić.
Duh, I get it. Nothing changed, humanity just went fishy and anime while renaming as bunch of fucking blood thirsty animals.T̀hat'͘s̀ n͞ǫt ̵wha͜t̛ ̧I̢ ̴me͟a͡nt̵…I've said I GET IT! Now be quiet, I'm trying to process all this. As̶sh͡ol͡e -_͡-̸. Sigh. I'm sorry, but your unreasonable self hatred is distracting and the only person that I happened to consider a friend is now gone! I feel lonely, a bit nervous tbh. And I feel smoke. Hold on, smoke? Rappid sniffing. Yep, someone is killing their own lungs and that s-s-smell is terrible.
I quickly look around, but no one is smoknig. Smoke can't just appear out of nowhere! What if- hm..I turn my eyes to Raymora, but I see a completely different person. A human woman with a bullet hole in her head with blood popping out, and she just casually smokes! Her eyes lock onto me and she casually asks
"What?"
I back off with shook on my face and nearly fall from the chair, gazing at this confused person, eyes and mouth wide open. No, I-I remember you. I shot you for smoking...I...aah...I had to! Or Professor would have killed me too! God damn it, why you stare at me like that?! You're death! Like me! Yo̕u'r̴e ̶h҉a̡llu͘cin̵a͟ti̡n̡g. SHUT UP! You're dead too! WE'RE all fucking dead! ..Yo̕ų d̀o͠né?̸ I shake my head real hard and blink a couple of times. I snap out of this f-f-fucking trip. Raymora drills me with her wide open eyes, stunned face and light up cigar in her mouth with smoke popping from her gills. Gross. I look at her and mimic the cigar usage with two fingers.
"What?" She asked again in confused irritation and kissed her siguar again, inhaling more of that grey lung killer.
"I..uh...Oh" I wipe my brow with frontal tentacle and negatively shake my head.
"Ca̴n̕ you.͝.̴f͜f. N̡o̷,͜ c̶an you ̢pl̕e̷a̶s͡e͟ s͠to͢p̢ sm̕oki͝ng?"̕
I̶̕͡ say last words quietly, embarrassed. Of course she looked at me with 'are you stupid or something?' look and probably consider me a freak now, but after a short pause and long inhale she tossed the new found ptsd trigger away and exhale cloud of smoke with joy. It makes chills march down my spine, but I breathe easier.
"Think she'll return soon?" I ask to change the subject and distract us both from this 'accident'. Raymora shug her arm with siguar and shortly reply
"Probably soon"
*Eight fucking hours later*
"Ugh. I think she could've abandoned us..." I mumble and dive in ink, taking a new position and jump out like a boss, sending arrow in the target. Boom. Target pops like a balloon with inksplotion.
"And left a babysitter that won't let us leave? Sounds too kindly for abandoning one heavily fucked, good looking boy."
"Right…A fucking babysitter. I'm too old for this shit!"
I slowly mumble last word with salty tone as I move my hand to the belt to grab a new arrow but there is no belt. For a second there I feel shame and face slap myself with a tentacle.
"Mother fucking muscle memory, you traitor." I mumble to myself like an angry boomer and move hand back. Ink tank fabricating a new arrow right in my hand, I can feel that. It raises questions about how ink tank. Asshole continues to walk in a circle like a broken car, acting like a smartass with a hand behind with back and second hand bend and pointing in black, evening sky
"If I was a brainwashed mindless piece of expendable shit like yours truly before You happened, I'd say something like: 'She betrayed us! I knew we couldn't trust an inkling. We must find and kill that cunt scum STAT!'"
I looked at him and raised left eyebrow, before diving in ink in my octo form. Makes me remember all those horrible tests. Heh...
"...but?"
"Don't you 'but' me! You used to blindly believe than you're hairless monkey with evolution licking up your unshaved ungly ass!"
He yelled with frustration, pointing finger at me. I partly dive out of ink, gaze at him with questionable look and shrug with my tentacles. I wonder how adorable I look right now..
"Ugh..sorry. My opinion has changed. both about Green Terror and Erin."
"We both changed since then" I remark and shake my head, taking my sign from him.
He mumbled: "Who said we're not changing"
A moment later he shook his head from left to right, lifting his arms with along inhale and clap with hands.
