November 12th, 6:45

  Hell's Paradise, Dis Pater

  Euri and Aithne walked away from Briar and Moon; their footsteps created a crunching noise on the ground with each step. Euri glanced back before speaking, "Are you sure we have to go back to Earth?"

  "Of course we have to," Aithne responded. "If Mr. Moon made up that story and we just let him run free, who knows what could happen to that human."

  Aithne took down his mask and reached into his collar, pulling out his flask. He took a quick sip of it. "Plus, if we assume he wasn't lying, now we have to investigate those fucking Arenenna."

  "But why do we both have to go?" Euri pouted.

  Aithne shrugged before putting his flask back into his collar. "It's your job, Euri. If you want to fawn over your idols, then quit. I can't have U.W.G. officers messing around while lives could be at stake."

  Euri grew a massive frown on her face. She walked with her head down and slouched forward.

  Aithne glanced over at her. "I would let you if I could, but it's my job to make sure officers are paying attention and focusing on their jobs."

  Suddenly, an idea came to Euri's head. She sprung back up into a straighter stance, and a cheeky smile grew onto her face. "What if I could do both at the same time? Have fun and work?"

  Aithne chuckled. "Go on, enlighten me."

  Euri spoke, her smile getting wider with each word. "You said the reason we're going to Earth is to check Mr. Moon, so—"

  "Pardon me, officers," a quiet voice interrupted.

  Euri looked to her right.

  A tall man with smooth green skin and big, bulging red eyes with long, horizontal irises stood several times taller than Euri, nearly tripling her size. The man had nothing, but a rag of white fur draped over his back. He was leaned forward, looking Euri dead in the eye. He flashed a long, bright yellow smile.

  The man breathed up and out slowly. Euri felt a unnatural tingle over her body, she stared into his eyes. The creature Stood perfectly still, waiting for Euri to answer. Aithne pushed Euri to the side before stepping in between the two of them.

  “You just missed him. . . he left a little while ago” Aithne stated, keeping his eyes on its eye, fearing turning his back to it, “but if you want to find him you could check in with the night of sin, its somewhere around here, do you need a guide”

  The creature's smile turned into a toothy frown. It stood up fully showing its shear height, towering over the two. The creature’s smile quickly returned as he giggled “Thank you my good sir, would you like a gift”

  Aithne refused, holding his open hand towards the creature. “No, I'm alright, happy to help you. . .”

  The creature laughs, crouching back down to Aithne’s eye “Call me the Inquisitor my good sir and please accept my gift i insist, a reward for the work the U.W.G does for us worms”

  Aithne hesitated, taken aback by the Inquisitor’s attitude. He lowered his hand “alright, hand it over”

  The creature reached inside his mouth, his arm going as deep as his elbow, the sound of breaking bones rattled as he rummaged through his stomach. The inquisitor pulled out his hand from his mouth; in his grasp was a massive, pristine skull. The skull was twice the size of Aithne’s. It possessed massive sharp fangs, and it emitted a disgusting scent. The inquisitor dropped it in his hands. The sudden weight of the skull caused him to drop it onto the ground, spraying sand when it hit the ground. He chuckled before walking away with big steps and an overarching lean. Aithne watched him as he left.

  “The tourists on this planet are so shifty, I swear,” Euri jested. Aithne looked at the skull on the ground. “You were saying?”

  “Oh yes, thank you. Think of this, I go check on Moon while you go to Earth. That way if he lied. . . which he won’t, I could immediately arrest him before he gets away!”

  “Hm, that could work,” Aithne mumbled, putting his hand to his chin. He turned to Euri. “Are you sure you’ll focus?”

  “Absolutely! I'll investigate so well you’ll promote me!” Euri said, pumping her fist into the air. She immediately turned around to go back deeper into the city. She quickly ran off.

  Aithne took a swig of his flask. “I'm so damn good at my job.”

  Euri ran down the street, a massive smile plastered on her face. She spoke aloud to herself, “Please still be here. Come on, come on!”

