Curiosity killed the cat. How many times has that saying been used? Honestly, I lost count. I never thought my rescue mission, rescuing Peacock when she disappeared, would end this way, entering the unknown, fearing whatever was on the other side. Still, with fear and nerves running through my veins, I chose to jump into the unknown and prepare for whatever would greet me.
My gaze was fixed on the endless void of the portal as my fall only became longer and longer, I didn't know how long I was falling and I couldn't see any end to the enormous abyss I chose to get away from the horrors of my failed mission.
"Holy Trinity, Great Odin, Lord Anubis, Odion, Zeus, please, I pray that this ends already." I said terrified. The infinite time of the fall, combined with the almost endless void did nothing to relax my body, it only worsened my fear of the unknown.
"Shit, right now I wish I had gone to those summer classes with Sigma instead of suggesting going to the dark beach with him and the others." I whispered regretfully before seeing something in the distance, a light that slowly approached until it forced me to close my eyes.
The first thing I felt was the wind hitting my face as I was falling, the first thing I tried was to fly but then I saw something huge and dark, I didn't have time to react when I suddenly fell inside that dome of darkness, when I opened my eyes again, I found that I was falling into an abandoned train station.
"Shit, I'm so close!" I screamed terrified, but that fear intensified when when I tried to fly, I didn't achieve anything.
"I can't fly, how is that possible!?" I immediately struggled to create some kind of magic, or even some of my weapons, but nothing. This scared me and I realized that I was going to land on a roof.
"Oh shit."
My body went through the structure and I fell hard on some boxes that were under the roof, I writhed in pain and due to how hard the fall was, I fell unconscious.
Far away. In a distant place, a small round being was sleeping peacefully in a metal hollow, on its face, there was a message "Battery Full", followed by the image of a small illustration of the small creature in a hero pose.
The small animal was round, with rabbit ears, had a scarf where its neck should be, orange with the number 01 on it, and a black jacket. The small being slowly began to wake up when its body began to produce a sound similar to an alarm clock, it slowly woke up and touched one of its ears, turning off the alarm.
"Good morning, New Eridu." The small robot spoke kindly before standing up, and walking slowly through the small room, its size, which was comparable to that of a medium-sized dog, did not seem to matter much to it, the small being walked to a door, seeing a sign above it.
"Here we go, you and me again, my enemy." The robot said with a determined look before walking to where a tall chair was, without any time to waste, the little robot began to carefully drag the chair to the door.
"Alright. One...two...three!" The little robot jumped onto the chair and began to climb it with difficulty until he reached the top before taking the sign that said "Open", with a smooth movement, he turned it, now seeing the words "Closed."
"Alright, time to wake up Wise and Belle." The little robot carefully lowered himself before walking back through the room until he reached his next challenge, causing him to sigh.
"Stairs. Okay, I can take you." The little being said before beginning to climb the stairs with difficulty due to his small size and the smallness of his legs.
Upstairs, there were two rooms that were not at all like the other. While one was clean, spotless, tidy and without any clutter, the other, although it was slightly tidy, had bags of chips on the floor, some empty ramen bowls, bottles on the floor, and the occasional magazine or manga.
"Come on Eus, just two more steps." The little robot was encouraging himself as he struggled to overcome the new obstacle in front of him, and with effort, he would manage to climb to the second floor.
"Whew, alright. Here we go." The robot said before walking first to the clean and tidy room where a boy was sleeping.
"Wise, Wise, wake up." Eus, using his little paws, gently touched the boy's shoulder, causing him to slowly wake up.
"Eus?" The boy asked as he saw the robot standing on his bed next to him, who greeted him with squinted eyes as if he was happy.
"Again, we told you that you shouldn't necessarily come up here to wake us up." Wise said as the teen sat on the mattress to stretch.
"I know, but last time, they woke up five minutes late. They skipped breakfast and opened the video store on an empty stomach." Eus said in a serious, almost motherly manner that made the boy laugh.
"Yeah, sorry. Did you wake Belle up yet?" The boy asked as he stood up before stretching.
"No, not yet. I thought you could help me with that." Eus said as Wise grabbed a towel.
"No need. Remember the movie 'My Little Bangboo'? Use that strategy." The boy showed a mischievous smile, making the little robot laugh before walking to the next room.
"Belle, wake up, today is a new day, up up." Eus said as he walked around the room, being careful with the things thrown around until he reached the bed where a girl was sleeping.
"Come on, Belle. I'll make breakfast today." The little robot began to touch the girl's cheek with his paw, only getting laughs. Eus stood there watching before rubbing his hands together with a giggle.
"Well, Belle. If you're going to keep lying down, it won't work, because today is an important day." The robot said as he slowly climbed a piece of furniture until he reached the top.
"Well, I'll take this as my exercise for the day." Eus said as he watched Belle sleeping from below, while his eyes shone, making calculations to only scare and not hurt.
"He jumps from the third rope!"
"Slow!"
Before the robot could land on the mattress, the girl caught it in a quick movement before laying the little robot down on the bed with a laugh.
"Eus, you are a very slow Bangboo." Belle said mockingly, the robot, far from being offended, laughed out loud.
"Good morning sis." The two turned to see Wise, who had changed into casual clothes.
"Hey bro, what time is it?" Belle asked as she yawned, making the boy laugh.
"Time for breakfast, and this time, try not to cheat and eat ramen for breakfast or it'll hurt you. Let's go get some waffles from the convenience store, we've got a long day ahead of us today." Wise said looking at his phone as the girl stretched.
"Okay, let's go." The girl stood up before grabbing a towel hidden amongst a pile of unfolded clothes before heading to her bathroom to shower while Wise and Eus went down to the first floor.
"Mmm, we should look for more movies, when was the last time we arranged the itinerary?" The boy asked as he looked at the movies on the display cabinets.
"I think it was two weeks ago." Eus said as the little robot climbed onto a chair behind the counter.
"Mm, Belle was right. I think I got carried away too much by classic cinema, but I won't tell her that." The boy said with slight mockery as he looked at a list where there were very few names on it.
"I heard that, little brother." Belle's voice echoed from the stairs before her footsteps filled the room, the girl now dressed in casual clothes as she dried her hair.
"This time, I'll choose the movies in our catalog, and you, you'll take care of the store with Eus." The girl said mockingly, making Wise shake his head with a smile.
"Okay, but don't go crazy choosing the movies. Remember that we have to save up." Wise said with a smile, making the girl laugh.
"I'll be back soon." But before Belle or the boy could move, their cell phones vibrated at the same time, making them stop to check them.
"Ready for action?"
It was the message that the two brothers received, who looked at each other.
"It's her." Wise said with some tiredness looking at his cell phone.
"What will it be this time?" Belle asked curiously looking at her own cell phone.
"Well, paying off her debt doesn't seem like it." The girl's brother said with some annoyance before seeing a new message.
"I know I'm up to my neck in debt. But what I have in hand is really big, and I mean it. I just need a little help and that's all, I really won't let you down."
The message seemed full of confidence and urgency, something that the two brothers noticed.
"What is it about?" Wise asked before sending said message.
"Red Fang."
When the brothers read that, they looked at each other with some seriousness while Eus seemed curious about this.
"Eus, take care of the store, we have work to do." Belle said seriously, the small robot nodded as the brothers walked to a metal door that was in the store, before sneaking inside before closing it.
"Okay, time to work. I just hope Nicole isn't joking." Wise said as he walked to where there was a turned off computer.
"If it's about the red fangs, it's no joke." Belle watched as the room was slowly illuminated, not by spotlights, but by numerous screens.
I slowly began to regain consciousness, I felt that even though my magic was blocked, I could feel the pain fading away from the same magic that was still inside me.
"What happened?" I asked as I slowly sat down among the rubble of my fall while I slowly remembered what happened.
"Shit, Peacock. Now what do I do?" I slowly got up, thinking what to do until they find me.
"The best thing would be to explore the surroundings. That dome, what was that?" I asked myself, remembering how I went through the dome of darkness, causing my magic to be blocked.
"It would be better to investigate and take notes." I said before starting to walk around.
"The air is slightly thicker, but still breathable, it's strange, but the energy that flows here is strange, almost impossible to describe." I stopped walking when I felt something behind me, I slowly turned around and saw a shadow passing near where I was.
"A person? Maybe they can help me." I said before starting to walk to where that shadow was.
"Excuse me, sir, or ma'am, could you tell me where..."
I remained silent at what I saw in front of me, it was human, but not entirely. A being with grayish and dark skin like the night, with an antenna-shaped object around its neck with thorns coming out of its back that seemed connected to the vertebra, one of its arms was nonexistent, replaced with a green blade. I saw how that creature turned slowly, leaving me surprised to see that instead of a head, it had a dark orb with details between purple and blue as if that orb was a source of energy.
"What?" I stepped back in surprise before covering my ears when the creature let out a loud roar. I immediately reacted when it attacked me with its blade, making me evade the attack.
"Stop!" I shouted surprised seeing the creature but instead, he or she continued attacking, making me dodge its attack again.
"I'm sorry, but you leave me no choice!" Taking advantage of the next attack, I grabbed the creature's arm before applying a judo lock, knocking down that creature in a single, forceful movement.
"What are you? You're not human, but you're not a monster either." I said, looking at the unconscious creature. I looked around before taking out my vorpal sword and making a small cut on the finger. I was amazed to notice that it wasn't even bleeding.
"There's no blood? The orb it has doesn't even look like an omnic, it's organic." I said, looking at the creature with more curiosity now, but then I heard noises that caught my attention and made me turn around.
In front of me, there were more creatures that were the same as the one I had just faced, but different. Some didn't have arms, and others kept both arms but had metal tubes and old train traffic lights in their hands.
"What was missing." I said with some bitterness, watching the creatures approach slowly to where I was.
"It's not the first time I've fought without magic. It's time for the show." I said before getting into Momoyo's combat stance, staring at my new rivals.
The monsters that had blades and guns were the first to attack, advancing in a group. One of them didn't hesitate to attack, dragging his blade along the ground but I quickly dodged the attack before kicking him in the chest that would knock him down, I quickly had to move when one of them, who was using one of the signs, used it as an axe when trying to give me a direct hit, I quickly attacked with a blow to the orb that made him retreat but also made me retreat.
