Riding atop the furry back of a giant cat-like monster were Boros, Gunner, and Kombu Infinity.
"Lord Boros, are you sure there will be space for this…?" Kombu Infinity's shaky voice drifted out over the thunderous sound of the creature's paws slamming into the cracked, reddish-brown earth of the wasteland.
Boros stood planted on the beast's shaggy nape, gaze fixed ahead. "Of course. We will raze couple of city blocks. From which she may select whichever pile of debris suits her fancy."
Kombu Infinity's doubts festered, yet he bit them back. Like he had done many times already in the short period since his rescue and recruitment into the New Dark Matter Thieves.
Beside him, Gunner harbored no such restraint.
"Lord Boros, this creature doesn't match any description from that 'domesticated animals' book we found in the archive days ago."
"She is the newest member of our group, Gunner. We should be welcoming her, not questioning her origin." Boros knelt down and began petting the giant cat-like creature as it galloped across the land at blinding speed. "Besides, I skimmed that book, and there is no doubt this is a species of house cat."
Kombu stifled his internal screams.
Boros glanced back at Kombu. "I am sure once we arrive with her in tow, you will finally get the chance to meet him."
Him… Lord Boros has mentioned this mysterious member many times but never revealed his name.
Kombu pondered as Boros stood, turned, and crossed his arms.
Who was he? The few times they'd returned to Z-City's Ghost Town, this member was nowhere to be found. Could he be even stranger than that other member… the one in the jar?
¤ ¤ ¤
Five minutes…
That was the time left on the timer Caspian had started on his phone fifteen minutes ago, the moment Genos shut the door behind him.
Why?
Because that was how long it would be before Fubuki and two of her followers would arrive if today followed the original timeline, as it just had with Sonic's arrival.
Caspian continued to sit, staring at the timer with slumped shoulders.
Shouldn't he be bouncing with excitement?
Part of him buzzed with excitement, but the louder voice in his mind recoiled, replaying endless simulations of his impending encounter with Fubuki. Each more cringe-inducing than the last.
Caspian understood his attempts at flirting might come across as cringe to others, but what else could he do? Before this new life, he had never tried to flirt or approach a woman in person. In his past life, he'd thought about it countless times, but anxiety and self-doubt, those oppressive storm clouds that always loomed over him, never let the sun shine through. Still, those were problems for the old him, not who he was now...
Three minutes…
Closer and closer the moment drew.
But he wasn't worried. His cringe attempts paired with his mental unwellness hadn't failed him yet, and he trusted they wouldn't fail him today either.
One minute…
Caspian rose to his feet as he powered off his phone.
With calm and rhythmic footsteps, he made his way toward one of his futures.
¤ ¤ ¤
Sweet Mask traipsed through the rubble of collapsed buildings and cracked roads, quickly transitioning past the area and proceeding deeper into Z-City Ghost Town.
He kept his senses sharpened, but he didn't plan on sneaking around today.
As he passed abandoned cars and structures with varying degrees of damage, he stopped when he heard a noise coming from inside a tall building that appeared to be an apartment complex.
One of those monsters following Caspian around?
Sweet Mask stalked toward the door, opening it quietly with one hand while the other was raised, ready to strike.
When the door opened, his eyes widened briefly before narrowing. "Blue Fire… What on earth are you doing here? You're supposed to be protecting Sitch."
"S-Sweet Mask?!" Blue Fire's head shot up as he rubbed the back of his head. "Where am I?"
"Explain yourself."
Sweet Mask could feel his anger rising. This A-Class hero before him was undermining the Hero Association with such behavior.
"I-I don't know what happened. One second, I was on my way to the meeting to take place with the underground folks, and the next, I'm waking up on some foul-smelling couch in a cramped room," Blue Fire said, his eyes darting around.
Was he kidnapped? But why?
Asudden, Blue Fire's phone rang from his pocket.
Quickly, he pulled out the phone. "It's from the Hero Association."
Sweet Mask stretched out his hand, snatching the phone from Blue Fire's grip.
"Blue Fire! Where are you?! The underground meeting experienced an attack, leaving everyone there with heavy injuries. If it weren't because Sitch was unharmed—"
"This is Sweet Mask. I've located Blue Fire, who appears to have been kidnapped by an unknown party. Tell me, who is responsible for this attack?"
After a moment, the man on the other end answered. "G-Great work… Is this really Sweet M—"
"Do I need to contact the upper executives? Just answer my question. I have somewhere important to be."
"Right away, Mr. Sweet Mask. A man calling himself 'Garou the Monster' is responsible. He also made a declaration of war. We've uncovered that he's the former disciple of Silver Fang."
Sweet Mask frowned while Blue Fire stood in front of him, listening intently.
A human pretending to be a monster… This world is descending further into chaos each day.
"Is that all?" he asked.
The man's voice came through immediately. "I've just been informed that a Mysterious Being we found sealed in ice has escaped from a lab after we revived it. We ask that you bring the monster back alive."
Idiots! They'll bring about their downfall through their own ignorant actions.
"Clean up this mess yourself. I'm busy." Sweet Mask tapped the screen, ending the call before tossing the phone back to the still-disoriented Blue Fire.
Now, I need to determine why Blue Fire was kidnapped… The only two non-monsters in this town should be Caspian and Genos.
I shouldn't rule out Genos, but it's far likelier that Caspian is the one responsible. Did he kidnap Blue Fire to save him?
That doesn't explain how he knew about the attack. Is he also responsible for that…? No, I refuse to believe that. This is a stretch, but given how he somehow managed to get the owner of that spaceship to follow him and then return to his apartment without anyone noticing, is there a chance he has prophetic abilities like Lady Shibabawa had? Prophetic… Prophecies…
Sweet Mask sucked in a sharp breath as his thoughts led him further down a wild line of assumptions.
Turning around, he motioned for Blue Fire to follow him. "Come with me."