Keylogger

As the sunlight began to fade, the two women waited for Lizard and “his boys” to come back. They sat in the living room of what had clearly once been a home, upon wooden chairs that were water damaged but serviceable. Keilnei was examining the tablet when it buzzed in her hands. It was not so different from the technology of her own people, so she passed the time trying to access sections other than the compass. She didn’t discuss it openly, of course, given how fanatical her only companion was.

The words “mission complete” flashed across the top of the screen, and she had her opportunity to explore. When she tapped the hyperlink, she was treated to a small list of rewards. Unfortunately the tablet did not tell her what mission Gil had completed to gain such a prize.

Gained:

1 credit

Brockton Retcon: Most Common Superpower

New Mission for region: Brockton Bay

View new mission?

Keilnei saw no backspace option, so she found herself staring at the small screen. There were separate embedded links for both the “Most Common Superpower” and “View new mission.” She had to choose one, and as opaque as the title of the reward was, the other option was far easier to justify.

It was looking increasingly improbable that the two women would have the opportunity to get their hands on a bottle of Powers in a Can. Attending the meeting seemed worthwhile more for reconnaissance than any real chance of victory. Besides, this was the first time she would get to see Gil’s “mission log” with her own eyes. With luck, she would be able to access the entire log. He was always so coy about it unless he was giving orders.

Golden Timeline: Ensure Charlotte’s survival at the Merchant’s rally. Failure if she dies by any means.

Reward - Unlock “living quarters” for purchase, Fiona Belli Card (Haunting Ground), Instant Capture of Charlotte.

Keilnei raised her eyebrows. She was not lucky enough to be treated to the whole quest log, and the only link embedded in the rewards was Living Quarters. That proved to have a description that largely matched what she would have expected from the name alone, and proved to be a dead end. She could navigate back to the compass, which Gil had authorized her to view, and nothing more.

The mission was to save someone named Charlotte who, based on the compass, was already in the mall. She didn’t know how many credits the original objective was worth, or the rewards. However, what she did know was that now they had two objectives. Depending on who this Charlotte person was, she just might be the easier option by far. Keilnei was broadly aware of what character cards were, and though she knew not the nature of “Fiona Belli,” she knew that even a card for a young civilian could prove to be a precious commodity. She was somewhat ambivalent about the term “capture,” but Keilnei doubted that Gil’s sponsors would demand he protect someone only to harm them in the next breath.

She skirted by her motives for investigation when she told Candress, but luckily the elf was more interested in the tactical implications than Keilnei’s snooping. They spent the next hour batting the topic back and forth like a couple of bored cats.

“Obviously Gil would prefer if we complete one mission successfully over attempting too much and failing.” Keilnei said, gnawing upon a bit of jerky they’d packed for supper.

“I can’t argue with your logic.” Candress said. “The question is which to prioritize. From what he has told us, the more difficult a mission the greater its rewards. If credits are to be taken as a guide, then this Charlotte woman is likely of relatively low value. We should focus on the original mission, which is to retrieve an item Master Gil believes to be of intrinsic value.”

“Our efforts thus far have been almost entirely fruitless.” Keilnei argued, “If there were a clear path forward I might agree with you, but I think we should lower our gaze to the earth. An easier task would be more profitable if the greater prize is out of reach.”

Candress sighed, accepting the obvious logic of the Draenei’s words.

“A compromise.” She said, “We scout out the event, and we assess the situation. We identify this Charlotte woman and intervene if she is put in danger, but focus on our primary objective.”

“Only if a clear opportunity presents itself.” Keilnei insisted, “This new mission is time sensitive and seems easier. Ideally, we could track the target’s location and when Gil is available in the morning, hopefully with reinforcements, we can lead him to the powers.”

Candress drummed her fingers on the table, but accepted the proposal eventually. She wasn’t stupid; she knew their objective was a long shot. She didn’t have great odds of sneaking in with Keilnei’s support; without backup, facing the leadership of a group of local mages with a rag tag army at their disposal would be outright suicidal.

Keilnei, for her part, was neither lying nor telling the full truth. She genuinely did believe that it would be easier to protect a low value captive than to steal a jealously guarded potion. She genuinely did believe that Gil would be pleased with a lesser prize. She just also had far too much altruism to pass up the opportunity to save a potentially innocent life. If they found Charlotte and the woman’s fate was to be torn apart by her own abused slaves, Keilnei’s song would likely change in mid-verse.

The two were still mapping out their general plans when Lizard and his men arrived. The group, which indeed consisted entirely of eight fighting age men, leered at the two girls. Their intentions, which had never even playacted at nobility, were all too clear. A shame, really. Keilnei and Candress had extended the hand of friendship, and found it grasped by a demon’s claw. All pity died in the moment Keilnei identified the predatory gleam in their eyes.

Lizard himself died first, a hole appearing through his head in the instant between when he reached out to grab Keilnei and when he could make his first threat. The Draenei woman twisted away, and even the flailing slash he attempted with his dying breath only served to cut through her hoodie and lightly score her leather armor.

Candress pulled the trigger five more times, taking just long enough to aim each shot at a different assailant. None of the other bullets landed anywhere near as perfectly, recoil being what it is, but Keilnei was able to follow up with a few wide sweeps of her short sword. Three of the survivors fled, but the rest redoubled their efforts, with two charging Candress and two attempting to overpower Keilnei. One laughed, a chillingly insane sound born of either madness or ****. Keilnei didn’t care which; these were no longer people to her.

Had they been women from the world that hosted Brockton Bay, perhaps they would have been overpowered. Mundane women rarely have favorable outcomes when they attempt to grapple with men while outnumbered two to one. However, Keilnei was easily as strong as a human man her size, the mass of a seven foot tall woman, and had nearly a decade of combat experience. She took a blow from a baseball bat to the side of her torso, but she fought through the pain and drove her blade into the man’s ear. A follow up stomp on her other assailant’s foot crushed bone beneath her disguised hoof.

Candress wasn’t faring half as well after her gun ran dry, but she was able to hold the two men off even after they closed into melee. The fact that they, in their **** induced haze, thought they could break her spirit with a good dicking meant that they wanted her alive. They attacked to hurt instead of kill, right up until the point where Keilnei ended their lives from behind.

The two women, both sporting several new bruises, locked gazes on one another.

“Tea?” Candress asked.

“Yes.” Keilnei agreed, and the two passed a waterskin full of healing tea between one another.

The leaf had been steeping in cold water for hours. The resulting brew was profoundly disgusting and much less effective than a fresh bottle of hot tea, but was sufficient for a few minor bruises and let them split the effects of one healing leaf. That meant they still had four between them, plus Keilnei’s Gift of the Naaru. They felt a faint sense of fatigue as the tea mended their injuries, but nothing insurmountable. Even the fact that Keilnei now had a faded bruise covering the right side of her face had a silver lining. It really cut down on her allure while testifying that she had been in at least one fight.

They stooped to strip anything of potential value from the men, which was easier said than done. The strange folded leather bags that contained paper money were easy enough to identify thanks to Gil priming them, but the various bags and small bottles of powder and pills were unclear. Probably worth taking, but they were in no position to barter for **** they didn’t know the names of.

They didn’t know what a baseball bat was, but it seemed as if this style of club was common in the area, so the two women adopted them for the sake of intimidation. A few extra layers of ragged clothing did little to hide their curves, but it was worth the attempt. Finally, they stripped off the various jangling red, green, white, and black wristbands the men wore. They didn’t have any personalization, frequently being little more than widely looped zip ties, so by the time the two women were done they had all the marks of seniority in the Merchants.

“Let’s get going before someone comes to investigate the gunfire.” Keilnei said. “They might want to loot any fallen, if nothing else.”

“Agreed.” Candress said. “If we get into another fight like that, we will need to abort mission.”

“Hopefully Gil is having an easier time.” Keilnei said. “I understand Rose may be capable of providing us aid somehow? Did he tell you more of this?”

“So long as you keep that quill on your person, she may.” Candress agreed, “I wouldn’t count on it, however. When she was within my mind, she saw the two of us as an afterthought. It’s likely she will only assist if our situation is dire or she sees an excellent opportunity.”

The two women looked at one another and let the unspoken question hang in the air unaddressed. Nothing **** them to stay the course. However, Keilnei found herself far too invested in the assumed plight of Charlotte, a woman she had never met. Candress, more directly, didn’t want to return to Gil empty handed. To a woman who saw her entire purpose in life to be service, a failure to provide value was the greatest dishonor. As such, the two women gulped down the cold tea and never seriously considered retreat.

••••••••••

Fiona Belli is the main protagonist of the survival horror game Haunting Ground, also known as Demento. Puzzle solving, intimidating villains stalking her around a manor, minimal ability to fight back. You know the type. She did get an animal companion doggo, though, and that’s a big part of the game. Physically? She’s a pretty blonde girl with breasts large enough that most women look extremely flat by comparison when they try to cosplay as her.

So what to do with her card, if we get it? This is just gauging interest in the various options.

https://strawpoll.com/GPgVYqAzvna