Crane still weary while looking at the cup of water.
"Is this poisonous?" he asked skeptically.
"If it is, I wouldn't tell you. No, it isn't poisonous."
Crane grabbed the cup and downed the water in one swift gulp. He stayed still.
One second passed.
Another.
And another.
Wow, I thought I would pass out… Crane thought, relieved. He looked at Singed. This is an opportunity to get a job.
"Can I work here? You look like you've got things covered?" Crane said while glancing at the vials filled with purple liquid in the room.
Singed glanced down at the dead henchman.
"Hide the body and clean this up, then we'll talk."
He grabbed a rag from the table and tossed it to Crane.
Crane used this time to think. Why did I ask him for work? What's my end goal here?
I want money, obviously.
I also want to be respected, right?
How would I even survive in a place like Zaun? It's filled with chem barons who could probably get me killed if they wanted.
And Piltover… with the enforcers.
They need to respect Zaun.
No… they need to fear it.
Piltover should fear Zaun.
Crane took the body outside and tossed it to the side. No one would care, right? It's just a dead body, after all.
He walked back into the lab and closed the door. All that was left was the blood.
After cleaning the blood, Singed got off his desk.
"What can you do? You have a tail, as I can see, but that can't be it. There has to be more."
Crane thought to himself. What can I even do? I have a tail. I'm red. I regenerated my neck, but that can't be it, can it?
"I can regenerate. That's the extent of my knowledge. That's why I want to work here. I want to know who I am," he said while massaging his neck.
"Fascinating," was all Singed said as he grabbed something from a drawer.
"Rinse yourself in water and put this on." He tossed Crane some clothes. "Second door to your left."
Crane entered the second door to the bathroom.
He looked into the mirror. His shirt had blood all over the collar. A deep frown formed at the sight of his filthy clothes.
Brows furrowed in disgust at the sight. Respect among my peers was something I once had.
He took off his clothes and went into the shower. The cold water hit his bruised body. No soap—just rinsing the grime off.
The dirt melted away from his legs, swirling down the drain.
Blood dripped from his tail, staining the water red.
When he got out, he realized he had no towels, so he used the clothes Singed gave him.
He put on the oversized red shirt and dark brown pants.
He walked back to Singed, breathing calmly after cleaning himself.
Singed looked over Crane and moved closer, his nose picking up a familiar scent.
"Did you only use water?" Singed asked skeptically.
"Yeah, water. Nothing else. Why, what's wrong?" Crane replied, wondering what he could smell like.
Singed's eyes narrowed, his gaze locking onto Crane's arm. "You've only used water, you say… Interesting. However, I must verify something before proceeding further."
He placed Crane's right arm on the desk and grabbed a scalpel.
"You say you want to know who you are… Well, this is how," Singed said, bringing the scalpel to Crane's arm.
Crane's mind was filled with mixed feelings. On one hand, he wanted to know more about what he was; on the other, he didn't want to get hurt.
Ah, fuck it, I'll just regenerate anyway.
"Go ahead," Crane replied, his jaw clenched.
After an hour, Singed was done.
Crane stopped clenching his jaw. His arm slowly regenerated.
Singed watched it regenerate with fascination.
"So, what's wrong with me?" Crane asked Singed while flexing his right arm.
"Your body releases pheromones," Singed glanced at Crane. "A particular kind—one that draws people to you. They smell what they desire. You are, essentially, a beacon of attraction and lust."
The words settled in Crane's mind, and suddenly, the pieces fit together.
Red skin. A tail. And now this.
His breath hitched slightly as the realization hit him.
He had to be—
An incubus.
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Writing this chapter gave me some newfound respect on fanfic writers.
The hardest part of this chapter was keeping Singed in character I tried my best that's all that matters to me anyways.
I think I did a better job of showing emotion still not good but better.