S M The boys (and girl) are back in town.

[Sigmund Vrell]

Sigmund was, at first, pleased with how his day was going. He had taken Sutor to be nothing more than Victor and Suwako driving the same body, but he had clearly misunderstood fusion on a fundamental level. A chance to guide the amalgam in a more righteous direction than either of her constituents wasn’t one that the cultist was going to turn down, even if he suspected that her offer to talk faith was simply to sweeten the deal. However, his enthusiasm was quickly quashed when he took a few steps out into their new world.

“Gods…” he gasped, raising the Manic Codex over his head as a makeshift sunshade. The high priest peeked out from under the cover of his impromptu parasol, looking up at the ball of furious light in the sky. “And I thought the Abyss was bad…”

“You alright, high priest?” Agate asked, the crippled scout dangling over Amethyst’s shoulder. The muscular woman let out a little sound of concern as she glanced down at the scion.

“He’s right, you look like you’ve never seen the sun before.”

“Don’t be absurd.” Sigmund replied. “I’ve seen the sun… hrmm... half-a-dozen times?”

“That’s more times than me.” Opal groaned, crouched in the shadow of the ship. They had the hood of their robes pulled over their head, attempting to hide within the deep cowl. “I hate the sun. It’s a big stupid ball of gas and it thinks it’s better than me.”

“Nice city though.” Amethyst noted, letting out a little whistle as she gazed up at the towering walls. “You going to come see it willingly, or do I have to carry you too?”

“Amy, they’re not going to respond to that.” Agate said quietly before craning his neck over at the shaman. “Opal, I didn’t realise you were going to let a little celestial body make you its bitch.”

The masked cultist grumbled quietly before slowly rising to their feet. Taking a deep breath, they rushed across the rather short span between the shelter of the shade and the small shadow cast by Sigmund’s tome.

“Skooch over.” They sighed, one hand taking a hold of their side of the book while the other fumbled in their robes. After a moment, Opal produced a large rock from within their vestments and hurled it furiously into the sky with a triumphant “Eat it, asshole!”

The assorted cultists chuckled at their friend’s antics, but deep down the cold-accustomed group shared the sentiment. Along with the rest of the Inverxian immigrants, the followers of Gal’skap made their way from the ship to the great city before them, gazing up in awe at the sheer size of it.

“I’ve never seen anything like it.” Sigmund muttered, amazed, lowering the Codex as he was swallowed up by the immense shadow cast by city walls.

“It’s pretty big.” Sutor agreed, nodding along and stroking her chin thoughtfully. “I mean, I could go bigger, but…”

Sigmund raised a hand to cut her off, rubbing his eyes. “You’re incorrigible.”

“Oh man, you look just like your dad…” The fusion said, breaking out into a fit of laughter before abruptly stopping, an expression of deep thought washing over their face. “Hmm… Now that I think about it... “

“Is something the matter?” The cultist asked, suddenly concerned.

“It’s nothing.” Sutor said, snapping out of her contemplative expression. “But if you see any giant pig men, please run.”

“Oh, of course, sure thing.” Sigmund said, raising an eyebrow. “Any elaboration on that or…?”

“Maybe when you’re older, kiddo.” The taller woman chuckled, ruffling the scion’s hair.

“I’m twent-“

“Ah-ah-ah.” Sutor cut him off, raising a finger. “You might be an adult but, like Cho, you refuse to become a man.”

“What was that?” The earthbender asked, shooting a look over his shoulder.

“I said ‘YOU REFUSE TO-“

“SOOOO, let’s see this city, huh?” Sigmund cut in, nervously waving his comrades towards the gates.

 

[Victor Wolfe]

Following the high priest into the city Sutor was unsettlingly quiet. The warmth of the sand beneath the soles of their boots, the oppressive gaze of the sun, a lone city as an artificial oasis in the desert, a beacon of order in the chaos. It was all so nostalgic. A warm smile spread across the goddesses face as they wandered through the winding streets of the city passing small peddlers stalls selling jewellery, draperies and from the heavenly aroma in the air, spices and cooked meat of some description, the exotic scent causing the parties mouth to water.

“Ok Sigmund, change of plan, we take the city after we eat. That smell is almost as divine as I, and besides, a good chance to observe the locals.”

