6.2K words
My bad for the delay... tehe~...
Ahem... Enjoy!
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—
Chaos ensued throughout the complex. Dozens fought, some trying to escape their constraints, others trying to prevent them from doing so, and other merely fleeing the collapse of everything around them.
But the brutal battlefield that ignited like oil and burned like a pyre was finally showing signs of cooling down. Just moments before, the climax of the conflict shook the area as if a volcano had erupted, burying half of the complex in rubble and compressed dirt.
As that battle concluded, in a dark dead end, two people fought viciously.
/Clang!/
"HUPP!"
/CLANG!/
"UR…!
"HAAA!"
/Splat!/
With a heavy swing, the dwarven mother, Palimo crushed the head of the warrior in front of her, cracking his helmet and bones in an unsightly manner.
And as she took a deep breath, the man fell onto the ground like a puppet that had lost its strings.
"Haa… Haa…"
'I did it...'
Breathing heavily, she tried to get her bearings straight, to recover her energy as much as she could… for she knew she had to get moving.
Looking around, she searched for someone, but as expected, there was no one. All either dead, their corpses strewn around the battlefield, or for the lucky few that survived, fled back deeper into the base.
She looked around with pity. Not all, from either side, carried the fate of taking their last breath in a world without sunlight, fighting a battle whose masterminds would never even bother remembering.
For coin or freedom, such was the life of someone at the other end of a blade.
Even then, somehow, she felt relief at the silence, the silent corpses and stained concrete around her a far better companion than the lunatics she had "rescued" moments before, "Phew…"
'I can have a breather for now.'
Palimo put her back against the wall, hammer in hand, as she looked around.
She stood at the dead end of a hallway with a few doors around her. Many sections of this hallway had collapsed, and all the lights had completely shattered, casting darkness onto her surroundings.
Only amidst the broken crevices did rays of light pierce through, shining her path ahead.
Her gaze fell on the door behind her. She scanned for any signs of intrusion, but thankfully, there was nothing there.
She sighed in relief, but her thoughts were grave, 'We need to get out of here.' She thought as she put her hammer down.
"Huff… I'm not the young lass I once were." She thought with a half broken smile as she looked at her hammer
'I like this hammer.' She thought as she twisted the handle, causing the edged blades of the hammer to spring out in a mechanical motion.
Blood seeped out from the blades, running down its shaft as the hammer somehow self-cleaned in a manner she never thought possible before.
'… I really like this hammer…'
But her thoughts came to a sudden halt. Or rather, her older mind told her it was time to move on.
A long corridor that led to deeper parts of the base stood before her. This was a dormitory at the edge of the base, partially underground.
Compared to what she wanted to do, finding herself buried deeper in enemy territory wasn't exactly the wisest option, but this time, she had a reason. She hadn't found herself here by coincidence, not at all.
She fought her way here through dozens of guardsman not for her own sake, but for her family's.
/Knock…/
Someone knocked on the door behind her, or rather, slammed his fist against it.
And after one last look, she opened it gently…
/Grumble…/
A grumbling dwarf welcomed her, his back "… Open this damn thing! Junior! Give me by cursed riffle!"
"Calm down, dad…"
"THIS ISN'T THE TIME TO CALM DOWN!" The dwarf said as he pulled a strange mechanical device from his son's hands, "If she thinks she can just shove me aside and do everything, then she's very much wrong!"
/Clack…/
He pulled at the mechanical device, clicking noises and twisting gears echoing as silent runes came to life underneath its chassis…
"Old Darka can still put a hole through an Archmage's shield if I charge it enough! We'll see if they have the gall to speak once I put its muzzle up their arse!!"
"Dad…"
Palimo watched her husband ignite his old, heavily modified military rifle, with a helpless smile while her son looked back and forth between his father and her, not knowing what to say.
At first, all she wanted was to flee and find her family, but it seemed they found her first…
After fleeing from the cell with the help of the mysterious stranger, Palimo made her way to this secluded hall where she found her husband and son plotting to get her out as they stood next to a knocked-down guard.
She knew they were around, she had listened to the guards talk about a dwarf due causing trouble around their premises… and what father and son duo could it be if not her husband and child?
Upon seeing them, her first thought was reuniting, to make sure they were safe… Her husband was a strong Dwarf, but combat wasn't his forte, not anymore.
