Stanley carried the angry and loudly cursing Eve along with the others and flew low towards the tower. Caffeine followed along on the ground with occasional stops to sniff and pee on things, followed by sonic booms as he caught up again. He did give the pug a lift over the river, a completely unnecessary assistance, but the way Caffeine skidded to halt and stared nervously at the water had made him relent.

  Eve eventually got tired of yelling and just talked with her brother while her Soul mellowed out. Stanley was curious about what effect Zeke would have on this area as well as the already purified zone by his leaving and coming here. But… Eve was finally calm. "I'll ask later."

  He saw the tower come into view and picked up the pace in alarm.

  "Something happened!" He could see monsters going inside the ground floor and Stanley Moved the group faster.

  He slowed as they entered the lobby of the building and Stanley was gratified to feel the Souls of the occupants, not greatly reduced that he could tell and not overly upset about the monsters invading. The monsters were ants… smaller than the ones he'd wiped out and black rather than red.

  He was just deciding on which to kill first when all of his passengers vanished from within his mental hold and sight. Something grabbed at him as well but Stanley instinctively resisted the strange pulling sensation. He understood what had happened a moment later as he was watching a group of people fighting a lone ant near the stairs. "Walter…"

  The man in question appeared next to Stanley in the air. "My apologies, Sir. It is all under control."

  "You found a way to lure them in!" Stanley watched the obviously weak people fighting the ant. "And got people to fight."

  "Quite right Sir. If you would like to retire upstairs?"

  "Yea, yea." Stanley waved Walter off and pulled Caffeine to his lap when the pug appeared and started charging across towards the fighting humans. Whether he meant to attack the ant or just smell the people, Stanley didn't know.

  Walter vanished and Stanley flew back outside and up to the penthouse. There he found everyone else already waiting and flew through the open sliding doors of the porch.

  Eve was in a corner and Walter was talking to her quietly while she blushed and shook her head. Nate was kicked back on a couch and the rest of them were just staring around wide-eyed and nervous.

  Caffeine saw Princess and sent Stanley sailing back out through the doors when he kicked off to chase her.

  When Stanley got back inside Nate was laughing with Zeke while looking his way. "Thanks Caff…" Stanley muttered but couldn't stop the smile as he watched the pug and fox sprint around the large room. "Good boy." He thought.

  "Hi guys." Stanley nodded to Adrian and Daryl. They both looked worn out and he had an idea of why. "So… how'd you get the ants to attack?"

  "Bait." Adrian said tiredly. "Turns out they still seem to operate the same as before. If we let some take food back, more will come looking."

  "Huh." That made perfect sense and Stanley couldn't believe he hadn't thought of it. "So Walter can keep an eye on it?"

  "Yea." Daryl said. "Can't get a much safer way to train. Not anymore…"

  "Have to do a lot of healing?"

  "Nah…not anymore at least." Daryl shook his head. "The hard part was getting the trail set… lucky they weren't any farther away."

  "Walter was bringing the wounded up here at first." Adrian pointed at a blood stain on the rug in front of him. "Can't believe how some people get wounded so fast… but they are getting better." He sighed, dropped his head back against the couch and closed his eyes.

  Stanley was looking at the blood and remembered why he'd come here. A glance around found Eve sitting on another couch next to Zeke and alternating between glaring at everything and everyone, and ducking her head while her Soul radiated embarrassment. "What is going on with her now?"

  But, really… who was he to judge. Stanley left the tired duo and walked over to her. "Eve."

  "What!" She jumped and then glared at him. Her Soul bouncing around chaotically. "Did Walter… What?"

  Something was really bothering her and even Zeke looked concerned. Stanley just shook his head and gestured in follow me motion as Caffeine howled at Princess.

  Eve was wary but got up and followed him to the door leading to the room Walter had granted him.

  Eve followed him into the room, Zeke trailing behind. "What… what do you want? Is this…"

  Stanley let her be and didn't try to pry at whatever she was obviously hiding. "This is what I brought you here for. A reward for your first Lair clear." He opened the door to the bathroom and gestured to her to go ahead. She stepped warily through and Zeke followed curiously. She stopped just inside and Stanley turned the faucets on with a thought. The water exploded from every nozzle and outlet, and steam almost immediately began to billow. Stanley felt her Soul light up. "I thought you might like to…"

  "Out!" Eve turned, shoved Zeke through the door and slammed it in their faces.

  Stanley laughed and Zeke smiled back. "How did they get that working?"

  "No idea." Stanley told him. "Ask Walter." He had another thought. "And while you're waiting, why not go give Adrian and Daryl a quick jolt of your magic light."

  "Okay!"

  Stanley followed the excited but obviously tired Zeke back to the main room and sat down next to Nate. "You want a lift back?"

  Nate didn't respond as he looked over the new team but Stanley could feel his agitation.

  "I can take the others back later." Stanley said. "Figured I'd let em shower and eat some fish for variety."

  "Thanks… I just…"

  "I know." Stanley said. "They are your people and you don't like leaving them alone because who will protect them if you aren't there."

