We sort of gathered at this small patch of grass, sitting cross-legged in a circle. Not quite the image most people have of what a group of criminals would do, but we weren't really your average evil-doers either. The weather was pretty good, being early summer, and the Sun was shining, making the weather even better. Well, for most. I wasn't really a summer person, neither was I a fan of warmth. I liked my autumns, and winters much more, and I really did prefer no sunlight as well.
I sound like a shut-in.
"So? What is your plan, Mister Villain?" Meda asked with a mild smirk.
"For now, it's a simple one. Anything that comes after, we'll decide then," I started, and just to catch everyone up, if they didn't know, or wasn't sure, I told them about the reason I had to go to jail.
"So, the reason you went to jail, is because you killed a bully, by accident?" asked Meda, her eyes opened wide.
"Didn't I tell you?" I answered with a wink, "Anyways, I already dealt with Kevin. The thing is, remember Claire? Justin's girlfriend? Turns out she's Russel's daughter."
Everyone went silent, if I really paid attention, I could even hear our hearts beating. It probably came to them as a surprise as well, but just from this much, they probably understand what I'm trying to convey here.
"You think she set you up," Francis said, with an unusually straight face.
"If she did, she'll have to pay," I explained, "And through that, I can make Justin suffer for his crimes."
"And the reason you wanted to take out Russel was the same?" Meda asked.
"No, well, not entirely. I didn't actually know until Malcolm told us. I just didn't like him all that much," I said with a laugh.
I probably sound like a maniac now. I guess I am.
"The plan for now, is to take care of Claire, and through her, Justin. The problem is that they might have already went professional," I said.
Everyone understood the implications of that. Once a person becomes a professional hero, all their data becomes confidential information. It's almost like they disappear. No address, no phone numbers, nothing.
"If I might speak, My Lord," suddenly a relatively high pitched voice appeared.
Everyone jumped back, ready for a fight. Except for me. I turned around, sitting on the ground, while everyone just yelling at me to back away. Once I was facing the kneeling figure, just a few feet in front of me, I raised my left arm, to silence everyone, which for some reason worked, and used my right arm to rest my jaw on.
"And you are?" I asked with a slightly deeper voice, than usual, slightly smiling. I still really enjoy this sort of treatment.
"Yes, My Lord. My name is Caleb. I'm a desciple of the Fifth Precinct, Malcolm Preecher. I have the honor, to take on the grand mission of serving one of our true Masters, Lord Temptation," he explained while not even moving an inch of his body. He stayed kneeling, looking at the ground, even while I wasn't talking to him.
"Call me Dan," I told him, "and there's no need to be kneeling, sit down."
"My Lord! I can't possibly-" I cut him off, as he was raising his voice even higher.
"...call me by my name, as that would be insolent- is what you wanted to say, right? So you'd rather ignore me, just to follow your moral code, is that it?" I really did enjoy this situation. But I had to do this.
"I would never! At least let me call you Lord Atys!" he pleaded.
"That works for now," I responded, "So, how can you help us?" I waved everyone to just sit down, and they sort of ended up following, except for Meda, who stood right behind me, with crossed arms, eyeing our new guest up. Did she fancy him?
"As you might know, our Order has a vast network throughout the entire world. We might be able to track those 'heroes' you have mentioned," he explained, as he was following my orders to sit down.
I stopped for a second, to actually start thinking about this seriously.
"Alright, the people you'll be looking for are Claire Russel, as well as Justin. I actually don't remember his family name. Never cared enough to remember it. Both of them attended Heracleion," I added, just to make his work easier.
I could hear the visible pause in everyone's eyes.
"Wait-" Francis and Baulder said at the same time.
"You went to Heracleon?! Like literally the most prestigious hero school in the entire world?!" Francis finished their statement.
"Oh yeah, I guess it's a big school," I laughed it off.
