“We must learn to live together as brothers or perish together as fools.”

  Martin Luther King Jr., American Activist

  Calista’s spear was at Cosmo’s throat in an instant, a mother’s protective fire coursing through her veins. Cosmo simply smiled, lifting his chin slightly so he could speak without the spear’s tip nipping his chin.

  Rain, get over here, Calista projected to the alchemist. Passi, honey, stay in the air, alright?

  What’s wrong, mom? Passi asked with concern. She broke from the breeze and flew to hover thirty feet above her mother.

  Cosmo knows you’re a player. Rain and I need to figure out what to do about it.

  … Don’t hurt him, okay? Passi responded after a brief hesitation. I don’t think he’s a bad guy.

  “I don’t mean Passi any harm, Calista,” Cosmo promised, his words slow and careful. “Nor will I tell anyone about her abilities if she wishes it to keep it a secret.”

  As Rain flanked Cosmo from the other side, Calista eased off her spear, just a little, so he could speak.

  “How did you find out?” Calista asked, narrow eyes trained on the elder CEO. Senses heightened, she tensed her muscles, ready to defend her family if she must.

  “I’ve been watching her,” shrugged Cosmo. “I’m surprised the others haven’t noticed. Her strength is too great for her tiny frame. Her reflexes are too sharp. Her magic is more powerful than any other fairy, despite her young age, and grows stronger by the day. And… I may have seen her throw her daggers like buzzsaw boomerangs when we fought that fish creature.”

  “You’ve been watching my daughter?” Calista hissed angrily, inching the spear back to his throat.

  “What? No, not like that. What kind of man do you think I am?” protested Cosmo, aghast at the suggestion. “Young Ms. Brown-Gale is a fan of my music. I would never seek to harm one of my very few fans.”

  … I do like his music, mom, Passi said, hovering far above Cosmo. It’s my favorite part of supper at the Castle.

  “Passi and her fairy friends are always the first on the dance floor… well, dance beach, I suppose,” Cosmo continued. “And, frankly, her enhanced abilities stand out like a sore thumb in such an environment. Perhaps I was simply the first to notice her progression, since I’ve taken time to get to know some of our new fairy friends, like Elder Sapphire and Elder Lightpaw.”

  “He’s telling the truth about that, Calista,” Rain said. “Lightpaw and Cosmo have come into Rain On My Parade for tea a couple times over the past week. Lightpaw does seems to enjoy the conversations.”

  “We are both old men… well, old man and fox. Reminiscing about days gone by, as we elders tend to do.”

  Calista relaxed slightly, though she didn’t drop her guard.

  “I find the fairies utterly fascinating,” Cosmo mused, gazing out over the island’s beauty. “I’ve been intrigued by them ever since they arrived at the Castle. At first, I thought them mere curiosities. Constructs of the God Contest, no different than the island we stand upon or the monsters that roam the wilds. But the more I learn, the more I wonder if they are not as real as we are.”

  Cosmo hopped down from the boulder, ignoring Calista’s glare. He gazed up at Passi flittering high above them and sighed.

  “I don’t envy your job as a mother. Parenting is difficult in the best of times, but in this world? You’ll need all the help you can get to keep your daughter alive.”

  “And I suppose you’re offering your services?” Calista asked suspiciously. “What would you gain? You CEOs always need to gain something.”

  Cosmo stared over the horizon, a forlorn look in his eye. His usual jovial presence disintegrated.

  “I gain redemption, Huntress. Purpose,” Cosmo whispered, his voice barely audible. “I had a daughter once, you know. Back before wealth stole my passion. Back when life was simpler. Her name was Annie. Her mother and I were far too young to be proper parents, but we loved her, and we tried our best. It just… wasn’t enough. She was Passi's age when we lost her – struck by a drunk driver outside her school. I was there – ten feet away – distracted by something inconsequential. It happened so fast. Her mother blamed me, of course, and she was right to do so. We just… drifted apart after that.”

  “So help me, Cosmo, if you’re telling me some bullshit story to tug at my heartstrings, I’ll…”

  “Calista,” Rain interrupted with a gentle hand on her shoulder. She pointed at Cosmo, who, still facing away from them, wiped a tear from his eye. “I don’t think he’s lying.”

