9K words.
Hey, if we get 300 Power Stones before next Sunday I'll do a mass release. And each time we succeed I'll do it again.
Just because I felt like doing something like the old times again.
Enjoy!
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—
The moon hung high in the sky, casting its great, soothing light into the city below.
And together with its own illumination, the arcs of light, floating stones and lamp bulbs, the city looked as bright as daytime.
Philip took a few steps out of the gates of his Manor, looking at the city from a small platform on the edge of the sidewalk that led to his home.
It was a good vantage point, allowing him to see a lot of the city as he tried to figure out what he should do now.
Above and around him were other manors, and despite how many there were, the roads and carriages flying above as the gorgeous plants and trees arched above the streets… the view above was oddly clear...
It's as transparent as white light in the sky, evidently, there was magic at play, making everything above look transparent.
"Hm…"
'It's truly beautiful in its own way.'
High-rise buildings in the middle, and even these luxurious manors built into the walls of the ravine… He looked to the side, seeing a long street that ran along the walls, going down into the city.
Smiling faintly, he raised an eyebrow, saying:
"Even though I'm here…"
'Where do I go?'
So he ended up seeking other opinions...
{Hey Laplabe} Philip asked mentally as he put his arms behind his head
{Yes?}
His voice was a bit wobbly, as if he had just been woken up... was it just him, or was Laplabe sleeping a tad too much recently?
Maybe he was to blame for this… the worry he gave this man…?… in these last few days, it was by no means light…
{What do you know about the City of Freedom?}
{This place? Honestly, not much. You would be better off reviewing the many history books in the inventory than asking me… Or better yet, asking that strange machine of yours}
{That can be left for later... and I do plan on resuming my studies with MT later, but that's another thing}
Laplabe seemed to sigh, {Well then... There is one thing I do know… Or better put, it's more of an impression I got over the years rather than something I'm aware of}
{This city has something within it, something that compels others to come and visit it. Maybe it's the city's position or maybe it's something else unrelated}
{Many tales have this city as a passing point, its strategic/cultural value is impossible to measure. If I were to say… Perhaps the ruins are worth checking out?}
{Albeit they have been explored for centuries, they are nowhere near being fully mapped out. The Dwarves of old built ten times more than everything we have on the surface, and most of it lies buried just out of reach or beyond a wall of the hardest metal this world has ever seen…}
{The old man used to let out sighs of disappointment whenever he talked about this place. It may just be me over-interpreting things, but perhaps… you never know}
{At least, that's the only thing that crossed my mind. If I do remember something else, I will not hesitate to speak}
"Hm…"
Philip thought for a moment before shaking his head.
"That's not it."
{Nevertheless, thanks for the input}
{No problem, I'll go back to sleep, I'm still a little tired}
{Go on, I'll just stroll around for now.. or better yet… I have an idea}
Laplabe felt an intense feeling of dread rise in his body… {Idea?}
Philip smiled, taking out a small orb from his golden inventory tool.
{That is… a Skill Stone? Am I seeing this right? Where did you get such a thing? Making these things is extremely difficult and expensive at that}
{It's from before I went on my journey. One of my… Hero companions "gifted" it to me}
{From your tone, I wager a bit more than that must've happened… The Skill of a Hero, I see? Many would pay tons to get their hands on it. If one can copy it or understand its mechanism…}
{Details, my friend, details… Now, I've been holding onto this for a while and considering the time I got this, if I don't make use of it soon, then what would even be the point of holding onto it?}
{Soon enough I'll meet him again, so let's hit the road!}
/Crack!/
Philip crushed the Skill Stone! Shards of light immediately flared, burrowing into his skin.
{I hope you know what you're doing…}
"How can we know the future? I'm not a diviner…" He said with a smug smile as his eyes began to shift…
[Skill, *****'s precognition Lv??? has activated]
Philip's eyes shone with light as he saw the world before him shake and turn…
{You…}
{I'm fine, let me concentrate}
The lights turned into a vortex, stretching into the horizon…
A tunnel of light that led into the distance appeared before him, on its walls, Philip saw ten thousand images blink in and out like distinct sections of a movie. They told a story about something that was about to occur, yet at the same time, they seemed quite distant.
{… I can see it! I think I… ?!}
Philip saw himself exploring the city for days on end, if not longer.
He also saw himself exploring it for a mere day, finding his target in mere moments…
'Are these possible outcomes? Or is this something…'
Pain. That was the only way he could describe it.
He felt his body swell and his eyes ache. A powerful blow to his brain shook his whole being… something was happening, and its outcome was loud and clear.
It was telling him to stop.
{I know… huff… what we need to do} Philip said as his eyes flashed with foggy light
{Great, then whatever you're doing, stop it this moment. You look pale…}
"… No… I see… something else." He muttered as the light grew stronger, but with it, smoke sizzled at the edge of his eyebrows…
[Your Hyper Cells are deeply stimulated; They have begun to repair all damage to your body]
Philip saw dozens to hundreds of scenes of his time in the City of Freedom, all culminating in a pivotal moment.
'The reason for that… I can't say… I feel as if its so close yet so far… Why? What is happening?… Why am I burning?'
[Your Hyper Cells are deeply stimulated; They have begun to repair all damage to your body]
Philip saw himself amidst flames. As if crawling out of hell itself, his skeletal body clung to something… but he could not tell what it was.
