[1% LIFESTEAL] Chapter 20 - Naivety

Freddy couldn’t help but ogle the interior decor of the opulent building. Matt strode before them, leading down the colorful, slick hallways. Everything was plasticized; pink, beige, and turquoise were the dominant colors, and the flowers growing in the space swayed on their own, even though the air was perfectly still.

They had been escorted into Madam’s headquarters—a large, gaudy building dominated by headache-inducing colors. And now, the assistant was taking them to Madam’s office.

Mark looked stricken, glancing anxiously at every corner, and Freddy kept trying to calm the young man with affirming nods and kind smiles.

The last thing Freddy wanted was to be judgemental, but if Mark didn’t get his shit together, it would only worsen his situation.

Matt brought them into an ample, open space with a massive golden door on the other side. The door’s frame looked like fluffy, pink clouds, and there was a neon light shaped into a cartoonified version of Madam right above it. Numerous people were sitting around the room. Most were women dressed in, at least in Freddy’s opinion, silly outfits that looked like something that belonged in a sci-fi-themed circus.

‘God, I hate rich people,’ Freddy thought.

It wasn’t long until they were seated among the weird crowd, sitting on one of the benches lining the walls.

“Excuse me,” a woman sat to their right called.

She wore a skin-tight, black leather suit with extremely pale makeup, and her red hair tied into a… side tail? Like a ponytail, but starting from above her right ear. It was also weirdly stiff and protruded far out. That looked frighteningly inconvenient to live with, and given that her head turn made her hair slap the other woman sitting next to her, it probably very much so was.

“I was just wondering, are you two orphans?”

Freddy blinked at that, surprised at the question.

“Ohohoho, I must be correct!” The woman declared without even a hint of shame. “Don’t worry, don’t worry, trust me, you two are lucky. Parents can be such a drag.”

Freddy had no idea what made this person presume they were orphans, and it kind of miffed him that she was even half-correct. But, rather than say anything, he merely politely nodded at her with the shakiest smile-frown he had ever given anyone and turned around. The unusual actions of the woman seemed to have confused Mark out of his frightened state, at least partly.

Both the men jolted a bit as the neon light above the large door suddenly lit up, and a surprisingly loud voice, which seemed to be Madam’s, rang out, “Greetings, my darlings.”

“Hi, Madam!” A chorus of female and a few male voices echoed through the room.

Suddenly, the door opened with a rainbow light show, with giant arrows lighting up on the ground below, guiding whoever was inside out of the building. Two suited men walked out, shooting slightly disgusted glances at the people around the room. They promptly walked out, and the voice continued, “I would like the two boys that just arrived to step inside, darlings, and our meeting will probably take a while. You know what that means?”

As if on cue, all the women got up and yelled, “Coffee, tea, and cake, bestie!”

‘Jesus Christ, this is a damn cult,’ Freddy thought, wishing he could die from the cringe he was experiencing and contemplating whether coming here was a mistake.

The large crowd gathered in the room slowly left, and Matt, who had gone who knew where, reappeared again and escorted them toward the door. The confusion was gradually replaced by fear once more as the three men strode into the opulent room.

It was a large, primarily pink office. The wall on the other side was a massive window looking over the twenty-fifth and twenty-fourth districts. There were numerous couches, bean bags, and chairs scattered around, and the desk in the middle stretched considerably on both sides.

On the other side of the desk was a fluffy ‘office’ chair with its back turned to them, and only as they stepped right before the desk did the chair rotate, revealing Madam seated on it, smiling cheekily at them.

Her cerulean hair was, this time, combed back into a much more ordinary hairstyle, and she was wearing a beige suit. With an appearance like this, it wouldn’t be hard to mistake her for a slightly eccentric office worker.

“Boys,” she said, maintaining the smile on her expression. “I hear you want to talk to me about something?”

“Yes,” Freddy declared, taking a step back and opening his mouth to—

“Hold up, sweetheart,” Madam said with a lift of her hand. “First, why don’t you have a seat?”

Freddy looked around. While there were plenty of things to sit on, they were all scattered around the room. Not to mention that there was a drastic lack of ‘ordinary’ seats to be seen, which made picking something much more difficult.

“I would prefer to stay standing, Madam,” Freddy said politely.

Mark was eyeing Freddy oddly but still couldn’t stop a fearful gaze from flicking between Madam and the ground. She was most certainly aware of Mark’s state but tactfully ignored it.

