Much to my surprise, the grungy space marine impersonator was similar to Jurgen in more ways than I would like to admit, especially in those that were less than flattering. At first, I thought that my aide was going to start a fight with the primitive looking PDF trooper thanks to the general animosity between PDF and Imperial Guardsmen everywhere, but much to my relief the two found themselves chattering quite amicably after our introductions, even if barely spoke than a few words at a time. Apparently their shared hatred of greenskins was all it took for them to get along, a sentiment that shared with them but not nearly to the same extent.
The similarities didn't stop there, mind you. Goblin Slayer seemed to be carrying just as many pouches as my aide, his appearing far cleaner than Jurgen's judging by the few glances I gave them, almost to the point that I would risk eating a sandwich from one of them if the odd looking man attempted to offer me one. I haven't eaten since the transport to the paradise world I was supposed to arrive on had been hijacked by a bunch crazier than normal chaos cultists and I was almost considering risking my good health by eating whatever Jurgen had stored away. I still had hope that I wouldn't have to resort to such desperate matters, but I had no intentions of starving to death if I didn't have to.
Beyond their poor hygiene and capacity for carrying anything I could possibly need, the two also seemed to be just as blunt with everyone around them as they were each other. Although both men seemed to answer their superiors when spoken to and convey all the necessary information required without need for a show of force, a small blessing I was more than thankful for, only the occasional curse or snide remark from Jurgen and confirmed kill from Goblin Slayer were said after they initially satisfied their initial curiosity that they held for each other. After having worked with a savant, various tech priests, and a royal brat by my side in dire circumstances before, I greatly appreciated the long stretches of silence between their brief conversations and random mutterings.
The greatest and most immediate similarity I noticed between them had to be their smell. I didn't need to see or hear either man to know they were following closely behind me thanks to the unique bouquet of smells emanating from them. Jurgen smelled as he usually did, like a few barracks full of Valhallans stuck on a desert world without any air conditioning or showers that had all been shoved into a single room together, while Goblin Slayer had an oddly less repugnant odor coming off of him courtesy of the blood and grime covering every inch of his body. He claimed it was in order to throw off the orks' sense of smell, but I can't imagine an ork that would fail to notice the smell of freshly spilt blood and rally towards it in search of a fight. Then again, this Goblin Slayer character seemed quite insistent that what he had been fighting weren't orks at all, but rather 'Goblins', hence his title which was rivalled only by my own through their shared lack of creativity.
Try as I might to learn his real name, Goblin Slayer insisted that I refer to him by his title instead of anything else. Even when I asked him whether or not he knew what the punishment of defying a direct order from a commissar was, he still refused to give me his name. I can somewhat understand the sentiment, Jurgen's occasional and always entertaining deflection of unwanted summons through use of the rank I bestowed upon him and the pride he took in it giving me a point of reference to how Goblin Slayer must view himself in addition to plenty of entertainment over the years we've known each other.
That didn't set my tingling palms at ease however, as when I then asked the man whether or not he knew what a commissar was in jest, he told me, "No". I initially thought it was unbelievable and the strange little man was frakking with me, but since Goblin Slayer seemed just as unfamiliar with sarcasm as Jurgen, I soon felt that he was telling me the truth.
No one in the Imperium could forget who it was that ensured that the billions of fearless men and women feeding themselves to the maws of hungry tyranids and orks or superior weaponry of other xenos by showing them that it was those of us in the Commissariat that they should really be afraid of. Probable and eventual death by their enemy's hands was terrifying to the ordinary guardsman, definite and immediate death courtesy of their allies even more so. There were a few exceptions to this rule, but most sane people I have met would agree with my own stance on the matter.
The fear surrounding the scarlet sash a commissar wore and what it represented resulted in plenty of 'friendly' fire 'accidents', no doubt exacerbated by my late colleagues' reliance on these scare tactics. Even though many men and women in my position had their careers cut short courtesy of some resentful guardsmen pushed beyond their breaking point, I do have to admit that their method is quite the effective motivator when lacking any other alternatives. I generally prefer to let the soldiers under my care believe I genuinely care as much about their safety as I do my own so that when things inevitably go ploin shaped, they will watch my back almost as much as I will look after it myself, but that's beside the point.