Before the high priest could respond, the fusion rushed over to a stall and ordered three trays, each with meat and spices on sticks, passing one each to Flavia and Sigmund respectively as the trio found a seat at an outdoor bench. They drew attention from wandering eyes, their unique styles of dark clothing and almost full-body coverings being of particular interest.

“You know, master, I have a question.” The assassin's apprentice leaned forward between bites of her kebab.

“I feel as if you have more than one, but I am in an open mood, so ask away” Sutor replied with a coy wink. Sigmund rolled his eyes resisting an audible groan.

“Why do you eat? I wouldn’t think a goddess would require sustenance.” Leaning back Sutor spun the skewer around their finger-like they would a dagger as they seemed deep in thought.

“Because it’s fun.” They replied with a shrug as his student stared, a disbelieving, puzzled look on their face.

“Ok, I might be a deity, but I still have a human side, I feel everything. Every nice flavour, the feel of the sun on my skin, the rubbing of skin on skin. I am experiencing all of this stuff for the first time. Sure those two had these experiences but it's different. Now imagine that human need for entertainment and fun but in an immortal body. That’s what I am, I want to experience everything!” Sutor turned to Sigmund with a surprisingly warm smile.

“Although there are certain things that we have experienced that I am certain we would both rather not experience again. Death is interesting isn’t it, my cultist comrade. All that pain and suffering, then it stops, and the coldness of the void hits as the warmth of life leaves you. Assuming you even have the time to feel the pain. Now Sigmund, imagine that, over and over again over years. Never-ending, always coming back, no matter how hard they get put down, no rest and no meeting their maker. And there you might be able to understand all that low key angst that my edgy father tries to hide with humour.” Sutor giggled a little as they finished their meal.

“I don’t know the exact circumstances, but I can’t say I’m not sympathetic to Victor’s plight. It must have been frustrating to be denied his glorious end time and time again. That said, the possibility to pursue your goals without death as an obstacle is priceless. The Vrells fought long and hard for an imperfect version of what you are describing.” Sigmund responded, choosing his words carefully.

“It is never really about a glorious end with Victor, no matter how glorious the death he will always view it as a failure. It's a setback, the thought that he could spend tens of thousands of years watching countless comrades move on and fade and still never achieve his goals is an endless source of existential dread. He fears a reality where he has literally seen it all before and nothing brings a thrill anymore. Hehehe, such human worries. He finds out he can’t die and all he worries about is possible boredom.” Sutor sighed as they stood up and dusted themselves off before heading deeper into the city.

The empress led the way cutting through the crowds with the grace of a dancer, a light pat or push to allow their more frail allies to follow. Turning to Sigmund with a smirk “see, no need to take the quieter side paths, this is a piece of… Fuck!” Sutor found themselves on the floor staring at the sun in the sky, they had not noticed the light but quick pounding of feet, nor the crowd starting to open up ahead of them when a tall but lithe stranger ran into the fusion, knocking them off balance.

“Ow! Watch where you are going! Kid?” Favia rushed over to help, Sigmund also grabbing an arm, although much less urgent and clearly trying to conceal a smile as the pair helped the fusion to their feet.

The stranger was wearing white robes with blue trim, a strange metallic bracer on each arm, although on the ground they appeared tall, over six foot to be exact. There was something oddly familiar about the person in front of them. Unlike the many villagers around them, this person felt different, not a part of the collective hive mind but an individual. Sutor leaned forward trying to get a better look at the face under the white hood, the stranger recoiling and looking down.

“Oh come on, good sir! You barged into me, I would merely like to know your face, after all, I might have gotten hurt and who will I go to to pay the medical bills?”

“Something tells me you will heal up just fine.” The stranger replied in an unusually familiar voice, almost like someone they knew that had picked up a strange foreign accent after a few years.

“Hmm, just who are you? You sound almost like you are familiar with little old me, and in my opinion that makes it all the ruder that you won’t show your face!” Sutor started to get annoyed as they started to walk towards the still down stranger, a drip of sweat from inside their hood dropping onto the stone path.

“I do know that you have really beautiful eyes miss.” Sutor recoiled a little, their face turning slightly red as the back of their hand came up to their face

“Ohohoho! Of course I do, boy, but thank you for noticing, why they are quite… and he is gone” In the brief moment of distraction the stranger had rolled into a sprinter start and launched himself into the crowd, darting out of sight.