He could feel it, his heart beating from beyond the tunnel, his fear, desperation, excitement, and all emotions reflected even now on his body.
The desperation to stay alive.
[Your Hyper Cells are greatly stimulated; They have begun to repair all damage to your body]
[Your Hyper Cells are deeply stimulated; They have begun to adapt…]
/Shaaa…/
The smoke grew stronger, the edges of his eyes turned crimson, like stone being cooked in a fire.
Like boulders within a volcano, magma spews from within its cracks…
{That's enough. Step out…}
{Wait… I can bear this. It doesn't hurt that much}
{If it even hurts, then it must be utterly unbearable to the ordinary person! Don't tempt fate like this! I know exactly what you're doing… this isn't the kind of thing you should take lightly!}
But Philip did not reply, his focus was already on the dark end of the tunnel.
'No… not yet, I must see it… just a bit more…'
Philip willed it, 'Don't break down yet! Just a little further!'
[Apex Evolver has been activated]
[Apex Evolver responds to your desires]
[Apex Evolver has resolutely activated]
[Apex Evolver strives to maintain balance; Your body adapts and transforms]
[Golden Body has activated; The energies within your body have been forcibly stabilized and equalized]
His pain softened, and the tunnel grew ever brighter.
Beyond the pain and misery, he saw the promise of hope. Within his visions, he saw himself meeting with all kinds of people…
Within the dark tunnel, Philip's hands moved around in curiosity, 'These must be the things I did… I'll do in the future… but this isn't relevant.'
'Events have started to mix… I don't know what comes before or after… I don't care much about my daily life, I need something more substantial!'
He dove further into the tunnel, ignoring the plea of his companion.
Within another journey, he saw himself travel across the underground… After a long voyage, he came face to face with an ancient ruin…
"W-What is this?" He mumbled out loud as his eyes smoked once more
'Could this be one of Dae's "secondary quests"?'
Within the ruins, he could feel a deep sense of mystery, but above all, was a deep sense of… betrayal?
'… Of course! That fucker Dae! He sent me on another bootleg adventure!' He thought with a smile as a flame ignited in the center of his eyeballs
He peered deeper… as the ruins turned vague and whatever ensued within escaped his mind, Philip found himself in a lustrous place…
He looked around in wonder, 'This is… a palace of some sort?… This must be a vision of my return! At least within five months after… To think one can peer even this far…'
However, he failed to see much. Mere static images, like a thousand photos burning in a bonfire, Philip only witnessed a few dozen in the carnage of time.
Meetings, tests, fights? He couldn't quite tell exactly… only that somehow, he made his way back to Dae, a return he so eagerly anticipated.
'Speaking of him, I have to reconnect with him through our dreams… He told me to give it some time, but how much longer am I supposed to give him?'
'Perhaps the day I come to terms and settle down everything that's pending, I'll contact him once more.'
Before he could continue his thoughts, he was met with a beautifully bizarre sight…
Plains upon plains of red. A sea of crimson-colored grass that stretched to the horizon… inhabited by massive calamities…
Another mission, another goal… one beyond his current one…
Beyond the grass, he saw beasts of all shapes and sizes, of which he had little trouble taking down, but amidst those, he felt fear for the first time in a while…
A battle of great intensity ensued, with his victory perhaps not as guaranteed as he would like to believe.
He frowned, his heart tightening, 'So even after everything, my training remains insufficient?… I cannot grow soft for even a moment, if I do so, I could end up in a future where my victory remains uncertain…'
Beyond the tall grass, Philip saw many more scenes, albeit those were faint and hard to discern… amidst those that imprinted themselves in his eyes, the carcass of a gargantuan creature, buried deep underground, protected by… by…
He could not tell.
Beyond that, he saw a towering structure, piercing the clouds. After climbing it with the assistance of his companions, their first adventure together… ensued!
"A… a world of clouds… and… something looming in the clouds…" He muttered as awe feeling his voice
'This must be it, the zone of the sky beyond reach… Dae spoke of it once to me. But what could we want over there?'
The next scene was one that weighed on him immensely. Within a dark room, Philip… or rather… something else? He could not fully recognize what he was seeing, standing within a platform.
He had seen this entity quite frequently, and it made him wonder if it was truly him…
The weight of the world on his shoulders, Philip saw the sight of the world collapsing around him.
His vision blanked and reignited as a few scenes made their way to him.
Mere static moments, sometimes just emotions…
He saw himself stand before a crack in spacetime, and a heavy choice looming down his shoulders.
He saw a strange rod… a ritual… a being from beyond the heavens.
He saw it be butchered, devoured, engrained within a ritual.
He saw a strange machine, like a cannon, and himself be shot into eternity beyond…
He saw himself stand within a wasteland, surrounded by nothing but the ashes of a world already consumed by war.
He saw…
"Ugh… just a bit…"
{ENOUGH!}
The thundering voice of Laplabe reached his ears for the first time in a while.
{Can't you hear me?! YOUR EYES HAVE TURNED TO ASH!! IF YOU KEEP THIS UP…}
But before he could hear the rest, Philip's attention was drawn beyond that… far… far? Far beyond that moment.
Philip saw a single scene, a crown? A crown of…
He put the crown on…
/SNAP!/
Philip was suddenly brought back from the tunnel, yet the world remained dark.
[Skill, *****'s precognition Lv??? has deactivated]
"W-What… happened?"
