Hera's Fortune Casino, Under Virus Threat

"Those misshapen limbs, that upsetting face... Conclusion: I believe you when you say you weren't designed that way. No one would create a creature like you on purpose. That's my speculation as an inventor, for what it's worth," DesignMan slurred drunkenly at Asymptote's self-deprecating comments.

Spartoi glared at the scientist navi, then looked back to Asymptote. "You're right, we don't need help from a philanthropist. From what I know of 'philanthropy', it wouldn't do any of us any good," she agreed.

The man seemed to smirk again, then picked up his briefcase. "If you're offering to pay my way through purgatory... I'm obliged to accept," he responded, his coat tails falling down to his ankles as he stood up. Next to Spartoi, he'd appear rather tall, but next to Asymptote, not so much. "Of course... it's a little suspiciois. But them, I'm confident that I can outwit you, so if you're trying to embarrass me or punish me... You're the one who's going to regret it."

Spartoi opened her mouth to return his trash talk, but stopped at the last second. Perhaps she had finally learned a bit about compromise? PantheonMan's response came so quickly that one had to wonder if he really was sitting in his hands.

Quote (PantheonMan)

Asking me was a good idea. I can clear out any room with a simple message. Head towards the room that says "Muse"... It will be empty for you. If you've convinced him to come to an empty room, either he has strange tastes or I assume Spartoi is involved in this plan. You're using every tool available... I appreciate that.

Speaking of which, it sounds like you've got conviction for carrying out the mission. Your reward will be excellent if you can destroy both him and that tool of his. The words you wrote... those are the words of someone who could make it far in the Bloodhounds family. Just something to think about, okay?

At the very least, it sounded like the room would be prepared for Asymptote and he was on his employer's good side. DesignMan was nearly stumbling as he walked, being so drunk, but his head was also constantly turning side to side, as though he was suspiciously surveying for someone specific. "Hey... How do you know how to find an empty room anyway? Normally there's a patron in each room. Whatever... I won't question it. Your friend looks like she might be worth the risk..."

Spartoi bristled again; it seemed like she wasn't happy about the idea of doing anything for him, even though she was going along with the plan. On the bright side, it didn't seem like she'd have any hesitation at all when the time came to kill. The group would find Muse's door soon enough, unlocked. The room was dark inside with a light switch near the door. Here, details would become critical. Even Asymptote's decision of who entered first would be important.

Asymptote would just close his eyes wordlessly at the comment from DesignMan, he said nothing, but his eyes snapped open as he would be "Obliged" to accept his offer of paying his way through purgatory. He wasn't about to say a word, though, he did notice Spartoi not say anything back to him. Maybe she was learning, maybe she knew better, but he would begin to move alongside DesignMan, making sure to keep him on his feet, wouldn't look good if his "patron" stumbled over face first in a drunken stupor. He would, however reach over to give Spartoi a simple pat on the head in a friendly, kind gesture.

Quote (Asymptote)

We're almost there, Spartoi, you can do whatever you want to him when we finally get to the room and lock the door behind us. Slow and painful or quick and painless. Torture him if you so wish. So long as he winds up dead, I won't complain. And I doubt PantheonMan will either.

He sent off to Spartoi, keeping sure to not accidentally run over or bump into people too much as they began their decent into Purgatory. Walking through the halls as a trio, and hopefully would be returning as a Duo, he would soon lay eyes on the room that PantheonMan had cleared out for them. Alright, we're here. He said stopping the three of them in their tracks. Asymptote would reach out for Muse's door and turn the knob, gently pushing the door open. Alright then. Ladies fist. Go ahead and turn on the lights Spartoi, you can go in next and I'll be following right behind. Asymptote would continue, waiting for Spartoi to enter through the door and flip the lights on. Then DesignMan. Though, thinking fast, would push his foot forward to the side of DesignMan, making sure there was a wedge between the door and the frame. Asymptote would then have to fit himself into the room right afterwards, as long as DesignMan didn't do anything...stupid.

The tail of DesignMan's labcoat dragged along the carpet as he moved, slouching so that he was closer to Spartoi's height. Spartoi followed along wordlessly, her eyes shifting up to her ally in a watchful glare as she was petted.

