Looming Malice

CID

I was wandering aimlessly down the hallway after leaving Clara’s room when I sensed a presence—someone’s Ki was closing in from behind.

Smells like a plot event, I thought, waiting for it to unfold. Sure enough, an arm suddenly hooked around my shoulder.

“Yo, newbie! You really played your cards right with the princess, didn't you?”

The guy wore a sleazy grin; he was one of those punks from the Doem Faction. Before I knew it, I was surrounded by his lackeys.

Five of them… no, there was a 6th.

Zack stood at the back of the pack, looking reluctant and offering me a strained, wry smile.

“Listen, I’ve got a little favor to ask. You’re gonna hear me out, right?” the punk whispered into my ear, his breath absolutely reeking.

“W-what is it…?” I stammered, making sure to vibrate my entire body in addition to my voice. I was really channeling that ‘slime being stared down by a dragon’ energy.

“Hey, no need to be so twitchy. If you do this for us, we’re pals.”

“Y-yes, sir…”

“See, this favor is something only you can do now that you’re all buddy-buddy with the princess. We want to have a little chat with Her Highness, see? But her guards are a pain in the ass and won’t let us get close. That’s where you come in. We need you to lure her out for us.”

“M-me…?”

“Yeah, only you. I don’t care how you do it. Hell, I’ll even lend you this.”

He pulled out a small packet of powdered medicine.

“Just slip this into a drink. It’ll send the guards—and the princess—straight to dreamland in no time.”

“B-but, I couldn’t possibly do something like that…”

“You little shit!” he barked, his voice dropping into a menacing snarl. “Are you saying you won’t help out a friend? You aren't looking for a world of hurt, are you?!”

“Hieee!”

I recoiled, doing my best impression of a cowardly mob being intimidated.

“Ah, hey, hang on a second. I don’t think being that rough is a good idea,” Zack called out from the edge of the group, his face looking a bit cramped.

“What’s the matter, Zack? Since when did you become a pacifist?”

“R-recently? Maybe? Look, just try being a bit nicer. No violence, please. At least for right now.”

“Don’t screw with me! We don’t have time to move at a snail’s pace! If we want to lure out the Owl, taking the princess hostage is the fastest way!”

With that, the punk swung a fist right into my face.

The moment it connected, I relaxed my entire body and snapped my head back, perfectly parrying the impact. It’s a technique called Slipping Away.

Most people think getting hit in the head leads to an automatic concussion, but if you actually know how to take a hit, you can endure quite a lot. There are basically two ways to handle it: you either brace yourself and tank the blow, or you relax and let the force slide off you.

I went with the latter.

By whipping my head back to bleed off the momentum, I made it look like I’d been brutally blindsided. Getting sent flying like that is a great way to rack up Mob Points.

“Ugh…”

I feigned being blown away and collapsed onto the floor.

“Hey, remember, I warned you and tried to stop him! We’re cool, right? I'm not involved!” Zack babbled, backing away to distance himself from the situation.

“You’ve got no choice but to bring her to us,” the punk growled, stepping on me and leaning his full weight into it. “I’ll give you three days. Do it, and I’ll buy you a nice dinner. But if you fail…”

He glared down at me.

“I’ll kill you. Don't forget it.”

With that lovely parting threat, the group strolled away.

Hmm, I see. So they’re planning to use Clara as bait to draw out the Owl.

Not a bad plan, actually.

I brushed the dust off my clothes and stood back up. For some reason, Zack came scurrying back.

“I mean, I’m sure you’re fine, but... everything’s okay, right? I was just a bystander! I had nothing to do with that!” Zack said, looking strangely terrified.

“No problem,” I replied coolly. “Everything is proceeding exactly as anticipated.”

“Wha—? No way... You mean you predicted this would happen?! I was shocked enough that you managed to get close to the princess like that, but you were actually looking even further ahead...?!”

“The gears of the story have begun to turn... just as planned...”

I gave Zack a fleeting glance and a meaningful, cryptic smile.

“...! Wh-who the hell are you...?! Are you with the Royalist Faction? You definitely don't seem like one of Doem’s guys...”

“...I am neither.”

“Neither...?”

“I belong to neither the Royalist Faction nor the Doem Faction. My enemy is—”

I cut myself off mid-sentence, using high-speed movement to vanish into thin air, letting my final words linger in the space I’d just occupied.

“—the ‘malice’ lurking behind both factions...”

“Wh-he vanished?! I can only hear his voice?!”

Zack looked around in utter astonishment.

Now then, what should I do next?