Book Three – Chapter Six – Part Five – The Bank Robbery & A Chance Encounter

I’ve never controlled 2,400 items at once. I’m sorry it took a while. Itarr said.

“Don’t be. I know I’m asking a lot out of you, but if they’re ready, drop them,”

Thanks to Servi and Itarr stacking the archery skill Four Shot 600 times, they had a massive force of 2,400 nadrium arrows suspended via a stack of Telekinesis. The circle of utter devastation covered more than the entire battlefield.

With one final command from Itarr, the arrows, accelerated by Telekinesis and assisted by gravity, descended to the earth below. Its victim's believed the horde of projectiles was an illusion, but that could’ve been further from the truth. They were tangible, very sharp, and very deadly. The only thing that stopped a nadrium was nadrium. Earth Walls, Metal Walls, Protection of the highest levels, not counting Servi’s ability to stack Protection, and even the almighty Judas Shield all laughably failed.

Nadrium could pierce through nearly everything, and even a single ingot cost tens of thousands of dupla. Most people wouldn’t waste such valuable ore on arrows that were more than likely going to be lost, and most opted to make a weapon or a piece of defensive gear. The ones that would produce projectiles from priceless nadrium had to be a particular type of crazy.

“CHARG—”

Tammy couldn’t get the words out because a nadrium arrow had tunneled through her throat, down her chest, and out the backside of her waist. A second and third arrow occupied and destroyed her eyes, while a fourth made itself home inside her stomach before impaling the ground.

Maggie and everyone else on the battlefield, including Servi, suffered a similar fate. Countless holes filled everybody, and the area turned into a massive grave for the poor bastards. Those who didn’t believe in Maggie and Tammy’s words tried to escape for safety, but they couldn’t outrun the deadly shadows. Try as they might, the arrows found a squelching home and pleasant warmth after being covered in guts and muscles.

Darn had his mouth opened and eyes to the sky, and four arrows slipped through. As they sped through his body, destroying organs and bone and skin, the pulsing blue projectiles finally stopped when they were fifteen centimeters into the earth.

After a grand total of seven seconds had passed since the arrows descended, a single body stood up from the massive massacre. Servi's lavender wig, fair skin, and brand-new armor set had been dyed crimson by the blood of her foes, and sixteen arrows littered her chest and forehead.

Servi started to pull the arrows out but stopped as they all faded away.

When it comes to skills like Four Shot, the arrows created by Skill Energy fade away after a few seconds. The only one remaining is the one you launched into the air.

True to Itarr’s words, Servi’s arrow-filled sighed cleared, and only a single arrow remained in the eye socket of a boy who couldn’t have been older than sixteen. His head, riddled with holes, gave Servi the chance to look deep within the corpse.

She didn’t take it. Instead, she waded through the large blood pool that only increased in volume, splattering crimson on her pants and the other corpses, and she bent down and ripped her arrow out.

It came with a small present: the remains of the boy’s crushed eye. It had been orange, probably to match the color of his ears and tail, but those had long since dyed red. She pinched it with a gloved hand and removed it from her property. After absorbing the arrow, she wordlessly walked over to the rubble that remained, but it was weakened. Not even the pieces of debris were given sympathy by the arrows.

She tested the integrity by kicking it and sat down once she determined it wouldn’t crumble underneath her weight.

Her blue eye took the sight: hundreds of arrow-riddled corpses sat before in a span of a couple hundred meters. The many buildings that used to litter this area had become no more. Fulgur Spike took care of that.

It was an utter wasteland in front of her. As far as she knew, it’d be years before anything green ever grew from these blood-soaked grounds.

A gust of wind blew by Servi, but it wasn’t a pleasant breeze. It was malevolent in nature, and no doubt it would carry the smell of burnt flesh and death for tens of thousands of meters. Servi wondered if the scent would be something frightening for those who live in Arcton, but maybe not. She’d imagine that in a shit hole like Arcton, death and disease were all too common. The chances were high that people had become used to seeing it on a daily occurrence. More than likely, the putrid odor of dead bodies would be something of a relaxing scent, much akin to lightning a pleasant candle before one would take a hot bath.

For her, the citizens, the town, and even the area around Arcton wasn’t worth saving.

“How many people died?”

Since the battle began, we absorbed 589 souls.

“Fucking hell… Hey, any of you alive?” Servi turned around and looked at her Mafia members. As she imagined, none of them were alive. Arrow holes littered their bodies.

What are you going to tell Carmelo?