  Nate watched Zeke healing the couple on the other couch. Stanley knew well the relaxing feeling of Zeke's healing and wouldn't be surprised if they fell asleep from it based on the fatigue he felt from them.

  "I do worry." Nate said.

  "I still don't know why you made that weak woman your second." Stanley shook his head.

  "She is good people. With a good head on her. Everyone else either doesn't want the responsibility or can't be trusted with it."

  "Tale as old as time." Stanley agreed.

  Nate nodded at Mathew. "He would be a great leader, but he wants to get stronger first."

  "Can't blame him for that." Stanley said, thinking back on the man's performance in the Lair. He was a solid fighter and had remained focused and relatively calm throughout.

  "No. No I can't either. And yea, take me back." Nate said as he pulled himself off the couch.

  Stanley stood up just as Walter stepped through the door and from the way Caffeine suddenly appeared sitting in front of him with a wagging tail, Stanley knew he must have brought food.

  Princess walked in front of the pug and her three tails slapped over his face. Caffeine only moved his head to the side and kept staring at Walter.

  "You wanna stay here, Caff?" Stanley called as he walked towards the porch.

  Caffeine looked at him and back at Walter a few times, then turned sadly and started walking towards Stanley with slow steps and a drooping tail.

  He chuckled and walked back over as Walter produced a paper bag that immediately garnered Caffeine's full attention.

  "There will be a small celebration later." Walter said as he handed over the bag of fish. "I thought it might provide some reward for the triumphant warriors, yours and ours both."

  Stanley nodded. "Sounds great. Do you have enough food?"

  "Yes. We have sufficient supplies. Some of our more promising thrillseekers have begun delving into the underwater Lair. Though…" He glanced at Nate who was talking with the new team. "I… understand that you will be returning Master Nate to his home. I would be amenable to an exchange of fish for chicken. I am sure many would appreciate some variety."

  Stanley chuckled. "Yea I'm sure it would go over well."

  "Very good Sir. I will have the fish ready before you depart." He walked quickly out the door and Stanley felt his Soul vanish and reappear much further down in the building.

  Stanley was wondering why Walter didn't just teleport in place like he knew the man could, but instead liked to walk through doors or around corners. Maybe he liked the mystique?

  "Stanley." Nate said. "Mathew is coming back with us. He wants to get his family and bring them back for the party." Nate nodded to the door Walter had left through. "That good with you?"

  "Sure." Stanley was looking around the room and finally realized what was missing. "Adrian. Where is Cheesesteak?" He couldn't even feel its Soul anywhere.

  Adrian sat up with a start from where he'd been dozing on the couch. "What? Oh." He pointed at the ceiling. "Up there."

  Stanley looked at the ceiling… Was the bird flying around outside? Adrian stood up, leaving the sleeping Daryl behind and beckoned Stanley to follow as a smile crept onto his face. He led them to the stairs and up to the roof.

  Stanley followed Adrian out the rooftop door and stopped in surprise. A huge bonfire, no… a nest! A flaming nest that filled at least a quarter of the flat roof, and sitting in the middle of the fire was Cheesesteak. The Phoenix was the size of an elephant now and stood up when it saw them. Stanley realized that he could feel its Soul, though just barely, even at this close range.

  Cheesesteak spread his wings out to the sides and they reached past the edge of the roof. His head tilted back and he trumpeted a deafening cry along with a pillar of fire into the sky.

  "Wow…" Stanley said with awe, echoed almost exactly by Nate and Zeke.

  "He's just showing off." Adrian said dryly as he walked closer.

  Stanley felt the building under his feet shake slightly and then Caffeine blurred past him and was standing at the edge of the raging fires and howling up at the giant bird. Cheesesteak stopped the show and leaned down peer at the pug, his head tilting and twitching while Caffeine sniffed at the massive hooked beak. The pug's curly tail started wagging as Princess sauntered past him and brushed against the bird's head.

  "Drama queen…" Adrian said but did give the Phoenix some affectionate head scratches nonetheless.

  "I think you look awesome, Cheesesteak." Stanley said to the bird and it tilted its head back to screech out more fire. Princess did a yipping little bark and fire show as well, while Caffeine joined in with his own little pug howl.

  When the Humans could hear themselves think again, Adrian was smiling and shaking his head.

  "Can you ride him?" Nate asked excitedly.

  "Not… exactly." Adrian said. "We haven't figured out a saddle or harness yet."

  Stanley had a sudden thought. "Adrian, did you get an evolution option to be a bird man?"

  Adrian looked surprised at the question but nodded. "Yea, but… well it was more harpy and less angel-winged human, so…" He shook his head. "I'm not ready to give up my humanness just yet. Maybe if it was just wings, but…" He glanced from the pug to Stanley. "Did you get an option like that?"

  "Yep. Very werewolf-y."

  Adrian suddenly burst out laughing and doubled over before he could catch his breath and stop. "Sorry, sorry. I just pictured you as a werewolf floating around in that suit!" He doubled over in laughter again.

  Stanley couldn't help his own chuckle at the image now in his head. Nate laughed even harder than Adrian…

  "Pardon me." Walter's voice came from the stairway and Stanley turned to see him standing at the edge of the doorway but not one inch past the edge. "I have the fish…" Caffeine was sitting in front of Walter an instant before a giant bird beak was trying to fit through the doorway.

  "Ahem!" Walter cleared his throat and the sound echoed around the rooftop like a gunshot.

  Cheesesteak pulled his head back and laid it flat on the roof behind Caffeine who had dropped to his belly while still keeping his head as high and attentive as possible.

  Walter stood still for a moment, eyes moving back and forth between the two. Then his hand flickered and both animals' heads bobbed and mouths chomped.

  "Whenever you are ready, Sir." Walter said calmly to Stanley.

  Princess sauntered through the doorway and sat next to Walter, looking up at him expectantly.

  "My Lady." Walter knelt and held out a silver platter heaped with fish fillet.

  She took one large piece gently in her mouth and then walked calmly past the frozen bird and pug. Heads followed her as she lay down in the sun and started taking small nibbles of the fish. Two ear piercing whines dug into everyone's ears and the Humans abandoned the rooftop to go back inside.

  Walter pulled a single giant fish from nowhere once again and even though Stanley was actively watching that time, he still couldn't tell how it was done. One second there was nothing, then Walter appeared to grab onto something and the next moment he was holding the fish. Though it did feel similar to how the man teleported, so maybe he was just grabbing it from somewhere else in the…

  Stanley barely caught the fish when Walter abruptly vanished and almost in the same instant reappeared, along with a screaming and bloody human.

  Walter said something that was lost under the screaming but Zeke was already diving towards the injured man while Golden light exploded from him.

  The screams tapered and trailed off into quiet sobs.

  "Thank you, Master Mitchell." Walter said calmly.

  "You're okay now, it's okay." Zeke said to the crying and bloody man on the floor.

  "I… I…"

  Walter crouched down next to the man. "This is not a game, Mr Wethers."

  "I… I know…"

  "Had you pulled such a profoundly foolish stunt outside, you and likely your entire team would have been killed."

  "Are they…" The man looked up in alarm.

  "Your team is in the staging area."

  The other man slumped in relief. "Can you take me…"

  "I would suggest…" Walter cut him off and stood up straight. "That you walk back. And on that walk, you think about what you will say to the others whose lives you could have ended."

  "I… Yes sir." The previously wounded man got to his feet gingerly and took a step towards the door when Walter cleared his throat. The man glanced back and followed Walter's gaze to Zeke. He hurriedly stuck out his hand.

  "Thank you very much Mr…"

  "I'm Zeke, nice to meet you." Zeke smiled as he shook the other man's hand.

  "Thank you Zeke! You're a really great healer!" He was rubbing his stomach through the shredded remains of his shirt. "I…" He glanced at Walter. "I have to go. Nice to meet you!" He said the last part over his shoulder as he almost ran for the door.

  Stanley noticed that Caffeine had come back downstairs at some point. The pug was now sitting and staring with perfect stillness and laser focus at the giant fish hovering in the room. Two strings of drool connected both sides of his mouth to the floor.

  Stanley shook his head and took the fish outside, Nate and Mathew joined him a few moments later and they flew north. Nate had him go high while he picked out a spot to set up his new forward base.

  The view was something else and the contrast of the mostly dark area with a huge circle of green in the north was stark. One thing that wasn't immediately apparent was that nature was flourishing everywhere, it was green and vibrant in the north but everywhere else it still grew. Trees were twisted and dark, bushes were thick and thorny but lacked flowers, and vanishing beneath it all was the human city and the signs of civilization. Only the towering buildings of downtown and the bridges over the river still revealed obvious human influence.

  Nate had them descend on what looked like an apartment building near but still inside the edge of the green zone. After a moment of him memorizing the area, they headed home.

  "I'm thinking of moving most of the active defenders south." Nate said as they flew. "It puts them mostly in the path of anything that might attack from outside the purified area, and thanks to the Wolves, we aren't likely to get any major threats from inside."

  Stanley nodded along, not really caring about the semantics.

  "Plus when we find any survivors, we'll have more room for them. I just wish I could fly…" Nate finished wistfully.

  Stanley bristled at the insinuation, he didn't want to worry about survivors or more precisely the lack of survivors. Many of the groups or individuals that he'd brought back had been weak and near death. Many had lost members steadily everyday that could have been saved if…

  "I'll bring them back if I find em." He said curtly.

  He must have given something away of his mood because Nate spoke up again. "Sorry Stanley, I didn't mean it that way, I know you're doing your best. I just worry… but no, it's not your responsibility to save everyone. Besides, I think it's mostly too late for the people that hid away and didn't get stronger. The Miasma is too strong now…"

  Stanley grit his teeth. "How many died while I was meditating or working on my Soul? No. They should have fought… just because I can fly doesn't make them my responsibility."

  "That's on them… not you." Nate said softly.

