"So, it has been given to her? To Amanda?" Ashlynn asked as she crossed her muscular arms, having gathered with her friends and daughter in her living cave in the outskirts of Flamisle, a full day having passed since they came up with the idea of the bet.
"She accepted the bet with no hesitation." Ignisabeth gave the rest of the group a thumbs-up.
"Everyone, listen." Calidia said as she placed the scarab on the table, using a dial at the side of it to alter the volume.
"Ah, Amanda... a cowardly failure who chose to leave the game because she couldn't enjoy it anymore. Abandoned by everyone, rejected by society, the last thing that could give you any bliss or acceptance is out of sight now... an act of betrayal against the sport." Altezar's pompous and deep voice reverberated through the living cave as it left the scarab. "But I forgive. I always come to love the parts that I hate. Your parts, Amanda..."
"No, please... please!" Amanda cried as a loud scream erupted from the small speaker inside of the scarab.
"Oh, you will let go... yes, you will let go...!" Incinera's soft and mocking voice was heard, followed by a giggle.
"NO!" Amanda screamed again, alongside the sound of ssomeone getting scraped over the ground, juxtaposed with shrieks of pain.
"You're mine." Altezar chuckled deeply, followed by biting noises. The last sound that Amanda made was another scream, the most distorted and anguished of all, heard alongside the wet noises of bones getting cracked and flesh getting cut by force. "Delicious..."
"So this is what our 'great leader' does in her spare time." Ignisabeth chuckled with a sense of disgust while grimacing. "Not the way I like to end up when having a meeting..."
"Reprehensible." Ashlynn said stoically while bulging her fist.
"Did you deal with the traitor?" Altezar's voice was heard again.
"Oh, he's still alive." Incinera's giggly voice was heard again. "Telling the failed government about your plans was an awful deed that needed to be punished accordingly. As a matter of fact, more townspeople are already spreading the rumours. It may complicate our plan a bit. Since a lot of damage was caused by this informant, an execution would be more of an escape than a punishment, so I decided to tackle his disloyalty in a more intrusive manner."
"Intrusive?" Altezar's voice had a tone of confusion to it. "And you let him live? I asked you to kill him, or at least ensure that he would put himself out of his misery."
"As I interrogated this man, he kept pleading. Wanted me to spare his life, as he had a child that he loved dearly." Incinera explained. "So I collected some of the most toxic cave berries I could find and put them in the juicebox of that mongrel of his. Died slowly and in anguish. Her father appears to have entered a catatonic state since. The informant lived through every day of her suffering, and while hers is unfortunately over, his may never end. I did have to neutralize the juice lady in order to gain access to the nursing home where that mongrel stayed, but it all worked out."
"No one is investigating further?" Altezar asked, concern and uncertainty in his voice.
"Not a single person. I got rid of the juicebox after she was done drinking it. Everyone I spoke to since her demise is convinced that she plucked those berries herself and that her death is all on her and her alone. The juicebox lady also has a replacement now. Oh joy..." Incinera giggled again.
"Hm. Risky move, Incinera. Not what I asked you to do." Altezar responded, but there was no anger or disapproval in his voice. "I won't punish you for this. It worked out just fine, as you said. And the informant is wallowing in his pain, which may be the better punishment. I recommend you to be a bit more careful and to tell me a bit more if you have an alternative plan, but that matters not here. You did well, my faithful lava fairy."
"My pleasure, great lord Altezar." Incinera said proudly.
"That foul little...!" Ashlynn, hearing about Incinera's act, smashed her strong fist into the wall. A loud thud was heard, followed by the sound of stone cracking. Many cracks had appeared around the fist-shaped hole in the wall, a little bit of lava coming out of them.
"Mom..." Calidia said.
"I'll fix that later." Ashlynn sighed as she shook her head in disbelief.
"What's wrong, Scoria?" Incinera asked, her carefree and giggly voice sounding calm and apprehensive for a moment. "You're not saying anything. You almost appear sad."
"Oh, it's nothing..." The orange-haired gondolier responded sheepishly.
"Not thinking of disapproving our actions, are you?" Incinera replied. "You also haven't been that co-operative lately."
"Oh no, that's not it... I was just a bit lost in my thoughts, that's all." Scoria said nervously.
"Oh joy, I believe you, dear. For now. Because if you continue acting so uncharacteristically distant and unco-operative, there'll be some consequences." The other gondolier said callously.
"If you kill me, you'd need a new assistant. Altezar would have to find and train a new gondolier. It takes a while to form calluses and become adept at sculling. You need me right now, both of you!" Scoria raised her voice defensively.
"Hey, settle down... why are you so panicked all of a sudden? I never accused you... was just a friendly reminder not to disobey us. I never said that I would try and have you killed either." Incinera giggled. "You are correct. We do need you. It would be an inconvenience if you died now. As much as I adore him, I cannot do all of Altezar's work on my own. If you weren't useful anymore, maybe things would be different if I got the idea that you turned against me. But Scoria... know that's it been years since you became part of our company. Just a teenage girl from the middle class who moved to Flamisle with a dream to become a gondolier, to become the best tour guide of this planet. You were my apprentice for years, Scoria. I mentored you. Together, we've given tours to so many citizens. You are the guide that citizens need and your sculling is excellent. With you, we are one. You belong to me. You always co-operate so well. You always do the necessary chores without complaining. Why would you even think of leaving? Don't you understand, Scoria? If you left this company, you'd have nothing. You only have me and Altezar in your life."