  Euri saw Mr. Moon and Briar in the distance. They entered the train to the subspace highway. Euri followed behind; she snuck onto the train. She giggled to herself, “I did it!”

  She saw Mr. Moon and Briar sat down. They were talking about something. From where Euri was, she couldn't hear what they were talking about. The train suddenly blared, and she felt the train start moving. Euri looked down the endless hall of the train. She looked both ways of the train, both equally endless. “Woah, trippy.”

  Euri heard someone stand up. She quickly hid underneath one of the many tables. She saw Mr. Moon's legs. He walked forward but suddenly stopped next to Euri’s table. Euri felt her heart rate increase, she felt as if Mr. Moon could see her through the table. She contemplated stepping out and apologizing. She covered her mouth, attempting to stop her breathing. Mr. Moon continued walking.

  She sighed, moving her head up. Euri accidentally banged her head against the table. She winced, holding her head. Euri heard someone stand up; she quickly went back to being silent. She saw Briar walk past her. She attempted to crawl back out from under the table. She moved her leg and hit one of the chairs, making another thud.

  Euri stood up and patted herself off. She looked towards her left. Briar was looking directly at her. The two had a moment of silence. Euri quickly raised her hands. “I can explain. . .”

  Briar yelled, “How did you get here?! Mr. Moon—”

  Euri covered Briar's mouth with her hands. “Listen, I’m not here to arrest you again. I need you to listen to me.”

  Mr. Moon suddenly stepped into the train, holding a white and black gauntlet. Mr. Moon immediately looked at Euri and Briar.

  Euri groaned. “Damn, my luck is terrible.”

  Mr. Moon raised his revolver and aimed at Euri. His gaze was serious, focused. His hand stayed in a fixed position. “Off him. . . now.”

  Euri quickly backed away from Briar. She put her hands up, a nervous smile forming under her mask. “Hold on, hold on! Don’t shoot!”

  Euri put on her mask and rapidly pointed at her face. “Look! See? Euri. That’s me!”

  Mr. Moon slowly dropped his gun before returning it to his pocket. Mr. Moon tapped the walls. “Julia! I thought I told you to keep people out unless I said otherwise.”

  The train’s horn blared. Mr. Moon sighed before bringing his attention back to Euri. “Why are you on my train?”

  “Uhm, I wanted to help!” Euri spluttered out. She grinned and pointed her thumb to herself. She spoke with an exaggerated tone. “I heard your gruesome tale of what happened to your planet, Briar. I just felt the urge to help you out since I'm just the best!”

  “I'm not interested,” Mr. Moon responded immediately.

  Euri yelled, “You didn’t even think about it!”

  Euri quickly moved towards Briar. She held his hand in hers. “Please convince him! I really don’t want to go back!”

  “You tried to arrest me like. . . an hour ago,” Briar protested. “Why would I waste my breath?”

  “I promise I'll be the very best!” Euri exclaimed with a shine in her eyes.

  Briar reluctantly looked at Moon. “It would be nice to have more faces.”

  “Fine then, but if you annoy me, you're getting sent back,” Mr. Moon responded.

  Euri jumped with excitement. “Yes, yes, yes!”

  Euri bounced around the train in celebration. Briar looked at the gauntlet in Mr. Moon's hand. The gauntlet was made of black metal, and its palm was white leather. Right above the knuckles was a drill.

  Briar asked, “What's the drill for?”

  “The mineral we need to get—Nova—we can’t just pick it up. Nova is quite durable, but this drill should do the trick,” Mr. Moon explained. “Now, Wisp and Wisp Two, we’ll be going now.”

  Euri suddenly stopped celebrating. She looked at Moon. “If you call me Wisp ever again, I will kick your ass!”

  “Noted,” Mr. Moon nodded. “Let's travel to Avarita.”

  The three took a seat on the train—Briar and Euri next to each other and Mr. Moon across from them. The train started roaring, and the outside area returned back to the Streamlines.

  Euri looked out the window. “The Streamlines are just beautiful, aren’t they?”

  “You know about them?” Briar asked.

  Euri gave Briar a thumbs up. “Of course I do! Everybody knows, don’t they?”

  “Uh, yeah, of course. Common knowledge,” Briar spluttered. “Yep, everybody knows.”

  Mr. Moon chuckled. “Euri, why are you a fan of me? I was just wondering.”

  Euri paused, thinking before speaking. She grinned. “Well, as a kid, I saw your stories and the tales people said about you. You inspired me to be a hero to others and join the U.W.G. Without you, I wouldn’t be where I am today. Why wouldn’t I be a fan?”

  “How fascinating. I am glad to be your idol,” Mr. Moon thanked.

  Briar nervously tapped Euri’s shoulder. Euri quickly turned over to Briar. “What's up, dude?”

  “Sorry if this sounds weird, but. . . what are you?” Briar hesitantly asked.

  Euri chuckled. “Don’t worry. Completely fine to ask! I'm a Plasmoid. Wanna see something cool? Of course you do! Check this out!”

  The genuine version of this novel can be found on another site. Support the author by reading it there.

  Euri quickly stood up. She took off all her armor except her boots, tossing the parts onto the floor. Underneath, she had a magenta skirt with a tucked-in white blouse and a pair of striped tights that were a shade of magnolia.

  Euri spread both her arms out. She suddenly melted into a pink ball of slime, leaving only her shoes. The slime rolled and moved around the room, dragging the shoes behind it. Suddenly, the slime reformed back into Euri.

  Euri beamed. “Tada! Isn’t that so cool?”

  Briar clapped his hands. “You can just do that on command? That’s actually really interesting.”

  “You betcha.” Euri hopped back into her seat. She poked Briar on the forehead. “Anything cool you can do?”

  “Nope, not at all,” Briar sobbed. “Just walking and talking.”

  “And a good sense of humor,” Euri complimented. “You’d be surprised how uncommon that is.”

  “Humans do have a special property,” Mr. Moon stated, chuckling under his breath. “Their minds automatically use Mortis around themselves to think faster.”

  “Mortis? What's Mortis?” Briar asked.

  Mr. Moon covered his mouth. “Oh my, it looks like I spoke too much. I promise I'll explain it to you after we’re done here.”

  “Heh, you don’t know anything, do you?” Euri teased. “Looks like me and Moon will have to explain EVERYTHING, won’t we?”

  “Mr. Moon... please kick her off this train,” Briar responded.

  Euri yelled, hitting Briar on the head with each word. “Don't! Give! Him! Ideas! Briar!”

  Mr. Moon smiled, resting his head on the desk. “How I miss my youth.”

  The train suddenly stopped, the force causing Euri to fall out of her chair onto the ground. Briar peeped out of the window. He saw a long, flat field of yellow grass. The sky was a bright cyan, and in the distance, he saw several massive, overarching mountains piercing the bright white clouds.

  Mr. Moon rose from his seat. He walked down the train, stepping over Euri. Mr. Moon looked back. “Step out when you’re ready.”

  Euri sprung up from the ground to her feet. She pumped her fist up. “Adventure!”

  Briar stood up from his seat, still looking out the window. Euri looked Briar up and down. She poked him on the nose repeatedly. “Hey Briar, hey Briar, hey Briar.”

  Briar swatted her hand and scrunched up his face. “What, Euri?! What do you want?”

  “I bet I could lift you,” Euri responded, leaning forward and poking Briar again on the chest.

  Briar stepped back, squinting his eyes as he inspected Euri’s body. “You look like you’d be half my weight.”

  Euri struck a pose, flexing her arms. “So if I lift you, I’m strong!”

  “Well then, that’s enough of that,” Briar groaned. “Let’s go and meet Mr. Moon.”

  Euri saluted Briar. “Aye, aye, captain!”

  Euri and Briar stepped out of the train, immediately hit with a relaxing scent of flowers. Mr. Moon waved his hand, and the train blared its horn before flying away into the sky.

  Briar looked around. The area looked heavenly, like an image from a painting. He gazed into the sky. It was clear apart from the rare clouds, allowing the bright blue sun to shine upon them.

  Mr. Moon crouched down and touched the grass. “Been a while.”

  Euri gasped, staring at the mountains in the distance in awe. “I heard Avarita was beautiful, but this is unreal! I found my next holiday location!”

  “A million times better than Dis Pater,” Briar said.

  Mr. Moon pointed toward the mountains in the distance. “There is the mountain. Let’s travel.”

  The three walked through the grassy fields, the slight wind making their clothes and hair flow. They admired the scenery as they got closer to the mountain. Suddenly, they heard squawking. Three massive birds flew over them, each feather a different vibrant color and their beaks long and protruding. Briar’s jaw dropped as he watched them pass by.

  Euri suddenly ran forward. “Hey! Briar, Moon—last one there gets punched!”

  “Hey, wait, we didn’t agree to that!” Briar called out.

  Euri looked back and flashed a mischievous grin. “Too bad!”

  Mr. Moon quickly ran after Euri. “Good luck, Wisp! Don’t push yourself!”

  “You too!?” Briar groaned, quickly running after Mr. Moon.

  The three ran, with Euri in the front, Mr. Moon shortly behind, and Briar sprinting to keep up. As they neared the mountain, it loomed even taller. A massive cave entrance was carved into its side. Euri stopped at the entrance, turning around and waving. Mr. Moon joined her, followed shortly by Briar, who slouched over, panting. He looked up at Mr. Moon and Euri—neither of them had broken a sweat.

  Euri stepped in front of Briar, leaning down to meet his gaze. She giggled. “You doing alright?”

  Briar stood up straight, taking deep breaths. “No, I hate running. I’m—”

  Euri suddenly punched him in the gut. Briar coughed, groaning in pain. “Why did you hit me so hard?!”

  Euri turned to Mr. Moon. “So, this is the cave, right?”

  Mr. Moon nodded. “Yes. I’ve been here before. It’s a peaceful and quiet place. We should be here no longer than five minutes.”

  Briar regained his energy and walked toward the cave. “Well, I guess we should get in, get out, and go back to Phobos!”

  “Woo! I love the enthusiasm!” Euri cheered as she ran into the open cave. Mr. Moon and Briar followed.

  Inside, the cave was dark, barely revealing their surroundings. A set of dark stone stairs led downward, their walls littered with glistening gems and jewels. As they descended, each of their footsteps made a thud—except for Euri’s, which clanked loudly.

  Briar looked at the gemstones. “The place is still covered in gems. I thought it would be more barren.”

  “That’s this place’s beauty,” Mr. Moon said. “The skuttle bugs, tiny parasites, live off carbon dioxide. In return, they repair these caves and create these gems. Together, we form a perfect unity to keep this place pristine.”

  Briar spotted a light at the bottom of the stairs. He glanced at Mr. Moon, whose expression had suddenly darkened. His eyes were locked onto the light, his voice barely above a whisper. “No, no, no…”

  The three of them reached the bottom. They found themselves in a vast cavern lit up by several spotlights and an array of lightbulbs on its surface.

  Massive drills attached to wheeled machines burrowed into the walls, while excavator-like mechanisms piled up mounds of rock. Several people, large and muscular, walked around carrying stones and pickaxes. The miners had dark gray skin and stood an average of nine feet tall. They wore yellow mining aprons, white miner’s caps, white pit trousers, and heavy black boots. Every miner, as well as the machines, bore the same emblem—a golden cornucopia.

  The harsh sounds of machinery echoed through the cavern, and the thick smell of smoke burned their noses.

  Euri looked around, grimacing. “Yikes! I’m guessing it’s not supposed to be like this?”

  Mr. Moon didn’t answer. He walked forward and grabbed one of the miners by the arm. The miner dropped a pumpkin-sized rock, which shattered on the ground.

  “Hey! Excuse me!” the miner protested. “This is an excavation site—no visitors.”

  “Who is running this operation?” Mr. Moon asked, forcing a polite smile.

  The miner brushed off Mr. Moon’s hand. “Got a problem? Take it up with Mr. Solestar.”

  “Is that ‘man’ here? On this site?”

  The miner pointed deeper into the cavern. “Somewhere in that direction. Now, if you don’t mind, I’m getting back to work.”

  Mr. Moon bowed. “Thank you. I am grateful for your help.”

  The miner scoffed and returned to picking up the shattered rock.

  Mr. Moon immediately started speed-walking through the excavation site. Briar and Euri quickly caught up.

  “Mr. Moon, are you alright?” Briar asked.

  Mr. Moon’s gaze stayed fixed forward. “They’re killing this place. The skuttle bugs can’t survive these machines. I’m going to teach this Solestar a lesson.”

  “I don’t think that’s a good idea, bud,” Euri objected. “Julius Solestar is a very influential man. I don’t think you want those problems.”

  “He doesn’t want mine!” Mr. Moon growled.

  They spotted a figure that stood out from the crowd. His skin was pure, reflective gold, his eyes a glowing purple. He wore a white hakama and a yellow open haori, revealing his chest. His arms were decorated with golden bracelets and gemstone necklaces. Surrounding him were eight sleek, golden androids—mannequin-like in design, each bearing the golden cornucopia emblem.

  Mr. Moon yelled across the cavern. “Mr. Solestar!”

  The man turned, his gaze sharp and condescending. Even from afar, Briar could feel the arrogance radiating from him.

  Julius laughed. “Well, what do we have here? Protesters?”

  “Do you know what you’re doing?!” Mr. Moon shouted, pacing toward him. “You’re killing this planet’s ecosystem!”

  One of the androids stepped in front of Mr. Moon, blocking his path. Julius walked forward, stopping just behind his mechanical guard.

  “Do you know who I am?” Julius asked. “Clearly not. I am Julius Solestar—a prince of a nation! I have more wealth than you’ve seen in your life. Do you think I care about this boring planet? It can burn for all I care. My men are looking for more jewels for my collection, so scatter. Flee.”

  Mr. Moon looked him dead in the eyes, breathing heavily. “I won’t stand by and—”

  “And what?” Julius chortled, wiping a tear from his eye. “What is someone as small as you going to do? Give me a bad review?”

  Euri stepped up beside Mr. Moon. “Julius Solestar, from what I understand, you’re exploiting this planet for resources while driving a non-native species to extinction. That is a crime. As a U.W.G officer, I’m giving you a chance to cancel this operation.”

  Silence fell over the cavern. Several miners and machine operators froze, watching the conflict.

  Julius looked down, silent for a moment. Then, he chuckled—a chuckle that devolved into mad laughter. “Crime? You think I care for your laws?! I have money. I am above the law!”

  Suddenly, the android in front of Mr. Moon grabbed him by the throat, lifting him off the ground. Mr. Moon grunted. “Get your hands off me.”

  His umbrella appeared in his grip. With one swift motion, he slashed—the android’s head slid off, and its body collapsed, releasing him.

  The remaining androids raised their hands, preparing for battle.

  Euri cracked her knuckles, grinning. “Finally, something more my style.”

  Mr. Moon called out. “Briar, do you still have my revolver?”

  Briar checked his pocket and pulled out the black-and-white revolver, waving it in the air. “Got it!”

  Mr. Moon suddenly tossed him a second revolver. Briar caught it, blinking in surprise.

  Mr. Moon brandished his umbrella. “I thought you’d find a use for it. I won’t need it.”

  Julius smugly grinned. “Oh, you broke one of my androids? No worries—you’ll repay me with your lives.”

  The remaining seven androids rushed forward. Mr. Moon ran to meet them. One android swung at him, but he blocked the strike with his umbrella before quickly cutting off its The android attempted another attack with its remaining arm, but Mr. Moon sidestepped and rammed the back of his umbrella into its chest. The android stumbled back, giving Mr. Moon the opportunity to sever its other arm.

  Suddenly, another android appeared out of nowhere and struck Mr. Moon, sending him flying back. He landed on his feet just as the damaged android’s head reconfigured into a gun barrel. The others moved in, with one providing cover fire. Mr. Moon swiftly opened his umbrella, blocking a barrage of bullets. One of the androids lunged at him, swinging both fists downward in a crushing blow. Mr. Moon quickly closed his umbrella and skewered the android through the chest.

  With the impaled android still at the end of his umbrella, Mr. Moon dashed forward, using its golden body as a shield to block incoming bullets. He rammed it into the damaged android, then retracted his umbrella and slashed, slicing both of them in half simultaneously.

  Three androids locked onto Euri. Two flanked her from both sides, boxing her in. They all rushed in at once.

  Euri ducked under a punch from the first, grabbed its arm, and ripped it clean off before using it to strike the second android. The third reached for her, but she flipped backward, landing on the first android’s shoulders. With a quick twist, she spun its head a full 360 degrees before hopping off.

  The second and third androids transformed their heads into long barrels, firing bullets in rapid succession. Euri moved quickly, dodging and weaving through the barrage. She blitzed toward them in an instant, leaped into the air, and delivered a midair spinning kick that obliterated the second android’s head. The moment she landed, she drove her fist forward, tearing through the third android’s chest. Both androids collapsed to the ground with a heavy thud.

  Briar saw an android rushing toward him. He raised both revolvers, his mind repeating over and over, "Just a machine, just a machine, JUST A MACHINE!" He rapidly pressed the triggers, several bullets hitting the android. It took considerable damage to its legs, causing it to fall to its knees. The android's head and hand shifted into barrels. It aimed at Briar. Euri grabbed him and pulled him out of the way just seconds before he would’ve been shredded by the onslaught of bullets.

  Euri took the revolvers from his hands and shot. The bullet hit the android directly in the head, causing it to fall over backward. Euri stuck out her tongue at Briar. “You’re soooo weak.”

  Briar noticed the last android sneak up behind Euri. It raised its fist. Briar quickly raised his gun and shot, hitting it in the head before it could strike. Euri jumped in shock, turning to see the dismantled android behind her.

  “Maybe save the teasing for later,” Briar suggested.

  Briar noticed the crowd of miners cheering. Julius’ face was distraught, his eye twitching as he gritted his teeth. He yelled, “Anyone who makes a peep will be docked down to two Angor an hour!”

  The entire cavern went silent. Mr. Moon pointed the tip of his umbrella at Julius. “Leave this place now, and you might leave with your life.”

  “You think you’re tough, don’t you?” Julius laughed. “You haven’t seen the half of it!”

  The ground rumbled. Cracks formed in the earth. A massive robotic hand made of obsidian burst out of the ground, followed by a huge obsidian drill, both attached to golden arms. A golden head popped through, shaped like a goat’s, but with an extra eye in the center. The machine rose from the cracks in the ground, towering above them, its size barely fitting inside the cavern.

  The machine reached down and picked up Julius. Julius pointed down at Mr. Moon. “Behold the fruits of my labor—the Administrator!”

  A hatch opened in the machine’s chest. The Administrator dropped Julius inside and closed the hatch. The machine stood over them, its presence making the group appear insignificant. Several miners evacuated the cavern, dropping ores and abandoning machines.

  Briar looked up at the machine, memories flooding his mind, reminding him of the Chordis. He glanced at Euri, whose expression was one of excitement and wonder, while Mr. Moon’s stare was full of determination and focus. Briar thought to himself, “If they’re fighting this hard for these bugs, then I must as well. That’s right! I’ll destroy this thing!”