“I…” Freddy started but paused to take a deep breath. “I want to offer you a trade.”

“A trade?” Madam said with slight surprise.

Freddy gulped but steeled himself, forcing himself to execute the plan he had prepared. “You are a life-affinity arch, right?”

“Life is one of my affinities, yes,” Madam confirmed.

“Well,” Freddy continued, “I believe my talent would be handy to you.”

“In what way?” She asked skeptically.

“First, I would like his,” he said with a gesture at Mark, “family to be guaranteed safely. And in turn, you can… You can…” he tried, doing his best to keep himself from shaking. “You can do whatever you wish to me.”

This was his plan. Regardless of how extreme an injury he suffered, his talent could recover from it. If she needed or wanted someone she could experiment on, he was more or less the perfect target for that.

He wasn’t just making this offer to help Mark’s situation. He also wanted to be experimented on. Sure, it would probably suck, but he had no better way to learn more about his talent other than through means such as this. There was another reason why, too. Freddy’s safety was… questionable, to say the least.

No matter how he thought about it, the assassination attempt and Mark being contacted were just a bit too extreme for someone like him. Freddy’s story came down to him beaning a stray monster. Would anyone truly go that far just to sabotage Madam’s interview?

Perhaps his presumptions were born of ignorance of how high society worked, but even Mark had been surprised by this outcome.

His thoughts were interrupted as Madam finally reacted to his suggestion. The way she did, though, wasn’t what he expected to see.

She sighed, an exasperated look descending upon her expression, followed by a hint of… shame? Guilt? Her hand reached for her forehead, and sat there as if she were experiencing a headache.

“How manly of you, darling,” she said, unimpressed, “but I really don’t want what you’re offering.” And then, with another sigh, she got up. “I believe I owe you two an apology.”

Mark appeared flabbergasted, but Freddy didn’t react to her actions.

“Believe it or not,” she said, “I’m not a sadist that goes around killing people, and I certainly don’t enjoy torture or human experimentation. What happened then caught me in a bad mood, and I might have overreacted slightly. I hope you,” she said with a slight nod at Freddy, “understand that I did that for your protection. As for you,” she said as she turned to Mark, causing the young man to flinch. “I’m really sorry for the untimely threat. I had no idea you had already been contacted and refused the offer, and I certainly wasn’t aware of your situation. What you did deserved a reward and encouragement, not… that. Sorry for what happened to your sister. I hope you accept my sincerest apology.”

Mark appeared bewildered at Madam’s apology, but Freddy simply nodded and thanked her. “Thank you, Madam. I also apologize for my presumptuousness.”

That earned him yet another glance, this time from all three of the people present in the room.

Madam raised her eyebrow, but she didn’t comment on his behavior. “Regarding the events that have transpired, I believe we need to discuss those. There is a good reason why it caught me so off guard. How about we have a seat and get a bit more comfortable?”

They moved to a half-circle-shaped couch nearby, with a small coffee table sitting between them.

“Do you boys want anything to drink?”

“I would like coffee,” Freddy said instantly.

“I—Uhm… I would like tea if you have any,” Mark said, wincing, likely at the last part of what he said. “Whichever one Madam recommends.”

Madam clapped her hands and got more comfortable, taking the coat off her suit and throwing it loosely on the couch beside her. “I will skip right to the chase,” she said. “Freddy, darling, who the hell did you offend?”

Freddy was genuinely surprised at that question. But it didn’t take him long to realize why she was asking him that. “Do you mean to suggest that someone is specifically after me for reasons other than my involvement with you?”

“Bingo,” she confirmed. “Or, at least, that’s the only conclusion I can make.”

It didn’t take him long to remember the unusual man that paid him a visit a while back, but unless explicitly asked to mention him, he would refrain from talking about that. “If I did,” he said. “It was without my knowledge.”

Madam sighed and pinched her brow. “It has been giving me the biggest headache for the last month. No matter how I think about it, it doesn’t make sense.”

“What exactly?” Freddy asked.

“At first,” she said with a squint of her eyes, “I assumed that the threat and assassination attempt were from two completely different individuals. It would make sense. The party that went after Mark wouldn’t have called for such a costly favor if they knew that Freddy would be dead soon. But it’s already been nearly a month and a half… So why haven’t they contacted Mark again?”

