Azaria 23

Hey Guys! While i like this chapter, I'm not sure about it so everyone that is reading this story line please give me some feedback about the chaos part. 

Chapter 23: Post Café Rumble

Lance Teron

I had to breath a sigh of relief as I left Azaria’s dungeon after the strange frenzy that wiped the party almost instantly. Not only was it annoying to fake new injuries, but I was questioned even harder than last time and ended up sitting in the guards’ tent for nearly an hour before they let me leave. 

Thankfully, I didn’t even have to lie this time. I told them straight out that the mage caused some sort of reaction with the dungeon and it frenzied. Azaria wanted me to lure people that deserved to die to her dungeon, but warning innocents wasn’t off the table in our deal.

I looked around the street as I hadn’t planned for having this much free time on me. We had only been in the dungeon for close to thirty minutes, so it was still early morning. I released another sigh then turned to head towards the suburbs. I decided I would check some of my old haunts to hear to check to see if anything had changed.

Thinking to myself as I walked, I really should have done this first. Kyle wasn’t stupid, but I wouldn’t put it past him to try something with my family. I couldn’t understand why I hadn’t been more worried about them before now. They were my only family after all. They would have been worried about me.

“Another effect of the harvests?” I mumbled as I walked.

It was still early. Dungeon operations for low and mid-level dungeons started at six AM. We were the first party in so it was only just hitting eight thirty. There had been a full line to the dungeon when I’d left. There was no way I could gather another party before the end of operations.

At least at this time of day, I shouldn’t have to worry about anyone trying to jump me. I spotted a coffee shop as I was walking and felt my stomach rumble. Ever since I’d gotten the gluttony harvest, I was starting to feel hungry more often. Another pain I had to live with until I find a harvest to counter act it.

I had a few ideas, but nothing I could act upon right now. That would have to wait until I dealt with Kyle and got my life back. If that was possible. Giving in to temptation, I made my way into the café. Ordering a dozen donuts, and a black grand black coffee. I took a seat in the back just enjoying the normalcy for a moment.

“Yesterday. Twenty-two known gang members vanished without a trace. Police had been keeping tabs a number of the members hoping to crack down on the organization.” I finished the donut I was biting down on and turned my attention to the television in the corner of the café. “With the disappearance, months of police work has been lost. Police are also advising any vigilantes that Powered could be among the gang members and to stop while they were ahead.”

“Well that is just rude,” I mumbled as I took another bite. I hadn’t been playing vigilante. They had jumped me, and I dealt with them, end of story. I was about to ignore it when the anchor continued. 

“Any information on the vigilante is worth a cash reward if proven true… On to our next article. Lance Teron. Last seen three weeks ago is still wanted by the government. His relatives claim they have no idea about his whereabouts. A reward is being offered for any information on this individual.”

“Mother fuckers,” I mumbled having to hold back a growl. This had to be Kyle’s work. I’d never seen a dungeon disagreement stay on the news this long. I couldn’t help but wonder how much money he was spending on little old me. At least by the sounds of the news, my sister and mother were still safe. They would have attracted a lot of attention with the news being involved.

“Crazy. I read what the news had the guy, and I couldn’t see him doing something like that.”

“Dungeons. They twist people.”

I glanced at the two women that were chatting next to me. I wouldn’t have even heard them without my Keen Hearing harvest. They looked like normal people that were just enjoying their time before work. 

Pulling Friz’s phone out, I browsed for information of Kyle. I knew he was a spoiled rich kid, but I didn’t have a good grasp of all the details. With Friz’s phone, I had access to a bit more than the ordinary internet. 

A few minutes later, I was looking at a very annoying situation. Kyle was connected to half of the crime organizations in the city. It appeared he funded quite a few of the black markets. Hell, the one I went to last night was possible thanks to some of the money he used.

“Dismantle all of them?” I muttered with a groan. That would take a long time, but I didn’t see anyway to survive without doing so. I would need to reach a much higher level and power to achieve this. Azaria flashed through my head.

Azaria didn’t crave power, at least not outwardly. Which I felt was odd for a dungeon. Even her desire for her own survival seemed weaker than it should be. Something felt off about her and she was about the only ally I had in this messed up world right now.

Thinking about her, I remembered she wanted me to look up the Highlocks. With a quick search everything the dark net had on them popped up. Most of which was don’t touch them. They were like a shining beacon of light compared to the other people on here. 

“A daughter? I’ve never heard of that before.” I clicked on the minor report from some nobody member of the Darker Organization. 

‘Anna and Zaris HighLock had one child that turned eighteen the day of the shift. Reported missing the same day. She is believed to have died along with the millions of others that day. End.’

Not much to go on, but I started to have a feeling I knew why Azaria was asking about them. Unfortunately, I could find any records of the daughter’s name. I couldn’t exactly ask the Highlocks, and Azaria seemed unable to talk about it.