If I didn't know any better, I'd say that Goblin Slayer didn't know what a commissar or even a guardsman even was. I've heard stories about some agriworlds having been abandoned after being written off as lost causes, only to be reclaimed by the Imperium centuries later and the people there no longer knowing, or caring, who and what the Imperium of Man represented to them. Amberley didn't outright deny that the occasional rumors regarding such planets were completely unfounded, which was almost as good as her telling me she had set foot in one herself, but for some reason I couldn't quite believe that I found myself on one such planet. The tingling in my palms grew worse as I kept on thinking over the worst case scenario that I found myself in, the possibility these people might not have even heard of The Emperor of Mankind in addition to the Imperium that once watched over them, but surely every human must know that much.
I would have asked my escort if he knew something that every human ought to know, but I had a sneaking suspicion I would get more results by asking the greenskins or the next rock I found instead. There's something about Goblin Slayer that doesn't seem right, and I'm not referring to how he hasn't noticed Jurgen's unique scent yet. Nerves of steel or a fortunate inability to smell my aide's distinctive aroma could easily explain that much. No, my thought was that something inside his head was a little different than my own in the same way that Tau technology is slightly more advanced than what the Imperium was capable of producing.
He doesn't appear to be a psyker, but with a title like Goblin Slayer I can only assume that the man is more than a little frakked in the head. With a title like his, I wouldn't be surprised if he can hardly think about anything other than these 'goblin' orks. My fortunate encounter with him only gave my assumption more credit than it already had. Anyone who would seek these creatures out of their own free will to fight them with nothing more than a pathetically small sword has to be trying to be mad.
That of course brings me to the most recent mess that I have currently found myself in. From what little Goblin Slayer had told me after an infuriating attempt to get any worthwhile answers as to where we currently were, I know that he willing dived into one of their nests alone for only a paltry sum that most other so-called 'adventurers', more than likely the name of the local PDF go by to make themselves feel self-important, wouldn't consider proper payment for butchering a grox. A man like that surely isn't sane, and I would know. I'm perfectly sane and I make a point to run away from anything that might kill me until crazy frakheads like him make me live up to my unwarranted reputation. Yet here I was, forced to help him finish his hopeless mission in the hopes he can lead me to his garrison without losing his way or head. Still, for what it's worth, I couldn't have appeared to have found a better loony to have at my side for the time being.
The man seemed to share my own aptitude for navigating tunnels, a talent that many guardsmen in the Imperial Army so sorely lack. Jurgen was no exception, and as much as I wanted to stay by his side and ensure our continued survival instead of having to lead him and my supposed escort on a mission to exterminate the orks from these tunnels, I decided to let the local expert cover our rear. Goblin Slayer's insistence of taking the back to watch out for any greenskin ambushes was more than enough encouragement to agree to his recommendation to our current formation. Far be it for me to hamper the expert we so fortuitously came across by allowing myself to take the most dangerous role away from him. I am technically just a consultant when it comes to matters like these, although one that can veto any decision I hear with a round from my laspistol if I feel like it.
Besides, if Goblin Slayer really is famous enough to have a title as tasteless as my own, then I can only imagine what kind of publicity I can get from accompanying him for the remainder of his mission. A few more good deeds tacked on to my name could hardly prove to be a bad thing, especially if there is no Imperial presence in this world and I will need to rely on the local civilians for support. Helping out what might very well be a local legend could prove to be useful in the future.
As for the present, my decision to have Goblin Slayer take up our rear proved to be an excellent choice once we returned to the same tunnels Jurgen and I traveled through earlier. While I had been inspecting one of the odd totems we had passed by when it was just me and my aide in order to make sense of the meaning behind them, Goblin Slayer pointed out a side tunnel on the opposite wall that I had been too lost in thought to notice. The fear that I had been so blind to such an obvious distraction was gut wrenching, but what my escort had to say only twisted the knife deeper inside.
"The goblins use these totems to distract intruders and draw attention away from any potential ambushes." Goblin Slayer told me as he inspected the side tunnel he detected for any signs of Goblins, fortunately finding none worth mentioning. "Plenty of rookie adventurers are too distracted by the totems set up by the goblins to notice the ambush they've set up nearby them."