Sigmund smacked a closed fist against an open palm his small smile from before turning into a look of horror. Then deep thought, and then a mix of concern and joy, a full gambit of emotions. He had figured out where he had heard the voice before. Not wanting to give away the surprise to the assassins, however, he decided to keep his mouth shut.

The trio made their way to the palace, the large stone structure casting an imposing shadow over the trio as they took the view in, the stairway to the palace surprisingly quiet. “Hm, maybe the leadership here isn’t as bad as the last ones, I don’t even think I would need to remodel this much! It’s like a proper Neo-Babylonian palace! No elven architecture to be seen! This is what you call moving up in the world my comrades!” Sutor squealed with glee as they reached the summit of the hill.

The palace gate was closed, two burly bearded guardsmen standing in front of each of the large doors adding to the intimidating aura the palace gave off. Sutor stalked forward a warm smile on their face.

“Gentleman, would you be so kind as to open the gate? We have an urgent meeting with your Ruler? Very important and I am sure they would not be happy if we were late.” The guard looked down his nose at the fusion, letting out a snort as he ignored the party for a solid minute, looking over to his fellow guard with a chuckle.

“So you have a meeting with the king? Funny that, because he isn’t here right now. Guess it could not have been that important, come back tomorrow and join the end of the line. You might get an appointment!” The guards chuckled.

With a stomp of their foot, Sutor’s warm smile turned into a threatening scowl. “Ok listen here Mr Guardsmen, I have two kinds of gold to offer, one of them is much less fun than the other, so for the better one, how much to get us into that throne room?”

The guard stared Sutor down with a deadpan expression. “There isn’t an amount you could offer that would betray our loyalty.”

Almost spitting the words he added, “so better get to that less fun option eh?” He readied his spear as Sutors hand drifted to the left side, grasping for a blade, only to find nothing. The other guard seemed to perk up and rushed over to his comrade as Sutor backed away, a look of dread across their face.

“He stole them, my babies!” walking back over to Sigmund and Flavia she put a hand over each of their shoulders and forcefully turned them towards the city.

“Sigmund, I need advice, theoretically, how much of this city could I get away with levelling with Ki blasts to find my daggers again? Just a hypothetical, because…” The ground started to tremble beneath their feet as pebbles started to rise.

“I need those back, what if someone is using the wrong techniques, what if someone is using them to cut beef or turkey rather than people?! The horror!” Sigmund stared at the fusion.

“Summon them back”

The trembling stopped.

“Oh… But I really want to kill the brat that stole them” Sutor whined

“You can do that without levelling a city, and you can do it much easier once we control the city.” Sigmund, cool, calm and collected as always, turned to the guards who were now rushing towards the pair.

“We are so sorry, we didn’t recognise the badges! You can wait inside, the King should be back shortly.”

Going quiet the god-empress looked at their lion pin badge, the ruby eyes shining in the sun. It couldn’t be, could it? Shaking away the hope, they lead the trio inside as they awaited the King of this land.

 

[Victor Wolfe]

Sutor stared at the ceiling as they kicked their legs back and forth. Having already examined every nook and cranny of the waiting room, they had finally gotten bored and decided to lay down on the couch.

Their last interactions with the guards had left them with many questions. They held up their badge to the roof examining it, the gold lion’s head with a glittering ruby for an eye the only lasting proof of Victor’s former station. It couldn’t be, right? Surely it was all just another coincidence that of all the cities on all the planets in all the galaxies, that they would stumble upon his?

Shaking the hope from their mind, the fusion stretched as they rose to their feet. “Sigmund, take the day off, I feel that this particular mission can only be started after more time has passed. Just, try not to get arrested, or kidnapped, or dead. I will post on the Chaos server if I need you!”

Sigmund gave a nod as the fusion walked out the palace doors with a yawn. The guards from before were involved in yet another commotion, in a heated argument with the source of the shade that the God-empress was currently enjoying. A mountain of a man standing over seven feet tall, and easily as wide as the two guards staring him down.

Pausing for a moment, the fusion decided to watch what was about to play out, a small smile as they prepared for the guards to get what they deserved for their disrespect.

“But please sirs, I must see the King! I have an amazing opportunity to make everyone’s lives better, it is imperative that these plans are seen by someone who can approve them.” For someone so large the man spoke eloquently— there was a shakiness to his plea, his voice deep but gentle.

