Disclaimer: English is not my first language. I'm using Grammarly to check the Grammar and using Word to write it.
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We were able to find a convenience store that was still open at three in the morning. The poor cashier almost had a heart attack when we entered the place, it took about five minutes to convince her that we weren't going to hurt her.
After getting something to eat Barghest and Cú Chulainn accompanied me home and then went back to the warehouse.
I overslept, and by the time I woke up, Mom and Dad had already left for work and Daisy was at school. Mom left my breakfast inside the fridge.
I was eating pasta when Medea arrived to show me possible locations for our next base.
"What about this place?" Medea changed the image to an abandoned hotel.
"Not bad, lots of space but how is the interior?" I rubbed my chin.
"As you would expect, falling apart and full of mold," Medea shrugged.
Nothing that isn't easily fixable.
"Do we know if this property is for sale?" buying the place would save us a lot of headaches.
"I asked Da Vinci to look into it and she told me that the owner sold the place to the city years ago and moved to Boston," Medea said.
Okay, that could be a problem. I'm not sure if the city would be willing to sell the property to us.
"What does everyone else think?" I asked.
"That the hotel is the best option," Medea said.
It's not surprising, considering that the other options wouldn't provide comfort for a large number of people.
While I would prefer a more secluded location, I also know that once the renovations are completed this place will become a nigh-impenetrable fortress.
However, this does raise another problem.
"How are we going to pay for this place?" I thought out loud.
We're broke.
"Steal from the gangs," Medea went to get an apple.
I blinked in surprise at her words and then pinched my nose in frustration.
Goddam it, I should have taken some money from the safehouses. Oh well, I can do that this night when we attack Hookwolf.
I sighed and went to the fridge to get something to drink.
"You want anything?" I opened the fridge.
"Water please," Medea takes a bit of the apple.
I poured myself a glass of orange juice.
"Here you go," I handed her water.
"Thanks," Medea said.
Now that I think about it, I haven't yet inquired about everyone's opinion on Earth Bet. Hopefully, it's not too pessimistic.
"What do you think of Earth Bet so far?" I asked.
"Strange," Medea took a sip.
Not the answer I was expecting.
"In what way?" I raised an eyebrow.
"Honestly, I'm not sure. There's just something strange about this world that I can't put my finger on," Medea finished eating the apple.
I don't like the sound of that.
"Is it related to mystics?" I asked.
I have been wondering what's Earth Bet history is when it comes to mystics.
Medea nodded, "There's something about the magical energy of this world that is different from back home."
"Isn't that to be expected since, you know, this's another universe?" I asked.
"Initially, I thought that was the reason, but Da Vinci also observed something peculiar about the planet's magical energy," Medea said.
"...should I be worried?" we already have too many problems.
Medea shrugged, "I don't think so. Da Vinci certainly doesn't seem concerned. I will tell you if we find anything."
"Thanks," I hope it's nothing serious.
As I was putting my plate and cup inside the sink I remembered the tinker tech rifles I asked Hassan to deliver.
"Oh yeah, what did Da Vinci think of those rifles?" I asked.
"She hasn't stopped working on them since last night. You should have seen how her eyes lit up when Hassan delivered those rifles," Medea giggled.
I chuckled at the mental image. Man, I wish I had seen that.
"What do you think of them?" I asked curiously.
"I took a look at them but I realized that those rifles had nothing to do with mystics, so I couldn't be of any assistance. It was the same with Morgan," Medea finished her water.
I'm going to ask Tesla and Edison to help Da Vinci in analyzing those rifles when they're summoned.
"By the way, I'm going to need you to do some healing tonight," I said.
"Who would I be healing?" Medea asked.
"Dogs we're rescuing from one of Hookwolf fighting rings," I said.
Medea taps her chin, "Any idea of how many dogs?"
I shook my head in response.
"What time would we attack him?" Medea asked.
"Around midnight," I said.
"That's more than enough time to make a mystic code that will ensure that the dogs remain docile," Medea said.
"Do you need me to get you anything?" I asked.
"No need, I already know where to get the materials. Oh, I also found a place that sells models," Medea said.
"You have been exploring the city?" I raised an eyebrow.
Since there have been no sightings of Medea reported, it's evident that she's using magecraft to remain concealed from everyone.
"Had to stretch my legs a bit, being cooped up inside the warehouse the entire day was starting to get on my nerves," Medea said.
That's fair, the warehouse isn't an accommodating place.
"All right then, I will see you tonight. And tell Da Vinci that we're going with the hotel," I said.
"Bye master," Medea switched to spirit form and left the apartment.
I also went out to buy Da Vinci some food as I knew she would be too focused on those rifles to remember to eat.
I spent the remainder of the afternoon doing more homework until Mom, Dad, and Daisy returned home. We stayed talking about how everyone's day went until it was time to go to sleep.
After that, it didn't take long for Hassan to take me to the warehouse.
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Upon entering the warehouse, I quickly noticed the area once occupied by Da Vinci workshop was now enclosed by walls.
Look like she wanted some privacy.
"Huh," I said.
"Hey there master," Cú Chulainn walked next to me.
"Hey Cú Chulainn," I said.
As I glanced around, I noticed Medea constructing a miniature ship, Morgan lounging on a throne sipping tea with Barghest standing nearby.
"Is Da Vinci still inside?" I asked.
"She hasn't been out since last night," Cú Chulainn said.
I walked towards the door and knocked. I waited a few seconds before knocking again and there was still no response.
Did she fall asleep?
As I swung open the door my eyes fell upon Da Vinci, she was at the table examining the dismantled components of one of the rifles. The remaining ones were neatly stacked in a corner of the room. The table was also filled with notes that she made and a laptop.
She was so engrossed in examining the rifles that she didn't notice me entering the room.
"Da Vinci," I called.
"The power source is too small to give out these numbers," Da Vinci muttered while furiously typing on her laptop.
"Da Vinci," I called louder.
"With the level of technology of Earth Bet, creating these materials should be impossible," Da Vinci was revising some of her notes.
"DA VINCI!" I yelled.
Da Vinci let out a startled yelp and turned to me shocked.
"When did you arrive?!" Da Vinci exclaimed.
"Just now," I said.
"Couldn't you have been a little more gentle?" Da Vinci places her hands on her hips.
"I called you two times," I deadpanned.
"...oh," Da Vinci said.
I let out a sigh.
"Have you eaten anything?" I asked.
Da Vinci's stomach decided to answer my questions by grumbling loudly.
"What time is it?" Da Vinci grabs her stomach.
"It's almost midnight," I gave her the bag.
"Huh, so that is why I'm so hungry," Da Vinci grabbed the sandwich and soda. "Couldn't you have brought some coffee?"
"You really should cut back on the coffee, drinking so much of it isn't good for your health," I know she's a servant and all that but still.
Da Vinci shakes her head in disappointment, "Oh Henry, you still don't understand the excellence of coffee. It's coffee that keeps you awake and alive to face the challenges of the world! It's coffee that helps you get through the grind of the everyday! It's without question one of humanity's greatest creations!" she said passionately.
This isn't the first time I've heard this speech. Magus have some obsession with coffee that I just don't get it.
"Maybe it's time for an intervention? Your coffee addictions only seem to get worse," I said.
"Don't you dare take my coffee away, mister. You're the weird one," Da Vinci said.
"Oh for fuck sake, there's nothing weird about not liking coffee. Are you going to tell me that every magus adores coffee?" I huffed.
"Not only do they adore it but also own a significant portion of the industry," Da Vinci finishes the sandwich.
"What?" I asked.
"The coffee industry is heavily backed by numerous prominent magus. Honestly, I wouldn't be surprised if the lords of the Clock Tower own the entire enterprise," Da Vinci said.
"Is that actually true?" I asked.
"Very much so," Da Vinci nodded.
Okay, I'm not going anywhere close to that can of worms.
I looked at the dismantled rifle and Da Vinci noticed it.
"You certainly brought me-"
"You can tell me everything after you get some sleep," I said
Da Vinci stretched her body, "Yeah, I could go for some beauty sleep. Let me just set an alarm to remind me of my next meeting with Dodge," she
Dodge? Hold on, isn't that...
"The same Dodge from Toybox?" I asked.
"That's the one," Da Vinci said.