"Fuck!" I screamed in pain looking at my hand covered in purple electricity as it slowly disappeared. It was strange, it didn't burn, however, attacking the orb made my hand go numb.
"Shit, that hurt." I said annoyed but suddenly my senses sharpened and I quickly jumped, just as some projectiles, similar to thorns, almost hit me.
"I don't know what they are, and I don't know what that orb does either. But it would be better to end this already." I said seriously as I stretched my arms back to charge an attack while the monsters once again came closer.
"Kawakami Style: Musou Seikenzuki!"
The moment I launched the attack, a strong gust of wind hit the place, causing the creatures to fly away and crash into the train cars and rocks in the place, becoming unconscious.
"Mm, it seems that I still have the strength and power of my abilities, but the only thing I can't use is my magic. It would be better to leave before more of those things come, I made too much noise." Without looking back, I began to run around the place in search of any exit or way to find an answer to know where I was now.
The day had flown by, Belle was sitting on a couch looking at her phone before glancing at a clock on the wall.
"It's about time." The girl stood up and walked to the door of the establishment before changing the sign from "Open" to "Closed."
"Tell me Eus, how did it go today?" The girl asked with a smile looking at the robot, but she noticed that he didn't seem all that happy.
"What's wrong?" Belle asked confused, but when she went behind the counter, she bit her lip when she saw what Eus was referring to.
"800 denquis." The girl said with some bitterness looking at the few coins in the cash register and also seeing the few names that were written down of those who had previously searched for movies.
"I'm sorry." Belle noticed that Eus had his ears down and a dejected expression, which made the girl sad, but she smiled kindly.
"Hey, it's okay, Eus. There are good days and bad days, we just have to get better, okay? Come on, let's watch some TV, it's time to rest." Bella said with a smile before carrying the little robot in her arms before returning to the room where she was.
"Hey bro, have you heard from Nicole lately?" The girl asked as she sat with Eus on the couch in front of a TV.
"Nothing so far. It's funny, she usually calls us for some heavy task, but just asking us for access codes and disabling security cameras, it's surprising that she asked us for something so basic." Wise said from the computer with slight astonishment in his voice.
"I wonder what work they're doing." Belle said looking at the ceiling making her brother nod.
"We interrupt this program to broadcast an urgent news item." The two brothers, along with Eus, noticed that the program had changed to show a news item.
"A cavity has emerged in neighbourhood No. 14, which has exceeded containment level 3. The Cavity Investigation Association has sent a team to the site to implement emergency protocol, the evacuation of residents in the surrounding area is underway. We ask that if you have any family or friends in neighbourhood No. 14, please remain calm and keep your distance from the cavity for their own well-being."
"Wise, are you seeing what I'm seeing?" Belle asked with slight fear and concern watching the news.
"Yes, let me see that." Wise said before turning back to the computer.
"It's in the..."
"Yes, it's in the Jano district." The girl said, quickly answering the boy's question.
"I see. The Ministry of Public Safety was conducting a chase in that area. It seems that the evacuation is not going as planned." The boy said with slight concern watching videos of police trying to evacuate as many civilians as possible.
"Are you thinking the same as me?" Belle turned to see her brother with a smile, making Wise nod.
"We better get ready. I have a feeling that we'll be getting a lot of new assignments after tonight." The boy walked to sit next to his sister, while the two watched TV.
"Should we call to check on them?" Belle asked, looking at her brother, who shook his head.
"No, I'm sure they'll be fine, if something had happened, they would have called us already." Wise said with some seriousness, making his sister nod.
"Left, hurry!"
In the middle of a run, far away from where Wise, Bell or I were. Two girls and a boy were running at full speed, fleeing from someone.
The boy had white spiky hair, his face was unrecognizable because of a mask he wore, the boy wore a crimson red jacket with a logo on the back, black pants adorned with chains where two twin revolvers rested, he wore sneakers as well as black gloves.
One of the girls had white hair also adorned with headphones, her clothes were lime green with some mechanical details on the sleeves, a black skirt that reached her thighs as well as her stockings that were long of the same color, she wore green sneakers and on her hip she had a sheathed sword.
The second girl had pink hair tied in two pigtails, she had a somewhat small black shirt that left her belly button exposed, short black pants with a small doll similar to Eus on her belt, only this one was green with one less eye, she was wearing black stockings, one longer than the previous one and combat boots. But what stood out was not only the briefcase she carried on her back like a backpack, but also the safe in her hands.
"Quick, umm, over here!" The boy in the jacket shouted before turning left, followed by the other girls.
"Billy, you better not be making a mistake!" The pink-haired girl shouted as she turned behind her from time to time.
"Now is not the time to judge appearances, Nicole." The white-haired girl said as the three continued running.
The group quickly went down a staircase, the pink-haired girl sliding, the boy carefully jumping down the steps while the last girl took a big leap, landing safely below before continuing to run with the others.
"Shit, we have to find a hiding place." Nicole said before stopping when she saw something. Something, which made her smile.
"Over here, hurry!"
"Where have they gone!?"
"What does it matter, you must not leave the building, move now!"
A group of men ran down the hallway, not noticing a statue of a huge round being in a somewhat peculiar pose next to a multi-colored excrement on the floor.
"And I was saying that this 'art' was too absurd." Nicole said as she and her friends went out from behind the statue.
"Come on, before they see us." The white-haired girl said before leaving with the girl and the other boy at high speed.
The three boys continued running for their lives, turning around from time to time to make sure they had lost sight of their pursuers, without realizing it, they came to a hallway where there were televisions on the floor that turned on, showing the news, but they didn't stop and instead continued moving forward at high speed.
"This way, hurry up!" Nicole shouted before entering a room with her friends.
"Finally safe." Billy said, exhausted as he struggled to catch his breath.
"Anby, do you have the code?" The pink-haired girl asked pointing at the safe in her arms.
"Because of the chase, I must have dropped the code while we were running." Those words caused Nicole to get angry but then sigh, irritated.
"Well, I guess that was to be expected. Let's find a way out of here, we'll take this up with Belle and Wise later, they'll surely know what to do." The girl said as they looked for an exit with the noise of the TV in the background.
"Ahem, umm...Hello Citizens. I am the head of the Ministry of Public Security. Right now I am coordinating a police chase in the Jano district." Billy and Anby's attention was drawn to the television inside the room, where the news was now playing.
"I regret to inform you that, due to the appearance of a cavity, the chase has suffered some setbacks." The man on the screen seemed very nervous and sweaty, constantly using a handkerchief to dry the sweat from his forehead only to make way for new drops.
"I would like to remind all citizens that we are following the perpetrators of the attack against the laboratory. The Red Fang Gang." The officer said with a little more confidence and seriousness looking at the cameraman before speaking again.
"They are some guys... I mean, very strong criminals, especially their leader, Miguel Silver. We ask everyone to please keep their doors closed and be on constant alert at all times."
"Not a fucking thing!" Suddenly the police chief was pushed by an angry man, his anger was so great that a vein on his forehead literally seemed about to burst.
"Fuck you, I'm the reporter for the channel! I won't tolerate it anymore, fuck those fucking criminals! Fuck them when they find them, and fuck their asses over and over again!" The man shouted in such a way that his vulgarities had been censored just in time.
"Excuse me, Mr. reporter. But right now I'm in a briefing, could you please..."
"I don't give a shit!" The reporter pushed the policeman after snatching the microphone from his hands.
"Listen to me carefully, you sons of bitches of the Red Fangs. The cavities will not protect you forever, the air forces of the Ministry of Public Security are on their way, faggots. Right, officer?" The man asked, still angry, looking at the police chief who had just stood up.
"Wow, that reporter's vein is going to burst at any moment, what do you think, Anby?" Billy asked, looking at the girl who was staring blankly at the screen.
"It's a good thing that reporter bangboos have a good reaction to insults, or that man would be fired." The girl said, staring at the screen. But then, the two heard a bang and turned around to see that Nicole had hit a wall.
"There's no way out, and what's worse, Belle and Wise aren't responding to my messages, we're trapped." The girl said angrily, looking at her cell phone.
"Nicki, we can use the window!" The girls looked at Billy, who tore up some curtains to show a possible exit, but then Nicole noticed a huge dome of darkness at the end.
"The bad thing is that there's a cavity underneath. Well, an exit is an exit. Billy, can you destroy the glass?" Nicole asked, looking at the window while the boy unholstered one of his weapons.
"That's a piece of cake. I'll take care of it!" Billy shouted before firing at the window. But Nicole and Anby saw how the bullet ricocheted, hitting a hanging television and causing it to fall on the boy's head, knocking him out.
"It bounced. There's no doubt that the window is very strong." Anby said before walking to where Billy was to check if he was okay.
"Damn. I knew it wasn't going to be that easy! This glass is..."
"Fierce glass, ten times better than bulletproof glass. It's impossible to break them with your weapons." Nicole turned around, only to see the men they had been running away from for so long, but she noticed that the person talking to her was crying.
"The Cunning Hares, the Miscellaneous Jobs Agency. Why? Why are they robbing the Red Fang Gang's territory?" The man asked as he walked between the men in the room until he was in front of the three young men.
"You have no idea what my men had to go through," the man said as he tried to stop crying looking at the safe in Nicole's hands, something the girl noticed.
"This safe was stolen from the laboratory! We're just returning it to its rightful owner." The girl said seriously, looking at the man in front of her.
"Stop blaming us like we're the bad guys here!" Anby didn't hesitate to draw her sword once she had Billy behind her and Nicole, while the pink-haired girl spoke firmly and rudely.
"Buaaa. We all work so hard on the same streets! Why... why are you suddenly siding with the Ministry of Public Security!?" The man shouted, now laughing as if he was now suffering from mood swings even as he looked at the three boys.
"I'm sorry, but our client is not one of the Ministry of Public Security. Besides, that doesn't concern you." Nicole said seriously looking at the man in front of her who now changed from laughter to anger.
"Of course they did! They dared to enter our territory, I'll have to teach them a lesson!" The man suddenly went from anger to laughter and then to crying again, something that didn't scare Billy, Nicole or Anby, but made them more serious.
"Are you really not going to give it back? It's very important in the gang, come on, in exchange, I'll spare your lives." The man said while struggling to keep a serious attitude throughout.
"You gathered your entire gang for just three people? Is that what Silver's tears were referring to? You're even weirder than the rumors." Nicole said mockingly but then noticed something tied to the leg of the man in front of her.
