Archive of Our Own

A certain city state

Cloudy skies fill the night in Teviot, a small city-state at the borders of Altar, Dryfe, and Caldina, and the sounds of a gentle breeze are drowned out by the cawing of crows across the city streets. At the center of the city is its tallest building, the Teviot Needle, atop which a single crow roosts. From the view of the streets below, this crow is hardly remarkable, but upon seeing it up close, one would see a crown of blue feathers upon its head resembling a fedora, a scar strewn across its chest, and, above all, a gaze that pierces the soul staring towards one of the buildings in the city, where the sounds of fighting can be heard.

<The target has been subdued. None of us have been killed, but there is one with significant injuries.>

The crow heard these words inside its head. Its telepathy is both longer-reaching and faster than simply speaking, so that was its preferred way to communicate with others.

<Excellent. I congratulate you all for your performance. Tend to the wounded, and stand by for further instruction.>

As the crow said this, a faint light shone from the building it set its gaze upon, a sign of a monster’s death.

[UBM, “Honeyed Mimic Slime, Anthemoessa,” was defeated]
[Selecting MVP]
[“Kingpin of Crows, Don Corone” was selected as MVP]
[Transferring a portion of the Resources from Legendary UBM “Honeyed Mimic Slime, Anthemoessa” to “Kingpin of Crows, Don Corone”]
[Acknowledging “Kingpin of Crows, Don Corone” as Legendary UBM]

When a UBM dies, the common expectation is that the MVP is selected based on who did the most damage, or whoever dealt the final blow. It’s not unheard of, however, for someone who never even attacked the UBM to receive the MVP award if the person contributes significantly with party buffs and tactical guidance.

<Now that we have grown more powerful, it is time for us to focus on growing our territory. Survey the surrounding lands, and report to me if you see any UBMs, or any humans with a mark on the left hand. They will be instrumental in our expansion.>

<Understood>

With that, the blue-crested crow set its sights to the horizon, towards Dryfe.

Teviot, streets

The streets are alive with the bustle of daily life. The chatter of pedestrians fill the air, and the smells of nearby restaurants tempt the nose. The sun shines brightly overhead, a welcome contrast from the night before. Just as present as the pedestrians themselves are the birds, with the crows alone so plentiful a person could enter any business and still see one just outside the window.

One solitary man walked down these streets. His eyes were blood red, and his cape cast a shadow deeper than the darkest abyss. His crimson gloves begged the question of if they were made that way, or if they were dyed by the blood spilled by countless victims; the pistol on his hip sought to answer with the latter. This is how he’d describe himself, at least. On his wrist was an onyx watch with ornate designs – his Embryo.

This man, named D34th St4lk3r, entered a nearby cafe, and received no small number of stares. In most places, Tians have become used to the eccentricities of Masters, but in a city-state with no save point, they were a rare sight.

Soon after D34th St4lk3r took his seat, one of the cafe’s employees, a bald man with a chiseled, wrinkled face, sat down next to him and greeted him.

“I see you’re taking a break from exploring the world. What brings you back here?”

D34th St4lk3r kicked his feet up onto the table before responding.

“Beings from beyond this land have marked for death a beast of great renown.”

“DIN sent you after a UBM, huh? I thought you only cared about human targets. Or is that newbie you keep talking about starting to rub off on you?”

“I merely guide her to bring upon others their destined fate. My guidance to eternal rest is granted only to humans - my Windshear was the sole exception. Besides, Tobias, the Grim Reaper itself cannot find the infamed beast that rests here.”

D34th St4lk3r referred to his embryo, Grim Reaper, a Type Arms that specialized in pursuit. Once he named an individual, he could track them to the ends of the earth, provided an individual bearing such a name exists. And in a world like Infinite Dendrogram where you could tell someone’s name just by looking at them with the right skill, this meant escape from him was only ever temporary.

“However, fate’s misfortune marks yet another,” D34th St4lk3r continued. “While approaching the gates of this city, a bird of death’s black hue approached me with a contract, of my usual trade.”

