166 Are You People Deaf?!

(Planet Calypso- Outer District)

(The Slums)

Beep! Beep!

"Here you go babe," Cleo held Sophie's hand lovingly and gently fed her a vial of nutrient solution.

Two days had passed since Sophie had fallen unconscious and Cleo had to carry her heavy body back to the wooden house. 

As she fed the sleeping Sophie, Cleo was seriously considering just giving up on retrieving the stone tablet.

They had already achieved the goal of their bounty hunting mission so there was no need to take any unnecessary risks.

It was not unusual for the victims of a severe mental attack to take a couple of days to wake up, so the princess was not worried.

Cleo did not want to permanently damage Sophie's consciousness, so she had used a simple mental technique that overloaded a person's mind with sensory stimuli.

It would not have been that effective under normal circumstances, but Sophie's loss of control made her more susceptible to the attack.

And just in case of any unexpected complications, Cleo had attached a biometric scanner that regularly checked Sophie's vitals to make sure that the hybrid girl was healthy.

Beep! Beep!

The results of the medical scanner showed that there were no external or internal injuries and Sophie was apparently just sleeping.

"What am I going to do with you?" Cleo whispered as she saw that Sophie had furrowed her brow in pain.

She needed to have a long and honest conversation with her girlfriend.

When Sophie's eyes turned blood red and she lost control…. 

It would be a lie to say that Cleo was not afraid of her.

The memory of Sophie aiming that final blow at her chest with no emotion other than pure rage still sent shivers down her spine. 

Were it not for her quick thinking to use a psychic attack…. she could have died.

She still had dark purplish bruises on her neck from when Sophie grabbed her during the rampage. 

Even now a few days later, her neck had yet to fully heal from suffering the painful grip of Sophie's hand.

How could she forget the feeling of having her life flash before her eyes and the one responsible being the woman she loved.

Sophie was not fully human, and Cleo knew that being with her would have some challenges, but this was really too much to handle.

"I still love you…. it's just…." Cleo sighed heavily and let the rest of the words remain unspoken.

She felt sick to her stomach as a violent rush of emotions kept hitting her whenever she thought about the events that happened.

Knock! Knock!

She was interrupted from her train of thought by a loud banging noise coming from the front door.

"I'll be there in a few minutes!" Cleo tapped her voice modifier and answered with the voice of a youthful boy.

The stairs of the wooden house were getting more unstable and Cleo nearly fell trying to get downstairs.

Knock! Knock!

Knock! Knock!

The loud banging continued, and Cleo was already in a bad mood, so this was just the spark needed to set her off.

"I said I was fucking coming!" Cleo snarled in rage and opened the door to see seven Blackguards pointing plasma rifles at her chest.

"Are you people deaf?!"

Silence.

Cleo was about to say some more choice words when she realised who exactly were the people staring at her from the yard.

Cough…cough…

Cleo awkwardly coughed a few times to lighten up the mood, but it seemed to have no effect. 

Seven grim faced men of differing heights and armed with dark combat suits were still holding their weapons with the ends pointed at her.

It was a tense atmosphere as Cleo slowly raised her hands in the air and made the gesture for surrender.

She could easily dispatch these would be assailants with a mental strike, but the princess was curious about what their purpose was.

Sophie had successfully spread their reputation as a pair of monsters who should be avoided so many would steer clear of their humble wooden home.

There was no reason for a Blackguard troop to be here as Sophie had not attacked or killed any individuals on Edward's protection list.

"Are you the boy who lives with the monster?" one of the men asked her cautiously.

"Yes?" Cleo replied with an even tone.

A well-built man with shaggy black hair stepped forward and explained the purpose of their visit,

"We need to speak to him. Our young master has been impressed by his strength and is extending an offer to have him join our crew."

"The conditions of the contract can be negotiated, and all of his demands will be met to the best of our abilities."

"Slaves of all genders and species can be arranged for his pleasure."

Cleo internally frowned with disgust as she saw the fawning smiles on the faces of the Blackguard troops. 

Who was this so-called 'young master'?

And where did he get the qualifications to allow the daughter of a duke and a princess to serve under his command?

"I'm sorry but he is busy at the moment," Cleo lowered her arms and replied with a polite smile.

"But I will pass on the message and you can expect a reply in a week's time."

Cleo had no desire to accept this offer on the behalf of Sophie, but it may turn messy if she refused these men outright.

Little did she know that her decision prevented a potential attack as the men were under the orders of Kohli to open fire immediately if the offer was rejected.

"That is…. acceptable," the dark-haired man replied.

"We will return in one week but here is a little token of favour from our young master for your troubles."

He approached Cleo with a brown bag that had a small vial of medicinal cream inside.

It was a high-quality product used for skincare to help heal disease that affected the flesh.

Cleo's synthetic flesh was covered with oozing sores and pus-filled boils so whoever sent this gift had clearly done their research.

This only increased Cleo's wariness about the whole situation but she accepted the gift with a cheerful nod and closed the door.

Outside the wooden shack the men departed but not before one of them hid a small silvery grey device in the corner of the yard.