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New Volume 3 Chapter(s) Weekly. Volumes 1 and 2 now complete!

She stared at the vanity in her private tent. Her red eyes stared back at her, but she was more concerned with the bags underneath them. Her hair was also annoyingly unkempt. The bedhead she currently suffered was not worth that pathetic pittance of sleep she had just endured. It had been a while since she’d gotten a good night’s rest, but she couldn’t let it affect her. If her energy was lower than an acceptable amount for even a single night, it would ruin the night for thousands of others.

She knew she’d have to start getting ready soon and began pulling out her makeup. Getting ‘performance ready’ was the absolute worst part of her day. It was an unbelievable pain, but she knew no one would come to see her as she was. If everything went well today, in the near future she could get someone to do it for her. Wouldn’t that be nice.

After brushing her hair, and applying a bit of makeup, she began practicing her smile in the mirror. If anyone were to notice it was fake, everything would crumble apart. It hurt her face the more she practiced, but kept going out of spite. Her inability to smile didn't mean she wasn’t happy. She loved her life and the people around her. She loved what she did, and could never see herself doing anything else.

It was the fakeness of it all that bothered her. When was the last time she got to really act like the real her? “The show must go on, I suppose,” she muttered to herself unconvincingly as she started to get dressed. She pulled on her fishnet stockings, and donned her signature red tailcoat. After one last look in the vanity, she would head out, but then there was a call from outside her tent.

“Leader,” a man poked his head into the tent. “Their vehicle is en route. It will reach the interception point in about 40 minutes.”

“Thank you, Mill,” the woman answered. “Tell the others to get ready, we’re moving out in 10 minutes.” After making sure he had left, she turned back to the vanity once more. “Ah, when did that get there?” She touched her face to make sure she wasn’t dreaming, a genuine smile. The more she looked at, the bigger it got.

She walked slowly to the mirror, and began to chuckle slightly. She placed her hand on the reflection, but she was no longer looking at herself. Her mind was gone, full of scenarios and plans, working out every contingency. “I wonder, you who think themselves above us, just what kind of show will you perform for me? You have everyone’s attention, but will you buckle under the spotlight? Do your best. It’s your first show after all… will it be your last?”

◆◆◆

“Leader, incoming! ETA, 3 minutes,” Mill called out to her. She was honestly impressed. Mill had actually managed to report something to her accurately on the first try for the second time in a day. Out of everyone else, Mill was undoubtedly the most loyal and hardworking of her crew. However, he was a bit of a lunkhead. Normally, when he tried to tell her something, he’d initially forget what he came for, stumble around for a while, and only remember sometime later. Today must be just as important to him if he’s able to remain so focused.

“Alright then, everyone!” She addressed her troop. “Let’s get the show started. It will be the most important performance of our lives, give it your all!” Cheers came from the crowd surrounding the caravan, and then they all quickly loaded up into their vehicles. Music started as the wagons and cars rode forward. It was entirely live music as well, booming with energy that would put any professional band to shame. It was music that would draw a crowd, that people couldn’t resist wanting to experience up close and in person.

The troop paraded forward on the desolate road. Balls were flying from juggler’s hands, dancers were prancing around, animals were roaring with all their might. It was a show for no one, but they were acting as if thousands were watching. Soon, the only eyes that mattered were upon them. As they slowly proceeded through an intersection, a car was stopped, waiting to cross. It really was such an obvious car, none other like it in the world. Even if it wasn’t recognizable, the top was down and their hair was a dead giveaway. The car of the Fiends for Hire, the stars of tonight's performance.

When her carriage was right next to their car, she jumped down from the top, right onto the metal hood. She landed with a crouch, bowing in front of them while waving her tophat. Their eyes had all been wandering, staring intrigued at the procession, but now all of their eyes were on her. “Good day to you, Fiends for Hire. It is a pleasure to make your acquaintance.” She did a backflip off of the hood, landed with a pirouette, and then leaned on her cane.

“I am the ringmaster of the Wandering Souls Circus you see before you! You may call me Rallie,” she introduced herself to them.

“You’re a Lesser,” Drim Drazah pointed out.

“Indeed I am, how very astute of you.” Rallie’s eyes glinted at them. “Many of us are in fact. This circus is not just a place for entertainment, it is a place where those who have lost their place in this world can find purpose. I’m sure each of you knows what that’s like... Now then, I would like to personally invite you to tonight’s performance. No! Not as guests! I’m sure our humble performance would seem trivial in your eyes. I would like to invite you to perform in our show; to dazzle, amaze, entice the masses. Put on a spectacle only you can! That is what I’m inviting you to.”

“Ugh, we don’t have time for this,” Phon Drazah grumbled from the backseat. “I’ll teleport us to the other side so we can keep going.”

“Such a pity,” Rallie acted downtrodden. “But it’s to be expected I suppose. You know that you’ll be outperformed by Lessers so you’d rather run away and save your dignity. I completely understand, I’m sorry to have bothered you.”

There was a small, pained laughter from the backseat. Then Phon Drazah’s eyes bulged out of her head, as if they were trying to physically assault Rallie. “What did you just say?!” Rallie was doing her best now to force back a smirk from the bait being taken so easily. “No, no… I won’t be swayed just like that,” Phon Drazah muttered to herself. “Kada, hurry up and get us out of here.”

“Nope,” Kada Susten stated firmly from the driver’s seat.

“Did you just say ‘Nope’?” Phon Drazah was flabbergasted. “There seems to be some confusion that you’re in charge here.”

“Well, first off, Drim’s in charge, not you,” Susten rebutted. “And second, I’m the driver, so yes, I’m kind of in charge. I’ve been good this whole trip about not getting side tracked, but I’ve been driving the whole time so I get to be selfish at least once. So, I demand we go to the circus! By the way this totally has nothing to do with those two getting to be in a movie when I didn’t, so don’t even think that!”

“Fine then, Drim talk some sense into her.” Phon Drazah was clearly getting furious, and Rallie was eating it up. She didn’t know she was going to be entertained so early.

“Uhh, well, I think maybe we should at least check it out,” Drim Drazah mumbled while refusing to make eye contact with his sister.

“Ughhh, I should have expected this,” Phon Drazah groaned. “Can I at least count on you to be a voice of reason Xard?”

Like with her brother, Xard Randex looked anywhere but at Phon. “It… could be an interesting and eye-opening experience that will inspire us to be better…”

“Oh mawgh it, I give up,” Phon Drazah relented and then slumped down in her seat with her arms crossed.

“I’m glad you’ve come around,” Rallie cheered. “The troop will be ecstatic to hear that you’ll be joining us. Now then, if you’d so kindly follow us.” Perfectly timed, the last wagon rolled by the intersection. Rallie gestured her cane in its direction, and it stretched into a whip which latched onto the roof. The whip then contracted back into a cane, pulling her on top of the wagon. The Fiends followed behind in their car with Rallie sitting atop the wagon to make sure they didn’t stray.

A little while later, they reached the site for tonight’s show. It was a giant open field just outside the town of Nodding. It was the perfect spot for a circus to perform, to liven up such a sleepy sounding place. Since the caravan was so slow, those at the front had already unloaded and began setting up the circus. Even the main tent had already been erected by the time they arrived, and the site was abuzz with preparation.

Several of the troop had gone off into the town to advertise. A few of them had already visited a few days ago to put up flyers. These flyers just coincidentally advertised that the Drazahs and other Fiends were performing tonight, clearly a clerical error that Rallie could have in no way planned. It was fortunate that they agreed to the show, or she would have been forced to do massive damage control.

After the Fiends parked their car, Rallie gave them a tour. She started at the entrance, and ran them through a breakdown of the average visitor experience. There were several merchant stalls, a few game booths where people could win prizes, and even a few simple thrill rides for customers to enjoy. As they walked around, Rallie noticed that Drim Drazah seemed increasingly suspicious of the circus, often glancing intently in seemingly random directions. She wondered if any of her employees were providing anything less than the expected level of vigor and hospitality.

Next, it was time to introduce them to the cast and the rest of the troop. Of course, she would save anyone who was busy for later. First there was Honk, the clown specialist. There were no actual clowns at this circus, because their experience showed that children were terrified of and would have traumatic nightmares about clowns with red eyes. So, Honk divided the normal clownish qualities among the rest of the cast and made sure everyone’s acts were together. When the Fiends left Honk, they had all been harassed in some form or another.

“Uhh, this is Throat…” Rallie hesitantly introduced a woman who was sitting on a few crates. She was disinfecting several odd items that didn’t seem to have any form of discernable relation to one another. “She can swallow anything… Anything! And I mean that in an entirely non-sexual way. It’s rather disgusting really, and a huge turn off.”

“Leader Rallie, we have returned from the town!” a rotund stubbly man waddled up to her.

“Oh, done already then, Croak?” Rallie was a little surprised. “I know what you guys are thinking, he’s named Croak because he looks like a frog, but that’s not it. He’s our circus barker, in charge of marketing and sales, and quite good at his job.”

“Yes, Leader Rallie, it’s quite amazing!” Croak croaked. “We have sold out of every ticket, including all the reserved and special seating. We’ll make more tonight than a month of shows combined!”

“Fabulous, good work!” Rallie praised him. “Us being Lesser Fiends is one of our major selling points,” she continued to explain. “People want to see things they can’t do themselves, and with our enhanced strength and agility, we can make everything seem like a spectacle. Though, I suppose it’s nothing close to the genuine article. Try not to disappoint our crowd tonight, please.”

When they entered the tent, they came across a rather large man, large very honestly being an understatement. He was practically bulging out of his skin, with every inch nothing but muscle. “This is Mill, our resident strongman.” Rallie introduced him. “They call him Mill because his favorite way of training is picking up dumbbells and swinging them around like a windmill.”

Mill then picked up two weights to demonstrate. He spun them a few times, and then dropped them to the ground with a resounding thud. Even though they were Fiends, they appeared off-put by that demonstration. If someone were to be hit by him while he was doing that, they’d undoubtedly be bashed to pieces. Mill trampled over to the weary Fiends, and bent down to meet them at eye level. He then jutted out his arm. “One of you, arm wrestle me!” he grunted.

Three of them wore faces of immediate refusal. While they were undoubtedly stronger, Mill had a personality that made people rather uncomfortable. However, Kada Susten stepped forward and jutted out her own arm in response, her face filled with an eager competitiveness. They got a box, and both of them sat on the ground. Rallie grabbed their hands when both of their arms were in place. Before she counted them down, she humbly requested, “Please do go easy on him, we need him still able to perform tonight.”

The match began, and Mill went full force right out of the gate. His veins were popping, his whole face was red, and he began sweating from his entire body. He wasn’t looking due to straining his face, but Rallie wondered what expression he’d have if he saw that Susten’s hand hadn’t moved an inch. To everyone’s surprise, it did eventually move. With all of his strength, he had only managed to move it a hair, but the fact that he was able to move it at all was astonishing.

It seemed to throw Susten off the most, resulting in her panicking. She finally put forth strength, and won within a second. Mill’s hand was smashed into the box, shattering the box into small pieces. Rallie couldn’t help but laugh nervously. If things ever came down to a proper fight, they’d surely lose even with the entire strength of the troop, not that she was planning on fighting them to begin with.

The tour came to its conclusion soon after. In all, she had introduced them to about a dozen members, each of them just as unique as the last. “Well then, before we get to discussing what you all will be doing, I’m sure you must have a few questions,” Rallie inquired.

“Yes, several actually,” Drim Drazah readily responded and the others all nodded in agreement.

“Me first!” Susten emphatically raised her hand as if she was in a classroom. “What’s with the names?! They’re kind of like our titles but you guys use them for everything.”

“I assumed that would be kind of obvious,” Rallie stated. “We’re people who ran away from our past lives and formed a circus. Lesser Fiend or not, we’re all trying to move on. For a lot of them, their names were shackles, so they changed them.”