  Stanley didn't say anything else, not wanting to snap at the man, only sped up until he set down in front of the base. Mathew didn't say anything as he hustled off to get his family.

  Nate stood by and when Mathew was gone he spoke quietly. "Thanks for the ride and the overwatch, and take care of yourself. I mean it." He put a hand on Stanley's shoulder briefly, then walked away with the giant fish in hand and Caffeine finally laid down with a sigh in his lap.

  Stanley Meditated until Mathew's Soul approached with two others.

  "Stanley, this is my wife Merida and our boy Samuel." He was carrying a large bundle that must have been the chicken going back.

  Stanley nodded at the others who were staring at him strangely and lifted them all into the air. The woman gasped and clutched the boy who screamed for a second and then stared with wide eyes as the ground fell away below.

  Stanley looked at Mathew questioningly. "Didn't you tell them?"

  Mathew smiled back and nodded. "They rode with you once before, but it is still…" He waved at the sky with his free hand, the other held in a deathgrip by his wife. "...this is still quite thrilling. To move through the sky so freely."

  "They did?" Stanley looked at them again but didn't recall ever giving them a ride.

  "We were with the others at the school?" Mathew said.

  "Sorry, I'm bad with faces…"

  Mathew laughed. "Haha! We could not forget the angry storm that descended from the heavens!"

  Stanley looked away. "Yea, yea, I have anger issues."

  "You may not remember me." Mathew continued talking despite Stanley trying to ignore him. "But I will never forget you. To you we are just a face lost in the crowd… but seeing you come out of the sky." His voice choked and Stanley could feel the sorrow coming from his Soul. "I had given up hope… I only wished to die fighting… so I wouldn't have to watch my family suffer the same fate…" He was finally quiet for a bit, a short bit.

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  "I know you suffered." He continued.

  Stanley grit his teeth. "Now he says something about how it's nothing compared to seeing his family suffer…"

  "I felt your pain. We all felt it. That pain… and anger… Then we saw the message that told us that somewhere, someone was fighting back. It gave many of us the will to fight back ourselves, for our own lives. But it was too late… we had waited too long and so doomed ourselves."

  Caffeine licked Stanley's chin and then sniffed at the pocket of his jacket before laying back down with a sad whine.

  "When I felt that same anger descend upon us at the school… Thank you, Sir."

  "Thank you." His wife said and was echoed by a child's 'tank oh'.

  Stanley remembered the school, vaguely. There had been some kind of weak corrupted pig monsters that died easily. Then he'd yelled at everyone to gather up or he'd leave them behind… "Pigs… I wonder if I can find a pig Lair?"

  "You didn't have to save us. You owed us nothing and yet, like an angel of death you passed over and delivered us to a paradise."

  "Oh my god he is still going!" Stanley took a deep breath and said as calmly as he could. "Please stop talking."

  He did and they flew in peace for a little while.

  Stanley heard the crow's caw from the trees below and so wasn't startled when it appeared on his knee. Caffeine greeted the bird with a sniff and the crow dropped a Core chip in front of the pug. Caffeine sniffed the Core and then picked it up in his mouth where it crunched a few times. "I don't think you're supposed to chew them…"

  The crow pecked at Stanley's jacket and then looked up at him. "Caw!"

  Caffeine sniffed the jacket and also looked up at Stanley expectantly. "I guess I did forget to give you that… fine."

  Stanley pulled out the paper wrapped fish and Caffeine sat up while the crow popped onto Stanley's shoulder. He handed the first piece to Caffeine and then the next to the bird. Stanley was a bit surprised when the bird grabbed it and then dropped it to the pug where it vanished in a heartbeat, as all food did in that black hole. Or gray hole now.

  The crow did eat the next piece after that though and like that they passed the rest of the leisurely flight, at least until they approached the tower. When they were getting close, the Phoenix on the roof suddenly screed in their direction and the crow responded with an ear ringing caw over Stanley's head.

  Cheesesteak stood up, spread his wings and shot fire across the sky with another deafening cry. The crow vanished and Caffeine responded with a small awoo of his own.

  "Holy Mother… That!" Merida hissed to Mathew.

  "If you can make a saddle for him, it might help you rank up." Mathew said.

  "I… Yes that might just do it." She sounded thoughtful now, and Stanley flew them inside the top floor. He didn't go inside with them, though he did note that Eve was still in the shower. "Women…" Her Soul was happier than he thought he had ever seen before… Everything else seemed fine so Stanley turned away. He would go hunt down some pigs. And if he just so happened to run across any other Humans out there…

  Stanley kept breaking off small bites of fish for Caffeine but the crow didn't return even after they had left the area around the tower. The only problem with finding the pigs was… he had no idea where the school had been. So instead he just meandered south and west, stopping occasionally to focus on [Soul Awareness].

  When he crossed the river a flock of seagulls took to the sky after him. Over half of them got dragged out of the air and into the river when something with tentacles attacked without even showing its actual body. Stanley flew higher and tried to sense its Soul. Nothing.

  "Water monsters are the worst." Walter had said that people were hunting in the underwater Lair… "Lunatics."