His strength now stood in the workshop, the strength to hammer the toughest of alloys, to resist the highest temperatures and conditions inside a forge all day long. The mental fortitude to tolerate the clowns who wanted nothing but to step on his toes at every right corner.
While her son… had the life she wanted him to have. But she commended his courage, being proud of seeing him do the right thing, even if pained her even more…
Her happiness didn't last long, however. As the sirens echoed in the base, and the disorganized guards gathered, it didn't take long for them to find her… so she closed the door behind her and mounted a resistance, facing every foe that came her way.
The good thing was that guards weren't the only ones who found her. The many captives she released, and those released by them in turn followed in her footsteps, for it was easier to go through an unguarded path than to carve their way outside through force.
The irony, however, was that what they thought was freedom, was nothing more than a decorated demise, a fate no less charming than that of the people she carved through to pave their way here.
They thought that following the strong would net them their freedom, a shame she never put them in her eyes from the beginning… or better put, didn't have the time to do so.
One last enemy stood between her and freedom, someone she knew was just as skilled as her… Someone well equipped, who knew the environment, and wasn't tired.
She fought tooth and nail to protect her family, knowing full well that no matter how good a marksman her husband was, it didn't matter if the opponent moved faster than he could pull the trigger.
Her arm bleed, her palms torn, her body slashed all over.
Her mind was in tatters, and she felt really awful, but at least for now, it was all over.
She finally gathered the strength to speak again, "It's done…"
Her husband turned with such speed he almost left behind an afterimage, "Are you okay?!"
She smiled awkwardly, "Put this thing away…" As she pushed the riffle's barrel away from her face.
The rifle was rather long, almost as long as a lance. And perhaps because of his chaotic emotions, her husband couldn't help but knock everything around him as he twisted and turned with it in his hands…
He threw the rifle back to his son, screaming something in a foreign tongue that even the boy had difficulty understanding before he turned to his wife.
He looked her all over, assessing her injuries… and his expression twisted in many emotions, "Dammit!"
/RIP!/
He ripped his clothes apart with little effort, using them as improvised bandages as Palimo coughed faintly.
"W-Wait… I'm not that badly injured… Most importantly, we need to move now." She said with a concerned smile as she tried to push him away
Seeing her husband like this made her remember the past, but this wasn't the time for such emotions.
While the remaining prisoners and the mysterious man were creating chaos all around the base, she had to find an opportunity to escape.
She had already done more than she was supposed to, taking down dozens of goons on her way, just as he asked. What else was she meant to do?
She wasn't here to fight a war.
Before reinforcements came or worse, the government itself, they'd better move.
/Tremble.../
""…""
They looked around in worry, albeit far fainter than before, the tremors still occurred every once in a while…
While her husband and son thought one thing, she feared that her lifeline; the man fighting somewhere she didn't know, would fall.
Because once that became a reality, if they were still around, then their fate wouldn't be pretty…
At least one thing was right, or so she believed, that no matter what, the Conjunction wouldn't pay that much attention to them once this was over.
Why would they care for a small family when they had so much trouble piling up in their hands?
In the end, their conflict wasn't with the criminal syndicate but with an individual. And as long as his hands were tied, or better yet, severed, then they'd be fine.
In the world of underground politics, whatever happened today could be linked to a grenade igniting in a powder keg warehouse… they would be the least of their worries.
"Mother…"
The son tried to get her attention. Deep within, he felt guilt at her condition, physical and mental.
A moment of carelessness, of impulsiveness, had led to this… Had he been stronger, would this situation have been averted?
He clenched the rifle, so much that his father knocked on his head as he screamed something about him turning off the safety switch…
After pushing his father aside, she approached him, hesitating whether or not to touch him.
In the end, she didn't, merely putting her finger on her own mouth: "Shh… don't speak, child, we can talk more later." She said slowly with a small smile as she walked past him
Putting her hand against the backdoor, it was time to leave this dark place behind.
"Ugh…"
But she reached for her stomach, feeling immense pain…
"Mom!…"
"… Let's rest for a moment."
She looked at her husband, clenching her teeth, "N-No… I can…"
"Just a minute. You won't go far on your state."
He pushed her onto a chair and stepped back, "I'll see if I can find anything to ease the pain… Let me do something for once."
She dropped her head, "… One minute…"
The Dwarf pulled his sleeves…
...
/Step step…/
""?!""
As they stood amidst the darkness, faint light from burning papers and the glowing runes within the rifle, footsteps echoed just outside their room.