  Passi descended from the sky and landed in front of Cosmo at the edge of the ridge. With a lightning quick motion, Passi wrapped her little arms around his waist and gave the elder CEO a tight hug. Cosmo tensed and, with a quick, apologetic glance at Calista, gave the little girl an awkward pat on the head.

  “I trust you, Cosmo,” Passi whispered supportively. “I’m sorry about Annie.”

  “Passi, you can’t… it’s just… he’s a CEO!” Calista exclaimed, her protective instincts at war with their reality.

  “He’s always been nice to me. He plays the songs I want, and he kept me company on The Retribution while you rowed,” Passi protested.

  “If he wanted to tell someone, he would have done so by now,” Rain chimed in. “Besides, I don’t think we have much choice.”

  “I… it’s just…,” Calista stammered.

  Fuck. I don’t have a choice, do I? Unless I… no, I can’t. Brass deserved to die. Cosmo… he was never the one to make our lives difficult.

  Calista sighed, defeated. “Now what, Cosmo? You know, but I won’t let you use that information to harm her.”

  “Perish the thought,” Cosmo replied, wiping away another tear as he regained his cheery nature. “As I said, I shall keep Passi’s secret. But more than that, I want to help you protect her. If I am to live in this world, let it be in pursuit of my own redemption. To make up for past failures.”

  If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. Please report it.

  “… Fine,” Calista muttered, relaxing her spear at her side.

  “Ah, good. I do prefer my body without a lot of spear holes in it,” chuckled Cosmo, breaking through the tension in the air. “Now, it seems to me the best way to protect young Passi is exactly what you have been doing – help her get her as strong as possible, as fast as possible. If I may…”

  Cosmo pulled out his deck of cards, shuffled them, and drew the top card. He grinned and flicked the card into the air. “I should mention that there is one other way I found out about Passi.”

  The card – a pair of binoculars and a player screen on its surface – stopped abruptly in mid-air and began to expand until it was the size of a large television. With a flicker, the card vanished, and in its place was Passi’s player screen, though many of the details were missing.

  “You can see her player screen?” Calista bellowed, not at all impressed with such critical knowledge being in the CEOs hands.

  “Fascinating,” Rain said at the same time, very impressed. “How does it work? Can you do that for any player?”

  Cosmo nodded to Rain and held up his deck of cards. “This was my prize for defeating the Arena of Domination. Each card is imbued with a different ability that I’ve… well… plagiarized from another player. Samson’s water magic. Stone’s defensive shield. Cynthia’s summons. This particular card – courtesy of the late Judy Brass – is imbued with a talent called Scan. It lets me observe another player’s attributes and talents at a high level. I expect more powerful version of this talent reveal far more.”

  Another reason why she’s better off dead.

  Cosmo leaned in and made a show of studying the player screen. “Ms. Brown-Gale, your progress has been astonishing, especially for one so young. You must be very brave,” Cosmo praised.

  Passi’s face filled with pride as she beamed at the old man. “Umm… my mom and aunt helped,” she said, the trace of a blush appearing on her cheeks.

  “And you’re level nineteen. One more level, and you’ll get your first class. Trust me, it’s a gamechanger when it comes to power,” Cosmo said, turning to Calista. “What do you think, mom? Should we try to get her to level twenty before supper?”

  Calista sighed. “That was always the plan. But I won’t turn down your help, if only so I can keep an eye on you.”

  “Wonderful!” Cosmo exclaimed, genuinely excited. He stashed the deck in his pocket and pulled out his guitar. He scanned the hilltop with an inquisitive eye and gave it a single strum. “You know, I think I’ll build my resort home up here. It’s got a nice breeze. Annie’s Ridge… what do you think?”

  “I think she’d like it,” Passi answered softly.

  “Come on then,” Rain ushered, headed back into the jungle. “We’re got a job to do, and those monsters aren’t going to fight themselves. Probably.”

  Passi fluttered behind Rain, her own excitement evident.

  Calista held Cosmo back until Rain and Passi were out of earshot.

  “I don’t know if you’re telling the truth, or if you’re full of shit,” Calista warned the former CEO. “But if you harm a single hair on my daughter’s head, I’ll make you regret it. Understand?”

  “Understood,” Cosmo answered, his smile never wavering. “For what it’s worth, Calista, I meant what I said. But I shall endeavor to earn your trust by action, not by words. Besides…”

  Cosmo paused, his eyes fixed on hers.

