[One month later]
The Ragnarock Café had changed considerably over the past month.
What had once been a small and relatively quiet café in the Backstreets had become a surprisingly profitable establishment.
Somehow, Eridius had managed to turn a collection of Fixers, workers, Bloodfiends, and giant humanoid cockroaches into something resembling a functioning business.
Somehow.
For the most part.
[Eridius]: Alex, we have an order of five Sun Cakes and ten cups of coffee for Table Six.
[Alexander]: Got it, leader.
Alexander turned toward the café floor.
[Alexander]: Cockroaches, go!
Several giant humanoid cockroaches immediately grabbed the trays and rushed toward Table Six.
[Eridius]: ...They're actually getting pretty good at this.
One of the cockroaches gave him a thumbs-up.
[Cockroach]: Coffee.
Eridius nodded.
[Eridius]: Good job.
The cockroach looked incredibly proud of itself.
Eridius then turned toward Woods.
[Eridius]: Woods, did you take care of those gang members who were interfering with our business?
Woods casually wiped her hands on her apron.
[Woods]: Yep. Covered them in coffee and fed them to the roaches.
Eridius paused.
[Eridius]: ...Efficient.
He decided not to ask any further questions.
His eyes then shifted toward one of Woods' sons.
[Eridius]: Guilliman, how are this month's earnings?
Guilliman adjusted his glasses before checking the records.
[Guilliman]: Boss, our earnings have increased by 120% since we added Sun Cakes to the menu.
Eridius nodded approvingly.
[Eridius]: Excellent.
After all, Eridius had read enough Warhammer to know that Woods' children might actually be useful.
So he had hired them.
With extra pay, of course.
He wasn't completely heartless.
Mostly.
Eridius glanced toward Guilliman.
[Eridius]: And your brothers? Are they still in the basement?
Guilliman immediately covered his face and looked away.
That was answer enough.
[Guilliman]: ...Yes.
Eridius sighed.
[Eridius]: What are they doing down there?
[Guilliman]: They're taking care of the plants.
He hesitated.
[Guilliman]: Magnus has been making reports about them.
[Eridius]: Naturally.
[Guilliman]: Vulkan is still hugging the giant Sun-shroom.
Eridius stared at him.
Guilliman stared back.
Neither said anything for several seconds.
[Eridius]: ...Why?
[Guilliman]: I stopped asking questions.
Eridius nodded.
That was probably the correct decision.
He thought for a moment before asking another question.
[Eridius]: Do they still collect the sunlight produced by the Sun-shrooms, or are they just leaving it to fade away?
[Guilliman]: They're collecting it.
[Eridius]: Good. At least someone down there is doing their job.
Eridius paused.
Then another thought occurred to him.
[Eridius]: And Horus?
Guilliman's expression immediately became uncomfortable.
[Eridius]: Is he still eyeing my seat as office leader?
Guilliman slowly nodded.
Eridius sighed.
[Eridius]: Tell him that if he wants my position, he needs to work harder.
He pointed toward the busy café.
[Eridius]: This isn't the Golden Toilet—
He stopped.
[Eridius]: I mean... throne.
Guilliman stared at him.
[Guilliman]: ...You almost called your office chair the Golden Toilet.
[Eridius]: I said what I said.
From somewhere in the basement came a distant, muffled voice.
[Horus]: I HEARD THAT!
Eridius calmly picked up his cup of coffee and took a sip.
[Eridius]: Good. Then you can hear the part about working harder, too.
He paused.
[Eridius]: Or do you want me to send Perturabo down there to whip you into shape?
Silence.
For a few seconds, nothing happened.
Then—
CRACK!
The unmistakable sound of a whip echoed from the basement.
[Horus]: AAAAAAAAAAGH!
[Unknown Voice]: WHY AM I GETTING WHIPPED?!
[Perturabo]: YOU DINE AND DASHED! YOU HAD THE GUTS TO EAT FOR FREE, BUT NOT THE GUTS TO PICK UP THE SUNLIGHT?!
[Horus]: I DIDN'T EVEN DINE AND DASH!
[Perturabo]: THEN WHY ARE YOU DOWN HERE?!
[Horus]: ...Long story, brother!
A brief silence.