They all tensed as Palimo gripped her hammer, ready to strike as soon as someone stepped inside.
/Stop/
But then, the footsteps stopped.
A deep voice came from beyond, "I know you're in there. It's me."
Palimo's hands trembled… moving outside under the worried eyes of her kin, she turned to the hallway, using the walls as her cover.
In there, a man stood shrouded by the faint rays of light in dark leathery clothes, faintly stained deep red…
His deep eyes shining faintly in dark, a pale white, faintly blue hue seemed to fall on her.
He did not move an inch, like a statue, he almost felt unreal, an entity that did not belong in this world. For a moment, she almost seemed to hear something coming not from him, but from the blade lying on his back.
Almost as if it too was watching her… watching?…
The moment she was about to realize something she shouldn't… she blinked, and the strange ethereal feeling disappeared, "You…" she whispered, but those were merely her thoughts escaping her lips.
She was stunned, she didn't imagine him to come back so soon. But before she could say a thing, he interrupted her, "It seems you got what you wanted."
He looked at her, "Those injuries aren't light. Let me help you with that." Philip said as he raised his left hand
"We can talk more on the way, just come closer for now."
"..."
/Inhale/
/Exhale/
She didn't know what to expect now, but she had to follow through with it. If he had bad intentions, he wouldn't have approached her like this… there was no reason to go through the hassle.
So took a deep breath before calling her family from the side… There would be no point in hiding them, much less when her cheeky child just peeked from the corner...
…
Now in the corridor, the family of three stood in silence as their gazes fell on the strange man standing just a few feet from them.
"You can rest easy for now, they will not be coming our way anytime soon." Philip said as he noticed and felt their wariness
Unfortunately, it did not seem to have helped a bit, for their emotions remained stiff and mildly aggressive…
It was the wife who took the initiative to ease the mood, "I… I don't think I ever properly introduced myself." Palimo said awkwardly as she approached Philip
"My name is Palimo Zu, I'm nothing but a humble housewife..."
"A housewife that can smash an Orc's skull with ease..." Her husband added, making her eyelids twitch
So she retorted back, firing a bullet straight through his heart: "You COULD add the Jas at the end had my husband ever gone through with the marital rituals…"
The old Dwarf stepped back in shock, "W-What?! Dont come with that story again!"
"I've tried to get it done so many times, but the procedures were always so complicated and they changed so many times that you yourself got angry once!"
/Chuckles/
"I'm just joking dear, I need no certificate to prove my bond with you."
"Dear…"
The two looked at each fondly, their moods making a complete turn in the blink of an eye.
Though while the atmosphere softened, Philip and Junior just stared at each other in silence and awkwardness.
...
Philip had enough, "Cough… In any case…"
Feeling a bit embarrassed, Palimo continued with her introductions, "To my right is my son, Gert Junior Jas Zu… he's currently working as an apprentice at his father's workshop, if you can even call it that."
The father crossed his arms and scoffed.
"Introduce yourself." She said in a heavy tone, unpleased as she looked at her son
"A-Ah?! I-Im Gert SIR!"
The boy tried to act formal, but he just stood there like a rock, saluting in a weird way for some reason.
"..."
"..."
/Chuckle/
It was now Philip's turn to chuckle.
"There's no need for that, kid."
'He's technically older than me… although a teenager by Dwarven standards.'
"S-Sorry…"
Philip sighed, what was he even apologizing for?
'He looks like one of those meek people...'
/Clears throat…/
Finally, it was time for the heavyweight to speak… The father stepped forward, saying:
"Thank you very much for saving my wife… She already gave me a small debrief of what happened, and I would like to voice my appreciation... whatever little it is."
"I'm her husband, Tredis Jas Alquor, I'm but a researcher in an Artifact Laboratory. One of the thousand lying around this dump…"
"You're humbling yourself, father..."
He shook his head, "... I'm not really that great. If I were, I would receive my damn materials and not be in the middle of this mess."
He took a step forward, raising his hand to shake Philip's, ignoring the stains and smells.
Although he was still afraid of the man in front of him, he didn't hesitate to show his appreciation.
"Nice to meet you too."
Beneath his mask, Philip smiled.
Before their surprised faces, his hands were covered in light, and the blood was cleansed in the blink of an eye.
"Allow me to introduce myself as well, my name is Philip… let's leave the family name as of now."
'This development is unexpected, but oddly, I don't feel surprised.'