“Sorry pal, but the King isn’t here today, and the waiting room is full. You’re just going to have to come back another day!” The guards gave the same old routine, clearly not interested in hearing the man’s sob story.

The behemoth of a man’s shoulders slumped as he turned away, the ground seeming to vibrate with his steps as a low dejected sigh filled the air. “Thank you for listening to me anyways, good sirs. I will be back tomorrow…”

Looking downcast as he headed down the steps of the palace, he reached about halfway down before taking a seat, his hands cupping his chin as he stared down at the city he called home. Intrigued by what this giant could have come up with that would be such a great help to their future subjects, a bemused goddess sauntered over.

Clearing their throat with a gentle cough they announced their presence… yet the giant only slightly turned his head to acknowledge them, slumping even further where he was seated.

“Come to laugh at my melancholy?” he asked. “Seems to be the way of things around here nowadays.”

“Well, laugh at your misery… or change your life. I have not really decided yet, good sir. I guess it all depends on just what you have in those sheets of paper? If it’s as brilliant as you seemed to have suggested, then I would be interested in making it a reality. If it's a dime a dozen public works project… well, then I might chuckle.” The god empress nimbly reached for and snatched away the blue sheet before the giant could react.
Unrolling the sheet, it took them several moments to realise what they were looking at.

“Hm,” they said, turning it over in their hands with a speculative frown. “Give me a few minutes.”

“Please return it, miss—” the giant reached, trying to grab his plans back, the goddess ducking under his swing whilst not taking her eyes off the plans.

“Ah, so… if this is what I think it is... right! Never going to work, would take too much manpower to manage it. A nice idea, but impractical!” Sutor shrugged their shoulders as they handed the plans back to the giant, who stared at this mysterious stranger, wondering why they chose black of all colours to wear in this heat.

Clearing his throat, the large man gained a slightly conspirational air. “What if I told you... that we would need a team of fewer than ten people to manage it?”

Raising an eyebrow, Sutor turned back towards their new acquaintance.

“Well, I would say it would take a miracle, but I would be very impressed and interested if you could prove me wrong.” Sutor took the giant by the hands, his making hers look like a child’s hands in comparison. “So please, prove me wrong!”

The man nodded, a hopeful spark in his gaze. “My brother and I spent the last twenty years working on making this dream a reality. Before he passed, we designed an AI that could manage the entire project.”

Sutors eyes seemed to glow brighter than before.

“So let me get this straight, this is an underground transport system where you call for a transport, select your location, and an AI will move the transport to the location whilst taking into account everyone else that is doing the same thing to avoid crashes? Whilst certainly an amazing project, I am not sure I understand the big emergency that demands this be built now?”

The man shook his head, gazing down sadly. “Rogue fires. We are not sure if it is an arsonist, some natural cause due to the heat, or if you listen to the simpler folk, something more supernatural. All I know is that something has been causing buildings to burst into uncontrolled blazes,” the giant pointed to what remained of a rather impressive building on the edge of the town, a husk of charred stone and wood all that was left.

“Sounds like that money could be better invested in hiring more firefighters,” Sutor remarked as they scanned the horizon, the shells of burned buildings now apparent, and bringing back some rather uncomfortable second-hand memories for the God-Empress.

“Twenty minutes,” the giant huffed through his nose as he stared at the building he had pointed out. “It took the current fire force twenty minutes to get there, and then another half an hour for them to get my brother to the hospital. With such a gargantuan increase to the speed of the infrastructure he might have actually had a chance. That is why I must see this project completed. Surely you can understand that?” His voice started to crack, a desperate plea to anyone who would listen.

“Losing people? Why, you could call me a subject matter expert. Comrades, leaders, a daughter or two, parents, why you could even argue my existence causes us to lose some people, although I feel if you asked some people, they may not view that as such an awful thing… Some might even go so far as to suggest that one of those people isn't a very nice person, shocking really…” The giant stared at the goddess, a puzzled look on his face causing Sutor to snap out of their own little world.

“Well, you don’t need to worry about losing anymore people because I am going to fund this entire project!”

“Excuse me!?”

“I said I will fund it all, not sure what is so confusing about the statement, I like the idea and want to be your partner!” Sutor grinned, waving their hand a little.

But the giant only stood there, flabbergasted. “Who exactly are you, miss? I thought I had asked everyone in town who could afford to make this kind of investment, and now some stranger is saying that they will pay for the entire project? Heatstroke must have gotten to me fast today.” The giant shook his head.