“I’ll tell him we used Fulgur Spike, and it killed everyone. I’ll say someone sabotaged the Judas Shield and moved it at the last second, and I was the only one who made it to the new location after I killed the traitor. If he asks why no one else made it, I’ll say that they panicked because death stared them in the face."

Does that mean…

“Yeah. It does...” The very sky crackled and folded away to reveal a very familiar black spike. At the same time, a shield with a spear, flying horse, and a man sitting alone at a table surrounded Servi from all sides after a puff of gold smoke vanished. To speed it along, she used a few Greater Lightning Bolts to charge the weapon of mass destruction, and she laid down and waited for it to go off. The air pressure generated from its arrival had scattered blood and corpses a hundred meters away. From the very far distance, Servi spotted the area where the skill ended.

The missing windows were proof even they were affected by the eruption of air pressure, but the building didn’t seem to suffer any damage. It was surreal. There was a clear divide where the destruction began and where it stopped. Sure, the windows were broken, and some of the bricks had cracked and crumbled, but it was nothing compared to the destruction that was a few short meters away.

But as the Fulgur Spike touched the ground, Servi could only smile. The power available to her now was otherworldly. Her mind could only imagine the sheer destructive power of a thousand Fulgur Spikes going off at once in set locations. If she set them in the right spots, then the air pressure had a chance to form a tornado.

“Hahaha…” she chucked. The thought of such an apocalyptic weapon losing to a tornado and being flung around like a toy was comical, and a gentle smile covered her face as the Fulgur Spike went off.

Monstrous and deadly bolts of lightning raged out, electrifying corpses and exploding them. A gooey red mess of muscle and bone splattered meters into the air. The metal weapons lying about attracted the blue lightning, but they couldn’t handle its impressive strength. The materials used weren’t durable enough, and the steel, iron, and mythril weapons instantly liquified. The wooden staffs a few of the former mercenaries used caught fire, but it wasn’t regular fire. It was a fierce flame infused with the electric powers of the Fulgur Spike. Red fire entangled with blue streaks of lightning spread like wildfire over the corpses.

After raging for a little bit over 30 seconds, the Fulgur Spike exploded, obliterating the crimson-stained dirty ground and the remainder of the dead bodies. In a way, the destruction baptized the bloody dirt. By vaporizing the liquid, the soil was given a head start on becoming capable of supporting life.

A few seconds later, Servi’s Judas Shield crumbled into gold dust as it floated to the Heavens Above. She rolled backwards, getting to her feet, and chuckled.

The blood, the corpses, the few Metal Walls…they were all gone.

It was a total wasteland, with a ground partly scorched black by the fierce lightning, that had a very abrupt end.

The destruction had been somewhat the same as the first Fulgur Spike, and it had spread no further than the first one. The same buildings, though with a thick coat of crimson from the Fulgur Spike’s blast of air when it materialized, stood tall with the same broken windows, but this time, Servi saw a few brave individuals peek around a ruby stained wall. Either they had a death wish, or they weren’t afraid of a third Fulgur Spike appearing? Servi didn’t know. Her blue eye had long since focused on a single thing.

A simple hatch.

Off in the distance, where the black-bricked building once stood, there was a single hatch. It had survived through both Fulgur Spikes, two fierce lightning storms, and a hailstorm of nadrium arrows, which begged the question: what was it made out of if even nadrium couldn’t pierce it?

Instead of the answer being shrouded in a world of mystery, it was outright simple. The hatch itself was made from nadrium reinforced by multiple layers of additional nadrium. It was only painted black hundreds of times to disguise nadrium's unique appearance.

The team Servi was assigned to was given a single task: support the primary team by thinning out the enemies. And that goal was accomplished. However, there was a single thing she had to do.

“Itarr, I have to injure myself to make it believable. Don’t heal me, okay?”

Okay. I won’t.

Taking a dagger from her ring, Servi gave herself a few random cuts going up her arms and hands, a few wide gashes on her cheeks and neck. Next, she retrieved a few scraps of cloth and held them to some of the wounds as she bent down. Filling her hands with the dirt, she splashed it over herself.

“This isn’t going to be enough. I mean, Fulgur Spike went off twice. I’m not going to come out of this with no broken bones…” She stored her dagger and gripped her left index and middle finger with her right hand.

It didn’t require that much effort to snap her fingers back until they touched the back of her hand. Itarr, however, was frightened by how easy Servi made it look. But she wasn’t finished. After forming a fist with her left hand, she shattered her left kneecap and balanced on her remaining uninjured leg.