[Horus]: I accidentally started a rebellion.
There was another silence.
[Perturabo]: [ಠ╭╮ಠ]
Another crack of the whip echoed through the basement.
[Horus]: AAAAAAGH!
[Perturabo]: YOU DINE. YOU EAT. YOU REFUSE TO WORK. THEN YOU EXPECT THE SUNLIGHT TO COLLECT ITSELF?!
[Horus]: THAT ISN'T EVEN WHAT HAPPENED!
[Perturabo]: THEN START WORKING!
[Horus]: YES, BROTHER!
Eridius continued drinking his coffee.
He didn't even bother looking toward the basement.
The café had developed a rather effective system for dealing with troublemakers.
Unfortunately, it involved the basement.
Over the past month, several people had attempted to exploit Ragnarock Café.
Some were simple troublemakers.
Some were gang members who thought they could pressure a growing business in the Backstreets.
And some were idiots who apparently believed that because the café served food, they could simply eat and leave without paying.
They had all made the same mistake.
They had underestimated the staff.
Alexander was now a Grade 6 Fixer.
Eridius himself had reached Grade 7.
Neither of them had much patience for people trying to make quick money at their expense.
The first group of gang members had tried threatening the café.
They were sent downstairs.
The second group had tried extorting the café.
They were sent downstairs.
A third group had attempted to steal supplies.
They were also sent downstairs.
Then came the dine-and-dashers.
They were given the same punishment.
Not death.
Not torture.
Something much worse.
Ragnarock Café's gardening department.
The basement had become a massive agricultural area filled with Sun-shrooms, strange plants, and experimental crops from Eridius' second Singularity.
Anyone sent down there was expected to work.
Collect sunlight.
Maintain the plants.
Carry supplies.
Record growth.
And, most importantly—
Don't touch Vulkan's Sun-shroom.
Nobody knew exactly why Vulkan was hugging the enormous mushroom.
Nobody was brave enough to ask.
From the basement came another scream.
[Unknown Voice]: WHY ARE THERE SO MANY PLANTS?!
[Perturabo]: BECAUSE YOU ARE GOING TO TAKE CARE OF ALL OF THEM!
[Unknown Voice]: BUT WE'RE FIXERS!
[Perturabo]: THEN FIX THE PLANTS!
A pause.
[Unknown Voice]: ...That's not how Fixers work.
[Perturabo]: IT IS NOW.
CRACK!
[Unknown Voice]: AAAAAAAAAAGH!
Eridius sighed.
[Eridius]: At least they're learning.
Alexander walked past carrying a tray of coffee.
[Alexander]: Leader, should I stop Perturabo?
Eridius thought about it.
From the basement came another scream.
[Horus]: I REGRET EVERYTHING!
Eridius took another sip.
[Eridius]: No.
Alexander nodded.
[Alexander]: Fair enough.
From below, Horus suddenly shouted.
[Horus]: WAIT! WHY AM I EVEN BEING PUNISHED?!
Eridius raised his voice just enough for the basement to hear.
[Eridius]: Because you started a rebellion.
[Horus]: THAT WAS AN ACCIDENT!
[Eridius]: Then accidentally work harder.
There was silence.
Then—
[Horus]: ...Yes, boss.
Eridius smiled faintly.
The Ragnarock Café was profitable.
The gangs were no longer bothering them.
The dine-and-dashers had learned their lesson.
The plants were being maintained.
And somehow, the basement was functioning.
Everything was going perfectly.
Probably.
Because today, while checking the security cameras, Eridius noticed three people entering the café.
A man.
And two women.
At first, Eridius didn't think much of it.
Then he looked at one of the women.
She was pale, with striking red eyes. Her dark, warm-gray hair was cut in a choppy style, falling messily around her face in uneven bangs before being gathered into a long ponytail that reached her waist. The ponytail was tied with a small red bear hair tie secured by a black band.
She wore an olive-green collared dress with four buttons, a black miniskirt underneath, and a white laboratory coat that draped past her knees. Her shoes matched the color of her dress, with the toe and heel shaded darker, almost the same color as her skirt.
Eridius froze.
He knew that face.
He knew those clothes.
He knew exactly who she was.
Carmen.