"Wait, is that a stun grenade?" The pink-haired girl asked looking at the grenade.
"Affirmative. It's a high-lumen GS 2 military stun grenade, the brightness of its explosion is very dazzling." Anby said, recognizing the object.
"Fantastic! Billy, it's time to get up!" Nicole shouted looking at Billy, who jumped up as if he had never been hit.
"They better say "Cheese"!" The boy lunged at the man holding the grenade in front of everyone. Before anyone could move, Billy pulled on the safety ring that would activate the grenade, which soon exploded, blinding everyone in the room.
"AAAH! MY EYES!" One of the men in the room shouted as he and the other men covered their eyes.
"So, you've decided to resist, huh? In that case, you leave me no choice. I'm going to kill you!" The man who had previously been crying was now enraged, wielding a sword in Nicole's direction, but before the attack could hit, Anby blocked the attack using his sword.
"Hahaha, you're wrong. We're not the bad guys." Nicole said laughing as a light bathed the entire room from outside.
"He is." The girl said pointing behind her with a smile. All the men in the room freaked out when they saw a helicopter flying in front of them.
"Here Falcon 4, we're at the place where the flash was detected. We've found the Red Fang gang. I repeat, we've found the Red Fang gang. Waiting for orders..." The helicopter pilot spoke seriously.
"Boss, it's the air force!" A man shouted holding a machine gun in fear looking at the flying vehicle while Nicole raised her arms to the helicopter.
"The stun grenade. Did you use it to attract the helicopter!?" The leader shouted clearly annoyed looking at the girl, who couldn't stop smiling.
"Did you just realize? Now it's time to decide, crybaby. Do you want to stay and fight and risk getting us all arrested, or are you going to retreat so we can all escape?" Nicole asked mockingly, looking at the man who was upset.
"Damn you, Cunning Hares." The man cursed angrily, clenching his sword as he looked at Nicole.
"Hares are naturally elusive. Don't hold a grudge against me... eh?" The girl said with a slight mocking tone in her voice.
"What!? They've found the Red Fang assholes!? So what the hell are you waiting for, officer!?" Everyone's attention was now fixed on the television on the floor that was showing the news.
"Use your highest caliber weapon, let them feel the weight of the law!" Everyone was stunned upon hearing that and turned to see the Helicopter, praying that they wouldn't obey that order.
"This is Falcon 4, attack order received." The driver of the vehicle said before firing a missile in the direction of the room where everyone was, terrifying those present.
"Oh shit, get on the ground!" Nicole screamed but it was too late, when the missile hit the place, it also destroyed part of the floor, causing both her and her friends to fall into the cavity below.
"I want to file a lawsuit!" Billy's scream of indignation filled the void as he and his friends fell while the safe had flown away due to the impact.
To be honest, I was very confused but serious at the same time right now. My icoffin said that I spent a total of 8 hours in this place, and in that time I realized many things. The creatures were abundant, almost absurdly infinite, every time I advanced, these creatures always ambushed me, the train station seemed almost endless, no matter how much I advanced in search of an exit, I could not find anything but closed alleys and strange pillars, in my attempt to escape I wanted to destroy one of the pillars, but when I tried, I felt the same numb feeling as when I attacked one of the monsters in the face.
"This could become a habit." I said before knocking out another creature with a Kung-Fu blow. I sighed exhausted as I wiped the sweat off my head, I looked at the still daylight sky with confusion, looking for some kind of explanation.
"This doesn't make sense, it should be nighttime already or at least there should be a sunset. Is there only sun in this universe?" I asked seriously before seeing something flash by in the sky, when I turned in that direction, I saw a girl landing a few meters away from me, using a sword to stop her fall.
"Thank god, another person, I hope he's okay." I said before running towards the girl.
"Hey, are you okay!?" I shouted worriedly, but then stopped dead when I saw two of the monsters approaching the girl.
"Shit, watch out!" I tried to run to help, but then I watched in amazement as the girl attacked using her sword in a fast and precise way, and I even saw electricity emanating from the weapon, leaving those beings unconscious.
"Etheric beings eliminated. Moving on to face the next unknown target." The girl said seriously looking at me, which made me tense.
"Wait, I'm not going to hurt you. My name is Benja, who are you?" I asked nervously, hoping that another fight doesn't start.
"I see. You don't seem to want to lie to me, in that case I can give you some information. My name is Anby, what is a being like you doing here? And what are you exactly? You have too many tails to be a fox demihuman, and the fangs on you don't match any feline or canine demihuman, what are you exactly?" The girl asked, looking at me seriously, making me sigh a little in relief.
"I'm a hybrid monster, a kitsune and a vampire, I know it sounds crazy to believe but..."
"I believe you." I was surprised to see that the girl put away her sword, still remaining calm.
"Wait, do you really believe me? Aren't you even scared to see me?" I asked in amazement, my amazement increased when I saw that she shook her head.
"You don't seem to show signs of deception and you don't seem to show muscle tension that anyone would feel when lying, not to mention that your gaze reflects honesty. And regarding what I feel, I admit that I'm somewhat surprised, I've never met a hybrid being before, especially between two mythological legends such as the Kitsunes and vampires." Anby said while looking at me with his arms crossed, surprising me.
"Wow, well, I'm glad to know that I don't scare you. By the way, do you know where we are? I've been here for hours and I can't find a way out." I said, looking at the girl, who seemed to look at me with some astonishment.
"Hours? Well, it's funny, no one who has been inside a cavity can last so long exposed without suffering any change. Are you perhaps part of a cavity construction team or an official of the Ministry of Public Security?" The girl asked, looking at me with curiosity, making me doubt.
"Well, actually..." Suddenly, he was interrupted when Anby and I heard a loud roar and turned around to see more of the beings attacking us.
"Looks like we'll have to continue our talk later. Ethereal Beings are approaching our position, stay behind me, I'll clear the way." The girl said as she wielded her sword, but she saw me stand next to her.
"No, if you're going to fight, I'll help. We'll be better off if we work together." I said looking at the girl, who just nodded.
The two of us advanced to where the enemies were before starting, I quickly reacted with quick blows to the stomach of one of them slowly lifting him off the ground before finishing with a kick that made him fall, I turned around only to see Anby attack with skill but then I was surprised to see that he lifted the enemy not only using his sword, but also emanating electricity from the blade of his weapon.
"Awesome, do you use electric magic?" I asked in amazement, looking at the girl, who looked at me confused.
"Electric magic?" The girl asked confused making me laugh shyly.
"Umm, I didn't say anything. Um, I think we're safe now, how can we ask for help?" I asked looking at Anby, who looked at me with some distrust before putting away his sword.
"No. Unfortunately I don't have a Carrot or a Proxy that can help us, the best thing would be to investigate the surroundings, can you do that while I check the status of my components?" The girl asked staring at me making me nod.
"Okay, I'll check the place." I said before starting to walk around while Anby checked his things.
"Good, headphones working, normal recording status." The girl touched a button on her headphones, making an orange glow shine as a sign that she was recording.
"Ahem, my name is Anby Delay. I am an official member of the miscellaneous work agency "Cunning Hares", I accidentally fell into a Subcavity." Anby began to walk around the place at a brisk pace, looking around.
"I don't have a Carrot or a support proxy. Probability of getting lost in the cavity: 96.4%," the girl said before seeing me searching the surroundings.
"I don't know if this should count as an advantage or not, but I'm not alone, I'm with an unknown being named "Benja", so far he doesn't seem to be a threat, and he seems to know how to defend himself, however, he is an enigma to me. He recently told me that he spent hours locked up here and his clothes don't seem to be those of a common worker, much less someone from the Ministry of Security, but what attracts my attention the most is that he is not a person or a common demihuman, he describes himself as a hybrid monster with abilities that I still can't figure out what it is. He is someone strange, I relate my abilities with electric magic, something that doesn't make sense, because magic is nothing more than illusions and tricks executed millimetrically by fake magicians." Anby said as she continued to watch me before looking away.
"I'll make a voice record of my misadventures, in case we're dead, the ethereal corruption finishes us off, or Benja betrays me, I can at least leave this as evidence for future investigations. Anby's survival log, entry #1. After assessing the surroundings, I've confirmed that I'm at the old Cretan Cavity subway junction, the terrain conditions are complex. I must think carefully about our next move, or our chances of survival will drop to 37.8%." The girl said as she looked at the almost ruined surroundings. "If anyone still doubts the special distortion within the Cavities, you can use this recording as a record of its dangers. Please refrain from entering the cavities unless you are a professional investigator. Otherwise..."
"Anby, is that you!? Great! I always knew you would be..."
"Anby, watch out!"
Just as Billy was about to speak, he was greeted by a kick from me that knocked him down while I got into Azumi's fighting stance.
"Hey, what's that for? Anby, who is he? And how does he know... wait, he has nine tails!?" Billy asked, looking at me in amazement.
"I've come across another rational person. His appearance is similar to that of a classmate of mine: Billy Kid. Fortunately, Benja was able to subdue him with a direct attack, we hope to interrogate him, using force if necessary." Anby said seriously, scaring Billy.
"What did you say!? Wait Anby, it's really me, Billy!" The man shouted as he raised his arms.
"Once, a researcher found ethereal beings capable of imitating human speech and behavior. Pretending to save a classmate, the researcher entered the cavity without realizing that it was a trap until the monster revealed its true identity. The city had to pay a high price, thanks to a brave researcher who sacrificed himself to bring the ethereal being back to the cavity, they were able to avoid a major disaster." Anby said seriously, getting my attention but also Billy's, who sighed.
"You're kidding, right? The ethereal being would have already died by stepping foot outside the cavity. You know perfectly well that when ethereal beings try to leave their cavity, they die within fifteen minutes when they're away from the energy of these places." Billy said in confusion until he suddenly remembered something.
"Wait, isn't that the plot of a horror movie that was recently released?" When I heard that, I turned to look at Anby in surprise, as I didn't expect to hear that.
"The list of victims was very long. I read it from beginning to end." Anby said, showing no shame at his confusion.
"It was the credits!" Billy shouted as he covered his face in shame, leaving me stunned and surprised.
"Answer this: Who would you go out to dinner with?" The girl's question made Billy and I have a drop of anime-style sweat.
