There is a Creep Among Us

Michael Brooklyn Morgan "Red Alert"

Act 2, Chapter 3 "There is a Creep Among Us"

The was about to set on the horizon and he just got back from his little ordeal with the… individual who shall not be mentioned. As distasteful as he is of Crazy Itza, he sure knows his way around the open sea. That, and his memory of the fight put a spotlight on the soldier-mage. Oddly enough, the captain brought proof of his deed, and Michael was awarded with a bountiful amount of jewels when news broke of his deeds back at the open sea by the port officials. According to them, the sea monstrosities have been plaguing Lavanitir for a very long time. That was a complete exaggeration, however. It had only been a month or so when these monsters started appearing out of nowhere and attacked ships. Hell, they’d be lucky enough to get through with the shipment and crew intact. Escort mages were, afterall, expensive, and their cost doesn’t justify their worth. All they did was repel the enormous serpents, not outright kill them. He was glad something came out from his recent endeavor with the captain.

The sky was painted with vivid orange and yellow colors at this hour. Michael was on his way back to the hotel to greet Giselle of his recent deed and the reward he got. Sadly, she didn’t seem enthusiastic when he entered her room, but not before knocking on the door. “Achoo!” Giselle sneezes. She grabbed a piece of tissue by the tissue box and blew her nose with it. Clearly, she’s not in a very good condition. The bed and nightstand was a mess, something that is very rare considering that she was a very hygienic person. Understandable that she wouldn’t bother with it. It’s too much work for a sick person. There she was lying in bed with nothing to do other than watching telenovelas on the television. Michael is visibly concerned with her health, but not that much. She just had the cold.

“I don’t think you’d be in a mood to be happy when I tell you of the good news.” He said as he closed the door behind him, approaching her bed and sitting beside her. Up close, she doesn’t look very well. It may be because of the lack of makeup Giselle usually wears every time they go out for a mission. It could also be the reason behind her ailment - a poisoned makeup. That may have been jumping the gun. She only had the flu, afterall. “I can, just with very sloppy wiping of my snot and all. Because duh, flu.” She retorted to his statement. Nice to know she’s still sassy despite being sick. Michael remembered that he did bring back something to help with Giselle’s current ailment. He procured a small plastic from his pockets, containing a medicine. “Drink this. You should feel better in awhile.” He extended it to her, and she sloppily grabbed it from him, taking it with one gulp. “Thanks, Michael. Why don’t you get some fresh air? I’m busy watching… something, I don’t know. I just want to be left alone for now.” He understood and left her room, but not before telling her, “If you need anything, give me a call…or give the hotel staff a call.”

He took Giselle’s advice and headed out. While on his way outside, he was thinking where to go in this down time. Usually, whenever he accomplished a mission, his pseudo magic was recalibrated manually by Giselle. So far, there weren’t any issues with his armors. His combat performance was smoother than before, and it’s all thanks to her ingenuity. He wondered why it took too long for her to update his system, but it’s not worth complaining about. What is done is done.

He stopped in his tracks when he saw two familiar figures. One of them was suspiciously small with pointy ears and orange spiky hair, wearing a black tank top, a pair of light khaki shorts with a brown leather belt to secure it in place, and a pair of leather sandals. A single gold earring is worn on his right ear, and three varied jewel bracelets adorn his left arm. He had a pair of violet eyes, pinker than Francois’. The other one was bigger than the two of them, wearing a white v-neck tee that exposes his hairy chest, a pair of black short pants, and a pair of black shoes. He wore an expensive looking sunglass, and a pair of silver earrings could be seen. He was definitely handsome, for sure, with a clean haircut and beard. Who else does he know who matches this description other than his older step brother, Zander, and his boyfriend, Ferdinand?

