//------------------------------// // Chapter 25 - Fateful Encounter // Story: Little Lost Raichu // by CommanderX5 //------------------------------// Little Lost Raichu - Chapter 25 - Fateful Encounter “Hey, wait for me!” Quibble shouted as sweat fell down his forehead. “I can’t keep up with your speed, slow down!” He yelped in surprise before finding himself picked up and riding on his newly hired minion. “Thanks. What’s your name by the way.” “Desert Blade,” the grey stallion responded. His build bulky, his mane a red mohawk, while razor blade was inside scabbard attached to his side. Scimitar mark decorated his flanks. “Quite a sharp name. Why do I get the feeling that your past may be a bit dark?” Quibble asked. “I admit, I got myself into a few regrettable scenarios when I was young… thief, desert bandit, spent some years in prison. Reformed, served as guard, scout, and at older age became a mercenary.” “Okay… that’s way more than I hoped to learn?” Quibble said with a nervous chuckle. “But as long as your blade is there to keep me safe, I don’t mind your past.” “You saved my hometown’s honor by dealing with the thieves. You earned my respect, my blade is your to command.” A few drops of sweat fell down Quibble’s forehead. He shook it and displayed a confided smile. Nica’s breathing became rapid as she ran towards the pyramid. If her suspicions were correct, Daring Do and Rainbow Dash were targeted by the same creature who sealed her memories and put a curse on Gabby and many others. Yet… something felt wrong. Until now this creature acted from the shadow, erasing every trace of its existence, so why would it start acting in the open, threatening an entire town. Whatever was going on, she had very bad feelings about it. Rays of the sun no longer heated her back as Nica ran inside the large structure, her surroundings becoming darker with each step. Her paws no longer made contact with hot sand but instead with dusty stone. She stopped upon noticing two flashlights, one in Rainbow Dash’s mouth, the other in Daring Do’s mouth. She covered her eyes protectively with one paw as both lights flashed at her. Daring Do took the flashlight with her wing and spoke, “You’re a bit late, we already ran through plenty of traps,” she smirked, “and it turned out that all of them were just illusions. Lava bursting from the ground, poisonous darts, axes, spears, acids, all fake.” She pointed at the flashing green eye visible at the end of the long hallway, watching. Nica’s ears drooped and she trembled, feeling a chill going down her spine. The sinister aura of this creature being even more creepy than its appearance in the darkness. “I don’t know why it tries to scare us with illusions if it invited us in the first place, but we can simply run or fly forward,” Daring Do said before bending her legs. She returned the flashlight into her mouth and spread her wings. She flew three meters before landing on the ground upon hearing Quibble’s shout. “Waaaait!” Quibble jumped from his minion who took this moment to catch a breath. “What if it is a trap inside a trap? What if among all those illusions is the real thing? You would just walk into it, thinking it’s another illusion.” “You’ve got a good point,” Daring said, her eyes narrowed and face serious. “Nica, you’re agile and tough, can you scout ahead?” Quibble asked. “On it!” Nica shouted before running forward, leaping left, right and up, clinging to the ceiling or parrying an incoming projectile with her tail. Every encountered projectile, weapon or enraged animal vanished upon contact. All the noises and roars are very convincing, way above Trixie’s tricks. This must be some serio– Her thinking was interrupted as fifty five dark crystals emerged from the floor, while the same amount emerged from the ceiling, all barely visible in the growing darkness as only bits of light came from flashlights held by her friends. Out of reflex, Nica backflipped, slamming her metalic tail against one of emerging crystals to gain additional momentum. She tightly closed her eyes and grit her teeth, refusing to scream, as one of the large crystals from the floor and ceiling trapped her rear leg, pressing against her bronze patch from both sides with sharp pointy edges. With a swing of her tail, she crushed the lower crystal, freeing her leg as she rolled on the rocky floor. Her back and belly now covered by clinging dust. “Nica!” Dash shouted as she ran closer, looking down at her in worry with the rest catching up a moment later. "Are you hurt?" Nica glanced at her rear leg and next at Dash, shaking her head. She stood to her three legs and next slowly lowered her hurting leg. “I’m fine… just a scratch.” “A scratch!” Dash shouted as she examined the large crystals. “Those massive sharp rocks pierced into your little leg, and you call it a scratch?” Dash blinked before using her flashlight to take a closer look. “Wait a moment! Those look like crystals summoned by King Sombra when he invaded the Crystal Empire.” “Sombra? Isn’t he one of bad guys you and your friends defeated?” Quibble asked, receiving a nod of