18: Temporal Deception

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"Hey, Sigils," Henwy greeted as Sigils blinked in disbelief.

"Am I dreaming? Please slap me," Sigils replied with a bewildered expression.

"You're not, Sigils. I am the Time Guardian, and the future is in danger. You are tasked with changing it," Henwy explained, pulling Sigils up.

"What am I supposed to do?" Sigils inquired.

"Well, the leader of the serial killers is showing up at our base. If we don't change his mind, he'll destroy you all, and you guys will end up in the afterlife. I don't want that to happen," Henwy said gravely.

"The leader of the serial killers? Who is he, though?" Sigils asked.

"His name's The Shadowcaster. He's led the serial killers for more than an eon. Rumor has it he's soulless, having never died since 4000 B.C.," Henwy explained.

"Jeez, he's that old?" Sigils remarked.

"It's not the time to make jokes, Sigils," Henwy admonished.

"Sorry," Sigils apologized.

"I want you to travel to the past, locate their hideouts, and inform us when you figure it out. Then, I'll get someone else to help for the next part," Henwy instructed.

Sigils nodded, and Henwy opened a portal for him to travel to the past.

As Sigils stepped into the past, he was greeted by silence, crickets chirping, and the wind gushing. "Why nighttime?" Sigils groaned. "Don't complain, Sigils!" Someone said.

"Uwah! Who said that?!" Sigils asked.

"It's Loaf, and I'm in your head to make sure you're not wandering around," LoafX explained.

"Jeez, okay," Sigils replied.

Sigils walked and found nothing until he saw Russell, a serial killer. Sigils gulped an invisibility potion to follow him. After a while, Sigils saw Russell going into a vent close to an exquisite but abandoned house. Peeking through the window, Sigils saw Russell meeting someone dressed in black with a plague doctor mask— presumably the Shadowcaster.

"Hey, Loaf? I think I found their hideout," Sigils said.

"Really?" LoafX asked.

"Yeah, bring me back," Sigils replied.

LoafX opened a portal, and Sigils walked into the Time Capsule.

"Where are the serial killers' hideouts?" Henwy asked.

"It's at an exquisite house that appears to be abandoned," Sigils replied.

"Like they always do. I'll bring in someone else," Henwy said.

"Who?" Sigils asked.

Back at the assassin base, Nico and Biffle were practicing when a portal appeared, dragging Nico into it.

"Welp, imma just wait for them to come back," Biffle said to himself.

Nico landed with a thud, confused. "Henwy?! Sigils?! Where am I?!" Nico exclaimed.

LoafX silenced Nico. "We'll ask questions later," LoafX told him.

Nico nodded, and Loaf gave back his mouth. "Nico, Sigils located the hideout. I want you to convince the leader not to destroy our base," Henwy explained.

"What?! How? They'll know I'm an assassin!" Nico exclaimed.

"I'll give you the ability to shapeshift into any serial killer. Sigils will handle the first part, and then you'll pretend to be him and convince the leader to change his mind," Henwy said.

"I'm still playing a part? That's my boy," Sigils remarked.

"Now, go back to the base, wait until SSundee tells any assassin that a serial killer was spotted nearby, and signal me when it's time," Henwy stated.

"How do we alert you?" Nico asked.

"Loaf will be in our heads, and we can signal him using our minds," Sigils replied.

They returned to the base, where Biffle was curious about their mission.

"Who'd ya save?" Biffle asked.

"We saved a citizen, and we don't know why it wasn't a fellow assassin," Nico lied.

"That's weird. Last time I was in the Time Capsule, I saved an assassin! Well, that's surprising," Biffle remarked.

"Well, you expect the unexpected," Sigils replied.

While they waited, they trained more. After what seemed like an eternity, SSundee called Kate and Zud for a mission. Sigils had a plan. He shot a poison serum at Zud, and Zud collapsed.

"What happened? I heard a thud from the training room," Sigils said, acting innocent.

"Zud collapsed suddenly! I don't know what happened!" Kate replied.

"I'll take care of Zud, and maybe you can ask someone to take over for us?" Kate suggested.

"Sounds like a good idea. Sigils, can you and either Biffle or Nico take over their mission?" SSundee asked.

"Me? Okay, then. What's the mission?" Sigils asked.

"A serial killer named Dill located our base. Kill him before he informs his leader," SSundee demanded.

"Will do," Sigils replied.

Sigils asked Nico to leave for a mission. Nico nodded, and they remembered to inform Loaf that it was time.

"Oh, I've been listening to you guys. I've informed Henwy already. By the way, Sigils, that was a genius plan," Loaf replied from their head.

"What plan?" Nico asked.

"It's a long story," Sigils replied nervously.

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