"To dinner? Well, with the superheroes from the big screen! The Star Knights, of course!" The boy shouted with joy in his voice, looking at Anby, but leaving me confused.
"You're lying." I was suddenly surprised when Anby held his sword at Billy's throat, scaring the boy.
"Wait, wait, put down the sword and I'll tell the truth!" The boy screamed in terror before lowering his head in slight embarrassment.
"It would be with the great Monica, the actress from the late night show "My darling." Billy said in a dreamy tone and even saying the name "Monica" between dreamy giggles.
"We're out of danger. Subject confirmed as the real Billy Kid." Anby said confidently and calmly as he lowered his sword.
"Wait, so that question you asked was to see if he was real or not?" I asked looking at the girl in surprise, making her nod.
"Correct, Benja. After meeting him, our chances of survival have increased to 67.8%. Changing the subject, I'm glad to know that you're okay, Billy." The girl said with a slight smile looking at the girl in front of her, who now seemed offended and puffing out her cheeks like a scolded child.
"I told you it was me! And also, who is the boy with you?" Billy asked, looking at me curiously.
"My name is Benja, sorry for the kick earlier, I didn't know if you're good or bad, but now I realize that you're Anby's friend." I said with a nervous smile looking at the boy, who laughed carefree.
"Nah, relax, I would have reacted the same way. You remind me a lot of my home, where we first knock, and then ask. But now that I see you, you're not from around here, but, what are you exactly?" Billy asked, looking at me with some curiosity.
"A hybrid monster. According to the information he gave me, he's part Kitsune and Vampire." Anby said looking at the boy, who was surprised.
"A vampire!? Like the robot vampires from chapter 131 of the Star Knights!?" The boy shouted, amazed, but the girl shook her head.
"No, more like the typical monster from classic stories and novels." The girl said, looking at her friend, who seemed amazed.
"Wow, well. Allow me to introduce myself, my name is Billy Kid, but just call me Billy, if you need a good shooter or to watch a movie of the Star Knights, count on me!" The boy made a heroic pose with two revolvers in his hands, making me laugh.
"It's nice to meet you, Billy." I said smiling looking at the boy in the jacket.
"Well, if the introductions are over, we have to go to another topic. Billy, have you seen Nicole?" Anby asked seriously looking at the masked boy.
"It's been a long time since we fell. Nicole must be looking for a way to get us out of here, but umm. Do you think she's willing to pay our ransom? You know how she is." Billy said with a nervous laugh looking at the girl, who lowered her head.
"Knowing how stingy she is, I'd say your prediction is correct." Anby said with a slight bitterness in his voice.
"But, why do you doubt that so much?" I asked confused looking at the two boys.
"You haven't lived with Nicole, you don't know her, but if you did, you'd realize how difficult it can be when it comes to money." Anby said with some seriousness looking at me.
"Damn... talking about this now made me worried." Billy said with fear covering his face before sighing to compose himself.
"Okay, don't despair. We can get out of this if we work together." The boy said looking at us with new determination making Anby and I nod.
"Okay, I'll go in front, Benja, you in the middle and Anby, as always, you go in front." After Billy said that, we heard noise in the distance, making us get serious.
"Looks like they're coming for more. It's time to rock." I said seriously but also with a smile, making the group nod.
We started to advance again in the place, we saw one of the beings jump on us from a wagon, trying to attack from above.
"It's mine!" Billy quickly shot with precision leaving the monster suspended under a burst of gunfire.
"My turn!" She quickly attacked with strong punches and kicks before delivering a kick to the chin that sent the monster flying.
"Mine." Anby was the last to attack, launching a swift attack into the air before delivering an axe strike with her sword wrapped in electricity.
"Uff, I feel calmer now that I'm with you, Anby. Benja, I admit that you're not doing too bad either, where did you learn to fight like that?" Billy asked as more ethereal beings appeared.
"You'd be surprised if I told you, I'll just say that I have good teachers." I said before attacking with two punches to the stomach before making way for Anby to finish off the monster with a slash from his sword.
"Well, they've taught you well." Anby said as Billy continued shooting at the beings while the girl and I attacked head-on.
"Clear the way, let's continue." Quickly the boy and I followed the white-haired girl to a station where we saw more monsters.
"I'll take care of it, I'll finish this quickly." I said as I walked until I was in front of the team.
"How will you do that?" Anby asked seeing me grab my vorpal sword.
"Kawakami Style: Musou Seikenzuki Midareuchi!" I quickly launched a punch with both arms at the same time, generating a strong wave of wind that knocked down the beings in the area, sending them crashing into a wall.
"That was amazing! How did you do that? Are you some kind of super soldier? Do you have cybernetic implants that allow you to attack using strong bursts of compressed air? Are you a magician!?" Billy approached me in such a way, holding my arms tightly while his face lit up like stars of happiness making me laugh nervously seeing him so amazed.
"One is still alive." Anby said pointing at one of the monsters on the ground, crawling weakly from the attack.
"I'll take care of it." I was surprised how Billy suddenly left his happy and smiling attitude, becoming cold and serious before pointing his gun at the core of the being.
"I'm sorry, it's nothing personal. We are people and you are monsters, we are destined to be enemies." The boy said before pulling the trigger, but he was scared when he saw that he only heard a "click" from his gun.
"Oh god, I forgot to load the gun!" Billy screamed in terror as the ethereal being stood up, about to stab the boy.
"Billy, watch out!" I quickly threw my vorpal sword, stabbing the monster in the shoulder, causing it to retreat before Anby, in a quick electric movement, cut the monster in half.
"Next time Billy, concentrate." Anby said as he put away his weapon but then noticed my vorpal sword.
"Hehe, it's a common mistake. Anyone would make it." The boy said embarrassedly as he was about to reload his weapons, but then we heard a noise coming from the other side.
"Wait, what's that over there?" Anby and I turned around at Billy's question, seeing in surprise a human shadow, but there was something that stood out a lot. From one of his hands, a blade came out while another arm was covered in a dark rock that was taking the shape of a shield.
"We better get closer, carefully." Anby said seriously making Billy and I nod before slowly walking to where that strange being was. As we got closer, we saw that it was a man who seemed to be going through some transformation, his voice sounded altered and he only growled as he attacked the same creatures we had been fighting.
"The safe is next to him," the girl said, pointing to a safe that was just a few inches away from the creature.
"That's true. That's good, that saves us a lot of time!" Billy said with a smile but then noticed Anby wanting to get closer causing him to stop her quickly.
"Anby, wait. What do you think you're doing?" The boy asked seriously looking at his partner.
"Catch and quickly recover the safe." The girl said looking at her friend.
"Wait, something's not right." Billy said as he took his weapons looking at the man, who stopped dead before turning around. I was startled to see that the man had his face divided into two, one part human and the other eaten away by rocks, it was like two faces, but more repulsive and more terrifying.
"I...cough...Destroy RAAAH!" The angry man shouted looking at us with hatred.
"Yep, the ether has corrupted him. The mutation is quite serious, it seems that this guy never had ethereal compatibility." Billy said looking at the man in front of us, getting my attention.
"Ethereal Compatibility? What is it exactly?" I asked looking at the boy while Anby slowly unsheathed his sword again.
"Ethereal compatibility is basically the only way to enter a cavity without being damaged by the energy of these places. It is a biological shield within us that allows us to remain in a cavity for a limited time, those who do not have this, have the bad luck of suffering a painful fate which is to transform into the creatures we have been fighting that we call "Ethereal beings." Beings of hate without any reasoning with the sole objective of destroying and eliminating any kind of non-ethereal life." Anby said seriously, surprising me a lot.
"...AAAH! Destroy...not take...GRRR!" The half-transformed man stared at us with anger and looking at the safe in front of him.
"His consciousness is resisting." Anby said as he tightened his grip on his sword seriously.
"It's too late, ethereal crystals cover his body. It has begun." Billy said as he prepared his weapons.
"What has begun?" He asked worriedly, seeing the man dying.
"AAHHHH! Help... Exterminate... GRR!" The man fell to the ground, writhing in pain as his body slowly altered.
"We have to help him!" I screamed in terror but when I tried to get closer, Billy stopped me.
"We can't. We're too late, he's finishing mutating, there's nothing we can do." The boy said seriously as we watched how slowly the man's body was consumed by the ethereal rocks and his head was replaced by the nucleus that was growing inside him. The three of us were knocked to the ground by a strong gust of wind that made us fall dryly to the ground.
When we looked up, we were surprised to see that now, that man was a being of enormous and imposing size, with a hard and impenetrable looking shield with a long bright green sword.
"He's one of the strong ones, Anby, Benja, get ready." Billy said seriously, holding his two weapons while the girl and I stood on guard.
"Understood." The girl and I replied at the same time, seeing the enemy now in front of us.
The huge being roared like a war cry before attacking at high speed causing the three of us to jump to avoid the attack, Billy quickly attacked with his weapons but the creature stopped the attacks with his shield before attacking the boy.
"Billy, watch out!" Anby quickly ran at high speed, getting in front of his partner, blocking the attack with difficulty before using all his strength to push the monster causing the ethereal being to retreat, an opportunity that the girl did not waste in attacking with quick cuts, generating wounds on the monster's body, which seemed to enrage it.
"Anby, back!" Just when the creature was going to backhand it with its sword, she grabbed its arm before performing a judo maneuver that knocked down the ethereal being.
"It has a long sword instead of a hand, let's be careful." The girl said seriously watching as the creature was standing up.
"But he's slow, let's use this to our advantage. Billy, attack with everything you have and keep your distance, Anby, you and I must make sure that he doesn't notice Billy while he shoots, let's be a distraction that he can't get rid of." I said seriously looking at the ethereal being, making the girl nod.
The girl and I started running around the creature giving punches and cuts that made the huge ethereal being focus only on us while Billy shot at point-blank range to the head, something that the creature noticed and covered itself with its rock shield.
"Hey ugly, here!" I shouted before attacking with a knee to the shield, causing the monster to hit its own defense before receiving a cut on the leg that made it kneel from Anby.
"Billy, aim for its core!" The girl shouted before dodging with me an attack from the huge being's sword.
"I try!" Billy shouted trying to aim at the head of the creature, who moved, trying to attack Anby and me.
"Shit, just when I would most like to use magic right now." I muttered annoyed, not realizing that Anby looked at me confused when she heard what I said before having to dodge another attack.