confirmation from the national heroine. “Figures. Those dark crystals are certainly not part of any of Daring Do stories.” “Are they more dangerous than typical sharp rocks?” Daring Do asked. Dash shrugged. “I dunno, but I think Sombra placed smaller crystals on Shining Armor’s horn, preventing him from using magic. Twilight also told me that a trap made of those prevented her from teleporting away.” “Oh… so in other words, those crystals block unicorn magic? Good thing I’m a pegasus,” Daring Do said. “Maybe it doesn’t block just unicorn magic but magic in general. What if it took away your flight or worse,” Quibble pointed out. “I know you’re great at avoiding traps and stuff, but I think we should let my bodyguard go ahead.” “W-what… m-me?” Desert Blade asked before steeling is nerves and narrowing his eyes. “If that’s an order, I shall face those traps head on.” “Not you, I meant the Raichu,” Quibble said as everyone’s attention focused on the long-tailed critter. “On it!” Nica said, only to be stopped by Daring Do’s hoof. “Sorry, but no, evading traps is my field of expertise,” Daring Do said. “Just sit this one out and watch how professional handle it. Okay?” “N-no, I won’t!” Nica shouted with narrowed eyes. Despite her agility, ‘Iron Tail’ and reflexes, she still ended up hurt in one of these traps. Even if the adventuring heroine knew how to dodge, she no doubt had way less durability. She couldn’t let her risk heavy injury. What’s more, losing Daring Do would give many mean creatures an opening to search and use powerful artifacts. It was only fair that someone expendable like her should take the risk. “I insist,” Daring Do said, only for Nica to run around her and forward, deeper into the dangerous maze. “Hey!” Daring Do flew, trying to bypass the long-tailed critter. Rainbow Dash and Quibble followed, witnessing as both the seasoned adventurer and a creature with great survival capabilities were evading fake traps one after another, occasionally encountering real traps in the shape of dark crystals emerging from the floor, or crystal darts raining at them at high speed. Both dodged and covered one another, getting to the end of the long hallway unscathed, yet the mysterious creature was no longer to be seen. With the creepy eye, illusions and traps no longer in their way. The group made their way forward with Nica and Daring Do scouting ahead, wary of their surroundings. “Hey, Nica, can I ask you a few questions?” Dash asked. “S-sure,” Nica said, not daring to look back even for a moment as a flashlight was now wrapped by her tail. “You told me that compared to me you’re nothing. Were you serious when you said that?” Dash asked. “Of course I was. You may be incredibly fast, but in terms of survility and combat capabilities, I’m waaay ahead of you. Yet despite being weaker, your accomplishments surpass mine many times over, which makes you superior to me.” Dash chuckled nervously. How was she supposed to respond to that? It was one thing being praised for how great she was, but this was something else. Ever since she heard of Nica’s accomplishments, she started to idolize her. For her idol to praise her while lowering her own worth… it seemed wrong. “I don’t understand, why do you think so little of yourself?” Dash asked, her tone slightly depressed. “I admit, I’m showing off my awesomeness whenever I can, but it was my parents’ encouragement and my own ego that has driven me to be the best I can be. It gives me the courage to fail.” Nica calmed herself as her adversary was still nowhere to be seen. “My point of view differs then. The way I see it, the more power one possesses, the more they need to achieve to prove themselves worthy of it. I just feel that I’m doing too little considering how much I can do.” She lowered her head and slowed down, her ears drooped. “As for my fear of failing… there was one time I didn’t react to danger fast enough… and a young girl lost her father because of that.” Both Dash and Daring Do gasped, Desert Blade rubbed the back of his neck and looked at Nica in pity while Quibble stared with an unfazed expression. “I stopped caring about winning and fame ever since while my fear of failing is present in me to this day.” “Ouch…” Dash said. “I started to hold back in fights against weaker opponents, and since I could sense sadness, anger and jealousy of defeated pokemon, I found no excitement or fun in battles. Still, whether I liked fighting or not didn’t matter, I trained myself as hard as I could regardless to make sure that I wouldn't fail ever again,” Nica continued, now walking next to Rainbow Dash, taking two steps for each one of the pegasus. “My fears and desire to be helpful pushed me over my limits, even putting my life at risk during my training. Yet, I survived, and became very tough for it.” “I see…” Dash said, trying to comprehend Nica’s words. During yesterday’s exchange of stories, Nica left some important details out, yet now everything fell into place. In a world filled with competitive pokemon who want to become the best they can, Nica actually surpassed them all despite no longer