It took two trips to get their entire party up in the elevator.345Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnkZ2KUlKLb
Arthur went with the first group, a feeling of smug satisfaction coursing through him.
“I’ve done it,” He thought as he stood right in front of the doors, his bag of fake coins in his hand. “I’ve really done it. This is over.”
Behind him, he could hear George and Jemima chatting about what they planned to do when they got back. Augustus silently stood with them as his bat tapped against the wall. The small thunks made Arthur smile.345Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5cqL6z1Dpz
“He might not need it for much after this. We’re home-free. No more demons and two stores! Two! Plus all the rewards I got for completing the mission. This is going to be great. I can feel it.”
The elevator doors opened soundlessly. His smile died. Carnage was the only word that described what he saw before him. Shelves lay everyone, smashed to pieces. Displays hung crooked on walls, those that hadn’t fallen to the floor. Clothes ripped beyond repair, lay in heaps among the bodies.
Demons, gangsters, customers, and Sewer Dwellers lay together. Some breathing, but most not. He could smell the stench of death in the room. It gnawed at his nose, making him cough. No heat filled him to get rid of the disgust or the pain.
Without thinking, he reached for his locket, even knowing it wasn’t there. He wanted the power. No, needed it. His mind couldn’t cope as he moved out into the room. There were bodies leading to the stairs. Both of the front doors sat askew, and more corpses littered the street.
All he could think of was one thing. “This is so much worse than the battle with Riccardo.”
Behind him, people moved, but he couldn’t pay it any mind. His eyes locked onto a woman next to a man in a tank top. He recognized them both. They’d been here the day that Rab dragged him to the store. They’d talked about the strangeness of the cultist’s quests.
“Arthur?”
The softness of the voice caused him to jump, and he whirled. Jemima stood there, holding a hand up as a gesture to calm down. His heart pounded, and he wiped his eyes. It came away dry. That didn’t feel right to him.
“Yes?” His words came out choked and hurt his throat.
Her eyes looked watery as she gestured to the side. He followed her hand, and he saw Jeff lying there. The man looked peaceful, his hands locked around the butt of his gun. Two demons lay nearby, both charred. Next to him, he saw movement as one of the other sewer dwellers coughed and spluttered. Alive. Good. That gave him something to focus on.
“Get any of the wounded to the truck,” he commanded before he turned away. “Get them home. Augustus, George, help her.”
“What about Jeff? We can’t leave him!” George argued as he moved to his friend’s side.
“We won’t abandon him. But we need to save who we can. There are medical supplies in the truck as well. Jemima, head back downstairs and go grab anyone with any hint of medical training. Now.”
“On it, boss.” Jemima saluted before turning to the elevator.
Augustus squeaked a question, and Arthur nodded. “Take them to the van, and then we’ll start going floor by floor. This is going to be a mess to sort out.”
He hated how cold his words sounded, but he wasn’t sure what else to do. The fire that normally burns away his emotions wasn’t coming. It sat there, out of reach. An itch he couldn’t scratch.
With slow movements, he moved through the crowd. As the others moved bodies, he cleaned up the demons. They exploded into light, but he hardly noticed. All he wanted was for them to go. For the reminder of what he... No, not he. Them. What they’d done here to vanish.
While he moved, he tried to search for any person still breathing. No matter who it was, he tried to get them moving. Eventually, the van was full, and George left to deliver the first load to the store. He’d refused to go unless he could take Jeff’s body back as well.
Arthur allowed it. There wasn’t any point in arguing. Time passed, and more people filled out. Carina joined him with Benny’s help as he moved about the store. She said little, merely pointing out any demons he missed. The further down they moved, the less carnage he saw.
“Are you proud of this?” She asked as they reached a level with no destruction.
Customers and cultists alike sheltered in groups on the floor. A few of the demons stood over them as guards. They didn’t attack, so he ignored them. Though Augustus let out a hiss in their direction.
“Proud of what?”
“This. You’ve won. We all work for you now. Congratulations.”
Arthur snorted as he looked at her. Those purple eyes shone, and he could feel her in his head. An ember flared and pushed her out. Still, he answered her honestly anyway. As he did, he could feel a touch of the heat come back. Enough for him to force the words out with a bit of passion.
“I did what I needed to do. Am I proud of it? No. But I’m better than demonic cultists. Or did you enjoy working for them?”
“No,” Carina smirked, though the wince as she moved ruined the effect. “Still, this is brutal.”
“I don’t want to do it again,” Arthur admitted as he started climbing up the stairs.
“You shouldn’t. So what now?”
Her words were cautious, and he looked at her. Her hair hung loose and messy. Rips covered her clothes, and she didn’t look well. Even with all that, there was a ferocity to her gaze. He remembered the broken cup.
“Now?” he asked, looking around the room. “Now, your job will be to heal up and then figure out how to keep this place running.”
She blinked. “That wasn’t a joke? I thought you said that to just annoy Clarissa.”
“No, Carina. I want you to run this place. It’ll keep you out of trouble, and none of mine have any desire for the position. Besides, you helped Riccardo run his gang; you should be able to do this.”
“I want Leo back and to pick my people.”
He waved her off. “Fine, we’ll discuss it when you’re healed.”
“My people first.” She stabbed a finger at him. “I’ll go last.”
A smile crossed his face, though it was a sad one. “As you wish, let’s see to getting everyone loaded up.”
***345Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZkAHJ4yclj
Time ticked by as Arthur buried himself in his work.
None of the board members volunteered to help, but other cultists did. He oversaw them as they moved through the crowd. Augustus helped load people into the van, which got petrol top-ups from the cultist’s personal supply.