“But not you, though,” Phon Drazah surmised.

“That’s correct,” Rallie confirmed. “Rallie is my original name, but it is my only name. I’ve stricken my last name from myself. I’d rather not get into specifics as to why, but I’m sure you can easily speculate the reasons.”

“Okay, I want to ask about your reputation of being Lessers.” It was now Randex’s turn to pose a question. “You said being Lesser’s was one of your biggest selling points, which means you’re openly advertising it. Doesn’t that get you in trouble with the CP? Wouldn’t the police constantly be harassing you with litigation?”

“We have an understanding with the CP, actually,” Rallie admitted. “When we first started, there were a few investigations as you mentioned. Eventually, a CP official came out to meet with us directly. Through a lot of tedious back and forth, we were able to convince them that we were no threat, and they agreed to not meddle in our affairs.”

“I’m sure you wonder why they’d agree to it so easily. That’s because we are a place for Lessers and anyone else who has lost their way to find solace. So for them, we keep those who could prove problematic out of the general public. We also make sure they don’t run wild by keeping them busy, as well as providing a service to the community through entertainment. We are not a private army who is for sale to the highest bidder, so they didn’t try to buy us or make sure that we couldn’t be bought.”

“That said, if the police were to come and arrest one of us, we would not stand in their way. It has happened before, and so far, they’ve always had good reason. Once a serial killer was hiding out among us. We were all suspicious of her, and she didn’t quite fit in, but we always try to give someone a chance. We all know what it’s like to feel as if you have nowhere else to go. Even if the police were to come for me, the troop would not try to stop it. Of course, they would do their best to support me through the tribulations, as we would for any of our number.”

“You all aren’t exempt from this either. If the police or CP were to march in here tonight to try and capture you, we would not so much as lift a finger to help you out. I hope you can understand. Honestly, I wouldn’t be surprised if a few come to the show either way.”

“Yes, that makes perfect sense actually. I can respect that,” Randex decided.

“I guess that leaves me then, unless anyone else has a question,” Drim Drazah looked to his fellows who all shook their heads. “Alright, I’d like to know more about you and the circus’ history in general. A group of Lesser’s coming together and deciding to start a circus isn’t exactly something that just happens.”

“Sure, I don’t mind explaining. It’s not that exciting though,” Rallie established their expectations. “A few years ago, myself, Mill, and a couple others were all in a support group together for people with red eyes. We weren’t entirely sure if there was a common factor between us that caused it. None of us were exactly dying to admit that we had killed someone, though I’m sure a few of them must have at least speculated as much.”

“Over the years, we started to accept this change, and became really close in the process. Eventually, we went from a support group, to a group of friends who liked to spend time entertaining one another with our new power. Each of us ended up becoming a specialist at some trick or quirk. We knew we were freaks compared to everyone else, but we didn’t let it bother us. For most, it just emboldened us instead.”

“Then the day came, the day Drim and Phon Drazah announced the existence of Fiends to the world. Of course, with that announcement, all of our lives were shaken up. Many of us lost our jobs, and two of us were arrested. Some decided to distance themselves from the group entirely, unable to accept what we were. Still, just as many of us didn’t feel burdened by this realization, it felt like a liberation. They knew who they were, and it was all thanks to you two.”

“What soon became clear, though, is that it would be increasingly hard to lead normal lives. Instead of giving up and being treated like criminals for the rest of our days, we decided to embrace it and do what we loved. That’s how the Wandering Souls Circus was formed. Originally, there were only a handful of us, but in just these few months it’s grown into the giant family you see around you.”

“That’s actually a rather moving story,” Drim commented. “Do you mind if I ask which side you fall on; whether finding out you were a Lesser was a burden or liberation?”

Rallie huffed with a smile in response. “Ask me again after the show.” She then went into the specifics into what each of them would be performing tonight. Originally, she had several backups if they weren’t comfortable with their respective first options, but they all took the first without even hearing the others. “Alrighty then, just be back here at least 30 minutes before showtime. I’ll be busy with rehearsals, so if you have more questions please ask Mill and he’ll either help you or get me.”

“Wait, don’t you want us to participate in the rehearsals too?” Xard asked.

“Oh no, we specifically picked acts that you all wouldn’t need practice for,” Rallie clarified. “We know that you’re busy people and didn’t want to make you devote too much time. Phon Drazah might be the only one in need of training if she felt so inclined.” Rallie received a disapproving scowl from Phon so she kept talking. “So, feel free to go off into the town and do whatever you guys came to do, breaking into banks or something like that, right?”

“I guess word’s spread pretty far then,” Drim concluded. “There’s been a lot more instances of guards inside of vaults, not that them being there actually hinders us. Seems that word has finally reached the public as to what we’re doing.”

“I’d definitely be interested to know what you all are doing in there,” Rallie pried. “But I know it’s none of my business. In any case, feel free to leave some of that money as a generous tip to the circus. Now, if you’ll excuse me…” Rallie walked off into the next section of the tent. Instead of going off to rehearsals like she said, she hid behind the curtain, observing the Fiends. They talked for a few moments, then Phon Drazah teleported them away from sight.

Rallie slumped down on the floor and sighed in relief once they were gone. That had been one of the most stressful moments of her life. One wrong slipup and she and the circus would be in an astronomical amount of trouble. “You alright, Leader?” Mill came up to her with a drink.

“Yeah, just dandy,” Rallie graciously accepted it. After a few swallows she stood back up and straightened her clothes. With her energetic demeanor back, she marched off to the ring. When she got there, the rest of the troop was waiting. “Now then, let’s make this a night the Fiends will never forget!”

◆◆◆

The Fiends arrived back at the staging area of the tent exactly 30 minutes before showtime. Rallie noticed a sharp spike in anxiety when they appeared. Normally before each show, she’d get a bit nervous when she saw the crowd start to fill the stands. Tonight was no exception in this regard, but the feeling she got from the Fiends was incomparable. She had always felt proud of her power after becoming a Lesser Fiend, but until now, she had never really understood just how ‘lesser’ she was. It was irritating.