being competitive herself. “Wait a moment, isn’t there a paradox and irony in the way you think and act?” Quibble asked, catching everyone's attention. “You fear that if you’re too slow, too weak or not skilled enough, that you may fail in helping or saving someone, so you train yourself harder than everyone else.” As Nica nodded, he continued, “However, since you’re now so powerful but don’t get many opportunities to use your power, you feel unworthy of it. You compare yourself to others and feel unimportant, useless and insignificant because of that.” Daring Do glanced over her shoulder at Nica and said, “Quibble does have a point. You may not always get an opportunity to be helpful, sometimes it is all up to luck. Those weaker than you may just end up at the right place and time and save the day, while you, with all your power, may try to be as helpful as possible and not get such an opportunity. You shouldn’t go so hard on yourself." “You… really think so?” Nica asked with hesitation clear in her voice. “Of course,” Quibble said before grinning. “I mean, not everypony has so much luck to always find hidden temples that nopony found before, or face villains stupid enough to always leave them unguarded with a trap that can be disarmed.” Daring Do raised an eyebrow before speaking in a joking tone, “What can I say. Sometimes to make a big change you need skills, sometimes it is up to your choices, and sometimes it is up to pure luck. That’s the life of an adventurer in a nutshell.” “Exactly,” Pinkie said as she emerged from behind Rainbow Dash, now walking side by side with everyone else with a few helmets equipped with flashlights on her back. “Meeting each other in the same town, joining forces against a corrupted princess, having qualifications to activate dormant artifacts, all leading to the purification of Nightmare Moon and us becoming the best of friends. I would lie if I said that us becoming heroines of Equestria started without some serious luck.” “P-Pinkie, where have you been?” Dash asked. “I noticed that the top of pyramid is sealed with a large boulder, so I thought some helmets equipped with a flashlight would help us see in the dark, so I bought some,” Pinkie said before looking ahead, noticing green light in the chamber ahead. Leaping from pony to pony, she placed helmet on each head, except Daring Do who held to her trusty hat. “Totally better than holding flashlight with a hoof, wing or mouth, or in Nica’s case, with a tail.” She attached the flashlight to Daring’s hat with adhesive tape. Rainbow Dash patted Nica on the shoulder and gave her a warm smile. “See, you should stop thinking so little of yourself. So you rarely get the chance to save the world, no biggie. You’re trying hard and that’s what matters." Nica smiled lightly and nuzzled Dash’s side. “I’ll… think about it.” The soft wing of the pegasus hugged her from the other side. After several seconds of a pleasant wing-hug, Nica freed herself and ran ahead, being the first to step into the suspicious chamber, quickly examining the area. Ahead of her was a large square pool of a –no doubt toxic– substance with one small platform in the middle. Bubbles were occasionally appearing and popping on its green illuminating surface. A few loose wall-fragments and stones lay on the floor all around. Looking up, she noticed that the opening in the ceiling was indeed sealed. With the illuminating toxic substance and flashlights on her helmet as the only source of light, the visibility proved somewhat limited. She didn’t need to see in the dark to sense the aura of living creatures, and one was in the corner of the room, its black robes barely visible among the darkness while one green eye seemed to study her every move. Her ears perked up, hearing the noise of hoofsteps as the rest of the group entered the chamber as well. “We are here as you wanted,” Daring Do said as she approached the coated figure with firm steps. “Now what do you… you want what?” Nica glanced at Daring Do in confusion. “What’s wrong?” Dash asked. “You didn’t hear him speak?” Daring asked. As everypony shook their heads, Nica included, she said, “Whatever he is, he’s speaking telepathically to me.” “And what did he say?” Quibble asked. “He said that I should say goodbye to you all and make peace, because I’m not leaving this place alive,” Daring Do said before giving the hidden figure a challenging glare. “Bring it on!” She stomped the rocky floor aggressively, preparing to charge. Nica’s ears drooped, her mouth started to tremble and her face became pale. This creature wasn’t going to spread its curse, but was instead taking lethal action. She tore off her collar from her neck and pushed it towards the wall before jumping between Daring Do and the mysterious adversary, electricity escaping from her cheeks. You weren’t supposed to be here. I have no interest in you, step aside, the mysterious voice spoke in her mind as she shook her head. So be it. If you remembered our previous encounter, you would know you won’t make a difference. Fighting me is futile. Nica grit her teeth. Even if she faced this