I decided to let the unspoken insult against me go unavenged, as I suspected that hadn't been Goblin Slayer's attention from what little I know of him so far. A brief chill ran down my spine as I thought about all the other potential passages I might have missed by assuming the 'goblin' orks we were dealing with were just as imaginative and bloodthirsty as their more muscular brethren. Only an ork kommando would have the tactical sense to try setting up an ambush, or at least, one that was a bit more well hidden than a few dozen orks hiding behind a mountain or piece of burnt out wreckage. Usually the greenskins were too eager for WAAARGH to not charge the moment they saw their intended victims, and I felt lucky that neither Jurgen or I had fallen prey to such an obvious trap.
"Then it's a good thing we have you with us now, Goblin Slayer." I told him, genuinely meaning every word of it. "I can't imagine how many of these side passages we passed by without you to notice them for us earlier." I didn't mention that I would have heard something as small as a snotling attempt and rush up behind me and kill it before it came close to burying its weapon in my back. Thanks to how finely honed my senses were thanks to years of experience and well earned paranoia there were few things capable of sneaking up on me unnoticed, but I always found that flattering the troops you are serving with always makes them much more willing to ensure your own survival. Although we seemed to be fine for now, I for one never believed I could ever be too safe and wanted the PDF trooper to be thinking of me as an ally worth protecting rather than an obstruction preventing him from performing his job.
Goblin Slayer's response to my flattery, while as brief and noncommittal as I expected it to be, was humorous enough to relieve some of the tension I had been feeling earlier. "Is that so?" He asked me, sounding somewhat lost at the idea of someone else appreciating his knowledge of our current enemy.
"Indeed, I can't tell you how many times I have been lost behind enemy lines and in desperate need of an expert like yourself." I told him, hoping that the man's sense of pride wasn't as stiff as the way he moved.
Unsurprisingly, he remained as taciturn as ever. "I see." He said, before we resumed our travel in silence more.
The remainder of our journey through the tunnels passed on in an uncomfortable silence, with only the occasional comment about Goblin Slayer's unique appearance shared between me and Jurgen and the PDF trooper's disappointed muttering at having found no more greenskins to kill. For a moment, I found myself confident that our journey would end before I found another reason not to sleep without a laspistol tucked underneath my pillow, but sure enough we found exactly what anyone would expect to find in greenskin infested tunnels once we reached the final chamber we had yet to explore.
The room that we found after a half hour of wandering in the dark was almost large enough to house a full squadron of Astartes comfortably, if they ever had a reason to go wandering through tunnels they could hardly squeeze through in the first place. Even without the illuminator Jurgen tactfully doused upon hearing the sadistic shouts of orks before we found our final destination, following in Goblin Slayer who had done so a few seconds before even I could hear the enemy, I could see far more greenskins than I bargained for than when I first agreed to accompany our escort on his quest.
There were no less than three dozen greenskins clumped together before us, the vast majority of them snotlings who might provide Jurgen some well needed stress relief after our previous battle, with a few of the more typical orks that I had come to expect and a few that I had never seen before. The familiar faces, save for their elongated noses which they shared with the snotlings, appeared to be about ten feet tall and just as muscular as most orks. The only difference between the orks I was familiar with and these ones were their almost luminescent yellow eyes and focus on something that wasn't WAAARGH. It was only once I followed my gaze to see what had drawn their attention that I found myself wishing I had taken my chances by fleeing towards the surface on my own and allowing Jurgen to accompany Goblin Slayer on his own to fight these depraved goblins of his by themselves.
I can now confidently call these greenskins goblins rather than orks, thanks to two other of the vile creatures that were about as large as myself and lacking my muscle and innate charm, who were busy violating two women that they had captured. There were many horrifying things that I have seen throughout my near century of service in the Imperium, the genitalia of several greenskins flopping about for anyone to see was never one I would have considered to be the most disturbing or even possible until I saw it for myself.
"Emperor's Bowels!" I whispered, barely able to keep myself from shouting in revulsion as I continued to study the chamber's inhabitants despite my desire to look at anything else.
Jurgen was already attempting to swap his lasrifle for the melta strapped to his back, but I quickly stopped him from exchanging his weapons to prevent them from cleansing the greenskins, their victims, and us in The Emperor's holy light. Not only was I hesitant to burn the goblins' victims alive for the rest of what would be their very short and painful lives if I hadn't but, more importantly, I also wanted to ensure I didn't suffocate from whatever fumes released into the air from the molten slag once it found something to burn. Of all the possible ways to die, suffocating during an ambush of my own making would be quite the ignoble end for the Hero of the Imperium.