"How? I mean I do understand that you are Tentazione, but even you didn't know, right?" he asked with a still very much surprised expression.
"My parents are pretty famous, y'know. Sthorm and Flaire? Heard about them, right?"
There was really nothing to hide. I do dislike them, but they still got me this far in life. As I looked around my friends, I noticed a common tendency of having their mouths open, just like the proverbial gaping hole.
"You've got to be kidding me," Francis added.
"No way," Baulder reacted.
"That makes so much sense..." Caleb said.
"Are they finally dead?" Meda dropped that bomb casually. Agreed. It'd be time already.
Now everyone was even more surprised. Can't blame them. We're talking about the Top Combo in hero society. They might not be individually Number One, but together they could take that spot. Their combination techniques are literally taught in school, in a way to promote that sort of hero work.
"Ah!" Caleb suddenly stuttered, "I almost forgot! My apologies, Lord Atys, I have some gifts for you," he then hastily pulled out some boxes seemingly out of thin air. He then proceeded to place those boxes carefully on the ground, and opened them one by one, "For each one of you, we have commissioned a [Display] as well as a shape shifting outfit, made by Master Preecher himself. It takes on any shape you'd like, and you can even change it according to personal preference mid-combat, as to aid you. I dare assume that you have heard of [Displays]?" he explained.
"Uhm, actually, I haven't," I said rather confused. Everyone seemed really stoked about it, like the newest smartphone just came out.
"It's been a while, since I had to explain them. Displays, are, well- think of them as contact lenses, that display exact measurments of your body. They constantly convey your health, as well as every major function of your body. Including, but not limited to strength, endurance, intelligence - as well as several other personal differences in these stats. Would you like to give it a try?" he finally added.
"Hell yeah, I do," that sound so awesome. How did I not know about this?
I was slightly stressed about putting those lenses in my eyes, but once I managed to, I blinked a few, and I saw an interesting head-up display promptly appear. It looked pretty cluttered at first, but after a while, it adjusted itself to my entire periphery.
From top left, I could see a smaller version of my entire body, displaying every single issue with my body. I could see the still existing crack in my arm, for example. On the exact other side, there were quite a few things to take note of. Mainly, those statistics, that Caleb mentioned.
"Strength: Two. Endurance: Five. Agility: Six. Intelligence: Fifty," I read out the numbers. I couldn't make sense of it though. I looked around, and everyone just stood there, with their stupid mouths stupidly open - again. Why do they do this?
"Dude. Fifty? What the hell," Meda walked up to me, tapping at my head, probably trying to open it up.
"I mean, sure it's a big number, compared to the rest, but isn't this, like, out of a hundred?" I asked, puzzled.
"My Lord," Caleb swallowed," It's out of ten."
Later that day, once everyone went to sleep, and even Caleb disappeared somewhere, I found myself gazing out at see, from one of the pavillions on the seashore. It was a rather silent night, with the waves smashing against the shore, slowly clearing their way through the island over the centuries.
I was just standing there, listening to the sounds of the night, trying to figure out what to do with my life when we finally kill Justin. That's when I felt a light tap on my shoulder. I looked, and a rather lightly dressed Meda was standing there.
"Looks good on you," I said, trying to complement her summer-esque outfit. She had a string-top, with some linen hotpants.
"You can be nice as well?" she asked back with an unusual tinge of red on her cheeks.
"Sometimes," I laughed.
"So, have you figured it out?" she asked rather vaguely.
"Figured what out?" I asked back.
"What to do after your plans."
"No- I wish I did," I answered, looking at the sand, "Y'know, I hate sand."
"Oh, shut up, old-world nerd," she chuckled.
If she actually watched it, she probably would've maybe understood.
"That intelligence of yours though- use it well, okay?" she tapped me on the back, and turned around to leave. That's when it happened.
"Bonsoir, Madame et Monsieur. How are you doing?"
A weird man in a tuxedo was standing in front of me-
In the air.