Disc 1: Many Streams. Ch. 8: Question

Thanks to the supplies, the trio had an easy trip. In twenty hours, they were near the border of Many Streams. They crossed paths with few people—mostly neighborhoods from the outer sections of the Community. By this point, everyone knew about the Great Earthquake, but since communications were down, no one was prepared for the upcoming waves of survivors.

They stopped now and then to have short rests. Common Day used those moments to resume watching Kikishime. In the meantime, Satis learned how autodrivens worked. It was clear by then that Pretty Anarchy Emerald was knowledgeable in various branches of human knowledge. However, she struggled with practical examples. She nervously tried to disassemble an autodriven to enlighten Satis—without success.

Suddenly, a march could be heard outside the walls of the Outer Ring.

Survivors? The Rose Horde? Not even one hundred hours, and we already have so many problems.

He quickly grabbed the pile, Satis and Pretty Anarchy Emerald, and hid inside the autodriven the girls were working on. From their hiding spot, they could see a procession of hundreds of people marching outside the OR. Common Day noticed they all wore white robes and green, pointed hats that covered their faces—only their eyes visible.

At the center of the procession were four tall poles carried by the strongest in the crowd. Common Day had to adjust his Left Eye because he couldn’t believe what he was seeing. A living person was hanging from four ropes, each connected to one of the poles. His arms were tightly bound, and his bleeding legs just dangled in the air.

The trio began to whisper.

“That’s a lot of people just to torture one guy,” Satis muttered, amazed.

“Nah, they’re clearly some kind of religious group that—”

“Shh! Don’t you know about the Lottery Crusade? Originally from the South Community, it’s one of the three main religious forces roaming the peninsula. That guy? He’s clearly one of the one hundred forty-four scientists responsible for killing god. Their creed is to expose and torture them all—until the end of times. The origin of—”

“Yeah, yeah, we get it. So… are they dangerous?”

Pretty Anarchy Emerald definitely didn’t like being interrupted, especially by Common Day. But that wasn’t the problem right now.

“Those guys are not your main concern at the moment.”

Satis let out a scream. Behind them stood an ashen-haired woman pointing two nuclear pistols at them, one in each hand. She wore a black trench coat that looked far too big for her. At her feet were all their supply boxes.

But the most dangerous thing is that we hadn’t even noticed her presence.

Slowly, the trio stepped out of the autodriven and stood before the ashen-haired woman. Pretty Anarchy Emerald was frozen in fear, but Satis looked at Common Day out of the corner of her remaining eye, waiting for a signal. There was no water flowing nearby, and summoning the bow could take too long. He was fast, yes, but he hadn't tested himself against two guns.

The woman broke the silence.

“No need to be nervous, my dears. I won’t take all your boxes. Just one is enough, and then you can go your way. Oh—and of course, your pendant…and your earring.”

The ashen-haired woman was referring to the strange pendant Satis had worn since her first transformation, and the luxurious earring Pretty Anarchy Emerald wore. Satis looked like a rabid dog at the mere suggestion, while Pretty Anarchy Emerald’s face was anxious and full of fear.

Still, something kept nagging at me. Why not kill us from the start? It’s not like there’d be any consequence…

As soon as he realized what was really going on, Common Day lunged at the ashen-haired woman. As he suspected, she dropped the guns and prepared to punch him. Unfortunately for her, she was already within his biting range—so he clung to her neck.

The woman let out a sharp scream and prepared to counterattack, but it was too late. Satis had circled behind her and squeezed her arms, pulling her even farther from the pistols. Pretty Anarchy Emerald remained frozen in her place, too stunned to process what had just happened.

“Bow to me, human! The Great—”

“Nice try, dear. But I already know no electronics work, nuclear weapons included.” He had to interrupt the ridiculous theatrics of his demoness companion.

The ashen-haired woman looked him straight in the eyes. Even Satis and Pretty Anarchy Emerald flinched.

“Smart boy we’ve got here. So—are you planning to rob the procession?”

Common Day considered the idea for a moment. It would be wise not to draw too much attention before reaching their destination. On the other hand, he was supposed to spread evil across the world. But… would that really count? The idea didn’t excite him.

“We are not interested in fanatics,” reply dryly.

Their prisoner smiled in satisfaction.

Then, with a quick twist of her arms, she broke free of Satis’s grasp. Common Day was fast, but his reaction time wasn’t perfect. The woman knocked him down with a shoulder blow. In a fluid motion, she drew two knives from inside her coat and leapt behind Pretty Anarchy Emerald. The merchant girl hadn’t moved a muscle the entire time.

Satis helped Common Day up from the floor.

“Easy, dears. My name is Black Tongue, Mother of the Disgusting. Black or Tongue is fine. And hey—don’t take a step forward. Your friend here is fine. No need to get upset.”

But you’ve still got both knives at her throat, huh?

The ashen-haired woman continued.

“Yes, I was planning to rob you. Yet as you can see, I don’t really need to hoard supplies. What I need… is your help.”

Common Day tensed again. He didn’t want to summon the bow in front of Pretty Anarchy Emerald—but they might have to kill both witnesses if things went south.

“You too seem capable enough. Just help with this.”

She pointed toward the Lottery Crusade outside the tunnel.

“You want us to kill them?!” Common Day already suspected they were heavily armed. He wouldn’t attempt that even under threat.

“Them? Oh no, I think you misunderstood.” She pointed above the fanatic crowd. “Him. I want your help in killing the hanging scientist.”

Common Day and Satis exchanged confused looks.

Pretty Anarchy Emerald looked at the three of them, horrified.