"Master, the [Jar of Sustenance] has been placed in Laila's former room, as you desired!"

Riqre'ma Medaale grunted in acknowledgment. Normally, he would personally escort one of his precious possessions that couldn't bring themselves to love him. Just because they failed him, there was no reason for him to devalue them in turn.

The [Carrion Eater], Zehia Maquet, was a special case.

She deserved no love from him. She didn't deserve a chance at loving him! Just thinking about her made his limbs tremble. Riqre absentmindedly rubbed the new stitching around his wrists. Too close. She'd come too close.

He would have to design a more fitting punishment for her later. She didn't deserve to be with the rest of his stored projects, and the room was no longer in use. Also, he found the symmetry poetic: she was now trapped in a room of a [Slave] she'd once owned.. She could stew in the jar for now. His Djinni was of far greater importance.

He WOULD train it properly. He would make it eager to obey. It would serve him, not because of its bindings, but because it would be its greatest goal. Its life's purpose.

He'd thought he was making progress, yet the creature had done NOTHING to help him when the [Assassin] had struck. Worst, he somehow suspected that Siti`medaale had somehow been in collusion with Zehia! It was impossible, but the idea had become stuck in his head.

Perhaps he should have asked Zehia and tortured the answer out of her before changing her into a [Carrion Eater]. He also was feeling some regret at having Laila killed. It had been necessary. Siti`medaale could have no other attachments except for him. He saw that now.

It had been a needed sacrifice.

Regardless, the solution to this entire situation was clear. He needed to take drastic action. He needed not only to punish Siti`medaale, but also to remove ALL of its memories.

The magicore would do that. Was doing that.

Magic flowed into the rare substance, but Djinni WERE magic. Their very essence bonded with the sludge. A skill, a memory, an opinion. The Djinni would lose something, and wouldn't know what.

It was like having your hand chopped off. Sure, one could survive such an injury even if they weren't a Stitchfolk, but the idea of your hand would remain. Even if you forgot you ever had two hands, you'd still instinctively feel its absence.

That wasn't enough. Not now. Not after what had happened. Siti`medaale needed to be reduced to a blank slate. Then, and only then, could it properly imprint upon him. It was a drastic action that he couldn't take back, but one he had to take.

And, if it didn't work, he could always try again and again and again.

...So why hadn't it expelled the magicore? And why wasn't it waking up?

He'd never had a Djinni before, but he'd instructed other [Slave Masters] on how to discipline them. He'd seen it in action. They would drink the magicore, and then vomit it out. It wasn't something they could 'eat'. It was anathema to their very existence.

So, why had Siti`medaale drunk it... and then passed out?

It was a fledgling Djinni.

Could...

Could this kill it?

That would be such a waste.

...

It was nearly nightfall several days later before Siti`medaale stirred. It opened its yellow eyes, and blearily looked around the room.

No one had touched it while it had slept. Riqre had [Slaves], not [Fools].

He, himself, was reclining on a plush couch that had been carried here for him to relax on. It had been boring and tedious, but he had wanted to be the first thing that Siti`medaale saw when it awoke.

He stood up, and walked over to where it lay on the ground.

Siti`medaale looked at him.

"Your name is Siti`medaale. Do you understand?"

Its jaw lowered as it hesitantly nodded.

"You serve me."

Another nod.

"You will obey me."

Another nod.

"You love me."

Another nod.

"Stand up."

Siti`medaale's chin started to dip again, before stopping. Its head wobbled, and then it stood up.

Riqre smiled. "Follow me."

'I don't know what power-based, or rather, what magical-based compulsions this Riqre person is trying to use on you, but my guess is that the body control is the limit for what he can do. The smiling people are obviously brainwashed somehow, but he's been using regular cult techniques on you.'

Sibby remembered what William had told her as she walked.

'It's stupid, but effective. It would be doubly so if you WERE a newly formed existence, or if you had your memories removed.' William had spat to the side and sworn about Cauldron before calming down. 'The basic premise is to remove your other social interactions. That was why he killed Laila. He wants to isolate you. And, while it would be better for him if you didn't remember all the nasty things he's done to you personally... well, that's not vital for the technique to work.'

Sibby still didn't 'get' irony, but she felt there was some of it in what William had said.

'Like I said, it's stupid, but effective.'

