The scene after the jumping was almost comical in its brutality. It was like a job application to be a torturer, or to the Wings of Darkness themselves.
Afton S. Crow, the 'mighty' Puppeteer, lay pinned to the ground like a demon sealed away.
Massive boulders had been rolled onto each of his limbs, their weight sufficient to keep even him from moving. VICE's arrows pierced through his clothes and into the ground at countless random points such as his shoulders, thighs, even through the loose fabric at his sides. Blood seeped from numerous wounds, though his high level prevented any from being truly life threatening.
"Is this really necessary?" Ryan asked, wiping sweat from his brow after helping position the final boulder.
"Yes." Lumi replied flatly, eyes never leaving their prisoner. "His power is so high we can't even comprehend it fully at the moment."
"But he seems so..." ToraX gestured vaguely at the whimpering man.
"Pathetic?" HazyNova supplied. "Weak? Cowardly?"
"All of the above." Lumi confirmed. "But that doesn't change his level. One moment of carelessness, one second where we let our guard down, and he could turn this entire situation around."
Lena tilted her head, studying Afton like a particularly interesting insect. "How? He's all squished and arrowy!" She gazed towards Lumi once again. "Can I… hehe~?"
Lumi nodded. "I'm not going to tell you no."
"YAY!"
"Energy Bolt!" "Energy Bolt!" "Energy Bolt!" "Energy Bolt!" "Energy Bolt!" "Energy Bolt!"
Ignoring the Lena activities currently occurring, Lumi faced the rest of the group, his expression growing serious. "He is the Puppeteer. At his level, with proper preparation and focus, he could turn the very ground beneath us into a puppet. The air we breathe. The clothes on our backs. Even..." He paused. "Even us, under different circumstances."
"HOW DO YOU-" Afton's cry was cut off by an Energy Bolt exploding in his face, and he started rapidly coughing. "ugh… know that?!"
"You can still speak?" Lena tilted her head, interested. "I'll fix that."
The party exchanged uneasy glances.
"Then why hasn't he?" VICE asked, arrow nocked and aimed at Afton's head just in case.
"Several reasons," Lumi explained. "First, we caught him completely off guard. His puppets are all back in his lab. Second, he's a coward, panic makes him sloppy. Third, and most importantly..." He glanced at his party meaningfully. "We're different. Special in ways that make his particular brand of control... difficult."
What Lumi couldn't explain was the true reason, that as players, they possessed a fundamental resistance to being turned into puppets. The Dark One's system protected them from such direct control, ironically saving them from a fate that would have befallen any group of natives attempting this same ambush.
"Why are you doing this?!" Afton wailed from his position on the ground. "What do you want?! My research? My equipment? I'll give you anything!"
"Equipment?" ToraX perked up. "He probably has some incredible gear…"
HazyNova added thoughtfully. "His lab must be full of valuable materials."
"Ooh, can we loot his house?" Lena asked excitedly. "I've never looted a person's house before!"
Lumi reached into his inventory and pulled out an item that made everyone pause. A crystal device that looked like a camera. With practiced movements, he angled it to capture the perfect shot of the beaten, bloody, and thoroughly restrained Puppeteer.
Click
"Perfect." Lumi smiled, manipulating the device's interface. "And... sent."
"WHEN DID YOU GET A CAMERA?!" Lena immediately yelled out, wide eyed.
"Well it's not exactly a camera, but-" Lumi's explanation was stopped by Lena. "Yeah but when?!"
Lumi held out a mana potion. Lena's eyes shined, "Ooh thanks!" She grabbed it and almost began drinking, except Lumi stopped her. "What… are you doing?"
Lena looked back earnestly. "Didn't you give this to me to drink?"
"I meant…" Lumi thought back to when, TOGETHER with Lena, he bought the mana potions together with a crystal recorder. "I meant that it was from the same guy I bought the mana potions from."
Lena froze, the bottle halfway to her lips. A long pause followed as her brain attempted to connect several dots. Slowly, she lowered the potion and stared at Lumi with dawning suspicion.
"Wait… you bought both... at the same time… with me right there... and I watched you…?"
"Yes." Lumi replied calmly.
"...oh." She looked at the bottle, then back at Lumi. "I was probably distracted. I guess I shouldn't drink it. Sad. It's tasty."
"This is an emergency!" Lena suddenly yelled, gesturing to Afton, who was now attempting to subtly wriggle his pinky finger free from under a rock. "He's... doing something! Look!"
Afton froze.
HazyNova crouched closer, peering at the barely twitching digit. "He's trying to puppet the boulder with his finger. That's... wow. That's dedication."
