Scotch's mind raced, his chest tight with fear. He turned to run, to do something—anything—but a second dart hit him square in the arm. The cold sting spread through his veins, and the world began to spin. He stumbled, trying to stay upright, but his vision blurred, his limbs growing impossibly heavy.
Then, everything went dark.
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Scotch's head throbbed as he slowly regained consciousness. His vision was still hazy, the world around him fuzzy and spinning, but he could feel cold metal biting into his wrists and ankles. He tried to move, but the clanking sound confirmed what he already feared—he was chained to a chair.
As his vision sharpened, he saw Luna, slumped and still unconscious, chained to a chair beside him. Her breathing was steady, and her head rested awkwardly against her shoulder, her mechanical parts gleaming faintly under the dim lights of the room.
Before Scotch could fully process their predicament, a voice pierced through the silence.
"Ah, you're awake! Good morning, sunshine!"
Scotch blinked, confused by the upbeat tone. A figure stepped into view, and to his surprise, the person standing in front of him was… a short, extremely cute man. He was dressed in a perfectly tailored suit, with neatly combed hair and a playful smile that looked out of place given the circumstances.
As Scotch blinked again, his mind trying to grasp the bizarre situation, he noticed something even more disorienting: a small, floating orb orbiting around the cute man's head. Upon closer inspection, it wasn't just any orb. It was a miniature Earth, slowly rotating on its axis.
"Wh-what is that?" Scotch croaked, his voice hoarse.
The man, still smiling, tapped the air beside his head playfully. "Oh, this little thing? It's just a deform of mine. Not harmful, don't worry!" He gave a soft chuckle as though it were the most normal thing in the world.
The tiny Earth continued its rotation, casting soft, bluish light over the room. It spun gracefully, almost mesmerizingly, and seemed to shift its orbit whenever the man moved.
"W-what… where am I?" Scotch croaked, his voice rough from disuse. His eyes darted around the room, trying to make sense of his surroundings.
"Oh, don't worry," the man said cheerfully, adjusting his tie. "You've been rescued by D.I.L.F.!" He grinned, clearly enjoying the confusion on Scotch's face.
"D… I… L… F?" Scotch repeated, baffled.
"Detective Institute for Lovecraftian Figures," the man said, as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. "We specialize in rescuing folks who get mixed up with eldritch horrors, bizarre cults, and well, mostly deform misuse"
Scotch blinked again, trying to comprehend the absurdity of it all. "Lovecraftian… Figures?"
"Yep!" the man said with a chipper nod. "Oh, right, where are my manners? I'm Agent Finn." He held out his hand, though Scotch couldn't shake it, chained to the chair as he was. Finn didn't seem to notice and continued, "We've been monitoring your little jailbreak. Quite the spectacle. Unfortunately, you were wearing the guard uniform of the folk we were trying to detain. Right as you were escaping"
Finn's cheery demeanour clashed with the heavy reality Scotch was trying to piece together. He shifted uncomfortably in his chains.
"Right... What the hell is going on?" Scotch muttered, his voice barely above a whisper.
Finn's eyes widened, and he clapped a hand to his forehead, like he'd just remembered something important. "Ah! Of course! Nearly forgot-you lost your memories, didn't you?"
Scotch stiffened. Forgot your memories-it wasn't the first time he'd heard it, but It was convenient. Convenient that the ones who came out of those experiments didn't remember a thing. A perfect alibi for ignorance, for not knowing the world since he was from another world after all. "I don't remember" became a shield to hide behind, and now, even in this strange new scenario, it was working for him.
Finn continued, oblivious to Scotch's internal monologue. "Well, that explains why you're so lost. No biggie. I'll fill you in!"
Scotch's eyes narrowed. "Fill me in on what?"
"Oh, just the basics!" Finn beamed as if this were a casual conversation about the weather. "You're in Mauritania—one of six countries in our little world. Not that you need to remember all of them, but the most important one is Tabole. It's the biggest, the most powerful, and well… it's also the most corrupt. A real joy, that place."
Scotch's head spun. "Tabole…?"
"Yeah, they're a nasty bunch. The only reason they're not wiping out the rest of us is because the other five countries teamed up to get a peace treaty. And even then, the treaty was totally in Tabole's favour. They got to keep a bunch of their privileges—like being able to take any convicted prisoners from our country whenever they want."
Scotch tried to process it, but it only raised more questions. "Prisoners? What for?"
"Experiments, forced labor, the usual. And speaking of experiments—let's talk about Lovecraftians." Finn's face lit up, as though he were explaining his favourite topic. "You see, Lovecraftians are people with special abilities. Powers, if you will. But here's the catch: every power comes with a deformity. A deform. That's what we call them."
Scotch raised an eyebrow. "Deform?"