Not a portrait.
Not a recording.
Not some strange distortion.
Carmen was standing inside his café.
And behind her were two more people.
Ayin.
And Gebura.
The Red Mist.
Eridius immediately went pale as paper.
His mind began producing possible futures at an alarming rate.
The café destroyed.
His organization erased.
A Corp asking questions.
Garion hearing about this.
Garion asking why Carmen was here.
Carmen asking questions.
Ayin staring silently at him.
Gebura testing her sword.
His entire café becoming a crater.
The Backstreets becoming a crater.
The City becoming a crater.
Reality itself somehow becoming a crater.
Hundreds of end-of-the-world scenarios flashed through Eridius's mind in the span of a few seconds.
[Eridius]: ...
Alexander noticed his expression.
[Alexander]: Leader?
Eridius didn't answer.
Alexander walked over and placed a hand on his shoulder.
Pat. Pat.
That was the needle that popped the alarm.
Eridius's entire body violently jerked.
[Eridius]: GHOST, DON'T DISTORT ME!
BOOM!
Eridius shot through the ceiling.
He smashed through the floor of the second story, disappeared for half a second—
Then gravity remembered that he existed.
CRASH!
Eridius fell straight back down into the first floor.
He landed directly in front of Carmen.
Silence.
The entire café stopped moving.
Even the cockroaches froze.
One of them slowly lowered a coffee cup.
Carmen blinked.
Eridius remained on the floor, staring up at her with the expression of a man who had just discovered that his life insurance policy did not cover Carmen.
Carmen calmly looked at him.
Then at the hole in the ceiling.
Then back at him.
Meanwhile, Ayin quietly observed the situation.
Gebura raised an eyebrow.
Carmen simply smiled.
[Carmen]: ...Hello.
Eridius's soul nearly left his body.
He slowly got back on his feet, brushing the dust from his clothes.
For perhaps the first time in his life, Eridius had absolutely no idea what to say.
So naturally, he chose the most professional option available.
[Eridius]: Miss Carmen, it is an honor to meet you.
He forced a smile.
[Eridius]: Would you mind if we talked somewhere a little more... private?
Carmen tilted her head slightly.
Before she could answer, Eridius looked around the café.
His eyes immediately landed on Alexander, who was already running toward them after hearing the crash.
[Eridius]: Alex.
Alexander stopped.
[Eridius]: Please take our guests to the VIP room on the third floor.
He lowered his voice.
[Eridius]: Prepare the VIP menu.
Alexander nodded.
[Eridius]: Give them everything they want.
A pause.
[Eridius]: And make it all free.
Alexander stared at him.
[Alexander]: ...Free?
[Eridius]: Free.
Eridius smiled.
It was the most forced smile Alexander had ever seen.
[Eridius]: Everything.
Alexander slowly looked toward Carmen.
Then Ayin.
Then Gebura.
Then back toward Eridius.
He understood.
[Alexander]: ...Right.
Eridius grabbed Alexander by the shoulder.
[Eridius]: Alex, come here for a second.
[Alexander]: Why do I suddenly feel like I'm about to receive terrible news?
Eridius dragged him into an empty hallway.
The moment they were out of sight, Eridius slammed Alexander against the wall.
BAM!
Alexander blinked.
[Alexander]: Leader?!
Eridius grabbed him by the shoulders.
His expression was completely serious.
[Eridius]: You know.
Alexander stared at him.
For a moment, he didn't understand.
Then his eyes slowly shifted toward the VIP room.
His expression changed.
The color drained from his face.
[Alexander]: ...
Eridius nodded grimly.
[Eridius]: Exactly.
Alexander took a deep breath.
Then another.
He looked Eridius directly in the eyes.
[Alexander]: Again?
Eridius nodded.
[Alexander]: We're so horribly fucked that it isn't funny.
Eridius stared at him.
[Eridius]: Correct.
A long silence followed.
From upstairs, they could hear Carmen calmly talking with Ayin.
Eridius slowly rubbed his temples.
[Eridius]: We need to talk to three dangerous people whose very presence could be a fate note leading to the destruction of the world as we know it.
Alexander stared at him.
Eridius stared back.
Neither of them said another word.
[Chapter End]