“I am Sutor, just a rich businesswoman from out of town, I was something of a big shot on another planet and after making a killing there am interested in new investment opportunities, but since you seem to be rightfully cautious how about I make a down payment on that idea?”

Intrigued, the giant nodded as Sutor pulled out their smartphone, calling the ship.

“Hello?” A female voice answered.

“Just the voice I wanted to hear, I need you to bring the chest to the palace steps.”

“Ma’am, I will go to human resources if you refer to me as ‘the chest’ again.”

Slapping their hand against their palm, the goddess took a matter of fact tone.

“One little miss confident, I am human resources, and two, I mean the treasure chest underneath my chair. Now, chop-chop!” Sutor gave a mocking clap as they hung up.

After a few minutes, one of her goons arrived carrying a large chest, opening it to reveal the shine of gold and jewels. The giant’s eyes fixated on the shine.

“So, since you only came up with the idea and I am the one answering your prayers, I was thinking I would take eighty and you keep twenty per cent to do with as you wish. At least until I get my investment back. Then you can get another ten per cent.”

Glaring at the goddess the giant broke into hearty laughter. “Oh, what a jolly joke miss, I was actually thinking the same but the opposite. I take eighty per cent, because as you said, the idea is brilliant, and it’s sure to make you that investment back quickly.”

The pair went back and forth for what seemed like hours, the sun moving along the horizon as the tension-filled the air, Sutor feeling like a mongoose staring down a cobra.

“Listen miss, final offer,” said the giant, clearly tiring of their bartering. “I take fifty-one percent and you get forty-nine percent, you still make a fortune but I get the final say on my own idea. Otherwise, I go to the King tomorrow and you might get nothing! Deal?”

Sutor stewed. It had been a while since someone had the gall to stand their ground against them, but they knew that they were beaten. If they killed him and stole the idea, everyone knew where the idea would have originated from, and if they turned down the offer, then they would get nothing.

Finally, the goddess chuckled as she shook the giant’s meaty hand. “Well played, sir! I am intrigued at just what this deal can lead to!”

 

[Fenix]

Sutor was between herself in amusement and irritation. The Verbal duel ended in a stalemate and the deal didn’t go exactly how she wanted. Not exactly a terrible deal for her, but between this and the recent flub at DA, the Half-god wasn’t interested in another loss, no matter how minor.

Still, she had to admit her new business associate was smart. He was tough enough to handle her, which meant there wasn’t going to be any random gang just muscling in by pressure. He wasn’t stupid, either, which added up to a money making monkey that would not be easily swindled or intimidated. He’d be a very valuable pawn if Sutor could finish dusting and sweep this diamond out of the rough.

The half-god gave a snort to the thought, a wry grin coming to her as she enjoyed the general chaos of Uruk’s streets. She supposed the giant was less of a mere diamond - diamonds didn’t produce anything, they just sat in place looking pretty. He was more of a golden goose, honestly. And he was to deliver her oh-so-many delicious eggs.

Sutor shook her head with a smirk, a hand running through her hair as she pulled her hand back. “So, when shall we next meet, my good business partner?”

The big man was clearly processing things in his head - it was one thing to have an idea and a plan, but when it came to a sudden windfall plans often could find themselves moving far faster than they first promised. At that point, it was simply a matter of figuring out how to use it efficiently - an abundance could throw just as much of a wrench in plans as any famine, though one far more well-received. To the inventors credit, he gave a nod after only a moment.

“Three days. I’ll have something concrete in three days.”

“Perfect. I hope you won’t mind if I get your number? Make sure I can call you in the meantime.”

“As long as I get yours. I’ll make sure to keep you apprised of further business arrangements.”

The two both tried on their best facsimile of a genuine smile - Sutor was certain she was at least superior in this particular exchange - before exchanging numbers. “I’ll let you know the place to meet next time.” She offered with a smile.

“Really?” The giant folded his arms.

“Really. You got to pick the place the first time, I got to pick the place the second.” Sutor replied with a flip of her hair.

“This is going to move like Molasses if you get competitive over something like the meeting-place-”

Sutor put up a hand, stopping the Desert Scientists rant in its tracks with a neutral expression/ “You’re right, so how about this? I’ll pick a place with some drinks, good food, and a responsible audience that won’t approve of any underhandedness from me.”