Yeah. Did he not see the parallels with them joining the Nine? Then again, THIS William hadn't decided to do that yet.

'Humans are social creatures. The 'Stringfolk' seem similar enough to share most psychological responses. You, also, fall into that category. While this version of me doesn't know the details of the body you have, it was clearly based on Natalie's. I suspect that your mental development heavily took from my mind. I possibly supported your thought processes with my own brain, which could've led to some co-mingling, especially if we shared senses... but I'm getting off the point.'

That did make Sibby wonder. Why didn't Kevin share her senses? Or, at least, why didn't he share them in the same way that William did? Sibby could communicate with him and pass details more eloquently than words. They could also share powers (or he could share powers with her), but it wasn't the same.

It was similar to how William had been able to give her absolute orders, but Kevin couldn't.

She'd have to ask William about that, if she ever saw him again.

'You are anti-social in a lot of your interactions. I don't have a psychology degree, and even if I did, it would be trying to put a square peg in a round hole. The point is, Riqre's manipulations are stupid, but they'll eventually work on you. You're in a bad situation, and he'll show you small kindnesses. It doesn't matter that he's the one that's responsible for your situation in the first place. The mind latches onto the good amidst all the bad... and when you don't have a 'normal' support structure to keep you grounded... strange things can happen.'

Sibby wanted to dismiss William's concerns, but she knew he was smarter than her.

'The good thing is that now that you're experienced with it, you won't fall for such manipulations as easily. Of course, the goal is to not subject yourself to them for any length of time, but you will need to bide your time for a while yet.'

"... ... ..."

Riqre's mouth moved. There was a black spot over it, but Sibby could still see his jaw and facial muscles.

She started to nod.

Riqre frowned.

She turned it into a shake.

He looked smug. Good.

'The next, and most important thing, is to not get any more commands from him. That means not letting your body hear what he says. If you can keep yourself from seeing his lips - that's even better. Even untrained people can read lips somewhat, and you want to make sure your body gets no further input from him at all.'

Sibby was smart. She'd thought of that... but it had been like numbing her leg. Noise was what other people made. Sibby didn't make any. She didn't speak. She didn't bump into things. She didn't walk around with heavy things on her feet.

She WAS silence.

Prey made noise.

She used that to track them.

'It can't be forced to obey what it isn't told.'

Still, William had a point. What was worse? Being deaf, or being given orders? She could understand 'Delayed Gratification' - no matter what anyone else said!

It also like not listening to him in the past would've helped. He'd never said 'Don't attack me', or anything like that. There were lots of orders her body was obeying, and only a small number of them came out of Riqre's mouth.

'... ...'

Sibby nod-

Sibby shoo-

Sibby... shrugged?

That seemed to work.

'Now, there's a way to both free you from his control and kill everyone there. It's simple, but they might have a counter for it. So, it's best to do it when no one is watching. That said, you WILL be watched at first. He, or one of his brainwashed slaves will keep tabs on you at all times. So, you can't kill them all immediately, besides, you wouldn't want to.'

William said some strange things at times.

'This is an opportunity. You were captured because of your greatest weakness, and you currently have the means to overcome that.'

Sibby had objected to 'having a weakness', not to mention a great one, but William had been insistent.

'You said that in the past, you appeared close to me or Kevin, correct? Something is interfering with that in this new world. There could be a spacial effect, or temporal, or dimensional. Probably all three. The fact remains that YOU are perhaps the closest a sapient being has ever been with their power. Cauldron doesn't even have anyone like you in their ranks. The only other person that could possibly match you is that AI, but I digress.'

William did like to go off on tangents.

'If you cannot control when you are summoned or, more importantly, where, then that's a restriction you need to overcome. Generally speaking, power restrictions can be grouped into those can can be overcome and those that can't. Since it wasn't always the case that you appeared in a singular spot, the most likely scenario is that it's a restriction you can control.'

She'd given him a look, and he'd clarified.

'The collar you spoke of, it's redirecting you from your initial incursion point to its location. You need to figure out HOW its doing that. Once it's gone, you'll need to be able to control where you appear, or your whole mess will just repeat itself.'

'Also, I have a hypothesis about what happens when you eat something, and why you enjoy consuming humans - especially parahumans. If I'm right, you should be able to sense 'magic' now that you've consumed magicore. It's something that you should continue to work on after you're free, but lets keep to the task at hand for now.'