"Can't you tell, you fool?!" Laplabe exclaimed at his ears
He could feel a dozen fillers slap his body all over. While his eyes remained dark, he could still feel the faint movements and energy signatures around him… some sort of tentacle monster stood by his wrist, enveloping him.
"I had to rip your eyes out before your entire head caught on fire! Do you even realize how hot you were?! I burned my damn hands! Do you know what it takes to burn my hands?!"
"… Do you have hands?"
"… Glad to see you're at least sound of mind." Laplabe added with a sigh as it seemed to return to his previous form
Philip took a deep breath, trying to make sense of the situation, "My eyes… where are they?"
"Better to say where they aren't. They're gone, reduced to something smaller than dust… I'm surprised you didn't even flinch as I drilled into your skull and took your bones to take your eye out with whatever was burning."
"I had to slap you awake to prevent those flames from spreading. Whatever they were, they weren't ordinary… I don't even know what was fueling it, and I'd rather not know."
"That said… what the hell are you made out of?! I had to cut off my arms because your blood was corroding me like poison!"
"That… huff…"
[Your Hyper Cells have adapted to *****]
"URGH!!"
Philip suddenly felt a hammer strike his brain! His legs grew weak as he momentarily lost control of his body.
Laplabe spread himself around him, supporting him and preventing him from falling over the edge, "What happened?!"
Before his horrified eyes, Philip's eyes slowly began to reform…
[Apex Evolver fulfills your desires; Your body adapts, grows, and evolves…]
[Skill, Eyes of Premonition Lv??? has taken shape]
Philip's eyes reformed in mere seconds. In its place, his previously blue irises took a brighter color.
In reflection of the previous foggy light, his eyes had turned bright gray!…
"Huff… I can see again."
'The notifications too… they appeared even in the darkness… they sure like to be a bother.'
"… I… I won't even ask."
Philip looked around, "I…"
[An outstanding achievement!]
[You have gained the Title, Chet Adam]
[You have gained the Title, *****'s Folly]
"… Ugh… my head's spinning…"
"Are you going to collapse again?"
"No… but… I might need a slight stop on the way down." Philip replied as he reached for his forehead
"Next time you decide to do something like that… do it indoors. Or rather not… you'd end up giving that girl nightmares."
"… Phew…"
After a moment to rest and breathe, Philip stepped forward with a thin smile, "Let's go… I have a feeling we'll be getting back home early today."
"…"
Laplabe remained quiet, the edges of the wristwatch slightly burnt…
…
Philip turned to the street…
'I saw a lot of things, but the exact location remained elusive.'
'That aside, Laplabe gave me some ideas… perhaps going to the Ruins and exploring them a little might be worth while. Dae's notes give me quite a few clues about where to explore, so I could make use of that to raise some of my Skills in the meantime.'
'But to enter them, I think I need some sort of pass? Becoming a Cave Raider might be interesting.'
'And in the meantime, I also can't forget the secondary task I received from the Principal. I need to find a student for him, and in the future, I'll have to seek his body and the place written in that book of his so I can bury him.'
Philip scratched the back of his head, "How do we go down again?"
"Definitely not by jumping…"
"I'm not jumping down there!…" Philip exclaimed as he adjusted his collar
He definitely thought about doing so…
…
/Around a minute later…/
Philip reached the bottom after "walking" down the street. Honestly, he got bored with this massive slope and simply sped up a little; the next moment, he was at the bottom.
And he wasn't tired at all.
Looking at his feet and clothes, Philip smiled proudly, "I'm kind of understanding how Flash feels…"
'That said, even if I rush around the place, it doesn't make things any faster for me… I still had to run down there.'
He looked at the skies… "The problem with being faster than light is that you can only live in darkness."
"Anyway…"
The first thing he saw upon descending were the massive streets, dozens of carriages coming and going from one side to the other…
And he took a small pamphlet from his inventory, one of the many tourist guidebooks he got the day he arrived.
"Let's see."
'My memory's a bit fuzzy. Where do I go if I want to go underground…'
"To the left I have… that leads to the south, and right is pretty obvious."
He tilted his head, tapping the pamphlet, "Hum… I think I need to find one of these… but this doesn't tell me where I can find one."
He looked around and figured the best way was to first cross the street, "Time to move on."
However, instead of walking straight, he turned to the side.
One may think that crossing the street by running is pretty viable for him, but that's against the law for many reasons. For that, there are some special walkways made for people to cross; it couldn't get more convenient than that.
So he walked to the nearest one. The station looked like an old English telephone booth, but black and smooth like obsidian.
By pressing one of the many colorful buttons inside it, a red button, the glass window turned black, blocking the view of the outside.
Above the buttons was a map similar to a subway system, with many stations of varying colors, and pressing a certain combination of those colorful buttons would lead you somewhere on that map.
The moment the glass windows turned dark, a message appeared on the blackened window:
[Please stand by as we move you from one side to the other]
[Thank you for your patience]
/Ding/
With a clear chime a few seconds after the messages were played, Philip opened the door, and now he was on the other side of the street, as simple as that.
"I'm starting to remember when I went with Viera to that museum…" He muttered as his eyes narrowed
{That was literally less than two days ago…}
"… To me… it was a bit longer than that."
'If I'm not mistaken, this is part of an underground series of tube passageways. Hard to believe when the ride is so smooth.'
