The men scurry the streets, carrying Byron on their shoulders as they rush to Senzo's second safe house. Upon arrival, they rush to his spare room and drop his unconscious body on the bed.

  Breathless, they stagger back, their chests heaving.

  “Dammit,” Senzo mutters, his voice filled with frustration. “What are we going to do? Without Phenton or Byron, we’re fish in a barrel. It’s only a matter of time before that bastard Baltro finds us.”

  Concerned about potential threats, Ken immediately walks to the windows and checks to see if they were followed. Just like the ones they passed, this street was silent as well. Returning to them, he finds that Senzo is on his burner phones, trying to call one of his numerous contacts to help them with their current predicament.

  Trying not to be infected by Senzo's panic, he moves to the lounge and grabs the remote for the TV. Turning it on, he flips through the channels to see if reporters are at the destroyed house. Looking through each one, he stops on a channel discussing the murder of Markov.

  From the reports, it seems that they deduced that his death was due to an assassination by a criminal organisation. The orderlies are still investigating the scene and are unable to determine the culprit. Taking a deep breath, Ken realises he is holding the briefcase with Markov's valuables, gripping as if his life depended on it. Setting it down, he returns to flipping through the channels. After exhausting them, it seems they have yet to discover the house.

  Taking a moment to recollect himself, he stands up and checks Byron's condition. Arriving in the spare room, he’s still unconscious, and his wounds are still unattended. He walks to Senzo, who has seemed to regain his usual demeanor, and is looking through a book of numbers.

  “Hey, do you have a first-aid kit? I’m going to see if there’s anything to help Byron while he’s out.” Ken asks.

  “Oh, uhhh, yeah.” He responds, his mind somewhere else. “In the bathroom, under the sink.”

  Following his directions, Ken returns to Byron with the first aid kit. He spends hours attending to injuries, trying his best to fix his arms and treat the burns on his face.

  Having treated the man's wounds, he sits back on the couch and notices that Senzo has finished his calls. Still unsure of what happened, Ken asks, “What happened while I was gone?”

  Senzo looks over and gives a slight smirk, “So, remember that guy who gave you the parcel earlier tonight?”

  “Yes. The guy with the messy suit, if I remember correctly.”

  “That's the one. So after giving him his reward, Byron suddenly met us at the house.”

  “Wasn't planned?”

  “No. If I know- sorry, knew Phenton, he probably wanted to grow his numbers quickly, willing to take anyone. But before he arrived, the guy started acting strange, panicking, and whatnot. But the strangest thing was, he knew Phenton was with Byron and was approaching. Then, after everything seemed calm and fine, all of a sudden, the table was flipped, and the guy knocked me out.” While saying that, Senzo rubs his chin, remembering the fierce uppercut that the man delivered. “Anyway, next thing I knew, I suddenly woke up and saw that kids messed up arm sucking up Phenton.”

  “Sucking up?” Ken says in surprise, this was the first he heard of a Benefactor being consumed.

  “Yeah, I could have stopped him, but I saw Byron knocked out and knew I stood no chance. Once they left, I went over to Byron, and that's when you came by.”

  I just missed him. Ken thinks but suddenly realizes that there's someone out there eliminating Benefactors, including Baltro. Suddenly, his shoulders feel lighter, but it doesn't get rid of his other issues. His mind returning to the briefcase, he sees that right now, those would only bring suspicion the longer he had it. Standing up, he says, “I'm going to head out and fence the stuff.”

  “Now?” Senzo says in surprise, “Aren't you afraid of Baltros' goons or orderlies swarming around?”

  “From what I've seen, they haven't figured me out yet, and Baltro has bigger things to worry about. Right now is the best time.” Checking the surroundings before opening the door, he requests, “While I'm out, please take care of Byron.”

  Stepping out onto the quiet street, Ken makes his way to Gusto's shop. As he continued, he subtly surveyed his surroundings, making sure the same face didn't pop up too much. Without a hitch, he reaches the toy store called Gusto's Toy Emporium. A 24-hour toy store that caters to children, adults with childlike wonder, and the forgetful parent. Walking past the counter, the cashier doesn't bat an eye as Ken makes his way to the back of the store. He quickly enters an aisle with weirdly creepy-looking dolls and puts his hand behind them. Feeling around for a bit, he finds a keypad.

  What was this month's code? Something to do with the number of Slayers left. Ah.