creature before and lost her memories for it, it didn’t matter, she wasn’t going to fail again. Too much was on the line. The mysterious figure threw its coat to the side. Nica’s eyes opened widely and her legs bent slightly from the overwhelming pressure of raw power. The monster itself was legless, black, irregular shape floating in mid-air. A long white hood atop its head and what seemed like a thick red collar on its neck stood out the most. Apart from its pair of claw-ended arms, the creature boasted two additional spectral limbs and a tail, all three billowing as if they were caught in an invisible storm. She found herself unable to draw her gaze from that green, sinister eye. “You look kind of neat and intimidating, but you won’t scare me. I have beaten bigger monsters,” Daring Do said with confidence in her voice before running forward. With a swift jump, she swung her rear leg, delivering a kick against the creature’s face. Her smirk vanished as her opponent just stared back without care. Using her two hooves, she delivered a solid kick against the large chest, pushing the monster towards the wall. She followed up with a tackle, slamming her shoulder against the dark being before delivering a series of kicks. Flying up and next towards her opponent, she struck the larger creature with more force, causing several cracks to spread on the wall while pinning the monster against it. Rainbow Dash flew a few circles before using gained speed for a finishing kick, causing more cracks to appear while pushing the dark creature deeper into the stone. “Nice work Dash,” Daring Do said before hoof-bombing the other pegasus. She looked back at the hostile creature who pushed itself free and wiped dust and rubble form its shoulders. “Oh come on! Tell me you at least felt it!” She narrowed her eyes. “What do you mean I kick like a little pony girl. You haven’t seen even a tenth of my combat skills.” Nica observed the ongoing battle with full attention, seeing as the dark creature was trying and failing to grab the agile pegasi with its hands. A large cake flew over her head, slamming right into creature’s face. “Ha, got you!” Pinkie shouted. The mysterious creature exposed its hand as a strange-looking dark/green aura started to emerge from Pinkie Pie. “I… am not feeling well…” Pinkie said, tilting left and right, her eyes half-closed while showing fatigue. Nica leaped towards the party mare, stopping Pinkie's fall with her paws before helping her sit. “What’s… happening… to me?” Pinkie asked. Her foreleg started to tremble the moment she raised it. Nica shoot glare at the hostile creature, who now held a ball of dark concentrated energy in its hand. Magic is such an interesting tool, don’t you agree? It can be used, it can be harvested, it makes all creatures tougher and stronger, the voice once again spoke in her mind. She watched as the dark rounded ball of pulsating magic was thrown into the toxic pool a moment later. Suddenly, the green substance turned black as the chamber became much darker. Using borrowed magic from your enthusiastic friend, I ensured that any magical creature from this world will melt in an instant upon contact with the black liquid. No matter how tough they are thanks to their inner magic, the result will be the same. Nica ran towards the large creature, her tail shining brightly. The moment another dark ball of energy started forming in its hand, she leaped forward, slapping it towards the wall as a few dark crystals emerged from it upon contact. she asked, now glaring up at the hostile creature. Rainbow Dash and Daring Do resumed their attack. Their repetitive kicks and dodging stopped the moment evasion maneuvers caused the helmets to fall from their heads. Without any visibility, Daring Do ended up caught between two hands as they squeezed against her forelegs and wings. Without Rainbow Dash, the strength of unity between Princess Twilight and her friends will be gone. A link of the chain broken. No bond to strengthen their magic and resolve, no powerful artifacts they can wield against me. Since I needed to chose only one, I decided to remove the pony who would be the last to surrender. Nica asked. If Rainbow Dash was the main target, why her opponent caught Daring Do first? Ponies with strong magic but without fighting skills are of use to me, once harvested they can’t fight back. Ponies with experience and skills will fight back regardless. After seeing how effortlessly Daring Do evaded my illusions, I witnessed something common for pokemon, something I didn’t see in ponies until now. I changed my mind and decided to remove her before she could become a potential threat. Upon noticing as the squeezing force used against Daring Do grew in strength, Nica shouted, She grit her teeth, sending as much power into her tail as she could. Her opponent was tough. She needed every bit of speed and power to free Daring Do. One opening is all she needed. I would if I could. Ponies are adapted to magic, resisting it to a degree, while I’m still discovering its secret. While I could seal the entirety of your memories, what