❝how do you kill a monster without becoming one?❞
In the last city ruled by man, fish soar in the skies above and monsters lurk in the alleys below. Ten years ago, Jase lost both his legs and his mother to one such monster. However, tragedy couldn't...
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Jase had not expected the Message.
He was in his underwear, laying on the couch when it did. He stared at it in silent shock, wondering how he and Kova had gotten called out. From what he understood, they pulled partners at random, taking a certain number of Level Tens, Elevens, Twelves, and so on.
Once Agents reached Level Forty they became something of living legends. They were usually given a nickname by the general populace, not dissimilar to Smiles. The Executioner and the Viper were the most well-known, of course - Level Fifty-Eight and Fifty-Two respectively.
Most Agents retired by the time they turned thirty, or were promoted to the safety of an office. It was a cushy life. Retired Agents were well respected and paid a small fortune for their service. The problem was, not many survived. The Executioner was always on the front lines, fighting the most dangerous Smiles. He'd gone toe to toe with Red a dozen times at least. He'd shot Snow White. He'd been hunted by Cinderella. Not many people could survive all of that.
Jase scrambled to get his uniform on before bolting out the door. Tooth, Snow, and Beauty were out there, killing people and he needed to stop them. Kova was right when he said they were all monsters. Humans and Smiles together, living in an endless loop of bloodshed.
He got to the location in ten minutes, going as fast as his metal legs would take him, but Kova and Huraira still beat him there. He smiled when he saw them, a little surprised Kova had bothered to show.
"How... did you... get here so fast?" Jase asked.
"We took Parthēna's bike and Kova's insane. I swear we caused at least seven accidents on the way here," Huraira said, brushing her fingers through her wild hair. "I'm simply ecstatic to see what the ride back has in store."
Kova didn't say anything in his defense, which meant Huraira was probably telling some overdramatized version of the truth. "And how did he do that on a bike?" Jase asked. "They can't go that fast, you know."
"Motorbike," Huraira corrected. "Parthēna's motorbike, which is like if a car and a bike had a baby and it was super deadly."
"That has to be expensive," Jase said.
"One of a kind," Huraira said. "And we took it without her permission."
Before Kova could rebuke - if he was planning to rebuke at all - a man approached them. His dark hair was shaved and gruesome scars cut across his face, but he still had a friendly twinkle in his eyes as he lumbered up to them. The Executioner.
And then, much to Jase's surprise, the man embraced Kova in a friendly side hug. This was obviously a surprise for Kova as well considering the way he flinched.
"Kova!" the Executioner exclaimed. "It's been so long. I think you've grown since the last time I saw you!"
"Chē?" Kova escaped the embrace. "Do not touch me!"
