…
…
…
In the darkness, Abel could hear the muffled voice of people he didn't recognize.
"What the hell do we do with him?"
"I don't know but there's no way he's supposed to be here."
"We could just dump him in the open and let the guards deal with him."
"NO WAY!"
He then suddenly felt a surge of pain in his head, and it was registered.
[HP: 110/125]
"Agh… why does my head hurt like hell." He groaned.
As he slowly opened his blurry eyes a holographic panel flashed, overlaid on the dim light and the shadows of the figures before him.
[Emergency Quest Issued: Identify Captors & Secure Alliance]
[Objective: Identify All Captors (0/5)]
Standing among the figures there was a familiar voice among them. "Well, well, well, it's nice to see a familiar face around here. Welcome back, you little runt."
Everything was an absolute blur, but the one solid thing that was clear to him was the sharp and unforgiving tone and attitude he heard.
That rough voice clearly came from Iris, and with her there was a small group of kids that all seemed all above his age and strength.
Abel's eyes twitched in irritation as he snapped, "Why you… I already told you not to call me that dammit!"
[Quest Progress: Iris Identified (1/5)]
He gritted his teeth at her in irritation because as much as he hated being looked down upon, the very insult of being called a runt was always the thing that would piss him off.
Iris just brushed it off with a mocking smirk on her face and taunted him. "Oh yeah? And what exactly are you gonna do about it huh, runt? I'd think carefully about it if I were you."
Abel snarled but knew what she meant. He was completely outmatched and out of position.
One of them was a round heavy-looking kid, a bit on the chubby side but still able to smash him to bits.
There was a lean kid with a mean look on his face who also had a long scar on the corner of his lips.
And then there were two girls who looked like they were twins constantly whispering to one another.
"So what are all you guys supposed to be a gang or just a bunch of wannabes? Because honestly I can't see the difference." Abel said.
Iris laughed. "Wow that's pretty bold, but I guess you could technically call us a party. Though I'd prefer a family."
"Is that right… well that's your story but as for me—"
He pushed himself off the ground and stood defiant despite the splitting pain felt in his head and snapped at them again. "First off, what the hell is going on here? Where am I? And which one of you bastards hit me!?"
He was throwing a tantrum even though he was clearly not in the condition or position to do so, but Abel was a stubborn kid that didn't care much about the odds.
"Man he's loud, not to mention annoying. You sure we can't just hand him over to the guards and be done with it?" The lean kid said.
"NOOOO… we can't do that!" One of the twins immediately cried out.
"Yeah you idiot. And besides, if we do that we'll be blamed for finding him." The other taller twin added.
The chubby kid nodded. "Yeah guys she's right and besides he doesn't seem like a bad guy, he's just a bit loud."
"Yeah!" The smaller twin clapped.
They were annoyingly talking about him as if he wasn't even standing right there and that was bugging him to no end.
'It's like I'm not even here.'
He stood there in silence and watched the ragtag group bicker, but thankfully, Iris cut the nonsense short.
"Alright guys, that's enough. You're literally freaking the little guy out — I mean, just look at him." She pointed at Abel, who was observing their squabbling and was actually a bit shaken by their chaotic energy. "He's completely frozen, not to mention confused."
"Yeah… I'm not sure if you guys are being serious or just playing dumb, but could you please just answer my damn questions?"
Iris grinned. "Sure, but you're asking a lot of them and we don't really have that much time on our hands."
The lean kid snapped. "And we don't trust you, you damn brat. And how the hell do you even know Iris in the first place?"
Abel clicked his tongue and snorted. "Tell me, do you always let your lapdog bark for you or is he just an idiot?"
That cut deep and made the lean kid growl his teeth at him. "THE HELL DID YOU JUST CALL ME YOU LITTLE SHIT!?"
Both of the twins then chimed in.
"Yeah he's right you are our lapdog and an idiot if I may add."
"He's right, you are our lapdog — and an idiot, if I may add."
"Yeah, he's definitely right, you're our little dog."
"WHAT THE HELL DID YOU TWO JUST SAY TO ME!?" The lean kid roared.
"Come on you guys please don't start fighting." The chubby kid tried to calm them down, but it didn't work.
Abel had to sit and watch how dysfunctional they were and he didn't even know if he should stay or just make a break for it.
But before he could act on it, Iris made sure to end the squabble, again.
"Alright you idiots, I said that's enough! You guys are really starting to piss me off, so all of you shut it!" She roared.
Abel smirked. "Hey no need to stop on my account — so please continue your so-called family drama, it's actually a lot of fun to watch."
Iris snapped back. "Shut it, you runt! And as for your other questions, this is our meeting spot — in other words, our base for operations." She declared.
Abel tilted his head and looked around, realizing this hideout was a whole lot more organized than anything he'd seen in the Estate.
"You call this your base of operations but… what exactly are you doing here and who the hell are you guys?" He asked.
Iris grinned. "Well, since you asked — allow me to introduce my family." She pointed to the heavy-set boy. "First, the big guy here's name is Bruno. He's gentle as a teddy bear and just as strong as one."
Bruno greeted Abel with a warm smile. "Hello, I'm Bruno; it's a pleasure to meet you, Abel."
[Quest Progress: Bruno Identified (2/5)]
Abel was taken aback by his sudden friendliness. "Y-Yeah… it's nice to meet you too."
One of the twins giggled. "Abel huh? That's kind of a plain name, don't you think?"
That was not music to Abel's ears. "What the hell did you just say!? Say that again, I dare you!"
Iris sighed. "These are the twins, Lena and Luna," Iris continued. "Lena's a bit rude, but Luna might be the nicest of the group, so relax."
Luna suddenly walked up a bit too close to Abel. "Hey Abel, it's nice to meet you, and big sis's right your name is plain, but I honestly like it, because it's really cute on you!"
[Quest Progress: Luna Identified (3/5)]
Abel's whole face turned bright red. A girl has never complimented him in his whole life and it was something else.
However her big sis Lena was in disagreement. "Stop deceiving him already, Luna!" She scolded. "And besides, it's not that cute but I guess it is a bit fitting."
[Quest Progress: Lena Identified (4/5)]
Iris chuckled. "Okay, okay, that's enough for you two otherwise you'll make him explode." She turned. "Oh and last but not least, we've got our quiet but deadly Kane."
Kane smirked.
[Quest Progress: Kane Identified (5/5)
"Thanks Iris, I think the runt gets it now. Oh and by the way, to answer your question — I'm the one who nailed you on the head and I'm actually proud of it."
He grinned with a smug look on his face and that was just enough for Abel to snap.
He walked up to him and stood face to face with Kane. "Screw you asshole. Hit me again, I dare you." He growled.
Kane smirk grew wider. "Oh yeah? Looks like we've got ourselves a fighter on our hands. Well, bring it on then you little shit."
Iris clapped her hands and cut in, interrupting their little standoff. "Okay, you two, you guys can make out later."
That was so disgusting that the two yelled in unison. "HELL NO! AND SCREW YOU!!!"
She just snickered and shrugged it off. "Whatever. Anyway, like I said this is our hideout and what we're doing here is actually pretty simple, we're coming up with our escape plan to get out of this hellhole."
Abel's eyes widened in shock, because for the first time, he was going to learn how he could actually reach freedom.