It was dark and smelled of bad breath and death. Creatures lined the walls in cages. A large hairy spider sat in the corner of its enclosure, legs tucked into its body. A red lizard the size of a crocodile stood on its hind legs, leaning desperately towards the dim light in the center of the room. Its fingers were deformed, and she saw that some were missing.

Harbiter wrenched her attention away from the creatures and walked up to the goblin. “What tribe are you from?” she asked. He stared at her.

“What tribe?” she tried again. It must have sounded harsh through her voice mod.

“Scarlet Forest,” he said. “Go away.”

Harbiter walked up to the front desk. “I want the goblin man.”

“500 credits,” said the woman. She wore a long green jacket over a plain beige dress and a green mask curved wickedly over her eyes. Her name tag read “Lvl 76 - Support - Green Mistress.”

“Free,” said Harbiter.

Green Mistress sighed. “It’s gonna be one of those days, is it?”

“Goblins are people too,” started Harbiter. “They think and feel just like—”

“Me?” asked Green Mistress. “Well I think that giving away product for free is bad business, and I feel good about getting lots of credits. It’s 500 credits, not a credit less. 600 credits if you ask any more stupid questions.”

Harbiter looked at the goblin. She couldn’t give money to an establishment like this. They would just note in their books that goblins sold well and go raid the dungeon for more. Stealing the goblin from the nest of villains would make her a lot of instant enemies, something Harbiter couldn’t afford at her current level. Was the best action really to do… nothing?

Harbiter walked out the store and entered the nearest women's restroom. It was several stores away in another wing of the mall. She swept her eyes quickly across the room. The couch was small. Some stalls were occupied, but most were empty. No cameras. She stood in a stall and opened her character tab.

Could she?

Lvl 100 - Civilian - Cleo

Lvl 277 - Mage - Silent Observer

Lvl 23 - Support - Hero Arbiter

She hovered a trembling finger over her old identity. The portrait of her past self stared out at her through its glossy gray mask. Silent Observer didn't need to worry about making enemies of villains. Silent Observer could do it. In and out.

It’s too dangerous.

She tapped the icon, and was enrobed in what looked like a gray racing suit, with yellow accents, gloves, and a short cape-like flap on her back. A gray glass mask covered her entire face, and a hood covered the rest of her head. She would have to be quick—nearly every villain would recognize her name and appearance.

She ran out of the bathroom, casting her “What’s Friction?” skill. Villains turned their heads to her as she skated past them at high velocity. They quickly began exclaiming and shouting, pointing in her direction.

Some of the villains jumped in front of her, others cast spells or skills, but she weaved around the chaos, dismissing and recasting her skill in a way that let her control her sliding. It was exhilarating. Needling through the throng of evil-doers akin to a dove flying through a flock of falcons, but Silent Observer wasn’t a top hero for nothing.

She passed Misery among the crowd, and time seemed to slow down as they looked at each other. That face of his was pure, undisguised hatred. It was only for a passing instant, but it left her with an uneasy feeling.

She slipped into the store and reached into the goblin’s cage, teleporting them both to the Scarlet Forest Dungeon goblin village. Before the goblin could express his surprise, she had teleported herself back into the bathroom stall and changed into her civilian form.

Cleo leaned against the cold stall wall, heart beating wildly. What had she done? She dug her fingers into her sweaty palms. Don’t do that again, fool. You have a bigger purpose than saving individuals here or there.

She spent a long moment catching her breath, then changed into Hero Arbiter and walked to where she last saw Misery.

He was still standing in that spot, fists clenched. Villains nearby were discussing the recent events. Her heart had hardly calmed, but she forced herself to place a hand on his shoulder. “Misery.”

He spun around, and his fierce gaze softened. “Heya Harbs. I've been looking for you. I didn’t think I was as good at disappearing as I am.”

“What happened? I heard shouting from over here.”

“Oh yeah. A hero ran through here a few minutes ago. Guess this place isn’t secure anymore. Look around,” he gestured at the crowd. “Half the people have left already. Who knows if our shop will even be opened.”

“Hmm,” said Harbiter. 

“May as well have a look.” He extended an elbow towards her, and she took it with her fingers, allowing him to lead her through the whispers and gossip to their destination.

They arrived at a small clothing store. Harbiter eyed the suits on the mannequins, then looked at Misery's own outfit. An old woman beamed at them from behind the counter.

“Your tailor?” she asked. Her brow was cocked, not that he would know. “We’re here for clothes?”

“Hey now,” said Misery. “It’s not any ordinary clothes. It’s cut resistant, fire retardant, and stylish!”

“Great,” she said. “Do you want me to carry your bags?”

“Nuh-uh. We’re here for you. The mask is okay, but everything else has got to go.”

“What’s wrong with my outfit?” asked Harbiter.

He raked a glance up and down her figure. Her jacket was patched with deer leather, and the fabric of her pants was fraying and thinned in some places. “You look homeless.”

Harbiter groaned. “Okay, fine.”

Misery’s fingers twitched towards a dress on the rack.

“No.”

He grinned. “Didn’t think so. Hey Marge, get this rookie measured, will ya?”

Posy watched the apartment footage over and over, in the darkness of her office. First the unknown figure entered, then Misery, holding a pizza box. Hmm… She opened a map of the area around the apartment. There were multiple pizza places in the nearby food court, but only one matched the label on the box. She called their number.

“This is Dick’s Lickin’ Good Pizza, how can we help you?”

Posy blushed as the name of the place was said out loud. “Th-this is Posy calling from the Hero HQ. Do you have security footage from last week?”

“Oh! Let me talk to my manager, Miss. Please hold.”

Gosh, she was a top hero and people still called her “Miss.” Well, she supposed she couldn’t blame them. She didn’t always give off hero energy.

When the footage was transferred, she watched it on her tablet. The camera was above the front entrance, and showed customers walking in and out. There. The villain looked straight into the camera, giving her a clear view of his identifying mask. She isolated all the footage involving him, and replayed it.

First he entered, then he talked with the cashier. Did the cashier even realize, or care, that they had just taken the order of a hero-killing villain? Misery stood there for a few minutes waiting for his order, then left with a pizza and a teal soft drink. Mint berry. That was Silent Observer’s favorite flavor.

Posy shook her head at the irrelevant thought. Focus on the task at hand! But what was there to focus on? The footage was fairly mundane. She rewatched it, this time zoomed in on Misery.

He once again entered the building. She zoomed in further, noticing a dark smudge on his neck. It was obscured by his ponytail in most frames, but here, when he turned his head just the right way, and with the top down angle of the camera…

What appeared to be part of a tattoo poked out of his collar. Less than a centimeter was visible, but she captured an image of it. Perhaps it was nothing, but it was one more clue to add to the case file.