After confirming everything with Shepherd, Belle quickly went back to Random Play and straight into the backroom where Wise was waiting for her.
"So, Belle. How did everything go with Shepherd?" Asked Wise.
"Well... You definitely want to hear this." Belle gestured for Wise to get closer to her.
She then explained all the details about the commission that she had gotten from Shepherd, or rather, the lack of it.
"Let me get this straight, not only does Shepherd know nothing of this client of ours, but there is absolutely no information about them or our rescue target." Summarised Wise with a sceptical expression on his face.
Belle nodded. "Yep, that's about right."
Wise sighed in resignation, putting his hand on his face. "Shepherd had no other commission, does he?"
"Yeah. Unfortunately, it's our only option. And, if we want to build our Inter-Knot reputation back, we need to take this commission." Said Belle.
"Wait! I have an idea." Belle turned to Fairy. "Fairy, can you find any details about this commission?"
"Affirmative. Searching..." A couple of seconds passed and Fairy seemed to find something. "Unfortunately, master, just as the intelligence broker had pointed out, there is almost no detail about the commission or the client. I have, however, found out that the account was created approximately an hour after the Cunning Hares exited the Cretan Hollow. Not only that, the device that was used to issue the commission was also detected near the Cretan Hollow at the same time."
"Really. That's not suspicious at all." Wise sarcastically said.
Belle crossed her arms, her brow furrowing in thought. "An hour after we left Cretan Hollow and near the exit that Nicole had used too? That's way too precise and specific to be a coincidence."
Wise leaned back in his chair, tapping his fingers against the desk. "So, someone was watching us. Knew exactly when we'd be back in the city.
Which means they either tailed us or had eyes inside the Hollow."
"Or," Belle added, "They were somehow in the Hollow with the Cunning Hares."
The two stop for a while to gather and discuss their thought about the commission before reluctantly agreeing to accept it.
Belle sighed in acceptance. "I'll contact Nicole. When she heard about the money involved, she would definitely take the job."
Wise agreed with her. "Good point. We could use their help in traversing the Hollow."
With that, Belle set about massaging Nicole on Knock-Knock to see if she's interested in taking the job.
Just as Belle had predicted, Nicole immediately accepted when she heard about the commission fee and how much she would be paid for it.
"You had me at 'massive payday.' I'm in. When do we move?"
Belle smirked as she showed Wise the response. "Told you."
Wise chuckled, shaking his head. "Alright, then. Let's get Eous prepped. If this client is hiding something, we need to be ready for anything."
Belle nodded, typing back to Nicole. "Meet us at Random Play in an hour. We'll brief you then."
As they waited for Nicole to arrive, Wise had Fairy pull up the map of the target location, an abandoned metro station not too far from where they had found the strongbox. "Fairy, any activity from the area?"
"Negative, master. No recent energy signatures, no HIA Investigators patrols, and no other occupants. However..." Fairy's voice flickered slightly. "I have detected a location that seemed to be a camp of some sort, it seemed to be recently abandoned."
Belle's eyes narrowed. "So someone wants this place to stay off the grid."
Wise crossed his arms. "Either they're hiding from something… or they're setting a trap."
Before they could speculate further, the door chimed as Nicole strolled in, her usual confident grin in place. "Alright, let's hear it. What's the job, and how much trouble are we walking into?"
Belle quickly filled her in on the missing details, Shepherd's lack of intel, the suspicious timing of the commission, and the eerie silence around the target site.
Nicole whistled. "So, we're basically walking into a rescue mission with zero intel, zero info on the client or the victim. Fun." She cracked her knuckles. "As long as the dennies are real, I'm in."
Wise smirked. "Glad you're on board. But we need a plan. If this is a trap, we will have to be prepared to escape. If it's legit and someone's really kidnapped and hid a VIP there, we extract fast and quietly."
"Don't worry, manager. The Starlight Knight will be there to protect the team!"
"I will make sure to keep alert," Anby added.
.....
With the plan prepared, the Cunning Hares drove back to the Hollow with Eous in tow and waited near the edge of the Hollow, awaiting Belle's instructions.
"Can't believe we're back here. I wonder if Fallen Angel is gone from the Hollow?" Said Billy.
"It's just like all those criminal investigation movies. The suspect always goes back to the scene of the crime." Stated Anby.
Nicole looked outright offended at Anby. "What are you insinuating, Anby?! We're not a criminal. We're an honest odd-job agency. Nothing else."