  “… I know what happens to CEOs who cross the Huntress. Unlike Ms. Brass, I hope to survive this nightmare of a world. And it seems to me the best odds of survival lay in fighting at your side, not stabbing you in the back. If you trust anything, trust in that.”

  With that, the former CEO turned musician strolled into the jungle behind Passi and Rain, strumming a jaunty little tune.

  Leaving Calista alone and speechless.

  * * *

  “So how do they work?” whispered Rain as they crouched down in the undergrowth and watched the five creatures slowly roll along the shoreline. Each was a different color - greed, red, brown, grey and blue.

  “How do what work? My cards, or the physiology of these strange creatures?” Cosmo whispered back, watching the herd with amusement. “I can explain the cards. But these things? I’ve got nothing.”

  “They look like the gelatin fruit cake my mom used to make for Christmas,” Rain blanched. “It tasted terrible, but we never had the heart to tell her that. So she made it, and we ate it. Every. Damn. Year.”

  “Bah, you were just too young to enjoy such a delicacy,” Cosmo said with an old man grumble. “Just wait until your digestive system starts kicking back. Then you’ll find the true gastrointestinal beauty of your mother’s creation.”

  “I think I’d rather eat that green slime one,” Rain chuckled, as she spotted a half-digested crab floating within its semi-transparent mass. “Better than canned pineapple.”

  The five spherical creatures moved in a herd, rolling along the ground and absorbing whatever life it touched along the way. Rain and Cosmo watched as a seagull dove towards the half-digested crab, expecting an easy meal, only to get stuck in the creature’s slimy mass. Within seconds, the bird’s feathers dissolved away as it was digested alive within the creature’s acid interior.

  “On second thought, maybe mom’s cake isn’t so bad,” Rain corrected, feeling sorry for the bird. The green gelatin mass shivered in pleasure as it consumed the bird’s flesh, piece-by-piece. “Though I want a sample of that acid for my alchemy.”

  “Well, you can reach in with your vial if you wish, but you might lose your vial. And your hand,” laughed Cosmo, absentmindedly shuffling his cards. “Best to fight this one from a distance I think.”

  “With your cards?” Rain prompted curiously.

  “Depends on my luck,” Cosmo grinned mischievously. He flipped over the top card – an image of a growing olive tree – and passed it over to the alchemist. “As I said, I imbued each card with a talent I observed another player use. Outside battle, I can draw upon my magic reserves to pick the card I need from the deck. Expensive, but versatile. But in the middle of a fight, it’s a different story. Every card I play costs magic, and the card I get is completely random.”

  “That’s less useful than I thought,” Rain said, a touch disappointed.

  “I quite enjoy the randomness, actually,” beamed Cosmo, as he plucked the card from Rain’s hand and inserted it back into his deck. “It keeps me on my toes. Let’s say I pluck my ‘summon steed’ card. I got that one from Mohammad – did you know he rides a summoned moose when he hunts now? Now, I have no need for a steed during a fight, but a moose is a mighty heavy animal. So if I instead throw the card above the enemy and summon the moose… squish!”

  Cosmo ground his hand into the dirt for emphasis. “No more monster.”

  “Poor moose,” Rain said sympathetically.

  Cosmo shrugged. “It’s just a summon, my dear.”

  “I wanna ride the moose,” Passi said from her hiding spot on the palm branch above them.

  “You can fly, Passi,” chuckled Rain. “It’s safer for you to stay in the air.”

  “But not as much fun,” complained Passi.

  “Bah, I’d trade my moose for your ability to fly in a heartbeat, little lady,” Cosmo grumbled. “You don’t know what an amazing gift you have in those wings.”

  “Will you three be quiet?” hissed Calista, her hand clutched around her pendant. “This is supposed to be an ambush, and you’re over here talking nonsense about moose and fruit cakes.”

  Calista finished her scan, and the monster screen appeared before them.

  “Well, that’s… hey!” Calista started, as a second screen appeared, overlayed on the first.

  “What’s a slime core?” Rain asked. "Or an 'elemental restraint'?"

  “Let’s find out,” Calista answered confidently, closing the screens and spinning her spear dramatically. “Passi, let’s go get you that level!”

  The Non-Canonical Aftermath: