“Honey! I’m home!”(Kay)

Kay walks in through a front door.

She’s wearing a grey business suit and hat, on her face was a large handlebar mustache.

She puts her briefcase on the table next to the doorway and her hat on the hat rack then heads to the kitchen.

She sniffs the air.

A pleasant scent enters her nose.

“Dinner smells great!”(Kay)

Kay walks into the kitchen.

The table was set and two glasses of wine were poured. 

She passes by a baby chair.

On it was a ball of flesh.

Kay picks it up and kisses it.

“How's my special man!”(Kay)

The ball of meat quivers in delight.

She slowly puts it down and pats its head.

“Honey you would not believe the day I had at the office”(Kay)

Kay sits down at the dinner table.

She picks up a glass of wine and sips it.

“Oh? Tell me all about it~”(??)

Kay looks over to see her wife carrying a large roast chicken.

Her wife was wearing a white dress with red polka dots and a yellow apron.

Kay ogles her wife’s large breast for a bit before looking at her face.

The moment she does.

Kay drops her wine glass.

It shatters on the ground.

“Oh~~~~~honey~~~you’re so clumsy~~~”(Marcel)

Kay freezes in place.

Her mustache falls off.

Marcel puts the roast chicken on the table and sits next to Kay.

Kay tries to shuffle her chair back.

Her mouth was agape.

Kay is shaking violently now.

“W...w..wh..wha...wh…..w…….what is….what is g...going…on….”(Kay)

“I want you to tell me all about your day~~~~~but before that~~~don't you think you forgot something honey~~~~”(Marcel)

“what….”(Kay)

Kay was so afraid she answered in reflex.

She was sweating so much at this point her grey suit was getting soaked.

 Marcel puckers their lips.

“Your welcome home kiss~~~~~~~~~~~~~~”(Marcel)

---

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"(Kay)

 

Kay jumps out of her bed! Covered in sweat.

She quickly grabs the trash can next to her and starts barfing into it.

After unloading everything she had in her stomach and filling up the entire trash can, she keeps dry heaving for a good five minutes.

Her face was a shade of green and it felt there was a 20kg weight in her stomach.

Kay does everything in her power not to remember the dream she just had.

But no matter how hard she tries the images are still burned into her mind!

She slowly got up, her legs were shaking.

It was hard to stand.

Kay was not in the right state of mind right now.

But she had to get the images out of her head.

She does the first thing she can think of in her delirious state.

She grabs her gun.

The only way this can leave her mind is if she kills herself or Marcel now.

Kay chooses Marcel.

.........Well maybe not kill them.....just bash their head with the pistol handle till they become unrecognizable.

That's when she notices.

Marcel wasn’t here.

She sighs in relief.

She doesn’t have to see their face.

Or bash their skull in which was less of relief but whatever.

Kay grabs a bottle of water from a tiny fridge and chugs it.

Her brain starts clearing through the fog.

She puts the gun down.

That was probably not the smartest idea...

Kay wonders if she would even win a fight against Marcel.

She decided the answer is yes with no basis what’s so ever.

She'll probably have to kill them sooner or later......

Then Kay wonders........if she even wants to kill Marcel................

......................................

Kay shakes her head!!!

Of course, the answer is yes!!!!

Fuck Marcel!

She was too tired to think straight...

The only reason she lets them stick around is because they're useful.

.....yeah that's right........

Kay sits down on a couch away from the bed, it smells like puke right now.

She should probably call room service to take care of that.

She then notices you weren’t in the room either but she’s not that surprised.

She knows it’s very rare for you to sleep.

"Kath is probably spending his time doing god knows what.....it's makes me so worried........I wish I didn't need to sleep either..."(Kay)

Kay wishes could spend time with you at night and make sure you don't get into trouble.

Not sleeping isn't an option....stunting her growth would lead to problems in the future...

Kay wonders if she can somehow ease you into the idea of sleeping.

An image of an adult Kay fills her brain tucking you in at night and reading bedtime stories and fully replaces her traumatic dream.

It sounds so nice......

Kay stares out the window.

The sun was already up, it seemed to be 10 am right now.

She drinks some more water and heads to the bathroom.

 Kay passes by Ruby as she enters the bathroom.

Her sleeping posture was so bad it looked painful.

10 minutes after Kay goes into the bathroom Ruby wakes up.

She slowly gets up while wiping the drool off her face.

She reaches around for tissues on the bedside and her hand lands on a piece of paper.

She uses it to wipe the drool off.

Ruby yawns and tries to throw the paper away.

But then she notices some writing on it.

“ThE....fucK.....iS...thiS?”(Ruby)

Ruby rubs her eyes while trying to read it.

---

Go me and Marcel go are going to 4rd 3rd distrext distract diestre  place.

Kills deomns  demons.

Might take while.

dont' wate wait for me us.

Kthanid.

PS: I forget if my name had an a in between the k and t.

---

".......whaT?"(Ruby)

Ruby had no idea what she was looking at.

What's this about demons?

She looks around not seeing anyone.

But she does hear sounds coming from the bathroom.

Ruby flops down from the bed.

She slowly picks herself up and notices leftovers from last night's dinner still on the table which she scarfs down.

Then she stares at a bottle of chardonnay.

There's still half of it left.