“Well...” Servi laid down, ignoring the pain, and curled into a tight ball. “We wait until the main team is finished. The hatch should open in an hour. Don’t have much to do since I refuse to fall asleep.”

The nightmare?

“Yeah. Guess I can’t ever sleep again,”

With the deaths of nearly 600 people behind her, she stared, unblinkingly, at the destruction.

Why do you think there haven’t been any guards?

Servi spoke while staring at a floating tablet. “I’m sure the Mafia has got the city guard under their total control. Hell, they probably received orders to stay away from any large field of battle. If I was in charge, that’s just what I’d do.”

Two and a half hours later, after the people closest to the battlefield came to investigate and Servi sent a flying sword through them for trying to rob her, the hatch opened up. She leaned up, propping herself up with her unbroken hand, and took in the sight before her.

A total of 44 people emerged from the trap door, and each one had two large bags wrapped around their waists and backs. They all gasped at the sight of such destruction, and one screamed out for any survivors.

Servi forgot about her kneecap and tried to stand, but she fell back to the ground. Cursing loud enough to get their attention, Servi began to crawl like a worm using her two unbroken limbs. Carmelo, who carried four bags and wore an expensive set of skillfully reinforced wooden armor, had a soft frown. The truth was that he didn’t expect there to be anyone alive after Fulgur Spike. But then again, it wasn’t that odd to have at least a single person survive. Regardless, their task was to thin out and eliminate every enemy in this location. It seemed to him that the total devastation of nearly everything would mean that they succeeded.

“Clarence, heal!” he shouted as he strummed his bow. Green healing light flew over to Servi, and she watched as her self-inflicted wounds healed right up. Then, she broke into a sprint and gradually closed the distance.

Carmelo put an exhausted hand to his forehead. His wooden armor had been replaced by a silken robe. Clarence laid gently in his lap as he sat back in a chair and crossed his legs.

He was surrounded by the other surviving Numbered who took part in the robbery. They were inside the room that had become something of a second or third home to Servi. It was where she was interrogated, where she participated in Mel's trial, and where she was under the questioning of Deset’s second leader for the second time. The imposing ceiling stared down upon the 43 participants of this emergency meeting.

“Again, tell me what happened,” he said, exasperated from the many fights and exhausting day.

After Servi told him the truth for the third time, she switched off and spoke of the lie she had crafted.

“After the Fulgur Spike, nearly everything was leveled to the ground. But as I said before, there was a traitor, and they forcefully dropped the Judas Shield down another level. I was one of the only ones who noticed. But it was me and a few others who made it. When the lightning took out the building, the Judas Shield fell again, and all of us tumbled to the ground. Some were crushed by the falling debris, and others had landed the wrong way, slamming their heads into the earth. I landed alright, but I suffered quite a few injuries. Thank you, 6th, for healing those for me,” Servi said.

Her lies somehow had the power to make Servi believe they were the truth. That was the reason why she was such an effective liar.

“Ignore that and go on.” Carmelo waved his hand as if hurrying Servi up.

“I imagine the mercenaries couldn’t stack enough defenses, or maybe they didn’t have Judas Shield, but the lightning took out most of them. And I’m sure the explosion decimated their bodies to the point where there was nothing to recover.”

“Then explain the two separate rumbles we heard.”

“6th, it could’ve been from the mercenaries’ skills. There was a woman who wielded two staves. Her explosive abilities couldn't be underestimated, and they shook the sky and rattled the air. It seemed she tried to take down the building, and she helped the Fulgur Spike in doing so. I’d imagine the source of the rumbles was her,” Servi said. She wasn’t worried if someone discovered her lie. If anything, she had a way of getting around that with a few more forged letters.

“Regardless of the truth, the evidence we saw when we emerged reinforces your statement. I wish to consult the observers on whether or not you told me the whole truth, but I doubt any would want to be at the sight of a battle that needed to use the power of Fulgur Spike. Such an apocalyptic skill had little ability to differentiate from friend or foe. To be frank, I’m surprised the Wind Zeppelins were totally eradicated in the battle. Here, take this as your reward. And be sure to thank the Gods you believe in that you survived the attack.” Carmelo grabbed a small bag and retrieved 23 dupla. Servi walked up to his chair and took it.

“Thousand?” Servi said as she realized Carmelo didn’t expect there to be any survivors whatsoever.

Wind Zeppelins? That woman in New Arcton mentioned them. Huh, guess I did have to slaughter them.

