I left the office and made my way into the prepared room where I’d receive Claire’s brother. Aside from me, there was only a pair of Central staff - the same ones who the Regressor had somehow managed to rope into keeping the whole building running - to help out with my “procedure”. However, their real purpose was to have a way to communicate with Q. Originally, I had planned to allow Noe to somehow Luck her way through to a cure, but then it dawned on me. Why would I have to rely on my precious system and her Luck Charges, when I could abuse my status as the Lord Arbiter?

  Heck, it’s been so long that I’d forgotten that I had command over the rest of the staff here, what with that piece of shit Overseer always breathing down my neck. What all of that meant, therefore, was that I didn’t have to do anything to fix Claire’s brother. I’ll just have Q or one of his menials do it for me! Ah, the perks of being the one in charge.

  Convincing Claire to leave the care of her sibling in my hands took a bit of finessing, but between a small emotional nudge from Noe and some good old bullshitting, I was able to have her wait out in the hallway while I “worked.” While Claire was fine - well, as fine as she could be in any case - when I left her, her brother was another story altogether. The guy sitting prone on the makeshift gurney was as pale as those alternative Earth guys who hadn’t seen the sun in literal decades. The splotches of color that appeared on his pale flesh were discolored and I could swear there was something swimming under the skin.

  “Get Q,” I commanded one of the staff, using my proper Lord Arbiter voice, “I need him here.”

  “Yes, sir!”

  And not two seconds later, Q’s beautiful figure appeared in the room and nodded in greeting. He was here in his professional capacity as the Site Admin, so none of his usual cheer was around.

  “How may I be of assistance?”

  I pointed at the unconscious man on the slab. “Something happened to him in one of the Trials; he’s needed for my plans.”

  Q walked over to Claire’s brother and examined the man for a few moments before nodding again. “I see…” He frowned. “Curious, the curse that’s afflicted him is one that should only appear in the later half of the Trials. How did he encounter such a thing?”

  I shrugged. “Not sure, but I think he was infected near the end of the Second Trial.”

  “Right when the Origin Matrix went berserk…”

  “Yeah,” I sighed. “I’m willing to bet that had something to do with it, but can you cure him?”

  My friend produced a small vial of a clear liquid from nowhere and emptied the thing into the unconscious man’s mouth. The abnormalities in his complexion had begun to heal almost immediately.

  “That should do it,” Q smiled before handing me a case containing more. “His case has worsened considerably. He will need a few more doses down the line, no more than one a week, but the worst of it should clear in a day or two. It will entirely fade within the month.”

  “Thank you,” I said, stashing the box away in my inventory.

  “And…” Q hesitated for a bit.

  “What is it?”

  He glared at the two helpers, who quickly got the message and vacated the room. Once Q was sure that we were alone, he continued, “There might be some issues with Lady Malice’s home; I’m not privy on the specifics, but something’s brewing between their world and the Origin Matrix, and I’m afraid that we’ll need your assistance soon.”

  “So we have no specifics?”

  “I believe the local god of that world can explain it better,” Q answered, “It would be best if you took some time to speak with her. Contact Malice when you have free time, Walter, but from the feel of things, it appears quite dire.”

  My frown deepened. Just when I thought they’d be quiet for a while, things inevitably turn for the worse. I shook my head and sighed. “Thanks for the heads up. I’ll speak with them as soon as I’m able.”

  “Be careful, Walter,” Q said grimly, “Whoever’s in charge, be it the Overseer or the Origin Matrix, is starting to act against you. Indirectly for now, true, but we can’t be sure that will remain the case as you continue to meddle with their affairs.”

  “Yeah, that’s a given,” I sighed. “Anyway, thanks for the help, I have it from here.”

  “Take care, Lord Arbiter,” he answered, “I mean it.”

  The Site Admin disappeared as quietly as he entered and I quickly made my way out of the room as well. I didn’t want to waste any more time here, but there was still an issue with Claire that I needed to resolve. She saw me exit and almost ran into me

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  “Calm down,” I muttered, raising a hand to slow her advance. I gestured for her to come with me into the office space, and her expression tensed when she saw her brother unconscious but softened just as fast when she saw the changes.

  “Don’t worry,” I assured, “The worst of the curse has been lifted, and I just have him under for the time being while the cure works its thing. He’ll be awake in a few hours.”

  “That’s…” Claire muttered, “I don’t know how to thank you enough.”

  “Just help out with the guild in earnest is enough,” I said with a casual shrug, “But his condition’s not quite stable just yet.” I took out the box that Q gave me and placed it on the table. “He will need to drink one of these vials each week for about a month or two to eliminate the lasting effects. They’re quite valuable, mind you, so please be careful when handling them. I can’t make more without a lot of effort.” I stared her hard in the eye. “He’ll need regular checkups with me after, but the worst of it is over, his life is not in danger.”

  Claire’s gaze fell on the vials and then back at me, her eyes hardening, “What do I owe you?”