"Have you ever seen any ork do something like this, Jurgen?" I asked my aide, believing I might have found the true reason behind his people's immense hatred towards greenskins as a whole.
"Not any orks I know of." He said, lining up a shot on one of the bigger greenskins as I did the same for another.
"Goblins need women to increase their numbers." Goblin Slayer said, his voice just as emotionless and monotone as my aide's as he pulled something out of one of the pouches at his side. A slight chill went through my spine at the thought of what he was implying, despite knowing full well that had to be impossible. Orks weren't born, rather they grew wherever a previous WAAARGH took place.
What the three of us were witnessing must have been an, until now, undiscovered cult of Slaanesh worshipping greenskins that had been tainted by the repulsive act they were currently indulging themselves in. Orks that had succumbed to temptations of the flesh and heart would go a long way to explaining why there were so few of the larger specimens that could be found wherever they could start a fight, as well as their oddly distorted faces. These greenskins clearly didn't care for fighting now that they found something else to enjoy.
My palms felt like the skin covering them was trying to tear itself away from the scene in front of me for failing to listen to their earlier warnings. Had I known that a greenskin that found more in common with Slaanesh than Khorne existed, I certainly would have fled from these tunnels the first chance I had rather than confronting the den of depravity I had unwittingly stumbled upon.
Still, it wasn't too late for me to grab Jurgen by the scruff of his neck and haul him out of these tunnels as fast as my legs could carry the both of us. I had plenty of time to cut my losses and flee now before I found out whether or not these greenskins still preferred to target commissars over other human enemies like the rest of their brethren. All I had to do was wait for the right moment to slip away unnoticed by Goblin Slayer and start running as fast as my legs would take me. It was as simple as that.
Apparently, the demented PDF trooper I was working with had another plan in mind that he didn't bother to inform us about. I don't know what he was thinking when he threw something into the densest concentration of goblins within the chamber in front of us, but I for one knew exactly what they were thinking as shrieks of inarticulate pain and rage echoed throughout the chamber and the rest ran towards us with an assortment of primitive weapons that still looked just as effective despite their simplicity.
"FRAK! Take out the big ones now!" I shouted as I fired a burst of las-bolts at the large ork sized goblin that had only just noticed where we were watching him thanks to Goblin Slayer's attempt to involve us in his suicide.
Jurgen did the same with his target, both of us blowing a cauterized hole through the skulls of our respective targets and causing the giant walls of flesh to collapse on their allies when they toppled over. Why most of the ones that were crushed had been writhing around on the ground in pain was something I hardly had time to care about, aside feeling grateful at how quickly they had been taken care of, as the remaining half of the greenskins that were still able to move rushed towards us babbling like lunatics as the two more humanoid goblins stayed behind their smaller kin.
Without any time to pick out a target and fire, Jurgen and I shot wildly into the horde of greenskins coming towards us. As I still had another weapon resting at my side and a free hand already reaching for it, I drew my chainsword and rushed towards the remaining goblins as Goblin Slayer finally decided to get involved and charged the horde alongside me.
Jurgen changed his aim towards the two goblins that had stayed in the back now that any more attempts at thinning the bulk of the horde might result in him striking us instead, unable to kill them and cursing no more than he usually did when missing his shots as me and Goblin Slayer prepared ourselves against the wave of greenskins that were rushing towards us. I must say, I had been expecting a lot from these snotlings when I had first saw them. Chaos worshipers generally made up for what they lack in wits with sheer strength and a stubborn refusal to lay down and die after having a few cauterized holes blown through their chests. Considering what I already knew the average ork to be capable of, I was dreading to see what a couple of greenskins empowered by Slaanesh could accomplish. Instead of being met with a wave of flesh that cared not for its own survival which might have even enjoyed the prospect of being disemboweled by my chainsword if it meant they could get that much closer to tearing me to pieces, the horde of snotlings practically fell over themselves in an attempt to halt their charge as I prepared to take down as many of them as I could with my first swing.
Not quite understanding how a chaos cultist or an ork could fall victim to such a pathetic moment of weakness but more than willing to take advantage of it, I cut through the horde that was trying its best to scrabble away from me and towards the more lightly armed Goblin Slayer. For all I cared, that frakhead had it coming to him for alerting the goblins to us so brazenly, but I did appreciate how effective of a distraction he proved to be as my chainsword easily cleaved through five goblins in a single swing.