Ruby seriously considers if she's going to be the kind of person who drinks the moment she wakes up...

Ruby very slowly reaches for the bottle before the sound bathroom door opening freezes her in place.

Kay walks out wearing a bathrobe.

"oh, good morni-...."(Kay)

"........."(Ruby)

".....Ruby what the fuck"(Kay)

"whaT? I waS thristY!"(Ruby)

"We have water in the cute small fridge"(Kay)

Kay opens the small fridge and takes out two bottles of water and gives one to Ruby.

Ruby sips the water.

"soO...I guesS yoU stayeD behinD huH...."(Ruby)

"what are you talking about?"(Kay)

"thiS"(Ruby)

Ruby hands Kay the note.

After wondering why it was wet Kay reads it.

A frown appears on her face.

".......hmmmm....when Kathy gets back we need to focus on his writing....sigh.....I doubt I can find some grammar books here..."(Kay)

"meH...yoU neveR knoW maybE therE arE somE illegaL grammaR bookS"(Ruby)

"what would be in an illegal grammar book?"(Kay)

"ummmM....wronG grammaR?"(Ruby)

A pause. 

".........meh"(Kay)

"I JUST WOKE UP!! I CAN'T COME UP WITH PUNCHLINES!!"(Ruby)

"Yeah, I'm sure....."(Kay)

Kay stares at the note.

"fighting demons.....I'm so worried......what if Kathy gets hurt...."(Kay)

Ruby comforts her.

"Don'T worry, kathaniD wilL bE finE, he'S basicallY immortaL.......welL I meaN aS faR wE knoW anywaY...wE neveR reallY confirmeD thaT.......therE iS A chancE theY mighT jusT..."(Ruby)

"You're not helping!"(Kay)

"sorrY sorrY, I'M surE it'S noT A biG deaL....I meaN whaT thE fucK iS iN thE 3rD districT anywaY?"(Ruby)

Kay taps her lips.

"I think I heard it was a theme a park... but I must have heard wrong, why would anyone build a theme park here???"(Kay)

Bang!

Splash!

Ruby's water bottle falls to the ground and the water escapes from its plastic prison.

"......Ruby what the fuck...."(Kay)

Ruby was whispering to herself.

".......haunteD housE.......bJ......"(Ruby)

"excuse you!"(Kay)

Ruby started grinding her teeth, her fangs ripped her lips and blood started to seep out.

"...wheN coupleS gO tO A themE parK...theY dO oraL iN thE haunteD housE...EVERYONE KNOWS THAT!! THAT FUCKING SHIT MARCEL!!!!!!"(Ruby)

Kay blinks a few times.

"....is...is that so....I assume you're familiar with this?"(Kay)

Ruby looks offended.

"EXCUSE ME! I aM A maideN, A delicatE unpluckeD floweR!”(Ruby)

Kay should have been given an award for not laughing here.

Ruby's face glowed red.

“WelL I guesS I waS pluckeD afteR I meT KathnaiD….”(Ruby)

Kay cringed.

“Please...please stop saying plucked!”(Kay)

“pluckeD”(Rucy)

Kay kept in a sigh.

“So how did you know about the haunted house...thing…”(Kay)

Ruby rubs her arm.

“I….I useD tO...hanG ouT iN A themE parK wheN I waS 11…”(Ruby)

“Hang out?”(Kay)

“OK BITCH! I fuckinG liveD iN onE foR A whilE! happY!”(Ruby)

“...that...sounds kind of cool”(Kay)

Kay never went to a theme park in her life, to be honest, she was a little upset that you didn’t take her…

“WelL iT wasn’T!..........oK iT waS kinD oF cooL...buT iT waS stilL suckeD! I haD tO sleeP iN thE haunteD housE therE anD iT tooK mE A whilE tO realizE alL thaT howlinG wasn’T cominG froM thE speakers…….”(Ruby)

“Ew….anyway I’m certain nothing is going to happen”(Kay)

Ruby snapped.

“YES IT WOULD! YOU KNOW MARCEL!”(Ruby)

Kay couldn’t say anything, she was still trying to get Marcel’s face out of her head.

“Look if it happens I will help you kill Marcel”(Kay)

Ruby’s face brightened up.

“ReallY yoU promisE! you’rE noT jusT sayinG thaT righT!”(Ruby)

“Yeah I promise, I’ll shoot the fucker in the brain while you disembowel them”(Kay)

“YES!”(Ruby)

Ruby started fist-pumping the air.

Then she paused for a second.

“heY! wE coulD takE MarceL oN righT?”(Ruby)

Kay didn’t even hesitate in her answer.

“Of course”(Kay)

“yeaH!”(Ruby)

To be honest, Kay would be pretty upset if Marcel tried to do anything to you.

She was joking with Ruby but she might actually kill them something DID happen.

Kay looked over to the happy Ruby.

Unlike Marcel, Ruby was a special case, you CHOSE her so she couldn’t be angry.

Now whether or not she would accept Marcel if you chose them is a completely different topic…

Kay shook her head.

Why the hell is she thinking about Marcel so much! It’s making her blood boil!

She doesn’t need this, especially in the morning!

All Kay wants to think about is you!

Kay wishes you were here…..in any way….

CLANK!

“whaT thE fucK!”(Ruby)

The clank came from the window.