"Michael!" Zander waved his arm in an attempt to grab Michael’s attention. It didn’t go unnoticed because Michael also saw them walking to his direction. He wondered where they were going at this time. He recalled them being here on a vacation, unless he remembered their conversations wrong. The older step sibling rushed to him and greeted him with a hug - An awkward step sibling hug, and his small stature is making it awkward enough with his head a few inches above Michael’s waist. “Uh, hi, Cinna.” He greeted, mistaking him for the other twin sibling to Zander’s irritation. He immediately let go and pouted, “It’s Zander. Zan - der.” he said with a hint of irritation in his tone. He couldn’t help confusing the two, which is weird because oddly enough, he can distinguish who’s who between him and his other related siblings. Ozwald is a few inches taller than him, with green eyes and is beefier and more muscular than him, while Francois has purple colored eyes and neck length curly hair which looks like he went to the salon. Both Francois and Olaf aren’t as muscular as him and Ozwald, however, Francois’s training as a swashbuckler makes it evident from his cold, calculating eyes, while Olaf looks like the textbook definition of a NEET; a fat depressed manchild with blue sullen eyes. No offense to him.

“C’mon, I have pink eyes! Cinna has orange.” He mentioned as he pointed at his eyes. He recalled seeing Cinna with orange colored eyes so it must have slipped his mind when he saw him, but then again, it’s a little hard to distinguish colors if everything’s a little more saturated than before - a detriment in his part due to the influence of the demon inside him.

“Sorry.” He apologized to Zander. From his previous encounter with him, he’s not that mad that he made a big deal out of everything, though the tone of his voice would suggest otherwise. He didn’t know why, especially when he mentioned that he can’t tell him he can’t have Ferdinand as his boyfriend. It hinted to him that he may have done something in the past relating to his previous relationships, or perhaps he treated him like a child before due to his smaller stature, which he believed that he was overprotective of his siblings. He couldn’t recall because of the memories he lost. However, though he has no qualms with Zander’s relationship now, Ferdinand’s bigger stature is a little concerning given the massive gap between their heights. “What brings you here? Are you two going somewhere?” He asked the two. He had no destination in mind when he took Giselle’s advice. Or order. He doesn’t even know his way around the Lavanitir Port City. He didn’t bother looking at his sonar map because after all, the city is filled with civilians.

“Yeah we do! We’re going to the mall to get some stuff I wanted to get. I heard they were on sale.” Zander replied to his question, his demeanor shifting from irritated to glee. It’s as if he was expecting him to come along with them because as far as he knows, Michael was never one to idle around. Given his body movements, it is clear he has nowhere to go. “Want to come along? I heard they got good smoothies.” Michael pondered for a bit. He never pampered himself before, let alone treat himself to the delicious goodness of smoothies. His brothers Ozwald and Francois always found the time to relax. Michael was always on the move because of his occupation as a freelance wizard taking jobs here and there to pay for his own apartment and bills. Then there’s the sea monsters he killed earlier on his way to find a non-existent mermaid, which was a hard fought battle. He never thought of himself as a person who gets stressed easily. He was far from it, it was difficult for him to get stressed, especially in combat. Why not accept Zander’s invitation for an R&R? “Sure. Why not.”

Michael Brooklyn Morgan "Red Alert"

Act 2, Chapter 3 "There is a Creep Among Us"

The three of them went their way towards the mall of the Lavanitir port city. It is unheard of if Zander knew only of one mall and that there were other malls, or that there really is only one mall. After all, they were all foreigners with no knowledge of the lay of the land, especially since both Zander and Ferdinand were only tourists. Their trek along the sidewalks of Lavanitir was met with no incidents as they passed by people just minding their own businesses. As the sun set on the horizon and darkness loomed, the city’s lights flickered on, illuminating the streets, shops, and homes of the residents. Signs of various colors and brands lit up to grab the tourists’ attention, and restaurants were starting to get crowded with diners.