Itarr picked up on that. He really believed we would all die in that attack. That’s about what I expected from a Mafia Numbered, I guess.

“Yes, there is 23,000 dupla there for you. Consider it your reward. Now, go clean up and prepare yourself. As I promised, I will give you a chance to meet with the 5th. Be sure to wait in your room until the time comes,” barked Carmelo. Servi nodded and thanked him as she walked towards the exit. Her dirtied appearance and previously injured state did much to back up her lies.

A short walk down the hall later, Servi overheard someone yelling for Marcoi.

“That damn cat! Where the fuck is he?!” A Kobold stomped his heavy feet in anger and rushed off down another hall.

I guess the blue Singi we saw die was his sister. Servi felt her ID buzz and held it up. She waited until she rounded the corner and made it past a pair of Elves before she responded.

“It was. Consider it a blessing those bastards died on the same day. Luckily for the bitch, she perished before I could beat the fuck out of her."

A few turns later, she gripped the knob to her room. A certain uneasiness passed through her heart, but it wasn’t anything resembling regret. She thought it may have been because she was about to meet one of the top officers of the Mafia, or maybe it was because she had the faintest chance of ending everything without waiting for Saturday.

Regardless of that, she twisted the handle with renewed vigor in her heart and stepped inside.

“Guess Old Man's not here. That means Carrie's not here, either,” Servi quipped as she stripped naked.

I guess not. Itarr replied.

After absorbing the tables and chairs, Servi pulled out a washcloth and soap. “You can absorb the water that splatters everywhere, right?”

I can. Do you want me to do that?

“I do.” A wordless second later, it was as if hot water suddenly sprung into existence in the ceiling and leaked down. It purified the disease-ridden filth corrupting Servi's supple skin and flowed down to the ground, where it amassed into a puddle.

She squirted some lavender-scented soap onto the pearly white cloth and rubbed her body from head to toe.

When she rubbed the cloth on her nipples and around her breasts, she expected them to stiffen up like the countless other showers she’d taken, but they didn’t. When she wiped the cloth around her stomach and down her waist into her thighs, there was absolutely nothing.

The urge to masturbate wasn’t there—more accurately, it was like it had disappeared. The only thoughts flowing through Servi's mind were revenge and murder. There was a whole host of cruel and usual things she’d like to do to everyone in the Mafia. She wanted to force the Monotonia down their throats and laugh while they lost themselves to their own drugs. Maybe she’d rip the head off of every Numbered 5th through 1st and present it to the boss. If he could feel even a single ounce of terror Momo had felt, then Servi would realize that even a monster like the Mafia leader could feel fear.

In that case, she would fill him full of fear that would last for seven lifetimes.

Servi, you’re smiling, Itarr noted.

“How could I not? Something is going right, and we have the chance to end all of this shit tonight. The only problem is to decide if I want to hurry up and eradicate Deset and leave with the 5th, or if I use Kaasuvuoto to put everyone to sleep and follow him at a distance,” Servi said as she massaged her hands through her wig. It had certainly seen its fair share of troubles since becoming attached to her head. Still, it hung in there and was along for the ride ahead. At least until Servi could rip it off and regrow her black hair.

I would say wait. I don’t doubt your skill at getting information, but what if the 5th has something on them.

“What do you mean?” Servi walked underneath the flowing water as it cleaned her hair from all dirt, grime, and soapy suds.

I don’t know if this is correct, but a 5th is a leader in the Mafia. As such, he should be privy to information that no one but those in his Rank and lowered should know. If that’s the case, and I’m remembering Kaasuvuoto as a suicide skill, what if he has something similar?

“Shit, that’s a good point. But I doubt anyone, including the 5th, can use skills via thought.  Only I can do that... And if I rip his teeth and tongue out, he wouldn't be able to swallow shit. I guess there’s a possibility of hiding a small poison-tipped spike in a ring or necklace. If he any accessories, I’m taking them. I won’t allow my one chance to find Momo go to waste...” Servi stepped away from the floating water and waited for Itarr to act once she stopped Create Water.

The water flooding the ground vanished out of thin air, leaving it as dry as it was when Servi entered the room, and the moisture and water stuck to her wig and skin disappeared. She raised a hand and rubbed it against her cheek. The warmness of the shower remained, but it was free of any and all wetness.

“I gotta put more practice in Absorption,” Servi mumbled as a set of armor appeared in front of her. It was the same one Carmelo had given her, but Itarr had absorbed every bit of dust and smell that remained. In a sense, it was as clean as when it was first produced by whatever or whoever made it.