"Ok, lets go over the facts again like a normal fish. She left us with sealing to watch over us, while she's gone. That Raymora gave us food, let us stay in the shop and currently we have fun of the blood practice range AFTER the closing hours, with a bow, ignoring our argue and lack of official requirements to use a inkarm. Sounds fishy, BUT she is an Agent and that respond about boss and helping raise a suggestion. Ya dig what I'm saying?"
I interrupt Asshole's detective monologue with a nod.
"Hmh. Using connections to keep me entertained, while she saves the world or do something urgent and too important to keep me around."
I transform back to humanoid form and lie down on my back with ultra sigh, still halfway submerged in ink in the middle of empty, but still active practice range under open black sky with stars. Mind is clouded with thoughts, tentacles play with ink out of boredom. There is no Mothership in the sky, no answers, no way back to the old good days of corruption and capitalism. Yet I'm here, in the civilisation of strange humans, waiting for girl to pick me up, while struggling to understand everything around me and with me. Nightmares, hallucinations, false memory, two personalities, questions upon questions. Am I gone insane? Do̷ I̛ look l̵ike a̵ s҉ev͘ér͏e̷ ͞c̶as͞e͜ ǫf̶ s̨chi҉z̷o͞p̕h͘r̢enia ̴o̸r i͟nsa͘n̵i̵t͢y ͜t́o you? No. No, you're not. I close my eyes and let myself slowly drown in the world of pink. It feels good...good.
Earlier today I watched teens running around, rushing hot heads, inking the ground and shooting the targets. All this speed, dynamic and turf covering. When I took the bow and took couple of short, I bet my balls they had a cognitive dissonance. An̸ ̶o̡cto͞l̴i̕ng̨ ju͜s̸t̸ ̡s̀pl͘atti͏n̕g ͏tar̛ge̴ts̢ ̢w̴it͟h a͘ ̡BO̧W̴ and ̨N̨OT͠ I͢N̴KLING ̵T̶H̶E ̡G̀ROU̸ND?! ͡He̕re͜sy! Hmh, they stayed away from me on purpose, giving me strange looks, gasping with each other. Idiots. I open my eyes, get up from the ink and on my feet; grab the bow, place an arrow in the right place and look forward. They try to be faster, swim, shoot, cover ground and suppress the targets. But I'll give you a new understanding of the precise assassination. Fours steps. Say t͏he͏m a͞s yǫu ͞do͢ ̷th͝em̕.
"Step 1: Stretch the left arm forward, bow placed horizontally.
Step 2: Gently grab the back tip of the arrow and the string with a three fingers of the right hand
Step 3: Rotate the bow elbow outwords,
Step 4: Raise the bow, and pull the string all the way to the face.
Step 5: Exhale and release"
With a satisfying sound of muffled 'ding' and some feedback in my left hand the arrow flies right in the 'head' of the target creating small burst of ink and causing the target to explode with ink, matching my color. With a short delay I hear fascinated 'whoa', Asshole, don't distract me. Do̕ ͟I so̸und͟s͡ li͡k͝e ҉a ̵girĺ ͜to͘ ýǫu?͢ W͠ash̷ ͜your e͟a̛rs̷! Phm, just a hallucination then, ignore it. I move my hand to the belt to grab a new arrow repeat the steps.
One, two...three, four, done. Another bullseye and target pops. A new target pouted like a balloon a couple of seconds later. I faintly smirk; bow feels much more natural than ink weaponry I used in the underground. That's a teenhood wasted on games for ya. Now, repeat! Again! Faster! Four arrows later and my ink tank clicks indicating its emptiness. I lower the bow and nod with lack of satisfaction. Y̴ou fee̢t͘ įt̕ to͏o ̕rìght?̵ Uh-uhm. Someone is staring at my back and I'm not not deaf to ignore that breathing, quiet claps and girlish gasp Whoever that is, I slowly take another arrow and slowly place in the bow, wary saying with slow tone:
"You might be a hallucination...or an assassin from 'that' division" I draw the string, grinning in anger.
"AND̢ ͠I ͟CH͢OO͞SÈ ̴O̴PTI͏O̵N͘ ̸TẂO!"