The Giant stopped, the sudden concession leaving him a bit off-pace.

Sutor took the opportunity to lean back against the nearby wall, an easy smile flitting across her expression. “We’re about to become partners. In my book, that’s almost a friend. If you’re so keen to have majority power on this idea, I have to expect competence, and mutual trust is a necessary part of that. So we’ll turn down the aggressiveness little by little, until the stress goes out of this little business venture. I have bigger games to attend to, after all.” Sutor would offer with a little shrug. “I can’t be focusing all my time or energy on keeping you in line, so I’ll have to settle for the fact that you require my money and work to keep your train running on time as being enough to keep you responsible.” Sutor would offer. “Now if you’ll excuse me, I’ve work to do on this project as well.”

“Work?”

“Yes, as a matter of fact!” Sutor offered with a grin. “You’ve got the practical end of it, so just let me handle the politics. Though I do need something from ya first.”

“And that’d be?”

“Your name. I’m running out of ways to label you as something other than ‘big dude’ in my head, and as this story keeps going the descriptors are just gonna get more confusing.”

“You ain’t all right in the head, you know that?”

Sutor would just stick out an elongated tongue in response. “Oh, I assure you, I’m quite aware. The world requires a bit of a different perspective, you know?”

The man sighed, popping his cleft jaw as he worked his way through his own frustration. “Garret. Garret of Vro.”

“Vro, huh?”

“Long story - we’ll have to talk about it some other time.” Garrett stretched his neck. Sutor was surprised as she noticed him stifle a yawn. The man was clearly waiting quite a while to talk to the king. She’d love to ask more, but paranoia was all the easier to breed in a sleep-deprived mind, especially for one such as her, so she chose to wait.

“Sutor. Sutor Woriya.”

“Ain’t a normal name.”

“I have 2 voices and a frog-tongue, but it’s the name that tips you off? I’m not sure what that says about your EQ, Mr. Vro.”

“Call me Garret. If I wanted to feel eighty I’d get supper at the Seniors center.”

Sutor cocked her head, thinking about the prospect. Disturbingly enough, that actually sounded like some good food. Leave it to the ten-thousand year old woman to leave her habits like that.

The fusion stretched one arm, as she gave Garret a dismissive nod. “Well then, let’s reconvene another time. I’ve business to attend to, and the nights still young. Don’t get in any trouble before I see you again, Garret.”

“Got it. Just don’t make any for me, Sutor.”

“Me? Wouldn’t dream of it!”

 

[Victor Wolfe]

Scribbling filled the air as the goddess put the finishing touches on some rather hefty legal documents. The quil returned to its well as she stretched. Wanting to move quickly they wasted no time in cancelling the plans of their minions around the city. Conquest could happen at any time however business waited for no one!

Within a few hours they had found a rather unassuming three floor office building, modern and equipped with everything that they would need but due to not being in what the previous owner referred to as “the nicest area” and Sutor being a generous god that paid in solid gold, they managed to reach an agreement that suited both their needs. Mostly the Woriyia Construction Company Ltds required a base of operations for the admin work. And the previous owners need to flee his building mob debts.

A few more hours later and the office was in a suitable state for guests, a large dark wooden ornate desk dominating the office, a water cooler to the side, and on a wall behind the empress a terrarium for her new frogs, Baxter and Mogu

Sutor ran their hand along the fine mahogany wood that made up their desk, it had taken four people to lift up to the third floor, but the fine carving of wolves on the side and ivory snakes wrapped around the corner pillars felt too thematic not to have. Eventually reaching a metallic panel at the side of their leg, the only obviously modern addition to the ornate design. Pressing one of the many buttons one of the drawers popped open to reveal a headset.

Placing the headset over their ears, adjusting the microphone in front of their mouth they held down the button adjacent to the previous one. “Flavia, do be a doll for me, I am going to send a copy of the business licence application to your desk, would you be so kind as to take them to the city hall. Also schedule it somewhere in next month's plan for me to have a very long conversation with whoever designed that application. It should not take a being with super speed and reflexes two hours to fill in an application to do business!” A light snigger could be heard through the headset as the young blonde apprentice/ trainee secretary couldn't help but enjoy the idea of an ultra powerful being almost being defeated by some ink on a page.

