"I will never again try eating—blegh!!" I gagged, lurching forward with a hand pressed tightly against my gut. My knees hit the mossy cave floor, and I emptied what little contents remained in my stomach onto the already stained rocks.
The stench hit me instantly, and I gagged again, coughing as more bile surged up. Stars danced in my vision.
"I told you not to eat it!" Kayda shouted from behind me, rubbing my back with firm, frustrated strokes.
"You never said it was poisonous—blegh." I tried to defend myself, barely getting the words out before another violent heave wracked my body.
"Do I need to clarify everything for you?!" She barked, her hands flying up into the air in exasperation.
"You only said it's not edible for us," I croaked out between breaths, sweat dripping down my temple. "I thought—blegh—that you forgot I'm technically a monster now."
Kayda's face twisted in disbelief. Her voice cracked like thunder. "Ah, for fuck's sake, Kitsuna! You might be that, but you'll still get sick if you eat fucking troll meat!"
"I know that now," I groaned, slowly pushing myself to my feet. My limbs wobbled, and my vision swam for a moment before steadying.
"Did you get everything out?" Kayda asked, her voice softening just a fraction. She reached out and steadied me by the shoulder.
"Yeah, I'm as empty as air," I replied, trying to joke through the nausea. I gave her a half-hearted thumbs up, which only earned me a skeptical side-eye.
"Don't ever say that again," Kayda deadpanned.
"What, why not?" I blinked at her, genuinely confused.
"That just sounds… wrong," she said, dusting her hands off and stepping back. "Like something a possessed scarecrow would say."
"…That's oddly specific," I muttered.
Kayda raised an eyebrow. "You're not helping your case."
I chuckled despite my better judgment, but it quickly turned into a weak cough. "Okay, okay. Fair."
She narrowed her eyes at me. "And just when I said you were starting to listen to me, too. What do you do? Immediately prove me wrong by trying to eat troll meat I explicitly told you not to touch!"
"Ha-ha, yeah. Sorry, sorry." I scratched the back of my head sheepishly. "It won't happen again."
Kayda huffed, folding her arms. Her tail flicked once in irritation before she let out a long sigh. "Whatever. Let's talk about the Crimson Bandits. You didn't tell me everything last night, and I want the full story."
"Right." I straightened up, posture growing more serious. "Well, first things first—Sammy was only a mid-level info broker in their ranks. She didn't have everything, but she still gave me a lot."
Kayda's eyes sharpened. "I see. Did you kill her?"
The question surprised me. "No," I said slowly, shaking my head. "But I did traumatize her."
Kayda didn't flinch. "Not surprised."
"Not the important part," I continued, waving off the topic. "What matters is how the Crimson Bandits operate. How they get new members."
"Go on," she said, arms still crossed. "I'm listening."
"They run about seventy percent of the kingdom's orphanages."
Kayda's brows knit together. "That sounds… ominous."
"Yeah. Sounds like child soldiers, right?" I said, a trace of sarcasm curling in my voice.
"Definitely," she agreed with a grimace. "Like they're raising them just to use later."
"That's what I thought, too. But it's not entirely true."
I took a breath and started pacing slowly across the uneven cave floor as I explained.
"At age sixteen, each child is given an option—join the Bandits, or start a normal life. That part is real."
Kayda's tail stopped swaying. She tilted her head. "Huh. That's surprisingly… fair. Not what I expected."
"It gets better. They take in any child off the streets. Feed them. Train them in basics—fighting, survival, some reading, and math. And when the time comes, they can either join the people who raised them, or… leave."
"And be left alone?" Kayda asked carefully.
"Sort of." I paused. "They're forced to forget everything about the orphanage. That part is true. But they're not entirely left on their own. Supportive people assist them quietly during the first year or so. They provide just enough support to help them become self-sufficient.
Kayda's brows furrowed. "So it's like… a test of independence."
"Exactly," I nodded. "But even though it sounds noble on the surface, the intention behind it is warped. They're not doing this out of kindness."
"They're building loyalty," Kayda muttered, putting the pieces together.
"Yes." I clenched a fist. "The children are trained to see the Bandits as their saviors. Family. So when the time comes, even if they have a choice… most of them pick the Bandits."
Kayda's expression turned conflicted. "That's manipulation—clever, calculated manipulation."
