"The Voiceless Viper". That was the exact name Larg mentioned to me earlier: the rogue soul stealer who could put holes in peoples' heads.
"My father wanted to get stronger so he could eventually hunt him down," Maybelle continued.
The Viper certainly would've owned a wide variety of cards from soul stealing, so in order to even stand a chance against him, Maybelle's father had to grow his own arsenal as a Collector.
"He was trying to reach a level of strength that was somewhere close to Ganes Gouldsworth–the man known as the 'Lord of the Cards'."
That title she mentioned was something I heard from Larg. He described Ganes as the 'Apex Collector', a man who was on a level far beyond what an ordinary Collector could achieve in a lifetime.
And, of course, there were some rumors that he too could be a Visionary.
Inspired by Gouldsworth, Maybelle's father became obsessed with power, to the point where he drove Maybelle's mother away as well as his closest friend (her adoptive father) in order to pursue his goals.
He walked a similar path to Gouldsworth, completing several dungeons as a solo party and gaining an abundance of cards in the process.
However, even after years of searching, he never came across the Viper, only the lifeless victims he left behind.
Once he became overwhelmed with the impossible task that he set for himself, Maybelle's father finally decided to return home, leaving his life as a Collector behind.
But the night that he arrived at his home village, he discovered his wife's dead body, lying in front of their child.
The sight completely petrified him, and the moment he let his guard down, the Viper suddenly appeared.
He wielded a weapon like no other, which released a strange projectile from a long barrel that pierced right through her father's skull.
He fell just in front of Maybelle as though her face was the last thing he wanted to see before he died.
"I still remember crying until I fell unconscious, and when I woke up, I was safely in the arms of my new father–the one who adopted me."
I knew how difficult it was for her to relive this traumatic event, but I could tell there was much more to this story that she may not have even realized herself.
"The father who adopted you… I remember you saying earlier that he practically saved your life. Did you mean that he saved you from the Viper?" Once I asked this, she nodded in response.
"His name is Quinn Ferrum…"
Apparently around the time Maybelle was born, Quinn also decided to retire early, taking a short journey on his own before returning to the village and opening a blacksmith workshop.
When he realized the man that her biological father was starting to become, he grew afraid of him.
He mostly worried about the rashness of his friend's actions, constantly warning him not to confront someone as powerful as the Viper, but he never listened.
The night her biological father came back to the village after his solo expedition, Quinn was closing up the workshop quite late and happened to notice him.
He followed his friend home to give a surprise welcome, but once he arrived, the bodies of his two friends had already started to decay.
Before the Viper could fire his weapon at Maybelle, Quinn fought against him, badly injuring the Viper while also suffering a severe injury himself.
In the end, the Voiceless Viper escaped, but Maybelle and Quinn miraculously lived to see another day.
"That's when he took me in, deciding it was better for us to move out of the village in search of somewhere safe. That's why we moved into East Contra… to hide from him…"
The injury he suffered must've been very severe, I thought.
Larg mentioned that it had been over a decade since any more of the Viper's victims had been found.
To achieve something like that, Maybelle's adoptive father must've been a very powerful Collector of his time.
I became curious about Maybelle's hand, wondering if that was something to do with the Viper.
"Do you think the Viper cut it off before he escaped?"
"No… I was just born this way–without a left hand. I grew very self-conscious about it because people would often look at me strangely while the other kids my age would call me a monster, saying that I belonged in the dungeons."
I see… so that's why she acts so self-conscious most of the time.
"After a while, I shut myself inside our home, never wanting to go outside. It felt like nobody wanted me around anyway."
It was clear that as she got older, her insecurity had gotten worse over time.
That was until her father, Quinn, revealed something that he had been working on.
"I would always watch him limping around the shop everyday, while engineering this mechanical limb for me. I helped out in any way I could, but sometimes he would have to go out to get more parts, and I…"
Her anxiety and insecurities prevented her from following him.
"Once the prosthetic was attached, I felt connected to it somehow–like it was a perfect fit."
Maybelle was able to gain new confidence, however, that didn't last for too long.
"When I tried to go outside with it, I remembered the stares the locals used to give me, and my insecurity returned." She shook her head in a self-loathing manner. "I couldn't let my father down after all the work he put in."
So instead of hiding herself away in her home, she wore long sleeve clothes to hide only the part that made her most insecure.
Maybelle started to blush with embarassment.
"But, you were different. When I mistakenly showed you my hand, you didn't look at me with the same eyes those people did back then. You accepted me as a normal person. I'll always be grateful to you for that."
She bowed to me, although I did not feel deserving of her gratitude.
None of the other Collectors treated her that way either. In the end, it was her own resolve that helped her overcome her insecurities.
Throughout Maybelle's story, I noticed she expressed several emotions, such as fear, grief, and gratitude. However, there was one emotion that I saw hidden deep within her visage, like she had been suppressing it.
It was something deep and dark, like a secret vice that she didn't want to expose.
"I'm sorry for all the questions, but I'm afraid I have another that I've been meaning to ask now."
"I'll answer anything, Wolf, so please don't be afraid to ask."
"I can see that you possess a CCU, and you were already in the station when we met you. So does that mean—"
"Y-yes, I'm also a Collector. But just like you, I only obtained my license today."
"Does your reason for being a Collector have something to do with the Viper?"
She nodded in response.
"My father is against the whole thing, but… the Viper is still out there. Although my memories are a little vague from that night, I'm one of the only people who knows about his weapon, and some of the card abilities he might have within his arsenal."
Her gaze wandered somewhere distant as if she was now speaking to an unknown force that would help carry out her will.
"For what he did to my parents, and my adoptive father, I'll… I'll make sure he pays."
From my point of view, it seemed like the will of her biological father had been passed down to her.
But this time she would finish what he couldn't.
It was at this moment that I saw something strange when looking into her eyes.
She definitely didn't realize it herself, but the moment she spoke those words, the incongruent emotion revealed itself from hiding.
I finally saw the insanity that she must've inherited from her father: a strange wrath coupled with the dark urges that built up throughout her childhood experiences.
"I understand now," I said, having gathered my thoughts. "Is it alright if I helped you out with your mission?"
"W-what? You seriously wanna help me?" She seemed quite doubtful. "Most people are terrified of the Voiceless Viper."
"Terrified?" I tilted my head, having trouble picturing him in that sense. "From the way you described him, doesn't he seem more like a coward for how he murdered your father?"
"AH, THAT'S EXACTLY WHAT I THOUGHT!" she said rather vehemently as she stood up. "The Viper is nothing but a lowly coward who uses sneaky tactics and stealth abilities to kill others. He hides in the shadows and waits for his targets to approach before he fires his weapon at them while aiming at their heads, killing them in one shot. There's no dignity in that, therefore he's weak."
That's not exactly what I meant… I said internally.
Even if it's an off-guard feat, you would need to be both an incredible tactician and powerhouse to take down strong Collectors in one shot.
I decided to withhold my true thoughts on the matter though.
The Viper… The more I thought about him, the louder Gouldsworth's final words echoed in my mind. Is he one of the evils I need to destroy in order to bring balance to the world?
I wasn't sure if it was that straightforward, but there was only one way to find out.
I guess I'll just have to see for myself.