I can do to a pony’s mind is limited. Daring Do started to scream, no longer able to hold it behind her grit teeth. Her wriggling weakened with each passing second. “Daring Do! Somepony help her!” Quibble shouted in panic while his minion stopped trembling and hid any sign of fear before grabbing his blade with his teeth. Desert Blade charged forward, only to jump backward as a few black crystals emerged from the floor, knocking the blade from his mouth while leaving small scar on his cheek. Dash flew up and next at the larger foe, only for her rear hoof to sink into the rocky floor instead. Lack of visibility limited her aim, and yet didn’t seem to affect the monster who managed to evade her attack. Using the flashlight from her own helmet and the moment of distraction her friend provided, Nica lightened the hand of the hostile creature before striking it with her ‘Iron Tail,’ causing the dark creature to yelp while catching it off guard. She continued her combo, striking the second hand before wrapping her tail around Daring Do’s belly. Bouncing against the chest of her opponent, she pushed herself and the adventurous pony away, using a ‘Thunderbolt’ to stop the monster from chasing them as her legs landed on the rocky ground with a weak thud. As the large creature massaged its arms, its voice spoke in Nica’s mind. You remember how to fight? Did you overcome my seal? Nica’s eyes focused on the dark energy which started to grow above the hand of the hostile creature. With a loud scream and spread forepaws, she unleashed a strong ‘Thunderbolt’ as bolts of electricity flashed bright over the darkened area, yet this time her attack failed to break the concentration of the hostile creature. In a rush of panic, she held both forepaws ahead of her and focused, using ‘Light Screen’ as a square barrier appeared in front of her, and next in front of everypony nearby. Quibble pointed at the lying party pony and shouted, “We need to protect Pinkie Pie!” Desert Blade nodded in agreement. Three fingers pressed against the gathered energy, causing it to spread over the entire chamber. Nica raised her metalic tail defensively, refusing to blink. Her barrier activated, softening the incoming attack while her tail protected her head. She grit her teeth as her belly and limbs ended up receiving a few bruises, nothing she couldn’t ignore, while helmet fell from her head and melted in dark fire. Her ears perked up at the noise of painful screams. Overcame by panic, she looked around, yet could only sense auras of fear. She looked up and used another ‘Thunderbolt,' destroying the boulder as sunlight entered the chamber. She looked around as her face became pale and her mouth opened agape. Quibble and his mercenary lay unconscious with burns visible on their fur, both lying protectively on Pinkie Pie. Daring Do and Rainbow Dash groaned in pain, struggling to stand as shrinking black flames were visible on their furs. Don’t worry. You shall forget what transpired here, enjoying your life among ponies in bliss. No regret and no guilt. Nica looked back at the hostile creature, who now hovered towards the unconscious ponies while a small black flame appeared above each of his fingers. With a quick run while repeating her name, Nica surrounded herself with electricity, running at the attacker on an intercepting course. She smashed the bigger creature deeply into the wall, causing more rubble to spread over the room and loud crashing noise to echo over the chamber. A few pebbles sank into the pool of dark substance. Nica shook her head before glaring at the hostile creature while standing on its chest, both now a meter deep inside the wall. Her victory didn’t last as one finger pushed black flame towards her forehead. She leaped out of the hole before attacking with another ‘Thunderbolt.' What is the meaning of this? Nica heard an angered voice in her mind as the dark creature emerged from the hole. Why are you still conscious, why didn’t the spell work? An odd looking wave of magic emerged, spreading over the entire room, looking similar to the scanning spell Twilight and Starlight used on her not long ago. Mental protection? Did your body adapt to the magic of this world as well? The dark creature turned towards the ponies before flying at them. I had hoped not to drag a fellow traveler into this. If you step aside, I shall not harm you. Nica ran at the dark creature, attacking with bolts of electricity, only for her adversary to fly over them. Much to her relief, the creature was pushed back by a combined flying kick from both pegasi as their rear hooves collided with its face. Her relief didn’t last long as the attacker pressed its paw against the floor, summoning numerous small voids. She leaped to the side and back, just in time to evade. Nica glanced at the other ponies, seeing Daring Do leaping and flying between the voids, only to end up grabbed by the hostile creature. “Hey, hands off!” Dash shouted. Her attempt of rescue ended up with her being slapped into one of the voids. Dark energy vanished quickly, revealing her deep asleep as a snoring noise