"Anby, together!" I shouted before running to where the creature was, starting to give it quick punches in the stomach before giving it a kick in the chest that made it back off. Anby didn't hesitate to run and give a quick blow with the hilt of his sword, causing the creature to be stunned.
"Billy, shoot now!" Anby shouted, looking at his friend, but before he could shoot, we both saw how the orb that functioned as the ethereal being's head began to move erratically before letting out a loud scream. We saw how his body was covered in electricity and slowly the green details changed to electric blue and the orb seemed to move in a distorted way.
"Is he recovering? Is his ethereal activity increasing?" Billy asked surprised as the three of us grouped together.
"Shall we continue attacking?" Anby asked seriously, looking at the ethereal being in front of us.
"No, we don't have the capacity to endure such a prolonged fight." The boy did not hesitate to shoot two fire extinguishers on the ground, creating a dense smoke screen.
"Let's get out of here."
The creature passed through the smoke screen, looking around only to notice that we were gone, but then his gaze focused on the safe that was on the floor next to him, he seemed curious about this, as if it was the first time he had seen it.
Back at the video store. The first rays of light peeked out from behind the buildings, Wise and Belle had already had breakfast with Eus and now they had returned to the same room from last night as there were no customers this morning.
"How do you think things are now?" Belle asked as she wiped the whipped cream from her lips.
"I don't know, it would be nice to see." Wise said before turning on the television.
"Neighborhood No. 14, where an explosion occurred on top of a residential building shortly after a subcavity appeared. We have been informed that it was caused by the Ministry of Security in an operation against El Colmillo Rojo, the Ministry of Security's air forces took drastic measures by opening fire." The television showed the place of the attack, showing the serious damage the building suffered from the missile attack.
"So far, the whereabouts of the leader of the Red Fangs are unknown, who seems to have fallen into the cavity. The head of the Ministry of Security has not made any comment on the matter, so far, explosives specialists are arriving in the area. No citizen should approach neighborhood No. 14! We will keep you informed..."
"Can you stop looking!"
Suddenly the attention of the brothers and Eus was focused on Nicole, who abruptly entered the room, sweating and clearly tired.
"I was there when the explosion happened on the news!" The girl shouted before walking to the television to turn it off.
"This is an emergency! Anby, Billy, and the target of the assignment have fallen into the cavity. I need the help of a Proxy, now!" Nicole looked at the brothers, noticing that they were calm, almost carefree but with a nervous smile.
"Hello, Nicole...next time, knock before entering." Wise said nervously, making Belle nod.
"You always say it's an emergency, at least three times a month." The girl said before standing up with her brother and the small robot before leaving the room, with Nicole behind.
"Laugh all you want, but first get me out of this mess! I beg you, oh legendary Phaeton." The two brothers laughed before turning to look at Nicole.
"What mess have you gotten yourself into this time?" Wise and Belle asked at the same time looking at the girl.
"Stop playing, this is serious!" The girl shouted, clearly not in the mood to tolerate the siblings' games.
"Belle, come to the study to talk to Nicole, we'll wait for you. Close everything before you go." Wise said before taking the irate girl away, her sister just nodded and closed the door and the blinds before going back to the room where it all started.
"Very well. There's no one suspicious outside, and none of the neighbors are awake, all clear." Belle said as she sat on the couch looking at her brother and Nicole.
"Don't worry about that, I didn't leave a trace! Believe me when I tell you that it was hard for me to get here from Ward No. 14 without being seen, but I assure you that no one followed me." The pink-haired girl said more calmly than before.
"You better be." Wise said with some seriousness looking at the girl.
"Listen, I know things have been a little hairy with the Founding Anniversary right around the corner, especially now that they've stepped up their search for proxies. They even set up a hotline and..."
"Nicole, come on, let's just cut to the chase." Belle interrupted Nicole, looking at the girl with her arms crossed.
"I have an assignment for you two! It's a matter of life or death!" Nicole shouted seriously, looking at the two brothers, beginning to tell what happened on their mission and what happened with the Red Fang gang.
"And so, Billy and Anby fell into the cavity, the fault of that fucking crazy reporter. I have to get Billy and Anby back, along with the object of the assignment. It's an emergency and I can only count on you!" The pink-haired girl said seriously, looking at Wise and Belle.
"Why don't you send a ransom request to the Cavity Investigation Association?" Belle asked, looking at Nicole calmly. That was like a blow to Nicole.
"I don't want to draw the association's attention. If they find out that we're involved in cavity looting, we'll be in much worse trouble. Besides, I'll lose more than just money. I can't abandon my team, right?" The pink-haired girl asked, looking worriedly at the two brothers.
"Abandoning your employees... sounds like something you would definitely do." Wise's words angered Nicole, who clenched her fists.
"Hey, you're so evil! I invest a lot of the profits in 'employee aid and rescue', you know? Look, my request is more than simple. All I want is for you to get my people and the target out of the cavity safe and sound! What's wrong with you? You're not accepting Proxy jobs anymore, Phaeton? Please, if you finish this mission I'll pay you in cash." Nicole said looking at the siblings, who looked at each other.
"Okay. Just this once." Belle said looking at Nicole.
"If that's not enough, then... wait, do we have a deal?" The pink-haired girl asked clearly surprised looking at Wise and Belle.
"Right, though I would have expected Belle to let you finish your sentence." The boy said looking at his sister, who laughed.
"That's great! There's no time to waste, I'll be waiting for you in the cavity and, ouch!" Just when Nicole was about to run, she touched her ankle in annoyance.
"Nicole, you must be hurt too, you look too tired and exhausted to go out again, stay and rest a little before you can leave, we'll take care of it." Belle said helping the pink-haired girl sit on the couch.
"But...uh..."
"Listen to my sister." Wise said just as Nicole was looking for an excuse to disobey Belle's request.
"Also, we'll need your help later to transport Eus near the cavity." The girl said with a smile, making the pink-haired girl look in amazement and smile.
"Oh, so they're going to deploy their double Bangboo. Okay, count on me." Nicole said with a calmer smile looking at the siblings.
"Belle, take care of Nicole's wounds. I'll go debug the HDD and make preparations to access the cavity." Wise said looking at her sister, who nodded with a smile.
"Alright, let's get down to business." The girl began to heal Nicole's wounds while Wise walked over to the computer, starting with the work.
The minutes seemed to last forever, the two brothers working quickly while Nicole slowly recovered, fortunately it was nothing serious, just a cramp that passed.
Right now, the pink-haired girl was driving to a secluded area before getting Eus out of the vehicle.
"Alright little one, let's go." Nicole said as she and the Bangboo entered an alley.
Meanwhile, Belle was putting the finishing touches on a database while Wise prepared some things.
"Hey, Nicole, do you hear me? You can send Eus now." Wise said while on the other side. The girl looked at a huge passageway with an entrance to the cavity.
"Ok, ready little one? You can go now." The pink-haired girl said looking at the robot, who began to walk at a slow pace.
"Ready, your Bangboo is in position, I'll wait here for the others to come out." Nicole said before getting back into the vehicle.
"Alright, are you ready, Belle?" Wise asked, looking at his sister, who nodded with a smile.
"Yes, let's do it." Wise nodded at Belle's words and pressed a button on the desk, starting a program on the computer. The girl took a deep breath and opened her eyes, now they were no longer normal, but cybernetic, but there was also one more detail.
She was no longer looking at the computers and the room they were in, right now, she was seeing what Eus saw, the little robot seemed to move involuntarily but it was not something that bothered him, with a look full of determination, the Bangboo would take a bomb out of his pocket before entering the cavity.
To say that this place was hell would be an insult to Rias and the other devils, but I couldn't deny that this place was torment. Tired, weak, almost without strength, Billy, Anby and I had been running and fighting for almost four hours straight. The three of us were currently running from two ethereal beings before jumping over a safety bar, hoping to find a new place or a hiding place.
"What!? We've returned to the beginning!" The boy in the jacket shouted, horrified to see that we returned to the same place where we started.
"How is this possible?" I asked, equally surprised and tired seeing this.
"The cavities are almost infinite labyrinths, I heard that many researchers considered this to be a living nightmare." Anby said seriously but then we heard something land and when we turned around we saw the Ethereal beings landing in front of us.
"Another fight!? Damn, I'm almost out of ammo!" Billy screamed, looking at his weapons in terror, seeing that his weapons were almost out of ammunition.
"And I almost have no strength left." I said, somewhat tired. Fighting all day, although it was a training that was working, including the running, doing this for a long time was tiring me.
"Here they come, get ready to fight." Anby said seriously, watching as the ethereal beings launched themselves at us. Billy and I stood on guard with her, but then we saw some bombs that passed by us, landing in the middle between the monsters and us. When they exploded, a thick curtain of smoke appeared, causing the boys and I to start coughing.
"It wasn't me!" The boy in the jacket shouted between coughs, looking at Anby and me.
"Guys, over here." The three of us turned around, only to see a small being greeting us. We immediately went to where the small robot was, taking advantage of the fact that the enemies were distracted.
"Good job, guys." The small robot said with a smile, looking at us.
"The Bangboo in front of us can talk and is wearing a scarf." Anby said as he looked at Billy, who became excited.
"Oh..you are..."
"Fateon!" Anby and Billy shouted at the same time, while on the other side, Belle was happy to see the two boys.
"Benja, I want you to... Huh? Wait, where's Benja?" Billy asked when he noticed that I was no longer there, which confused Billy and Anby.
"Who?" Belle asked confused but then she was surprised to be lifted off the ground.
"Aww, you're the cutest little thing I've ever seen!" The three of them noticed that I was hugging Eus with great affection while my tails took the shape of a heart like a happy cat with its new toy.
"Hey, could you put me down?" The girl asked surprised at the sudden turn but then noticed that I was rocking with her, using my tails as support.
"You're the cutest and most adorable little thing ever, look at you, so small, fluffy, I want to die!" I shouted full of joy caressing and hugging Bangboo, Billy couldn't help but laugh at this scene, Anby just smiled while Belle was red at the sudden affectionate turn.
"Benja, this is Fateon, she's our friend, could you please put her down?" The white-haired girl asked with a smile while trying not to end up like her friend in the red jacket, who was literally crying from laughter.
"Well, they have the cutest and most adorable little thing of all as a friend." I said between purrs while caressing Eus's ears.