'Either way, it works for me. I was wondering how to keep in contact after this was over…'
"Since we're on the subject... you could say I'm a mercenary, let's just leave it at that."
As he said that, Philip pulled his pocket watch from his pants and read the time on it before turning to Palimo.
"The more I would like to continue speaking leisurely like this, our time is nearing its end."
While Philip turned to the side, as if listening to something.
Palimo approached him, "W-What do you mean?"
He turned back to her, his hands glowing golden as he healed her wounds slightly.
He continued after he finished healing her superficial wounds, walking outside through the backdoor and into anunderground tunnel, "In about five minutes, everything here will blow up."
""?!""
As if hit with a sudden injection of caffeine, the dwarves' feet sprung to action as they ran after him.
"H-How?! W-Why didn't you say that from the start?!" Palimo asked, confused
Philip remained calm, "It doesn't matter. One minute is all we need."
'Should I work my way towards their circle?…'
After a moment of silence, he continued, "Initially, I came here to gather some information on the Conjunction, such as the people behind them and their intentions."
He turned to her as they walked out of the tunnels, "But midway, I changed my plans."
"May I ask why?..."
Philip's eyes glimmered for a moment, or maybe that was an illusion… "Because they were weaker than I expected."
Philip soon noticed their silence, "I don't particularly enjoy chaotic situations like these either. I prefer to end things quietly if possible… and with minimal exposition."
"But what about the explosion?"
Philip looked at the ceiling as they took to the streets, climbing out of the underground and into the ruins of some abandoned building, "By blowing this place up…" He said as he pointed up, "… we will force them to act."
'And bury most of our presence at the same time. Although at a sizable cost…' He thought as he clenched his right hand
"The Conjuction will be forced between the Upper forces and the Street palace. Stuck between a rock and a hard place, they'll either survive by grasping at straws, or die while bringing someone down with them."
Philip turned his face sideways, looking at Palimo, "Isn't that ideal to you all?"
"How so?"
Philip used his other hand to pull a thin stack of paper from inside his jacket.
"Take a look."
Palimo went to take the papers, but her husband beat her to it, snatching them in the blink of an eye.
"These are…"
/Flip flip.../
Tredis read the papers as he made his way along the corridor, his expression becoming paler by the second.
"Even this?..."
'How did a gang manage to perform such conclusive research on me? For how long were they observing us?'
The more he read, the more he understood something was wrong, and he eventually arrived at the shocking conclusion… one of his initial suspicions...
That they had been, indeed, targeted from the start.
"Father?..."
The boy looked tired, even a bit prickly, even the slightest movement in the dark made him recoil.
Everything so far had taken its toll on Junior, this was too serious for a young Dwarf that didn't know the world outside the walls of this city to take.
"Quiet, boy… let me think for now." He said as he reached for his nose
After a few seconds processing what he had just read, Tredis clenched the papers in anger, "Tsk!..."
There was only one conclusion, 'Someone is after us, and they are using the Conjunction as an intermediate.'
'There is no reason for them to come after us, though... is it the research then? Has someone realized the weight of what we're trying to accomplish? Or are we in the crossfire of a greater conflict?'
His immediate thought was his investors… 'Is it the Pyke Family?... Shit!'
'Those useless crumbles!'
Tredis imagined the scene of a political battle between the Pykes and some other force. Only such giants of the world could push and pull organizations like the Street Palace and the Conjuction as if they were nothing but pieces on a board.
Pushing and pulling, testing each other out in a game its pieces would never come to even notice…
'So be it.' He thought as his eyes grew determined
'I have no intention of falling down this easily… to be the crushed weed between these tall horses just because they felt like playing around.'
'If I'm just a line of statistic in their papers, then I'll make sure it cuts and bleeds them dry!'
Slowly, determination grew in this old man's heart.
The determination to fight to the bitter, grueling end.
...
Philip observed him as he walked, reading his expressions like a book. Sensing his clear emotions like stars in the night's sky…
And he was pleased with how things were going…
'… Everything is falling neatly into place.'
His eyes darted elsewhere, 'I wander how much of this situation was a coincidence and how much of it was a consequence of my own actions. Regardless, I have them where I want them.'
'Inferring their situation isn't difficult; their reports were decently thorough in this department… which only makes me suspicious of their Conjunction's true identity… although that doesn't matter now.'
