Announcement

Welcome to the Epilogue of Volume 2! Please see the message at the end for news on Volume 3! 

A man stared through the thick glass into the training room, observing someone’s routine. The glass was for his, and any other observer’s, protection, since the training room could get quite dangerous for normal humans. The nearby elevator dinged open. ‘-36’ was glowing above it, since this room was on the 36th subfloor of the CP’s main headquarters.

A woman stepped out of the elevator and stood next to the man. “Good morning, General Breach,” she greeted him as she started observing the routine as well.

“Good morning, Mrs. Viscelli,” he returned the greeting.

“Oh come now, I’m certain that I’ve told you to call me Gauld,” she protested.

“I apologize, I wasn’t sure what kind of meeting this would be,” the general conveyed.

“Oh, it’s nothing formal,” Gauld assured him. “Given today's events, I just wanted to see how things were progressing. How’s she doing?” The moment Gauld asked her question, there was a thud against the window that made her jump a little.

A training dummy had been launched into the glass. It was completely cleaved in two, and both halves slumped to the floor in different directions. These dummies were exceedingly durable and built to last. They had indicators on them to show when someone landed an injury or a killing blow, but were designed to take extreme damage. Needless to say, splitting one into two clean pieces was an impressive feat.

“I’d say she’s doing well,” Breach grinned slightly as they stared at the fake corpse.

“She’s certainly strong,” Gauld acknowledged. “But will she be able to lead? I’m wondering if there wouldn’t be someone more qualified.”

“I suppose that’s yet to be seen,” Breach relented. “She has experience as part of an organization, but I imagine that for her, it was a lifetime ago. I won’t even pretend to understand what goes on through her mind, but I do know that she has motivation. She hates Fiends as much as anyone, and we can turn that into results.”

“Hmm, I’m actually starting to wonder if all of this is even necessary anymore,” Gauld admitted. “I’ve gone back and forth on whether it would be a smart move to begin with, and now I’m not sure there’s even a need. The bodies of the Fiends for Hire are a few floors below us and Phon Drazah will be joining them soon. Wouldn’t it be reasonable to say that the worst is behind us?”

“That’s very unlike you, Gauld, to be that naive.” Breach was a little puzzled by her statement. “Certainly, when you think of Fiends, you think of the Drazahs and the Fiends for Hire, but that’s not the end of them. It’s far from it, I’d say. Even in their group alone there are three more confirmed Fiends. What’s to say they wouldn’t retaliate?”

“Personally, I find that unlikely,” Breach continued. “From what I understand, they’re rational and inquisitive individuals. They probably understand our reasons, and understand that the other Fiends were taking a risk. I don’t really see them as a threat, but I’m sure many in the CP would disagree. What really worries me, though, are the Fiends we know nothing about.”

Breach ushered Gauld over to the counter behind them. There were several files laid out filled with dossiers. “These are just a few that I was looking over. They’re newly confirmed Fiends that were verified by our agents. You may have heard about some of them as rumors floating around online. These are just the ones that we confirmed last week alone.”

“The people in this batch don’t belong to any organization. We know little to nothing about their motivations and abilities, only what was spread around in those rumors. A few were seen in person by our agents, but most are pretty wary about using their curses openly. All we have to go on is the notoriety they’ve gained through forums, and we have to make judgment calls on whether they’re a threat or not.”

“I mean just look at some of these titles: ‘The Famished Flesh-Eater’ and ‘The Pestilent Plague Doctor’. Why were these names given? Is it just a play-on-words based on some facet of their ability, or were they given for good reason? These are the things we need to know, and it terrifies me to find out.”

“Alright, alright, I get it,” Gauld sighed. “There’s a new wave of Fiends coming, and we have even less information on them than the Drazahs, so we’ll need to be prepared. I bet it makes you miss how open and candid they were, huh?”

“I’m surprised you’re being so nonchalant about their deaths, if I’m being honest,” Breach noted. “Weren’t they practically seen as superheroes in your country?”

“I’ll admit that they helped us out quite a bit,” Gauld relayed. “The projects they were involved in went smoothly, and employing them at all boosted our approval ratings. There may even be a bit of an outcry once their deaths become public, but it shouldn’t have any long lasting effects. So yes, they were a positive force, but what did they ever do for me personally…? I guess I might be a little upset that I never got the chance to rope them into my own schemes.”

“Now that’s the Gauld I know,” Breach chuckled.

◆◆◆

At the top of the grassy hill, Phon Drazah’s corpse swayed slightly in the wind. Her body was still dangling there, as it had been for about an hour. Almost everyone had left, except the few at the bottom of the hill readying a transport to take her body to CP headquarters for study. Only two soldiers were left to guard her, and they were turned away from her, not wanting to stare at the corpse any longer. A few flies had started to buzz around, but the large crowd had kept any hungry scavengers away that were looking for an easy meal.

Even after all this time, blood was continuing to slowly trickle from her neck. Long streaks had stained her limbs, and her clothes were entirely soaked and dyed. A small object fell out of one of her sleeves, latching onto the trail of blood as it descended. The blood carried it down through the gallow’s trapdoor where it splashed onto the ground.

It was a seed, which immediately sunk into the dirt as soon as it touched the soil. For a split-second, the spot glowed green and then a flower bloomed to life; a green rose with black thorns. The next moment, there was a slight twitch on Phon Drazah’s face. It was so subtle that anyone watching would likely rule it off as a random spasm post-mortem. The corners of her mouth raised slightly, pointing upwards; a smile.

To be continued... In Volume 3: Gift!

Even in death, their ambition can't be quelled. Moments after the news of their demise has been announced, the Fiends For Hire make an announcement of their own. They're recruiting, and all Fiends and Lesser Fiends from around the world are welcome to come and try out. With this expansion, they aim to become something even Greater than before. But not all Fiends are on their side, and there are those conspiring against them from both below and Above.

Thanks for sticking with the series thus far. We've reached the end of Volume 2! Unfortunately, this means we've also reached the end of everyday releases. However, Volume 3: Gift is closer than you think! Please stay tuned for the Prologue chapter releasing this Thursday, November 10th.

Afterwards, I'll be attempting to post a chapter weekly. However, if I want the series to keep growing, unfortunately I need to play the meta game a bit. This means that chapters will be split even more than before and released over the week. How many are released per week depends on how well it can be split with the last part of that chapter releasing each Thursday.

Don't worry however, I won't be compromising on chapter length or quality in the grand scheme of things. Each chapter will be a length you'd expect for the series so far. You may just have to hit 'Next Chapter' a bit more often. There will be no hard feelings from me if people wait until a chapter is fully out before reading it.

I'd love it if you left a Rating or Review. This really helps the story get attention more than people may think. 

Thanks again for reading Volume 2! I hope you enjoy what comes next!

If you have an idea for a Fiend or Lesser let me know in the comments or a DM and I may use them in a future Volume!

More information about the series such as the Wiki and Social Medias can be found on the Fiends For Hire LinkTree!