The banner guardian took out a large, beautiful crystal scepter. Probably because the crystal didn't match his warrior style, he set it down on the ground and said to EeDechi, "This is the scepter of the undead legion. You..."
"Vorath Ironreave," the man in golden-red armor said, raising one hand to stop him. "One World Item is enough. There is no need to give her a second."
"But keeping it serves me no purpose." The banner guardian argued back. "The undefeated undead legion cannot be left sleeping inside the scepter forever. To them, that would be torment."
"We cannot give away World Items. That is the rule I established." The man in golden-red armor shook his head slightly. "Giving away one has already broken it."
"What's the big deal with giving one more?" the giant bear guardian said discontentedly. "We're the empire's last bit of prestige. We can't let people think we're stingy. Besides, we still have so many World Items."
"World Items aren't cabbages. We can't hand them out whenever we feel like it," a silver-shining guardian said, siding with the man. "Where would our dignity be? Are we just NPCs whose job is to give out props? We'd have no presence at all."
"World Items are rare treasures..."
"Rare or not, if they never get used, how are they any different from scrap iron? When the emperors return, we can just forge a few more..."
"...I object..."
The 30 level-100 guardians argued nonstop, talking over each other and raising a ruckus. The scene turned chaotic in an instant, transforming the majestic great hall into a noisy flea market.
EeDechi helplessly sat cross-legged, waiting for these 30 goofballs to hash out a result.
After who knows how long...
"Hey? Where's my scepter?" the banner guardian cried out in alarm. "Where'd my big ol' scepter go?"
Everyone's eyes snapped to the ground in unison, only to find that the spot where the Undead Legion Scepter had been sitting was now totally empty!
"Who? Who stole my scepter?"
The crowd looked around at once. EeDechi and the others were equally stunned. During the 30 level-100 guardians' squabble, they hadn't budged an inch, so they couldn't possibly have swiped the scepter.
Finally, everyone discovered the fate of the Undead Legion Scepter in the corner.
The priceless crystal scepter had already been swallowed into Cheeko's belly...
All eyes locked onto Cheeko like spotlights, turning it into the undisputed star of the great hall.
Cheeko's obsidian-like round eyes bulged wide as it huddled into a quivering ball in the corner. Its cheeks puffed out like chipmunk pouches, and even though it was scared stiff, it forced down a hard swallow, sending the last bit of the scepter's tail into its mouth.
The dazzling glow of the Undead Legion Scepter swirled inside Cheeko's belly!
"AH! AH! AH! AH! ... My legion scepter!" The banner guardian's mouth stretched wide in shock as he bellowed in total horror. "It got gobbled up by this fat cat!"
EeDechi wore a totally blank look, unsure how to deal with this mess.
Her own kitty had screwed up big time—what now?
In a pinch, EeDechi crouched down and shouted at Cheeko, "Cheeko, get over here! I'll protect you!"
Cheeko pumped its stubby little legs, hauling its glowing, ball-shaped body as it scrambled desperately toward EeDechi.
"Dissect the cat. We may still be able to salvage the scepter." A skeleton guardian spread his palm wide, and a suction vortex erupted. Cheeko was yanked by the powerful pull, jerked sharply into the air, and sent flying straight toward his hand.
"No hope for it. We'll have to stew this fat cat and reclaim the magic!" Another wizard guardian slammed his staff on the ground, dragging Cheeko toward himself instead.
The two massive forces tugged wildly at Cheeko, stretching its plump, spherical body almost flat as a pancake.
"Dissect it!"
"Stew it!"
"Dissect it!"
"Stew it!"
As the two of them yanked Cheeko back and forth, its body stretched longer and longer. Its round eyes bulged huge, brimming with terror.
"HISS... ROAR..."
With the long wail of war horns, countless shadowy figures spiraled up from the ground. They clutched all sorts of weapons—longswords, massive spears, crossbows... their edges gleaming like new.
It was the soldiers of the undead legion! Their numbers were countless as grains of sand, packing the entire great hall to the brim.
The soldiers swung their blades, eyes cold and dead, and charged straight at the skeleton guardian and wizard guardian perched on their thrones!
"Oh crap!" the banner guardian blurted out in total shock. "This fat cat's got some otherworldly traits. It's already devoured the Undead Legion Scepter! Now the cat is the Undead Legion Scepter! The undead legion's kicking in to protect its new master!"
The skeleton guardian and wizard guardian released the suction from their hands, and the undead legion halted their attack.
"Ah, what's done is done." The banner guardian sighed helplessly.
"Wow! Such a cute kitty! Sky blue—how rare!" The rabbit-eared guardian hopped down from her throne, scooped up the shivering Cheeko in one swoop, and nuzzled it against her face, utterly doting.
A few other guardians eyed Cheeko with intent, but they were all glared back by the rabbit-eared guardian. Yep, being cute lets you get away with anything.
EeDechi couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief. It seemed things were heading in a different direction.
At this point, there was no turning back. The 30 level-100 guardians buzzed with discussion. Finally, they reached a consensus.
Gifting the World Item: Undead Legion Scepter to EeDechi was absolutely out of the question.
But giving the Undead Legion Scepter to Cheeko, presenting it to this adorable fat kitty, that was acceptable.
"Little kitty, go for it!" The banner guardian cradled Cheeko, his brilliant golden eyes locking with Cheeko's black ones. Then he said earnestly, "You must lead the undead legion to conquer the world. Make this land remember the fear of being dominated by us!"
Cheeko nodded cluelessly, its tail swishing back and forth.
EeDechi wasn't worried that Cheeko, now wielding this power, would do anything evil. After all, Cheeko's Justice Value was 368—a total goody-two-shoes cat.
The storm settled, and Barrett's sword was forged. The group waved goodbye to the 30 guardians and left the temple.
"Come visit when you have time." The rabbit-eared guardian poked her head out from behind the door, watching Cheeko leave with a reluctant gaze.
...
EeDechi, Barrett, Franco, Antilene, Cheeko—four people and one cat—paddled a canoe down the stream until they reached the edge of the oasis. Then they left the oasis and boarded the Ride the Wind and Break the Waves magic-powered yacht once more.
"First, head to Baharuth to revive our old companions. Then to the City Alliance! Fix the Apocalyptic Mourning Bell skyship, fly to the gods-fallen lands, wipe out the World's Will, shatter the shackles, and break past level 100!"
EeDechi stood on the yacht's deck, brimming with gusto and resolve.
"Um... could you drop me off at the Sevenfold Heavens?" Antilene fidgeted nervously with her hands. "I need to retrieve something from the ancient ruins."
"What is it?" EeDechi asked.
"I can't say. It's a secret of our Slane Theocracy." Antilene lowered her head.
Only then did EeDechi remember that Antilene was an extra seat in the Slane Theocracy's Black Scripture. She wasn't an adventurer, but one of the Slane Theocracy's top fighting forces, burdened with the nation's missions and tasks.
"No problem. Hand me the map. Let's head to the Sevenfold Heavens."