Lumi calmly walked over and stomped on the finger, eliciting a squeal from Afton. "Let's not get cute." he muttered, stepping back.
"Wait, I swear I was saying something." Ryan started, going into thought, "Ah right, you sent that picture where?"
"To a friend," Lumi replied cryptically. "And now we wait."
"Wait for what?" multiple voices asked at once.
"You'll see." Lumi settled onto a nearby rock, clearly prepared for a long wait. "Everyone get comfortable. This might take a while."
The party exchanged confused glances but followed his lead. They maintained their positions around Afton, weapons ready, but began to relax slightly.
"Do we have time?" HazyNova asked, clearly about the fact several people had mentioned needing to get off.
"I'm sure." Lumi nodded. "Might cut it close, but it's under an hour for sure."
"So..." ToraX began after a bit of awkward silence. "Lumi, what was this about? I know we jumped this dude but like… why? I know he's shady but he just looks like some random. Did you get some info?"
"He's not random," Lumi said. "He's a member of an evil organization. Trust me on this."
"I don't understand you people!" Afton suddenly burst out. "You destroy golems for hours! HOURS! For no reason! They're barely worth anything! Their cores are only useful for basic enchantments! And then you jump me! ME! Do you have any idea who I am?!"
"A guy who lives in a hole?" Lena suggested cheerfully.
"A researcher with questionable ethics?" HazyNova added.
"Someone who really needs to work on his combat readiness?" VICE contributed.
"I am Afton S. Crow!" the Puppeteer declared dramatically, somehow managing to sound pompous despite being pinned under several tons of rock. "Master of the Puppet Arts! Future commander in the Wings of Darkness! When Lady Twilight hears about this-"
"Twilight?" Lena perked up. "Ooh, is that your girlfriend? Is she pretty? Does she like being sniffed?"
"She's not my- I mean- that's none of your business!" Afton sputtered. "And what kind of question is that last one?!"
"An important one." Lena nodded sagely. "Sniff compatibility is crucial in relationships. For example, I love how Lumi smells!"
"Can we gag him?" Ryan asked. "This is getting weird."
"That's not even my fault!" Afton pleaded.
"No." Lumi said. "Better to let him speak. Who knows, he might give some interesting information."
"I would never!" Afton retorted.
"You already did."
Twenty minutes passed. The party began to grow restless.
"Hey Lumi." VICE called out. "What's the plan after this? More grinding? Different location?"
Lumi thought through countless plans. He had so many things he could do. "It depends. I have plans, but the immediate future relies on what happens to us soon."
"Soon? What happens to us?" ToraX whistled. "What we're waiting for, right?"
"It's better as a mystery I guess…?" Ryan noted, confused but going along. "Do we get any hints?"
"Sorry, I didn't intentionally try to make it a mystery. It's just that…." Lumi's gestured towards Afton. "Just that, you know."
"That's worse than me?" Lena asked out, understanding what Lumi was implying. Somehow letting Afton know the specifics would be bad. "But I do Energy Bolt? Energy Bolt? I go Energy Bolt? Can I go Energy Bolt again?"
"You can try." Lumi nodded.
"Energy Bolt, haha, yes!"
"What's your build looking like, Lena?" HazyNova asked, trying to better get to know her. "You going full damage or mixing in support?"
"I'm going wherever Lumi tells me to go!" Lena declared proudly.
"You should still understand your own build." Ryan advised. "What skills are you prioritizing?"
"Um..." Lena scrunched her face in concentration. "The good ones? It's not that complicated, is it? Just grab all the passives, necessities, then whatever actives you want. Not like you need to respec as long as you're smart."
"...Whoa," ToraX blinked. "That was… actually a really solid breakdown."
"Yeah, what the hell," Ryan laughed. "Where'd that come from?"
"It's common sense, isn't it?" Lena replied with a faint head tilt.
"Anyway," Lena continued, pointing a smug finger at Afton, "even I know how to allocate skill points. What's your excuse, Mr. I Control-Everything-Except-Myself?"
"What are you guys even talking about!?" Afton snapped. "You can't just speak nonsense and expect me to understand! What even is a respec?!"
"Respec these nuts." Lena replied immediately, which earned a snort from HazyNova.
"Hey, how come we could say that?" Ryan suddenly asked out, "Sometimes we can't say… yeah. I couldn't say it. But we were talking about skills just fine? Respec respec respec!"
He glanced over to Afton. "Respec."
Afton: ???
Lumi took the opportunity to foreshadow, and he replied to Ryan. "I'll have to do some investigation into it."