Sibby unsummoned herself.

Sibby appeared.

Something tried connecting with her, but she brushed it away.

'... ... ... ... ...'

Riqre looked confused, so Sibby opted for a shrug.

She unsummoned herself again.

Sibby appeared.

Something tried connecting with her, but she brushed it away.

Yes, it did feel different from what it was normally like. Now that she was focusing on it, she could... discern... something. She didn't know what, but... yes. Being summoned here was different from being summoned by William or Kevin.

It was like she was missing something, and something else was... pulling at her?

'... ... ...'

Riqre said something. Correction, he was definitely yelling something.

Sibby shrugged.

Riqre glared at her. She unsummoned herself again.

Sibby appeared.

Something tried connecting with her, but she brushed it away.

'... ... ... ...'

Riqre growled something out. Or at least his throat muscles moved. His jaw was clenched tight.

Sibby... nodded?

Yes. That seemed to be the right move, as Riqre started walking away. Sibby followed while unsummoning herself.

...

They came to a small, isolated room. Several men were inside. Riqre pointed.

'... ... ... ... ... . ... .. ... ... .. ... ... . ... ... ... ... .. ... ...'

Sibby nodded.

Riqre kept pointing.

Uhm... Oh. He wanted her to enter! That might not be the best idea.

Her body walked inside.

Shoot. Not listening to Riqre was good, but there were still some gestures which had a clear meaning. The slave owner became a larger black blob in her sight. She wouldn't be able to 'correctly' guess at what he was saying, but it was better this way.

The large blob left, and the guards remained.

Sibby switched from unsummoning herself to attempting to break her collar.

She vanished.

Sibby appeared.

Something tried connecting with her, but she brushed it away.

'Now, about the collar and the other things that you can't destroy. It's clear that there's a 'magical' field that is strengthening them. This is a common issue with all-or-nothing powers, such as yours. They can overcome virtually anything, until they can't. From what you've told me, yours is particularly potent.'

William had paused, no doubt thinking about the amazing feats of hers she'd told him about.

'But, if what you've told me is true, your power is far more versatile than that. Letting light pass through you? Letting matter? That's impressive - and different from simply breaking something. So, the solution is to find out WHAT you can do to the collar. There has to be something. If gravity is pulling it down, you can block it. If light is reflecting off of it, you can alter it. You should experiment, and find out exactly where the limits are. Now, the first step to this is...'

Sibby began to follow William's step-by-step experimental guide. He'd made her memorize the flow chart he'd drawn on the ground, and replicate it from memory. It wasn't hard. She had a perfect memory after all.

So, uhm, what was step one again?

Oh, right! Non-destructive forces. Light. Gravity. Friction. After that, she could get into the more exotic ones.

She also could combine her testing with identifying the summoning-thing. Bonus!

Gerrae watched the Djinni blink in and out of existence. As always, he was proud to be chosen for the task by his Master Riqre'ma Medaale! Guarding one of his most valuable possessions like Siti`medaale was an honor beyond honor!

Once again, he praised his great Master in his mind and thanked him for choosing him. Not many men were chosen by the Great Riqre'ma Medaale. Gerrae knew that he had to work even harder to deserve the honor. Even though he could not serve Riqre'ma Medaale in all ways, he was determined to do the best he possibly could!

The fact that his Master had been injured. Had been so close to death... It filled Gerrae with rage.

To think that Siti`medaale could have had a part in it? It infuriated him even more.

How dare it! How dare it SHRUG to Riqre'ma Medaale! It should grovel and thank his Master for his mercy.

Siti`medaale stopped flickering and smiled.

Gerrae blinked. Was... that good? He'd heard it had been fed magicore, but hadn't thrown any up. Gerrae was not privy to much knowledge, or his Master's plans. He'd thought that the point of the punishment was for the magicore to absorb part of the Djinni - which the creature would then lose when it was expelled.

It had obviously had an effect. Siti`medaale had been unconscious for far longer than anyone had expected, and had flickered ever since waking up. Now that it had stopped, he needed to report.

Gerrae raised the speaking stone to his mouth. "Master, Siti`medaale has ceased flickering."

"Good." The reply came quickly. "Keep watching it. It cannot move from its spot, but I want a constant vigil kept."