Asshole screams as I quickly do 180 degree spin and fire the bow. Headshot, arrow explodes in ink, covering ace of the so called ASSasin in pink ink, stunning them and forcing to take couple of steps back.. Th͠ęy҉'̧r̴e̕ ́no̢t şpla͟t͘ţed͠.͝.̵. Should they? W̶ell͠,͝ y̴e͞a͢!͟ ͞T͟ha͜t̴'s ̧ho҉w̶ y͠o͠u҉ ̴kìl̛l i̸nk͏l̀ìngs! And look at the clothes...O̕h̸ s͠h̸it….́Sh̀i͟t,̡ S͜hit,͏ S͏h͏i̷t! T̶h̶at̵s͝ ̴Ąge̕n҉t's ge͏ar!
….Oh.
"Ah! What was that for?!"
Agent assassin furiously said with a familiar voice as she was busy cleaning her face from ink. And I'm left in a complete confusion with my bow lowered. So this is a girl, agent, not an assassin or hallucination...Erin?! Y-yep, that's her, in the agent outfit; her tentacles are pink though. Now I'm completely confused. Did I just shot my only friend and she didn't die? Is one's friends have so kind of friendly fire option in their bodies?! Biology, wtf?!
"Wh- Why are you still alive?!" I yell out of anxiety and shook. I could have just killed her because I assumed she's not real! That's NOT normal! O͞h,͘ ŗe̶la͟x͏, ̛th̶e͡y h͏ave ̕r̶e͡spawn p̴oi͞ntş ̢a҉n̵y̛w̡ay. That's not the point! I'm dangerous!
"Same ink color if you haven't noticed. Standard safety precautions." Erin expressed dissatisfied as she shook ink off her head.
"͟Fúc͝king shell, Ag͞e̛nt Fo͏ưr̵!͜ To̷ok yóu͜ ̢l̸o̶n̴g ̛e̷n̕o͜ug͝h̵!"
"Keep you waiting, huh?" She giggle a bit with a grin and blush on her face. I roll my eyes and sigh, calming down.
"...cod. How can you be so calm after I SHOT you?" I point my shaking finger at her with a short pause, feeling my lips shaking.
"Where were you all this time?! I started to though that you abandoned me!"
I punched my chest with fingers couple of time as my last words sounded with unaffordable pity. My face feels hot and frontal tentacles gesticulate, trying to mimic my hands. Erin replied rather casually
"Ah, just a minor discomfort. Speaking of which. Where did you learn to use this terrible weapon so well?! You must tell me you secret! Tell me- Tell me- Tell me!"
She went from casual 'you can't kill me' girl to greedy little kid both in her tone and behavior, my ears and tentacles drop from confusion once again. She yelled last words so quickly and jumped on the same place with her tits and tentacles bating me eyes to see the beauty of the gravity. Ca̧re͝ful,̡ ̡R̢ic̶k̸.͝ J̛e̷a͡lous ͝ģirl i̴s ̸a unp͏r̕ed̵i̕c̸tabl̵e so̸úrce ͜of ̡dange̛r. I clap my hands near my nose, take a sigh and- and...Re͏la͝x̡, ̨I̡ ͟g̴ot ̛this.
"I̕'l͜l̕ t͝ęl̡l̢ ̴y͡o̷u.̧ B̴uţ ͜yo҉u̧'re o͏we ҉me ̧fòr th̴i͘s A͟N͞D ͡lęa͘v̵ing me̕ ̕f͝or the ̧whol̕e̷ ̀da͏y wit̷h̡ a b̕a͘b̷ys̕it͢te̴r͘.͏ Now ge̸t ̶y͟ou҉r ̴sw͟éet͟ ass ̕h͘er̨e,͞ I̛ wan̢t ̶t͡o͝ h͡u͝g̷ ̨ya̷"͟
Asshole makes me slowly approach her embrace me in hug with open arms, smiling. It feels good, you know. Just stand like that, in a middle of an empty practice range, under the night sky; feel her arms on your back, hear her giggle and feel warm inside. I need her, Asshole...not as a love or source of sex. I need her as a friend, someone who's there to help me. Hp̕mh̕. ͞Go ̶u͢s͘
"If you want that sweet ass right now, no one is watching" She whispered in my ear and giggled.
"That sweet ass is gonna make me a proper dinner the moment we came back home, then we'll see."
"Oooh…"
There's a new cover art in case you missed it