Since there was, at best, 2 minutes before Fredrick and his crew walked into the store, I knew I had to make a decision, and on the table were three options.
The first was the most obvious: knock out the shop clerk, steal the cards, and leave out the back without being seen.
This option was honestly the better of what I could come up with at the moment, and it was more on-brand for someone like me who was a master of hit-and-run tactics.
Option two was balanced but could easily go sideways if I didn’t handle things properly, and that was to set a scenario where I would force Fredrick into interacting with me, IE, having a lengthy conversation and revealing myself as either Nexus or Xipher.
It was a bit out there, but given my boredom and lack of activity at home, it was plausible as it meant I would have something to do for the foreseeable future, and then there was Option Three.
Ambush and Kidnap…basically, I could gear up and attack before they realized what hit them. Once I dealt with the two operatives guarding Fredrick, I could knock out and capture the young man before bringing him to Gnarnia and…well, for lack of a better term, torture the shit out of him.
There were many things I wished to know about the current Stillwater, and why not get right to the source? Although I wasn’t 100% sure that all 7 of the living Colt Children, along with Erik, had become returners, I hadn’t heard anything about their deaths in the Origin Timeline, even when I was stuck in the Undead Instance, so I had a pretty good feeling that all of them had come back to the past.
With three options on hand, I had to be quick, so at that moment, the first thing I did was check for a security camera; then, after not finding any, I made my move.
In an instant, I appeared on the glass counter, startling the rude acne-ridden clerk, and delivered a whip-like sidekick to his head, using enough force to kill him with a single blow before storing his corpse in my inventory.
Next, I rushed to the back storage room…and stole EVERYTHING. It didn’t matter if it was P*kemon, MTG, or one of the many other different board games and cards; it all went into my inventory.
Since time was of the essence, I swiftly summoned my bonded Armor and was instantly decked out from head to toe in black drakehide leather with blood-red accents.
Apart from the color and lack of a Hero Logo and some slight modifications to suit my taste, it wasn’t too different from what I had Given Brenden. Yet, still, there was plenty to separate us, especially my vampbraces, which were spiked and equipped with all sorts of little toys that I would use in combat.
Then there was my facemask and cloak, which, unlike Brenden’s, which was clearly meant for a hero; mine was dark and sinister, more…villainous. The best part about my cloak was that it changed not only the color of my hair when worn but also my hairstyle, perfect for hiding my true identity.
In that moment, I had transformed fully for the first time since returning to the past, and truly, Xipher had returned.
With my quick change in order, I moved back to the store lobby and noticed the sun was beginning to set, giving me a perfect opportunity to revel in mystery; thus, after shooting out a few needles and destroying all the overhead lights, I caused the store to fall into Darkness, leaving me to place the finishing touches on the ambiance, two plastic chairs and a table with one chair either side.
Having set the scene to the best of my ability, I calmly walked to the far corner of the room, hidden in the shadows, and waited.
I have to admit, my execution was flawless, as it took me less than a minute to pull everything off.
DING DONG DING
"Hey, why are the lights off…weird, HELLO! IS ANYONE HERE?" I was so flawless that right as I hid my presence using the ability of my cloak, the door opened and chimed with the little electronic bell.
But the moment they stepped through the door, I pressed play on a small device that was linked to my mind, allowing me to set the tone with some eerie and creepy music.
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Then, with a flick of my wrist, I sent the flash drive-size device, along with a handful of others, to hide where I was in the room and use them as speakers from every angle of the shop since they were scattered to different locations.
The music began playing, and I began spouting off lyrics, using the opportunity to set the mood with a deeper voice than I could emit, thanks to the voice changer in my mask.
**I made a song, it’s in the comments**
♪Yo, Fredrick Colt stumblin’ in, bad move, my friend,
Red hair flaming, caught in my deadly blend,♪
The words came out in a twisted, sing-song manner, causing Fredrick and his bodyguards to halt in the doorway, with both operators going for their guns.
"What the fuck?" Drawing a gun of his own from a holster under his jacket, Fredrick went on high alert, making me smile broadly under my mask.
"Who’s there?" Fredrick said while walking forward and motioning for the operators to spread out.
♪Who am I? shadows dance in my symphony,
Darkness embodied, chaos infinity.♪
FWOOSH FWOOSH FWOOSH
The moment I finished the line, I flung out a handful of knives, which shot toward the ceiling and ricocheted down toward the three intruders before smashing into the guns they wielded, knocking them free from their grasp.
♪Legends whisper of my legacy deep,
Bump in the night, hauntin’ your sleep,
Walkin’ trap, Colt steps right in,
Now play my game; let the chaos begin.. ♪
"WHOSE THERE DAMN IT, SHOW YOURSELF!" Fredrick growled with rage. Since I had knocked out the lights and the sun was almost down for the night, it was basically pitch black in the large shop, allowing the multiple store shelves to cast all kinds of shadows, hiding me perfectly from his line of sight.
BANG BANG
♪My name’s a chillin’ curse,
Darkness creepin’, makin’ it worse,
Legends they quiver, shiver at the sound,
Fredrick Colt wishin’ he ain’t around.♪
BANG!!