Belle, now synced with Eous, looked at the group with a flat expression. "Are you guys done? We don't have all night here."
Nicole nodded. "We're ready. Lead the way, Proxy!"
With that, Belle slowly entered the Hollow with the Cunning Hares following right behind.
.....
Inside the Hollow, the group proceeded to their destination. Along the way, the group come across the aftermath of the battle from last time.
"Jeez. Fallen Angel really did a number on this place, huh?" Observed Billy. "This place looked even more destroyed than the last time we were here."
Nicole couldn't help but silently agree with Billy. She then turned to Belle. "Proxy, anything up ahead?"
Belle shook her head. "Negative. The Ether activity here lowered quite considerably. Not only that, before we entered the Hollow, I also noticed that the Cretan Hollow had shrunk quite a bit."
"Didn't it take like a considerable amount of Ethereals for a Hollow to even shrink?" Asked Billy/
"You're right." Belle agreed. "We are close, let's hurry up."
When they reached their destination, they found the place looking rather empty.
"Well, we've arrived. But, where's the VIP?" Asked Nicole as she scoured the area for any sign of life.
Fairy's voice then erupted from Eous which caused the group to instantly become alert. "Warning, Ether activity is rapidly rising."
The sound of a wing flapping alerted the group as they looked around, their weapons ready in their hands.
When a large shadow fell over them, Nicole gulped audibly as she saw the familiar silhouette of Fallen Angel right above them,
"H-hey there." Falling on her back, Nicole awkwardly greeted the saviour she so easily snitched. "H-how are you d-doing?"
Fallen Angel makes no movement as it observes them. Then, out of nowhere, it grabbed something from its back which was revealed to be a phone with a very familiar video playing.
"Breaking news, a reliable tip regarding the elusive Fallen Angel had just been sent to the HIA."
"The person who had collected the 1000000 dennies bounty had chosen to remain anonymous for privacy reasons but the HIA had assured us that the recording sent is the real deal and is in no way faked."
"The sender is said to have been trapped in the Hollow before being rescued by Fallen Angel."
"We will now show you the recording. Be aware, the recording had been edited by the sender to protect their identity."
The rest of the recording played as the group silently watched, and sweats began forming.
"T-that wasn't us!" Nicole stammered trying to defend herself.
After the video ended, Fallen Angel put the phone away. "I didn't say it was you... Nicole of the Cunning Hares." Fallen Angel retorted which made Nicole chuckle in nervousness.
A voice of Fairy then spoke up. "Master, I have scanned the device and determined that the device was the same one that issued the commission."
"Anby... We're screwed aren't we?" Billy whispered to Anby, who had a calculating look on her face.
"The probability of us defeating Fallen Angel without sustaining serious injuries is approximately 15.6%."
The group was silent for a moment as the tense atmosphere continued to suffocate them.
Fallen Angel then flicked its head to Eous, making Belle step back in fear.
"You're the famed Phaethon, correct?" Asked Fallen Angel.
"Y-yes that's me ha ha ha..." Belle awkwardly answered. "Is there something you need?"
"Can you help me?"
The group was taken aback by an Ethereal asking for help. Inwardly, they wondered if they were dreaming or something.
"W-what do you need?" Asked Belle.
"Before that, let me change my appearance first." A dark glow made of Ether energy then spreads across Fallen Angel's body as it is enveloped in it like a cacoon. It was so bright that the group had to cover their eyes in fear of being blinded.
When the light dies down, the group begins looking at Fallen Angel once again, only to see an ordinary human male with some features resembling its previous form, mainly the white hair, face and eyes.
"Let me introduce myself properly. I am Michael, the famed Fallen Angel. Nice to meet you." The now-named Michael introduced himself with a friendly tone. Out of nowhere, a grin was plastered on his face as he let out a laugh. "Bwahaha, you should've seen the look on your face."
That laugh seemed to snap the group out of their shock as Nicole pouted in anger. "Hey! That's not funny, you know. You almost scared me half to death."
Their action seemed to have alleviated the tension somewhat as Anby sheathed her sword while Billy holstered his guns.
Belle let out a long sigh, rubbing her temples. Deciding to set aside a lot of questions, she turned to the Ethereal turned Human. "Okay, Michael, what exactly do you want from us? And why go through all this trouble just to get our attention? I assume you're the one who posted the commission?"
Michael smiled. "Straight to the point, huh? I like that. I guess I have nothing more to hide. My request is simple. I want to get out of the Hollow and live in New Eridu."