"Yes, Master. I understand." Gerrae looked at his fellow slaves. They all nodded their heads. They'd heard their Master's orders, and would stand guard for however long it took. They'd rather die on their feet from starvation than disobey.

Siti`medaale raised its hand. It wasn't supposed to do that! Master Riqre'ma Medaale had specifically told it to not move a muscle!

Gerrae brought his hand up to report, but he fell down. The floor was somehow as slick as ice and the speaking stone had fumbled from his fingers! He was shocked and afraid as he looked up. Siti`medaale's hand had risen to its collar, and one of its fingernails had dug into the flesh of its own neck!

The Djinni winced in pain... and vanished.

It collar remained suspended in mid-air, like it always did when it flickered, but when the monster reappeared - it was standing to the side! The collar was held in the crook of the finger that the Djinni had shoved between itself and the collar!

It let go, and the collar fell to the enchanted stone floor with a soft clunk. Siti`medaale smiled while its yellow eyes glowed with magic.

Gerrae had to get the stone!

"[Flash Cut]!"

"[A Dozen Stabs]!"

"[Blade of Wind]!"

He scrambled to his knees as the other [Guards] moved in tandem. They swung their enchanted swords at the Djinni while activating their best [Skills]. They all then screamed as it managed to dodge all of the attacks - and retaliate.

Blood was splattered inside of the sound proof room as his fellow [Slaves] were torn apart with an almost casual ease.

Gerrae wrenched his eyes away. He had something more important to do! He need to find the stone and report! There! It was in the corner. He lunged and grasped the stone, and brought it to his lips.

The last thing to go through his mind was Siti`medaale's claws.

William had been right - of course.

Sibby couldn't destroy or protect the collar with her power, but she could do other things. Things like blocking gravity or light.

'It may be that you can't affect magical items in any way. I don't think it's the case, but let's start with that assumption and go from there. Preventing other forces from interacting with them should still be possible. A more... external than internal application. Gravity clearly is affecting your collar just like anything else. Do you have to change anything about the collar to isolate it from gravity?'

William had shaken his head and smiled.

'No. Of course not. 'Magic' might break physical laws the same way some powers do. It might trump your power, but it needn't get that far. All you have to do is block the physical effects that you can. Once you've confirmed you can do that, the next part of the plan is to use your power to examine it. If you can block forces, then you can tell where an object begins and ends, correct?'

Sibby could. She'd told him as much. Although, she still hadn't been able to properly separate the 'waves' that everything was made of to change what a 'touched' object was - only dissipate them. She could also pass through the mostly empty space that everything was.

Well, most everything. She couldn't phase through 'magic'.

'The collar sounds low tech. Mechanical. If it has a key that physically opens it, then it has to have internal locks and pins.'

William had taken a stick and began to draw pictures on the ground.

'Now, a lock commonly has...'

The next part had been boring, but informative. It doubtless would've been useful, had the collar not been a solid piece of metal.

'If the collar doesn't have a lock, or if you can't open it, the next thing to try is spoofing it. As a Shard Projection, and not a Djinni, you have an advantage. Mainly, your body comes from another dimension. From what you've said about the Djinni you've encountered, they can change shape but their bindings remain. Now, provided they aren't multi-dimensional creatures, the collars shouldn't have a solid countermeasure to your summoning. Your collar clearly re-connects with your body as it forms, and that's a point of weakness.'

William was right about that. Now that she was looking for it, Sibby could feel the connection... solidify as she was summoned. She still couldn't block or cut it, but William had remained confident.

'Djinni are solid masses of magic. It doesn't matter where their collars are. In fact, the examples that you spoke of didn't all wear collars. For their masters, it's an aesthetic choice. So, the next thing to test is: can the collar tell the difference between your neck and your finger? It's arguably the easiest solution, but you'll have to hurt yourself to test it - possibly multiple times if it's random as I suspect. That's why we're saving it for Plan B.'

It was true. Sibby hated pain. However, she was willing to endure it for this. Besides, if it didn't work the first time, she'd just learn how to disable the nerves in her neck. Fortunately, it hadn't come to that. Or to Plans C or D. They both had sounded tedious.

With the collar on the ground, the foreign connection had faded, and her body had ceased fighting her. It was still there, tethered to her and ready to force her to appear inside of it when she reformed, but she could once again move as she wanted to! As light as a feather. No air resistance to her movements, except to let it push her out of the way of her target's attacks.

