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| When Dokuga, Tetsujo, Ushishimada, Ton, and
Saji were little, they bonded not through shared blood but
shared social status. |
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They were reviled by society because
they were sorcerers born unable to emit smoke necessary
to use magic.
Since nobody would give them work, they were forced to
live on the streets and steal food to survive, incurring
even more scorn from the sorcerer elite.
This all changed when Kai showed up and took them under
his protection of sorts. They called him their Boss, founded the CrossEyes gang,
and became his top Officers.
Suddenly they had a roof over their heads, enough
funding to fulfill their needs, and a purpose in life. |
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But this didn't last long.
Kai had to leave, for reasons unbeknownst to anyone
except Dokuga.
The CrossEyes fell into disarray and their most powerful
members had to go into hiding to avoid En's wrath.
The Officers went back to living in poverty, though things
were a bit different this time.
Instead of stealing their food, they now had food
vouchers. Instead of being stranded on the streets, they
now had a house. |
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It was a rickety old family house
out in the middle of nowhere, but they couldn't even
afford that much.
They didn't own it, and were already six months behind
on rent. If it wasn't for the leniency of their
landlady, they would've been homeless a long time ago.
But they learned to make do with what they had, even
growing their own vegetables to save on groceries. It
took "keeping a low profile" to a whole new level. |
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Since they still couldn't get real jobs, their days
were spent tirelessly working on any petty chores they
could get paid for.
To lower their electric bill, they never turned on the
lights until work became impossible without them.
This came as a great shock to Risu, who never expected
the CrossEyes elite to be living so humbly.
But, in a more positive sense, it could be said that the
CrossEyes were simply living off the grid in an
ecologically sustainable way. |
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| Recycling wasn't an idle luxury but a
real necessity. When one couldn't afford something as essential
as toilet paper, Dokuga's favorite commodity, a chance visit
from the paper wastes collection was a pretty big deal. |
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They did their best to share what
little resources they had.
They were hospitable enough to offer their guest some
tea, even if came from a used tea bag steeped in some
stale water, and they didn't kick Risu out even though they barely had enough food to feed
themselves.
They were kind enough to let him sleep in their home.
Sure he got to sleep on the floor, but the rest of them
fared no better. Even Dokuga, their acting leader, got
to sleep in a dirty bathtub. |
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Life was tough, but they still had
some income flowing in from selling their Boss'
dwindling supply of black powder. And, as long as they
had a working laboratory, they had a chance of
replenishing that supply.
Alas, even that hope was crushed. En's Cleaners got wind
of the secret lab and burned it to the ground.
All the black powder was gone. All the lab workers were
dead. And the CrossEyes' funding had completely run dry.
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The Officers were forced to accept
more low-paying part-time jobs and put up with even more
demeaning treatment from their employers.
They found some work in the kitchens of a spa. Saji
continued doing embroidery. Ushishimada contemplated
prostituting himself to the landlady in lieu of rent.
All hanging on to the hope that soon their Boss would
come back. |
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Sadly, their circumstances kept
going from worse to unbearable.
Tetsujo and Ton got badly injured, becoming dead
weights that could no longer contribute to the group's
income while adding a mountain of new health expenses.
Their new groupie, Natsuki, had to pick up the slack
through waitressing. Dokuga worked out in the sun all
day, dehydrating himself of poison saliva to kill
termites.
But no matter how much or how hard they all worked, the
money was never enough.
Interpersonal tensions grew as they were reminded why
they were driven to a life of crime in the first place.
The status quo was firmly set against them. |
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They mined vending machines for
loose coin. They went back to harmless robbery. But they
still couldn't afford the healing smoke to save their
friends.
With no options left, and after begging had failed,
Dokuga took matters into his own hands and came down
hard on the greedy merchants who ran the healing smoke
shop. |
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By massacring such a well-known establishment without
using
magic, Dokuga risked exposing the CrossEyes to En's
retribution.
But, as luck would have it, the incident coincided with
the Boss' return. And the first thing he did upon his
return was defeat En and steal his head.
After reuniting with his Officers, Kai led a
violent takeover of En's manor and drove out the En
Family.
The colossal shift in power from the sorcerer elite to
the CrossEyes shook the foundations of society.
As the CrossEyes' popularity soared, it was the En
Family that had to go into hiding.
With Kai atop En's throne, his Officers now had total
access to all of the manor's riches. More than they
could've ever dreamed.
Indeed, more than they even knew what to do with. |
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| They had little use for gold and
treasure. Their mindset remained very grounded, valuing
practical necessities above jewels. |
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When the ranks of the CrossEyes swelled with new
members, it didn't even cross the Officers' mind to
hoard the resources for themselves.
They were still poor kids at heart, uncorrupted by the
greed of the social elites.
Their communal instincts kicked in and they were just
happy to be able to share what they had with their new
comrades. |
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Despite the opulence that
surrounded them, old habits died hard.
Dokuga finally had a decent bed to sleep in, and enough
money to buy anything he wants, but he still couldn't
throw away a functional clock that annoyed the crap out
of him.
Reduce, Reuse, Recycle. <3 |
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