  He did grab one of the seagulls and offer it to Caffeine as a snack, wanting to save some of the fish in case he needed to regen a lot. "I'm not taking a bite to make you think it's yummy." He thought, when Caffeine wasn't interested in the bird.

  +0.4 Vitality

  He looked down at the suddenly retreating birds but they all settled far too close to the river for his liking. "I'll find others."

  He kept an eye out for any concentration of Souls that might mean a Lair was nearby but Lairs did something to mute the Souls from outside. Probably a way to protect the monsters? Or maybe just a side effect of the stronger structures. He could still sense them but not from far away.

  Stanley descended when he did find a cluster of Souls, not in a Lair but outside and fighting amongst themselves. When he got closer they resolved into something that might have once been pigeons. "Eww."

  Caffeine jumped from his lap and ran towards the bird things while barking what was probably a friendly greeting. "Please don't make friends with everything Caff… I need to kill them." He thought, just before the birds took the initiative and attacked Caffeine.

  A ripple of energy crashed over the pug, pushing him back and into the air before it slammed into Stanley. It was too late. The sight of Caffeine getting attacked had sent a spike of unreasonable fear through Stanley and he was already wholly focused and deep inside [Still Mind of the Psionic Beast]. The energy struck and pain exploded across his body, focused more so on his ears. "A sonic attack." He thought calmly and pushed the air away, creating a vacuum around himself. "Interesting." Stanley could 'see' the energy vibrating the air further away but rather than needing air to propagate, it traveled through the vacuum and resumed the painful vibration inside his body. It wasn't very threatening, only painful. So Stanley decided to use it to practice his magic defense.

  He could block it with brute force, aka Will, but that was the expensive way that wouldn't work when he was actually in danger. First he tried blocking smaller amounts in an attempt to disrupt the Magic, but while that lessened the pain, it didn't work much better in regards to cost versus gain. Then he analyzed the vibrations and put a vibrating shield in the way to try and cancel it out. That worked… but once again the cost, this time in focus as well as power was still not much better. "The best method is still to kill the source of the attack." Plus the pain in his head was starting to hurt at near dangerous levels that he suspected would damage his Intelligence, temporarily or even permanently, not from the pigeon attack but from the acceleration of his mental faculties.

  He switched focus to the birds and realized that the pug had already killed all but one and was about to kill the last. Stanley could see what they had been attacking now. It was a bat. "What is it doing all the way out here? It is wounded and weak. I'll just kill…"

  +1 Willpower

  +1 Intelligence

  Stanley groaned and clutched his head. "Damn it unfeeling me! It still hurts when you're gone!" He managed to activate [Soul Meditation] and it helped immensely as he moved apart from the physical sensations of his body. "If my head doesn't hurt in here… am I not thinking with my brain? But then why does my head still hurt from the acceleration? Or is meditation more like sleep and I'm disconnected from the body…"

  He watched the Soul of the bat as he sat there. It was frightened and hungry but did slowly calm down as it sat next to Caffeine. It also had other feelings… curiosity, anger, friendly, sad, lonely. More akin to the bat queen than the smaller ones it resembled. He was pretty sure it was the same kind… though it was possible that it wasn't.

  Stanley let the [Soul Meditation] end when a [Hungry] Debuff appeared. The pain was gone. "Damn how much did I have to regen… or was I just close to hungry already?" Caffeine was licking the bat while it chirped and squeaked at him. Both of them turned to him when he pulled out the fish. "No you don't!" Stanley lifted a dead pigeon in front of the duo. "Eat this. It's almost chicken… Well it's a bird at least."

  Caffeine dodged the bird and the bat crawled around the other side, both approached eagerly. Stanley caught the Core that fell from the pigeon and dangled it in front of them. Caffeine ignored it but the bat stopped to stare at it. Then it opened its mouth and the light in the Core flowed out and into the bat's mouth. "Definitely the same type of bat. Is it one that Caff already tamed?" The Core crumbled into dust once it was dark.

  Caffeine sat in front of Stanley and whined while staring at the fish. The bat, easily twice the size of the pug, started crawling almost over the top of Caffeine. Stanley floated higher and Caffeine grew, his head staying at eye level with the fish. Amused, Stanley kept going higher until the bat was crawling up the elephant sized pug's back. It crawled onto his head and opened its mouth at Stanley. "Are you trying to eat my Mana?" Stanley thought. "Good luck!"

  The bat grew puzzled but kept trying and Stanley noticed faint blue light start flickering in tiny streamers into its mouth. "How?" He focused on the energy and found the source. It was him! Or rather… "My Soul… is it Source? No… It looks like Mana but it's coming from my Soul… or around my Soul. Do I generate Mana?" He spent some time watching, he didn't activate Still Mind, it would probably help but he didn't want another headache and didn't have much fish left. It looked like he was increasing the Mana around himself, not a lot, but enough that the bat could gain a snack from the whole of it.

  "I see…" It was the Source radiation that Stanley was pretty sure gave him his crazy regen and might be why he resisted the Miasma. "Is that also why Eve wanted to work near me? Sneaky."