“Oh? A crow offered you some work?” Tobias lifted an eyebrow.

“The fates of others are not mine to disclose until they are met, yet I have been assigned the task of inflicting death on some within this city. As for the bird of ill omens, I suspect that deadly secrets lie with the true client. Only fate can tell whether I see their true identity.”

“I see. So you’ve got a client with a face but no name, and a target with a name but no face. It’d be funny if they happened to be the same person,” Tobias chuckled.

“Fate has many mysterious twists and turns. For one, the job I practiced in the arts of. The Soldier of Death bears a tempting name, yet its only merit is a means to delay one’s own fate.”

“Right, right. I thought I heard of some weird job in Altar and Caldina. Anyways, about your mysterious client and that UBM you can’t seem to find, how do you feel about a friendly bet?”

“Two thousand lir shall hang in the balance.”

Tobias filled out a piece of paper - a contract - and handed it to D34th St4lk3r. “It’s settled then.”

I hope he’s not after that one, Tobias thought to himself, as D34th St4lk3r left the cafe.

Mountains north of Teviot

Beams of sunlight glowed through the treetops, and the wind blew gently through the hair of someone walking down the forest path. Her avatar was made up of a mishmash of parts, from cat ears to fish scales to demonic horns, and she wore a motley of various fashions. On the back of her hand was a pattern resembling seven rings in a hexagonal shape.

I wonder if I’ll see that D34th St4lk3r guy here, the woman - Annatar - wondered. If his embryo really can’t track the UBM he told me about, he sounds like the type to pursue it just for the challenge. I guess I’ll just have to reach it first.

As the entrance of Teviot came into view, Annatar felt the ground rumble in front of her, as the earth itself erupted into a vaguely humanoid form.

“Ah shit, not a Siege Giant,” she muttered under her breath. “And this far from a save point, too.”

Annatar released her Embryo from her hand. Surrounding her now were three golden figures identical to her, each wielding a different longsword - one wreathed in burning flames, another crackling with lightning, and the third frosted over, as if the very air around it was freezing.

“Draupnir Alpha, go on the offense and see if you can slow the giant down. Draupnir Gamma, hold the monster’s attention as long as you can.”

“As you wish, my lady.” The figure bearing a lightning sword jumped at the giant with techniques as flashy as its own blade, and the one with an ice sword grumbled as it hacked at the monster’s legs.

“What, nothing for me?” the one with the flaming sword asked.

“Stand by. I’ll need you to stay fresh as the battle progresses,” Annatar replied.

As her Embryo launched itself into battle against the titanic elemental, Annatar heard crowing coming from the direction of Teviot, and a murder of crows descended upon the battlefield.

Dead Hand, D34th St4lk3r

I turned the corner into an alley, the sound of downtown hustle and bustle having long since faded into the background. With Grim Reaper’s “Doom” skill, I was able to track down my target. I checked Grim Reaper, hid, and waited for my prey to arrive.

A crow with a scar on it landed on a streetlight near me, and seemed oddly interested. As it observed me, I could feel its eyes pierce into me, like there was more to it than a bird scavenging for food. As quickly as it came, though, it flew away, and I was back to focusing on Grim Reaper as I awaited my foe.

Click

I heard a sudden sound behind me.

Behind me was a man with a harsh scowl, and a pistol aimed straight at me.

“If yer lookin’ to loiter in boss’s streets, ya better be ready to pay. Hand it over. 2,000 lir. Or would you rather I blow ya to bits?”

I had a feeling this would happen. My main job had a skill that concealed all my Assassin grouping jobs. With 150 levels left, and one combat job, I must’ve looked like easy pickings.

I jumped away from the muzzle, and drew my own gun. If my client informed me right, this man was probably connected to the one I was looking for.

“Debtor of fate,” I said, “I see your end in my eyes. Bring me your leader, and your fate may yet be forestalled.”