"Does he purr? He's like a huge cat." Belle said surprised while I continued hugging her.
"He's a hybrid monster, but there will be time to talk about it. Benja, we really need you to put him down, it's the only way we can get out of here." Anby said seriously making me nod before putting Eus down.
"Anby, do you think that ethereal being was following us?" Billy asked with some nervousness looking at the girl, but was relieved when he saw that she shook her head.
"I can't hear the higher ethereal being anymore." Hearing that was a sigh of relief for Billy and me.
"Good, because I feel like the pistons in my legs are going to explode!" The boy in the red jacket shouted massaging his legs, calling my attention.
"Pistons? Are you a cyborg or do you use cybernetic implants?" I asked, looking at Billy curiously. Deep inside, I thought that I might have landed in another country, one that urgently needed my team's help.
"For now it would be better to rest. Okay, Proxy?" Anby asked looking at Belle, who nodded.
"Sounds good to me, anyway, I have to make a couple of adjustments to Eus, so I'm going to be sitting. By the way, can you tell me about your new friend? Is he perhaps a new member of the Cunning Hares?" Belle asked looking at me curiously leaving me somewhat confused.
"Negative. I found Benja wandering around the cavity aimlessly looking for a way out, he says he's been here for hours, we both started covering each other's backs until we could find a way out." Anby said looking at the Bangboo on the ground.
"And he's super strong! You should have seen how he swept the ground with a whole group of ethereal beings, he used the wind to his advantage and was even able to do a Judo hold to a higher ethereal being!" Billy shouted with stars in his eyes looking at me.
"Really? I never thought I'd hear someone with such strength and abilities, it makes me believe that you're not from around here." What Belle said made me laugh nervously, something that Anby noticed and I didn't realize before standing up.
"I'll take the first watch. Benja, if you want you and Billy can rest with the Proxy, I'll make sure no ethereal being comes near." ANby said seriously as he stood up.
"Phew, we narrowly dodged a huge bullet. I never thought that leader of the Red Fang would become such a powerful ethereal being." The boy in the jacket said before dropping into the train aisle behind him.
"Red Fang? Umm, guys, I don't understand a lot of things. I need to know what's going on." I said looking at everyone, causing Billy and Belle to look at me in confusion.
"What are you talking about, Benja?" The boy asked curiously making me cross my arms.
"Cavities, ethereal beings, supreme ethereal beings, Red Fang, Cunning Hares, ethereal energy. I have so many questions that I wouldn't know where to start, what exactly is this place? Where am I?" I asked looking at the three boys, who seemed surprised by my doubts.
"That you don't know about the Cunning Hares and Red Fang is understandable, but that you don't know anything about the ethereal beings and the monstrosities that live here? That's shocking." Billy said looking at me in amazement, making Belle nod.
"Benja, what exactly is your story? How did you end up in this situation?" Belle asked, looking curiously, making me hesitate between saying it and not.
"Well..."
The moment of peace was interrupted when a loud roar caught our attention, making me shut up before I could explain.
"Etheric beings are approaching, we must move forward." Anby said seriously, looking at us while the Bangboo and I stood up, much to Billy's horror.
"How!? So soon!? I just sat down!" The boy shouted as he reluctantly stood up.
"Don't worry, Billy. I'll go in front this time, I'll take care of these things myself, but when we get out, I'll need answers." I said, looking at the boy, who hugged me tightly, taking me by surprise.
"Bless you, Benja. Thanks, I'll make it up to you soon, maybe we could watch a Space Knights marathon together!" The boy shouted happily, making me laugh.
"Alright everyone. Go on, Benja, cover us." I nodded at Belle's request and the four of us started running again, following the Bangboo's directions.
"I found the exit, it's not far from here, let's go ahead." Belle said as the four of us carefully advanced.
"Everything seems calm, I don't hear anything." I said as we began to follow the girl's directions. But then we stopped when we saw a group of ethereal beings in front of us.
"Shit, they're blocking the way." Belle said annoyed seeing this.
"Don't worry, boss. Benja will clear the way, Benja, do it like you did before!" Billy shouted with a smile looking at me making me laugh shyly.
"No, we'll go together. It's enough that Benja covers us, we won't leave him alone, get ready, Billy." Anby said seriously unsheathing his sword.
"Guys, you don't have to do this." I said looking at the two, but I saw the boy in the jacket take out his weapons.
"No, Anby's right, Benja. It wouldn't be fair to have you carry all the work by walking." I nodded at that and the three of us ran towards the ethereal beings in front of us.
Billy was the first to start, firing his bullets at two ethereal beings, drawing the attention of the group that did not hesitate to attack. Anby and I took advantage of this to attack in a divided and uniform manner, while the girl fought with her sword, I adapted Magrit's combat style even though I did not have my tonfas with me.
"The last one!" I shouted before attacking with a hook that threw the ethereal being into the air.
"Mine!" Billy fired bursts that kept the monster in the air, before being crushed by Anby with his sword.
"uff, that's how you fight, give me that high five!" The boy in the jacket shouted with a smile making me laugh, just when I was going to accept the greeting, my fur stood on end.
"Something's not right." Suddenly a tremor came at what I said, shaking part of the place.
"What was that?" Belle asked nervously looking around.
"Ethereal beings, and there must be many of them, we must leave quickly before they sense our presence." Anby said seriously making us nod before resuming our escape.
"Phaeton, right? How much further?" I asked as we ran, looking every now and then to make sure we were alone.
"Not much, we're almost there. We just have to get through this gate." We stopped just as a gate blocked our way.
"To continue, please pay the fee to open the gate."
We turned around to see a toll booth, with a computer patiently waiting for the money, something that shocked and slightly annoyed us.
"Ramses would take this as an insult." I said annoyed to myself. If Cleo and her family were here and heard that, they wouldn't hesitate to say that such a toll system in the middle of a chaotic place was the most absurd and even greedy thing ever created.
"Ugh, are they really going to charge us the toll even inside a cavity!?. Even if I got through, the Star Knights would never allow it!" Billy shouted before walking with firm steps to where the machine is, before slamming his hand on it, causing Anby, Belle, and I to wince as we heard a metallic noise.
"And even if they did, Nicole would never accept it either!" Billy gathered all his strength and hit the panel hard, almost breaking it.
"Billy, I don't think that..."
"Take this, you star mirage!"
My words were silenced when the boy roughly attacked the device, managing to break it and get the door open, but then we saw that he was holding his hands in pain, which worried us.
"Billy, are you okay?" I asked as I ran to help the boy.
"Yeah, ugh, I'm okay. I just, maybe hurt my wrist, that's all." Billy said looking at his wrist, but I was terrified when I saw how it moved, it was literally as if his bones had broken.
"Maybe!? Your wrist is shattered!" I screamed terrified looking at the boy, who laughed carefree despite the pain.
"No, relax. This arm is my artificial arm, I may have broken some components, but it's okay, this happens very often for me, you'll see that I just need to adjust it again and it will be as good as new." Billy said with a smile looking at me.
"Don't do something so stupid again, come on, let's get out of here." Anby said seriously before resuming the path with Belle.
"The exit is close. Just a little further." Wise's sister said confidently, but suddenly something landed in front of us. Slowly the smoke dispersed and we saw an ethereal being of enormous size, he wore traffic signs on his back as ornaments and held some sharp train signs almost like axes.
"That's a super strong ethereal being, it even gave me goosebumps." Billy said nervously looking at the creature.
"How can you get goosebumps?" Anby asked looking at the boy out of the corner of his eye, while she unsheathed her sword.
"It was just an expression!" Billy tried to grab his weapons, but due to the condition of one of his hands, he couldn't hold the other.
"Billy, stay back and repair your hand. I'll buy you time." I said seriously looking at the boy, who was surprised.
"Benja, are you sure? He's a huge and strong one." Billy said with concern, making me smile a little.
"Where I come from, doing this is no problem. And besides, the more challenging the battles are, the more fun they are." I said looking at the ethereal being, who gave a war cry.
Immediately Anby and I moved at high speed at the first war cry, the ethereal being tried to crush us, but being more agile, we managed to dodge the attack without problems. The white-haired girl did not waste the opportunity to attack with her electric sword while I helped with attacks from behind, obviously this enraged the ethereal being, who roared, generating a wave of wind that made us retreat.
"The ethereal activity is increasing. The enemies will become stronger now!" Belle shouted worriedly seeing how the ethereal being we were facing moved in a more ferocious and violent way.
"It's blue now, just like the other one." I said while Anby and I dodged the attacks.
"We have to be careful." I nodded at what the girl said before resuming the fight.
Just when the ethereal being tried to crush us with a blow of the mallet, he moved up his arm and kicked him in the chest, which made him step back. Anby took advantage of that to attack the monster from behind, giving a deep cut to the back that made him fall to his knees.
"Let's finish this quickly before more come." I said seriously before hitting the monster with a palm strike to the chest that made it fall.
"Bye."
Was all Anby said before stabbing the sword into the ethereal being's orb, finishing it off.
"Phew, good that it's all over." Billy said looking at us with a smile.
"Billy, how's your doll?" Anby asked curiously looking at his friend.
"Better, barely. Although I was able to repair it a bit, I'll need to change some parts when we leave, but I'll be able to hold on." The boy said showing us his now better doll.
"Alright, let's continue." Belle said before walking quickly, making us follow her.
"I can hear footsteps approaching, you must have heard that ethereal being's roar." I said as the four of us quickly advanced through the place.
"Boss, where now?" Billy asked, looking behind us constantly.
"Let's keep going." Before we could pay attention, we were surprised to find that there was no exit, just a wall.
"There's a wall in front of us! Do you want to knock it down? But I'm out of ammo!" the boy in the jacket shouted, clearly disturbed by the sight of the wall in front of us.
"Don't worry, just trust my sister." Wise said from the other side. Calling my attention since I didn't expect the little robot to have two voices.
"That voice...ah, it's the other Phaeton!" Billy shouted with a smile looking at the Bangboo in front of us.
"You're finally online, Wise." Belle said with a smile looking sideways at her brother, who was standing next to her.
"I'm so sorry, I was just checking that the cavity exit was stable enough, by the way, who's the boy accompanying you?" The girl's brother asked looking at me with confusion.
"Let's save the introductions for another time, Brother. Anby, Billy, Benja, do you hear me? What he told you is true about the escape route. As you know, the space between cavities is distorted, that means..."