escaped her mouth. Nica grit her teeth, feeling growing anger. Quibble, Pinkie and Desert Blade were unconscious. Rainbow Dash was asleep and would no doubt be thrown into pool of dark toxins a moment later, while Daring was captured and would be thrown into it here and now. Whatever the attacker was, it seemed capable of attacking multiple targets at once. How was she supposed to focus on defeating him and protect Rainbow Dash and Daring Do at the same time? Charging her ‘Iron Tail,’ she ran towards the hostile creature, only for black crystals to emerge from the floor. She zipped in between the crystals and slapped her tail against chest of the attacker, yet its hold of Daring Do remained strong. The moment her feet made contact with the rocky ground, she bent her legs and charged more power into her tail while aiming at the hands holding Daring Do. Much to her shock, the hostile creature jumped into the pool of dark substance. Time slowed down before Nica’s very eyes as her panicked mind struggled to comprehend what was happening. No… now wasn’t the time for thinking or hesitation. She already failed to save the life of a human father just because she allowed panic to distract her. She wasn’t going to let it happen again. Without hesitation, she pressed her paws against the edge of the pool and jumped in, repeating her name while surrounding herself with an aura of electricity. The moment she crashed into the arm of the hostile creature while using ‘Volt Tackle,’ she grabbed Daring Do with her tail and pushed her up, only to feel her own body sink into the toxic substance, overwhelmed by pain while feeling burning sensation on her entire body. “Nica!” Daring Do shouted, hovering above the toxic substance. Ignoring the agonizing pain, Nica started moving her limbs, swimming to the surface as her head emerged. The moment she was grabbed by Daring Do’s hooves, she heard a loud yelp of pain and fell into the dark substance again. Swimming with all her might, she reached the wall of the pool and started climbing up with the help of her tail, reaching the top as dark liquid was dripping down her body. Daring Do hovered above the floor while looking at her burned hooves, and next glanced at the large critter. “How… how are you still alive?” she asked in disbelief. Nica shook herself and next pointed at the unconscious ponies. She pointed towards the exit before sending bolts of electricity towards the dark substance, striking the emerging foe. While not understanding her words, Daring Do seemed to understand her paws gestures as she picked up all four ponies onto her back, running towards the exit with an obvious struggle. Nica glanced at the adventurer and forced herself to smile. She walked backward from the pool of dark substance, breathing hastily, as her eyes rested upon the emerging creature. Yet something felt off. Its aura seemed… calm… No anger… no hostility… just disappointment. Nica maintained a fighting stance, yet her foe simply hoovered in front of her with lowered hands as dark substance was dripping down its body. Despite numerous burns and bruises, it seemed calm and collected. I acknowledge your power. I’m no longer interested in eliminating, nor cursing your pegasus friends. You have my full attention. Nica grit her teeth as bolts of electricity escaped from dots on her cheeks, striking a few tiny pebbles in the process. Calm yourself. I’m not interested in fighting you. I wish to negotiate. Nica asked before stomping her burned paw. Why care about beings from another world when you should think about yourself? Nica frowned. You already repaid your debt a few times over! the creature responded with anger before calming down. At best they view you as a pet, an inferior and less intelligent being they take care out of pity. At worst they recognize your talents and are trying to use you, no different than human trainers were using us for millenia! They may call you a friend, but you’re no equal in their eyes. The dark creature clenched its fist before slamming it against the floor. Those ponies are little different from humans. I care little for them, but I hoped to avoid hurting a fellow pokemon, which is why I tried to keep you in blissful ignorance. Yet… you remembered how to fight, and your mind built up resistance to my newly acquired magic. I can see that you’re not a weak Raichu. You’ve become too powerful to ignore, which is why I wish to give you three choices. I’m being merciful and advise you to take my offer seriously. Three choices? Nica started thinking back to her encounter with the mob boss, or rather about his advice. Should she be given a choice, she shouldn’t stand up against this mysterious powerful being. She closed her eyes and shook her head, she wasn’t going to be intimidated. She sat and gave the mysterious figure an even glare. Depends on the questions, but I don’t see why not. After all, once you hear my offer, I’m certain you’ll choose in my favor. He performed a polite bow. I suppose it’s only fair to start negotiations with an introduction. My name is Darkrai, also known as King of Nightmares.