Float like a butterfly, tear them in half.

Now? Now she was going to deviate from William's plan. She was still going to kill everyone that Riqre had brainwashed - that was only sensible, but she'd decided she should save the others if she could.

Laila would've wanted that.

There was no pain.

Even as she had been torn apart, there had been no pain.

Stitchfolk didn't really feel much pain from being cut anyways, and while the creature's claws had left jagged wounds, her [Skill] still blocked any discomfort.

Any - physical - discomfort. It had still been one of the scariest moments of her life. Especially when the jaws had opened wide - far wider than they should have been able to - and closed around her head.

She had no arms or legs. No heart or lungs. Her eyes and mouth were useless.

Yet...

Yet, Laila lived.

She'd been cut off from all sensations. No light. No sound. No touch.

Rationally, she knew that her skin was being dissolved as she was digested, but she felt no pain. A Stichfolk's detached head could live for several minutes before dying.

It had felt longer.

The same... odd feeling she'd been having before was still there. The sensation of... her life thread. That had to be it. That was what she was at her core. When there was nothing left, when everything else had been stripped away, that was what 'she' was.

She wasn't her body. Laila knew that more than any other Stitchfolk. As a race they reveled in their ability to exchange their parts. Everything, except their heads.

Laila's [Flayed Slave] class had 'let' her experience getting a new face. Not once, not twice, but dozens, hundreds of times.

So, she was able, for the very first time, to move her own life thread.

She wiggled and pushed. Burrowed and dug.

She had to get out.

It was getting harder to think. She'd left her 'brain' behind. There was nothing else. Only the singular desire to live.

She wanted to live!

She would live!

She HAD to LIVE!

Then... finally... she felt something. Something that wasn't her life thread. Something that was... a body.

She'd escaped from the stomach. From the acid that would burn and dissolve her. She didn't know where she was... but... she could feel legs.

Yes. She had legs.

The sensations of them flowed into her. They were bent. Cramped up against a smooth surface. She had no pants and no shoes. She had thick claws instead of toenails. But... she had legs!

Laila continued to burrow. She continued to climb.

Up the spinal cord. With every inch her life thread moved, the more body she gained. Ribs. Stomach. Heart. Lungs. Each inch seemed to take forever to take. She still couldn't 'think'. Laila was only driven by her singular desire to live.

So, she continued to climb. To get to where her life thread SHOULD be: the brain.

Then, after thousands of hours, days, years... she was there!

She felt... someone else as she slid into position. Someone familiar. Another life thread, but one shriveled and damaged. One that was little more than a feral beast.

Laila wrapped herself around it...

...and woke up.

She had a body again!

A body that was crammed into a space that was too small to lay down, and too short to stand up. A space that had her legs screaming in pain.

Pain that Laila could ignore.

She determined what she could with both her hands and her... sense of her body. It was stronger than her old one. The arms and legs were longer, more gaunt. They both ended in claws. Her face was distorted. Her jaw was wide - wide enough to bite someone's head off.

But... she was whole.

Laila was tired.

She'd had a very... eventful day. Or had it been a week? She couldn't tell. Her singular desire to live had been fulfilled. With it done, she needed rest. She needed to sleep.

[Flayed Slave level 10!]

[Skill - Blood Control Obtained!]

[Parasite Class Obtained!]

[Parasite level 5!]

[Skill - Shared Senses obtained!]

[Skill - Bodiless obtained!]

[Conditions Met: Parasite → Stitch Selphid Class!]

[Class Consolidation: Flayed Slave removed.]

[Stitch Selphid Level 1!]

[Skill - Hysterical Strength obtained!]

...

Laila woke up.

It might have been morning. It might not. She had no way to tell. Her legs screamed in agony from not being able to stretch, but the pain didn't reach her.

Still, pain was an indicator of damage. She should fix them.

Her first thought was to reach down and pull out their threads, but her arms didn't have any room to maneuver either. Instead, she focused inward. She felt like she could do something, like she could move through her new body. She could stretch her life thread. If she was closer, then she could... resew her legs while they were attached?

No. She was no [Tailor]. She knew a lot about modifying her self, but it was all superficial. The intricacies of her insides were still beyond her.

Then again, she had time.

She threaded herself away from the brain and down through the body. The change was instant. The damaged life thread that she'd wrapped herself around violently spasmed as she departed.