  He floated back to the ground and gave Caffeine a tiny piece of fish. He would swallow any piece just as fast… The bat fell off and looked like it was trying to catch its breath while laying on the ground. Stanley did offer another tiny piece of fish to the bat but it didn't seem interested at all. "Mana-vore?" Caffeine ate it happily.

  +0.2 Strength

  +0.4 Dexterity

  +0.4 Willpower

  +0.5 Willpower

  Stanley split the Cores with Caffeine and the pug let the bat eat a few of his.

  Stanley put the fish away and Caffeine sighed and crawled into his lap. The bat tried to follow… "Dude!" Stanley lifted it up into the air. "You're too big!" The bat flapped its wings and squeaked at him while it hovered unmoving in the air.

  "I'm holding you up." It kept flapping and squeaking.

  Stanley sighed and picked up a piece of rubble, he put it under the bat and the bat settled down. "You're not very bright, are you?" It squeaked at him again. Stanley put it and the rubble down and started flying away. "Good luck." The bat managed to get in the air and it followed for a bit before it got tired and grabbed onto a tree branch.

  Caffeine jumped down when the bat started chirping and ran back to it. The bat dropped down, back onto the pug as Caffeine ballooned up to a size that the bat could ride comfortably and then followed after Stanley on the ground.

  Stanley stayed low and flew until he found what looked like it had once been a freeway, now mostly overgrown. It had at one time been wide enough that it was still visible from the sky and Stanley dropped below the canopy to travel in the shade of the gnarled tree branches that crowded overhead. Caffeine trotted alongside him cheerfully and it was a rather pleasant journey.

  It wasn't completely quiet, there were enough stray monsters around that some of the sounds trickled through the brush, but it was relatively peaceful and Stanley slowed his pace to enjoy it. He didn't bother chasing the few critters nearby, it just didn't seem worth the effort of digging them out of the thick under and over growth for a fraction of a point.

  He did stop and meditate regularly, practicing his Skill while scanning the area for Lairs, or humans. And after some time, he found something.

  It was far away and faint, like a Lair… but it was Humans and a lot of them. A whole lot.

  He picked up the pace while listening to the bat as it chirped and Caffeine made soft woofs and huffs back. "Are they talking? Can animals talk to each other now?" Stanley was a bit curious why some animals seemed to have gained intelligence while others were still dumber than rocks. "Will we get a new kind of Evolution now? Magical Natural Selection…"

  He stopped and scanned again. It was definitely Humans and he was pretty sure it must be another 'Sentient Lair'. Some of the Souls felt strong, on par with Nate or Adrian… but there was something else. Closer. "Three… Humans?" Something felt off.

  Stanley headed towards the nearby humans and found himself above a house, its roof just barely visible behind the canopy. Something was bad… "What is wrong with them…" He sent his mind down and found that there must be a basement under the house. Rather than try to pick his way through the mess, he just ripped the whole house, basement and all, right out of the ground. It came up easily and Stanley let the house part drop back into the dark wilderness while he set the basement on the highway nearby, it was the only relatively clear area he could find.

  He stared at it.

  He kept staring.

  Stanley wasn't sure if he wanted to see what was in there anymore. Two of the Souls were Human… and they were screaming. Unrelenting and unchanging screaming.

  The other… it was… had been… Human? It was gleeful and… red. A really bad shade of red. Stanley didn't know there were bad shades of red before this…

  Even Caffeine looked upset. He was growling and whining, back and forth. The bat, still clinging to his back, was hunched and so far back it was almost hiding behind the pug.

  Stanley was seriously considering just smashing the thing and killing whatever was in there.

  He ripped out one sidewall and gazed upon the red Souled thing.

  It looked human. It was smiling at him.

  "Greetings my friend!"

  It was happy to see him.

  "Are you here for the feast?"

  It walked forward, out of the basement structure. Stanley peeled back the other wall and looked at the two other Humans.

  "Hey! Those are mine!"

  They… looked healthy. Rosy pink skin. Clean naked women… dangling from meat hooks pierced through both hands above the head. They looked calm, asleep.

  "You don't seem very friendly."

  Their Souls kept screaming…

  "But, you are still welcome!"

  The screaming…

  [Sacrificial Binding of the Cannibal King] Resisted.

  "I'll add you to the menu and…"

  DIE

  "I… You…" The thing's eyes lost their cheer as it staggered. Its Soul stopped grinning and shook violently in pain. "You…"

  DIE

  DIE

  The light in its eyes faded and it crumpled to the ground.

  Stanley wrapped himself in [Soul Meditation] but it didn't help. The two Souls were still screaming.

  When he came out of the meditation, he stared at his trembling hands and pressed them to his ears to try to block the screams. It worked! Stanley looked up in surprise and realized that one of the women was awake. And was screaming in tune with her Soul.

  Cu…

  He stopped himself, barely. "I should just kill them!" His mind screamed at him. "Can they even live like that? I wouldn't want to! But…"

  "Shut up! Shut up!" He screamed at the woman but she didn't even notice.

