FORSAKEN KID: Wrap up and around (unfinalized)

“He’s offline, sir. He logged out just an hour ago,” she immediately responded. “Maybe it was a job.”

Fuego found it odd. “...but I didn’t see him register for one…" ponder. "Come with me.” They headed to the registrar and asked to look at tonight’s jar to find David, but he really wasn’t there.

“His name isn’t listed… did he go as an assistant?” Vo asked.

“I did see him with a group earlier. Under ‘Marina’.” the registrar said as he looked for Marina’s list from the jar, then handed it to Fuego. “With Lantass? He didn’t sign up for a job–...” then he saw the application and saw only “Ialan” as assistant. “This has to be a joke. Was he really with them?”

“...His name is not on for a job as of right now, but he did follow them.”

“Ridiculous. Vo, grab my bike,” he glanced at the paper again. “We’re going to District S39.”

…

“How the hell are we going to manage all these dogs?!” asked David, running AND running out of breath.

“You’re a Herbal Witch. Figure it out,” Marina said as they dashed away from hostile dogs.

“The heck?! I don't know everything, I have graduated, but I'm still learning! Herbal witchcraft isn’t as easy as you think, missy!” They climb a house and up on its roof. Marina hands him a pouch of powder. He took a look and immediately found it’s a sleeping remedy. The bit that’s strong and quickly effective, but poisonous after a decent amount of intake. Not to mention, it’s rare and crafted by the most skilled Herbal Witches. “How on earth?”

“I got it from the World’s greatest Herbal Witch herself.”

The powder is incredibly rare and hard to make. If David had the time to, he'd spend hours analyzing it in hopes to make it himself. Right now they are on a mission, and that powder would be a really great help.

“I’m giving it to you so the decision is yours. Keeping it or using it?” The powder is just enough to take all the dogs in front of them to the dreamland. And there are still more out there.

“...Is there any other way to tame them?”

“Tame? that ain’t necessary, we can submit them dead or alive, remember? Just catch ‘em.”

“You’re horrible.”

“I know a bunch of ways, but if you’re against killing or hurting these poor grown-ass puppies, then all of my solutions are cancelled out,” she stares at the moon with a bored tone, “Unless you’re good with animals, then you have no choice but to use that, am I right?”

“I don’t think I’m good with animals in general, untamed strays are unfriendly towards me.”

“Give it a hot shot, wimpling. If you’re saving that powder.”

David hesitated for a bit, before he inhaled, held his breath, and blew a long loud whistle. It calmed the majority of the pack. He points at where Ialan should be meeting them, and those who understood ran there, the others who didn’t but relied on the pack followed as well… but some tough ones remained.

“Idiots… Guess I’d really have to use a portion of these, huh…”

“No need,” Marina said as she glided down smoothly like the wind towards the dogs. “Take the whole pouch. I can handle a few, 1, 2… 13 of them.” They bark insanely at her. One by one, she restricted each of them with the wind and marked them with a spell under the Batch’s name. To notify the head of the count of their seized dogs.

“I see… because there were so many of them earlier, of course you couldn’t just immobilize them this easily. I’ll lend a hand.”

…

After marking the dogs, they let them roam, knowing they can’t leave the district anyway. Then the two headed to where Ialan is supposed to meet them. As they get there, they find Ialan on a high place, throwing rocks at the dogs David sent him, and marking the ones he hit unconscious.

David panicked, “THE HELL— stop that!” he rushed to climb the wall Ialan was on to kick off the rocks.

“Ooh, nice one, Ialan, that was the best solution I had in mind,” Marina thought out loud.

“Don’t blame me. I was overwhelmed by their number…” Ialan said with a calm face and voice.

“WHO RAISED YOU TWO?!” David in disbelief >:(

“Your mother. Who abandoned you.”

“EXCUSE ME?!?!?”

“Nah, jk what made u think she who didn’t raise you would raise us lmao. Mi papi did.”

“Don’t blame paps either. At least I know you mostly raised me,” Ialan objected. “Paps won’t instill this mindset in me.”

“Chill, chill, it was a joke,” a dog starts chewing and pulling on Marina’s cloak. “...I want a taser rn.”

“Get up here, doofus!” David shouted. She marked the dog and jumped to the wall.

“Aight, here’s the plan. Davey, do you know how to levitate things?”

“Er… I can do small stuff, but it’s exhausting and it requires intense focus. Can’t say you can trust me with that one.”

“That’s fine… then, I’ll levitate two dogs and you guys mark one each. Act quick, I don’t know how long I can keep them up.”

As each dog rises, the boys mark them as told. After about 12 times, Marina was grunting in pain, “Guh… so heavy…”

“Use the wind,” said Ialan.

“But the breeze is flowing so perfectly at this moment, I don’t really wanna bother it…”

“Bother it.”

“Ugh, fine.” She sulked and crossed her arms. Suddenly the floating of the dogs went smoother. This time, 3 dogs are risen as Marina’s hands are now free and started helping them mark the dogs.

“Then? After this, what?” David asks. “Do we tame them? Then send them somewhere?”

“The registrar said the initiators of this job are waiting in this spot in the Wander World. We just gotta transport them there. Since the barrier around restricts “4-legged mammals”, we can just use it to transfer them there in one go. The unmarked dogs and other 4-legged creatures are sent back here. Simple.”

“Simple, you say… but it’s hard to transit to the Wander World in such an urban place. It will take forever!”

“Why not? We have until dawn. yawn…it’s, like, only 10 pm.”

David sighs in defeat.

Once done, they really did start transiting the dogs to the other dimension. They went one by one at a time, while the three roamed further to look for more untagged dogs. “Ialan, you’re sure the barrier is shrinking, right?”

“It started long ago. It’s about half of the original size as of the moment. All 4-legged mammals who hit the border should be sent to the Wander World by now.”

“Good… it’s going smoothly, aight?”

“Surprisingly for me, yes,” David said. “Normally, I can’t go on job requests because my bad luck will get in my way in finishing any job at all. Since unsuccessful jobs have fees, I end up losing instead of making money,” David said. “It’s my first fine job in a while.”

“So that’s why you couldn’t get off Fuego’s fingers, eh? He got you all and your curse all controlled,” Marina commented.

David hated that. To change to topic, “I heard you’re after the Diamerald. And you mentioned me when talking about it. Was that why you approached me? Well, too bad. I don’t have it—”

“I know. It’s impossible that you have it. But it’s not the reason I was after you.” Marina marked the last dog. “I just wanted to know you better.”

It sounded weird for David, coming from Marina. He knows she’s an asshole—she made it clear to him 3 years ago. A prideful deceitful piece of poop. She’s still the same, just a bit tad different. But... she sounds… like she meant it? Like she wasn’t just messing with him all this time?

“David. Won’t you resign from the head and work for me?”

“…HUH–?”

Suddenly, an approaching motorbike stopped before them. David recognized it before the two people on it took off their helmets. “The chief?”

“David. Why are you out here? You aren’t registered for this job!”

“HUH?! I’m not?! You hoe, you said I’m in!” He blamed Marina.

“Buh–!? I did put your name–! …–oh… yeah, I just remembered. For your name to be recorded, you should be a part of my circle first… which you aren’t… that must mean your name is in pending. Hehe, whoops~!”

“What do you mean circle–?! Gosh, why is this system so complicated?!?!?”

“Vo, take them and put them in custody. Then we’ll halt the job request and revoke it,” Fuego ordered. He can’t take on Marina. He knows she’ll just play his own flames against him.

“Yes, sir,” While Vo prepares her long dagger, Fuego notices that Ialan should be part of the job, but he’s out of sight. “Where’s Iala—”

But then suddenly, a cylindrical something came flying towards Fuego and Vo from their blind spot. “Think fast!” Marina said. Clearly, she wasn't the one who threw, but... By reflex, Vo slashed it in half, only for them to realize the second later that it’s baby powder. Then, with Marina’s wind, the powder spread and blocked their sight in all directions. “Make a run for it, boys!”

“Damnit!” Fuego and Vo try to catch up but the fog of baby powder is following them.

“Sorry, chief,” He heard Ialan’s voice from nearby before his heavy footsteps went away. From afar, he could also hear Marina’s laughter. Fuego’s blood boiled as he stopped Vo. There is the spell that removes the Division’s people’s memories of the night (placed there for every job), so they can't stay for too long either. He has no chance against that vile Marina.