"And that's the story of how we got caught by a bandit."

"You didn't need to tell me. I was there."

"Do you two ever shut up?" The bandit who had captured us interjected.

"She doesn't."

"You don't either."

"..." Mel shut her mouth. Hehe... time to provoke her.

"Mel, you idiot!"

"You're the idiot!"

"Haha! You didn't shut up!"

"I really want to kill you two."

Mel and I are currently tied up in some really nice and tight rope, being overseen by a female bandit who moves like the wind but has a terrible fashion sense. "I'm a bandit! Nice clothes aren't easy to find in this line of work!" Excuses, excuses. I've got no idea why we've been kidnapped, though. Mel is back to being a merchant, by the way. I really like the merchant getup.

"What is she going on about?"

"You wouldn't understand."

"You have terrible tastes in maids."

"She isn't my maid."

"I've kidnapped a kidnapper?!"

"I didn't kidnap her either."

"Oh. She just stuck herself onto you?"

"Somewhat."

"Unfortunate."

"I know."

The room then filled with silence. Turns out having a conversation with your kidnapper isn't very easy. I wouldn't have known that since I've never been kidnapped. Which reminds me, "Why did you kidnap us?"

"Only asking me now?"

"I'm slow on the upkeep."

"7 hours is very slow on the upkeep."

"How come you didn't ask Mel?"

"I didn't care enough."

"Oh. Hurry up and answer the question, kidnapper!"

"I ki-"

"Actually, answer a different question first."

"What?"

"What's your name?"

"My name doesn't matter. Seriously, it doesn't. We'll never meet again."

"What? Why not?"

"I was just asked to capture you two then send you two somewhere. I'm never going to be anywhere near you two after that. Even if I coincidentally end up in the same street as you two, I sure as hell ain't walking up to you to say hello."

"Don't worry, I'll come up to you to say hi."

"Please don't." At that moment, a ping sound came from behind the door. "That's my cue." She zoomed out of the door. Seriously, one moment she was sitting on her box, the next moment the door was opened, and there was a gust of wind hitting both me and Mel.

"Super speed."

"You know her Sacred Power, Mel?"

"It's pretty obvious. She just showed it to us."

"Good point. Do you think she'll let me look into her eyes?"

"Probably not."

Silence filled the air yet again.

"So… what now?"

"Nothing."

"That's oddly pessimistic of you."

"Ah yes, because I'm the optimist in our duo."

"I'll have you know I'm a nihilist."

"You've done a terrible job of expressing that."

"It was also a lie!"

"At least I don't have to go on your stupid journey to find 999 Sacred Power holders."

"Hey! You said you'd come along!"

"Honestly, I thought we were going to die before we reached 100."

"I was right! So this is where we have the ha-"

"No, we're not going to."

"Aww…"

"Even if we were to have it, we couldn't. We're tied up."

"Not with that mindset."

"Just shut up."

"Fine, fine."

"..."

"..."

"..."

"It was nice meeting you, Mel."

"You make it sound like we're going to die."

"We're not?"

"Of course not."

Suddenly, the bandit returned, with an elf who looked oddly familiar… wait!

"It's the soup elf!"

"Return, I hath! Coincidence, it was not! All seeing, I am! Following your movements, I was!"

"What's wi-"

"No time to retort, my dear Mel. Pick up the maid, Speedy."

"Don't call me by my nickna-"

"Hush." She put her finger over the bandit, whose face went red. "To my estate with the both of them. I have two rooms prepared for them."

"Wait… we're taking them home?!"

"Why yes, my dear."

"Why?!"

"They amuse me."

"They're annoying as fuck."

"That is a personal matter. Now chop chop. Our home awaits. Also, untie them."

"Goddamnit…" She mumbled under her breath whilst untying my ropes before grabbing my wrists. Before I could even react, I was in a study room, the walls to my sides decorated and filled to the brim with books, and in front of me a vast desk muddled with opened books and half-written letters, lit by the grand window adorned with a flower pattern, the sun softly shining on me. Mmm… bliss. A few seconds later, Speedy came back with Mel, who was seated next to me, then came the soup elf, who was dropped off behind the desk.

"Thank you, Speedy. As quick as ever."

"No problem. I'm going back to my room."

"One last thing…"

"Yeah, yeah. Some soup."

"No, I already have some." She opened a drawer and pulled out a boiling pot of soup. By the smell… chicken. "What I want you to do is look into the maid's eyes."

"I'd love to, but looking at how eager she is, I kind of don't want to anymore."

"I'll add an extra gold coin to your next pay."

"Right away, ma'am!" Speedy zipped next to me, grabbed my face and started staring hard at my eyes. Oh ho, how forceful.

Super Speed Your speed is enhanced. Side Note: Super speed with no limits is a broken superpower, which is why I let this have no limits.

"Off to your room, you may go."

"Gladly. I want to sleep."

"Remember to not miss dinner."

"I won't." Speedy walked out of the room. Even when she was walking, she seemed pretty fast. Speedwalking… that seems interesting. 

Before I could continue any thoughts, the soup elf clapped her hands. "Now now. You can do all the thinking you want later. Right now, we shall have a talk, Madeleine."

---

Character profile: Mare "Speedy" Sicht.

Sacred power: Super Speed.

Favourite city: Prowler City, a coastal city in the country Thawnerry.

Description: A former Bandit King found across the world, Mare was considered the most powerful, as unlike most who become kings by building invincible criminal empires, Mare was a one-woman army. She was capable of doing the work of twenty men in half the time they'd take, regardless of what the job was. She was caught and sentenced to death after drinking some beer laced with a sleep potion in a bar she thought she could trust. The soup elf saved her from execution and, since then, has been under her care and employment. She kept the bandit clothes, for some reason.

Chapter namesake: Speed Demon by Michael Jackson.