The pain.

She'd been shielding the original owner of this body with her [Skill]. Departing let it come back into full effect.

Laila went back.

It would be nice to fix her body. To explore her new 'home'. To understand what she'd become better. But, that all could wait. She couldn't inflict that level of pain on anyone else just to satisfy her own desires. Her new body might be monstrous, but she was no monster.

She wrapped herself around the other life thread and comforted it. It felt strangely familiar. She'd heard about Riqre's other experiments from Sibby - or had been non-verbally informed. It hadn't been the easiest way to communicate, but she'd understood that her Master had turned people into monsters.

Laila rolled her head. She didn't feel a collar.

Did that mean she was technically free? She'd lost her [Slave] class. No, not lost, consolidated.

Did that mean she'd never be free? Or that she'd never be a [Slave] again?

She wished Sibby was here.

...

Light.

It wasn't much light, but compared to the pitch blackness of her prison, it was blinding.

Laila looked up and squinted. She could feel her eyes trying to adjust. They were close enough, so she reached out and manually constricted her pupils.

A familiar face was looking down at her with a confused expression.

"i.."

Her throat was dry and raw. Laila swallowed.

"si.."

Her mouth was also wrong for speaking. Too wide. Too many teeth. But - it was also close enough to directly touch.

"Si..bby..?"

She rasped out, and Sibby's face went from confused to surprise.

"Laila?"

The Djinni pulled her out of... a jar?

"Si.. bby.. you.. can.. talk..?" Each syllable was a trial to say.

"Yes." Her friend nodded. "It's a pain, and a secret, but no one here will ever know."

"Wha.. ha.. pen..?" Sibby shrugged. "No.. col.. lar..?"

Sibby no longer had her golden collar around her neck. Had she been freed? Who could do something like that? Who WOULD do something like that?

"Nope." Sibby shook her head. "You don't have a collar anymore!" What? "Oh!" Her expression brightened. "I'll show you!"

The black and white woman leaned Laila on the jar and let go. She then grabbed Laila's bed, and tore it from the wall.

All in perfect silence. There wasn't even the faintest noise as she casually displayed her strength and her magic.

"Here."

The wooden surface turned into a mirror, and Sibby angled it so that Laila could look at... herself. She brought a hand to her face, and then jerked away from her own claws.

"Wha.. hap.. en..?"

Sibby shrugged. "I don't know, but c'mon, we got to get you out of here before I destroy everything.

What?

Laila was dragged along through the hallways... and walls. Sibby gripped her hand, and somehow her magic made them both invisible and intangible as they escaped from Riqre's compound.

Along the way, Laila didn't see another living soul. Or a dead one. It was in the middle of the night, and most of the [Slaves] would be asleep, but there should still be [Guards] and [Rogues] patrolling the halls - looking for escaping [Slaves]. Looking for them.

There weren't. It was a ghost town.

Past the inner walls. Past the outer compound. Past the outer walls. They kept going until they were miles away.

Once they stopped, Laila dared speak. "Wher.. ev.. ry.. bo.. dy..?"

Sibby glanced at her. "Most of them are still there, in their rooms and asleep. I killed everyone that was awake. Every bad person that was awake I mean. I broke all the collars of the outer [Slaves], and they ran away. It was nice of them. They did make a lot of noise, but not enough to wake up people on the inside."

Sibby stopped speaking and looked a little discomforted. It must be hard for her to speak now after being silent for so long. A stark reflection of how Laila felt.

"Wh.. now..?"

Sibby smiled and reached down to pick something up. Laila blinked. It was her golden collar. Still intact, but no longer around her neck. Someone must've removed it. But who would've done such a thing? Who COULD'VE even done it?

The Djinni said a single word before racing back towards the compound.

"Physics."

'The first thing you need to do after using the collar to train and removing it is to destroy it. While your powers might not work on it directly, you can still leverage them in other ways. However, before that, try smashing it with a rock or something. There's no need to take drastic action when a simple one might work instead.'

Sibby had tried smashing it with a rock, and then with a non-magical sword. Neither had worked.

'The second thing to try is a bigger rock. Or, at least, denser and heavier. For that, you'll be better off making it yourself. Phase stuff together, and then use that to smash the collar.'