"They help," I said quietly, "but for the wrong reasons."
"Still," she said, glancing at me. "It's not like they force the kids."
"No," I admitted. "But think about it. You're sixteen. The only people who've ever shown you love, fed you, and trained you ask you to stay. And if you say no, you have to forget them. Would you really leave?"
Kayda shook her head slowly. "No… I wouldn't."
"Neither would I," I said. "That's what bothers me the most."
There was a long pause.
Then I smiled, sharp and sudden. "So, if I told you I want to take over the Crimson Bandits… what would you say?"
Kayda blinked. "Huh?"
I grinned wider. "You heard me."
She stared. "Wait—you want to what!?"
"Take. Over. The Bandits." I spread my arms as if I were offering her a gift.
"Why the hell would you want to do that!?"
"Because wiping them out would create a power vacuum. And it would hurt the kids they raise more than it helps anyone else."
Kayda's eyes flicked with understanding—but also horror.
"So," I continued, "if we get Grandenzil under control, we can convert them into a black-ops network. One where any class can rise up. With proper training. Real education."
Kayda's mouth opened and closed. "And… what about the choice thing?"
"It stays," I said firmly. "But we'll teach the kids about right and wrong. We will teach them about loyalty and morality. Let them decide for real."
Kayda narrowed her eyes. "And job requests?"
"Same as now," I said. "But high-risk or assassination missions? Those need to be cleared by Mom or Dean."
She studied me. "You've… thought about this."
"Only for a night," I admitted with a slight blush. "Couldn't sleep. Needed to keep my mind busy."
Kayda chuckled softly. "You're crazy."
"Maybe," I said, not denying it. "But you're still here."
"Hmph. So—have you figured out how to control Grandenzil?"
I smirked, summoning my chakrams and spinning one lazily on a finger.
"We use her daughter."
Kayda blinked. "What, daughter?"
"When I bought these," I gestured to the weapons, "Grandenzil tried to get them off me. She lost the auction, came to confront me… And she wasn't alone. A girl, half her size, spoke up. Sounded just like her—but younger."
Kayda frowned. "You're guessing."
"Yes, but when have I ever been wrong?" I teased.
Kayda gave me a withering stare.
"Anyway," I continued, "we kidnap her."
Kayda deadpanned. "Kidnap."
"Yup. Add her to my squad."
Kayda blinked. "That's your recruitment strategy?"
"She uses chakrams," I said as if that explained everything.
Kayda looked like she wanted to scream. "Seriously?"
"I mean, come on. How often do you meet someone like that?"
Kayda rubbed her temples. "You're insane."
I grinned. "That's why you love me."
She gave me a long, suffering look. "So—what about Grandenzil herself? You think she actually cares about her squad?"
"I don't know. But she did look genuinely upset when that axe guy died. Big Baby Axe or whatever."
Kayda tilted her head. "I've fought her before. Every time, she uses numbers. Like a coward."
"Then we'll see how she reacts when we take her kid," I said, spinning a chakram with a flick of my wrist.
Kayda was still staring at me. "You're not going to explain that comment from earlier?"
"Nope." I walked toward the back of the cave with a smirk. "Now come on—we've got trolls to slay."
Kayda groaned. "You're impossible."
"Hey, what kind of metal were we looking for again?"
"I dunno, hold on," she said, pulling out the quest paper. "Oh—blue gems."
"Got it." I caught my chakrams again mid-spin.
"You kill stuff, I'll search," Kayda said, summoning five floating scorch balls for light.
"Fine," I said, stepping forward. "I do need the kills."
[1 hour later]
"You still haven't found any?" I asked, crouched beside a dead troll.
"There's nothing," Kayda said, sounding annoyed. "But it's not just empty—it looks like someone already cleared this place."
"Already mined?"
"Not exactly." She led me over to a rock wall and pointed. "See this? These marks are straight, forced—like they tore the gems out instead of breaking them free."
I examined the grooves. "Yeah… this doesn't look right."
"Trolls don't mine gems," she reminded me. "But occasionally a troll king has different behavior."
My eyes lit up. "So we're fighting a troll king?"
"Seems like it."
"Can I kill it?"
Kayda gave me a playful nudge. "Only if it's slow."
"If it's hoarding gems, it's probably fat," I said dryly.
Kayda smirked. "Then let's go find the bastard."