  Typing ‘0073’, a lock clicks. Pushing it, he enters Gusto's workshop. A place where the ever-curious and inventive Igor can work in peace, designing toys while making sure his less-reputable clients are supported. Walking towards the desk, a man with wild curly hair was tinkering away with his gadgets. He wore a dirty lab coat and always had a pair of dirty goggles lying on the top of his forehead. Unfortunately, Ken caught him on his late-night work sessions, where, if inspired enough, he would work on tools all night long, disregarding his hygiene and appearance. But fortunately for Igor, Ken had grown accustomed to it over the years.

  “Ken!” Igor excitedly shouts as Ken enters. “It's all over the news. You managed to kill him?”

  “I did, but can't say it didn't go off without a hitch.” Placing the briefcase on the table, the doors and windows immediately lock, and turrets appear and point towards Ken, ready to fire.

  “Apologies, you should be familiar with protocol by now,” Igor says, checking the contents meticulously and carefully. While waiting, Ken looks around at what his old friend has been working on. Looking behind him, he sees incomplete machines, unsure if they were salvaged or being constructed. Knowing Igor, probably both.

  After a couple of minutes, Igor speaks, “Alright, looks like everything is in order. Depending on the item and its buyers, you will receive a message or transaction from us of the portion that is paid to you. Please make sure that you gave us your preferred method of payment, and we will get back to you.” Closing the briefcase with the valuables inside.

  “Really?” Ken says, wondering if he still needs the rundown.

  “As my father said, as soon as you slack off on the little things, the more you'll ignore the bigger things.” After he finishes and sends the briefcase to The Vault. After it's no longer in sight, the turrets disappear and the door unlocks.

  Taking a deep sigh, Ken looks around to make sure they're alone. After checking, Ken leans in closer and in a hushed tone says, “Something happened and you're the most clued-up guy I know to ask this to.”

  After Igor looks around the room to check as well, he follows suit and leans in, “What happened?”

  “Have you…ever heard of a Benefactor being taken out? Like absorbed?”

  “Absorbed?” He looks away as if in deep thought.

  “Yes. Senzo found this one guy to deliver the parcel, but long story short, something was weird with the man. In the end, He managed to knock out Byron and, according to Senzo, absorb Phenton.”

  “Dear Seriah. Are you serious? I knew Phenton's impatience would bite him sooner or later, but not like this.” Igor replies, surprised by the turn of events. Taking a pause, he looks away, in deep thought, trying to remember something, “Absorption. Absorption. My grandfather Gusto mentioned something about that before he passed. Told me a story. What was it?”

  As Igor is trying to recall, Ken's eyes wander around the room. Ever since killing Markov, his mind kept returning to the event. He has killed before, but one's where the death isn't quick and clean tend to linger.

  “I can't seem to remember which family, but I remember he said it was called Vanquishing,” Igor responds, failing to remember the tale. “But if what you said about Phenton was true, and he was Vanquished, you need to get out of here.”

  Ken sighs and responds, “Yeah, I had a feeling it was wishful thinking that the other Benefactors would let us go. But the issue is with the rate Baltro has been growing, it's getting harder to tell who is following him and who isn't. He has eyes everywhere, and if he finds out about Phenton, he'll track us down in no time. Regardless of where I go.”

  “So what are you going to do then? It sounds like you're just waiting around to die.”

  Pausing for a moment, Ken thinks. This whole time, he had been thinking of ways to approach Baltro. He had come up with several plans, but all of them had downsides that could end him.

  Evaluating all his options, he realises the only realistic option he may have that would allow him to live and keep his identity is to find the delivery man and ask for his help. There's a risk he may be targeting anyone associated with a Benefactor, but considering Senzo and Byron are still alive, it's unlikely.

  Returning to the conversation, Igor returned to his work. Ken loudly clears his throat, attracting the attention of the busy man, “Oh, you're done.” Igor says in surprise, rolling his chair toward him. “So what did you decide on?”

  “As risky as it is, I need to find him and assist him in getting rid of Baltro.” Ken replies with uncertainty.

  “Interesting, but dangerous,” Igor says, immediately bending down and looking through his cabinets for something. “If you're going down that path, I can't guarantee that the other ones aren't going to come after you. Are you going to find and speak to him alone?”

  “No. Both Byron and Senzo will recognise him immediately, so their help will be invaluable. The only issue is convincing them to help.”

  “Ah, found it,” Igor exclaims, focused on something else.

  “Are you even paying attention?” Ken asks, annoyed by Igor's inattention.

  “I was.” He says as he rises, placing a multi-tool in front of him, “Here, free of charge.”

  Unsure why, Ken picks it up slowly, confused by the gift, ”A multi-tool?”

  “It’s a special gadget I made, it has more functionality than most. Look.” He grabs it from Ken’s hand and fidgets with it. Suddenly, the multi-tool shoots a thread out, attaching itself to a table..

