“Okay, we need to get in position!!!” said Brigitte, hurrying Ben and Rob.

At that moment, a green cap-wearing hooded individual passed by, not paying them any mind, seemingly focusing only on pushing a cart along the way.

Before getting in position, Rob looked at the cart-pusher, a stray thought entering his mind.

He asked himself: “Wait... a green cap? Isn't that what...?”

“Rob, come on!!!” shouted Ben, interrupted him.

Rob groaned and shouted: “Coming!!!”

The four officers stood in position behind a corner, waiting to see any sign of the Issue. This area was barely lit by a dim Lamp Post, giving the nikeans just enough light to see anything approaching. However, Ben had his doubts, whispering: “Did we really have to pick this place? Wouldn't it be better to be near a functioning lamp post?”

“Doesn't this thing stalk in the dark? Too much light may drive it away.” pointed out Rob.

“How long will we wait here?” asked Maroon.

“As long as necessary. Hours if need to be.” replied Rob.

“Hours!? You want me to choke on my own vomit!!!” Maroon protested, raising her voice.

“Shhhhh!!! Don't be so loud...” scolded Ben, with Maroon groaning at this.

Changing the subject, Rob asked: 

“Also, Brigitte... you know you'll have to 'make contact' with the creature, right?

“Yeah... I know.” admitted the pink officer.

“Are you still too grossed out?” Rob continued.

Brigitte sighed and said “I guess I'll endure it...”, shivering.

By now, Forge just sat in silent anxiety, looking around anywhere for the Issue. This continued for ten more minutes, after which the Nikean officers saw the same intruder as before had returned, pushing a cart through the trap area.

“That beggar, again? We can't do this with that in the way!!!” pointed out Rob.

“Maroon, tell that beggar to get out!” Brigitte told Maroon, who approached the area and did so.

“Hey, beggar, go take a %@#$ somewhere else!!!” Maroon yelled scornfully at the interloper.

However, the only response was the individual's head moving slightly to the side, not actually facing her.

“Maroon, hurry up and get that beggar out of there!!!” said Rob, an annoyed Brigitte looking on.

“Don't ignore me...” an irritated Maroon demanded the trespasser. She then grabbed an empty can from the floor and threw it at the individual, it just bouncing off the intruder's head.

“Are you deaf or something?” Maroon yelled again, now standing next to the trespasser.

The figure slowly turned, it's face becoming clear.

“Wha-” Maroon's eyes widened, seeing the “beggar”.

An increasingly impatient Rob emerged and shouted: 

“'ROON!!!! WHAT'S TAKING SO-”

 

He silenced himself, seeing the issue.

Bones cracking and ligaments stretching, this was no beggar.

“I-It's that... that... thing!!!” yelled Maroon. 

None other than EastMak's Issue. It's skin looked smooth and almost translucent, the revolting texture of a liver, not to mention, no hair or genitals could be seen. It stood on two somewhat uneven legs, it's silhouette being disturbingly similar to a nikean's.

One of it's arms ended in a large pincer, the other in a four-fingered clawed hand. It moved with a sinewy motion, it's center of gravity staying mostly unmoved in relation to it's legs.

The Issue's face had two pairs of blank eyes, two nostrils and a wide mouth snarling below. Beneath it's arms and from it's back emerged four large tentacles, grotesque and intestinal, each ending in pincers. Now having stretched completely, it stood taller than any of the nikeans. The beggar's clothes it wore were now completely tattered.

“It pretended to be a beggar... just how smart is it!?” Rob pointed out.

The Issue merely stared at Maroon for a few seconds as she stood frozen in confusion. It then ran at her, intent on obtaining more biomass.

Maroon and Rob quickly shot their Trappers at the Issue, the snares quickly flying towards it. However the creature simply moved out of the way, easily dodging.

The snarling creature got on all-fours and charged at the officers. Or, rather, at Maroon, who barely dodged it's claws.

Rob drew his sword and quickly slashed the beast's back. The Issue shrieked, it's jaws reflexively projecting from it's mouth, but then rapidly swung at Rob. He dodged, backing off, thinking he hurt it. However, before he could celebrate, the creature just brushed off the injury. Not to mention, none of it's tentacles were severed or showed any sign of the injury given by Maroon.

“So it can heal too... it's tentacle has grown back!!!” he shouted to his friends.

Rob's arm suddenly felt a strong grip, the Issue had grabbed Rob's sword arm with it's pincer.

“GEAAAH!!!” he groaned in pain, dropping the sword in reaction. The Issue then raised it's other arm, claws ready, aiming at Rob. But before it could claw at him, a sword slashed at it's arm.

