As the sun set, Kintsugi continued to shoot at pine trees, hitting bullseyes with precision. The simultaneous firing riddled the trees with holes.
Lotuslush, hiding behind a towering pine tree, had been watching her friend for a while. Since Kintsugi never opened up about his problems to anyone, Lotuslush had decided to keep a secret eye on him.
When she peeked again, Kintsugi's topless figure was no longer in sight.
"Hey, how long have you been watching me?" Lotuslush was startled, placing her hand on her chest as her heart raced.
"I just happened to pass by," she said, trying to sound casual, before giving Kintsugi a cold stare. However, it was suspicious that Lotuslush would coincidentally stumble upon Kintsugi in a remote forest where he was shooting out his suppressed emotions.
"I'll go ahead of you. I have missions to attend to." Lotuslush was about to leave when Kintsugi stopped her, grabbing her hand.
"I forgot to thank you," Kintsugi said, looking straight into her eyes. Lotuslush immediately removed Kintsugi's hand from her calloused one.
"You don't have to thank me; fetching you from Earth 690 was one of my missions."
"Don't you even have a goodbye kiss for me?" Kintsugi asked.
"Yeah, I do," Lotuslush replied, beckoning Kintsugi to come closer. Kintsugi expected a kiss, but instead, a massive fist landed on his cheek.
Kintsugi spat out blood, and surprisingly, he found Lotuslush's action endearing rather than infuriating. It was typical of Lotuslush to reject Kintsugi's flirtations.
After Lotuslush left, Kintsugi's panel popped up, notifying him that his first mission had finally arrived.
•••
MISSION
Head to planet Earth 625 to eliminate the entire Harbinger Clan and retrieve their hearts.
•••
After learning about his first mission, Kintsugi returned to the Upper Echelon. When he arrived at The Lobby of Doors, he encountered Agysmal Afghast, another top student from their training years.
Agysmal was also a friend of Kintsugi's, but due to their differing perspectives, they went their separate ways. Although they crossed paths, the two didn't acknowledge each other.
It was noticeable that they both harbored bitterness towards each other.
As Kintsugi exited the door, he was greeted by a morbid scarecrow in a nearby rice field nearing harvest. He wore a dirty, brown cotton jumpsuit, similar to a farmer's clothes.
•••
Planet: Earth 625
Year: 3024
Time: 9:55 AM
Location: Siham Province, Tsailand
- This place is home to the largest rice plantation, and with the harvest season approaching, the arrival of massive human blood-sucking insects known as Mosquistomp is expected.
•••
As he walked, he felt a tickling sensation, which turned out to be mosquito bites.
It seemed his Musk scent attracted mosquitoes.
"Is it really this swarmed with mosquitoes in this place?" Kintsugi asked his voice assistant, Monaco.
"Based on the data inputted into your system, these mosquitoes are attracted to smooth scents. They can only be repelled when you apply bitter gourd extract on your skin or wear clothing made from lemongrass fabric."
As Kintsugi swatted at the mosquitoes landing on various parts of his skin, he noticed his surroundings darkening.
Without needing to look back, he knew from the shadow silhouette on the ground that it was the Mosquistomp.
Kintsugi quickly drew his stiletto to attack the monster with a long, sturdy proboscis - its feeding tube - but he stumbled due to the force of a grenade thrown at it.
A man in his thirties, wearing a straw hat and carrying a rifle, rushed to his aid. He exuded an aura of leadership. The visible veins on his hands suggested that he was a hardworking individual. He had a very minty scent.
"Your scent is invigorating; that's why they come out of their dens," the man said to him. "I'm Thakrit Harbinger, one of the caretakers of this rice field."
"My name is Akiro," he replied.
Thakrit's gaze narrowed slightly. "Unaware of the mystery surrounding this place, I believe you're a non-native. And I haven't seen you in the fortress."
Kintsugi stood up and saw more Mosquistomps emerging from underground.
They flew around, while Thakrit's companions shot or blew them up one by one.
"A single grain of rice from this field is unique and extremely valuable on the market. Many risk their lives to work here for the sake of money. Harvest season is the Mosquistomps' favorite time because they can feast on delicious food - namely, us, the harvesters."
"You're saying the Mosquistomps are the guardians of this rice field?" Thakrit nodded.
And not just that - they're also a trap for harvesters.
"Are you willing to work for us too?"
Kintsugi nodded.
While Thakrit and his clan dispatched the flying Mosquistomps, Kintsugi pretended to be useless in the battle. However, he was actually following his mission - to eliminate the entire Harbinger Clan and take their hearts.
He watched the scene unfold like a tragic horror film, where giant insects sucked the blood out of a random harvester, playing a twisted game of tug-of-war with the body.
The bullets from the harvesters' rifles contain poison. Whenever the bullets hit the insect's body, they suffocate and become agitated before losing consciousness.
The damage caused by the grenade isn't that destructive, but it's enough to serve as a distraction.
The dead Mosquistomps are then taken by their fellow insects and brought underground.
Using his stiletto, Kintsugi inflicted a large wound on his own arm to get Thakrit's attention.
"Looks like you're badly hurt," Thakrit said while examining the wound. "Come, follow me."
Thakrit supported Kintsugi until they reached a shack.
"Won't they come back?" Kintsugi asked, pretending to be struggling.
"You can bet on it, the Mosquistomps will attack again."
Thakrit brought Kintsugi to their fortress, located in the middle of the rice field. The fortress was surrounded by a concrete wall with electrical barbed wire and spiky objects. There were also bitter gourd plants planted on the wall, and lemongrass growing on the ground.
Thakrit called for his wife and a group of women who served as medics for the injured.
The survivors of the battle decided to rest, but they still needed to remain alert.
"When I saw you seemed lost, we were already harvesting rice," Thakrit said before lighting a cigarette.
Kintsugi looked around, taking in the surroundings. There was a large cabin in the center, which seemed to be Thakrit's residence and storage for the harvested rice. Two bunker houses stood on either side of the cabin, where the harvesters stayed.
"This rice field has been owned by my great-grandfather. According to a spiritual leader back then, when he was born, a mosquito was also born that would one day become a queen and take over this rice field. He didn't want to be outdone by a mosquito, so he protected this place, especially since the rice grains are unique and expensive," Thakrit continued, while Kintsugi's wound was being bandaged by Thakrit's wife.
"As long as the Harbinger bloodline lives, the rice will continue to grow on this land. If we disappear, this place will become a swamp of Mosquistomps."
Now Kintsugi understood his mission. Only one - either the Mosquistomps or the Harbinger Clan - should own the vast land.
After receiving treatment, a woman with a silky black hair and a slanted eyes offered a bowl of porridge at Kintsugi. It was already lunchtime.
The woman struggled to take her eyes off Kintsugi, as if she wanted him to follow her. Kintsugi left the bowl and followed the direction the woman had taken.
Kintsugi knew what the woman wanted from him, and to give him what he desired, he would have to give her what she wanted in return.
Due to his cedarwood scent, the women around him seemed to be in a state of delirium. They arrived at the back of the cabin, where broken-down machines used for harvesting rice, such as combine harvesters, reapers, or threshers, were parked.
Kintsugi leaned the woman against a large tractor wheel.
"I'll give you what you want. I'll execute the position you want if you describe all the members of the Harbinger Clan to me." In her excitement, the woman immediately agreed without even asking Kintsugi his name.
The woman was having trouble walking, as if she was crippled, especially after they did deep penetration positions. However, she didn't regret what had happened.
As Kintsugi adjusted his tucked-in shirt, he returned to the cabin, carrying information. Now Kintsugi knew his targets. The woman was exempt from his slaughter because she was just the girlfriend of one of the Harbingers. Since the woman's description of the Harbinger Clan members was detailed, he wouldn't have trouble distinguishing his targets.
He took his stiletto and entered the cabin, where the harvesters, led by Thakrit, were planning.
But suddenly, they heard the sound of explosions as landmines detonated in the rice field.
The Mosquistomps emerged, and not just that - their queen appeared. Her proboscis and antennae were more intricate, and her large crown was made of skeletal skulls.
Thakrit quickly instructed the harvesters to grab their weapons. Gunfire and explosions erupted around them. The raucous sound of the Mosquistomps filled the air, and before the pests could overwhelm him, Kintsugi stealthily took out the lives of the Harbinger Clan members. He extracted their hearts, but realized they were mint green in color.
Thakrit was puzzled as to why his clan members were suddenly getting their chests pierced. He saw their hearts glowing and then disappearing. It dawned on him that they weren't just fighting the Mosquistomps, but also someone hiding in plain sight.
Thakrit was struggling to cope with the situation as their defenses were slowly being depleted.
Despite the situation, Thakrit continued to shoot the hovering monsters, and when he ran out of ammo, he grabbed his sickle and used it to slash at the Mosquistomps.
The women also joined the fight, bringing out their cannons and bazookas as their last line of defense. However, they were still outnumbered. The queen's skin was impervious to any attack.
Thakrit rushed to his wife to provide assistance, but he was met with a horrific sight - her body without a heart. Thakrit fell to his knees, realizing he was the last remaining member of the Harbinger Clan. He couldn't help but weep as he gazed at his wife's lifeless body.
Kintsugi, however, remained unaffected by the scene. He walked towards Thakrit, his hands covered in blood. He revealed himself to Thakrit, who was shocked by his appearance. Thakrit's eyes widened in horror as Kintsugi inserted his hand into Thakrit's chest and ripped out his mint green heart.
He departed as the Mosquistomps hailed their queen.
Kintsugi returned to the High Periphery to report the success of his mission. He placed a large glass box on the Supreme Ruler's desk, containing the hearts of the 15 members of the Harbinger Clan, arranged neatly inside.
After leaving the office, Kintsugi leaned against the wall, his face pale and sketchy. He felt his pulse growing stronger, as if his body was responding to the aftermath of the mission.
Meanwhile, the glass box containing the mint green hearts was delivered to the queen of the Mosquistomps.