As an engineering student, Philip felt this was pretty cool, albeit impractical on Earth.
'This place has so many interesting oddities… A shame that such marvelous technologies would never be implemented back on Earth, not because they were impossible to do, but because…'
'Humans are just dumb overall.'
"Time to rock." Philip mumbled as he left the booth
{I thought you were in a hurry. Why take the roundabout method?} Laplabe said all of a sudden as Philip looked around
{Well, you see… my head's still a little iffy, so I was thinking about taking some time doing whatever}
'I've still not recovered all the headaches I've had ever since I returned…'
He put his hand over his eyes, "Let's see… that looks like a good place to ask around."
His first target… the illuminated park on the edge of his vision. He could see a few old people there, minding their business, they would surely be thrilled in sharing their stories with him…
Although, despite all of this, because of his hurry, Philip ended up disregarding the very obvious... Which was merely asking his butler back in the Manor.
It would take a while to realize this, and when he does so, he would laugh drily in self-mockery.
…
/At the same time, not that far away from Philip…/
/Ca-Tcheng!/
Three people stepped out of the elevator embedded in the walls, the same ones Philip and Viera had used not so long ago before they took their first steps in this city…
One man and two girls, all wearing distinct clothing, albeit not "extravagant".
But because of their unique appearance, anyone would give them a glance or two.
Especially the girls, they had a certain aura about them…
"... Anyway!" The man said with a haughty face as he stepped forward, "As I was saying, bye! Don't follow me."
"I'm not joking this time." He said in a deep and threatening tone as he gave them a middle finger
/CRACK!/
He vanished, leaving a dent on the floor as if something had erased that portion of the ground.
This made the two girls roll their eyes, one in annoyance, the other in mockery.
"Sigh… That bratty boy, we told him not to go out on his own and the first thing he does is this?" One of the girls said, someone with a thin golden tiara that had a glaring red gem in the middle
She was beautiful, and she had a cheerful aura that seemed to make others smile.
(Image?)
"Leave him be. It makes me sick just staying in the same room as that dork." The other one replied, tired
She also had a golden Tiara on her forehead, albeit, the gem was purple.
As for her aura, it was a bit darker, but instead of fear, it made others rethink approaching her.
'We warned him many times, and I'm sure he understands.'
'The only reason he came with us was that we needed his abilities. It is regrettable to admit it, but I'm behind him in that department.'
'Still, working alone is irresponsible, but there isn't much we can do. If we force him and he annoys us, then this trip would truly become a pain.'
'Hopefully, he finds something to get busy with and doesn't bother us for the rest of the day.'
(Image?)
The two ladies were very beautiful, and together, they looked like a painting.
Their hair and eyes had the same color, being blond and blue respectively, albeit in different tonalities, making them look like sisters from afar.
One had a distant gaze as if she was fed up with everything all the time, while the other one had a cheerful smile on her face, very curious about her surroundings as she waved at the children who were looking at her curiously.
One had a purple gem on her forehead, while the other had a red gem, one dark, the other bright, reflecting their looks and mayhap even their personalities.
"… Anyway, how about we take a stroll across the city first before looking around?" The one with the purple gem asked with a faint smile as she turned to her companion
'Since we're here, better put those funds to good use.'
'I was fed up with those fruits in the forest, they sure are annoying about even the little details... Sometimes I feel like we're nothing but pets.'
'It pisses me off and I need something sweet to quench it.'
"That's a good idea!" The other girl replied as she clasped her hands
Their chemistry seemed great despite all odds.
After asking for directions from nearby, the two ladies departed towards the south. They had no clear destination in mind, merely wanting to sightsee for a bit…
And they sure did, as not long after taking their first steps, they had already stopped inside a perfume shop.
…
/Half an hour later…/
In the middle of a beautiful park where green ducks moved around and kids played around, two people sat on a bench, gazing into the distance.
One old, one young…
"... And that was how I escaped, one inch away from being buried alive in those awful rocks!" The old man said as he raised his walking stick high
"And what happened after?"
"Humph… that was truly a scary day… Because of that, I decided to quit."
"But didn't you say you needed the money?" Philip inquired
"Yes… I did."
The old man looked at the sky with melancholy, "Because I abandoned my work, I didn't have the money for my medicine anymore…"
He then pointed at his wooden left leg.
/Clack.../
Slapping it, he said:
"And this is the result."
"I'm sorry to hear that…"
"Dont be, life isn't fair to all, but you must always strive to be fair… with yourself."
"I've long, long accepted this fate, and once I did… life opened up to me."
He looked at the children far away in the grass, "Albeit she's not here anymore, I met the person I needed the most and lived a life worth three lifetimes…"
"And now… my life is not only about me anymore, hehe…" He said with an elderly smile, "It was truly out of nowhere… perhaps this may be useful to you one day, but sometimes, you just have to do it…"
"I did suffer a little at the start... But only then. I've never slept a single night after without a proper meal... and comfort."
"Don't think too much and just move… I know it sounds stupid, especially in this world that punishes those who can not think for themselves… But more often than not, action takes priority over rationale."
"If I hadn't manned up and asked her out… and overcome my own lack of confidence and inferiority… Ha! I bet I would've died long ago… Somewhere in that dump… alone."
Upon saying that, the old man struggled to get up.
Philip helped him with little trouble, letting the old man put his trusty hat on his head once more.
