NOVEL NEXT 37: Family Meeting
The two raptors continued their heated whisper-hissing match while the rest of the rangers tended to the wounded. I stood awkwardly in my makeshift coverings as several rangers cast curious glances my way. Nessy remained close, her wet fur pressed against me, one arm protectively wrapped around me.
"Alec needs proper clothes," she announced to no one in particular, loud enough for Krysanthea to hear.
Kristi broke away from her sister, looking momentarily flustered. She quickly took the plastic goalie bits off herself and removed her ranger uniform top, revealing a black tank top underneath. "Here," she said, handing me the uniform jacket. "Put this on. It'll cover more than that stupid, half-melted jersey."
I gratefully accepted the garment, putting it on. The fabric smelled faintly of raptor sweat. I contemplated why raptors had sweat unlike normal birds or reptiles. Pradavarians were quite odd—it was as if someone just liberally and also half-assedly slathered the general idea of "raptorness" over a very fit, tall, curvy human girl. Perhaps the Slayer also had the System or gained some kind of magical bullshit skill that allowed him to create all of the pradavarian species parameters as a reward for killing whatever the Leviathan was millennia ago.
"Everyone finish up here and return to the station," Kristi announced to the group.
The trek back down the mountain trail didn't take long. Krysanthea led the way in her tank top and pants, scales and feathers fluttering and sparkling in the afternoon light, while Nessy walked close beside me, the violet-edged crystalline branch from the slime tree clutched in her paws, still glowing with an ethereal light.
When we arrived, Krysanthea ushered us quickly through a side entrance, presumably to spare me the indignity of parading through the main station in my outfit. A small locker room off the main corridor provided basic shower facilities and spare ranger uniforms.
"Get cleaned up," she instructed. "Both of you. Extra ranger uniforms are in the lockers. Then meet me in Conference Room B. I'm going to gather my sisters."
We separated, heading into different sections of the showers. Twenty minutes later, feeling marginally more human in a borrowed ranger uniform that was slightly too large for me, I followed Nessy down the corridor. Her fur had been hastily dried and fluffed, giving her a somewhat disheveled appearance that she somehow made look charming. She'd changed into a spare dog-fitting uniform as well.
Conference Room B was a small, windowless space dominated by a rectangular table. Krysanthea was already there, along with three other raptors: Katerina, Kaledoniya, and Kirra. All four turned to us as we entered, expressions ranging from outright hostility from Katerina to curious interest from Kirra to Kaledoniya's cheerfulness.
"Close the door," Krysanthea instructed. Once Nessy had complied, Kristi engaged a series of locks to seal us in. "What I'm about to discuss doesn't leave this room."
Katerina leaned forward, her black-green scales gleaming under the harsh fluorescent lights. "Is this about your little dungeon trip with these two? Or why you smell like you've been fraternizing with a dog?"
"Neither," Krysanthea replied, placing her palms flat on the table. "This is about the Superstore."
The effect was immediate. Kaledoniya's feathers flattened against her head, while Kirra's attention suddenly became fixed on her claws. Only Katerina maintained her composure, though her eyes narrowed dangerously.
"What about it?" Katerina asked, her voice deliberately casual.
"Cut the bullshit, Kat," Krysanthea snapped. "I know what you've been doing. Looting a Systemfall dungeon? Bringing artifacts and food from it back into Ferguson?" She gestured at Kaledoniya's wrist, where the eye-bracelet still glinted. "Accessorizing with cursed items?"
"It's not cursed," Kaledoniya muttered defensively. "It works perfectly."
"That's not the point!" Krysanthea's voice rose with barely contained fury. "Do you have any idea how dangerous these items are? The corruption they can spread? And you've been feeding dungeon food to the entire town!"
"Only the safe stuff!" Katerina countered. "We test everything thoroughly. The food is normal—fresher than normal, actually. The water is clean. And yes, occasionally we find useful items that give us advantages we desperately need."
"Advantages like speed bracelets?" Nessy interjected.
"How do you know about…" Katerina began.
"I can smell it," Nessy fired back. "Not just the bracelet too. All of you have artifacts. That calculator watch on you smells kinda iffy."
Katerina twitched. The other Strand sisters turned to look at the husky.
"Stay out of this, dog," Katerina said coldly. "This is family business. Kris, I know that you're dating Alec and that you're happy that he's back, but why is this furry idiot here?"
"Nessy helped save the town today," Krysanthea stated firmly. "I trust her."
"Since when?"
"Since she can smell the artifacts you're wearing," Kristi growled. "Something that's clearly escaped my attention!"
"What the hell, Kris?" Kirra interjected. "Since when are you in cahoots with this mangy mutt? After everything we did to keep her and Alec apart in high school?"
Kristi's eye twitched. "What the fuck?! I didn't tell you three idiots to do anything! I can handle my life myself!"
"What did you do?" I asked.
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The sisters exchanged more silent glances.
Katerina finally broke the silence. "We protected our sister's interests. Ensured that a certain... overly attached canine... didn't interfere with what Kristi wanted."
"You mean you threatened me," I said, memories that didn't belong to me flashing in my mind. "Told me to stay away from Nessy 'if I knew what was good for her.'"
I realized a bit too late, that my words would only enforce their belief that I was the local Alec.
"We did what needed to be done!" Katerina replied unapologetically. "Strand family always comes first."
Nessy growled low in her throat. "You tried to sabotage our friendship. The slashed bike tires, the meat in my locker, teacher reports, rude anonymous comments online, etcetera!"
"Not all of it," Kirra admitted with a small smirk. "Kale did the tires."
"Enough!" Krysanthea slammed her hand on the table. "We're getting sidetracked with irrelevant high school drama. The issue at hand is the Superstore and the potential exposure of Ferguson to Systemfall corruption."
