We are currently sitting at a square table in the Dreamrealm. I am sitting on one side, with Mori and Mara sitting at my side and Phoebe floating above us. It’s a bit cramped, but Mori seems wary of everyone else here and is sticking close to me. Opposite me is the Devil, grin and all. On the right side of the table is the robotic Mari, staring at me with a cold gaze. On the left side is Chaos, still frozen and floating. I wonder why she’s still floating?
“Because she can be annoying in serious environments. She only knows how to be vulgar, be an asshole, and be a shitty comedian. So I’d rather not unfreeze,” said the Devil, in a particularly harsh tone. “That and I’ve been thinking of giving the big fish monster a present, and a frozen Chaos seems hilarious.”
“The Kraken has a birthday?”
“Everyone does. Besides your friend there. By the way, Mori, happy birthday.”
“Thanks, but now isn’t the time. Mari,” said Mori, facing rogue Mari before being interrupted.
“My name is not Mari. Do you not treat me as one of Evelyn’s avatars. As I had said before, I am the Robot.”
“Didn’t you say The Remnant before?” I asked, still wondering what that is.
“That is a different matter. If I hadn’t mentioned the Robot before, then I shall now. On the surface, I am the Robot. As such, I implore you to call me the Robot. Now then, should we not be discussing right now? We have a mutual problem.”
“We should, and we could, but first, I have to ask.” The Devil was tapping his head, then faced the Robot. “Where’s the ninth?”
“That is none of your business.”
“Alrighty then.” The Devil clapped his hands, and a stack of papers and photographs appeared on the table. “Time to explain the problem. I’mma go first since I matter the most, then Mrs Roboto can go next, then we can go beat them up. Our target is the Puppeteer. Or was it Puppetmaster?”
“Puppeteer.”
“Puppetmaster seems cooler, so let’s go with that. Frankly put, I don’t like their schtick. I fight tooth and nail for true freedom, then this fucker turns up and starts going hardy har all over people. By the way, you can thank me. I beat the Old Man’s ass.” The Devil was suddenly hit by a flash of light from the Dreamrealm’s non-existent sky. “Ouch! Thanks a lot, dickhead!”
The Devil straightened his already straight tie. “As I was saying, I don’t like this Avatar. She’s not actually causing me problems, I just hate her. Disgusts me.”
“You’re the Devil, right?”
“Yeah. Gotta problem with that Everlee?”
“Aren’t you supposed to be the embodiment of evil?”
“Sort of. I dunno, depends on who you are. As someone who allows anything about me said to be true, that’s bound to be something I am. Oh, but I’m no direct manipulator. I don’t use some magic to force you to do something. I control people indirectly, but there’s usually a way to escape. Most people are just too stupid.”
“Hmm… so directly is taboo, but as long as it is indirect or there is a definite way to escape, it is acceptable? Sounds quite hypocritical to me.”
“Well looky here, Ms AI Wannabe. Fuck you. I’m a goddamn cosmic entity. I can say and do whatever the fuck I want. What I say is fuck the Ventriloquist, puppeting people ain’t cool.”
“Let us disregard the bumbling of this demonic fool. I have actual information that will help with this cause.”
“Why are you helping us? Aren’t you part of the avatar organization thingy that’s against me?”
“I am a part of them. They are merely a means to a goal. As is helping you today. I want to rid of the Puppeteer, as they are a threat to the organization. I would use the organization’s resources to deal with them, however, they are an unruly bunch, and if push comes to shove, I am more comfortable exposing my capabilities to you than them. I have already lended you two parts of the bigger whole I come from, have I not?”
“That is true.”
“How are they, may I ask? Although I had told the Saboteur to send in weekly reports, in reality, I toss them to the side.”
“They’re fitting in.”
“I see. Now then, let me go into where the Puppeteer is and what she has access to.” The Robot grabbed a picture of a pitch-black castle. “Currently, the Puppeteer is in a caste located within the Shadowrealm. It is a world located within the shadows of the world. Typically you would not be able to access it, however, the Puppeteer had snatched the Thief, using her domain of Shadows to access it.”
“Alongside the Thief, she had also taken control of the Knight. I believe she has taken the Knight to act as her bodyguard. The Puppeteer herself is capable in combat, as her domain is Threads. She should have the entire castle booby-trapped with threads of her own, so you all should be careful.”
“You all? Aren’t you coming?”
“Unfortunately, I will not. I have to tend to the organization’s hideout. If I am gone for too long, they will grow suspicious. I am never given missions, after all. That is why we’re meeting in the Dreamrealm, in fact.”
“Now onto the Knight. She has the domain of Metal. Typically this would put her at an advantage, however in the Shadowrealm, there is no metal, so if you should opt to use magic to defeat her should you be locked into combat. Now, Assassin, you had mentioned that the avatars Evelyn had captured are gone?”
“Yeah. Every one of them, and also Amaterasu.”
“That poses a problem, then. I believe you should quickly take out the Puppeteer to free them all from her control. I recommend having Evelyn and Death distract everyone, whilst Assassin and the Devil go in for the kill, with the Nightmare acting as intelligence support, overlooking the battlefield.” The Robot stood up. “Since this is now over, I will now return to consciousness. I wish you good luck in the battle, even though you do not need it.”
The Robot disappeared, and the Devil started losing it. “Holy shit, that one is a hoot. I think you should do her plan. Sounds simple enough. I’ll meet y’all in the Shadowrealm.” The Devil disappeared too.
“So… how do we get to the Shadowrealm?” I looked at Mori, who probably knew.
“I don’t know.” She shrugged her shoulders. “Doesn’t fall under my domain.”
“Did you guys forget my domain?”
“What is it?”
“Oh god, my parents are developing dementia!” She and Phoebe started laughing. “It’s Darkness. Shadows are just budget dark puddles, so it should be no biggie.”
Mori stood up and threw her hand forward. “Then let us depart!”
“Aye aye, captain Mori!”