"How did you get in contact with them so fast?" I asked.
"It was easy to find them in the PHO. I was even able to convince them to give me access to their website" Da Vinci said.
"They have a website?" I blinked in surprise.
Da Vinci pressed a key on the laptop, bringing up the Toybox website.
"Unbelievable," it shouldn't be this easy to buy tinker tech.
"There are already a lot of things I want to buy from them. Especially Dodge tech," Da Vinci said.
I searched his inventions, curious to see how much it is. And blinked in surprise at the price.
"Half a million," I said surprised. "Only that much?" I turned to Da Vinci.
Don't get me wrong, that's still a significant amount of money, but we're talking about acquiring a personal pocket dimension. I was expecting it to cost at least millions.
"I was surprised as well by the price but it makes sense when you think about the difficulties of maintaining tinker tech," Da Vinci said.
"Can you do it?" I raised an eyebrow.
It will be huge if she can maintain tinker tech.
"Did you forget who you're talking to? I'm an unparalleled genius, nothing in this world is beyond my understanding," Da Vinci puffed her chest proudly.
I gave out a chuckle at that. If anyone can fully understand what is tinker tech, it's Da Vinci.
"By the way, can you create an account for me in the PHO? I keep forgetting to do it," I said.
"Sure," Da Vinci said.
"What's your username?" I asked curious.
"Uomo Universale," Da Vinci said with a wide smile.
About what I was expecting.
"Oh, before I forget. I was able to get in contact with the leader of the Guild, Narwhal," Da Vinci said.
"How did it go?" I asked.
"Poorly," Da Vinci said in a sour tone.
"Was it because of the PRT?" I frowned.
"It wasn't because of them," Da Vinci said. "Narwhal learned about Chaldea from Dragon. Apparently, she collaborates frequently with Armsmaster."
"What did Dragon say about us?" I asked.
What the hell did Armsmaster say to Dragon?
"Based on the information I was able to gather from Narwhal, Dragon appears to have a favorable opinion about us," Da Vinci said.
"So what's the problem?" I asked.
"The issue is that Narwhal thinks that Chaldea is a new organization and doubts that rookie heroes can handle the threats typically managed by the Guild," Da Vinci said.
Da Vinci and I stayed in silence for a few moments.
"I know she means well and everything, but I can't help feeling insulted," I said, breaking the silence.
"Same," Da Vinci crosses her arms.
"We need more wins under our belt," she's gonna have to take us more seriously when we get rid of the gangs.
"That's right, so go out there and beat up a lot of villains," Da Vinci was pushing me out of the workshop.
"Wha-knock it off, Da Vinci!" I complained.
"Is there anything else you wanna talk about?" Da Vinci raised an eyebrow.
"Well, to be honest, I came here to give you some food, and to-wait there's something else!"I said, recalling my conversations with Medea. "Medea said that the both of you noticed something strange about the planet's magical energy."
Da Vinci was confused for a second before understanding what I meant.
"Oh, that. I'm almost certain that the strange feeling Medea is having is related to another matter that I want to confirm," Da Vinci locks eyes with me. "It's related to the Counter Force," she said seriously.
"What!? What're you talking about!" I exclaimed alarmed.
Whenever Alaya and Gaia get involved it always gets...messy.
"To be more specific, I want to understand why Alay hasn't taken any action to prevent humanity's decline," Da Vinci said.
My mouth went dry when a question passed my mind.
"Why hasn't Alaya sent counter-guardians to eliminate the Endbringers?" I asked stunned.
Oh god, were counter-guardians unable to kill the Endbringers?
"That's one of the questions that came to my mind when you told us about the Endbringers," Da Vinci said.
A thought sent a shiver down my spine.
"Did Gaia create the Endbringers?" I asked fearfully.
"...there's a non-zero chance that she did," Da Vinci grimaced.
A heavy silence settled in the room.
I pinched my nose in frustration, "God our luck sucks. Why's nothing ever easy with us?"
"The path we've chosen has never been an easy one," Da Vinci smiled tiredly. "But I agree with you, our luck sucks!" she huffed.
Da Vinci and I traded looks and began to chuckle.
"So, what now?" I asked.
