Leave The Monster Alone

Once his shift was over, Mark hurried over to the central office where Liam was supposed to be. This was the first time he would be seeking out the other and it was the other way around.

It was the testament of how bad the situation had just gotten all of a sudden. Now that one of the humans had betrayed them, there was no telling if they would get betrayed by another or not. 

Did those divine beasts orchestrate all this? Were they the ones who put that teen up to it? Or had it been the teen himself who was responsible for this whole mess?

Had that child even been human at all? Mark had taken it for granted but if he thought it through, there was no guarantee that the other had been a human at all. Both the snake and the ox were impossible to tell apart from normal humans currently. Even Mark, someone who already knew the truth could not tell the difference at all. The only thing that could tell the difference had been his system.

And even then, it only happened when he had been actively looking for it and not any other time. 

Mark had thought that it was because the other two had been divine beasts which gave them special powers and liberties. But what if that was more to it? What if it was possible for other monsters to be able to take human forms as well?

Now the panic was real and the situation was far more dangerous.

"Are you sure you never appointed any teen to the shop? Think carefully Liam" Mark did not even give the other a chance to breathe before he was upon the other with his questions. The staff inside the central office looked baffled which was understandable but they were of no concern.

"Calm down a little. Now tell me what you want to say and be brief about it" Mark took a deep breath to calm himself down, his eyes closing and they felt heavy once he opened them. 

"The one who replaced me in the morning, yesterday morning to be exact, was a young teen I had never seen before. I did not question it too much yesterday since I trusted his words but he was not there today. Also, he was the one who received 'that' package from and sold it before I arrived" Liam seemed to tense at his words, his eyes darting around once for an unknown reason before they settled back at Mark.

"This was an inside job?" His words were a hiss, his voice low but the threat was auditable. The other was not happy with the way things had proceeded at all. He was especially not happy with Mark because he had not informed him beforehand. 

"I think so but I can't be sure" Mark chose his words deliberately, his eyes darting quickly to the workers wound them. They seemed busy doing their own work but Mark could tell that they were keeping an ear on them to find out more about it all.

Liam's face clearly said that he wanted Mark to continue but Mark did not speak again, his lips shut tight. 

At Liam's questioning look, Mark looked away and his gaze shifted toward the others inside the room who were shamelessly listening in on their conversation. Understanding flashed through his eyes and he stood up. 

"Get me if something important comes up" Mark followed the other toward a back room he had never been to before. It was a given that he had never seen this room before since he had never been so deep inside the central office before. 

His earlier meetings here had not been ones he had particularly looked forward to either and his focus had generally been to finish those meetings and get out as early as possible.

The room they entered looked like a restroom with a comfortable yet fashionable couche lining the closest wall. The other half was lined up with beds of all sizes along with a suitable mattress. It looked more fancy than comfortable for sure but that could be due to the style choice of the whole thing rather than the actual material.

Liam closed the door behind him and made his way to the couch. Mark followed him at a steadier pace, his eyes roaming all over the place.

"Was this an inside job? Do not try to lie" Liam's voice still had that angry touch to it which caused a small shudder to pass through Mark. That voice made Mark feel as if he was at fault for things that had not even happened yet.

"I don't think it was but I still can't be sure. Perhaps checking the security footage would help?" Liam seemed to be considering the option before he nodded. Then he opened his screen and typed in some commands. Mark tried to peek over the other's shoulder to have a look but as soon  as he saw, he knew that he would get to know nothing at all.

With a blue background, the whole screen seems to be filled with codes and commands that made Mark's head hurt.

If his system screen was based on a game interface, then Liam's seemed to be based on a coding system. In simpler words, Mark had no idea what any of those commands meant.

"Are you a programmer?" Mark asked, not being able to keep his curiosity out of his voice. Not that he thought about it, Liam knew next to everything about Mark yet Mark knew nothing about the other.

It was an uncomfortable situation to be put in and one he would like to rectify if possible. His question caused Liam to pause for a few seconds before he resumed his typing once again.

"I was a game designer, a well known one too. I even worked on some sections of this game before the whole mess. I guess you could say that I lend a hand in this world's creation" there was pride in that voice and Mark could tell that the other was proud of what he had been able to accomplish.

Perhaps that was why the other was here now - because he felt responsible. 

"It must be like  a dream, to be able to come here" Mark was trying to make small talk and lighten the mood but that was the wrong thing to say. The other stiffened at those words and his tone took a graver edge.

"It's a nightmare to be here. The way it is affecting my life inside and outside is not something I like. You don't know what it's doing to the outside…...no, nevermind. You need not know" Liam was clearly swept away by emotion at the start, about to reveal something personal.

But he stopped, leaving the ending a suspense and Mark felt a frown cover his face. What did the other finish? Was Mark trusted? Or was he competent enough to help?

Mark should care but somehow he found himself caring about it. It almost felt like a personal insult to his capabilities. But before he could tell Liam off, the other turned toward him with his screen out.

And it had a very familiar face on it.

"This was the teen I was talking about" Mark could not help the almost shouting he let out and got a dry look in return for his efforts.

"I could tell. But I don't think I even recognized this person. I'll still run a face check through the available database we have" the other did sound a little worried but not by a lot which reassured Mark. If the other thought that this situation was not that bad then it really must be that bad.

"Did you conduct that raid you were talking about" those people who took the girls could become a problem in the future if they were not dealt with immediately. But they could not risk common people for such a task too.

And they could definitely not involve Luna and his companion in such a job. Who knew how it would affect the whole storyline if they did so.

Liam gave him a stare which Mark came becoming far too familiar with and he instantly knew what the other wanted from him and this was the first time Mark felt himself agree with the other over this issue.

"You want me to conduct that raid, don't you " That was not a question, but a statement which was met with a 'yes'. Somehow, Mark did not feel as if this work was imposed on him. Rather, it felt like something needed to take care of himself which was new.

"Your identity as the shopkeeper makes you perfect for this job" it did and that was alright. This was something he was ready to do.

"I guess this is the part where I say to leave if all to me?" Mark's joke was not appreciated but he was not told off either. 

And so it began, the cleaning sweep of the base carried over by a single person.