FUNCTION DISORDER :: VOLUME ONE

25B

RAIN began messaging VEXTARI at 02:16.

RAIN: So, here's the plan, it's gonna be easy~

RAIN: Dan thinks that his old buddy Jim wants to meet up with him at 7 tonight outside that little store near the witching tower, which is somewhere public where he thinks it's safe ish.

VEXTARI: Who's Jim?

RAIN: It doesn't matter, he won't actually show up, it's just to lure him out

RAIN: Then, when Dan gets there, i shoot him from a safe distance, while you're there with your cool toys, in case something goes wrong, and then you can do whatever you want with him once we got him down :3

VEXTARI: I look forward to it.

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It was deep into morning by the time Rain meandered all the way back to whatever passed as home at the moment. Maybe I could move out soon, if stuff keeps going well, I'd like to live somewhere comfier, ideally above ground. It was Monday and all of Arillien was already crawling with humans of varying levels of loudness – it wasn't quite opening time for the Shellen building, but Rain had access to the front door after hours because he needed to get to the basement quarters.

"You're here?!", somebody shouted from behind him. "I knew that traitor was in there, but the foul Monster too?". Several magical golden chains began flying directly at Rain. He flinched and put up his magic barrier in front of himself, freezing in place. Three chains bounced off it, while the fourth one slammed into one of the glass panels of the sliding door and shattered it. Remembering his mistake from last time, Rain shifted the barrier to his sides and back to make sure he couldn't be caught from behind.

Dan dashed through the front door behind Rain before it could close, entering the front lobby with its shiny floor. "I've been preparing for this moment, you most wicked of demons! Once I've slain you, I'll move on to Jim, that traitor against God himself!! I bet he's up there in his comfy little office right now, being a weak little coward! But nobody can hide from the LORD...", he ranted.

Rain glanced around. Dan was blocking the front entrance. Where were the other doors again? Maybe he could sprint down some hallway to the clear sky. He glanced to the stairwell that led to the basement quarters. He'd be trapped down there if he ran that way. Besides, there were people sleeping down there and the he wasn't about to lead this lunatic to his friends.

Dan, realising his usual weapon was no longer effective now that Rain had learned his tricks, pulled out a pair of machetes and lunged at him.

Rain fumbled with his equipment, struggling to open up his needle gun's case. He took the gun out and kicked the case to the floor for the time being, then dived for the elevators, which, fortunately, were happily waiting at the ground floor given that the building was still mostly empty. He pressed the button for some random floor, pretty high up, perhaps close to the fancy office that 50 kept here. He gave a soft sigh as the big shiny door began to close, then squealed with alarm.

Dan shoved his left arm into the gap in the door – it closed on him, uncomfortably crunching mostly shut, but Dan then painstakingly forced the door open and clambered in, staring at the Rave Monster with eyes full of hate. "Justice has come! This is the end to your evil!", he shrieked.

"What evil?", Rain demanded. "I'm just, like, trying to enjoy my life and have a good time, but psycho freaks like you hate me, just for being me, and ruin my life, kill my friends!? That's what evil is!", he howled. Rain put up his magic barrier once more in a half-sphere around himself against the metal wall with a dark growlll, and poked his needle gun through, but Dan rapidly smacked the barrel aside – it was too long and bulky to reasonably use in such a confined space.