Gula Invidia: Black Market (XIII): Losing Control Of The Situation

  --- Lydia ‘Smith’ ---

  Freeing the Inferni was… (it wasn’t pointless…) but it did drive home what Beez’el and V had been afraid of. The thing she’d been rejecting, refusing to believe them about.

  Even with their cages open, the Inferni still refused to leave. Even going in so far as to flinch away from her anytime she tried to talk them into leaving.

  The fifth time it happened, she found that the room had become too much for her to bear and stepped back out into the station halls. Fighting down tears, wondering (why did I think I could inspire these people?)

  A smile flashed in her mind.

  (Right, because Booker managed to inspire me…) Too bad she wasn’t Booker…

  A hand landed on her shoulder, causing her to jump and face Beez’el who had his hands raised with a grimace. “Sorry mini… Lydia.”

  She crossed her arms over herself, not sure what the Inferni wanted and not sure she wanted to deal with it.

  “We’re uh, V is opening the last of the cages now.” Beez’el told her, a hand on the back of his neck. “Figured we need to figure out what we’re doing next…”

  She ran a hand down her face, trying to muster up the rage she’d been feeling a few moments ago. The rage she thought she could get the Inferni to feel as well before giving up on it. “What’s the point? I mean, you were right, they won’t…”

  The prisoners had long since had the fight beaten out of them.

  “You were right…” She repeated, unable to say much else.

  Beez’el winced. “Maybe but…” Beez’el frowned. “No, you know what I was right!”

  She grimaced, ready for the Inferni to call her out on her naivety.

  “Which is why it’s important we don’t stop until we finish the job.” Beez’el told her instead. “Like I told you before, these guys have had the Wrath beaten out of them, but all we need to do is give them a bit of Envy! Maybe a bit of sloth to patch themselves up, but just because they’ve given up the fight doesn’t mean we need to. Just because they lost their Wrath doesn’t mean you have to lose yours.”

  (I’m not sure if I’ve got much fight after… that…) She admitted to herself, even if she couldn’t admit it to him.

  Perhaps sensing her thoughts, Beez’el grabbed her by the shoulders. “Don’t. We’ve still got a job to finish. Even if they’re broken right now we can still free these guys, all we have to do is kill the assholes in charge. That’s what Smiles is working on, right? You going to quit on my just because the feel-good option didn’t work out for you mini-bitch? Or are you going to put on your big girl panties, grow some ovaries and kick some ass?!”

  She couldn’t help the bitter laugh that got out of her, or the wry grin it left on her face. “You’re an asshole, you know that?”

  “I’ve been called worse.” Beez’el shrugged. “Still what’s it going to be?”

  She took a deep breath, focusing on the rage she’d felt her desire to (burn this whole shithole to the ground) and while there was a fair amount of gloom still clinging to her she still found herself nodding. “I think… I think we’ve still got a job to do.”

  “Damn straight we do.” Beez’el grinned with a mouth full of fangs.

  “And how are we going to do that job without Smiles here to break the contracts?” V asked, apparently having stepped through the door in the middle of Beez’el pep talk. “He even said it himself, they need to be willing to break the contract to do it, and… this was a lot worse than I thought it’d be. I mean there aren’t any guards yet they’re so scared of those collars that they aren’t doing anything…”

  “Yeah…” Beez’el agreed, before wincing and quickly glancing Lydia’s way.

  But she was focused on what V had said. “Do you… do you think if we get the collars off they’d be willing to run?”

  “Maybe? I mean they’re…” V sighed, crossing her arms. “No one in there is in good shape…”

  “Hey, better to rage with Wrath than roll over with Sloth, am I right?” Beez’el declared, getting a smile out of V from whatever that meant.

  “Right, so… Ser’ren was pretty sure the anchor spell was linked to the pit boss’s lounge and going in there would be suicide…” Which is why Booker was doing it instead of them.

  “So what’s our plan B? Get Smiles and try to get him to break the collars?” V asked. “I doubt he’s going to be able to get back here with whatever shitstorm he’s stirring up.”

  Suddenly she recalled the set up for the Smiling Man’s operation. “Actually… There might be another way… Just because the anchor is in the boss’s lounge doesn’t mean the actual control for it is.”

  “And if this asshole is the boss then he’s not going to want to be bothered over every little thing.” Beez’el pointed out. “Meaning they probably put it somewhere else so that the guards can handle it instead.”

  “Like the security room. Which they’ve got to have somewhere since they had all those traps at the entrance.” V nodded, before looking around. “But where are we going to find that? This place is like a fucking maze.”

  She thought about it before shrugging. “If the security room, then… Well… they repurposed the station into a club, maybe they did the same with the security room?” (If it was already inbuilt why change it?)

  “As good an idea as any.” V nodded as they all started to move. “In which case it would be closer to the main station or the topside entrance.”

  “I’m betting topside.” Beez’el told them. “The station has the gate and everything, and they had to cave the top entrance in to keep anyone from coming in that way, right?”