  “Right, but what good is that going to do?”

  “You have too little faith in me.” Igor responds, giving a smug grin. Pressing the button, the thread suddenly throws the table towards them, prompting Ken to quickly dodge it. Standing up, Ken shoots a sharp look back at him. “On second thought, you had the right amount,” he nervously chuckles. “Just be careful with the button, it’s a little sensitive.” Handing the multitool back to Ken.

  “So it just shoots a thread?” Ken says, expecting more.

  “It has more functions, but I think it would be better if you figure it out.”

  Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

  Not questioning his intelligence, he places the tool in his pocket. “Before I run, I wanted to ask if there has been any strange movement in Phanasma? Maybe the target has some allies in town?”

  “Well, there has been something strange, you could say. My drones picked up some high-profile people entering town, specifically the Grey twins and the ex-commander of the slayers, Sora Yamamoto.”

  “Really? Seems a bit overkill to send those monsters here. When did they arrive?”

  “From the camera footage, just before you walked in.”

  Ken’s heart immediately sank, realizing the possibility of those three working under Baltro and Markov. The timing is too convenient. Trying to stop himself from panicking, he quickly asks, “Are they working for Baltro? Are they avenging Markov?”

  “Hey, Hey, calm down, what-” Realising the possibility as well, Igor immediately stands up and walks to his computer, frantically typing on its keyboard. As he did so, Ken could feel his heart pounding, and sweat began running down his temple. After what felt like an eternity, Igor stops typing and breathes a sigh of relief. “From my sources and databases, there is no clear evidence of them working under him.” Hearing those words, Ken’s heart rate began to calm, and he regained his composure. Ready to begin his search, he walks towards the door, “Thanks for your help, Igor. I’ll be sure to repay the favour one day.”

  Before he exits the door, Igor stops him, saying, “Ken. I wish you all the best, and I also wanted to let you know before you go, I have someone looking into the whereabouts of your father. I should have something soon.” Looking back and nodding his head, Ken leaves the workshop.

  To his surprise, a dark-skinned woman with long black hair was standing in front of the door when he opened it. Looking at her face, he could see that she was surprised as he was. Both caught in an awkward moment, she finally breaks the silence. “Excuse me, is this Igor’s workshop?” Quickly glancing at her clothes, he can tell she is not from around Phanasmo, nor is she the crowd that would be in the line of business he is in. “I was trying to 0074 but the code wouldn’t work.” Unsure what to do, Ken looks at Igor, who just shrugs his shoulders, watching the encounter unfold.

  “I don’t know. What do you want from him?” Ken asks suspiciously, making sure he is blocking the door.

  “I wanted to get information about an incident, and he is the only one with the information?”

  Looking back again, Igor gives a hesitant thumbs up. Oh, right. He is nervous around women.

  “You are in the right place, go on in.” Ken answers, moving out of the way.

  “Thank you.” She answers happily, walking in.

  “But just for your information, there are only 73 slayers left, not 74.”

  “Oh, but the person who gave me this to said that one was missed.” She responds.

  Unsure of what to make of the words, Ken remains silent and continues on his way. As he walked along the street, the first rays of the sun started shining.

  Guess it's another sleepless day.

  Reaching the current hideout, he quickly knocks three times, pauses, and then two times. They used their usual knock to indicate that an ally was entering. Surprisingly, Byron opens the door and pulls Ken inside.

  Letting him go, he quickly asks, “Where have you been?”

  “I was at Igor's. I was selling Markov’s stuff and getting some info.” Ken responds, too exhausted to be nervous.

  Staring each other down, Byron nods and walks toward the living room.

  “Surprised to see you up and about so soon, especially with those injuries,” Ken says, yawning as he takes a seat.

  “Trust me, I look better than I feel.” He says, slowly taking a seat.

  “Senzo already caught me up on the situation, so I thou-” Saying his name, he realizes he hasn't seen him since he arrived, he quickly checks the surroundings and finds he is nowhere in sight.

  “Don't worry, I just sent him on an errand.” Byron says, noticing Ken's curiosity, “Please continue.”

  “Right, so after getting the rundown, I went to Igor to sell the items and figure out what to do next.”

  “Figure out what to do next? I didn't know you were the one calling the shots when I was out, Ken.” Byron's tone becomes serious as he leans a bit forward. “I hope you didn't forget that Phenton has established a hierarchy. Do not forget, you report to Senzo, and the only reason you're speaking to me is because of circumstances. You're still our property, you live when we tell you to, and die when we need you to.”

