When I stepped out of the meeting room and onto the shop floor, I was met with a scene of utter devastation. Countless plates lay overturned, and curry was splattered across every inch of the floor. It was a total loss; there was no way anyone could eat any of this now.
My first thought was how cruel the intruders had been, but then I noticed something: not a single table remained. I had turned them all into golems and instructed them to protect the customers in the event of an emergency. I just hadn't accounted for what would happen to the plates sitting on top of them when they activated. It seemed the golems themselves were responsible for this disaster. I suppose turning things into golems indiscriminately isn't always the best idea.
Only a few people remained inside—mostly women and children. The sound of shouting from outside suggested that the rest of the customers and the staff were out front. Fearing that a full-scale riot had broken out, I rushed out the door.
The first thing I saw were people buried chest-deep in the dirt. They looked like common thugs, likely low-level members of the Bandelt Group. It appeared the golemized ground had swallowed them up to neutralize the threat. However, there were so many of them that only a fraction had been restrained. The rest were currently embroiled in a heated argument with the customers. If anything, the customers looked more aggressive than the thugs, and it was taking everything the Petit Golems and a few curry-stained Wood Golems had to hold them back.
"Tort!"
Lowell noticed me and ran over, Spira following close behind. Along with Halfa, that made four of us.
"What's the situation?" I asked.
"Their demands are the same as always, but there are a lot more of them this time," Lowell replied. "A few people who look like Executive-class members of the Order are here as well. Curiously, they haven't made any major moves yet."
Their argument was the usual: they didn't recognize the curry shop's right to operate and threatened to demolish it if we didn't comply with their orders. Since this was Bandelt Group territory, they felt entitled to decide who did business here. Given that we were an openly hostile presence, their stance was perfectly logical.
That said, we had already sent their underlings packing multiple times. The shop's defenses were ironclad; sheer numbers wouldn't be enough to break us. I would have thought they’d realized that by now.
If they had an ace up their sleeve, it was the Power of Silver wielded by the Evil Cult Executives, but they were just standing there for now. I wondered what they were actually waiting for.
"For now, let's capture those executives," I said.
Whatever their plan was, our goal remained the same: extract information about the Order, determine the extent of the Abominations' encroachment, and whittle down their silver-based forces. We couldn't afford to let their core leaders and primary information sources slip away.
"The problem is the residents," Lowell noted. "If we start a fight here, they'll get caught in the crossfire."
He was right. Our customers were great, but they were also incredibly hot-headed. I wasn't sure they would evacuate quietly even if we asked.
"It seems you've got quite the situation on your hands," a voice said.
"Everyone is furious that their curry was ruined!" another added.
Before I knew it, Garna and Shiroru were standing at my feet. They must have been watching the chaos unfold from the sidelines.
"Wait, the customers are fighting back because of the curry?" I asked.
"Of course they are!" Shiroru chirped. "That Dwarf Master was screaming about it. I think he's mostly just hungry."
The information was a bit deflating, but it gave me an idea. I quickly fashioned a Loudspeaker Golem and raised my voice so it projected over the crowd.
"We deeply apologize for the inconvenience! As a token of our regret, we will be serving a Special Menu inside. Please return to the shop and wait a moment!"
The effect was instantaneous.
"What? A Special Menu?!"
"Move aside! I'm going back in!"
"Me too! I'll leave these punks to the rest of you!"
"Like hell you will! You're just trying to get it all for yourself!"
The customers practically trampled each other to get back inside. While this successfully removed the civilians from the line of fire, it created a new problem: I had promised a "Special Menu" on the spur of the moment and had absolutely no idea what to serve.
"Hey, you brats!"
Seeing the customers disappear, the remaining Bandelt thugs moved to surround us. However, a voice cut through the air, stopping them in their tracks.
"Wait. Leave this to us."
The man who stepped forward had a face covered in jagged scars—Silver Wounds that pulsed with a dull, metallic light.
"Don't get cocky!" a massive man who appeared to be the leader of the thugs barked. "We've got a deal with you people, but these runts are our prey. You think I can just tuck my tail after they made us look like fools?!"
The thug leader was a giant of a man, likely a high-ranking executive within the Bandelt Group. Despite the massive difference in their physical builds, the scarred man looked at him with eyes full of utter contempt and shook his head.
"You are a very noisy man. Can you not see that someone of your meager caliber is useless here?"
"What did you say?!"
The giant lunged forward, provoked by the insult. The scarred man didn't even flinch.
"I’ve grown tired of this farce," the scarred man sighed. "The influence of both the Order and your group has already plummeted; you’re no longer useful as a cover. I suppose it’s time to end the act. Let’s go out with a bang, shall we?"
"What the hell are you talking about—"
The giant’s question was cut short as the scarred man held out his palm. A massive Silver Wound marked the center of his hand. It began to throb ominously.
"Agh... Gaah?!"
Suddenly, the giant was hoisted into the air. He was being held by a massive, grotesque silver arm that had erupted from the scarred man's own limb.
"St... stop..."
A strangled groan escaped the giant's throat, followed by the sickening sound of grinding bone. Then, the inevitable happened.
With a wet, heavy sound, the giant burst.
Crimson spray coated the ground. The sudden, violent end left the remaining thugs paralyzed with shock, their minds unable to process the carnage.
In the sudden silence, the scarred man spoke, his voice sounding strangely lighthearted.
"Oops. I’ve gone and wasted resources. I really should have turned him into a vessel."
He spoke of his own allies as nothing more than raw materials. Looking at him, it was clear that this man had long ago discarded his humanity.