If the goblins that had frozen at the very sight of my weapon hadn't been scared earlier, then they were driven mad with terror now that they had seen just how ill prepared they were to face me. Whatever apprehension they had about facing me faded once they were hit with their allies' blood and the few that weren't focusing on the idiot that landed me in this mess leapt towards me with their primitive weapons in an attempt to stab me with an assortment of farming equipment. I managed to cut down another two goblins with a follow up swing of my chainsword and planted a blast of energy into the back of the final one that had been coming for me. With the most immediate threats to my continued well being disposed of, I decided to see how Goblin Slayer was managing the goblins that ran for him, unsure of whether or not I would be happier to see him alive or dead. To my unpleasant surprise, Goblin Slayer was holding off the crowd of goblins surrounding him with ease, using both his sword and shield to discourage those foolish enough to leap at him and thinning their numbers with ease.
Turning around to confirm Goblin Slayer was alive proved to be a costly mistake, one that was heralded by a spine chilling cackle from behind me that allowed me just enough time to dive to the floor in an attempt to save my own skin. Trusting my instincts saved my life, allowing me to see the lightning bolt I evaded fly through the air I had been occupying scant moments ago, save for one stray arc that struck my back, sending a torrent of pain running through my chest. Luckily, the carapace armor chest plate I made a permanent part of my uniform after 'forgetting' to return it to the Munitorum after the Gravalax Incident was more than capable of protecting me from a stray arc of electricity as well as stray lasbolts, not that I had known that before now.
Despite still being alive and thankful for feeling in every inch of my body, I was far less appreciative of the burning sensation coursing through my back and the laughter coming from the two goblins I had forgotten about earlier as they watched me drag myself off of the ground. They had completely caught me off guard, rightfully laughing at how my lapse in focus nearly left me a charred corpse, and making me feel incredibly grateful for never encountering their kind on the battlefield before. I had dealt with plenty of psykers and greenskins in the past, but never greenskin psyker, a horror I thought I would never have to deal with until now.
The two greenskins rightfully laughing at how close they had come to killing me, no doubt exacerbated at the pathetic image I was giving off as I fought back against my aching body to keep myself standing. Unfortunately for them, I had no plans of making the same mistake twice or continuing the fight alone. The familiar stench of my aide wafted towards me at that very moment, letting me know that each of us would have one goblin all to ourselves.
"That looked like it hurt, sir." Jurgen chimed in as we approached our respective targets
"I'll be fine, unlike these two frakheads!" I shouted as I charged towards the goblin on my left and Jurgen in turn started to fire at the one on his right. With some luck on my part and Jurgen's natural tendency to disrupt nearby energies, I hoped that my decision to charge them head on instead of fleeing for the surface wouldn't turn out to be the last mistake I'd ever make.
I had never fought weirdboyz before, despite some accounts of my liberation of Perlia suggesting otherwise, but I wasn't entirely unfamiliar with them either. The only knowledge I have concerning them came from one of many pleasant late night conversations with Amberley when she pointed out one of the flaws of my embellished escapades I was entertaining her with. As surprising as it was to hear at the time, I could now see for myself that the greenskins had capable psykers of their own, although far less than the Imperium does on account of how ork psykers can blow themselves up with a good number of their allies without warning. I lacked any true experience with ork psykers, aside from experiencing what an assortment of them could do to a troopship travelling through the warp for myself, but after having faced both orks and psykers I was confident I could dispatch them quicker from up close than at a distance.
Unsurprisingly, now that I knew what these goblins were capable of now, I could see Jurgen's shots turn away from their intended target thanks to whatever warpcraft they were employing to defend themselves. The goblin I was charging was far less fortunate, as before he had a chance to release another bolt of lightning or something worse at me while praying to whatever heretical powers of the warp he worshipped, I removed his head from his shoulders with a single swipe of my chainsword and relished my small act of revenge as his head tumbled to my feet.
Jurgen seemed to have noticed what the greenskin he was fighting was capable of too, as he quickly closed the distance between them until his shots were no longer being deflected by the goblin he was fighting and had finally cut the blasted xeno in half with his lasgun. The creature looked surprised when it landed on the ground, staring at its lower half still standing still without him, but I quickly cleared its mind of any confusion with a well placed shot from my laspistol that removed most of its head as well.