Sibby had tried that also. She'd fused a bunch of swords into a vaguely sword-shaped object. It was heavy, real heavy. She hadn't been able lift it without using her power to negate gravity on it. The swing had shaken the ground, and left a small crater - but it hadn't broken the collar.

'Now, if that doesn't work, then you need to use the biggest rock around. I'm talking about the Earth. Or whatever the name of the planet you're on is. It's going to be loud and a spectacle. It's also going to cause a lot of wide spread damage, so you'll be noticed for sure. If you can negate gravity on the collar itself, then you can just use it. Otherwise, you'll need to wrap it in something. The only result that matters is how far into the air you can manage to get it. High enough, and you'll effectively have a meteorite strike. Even with a small object, you can make it fall faster than it normally would be able to. If my calculations are correct, the amount of force generated will be equivalent to several tons of TNT.'

Dawn was approaching. She'd killed every person on Riqre's side as quickly as she could. It had still taken time. It had taken more to free the outer slaves. Fortunately, their collars did have locks, and the people she'd killed had possessed keys.

It had all sorted itself out after she'd eliminated the living obstacles. She was investigating one final time when she'd encountered Laila, and now she was late. Early risers would be waking up any moment. She hoped there was no one else she'd missed, but she'd managed to find Laila, so it would have to be enough.

Sibby raced back to the compound, and then leapt into the air. She negated gravity on both herself and the collar in her hand. Or, at least, the gravity coming from below. The forces here were strange, but there were still plenty she could let through that wanted to pull her into the air.

With air resistance negated alongside all the downward pulling forces, the only question was how high she'd get.

William had warned her about going too far. There was a theoretical limit on how far powers could work away from Earth. What that would mean for her, he didn't know. Nor did he have a good estimate on what the limit might be on another planet.

If she popped, then she wouldn't be able to negate things so that the collar fell faster. She wanted to make this count, as the final option William had given her was... difficult.

Not that she would admit it, but she had trouble manipulating such tiny things. She was sure she could do it, but it might take a while.

It would also be more noticeable too.

But, it wouldn't come to that! Sibby was so high that she could no longer see her target. That was another benefit of guiding the collar herself - she could aim at the most appropriate location. Her eyes gleamed as she began to fall back to the ground.

Back to Riqre's compound. Thankfully, it was still brightly lit, and stood out from the surrounding countryside.

This was why she'd deviated from William's plan. All the enslaved people deserved to be let go - and be given a chance to escape before she blew everything up. Everyone who remained was on Riqre's side - and deserved to die!

Even if none of them were real, it still felt like something Kevin would be proud of.

Sibby's smile was wide as she plummeted downwards. The air parted before her. She negated any force that might oppose her rapid descent.

A little to the left. A little to the front.

Bullseye!

The world disappeared in a cloud of fire.

None of it touched the Siberian, but she did stumble as the dirt beneath her feet was blown away.

When the dust settled, there was nothing. Nothing except a crater a hundred feet deep and miles across.

Riqre, and anyone else that had still been inside the compound, was assuredly dead. Part of her wanted to torture the slave master for what he'd done to her and Laila, but... she had made a decision. Bringing pain for the sake of brining pain was stupid. That was the mistake Zehia had made.

That was what Jack had done.

Sibby... Sibby was going to be better. Kevin had told her that the end result was what mattered, and that the some people simply needed to no longer exist in the world, and that torturing them was pointless. Sibby had disagreed. Sending a message was also important.

But... she thought she better understood where he was coming from now. It was enough that Riqre was dead, and that he wouldn't be able to hurt people like Laila in the future. What did it matter that his death had been quick and painless?

Well... Sibby still felt that it mattered a little, but not enough to risk him not dying.

Sibby hoped all the slaves had been far enough away. She'd left Laila several miles outside the radius, but the shockwave might've been a tad... excessive.

Sibby unsummoned herself.

Sibby appeared a yard to the side.

Something tried connecting with her, but she brushed it away.

Yep. The collar was gone. She no longer felt the tug that forced her to appear inside of it. She hadn't been able to arrive at Kevin's side, so she'd just walk instead.

Besides, Laila could probably use someone to help her sleep again. She really looked ragged.

Sibby turned and walked away from the inside of the smoldering crater.

Now... which direction had she left her newest friend again? She'd have to do some investigating. But, she liked investigating, so that wasn't a problem. Besides, she should confirm that there had been no survivors except those that she had permitted to exist.