"Thank you for listening to my story; it's not something I can say every day."
While he overlooked the children, he continued, "My son is too fed up to hear this anymore, and those little ones over there are too young to understand my words."
"And right now, I only hope to actually live long enough to share this with them, haha… can't trust my brat to tell them these tales."
Philip smiled, "You'll live that long without trouble, old man."
"Ho? You think so?" He asked before smiling, "I hope so too. I still have a few years left in me!"
With that, he left, leaving Philip on the bench to watch the ducks moving around.
"Take action, huh?…"
'Well, I can understand his words very clearly. Although they were more directed toward love and romance, they can be extended to other aspects of life…'
'And even on Earth, you would find people saying that as well, take action, have courage, and bla bla bla…'
'When I saw the video on my cellphone all those months ago back on Earth, instead of thinking it over and over, I took action and benefited from it.'
'… Or so I like to think… It looks like I did, at least.'
"Hm?"
Some ducks approached him suddenly.
Now that the old man was left, they could approach this weird man with little thought, because somehow they felt attracted to his presence…
/QUACK!/
One of the cute green ducks jumped onto its bench, looking at Philip with its round eyes, expecting something.
This duck was a bit bigger than the others, perhaps the alpha duck?
/QUACK!/
"Hey, buddy?" Philip said as he carefully raised his hand
Surprisingly, the duck did not budge, merely gazing at his hand, allowing Philip to pet it.
"I've noticed this recently…"
'Birds and other animals seem oddly close to me.'
'I wasn't even that close to them back on Earth…'
He thought for a moment before reaching a conclusion.
'Is it my affinity? After so many experiences to increase things such as my potential and affinities, is this the result?'
/Quack!/
Philip smiled apologetically, "Sorry, friend, I'm out of food…"
The duck seemed visibly shaken, turning around and jumping out of the bench, and once it did so, the others left after it.
"Sigh, even ducks are after benefits these days." Philip said with a helpless smile as he gave the park one last look
He got up from his seat, "It was a good rest… I feel much better now."
'Well… those were some productive thirty minutes. I know exactly how to follow through with my visions now.'
'Do I even call that a vision? I might have to question Roy when we meet next…'
Philip stretched a little before moving on…
…
A quarter of an hour passed quickly…
/Ding!/
"We've arrived at stop point C12-Lambou Station."
"All passengers, please step out of the Swing, don't forget your belongings."
"If any items are left in the Swing, remember all lost items are moved to Guilir Station south of the Main Center Plaza."
"We'll be moving up in two minutes!"
As the calm voice of the clerk echoed in the cabins, people moved from their seats.
/Chatter…/
Philip followed the crowd outside, "Here I am."
Albeit it had a grandiose name, the Swing was nothing but an ostentatious elevator.
It was a system of hundreds of elevators scattered around the city, with each section having a conductor in charge.
They moved across the sectors of the city, traversing on average a few hundred meters of space, looking like long tubes that connected the ceiling to the bottom.
"The underground…"
The first thing Philip noticed was the temperature. He expected the place to be hotter, but it was actually colder.
"Phew… its a few degrees colder here, not bad."
'How did they manage to do this? A cooling system? Magic?'
'Perhaps it was the design of the city? Or simply because its underground?… They say many creatures burrow themselves to cool down in the desert, perhaps this is the case?'
'The air quality is also decent, I expected it to be terrible, but its not that bad compared to the surface.'
He squinted his eyes as he looked above, "The lighting… Is that magic as well?"
Philip could see many floating structures similar to those warning cones that float in the ocean.
(Image?)
They provided faint light in the sky and also served as guidance to the few flying carriages that moved around the place, serving just like traffic lights back on Earth.
"Hm…"
'This underground section of the city… It gives me a steampunk vibe.'
Giant metal tubes all around, strange contraptions releasing steam and devouring the air like gargantuan sinks…
The houses were made from a mix of stone and iron, with tubes all around. Normally, it would be rather ugly, but it was oddly pleasing to the eye.
The glimmering metal, the certain order within this chaos…
He could even see many trains connected to the ceiling, as if they were trolleys, moving around the city carrying thousands of people everywhere.
'An underground train… But in the ceiling?... Wait, according to the geography, we're still well above ground, so is that still underground?'
Scratching his head, Philip left the Swing Station, not staying put for long.
…
/Around an hour later…/
"This isn't working out." Philip complained as he sat atop the rooftop of a high-rise building
The ceiling was just a few dozen meters away from his hand, he could easily touch it if he jumped...
But he wasn't here to play around. Instead, he took a small notebook, opened it, and crossed out a line of words.
'I know its somewhere around here but I can't find it. I feel like the answer is on the tip of my tongue, yet I can't grasp it.'
'Looks like I'll have to consult the "walkthrough" guide…'
For the past hour, Philip has walked around the city. He bought things like maps and learned a bit of the common knowledge of the locals, such as how the city blocks are divided, what there is in each block, and so on.
The first thing he learned was the government of this place, or better put the complete lack of one.
Only a small section of the underground zone, namely the Middle section and the Lower section, was actually properly regulated by the ruling party in the Upper section of the city.
Those were normally neutral zones scattered throughout the underground, usually centered on the areas where there is a heavy traffic of civilians going up and down the zones.