They had a little chat about the incredible vistas around Lavanitir city, with Ferdinand often telling the small elf of the rest of the vistas they haven’t visited yet, or planned to go to. Later in the conversation, Zander was curious to ask how it felt like to be a soldier for an organization and wanted to ask him about it, however, he deemed it an insensitive question to ask a survivor with PTSD and memory loss about the ordeal. He didn’t want Michael to leave again and without hearing from him ever again. Instead of asking about his past, he was curious about his present and his current occupation. He understood the part where he didn’t contact him or the other relatives because of obvious reasons, as much as it ached him. “So… how are you, Michael? Have you been working a lot? I kinda just guessed because of your eyebags. Hehe.” He asked him, and Michael was receptive of the question and responded, “I do, though I hope I don’t have to work for a drunk and deranged lunatic ever again.” He sighed, “To think I’d get compensated by the city because of the sea monsters we encountered on our way to catch a mermaid, if that even exists.”

It was clear to the couple that he was irritated at the events that transpired early today, however, the news of the culling of the sea monsters alerted them. “Wait, THE sea monsters I warned you about?” Ferdinand said to him with a visibly concerned look on his face, “You KILLED the SEA MONSTERS I WARNED you about?!” “I did. The drunk pervert of a captain wanted to sail towards somewhere in the open sea to catch a mermaid, so we got into a couple of undesirables along the way. It was... a tough battle.” Ferdinand couldn’t believe what he’s hearing. He faced his boyfriend, and he is just met with a nonchalant shrug, and back to Michael. It wasn’t exactly news to Zander since he’d been sneaking into the Arch Vorbrundt Order’s facilities to have some fun with a few uniformed men or two, but to think that a single person killed them off and in just under a day was very surprising for him. He’s that strong? “Figures. He was especially good at beating people to a pulp before. I recall he cracked the skulls of my lil step bro’s bullies when we were children. Fun times. To be fair, he did want to make a career out of being in the military.” Zander said, reminiscing the past from the time when they were still children.

Michael yawned in the middle of the conversation as it dragged on, clearly exhausted from his recent ordeal with the monsters he culled. He came to regret ever going out and took Giselle’s advice. Or order. Or a suggestion. The conversation dragged on and in his exhausted state, all he’s hearing from the two of them was gibberish.
And then there was music.

They were nearing the mall’s parking lot when they heard faint beats and rhythm from the distance. They looked up to the mall and saw lights flashing in different colors. The parking lot was packed with cars, and a lot of people were coming into the mall. Then it clicked to Zander. “OH! I remember! There was going to be a night festival in the mall just as the brochure said! Can’t believe I completely forgot, I was so focused on the thing I wanted to buy so badly!” He said before storming off to the lively venue, leaving behind Ferdinand and Michael. The both of them shrugged and followed suit, and the music was getting louder and louder. More people entered the mall, and from the inside, it looked like it was crowded, as if they packed in tuna cans. That’s just an exaggeration but to the two of them, it definitely felt like one. Zander, on the other hand, could slip past the crowd easily with his small stature.

This will be a long night.

Michael Brooklyn Morgan "Red Alert"

Act 2, Chapter 3 "There is a Creep Among Us"

The mall was, for the lack of better words, packed full with festival goers to rave at the plaza. Had he not tagged the two of them prior to their entrance, he would have found himself lost amidst the crowds of shoppers. For some reason, he was paranoid of getting separated with his step brother, and he felt like something similar had happened in the past. It may be that it was he that got lost in a crowd in a mall that his step brother was the one who found him. He can’t exactly point out why he has this feeling but he let the thought go as the three of them managed to navigate through the crowd to that part of the mall where it isn’t as crowded as it was around the plaza. There were relatively fewer people, but it’s still a lot compared to the number of shoppers visiting daily. “It should be around here…” Zander said as he looked at the flyer. The name of the store was written down on it, and he turned around and pointed at one of the stores, “There it is!”

The store was, for the lack of better words, a luxurious one. Even on sale, the middle class wouldn’t be able to afford them unless they saved up for a trip down the birch wooden floors of the establishment. Everything in the store was elegant. The walls and ceilings were painted white with brown accents, and white light helps make the interiors look magnificent. It was decorated with modern gold ornaments, which just makes the store look fancier. Suspiciously healthy flowers also help decorate the interiors, but it’s unclear if these are just plastic flowers or real ones, though they do look real at first glance. The shelves and racks of clothing had variety, ranging from the simplest tees to the most elegant blouses. The clothes they offer are not just limited to the pastel colored shirts or white buttoned shirt, but there’s variety as well. The establishment was staffed with hospitable attendants and cashiers, always on service to those who needed their help.

With the sale on going, the shop was a little busier than usual. Zander didn’t really expect this, but the same should go for the rest of the luxurious shops he went to. “Must be that time of the year. C’mon! Let’s go try some clothes.” Zander said. “Right…”

Michael, as far as he knows, hasn't done any shopping for himself other than groceries he or his bots cook for himself to eat. He didn’t think of them to have any practical uses other than to look good for other people. Besides, he wore his armor for the most part, and he was working as a freelance wizard/soldier. With the adjustments in place with the help of Giselle, he doesn’t need to wear his armor everyday, going to and from different towns back to his home in the Neutral Grounds. A change of wardrobe is urgently needed, as Giselle would say. With the help of Zander and his fashion sense, he’d be able to look for good or better sets of attire for him to wear on his daily life without the burden of armor holding him down. And with the various articles of clothing available in this shop, and with the amount of jewels he received from taking down the two sea menaces, how can he choose? That, and he lacked a sense of fashion.

He stumbled upon a rack of clothes filled with tank tops. Curious, he decided to test his sense of fashion and chose which tank top would best fit him. He went through various tank tops until he stumbled upon a familiar black one. It stood out the most among the rest of the tank tops he browsed through, and as his fingers brushed the surface of the clothing, it was very familiar. It’s as if he wore something like this from the past but he can’t quite recall because of the memory loss. He saw Zander walking up to him in the corner of his eyes, with Ferdinand carrying a lot of clothes. He’s starting to question their relationship and thought of Ferdinand as Zander’s sugar daddy. “Oh! I remember you wearing that one last time. Here, I picked up some clothes for you! I know they’ll fit. I know your sizes, after all.” He said as he also grabbed the tank top from him, “And I know just the perfect clothes that fit with this one.” He rummaged through the pile of clothes on his boyfriend’s arms and grabbed a sleeveless red leather jacket, blue jeans, and black leather boots. “Here! Why don’t you try this one?” “Sure. Where’s the fitting room?” He asked, and Zander surveyed his surroundings until he found the fitting room, “I believe it’s over there.”

Michael Brooklyn Morgan "Red Alert"

Act 2, Chapter 3 "There is a Creep Among Us"

He went to the men’s fitting room and went inside one of the stalls, making sure he locked it to avoid awkward instances. He made sure the clothes were hanging by the clothing rack on the door. He stripped himself to his boxers and just as he was about to grab for the jeans, the door to his stall mysteriously opens to find a lean man opening it. “Oh! Sorry!” He exclaimed, clearly flustered at the sight of an almost naked man in a fitting room. He quickly used his telekinetic powers to slam the door shut before the man could swing it close himself. That was weird. He could’ve sworn he locked it. The same thing happened when he was about to pull up the zippers of his jeans. He was annoyed at this inconvenience and slammed it shut once more, this time using his telekinetic powers to actively keep the door shut while he’s dressing up. Eventually, he finishes getting dressed and gets out of the fitting room.

Ferdinand and Zander were patiently waiting for Michael to dress up. The brother is eager to see what he’d look like, though he already has an idea with the items he picked up for him. As Michael got out of the fitting room, his jaw dropped. He was looking very fine, his sleeveless clothing revealed his muscular arms that would be the envy of every high school jock ever. “Ugh. I’m pretty sure the fitting room doors are broken. So… what do you think?” He says. From the looks of it, he was irritated, but it didn’t stop him from doting on his little brother (who is, ironically, taller than him). “Hubba hubba! You’re looking tight right now!” He says to him, which is a compliment, but Michael didn’t seem to understand the slang Zander used. Ferdinand gave him a thumbs up, agreeing to Zander's sentiments. “...tight?” “As in good. I forgot you don’t understand slang.” He said, and faced away from him for a moment to mumble to himself, “...boomer.”