“ENOUGH WITH YOUR GRABBING!!!” yelled Maroon.

The attack made the creature loosen it's grip on Rob, letting him free. The Issue then hissed at Maroon as it tried to grab her, but she resisted. It only managed to rip out her jacket, which it then tore apart in apparent frustration.

“Oh, come on!!! It was a gift...” Maroon exclaimed with saddened frustration.

The Issue threw away the now tattered jacket as it got ready to jump at her, before it got hit by a fast, pink shape. With it being sent rolling like a tumbleweed, this gave them a breather.

“Brigitte!!!” exclaimed Rob in relief.

“Is this thing bothering you?” casually asked the pink officer.

“What do you think?” replied Rob, sarcastically.

“We just had to be assigned to deal with something grosser than a beggar!!!” whined the agitated Maroon.

“Pffff, I've faced worse...” scoffed Brigitte.

They noticed the Issue was now approaching Forge with hungry intent. Seeing this, our Man in a Jacket panicked.  

“ST-STOP IT!!! DIS-DISTRAT IT!!! DO SOM'THIN'!!!!” he shouted, trying to jump away on his chair.

But before it could attack Forge, the Issue was knocked away by a charging Ben.

“That was close...” the dark-skinned nikean said.

A relieved Forge said: “TH-THANK YOU!!!! N-Now... coul' ya... get me outta this chair?”

“I... don't think so?” Ben replied, taken aback.

Meanwhile, Brigitte faced the creature, who quickly tried to claw at her. She just dodged, and then punched it back, hurling it away.

The Issue got up and charged her again, attempting to quickly grab and rip apart her throat. But she caught it's pincer-hand before it could hit, pushing it away from her. The Issue backed away, then attacked again, grabbing and biting her arm as hard as it could, trying to rip it off. However, it met more resistance than expected.

“Gyah!!!” groaned the Nikean-in-pink, as she felt the creature's jaws trying to bite into her flesh. 

But this proved difficult, it caused pain, but not to a great extent. Brigitte punched the Issue's face hard enough to draw blood. It let go and then tried to attack with it's intestine-tentacles, but Brigitte drew her sword and cleanly cut three of them off.

“I'll really need to wash this dress...” she said, grossed out. 

Brigitte then rushed straight at it, trying to decapitate it, but the Issue barely dodged and quickly hit her face with it's remaining intestine-tentacle, flinching her enough to escape.

Bruised and bleeding, the Issue quickly scattered away in all-fours, cutting it's losses. It had never faced this much resistance before, even the weakest among them was a challenge.

“Let's go!!!” shouted Ben as he chased it, with the other nikeans following.

“We're not losing it again!!!” declared Brigitte.

Catching up to it, Ben slashed the Issue with his sword, severing it's remaining tentacle right off, with Maroon stabbing her sword into it's back. At this, the creature flailed it's head in pain as it tried to reach and attack her. Taking the opportunity, Rob cleanly slashed it's entire abdomen. Blood oozed all over the floor, intestines left dangling from it's wound, severely disemboweled.

“Great job, guys, great job!!!” the Nikean-in-pink congratulated as she approached.

“Did we...?” Maroon began asking.

But it still wasn't enough. The creature's innards began to wildly flail around, like tentacles. Swatting away at the confused nikeans, it retreated, again. Except this time it began to jump and climb up a  wall, moving even faster than before.

“Where is it going now???” asked Ben, as they flew towards it.

The creature then, reaching a balcony on the wall, ripped away the door to a chamber.

“Wait, what is it...?” noticed Rob.

 

Said door was thrown away, and fell on the edge of the balcony. Rob got a closer look at the door and it read “ORGANIC DISPOSAL TANK”.

“Don't tell me it hid again!!!” asked Ben.

But Rob had a different thought: “No... I think this is...”

The nikeans carefully approached the chamber and saw the Issue. Having broken into one of the organic food disposal tanks, it was quickly consuming all the tons of rotting First Level food inside, pulling it into it's abdominal injury via it's intestines.

As it consumed the biomass, it began changing. It's body twisting, it's bones cracking and it's limbs elongating. The lower back gave way to long tail, the jaws becoming bigger, and the legs of even more uneven length. Finally, the large wound on it's belly was closing, leaving only enough space for it to keep consuming.

“It's... It's getting bigger...” Maroon stated the obvious, with a frightened tone.

The officers considered attacking it now, but felt unsure. Before they could react, it swatted them away with one of it's now regrown, and much bigger, intestinal tentacles. This sent them crashing to the ground, dazed, just before the Issue itself jumped down to their level.