As for the rest, it is just a mix of an endless competition for power between gangs and other sub-governments, some of which are nothing but civilians ruling themselves with the help of another power...
And a few neutral grounds between those gangs.
Philip wasn't quite aware of the circumstances behind this lack of cohesive power, but most likely the city's overwhelming size made things complicated to govern.
For those on top, as long as the inner workings were within paper, then there was little to complain about, but that was just his conjecture.
However, even with this chaotic environment, the city is still rather well-built and planned, and not burning in flames.
"Phew..."
Upon checking his notebook, Philip rested his head on the ground as he stared at the ceiling as one trolley passed by. For a moment, he saw a kid looking at him from above, pulling his mother's skirt as he pointed at him.
But before she could check him out, the trolley went into the distance, too fast for her to react...
Philip closed his eyes, "I remember seeing a large building… probably a research institute of some sort."
"But checking each research institute will not do… it'll take too damn long."
'I thought that a famous researcher planning to announce a big discovery would be easy to find, or at least, there would be some mention of his existence and studies around in some professional circles...'
'But I underestimated how hard it actually is. I was either just unlucky, or I didn't search long enough.'
"Let's see what my friend has to say."
Philip took out Dae's guidebook…
"Hm… Undetermined location until…"
"Look for signs of conflict?"
'Conflict?'
He flipped the pages one more time, but that was all Dae had to say on the subject.
'According to what he wrote, there aren't that many records about this scientist, perhaps they were erased, or there was close to nothing, to begin with.'
'But if we follow what we do know something should've happened recently.'
"From the remains of his diary, we concluded that something happened between half a year and a year prior to the conclusion of his research." Philip repeated as he read the book
'And this time should be around now.'
"Hm…"
Now that I think about it, there were a few issues that occurred after I found him. At least if the visions are to be believed. They were mixed and vague, confusing at best… but he's definitely here.'
'If he's going through some issues right now, taking too long could lead to unforeseen consequences. He could even be unwilling to meet with me all things considered.'
'That said, this guys story was already a complicated one.'
'A scientist who did the impossible, yet was betrayed by his own race, eventually ending it altogether, causing mayhem to be spread across the continent…'
'I always felt that this was… a bit too strange. I have to consider Dae's perspective… that of someone who regressed.'
'Just because he did so, it doesn't mean everything he knows is correct… as I've found out more then once.'
'If we add the fact that not many people actually knew this scientist apart from the dwarves themselves, with most of his data possibly being erased, doesn't that mean the Dwarves could've said whatever they wanted?'
'This man's undoing came from his lack of connection. Politics led him down a path of darkness… but is that all there was to it?'
'There was a period in history between the conclusion of his research and the detonation of the forges, but what happened there was a big incognito, and it resulted in the ties between the Dwarves and him souring.'
'During this period, the Dwarven race reactivated many ancient and forgotten forges, being able to reclaim many lost bastions of their race, ushering in the promise of a new Golden Age...'
'This also restarted their system, the same one the scientist blew to bits at the end.'
'When did things go from "The Hero who started the Golden Age" to "We cannot tolerate your existence"? Is this just a conflict of interest between multiple parties who see value in the preservation of the old system?'
'One thing that's not properly stated is when exactly politics made its way into this mess? If the Dwarves ended up pushing him aside because of his accomplishments and lack of political influence for the weight of his research, why did they continue to finance his research in the first place?'
'They could've stopped him midway after they got what they wanted or resolved this in a myriad of ways… but they let him be, and that was when the trouble started if I interpreted this right.'
'The more I think about this, the more I picture this man as some genius who ended up being crushed by his own talent because of the envy of others and their greed for control…'
'But something seems a tad out of place.'
"I don't know how else to say this… something just isn't right."
Philip shook his head, pushing this issue to the side for now and focusing on the other clue.
"Look for signs of conflict… he said…"
'The only conflict here would be the unending clashes between the gangs… Will I have to go through each one until I get a match?'
"... What a pain…" He said as his expression twisted
'Nevertheless, it's at least a start.'
'But before doing that… there is one place I can check out first. Amidst my visions, I clearly remember seeing a few signs and marks. After asking around, I know who those belong to.'
"The Street Palace and the Conjunction… and I've heard that they've been clashing recently too."
'They meet the quotas. Good enough place to gather some info.'
'If that doesn't work… I could try a few others that were openly in conflict with one another… or just go door to door asking if anyone knows a Dwarf researching ancient Dwarven reactors…'
'If none of that works… I can always hit an information broker. Albeit that's my last resort… I don't want anyone knowing what I'm doing.'
"… Let's move."
Philip kicked the edge of the roof, vanishing within the buildings.
…
/Shua…/
Like a bird, Philip flew in the air as he jumped from building to building, akin to a superhero in a movie.
"..."
'The air blowing on my face...'
'How refreshing.'
Although few, it were moments like this that reminded him of his progress, moments that made him realize that one day in the past, he used to be like those people below, walking on the street, minding their own business...
Perhaps, like him, they also once dreamt of being unique and holding power themselves. What to him was nothing but a dream, to them, it was their monotonous reality.
Yet that same reality proved him wrong; it seemed that from the very beginning he was dreaming right, he was only searching in the wrong place... To think that he would have the heart to come this far…
Thankfully, he was in the right place, at the right time.
Sometimes he thought about that day. Of how he had seriously considered not going to the lecture…
Most of his few classmates had actually done so... now they weren't here.
