<Yuki>

 

 

 

The era of human supremacy was over.

Long gone were the days they could proclaim themselves overlords of the world.

Walking down the street full of hundreds of corpses, Yuki briefly studied them. The broken, mangled bodies had suffered severe damages. Most of them were crushed, faces destroyed beyond what a person could recognise while leaving the rest intact. The remainder, the unlucky few, were nothing more than stains on the wall.

It was truly a sad sight.

Today, another city, a bastion of humanity, had fallen.

Thousands dead before they could understand what was going on.

…If only Yuki could’ve arrived earlier, none of this would have happened.

CRACK CRACK

The sound of bones grinding rang out in the desolate streets. Rhythmic, beating and regular. The type of noise produced by a creature eating. Following the noise, Yuki traversed the streets. The darkness of the night aiding her quick movements. Up, down, forward and, in a matter of seconds, she had already arrived.

A grotesque sight greeted her.

Sitting in the middle of the street was a vaguely humanoid creature. With long, gangly limbs and no head to be found, a deep aura of wrongness surrounded the being. Various corpses surrounded the fleshy red beast. Corpses that were being preyed on by what looked like mangy mad dogs. Their exposed flesh matching the beast that presumably commanded them.

Creature Rank 5: Barren.

• Meaning: Long, painful emptiness—starvation, thirst, decay.

• Traits: They wither lands and beings. Monsters of deprivation, often accompanied by environmental collapse and a posse of deranged monsters.

• Example: A beast that devours memories, water, or light as it walks.

The third-highest-ranked Depraved.

To face one, an army of ranked heroes was required, and even then, success was not guaranteed. It was a scourge that inspired fear and revulsion. Many had died to such creatures that counting the casualties often became pointless, a lost cause. Typically, when they do appear, which is not often, evacuation procedures were enacted, elite heroes were contacted, and everyone was safe. Otherwise, how could humanity have survived these times? The decimation of this city meant one thing. Something had seriously gone wrong in that process. Be it the forecast system not being reactive enough or the evacuees not moving fast enough.

Yuki took a step forward.

Either way, it was her job to find out what went wrong.

Right after she slaughters these worthless creatures.

 

 

“Wow! This is so messed up!”

A small bubbly figure, Joy, danced around Yuki while shoving her tablet in her face.

“It appears they shut down their forecast system right before the attack…. I-It’s like they wanted to die!” (J)

Yuki shoved the tablet aside.

The news she just received was troubling. It made no sense that the people of this city would desire such a fate. And, while it's possible a monster of that level possessed some kind of psychic control to compel them to, given the fact Yuki didn’t sense such throughout their battle, it meant one likely thing….

“Do you think it might be… them?” (J)

“Alert the other guilds.” (Y)

Entering the car waiting nearby, Yuki rested in deep thought.

If those people were on the move again, then quick action must be taken immediately. They may scurry and hide around like rats, but this time she was ready for them. She wasn’t going to let them pull one over on them.

Never again.

“Done, boss!” (J)

As the car drove off, Yuki turned and faced her assistant.

“Are the preparations finished?” (Y)

“Yes, boss!” (J)

To say that the sudden movement of these people was unexpected would be a lie. Yuki had been anticipating some form of action from them. It was why now was best to make sure all vital preparations were complete.

“I can’t wait for the merger!” (J)

Joy started humming a tune while swinging back and forth.

The merger in question, the last of all the vital preparations, was the joining of two guilds. Yuki’s own and Sun’s. The simple reason being increasing the combat effectiveness of both parties. By merging into one, teamwork and knowledge sharing would be greatly boosted. The plan to do this had been a logistical nightmare, but the payoff would be worth the short-term troubles.

Yuki gazed at her assistant.

As rewarding as all that was, she still wasn’t able to understand what made her assistant so excited.

“You’re excited too, right, boss?” (J)

Yuki continued to gaze at her assistant.

She rolled her eyes in return.

“Hehe, boss. You may be able to fool others but not me! With this merger complete, you’ll finally be able to see your family every day. I know you’re excited!” (J)

Joy scooted in close to Yuki.

“Man, boss, you’re sooo lucky! Getting to see Bright and Hero Sun every day must be a treat, especially Bright! I bet that’s why you did it in the first place!” (J)

Yuki lightly pushed Joy away.

It went without saying, but her reasoning was deeply flawed. As a hero, Yuki had a duty to tend to. It was a duty mandated by her superb abilities. Those with power, by way of objective moral goodness, were to use that power to benefit the collective. She wouldn’t make such decisions based on personal goals. A fact that Joy struggled to comprehend. And, as tempted as Yuki was to explain this position, doing so with her would be a waste of time.

“…Joy, do you perhaps like Bright?” (Y)

Not to mention there was something else that caught Yuki’s attention.

“Is that even a question!? I love, love, love her!” (J)

A rambling session ensued.

Joy rained compliments down on Bright. Praising every little thing she did while showcasing, through her phone, Bright’s most popular appearances. At some point, she pulled from her travelling bag a plushie doll of Bright. An item definitely prohibited at work.

“She’s like a sweet, tiny, loveable version of you, boss!” (J)

Confiscating the item, Yuki decided to pose a question to Joy.

Given her proclivities, she might be able to assist.

“No, wait! It’s a limited edition—” (J)

“Joy, how would you connect with a child?” (Y)

“A-A child…?” (J)

The confusion on Joy’s face didn’t last long.

A wicked smile drew on her face.

“Getting to know their interests is usually the first step! Something like a day out, where it’s just the two of you doing something they like, could go a long way.” (J)

Interests.

Yuki already knew all of Bright’s interests. Those “interests”, if one would call them that, were things no child of any age should be doing. All they were were self-destructive hobbies that would not only waste time but also actively damage and stunt growth. It was a great shame that since he was young, Bright had what many would call a strong inclination to them. Repeatedly running to try and play gambling games.

The more Yuki thought about it, the less she liked the idea.

Would participating in those activities really bring them closer?

Nevertheless, she nodded and thanked Joy.

“No problemo, boss!” (J)

Yuki dropped the plushie back in Joy’s hands.

“Thank you, boss!” (J)

The journey continued at a more relaxed pace.

“I can’t wait to meet her!” (J)

“Meet her?” (Y)

“…Boss, now is not the time for telling jokes.” (J)

“Boss…?” (J)

They would soon reach back home.

And all will be good.

 

 

There was no point in hiding if the evidence remained.

Looking at the cards and chips scattered haphazardly about on the dining table, Yuki frowned. Today was a school night. It was already 12 pm, and yet someone remained awake. Playing a game, they well know they shouldn’t.

Walking over to the windows, Yuki pulled back the curtain and unveiled the guilty party.

“Are you aware it’s past your curfew?” (Y)

“I-I have a curfew?” (B)

Gently grabbing the hand of the offender, Yuki walked upstairs.

“…I-I don’t suppose you are angry by chance?” (B)

Arriving at the offender’s room, Yuki quickly got her dressed for bed and tucked in.

“Do I look angry to you?” (Y)

“…No, not at all.” (B)

“Sleep well.” (Y)

“Good night.” (B)

Closing the door, Yuki walked to a certain room in the house.

She locked it as soon as she entered.

Given that Bright had no way to get such things herself, there was only a single source for them, no?

“Ah, honey! I didn’t know you would arrive so early. Welcome back!” (S)

They would need to have a long discussion about responsibility and care of a child.

Undermining preexisting rules was not going to get them anywhere.