Ruby and Kay both look outside.

Past the window on the balcony was a figure the two girls would recognize.

It was a ball of flesh.

It was small, about the size of a fist but there was no doubt it was you.

A thin tentacle came from the ball, it tapped the window again.

Kay very quickly moves to the window and unlocks it.

“Kathy!! Good morning!”(Kay)

“Good morning”

Kay holds her hands out and you jump into them.

She snuggles you against her face.

Ruby walks casually towards Kay.

“WoW thaT waS fasT, guesS thosE demonS weren’T shiT”(Ruby)

The ball of flesh turns to Ruby, but since it doesn’t have eyes or any features it still looks the same.

“Demons?”

Kay and Ruby look at each other confused.

“Yeah..., Kathy...you left a note saying you and Marcel were going to the 3rd district to kill demons…”(Kay)

The ball of flesh jumps up a few times.

“Oooooh! So that’s what the rest of me is doing!”

“resT oF yoU?”(Ruby)

"Yeah I'm just a piece of Kthanid"

“Wait….is that why you’re so small right now? I thought you were just being cute, which you are by the way!”(Kay)

Kay kisses the ball of flesh.

It was only then that she realizes how close this is to her dream this morning..........

Kay slowly hands the ball of flesh to Ruby before she throws up again.

Ruby studies the ball of flesh.

“I remembeR yoU diD somE shiT likE beforE bacK iN ghosT towN...arE yoU likE kathanid’S clonE oR somethinG? hoW doeS worK?”(Ruby)

The ball of flesh leans to the side confused.

“no...I’m not...if you cut your hand off does that make your hand a clone?”

“ummM...nO?”(Ruby)

“Exactly, I’m still Kthanid..well part of them anyway...speaking of the rest of me, you said they went to the 3rd district, when did they leave?”

“I’m not sure, but they’re probably already there”(Kay)

“shit...I really needed to talk to the rest of me…”

“Can’T yoU likE minD linK witH theM oR somethinG?”(Ruby)

“No, well maybe...before last night I wasn’t even able to talk or even really think but unexpectedly I became more sentient, I could even use magic for a bit I used that to talk to the rest of me but for some reason, I can’t use it anymore…..”

Ruby rubs her chin for a bit before her eyes widen.

“HeY waiT A minutE ! whY diE wE jusT fuckinG acceptE thiS withouT eveN knowinG whY thE helL kathnaiD eveN rippeD A parT oF himselF off!......thaT lasT parT soundeD dirtY foR somE reasoN…”(Ruby)

“You have a point ignoring the last thing you said, why did Kathy make you? And why do you need to see him……...oh umm....I’m sorry I meant why do you need to see the rest of you Kathy”(Kay)

Kay felt bad about the way she worded that but the ball of flesh didn't seem to care.

"Atlas was acting strange when he left, so the rest of me tore me off and throw me at him, I’ve been following him around for a while in a lizard form but I wasn’t able to get much information, just that he’s in deep shit, I only have lizard and bat forms right now, I need a humanoid form to go in deeper, I need to borrow it from the rest of me"

Kay thinks back to the titan gentleman, he was acting very strange when she last saw him....

He had helped their party so much....she would feel awful if something happened to him....

“I guess I can try calling the rest of you”(Kay)

The ball of flesh shook from side to side.

“Nah it’s fine, I wouldn’t be happy to be interrupted if I was demon hunting, just tell the rest of me to call when they get back”

Ruby scratches her head.

“I’M sorrY buT you’rE supeR confusinG likE you’rE noT A clonE ….buT you’rE stilL parT oF kathaniD...buT yoU likE A separatE thinG ?? it’S weirD...wilL yoU likE... diE wheN kathaniD anD yoU mergE bacK togetheR?”(Ruby)

“Umm..no? It’s not really that confusing, I’ll be part of the whole again, I guess I would stop being sentient though”

Kay started to look worried.

“Hey...umm...you won’t like...try to kill Kath-...I mean the rest of you to keep your sentient right…..?”(Kay)

All those stories of clones killing their originals were playing in her head..

It became such a problem that cloning was now considered a way of suicide.....

The ball of flesh somehow without any features managed to look bewildered.

“WHAT!? Why the hell would I want to keep being sentient!? It’s awful!! If anything I want to finish this shit as fast as possible so I can go back to being a hand or something”

Ruby nodded.

“I geT thaT, noT needinG tO thinK abouT shiT jusT graspinG wheN needeD, sigH.... thaT soundS likE thE lifE...”(Ruby)

"there were...so many things wrong with what you just said.....I don't even know where to start..."(Kay)

The ball of flesh sprouts two batwings.

“Alright...I should get back to work, Atlas moves around A LOT”

Before the ball of flash can fly away Kay shouts.

“WAIT! Don’t go! Come on let’s do something together!”(Kay)

Nothing in this world makes Kay happier than spending time with you, even if it’s only a bit of you.

The flesh ball uses one of its wings to scratch its head.

“Hmmm….well, I guess there’s one place I wanted to check out first...you girls can come with me!”

“oooooH! dO telL! I aM boreD aS SHIT!”(RUBY)

“The boss of 8th district is having an exhibit, he’s usually outside of Unlaw for most of the year he deals in hunting very rare animals and only comes back to show his catch”

“Wow! That sounds great! Let’s go right now! You ready Ruby?”(Kay)

Instead of answering Ruby puts a finger on her lips.