"Huh?!" Belle exclaimed.
"Woah, woah, woah. Get out of the Hollow? Can you even survive outside?" Asked Nicole, still wary of Michael.
"Boss is right. No Ethereals have ever left the Hollow. Besides, how do we know you're not going to wreak havoc once you're out?" It was then Billy remembered something. "Damn. This is beginning to look like the movie Anby mentioned."
"I did some experiments on myself and found out I can leave the Hollow with no consequences whatsoever," Michael explained calmly. "How do you think I'm able to drag all those survivors out?"
Nobody has any counterargument to that. "His logic is sound." Anby stated.
"Besides, you already accepted my commission." Michael then takes something out from behind, which is revealed to be a bag filled with something. "Here's the full payment."
He tossed the bag to Nicole, which she clumsily caught and proceeded to open it, revealing it to be full of dennies.
All of them swear Nicole had a money sign coming out of her eyes the moment she laid her eyes on them.
"The number of dennies... Proxy, you have to help him." Nicole pleaded with Belle.
Belle looked at Michael with a suspicious expression. "You got all of these ethically right?"
"Don't worry. All these dennies are the ones I managed to scrounge up while in the Hollow."
Nicole points to Michael. "See. There's nothing to worry about you guys. Now let's go."
Anby, Billy and the Phaethon siblings only gave her a deadpan stare after seeing her complete 180 in emotion.
"Sigh... That's boss alright." Sighed Billy in resignation.
"Wait! Let me lead the way." Michael said as he got in front of Nicole.
.....
As the group followed Michael to the Hollow Exit, an uneasy and awkward silence pervades the entire time.
Belle, perhaps sensing them in the air, tried to alleviate it somewhat by asking Fal... Michael a question. "So umm... Michael, when did you become an Ethereal and how does it feel to be one?"
That definitely got the group curious as they stared at Michael in front of them. He abruptly stopped causing the rest of the group to stumble in a comical way.
Michael faced the group, "I... don't remember exactly when I became an Ethereal, but I remember waking, or rather gaining consciousness, one day a few months ago. Back then, I only remembered my name along with bits and pieces of my former life and nothing else. At first, I was horrified to see myself become this monster but over time, I got used to my new form more and more. Any more questions?"
Wise then voiced his question through Eous. "Why did you choose us for this commission?"
Michael smirked before lifting a finger and pointing at Eous. "It's because of you Phaethon."
"Me?/Me?"
"Yup. Even while being confined in the Hollow, your reputation as widespread especially among other Hollow Raiders." Stated Michael. "I figured that you have the expertise and knowledge on how to forge a fake ID for me."
"Really? Ummm thanks, I guess?" Belle said, rubbing her head at being complimented by an Ethereal of all things. "But that begs the question, where are you going to live?"
"Easy. With you of course."
"Us?!" Screamed Wise and Belle. There is no way in hell they're going to let an Ethereal live with them.
"I know your concern with me living with you, so how about a proposal?"
Wise and Belle straighten their back, as they focused on what Michael, an Ethereal, could offer them in exchange for a place to live.
"As an Ethereal, I can easily navigate any Hollow without trouble. As Proxy, I'm sure you can understand how valuable this is."
Belle and Wise nodded in agreement along with Wise. Even with the H.D.D, they know it still has its limitations. With Fairy, they still don't know the full extent of her power. Still, an Ethereal is probably going to outclass anything in terms of navigating the ever-changing Hollows for obvious reasons.
"My proposal is simple, as payment for living with you, I will assist you in any Hollow-related matters. Of course, we can discuss further when we get to meet face-to-face."
Belle went silent for a while before speaking to Michael. "You can find the exit right. Can you lead the others out, I have something to do." Said Belle as she seemingly desynced from Eous to discuss things with her brother.
Michael picked Eous up as he looked at the Cunning Hares awkwardly. Without any words, Michael leads the way out of the Hollow.
.....
Belle, with an unsure face, turns to her brother who seems to mirror her feelings.
"What do you think of his proposal Wise?" Asked Belle.
Wise took a moment to gather his thought as weigh the pros and cons. "I don't like it. On one hand, we'll be inviting a powerful Ethereal to live with us, even if he has saved a lot of people. On the other hand, the benefits... With him and Fairy's help, we'll finally be able to investigate Hollow Zero properly."
The voice of Fairy then chimes in, "Master, what is a Hollow Zero?"
"Hmm? You don't know? Oh right, you've just been turned on." Wise said.