Freddy thought about it for a second, landing on one possible answer, but he closed his mouth before giving it. The first thing that came to mind was that they didn’t expect Madam to find out, but that was preposterous. They must have acted knowing that Madam would know and likely had a way around it.

Madam smiled at Freddy. “Darling, I must say, you feel a bit different. Something about you just doesn’t feel quite so… naive.”

“Hahaha,” Freddy chuckled. “No, I’m still the same, but I’ve burned myself saying stupid things too many times, and now I’m hesitant to speak.”

“Hmmm… I suppose I could buy into that one,” she conceded with a cheeky grin. “And I guess your impressive transformation must have done wonders for your confidence.”

He couldn’t quite stop the affirmative smile from appearing on his face.

“Enough about that,” she said. “Back to the topic. I believe the party that contacted Mark is the same as the one that bribed the doctor. It isn’t that they weren’t aware that Freddy would likely be dead. It was that they were expecting it.”

Freddy frowned at that. He hadn’t made that connection quite yet, but if that was the case—

“Which is what makes me so confused,” Madam said, gripping a handful of her hair while blowing air.

At that moment, a seemingly seamless patch of the wall slid open, revealing an entrance that a strangely dressed waitress walked out of. She wore frilly, skimpy clothing, comprising barely more than a tight crop top and a short skirt.

Freddy made no comment or showed any outward indication that he noticed the unusual get-up, deciding it was none of his business.

As the woman placed the coffee before him, he was taken out of his thoughts. It smelled enchanting. He immediately grabbed it and brought it up as if he was about to take a sip but then paused, putting it back down while frowning. “Madam…”

“What is it, darling?”

Freddy cupped his chin as if contemplating something but then shook his head. “Nevermind. I apologize.”

She eyed him with a raised eyebrow, and he kept up the contemplative look.

All of this was just to justify why he hadn’t taken a sip of the beverage. He didn’t intend to drink anything Madam served him. Because he simply didn’t trust her one bit.

Freddy barely held himself back from wincing as Mark took a loud sip. “This tea is incredible!”

Madam smiled at him and then turned to Freddy. “Have you tried the—?”

“Where is the—?” Freddy interrupted her. “Oh, I’m so sorry, Madam.”

Her smile remained perfectly still. “No, it’s alright. You were about to ask something.”

“Ah, yes, where is the toilet?”

Mark shot him the strangest look and tried blinking aggressively as if to say, ‘Not the time for this.’

“It is right over there, by that wall.” She pointed at a seemingly blank patch of pink, and Freddy nodded, getting off the chair.

As he stepped before that blank patch, the wall slid open and revealed the bathroom entrance. He walked inside, did his business, and returned.

Madam took a large sip of her cocktail and continued, “So… I’m very confident that this was all orchestrated by a single individual or organization, but I have no idea who or why. Which is why I’ve asked you whether you’ve offended anyone. Can you tell me if you have met anyone powerful or participated in some sort of political event?”

Freddy tapped his lips contemplatively and frowned. Then, he proceeded to retell his business at the ATA, sharing precisely what happened without any omissions or alterations, even intentionally accenting his own naivete and foolishness.

After that, he talked about that strange, casually-dressed man that visited him at his apartment. While he wanted to stick as close to the truth as possible, there was no way he would mention Bloodshed.

Freddy was quite confident that Madam didn’t know about the bloody skeleton. It wasn’t surprising, either. There was absolutely no reason to keep an eye on the netherecho around Freddy, and even if someone took a glance, while a wild remnant was somewhat rare, it wasn’t unheard of for one to appear in this neighborhood.

After all, there was a passage nearby. Freddy had already encountered several other remnants, although he had kept his distance from them. Which meant that they did appear naturally here. While Bloodshed was quite eye-catching, it was far from the weirdest one he’d seen.

He did say that the man was strangely interested in his filthy clothing, which Freddy didn’t have to pretend to be confused by. However, the moment he said that, Madam seemed to light up with realization.

‘Shiiiiiit,’ Freddy cursed internally. Did that just give away a critical hint?

“Oh my God,” the woman said. “That couldn’t… But wait. No!” She said with a massive grin. “How didn’t I think of that?”

“What… What exactly?” Freddy asked cautiously.

“Alright, darling,” Madam said, “I need you to retell me what happened when you encountered the monster. Please, do not lie or change any details.”

Freddy frowned at how she said that but agreed to the request, retelling the whole thing.

Madam chuckled incredulously when he finished his story. “Incredible. That thing must have been a two-star monster, then.”

Mark had been listening to the story with rapped attention, and when Madam said that, he nearly choked. “What!?”

“What?” Freddy asked, genuinely confused.

While it was incredible that he managed to do that, it was entirely coincidental.

“Let me explain it like this,” Madam started. “How has your growth been recently?”

Freddy thought about it and answered honestly. “It has been slowing down a bit.”

“I see… After almost two months of intensive gathering, you are only beginning to slow down.”

“Is there something off about that?”

Madam scoffed. “Yes. Very. Why do you think people fight monsters, to begin with? It is because your growth stagnates unless you challenge yourself.”

He already knew this, but he had no idea it was supposed to already kick in. He chalked it up to his martial arts training and overall growth, but there seemed to be more to it.

Madam continued, “True, you can simply overcome yourself through training and practice, but putting your life on the line to come out on top in dangerous situations is much more rewarding. While yes, killing a monster does provide a portion of its ether, it also does more than that. It generates pure ether directly inside your soul and the abilities you use, especially if the opponent is significantly more powerful than you.”

“So…” Freddy started. “Is someone trying to kill me because I’m…”

“No,” Madam denied before he could even finish the sentence. “While it's true that you have a headstart in your growth, it is a temporary boost. What’s more important is what that pure ether generation did to the environment around you.

“What you’ve done in that situation is impossibly unlikely. Consequently, the generated pure ether likely caused some form of anomaly. Or several. The three-affinity prime vestige you manifested is just one of them. And the clothes you wore, which had likely become a powerful cursed object, is another.”

‘And Bloodshed is likely the third,’ Freddy realized.

But there was something else that caught his attention. “Cursed object?”

“We’ll get to that,” Madam dismissed the question. “That doesn’t matter now. What does matter is the possibility of something you’ve generated being a ‘unique.’”

Freddy was about to ask what it was but immediately realized she would likely explain it anyway, so he kept quiet. To Freddy’s surprise, though, not even Mark seemed to know what she was talking about.

Madam smiled at the two of them. “What I’m about to tell you isn’t necessarily a secret, but powerful archs don’t like it being shared either way. So I suggest you keep this knowledge to yourself. A ‘unique’ is an ether construct that holds a true soul within.”

Mark’s breath caught, and it took him a bit to get a hold of himself.

Madam jokingly wagged a finger at Mark and nodded to Freddy. “That’s a pretty appropriate reaction.

“Uniques are, well, unique among ether constructs. They contain far fewer limits and are priceless in value. Unique cursed objects, for example, can grow in power. Say you have a cursed sword and use it in combat. Depending on its affinity, it would have some form of special power. Usually, a cursed sword would lose power with use, eventually becoming garbage like any weapon did with time. On the other hand, a unique cursed sword would evolve and grow along with its user.

“Then you have unique prime vestiges. Simply put, they completely ignore that you’re already an arch, allowing you to acquire another talent and more affinities.”

Freddy paled upon hearing that, but Madam waved him down. “Don’t worry, that little thing you sold wasn’t a unique prime. Only three have ever been found, and their asking price is above what money can afford.

“There are also many different shades of unique treasures, all possessing some form of absurd effect that ignores conventional limits, and the last one, the type of unique that is likely the least rare but also the most difficult to obtain—unique sentient ether constructs.”

Freddy showed no outward reaction, and by some miracle, he managed to keep his heart from beating faster than was ordinary for a situation like this.

“These,” Madam said, “are notorious for being frighteningly dangerous. There are plenty of them we are aware of but can’t do anything about. They grew too powerful by scouring the passages and are now eidola that nobody is qualified to subjugate. If one were to discover a unique vestige, on the other hand… Well, that’s a different story. Their defining trait is that they possess true will.”

Every sentence Madam shared made Freddy’s blood grow colder, but Freddy was doing well enough at keeping this hidden. For now, at least.

“What makes them so priceless, however, is something else. Ether shells, and subsequently, their abilities, can’t be evolved through any random concept. There needs to be some form of connection. Uniques don’t have that sort of limit. You can use any unique to upgrade any ability. You want the general death concept tied to a fire spell? What about combining heat and cold? What about making your water sharp?