  SLEEP

  The screams stopped, the verbal ones… "I should put them out of their misery…" He blinked. Caffeine was sniffing at the women and whining… "What did my Soul sound like when I was dying… Do they deserve the same chance?"

  Stanley took a shuddering breath. "I… I'll take them back, Caff." A red light flickered in the corner of his eye and Stanley spun!

  The 'thing' was still dead… but there was a glowing red Core next to its head… "I don't want to know what that is… do I?" And why was it red… He'd never seen a red Core… it was that same bad shade of red.

  "Can the bat destroy it by draining it?" Stanley hesitantly floated the Core into the air and sent it towards the bat.

  The bat did not appreciate the offer at all. It jumped from Caffeine's back, crawling and flapping awkwardly in an attempt to get as far away as possible. It didn't have to go far.

  Caffeine snarled and snatched the Core out of the air. Stanley felt horror rising and then the pug's head blurred and the ground shook and shattered. A crater appeared in the old highway, a glittering red light at the bottom.

  Caffeine Barked into the crater. And Barked again. And again. Over and over and over.

  The red glow still shone from the much deeper hole when Caffeine threw his head back and Howled.

  You have Heard the Angry Howl of the Beast Lord.

  +25% Effect of All Base Attributes to Friends

  -25% Effect of All Base Attributes to NotFriends

  Caffeine Barked again and Stanley added his own efforts.

  CUT

  Bark.

  BREAK

  Bark.

  SHATTER

  Bark.

  CRACK

  Bark.

  DIE

  The bad red glow shone brightly from the pit.

  Stanley sagged from his energy being drained repeatedly. He didn't dare even think about activating Still Mind. "If I decide… no, Caff would stop me. For sure!"

  Stanley dreaded what had to happen next. "I have to know what it is… I can't just leave it here…" He knew that whatever it was it couldn't be left for Anything to find. But did he need to know? "Cannibal King…" It would be something related to that. He knew it would be…

  It wasn't the Cannibal part that scared him, yea, Cannibalism is bad, but what that thing was… what its Soul was… "Eve threw up when she saw my Soul…" His hands were shaking again.

  Stanley yanked the Core from the pit and into his hand. It bounced off and onto the ground with a small tinkling sound.

  Class Shard: [Cannibal King](Mythic)

  Class Skill: [Sacrificial Binding of the Cannibal King(Journeyman VI)](Mythic)

  The Cannibal King has been Crowned on Dungeon World [Earth].

  He has perfected the Ritual to Perfectly Savor every delicious Morsel of his Meals!

  As the Slayer of the King you may Consume this Core and Take Up His…

  "Nooooo!" Stanley turned and vomited onto the cracked pavement.

  Once again, his improved digestion left only bile to sear his throat and Stanley welcomed the fire. It was soothing.

  Caffeine was licking his face when he sat up again. He took off his jacket and it flew to the Core, wrapped around it, over and over until it was a tight ball of fabric.

  Tighten

  Bind

  Seal

  Stanley drained his power multiple times, doing everything he could think of to restrain the thing. Until a ball of what used to be fabric hit the ground with a thunk. He saw the bat peeking at him warily from Caffeine's back once again. "Smart animal indeed."

  Then he drained his power against the Thing's corpse.

  BURN

  BURN

  BURN

  It took a few minutes but he was satisfied with the dark stain on the pavement being the only thing left of it.

  Then he removed the rest of his suit and draped it over the two women. One wore his shirt and pants and the other got his jacket, plus undershirt and vest as a makeshift skirt. Stanley kept his underwear.

  The wounds in their hands didn't bleed so he didn't bother to try and bandage them. He didn't know if that was a bad sign…

  Stanley shattered and burned what was left of the basement, then took himself and the other survivors of this nightmare away.

  Caffeine didn't sit on him, he was too big while carrying the bat, but he did rest his large head in Stanley's lap. His big brown eyes fixed on Stanley's. The bat also watched Stanley, though with a bit more wariness and deficit of affection. It did chirp at the pug and Caffeine would huff and woof in response. Stanley really appreciated the adorable distraction.

  The crow even popped in again. It appeared on Caffeine and cawed in surprise at the bat who chirped and opened its mouth to eat the crow's Mana. Caffeine woofed and the bat closed its mouth. The crow popped onto Stanley's shoulder and he glared at it when its claws dug into his exposed skin. It cawed softly at him, looked at the two women, and then at the small ball of fabric. It didn't like that and vanished once again.

  When they neared the tower and subsequently the Bat Lair, the bat chirped something and jumped off Caffeine. It flew rapidly away to its home, chirping the whole way.

  Stanley approached the tower from near the ground as he tried to sense where Walter was and decide where to bring the women to. He found the majority of the Souls on a lower floor and saw an open balcony leading in. Walter was there.

  He flew inside and stopped in shock. They were fighting! All across the massive ballroom people were going at each other with deadly force!

  Stanley dropped his [Soul Shield] and roared. "What the Fuck are You Doing!"