“RarE animalS huH….”(Ruby)

“What’s wrong?”(Kay)

“........nothinG….maybE theY havE….neverminD..let’S checK thiS placE ouT”(Ruby)

Ruby puts on her hoodie and walks towards the door.

But before she could open it a hand stopped her.

A slightly angry Key held her hand out.

“....Ruby…...aren’t you forgetting something…..”(Kay)

Ruby blinked a few times.

She thought long and hard what could she possibly forget…

“ummM…...don’T worrY I havE mY moneY poucH”(Ruby)

This only made Kay angrier.

“Ruby…..you didn’t take a shower yet”(Kay)

“............................................we’rE iN A hurrY, it’S waY toO latE noW!”(Ruby)

“SHOWER NOW!”(Kay)

“OK MOM! GEEZ!”(Ruby)

 

Ruby takes a quicker shower than Kay would have wanted but they leave with the piece of you towards the 8th district 

---

 

In an unknown alleyway somewhere in Unlaw.

This alley was shrouded in darkness, even in the brightest time of day.

A lone man is walking through this darkness.

Their long black hair and large black coat seemed to merge with the shadows.

In fact, he could be called the personification of a shadow…..

………..If only he didn’t have a pink strawberry bandaid on his chin.

Also, the ladybug earring and cute kitty cat hair clip didn’t help.

The man was alone.

Well, there were a few dead bodies around but they didn’t count.

Each step he took echoed through the walls and spread through the alley.

The man walked down the alleyway for a while before reaching a black door.

He lifts his arm and pulls back his sleeve to reveal his puppy watch.

The man smiled as the little puppy was moving its eyes to indicate the time.

Once it was exactly 12, the puppy opened its mouth and started barking cutely.

A sound can be heard from the door.

A slot opens up in the middle of the door.

The light from inside the room illuminates the darkness in the alleyway.

Even though he was alone the man made sure to look around first.

The man opens his coat.

Stuck all over the inside of his jacket were thin long needles and some sharp knife.

The man reaches in and pulls out a small pink turtle toy with a large key on its back.

The man puts the turtle on the slot but instead of pushing in, he winds up the key a few times.

The turtle starts moving forward, stopping every now and then to wiggle its little tail.

Finally, it makes its way in and a hand takes it.

The slot is closed and the sound of the door being unlocked echoes through the alleyway.

It seems his offering was accepted.

Slowly the door opened and the man walked in.

He took a second for his eyes to adjust to the light.

He looked around the room, his eyes widening.

And then without warning the man-made a sound.

A sound no full grown man should ever make.

He squeed.

A high-pitched scream of excitement as he looked around the room or I should say shop.

The shop was pink with red hearts on the wall.

Shelves were full of cute plushies and little ornaments, toys, paintings.

So many things but they all had one thing in common.

They were adorable!

“Hehe, it’s nice to see someone appreciate my products”(???)

The man looked around not seeing anyone.

“Down here”(???)

Then he looked down and came face to face with an old woman.

She was small, only reaching up to his waist.

“Welcome to my little shop!”(Old lady)

The man stared at her long enough for the old woman to start worrying before a large smile made itself on his face.

“OH MY GOD! THIS STORE A CUTE SMALL GRANDMA!!!”(???)

The man felt like he would from cuteness overload.

Any pretenses of this man being dark in any way were burned to ash by the blush on his cheeks.

The Old woman started to blush too.

“Hehe, oh my I haven’t been called cute for a long time..”(Old lady)

Anyone seeing her would never guess she used to be one of the biggest mob bosses in Loam.

She picked up stuff like this all her life and now in her old age, she just started to sell them.

As for why she has a store in Unlaw that only sells cute girly things….well…..nothing in the shop was strictly legal...

"well please take a look around"(Old lady)

"I might just buy this whole store!"(???)

The man pushed his long hair away.

The Old lady paused for a moment.

As she could now see his elf ears...

This caught her off guard.

She was sure the man was human this whole time.

The reason was.

He didn't have a horn.

The old woman lived a long life but this is the first time she's seen a hornless elf......well an adult one anyway...

Most are killed before they reach adulthood.

The woman tensed up a bit.

Any old person belonging to a group that's known to die young is always dangerous.

She had several magic weapons that could kill someone with ease.....but...

Looking at him as he examines each plushie, shaking their hands and introducing himself to them......well...

The woman smiled.

No one that likes cute things this much can be that bad of a person....right?

---

The 8th district.

It’s usually grouped with the 9th district as the trafficking section of Unlaw.

But while the 9th district deals exclusively in slave trafficking, the 8th district takes up animal and monster trafficking, basically any living thing that’s not considered a person…..well by Unlaw standards anyway….

This is not to be confused with the pushing section of Unlaw the 5th district where drugs and other illegal goods are smuggled out.

Walking through the 8th district, Ruby, Kay, and a ball of flesh on Kay’s head are sightseeing.

The 8th district was unique in the way it was made, There was only one big building at the very end that looked like a mix between a zoo and a castle that belonged to the boss of the 8th district other than that there were only a few other small buildings so it was mostly an open road which helped with dragging animals around.