"Nice shooting, sir." Jurgen called out, rushing up to inspect me and assaulting me with his scent as he did so. "Not injured, are you? That was a nasty hit you took."
"I'm fine, Jurgen." I didn't feel fine, but since I couldn't feel any blood starting to well up underneath my armor the general discomfort and aches I could still feel weren't worth mentioning to him I kept the snide marks I would have let loose at anyone else to myself. "If you should be worried about anyone, it should be Goblin Slayer." I said, although whether or not that was because he was already dead before I could shoot him for nearly killing me was something I was not entirely sure of yet.
"Twenty six." Droned a familiar voice. We redirected our attention to Goblin Slayer as we walked up to us and buried an axe, more than likely acquired from one of the goblins that fought him instead of me, into the chest of the headless weirdboy we now surrounded.
As much as I wanted to show him exactly what I thought of him after trying to get all of us killed, I decided to use what little willpower I had left to address him as diplomatically as possible. Luckily for me, Goblin Slayer seemed about as cultured as Jurgen so it more than likely wouldn't take much to hide my desire to execute him on the spot.
"Attacking that horde before you informed us of your plans was very risky, Goblin Slayer. You should consider yourself fortunate that your actions didn't get any of us killed." I told him. To my ever increasing annoyance at his actions, he actually gave my words some thought before giving me his answer, as if he never considered me or Jurgen when he frakked with that horde of greenskins!
"Is that so?" He asked me.
"HORUS TAKE YOU, YES!" I exclaimed at his brazen disregard for my own well being, before bringing my temper back under control. "I would expect that a man of your caliber would have given more thought to the well being of your companions, but it seems I was sorely mistaken about you." I chided him like one of the juvies I would have been stuck teaching if I accepted the other retirement option I had waiting for me on Perlia, an option that didn't seem quite as bad as it had earlier given how poorly everything had gone for me.
Once again, Goblin Slayer appeared to give my words some thought. Once again, I found myself wondering what exactly was going on in that head of his if he seriously never considered what his allies would think when he tried something crazy like that. Then again, the man did come down here on his own in the first place. If he is working alone not due to personal preference, then I now had at least one guess as to why that might be...
"What would you suggest I do then?" He asked me, adding perhaps the first bit of emotion behind his words that I heard from him, regret of all things, to my continued annoyance.
By The Emperor, he really didn't consider I wouldn't agree to whatever suicidal plans he had for dealing with these goblins! Frak me, Goblin Slayer, and the rest of this planet. I don't think I could have found a worse person to escort me to safety now that we have helped him finish this little 'quest' of his.
As we made our way to the surface, Jurgen listening to me in silence as I informed our witless escort as to why it was important to inform the troops he was working with as to any plans of action that he had, I palmed the sign of the aquila the entire time I gave the frakhead what for. Emperor help me, I need all the assistance I can get to make sure this madman doesn't accidentally get me killed before we reach civilization.
Author's Corner:
The HERO OF THE IMPERIUM'S adventure continues. After having his first taste of the greenskins of Goblin Slayer's universe and a bit of the ally he neither wants nor expects to have fighting by his side in the future, Cain is handling goblins just well as anyone could expect him to.
Now that I'm finished hamming things up and since I have nothing else to say here, I'll address a few comments instead.
itsFax: there are not enough crossovers with CIAPHAS CAIN, HERO OF THE IMPERIUM. So I will be waiting for more chapters.
I agree wholeheartedly with this statement, and hope I do not disappoint in his escapades.
Carre: Is Cain's retirement (kinda) on Perlia still gonna happen after these events, or is this a completely AU-timeline?
This story takes place before Cain's Last Stand and after The Greater Good. Rather than instantly agreeing to tutor a new generation of commissars, I thought that if he had a choice and favor to call in from Amberley, he would use it to find a nice paradise world to spend his retirement at with Jurgen… before trouble would inevitably find him. Which it did. I have nothing to say about AU status at this time.
Also Carre: Is your "writer-name"/username based on Rensvind/ Rincewind?
Yes, yes it is. I *might* have a certain type of character I like, in case my user name and my attempt at detailing the exploits of one such character in this story haven't given it away already.
Anyways, that's all I have for now. Please let me know what you think of the story so far, I appreciate the feedback and hearing what everyone has to say!