Thankfully, the Fiends just sat around quietly until the start. Rallie never even got a chance to talk to them, since Prep, the showrunner for the circus, was talking them through the flow of the entire performance and gave them their cues.

Finally, it reached that time, and Rallie walked out into the main area of the tent. The moment the spotlight hit her, her performer mode activated. All anxiety and nervousness was gone. She was no longer just Rallie, a girl with a life of problems and burdens she was carrying. She was now the ringmaster, and her only purpose was to put on the show of a lifetime. Rallie spun her cane, and the head turned into a microphone. She raised it to her face, and took a deep breath.

“Ladies and gentlemen, I’d like to welcome you to tonight’s show!” Rallie addressed the crowd. It was indeed a full house, just as Croak had said. There had never been so many eyes on her, and they all fueled her energy. She gave her usual spiel filled with words like ‘miraculous spectacles’ to pump up the crowd, never really understanding why it garnered such a reaction. Often, she’d fantasize about going out there and saying random zjik but in the same tone of voice, and see if there was even a change in reaction.

Finally, she reached the part about the special guests. The reaction from the crowd was phenomenal, annoyingly so, as their volume tripled what it had been so far. We may not be as revered as you Fiends, but we’ll use the fame from tonight's show to grow and conquer! Soon, we’ll be so widespread that even you will be jealous of the attention we can muster. So, thank you in advance for your willingness to be used!

The show began, and the arena was filled with movement. It started with a lot of choreographed dancing, along with gymnastics, accompanied by a bit of magic and special effects. The crowd was clearly drawn in, and they became even more enthralled as the show progressed to the more specifics acts. Finally, it came time to introduce the first of the Fiend acts.

“Up next, we have a special performance by Kada Susten!” Lights rose up on a tall pole, centering on Susten who was standing on a diving board. “She’s an up-and-coming Fiend, rapidly gaining popularity under her alias as The Mermaid. Some say she’s called that because of her curse and incredible swimming ability, but we know the truth don’t we fellas? With that attire, she’s definitely bewitching the hearts of men!”

“Tonight, she’ll be performing a diving act. Though this isn’t the normal act you’d see at a regular circus. No, she won’t just be diving into a small pool from a tall height. She’ll be diving into a pool fraught with perils!” Another spotlight shined on a small pool below, no larger than what a child would play in at their home. However, this pool was filled with unpleasantries.

“That’s right, one dip in that pool would send a normal person to their grave. It’s filled with spikes, needles, bamboo shoots, and small plastic toys; clearly the most dangerous thing to land on! Let’s see her prove her mettle, and watch as she comes out without even a scrape!”

Susten walked towards the edge of the board and took a diver’s pose. Music started building suspense, and she was waiting for her cue on a particular beat. When that beat came though, Susten slipped. One of her feet went completely under the other, and she fell off the side of the board. Kada went hurtling to the ground, but managed to reorient herself in midair back into diving.

However, her trajectory was off, and she hit the ground about a foot away from the pool. She submerged completely as the crowd gasped, and was met with roaring cheers when she shot back out of the ground a bit further away. She missed!? How could she miss?! Rallie screamed in her head. Oh well, the audience loved it anyways. Hopefully the others will go a little more within expectations.

Rallie noticed that her grip on her cane had tightened immensely, so she loosened it. This annoyance was due to something going awry. She hated it when things went off script, even though it worked out in the end. It’d likely bother her for weeks to come. There was an added level of annoyance since Susten’s act was the least likely to fail, and since that one was met with complications, it heavily increased her worries for the rest. She cleared her head and introduced the next act. The parts showcasing the Fiends were spaced throughout the night, not wanting to waste them all in one chunk.

“Tonight, our jugglers are joined by Xard Randex,” Rallie started Xard’s presentation. “Only made a Fiend earlier this year, this hot-head has exploded onto the scene, and has since earned the name of The Artillery! He can shield you with any part of his body, or blow you away with a single flick of his wrist. With him on your side, you've got nothing to fear, but how will he handle attacks from every side?!”

Randex was standing on the ground with four jugglers, one on each side of him. The idea was that they were going to juggle around him, and he just had to stay perfectly still as things got close, and if possible, ham up how risky it was. The jugglers would start with balls, and slowly work their way up to more dangerous objects.

The balls went flying, and soon there was a swarm of them buzzing around Xard, at least 50 in total. They were getting quite close to him, some just narily grazing the hair on his body. It was obvious he was having a tough time keeping up, his eyes darting all over the place, trying to keep track of every ball. This was exactly the reaction Rallie had been hoping for; genuine panic and unease. It would make the show that much more entertaining.

Then, Rallie was caught off-guard; another unexpected predicament. Randex had caught a few of the balls, and started juggling them on his own. She had no idea he could juggle, but it wasn’t exactly unexpected. The information she had been able to dig up on him showed that he had a bit of a hidden performer side. It was likely that the spotlight was enhancing those inhibitions. If the Fiend business didn’t work out for him, Rallie wouldn’t be surprised if he came knocking on her tent.

The balls started being phased out to juggling pins, and Randex seemed a bit more phased then before. No doubt the heavier and more blunt objects would cause more stress. Of course, he could just use his curse as complete protection from any incoming hits, not that any of them would actually hit him. Her jugglers were professionals, and their accuracy was everything to them. If one of them messed up, she wouldn’t even have to scold them. There’s nothing she could say to them that would be more effective then what they would already be thinking.

Again, he acted off script. Randex tossed his balls aside and grabbed a few pins. Rallie had to give him credit. He was pretty good for an amateur. However, no matter how good he was, only a professional with years of training would be able to handle what was to come. Up next was bowling balls. Regular jugglers wouldn’t be able to handle these unless they were modified in some way, it’d be too much strain on their wrists. Lessers could take it though, and exceed beyond the normal limits.

There were only about 20 bowling balls flying around, but that was more than enough to be dangerous. A normal person would get a severe concussion or a few broken bones if they were hit by one at the speeds they were going. Rallie was certain there was no way Randex would be able to juggle them properly at his level. She was right, but no less surprised.