"What seems to be an escape route, is a dead end and vice versa." Anby said, concluding Belle's sentence.
"Everyone knows that, Anby," Billy said as he covered his face in shame again.
"In other words, the escape route is already ready. You can trust us." Belle said looking at us with a smile.
"How is it possible that this could happen?" I asked looking at the girl, who laughed.
"Don't worry Benja, you'll have all the answers once you get out. But now trust us, we're going to hang up now, good luck guys." We suddenly saw how Eus lowered his head for a few moments before raising it again, looking confused.
"The voices disappeared. Now in front of us there is only a regular Bangboo." Anby said looking at the Bangboo in front of us.
"Why did they have to log out at a time like this!?" Billy shouted horrified looking at the small robot, who was still confused.
"We have no other option, if the only way out here is through this wall, there is no other." I said looking at the wall and then behind us, being able to hear the ethereal beings approaching.
"Straight line trajectory. Impact imminent, prepare yourself." Anby said seriously looking at Billy.
"Come on Billy!" I quickly grabbed the Bangboo and the boy's hand.
"Together." Anby said as he imitated my action and the four of us ran to the wall, much to Billy's horror.
"We're going to crash, we're going to crash!" The boy in the jacket shouted terrified.
I couldn't deny that I was also terrified so I closed my eyes, preparing for the impact. But then I felt a tickling, an electric sensation that was confusing, I opened my eyes and when I looked I noticed that we were no longer inside the cavity, but on a distant street, but then, slowly I felt something that made me feel happy.
"My magic. It's coming back." I said smiling looking at my hands with happiness.
"It's gone. The ethereal pressure has disappeared." Anby said looking behind us where there is now a wall.
"We're out, we're finally out, haha!" Billy fell to his knees laughing with joy looking at the sky. But then we heard something that caught our attention, the sound of a horn honking.
"Just in time, just like Faeton said." Nicole said with a smile looking at us.
"Nickie!" Billy walked to the car on his knees, hugging it through tears of happiness.
"It's good to see you're okay, Nicole." Anby said looking at the girl with a smile.
"I can say the same, though. Who is he?" Nicole asked looking at me with a raised eyebrow, getting my attention.
"My name is Benja, you're friends with Anby and Billy, right?" I asked with a smile looking at the girl, who suddenly became serious, which worried me.
"Listen, buddy. You may be cute and have beautiful ears and tails, but you better not be a policeman." The girl said seriously looking at me, taking me by surprise.
"Don't worry, Nicole. Benja's not a policeman, although I don't know if he's something else either, he's a hybrid monster, a Kitsune and a Vampire. We'll explain everything to you later." Anby said looking at the pink-haired girl, who relaxed a little.
"Okay. Come on, get in, we have to get out of here before someone sees us." Anby and Billy nodded before getting into the vehicle with me and Eus, once we were all inside, Nicole began to drive through the streets quickly.
"Alright Belle, we have to go. Nicole and the others will have arrived by now." Wise said as he grabbed a backpack.
"Wise, you heard what Benja said, right?" Belle's question caused her brother to stop before he could even leave the room.
"Yeah. Do you think he hit his head or something? Maybe he could even be some explorer who got lost and ended up in a cavity by mistake." Wise said as he looked at his sister, who was hesitating.
"I don't know, Wise. Besides, Anby said that he was a Hybrid monster, a kitsune and a vampire. Demi-humans can't be of two different species, and since he's a fox demi-human, he shouldn't have nine tails, but just one." Belle said as she stood up.
"We better find out who he is. Let's prepare a few questions on the way while we go see Nicole and the others, I just hope it's not some kind of prank or something planned." The two brothers left the room and then the video store before locking the door and starting to walk.
To be honest, I thought the ride would be relaxing and comfortable. But in reality, Nicole was driving recklessly through the city, taking every curve and turn with skill, although I couldn't deny that this scared me a little.
"And here we are!" The pink-haired girl shouted before making a sharp turn, parking the car like in an action movie.
"Haha, Nickie, that was amazing!" Billy shouted with a smile as we all got out of the vehicle, I could see Eus hugging my arm in fear, literally shaking from everything that happened.
"I admit that, it was good." I said looking at the girl with a nervous smile. If Selina and the other girls knew Nicole, I had no doubt that they would invite her to a race in Metropolis.
"How fast they came back, Nicole. Did they run some red lights again?" We turned to see Wise and Belle arriving where we are.
"Not at all! It was a green light... with a value of R255 on the RGB scale. But I made sure that no one was following me." Nicole said seriously, looking at the two brothers.
"Anby. What does a green R255 light look like?" Billy asked, looking at the white-haired girl with curiosity.
"The same color as your jacket." A depressive aura appeared on Nicole at what her friends said, looking away in shame.
"Putting that aside. Nicole, it's time to pay." Wise said, looking at the pink-haired girl, who seemed more nervous than before, but then she became serious.
"Not so fast. We're not done yet, we agreed that we would get my friends and the target out of the cavity, they've only finished the first part of the job!" The girl shouted seriously, looking at the two brothers.
"Don't worry, we haven't forgotten. We're just joking." Belle said laughing, looking at Nicole, who pouted.
"I know that, Phaeton is trustworthy." The girl said with a small smile.
"I don't want to interrupt, but. I still have questions." Everyone turned to look at me, while I stroked Eus to relax him.
"Well, us too, I hope you don't mind answering a few questions, Benja." Belle said looking at me calmly making me nod.
"Okay, let's go to the video store, from there we can talk with more privacy." Wise said before starting to walk with all of us back to the store. When I opened it, I saw that the place looked nice, with a large catalog of movies.
"Wow, they look interesting." I said while taking a vhs tape in my hands.
"Do you like movies?" Belle asked looking at me with a smile making me nod.
"I like romance and action movies." I said looking at the girl with a smile, who looked at her brother mockingly.
"Did you hear that, bro? Benja seems to have good tastes that go beyond independent cinema." The girl said mockingly, making her brother roll his eyes with a smile.
"Independent cinema is good too." Wise said as we all entered a room that caught my attention greatly and it was because of the numerous screens that were there, I couldn't help but feel nostalgic, this place gave me the same comfort as our first base in Metropolis.
"Do you want something to drink?" I looked down to see Eus, adorably showing me some sodas making me laugh.
"Thanks, sweetie." I said before taking a can with a smile while the robot returned the gesture.
"Well. Benja, if it's not bothering you, we'd like to start with you. What exactly are you?" Anby asked looking at me with slight seriousness as I sat down.
"Well, like I said. I'm a hybrid monster, a kitsune and a vampire." I said before concentrating, suddenly everyone was amazed when I transformed into my kitsune form and then into my bat form before returning to my normal form.
"That was amazing, do it again!" Billy shouted with starry eyes looking at me while the others came back to their senses.
"But, how is that possible? We never heard of demihumans with double characteristics of two different species." Wise said surprised looking at me.
"Benja, where are you from?" Belle asked, looking at me in surprise, making me play with my can, showing that I was nervous.
"I can tell you everything. But first, I'll have to ask you to keep an open mind at all times, please." They all looked at me confused but nodded making me sigh before starting.
I don't remember how long it took, but I told everything from beginning to end. The things I did, the things I was capable of, my adventures and so on and how I got here. Belle, Wise, Nicole, Billy and Anby asked me on more than one occasion for moments to assimilate everything, which I allowed for obvious reasons until I got to how I got here.
"So, my friends and I went in search of Peacock. Wherever I went, it took me to a unique and unmatched place, as if all the dimensions were connected into one, but in one, I don't know what, but someone tried to attack me so I tried to return to my dimension, but the portal closed. In the end, I decided to venture into another portal instead of waiting for death, and, I landed in what they call a Cavity where I was unconscious, when I recovered, I looked for help and there I found Ethereal beings who began to attack me, so I continued all day, until I found Anby." I said looking at everyone while playing with the can that Eus had previously given me.
"And from there. He, me, and Billy continued exploring the cavity, finding the safe and what was left of the Red Fang leader before he became a higher ethereal being, we tried to retrieve the safe but then it seems that the former Red Fang leader got a power boost, forcing us to make a tactical retreat, where we were looking for the exit like headless chickens until you guys found us." Anby said, looking at Wise and Belle.
"Wow. Benja, I really have no words. You are..."
"A real superhero!" Billy interrupted Wise's sister before taking my hands like a fan.
"Tell me more about that friend of yours, Genji, right? Tell me more about what adventures they had, what battles they did, could you show me more about him!?" The boy shouted, clearly excited like a child looking at his idol.
"Okay, okay, time out." Nicole said as she pushed Billy away from me, something the boy didn't like.
"Nickie, we literally have a wizard in front of us!" The boy shouted, pointing at me with his arms.
"We still don't know if he's really a magician, he could have made up that whole story." Nicole said looking at me with some distrust.
"He's not lying." We all turned to see Anby, I was shocked to see that she had my vorpal sword.
"I've never seen this metal before, this knife is too big to be a classic one and the way it's made doesn't seem to be made by common methods like a blacksmith or a modern craftsman would do, this weapon is like created by magic." The girl said before giving me my sword making me take it in amazement.
"So, that confirms that everything is real. But, do you have some way to get back home, right?" Belle asked curiously looking at me, making me deny.
"Unfortunately no. My magic doesn't let me open portals, much less alter time and space, it's a magic forbidden to wizards, not to mention that I would need a lot of power, something I don't have, the only one who can open portals is Peacock, and like I said, I saw thousands of what is probably millions of portals, which means that finding me will be very difficult for my friends." I said looking away sadly.
"No problem, you can stay with us if you want." We were all surprised to hear what Belle said.
"Belle, we've only known him for a few hours. You can't just suddenly offer him a bed here with us, we don't know if he's trustworthy." Wise said looking at his sister with some seriousness.
"Come on Wise, Benja is alone. Besides, it'll only be for a while, then we'll help Benja find a home in the city, it'll only be a few days, that's all, and besides, he doesn't have citizenship and much less papers, we'll have to do a lot of paperwork and try to find a way so that the Ministry of Public Security doesn't take him as a threat, come on brother, besides, wouldn't you like to work with a magician? I bet he would make things more interesting around here." Belle said with a smile looking at her brother, who remained silent for a moment before sighing.