"Exactly!" Finn gestured with enthusiasm. "The power is directly tied to a physical abnormality. For example, someone who can puke on command might have sickly green pores all over their skin. Or, someone who can create fire has burn scars across their body. The deformity is a reflection of their power, like a permanent mark."
"And these people are just… walking around?" Scotch asked, trying to picture this bizarre world.
"Yup, Most People are Lovecraftians" Finn stated. "your friend" Finn nodded toward Luna" seems to be one of the more dangerous ones. What's her deform?"
Scotch glanced at Luna, her metallic limbs and steely exterior contrasting with the vulnerability he knew lay beneath. He wasn't sure how to answer. "I… don't know."
Finn tilted his head, his curiosity piqued, but he didn't press further. "Well, we'll figure that out soon enough. The point is, people like her—and maybe people like you, if we look close enough—are a part of this world whether they like it or not."
Scotch tried to take it all in, but there was a gnawing feeling in his gut. And D.I.L.F.," he said slowly, "you guys are… what? A force for good in all this?"
Finn grinned, though his eyes held a glint of something darker. "We do what needs to be done. You and your friend were in the crosshairs of some bad people, so we stepped in.
"And now," Finn continued with unnerving cheerfulness, "you've got a choice. You can join D.I.L.F., live under our protection, and make sure Trailblazer Laboratories doesn't get their grubby little hands on you again. Or… you can reject our offer and go back to the hell you just escaped. It's really up to you!" He spread his hands wide, as if he were offering Scotch a harmless choice between ice cream flavours, rather than a matter of life or death.
Scotch clenched his fists, feeling the weight of his chains pressing against his wrists. The reality of the situation was grim there was no real choice. "So it's join or die?"
Finn's smile remained as sunny as ever. "Not necessarily die—just… probably die. Or worse! You've seen what they do at Trailblazer, right? I bet they miss you already."
The absurdity of Finn's tone grated against the gravity of the situation, but Scotch understood the underlying message. Without D.I.L.F.'s protection, Trailblazer would come for them. He thought about the experiments, the endless suffering they'd endured, and the twisted grin on Luna's face as she talked about her hate, ...Gross.
Before he could respond, Finn clapped his hands together. "Fantastic! I can see you're leaning towards the smart option. But no pressure! While you're thinking about it, I'll send in the only other two people we have stationed here to break those chains and take you to your temporary room. You'll want to rest up before making any big decisions."
The door opened, and two figures entered the room a man and a woman, both dressed in sleek, practical gear. They moved in unison, like they'd done this a thousand times before. The man, tall and muscular, gave Scotch a nod, while the woman, shorter but equally intimidating, smiled softly. Their wedding bands glinted faintly under the room's sterile light.
"Meet Rook and Maria," Finn said, gesturing toward the couple. "They're the only ones stationed here right now, but don't let that fool you. They could break out of here blindfolded if they had to."
Without a word, Mara approached Scotch, pulling out a small device and quickly severing the chains that bound him to the chair. As she worked, her husband, Rook, kept a careful watch, his stance protective.
Scotch rubbed his wrists as the chains fell away, glancing at Luna, who was still unconscious and bound next to him. "What about her?"
"She'll wake up soon," Finn replied breezily. "Rook and Mara will handle that too. You go on ahead. They'll make sure everything's taken care of."
With the chains off, Scotch felt a strange sense of freedom, though the weight of the decision he had to make still hung over him. He stood, his legs unsteady, and gave Finn a wary look. "I'll think about it."
Finn's smile widened as if that was the answer he'd been waiting for. "That's the spirit! Now, go get settled in. You've earned a bit of rest after all the excitement."
Rook and Mara led Scotch out of the room, their movements synchronized and silent. As they escorted him down the dimly lit hallway, Scotch's thoughts raced. This D.I.L.F. organization, Finn's unsettling cheerfulness, and the fact that Trailblazer was still out there, lurking, left him uneasy. He couldn't shake the feeling that his choices, while framed as freedom, were anything but.
The door to his temporary room slid open, and Rook gestured for him to enter. "Rest up," the man said in a deep, calm voice. "We'll be around if you need anything."
Scotch nodded numbly and stepped inside, his mind spinning with everything he'd just learned. As the door closed behind him, he sank onto the bed, staring up at the ceiling, wondering what he'd just gotten himself into but also knowing what he needed to do.
What he did not know however was that there would be a fresh corpse inside the building soon. And the killer would be among us
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{Blender here!, anyway uhh I dont have any thing to say :)
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{also I'm thick skinned, if there's something you don't like you can tell me in this paragraph here!(or anywhere I guess, but ill be checking here)}
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{also remember to use you power stones blah blah blah}
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discord.gg/fzgaHb4J
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{pls send me more comments and gifs since it makes my brain give the good chemicals}
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