Randex had grabbed one of the balls as she assumed he would, but instead of attempting to juggle it, he flung it up into the air. He grabbed two more balls and did the same. Then, he began spinning around in a circle. When one of the bowling balls would come back down to him, he wouldn’t catch it. Instead he’d get his hand on the side of it, and spin it back into the air. It definitely wasn’t the traditional form of juggling, but it was still juggling in a technical sense. Rallie’s jaw dropped a little, his ability to think and adapt on the fly was incredible.

When the bowling balls started getting phased out, Randex launched all three of his into the air, then flicked his fingers at them. All three balls split into perfectly equal halves, then thumped to the ground next to his feet. Lit torches were next, but Randex didn’t even attempt to catch them. and he seemed to be wary of the fire getting too close and potentially singing his hairs. Instead, once they’d been going a while, he began shooting at them. One by one, the torches were snuffed out until all that remained were a bunch of wooden sticks.

Next, the real danger began. The jugglers pulled out large throwing knives. Like before, they all got extremely close to Randex, a stray hair even being cut off as one came just barely grazed his skin without leaving a scratch. Then, all of the dozen knives were out of the juggler’s hands. Now, each juggler was just as baffled as Rallie in regards to what they were witnessing. Every knife was now high in the hair, spinning as they bobbed up and down.

Randex was using his curse to hit the hilts of the knives. They were perfectly balanced to spin, so it was causing the effect, but in Rallie’s mind it simply shouldn’t be possible. The amount of precision and mental calculation to apply just the right amount of force, along with the level of awareness to focus on each knife shouldn’t be possible for anyone, even a Fiend. Rallie lost herself for a moment, this was so out of her expectations that she felt she needed to sit down to process it.

Then came the finale, chainsaws. Like with the knives, there were a dozen chainsaws dancing around Randex, but he didn’t seem to care. He was too focused on keeping the knives afloat to even register the rampaging tools of death around him. This can still be recovered, as long as the ending goes as planned. Rallie gripped her cane tighter in anticipation.

The idea was to have one of the chainsaw’s suddenly go flying at Randex to give the audience a bit of a scare. He was on a trap door, so he’d fall through at the same time. A red and golden mist would spray up as well to add effect and tension. They weren’t sure whether they should focus on realism or not with his blood, so they just went with both colors.

Rallie’s grand plan never came to pass, however. Before the chainsaw could be thrown at him, Randex launched himself into the air, rising above his knives. He did a flip so he was facing the ground, then blasted off 12 shots from his fingers. Each one hit a still flying knife, propelling it downard. Every one of the knives hit the base of a chainsaw directly, driving them all into the floor.

Oi, kid, do you know how much of a pain it’s going to be to replace all that?! With Rallie’s ability for rational thought currently limited, this was the only thing she could bring herself to worry about. She didn’t know if she wanted to murder him or beg him to join. Once more, the act had completely gone off the rails. Once more, Rallie was the only one who seemed to care. She had to practically pry her fingers off her cane from being gripped so tightly so that she could move on with the show.

A little after the halfway point in the show, it came time for Phon Drazah’s performance. “Tonight on the trapeze, joining our world-renowned acrobats in her flying debut is Phon Drazah! Better known as The Vixen, known by all as the most dangerous woman in the world, with the most famous face. Whether you’re terrified of it, think it’s cute, or are just curious what it would look like if she actually smiled for once, you know it’s a face you can’t take your eyes off of. What kind of face will she make tonight as she’s soaring through the air?!”

Spotlights rose to the top of the tent, where Phon Drazah stood elegantly on a tightrope. Her balance was so perfect that it looked like she was on solid ground. Rallie was already fed-up with surprises tonight, but at least this one was at the calmer end. She had expected Drazah to be dangling from the rope rather than standing on it in the beginning, but her having unnaturally good balance wasn’t out of the realm of probability and it shouldn’t affect the performance.

Two acrobats swung in from either side, and did a few flips and tricks around Phon Drazah. After a few passes, Drazah took a step back, and started falling straight down from the rope. The floor had been decorated to look like a pit of lava beneath her. Obviously it was just effects, but it did appear rather convincing. Beneath the fake lava was a safety net for precaution’s sake.

One of the acrobats grabbed Phon Drazah’s hand just before she was out of reach and they kept swinging together. On the swing back, the acrobat tossed her, and she was caught by the other. Dramatic music began playing, as they treated her like a ball, passing her back and forth. This continued for a while, as they got more and more daring with their throws.

Eventually, the two acrobats met in the middle, and using their momentum lifted Drazah up high, then tossed her up even more. They both swung away, leaving her alone in the air. Then, they both spun on their trapeze, so they were dangling by their feet. Both went flying full speed back at her, with their arms held out. It was a contest of who could reach her first, but neither of them did. Phon Drazah fell too fast, slipping between the two of them. Rallie smiled. Finally, something was going as planned, but it didn’t last.

Just before she would have plummeted into the fake lava, Phon Drazah put her hands to her eyes and vanished. She reappeared back up in the air, standing on the soles of one of the acrobat’s feet. The two of them were clearly surprised by this event as well, unsure of how to proceed and just swung back and forth for a moment. Then, they resumed their routine, hoping that everything would work out in the end.

Drazah wrapped her ribbon around her eyes, then jumped off one acrobat and vanished, appearing on the other. She started out teleporting between the two of them, but then focused on just one. She began walking around him, using the arc of his body as he swung to stay upright. Then, she teleported herself underneath him, rapidly re-teleporting in order to stay in place and fight gravity. She walked around him in a full circle, from head to toe and back again.

Next, she started walking between the two. Any time they would pass each other, she would walk from one to the other. When she got more confident, she began hopping a bit to match the music. Rallie would have to give her acrobats a raise, still being able to perform flawlessly with this absurdity weighing them down.

While standing on one of the acrobats, Phon Drazah raised her arms. She then crossed them rapidly. The two acrobats then switched places, swapping to each other's trapeze. She then jumped into the air just before they crossed, swapped them, and landed on the other. After performing a few more similar stunts, she jumped back down onto the tightrope.

