Dawn watched with anxiety as the gate closed behind the last wagon. Agent X walked up to Dawn and suggested they sit for a moment to check if the crystal was glowing yet. They walked over to the grass and sat down. Agent X stuck one finger out, swiped down, and said, "Stash." He then reached into the void and pulled out the crystal, which wasn't glowing. Agent X sighed. "I knew it wouldn't be that simple."

  Dawn tilted her head slightly in confusion. Agent X, noticing her bewilderment, explained. "Usually, Containment situations last a little longer, as you have to outlast the disease or get rid of all the hosts of the disease."

  Dawn froze, a cold realization dawning on her. Get rid of the hosts. Thoughts of the deer folk child flashed in her head, and her heart began to race. Agent X noticed her growing anxiety and narrowed his eyes.

  Just about that time, the Deer Summoner came running from the gate, his strides frantic as he approached the heroes. He was clearly in a panic. "Did you let my child through the gate?" he stammered, his voice laced with terror.

  A moment of chilling realization washed over Dawn as she connected the dots: the deer child was the Summoner's child. Agent X immediately turned and glared at Dawn, his Komodo tail slamming repeatedly on the ground, a clear sign of his rising frustration. He looked at Dawn, his voice sharp. "I haven't seen any children. Have you?"

  Dawn's panic surged. Tears welled in her eyes as she choked out, "I... I knew what would happen to the child if I told you."

  "You might be right, but, Dawn, you have to get over this thing you have about not killing people," Agent X stated, his voice stern.

  The Summoner Deer Beastfolk swayed, looking as though he might faint at the idea of his child dying. He dropped to his knees, begging Agent X, "Please! Don't kill my child!"

  Agent X stood up, now towering over the kneeling Deer Beastfolk, and spoke in a harsh tone. "Your opinion is of no value right now. Your opinion is clouded by emotion. Think of the greater need. Do you dare risk everyone for just your offspring?" Then Agent X turned to Dawn. "That goes for you, too, Dawn."

  Dawn, still crying, dropped to her knees, feeling as though the child's fate was now set in stone. The child would be eliminated.

  Agent X began to speak again, his voice colder than ever. "The way I see it, we have two options. I'm sure you'll both prefer the second option, but it'll cost you summoner."

  The Deer Beastfolk looked up, concerned, at the thought of what price would be put on his child's head.

  Agent X continued. "Option one: I kill anyone I detect with the plague. Short and simple. Option two: I'll use my dark magic to cleanse the people who are infected, as I did with a few of the drivers." Agent X then turned to the Deer Beastfolk. "But if I put in the extra effort, I want compensation."

  The Deer Beastfolk stammered, "Anything! Just name your price! We have a lot of gold!"

  Agent X told the Summoner he didn't need money. "I want you to sever the foot off of several different beasts, as many as you can manage in a day or so, and put them all in a single crate."

  The Deer Beastfolk looked confused but quickly agreed.

  "Now, for you, Dawn, you don't get off so easily," Agent X said. "Go with the Summoner and set up a first aid station. Some people, after I have cured them, may need further healing to recover their energy. I'll send them to you."

  Dawn, seeing Agent X soften up a bit, even if it was in his own way, thought it was kind of nice. She agreed and headed off with the Summoner.

  Now with the orders given. Agent X vanished from the spot he stood with insane speed. Quickly, he located the biggest, nicest house, assuming it must be the Summoner's house since he was the lead figure. Once there, he found the child. Agent X's dark energy started oozing out of him. The child was terrified at this sight. Agent X sighed. "Calm down. I'm removing the illness from you." As the darkness covered the child, they began to calm down and feel better than before.

  Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings.

  For the next few hours, Agent X went around the settlement, purifying people using his dark magic. Afterward, he would send the ones who were close to death to Dawn. As the sun started to go down Agent X finished up and checked to see if the crystal was glowing yet. The crystal still wasn't glowing, meaning someone was still infected. Feeling impatient he began to move at an incredible rate, seeking out the Summoner.

  Agent X found the Summoner in the guild hall, putting beast parts from their collection into a large crate, Agent X asked the Deer Beastfolk, "Where was the origin of the plague?"

  The Summoner paused for a moment, thinking, then replied, "It was first started in a kingdom up north. Most settlements and such have closed up, as we did, to prevent the spread of it."

  Agent X turned to leave the guild hall.

  "What are you going to do?" the Summoner shouted out. "It's night! Why don't you rest?"

  Agent X, without stopping or turning around, replied, "I'm going to finish what I started, and I don't need sleep. I need to be finished with this." Agent X left the guild hall and vanished.

  The next morning, Agent X returned to the settlement, finding Dawn passed out in the makeshift first aid center. He sighed and tapped on her shoulder to wake her up. A dazed and sleepy Dawn looked up at Agent X. She fell backward out of her chair out of fright. For a moment after waking up, she got scared of the massive Komodo Dragon, forgetting where she was and what was happening. Coming to her senses and feeling embarrassed, Dawn locked eyes with Agent X as her face turned red.

  "Sleep well?" Agent X asked.

  Still too embarrassed to talk, Dawn just nodded her head.

  Agent X pulled the crystal out of his Stash and showed Dawn that it was glowing. Dawn jumped to her feet in excitement. "We're done? We cured everyone?"

  Agent X impatiently said, "You can say that."

  Dawn, not realizing the implications of what Agent X just said, was still happy. "Okay, well, let's recall already!"

  Agent X put the crystal back in his Stash and wagged his finger, saying, "No."

  Dawn dropped her arms. "Why not?"

  "Did you forget about our payment?" Agent X asked.

  Dawn, remembering the crate Agent X asked for, asked, "Where do you think it is?"

  "My guess is in the guild hall, where I saw the summoner packing it," Agent X replied.

  Dawn and Agent X made their way to the guild hall, finding the Summoner already inside. Upon seeing the heroes walk in, the Deer Beastfolk was excited, hoping the plague was gone. Agent X gestured toward the crate. "Is this for me?"

  The Deer Beastfolk stammered, "Since you're asking that, I assume you were successful in your task?"

  Agent X just nodded as he walked over to the crate. He used his lizard claw to carve something into the top of the crate. He then turned to look at Dawn and called her to come here. Confused but obedient, Dawn walked over to where Agent X and the crate were. She looked at what Agent X had carved into the crate. She saw it was her name. Confused, she looked at Agent X. Before she could even ask, he told her to claim it so they could recall. Dawn smiled, realizing that through everything, he still thought of her. Without hesitation, she pricked her finger and let a drop of blood fall onto her name. A flash of blue on the crate, and the deed was done. Agent X pulled out the crystal and crushed it.

  The next thing Dawn knew, they were back in Xander's house, his arm now pulling back to himself. She pulled her phone out to check the time. Her phone showed it hadn't even changed a minute. Then her mind went to the crate as she clicked on the Cosmo app.

  The welcome screen loaded up, displaying: "Welcome, Legend Dawn." Below her name, it proudly read: "Incarnate Rank F." Next to that, a grim reminder of just how new she was: "Situations Completed: 3."

  Dawn quickly tapped over to the Attributes page. She stared at the list of stats, her eyes widening in disbelief. Most stats now had new green additions that glowed next to them. Reflecting her recent gains from the summoner's payment of beast parts:

  Vigor: 3 +8

  Strength: 8 +6

  Stamina: 3 +7

  Defense: 8 +6

  Arcane: 1 +6

  Endurance: 4 +5

  Resistances: 2 +7

  Speed: 7 +8

  Amazed at the incredible increase in her attributes, Dawn jumped up and down, a giddy laugh bubbling up despite the grim events. "My stats! They really went up!" She turned to Xander, who had just sat down on the couch. "If you were going to heal people, why did you choose such a scary avatar, anyway?"

  Xander sighed, settling into the cushions. "When dealing with diseases, animals that have poisons or toxins of their own often have naturally high levels of resistance. It was a logical choice."

  Dawn's eyes opened wide, realizing the logic. "Oh! That makes sense!" She then frowned. "Okay, but what about your ability choice?"

  Xander sighed again, a sound of profound weariness. "You get one more question after this, then no more questions about it. My ability was Dark Magic. It excels at destroying diseases and detecting abnormalities. It does more, but for now, that's all you need to know."

  Dawn put her finger on her chin, thinking about her last question carefully. Her mind drifted to the Deer Beastfolk child. "What happened with the child?" she asked, her voice softer. "Did you find them?"

  Xander let out a short, sharp sigh. "Yes," he replied. "They were the first person I went to, as I thought of them as patient zero."

  Dawn sighed in relief, hearing the child was tended to so quickly. "It's a good thing you could detect and cleanse diseases," she said, genuinely grateful. "It made that situation so much easier."

  Xander heard her, and a cold thought echoed in his mind: Yeah, it did. But the offense it provides allowed me to cleanse the northern kingdom quite efficiently. Especially since it was during the night. People vanish in the night all the time. So why should it be any different for that entire kingdom?

  With that final thought, it reminded Xander of Dawn's critical flaw. He looked impatient, his cold eyes fixing directly on her. "Your inability to take a life has officially become a problem. The next situation we undergo, you will kill at least one."

  Dawn's relief instantly evaporated. Horrified, she started shaking her head, waving her hands in protest. "No! I can't!"

  "Calm down," Xander interrupted, his voice flat but firm. "You're thinking way to much about these people."

  Dawn stopped, her hands froze in motion, her gaze confused.

  Xander continued, his voice taking on a detached, lecturing tone. "You're thinking too much about these beings. They are not like you and me. They are not bonded to Cosmo or anything greater than the simulated realm Cosmo has provided for them."

  Dawn stared at him, shocked by this concept. She didn't know how to feel. Was this really how he saw this? Dawn wasn't sure if she could adopt this mindset.

  Xander stood up, starting to walk toward his room. "I'm going to rest my eyes for an hour. Then we will do the next situation. I should have slept before recalling; my Earth body feels fine, but my mind feels fatigued." He paused at his door, turning slightly to fix her with his gaze. "Dawn, take this time to steel your nerves and make mental preparations to kill. Whatever reasons or logic you have to tell yourself." With that, he disappeared down the hall, leaving Dawn alone with her racing thoughts and a task that just became infinitely more terrifying.