Most of the animals and monsters being pulled or transported in cages were completely foreign to Kay.

Some of them were cute animals like a really fluffy cat that looked like a ball while on the complete other side of the coin there were big monsters with 20 arms and faces on their stomachs.

Ruby kept looking around, inspecting every cage and animal that passed her.

Her face grew more and more disappointed. 

“.....are you looking for something?”(Kay)

Ruby took a second to answer.

“..........................huH? whA? NO! nopE! mE? i’M jusT lookinG arounD that’S alL!”(Ruby)

Kay stared at her for a bit but decided not to pry into it.

To be honest Kay couldn’t stop herself from looking around either for the very slim possibility she could find a real horse.

For a second she thought she did, but it was just a stupid unicorn……..

Or as elves commonly called them, fucking pests. 

Ruby tried to change the subject.

“sooooO...PK what’S you’R deaL witH thiS placE?”(Ruby)

“PK?”(Kay)

“piecE oF Kathanid”(Ruby)

“...........”(Kay)

“I need to get close to the boss of the 5th district, that's who Atlas works for, the 8th and 5th boss will be meeting soon so getting some information now would help me a lot since while the 8th boss very rarely comes out, the 5th never does….”

“....well ummmmmm………..”(Kay)

“You can call me PK it’s fine”

“Well…..PK, I don’t really get it but I’d be happy to help in any way”(Kay)

“You just have to get me close to him, I’ll take it from there”

“...well alright..but if you need anything else just tell me…”(Kay)

“Alright”

The party continues to walk for a while taking a look at many animals, they pass by a very large cage which seems to be filled with 9 Orc kings.

They huddle whispering to each other before one of them notices Kay.

Or specifically the ball of flesh on Kay’s head.

At once all of them stand up and stare at it.

For a second all their eyes flash……..

---

Finally making it to the middle of the 8th district, what awaited the party was a large stage.

A crowd was in front of the stage, every single one of them looked excited. 

There some in the crowd that looked like nobles while others looked like wilderness survivors.   

There were about 12 guards all around the stage, all the guards wore hunting gear and rifles, they were mostly focused on the animals than the people though. 

Ruby and Kay made their way to the front of the stage as Ruby pushed people aside.

“cominG througH! ouT thE waY assholE!”(Ruby)

While the stage was made from only wood, it had carvings on it, and the woodcarver must have been paid pretty fucking well because not a single inch of it was bare, it had various images of monsters killing each other, chasing prey, or just looking cool.

On top of the stage was a variety of unique monsters and animals.

Each one of them had to be put in a special cage.

There were about 10 cages but a few stuck out to Kay.

One was a cage made from a special metal that’s great at stealing heat.

In the cage was an animal that looked like a monkey.

You couldn’t really tell because the thing was made from fire.

Not covered in fire, Made of fire.

Another was a monster that looked like a buffalo, it had eyes all over its body, there were mirrors all over the cage reflecting the eyes onto itself.

And one that really struck out to Kay was in a cage that didn’t stop spinning.

The cage was put on a spinning motor, Kay could barely tell what was in there.

All she knew was it was purple and may have been a spider…….or maybe an octopus???

As for why it had to be spun to keep it from escaping, Kay could only guess.

Finally, there was a cage that was just black.

It was covered in darkness so even under the sun you couldn’t even see what was inside.

“I must admit….this is pretty cool”(Kay)

“yeaH, I’M prettY surE thesE arR alL likE A oR S clasS monsterS”(Ruby)

“S class?”

Kay sighs.

“Please don’t teach PK and by extension Kathy dumb adventurer speak Ruby! It just means it’s super strong, we don’t need letters to convey that!”(Kay)

“shiT, sorrY you’rE righT!”(Ruby)

“Though…..this does make me a bit nerves, I really hope these cages can keep things in check”(Kay)

“heY iF theY coughT theM theY shoulD bE ablE tO dO iT agaiN”(Ruby)

“I guess……….hey speaking of which! Who caught these monster anyway”(Kay)

“He did”

The little ball of flesh pointed a tentacle at the end of the stage.

That’s when Kay saw him.

A man walking towards the stage.

The man was quite tall, about 8 feet.

His hair reached his back and his beard reached his stomach.

He was shirtless, only wearing ripped jeans and boots.

His body was covered in scars and tribal tattoos.

He was muscular but at the same time very lean, kind of like a cheetah.

As he walked to the stage, the murmuring of the crowd began to quiet down.

Not just the crowd but even the monsters were silent.

Kay looked puzzled.

She expected some kind of hulking mass of muscle to be the boss. 

She whispered to Ruby.

“That’s the boss? I guess he looked kind of strong but not that much”(Kay)

Ruby didn’t respond to her.

“Ruby?”(Kay)

That’s when Kay noticed, Ruby was acting strange.

She looked very anxious, sweat was slowly falling from her forehead.

“Ruby what’s wrong!”(Kay)

Ruby swallowed.

“KaY”(Ruby)

“y..yes?”(Kay)

“nO matteR whaT, wE can’T fighT thiS guY”(Ruby)

Ruby stated this as a fact.

“....I didn’t plan to…..but why?”(Kay)

Kay looked back at the man, she didn’t feel afraid.

Ruby gritted her teeth. 

