Kyle was speechless for a moment. He was way out of Roy's league physically.
After a bit, Kyle finally threw out a nasty remark and tried to leave.
"You son of a bitch and whore! I will absolutely not hand Ceci over to you two!"
Roy got a little ticked off at that and immediately grabbed Kyle by the scruff of his neck, wanting to teach him a lesson, but Dalia stopped him.
"Forget it, Roy, let him go."
Dalia seemed a little down. Looks like her ex's words still got to her.
Roy gave Kyle a shove and glared at him with a look that could kill, which instantly made the guy feel like he was about to piss his pants.
"Get lost! Don't let me see your face again! And just so you know, I'm a boxer!"
Kyle hauled ass out of there, and Dalia's eyes started to water.
Roy realized for the first time that this older married woman was a bit of a softie. Maybe her rough childhood made her that way.
He pulled Dalia into a hug, trying to comfort her.
"It's okay, Dalia. I'll help you fight for custody of Ceci, you can count on it!"
Dalia shook her head.
"Roy, am I a bad woman?"
"How could you be, Dalia! You're definitely the best mom in the world! Don't overthink it. Follow your heart! If you're happy with your life right now, don't worry about what other people think."
Dalia nodded slightly. She really did feel incredibly happy these past few days, and she even had a fleeting thought that she wished things could stay like this forever.
Just then, Penny suddenly came running over.
"Oh no, Roy, Dalia! Ceci's gone missing!"
Dalia instantly pushed Roy away, her eyes wide as she stared at Penny.
"What did you say? How could Ceci have gone missing?"
"Dalia, don't panic! Penny, what exactly happened?"
"Well... I'm not really sure myself. Heather and I were just chatting, and Mary was watching Ceci. Then, in the blink of an eye, I saw Mary standing there looking totally out of it, and Ceci was just... gone!"
Something was definitely off!
Santa Monica Beach is super flat, and there's practically nothing around to block your view. It's a weekday, and there aren't many tourists at night. How could a little kid just vanish into thin air?
"Where's Mary?"
Penny pointed off into the distance.
"She's over there crying her eyes out, blaming herself."
Dalia immediately took off towards Mary, and Roy, worried they might get into a fight, quickly followed.
"Mary, where's my daughter?"
Mary was clearly beating herself up about it, her pretty face streaked with tears.
"I... Ceci and I were just building a sandcastle near the pier when suddenly I heard Ceci point under the pier and say, 'Slender Man.' When I looked over, I saw a blurry, tall figure in a suit, and then I just blacked out until Heather and Penny shook me awake. I'm so sorry, it's all my fault!"
Hearing this, Dalia swayed and almost passed out, but luckily Roy was right there to catch her.
Slender Man?
Roy had heard about this urban legend in his past life, and had even played a game based on it.
But didn't that Pastor Max debunk this whole Slender Man thing on that "Night Prowler" show?
Roy suddenly slapped himself in the face. He'd called Pastor Max a fake before, so why would he believe anything a fake said?
Just then, Dalia started to cry.
"It's my fault! Ceci told me before that she made a new friend named Slender Man, but I just thought she was imagining things and didn't pay any attention! That's why this happened..."
Dalia was practically hyperventilating from crying, so Roy quickly tried to comfort her.
"Dalia, it's not the end of the world yet. I'll figure out a way to get Ceci back!"
Hearing this, Dalia looked like she'd grabbed onto a lifeline.
"Roy, you have to save Ceci! As long as you bring her back, I'll do anything you ask!"
Anything you ask right now? Would you even be able to say no? Roy thought to himself.
Roy handed Dalia over to Heather and Penny.
"Heather, Penny, you two take Dalia and Mary back to the Dolphin Hotel. It's safer there. I'm going to go look for Ceci now!"
With that, Roy immediately headed towards the archway under the Santa Monica Pier. First things first, he needed to check out the scene.
The Santa Monica Pier is entirely made of wooden planks, kind of like a long bridge, with tons of support pillars underneath.
The archway Mary was talking about was the space created by these pillars. It was really dark there, and even the moonlight couldn't reach it.
As Roy got closer to this area, he felt a dark energy. This energy was a little different from the hellish power inside him, feeling more like the power of that yellow-clad clown he'd run into before.
It was an indescribable, truly dark energy, very unique.
After sensing around for a bit, Roy figured the Slender Man probably didn't just walk away. That thing likely teleported.
That matched what Roy remembered from the game in his past life. The Slender Man could definitely teleport.
This made things tricky. Roy had originally planned to try and sense the Slender Man's aura and track him that way.
But if the Slender Man could just teleport long distances, then the trail was cold.
After thinking for a moment, Roy decided to talk to Gerald. Maybe the guy knew something.
"You're looking for the Slender Man?"
In his office, Gerald looked at Roy with a surprised expression.
"Yeah, Dalia's daughter Ceci was snatched by the Slender Man, and I gotta find that creep!"
Gerald frowned deeply.
"I do know some things about the Slender Man, and I even know how to lure him out, but I don't have the bait to do it."
Roy's eyes lit up. The FEA really did have intel on the Slender Man.
"Oh? Tell me everything!"
Gerald looked at Roy and shook his head.
"Mr. Black, the Slender Man is incredibly powerful. He's even taken out an entire FEA outpost before, so his threat level within the FEA is extremely high. I really wouldn't advise you to go after him."
He actually managed to take down an FEA outpost? That's seriously powerful.
Still, if it was the underground base at the Dolphin Hotel, Roy could probably take that place apart single-handedly.
"My mind's made up! Mr. Ollin, you might as well just tell me!"
"Alright then, let's make a deal! I'll tell you what can summon the Slender Man and where you might be able to find it, but if you manage to take down the Slender Man, you have to sell his body to the FEA. We'll pay you a hefty sum."
"How much are we talking?"
Roy raised an eyebrow.
Gerald looked Roy straight in the eye and answered slowly, deliberately.
"Ten million!"
Whoa, that's a crazy amount of money!
But then again, considering how America throws around billions on some research projects, this didn't seem like all that much.
Those Smith agents sure don't treat money like it's worth anything!
They probably have a nuclear-powered money printer anyway, so they can just print as much as they want and spend it all.
Normally, Roy would definitely try to haggle with Gerald, but he was too worried about finding Ceci to waste any time.
"I agree. You can tell me now!"
A smile spread across Gerald's face, but it was still kind of creepy.
"The Slender Man is drawn to pictures or videos of himself. He'll do anything to destroy them. An FEA outpost was destroyed precisely because they got their hands on photos of him. That's why it's so hard to find any real recordings of the Slender Man out there. If you do, they're usually fakes."
"So that's why the public thinks the Slender Man is just some made-up urban legend?"
"Exactly."
Roy looked thoughtful for a moment, then continued questioning Gerald.
"So, who would have photos or videos of the Slender Man?"
"Perhaps you could try asking Alcina Dimitrescu."
Alcina Dimitrescu, the tall vampire lady?
Roy was a bit surprised.
It seemed Gerald could tell what Roy was thinking, so he explained.
"Alcina Dimitrescu has a habit of collecting rare and valuable items. She has a special way of preserving them that blocks the Slender Man's senses. I once saw photos of the Slender Man at her place, and if nothing's changed, she should still have them."
Roy understood.
"So, I'm guessing I'll have to make another deal with her."
"I believe so. Alcina Dimitrescu enjoys making deals with people, but if she takes a liking to you, you might be able to trade favors with her instead."
A favor owed is the hardest debt to repay!
If he could help it, Roy definitely didn't want to owe anyone a favor.
But things had already gone this far, so Roy had no choice but to go to Alcina Dimitrescu and see what happened.
"Alright, I'll go find Alcina Dimitrescu right now."
"Good luck, Mr. Black!"
Watching Roy leave, Gerald immediately picked up the phone and started making calls. Looks like the FEA was going to be working late again tonight.
Roy hopped into his beat-up yellow Chevy Camaro and drove straight to the Sanguiviki Bar.
The bar was still as quiet as ever. The owner, Alcina Dimitrescu, and her three daughters were serving the few customers they had.
Alcina's eyes lit up when she saw Roy walk in.
"Mr. Black, you've finally decided to grace my humble establishment with your presence!"
Alcina's tone was a little wistful, like Roy had done something wrong to her.
"Uh, Ms. Dimitrescu, I'm here today because I need something from you."
Alcina grabbed a bottle of whiskey and poured Roy a glass.
"Everyone who comes here needs something. Some want a drink, others want something else entirely. So, what is it you desire, Mr. Black?"
Roy didn't have time for small talk with Alcina and cut right to the chase.
"I want the Slender Man's photos!"
Hearing this, Alcina's eyes narrowed as she looked Roy up and down.
"Mr. Black, was it a child of a friend of yours who was taken by that creature?"
Alcina really did know a lot about the Slender Man, getting straight to the heart of Roy's situation.
"Yes, I heard that the Slender Man is attracted to recordings of himself, and I need those photos."
Alcina licked her lips, a strange look in her eyes.
"Photos of the Slender Man are very valuable. I wonder what kind of price you're willing to pay for them?"
"Name your price, and I'll do my best to meet it!"
Alcina laughed, her whole body shaking, her ample chest heaving.
Being much taller than the average person, Alcina's chest was also much broader than a normal woman's, looking to be a good head bigger than Roy's.
"Money doesn't hold much meaning for me. It's something else I desire!"
Roy frowned slightly. Looks like things were heading south.
"And what might that be?"
"Mr. Black, I want you to owe me a favor."
Just as he thought...
"Ms. Dimitrescu, I can agree to that, but I need to make one thing clear: I won't do anything that goes against what's right for you!"
Alcina's eyes were fixed on Roy.
"Why would I ask you to do anything that goes against what's right? I have plenty of 'black gloves' to take care of such things!"
Good.
"It's settled then! Can I have the photos now?"
Alcina snapped her fingers.
"Cassandra, go fetch the photos of the Slender Man!"
"Yes, Mother!"
Cassandra, Alcina's daughter, went into the back room and soon returned with a wooden box, placing it on the bar.
As she walked away, Cassandra even winked at Roy.
"Here are the photos of the Slender Man."
There were some symbols drawn on the wooden box. Based on his knowledge of the Key of Solomon, it looked like some kind of magic circle.
Roy could also sense a faint magical aura coming from the box.
Could it be that Alcina was not only a vampire but also a witch?
But Roy figured with Alcina's towering height and clearly defined muscles, she was more likely a warrior.
The more probable explanation was that Alcina knew some witches and had obtained the wooden box through a trade.
Roy was just about to open the wooden box to take a peek, but Alcina stopped him.
"Don't open the box here. I wouldn't want the Slender Man tearing apart my bar!"
Okay, Alcina had a point. Roy put the wooden box away, ready to leave.
"Mr. Black, let me give you a little tip. The Slender Man likes to take children into the woods. You should probably head to the woods closest to where the child went missing and then open the box. Once you lure the Slender Man away, you'll have a chance to find the kid."
Looks like Alcina didn't think Roy could actually defeat the Slender Man, but Roy still appreciated the advice.
"Thank you, Ms. Dimitrescu!"
Alcina propped her chin up on her hands on the bar, revealing a deep cleavage, a dreamy look on her face.
"Oh, Mr. Black, I only hope you won't forget my kindness!"
Whoa! This woman, is she coming onto me?
Roy had a strange feeling in his gut. He inexplicably felt like Alcina was hitting on him.
Had his charm really reached this level?
Or was it the domain of desire at work?
Slender Man
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