Rallie prayed that this meant she was done, hoping Drazah had gotten bored and they could move on with the show. Then, Rallie’s world shifted around her. The next thing she knew, she was up high, standing on the tightrope as well. She was in Phon Drazah’s arms, otherwise she would have immediately lost balance from the transition and fallen. “Just what are you--”

Before Rallie could question what Phon Drazah was planning, she had been thrown into the air. One of the acrobats caught her, making Rallie immediately feel relieved. At least she was out of the hands of that psychopath. Then, the acrobat tossed her, and she was caught by the other. Now, Rallie found herself stuck in the exact same routine Drazah had participated in earlier, being tossed around like a rag doll.

“Just how much did she pay you to do this?! Get me down now and I’ll give you whatever you want!” Rallied tried to coerce the acrobats, but it was to no avail. The routine proceeded, and Rallie just had to accept her fate. Then, the moment came where she’d be tossed up in the air and the two would try to catch her. Surely they wouldn’t actually let me fall, right?!

However, neither of them swung back for her, not even making the attempt. Instead, they stood on their perches as they watched her fall. Drazah grabbed her by her coat when the two were close. It was a rough snag, but better than falling the whole way. Perhaps she’d been wrong about Phon Drazah. No doubt she was certainly still a psychopath, but at least she wasn’t overly cruel. This feeling of hope was immediately dashed when Drazah flashed a diabolic grin at her.

Drazah jumped off the tightrope, dragging Rallie down with her. Drazah positioned them so Rallie was on the bottom, looking like Drazah was trying to kill her. Maybe she was. At this speed… the net… oh no! Rallie went into full panic and helplessness overtook her. She closed her eyes, and prayed to Cosmos and any other deity that would listen. Then, she felt solid ground beneath her. She opened her eyes, finding herself on one of the platforms connecting the tightrope with Phon Drazah standing on the other.

Drazazh gestured her head, looking down at the crowd. Rallie stood up, and they both gave a bow as the crowd roared with cheers. A minute later, Rallie was back down on the ground, grateful to no longer be at Drazah’s mercy, but she wouldn’t have minded if the applause went on a while longer. Honestly, Rallie just wanted to lie down and cry, but knew she had to make it through the show.

Drim Drazah was the only Fiend performance left, and Rallie honestly didn’t feel good about it at all. From the get-go, it was the most unpredictable. Since it involved forces she couldn’t fully control, it was a crapshoot as to what the ending would be. Though it was the final act of the night, so it was alright if it went completely off the rails a bit.

Finally, it came, the grand finale. Rallie could only sigh internally with a fake smile plastered on her face as a large cage was rolled into the ring. Everyone immediately cleared out from the floor as roars rumbled from the sealed cage. No one could see what was in it, but to the audience, it was terrifying.

After the entire floor had been cleared, green petals began falling from the sky. Rallie took this as her cue to start the introduction, which was a bit awkward since she too was in the stands. “Ladies and gentlemen, I want to thank you all for sticking with us tonight. It’s been exciting, hasn’t it? Full of twists and surprises even I didn’t expect. I hope you’ve enjoyed your time, and I hope you will remember us in the future.”

“But before we go, we have one final performance. Though to call it a performance is wildly inaccurate. What you’re about to see before you is real. There are no tricks, no illusions, and no safety measures. I’m sure you haven’t forgotten, but there are four Fiends in the Fiends for Hire, well at least those who visited tonight. Drim Drazah, The Slayer, the most publically contested man in recent history.”

“Some see him as a hero. The savior that stopped the world from destruction by killing his own mother, and then went on to save us time and time again by stopping the monsters she created. Then, there are just as many who see him as a villain, no better than his mother, or the monsters he kills. They know he is scheming something, and this is undeniably true. The world waits to see what he’ll do next.”

“But right now he is here before you, at his most vulnerable!” All the petals that had been falling shifted towards the center of the ring. They spun up into a tornado, then all vanished at once. Drim Drazah was left standing in front of the cage, almost completely bare. He was shirtless, and wasn’t wearing shoes. All he had on was a pair of shorts, and a detached hood to cover his hair. There were quite a few gasps in the stands, as a highly contagious case of the vapors rapidly spread through a good portion of the female audience, along with a few men as they stared at his physique.

“This stage is no longer a circus. Where we are now is an arena, make no mistake. Now, I’d like you all to meet his opponent!” Rallie pulled a remote out of her coat and pressed a button. The sides of the cage collapsed and the monster was now on full display for all to see. It was still chained, so the fight hadn’t begun, but the crowd was losing their minds as if it had. “That’s right, a polar lion, straight from the icy mountains of hell itself! Let’s see if Drim Drazah can avoid getting frostbite!”

It had the head and tail of a lion, with the body and build of a polar bear. Its most noticeable unique factor was its mane. First off, it was surprising that despite being female it had a mane to begin with, but that wasn’t the important part. Instead of fur, it was composed entirely of sharp icicles. This was actually their trained and tamed polar lion that they’d had since the circus began. One of the first Lessers that joined up was a self-proclaimed monster tamer and the polar lion came with him. Her name was Igloo, and she was honestly just a big fluffy sweetheart who wouldn’t hurt a fly.

However, in a bit of a change for tonight, like everyone else here, Igloo was going to perform. She was to play the part of the ferocious beast. They knew she had it in her, having tackled monsters on her own that would get in the way of the troop's caravan. She had never fought a human though, so they hoped she would be alright. They actually hadn’t fed her yet today, to help her get properly motivated. Rallie felt bad, promising her a huge meal after if she did well, though she wasn’t sure if a proper understanding had been made.

On cue, Igloo roared, and her icicle mane flared around her. No matter her disposition, she would make any normal person wet their pants if they got that close. Just as the stories would imply, Drim Drazah stood there, unflinching. “Tonight these two will clash, but there’s a twist! You could see The Slayer fight a monster just about anywhere. Simply search for it online and you’ll find a hundred videos. We want to show you something you can only see here. The Slayer has agreed to our demands, as a chance to prove his valor.”