Quote (Spartoi)

I will kill him efficiently, but it will make me happy to do so. If it makes the rest of you happy as well, then all the better. But rest assured, he will die. I hope that at least, in his last seconds, he will realize that he is the real moron here.

The orange light seemed to flash in her eyes; she stared straight forward for the rest of the trip, frowning sternly. DesignMan scoffed when they reached the door, after Asymptote described the way he ought to go in. "Hah... You're coming in too? If you weren't footing my bill..." he murmured, though his thoughts didn't appear to be with what he was saying. The inside of the room was low lit, with the centerpiece being a large, white bed, probably large enough to fit three people (though not if they were Asymptote's side) for whatever one might do in such a room. The sheets were satin and seemed to shine. A large, golden harp was standing up near the bed; a white vanity and mirror was set up against the opposite wall. The room seemed to have a small closet and a bathroom-plus-shower as well. The vanity had several drawers; if he opened it up, he might find some things that would take the overall class of the room down a notch.

There was very little time to examine the room, as no sooner had the door opened than all three were inside and the door was shut. At the same time, DesignMan's briefcase had emitted a strange noise, then cracked open. The gun was in his hand in the blink of an eye... it was shaped like a pistol but comically over-sized, purple with pink spikes around its surface and a drill where the opening of the barrel ought to be. One might think it was one of the aforementioned lewd toys if one didn't know what it was supposed to be. "Morons. Don't move," he growled in a throaty voice, keeping the gun pointed towards Spartoi while moving towards her slowly. Spartoi's face conveyed no reaction, but Asymptote would notice that her black scales were glistening, red light burning underneath them. It looked like they might be be hot to the touch. "Only one type of person wants to use Purgatory and Hell here interchangeably... Conclusion: You have murder on your mind. Unfortunately for you, I'm better equipped. I'll explain quickly: you know what this gun is. What you don't know, is that it has another setting..."

He tweaked one of the spikes on top and the gun seemed to twitch as if in protest, slowly shifting in color so that it was pink with purple spikes instead of the other way around. "It works both ways, idiots. I knew that a tool this dangerous needed to have an advantage only I knew about, so I programmed it with another function that specifically targets modified data and pulls it out of the navi. It's not as effective as completely deleting standard data, the function you've heard of... but it is plenty adequate for debilitating you both and making you writhe in pain. You should both play along if you don't want to be shot... Don't move or even turn around."

Spartoi was watching Asymptote and sent another personal message.

Quote (Spartoi)

Trust me, Asymptote. Dive out of the way, to one side, and I will kill him right now.

Asymptote would now have to decide whether he wanted to trust his partner at the risk of her life and possibly his own as well, or if he wanted to try to play along until they got a more advantageous situation. Of course, it was also possible that he was only bluffing and Asymptote could take the killing into his own hands.

Asymptote walked in and looked about with a simple swivel of his head, the gold a bit bright for his tastes, not to mention the harp and whatever could be in those drawers. Gaudy as hell. Just like the rest of this place. Not that I don't fault the guy, I suppose. Different strokes for different folks. Asymptote thought, mentally shrugging to himself before the briefcase made a noise. He knew exactly what was about to happen. You know, if I was practically anywhere else...the phrase "fuck me" would take on an entirely different tone. He thought as the pistol came out, immediately hitting his hand and pointing it at Spartoi. Walking towards her, a low growl coming from Asymptote's throat. They walked into a trap that they themselves were setting. Suppose it was par for the course in the net. And par for the course with him...his thoughts almost immediately turned to twisting his head off like one of those novelty candy dispensers and taking a deep, deep drink from his data before he disintegrated. But that was an insane proposition, even for him. Precious moments passing by as he had no time to act, let alone ask for chips from Joseph, god only knew where he was at right now.

