Beast Soul

"What's the matter, Dax?" A voice came from the room next to his, and Dax turned his annoyed face towards the direction it came from. 

A young man wearing a white shirt that was tucked in and gray pants appeared. He was wearing an expensive watch on his left hand, and was holding his sunglasses in his other hand. The young man had a muscular body as well as a handsome face. "Do you have a problem?" He asked with a snarky expression on his face, which made Dax click his tongue in response. "Nothing that concerns you, Nelson."

"Are you sure about that?" Nelson replied as he put on his sunglasses and began walking towards Dax, who raised his eyebrows. "Because I can offer you help. Of course, only if you want it."

"Hah? What's this I hear? Nelson, the greediest b*stard in the entire school, is offering help for free?" Dax couldn't help but let out a snort as he responded with a sarcastic tone. "Sounds like a scam to me. Don't bother trying to rip me off, Nelson. I won't fall for it."

"Greediest b*stard? Now that's a bit of an exaggeration, Dax. I'd prefer to be called an opportunistic person instead." Nelson flashed an innocent smile, which only amplified his handsomeness, making Dax grit his teeth even more. "And I am offering you help. That part is not a scam. Although not for free, of course."

"Suit yourself, Dax." Nelson waved his hands in the air, acting as though he had given up and admitted defeat. A frown appeared on Dax's face. Of course, Dax knew that Nelson wouldn't give up on a good opportunity if he saw one. And sure enough, after a brief period of silence, Nelson continued speaking. "Just remember, you can't afford to lose another mission. Don't forget what happened last time."

"What did you say?" Dax, who was now furious, began walking towards Nelson with bloodshot eyes, and Nelson simply waved his hands once again, showing his canine teeth as he continued, "Why are you getting angry at me, Dax? I just told you the truth. You failed to deliver last time, and the only reason you didn't lose your position was because the King himself vouched for you." 

Nelson tapped Dax's chest using his index finger. "That's the only reason you're still here. You should've gone down a rank, but the King gave you a second life."

"I would've climbed back up in an instant." Dax retorted, and Nelson rolled his eyes. "By beating who? Do you honestly think the other untouchables are weaker than you, Dax? And even if they were, it's not like it's going to be a fair fight either. This isn't a tournament."

"Is that why you came to me? To remind me of where I would've been had it not been for the King's intervention?" Dax said while gritting his teeth. He was still seething with anger, his fury still yet to be subsided. 

"No, no. I'm here to warn you of what you're risking by not allowing me to grant you my help." Nelson said with a devious smile as he cracked his knuckles. "The king saved your a** last time, but I'm pretty sure he'll not tolerate failing a second time. So, are you sure that you want to deny my help today, even when you know that you could lose your position if you fail at this?"

"God damn it!" Dax stomped his foot on the ground as he bit his lips. He didn't want to agree with Nelson of all people, but he was right. The King only gave him this order as part of his second chance. Not many untouchables receive orders, and even when they do, they are relatively larger in scale while simultaneously being an easier chore than most orders. 

"What do you want, Nelson?" In the end, Dax decided to swallow his pride and ask Nelson for his help. He didn't know how powerful this Noah kid was, but it would be best to be careful and have backup in situations like this. The kid did sound extremely confident and laid back when he talked to Dax on the phone. 

Was that him being an overconfident fool or was that something else? Dax didn't know, but since he was about to risk his position on completing this order, he felt that he had to be cautious.

"Oh? What's the matter, Dax? You weren't all that interested a few minutes ago. Did you change your mind?" Nelson said with a snarky expression on his face, and Dax clicked his tongue with frustration. Nelson was definitely enjoying this, Dax thought to himself.

"Just tell me, alright?" Dax said with an annoyed tone. He didn't want to play this game. "What the f*ck do you want in return?"

"Money, of course!" Nelson said bluntly, and Dax shook his head. "Of course it is.."

"Just give me 20% of whatever you extort from the kids. That's all I'm asking." Nelson stopped speaking for a second, "For an entire year, of course."

"What?!" Dax yelled out and immediately stood in front of Nelson with bloodshot eyes. "Are you trying to rob me, you son of a b*tch?"

"Hey, that's how much I value my help, alright?" Nelson leaned forward with a smile on his face. "If you want my help, then that's what you'll need to give me in exchange."

He then stretched out his hand, and Dax stared at it. "So, what do you say?" Nelson said with a smirk. "Do we have a deal, partner?"

------------------

Arlingrad High School.

Max and the rest of the group headed up the school building, as the other students immediately moved out of the way in order to give them space, staring at them with shock and surprise in their eyes.

"They're looking at us like we're some kind of monsters.." Alphonso turned to Gerald and said with a bitter smile on his face, and Gerald let out a short chuckle. "Well, they are right in a way." He said as he let out a sigh, and Alphonso nodded his head.

"Is this really alright?" Harold couldn't help but ask, and the rest of the group turned to look at him with expressions that seemed to ask for an explanation for his words. "I mean, is it alright for us to use our powers for our own benefits? And so openly as well. I feel like there has got to be consequences for such actions." Harold decided to clarify his words. "I mean, a superhero is supposed to be selfless." 

"Maybe you're right," Max said as they reached their classroom. "But I guess it wouldn't hurt to be a bit selfish every now and then, wouldn't you agree?"

Max was about to open the door to their classroom, when all of a sudden...

'Urgh!' He felt a shockwave passed through his brain, which made him grab his head and groan, causing the rest of the group to turn their attention towards him with expressions of concern on their faces.

"Max? Are you alright?" Gerald knelt down next to him and asked Max, who was now on his knees. 

'This is like that spider-s*nse thing that Alphonso mentioned earlier,' Max thought to himself as he grit his teeth. The shockwaves were similar to the feeling of pain that he had felt when his enhanced senses picked up the presence of Joey.

'Wait a minute..' All of a sudden, Max's eyes widened with shock as another possibility popped up in his mind. 'What if that shockwave wasn't warning him of Joey?'

After all, Joey was still a normal human being. And it wasn't like he was much of a threat to Max after he utilized his superpowers. Of course, he wasn't too sure about this hypothesis, but it wasn't outside the realm of possibility either.

'Does this mean that the shockwave spider-s*nse tingle was warning him of another threat?' Max didn't know, but he did know one thing; the shockwave that he felt right now was much more powerful than the one that he felt earlier in the day.

It could either mean that the first shockwave he felt was for a weaker threat while the shockwave that he was feeling right now was warning him of a much more powerful enemy. This hypothesis would support the idea that the spider-s*nse really was warning him of Joey earlier. 

"Or…" Beads of sweat began to drip down the forehead of Max as he thought to himself. 'It could mean that the reason the first shockwave was less powerful was because of the distance between Max and the threat.'

Max turned his head and began looking around the hallway, ignoring his confused and concerned group of friends, trying to find who the threat was.

"May I ask what you all are doing outside the classroom?" A rough masculine voice made Max turn around quickly only to find a middle-aged man with partially gray hair and glasses staring at them. 

"Mr. Carrick!" Gerald exclaimed, and Max's eyes widened once again. 

'It's him?'