  V pointed at a faded and scratched up sign on the wall. “Meaning we’ve just got to follow the old exit signs.”

  “Then let’s get moving. I doubt Smiles can keep security busy all day.” Beez’el agreed.

  --- Booker H. Freeman ---

  Sinful Boss Tutorial:

  -Certain boss enemies are capable of using Sinful Boosts just like Booker. Now of course the question becomes, what happens whenever two units with a power that guarantees they succeed clash.

  -In these cases there will actually be two clashes, the first decides who the base winner is and how much Sin needs to be spent by both combatants.

  -The second clash is then a re-roll of the first winner’s dice, and should they manage to roll higher and thus beat the first boosted Sin then they win.

  -This continues until a unit either runs out of HP, Sin, or something interrupts.

  This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it

  (Pride: Alright, magic is not my domain. What exactly does this mean for us?)

  (Envy: I don’t have all of the memories for this but… if we want to stay competitive we’re going to burn through a lot more sin here.)

  (Sloth: You said ‘stay competitive’ not ‘win’ there…)

  (Envy: It doesn’t matter if we burn sin to overpower them, if they burn just as much to overpower us. And I can’t adjust the flow after I’ve set it, not unless we want to burn ourselves out.)

  (Sloth: So it’s a war of attrition… slow and painful for all involved…)

  (Wrath: We will endure. For that is all we can do.)

  (Gluttony: That and ripping out his throat…)

  He couldn’t help the mad laughter that bubbled up his throat as he stood up once more, an insane grin pulling at his lips that not even the coldness flowing through him could repress. A roiling power bubbling just beneath the surface, coiled tighter and tighter.

  “I’ll admit this a surprise, but-” He was forced to raise both of his arms to block the impact to his face, one hard enough that he could feel it throughout his body.

  The ground beneath him creaked and cracked as he was pushed backward but he held firm.

  “I’m here to fight and get paid. Talking just drags it out.” The sinner told Booker, its massive weight pressing down on the rabbit as violent violet eyes met icy blue.

  “So be it…” He ground out, before throwing the bear’s arm to the side, gripping his hands together, and smashing it into the bear’s jaw.

  The loud cracking of bones echoed through the arena, as both broke bones, but neither fell.

  Rebounding, the bear slashed out with its claws ready to eviscerate the rabbit and feast on his entrails. But the rabbit had claws of his own, quickly pulling a large nail from his coat and catching the bear’s paw by running it through with the nail.

  “Fucker!” The bear roared, recoiling in pain, before raising both of its massive fists and dropping them with enough force to crater the ground.

  Not willing to gamble such a clash the rabbit hopped backwards, out of the way even as the force dragged at him. Taking the opportunity to quickly throw one of his nails at his opponent, the metal biting into the bear’s flesh.

  Undeterred, the bear used its claws to dig into the concrete and pull its massive weight with far more force than its legs could produce to launch itself in a flying tackle. One that smashed the rabbit between its hulking mass and that of the electrified fence, even if it meant burning itself in the process.

  The rabbit pulled on the coldness within to endure and numb the pain, to keep moving even as the nail he raised burned in his hand, before driving it up into the bear’s throat.

  The bear stumbled backwards, arms swinging through the air as he tried to grab at the nail in his throat, even as he left the rabbit gasping on the ground.

  A state the rabbit refused to let stand as it spat out the blood pooling from where it had bit its cheek, and marched forward with a dark purpose.

  Finally the bear removed the nail from his throat, granting himself enough time to take in one deep breath of air before a small fist hit him with far more force than it should be capable of. Sending his whole body rolling across the ground, stopping only upon crashing into a pile of the rabbit’s past victims.

  A nail spun in the rabbit’s hand as it continued its march with a smile on its face, ready to do away with the one in front of it.

  The rabbit did not expect the body that was flung at him like a bludgeon, forcing him back a step as he lost balance to the surprise attack. A state that was made worse by the second being thrown straight at him before he could regain said balance.

  Something the bear had no problem exploiting as it leapt into the air, both arms raised with a dark magic crackling around them.

  The rabbit could do little more than grit his teeth and brace for impact as he tried to catch the bear’s claws, a desperate attempt to try and keep the grinning bear from overpowering him.

  One that was slowly failing, as he was forced to drop to a knee, the scent of burning fur filling the air as his hands continued to burn under the power coating the bear’s claws.

  (Wrath: Endure. Ignore the pain. Do not let the heat consume you. You cannot afford to lose control.)

  The rabbit took in a strained gasping breath, before breathing out a freezing mist.

  With wide eyes the bear felt his claws being pushed back, the rabbit beginning to stand once more.

  The rabbit no longer felt the burn of the bear’s magic as frost began to form where it held onto the bear’s claws, freezing the magic dead where it tried to reach the rabbit.