Hell and Purgatory interchangeably? Wait a god damn minute... The idle thought passed through his head like a shot of electricity. YOU SON OF A WHORE! Asymptote shouted out, a very faint ripple going through the room as he clenched his fists. How long have you known? He asked, if trying to get him to say something. I'll kill you myself! He shouted out, almost making a step forwards, before another PM from Spartoi came to him. He was almost filled with fear with what she'd do. But...she put up with a lot of what he'd have done up to this point. It was all for the mission, right? If she was about to suicide bomb DesignMan...he'd have that on his conscience...but...then again...she'd come back...right? It wouldn't be her...but she'd still live on...in one form or another...damn, getting attached to someone who was essentially disposable in the end...this was gonna kick him down if she didn't kill him. With this, he'd send her a PM with only four words.

Quote (Asymptote)

I trust you Spartoi.

In that instance, Asymptote would glare intently at DesignMan before proceeding to kick himself off to the side in a display of uncharacteristic athleticism, the navi rolling to the other side of the room and turning his head to watch what Spartoi would do, if only briefly.

"Ha... It's gratifying to hear you admit I correctly guessed your intention," DesignMan responded smugly, though with a sort of growling menace to his voice that made it clear he was mostly focused on where his gun was pointed. "Even in a place full of dangerous people, you two stand out. My hunch started then and only grew firmer as the game continued. Or failed to start, rather. I know this casino well enough... I designed the machines, moron. That's how I know exactly where the ball will land. I know this place so well that when you mentioned Hell, well... Ha... ha ha... What am I doing explaining this to you, anyway?" he shrugged. The only good thing about this irritating dialogue was that it gave Asymptote enough time to respond to the message Spartoi had sent. "At least the girl can make herself useful, even if she's a moron. You're lucky I haven't shot you already-"

As if on cue, Asymptote dived to the right, following Spartoi's earlier instruction. "You stupid bastard-" the former Techari half-snarled, half-laughed, spinning quickly and pointing his gun towards where Asymptote had been. Only, Asymptote was now a little over to the left... the reason he'd been drawn to that same spot was that another figure was standing where the big navi had been until just a moment ago. There was no telling when it had gotten there, but a black dragon, hunched on all fours and so tall he filled the corners of the room... rather, on closer inspection, he literally filled the corner of the room, his back half spreading across the wall in the form of black, crystalline scales. The texture resembled Spartoi's armor, and like it, had a soft, red glow thrumming underneath it like a heartbeat. The dragon's head didn't have eyes, but did have a mouth, a gaping opening with fangs made of glistening stones, quickly increasing in number. "Don't-!" the scientist shouted.

Quote (Spartoi)

You said you want to destroy the gun and the scientist both, didn't you? That's what I'm going to do.

That could have ended any number of ways, but one could only guess the correct one, as his exclamation quickly turned into a scream; the dragon's head shot out with a serpent like motion, snapping shut over the gun and shattering into black shards. Where the shards had snapped down, the gun disappeared, along with the navi's forearms, leaving him only stubs, which glowed orange at the end as though molten hot. "Uuu... Uwaaa...!" he groaned, stepping backward from the corner slowly, before falling over in his drunken stupor. It was pretty clear why Spartoi had asked Asymptote to move out of the way now.

Another device, perhaps a gun, started to sprout up near him on a turret base. It was questionable as to whether he'd be able to operate it or not without any hands, but there wouldn't be a chance to check; another dragon head bit down from the ceiling. It seemed that even as the dragon heads smashed themselves biting down, the scales were still spreading. If he was interested, Asymptote might notice Spartoi had shed most of her armor, though her scales still covered herself in strategic places... it was a sight worth looking at, anyways. Perhaps more notably, the malice in her eyes was evident, as she stepped towards DesignMan slowly. "W-Wait... I can make more... I was just playing around, then I was going to sell the tech back to PantheonMan, b-but let me sell it to you instead! Don't-!"

This "don't" was cut short too, as Spartoi's swords embedded itself within his chest with a sudden thud. That might have been enough to seal the deal, but it got worse; black spines began to burst from his skinsuit as a moan escaped his throat, before crackling and bursting into flames. Soon, his entire body turned caught fire, until what was left was a black, charred husk, still lit ablaze. It was all over in a matter of seconds; hopefully, PantheonMan was going to follow through on his reward, because there was nothing left to turn over to Trace or Tyche at this point.