I put the phone away with a sigh. How did I want to handle this? I needed Azaria so that my power could grow. This morning was a fluke, but normally I would be absorbing the parts from the parties she kills. Not to mention, the actual diving and fighting would raise my level.

If the Highlocks found out that Station 64 was their daughter’s soul or something along those lines, I could see it going two ways. They would seek to destroy it to free their daughter, or they would protect it and use their incredible power to keep people from diving. If the rumors were true, even Neo hesitates to fight both of them.

Deciding to leave it to future Lance, I left the café and continued heading for the suburbs. I was minding my own business, when a length of chain wrapped around me as I passed an alley. I was violently pulled down the alley and slammed against the wall.

“What the actual fuck!?” I yelled as I looked up. I blinked when I saw the two girls from the café. 

“Finally, some prey. I was getting worried about paying the bills this month,” one of them said.

“If you’d just stop inviting over every guy that catches your interest.”

“Excuse me! What the fuck?” I asked glaring at them.

“Right, right. Friz Waldin. We’re here to collect your head. You have no rights and they will not be read to you,” the other woman said.

“Bounty hunters!” I couldn’t hold back the growl that escaped. The goblin soul was starting to make an appearance. Red was already coating my vision, but unlike before I felt I could resist it if I wanted. “Trust me. You want to let me go.”

Bounty hunters were basically thugs for the criminal organizations that they hire out against each other. These women are working for an organization that Friz was against, but tomorrow Friz’s organization might set them against the people they were working for.

The women laughed as one pulled out a pair of clawed knuckles, and the other a crossbow. “Don’t worry, sweetie. We’ll make it quick.”

I glared at her then channeled some of my Aether into my body using Dominate. Both women took a step back and the crossbow one even peed a little. I felt some Aether from both of them and the straighten up. I cursed as I flexed against the chain but groaned when it barely budged.

“Shot him in the head and let’s be done with it!”

I heard a click and activated Black Heart’s Armor on my head. The bolt slammed into my forehead knocking my head against the wall. My vision went black for a second but quickly came back. 

“What the hell?!”

“I got this!” The woman with the clawed knuckles walked up and went to punch my in my face. I waited then jerked my head and bit clean through her hand. The woman screamed as she fell back holding her hand. Eat Anything really came in handy. I spit out the fingers as blood ran down my chin. Glancing at a puddle, I saw that my fangs were poking out from the illusion.

The crossbow woman finished reloading her weapon. I took a deep breath and used my Heart of the Chimera. I was not expecting the resulting wave of flames that left my mouth. Thankfully, they only went about twenty feet. More than enough to engulf the woman, but not enough to leave the alley.

I angled the flames at the chain melting it then closed my mouth. The flames died almost instantly, the crossbow woman a black husk. The knuckles woman was still squirming on the ground as her hand bled everywhere.

As I thought about what to do with her, I felt something twist inside me. Knowing by some instinct, I placed my hand on her head. “Chaos.” A black mist exited her from her mouth and eyes and was pulled into my hand. The woman stopped moving even as her hand continued to bleed out.

“Stand up.” The woman stood up without any hesitation. I had her hold out her hand then made a small flame from my mouth. Using the flat of my cleaver, I cauterized her wounds. “What is your name?”

“Mollie Parks,” she replied in a deadpan voice.

“What am I to you?”

“Authority. Control of my chaos,” she answered in the same voice.

“I want you to act normal. Can you do that?”

A little light came back to her eyes and her posture grew more relaxed. “Yes.”

“I’m going to cut this person up. Does she have any family that will miss her?”

“No.”

I nodded and placed her body into my storage. It was getting close to full by the sensation I felt from it. I would need to find a place I could do a bit of surgery on the thugs I killed the other night. Glancing at the time on my phone, I gave up on the idea of heading to the suburbs. With how unlucky I was, I might cause a monster riot by going there.

“I want you to go home and meet me back at the café from earlier tomorrow. Tell anyone that needs to know that you failed and are going to take some time to recover from your injury.” I glanced at her hand. “Actually, head to the hospital first then do all that.”

“Yes.”

She turned and walked out of the alley. It was a risk, but if it worked, I would have someone on the outside with connections to the dirt of the city. It seemed like a decent gamble to take. If whatever was controlling her wore off after some time, Friz would get some new rumors going around about him.

After the sunset, I managed to sneak up to the dungeon and through one of the windows from the back. They couldn’t install cameras because the dungeon aura messed with the feed. I just had to wait for the patrol to pass and I was in.

“Azaria!” I waited but didn’t get a response until I saw Starburst making his way down the hall. 

“The girl is busy. She’ll be back at just before dawn.”

I looked him over. He seemed different from regular dungeon monsters. I always thought it was just because he was a boss monster. “Tell me. Are the cores created from humans?”

“I couldn’t tell you even if I knew,” he replied simply, then turned and walked back the way he came.

“What’s going to happen to her?” I called after him. 

He paused mid step and glanced back at me. “Survive or die. Just like any other creature in the universe.”