"I have a son and a baby growing up at home. I'm already seeing them less since I had to do all these extra chores. I have more than you and Altezar, Incinera. What if I left? Even if I won't turn against you... what would happen?" Scoria asked. "I... I am not planning to leave now, don't get me wrong... it's just that I also have a family. It's not like I live here..."
"Oh, if you try and run away?" Incinera theorized as her voice went from comforting and giggly to cold and direct. "This becomes a much simpler matter."
"What...?" Scoria gulped.
"I will kill your spouse. I will kill your son." Incinera said, her usually cheerful tone completely gone and replaced with a tone that was downright cold and threatening. "I will kill your infant daughter...!"
"Then you'll only have us." Altezar said pompously. "Be a wise lady and stay with us, Scoria. You will have to co-operate tomorrow. After tomorrow's match against the Alphas, the invasion of the manhole shall commence. I'll be in the crowd to oversee the match before I'll make my move."
"Dang, we'll have to fight against those two nymphs?" Ignisabeth scoffed after Calidia turned off the scarab's power. "Should be a no-brainer."
"Didn't mother criticize your performance?" Calidia asked as she glanced at Ignisabeth.
"Commitment is necessary, but in this case, winning the match is not my primary focus." Ashlynn crosed her muscular arms. "I do expect you to play well, Igisabeth. Because I'm going to need it, and so is humanity."
"I don't understand... do you have a plan? You think you can stop Altezar?" Ignisabeth asked. "Nothing we can do about it. Besides, he doesn't appear planning on killing us. He won't come after our team."
"He murdered innocent Tephra..." Magmae said timidly.
"If he'll come after retired Pyrhenes, what's stopping him from coming after us once he feels confident in doing so? Maybe he's only going after Pyrhenes who won't be missed, but what if he changed his mind and increases the scope of his food source? You cannot know for sure until it's too late." Ashlynn said sternly. "And I firmly believe in the right to choose. No one should decide over the lives of creatures from other planets. The constitution clearly states that Altezar has no right to decide over a Tephra's death and he shall never bring other planets under his rule. He has no right to break up any governmental institutions created and held together by Tephra, unless the institutions are a threat to the Tephra or the constitution. All the things he's doing go against the wishes of the legal system and the Council. If Altezar violates the contract, the Tephra have a right to take him down by force."
"You sure?" Ignisabeth asked.
"I have studied law for years. I have worked as Flamisle's public prosecutor inbetween my training sessions and Eruption matches. The rules and the sanctity of them are second nature to me." Ashlynn replied. "And I would stand up and fight regardless."
"I never imagined to see you being this caring about others..." Ignisabeth said.
"I may be harsh, yes. But remember this. When I was ten years old, I was weak and frail. Short, constantly afraid, emaciated, a pathological fear of gaining weight and obsessed with getting skinnier... it tore me down. Only with the combined efforts of my parents, the doctors and several trainers was I able to get better. I was given experimental treatment and therapy to become willing to gain strength and not get any more fragile. Gaining fat terrified me, but after extensive therapy, I became willing to gain weight in the form of muscle. So I began training and lifting weights while sticking to a particular diet to ensure that I wouldn't get any more frail and die. I stuck to harsh schedules and was under a lot of supervision. I entered the Eruption competition at twelve, not long after I started regaining my lost flesh through additional feeding therapy. I eventually grew up to love the strength that the musle mass gave me, and a bit of body fat to stay alive did not scare me anymore. The muscle mass became my one true comfort. By the time I finally got my blessing after years of training, I was unrecognisable. Taller than both of my parents, stronger and far more muscular than any woman I ever knew. A stark contrast from the dirty and frail youth that I once was... if my young self would see me now, at thirty-seven, she'd be in shock. And right now, I cannot be happier." Ashlynn said, reminiscing. "But I am not a self-made woman. My parents helped me stick to the schedule that would eventually suppress my fear. They were very harsh and strict with me, but if they weren't harsh enough, my eating disorder would've been my demise. They were concerned, and they helped me the way it worked best for me. I could not have gained all this muscle without all of the specialized weights and all the training from experienced Pyrhenes. The training and the therapy were very painful, but it helped me get over my fears, and it made me excited at the idea of gaining strength and maintaining a muscular form. If it weren't for me not being afraid of gaining muscle instead of fat, I would've never started eating well again. And I could only reach this state through extensive help of others. I am not self-made. Ignisabeth, Magmae, Calidia... remember that. Also remember that once one is far enough, it becomes one's duty to help others. To ensure that the door is kept open for as long and for as many as possible."
"I'll remember this." Calidia smiled, followed by Ignisabeth and Magmae giving nods.
"Now, I think I know what to do." Ashlynn said. "Altezar is going down. And you will help me with it. So, this is what we're going to pull off..."