'They must be feeling drained of options, betrayed on all sides. That they can't rely on the people that previously backed them… that they are alone.'
He smiled, 'All I have to do is become the missing pillar.'
He turned to Palimo, 'I don't need to read her mind to know what she's thinking. Perhaps that would be the true happy ending to this story, but I can't let it end like that.'
'Something within me tells me to continue walking down this path… and I don't like it.'
Flames rose in the distance as they walked away from the chaos, sirens and other sounds echoing everywhere, as if the entire world was moving in their direction.
He turned away from the distant chaos, 'First, I need to change their view of me… I'm a dangerous man, a stranger that came from nowhere and solved their problems.'
'This cannot be explained in a simple manner… but perhaps all I have to do is bide my time.'
One thing remained at the back of his head… 'This situation irks me. There's far more to it than it seems.'
'The Pykes supporting this research, the man unraveling the past, and the people threatening his family. Could this have been the trigger that led him down the path of annihilation in another timeline? A man driven to the edge of insanity, losing one thing at a time until…'
"E-Excuse me… I'm feeling better now." Palimo said slowly as she looked at Philip
"Hm…"
After walking so much, he was still holding her hand, unconsciously healing her.
Lost in thought, he hadn't noticed her complexion had grown healthy.
"This far should be enough. You shouldn't have difficulty going the rest of the way on your own." He said as he pointed outside
They stopped at the edge of the ruins. Around them, old buildings in dire need of repairs rose like skeletons in a desert, dust and construction equipment lying around in a messy array of metal and stone.
"What about you... Sir?" Junior asked in a low tone, looking around warily
"Me? I'll go with you all, of course."
"You will?"
"Of course, I've already finished what I came here to do."
Checking his pocket watch one last time, he walked past them, forcing the sealed metal gates open as he stepped outside the construction site, "We have about a minute left."
Junior pulled his father along, "W-Wait for me, sir! Come on, dad!"
"Don't push me, son! We're far enough already…"
"…"
Philip, however, was a little worried, 'I'm not too sure about that…'
He turned to the side, holding Palimo's hand, "Dear, can you do it?"
"I'm not hurt anymore, so you better hurry… old man."
"Humph!"
He puffed, turning around, though he still grabbed her hand.
…
The trio quickly made it outside. Philip led them to a street corner and crossed his arms, waiting for the inevitable.
Junior covered his eardrums while his parents dropped their heads slightly, waiting…
/BOOOOOM!/
A mushroom cloud rose into the sky as all the windows shattered, a pressure wave striking them as dust rose from the quaking streets and buildings.
Philip gazed at the scene silently, 'They say explosions are a form of art…'
'With this, most of the evidence should've cleared. I dont know how resourceful the people who will research this place are, but hopefully, they will not be able to trace this back to me soon.'
'Magic is far too unpredictable.'
After a moment, he turned around and gestured for the others to follow, 'Time to move home and start my four months in this city.'
'There's a lot I have to sort through before my return.'
"We better move before the authorities arrive." He said as he conjured something from his storage device, throwing it aside
"Hm? What's that?" Junior asked as he noticed Philip throwing a sac away
He wanted to check it out, but something within him told him not to…
"… Have you ever gone fishing?" Philip asked as he stopped walking
"No?…"
"I never had the chance to bring this brat outside."
"Then you should. And when you do, you'll understand."
Before he could reply, Philip stepped inside an alley, vanishing from sight. It didn't take long for the others to follow him.
Amidst the fallen rubble, waves upon waves of people fled from the base and its surroundings, but they all ignored the inconspicuous sack on the ground.
They had other things to worry about right now...
…
/Later that day…/
A man stood in front of the rubble that was now the collapsed Conjunction base…
He held a paper in his hand, looking at it and at the rubble with a complex expression.
"What is this dumpster?"
Frowning, he took another look at the paper, 'Is this the right address, or did those idiots give me the wrong numbers? This is a hellhole!'
'Took me hours to arrive here, this place is so confusing... Yet you now tell me I arrived too late? Are you kidding me?'
The man raised his hand towards his head, scratching his head and ears… thus revealing them from his hood, a pair of pointy ears…
"Well… guess that's that." He said with a shrug as the paper in his hands dismantled into a crumple of ash
'They can't complain now. I did my job… On the contrary, I should be the one to complain.'
'While they played around, here I am. This should shut them up for a while… maybe I can try to blame them for this, that had they been here, we would've arrived on time.'
