(click to enlarge)
“What’s up, Dragonlets! It’s your girl Lisa Liemawr of the Hexa Herald, reunited with the new and improved M10. Woot Woot! You'll never guess where we are. 150 meters below GIN AESTHETICA™. #SecretBunker. But Lisa, why does a Plastic Surgery Clinic need an underground lair? Good question. We're about to break open The Scoop of the Century! …Or so this fetching eye candy tells me.”
M10’s optic lens swung from Lisa’s face, focusing on the supermodel like figure framed in the doorway.
Clove cigarette smoke.
The white Marilyn hair.
Jihoon’s new photogenic face. “Lathandro™.”
“I mean, what the hell am I looking at?” Lisa leaned toward the camera. “Is MasterGin forming a boy band of baddies?”
The figure gave a soft dry snort.
SUS.
Jihoon barely held eye contact during press junkets. Whoever was wearing his face right now owned the room like he'd built it himself.
The camera pivoted back to Lisa, her eyes shining with scandal hunting delight. “I have questions, Dragonlets. Click subscribe if you think we found our lost baseball ringer Lathandro. Click like if you think this is extra SUS. Leave a comment if you think Lisa sucked in too much apocalypse sewer sludge and is high out of her mind… or dead.”
Jihoon burst out laughing.
The sound was deeper than Lisa remembered. Smooth as polished obsidian. Dark. Entirely wrong.
He smirked with MasterGin’s exact theatrical confidence, dragging slow smoke from the long-stemmed silver snake cigarette while flashing his long silver claws. “That’s why I like you, Miss Lisa Lies More. You’re bold. You make me laugh.”
He turned toward the interior, waving a manicured hand. “Come. Let’s talk business.”
He paused mid-step as a shudder rippled across his skin.
Lisa whipped out her halophone, fingers flying as she snapped rapid photos.
Jihoon’s features stuttered. The pale flesh blurred like wet oil paint. White hair darkened to gold blond. Wrinkles dug into his forehead and around eyes. Darker and mottled, his skin was aging decades in a fraction of a second. It was a face Lisa had never seen, not even in the Hexa Herald archive.
Click. Click.
Another glitch and the moment vanished. Flesh bleached instantly back to porcelain. Features tightened into razor-sharp lines. Pale blue eyes flared under the light.
MasterGin emerged like a sculpture freshly carved from white marble.
Of course. He'd worn the “Lathandro™” face like a costume, just to watch her flinch.
His smile widened. He knew she had seen it.
“Or did you forget you work for me, Dear?”
Lisa forgot to breathe. The camera kept recording, storing the rapid-fire captures in her local buffer. For one single heartbeat, she had glimpsed something real beneath the god. A man hidden beneath layers of living art and Glamour.
“You look disappointed,” he purred.
Lisa swallowed hard, holding her device steady. “I’m just deciding which face belongs to the guy paying my checks.”
His smile broadened, sharp and predatory. “Careful, Dear. Never ask a plastic surgeon if his face is real.”
The air smelled of clove masking the heavy, copper tang of dried blood.
Lisa stepped past him into the suite, keeping her eyes moving. “Well now. Color me surprised. I thought your lair would be obsidian and gold, with bloodless bodies stacked in the corners. Instead, this place is immaculate and white.”
Her gaze caught a huge circular holographic sphere suspended around a white leather hover chair. Its translucent surface crowded with surveillance feeds, biometric readouts, and shifting data streams. A single monitor glowed beside the hovering lounger, while a sleek holder displayed MasterGin’s personal halophone like a ceremonial relic.
She took rapid shots, zeroing in on the familiar faces flickering across the holographic display: Plague moving through Sector 4 on repeat, Echo, Minjo, Hwan, Kyra, Paine... Then Lisa saw herself from three seconds earlier, standing in this exact doorway.
“Is this all live?”
MasterGin raised a slim remote.
The holographic sphere folded inward, every face and data stream collapsing into a single white point before vanishing entirely.
“The disappointment is mine,” he said, letting his lip curl into a dramatic pout. “I present to you the secret of my empire, and all you care about is security footage.”
Lisa raised an eyebrow, double-checking that M10 had cached the screen layout before the black-out. “So then. You invited me into your pad. Does that mean you want to suck my blood, or some standard vampire bullshit?”
“Nothing so gauche.” He lit another cigarette, the sweet scent of cloves filling the room. “I have an assignment for you.”
While his gaze dropped to his tablet, Lisa slid one foot back, measuring the distance to the corridor.
“Silence?” MasterGin looked up, his pale eyes catching her mid-pivot. “I see. Hesitation.”
Lisa froze. Cornered.
The ancient vampire glided across the floor, his boots making no sound against the polished white stone. The heavy door slammed shut behind her with a firm click.
“Before you attempt an escape, there is something you should see. Come.” He gestured with a single long finger.
With no path backward, Lisa followed.