This is the part where Michael and Zander both dress up in various outfits, with Ferdinand being the judge. For some reason, this ordeal has sprung up a memory of his. This memory didn’t feel painful. There he was, in a mall with his other brothers, dressing up with their classmates as their judge. He, Francois, Ozwald, Olaf, Zander, Cinna, and a humanoid owl as tall as the elves were dressing up into various outfits of their choosing. He recalled wearing a tank top with a jacket but it was black, had stripes, and had sleeves on it. Francois was looking dapper and Ozwald looked fine as hell. The twins and the owl wore casual clothing. It was a fun activity.

They ran out of clothes to try on, but it was time for them to check out.

“Ok, great! I think we’re all good to go! What about you?” Zander asked him, “I think these will do. Thanks for picking out the clothes for me, Zander, but I think Giselle would love to have some new clothes. Knowing her, she’s going to throw a hissy fit if she found out we’re shopping without her.” It was evident at first glance for Zander, because he knew her type. He may be biased because of stereotypes, but it was definitely clear with her accent and fashion choice. “Oh right! Okay, let’s see what I can get for her.” He leaves them to get to the women’s clothing section.

The two of them were waiting patiently for Zander to pick out Giselle's outfits when they overheard a couple of flustered women browsing through the undergarment section just near them. They didn’t make an effort to be silent, nor did they have any intention. At the tone of their voices, they seemed distressed at their current situation, browsing through the undergarments for fashionable ones they can wear. “Ugh! I can’t believe they haven’t caught that guy yet!” “I know, right?! That creep’s been stealing our panties for weeks and nothing’s EVER been done to that pervert! Hey, does this look good on me?” “Hm… maybe. What about this?” The conversation dragged on to see which panty looked better for them, though one thing’s clear to the both of them. “Something’s amiss…” Ferdinand says, and Michael agrees with him, “You’re right.”

A familiar voice grabbed Michael’s attention. He turned his face to the source of the voice and found none other than Giselle herself. “Hey! What do you think?” There was a visible look of concern on Michael’s face as he knew she was too sick to move around. And here she was wearing neutral colored clothes hand picked by Zander himself, her white elegant blouse contrasting her dark brown pants, with magnificent black heels to match. Looking at her closely, he noticed something odd - she had pink eyes. He knows Giselle had yellow eyes. It was clear in his expression that he didn’t know that the one standing before them is Zander. “Ah, that’s right. I forgot. Lost memories. Duh.” He says as he conjured a pink colored magic circle beneath him. “Here, let me show you.” The magic circle rose up and through him, eventually wrapping him in pink light. As the circle reaches the apex, it disappears, leaving him entirely coated in soft pink light. He snaps, and the light shatters and dissipates, revealing a new form. “Tada!~ I can transform into anyone I saw or into an entirely new person! What do you think?”

It didn’t click to Michael. “...excuse me, who are you?”

“It’s me, Zander.” “Oh.”

Michael Brooklyn Morgan "Red Alert"

Act 2, Chapter 3 "There is a Creep Among Us"

After they checked out from the store, a loud screaming was heard from the plaza. It caught their attention, and they moved immediately to the scene. As they went there, everything looked amiss, and they noticed that of all the party goers, the adult females were the ones in distress. The blaring music from the festival stopped playing as well. They saw several people walk out of the mall mad. Something was happening, but they weren’t sure why, but their questions were answered when they reached the mall’s plaza. They found flustered women on the floor covering their skirts. While they found some of the women wearing pants, they were still distressed. “Something’s wrong.” Zander said as he’s trying to discern the situation. They heard a maniacal laughter from deep within the plaza which roused their attention. The three rushed deep into the plaza when they saw the culprit behind the women’s distress - it was what you’d call a panty thief. It’s worse that HE used his magic to steal them. “Damnit, it’s the Panty Thief!” “Again?!” The patrons would mumble to each other, “He kept getting away with it! We need a wizard to take him down!”