He shook his head, "Hm, but that would make me sound incompetent, unable to read a map..."
'Yeah, scratch that.'
He looked around, faint traces unseen to the naked eye glowing before him.
Tracks… there were clues all around, some old, some recent… They probably belonged to the people that survived whatever happened here. He determined as he crossed his arms.
"Should I follow?..."
'If I don't, they will not leave me be… But if I do, who will suffer if not me?...'
'They say I'm lazy and all, but I'm doing all the damn work. Damned if I do, damned if I don't, isn't it?'
"Aha! Another hit for my collection…" He said with some satisfaction as he rubbed his eyes, and the clues slowly dissipated right before his eyes
He looked around for a moment before turning around, moving his jacket around as he cracked his neck, 'There's nothing left in this place… I'll look for some survivors and ask what happened, at least like this, they won't complain.'
He put his arms behind his back, "What a bore… I was keen to see this "anomaly" for myself..."
'Did it cause this? What else would it be if not that? What a hollow feeling…'
"Sigh… Huh?"
'Something's wrong.'
[Skill, Inevitable Hound Lv??? sniffs through a sea of unresolved ends]
He suddenly noticed a strong trace, one so clear and visible he wondered if the sun itself had breached past the artificial sky.
His heart pounded against his chest. Finally! Something interesting!… But at the same time, his lungs tightened, his legs… trembled.
His instincts told him not to follow this trail, and he knew better than to ignore them.
Yet… he followed it. How could he not? Something so dangerous, yet so unique?
Lying against the wall of a dirty road, something had been left behind.
A pungent smell struck his nose, he knew this smell…
"What is this little thing…?"
He reached forward, but hesitated.
A pair of dark eyes materialized behind him, and a jaw reached out from the thick smog of burning trash. It clenched against his neck, pulling him back.
[Skill, Inevitable Hound Lv??? smells the end of your Fate]
The boy froze, his body trembling… yet he pressed on, a maniacal grin taking shape on his lips. The moment he did, the dark fog cleared, vanishing soon after.
/Open.../
"HA!"
He approached the sack, opening it.
"HAHAHAHAHA!"
/Roll.../
Inside the sac were several heads, some he could somewhat recognize…
He laughed maniacally as they rolled on the ground.
"SO THIS IS HOW IT IS!"
'Such blatant provocation.'
He smiled, 'I was wrong, this isn't a bore…'
"This is fun!"
/Fwoosh…/
And thus, the Elf vanished.
/Form…/
Unbeknownst to it, something lurked nearby, dashing into the alley soon after.
…
Earlier that day, Philip and the group had stopped after drawing enough distance from the mayhem.
"We're here." Tredis said after he took a deep breath, looking at a large building
Philip looked at it as well, recognizing it as one of the many research institutes scattered on this floor.
'So this is it. I wonder how long it would've taken for me to find it had it not been for these circumstances.'
Tredis bowed, finally able to show him his appreciation, "Thank you, Mr. Philip, for helping us… I don't even know how to repay you."
"... Then don't. The intent alone is enough. To me, this was just a slight extra jog."
"Even so, this small activity saved my family, and that's all that matters. For that, I could not repay you enough!"
He turned around, ready to leave, "Dont worry too much about it. This is just how things are."
"Are you leaving already?!"
He nodded, "I was just sticking to my past promises." He said as he looked at Palimo
"Instead of rewarding me, you should think about what to do now."
Tredis clenched his hands, "... I'll just continue my research."
"Dear!"
He didn't have the courage to look at her, "I know… after everything that happened… But not doing anything isn't going to help us."
"They are oppressive and terrible people, but if we abandon this side as well… things won't get pretty for us. And fleeing isn't going to do us any better… and I don't think I'm ready to throw away decades of research, even more when they're about to bear fruit."
"Continuing our work while waiting for things to settle down… maybe use this time to figure out what comes after."
"But running away isn't it."
Philip smiled underneath his mask, "It seems you have it figured out already."
Before Philip could leave, Tredis implored once again, "Please… I don't really have much… but I am, at the end of the day, a smith, even if a very specialized one."
"If you ever need anything done, I'll do it, you have my word."
His words were genuine, a traditional Dwarf's promise was rock-solid!
"... I see, I'll hold on to that offer." He said as he gave him a nod
'Now I have a reason to come back, just what I wanted. I can build a connection with them over time.'
