章 26: The Plan

Jackson hadn't lied when he said Natasha operated efficiently underground. She returned shortly following her departure, rising up from the dirt and waltzing back into the barn. Holden shifted his attention away from his book and looked towards her, as did Jackson. She was also greeted by an awakened and refreshed Pepper. The young dog pranced to her and sniffed Natasha who proceeded to crouch down and greet her furry friend.

"That was quick. Learn anything new," Jackson asked.

"Right, I pretty much confirmed some of what we already thought. The pig is using its creations to impose its will on the animals here. It's pretty much forcing them to reproduce. As for what it's doing with the offspring... It looks like they're being funneled to another barn to feed the pig as fuel for the creatures it regurgitates. Strategically, our opposition has shown low amounts of activity in this section of the fairground. Should be pretty simple to tell them apart from the peaceful cryptids here."

"And how is that," Holden followed up. He rested his hand under his chin while he listened.

"Well... considering the pig-spawn are hulking boar creatures that walk on two feet and foam at the mouth, I'd say we have a good signifier. Though I will point out that despite them displaying some visual symptoms of rabies, they don't quite act like they have that disease. They lack the senseless aggression; I didn't see them lash out at each other or the other animal cryptids. Makes me think they have some other form of brain degeneration, one that causes them to act drone-like without losing control entirely."

"It'd make sense. The pig needs soldiers to assert its dominance here. Soldiers that obey." Jackson pondered over the information Natasha had provided. "It could grant us an advantage that the enforcers are like that. They likely serve as little more than muscle. It's doubtful they'd strategize or act unpredictably in battle."

"What about their obedience? That's a product of their brain degeneration, right? How exactly does that work," Holden questioned.

"It's hard to pinpoint, but I'd guess the brain degeneration functions in one of two ways. It either makes them more susceptible to verbal orders from the pig, or it makes them more susceptible to telepathic commands if that were something the pig is capable of. It's unconfirmed, but I know it's a possibility. I can do something similar with wildlife after all."

Natasha took a seat on her sleeping bag, angling herself to face the other two. Amid her explanation Pepper had once more returned to Holden, curling up on his lap. The pup demanded his attention as she looked up at her owner with soft beady eyes. In response Holden sighed and reached into his bag, withdrawing a container of treats before dangling one above Pepper's head. Although she initially begged and pouted, the dog was only delivered her reward once she sat patiently as Holden wanted.

"That sounds really specific. Whether the pig is controlling them through verbal or telepathic orders, wouldn't it need to fine-tune its subjects to be receptive to its communication in particular," Holden posited.

"An astute observation. You're probably right, that level of specificity isn't usually inherent to an ability. I know that when I telepathically communicate with an animal or plant, it requires a ritual to take it a step further and command them to follow my orders. It would be deliberate," Natasha responded. She twirled her green hair thoughtfully as she spoke.

"Natasha, do you think you could perform a ritual to disrupt the pig's control over its subjects and switch them over to our side? Figure it'd be better to work smarter instead of harder," asked Holden.

"It's almost certainly impossible. If their brains have been registering the pig's orders for a while they'd reject my interference. That sort of prolonged mental tampering can have an impact on someone. Eventually listening to their subjugator becomes second nature. We don't have the time or resources to cook up a ritual with the potency to reverse all of that."

"And unfortunately Natasha isn't capable of taking us with her underground. We'll have to sneak or fight our way through," Jackson added as he crossed his arms.

"It can't be helped. The pig-spawn... even if they're helping that beast, they're still not doing it of their own volition. They deserve our help too. And if the best way we can help them is to kill them, I'm prepared to make that difficult choice," Natasha exclaimed. A glint of regret infiltrated her exposed eye before determination washed it away and asserted itself.

"It kinda sounds like a bitch," Holden said while he offered another treat to Pepper as she hung out her tongue with anticipation.

"Excuse me," Jackson responded, the unexpected remark having planted a seed of surprise in his voice.

"I mean just think about it," Holden continued. "It's having a bunch of creatures carry out its will, and its sole focus is collecting more animals to further develop its security detail or whatever you'd call it. Not to mention it corrupts the brain of its subjects, specifically wiring them to be obedient at the expense of their autonomy that might otherwise make them better fighters. Why go through all that trouble unless you're pretty weak? It sounds paranoid about being overthrown."

We shouldn't just assume that to be true," Jackson retorted. Even with his critical response, he mulled over Holden's proposal in his mind.