“Sure Vi… Sutor, I can do that, before I go there are two guys here who say that they need to see you. Something about not paying income tax?” A cold sweat ran down Sutors spine, the IRS were a fearsome opponent and not one that they were ready to face, their mind went into overdrive in an attempt to figure out a method of claiming their office as a place of worship.


“Not sure when the government started hiring basic street thugs in tacky hawaiian shirts though.” Before the last word had properly left the fiery assassin's lips she let out a surprised gasp.

“Get your filthy hand off my shirt!”

“Or what bitch? Going to break it?”

Sutor let out a sigh of relief, clearly not the IRS but instead the guests that they had been expecting Sutor leaned back in their chair awaiting the question that they knew would be coming, whilst they waited they opened another of the desks drawers, placing the application inside. With the press of a button and a quick flash of green light they knew that Flavia would soon be receiving a copy.


“Not a bad idea! Can I Sutor? Please! I will make it quick!”

“As much as I love the enthusiasm I am going to say no on this one, tell the fine gentleman to come to my office, and go deliver those papers please. I can handle this”


“Are they really worth your time? I think this could qualify as good work experience for me, really pad the CV you know? ” Flavia pleaded

“Whilst I am sure it would, wouldn’t you much rather deliver those papers and get to hear how Victor really managed to kill elf lord Neto of the borderlands?” There was an eerie silence down the line.


“Sorry for the offense, none meant good sirs! Our chairwomen will see you now, have a great day” The goddess let out a chuckle as she could picture Flavia sprinting out of the door to fulfil the mission she had just been given.


Sutor cracked their knuckles placing their boots upon the surface of the desk as she awaited her guests. The first of the two to enter, almost kicking a hole in the door in the process was a tall bald man, six foot two with dark shades and a hawaii patterned shirt over a much thinner white undershirt. He carried a metal baseball bat in his hand, and was clearly carrying what looked like a 9mm pistol at his side. The other of the two men was more refined, younger and with an air of naivety to him. A light white suit and dark hair with a very light beard, well trimmed. The larger of the two men approached with the attitude of a rabid wolf.

“So you are the bitch that has moved into this fucking building. That's just perfect! The last owner of this place owed our boss a lot of money, and I hear that you told our boys that you refuse to pay. So let me just tell you how it is here lady! These are dangerous streets, and accidents tend to happen to people who don't have the right insurance. So you better pay up Miss”

Sutor smiled, the thug backed off a little, unsettled as never in his years in the collections business had he simply been stared down with such a cold smile.

"I'm sure this works on an actual, normal businesswoman out of her depth, and congratulations! You've certainly honed your technique." Sutor would reply, clapping her hands jovially. "but learn your place. I've business with your superior. Close your mouth before I'm tempted to sew it shut. The adults need to have a chat." Sutor turned her attention to the second of the two, the first still utterly stunned at the cold indifference the goddess had aimed at him.

“You, I will give you the choice.” Sutor lifted up a briefcase, flipping two latches they opened it and turned it towards the pair, a large pile of bills stacked neatly.

“This is all the money the previous owner owed, plus enough to cover your “protection fee” on this building for the next five years. You can take it and I’d better never hear from anyone relating to your little enterprise in those five years. And so much as a single penny's worth of my property gets damaged in that time I will come back for it.” Sutor let go of the briefcase.

“Or, we can discuss making some real money, for all of us. You dont fuck with me, and I will make you all more wealthy than any crime family has ever been in this city.” Sutors eyes glowed red as her attention was once again drawn by the ruder of the two.

“Can you believe this cu..”

“I’m listening. What could you do for us that would make us even more rich than ever before? I hear that it's something transport related that you are working on?” The younger of the two men butted in.

“Tell me gentlemen, are you familiar with devil's dust?”

“Vaguely, From what we know it's peddled by snake oil experts , drug dealers and charlitins to the poor as a miracle cure. Not a lot of it around so never had a major interest for us. Why?”


Sutor chuckled, enjoying a talk with someone that seemed to have their wits about them.

“You see Devil's dust exists in one of my parents' worlds too, I wouldn't say it's peddled as a miracle cure though. It is a miracle cure. It comes from the crushed up leaves of a herb, the sap dying them a dark red. In small doses when crushed, boiled and drunk it can act like my race's own genetic traits. Speeds up healing, improves brain function and works as a muscle stimulant.”

The smarter of the two mafioso seemed puzzled “Pharmaceuticals isn't really an industry we are looking to invest in. We thank you for the offer though.”