As respectable men of morals, the situation did not sit well for them. It was a blatant disrespect to women’s dignity, and they can’t believe this vile man is allowed to exist and escape unpunished. “Behold my power! You are no match for me, because I, Masked Panty, rival the powers of the wizard saints!” “Rival the powers of the wizard saints, my ass! After him!” The men started to rush to the villain in an attempt to subdue him to answer for his misdemeanors. They were stopped in their tracks when the wizard snapped his fingers, a pink devious magic circle appearing on the men, and then the next thing they knew, their clothes were gone, except for their underwear. The villain laughed once more, and ran for the exit.

This is disgusting.

Michael sighs. He knew magic had all sorts of potential, but to think that people use magic for their personal desires is just astounding. This would just rouse anger against wizards who did nothing wrong, and though he is technically not a wizard in a sense that he’s an esper, he felt like a wizard would be discriminated against because of one wizard with a devious mind. With that in mind, he has to pursue this vile piece of filth and sorry excuse for a wizard and force him to answer for his crimes against the patrons. Looking at this seismic sonar, he couldn’t have gone far enough. After all, he managed to tag him before running away from the mall and the authorities. “Sorry, but can I leave you two for awhile?” He said as he sent his shopping bags to cyberspace, “Uh… sure thing. Dinner at the food court then? We were planning to eat there.” “Sure. I’ll find you guys when I’m through with him.” He replied and went for the culprit. Zander’s already feeling bad about Michael’s involvement because knowing him, he’d beat him to a pulp just like he did with his twin brother’s bullies. A violent act, but justifiable, in his eyes anyways. He’s already feeling sorry for the villain, but he can’t stop him. “Welp! I’ll be praying for the panty thief’s swift recovery. C’mon daddy, let’s get to the food court before it gets full!” “Sure.”

While running through the crowd, Michael summoned his exosuit and his Black Widow armor. It would be unthinkable for him to fight him head on if he really did have magic that rivals those of the Wizard Saints. While in his Black Widow armor, he went out of the mall and ran after the culprit into the parking lot, using its abilities to become invisible to everyone. Odd, he isn’t moving very fast, it’s like he’s just running away like any other normal human being. He’s starting to doubt the villain’s prowess and was thinking he’s just a pervert who can use magic. Afterall, his aura was faint. He was able to catch up to him and spotted him getting into a van.

Just as he suspected, he doesn’t look very powerful. If they were a wizard saint, they’d be out of there in no time, and what kind of wizard saint would stop by in a vehicle? A fraud that is. He was so weak it’s not worth shooting a bullet through his head.

Using his psionic powers, he ripped apart the van’s back and saw the panty thief indulging himself in various undergarments. This startled the wizard, and it startled him even more as he felt something wrap around him, like an invisible force. Suddenly, he was flung away from the inside and felt something grab his throat, "Eep!". Michael was still invisible, and he retracted his invisibility to reveal the visage of a soldier who’s clearly disappointed in his actions. The man’s face was reflected on the visor of his helmet, and it revealed no trace of Michael’s face underneath. “This world doesn’t need scum like you.” He said to him. In that moment, the wizard started to see an indescribable horror in front of his face, eldritch tendrils hanging by its face with his golden eyes glowing a menacing yellow. This vision sent the man in bouts of madness, screaming for help as he yelled out, “Monster! Monster!”

The authorities finally caught up to him only to find him being grabbed in the neck while screaming incoherently. Michael looked aside and saw them, taking this opportunity to send him away through telekinesis for the authorities to arrest him. While he was praised and thanked for handing in the troublemaker, the wizard kept telling them he's a monster incarnate. A devil. A demon.

Michael soon after was rewarded for his troubles to put a stop in the wizard’s acts of terror upon the female patrons of the mall who has, for weeks, been having trouble with the perverted man’s stunts. He left them with the reward after thanking them for their generosity and caught up with Zander and Ferdinand in the food court. “I hope you didn’t hurt him too bad.” Ferdinand said, “Zander told me how… extreme you can get.” “Relax, I didn’t hurt him. I was planning to, but he was scared shitless for some reason.”

Since then, Michael was the talk of the mall's patrons until such a time his fame faded into obscurity. It’s fine, of course. He isn’t after fame afterall. It was the right thing to do.