"Still, it's much better than nothing. Holden, if what you're saying is true, wouldn't we predict the highest density of security to be in the pig's close vicinity," Natasha questioned, drawing tiny circles into the air with her finger to represent the pig's myriad forces it'd surround itself with.

"Probably would, right? If it is that paranoid, it'd likely have a swarm of drones that we couldn't slice through like butter. Enough that it could have time to call for backup from any we didn't cut down outside. But if we take out the pig, it'd neutralize those soldiers, wouldn't it? Like how bees and wasps don't sting if the queen has been killed."

Jackson stood up and began pacing back and forth. As he walked along the perimeter of the barn's interior, he took a sip from his water bottle and posed an idea.

"Operating off Holden's theory, it might be best to not kill the soldiers before we deal with the pig. Based on Natasha's intelligence, it's located in a highly compact area filled with cryptids in every direction. You know what that sounds like to me?"

"Chaos," Holden replied. "The kind of chaos and disorder someone like you could easily slip out of view.

Natasha's eye grew wide and she practically bounced off the walls with this revelation. She pointed her finger directly at Jackson to get his attention before commenting.

"That's totally right, I knew bringing Holden along would be awesome! Jackson, if we can provide cover for you, or if you can duck down below a bunch of enemies, you'll be out of everyone's line of sight for at least a moment, right? That's all it takes for someone incredible like you. You'll activate your ability and travel to the pig's blind spot. If our theory is spot on, the pig will be weak and easy to dismantle once you catch it off guard."

"Though as solid as it sounds, Jackson is probably right that it's dangerous to put all our eggs into one basket. Our assumption could be wrong. We should correct for that by getting rid of the troops that exist between us and whatever building the pig is in. That way if our plan fails, at least our enemy can't call for backup and put us on the defensive." Holden dropped a final treat into Pepper's mouth as she reached her head up to lick his fingertips.

"That's agreeable. Like I said earlier, we'd have to kill them to put them out of their misery. I wish there was another way, but if their brains have been broken and worn down to such an extent they'd die on their own even if the telepathic control was nullified," Natasha said. The coloration of the flowers diminished slightly, though no signs of weakness or intent to back away presented itself in her expression.

"We should start clearing them out while we have sunlight left," Jackson began, coughing into his hand to clear his throat before continuing. "Shouldn't be too big of a deal, they're low-level cryptids to our knowledge. In fact, I believe an opportunity has presented itself to you, Holden."

"Oh yeah? What would that be?"

"I think you should try to perform a ritual during the battle. Nothing too flashy. Just to see if you can give yourself a small boost in that kind of environment. Some rituals require objects and more advanced steps like Carrie's transportation, but I'm sure you know by now that more simple ones exist. All you need to do is make a conditional statement in your mind with full conviction. If you give up this, you'll receive that. Something along those lines."

"Wait, wait... didn't you say that failing to form a proper deal could result in serious consequences," Holden asked cautiously.

"I did. But that's if you're asking for something incredibly potent like wiping away one of your ability's weaknesses. For less potent deals like simple enhancement of your technique's strength, the blowback is far less severe. If you want my advice, over-provide for your end of the bargain. If you absorb something and want to magnify the power of the trait you inherited, offer to limit the amount of absorption you can do today. Make sense?"

"Yeah, I got it. I'll just have to look for openings to pull it off."

"I expect you to figure it out. Don't hold us back or make us babysit you too hard, got it?"

With that Natasha leaned over and lightly smacked Jackson on the shoulder. He faced her and raised his hands as if he were innocent.

"What? I'm just telling him like it is," Jackson stated in his defense.

"Look, I get it. Now can we get started, or will we sit here chatting all day?" Holden hoisted himself up and placed Pepper back down onto his bag, telling her to be still. He approached the doors of the barn and turned back to beckon for his companions to join him. They came and stood by his side.

"Though I am a little worried… is there anything we can do to protect Pepper while we're gone?" In response, Natasha tapped Holden's shoulder to tell him something.

"I'll plant some roots along the outside of the barn," Natasha mentioned. "If anything that isn't us comes close, the roots will spring up from the ground and wrap around the entire structure. At the very least it'll offer Pepper enough protection for us to get back and help her if anything does come along."

Holden provided a small smile of approval in response to her help. With that assurance in mind, the three set out into the fairground ahead to complete their mission.

---

Meanwhile, a pair of men walked through the technology department of the dark shopping mall they inhabited. Diego and Cinder flung their flashlights every which way in pursuit of something lurking in the abandoned building.