The now nearly nude Spartoi, her black tail flicking this way and that around her bare bottom, walked to the door to begin swiping away the shards that were left behind. "I'm glad that you trusted me, Moron," she told Asymptote, smiling in a way that didn't seem familiar at all. "And I'm glad that you allowed me to kill him. When I consumed him just now, I absorbed plenty of knowledge. Schematics, weapons research, dirt on the ones who were helping DesignMan lay low until now... Conclusion: it was a good haul. Should we go ahead and turn in our report?" she asked. In the blink of an eye, her speech, behavior, and knowledge seemed to have changed completely.

Asymptote might notice that many scales were still coating the corner and the roof of the room, especially over the spot where DesignMan had fallen. In several places, dragonic heads were snapping their teeth... Asymptote might notice that they seemed to be watching him. For that matter, Spartoi was keeping her eyes glued to him, barely blinking. It seemed like her eyes had a new light of intelligence to them, though she didn't seem bothered by the prospect of stepping outside with just a few scales covering her.

Asymptote would watch, partially in horror, partially in amazement at what Spartoi had done. In one swift moment, the gun and the former Techari's arms were gone and destroyed. And what came next was utterly horrifying. As if out of a monster movie, Spartoi had eliminated him in short order...and absorbed part of him without a second thought. The expression on his face (well, eyes) was one of horror. At least, until he could collect himself enough as she spoke, eyes immediately darting to her almost nude form. Scales just barely in place to keep things from showing. He would let out what could only be sigh, slowly setting himself onto his rear, visibly shaken at the brutal elimination of their target.

And here I thought...I was brutal to the viruses... The thought ran through his head as he would very slowly, very carefully, get back to his feet despite the feelings that gripped at his heart. He had a job to finish and get paid for. I know the GunDelSol chips are rare...but I feel like I should have asked for something more than this...is that feral part of my mind really that controlling? He thought again before shaking his head of the additional thoughts that ran through his mind, some of the nearly nude Spartoi...some...of far worse fates he could face if he went and backed out on things now. Glad...you got a lot out of this. he rasped after a moment. Here's...here's one final lesson from me for now. He said stuttered. Make sure you're fully clothed or, at least, covered before going back out into a crowd. Those attacks left you nearly nude. He said, gesturing to the mirror in the room so Spartoi could take a look at her reflection for a moment.

As if on cue, Asymptote would tap into his signature programs. Asymptote's chest would begin to become one giant callus, the skin turning a very milky dull white, cracks in the skin slowly showing up over time as the hardened (yet flexible) skin would begin to rise to the top in a visible "bump" on his body. Afterwards, Asymptote would immediately grab at the hardened skin atop the middle of his chest, dig his nails riiiiiight under it and in a single swift motion, ripped it off like a bandage with a quiet rip, the entire area he had made the callused skin from was around the middle of his chest, a giant red sore showing off for a brief moment before slowly healing away. He said nothing outwards, but screamed on the inside, a tear coming down the side of his metallic mask as he, carefully, walked over to Spartoi's almost nude form. Let me just apply this real quick. I'm more afraid of the sheets catching fire if I tried to wrap you up in them. He would say simply, kneeling down in front of Spartoi and beginning to apply the "casing" to her body.

The callus based casing would begin to wrap around her torso, "hooking" around her neck like an apron would and slowly draping down her front. The casing would slowly grow out at the sides to help cover Spartoi's front from the sides so nobody would try to sneak a peak at her form, the inside of the casing strangely soft and squishy like memory foam, gently pressing into her body to keep her movement losses to a minimum, while the callus that acted as the casing would be rough and hard like a board of wood, wrapped around her body like a bit of a backless shirt. After applying the casing, Asymptote would slowly get back to his feet and giving her a simple smile (or as best of one he could give through the metal mask), would talk to her as he turned around. Lets try to go straight to our employer, if Philanthropy figures out what happened to him we might get into an unneeded confrontation. Asymptote would say with a sigh, not relishing the thought of having to explain what happened to her if she caught wind of this. Slowly walking towards the door, he'd reach for the knob and turn it, slowly bringing the door open and giving a simple gesture with his hand. Ladies first.

"If I do not fully savor a kill, I'll regret it later," Spartoi responded simply, keeping a smile on her face. "I was created to destroy navis like that, but I don't get chances every day. It feels good to accomplish my purpose." Her words were eerie, but the change of topic also changed the tone of the conversation. The girl's eyes looked down over her body, first front, then twisting slightly to look at the sides. "Hmmm... Conclusion: you are correct. I will need to cover up before I go back outside," she murmured, sounding impatient to having the issue over with more than ashamed of anything.

She watched Asymptote with some confusion as he created a new covering out of his hardened skin, momentarily making a large gash across himself. "You should not injure yourself for such a minor dilemma, Moron. I can simply grab a bedsheet," she criticized, but accepted the gift regardless. He explained why she didn't do that, causing her to raise her eyebrows. "You are probably correct," she was forced to admit, now raising her arms so that Asymptote could reach her body. When it was on, she examined it curiously, then flexed her tail. "Hmmm... it's open on the back. Is it not important that I cover my butt? Or should I just keep my tail down?" she asked, vaguely aware that ought to be a point of contention. Regardless, she didn't particularly care, so she followed Asymptote out regardless. The two would have only a little while to chat before reaching the original room, but Spartoi shared a quick thought. "Why should Phil-ant-trophy care? She did not like that idiot either. She ought to be pleased we took care of him. Not only that, but now the house won't have to pay him for all that money he scammed them out of. I think everyone ought to be satisfied." It didn't seem to occur to her that some people might have hoped she'd take a more merciful route when dealing with DesignMan.

Inside the audience hall that Asymptote had originally entered through, many workers, yellow heelnavis in togas, were busily arranging banners, candelabras, and name-cards on different tables. With the lights turned up a bit, Asymptote would notice that many booths surrounded the circumference of the room, like those you might see in a bar, but with gold cages erected around them for some reason. Trace and Tyche were still seated at the same table, while PantheonMan was ordering some of the navis involved with the set-up. Tyche jerked up when Spartoi re-entered, then hit the table a few times and sat back down wordlessly. Trace also opened her eyes a bit wider, noting that DesignMan was nowhere to be seen. She clicked her teeth and closed her eyes with a pained expression, probably assuming the worst since she hadn't received any indication that Asymptote went along with the plan she'd proposed. "I'm going to leave," she announced, grabbing up her binder and walking towards the exit. She shot Asymptote an annoyed glare, which seemed somehow wrong coming from such a small girl towards such a large navi, then whispered, "You shouldn't do anything without asking questions, Asymptote. Don't forget that," she warned him, before walking out.

PantheonMan noticed Asymptote now and turned, spreading his arms wide. "You've returned! I hope that means what I think it means," he smiled, crossing his arms and approaching so that they could speak without shouting. He passed by Tyche without looking at her, but he did lock eyes with Spartoi again. "Oh ho? You two got up to some educational business after all, am I right? I know she wasn't dressed that way when I loaned her to you," he laughed, showing white teeth as he stepped around to fearlessly examine her from the back. "If so, that's all the better. I certainly wouldn't be opposed if you gave her some education in that area."

"We killed DesignMan," Spartoi explained, now frowning again. It seemed she wasn't a big fan of the small-talk that PantheonMan favored, which was predictable. "Asymptote wants his reward now."

"And he shall have it," PantheonMan assured her, giving her an overly familiar pat on the shoulder. "But let's hear it from the man himself, since he's the one being rewarded. Did you kill DesignMan and destroy that toy of his? Would you tell me all about it? Bloodhound work is my life, after all... I take a certain amount of pleasure in hearing about how our enemies perished, assuming I didn't have the pleasure of eliminating them myself," he requested, keeping his grin tight as he spoke. "Was Spartoi of use to you?" he asked, casting her another glance. "Did the two of you hit it off?"

"The reward..." Spartoi growled again, becoming more impatient. Asymptote might be worried if he began to suspect she had reason to believe PantheonMan was going to withhold it, but it was just as likely that she was simply familiar enough with his small talk to know that she hated it.

"Fine, fine! There's nothing wrong with being friendly and inquisitive, is there? I shouldn't be scolded by my underling, you know?" he chuckled, though it didn't seem like he was in any rush regardless. "You'll have your reward: GunDelSol1. I believe the others promised you different rewards... In keeping with my own promise, I'll reward you for your loyalty. An additional 2000z and a HeatShot1 for your effort," he explained. "If you really did take care of all of the elements I requested of you."

Further off, Tyche seemed to have stopped twitching; she still had her hands clasped to her head, but she was watching Asymptote with a wordless grimace, perhaps waiting to hear the fate of the tool she'd designed and her former coworker had stolen.

Eh...it's a signature attack of sorts. I'm not 'actually' hurting myself. But that did kinda smart, I would assume it wouldn't hurt as much if I had not simply ripped it off like a bandage. He would say simply with a shrug at her concern. And...yea, I'd keep your tail down for the time being. I doubt anyone will try anything, but it's better to not have someone mistake you for something you're not. He continued as she would walk out, showing a bit of concern for the dragon-based navi. Letting out a simple sigh as he walked behind her through the corridors towards their employer. Then the query about Philanthropy came up, this caused him to rub his metallic chin for a moment in a little bit of thought before a response came. I'd say to err on the side of caution, honestly. She may not have been invested with him in any capacity, but god only knows if she was in on what he had planned. She might be pissed with how her employer wound up because of us. But that's just careful thinking on my part I suppose...as much of "careful" as I can come up with. He mused at his thoughts, as dreadful of a thought she might have been involved with him, but...not necessarily as much "thought" as he would have simply hoped for.

Either way, they would simply make their way back to PantheonMan and as soon as Spartoi asked for him to be rewarded, it was obvious there was no love lost between the two of them. Listening to them, Asymptote would simply close his eyes before being asked to report in. DesignMan is most assuredly dead. Spartoi had the entire hand in his death, as well as the destruction of the gun. She ripped his arms clean off while destroying the target's body. Asymptote would say as simply as possible. It was...quite the visceral death, she was quite happy with how she did it. I was the one who convinced and lead him to the room, if you want to send someone to check, there's a giant burn mark where DesignMan once stood as he pleaded for his pathetic life after she got rid of his arms and the gun it's self. Though, Spartoi seemed to...absorb...some of his data in the process if what I saw is right...but I can not be one-hundred percent sure. But I can say she -has- been talking like him off and on since it. He continued with a long sigh, turning his head to Tyche. And Tyche. DesignMan reverse engineered the weapon entirely. If it wasn't for Spartoi's quick and painful disposal of the weapon, we might have been in more danger after he pulled it on us. I'm quite glad to not have Spartoi over here as my enemy.

"That's an interesting thought, Moron... I hadn't considered that the two of them might be working together. Perhaps I should have had her join us... when we took out her boss, we could have known for sure. Then I could have finished up with dessert, ha ha ha... Though, again, I don't think that knowing about philanthropy would help me very much anyway," Spartoi chuckled dryly as she followed Asymptote. He might be a little creeped out, acknowledging that she'd slipped on many of DesignMan's mannerisms as though they were a glove. Even her walk was different; she slouched slightly, dragging her tail along behind her in an odd mimicking of his labcoat's tails.

Once they reached PantheonMan, Spartoi and her boss exchanged some barbs, then Asymptote gave his report. PantheonMan watched with interest, his lips curling into a smile and his grin flashing over to Spartoi as he heard the details. "Mmm, visceral, that's a good word. I like this result. Ha ha ha... I'm actually glad those little girls were plotting behind my back. Not very lucky for Dr. Tyche, ironically, but I wouldn't have wanted that traitor pulling you into any negotiations. The two of you needed the resolve to kill... Spartoi may have pulled the trigger, but you gave her the gun when you lured that simpleton in. Excellent work. A fine outcome... And I'm sure once the friendly folks at Techari sort through all of Spartoi's new data, we'll find we won't miss DesignMan a bit. Ha ha ha... ha ha ha! He thought he'd leave the Mafia, but in the end, it'll be like he never left." He clutched his hands together tight, then clapped a few more times for good measure.

A sharp scream interrupted from the middle of the room, where Tyche was seated, followed by a crash as the doctor knocked a candelabra to the floor. Several workers ran over to make sure nothing caught fire. "You fools! Fools... fools! Foolhardy bloodlust, that's all Bloodhounds are good for! You can only use your hands... your hands... Hands built for nothing but bludgeoning, you throw away all of the genius inventions we create for you! That virus was far more valuable than anything... anything or... or any navi! Rrrrrrgh... this world is frustrating... frustrating! FRRRRRR...!" she groaned, sitting down into another seat, different from the one she'd knocked over earlier and burying her hands in her head.

"Oh, cheer up, Tyche. DesignMan won't be making any more guns, but you will. Live and fight another day, or invent another day, if that's what you prefer. Stay in our good graces and you'll have all the free reign and resources you need to continue making technological marvels... and hopefully keep them out of the hands of thieving hands," PantheonMan waved off her concern.

Tyche turned her head back to Asymptote as he explained Spartoi's recent changes, along with how thankful he was for her quick action. "Of course! After all she is one of my brilliant... brilliant... brilliantly designed creations, the fruit of a inspiration, rare and fleet... fleeting... fleeing! Fleeing constantly! When you destroy my inventions you laugh in the face of mathematical... mathematics and astronomy... astronomical odds! Planets aligning! What I make I can never remake it's all... luck and circumstance... circumstance..." she grumbled, then suddenly began sobbing. Her goggles hid her eyes, but a dribble coming from her nose revealed that she was on the road to open bawling.

"Ha ha ha... I applaud you for making the effort to cheer her up, Asymptote, but there's no talking to that one," PantheonMan laughed again, placing one large hand upon the navi's high-up shoulder. "At any rate, I didn't hear you turn down the reward, so I'll assume that fits the bill. Please, accept this on behalf of your work for the Bloodhounds today," he finished, handing over a data packet with the items he'd described earlier.

*Asymptote gets GunDelSol1, HeatShot, and 2000z!*

"I should thank you too, Moron. We Spartoi have had a lot of training before under closed conditions, but this was the first real field test by any of us. This data we've consumed is far more potent and valuable than anything we Spartoi have consumed in the past. The richness of content, owing to the experiences and knowledge of DesignMan, and the strong emotions at the time of his death... Conclusion: we Spartoi should keep these factors in mind when it comes to prioritizing data for consumption in the future," she posited, sounding scientific and simply hungry at the same time.

"Let me know if you're in line for more Bloodhounds work in the future, Asymptote. It may not be the same Spartoi, but there will be a Spartoi that remembers you and is eager to be taken into the field again," PantheonMan smirked, then wandered off to get back to the men he was instructing on decorations earlier. It was hard to see him as a violent Bloodhound when he was helping the others hang draping white curtains.

Even though he had incited Tyche's anger, he had not anticipated...such an infernal outcry from the Techarti. He could only blink at her anger and silently watched her throw a temper tantrum not unlike a young child would. But he had absorbed what Spartoi and PantheonMan had said, easy to see he had gained their adoration, if not just their approval of future work together with the Bloodhounds. He would nod as he gently scooped up the payment packet from PantheonMan with his massive hand, taking care not to hurt his employer's hand. No, I thank you for this insight into how the Mafia works. He said simply with a small bow towards PantheonMan. I now have a bit of a better understanding of how you work, as well as your inner workings. I am thankful for this and will certainly look into the Bloodhounds for faction purposes in the future, as well as hoping our relationship becomes fruitful for both of us. He humbly continued, his eyes looking down towards Spartoi and, despite the steely mask that had replaced his face, would give her a bright smile, despite his lack of lips.

Believe me, I'm sure it was more enlightening than what a closed test could have ever given you for your data, as well as evolution. Just remember to keep practicing as you're let out into the world, you'll learn a lot more than what I tried to teach you today Spartoi. Asymptote would say to the ever evolving navi, turning back to PantheonMan and giving him a bow. With this, I will take my leave. I haven't heard anything from my netop since we started. I'm not sure where he's at, but I can only hope he's in just in a bad network spot. He would say before turning around and starting to head for the entrance of the casino, and if he wasn't stopped, would make a quick Jack Out to see if his Netop was alright.

((Asymptote gets:

12 PantheonMan FXP
23 Spartoi FXP
2 Philanthropy FXP
2 Achilles FXP))