The man sneered. With a snap of his fingers, I found myself surrounded by thugs on all sides.

“Get the whelp’s arms,” he said. “He’s powerless without his guns!”

With my high AGI, I weaved through the crowd. I aimed my pistol at one of the goons, and I pulled the trigger. A pulse of dark magic flew from the nuzzle, piercing her shoulder.

“AAAGH!!” Her scream made it clear that she got a broken arm debuff at least. One arm down, eleven or so more to go.

The next goon to approach me reached for my gun. I dodged, only for someone to grab me from behind. I tried to swing my fist for one more hit, but I’m quickly pinned down.

“Heh, looks like yer all talk! Any last words? Or would ya rather the boss have the honor of ending yer miserable life?”

“Such an end will happen soon enough, but you lack the strength to ensure my fate inevitable.”

“Doom.” As I gave the name of one of the goons, the clock hands on Grim Reaper spun to life, stopping to point towards the one whose arm I broke. “Eternal Rest Granted.”

The Grim Reaper of European myth was a personification of death that collected people’s souls. As such, Eternal Rest Granted accelerates my target’s end by strengthening me the closer my target is to death, between HP lost and debuffs inflicted.

I broke free of the ruffians holding me down. I jumped to a nearby balcony and opened fire. The crowd scattered under the hail of dark magic bullets. An unlucky few got hit in the vitals and went down instantly.

Suddenly, the bullets stopped being effective. The goons started to shake off everything short of a shot to the head.

My attention was drawn to someone in the back barking out orders. A quick use of Reveal confirmed this one to be the leader - or at least have the right job for one. I paused my rain of bullets, lined up my aim, and fired straight at the boss’s head.

The boss responded immediately, raising her arms to block the magic from hitting any vitals. “Shit, he’s after my head! Stop him at all costs!” The boss of the goons ran away, and with whatever bonuses she gave, the minions were now starting to reach my vantage point.

“Such foolishness you have, to think the deaths of your underlings shall prevent your own,” I said. “All are fated for death’s cold embrace. Harvester of Souls–Grim Reaper!”

I named three of the goons as well as their leader. Grim Reaper’s hands all became one, then four, each pointing towards someone I named. Harvester of Souls—Grim Reaper permits my Embryo to lock onto multiple targets, and brings with it another nasty surprise. But it comes with a notable drawback - I cannot turn it off. Once I use it, every target is fated to die by my hand, unless I die first.

I jumped back down on the street, and the ruffians all backed off.

All except for one.

“What do ya know, an ultimate skill that does nothing! No status boost, no big flashy attack, no nothing!” With a wild grin on his face, he charged directly at me, fist raised for a haymaker-

Bang!

A bullet of dark magic hit the thug in the head. His body hit the pavement almost immediately.

One of Grim Reaper’s hands disappeared, and the others responded to it. Two other lackeys fell, as if an unseen force blew their head in as well.

The mythical Grim Reaper’s tool of choice is its scythe, symbolizing the killing of many like a farmer cutting through swaths of grain. This was the true power of Harvester of Souls—Grim Reaper - the ability to cut down many lives in a single press of the trigger.

“Th-the boss! Boss is dead!”

One of the goons was staring wide-eyed at the corpse of my target. The rest of them started to run.

“Eternal peace awaits you eventually. But your fate will not come today.”

Soon after the last of the thugs left, a crow came to roost on my shoulder, with the payment for the kill.

Who are you, anyway?

The crow gave a singular caw before flying away, following a massive group that had just flown northward.

Teviot, north gate

The Siege Giant shuddered and crumbled into motes of light. A gold statue of a creatively-dressed woman stood in its place, wielding a flaming sword in its one remaining hand. Its Master grimaced as she took some HP potions from her inventory, and drops of blood ran down her face.

The murder of crows that had aided her dissipated, and one came to roost on a nearby branch with a document - a contract. Annatar unfolded it and carefully read it through.

“Alright, so what I’m getting is, you’ll ensure free and safe passage through this city-state? And in exchange, I don’t hunt any UBMs?”

The crow nodded.

“I dunno, I’ve got plans right along the lines of hunting UBMs in this city.” Annatar returned the contract, and the crow flew away.

<Have it your way, then. It will be my pleasure to oblige.>

“Hm? Who said that?” Annatar glanced around frantically for the source of the voice, but she could find no one else in sight. All she could see was a black cloud coming directly towards her. A murder of crows even larger than the Siege Giant she had just slain, and thick enough to nearly block out the sun, was coming her way from Teviot.

[Fatal Damage]
[Party Eliminated]
[Resurrection Period Expired]
[Death Penalty: 24 Hour Login Ban]

March, 2045

A young teen took off his VR headset and got off his bed. The room was reasonably tidy, with graphic novels neatly stacked next to a bookcase. On the bookcase was a sword of Eastern design - the teen called it a “ninja sword” regardless of what kind of sword it actually was. On the teen’s desk was a framed picture of a bald old man with a serious expression, and his arm around a young man with red eyes and black garb, taken during the teen’s first couple months playing Infinite Dendrogram.

Death meets another today, Liam thought to himself. His hunt this morning was a complete success, and he got to meet an old friend as well. …I wonder how the others are doing?

> 11 new messages in “Dendro Groupchat”

Liam opens the groupchat he had set up.

> Annatar: fuck
> Annatar: i got killed
> Annatar: buncha crows near Teviot did me in
> EVE: rip
> EVE: u need a combat job
> EVE: monsters like that are everywhere
> Annatar: i know
> Annatar: u know what combat jobs cant do tho
> Annatar: cool swords
> EVE: just go beat a ubm
> Annatar: im trying ;-;
> D34th St4lk3r: Greetings fellow warriors.
> D34th St4lk3r: I stalk these lands once again.
> EVE: hi
> Annatar: i died
> EVE: she died
> Annatar: think it mightve been the ubm you mentioned earlier
> Annatar: murdered by crows
> Annatar: couldnt see what it was but i refused a contract with a crow and i heard something talk and all i saw was a bunch of crows
> D34th St4lk3r: A herald of death bearing a pact…
> D34th St4lk3r: My destiny’s path has crossed such a being.
> D34th St4lk3r: Your meeting must have been an ill omen.
> Annatar: ?
> EVE: he means something’s up
> D34th St4lk3r: I shall return to the lands beyond the veil and reveal the fate these omens bear.
> Annatar: ??
> EVE: don’t worry about it

With that, Liam put his VR headset back on and returned to Infinite Dendrogram.

Dead Hand, D34th St4lk3r

Something didn’t add up. With a following that strong, any UBM - even the weakest of the weak - ought to be able to take on a gang like the one I took out with little trouble. With that in mind, I needed information, and for that I turned to a certain cafe.

“Death Stalker, back so soon! Did everything go well?” Despite his usual serious expression, Tobias was as cordial as ever.

“The promised death was well delivered. But an ill fate marked a novice friend of mine, and I wish to mark the same fortune upon the evildoer.” I leaned in closely. “What knowledge do you bear about the name ‘Don Corone’?”

Tobias paused, and his frown grew. “Let us talk in the break room.”

He led me to the back of the cafe, past the kitchen. From the looks of things, no one was on break, and the sounds of cooking and cleaning drowned out even the pedestrians and customers in the front.

Tobias sat down at the table, and gestured for me to join across from him. His folded hands and furrowed brow betrayed his worry even as he tried to maintain his expression. “Tell me what you know so far about Don Corone.”

I recounted everything that had occurred regarding Don Corone - DIN telling me of a ‘Don Corone’ in Teviot, Annatar being offered a contract and getting killed by crows, and her guess as to the connection between the two.

Tobias thought silently for a brief moment. “Stalker, do you know the full title of Don Corone?”

“That knowledge is beyond my grasp.”

“It’s ‘Kingpin of Crows, Don Corone.’ Do you know why?”

“Written in the grim fate of my apprentice is its vast command over the birds.”

Tobias leaned up over the table. “Don Corone rules this city, Stalker. If you make yourself his enemy, you won’t be safe here. Maybe not anywhere, if the wrong Master passes through.”

Tobias was unfortunately right. With what I had seen so far of Don Corone, I unfortunately had bad compatibility, as his ability to evade Doom somehow and his vast numbers of minions perfectly countered my Grim Reaper.

“Then the fate of this land rests in the fate of my hunt for vengeance.”

Tobias gave a restrained sigh. “I know that you Masters get to treat death like an inconvenience, but I still worry. This whole city will become effectively forbidden for you. If that won’t convince you, then I hope you at least don’t try to deal with Don Corone alone.”

“I shall weave your advice into the ways of fate.”

“...Don’t die out there,” Tobias said, before leading me out of the room.

One thing still didn’t make sense to me, though. If Don Corone truly did have the power to control the city, surely he’d be able to deal with rival gangs of Tians without my assistance. Unless, of course, there’s a limit on his capabilities that changes. Surely, understanding the secret of how that limit applies, as well as how his ability to evade Grim Reaper’s Doom, would be the key to defeating Don Corone.

Then I had an idea…

Dendro Groupchat

> D34th St4lk3r: My sojourn ends in the lands beyond.
> D34th St4lk3r: Many secrets yet escape my grasp, yet I have devised a cunning plan.
> EVE: hi stalky
> EVE: is this about the maybe-ubm that killed annatar
> Annatar: hello
> Annatar: eve and I were just talking about what job I should try next
> Annatar: thinking maybe mechanic
> Annatar: making a mech sounds cool
> D34th St4lk3r: Greetings Annatar.
> D34th St4lk3r: Does your heart burn with the flames of vengeance?
> Annatar: uhh
> Annatar: sure I guess
> D34th St4lk3r: By my sight, your aid has a place in fate’s grand design.
> EVE: wait she just got the death penalty tho
> D34th St4lk3r: The crow’s end is marked in three days.
> EVE: dendro time im guessing
> D34th St4lk3r: If you desire a place in the crow’s demise, come to Teviot when you slip free of rest eternal.
> Annatar: thats
> Annatar: a long walk
> EVE: I can ferry u
> EVE: I have business in caldina anyways
> Annatar: isnt your agi dogshit
> EVE: my embryo has a skill for movement
> EVE: faster than walking on your own at least
> Annatar: fair enough
> Annatar: hey death stalker whats ur plan
> D34th St4lk3r: Listen carefully to your destiny laid bare…

Dead Hand, D34th St4lk3r

Grim Reaper’s hands ticked by as I waited in position for the plan. The afternoon sky was darkened by a thick cover of clouds. Around the corner, one could hear the hubbub of pedestrian life, but I had it tuned out entirely to focus on my Telepathy Cuffs. There was a crow perched upon a nearby streetlight. I wondered if Don Corone had his own plans, and if his murder might act before Annatar and I do.

Suddenly, I heard a voice over my cuffs.

<Crow sighted. It’s go time.>

That was my cue to move. The church bell struck three as I sprung into action. I leaped into the air and fired a warning shot at the crow. Soon, I heard the sound of flapping wings coming towards me from all directions. Good. My AGI should be high enough to keep a good distance from the thicker parts of the murder. Still, I jumped against the walls and glided with Soaring Cape, Windshear to keep me mobile. Here’s hoping Don Corone stays restrained in his pursuit of me.

A half hour later, the sound of an explosion to the south resounded through the air. Another from the east. West. North. Draupnir’s specialty is in the mass-production of items, and Annatar was wasting no time in making her presence known.

The murder chasing me thinned as the crows left, but the city was now alive not with pedestrians but the sounds of birds. Don Corone had mobilized every crow in the city to hunt down myself and Annatar. Just as planned.

“Doom: Don Corone.” Grim Reaper’s hands spun to life. This time, it pointed me towards my prey. My hunch was right: much of Don Corone’s power was locked away as a drawback to one of its skills. That skill happened to be a potent name falsification skill that had let it evade Grim Reaper’s notice. With Don Corone forced to act to his full potential, it had no choice but to leave the protection of that skill.

Grim Reaper pointed me towards the Needle, at the center of town. I had to act fast.

Dodging the crows with ease, I started to climb the Needle. Partway up, Grim Reaper’s hands started to turn. Don Corone was on the move.

[Party member Draupnir Gamma has died]

Don Corone was moving fast. If I don’t catch up to him soon, it’s only a matter of time until Annatar goes down. I couldn’t let that happen.

“Sealed Fate.” A skill that increases my AGI the farther I am from my target. Hard to use, but this was the perfect place for it. My pursuit quickened, and I was now covering entire streets in mere seconds. The crows were becoming more aggressive, but I was just able to evade them so long as Draupnir held on.

[Party member Draupnir Beta has died]

The cloud of crows chasing me was becoming thicker and thicker. Soon enough, I couldn’t muster the mobility needed to dodge all of them at once. Their talons tore deep cuts into me, and I couldn’t tell whether it was blood dripping down my skin or the rain that had started to fall.

[Party member Draupnir Alpha has died]

This was more than I could handle. My strength was draining fast, and I would soon have to start downing HP potions.

My Lifesaving Brooch shattered as a talon nicked my throat.

I couldn’t maintain full running pace anymore. Not without dropping my potions. Not without succumbing to the murder that drowned out all my thoughts in a cacophony of caws and wings.

[Party member Annatar has received the Death Penalty]

Every crow in the city must’ve been converging towards me now. Before, I was caught in a murder - no, a swarm - of crows. But what came at me from both sides seemed more like a wave.

Thinking fast, I leaped onto a roof nearby. With the wind picking up, I could harness it with Windshear, but I needed to catch my breath first.

I took off, and rather than follow me, the tide of beaks and feathers receded. The birds began to converge on a single point in the distance, and as the mass of crows grew, it began to coalesce into a coherent form - a bird worthy of the title of ‘kaiju.’

Dead Hand, D34th St4lk3r

I had fired at the massive crow countless times, but it showed no signs of slowing down, or even injury. If this truly was a kaiju bird, I would at least be chipping away at its HP, but it seemed to be more complicated than that. No, it was truly a murder of crows acting in perfect coordination to mimic the form and function of a colossal bird. Each of my shots was doing full damage, but they were limited to single target damage. As soon as one crow went down, another took its place just as quickly.

<Hopeless, isn’t it. They say that thousands of water droplets can wear away a mountain, but you don’t have that kind of time, do you?>

I heard a voice inside my head. Much like the telepathy cuffs, yet an entirely unfamiliar voice, inhuman in nature.

<I have an offer to present to you. You’ve shown your usefulness to me, and further struggle against me will end only in your death. I’m sure we’ll both be happy with the outcome.>

“Fate has yet to smile on the victor,” I responded. “I will not cease until I have delivered the gift of death.”

<If you want death that badly, I can deliver, but I do recommend you at least consider my proposal.>

Suddenly, I felt the full force of the crows bearing down on me. Within seconds, I felt myself pinned by the massive bird’s ‘foot’ against the cold, wet pavement.

<My request is simple - all I ask is that you complete one more assassination contract for me, and bear no further aggression towards me or my minions. In return, I will offer my strength and aid, as you see the need, and preference towards you in all further assassination contracts. The assassination won’t even be hard - a hardened criminal like your last target to be sure, but I assure you he’ll be a sitting duck.>

A bird flew down with a contract spelling out the details. Whatever Don Corone had planned, he most certainly intended to deliver his end of the deal.

“Your designs are well laid, yet foolish. It would be beyond a professional like me to take work from one marked to die by my hand.” In truth, I simply didn’t like the idea of getting a third party killed if I could help it.

<Very well. If that is your choice, I am perfectly capable of killing the target myself. I offer you a front-row seat.>

The massive crow extended its other ‘foot’ towards me, revealing within its grasp an old man - Tobias. He was struggling against his captor, but for every bird he shook off, two more grasped him. The ‘foot’ then wrapped itself around him, clearly intending to crush him within it, or, perhaps more accurately, tear him apart within the maelstrom of beaks and talons.

“Harvester of Souls–Grim Reaper: Tobias, Don Corone.”

Don Corone clenched down on Tobias. There was no way Tobias was getting out unscathed.

“Waaahgk!!”

The scream came not from Tobias, but from the massive crow that Don Corone had formed. It seemed to me like Don Corone had finally taken real damage.

Don Corone had support and communication-based skills that were broad enough to cover the entire city, and powerful enough to precisely direct at minimum tens if not hundreds of thousands of minions in parallel. Such an intensive skill likely took up most of Don Corone’s Resources with little room for statistics, and based on how he moved, AGI and SP likely took the lion’s share of them.

Therefore, it was entirely possible that Don Corone had less HP than the standard Tian. And, after seeing how Harvester of Souls—Grim Reaper worked, he wasn’t willing to find out the hard way.

Don Corone recoiled from the sudden damage, giving me a chance to slip free. I had one more chance to finish this - but with my blood loss, only one. I fumbled around my inventory for a knife, and stabbed my chest to begin my gambit.

<How surprising. I didn’t take you for one who would give up like that. Or do you simply mean to deprive me of my kill?>

“Heh, I don’t even need my lungs to take you down.”

<Such insolence towards a recent client? I’ll make your death extra painful then.>

The provocation worked. The crows swarmed my body, and gouged large chunks out of my legs until I could no longer stand. As I bled to death, I muttered one last thing before I fell.

[Fatal Damage]

Central Square, Teviot

The massive crow dissipated as its adversary fell. A young man, clad in black and red garb, now lay lifeless in a pool of his own blood. The only sound left now was the rain falling upon the wet pavement, the sound of the church bell striking four, and the ticking of the man’s watch. Both the minute and hour hand pointed towards him, and the second hand slowly counted down.

Don Corone had noticed that the man muttered something as he went down, but wasn’t able to catch it. Surely, if it was a skill, there’s no way it would be active now. With how much the man bled out, and too many limbs gone, he’d have no hope in a fight even if he were somehow revived.

50 seconds left

Speaking of, he should have turned into specks of light by now. Perhaps the effect of that strange “Death Knight” job the man had was extending the resurrection period. Regardless, Don Corone decided to investigate with his minions.

40 seconds left

A use of Reveal showed the man as having no HP left, and a broad array of injury-based debuffs, some of which would be fatal on their own. The minions’ prodding of the corpse confirmed this much, as the body remained stiff to all manner of poking and prodding.

30 seconds left

Don Corone decided to descend to the corpse himself. After all, if he went out of his way to create one, then he might as well scavenge it.

20 seconds left

Don Corone landed on the body. He pondered which body part to eat first - heart, liver, eyes… oh, the eyes should make for a quick snack. He bit down on the man’s eye, started pulling it out, and-

Bang!

The man had lifted his arm with AGI vastly surpassing anything Don Corone had seen from him, and fired at the bird. In fact, the man‘s Embryo had boosted his AGI to supersonic levels with one of its skills. The UBM was dead in an instant.

10 seconds left

[UBM, “Kingpin of Crows, Don Corone,” was defeated]
[Selecting MVP]
[D34th St4lk3r was selected as MVP]
[D34th St4lk3r is presented with an MVP special reward – “Swarmshot Pistol, Don Corone”]

0 seconds left

[Last Command Expired]
[Resurrection Period Expired]
[Death Penalty: 24 Hour Login Ban]

Teviot, Cafe

It was two weeks in Dendro time after the incident in Teviot. With Don Corone dead, the current mayor was struggling to maintain his public image, as many of his less scrupulous aspects, such as dealings with a certain criminal, came to light without any enforcers to shut down dissent. Many rival politicians had anticipated that this would lead to an effective power vacuum, and had already taken initiative to appeal to the populace - and to others in power - to try to fill the void that would inevitably be left.

“…So, that’s what’s happened since you were last here,” Tobias said. The man was talking with his friend, D34th St4lk3r.

“I see… the winds of fate rage upon this city. I hope you do not get lost in their turbulence,” D34th St4lk3r said.

“I’ll be fine. I expect there will be a lot of work for me soon. The politicians will only tolerate each other for so long, after all. But I’ll probably leave after one last contract. I don’t wanna stick around to see things get too heated after all.”

“The fates of Altar and Dryfe are marred with violence, and this place may be caught in their blaze,” D34th St4lk3r said. “Seeking safety in Caldina would be inevitable regardless.”

“Perhaps, perhaps. Hopefully there won’t be a wave of serious incidents there. Anyways…”

“Right, the promised payment.” D34th St4lk3r handed over a bag of coins. “Two thousand lir.”

“The bet was hardly fair. I was just hopeful for the chance I was wrong.” Tobias had written into the contract that the winner of the bet was free to refuse the reward for this exact reason.

“Take it. I have another target upon which I shall deliver a due death.”

“Well then, I wish you the best of luck. Don’t go in too far over your head, alright?”

“My actions are the acts of fate. Where it guides, I follow… that said, I’ll be careful,” D34th St4lk3r said, as he left the cafe.

Tobias sighed. “He’s gotta learn his limits sometimes,” he muttered to himself.

Control AI No 11’s Workspace

A bespectacled man bearing a menagerie of monster parts on his body walked through the cavernous chamber. It wasn’t unusual for the control AIs to keep books on hand, since Cheshire welcomed Masters in a study, and the man, Jabberwock, kept records of UBMs held in his vault, but No. 11’s workplace dwarfed the others. Nearly every surface of this room was covered in books, representing the vast data held by Tweedledee and Tweedledum. The size of the place resembled a space colony more so than any building on land, conventional or otherwise.

Jabberwock approached what looked to be a small orb, its surface shifting as if made of thousands of sliding parts. On a closer look, it was actually a pair of twins, orbited by rings of countless books. They looked to be a young boy and a young girl, but the amount of information they were processing at this moment was far beyond what any group of people could even consider, even with their information limiters.

“The plan you had to foster the growth of that UBM in Teviot ended before it could reach its full potential,” Jabberwock said. “Were you able to get any good data from it?”

“We obtained parameters that may become valuable in subsequent attempts,” Tweedledum responded.
“Does it count to say ‘don’t rely on Masters acting as expected?’”

Tweedledee had a point - this was at least the third time Jabberwock bet a useful UBM’s success on Masters not acting unpredictably and lost a UBM because of it.

“I’ll have to make more careful preparations for the… erratic behavior of a certain variety of Masters. That said, I can’t say I’m not pleased with how Don Corone performed. It still made for good growth for non-Superiors, and I must say the tactics used by Grim Reaper’s synchronizer were fascinating.”

“On another note, we’ve been keeping tabs on the Treasurebeast Orbs in Caldina.”
“They’ve been causing quite a stir!”
“There’s one in particular that’s likely to be released in the near future, and we expect the scene to be crowded with Masters.”
“If you can use ■■■■■ on it, it might even get multiple Embryos to evolve at once!”

“Hmmm…” Jabberwock pondered something to himself. “That’s just as likely to kill it. I don’t use ■■■■■ on UBMs lightly for a reason. If there are Superiors involved, it may be best to just let the pre-Superiors fight them over the orb.”

“Understandable. I trust your judgement on the matter.”
“Keep an eye on it though, ‘cause you might be able to give those Masters a hell of a time!”

“I doubt it.” Jabberwock disappeared as he left for his own workspace.