M10 hovered by the door frame, its internal gyros whining as it refused to cross deeper into the structure.
She couldn't blame it. M10 had good reason to fear MasterGin. She glanced at the faint burn scar still visible beneath its new paint job.
They stepped through a side portal directly onto an elevated walkway overlooking the Apophis ATELIER factory floor. The scale hit Lisa like a physical punch. Below them, elaborate silk gowns and armor rigs hung from high ceiling tracks. Low-level goblins and demon assistants moved rapidly between buzzing sonic sewing machines and vats of dye. The air here was heavy with hot metal, burning ozone, and synthetic silk fumes.
MasterGin crossed the catwalk toward his glass office, where a glowing nameplate read Evil Queen. Mounted behind his desk sat a massive LED board displaying confirmed attendees for the Opening of the Mouth Ceremony, listing international heads of state, corporate lords, and high-tier influencers.
“Ah, here it is,” MasterGin said, stopping beside the White Snakeskin Box on his desk. He flipped the latch and reached inside, pulling out a waterlogged, filth-stained teddy bear.
Teddy!
Lisa’s stomach turned to lead. She reached out, gripping the edge of the glass desk to keep her knees from giving way.
“Awww. Did you lose something, my Dear?” His claws dug into the plush fur, ripping the seams open with slow precision. “Something that runs on…” He reached inside and yanked out the glowing Devil Heart battery that powered her long-range transmission. “…My power?”
He closed his hand into a fist. Micro-gears popped and sparked. Metallic dust and shattered glass leaked between his fingers.
“You really should stop mistaking hidden cameras for hidden secrets.”
Lisa swallowed down the burning bile in her throat. Teddy was her life raft. That bear held raw, unedited footage of the prisoners and auction, primed to blast past the jamming grid the second it breached the Forbidden Zone’s perimeter. Without it, there was no backup. No rescue team coming. No proof.
She stared at the metallic dust on his hand. How much did he actually see? Had he been watching their entire path through the sewers, the pen, and the clinic? Were their desperate moves just part of his show?
MasterGin wiped his palm on a silk handkerchief, his eyes locked onto hers with dark satisfaction.
“How?” was all she could say.
“Entropy power is traceable, my Dear. Don’t take it personally,” he said softly, stepping closer until she could smell the clove smoke on his breath. “I have had a very long time to plan.”
The camera pivoted back to Lisa, her eyes shining with scandal hunting delight. “I have questions, Dragonlets. Click subscribe if you think we found our lost baseball ringer Lathandro. Click like if you think this is extra SUS. Leave a comment if you think Lisa sucked in too much apocalypse sewer sludge and is high out of her mind… or dead.”
Jihoon burst out laughing.
The sound was deeper than Lisa remembered. Smooth as polished obsidian. Dark. Entirely wrong.
He smirked with MasterGin’s exact theatrical confidence, dragging slow smoke from the long-stemmed silver snake cigarette while flashing his long silver claws. “That’s why I like you, Miss Lisa Lies More. You’re bold. You make me laugh.”
He turned toward the interior, waving a manicured hand. “Come. Let’s talk business.”
He paused mid-step as a shudder rippled across his skin.
Lisa whipped out her halophone, fingers flying as she snapped rapid photos.
Jihoon’s features stuttered. The pale flesh blurred like wet oil paint. White hair darkened to gold blond. Wrinkles dug into his forehead and around eyes. Darker and mottled, his skin was aging decades in a fraction of a second. It was a face Lisa had never seen, not even in the Hexa Herald archive.
Click. Click.
Another glitch and the moment vanished. Flesh bleached instantly back to porcelain. Features tightened into razor-sharp lines. Pale blue eyes flared under the light.
MasterGin emerged like a sculpture freshly carved from white marble.
Of course. He'd worn the “Lathandro™” face like a costume, just to watch her flinch.
His smile widened. He knew she had seen it.
“Or did you forget you work for me, Dear?”
Lisa forgot to breathe. The camera kept recording, storing the rapid-fire captures in her local buffer. For one single heartbeat, she had glimpsed something real beneath the god. A man hidden beneath layers of living art and Glamour.
“You look disappointed,” he purred.
Lisa swallowed hard, holding her device steady. “I’m just deciding which face belongs to the guy paying my checks.”
His smile broadened, sharp and predatory. “Careful, Dear. Never ask a plastic surgeon if his face is real.”
The air smelled of clove masking the heavy, copper tang of dried blood.
Lisa stepped past him into the suite, keeping her eyes moving. “Well now. Color me surprised. I thought your lair would be obsidian and gold, with bloodless bodies stacked in the corners. Instead, this place is immaculate and white.”
Her gaze caught a huge circular holographic sphere suspended around a white leather hover chair. Its translucent surface crowded with surveillance feeds, biometric readouts, and shifting data streams. A single monitor glowed beside the hovering lounger, while a sleek holder displayed MasterGin’s personal halophone like a ceremonial relic.