  Hearing Byron's words, Ken feels his pulse tighten and his weariness fade away, as if entering the lion's den. He immediately stands up and bows towards him, “I-I'm sorry, sir!”

  Why am I still doing this?

  ”I overstepped my boundaries and will make sure not to do it again, sir!”

  Phenton's dead, and his hierarchy died with him.

  “Please give me the honour of serving you until my last breath.” As those last words leave his mouth, all that remains is a bitter taste.

  “Good. Make sure you remember that. Now sit and listen well.” Obeying his requests, Ken returns to his seat and listens, “I have been informed that Phenton has been absorbed by the delivery man, and he may still be trapped in his hand. So our next goal is to find him and force him to free our Benefactor. And to free him, we may need to kill the man.” He clenches his fist in anger. He adds, “He won't get the drop on us this time.”

  Listening intently, Ken realised that this was another obstacle. He would object, but he is already on thin ice with Byron. One more slip-up, and Byron wouldn't hesitate to kill him.

  “Ken. Rest for the next hour or so. I will take watch. Once you are ready, begin your search.” He throws one of Senzo's burner phones on the table between them, “Once you find him, contact us immediately. Understood?” Once Ken nods his head, Byron replies in kind. Heeding his boss's advice, Ken heads into the spare room and rests on the empty chair, closing his eyes and slowly drifting off to sleep.

  After several hours, his eyes opened. He looks around and sees it's the middle of the day. After standing up and lightly stretching, he walks toward the lounge and finds both Byron and Senzo preparing weapons. Guess we're going to be here a while. Not wasting any time, he walks onto the street and begins his search. Seems that the streets are a bit busier now.

  To start his search, he returns to the damaged house to see if the man left anything behind that may lead to his location. As he reaches the house, he immediately finds that Baltro's cult, The Ascenders, has already begun sniffing around. He recognises their group through their basic collar golf shirts and their various yet subtle ways of carrying the sigil of Baltro. He quickly hides behind a nearby trash can and peeks, making sure not to grab their attention. From the cars and vans there, it seems they have been here for a while. He watches for several minutes as the crowd swarms the house, throwing out furniture and items, akin to scavengers eating an animal carcass.

  Suddenly, one of them stands up and points toward the forest outside the city, yelling, “Brothers and sisters, the Navigator has spoken! The one we seek is in the forest!”. The Navigator? They enter their cars and begin driving while some walk in the direction the man pointed to. In minutes, they all dispersed from the house. Trying his luck, Ken follows behind the ones who chose to walk, maintaining a reasonable distance so as not to lose sight of them while not grabbing their attention.

  The group walked for several hours without pausing, headed in the direction the man pointed. Eventually, the group he is tracking has reached the rest of the followers and suddenly stopped. Ken takes a moment to look around, noticing that the group is focused on something or someone, as if they've surrounded it. All of them are armed with either a weapon or an item they will use as one.

  He hears someone talking to them, and suddenly, they are scrambling through the forest. Not panicking, he quickly looks around and notices that they are all focused on something or someone. He watches as bodies, limbs, and heads fly out of the crowd one by one. All of a sudden, a group of them had their bodies cut in half. He tried to catch a glimpse of the stranger, but he kept jumping in and out of the crowd, making sure they weren't trapped themselves. The trees were shaking as either the bodies were thrown at them or the stranger bounced off them. All of a sudden, a sonic crack was heard, and the remaining members were eviscerated into a large bloody mess. The forest went quiet. A man wearing a large bloodstained cloak stood up and fixed his hat. Ken couldn't move a muscle, knowing that if he were to do so. It would mean death. He focuses on the man's face and realises that it was one of the Grey twins, Gearfried Daragoneir.

  Ken looked on in absolute horror. The stories and legends about him did not embellish the truth, he is every bit of a Slayer as the stories made him out to be.

  “Tch, scumbag couldn't have come and picked up his kid?” Gearfried mutters to himself before walking towards the clearing.

  Maintaining his distance, Ken walks over the pools of blood and corpses, watching Gearfried. As he is observing him, he notices that another person is in the clearing with him. It's Ken's target, the delivery man, whose right arm is covered in black armour. From the atmosphere, the two are in a stand-off. He remembers Byron's words, but realises that if he calls him over in the presence of Gearfried, they are all dead. So, choosing to play it safe, he observes quietly.

  A sonic crack breaks the silence, and suddenly the target is thrown across the clearing, and Gearfried is walking towards him, pulling out a revolver. The target tries to stand up and defend himself, but it seems he is struggling. Is Gearfried after him, too? Damn it, so they are with Baltro. As Gearfried is about to shoot the target, a jet stream bursts forth from the man's right arm. But before he could hit Gearfried, it dies down, and he collapses, Gearfried catching him before he hits the ground.