He reached for the case as Sutor fake coughed.

“You should really listen to what I have to say, I just told you what happens when you mix the sap with water and dilute it. You can also do the opposite and turn it into a concentrated powder. The effects are very interesting, the same increased healing rate, but also not only does it promote neural pathways, it increases reflexes, sensations, gives a feeling of euphoria and because you are reacting so fast it makes that euphoria feel like it lasts for hours. Simple things like sound, touch and colours become so much more intense and vibrant.” Sutor pressed a button on their desk and a power point started playing on the wall behind them, a laser pointer in their hand pointing to hand drawn images and written statistics and graphs.

“As you can see from this graph this city has a sizable young middle to upper class element to its population, those people are almost always bored of their safe luxury and want to rebel and try something new and wild. So I build all the infrastructure that will allow your people to move the goods around the city, from the farms, to the manufacturers, to the bars and clubs. All without other gangs being able to ambush you mid journey or the police having permission, or the ability to actually search your transports, pretty good deal right?”

“It does, but will just those rich kids alone be able to make as much as you claim?”

Shaking their head in mock sadness before once again returning to malicious Glee Sutor responded.

“No, they will not. However once the kids are on it, it will become the popular thing, then we get the tired and bored adults, housewives that married for the money looking for something to spice up their next visit with the gardener? Old business men trying to show that they still have it. The poor and lower middle classes wanting to project the image that they are better off than they are? By making it the drug of the Rich, the young and the beautiful, we make it the drug for everyone, and depending on who we sell it to we set the price as we control the production , and the distribution!.”


“You should really check this with your father Gio, the don wouldn’t like you making deals on your own.”

Giovonni seemed troubled, he knew that his companion was right. His fathers explosive rage was legendary but he had a feeling that there was some sort of test involved in this.

“Oh that's fine, I didn’t realise I was talking to the child of someone important, guess I will go and present my idea to one of the other families. You can take the briefcase and our business will be done.” Sutor stood up and stretched as they started to walk around their desk towards the door of their office.

“Wait! No! I can… I can make the deal, I can run my own little operation and once father sees the profits, well he can't complain right? What are the terms?”

The goddesses' eyes shined as they put on their best saleswoman's voice.
“I want thirty percent of all the profits made. That gives your family a bigger cut to cover production and distribution related costs, but also is big enough that it makes all the other risks I am taking worth it, as well as giving you the lead, call it a finders percentage.”

“Can we do…”

"No, I don't think we can. seventy percent is far more money than you'll know what to do with anyways... Some of my legitimate establishments can do some laundering for you when they are set up. Like I said though, someone will take this deal if you don't. Can you really take that chance?”

With a nod of his head Giovanni relented.

“Good, good. Also one last thing. I by having this conversation have put myself into a lot of legal danger, so I need the same level of commitment from you. Assurance that you won't just use the idea and get me thrown in jail for suggesting it without also having ammo against you. “

Pondering for a moment Gio questioned the goddess “So you mean like? Reveal our families other revenue streams? Because I guess I can…”

“No, no, no I could find that out pretty easily myself. No. What I want you to do, Mr Giovanni, is to take that lovely gun from your comrades waist, plant one of its bullets into his skull, and then place it in an evidence bag I will keep in a drawer, for the fingerprints of course!”

The gangsters were stunned. The obnoxious one of the pair started to raise his voice, likely in a show of mock bravado, before a sound could exit his throat he felt a chill, it crept up from the floor, through his knees as they gently began to shake. His heart started pounding in its chest as his entire body started to drip a cold sweat. His limbs felt frozen in place and shouting nor begging were options anymore as he only had the energy to focus on keeping air entering his lungs.

“Why? Why does it have to be that?”

“Because, Kiddo! I need someone with balls, someone who can do what needs to be done. And this oaf almost cost you and your family the opportunity of a lifetime. Imagine if I had gone to someone else. One of your rivals, imagine what they could do with that, your entire family left broke or dead because they got out competed.”

Giovanni reached for the gun , his hands shaking as he removed it from the holster. He looked his friend in the eyes, the fear etched permanently into the windows of his souls as he took a deep breath, closed his eyes, and pulled the trigger


The office was filled with the deafening blast of the pistol, followed by an eerie silence, broken only by the low but steady cackle of a cruel goddess.