She took rapid shots, zeroing in on the familiar faces flickering across the holographic display: Plague moving through Sector 4 on repeat, Echo, Minjo, Hwan, Kyra, Paine... Then Lisa saw herself from three seconds earlier, standing in this exact doorway.
“Is this all live?”
MasterGin raised a slim remote.
The holographic sphere folded inward, every face and data stream collapsing into a single white point before vanishing entirely.
“The disappointment is mine,” he said, letting his lip curl into a dramatic pout. “I present to you the secret of my empire, and all you care about is security footage.”
Lisa raised an eyebrow, double-checking that M10 had cached the screen layout before the black-out. “So then. You invited me into your pad. Does that mean you want to suck my blood, or some standard vampire bullshit?”
“Nothing so gauche.” He lit another cigarette, the sweet scent of cloves filling the room. “I have an assignment for you.”
While his gaze dropped to his tablet, Lisa slid one foot back, measuring the distance to the corridor.
“Silence?” MasterGin looked up, his pale eyes catching her mid-pivot. “I see. Hesitation.”
Lisa froze. Cornered.
The ancient vampire glided across the floor, his boots making no sound against the polished white stone. The heavy door slammed shut behind her with a firm click.
“Before you attempt an escape, there is something you should see. Come.” He gestured with a single long finger.
With no path backward, Lisa followed.
M10 hovered by the door frame, its internal gyros whining as it refused to cross deeper into the structure.
She couldn't blame it. M10 had good reason to fear MasterGin. She glanced at the faint burn scar still visible beneath its new paint job.
They stepped through a side portal directly onto an elevated walkway overlooking the Apophis ATELIER factory floor. The scale hit Lisa like a physical punch. Below them, elaborate silk gowns and armor rigs hung from high ceiling tracks. Low-level goblins and demon assistants moved rapidly between buzzing sonic sewing machines and vats of dye. The air here was heavy with hot metal, burning ozone, and synthetic silk fumes.
MasterGin crossed the catwalk toward his glass office, where a glowing nameplate read Evil Queen. Mounted behind his desk sat a massive LED board displaying confirmed attendees for the Opening of the Mouth Ceremony, listing international heads of state, corporate lords, and high-tier influencers.
“Ah, here it is,” MasterGin said, stopping beside the White Snakeskin Box on his desk. He flipped the latch and reached inside, pulling out a waterlogged, filth-stained teddy bear.
Teddy!
Lisa’s stomach turned to lead. She reached out, gripping the edge of the glass desk to keep her knees from giving way.
“Awww. Did you lose something, my Dear?” His claws dug into the plush fur, ripping the seams open with slow precision. “Something that runs on…” He reached inside and yanked out the glowing Devil Heart battery that powered her long-range transmission. “…My power?”
He closed his hand into a fist. Micro-gears popped and sparked. Metallic dust and shattered glass leaked between his fingers.
“You really should stop mistaking hidden cameras for hidden secrets.”
Lisa swallowed down the burning bile in her throat. Teddy was her life raft. That bear held raw, unedited footage of the prisoners and auction, primed to blast past the jamming grid the second it breached the Forbidden Zone’s perimeter. Without it, there was no backup. No rescue team coming. No proof.
She stared at the metallic dust on his hand. How much did he actually see? Had he been watching their entire path through the sewers, the pen, and the clinic? Were their desperate moves just part of his show?
MasterGin wiped his palm on a silk handkerchief, his eyes locked onto hers with dark satisfaction.
“How?” was all she could say.
“Entropy power is traceable, my Dear. Don’t take it personally,” he said softly, stepping closer until she could smell the clove smoke on his breath. “I have had a very long time to plan.”
On him, MasterGin:
Top: GRIMA - Tanya Tactical Top [Legacy V-Tech][mesh](CyberFair)(650L)
Pants: GRIMA - Tanya Tactical Pants Bulge [LegacyF][mesh](CyberFair)(650L)
Boots: Diaboli Design - Excinitor fatpack [mesh](CyberFair)(999L)
Skin: VelvetVue - Kai Skin Ivory (VE) / NO BROWS [BOM](CyberFair)(699L)
Eyes: EUPHORIC - Xena Eyes #P3-01 [BOM] (380L)
Nails: AsteroidBox - Simple Nails - LegacyF [mesh]
Cigarette holder: GRAAL - SMOKING SNAKE [mesh](349L)
Hair: bonbon - tame hair, naturals [mesh]
Collar: Cruel - Sulfur Gorget, Legacy M [mesh](100L)Head: LeLUTKA - CAMDEN 4.0 [mesh]
Body: TheShops - Meshbody Legacy (f) Special Edition (Basic) 1.2 [mesh]
Setting:
Skybox: Erfe Design - Cyber Skybox House 170 LI unfurnished [mesh](CyberFair)
Statue: Erfe Design - Arog Techno Woman White PBR 3 LI [Erfe Design]
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