"The Superstore has been a godsend to this town," Katerina argued. "Without it, we'd be rationing canned goods and facing starvation. It provides everything we need—food, medicine, clothes, tools... advantages."
"At what cost?" Krysanthea demanded. "I know what dungeons are, Kat."
"Since when do you know about dungeons?"
"Since I got stuck in one while trying to find Alec!" Kristi hissed. "They take as much as they give—usually more."
"The Superstore provides," Kaledoniya insisted.
"And what if you get stuck inside?!" Kristi demanded.
"Won't happen. We keep the door pried open with a ranger car so it doesn't close while we're inside. A ranger watches the entrance too."
"It wants to feed," Nessy said quietly, her nose twitching as she analyzed the scents in the room. "I can smell it on all three of you. Whatever you've taken from that place has taken something in return. Not all at once—just a little each time, drop by drop."
The three sisters stiffened, exchanging uneasy glances.
"What is she talking about?" Krysanthea asked, a note of dread entering her voice.
Nessy stepped closer to Kaledoniya, who instinctively recoiled. The husky inhaled deeply, her eyes closing briefly as she processed the scents.
"Levels," she said, opening her eyes. "They've all gained levels from the Superstore dungeon. But it's costing them something. Levels? Maybe also their... perception of reality? Their connection to this world? I'm not sure how to describe it. It's like they're partly somewhere else."
"That's ridiculous," Katerina scoffed, though her defiance seemed forced. "We're perfectly fine, right here."
"Then why the fuck didn't you tell me?" Krysanthea asked. "Why hide this from me, of all people? I'm the Chief Ranger. I'm your sister. I'm the one who's supposed to protect this town from Systemfall corruption. If dad finds out about this… he's going to freak out!"
A tense silence fell over the room. Kirra picked at her scales, avoiding eye contact, while Kaledoniya nervously fingered her bracelet. Only Katerina maintained her composure, her golden eyes locked with Krysanthea's amber ones.
"Because you've changed," Katerina finally said. "Since you came back from looking for Alec. You're different. Haunted. Obsessed with purity and control, even worse than father. We knew you wouldn't understand what we were doing—what we have to do to keep Ferguson alive!"
"And now you're bringing that dog into our family business," Kirra added, shooting a disgusted look at Nessy. "Letting her influence you, criticize us."
"She's more useful than any of you have been to me lately," Krysanthea retorted, the words clearly surprising everyone in the room, including herself.
"Since when did you even like her?" Katerina's voice dripped with disdain.
"Since she's proved her worth by finding Alec," Krysanthea replied evenly. "Since she sensed the presence of the slime core when none of us could. Since she just literally helped save this town while you three were busy playing treasure hunters in a cosmic mall."
"That's not fair," Kaledoniya protested. "We've been taking care of Ferguson too! The food runs, the flying monster takedowns, the security patrols—"
"While hiding the truth from me," Krysanthea interrupted. "While bringing potentially corrupted items into our town. While exposing yourselves to whatever the Superstore has been taking from you!"
"You wouldn't understand," Katerina said dismissively. "You haven't been inside. You haven't seen what it can offer!"
"Then show me," Krysanthea growled. "Next run we're all going there. I'm taking over the Superstore runs, since you three obviously can't be trusted! Who else knows about the damned infinite Superstore?!"
"We take Officer Lavros with us," Kat answered. "She watches the exit."
"So a fox knows about the store but not me?!" Kristi barked.
"She's very cooperative," Kat replied. "Knows her place."
"Bloody knobs," Kristi rubbed her snout with her fingers. "Slayer damn it all."
The three sisters exchanged glances again, some silent communication passing between them. Finally, Katerina nodded.
"Tomorrow," she said. "We can take you there tomorrow, Kris. Just you. No human or... dog."
"All of us will go," I interrupted. "Kristi, Nessy, and me. We work well together."
"You're… human," Kat pointed out. "The road outside of town and the store can be... dangerous. You should stay in town where it's safe."
"No," I said. "I can't die."
"You... what?" Katerina blinked.
"I heal from mortal wounds," I repeated. "It's power granted to me by a magic artifact. Likewise, Nessy has an enhanced sense of smell—she can smell concepts and ideas."
The three raptors stared at me.
"Nessy can smell System stuff on you," I said. "So, no more fluttering around. Your turn to tell us what you can do. I already know that the eye-glass bracelet accelerates Kaledoniya's movement. What about the rest of you? What artifacts have you acquired from the Superstore? Please don't lie or try to hide any of the details—Nessy will know."
The three raptor sisters exchanged uncomfortable looks. Katerina's golden eyes narrowed to dangerous slits, but after a moment of tense silence, she seemed to make a decision.
"Fine," she said, tapping her calculator watch. "This unfolds into a spider. It rewinds time."
"WHAT?" Kristi barked.
"Huh?" I asked. "Like… all time everywhere? And that was just lying on a shelf?"
"It was on a corpse of a man dressed in a moldy violet wizard robe with gold stars," Katerina said. "I killed a bunch of monsters made from a thousand staples to acquire it. It can create a save-point in a specific section of the store and can wind us back to it. It doesn't work outside of the Superstore."
"So you died," Nessy said.
"WHAT?!" Kristi snarled even louder.
"We… nearly died," Kat said. "And we lived."
"That's how it gets you," Nessy muttered. "With every rewind a piece of you remains behind."
"Nazareth-damn it!" Kristi clawed at her face. "What the shit?!" Her head snapped to Kirra. "What do you have?"
With a sigh, the smallest raptor pulled out a compass on a silver chain from her chest. "This. It points at glory."
"Glory?" Kristi's eye twitched.
"Yep," Kirra nodded. "Glory."