Jake and Carmen sat on the balcony and looked out over the city. Jake saw the mansion in question as Carmen also stared intently. Due to the enchantments placed on the construction, everything was vague, and he could only barely see some people moving within. When he didn’t focus, that is. A bit of squinting, and he saw around the formation and could see the large lawn and even in the windows clear as day.

Peter and Sylphie were still out, with Sylphie being on a super-secret special assignment as she wasn’t interested in gambling, drugs, or sex. She was too young for all those too, and Jake was glad to keep her away from the degeneracy. If he didn’t, he was sure Hawkie and Mystie would somehow find a way to kill him.

“I saw most of them,” Carmen muttered as she also looked down at the mansion, even if it was still blurry to her. “They looked so… carefree. Like everything was fine.”

Jake just kept silent as she talked.

“My grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins, parents… everyone was there. Just one big happy family,” she said again. “And… my cousin… the one I told you about… she was just so fucking perfect. Again. Not a single mark, like nothing I did ever mattered. To any of them.”

When she returned that day, Carmen had been a mess. Jake had done nothing more than just allow her to vent as Jake learned everything that had happened. How Carmen grew up in a toxic family that cared more about reputation than not being shit people, how her cousin had always been perfect and pretty much bullied Carmen, and how no one had ever done anything to address this.

How Carmen had finally found a calling only to get that dream shattered when her cousin decided to just straight-up assault her. How the legal system had failed. Jake had to admit he was unable to hold back a small smile when Carmen told him about the day she had smashed in her cousin’s face so hard the other woman had nearly died – and on her wedding day, no less.

Then came the fucked up prison where Carmen had managed to make it by fighting even more. Even guards. They all left her alone as her hand only got worse from her using it to hand out beatdowns. She even confessed she had just considered ending it all at times. Her future was one where parole was something that would likely never happen with her family’s influence, and if she did make it out, she was effectively disowned.

She had been saved by the system like so many others. Finally, she could confront her family. She talked about how she had been looking forward to seeing them all struggling. None of them were fighters, but all were just socialite assholes. They had to have suffered, right?

But no, they were striving.

“The one thing that kept me going every day was that at least that bitch Beatrice was also suffering. But now… now she is just healed. No, better than healed. You saw her, right?” Carmen turned to Jake

“I did,” he admitted. In fact… Carmen didn’t even have to point her out.

“And?” Carmen asked with a fiery glare.

“She looks like the kind of person an army of rich middle-aged men would pay top dollar to make their sugar baby,” Jake answered. He wouldn’t lie… she was one of the most attractive humans Jake had seen. However…

“But… meh, I doubt looks will get her that far in a few years,” Jake added on. While she was hot, Jake had seen more than what Earth had to offer. Irin and Meira both had her beat handily if Jake went by pure looks. Personality, too, if even a fraction of the things Carmen said were true. This was, of course, disregarding people of higher grades.

Carmen nodded but still looked down with an empty gaze.

“What is the plan?” Jake finally asked. It was the part she had never addressed. He could not figure out what she actually wanted. Revenge? Justice? Just to mess them up a bit or the full nuclear option? Maybe even some kind of reconciliation. No matter what, Jake could see she was conflicted.

“I don’t fucking know,” Carmen sneered. “Why does everything just work out for them every fucking time?”

“You know, we could just leave. Within a few minutes, we could be through a teleporter and in another city, never to return. You could forget all about them forever,” Jake proposed. It was only a half-honest proposition as Jake, more than anything, just wanted Carmen to think about what she wanted. He had no real advice to give because what the hell did he know? This sounded like something a therapist was needed for – something Carmen had never attended as her family “didn’t believe in therapy,” whatever the hell that means.

“And just let them get away with everything?” Carmen asked, staring daggers at Jake.

away with

scum of the Earth who can just go about their day unbothered. How the hell do they still do so well even now? How the fuck is my aunt D-grade when her only

must be supremely talented at being a stuck-up bitch I guess,” Jake shrugged. Okay, he was legitimately unsure if the system recognized that as a Path. Being

One moment she looked like she wanted to go pummel the place into dust, and the next, like she just

She had wanted to see them living a terrible life while she had managed to rise up again and gain power and status. To experience their situations being

being them, huh,”

“What?” Carmen asked, confused.

worth anything,” Jake just shrugged. “All they have is their social clout. Take that

bastards who are nearly all still

be a bunch of weak D-grades with just wealth, which will do them no good when faced with a superior force. Have you seen a single fighter among them worth anything? I haven’t during all this time sitting here looking at them come and go. So how do they survive? By them being viewed as valuable enough to be kept around by the City Lord or

throw them to the wolves for no reason? They may be fucking assholes, but they also know what

flow of conversation had gone, Jake had no time to tell what he had been doing. Including his meetings with Renato. “The City Lord

“Explain,” Carmen just said.

his talks with Renato. Carmen seemed

can just do whatever I want?”

against the Runemaiden of Valhal,”

of the Malefic Viper,” she shot

really nasty poison backing me, but you also got an angry guy with a really big axe as well as all his drunken god

universe at all

one day, and people like Renato are in this for the long game and have godly backers themselves. If he pisses us off, it reflects badly on his backer,” Jake said. “So do not question the fact

still looked skeptical as

in personal power, you are far beyond them. They can’t touch you in any way. They are forced to comply with what you want or face the consequences. They have no one to complain to or

You will reach C-grade and beyond, and in the meanwhile, they will all grow old and rot away while you live on

just took in the words. She had a personal struggle to

and confront them. If I just leave and act like nothing, I will beat myself up over it forever. I…

asked: “Want

looked at him and slowly nodded. “Yeah… just promise

“What?” he asked.

do the talking, and if things get

“Sure thing. Want Sylphie

“Let her continue doing whatever she is

all stealth mode and began running around with a crystal. Probably recording or scouting for the United Cities Alliance or something. I will probably talk with the guy later and figure out

shady?” Carmen

did seem genuine in most things, and honestly, what he is doing doesn’t seem like my problem. Renato can figure that one out, and even if he arrived in

are the three musketeers

analogy I could get on with three people,” Jake laughed. The mood was instantly lightened as they sat

now before I chicken out,” Carmen finally

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