“Right now, in front of you all, he will fight this raging beast, but he will do so only with what Cosmos gave him. There will be no weapons, and he won’t use his curse. It will be a pure fight of man versus monster. Which one will come out on top, and reign as the true King of Beasts?!” Rallie pressed another button, and Igloo’s chains were released.

Igloo didn’t waste a moment, and immediately charged at Drim Drazah. She pounced at him, brandishing her claws and fangs. Naturally, Drazah dodged. As skilled as he was, at least this much was to be expected. He jumped backwards, sliding on his feet, touching his fingertips to the ground to keep balance. Then, he charged right back at Igloo. If anyone else in the world tried this, Rallie could only consider them foolish.

Igloo seemed taken aback by the sudden advancement, and flinched when Drazah got close. Unexpectedly, he didn’t strike at her, but instead leapt over her entire body in a single bound. Drazah then grabbed her tail and tugged. Igloo let out a yelp, and spun around, swiping her claws at him. Drazah spun around the other side of her, then slid under her legs, pulling her tail with him. He tugged hard again, and impossibly, Igloo’s entire body was flipped, landing her on her back.

Drim Drazah gave a triumphant bow to the audience, but it wasn’t over yet. Igloo wriggled on her back for a second like a turtle until she was able to get properly upright. It was obvious that Igloo was furious as she crept up behind Drazah while he was bowing. She opened her mouth wide, then lunged her head forward, trying to take a chomp out of him. Drazah reflexively spun around and shot out his arms, grabbing onto her mouth, stopping her in her tracks.

Igloo’s breath was flowing onto Drazah, their faces just an inch away. Rallie couldn’t even imagine how terrified she’d be if she was in his position, a hair away from being a snack. This didn’t even phase Drazah, however, and he started pushing back. He pushed Igloo’s head away, then her whole body started to move backwards. She tried to stop it by digging her claws into the floor, but it was no use.

Drazah continued to push her, almost halfway across the entire arena. Then, he stopped pushing, and Igloo immediately tried another chomp once her mouth was free. He dodged again, this time jumping into the air and onto Igloo’s back. He wrapped his arms around her neck, and Rallie feared the worst. No, is he going to snap her neck?! Can I stop this?! The audience was just as antsy as her, all of them leaning forward in their seats.

None of them were prepared for what happened next, as the entire tent was filled with an unmistakable, heavy purring. Drim Drazah had begun petting Igloo, scratching her behind her ears and all over her face. No way?! How could he know that’s her favorite spot? The purring intensified, and soon Igloo was putty in Drazah’s hands. She laid down, and was clearly at peace. Her face went sleepy, unable to resist at all.

Drazah climbed off of her, and began petting her side. Igloo then rolled over, exposing her belly to him. In the feline kingdom, this was an irrefutable sign of complete trust and submission, one Igloo had never done for anyone, not even her tamer. Drazah scratched her belly, and her body went crazy. Every limb was shaking, and her head was bouncing around so much it looked like she was having a spasm. It was hard to hear, but Rallie felt she couldn’t help but make out, “Who’s a good girl,” being muttered by Drazah in slight baby talk.

To finish it off, Drim Drazah climbed on her once more, and laid out on her stomach. The two of them snuggled up, and it looked like they went to sleep. Rallie looked down as she felt a snap in her hands. Her grip had gone into overdrive, snapping her cane in two. One of the troop handed her a replacement mic, and she headed out into the ring.

As she approached the content polar lion, she addressed the audience. “Thank you for coming everyone, goodnight!” When the spotlight was off of her, Igloo wriggled out a paw, and wrapped it around Rallie. She then pulled Rallie in, forcing her to join in on the group snuggling. Though to her, it was much closer to torture from being squeezed into Igloo’s mane.

◆◆◆

About twenty minutes after the audience had cleared out, Rallie headed to the back of the tent. There the main cast were all waiting for her, with dismayed and distraught looks on each of their faces. “Where are they?” Rallie asked, doing her best to stay calm.

“They said something about going off ‘tuh get food,” Mill reported to her. “Not sure we’re gonna see them again, I’d have to say.”

Rallie strode over to one of the support beams without saying a word. She then unleashed a fury of fists into the beam, and began yelling “Damn it! Damn it! Damn it!” repeatedly. She kept punching until her knuckles started to bleed, then grabbed the back of her hand, and spun back to the troop. “How?! How did they know?! Did they even know, or are they just that insane?! They managed to avoid every single attempt to try and kill them, and they made us look like fools while they did it!”

“Susten I can understand, she looks like the clumsy type. So I can believe that she actually missed the pool. Of course, she would have melted through with her curse, but she completely dodged the pool of acid beneath the ground. We even dug it out a bit farther just in case!”

“Randex… Don’t even get me started on him… You guys did properly lace those knives with the poison, right?!” The four jugglers nodded back at her. “Then how is he still alive?! I saw for sure that you grazed him, and you four drank the only vials of antidote we had. He even dodged the backup chainsaw attack!”

“Phon Drazah… why is she so damn insistent on being in the spotlight! If that Draz just accepted her role and fell into the net like she was supposed to we’d have at least one of them. She’d be torn to bits from that fake safety net. We tested it and everything. Every dummy and carcass we used was torn to ribbons by the metal lacing.”

“Drim Drazah… I just… can’t even talk about what happened there. Damn it Igloo! I know you tried your best, but you’re on treat probation until further notice for succumbing to the enemy!”

“Leader… we’re sorry it didn’t work out,” Mill was sympathetic. “Your plan was perfect, but they’re just out of our league. We need to work our way up to people like them.”

“You’re right, Mill… I know you’re right,” Rallie settled down a bit. “I’m sorry for getting you all swept up in my ambition, everyone. We just had such success with our past targets that I thought we could handle it. Let’s use this as a learning experience going forward... Thank Cosmos it’s over. If they wanted to, they could have killed us for what we tried to pull. I guess I should just be grateful that we’re all safe and that they’re gone.”

