Code Collector

They arrived back in their building while carrying a bag filled with big meals. They were celebrating their victory from Fantasia.

"You know," Jeremy said. "Prison won't really hold Fantasia for too long. She'll get out eventually. Plus they might attack us again, right when we're defenseless."

"Who cares?" Gwen yelled. "We won today, we'll fight another day. That's the cycle. If they won't stop then we won't too. Simple as a pimple."

"You really need help," Jeremy scrunched his face at the woman while she just skipped. They were almost at their building when Allen felt his insticts kicked in. 

"Wait!" Allen yelled, making everyone but Gwen stop from walking. His body felt like it was on fire, making him flinch. "Gwen, stop!"

Gwen turned around and scrunch her eyebrows. "What's wrong?" 

She took a few steps closer to Allen, just before their building exploded. Allen growled and summoned Vince right on time. He made Vince wrap Gwen in his arms and turn his back on the building, shielding Gwen from the debris.

"What the hell?" Jeremy gasped and walked forward. He equipped his spear and spun it in front of him, creating a shield that blocked the debris that tried to reach him and the two behind him.

"Argh!" Allen yelled as he felt the pain from Vince. He fell to the ground, feeling the burn and the impact of the debris. "This is why I hate powerful people. They can pull stunts like this at any given time."

"Those imbeciles," Gary growled. He kneeled beside Allen and tried to help the boy as much as could. It was then that Gwen arrived and healed Allen. 

"Are you okay?" Gwen asked. "Is there a part where it's painful?"

"What do you think you're doing?" Allen laughed lightly. He fell to the ground and sat, raising his head to the sky. "That was a Body. I could only share the pain he felt but I didn't actually got it from him."

"Oh," Gwen calmed down and lowered her hand. They then turned to the direction of the explosion, their building. "What's gonna happen now?"

–

"No."

"There are no vacancies available here."

"Go to the next one."

…

They have went through all the hotels in the camp and found nothing. The owners were scared of these four, not because they are too strong for D rankers, but they're scared of what Barandilla might do to them.

The group unspokenly blacklisted Allen and his friends and now, even the establishments are turning away on them. They have nowhere to go.

They even reported the incident and the police are still investigating on it. It won't take long before Barandilla would interfere and rule the incident as nothin but negligence, and even make them liable for what happened.

"How about we just end Barandilla altogether?" Gwen suddenly asked as they sat on the grass just outside the walls of the camp. They decided to just leave instead of stay there.

Lancaster Camp A, or the camp they were in was located right by a grassland. The grass was filled with different kinds of herbivore beasts and nowhere near the camp would a predator would come near.

"It seemed like you encountered a dead end," a voice spoke from beside the grass they laid on. Allen sat up and saw Jax there. He turned his head over the group and smiled. "What? You think you're the only ones who are after Barandilla?"

The others also sat up and looked at Jax who was now sitting cross legged on the ground. "Your group is a really curious group. I'm more than excited to learn your secrets."

Allen cleared his throat, "What do you mean? We're not after Barandilla. If there's anything, they are the ones who are after us. They want us dead, that's a fact."

"That may be true, but you're not planning on getting back at them?" Jax asked. "Ms. Gwen just told you guys about it. I can find a curious group to help you out."

From where Allen was now, he had received a lot of help. This means that he had owed a lot of people already. The "help" he was receiving was actually debts. Now that he used their "help", he needed to pay them back one way or another.

"What do you say?" Jax asked. "These people are good and they don't want anything else in return, just take down Barandilla and you'll be fine."

"What's in it for us?" Allen asked. "That's one question. And why can't you guys do it? If you're too strong and all, why not just do it?"

"Because we lack something that you have," Jax said. "A figure. We don't have a champion to go against Barandilla. But after your fight with Fantasia, we saw that figure in you. Dante Reed and Barandilla had created a fray that was widespread throughout Paradise. You're the one we need right now."

"But you haven't answered my first question," Allen said. "We can deal with Barandilla on our own, but what can you offer to make us be your champions?"

"Power," Jax said. "There are overall thirty board officials of the Hunters organization, ten of which are the Primordial Beast Bearers, seven are Barandilla and nine are part of our group. The others are smaller people that we can just absorb."

"That makes you almost half of the board," Allen hummed. "Tell me an identity of any one of the board officials you speak of, one that's popular and I might reconsider your proposal."

"Chairman Genesis Summers," Jax said. "Father of President Jacques Summers, Director Jax Summers, and the problematic child slash black sheep Jake Summers."

The last part made Allen wheeze. He knew that Jake and his family didn't get along well, but he didn't know that they had bad blood towards each other. Jake's younger brother even called him problematic child slash black sheep of their family.

"So…" Jax trailed off. "What do you say? Should you meet them?"

"Okay," Allen said. "But nothing is set in stone. I just want to listen to their proposal said. Then I'll decide what to do after."

"Fair enough," Jax nodded. "They're waiting for you. Come on."

Jax placed his hans on the ground and the next thing they know, they were falling on an endless pit. Allen wanted to scream, but before he could, they already arrived at a room filled with people.

Just like what Jax mentioned, there are nine chairs that surround one side of a circular table. In each chair was a person, but they tried to hide their identities by hiding in the darkness and pointing the light at the front where Allen and his group were.

"We have arrived," Jax said and bowed before walking behind one of the chairs.

What these people doesn't know was that Allen could see their faces clearly even when they were being blinded by the lights and the people in these chairs were hidden by the darkness. His eyes are very adaptive to differ circumstances, so a thing like this was nothing to him.

"Mr. Dante Reed," Genesis Summers spoke first. "Perhaps you know the reason why we called you here."

"Yes," Allen said. "We know. Jax told us everything there is to know about this potential deal."

"Potential?" a woman asked. She was another one of the prominent businesswoman in earth, Dana Olsen. She led her entire company and revived the fasion industry, then she turned to the Otherworlds in hopes to serve her talents here. It did not prove her wrong. "The moment you stepped in here is the moment you agreed to do the deal."

"Perhaps you didn't know yet," Allen smirked. "Or has Jax did not notice you ahead of time, but I am not planning on taking a random agreement with strangers. I'm only here to listen to what you have to offer. Then I'll decide on what to do about it."

The people in the table started to whisper amongst themselves. They started arguing on what to do with Allen.

"So," Allen smirked. "What's it going to be now?"

Three people suddenly appeared from the light stands. Tracey, Vince, and Oliver spun the lights and were now pointed at the nine people.

"What the hell?"

"What happened?"

"Where did those people come from?"

…

"I don't know the name of your group, but you have to listen to me first," Allen said. "What you have now is something that's fragile, that's your ego. Why are you trying to hide under a dark light when you want a one-sided deal with someone?"

Genesis placed his hand on the table, "That's rich coming from the person who plotted the Wandering Trader incident."

"That was a two-sided deal," Allen scoffed. "In this one, you just need our help. Show us your bright and smiling faces to us and then we'll do this."

"The Snake Society will not stand this insolence!" Dana suddenly stood and growled. 

Allen's smile fell from his face as he watched the tattoos on their arms. "T-The Snake Society?!"