  A grimace marred the bear’s face as he felt the cold bite of the rabbit’s own magic, one that was steadily forcing him back.

  Something it couldn’t allow.

  The bear pulled back, arms raised into a hunched boxing stance similar to the one it had taken in its more human form.

  Under normal circumstances this would’ve humored the rabbit, but it couldn’t feel much of anything past the cold right now.

  The bear’s fist shot out with a speed and force the rabbit could not avoid, not enough to break its defense as frost began to creep across the rabbit’s face but enough to chip at it, the rabbit’s head tilting ever so faintly.

  Before the rabbit could try and muster a defense a second fist shot out, then another and another, the bear firing off a flurry of fists as its massive body swayed around the rabbit with a grace its massive size should not be capable of.

  And while the blows did little to actually hurt the rabbit, each blow chipped away at the icy power under its control as the bear continued to dance around it, attacking faster than the rabbit could react.

  With one last swing, the bear stepped forward, driving its entire mass into the straight that sent the rabbit flying into and through the electrified cage that contained them. Shattering it much like the cold of the rabbit.

  (Hate…)

  The crowd scattered from the rabbit, laying there in agony, not all of them so lucky as to avoid being crushed and killed by the initial impact.

  (Hate.)

  Dazed eyes looked up at the bear as it tore its way out of the electrified cage, a grimace on its face. “Boss ain’t going to be happy about this.”

  (Hate!)

  The bear kicked the half-dead rabbit with a frown.

  (Hate! Hate! Hate!)

  “Are you happy-” A fist shot at the bear’s face, sending it flying back.

  (Hate! Hate! Hate! Hate! Hate! Hate! Hate!)

  “The fuck?” The bear gasped, staring at the rabbit, its eyes glowing hellfire red.

  (Hate! Hate! Hate! Hate! Hate! Hate! Hate! Hate! Hate! Hate! Hate! Hate!)

  The rabid red-eyed rabbit rushed forward with a force its size could not be capable of, tackling the bear into the electrified cage before slamming its fists into the bear’s face. (Hate.)

  Its blood was on fire, burning through its veins without the coldness that had kept it sane, filling its mind with one thing and one thing alone. (Hate.)

  Its mind was on fire, burning with but a single thought as it continued to punch the bear over and over again, its fists moving with enough speed and force that they were catching on fire. (Hate!)

  Bit by bit it burned its own flesh away with every uncaring blow as its rabid mind focused on one simple thought. (Hate!)

  A thought that consumed it completely and utterly now that nothing held it back, completely uncaring of everything but…

  (Hate! Hate! Hate! Hate! Hate! Hate! Hate! Hate! Hate! Hate! Hate! Hate! Hate! Hate! Hate! Hate! Hate! Hate! Hate! Hate! Hate! Hate! Hate! Hate! Hate! Hate! Hate! Hate! Hate! Hate! Hate! Hate! Hate! Hate! Hate! Hate! Hate! Hate! Hate! Hate! Hate! Hate! Hate! Hate! Hate! Hate! Hate! Hate! Hate! Hate! Hate! Hate! Hate! Hate! Hate! Hate! Hate! Hate! Hate! Hate! Hate! Hate! Hate! Hate! Hate! Hate! Hate! Hate! Hate!)

  Time was… murky in this state, Booker barely able to tell what was happening until the… hate… began to fade, its burning flames slowly giving way to a cold feeling. (What…?)

  He looked around, his mind foggy as he tried to stand, finding the act far harder than it should be. Everyone was staring at him with looks of horror, for some reason he couldn’t quite fathom.

  Looking down he saw his hands were… not really hands anymore, and his skin once more flesh rather than stitched together fur.

  In front of him he saw that the bear sinner had reverted to a more human appearance, even if the man’s face barely looked human. The fact that the man was still breathing… he wasn’t sure what it meant…

  Just like he didn’t know why the man’s face felt so painfully familiar.

  He stumbled back, his skin feeling hot. Far too hot as he struggled to understand what was happening to him.

  (Wrath: You… We lost control again…)

  That was his last thought, before his mind sank into the comforting cold of the dark, barely even hearing the faint horror filled, “Booker?” that followed him into it.

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  Sinful Boost Revealed:

  -A Calming Cold Wrath: Booker focuses his wrath into a calming calculated cold, greatly raising his defensive abilities. But beware for should this icy wrath shatter, you’ll see the rage that gave birth to its necessity, even as it burns Booker out.

  (Mechanically that means should you lose, Wrath’s final roll will turn into both a Critical Success and a Critical Failure.)

  A/N: No choices this time. (Got the writing bug after DMC but didn’t get as far as I thought I would by 2.5k words and this seemed like a good stopping point for each side.)

  That said to prod reader engagement, the Sins in Booker’s head are the Personas Booker built in life because of each Sin. This is what [Wrath] was built to contain. After all, isn’t it better to be cold inside than to burn everything you touch to ash?

  Any thoughts on what birthed the other Sins?