But maybe that was for the best.
There aren't that many people he left behind in the Palace that he cared about, but if they had followed him here, that number would've increased many times over.
/Thud!/
Philip graciously fell on top of another house's roof, quickly looking around and checking one of the maps he brought.
He was just about to jump again when...
"Wow..."
"Hm?"
Philip heard a youthful voice coming from behind him, only to realize a little kid in boxers was staring right at him.
He also noticed a small pool on the side, it seemed this kid was enjoying some swimming, only to have it interrupted by a random man jumping into his home from nowhere.
Smiling helplessly, Philip waved at him before tapping his foot on the ground, "Sorry, kid, I'll be on my way."
"Ah! Wai..."
/Fwoosh!/
But before the kid could stop him, Philip had already jumped. High in the sky, he flew into the horizon…
"Wow..."
/Chatter!/
"I'm going down, mom..."
The little kid eventually went back home, taking a small glance into the sky, but it was now empty.
...
/Fwoosh!/
/Thud/
Landing on his two feet, Philip walked out of an alley as naturally as he could muster… almost as if he hadn't been flying in the air a few moments ago.
"Well..."
'Here I am.'
In front of him was yet another section of the town that looked a tad like any other.
However, there were some things worth pointing out.
First, it was the atmosphere, this place was darker, having a more sinister feel to it as compared to the rest of the city. There was an evident lack of light from the damaged structures and the lacking infrastructure.
It was the type of feeling someone would have the moment they strayed a bit off the path, finding themselves in a not-so-safe neighborhood.
Not only that, Philip noticed a few factories releasing dark smog into the skies, which was then quickly consumed by the massive vents in the ceiling.
Their density was higher here than in the rest of the city, making the air rougher, and technically, this would dub this place an industrial zone.
Everything was a mix of gray and brown, blunt concrete with dark metal beams sticking out of the stone… it was overall pretty lame… and the closest place to home he had seen so far.
"Now then… to find some trouble…"
{Are you sure you aren't intending to cause it?}
{That's an option too. Maybe it's my fate to cause trouble? That would be quite the plot twist…}
{…}
Amidst Laplabe's silence, the first thing he did was approach a rather sketchy fellow on the side... the very first person he saw.
...
/Step step.../
"Hm?"
Seeing him approach, the sketchy fellow frowned.
"Wow there, that's close enough." He said quickly upon noticing that Philip's target was actually him
One of his hands quickly approached his pant pockets. Philip's senses were quick to recognize a metallic object inside it, probably a small knife or blade of some sort.
He didn't even consider a gun. Truthly speaking though… Philip would be far more impressed if he wiped out a gun…
Philip could feel his emotions spreading outward… an intense feeling of caution and fear reached his body.
"You seem quite on edge. I mean no harm, only need some questions answered."
The man looked Philip up and down, and a strange feeling took over his body.
He gulped drily, "Well, you know how it is, this isn't the type of place where carelessness is left unpunished, it's quite the sad reality, to not even be able to trust a passerby, but the last thing I want is to get stabbed in the tummy."
"Now... what do you want? Otherwise, let's make this easy for both of us and just go our own ways."
Philip smiled, it seemed this fellow was more approachable than he looked. He was 90% expecting him to just have him go fuck himself.
"It's pretty simple, I'm kind of new here so I'm quite lost..."
"You can always go to the police station. They may be completely useless and a bunch of clowns, but they aren't mindless slimes. They can easily point you the way out of this shithole if that's what you want."
"They're but a few blocks away." He said as he pointed at the south
Philip knew he wasn't lying, otherwise, he would be down on the ground already.
"No no, you misinterpreted me, I'm not entirely looking for directions."
"..."
The man said nothing, only giving him a silent gaze…
"Simply put, I've been wanting to know just what's going on between the big guys. The ones causing trouble around here recently."
He raised an eyebrow, "You must mean the Street Palace and the Conjunction?"
Philip did not expect a direct mention of their names given the conditions, but he still nodded, "Correct."
The man smiled, perhaps sensing his slight surprise, "Ha, there's no need for such discretion, albeit I applaud you for even thinking about it."
"There are many people that have the knack for... sniffing around too much."
He didn't even look around, merely resting his back on the wall.
"If it was half a decade ago, I would've definitely kicked you away before scurrying away myself, but this isn't needed anymore, their priorities have long changed."
"Especially now, everyone's talking about this matter, ask any homeless bum out there and they'll tell you in exchange for some bread."
It was Philip's turn to raise an eyebrow… "Do you want some bread?"
He spat on the ground, "Do I look like I need charity?"
"..."
"Yeah... better not reply..." He said with a self-deprecating smile
"There isn't even a point in asking for something, and since I'm waiting for someone, why not strike some empty talk to pass the time?"
He took something from his other pocket, a small box full of cigarettes.
Be it in this world or back on Earth, Humans and other intelligence species around would always find a way to drown their own sorrows away...
"Want one?"
"Nah, I don't smoke."
"That's how it should be."
/Lit.../
"Pohoo..."
"As I was saying..."
He pointed at Philip with his cig, "You're asking me about their most recent conflict, right?"
"What else could I ask?"
"Heh, there is a tad too many awful things going on... always in these dumps."
He took a puff of his cig, "Simply put, the Conjunction suddenly struck some beef with the Street Palace over their own business... pretty crazy stuff if you ask me."