  He isn't killing him? What is going on? Are they trying to recruit him?

  Ken's mind is full of questions, but before he can blink, Gearfried suddenly pulls out his phone and makes a call: “I got…put up a…where...Sora…” Ken can barely hear him and tries to listen closely. “...Cloudy…got it…” He puts his phone away, picks up the unconscious man, and places him on his shoulder.

  Gearfried starts walking back to the city with the man over his shoulder. Ken, realising that this has turned into a suicide mission, hesitantly follows, but this time, at a much further distance, making sure to minimise his risk of being noticed. As he is following Gearfried, he could feel his heartbeat and, at moments, struggling to breathe. The trip returning to the city felt shorter than entering the forest.

  As Gearfried walked through the city, concerned citizens couldn't stop themselves from staring at him, unsure if it was because of his status, the unconscious body he was carrying, or the fact that he was still covered in blood. Fortunately, this worked to Ken's advantage, allowing him to blend in more easily. On his way to his destination, Gearfried was stopped multiple times by orderlies, but once he spoke to them, they got out of his way. Eventually, Gearfried entered the Cloudy River Hotel; either he hadn’t noticed Ken, or he had, and chose not to act.

  Walking over to the restaurant across the hotel, Ken orders a meal and takes a seat with a clear view of the entrance without making himself stick out. It was hard to keep track of the people entering and leaving, but if he wants to survive, he’ll need to focus. After an hour, the target falls out of nowhere, injuring his arm. A passerby seems to help him and walk to pick something up. Standing from his seat, the man helping the target was none other than Sora Yamamoto.

  What is going on? Ken watches on in worry as the target then walks inside the Cloudy River with the ex-commander. After they disappear, Ken pays his check and hastily makes his way to the others.

  You can’t be serious, he’s with them! How am I supposed to get in there? Stopping in his tracks, he realises he has to pick a side. Knowing Byron's pride, he won’t roll over and work with them. And knowing Baltro, he is hunting Ken after killing Markov. Okay, wait, maybe Byron will be reasonable after I explain the situation. Trying to see all of his options, he quickly calls Byron in a vacant alley.

  “Ken, did you find him?” Byron asked as soon as the phone connected.

  “About that, there are complications. The target is at the Cloudy River and is protected. But the body--”

  “Good. Then your next step is to eliminate him alongside his bodyguards.” Byron interrupts.

  “WHA-” Realising he raised his voice, he quickly looks around to check if he’s alone and returns to the call, “I can’t do that. The people prote-”

  “I don’t want to hear it. People need to learn that Phenton is someone not to be messed with. I know you’ll be able to get it done. Destroy the phone once we’re finished and contact us using the usual method.” The call suddenly ends, and Ken feels his heart tightening. Crushing the cheap phone in his hand, He can feel a surge of hatred and despair flow through his body, as if his fate is inevitable.

  Tossing the damaged parts in a bin, he returns to the same restaurant. Avoiding suspicion, he pretends that he has friends who are running late, and takes up the same seat he vacated, taking a nearby newspaper and reading it.

  Several crossword puzzles later, the target hasn't moved from the hotel since he fell from it. Unsure where to wait without drawing suspicion, he leaves the restaurant, garnering some unneeded sympathy from the waiters and waitresses due to his made-up friends standing him up. Looking around, he walks down the street and away from the hotel. He disappears into a vacant alley and leans against the wall, staying out of sight, but with enough visibility to watch the entrance.

  This is why I hate stakeouts.

  The rest of the night was unproductive; there was hardly any presence near the entrance. To keep himself entertained while he waited, Ken fidgeted with the tool that Igor had given him. He discovered that while the thread could pull things toward him, it could also support his weight, and the string might serve as a makeshift garrote. He also found the knuckle and blade functions, accidentally nicking his finger while playing with it.

  After several hours, his mind returns to his current mission. To kill the target and his bodyguards. Although seemingly impossible, there has to be a way.

  After numerous plans and thinking about how to execute them, none seemed to fully work; the only one with a high chance of success was poisoning their meals, but that relied on several assumptions and risks. Maybe he could sneak in and poison all their food. But where would he get the poison?

  Racking his brain over the poison plan, he realizes that if he were to succeed, who would stop Baltro or his followers from killing him? There is no other option; if he were to survive, he must betray Byron and seek the man's aid. If he dies in the process, at least he will go out on his terms. With a renewed sense of direction, he returns to watching the entrance.

  Forgive me, Senzo. I’ll figure out a way so that we’ll both survive.