'For now, I'll investigate a bit more on my own, and once things have settled down, it might be a good idea to continue where we left off.'
Philip took a step back, "Take care, old man, miss, and you too." He said as he looked at Junior
"But before I go… would you mind?"
"Hm?... Ah!"
Palimo was flustered as she forgot that the mace and shield she had on her belt and back weren't hers… So she awkwardly and reluctantly gave them back to him.
"I'm sure that well meet again. I am quite interested in seeing how skillful you are… you see, I'm kind of an artisan myself." He said as he gestured with the mace
"Lastly, Miss, you should really rest now, and see a doctor if possible, just in case there are any hidden injuries that didn't fully heal..."
"And one last thing... I have the suspicion you may be, in fact..."
"Be pregnant, so take good care of yourself."
/Shaa…/
He then dramatically vanished into smoke, leaving a story behind…
""…""
The family watched as the smoke dispersed. It would take a while for them to process everything that happened here today…
"Wait... I'M WHAT?!?!?!"
/THUD.../
The wife screamed, Junior fell flat on the ground from exhaustion, and the father's jaw fell as a few strands of his precious beard seemingly fell off...
"Ahh..."
Massaging his head, Tredis turned around and entered the facility, calming down as he stepped somewhere familiar.
While he couldn't shake the words he had just heard, it was exactly because he heard them that he focused even more.
He had some things to prepare, people to call, and the more he thought about the last words his benefactor left behind, the redder his face became.
He almost lost one... no, two members of his family. And so, today marked the day his neutral position towards his employers changed to outright distaste and defiance.
To confirm what happened, he would contact them first, but depending on their reply…
He wouldn't let this slide.
…
/Slurp!/
"Ahh... man, this is good."
Sitting on a bench under the faint artificial lights in the park, Philip drank his green juice with a carefree expression.
"That's one big thing off the list."
'Now... I just need to wait. It can't get any better than this.'
'Its perfect, the best outcome… though I might've pushed things a bit with my performance, I'm satisfied with how things went.'
"It seems I won't be needing to waste my time." He muttered as he watched the ducks swim on an artificial lake
'I'll be able to spend most of my time doing what I should have been doing from the start…'
'Understanding my new Class and its Skills — Improving them and the ones I already have, so that I can pave the way for the next one… and the older Skills I've neglected…'
'Improving my body's condition so it may withstand my full potential…'
'Adding more books to improve the mental library, and doing the same with Simulation Room…'
'I should also improve my control over mental power; it's something I've neglected for far too long.'
'It all boils down to training... I need to train as much as I can. Not merely because I'm obliged, but because I like to, I'm itching to go back to my training room and get some action going.' He thought as he tapped the bench
'I also have to keep pushing Viera forward. The faster she becomes an Archmage, the easier my life will get, and perhaps I'll start getting my answers surrounding her so mysterious Master.'
'There's also MT, the Principal's request, Falpurgiana, Dae's old notes and his suggestions… and the pending synchronization between the System and my achievements through the Complex.'
'And to top it all off, there's the pending notifications from my new Class' abilities being brought into this world… and I'm sure I forgot one thing or another.'
His head slumped back as he sighed loudly, "For the wicked, there's always work to be done."
/Slurp.../
His face cringed each time he slurped it down, "This is so damn bitter! Just what is a Kof Dux fruit?!"
/Slurp.../
'It's so refreshing, though...'
For a moment, he thought of the world outside, 'There's that damned bastard too. It's about time for me to try and contact him again through that Skill.'
'It might be worth studying a bit more about this "Dream-Realm" or whatever I've used to connect with Dae last time. I've avoided using Somnium Courier due to his warnings, but I can't keep this Skill tucked away forever.'
"Haaa… there's just so much…"
/Slurp.../
"Hm?"
The atmosphere grew a bit darker, but Philip did not react.
'Someone's watching me.' He thought as he stood there without a care
'This presence is... a tad strange.'
'It even feels... nostalgic?'
/Grin…/
Smiling, Philip finished his juice and got off his seat, throwing the cup at the trash bin with uncanny accuracy.
In some senses, this city was very reminiscent of one on Earth, his cup, his juice, the lights... the mood...
But it wasn't it in the end.
/Sha!/
Philip vanished.
.
.
.
Notes
What Philip said at the end is essentially what we'll be going through in the next few chapters. Though I plan to add a few things here and there to spice things up.
That's about it from me, bye!