"Was there ever any sort of sign of that?"
"None, I mean, their territories aren't even bordering each other, they are like far-away neighbors than anything, it was truly out of the blue."
"It's not like there is nothing to gain from challenging the Street Palaces' rule, however, its not like it would be easy to take over them either, much less occupy their place once everything's over."
"Things aren't as simple as going to them, taking them down, and assuming things the next day like some boring office job."
"In here, they have to worry more about the other fish in the weeds than about the big one threatening to bite a chunk out of their fins."
Philip crossed his arms, "But they still did it?"
"Pretty aggressively at that. I heard they even taunted them by sending some of their own to attend their auctions publicly under their banner."
"It's not like the Street Palace stops anyone from attending those, but they were clearly being pushed around beyond their tolerance limit."
"Like, if you're dating a hot chick, you don't flaunt to her dad how great her ass felt, you get me?"
"A little bit?" Philip said with a thinking expression as he scratched his chin
"In the past few years, the Conjunction rose steadily with a mix of threats and shows of power, the usual you would expect from a bunch of thugs."
"But in the past few days, they suddenly exploded in aggression, as if someone had..."
For the first time, he looked around, making sure no one heard them.
"Ahem… as if someone had stepped on their tails, like a cat frantically clawing around."
"This even resulted in some beef in their last auction yesterday."
"Beef?"
"Yeah, I heard that Alicred himself involved himself in the conflict."
"Who?"
'Wait a minute… this name sounds familiar… somehow.'
"You sure aren't from here." The man said as he smiled awkwardly, "Your expression says it all, you're new to this."
"Alicred is none other than the son of their Managing Director, the very person in charge of everything... Only beneath the Big Guy himself... Conjuction's big dog."
"Not the type of person you'd see moving around in the open, much less causing trouble in enemy territory."
"How did it end? He must've been..."
"Yup, he was beaten pretty heavily... but funny enough, not by the people of the Street Palace, but by the very person he annoyed in the first place."
"Oh?"
'That's some Karma.'
"I know, I also found it pretty ironic."
"What about the person who did the deed?"
The man shrugged.
"No idea, likely just one of the many fearless sons of bitches scattered around the place..."
"Either that... or a soon-to-be piece of dead meat."
"Alicred doesn't really have the best of reputations... and he'll likely not take kindly to what he was driven through."
"Whoever did it is likely to have their fair share of troubles soon, some of which I would prefer not to even think about."
He puffed one last time, moving his head to the side after noticing something from the corner of his eye. It was someone, moving to their location.
"Looks like that's it for me today."
Philip nodded, "Much appreciated for your time."
"Be sure to be careful, stranger. By your look, it seems you want to dig deeper into this matter..."
"If you want, search for a place called Dead Cold. It's a bar that always seems to have something to say about... Literally, anything I can think of."
"If you're in for spending a few coins and drinking the worst drinks imaginable..."
"Was there such a place nearby?"
The man said nothing, merely pointing at the alley next to him.
Philip saw another street at the end, likely meaning that he was supposed to find the rest of the way himself...
Perhaps there was some weird rule in place?
"I don't really frequent the place, I don't like putting my nose where it doesn't belong and I go by fine. Too many shady people around here, but if you consider yourself up for a challenge and decently tough, then just go on these alleys and go get your answers."
"Ask a few people here and there, one of them is bound to know, considering Dead Cold is the only bar nearby."
"The only one?"
He scoffed as he spat on the ground, "All the other ones mysteriously vanished over time..."
"Oh..."
With that, Philip thanked the man before turning around and entering the alley.
/Poof.../
The man continued to smoke his cigar, taking one glance into the dark corridor, seeing Philip's figure mix in with the faint mist lying around, vanishing from his sight.
When the mist dissipated, he wasn't there anymore.
"..."
He puffed one last time, throwing his cigar on the ground.
"Hey man, what's up?" The newcomer asked as he raised his hand
But his friend did not move.
"Bro?"
What's going on?
He quickly approached him, touching his shoulder, only to realize he was sweating crazily!
"You okay?!"
"Y-Yeah, just a bit... Let me rest a while."
"You look like you saw a ghost!"
"I... Wouldn't say a ghost."
He closed his eyes with a silly smile.
"For the first time in my life, I felt glad to have been born with that..."
"You're talking about that useless ability you have?"
"What else?... Though... Not as useless anymore."
"I... Don't think I can move my legs." He said as he looked at his friend
The man was shocked by this, and for a moment, he looked at the alley with some shivers.
Because he had also seen a man walk inside.
...
/Around an hour later.../
/CRUNK!/
/THROW!/
/THUD!/
"And done! One more down the bars, its been so busy lately." A man with a heavy voice said as he closed a heavy metallic door, trapping a man inside a claustrophobic and dark room
He spat on the ground near the bars, "I need a raise." He said as he cleaned his hands, turning around to leave
"…"
However, he failed to realize this man's eyes were faintly glowing in an eerie blue light, casting a shadow onto his thin smile.
'I see it now… everything's in place.' Philip thought as his eyes darted around
'Now… let's get moving, shall we?'
...
.
.
.
Notes
Each chapter we move closer to the eventual System conclusion for his past ventures.
I was thinking of perhaps doing some action chapters soon? We do need Philip to start blasting with his new powers!
See you later!