“Not just that, but also, upon absorbing a unique, you will acquire the affinities it holds a connection to, and if you already have one of the affinities, it will be greatly strengthened and even possibly evolve into a unique affinity.”

“So…” Freddy started, allowing some nervousness to show in his expression. “Do you think I generated a unique vestige!?” He exaggerated his panic, hoping Mark would take the hint and stay quiet about Bloodshed.

One way or another, it seemed to be working.

Madam nodded hesitantly. “It’s possible. And I’m starting to form a few theories about who might be after you. It probably disappeared from where it spawned, and you are among the suspects who might have taken it.”

It really pissed Freddy off that she phrased that as if he’d stolen the damn thing. He was the one that manifested it. It was rightfully his.

“Either way,” she said, finally finishing the final sip of her cocktail. “I think that’s all we can talk about. I can’t really share any further details without compromising your safety. I will say one last thing, however,” she started, smiling at them gently and softening her voice. “You are under my protection, and while that is the case, you can feel free to focus on your work. I will use my influence to keep you safe, and we’ll figure something out for when you’re done with your contractual obligations.”

“I,” Mark tried but couldn’t bring himself to speak.

“You can relax,” Madam assured him. “Your family is safe under my protection, and yes, while your services aren’t strictly necessary, you are still contracted for six months of work,” she reminded him with a wink. “Don’t worry. We’ll resolve this problem eventually. I may be ruthless to those who stand in my way, but I care for my own. Don’t forget that.”

Mark and Freddy smiled at that, and after some more inane chatting, they headed home. Mark’s apartment had already been cleaned up, likely as a favor from Madam, and his door had been repaired. They entered the room, mostly staying quiet, until—

“So,” Freddy said, yawning loudly. “I think I’m gonna take a short nap.”

“In my living room? Dude, go home,” Mark said, clearly tired from all that had happened today.

“No,” Freddy refused. “I don’t think I will.” Then, with an evident change to his tone, he said, “I think I want to take a nap right here.”

Freddy promptly closed his eyes and appeared within the netherecho.

Mark didn’t take too long to catch on, and as the mannequin representing his body appeared, so did his projection.

“What are you—?” Mark started but—

“Do not talk about Bloodshed,” Freddy said. “Do your best to keep your family safe…

“And don’t trust anything Madam says.”

With that, he left the netherecho, and so did Mark.

“Dude, you…”

“Your couch is hella uncomfortable, bro,” Freddy said teasingly. “I think I prefer my bed instead. I’ll see you tomorrow, Mark. Have a good one.” He waved the man goodbye and left his apartment.

Moments later, Freddy was at his place, walking over to a specific drawer in the kitchen. A crumpled-up grocery bag was in there, and, with the drawer still open, Freddy entered the netherecho.

His projection slithered into the drawer, walking over to the small, crumpled bag. His tiny hand landed on the bag, and with a push of his will, he gradually sank into it, appearing within the smushed space with the giant skeleton.

“Bloodshed—” Freddy said. He now knew why, or, rather, how this thing had disobeyed him and followed him here despite being explicitly told not to.

Because it had a will of its own.

Freddy could not safely get rid of Bloodshed and couldn’t use it himself since it was too powerful to enter his soul. And it wasn’t like he could sell it, either. He only had one option—ensure that it remained loyal to him and keep it hidden at all costs.

“—I bring dire news,” Freddy continued.

“What is it, my lord.”

“Gah!” Freddy spat angrily. “My enemies… They are after you!”

“After… me?”

“Yes, my loyal minion. They fear the potential you have, the contribution to my future plans you might provide! They wish to cut you down before you grow to your full potential, but they aren’t aware of where you hide.”

“My lord… should we eradicate them?”

“Patience, my little lake of blood,” Freddy declared dramatically. “All will come with time. Speaking of which, I do not have much left. I will speak with you again soon when I am confident they aren’t watching.”

Freddy had spent much time talking to the remnant and developed a sense of how it operated. While getting it to do what he wanted wasn’t hard, bringing it to understand could be tricky. Speaking in terms it could more readily comprehend just made the process faster.

Bloodshed nodded, and Freddy retreated, leaving the netherecho. “Where was it again?” He scratched the back of his head, pretending that he was just looking for something. “I guess not here… Well, whatever.”

He proceeded with his regular routine, eating, cleaning himself, and going to sleep. Or at least trying to. But he couldn’t.

Because how the hell was he supposed to walk out of this situation alive?