  I shook my head and gave her a charming smile. “We’re in the same organization, the same guild. It would be dishonest of me to charge for a service, even a costly one like this, to a fellow guildmate. It’s free, of course.”

  The woman thought for a moment before nodding. From her eyes, I could tell that Claire understood what I truly meant there, the unsaid stipulations. I’m sure that she understood as well as we do the potential threat that her unique set of skills posed to the organization at large, so my warning didn’t go over her head. That is to say, we’d be glad to take care of her brother so long as she remains loyal to the Abyss guild.

  “I see…” she muttered, “I’ll keep your words in mind.”

  I pushed the box of vials closer to her and gave her a knowing smirk. “I’m sure you will. Please bring him back again in two weeks for a check-up, and feel free to speak with any member of the Abyss guild if your brother’s condition does not improve.”

  Claire hesitated for just a fraction of a second but ultimately decided to take the offered box of medicine. She knew that there would be no changing her mind about her commitment going forth, not when I had such a tight grip over the wellbeing of her brother. With any other individual, someone not on guard and paranoid, I might have been able to skip this part of the act, but I could tell that Claire wasn’t the type of person to accept goodwill freely.

  She was the type of woman who would always expect that there would be strings attached to every transaction, and would be on guard if the other party didn’t try to take advantage of the situation. Now that the two of us, or more accurately, the Abyss guild and her, have made the transaction clear and to the point, I highly doubt that she’d go back on her promises. In her mind, what she was giving up was well worth what she was receiving.

  “Good,” I nodded, “Now I think it’s best to take your brother somewhere safe so that he may rest. As an official member of the Abyss guild, this building and its facilities are yours to use freely, please choose any unoccupied ones that suit your needs. I can personally vouch for the security.”

  Claire nodded.

  “Feel free to have one of the workers here assist you, and if there’s anything that you’re unsatisfied with, please let them know as well. We have anything and everything you’ll ever need at your disposal here.” I gave her a smile and a wink. “We strive to be the best employers, after all. Only a fool would choose to go against that!”

  “Yes…” she mumbled, quickly picking her things up and going to leave, “A fool indeed. Um, thank you, Walter. I’ll get going now.”

  I saw her leave and waited a few extra minutes to ensure that no one else was around before ducking into one of the unused meeting rooms. I took out my charm and called out for Molly; I needed to figure out what new mess was awaiting me. I half expected her to tease me or something after the mess with Claire, but the doll’s expression was one of concern.

  “Walter,” she said grimly, “I was hoping you’d call.”

  Noting the solemn atmosphere, I chose to forgo the banter and cut straight to the chase as well. “What’s going on at Hope’s Memorial? I only heard a little from Q.”

  “Are you free to leave the premises for a bit? It’s easier to have the madam fill you in, she knows more about the situation than I do.”

  I frowned but nodded after a while. The others were still ironing out the details of Pandora, and I doubt they’d miss me for a few hours. I messaged the gang that I’d be busy just in case.

  Molly grabbed onto my arm and enveloped me in her hair the second I confirmed my availability, and I was whisked away through whatever horrible means she used to transport the things she ate. It was much less discombobulating this time around, but the journey was still rather unpleasant. I automatically transformed back into my Doctor form - new glowy tattoos and all this time - which elicited an odd stare from Molly. She didn’t make a big deal out of it, however.

  The cold rain greeted us when we stepped back into that familiar courtyard, but something was off with the atmosphere here. Usually, Abigail’s hospital would be bustling with activity, and that kind of ambient energy could be felt no matter where you were in Hope’s Memorial. Yet I noticed none of that energy today; things were muted and altogether… quiet.

  Molly didn’t try to explain things and hurriedly led me to the Director’s office. Hell, even the short walk to the Admin building was surreal. The usual hub of frantically working nurses and doctors was missing, and I barely saw more than a handful of hospital staff around. Security, however, was at an all-time high. Abigail must have deployed the entire Disciplinary squad to man the halls.

  “What the hell is going on?” I asked, unable to contain my curiosity any longer.

  Molly ignored my inquiry and opened the door to the Director’s office instead. She all but shoved me inside. Abigail was frantically typing away with an old 80’s desktop while piles and piles of papers were strewn everywhere on her desk. Several cups of coffee - some of which had spilled on her desk - littered the room, and I had to take a step back when I saw the mess on the ground. Okay, something was seriously wrong to have the Director like this.

  “Dr. Walter!” She said, glancing up in my direction for a fleeting moment but otherwise still furiously typing away. She paused and did a double take when she noticed the changes in my body, but a shake of her head made her refocus on her current work. “Forgive me. Just let me finish this file, I’ll be with you in just a second.”

  “No, it’s fine,” I said, taking a seat on the sofa. “Is there anything I can help you with?”

  “Not with this,” she mumbled, “But I desperately need your help after. All of Hope’s Memorial will need your help, doctor.”

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