“OnE thE mosT important skillS A deviL caN havE iS knowinG wheN theY can’T wiN…..”(Ruby)

Kay looked bewildered.

Who was this man?

 

Bullet the immortal.

Number 15 on the red danger list for 40 years straight. 

One of the only recorded humans to live to 100 years old without the use of magic or technology.

He’s known as the greatest hunter in all of Loam.

There is absolutely nothing known about Bullet’s past or where he came from.

It was rumored that he was raised by monsters, or even that he was half monster.

No matter what his origin was it didn’t change the fact that no one could reach his level.

He was the first person to catch and tame a dragon.

The first hunter to kill an Unseen, a monster that lives between worlds.

The first to ever hunt the legendary Wolf of nails and live to tell the tale.

And what he’s most famous for.

Catching one of the 3 beasts of the apocalypse.

3 monsters who are rumored to have the power to wipe out all life on the planet.

Many wanted to buy it off him, including the great sage and red mask, but he refused. 

 No one knows where he keeps it caged up, they say he’s keeping it until he can find a way to kill it…

Bullet walked up the stage, the crowd started cheering.

Bullet stood in front of the crowd as they screamed his name.

Then.

He lifted his right arm.

And they all fell silent.

“Ok PK the boss is here, what’s the plan?”(Kay)

Ruby wiped the sweat from her brow. 

“yeaH dO yoU wanT tO geT tO hiM noW? BecausE I don’T wanT tO geT neaR hiM iF I caN helP iT!”(Ruby)

“No not yet, they’ll notice us, we have to go after the show”

The girls nodded.

For now, they would just watch the show.

Bullet cleared his throat.

“Welcome ladies and gentlemen...”(Bullet)

Bullet had a rough voice like he ate gravel.

The kind of voice you can only get by smoking 10 packs of cigarettes a day.

“We are gathered here to show off the latest fruits of my hunt….well the ones I could capture alive anyway…”(Bullet)

Bullet motioned to one of the guards, they started pulling some of the cages to the front.

“I’ll be showing off some of the catches today, I don’t have time to show off all of them but you’ll be able to buy them soon”(Bullet)

One by the one the cages were brought up and Bullet showed off the monsters inside.

He didn’t really talk about the monsters just how he caught them.

While explaining how he set a trap made of nothing metal scrapes and leaves. 

One of the monsters started to act strange.

It was the buffalo with many eyes, it seemed one of the mirrors went a bit crooked after a guard moved the cage.

It crouched down and then-

It teleported out of the cage!!

It started to thrash around and looked like it was ready to charge at people.

The eyes all over its body started to glow.

But before anyone could react.

 

It fell to the ground.

 

Dead.

 

Kay blinked her eyes.

This all happened in less than a second.

She didn’t even have time to process this.

One moment the buffalo was out of the cage.

And then the next Bullet was standing next to the now dead buffalo, its heart still beating in his hand.

Kay swallowed.

She now understood what Ruby meant... 

The fact that he's strong but is still able to hide it......is terrifying..... 

Bullet walked back to the front of the stage while the guards started to clean up the mess.

He looked at the crowd and took a bite out of the heart.

“We’ll go on break for 10 minutes while we make sure all the cages are secure, stick around.”(Bullet)

Bullet started to walk away.

The guards started moving the cages.

“We have to go now! Just throw me into one of those cages!”

“Alright! How can I help!”(Kay)

Ruby thinks for a bit. 

She points to a side where only one guard was stationed, as the rest were taking care of the cages. 

“KaY gO distractT thaT guarD! I’lL geT PK tO thE cagE”(Ruby)

“Got it!”(Kay)

Kay walked up to the guard and started talking to him.

As soon as she gets his attention Ruby makes her move.

“AlrighT let’S dO thiS!”(Ruby)

Ruby sticks the ball of flesh in her hoodie pocket.

She then makes herself lighter, so light her footsteps make no sound.

She quickly moves to the back of the stage, weaving in out of people so the guards don’t notice her.

Just when she passes by one of the cages, she quickly takes out PK and throws it like a basketball.

The ball flies through the air before landing inside one of the cages.

Ruby makes a fist bump.

“anD shE neveR fuckinG misseS!!”(Ruby)

PK quickly attaches itself to the monster in the cage like a tumor.

Ruby quickly makes her way back.

“And that’s why horses are better than camels!”(Kay)

“Huh….you know I never thought about it that way…..I guess horses are pretty cool”(guard)

“yep!”(Kay)

“ExcusE mE I neeD tO talK tO thiS girL”(Ruby)

Ruby takes Kay by the arm and dragged her away.

The guard shouts as they leave.

“WAIT! Will a horse make my wife love again!!”(guard)

Ruby picks up Kay and moves away as fast as possible. 

As they walk away from the stage they pass by a man in robes.

Ruby stops for a second and looks back at him as he’s walking away.

“..........”(Ruby)

“What’s wrong?”(Kay)

“.......I don’T knoW….I feeL likE I’vE seeN thaT robE desigN somewherE”(Ruby)

“Really? I have never seen it before”(Kay)

“I thinK...I saW theM iN thE kingdoM oF roseS……...yeaH that’S righT!...theY woulD hanG arounD thE librarY”(Ruby)

“.....are they going to be a problem?”(Kay)

“let’S hopE noT, thE kingdoM oF roseS probablY doesn’T likE uS verY mucH”(Ruby)

“..............”(Kay)

The girls stand in tensioned silence for a bit before a sound breaks the mood.

GROOWEL~~~~~

"................."(Kay)

“…..…….I’M starvinG!….I stilL haven’T eateN breakfasT yeT...”(Ruby)

Kay just nodded while smiling helplessly. 

“Yeah, we can worry about all our enemies after we eat”(Kay)

 

While selling live animals, the 8th district also specializes in selling meat in giant open slaughterhouses.

There were even stands that sold many a cooked mystery meat.

Kay and Ruby stop by a stand and buy two mystery meat skewers from a poplar stand.

Finding a nice bench they sit down, Kay just now realizing how tired her legs are.

They munch on the meat skewers, Kay taking little bites while Ruby swallows her’s whole.

Kay chews the meat for a bit and then turns to Ruby.

“Soooo! Tell me! How did you fall in love with my Kthanid!”(Kay)

“akjfhbaiufdHH!!”(Ruby)

Ruby choked on her meat skewer and got into a coughing fit.

“aH! houcH! WHAT!?”(Ruby)

“Come on! Let’s have girl talk! Plus as Kathy’s mother it’s my right to know!!”(Kay)

Ruby gritted her teeth, she slouched down, her face glowing brighter and brighter.

“I promise I won’t tell anyone!”(Kay)

“.........promisE….”(Ruby)

“Promise!”(Kay)

“....IF yoU telL KathaniD I’lL kilL yoU!!!”(Ruby)

“Got it!”(Kay)

Finally, after much deliberation, she sighs.

“........finE…”(Ruby)

“YES! So tell me what was it?”(Kay)

“whaT waS whaT?”(Ruby)

“What made you fall in love with him, my Kathy is perfect! He’s handsome, he’s cute, he’s strong, he’s kind, I can go on and on! I can’t really blame you for falling for him!”(Kay)

Ruby cringed a bit before spitting out an answer.

“............................hE waS interesteD iN mE……”(Ruby)

“what?”(Kay)

“DAMMIT!”(Ruby)

Ruby looked like she regretted saying it immediately, she clutched her hair in her hands.

“looK!....alL mY lifE...nO onE gavE A shiT abouT mE ! leT alonE wanteD tO bE iN A relationshiP witH mE ! thE onlY timE peoplE acteD likE I existeD waS wheN theY wanteD tO kilL mE ! s..sO wheN hE showeD uP……..I don’T….I……”(Ruby)

Ruby started shaking.

“....Ruby…”(Kay)

“WheN you’rE A halF deviL peoplE onlY looK aT thE deviL parT….anD theY hatE yoU foR iT…helL eveN deviL worshiperS hatE yoU!!....anD I knoW iT soundS likE A shiT awfuL reasoN ! buT jusT thE facT thaT hE camE uP tO mE ! anD he………..thaT waS enougH!!……..”(Ruby)

Ruby hugged her knees and hid her face.

As she tried not to cry she felt a soft hand on her head, gently stroking her.

“It’s not a shit awful reason Ruby…..we all want to be loved”(Kay)

Kay kept stroking her head.

“WelL….it’S noT likE I felL iN lovE witH hiM aT firsT sighT...thougH wheN hE jusT askeD foR mY virginitY witH nO hesitatioN…..I thoughT thaT waS prettY alphA”(Ruby)

“I’m sorry what?”(Kay)

“TheN hE brokE mE ouT oF prisoN, thougH hE waS thE reasoN I waS iN prisoN iN thE firsT placE…………….buT….hE prettY fuckinG badasS…..”(Ruby)

“Heh….wh..what was that first part?”(Kay)

“LikE onE seconD he’S thiS badasS guY thaT nothinG caN stoP...theN hE becomeS A monsteR thaT sometimeS eveN sacrieS mE…….buT…..mosT oF thE timE….he’S jusT A cutE goofbalL….”(Ruby)

“........”(Kay)

“BuT it’S stilL alwayS kathaniD…..nO matteR whaT forM he’S iN……..he’S alwayS KathaniD……”(Ruby)

Kay looked down and smiled, whispering.

“.........................you made a good choice Kathy…”(Kay)

“whaT waS thaT?”(Ruby)

“It’s nothing!”(Kay)

Kay waves her arms.

 Ruby eyes her. 

“EnougH abouT mE! whaT abouT yoU?”(Ruby)

Ruby tried her best to stop herself from blushing more.

“Me? Oh I don’t have anyone in my life except for my Kathy”(Kay)

“WhaT abouT thaT bikeR chicK?”(Ruby)

Kay just smiled without responding.

“.....ummmmmM...oK theN…..let’S sticK tO KathaniD theN, hoW diD yoU adopT hiM? 

Kay kept smiling, it was a strange smile, as if remembering the worst and best memory at the same time.

“...........after my parents died…...no one wanted to take care of me…….”(Kay)

Kay spat those words out with no emotion.

 Like they meant nothing.

“...........”(Ruby)

“....so I faced hardships”(Kay)

Ruby didn’t say anything….but just that word...hardships... made her heart sink.

It was just a word...but Ruby could feel just how much was behind it…..

“Then…..Kthanid came into my life….he…..saved me…...at the time he….was pretty much a baby…he could destroy anything in his path….but he couldn’t really talk or read and he didn’t know about anything…..so...I became his mom…...I always wanted to be a mom…...…..mainly because of my mother…...I wanted to make someone happy, to take care of them…...when….when asked me to teach him how to read...it was….god…..”(Kay)

“......”(Ruby)

“.......I love him…..I love him so much it hurts…..I want to see him grow up...I want to see him achieve all his goals…..but at the same time…..I’m so scared he'll leave me…..”(Kay)

Kay looked in a certain direction.

“........I gave up on this world and everything in it…….now Kathy is my world….and I’ve never been happier…”(Kay)

“................”(Ruby)

Ruby put a hand on Kay’s shoulder.

As she stared into the girl’s eyes, she saw the darkness in them.

It was enough to suck her in.

But deep in the darkness….there was a light.

A light so strong it could never be engulfed.

Ruby wondered what she could do for this girl….when she seemed so much stronger than her….

 For now, the only thing she can think of.

Was a hug.

“..........girL talK fuckinG suckS!”(Ruby)

“Yeah...hehe!”(Kay)

Kay hugged Ruby back.

Originally Ruby wanted to push Kay into her chest but Kay did it first.

Hugging Ruby's head and brushing her hair. 

Now it looked like Kay was comforting Ruby.

It happened so smoothly Ruby didn’t even notice. 

Ruby didn’t really know how to feel about this but Kay looked happy so she let it happen.

The girl was a natural mother! 

“....ummM...yoU talkeD abouT youR moM…”(Ruby)

“Yeah she was the best..”(Kay)

“YeaH...momS arE prettY cooL..”(Ruby)

“Hmmm..how’s your mom?”(Kay)

“she’S!....cooL..”(Ruby)

“cool?”(Kay)

Ruby scratched her head.

“yeaH...likE pretty gooD moM..prettY greaT moM!...I wasn’T reallY thE besT daughteR thougH…”(Ruby)

“Is she still alive?”(Kay)

Kay decided to take a gamble with that question.

“....yeaH…”(Ruby)

Kay’s eyes brightened up!

“ooooH I want to meet her!”(Kay)

“WHAT!? WHY!?”(Ruby)

“Our children are in a relationship!!! It’s normal for the parents to meet each other!”(Kay)

Ruby looked embarrassed.

“NO!! ABSOLUTELY NOT!”(Ruby)

“Why!?”(Kay)

Ruby gritted her teeth.

“I….I…..I….stilL haven’T eveN tolD heR abouT KathnaiD yeT….”(Ruby)

“WHAT!!!!!”(Kay)

“............”(Ruby)

“Wait a minute….......Ruby! When was the last time you called her!!”(Kay)

“...........................”(Ruby)

“RUBY!!!!!!”(Kay)

“................................................................................almosT A yeaR noW….”(Ruby)

Ruby whispered so low even she couldn’t hear it.

Kay on the other hand.

“A YEAR!!!!!!!!”(Kay)

Ruby looked down shamefully.

“Ruby! You have to call her! If I didn’t hear about my Kathy for even a DAY! I would just drop dead from worrying!!!”(Kay)

“ALRIGHT! ALRIGHT!.....I’lL...calL heR….”(Ruby)

“promise!”(Kay)

“.....promisE…”(Ruby)

“If you break the promise I’ll tell Kathy what you said about him!”(Kay)

“NOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!”(Ruby)

 

The girls would continue to talk about random things for a few hours.

They mostly talked about their mothers, sharing stories while making sure not to get into anything dark.

Not because they didn’t trust each other, but they didn’t want to burden each other with their pasts.

Their bonds grow closer, yet.

In the back of their minds, they couldn’t help but think about You.

---

Tink!

Tink! 

Tink!

The alleyway was so quiet you could hear the sound of tiny needles falling on the ground.

"hmmm, I swear Unlaw always fills up three whole pages...."(???)

A man writes on a small book with an orange bunny rabbit pen.

They cross out a name.

"Well at least I got something out of it!"(???)

The man picks up a teddy bear, the bear was dressed up like a little assassin.

"Now what am I going to call you...........mmm......what about.....Clarence!  that's a good name!"(???)

The man gives Clarence a big hug.

As he looks down at the bear he notices blood starting to pool near his shoes.

He walks away from it and throws a glance at its source.

A corpse.

The corpse was completely unrecognizable, it was covered in tiny holes almost like a sponge.

You couldn't tell what the person used to look like.

Blood kept pouring out the holes till it was completely dry.

The man sighed.

"I really wanted to give her a quick death, but she was soooooo cute!!! I just didn't have it in me..."(???)

Then the man smiled.

"It took over three hours of mutilation before she became ugly enough to kill.....that granny was just that cute!"(???)

The man opened his book again.

"oh well! now that I've done all my chores!"(???)

The man circles a name a few times.

Keya Chaeharice (Kay)

".........now I can have some fun!"(???)

He pulls out something from his coat. 

A photo.

The man inspects the photo of a small nubby horned elf.

He drags a finger on the scar under her eye.

"Hmmmmmmmmm.......it's going to take me days to get rid of your cuteness ♥"(???)

---