Sandy turned out to be quite useful for keeping people organized. Even if she kept shooting, jealousy-ladened looks at Carina. The ex-gangster ignored her; instead, she focused on the injured. Her voice cut through the crowd as she barked orders.345Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgqMa4hlnYa
George drove there and back multiple times. He seemed to enjoy the work, and so Arthur left him to it. Carina stuck by his side, but eventually, it was her turn. She demanded he come with her. He did so, happy to be heading back at last.
Sandy and Jemima stayed back to look after things. From the way Sandy flinched whenever the crocodile woman looked at her, he wasn’t worried. Leo remained behind as well, with Benny acting as his right-hand man.
When they got back to Apocalypse Assortments, he didn’t have time to take a break. More people needed to be organized. Nyssa and Mike worked together as they tried to keep everyone organized. He got flashbacks to the night Rab took him to the store.
Arthur took a deep breath as he pushed them down. That was the last thing he needed to deal with right now. Instead, he moved through the group. He chatted with those he could and helped behind the counter when needed.
Any task he could take up, he did. As he worked, he could feel the pressure coming from above him. Pydes waiting for a report, no doubt. However, he couldn’t face the dragon. His gut twisted at the thought. So much chaos in one night.
All he wanted to do was take it easy for a bit.
The sun shone through the windows before they were done. Arthur yawned and turned to Nyssa. She looked exhausted. Her whiskers dropped as Splotch napped on her shoulder. All around the store, people slept. They had enough; they spilled onto the streets.
“Are we done?” She asked.
Arthur nodded. “I think so. Which means I should get upstairs. Time to face the dragon, I suppose.”
“Are you worried?”
“Yes,” he answered honestly. “A lot of people got hurt tonight. It was my fault. Things didn’t go as planned, but when do they?”
A chuckle escaped as he looked up at the ceiling. “Still, we did it. The orchard is ours. Their store is ours. Or should be. I haven’t actually gotten a quest complete message yet.”
Nyssa looked concerned as she leaned against the counter. Her tail flicked back and forth. “None?”
“Nope.”
“Does that mean you failed?”
For a moment, he suddenly worried that the entire thing had been an illusion. That none of it had been real. Was he still down there? His breath caught in his throat, and he could feel himself shake. Nyssa moved over and slapped him.
“Ow.”
“Sorry, you were freaking out.” She sounded sorry, but not too much.
Though, considering what she’d been dealing with, he didn’t blame her. He rubbed his cheek and nodded. It would be fine. All he needed to do was check in with Pydes. Once that was done, he could relax. Besides, if it was all an illusion, it wasn’t the worst one to be trapped in.
At least he won.
“You want to come up with me?”
Nyssa snorted. “Not on your life. I’m going to see if I can find somewhere to sleep. Hopefully, no one offered someone my bed. Good night, or morning. Whichever.”
“Get some rest, Nyssa,” Arthur said as he moved towards the door. “I’ve got a dragon to visit.”
***
Squeaks, along with a flock of elementals, hit him as he finished climbing to the roof.
A smile crossed his face as he let them headbutt his legs and flutter around him. He wondered if any were the same ones from the battle. Then he stopped thinking about it. In all honesty, he didn’t want to know.
Pydes stood between two trees at the edge of the roof. His tail flicked as he watched Arthur move forward. He wore a blank expression. Arthur drew up short as he looked at the dragon. His heart was thudding in his chest.
“Pydes,” he got out.
“Arthur.”
For a moment, neither spoke, and then the dragon grinned. All around him, the elementals went wild as Pydes nodded his head.
“Congratulations.” 345Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0u0lJBUso6
That was when all the pop-ups hit at once.345Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQEm7v1dR2k
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“Wilth?” Arthur asked as he finally finished closing all the pop-ups.345Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡonUk9l3MOQ
Pydes nodded. “Yes. That’s not good. This is big enough that she should have sent you a personal message. That you got Wilth isn’t good. Smug git got the most cushy job he could and has lorded it over the rest of us for ages. No. This is bad.”345Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnHzaG8eHVq
“I see.” He shook his head as he looked back at Pydes. “Can I ask you something?”345Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡb1lndRXEn0
“Yes.”345Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbGUFN6he63
“Did I do the right thing?”345Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9zJYEJ38kG
Arthur knew there was a begging tone in his voice as he asked. However, he knew he was. He wanted someone to tell him it would be okay. That all his decisions were correct. Pydes looked at him for a moment before he shrugged.345Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIu00QKACmY
“I don’t know, Arthur. You made the decisions you did. Though, from what I overheard, you went a bit dragon in there. Which, bravo. I’m not really here to tell you how to complete your quests. No, simply to tell you about the store. For what it is worth? I think you did the best you could.”345Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0cU4iu5Olu
“Thanks Pydes.”345Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmxWW2CDRuT
“Don’t thank me yet,” Pydes said as he turned to look over the city. “You still have a lot of work to do.”345Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsExMMyT5DX
“I know.”345Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡruvONAZK7Z
Arthur moved up beside him as he looked over the city. There was still a lot to do. He didn’t believe for a second that Rathnil would actually leave him alone. Plus, the slagsoul chimeras, checking on The Assembly and The Watchdog Knights, and getting word to Dr. Lisa.345Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVNWhk6u8MP
Yes, he had a lot to do.345Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxh5buxlmAQ
“But not right now,” Arthur thought as he sat on the edge of the roof. “I think I need to sit down.”345Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡi3X95A8UY0
He watched as the sun rose over the skyscraper, bathing the city in light.345Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡV5SeRcYW8A
“Yes, for the moment. It’s time to sit.”345Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYoNMIkOjNK
