Their voice sounds terrible, like rocks shattering on glass.

  “I’ve got the idea of stealth on my side.”

  Sherman Chex has no clue what he’s talking about.

  “What’s that mean?”

  The spy’s face is covered, but it’s very clear their jaw has dropped in shock.

  “You live in Columbia.”

  “Sorry, does that mean anything?”

  “You’re working with The Orange’s idea lady.”

  “Was she meant to tell me something?”

  Inside the blue building, Suzanne and the lady at the front desk are laughing.

  “You never told him what an idea is?”

  “It’s really not as complicated as they say it is!”

  “Can he figure it out?”

  “I have no clue!”

  Back outside, Sherman Chex is trying to grasp the concept of ideologics.

  “So, the more vaguely you explain it, the better it works for you?”

  “That’s correct.”

  “Then, why would I not imagine hard limits on the ability?”

  “That’s not how that works.”

  The fellow goes invisible.

  An invisible knife goes through Chex’s back.

  Knives don’t work, apparently they weren’t paying attention.

  “Why does it work like that?”

  “In stealth movies, the spy will often appear out of nowhere.”

  “I’ve never seen a movie.”

  Sherman Chex spins his arm around to the area of his back where the knife should be. He grabs it, and it’s no longer invisible. He throws it into the ground, blade side down.

  “Why’d it stop being invisible?”

  Sherman Chex tries to listen for footsteps, but there are none. Meanwhile, the invisible spy walks into the building, takes a chair, and attempts to bash Chex in the head with it.

  It doesn’t do much.

  Chex grabs the chair, along with the person holding onto it, and tosses them into the air.

  Inconveniently, the invisible individual lets go before he can throw the chair.

  The chair is still moving into the air.

  Sherman Chex attempts to kick the person they cannot see. His shoe flies off into the air.

  A branch from a nearby tree is missing.

  The branch is now in Chex’s arm. This doesn’t work either.

  Sherman Chex is effectively immune to any attack this person can dish out.

  He takes the branch out and swings it in a circle around him.

  He doesn't hit anything.

  The opponent is effectively incapable of being hit.

  Sherman Chex steps backwards, the handle of the knife is now stuck in his foot.

  You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story.

  He closes his eyes.

  He reopens them and looks around.

  He notices a large rock on the ground is missing.

  He swings the tree branch in the direction the rock used to be. The branch snaps on something which he quickly moves to avoid.

  The chair is falling. It’s incredibly loud.

  Several smaller rocks are missing, all from the same spot.

  Sherman Chex moves to avoid anything that could come from that direction.

  Another tree branch, from the same tree, is now missing.

  He swings the stick he still has in his hands, and deflects the attack.

  “Oh, you’re just attacking from the same direction you take the item from.”

  The invisible person throws a fog canister onto the ground.

  Sherman Chex can no longer see clearly.

  The chair is no longer making any noise.

  He swings his leg up above his head.

  The fog clears up pretty quickly now that they no longer see it as an effective way to hide.

  The knife, which was in his foot, has cut the hood of the no longer invisible spy.

  Through the small gap in their hood, all Chex can see is a green light.

  “Wait, if just one of you was so much trouble, why did the other six go down so easily?”

  “They’re interns.”

  They disappear again. The intern spies are no longer there. A car door opens, nobody appears to get inside, and it drives away.

  Sherman Chex walks into the building, several holes in him. If one were to look into them, all they’d see is dirt, with twigs and pebbles and all, despite his outward appearance looking like a person.

  “Ma’am, what was that?”

  Suzanne’s still laughing.

  “I never thought you’d actually win!”

  The desk lady is quite perplexed.

  “You sent your employee into a fight you thought they wouldn’t win?”

  “That’s the whole plan, Renna! Oh, employee, she’s Renna Mooringway, practically the sibling I never had!”

  Now Chex is confused.

  “Don’t you have Virgil?”

  Suzanne frowns.

  “Virgil doesn’t count.”

  “What was that fight all about?”

  “It’s more fun if you just figure it out!”

  The elevator makes a dinging noise as it comes down. Gerome walks out somehow. His loud voice is very cheery.

  “How very nice it is to see my granddaughter talking to her friend again.”

  Sherman Chex is more confused than he has ever been in his 2 days of existing. Renna Mooringway has blue hair that blends into the walls, while Gerome has dark brown hair. Sherman Chex doesn’t know about hair dye.

  “You’re Mrs. Mooringway’s grandfather?”

  “Yes! She’s been living with me ever since her parents died.”

  “Oh, they’re dead...”

  “It was very long ago. It was just a little before we met Suzanne here! Ever since Renna met her, things have been so much fun around here!”

  Suzanne runs out, breaking another hole in the door. Gerome laughs.

  “HA! She hates talking about this.”

  Renna Mooringway laughs too.

  Sherman Chex decides to leave while they’re both laughing. The door is completely shattered now.

  Suzanne calls him over to another building, one with a blue star on it.

  “Remember Lyme from around 20 minutes ago?”

  Chex’s eyes seem to become a brighter shade. They don’t, they just seem to.

  “The pirate guy?”

  “That’s him! He runs this info shop. I’m sure someone here has information on the next rumbles.”

  As they walk into the building, they’re met with the man wearing pirate clothing himself.

  It has the appearance of a coffee shop. There are three blue tables with blue chairs seated at them. There’s one chair per table.

  Chex looks around and notices the walls have paintings of blue stars, of citizens, and one of Gerome with his hand on Lyme’s shoulder.

  Lyme’s at the counter. He’s juggling empty cups with the logo of the blue star on them. He notices them and waves.

  All three of the cups fall onto all three of the tables.

  Suzanne walks towards the counter. Lyme pulls out a notepad.

  “What’ll you like?”

  “I’m sure he’d like a cup of tomato soup.”

  “I see.”

  Chex is confused.

  Lyme goes into the back room, and after a few seconds, the paintings are moved into the walls. The walls then start to move upwards. Chex quickly notices that it isn’t the walls that’re moving. The entire room is moving downwards, and once it reaches the bottom, they’re surrounded by telephones. Each has a card next to it, featuring a name, the district they’re calling to, and what type of information they have.

  Suzanne walks towards the one labelled “Rumble”.

  Lyme comes back out of the back room and tosses a key at Sherman Chex.

  “Here’s your cup of tomato soup.”

  Chex is mildly disappointed he didn’t get any actual soup.