  The huge ballroom went dead still under his enraged Soul. The screaming Souls that he still carried echoed off of his own and screamed across the room.

  Walter appeared at his side. "It is a tournament… My God! Sir! If you will allow me?" He put a hand on Stanley's arm and pulled gently, both with his hand and his power. Stanley let him and they were in another room, the women and Core ball as well. A moment later Adrian and Zeke appeared, then an older woman.

  Golden light flooded the room and Red-Gold flames followed a moment later.

  Stanley staggered back and sank to the floor in a corner. He was pulling his shield back up when Caffeine appeared in the room and sprinted to his side. The pug sat between his legs and leaned into Stanley's chest. Stanley threw his arms around the pug and buried his face in the fur. He could let someone else handle it from here.

  Eventually things calmed down and Stanley lifted his head. Zeke was crying in a corner. Eve had her arms around him and was glaring daggers at Stanley. Her gaze kept jumping to the Core sitting on the floor next to him, still wrapped in his jacket. "Can she see the Soul? Or is it so bad that everyone can feel it…"

  Adrian was standing next to the older woman as she leaned over the bed. Her hands were glowing where they rested on both sides of a woman's head. As he watched the glow faded and she straightened and said something he couldn't hear to Adrian.

  Walter appeared next to Stanley and was glaring, actually glaring, at the Core. "What Abomination have you brought into my Domain?"

  "I can't destroy it…" Stanley whispered. "I couldn't let anything else touch it, or eat…"

  Walter was studying his face while he spoke and the man's impassive expression slowly returned until he nodded. "Very good, Sir. I shall investigate whatever means we have available to ensure its destruction. In the meantime, might I remove it to a more… secure location?"

  "Please…" Stanley nodded rapidly and the ball vanished.

  "Thank you, Sir." Walter knelt and held out a hand to Stanley and Caffeine. "Please come with me."

  Stanley took his hand and Caffeine gave him a paw. Then they were in the bathroom next to the shower.

  "Things are well in hand." Walter said as he stood and helped Stanley up. "Please take your time." He stepped out the door and closed it behind himself.

  The other Souls in the building vanished and Stanley sighed in relief. He enjoyed the shower immensely, despite Caffeine sitting just outside the glass door and trembling the whole time. It was touching that the little pug would face his deepest fear to try and comfort him but Stanley felt… okay. Not good… "That thing was worse than the Undead… if it had been more active… if I hadn't found it so weak…"

  His hand was trembling again. "Damn it."

  He did take the opportunity to meditate under the waterfall. It was sadly underwhelming. Mostly due to the fact that he couldn't feel the water while meditating.

  When he finally emerged, Stanley found his old black suit, at least he assumed it was, but it was once again in pristine shape. "Thanks Walter."

  The man in question knocked on his outer door when Stanley left the bathroom. "Come."

  Walter smiled slightly on seeing him. "Much improved, I'm sure." He cleared his throat slightly. "A Ms Marie Lennon would like to speak with you, at your earliest convenience." He made some quick adjustments to Stanley's tie while speaking.

  Stanley was confused at first but then he remembered. "The therapist?"

  "I would recommend talking to her." Walter said softly.

  "Sure."

  She was waiting for him when they appeared in the room. "Thank you, Walter." She smiled at the man and then turned to Stanley. "Please sit wherever you like. You as well." She said to the pug sniffing at her feet.

  "Those women…" Stanley hesitated to ask.

  "They have been given a chance." She said. "Whether they will take it or not is up to them now."

  "I almost killed them." Stanley whispered.

  "I understand. But I think you made the right choice." She watched his face as he sat on the couch and Caffeine jumped into his lap. "Death is a very final choice. Often life is the superior option."

  "Does my Soul…" Stanley swallowed. "Did you…"

  "Will you show me?"

  "Are you sure?"

  She nodded and Stanley dropped his shield.

  She blinked but didn't say anything as she studied him.

  "Is it as bad as…" Stanley asked, dreading the answer.

  "You are wounded."

  He nodded. "Leaking too. Is it… did you see the Core?"

  She shook her head. "From what Walter told me I am glad I did not and no, your Soul is nothing like that…"

  Stanley slumped in relief.

  "It is strange." She said slowly, her eyes unfocused. "I feel as if I am only seeing a small part of you, as if the rest is… hidden."

  Stanley shrugged and gave Caffeine a belly rub. "I'm kinda baring my Soul here so don't ask me."

  She smiled gently. "Will you tell me your story?"

  Stanley breathed out slowly. Walter would hear whatever he said… but the man's Soul had always been rather steady. The woman in front of him? Her Soul was surprisingly calm despite being under the effects of the Soul leak. On that note he started putting the shield back.

  "You don't need to hide it from me." She said. "Walter has assured me that this room is secure. It is up to you of course, as you would be baring your Soul to me." She smiled kindly.

  Stanley looked at her for a long moment. Could he trust her? Did it matter? Were there other Things like that out there… He looked into Caffeine's eyes. "What do you think, Caff?" The pug licked his nose.

  Stanley smiled and looked at the woman in front of him. "As you wish."