"Ack! Look at these televisions! Why do they even make them in this size? Seems over the top don't you think?" Cinder bit his lip as he passed by each shelved device, be it a computer, phone, or accessory. He'd have half a mind to grab a cart and begin filling it with everything in sight.

"Shut up, you're making too much noise. Why can't you ever stay quiet? Always rambling on about nonsense... of course I'd end up paired with you," Diego responded. He sucked his teeth while he led the way through the abyss before him. At times he'd think he saw something darting off into the shadows but considered such visions to be all in his head.

"Geez, no need to act all rude. You have to admit these are some top end electronics. I could game on them all day, every day... wouldn't that be a nice retirement?"

"A nice retirement is sitting down on a recliner alone in a cabin built on the snowy mountains where loud-mouthed coworkers can't distract you," Diego responded with a roll of his eyes. "And I'd be able to spend my days writing without a care in the world... finally able to make my own books and become revered as anyone of my talent should be. No more hunts with you or Dean for that matter. Just off doing my own thing. Yeah, I like that idea."

"Whatever. Just know I'm not flipping through a single page of any shitty novel you come up with... unless it's some kind of Isekai of course. One with a blank slate protagonist who can be easily projected onto, with a whole harem of women wrapped around his finger. Wouldn't you do me a solid and write that?" Cinder traced his fingers along the screens and desktops he passed. His mouth nearly salivated in the face of such glory.

"No. That shit sounds degenerate as Hell," Diego snapped back. "I'll make mysteries. Stories of unsolved crimes where a clever detective is put to the task of figuring them out. Finding the culprit through intelligent deduction and clue-finding. All culminating in a final confrontation where the genius protagonist defeats the maniacal criminal and is recognized for his service."

"Uh-huh. Sounds so interesting," Cinder sarcastically muttered. "Here you are shitting on us men of high culture. Meanwhile you can't even figure out where the hybrid we're looking for is. You sure you're cut out to write that sort of self-indulgent wish fulfillment to stroke your own ego? Because that's exactly what it is you described."

"I don't know why I ever entertain you. The damn creature probably isn't even in these sections. Bet you the others will draw it out before us. And it isn't self-indulgent wish fulfillment I want to write, asshole. It's a profound, unique piece of literature meant to evoke strong emotions within its reader base. A tale filled with deep characters, a compelling plot, and beautiful prose the likes of which-"

Diego huffed with frustration as he was cut off by Cinder who proceeded to make mock snoring sounds.

"Boring, boring, boring. For a guy who gets on me for talking a lot, you sure can go on and on. This is what I'm talking about man. You get yourself all riled up thinking about your future. That's not good for your stress levels. Couldn't be me though. Whenever I get upset I can just plug in and boot up Steam. I'll be enjoying a gamer's paradise for my retirement while you'll be banging your head against the wall to relieve writer's block. We are not the same."

The pair found themselves at the end of the technology department with nothing to show for it. They turned back and scanned the aisles once more without a hint of success. Whatever it was they were hoping to find, it wasn't there.

"Great... all that time was a waste. Hope the others have more luck than us," Diego groaned.

"That's the rough thing about sensing emotions. I can feel the fear of the thing we're looking for, but there's so much of it that it's hard to precisely track. Plus there's that Bella girl adding to the pool of anxiety. Don't lie, she always does. I don't know why Dean even bothers bringing her-"

Cinder stopped speaking as his partner quickly covered his mouth. The man shoved Cinder into a nearby wall and held him there, a mixture of rage and terror encapsulating Diego's entire body.

"S-shut the fuck up," He growled in a hushed tone. "I don't care what you blab on and on about, but don't even think of saying some shit like that again. Are you crazy? Are you trying to get us killed?"

Diego stared Cinder directly in the eyes, any pretense of casual annoyance dissipating like raindrops fading from the sidewalk.

"Remember the rules. Break them again and I'll fucking kill you myself. Got it?"

Diego released Cinder from his grasp and watched the man cough and regain his composure.

"Jesus, yeah I get it. Take a chill pill man, I won't speak on that anymore."

"Whatever. Come on, we need to regroup and see if the others have found anything."

With that warning in mind, Cinder accompanied Diego as they headed for the center of the mall. As they passed through the dark, faded corridors and entered open space, the hairs on the back of their necks stood up. Though both men studied their environment closely and found nothing of note, they couldn't shake the eerie feeling that something out there was watching them.

Something that didn't exude fear like their primary target. What the two felt was something distinct. Something wrathful.