“Oh, I wouldn’t be so sure about that…” a voice came from up high that made Rallie jump in place. Then the floor glowed green, and a forest’s worth of vines erupted from it. Every one of them was wrapped up tightly with no chance of escape. The Fiends for Hire were now standing in front of her, and her life began flashing before her eyes. Maybe if I offer myself then they’ll let the others go… Oh, who am I kidding? I’m not noble enough for that. Somebody save me!

“So, you’re bounty hunters disguised as a circus then? Or a circus dabbling in bounty hunting?” Drim Drazah asked for clarification.

It took a moment for Rallie to answer. She started to regain her sanity once she finally accepted that her throat wasn’t immediately going to be slit. “Closer to the latter, I guess. Lots of lowlifes like to come to our circus. I guess we draw them in. We check everyone who comes against the bounty database. Then, if we find someone, we use the magical excuse of ‘audience participation’ to get them isolated and then make them vanish.”

“That’s... really clever actually,” Drim Drazah complimented their tactics. “And no repercussions from their family, or friends, or criminal acquaintances?”

“Not really, no,” Rallie was still hesitant when answering, expecting to be tortured or killed at any moment. “Most people don’t go asking questions when a known criminal goes missing. Those who do, we direct them to Mill, and they run off, scared zjikless in seconds.”

“Guess he’s not here,” Phon Drazah reported out of the blue. “The crowd’s still too large for me to grab him without nabbing a few civilians too, but I can tell he’s still on the premises.”

“I fetch!” Kada Susten blurted and then ran off out of the tent.

“Wow, she’s really just accepted that she’s a dog, hasn’t she?” Xard Randex commented

Rallie was confused by this event, but had a more burning question she couldn’t ignore. “How… How did you know? The traps, we made sure that you were nowhere around when we set them up, and no one talked about them when you were within even a lage of the circus. You definitely had to know. I won’t believe otherwise. There’s no way you could have foiled all of our plans out of sheer coincidence and dumb luck.”

“Yeah, we knew,” Phon Drazah acknowledged. “Besides it being super obviously a setup from the get-go, my brother has a reconnaissance ability that rivals or even surpasses mine in certain situations. This just happened to be one of them.”

Drim Drazah shrugged. “People should be more wary of oddly colored flowers that just appear randomly.” He raised his hand, and from all over the tent, green roses went flying at him, and then he absorbed them back into his body.

“Let me go, let me go, put me down, I’ve done nothing wrong! Leader Rallie, help me!” There was a sudden commotion when Kada Susten returned to the tent. A young boy, around the same age as the male Fiends, was slung over her shoulder, wriggling and trying to get himself free. Susten set him down next to Drim, and he joined the others in their vine restraints.

“Good work Kada, here’s a treat.” Drim Drazah pulled a candy bar out of his quiver and handed it to her.

“Awesome! Let me know if you need anything else fetched in the future.” Kada took it gladly, and walked away while unwrapping it.

Drim Drazah bent down next to the boy, meeting his eyes, and grabbed his face. He stared deeply into his eyes, and Rallie honestly thought they were about to start kissing. “Not even a Lesser… You’ve never done an evil thing in your life, have you?” Drazah questioned him softly.

“Huh? No, of course not!” The boy fervently rebutted.

“Tell me about him, Rallie,” Drim Drazah ordered.

Rallie had assumed she wasn’t a part of this conversation, and jumped again when he addressed her. “Uhh, pretty standard story: bad parents, bad neighborhood, just wanted a new life so he came to us. We set him up running one of the game booths. Is he why you were acting so suspiciously earlier when I was showing you around?”

“Yeah,” Drazah didn’t even hesitate in answering. “He had the misfortune of triggering an annoying quirk of mine, so I had to get a closer look at him. I think I understand now, though. This boy isn’t evil, he just has the capacity to be in the future. Given the wrong life circumstances he could easily go down that path and become someone very dangerous later in life.”

Drazah then looked back at the boy, straight in the eyes. “I’m guessing you’ve had a very troubled life. That’s something I can very much relate to. You can’t let it suck you in, be yourself, not what the world defines you as given your roots.”

“And you, Rallie, keep an eye on him. Make sure he doesn’t lose his way, and be sure to get him any help he needs. That’s all I had to say, thanks for being patient. We’ll be off now.” Drim Drazah snapped his fingers, and all of the vines disappeared. His entire body glowed brightly for a moment from absorbing so much at once.

“Wait, that’s it?!” Rallie exclaimed. “You’re letting us off just like that? We tried to kill you!”

“Yes, and you failed miserably,” Drim Drazah laughed insultingly. “Like you said earlier, use this as a learning experience. Get better, and learn to pick your targets more wisely. I’m sure we’ll meet again in the future. We have very similar ideals after all. Maybe next time you’ll actually be able to pull one over on us. I look forward to it.”

After Drim’s closing statement, Phon Drazah teleported them away. The rest of the troop tried to confer with Rallie over the ordeal, but she wasn’t having it. Exhaustion had set in, and she was going to sleep away this waking nightmare. She immediately flumped down into her bed once she reached her tent, but found her pillow much less comfy than usual. Her face was buried in a piece of paper, accompanied by a business card. It read, ‘If you ever get into any real trouble, give us a call - The Fiends for Hire’

Fiends For Hire Internal Dialogue 4

Eleen: Drim, I’m going to need you to stop!

Drim: Huh, what are you talking about?

Eleen: That cosdamned circus music. It’s stuck in your head, and it keeps leaking into my head. It’s so mawhging annoying!

Drim: And here I was thinking of buying their soundtrack and listening to it on constant repeat.

Eleen: I would expend all the energy I have solely to take over your body and smash any copy I could find.

Drim: That’s quite the commitment. I’ll keep that in mind if I ever want to get rid of you for a while. For now, I suppose I’ll just hum it instead.

Eleen: Don’t you dare!

 

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Thanks for reading this chapter. Feel free to leave a comment or review. I'd love to hear from you!

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