"Challenge accepted, searching for Hollow Zero along with any relevant information." Fairy then went silent for several seconds. "Query complete, Hollow Zero is a codename for the oldest, most impactful and, most hazardous Hollow in New Eridu."
She then continued, "Research shows all major Hollows discovered in New Eridu are derived from Hollow Zero's Companion Hollow. Hollow Zero was also responsible for the destruction of the Old Capital, Eridu."
"New Eridu regularly schedules capable Agents to conduct research, investigate, track, and suppress Hollow Zero's development. Speculation. Master intends to investigate Hollow Zero in order to save New Eridu." Fairy concluded.
Belle smiled at the A.I Assistance. "Bzzt. I'm sorry Fairy, but that's the wrong answer."
"Also, that wasn't a challenge either," Wise said.
"Requesting information, please tell me your motive for investigating so I may assist your participation," Fairy asked with a hint of confusion in her voice.
Seeing the chance, Belle answered her. "Okay. But you have to tell me about your 'motive' and 'agreement' first."
Fairy seemed to be rather aggravated at that. "Question, is this what is called 'provoking someone'?
"How is it provoking? Belle just wants to make sure we're being honest with each other." Wise retorted with an annoyed tone in his voice.
"My apologies, master. I am not authorized to answer unnecessary questions about my 'agreement' and 'motive.' Answers will be provided in due course."
"I'm sorry. We can't tell you our exact motive for investigating Hollow Zero. But you should realize, Fairy, that the rewards in there are valuable indeed, and..."
Wise seemed to be lost in thought for a moment before continuing, "The place where my sister and I grew up was in the old capital but it's been destroyed. So, we have things we want to investigate in Hollow Zero. That's all you need to know."
Belle looked rather unimpressed. "Wise, didn't you just tell her?"
Wise only smiled and rubbed the back of his head sheepishly. "Haha, don't worry, consider it a token of our appreciation."
Wise then got serious. "But back to the matter at hand. Fallen Angel. Having him would be a massive boon since he would be able to traverse Hollow without any side effects."
Belle nodded. "That's right, not only that, from what we've seen, he's a very formidable fighter and is able to rid other people of corruption as well. Yet..."
"We're still clueless about his motive or why he commissioned us specifically."
"But with him at our side, we'll have the most powerful ally when we eventually travel inside Hollow Zero. Besides, a person who has saved countless people from the Hollow cannot be that bad, right?" Belle expressed.
"Master, a car is rapidly approaching Random Play. It seems the Cunning Hares have returned. I also sensed a faint energy signature, the same as the sentient Ethereal named Michael."
A honk then sounded from Random Play's parking lot.
With a sigh, Wise walked to the backdoor, ready to greet the others. "Well, Belle. Let's go and give him our answer."
Belle also resigned herself as she followed Wise to the parking lot.
.....
"Sarah. What are you doing here?" The voice of Justin Bringer called out as he stood on the rooftop of an abandoned building.
"I'm sure you've heard the news, Bringer."
"Ughh... Please don't remind me, I spent countless resources trying to find Fallen Angel and a random group of Hollow Raiders is the first one to manage to capture the first confirmed footage of him. Not only that, the whole of New Eridu now knows that Fallen Angel exists due to that blasted news channel."
"Mmmm yes. That was rather unfortunate."
Bringer looked at Sarah. "Is there anything you want to add or are you here to kick my wounded pride."
"No. I'm here to relay what happened when Fallen Angel was confirmed to exist."
That piqued Bringer's curiosity. "Oh? How did the others react?"
"There is good news and bad news. The good news is that faith in the has been strengthened with the Overseer calling Fallen Angel a 'divine messenger from the creator. Not only that, but member recruitment has also been boosted by it."
"And the bad news?"
"A lot of members have been deserting the Order reasoning that the Creator doesn't intend to refine humanity citing Fallen Angel's action of saving humans. Not only that but whispers of heresy have also been spread among the members, calling the Creator a lie and that Fallen Angel is the true Creator."
"Well, that's the Overseer problem. Anyway, I need to go back, the paperwork has been piling up. Also, is there any change to the plan?"
Sarah shakes her head. "No. Although the Overseer has tasked you to seek Fallen Angel. Recruit him if you can, capture him if you can't." Bringer visibly grimaced at having another task piled on him.
"I shall take my leave. May the Creator refine us." Sarah then walked away, leaving Bringer alone.
Bringer looked up to the sky and towards the bright moon. "May the Creator refine me."