"Okay. You can stay, but you'll have to work at the video store with us if you want to stay, however, Benja, you'll have to settle for the couch here in the living room, we only have two rooms plus the bathroom." Wise said looking at me, making me nod with a smile.
"Don't worry, Wise. My magic protects me from the cold and heat, though, I'm confused about something. Inside the cavity, I couldn't use any kind of magic besides my fighting skills, is it perhaps an act of defense?" I asked, looking at my hands creating fire from them, which surprised everyone, especially Billy.
"Mm, well. If I have to guess, cavities are places of corrupted and highly dangerous energy, those who are not compatible with ethereal energy usually last between ten to fifteen minutes only, but, those who are compatible, can even go for days without showing signs of serious corruption, only slight ones." Belle said looking at me thoughtfully, while we all ignored Billy, who was roasting marshmallows in my hands.
"Maybe my magic acted as a defensive layer against the corrupted energy, although, I don't know if I'm fully compatible or not inside a cavity, however, my magic is important, not only for fighting, but for healing and supporting my team." I said as I put out the fire on my hands. Billy was saddened to see that, but then he saw that I lit my tails on fire, making the boy excited again.
"Maybe it would be best if you let your magic get used to the cavities. We could take you to one so you can find out what your magic needs." Belle said with a smile looking at me.
"I think it would be better for another time, it's too late now." We all looked at Wise noticing that he was looking at a clock, when we looked, we were surprised to see that it was already eleven at night.
"What, so late!? Oh no, I'll miss the new chapter of the Star Knights! Nickie, please, let's go!" Billy shouted looking at the pink haired girl with fear.
"Well, I have to admit that this was unexpected but at the same time gratifying. Listen Benja, if you want to try more of your magic in the cavities, you can come with us, we promise that there will be no loss and also, remember that you would still be trapped there if it weren't for us, so, you owe us." Nicole said with a flirtatious smile, making me laugh embarrassed.
"Nicole, don't drag Benja into having to work with you. He shouldn't be exposed to so much new surroundings without knowing anything about cavities." Belle said with slight seriousness looking at the pink haired girl.
"No, Belle. Nicole is right and has the right to ask me for help, if I hadn't met Anby, I would never have been able to get out, and I am not only indebted to her, but also to you and your brother, you saved my life, and that is never forgotten." I said smiling looking at everyone, who smiled a little.
"Then it's decided, Benja will be a member of the Cunning Hares, and he will help Belle and Wise at the video store, everyone wins. Now it will be better to go to rest, we have an objective to recover tomorrow, so go to sleep early." Nicole said with a smile looking at us.
"But, today's chapter..."
"You can record it to watch it tomorrow at breakfast, Billy." Anby said, before the boy in the red jacket could talk about his misfortune.
"Very well. Wise, Belle, we'll see you tomorrow. Take care of our Kitsune until we return." The pink haired girl said with a flirtatious smile before leaving with her friends.
"Well, I'll go dust off some blankets that are stored away, Wise help me find a pillow for Benja." Belle said looking at her brother, who nodded.
"Benja, stay here, we won't be long." The two brothers left the room, leaving me alone making me sigh before taking out my Icoffin to see a picture of my family.
Night came. I was lying there staring at the ceiling in silence lying on the couch that Wise and Belle allowed me to use, I could see next to me a Banggoo similar to Eus sleeping in a briefcase making me smile a little, I got up and left the room before leaving the store.
I slowly began to fly into the night sky before stopping to see a sight that amazed me. The city was beautiful, I noticed cavities throughout the place, that surprised and horrified me at the same time. How was it possible for these people to live so peacefully with those violent monsters and with the cavities literally around the corner from their home?
I stopped for a moment to look at the night sky, thinking about how they would find me.
"Please don't forget me." I said before slowly descending back to the video store to go to the couch to rest. Today had been a long and difficult day, all I wanted now was to rest and prepare myself, physically and mentally for tomorrow. There were so many things to do and places to see, and to be honest, I was excited.
"Alright, we're almost there."
We all walked down a huge hallway, unlike the others, I was nervous while Shoukaku was on my shoulders.
"Husband, why are you so scared?" The girl asked looking at me curiously.
"Hey, why do you call him that? You better address him by his name." Lucy said seriously and annoyed upon hearing what the girl said.
"But, Nagi calls Benja "Husband" when she sleeps, right sister?" Yanagi looked away with a red face, ignoring murderous looks.
"What Miss Shoukaku wants to know is why I'm nervous." Lycaon said with a raised eyebrow looking at me, making me sigh.
"It's just that we're going to the main room so everyone can meet them, I said I wouldn't do any more new stories until I finished the old ones, and I don't know how they'll take this news." I said nervously looking ahead, getting a snort of annoyance from Lucy.
"Well, that's what happened to you for not controlling your imagination, idiot." The girl said with her arms crossed looking at me.
"Lucy, I remind you that you kept sending letters to Benja asking, even forcing him to make romantic chapters with you." Lighter said mockingly, which angered the girl.
"Fuck you!" The girl shouted, clearly annoyed looking away with a deep blush.
"Alright. Here we go, get ready." I opened the door, where everyone was, and when they turned around, they were very surprised to see the new members.
"Guys, umm...say hello to our new friends." I said with a nervous smile looking at everyone. I was scared by the minutes of silence that came, seeming like years, but then I saw Billy running at high speed to where Genji was.
"It can't be. You're a Cyborg just like me!" The boy shouted as he looked at the Cyborg ninja with admiration.
"Oh, umm, thanks. You're a Cyborg too, I admit you are, incredible." Genji said with a smile under his mask while the boy in the jacket shouted with happiness.
"And that sword, are you a swordsman!? Can I borrow it? No, let's change weapons!" Billy shouted, showing his two revolvers looking at Genji.
"How immature / What an idiot."
Hanzo and Lighter looked at each other as they both spoke at the same time, watching Billy's childish attitude towards Genji as both Cyborgs spoke to each other.
"Meow, a new feline, how original." Toralei said with disgust looking at Nekomata, who wrinkled her face in a defiant manner.
"Nervous that I take Benja, old lady?" The girl asked mockingly, surprising both Toralei and her friends, but then they smiled.
"We're going to understand each other very well. Did you know that Benja is obedient like a dog if you scratch behind his ears?" Toralei asked mockingly, making Nekomata laugh.
"Are you joking? It's more effective if it's on his neck."
I felt a chill run down my spine, looking at the cat girls, who looked at me with mocking and evil smiles.
"Wow, another werewolf. What's up bro, I'm Clawd." The wolf boy said with a smile looking at Lycaon wanting to give him a brotherly greeting, but the werewolf butler gave him a gentlemanly handshake.
"Lycaon, young Clawd. It's a pleasure to meet one of Benja's friends, I hope we can have a great working environment together." The white-furred wolf said kindly, making Clawd laugh.
"So you're a Cyborg too?" Qingyi asked looking at Sojourn, who laughed.
"Not quite, I'm still human, but my limitations required improvements. Besides, it's hard to say no to thrusters on my legs." Vivian said as she showed the thrusters on her legs.
"Interesting. I'll talk to my superiors, maybe some thrusters will help my body be more aerodynamic, maybe I'll make bets with Benja in secret." The girl said as she spoke to the veteran.
"Wow, it's nice to meet another animal around here." Ben turned around to see a huge rolling ball and Winston approaching.
"A gorilla and a rolling ball?" The bear asked confused, but then he saw Hammond emerge from a hatch in the ball.
"Hehe, I prefer the term, scientist please. My name is Winston, and this is my friend Hammond." The gorilla said with a smile, looking at Ben, who smiled a little embarrassed now.
"Oh, well, sorry for the misunderstanding. It's a pleasure for me too." Ben and Winston shook hands with a smile as they began to talk.
"It's nice to meet you." The attention was stolen when Marie and Monaka arrived, making Shoukaku laugh.
"That's great, husband has children my age!" The blue-skinned girl shouted excitedly looking at the girls.
"I'm Marie Escudero, and this is my sister Monaka. We're Benja's daughters, and you're?" The skullgirl asked with a raised eyebrow looking at Shoukaku.
"I'm Shoukaku, Nagi is my sister and Benja is husband!" The blue-skinned girl shouted innocently, confusing the two girls.
"Husband? You're too young for that, who told you that?" Marie asked confused.
"Nagi, she said it. She always says "Benja, husband, wedding" she says it every night." Shoukaku said confused, ignoring that her sister was bright red.
"Mmm, then, if you get married, you'll be like our aunt. But since you're young, then you'll become daddy's daughter." Monaka said with a smile, making Shoukaku's eyes shine brightly.
"Nagi, I'm Benja's daughter, you and he are my parents, and they'll be my sisters!" Yanagi's face turned bright red and smoke came out of her head, at Shoukaku's innocence.
"Wow, I, I was expecting a mess but, everything is fine." I said amazed watching how everyone socialized calmly, finding similarities and things they shared between them, from music to fashion tastes.
"Well, everything seems to be in order finally." I said smiling, happy that nothing ended in tragedy.
"So, Benja enjoys having a maid costume?" My skin turned pale as paper, when I turned I saw Kara showing Corin, Ellen and Rina photos of me in Japanese maid clothes.
"Ara ara, how adorable." The gray-haired maid said with a mischievous smile, causing her puppets to laugh while the other girls looked at the photo in amazement.
"Umm, Kara."
"Wait, Benja is a thief!?" I turned now to see Nicole, who was talking to Selina.
"Benja and I often play cat and mouse, but there are days when we switch roles, where it's often very tempting to hit him with a whip." The caramel-skinned girl said with an evil laugh looking at the pink-haired girl.
"Tell us more." Anby said with a notepad while Lucy was next to her, listening.
"Selina, don't tell them that.."
"And boom!" I jumped before seeing Junker Queen with Cesar, Burnice and No. 11.
"Benja took down the last of the junkers, hopefully hitting their heads against each other, it was glorious, you should see how he is when he gets angry, he's hot." Odessa said with a smile, making the pyromaniac in front of her laugh.
"I can't wait to see Benja fight and burn them all with his fire!" Burnice shouted with a huge smile looking at Junker Queen.
"Peace's over, huh, honey?" Piper asked mockingly making me sigh.
"It all seemed too good to be true." I said embarrassed, already being able to feel the laughter and flirting whispering to me.
"Oh, and this picture was when.."
"Kara stop it!"