"Ah, I still need to complete those scanners before I can start to look into the Counter Force. I could get started on that right-"
"After you get some sleep," I interrupted her.
"Once I've had some sleep, I will complete the scanners and begin testing," Da Vinci said.
I nodded and left her workshop, my mind swirling with numerous questions.
"You okay there, master?" Cú Chulainn asked.
"Yeah, just got a lot on my mind," I rubbed my neck.
You know what? I'm going to put this on the back burner for now.
"Is everyone ready?" I asked loudly.
Medea stopped working on the model and walked over and so did Barghest.
Morgan was by a cauldron, brewing some kind of potion.
"Here you go," Medea gives me a bracelet.
"What is it?" I put it on my left wrist.
"Something to raise your defenses," Medea explained.
"Thanks," I said.
We left the warehouse.
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We were atop a rooftop overlooking a warehouse that Hookwolf used for one of his fighting rings.
We could hear screams and monstrous howls coming from the inside. There is a hole that seems recently made on the side of the warehouse.
The hell is going on?
"Hellhound is attacking the fighting ring," Hassan explained.
I let out a sigh at the news.
"What's the problem, master?" Medea asked.
"Hellhound is attacking the place," I said.
Barghest hummed, "There're reports of her attacking these rings but that's not important right now. Does her interference change our plans?"
"It doesn't, Hookwolf is still our target," I said.
We jumped down and entered through the hole that Hellhound had created when she invaded the warehouse.
The inside of the warehouse was in pure chaos.
Two monstrous dogs were running around the place, violently knocking aside any Empire members that didn't move out of their path quickly enough. Hellhound was riding on one of the dogs.
None of them appeared to be dead yet, but I wasn't sure how long that would last.
A woman wearing a cage for a mask, Cricket, was effortlessly dodging the attacks from a third monstrous dog. She retaliated with her kamas whenever she had the chance. Though her cuts weren't deep, they were slowly stacking.
On an elaveted plataform stood our target, Hookwolf. He gazed boredly at the chaos below and made no effort to join the fight.
Hellhound notices our presence and lets out a loud whistle while pointing in our direction. The dog that had been attacking Cricket immediately stopped and shifted its focus on us. With a furious howl, he charged straight at us.
Barghest stepped forward and backhanded the dog as it approached her, sending it to the other side of the warehouse. It lay motionless on the ground, and I couldn't tell if it was still breathing.
Did it die?
"Judas!" Hellhound screamed.
Hellhound whistled loudly, making the last two dogs focus their attention on us. Before they could charge at us, Medea summoned ethereal chains that tightly wrapped around the dogs and Hellhound.
"That's enough of you," Medea said.
Medea also conjured a protective barrier around Hellhound and the two dogs, ensuring that the Empire couldn't harm them.
Hellhound continued shouting insults until Medea modified the barrier to block any sound from escaping.
"What a rude child," Medea huffed.
Hookwlf laughed, "Well if it isn't the fuckers that Kaiser wants dead! Bringing your head will be so much easier now!"
"So, this's the guy we're here for? He looks like a wimp," Cú Chulainn remarked with a challenging grin.
Blades began to envelop Hookwolf, "Oh, I'm going to enjoy this," he growled.
Hookwolf leaps down in his wolf form and charges at us. Barghest rushes forward to intercept him.
Hookwolf slashed at Barghest's stomach, aiming to cut her in half. In response, Barghest ignited her blade and severed his arm.
Barghest sidesteps to dodge Hookwolf's tackle and raises her sword to slice him in two. Blades extended from his side in an attempt to impale her, but though they failed to pierce her armor, they assisted Hookwolf in leaping away just as Barghest brought her sword down.
Hookwolf wasn't unscathed; Barghest had managed to leave an ugly gash on his side that was dripping molten metal.
I let out a chuckle at seeing Hookwolf's wound. Barghest flames were more than enough to liquefy all the metal that was coating him.
"You bitch," Hookwolf growled and waited for his arm to regenerate before charging again at Barghest.
Cricket attempted to rally the remaining members, those who weren't too injured from Hellhound rampage, to organize an attack against Cú Chulainn, Medea, and me.
Medea had other ideas.
Medea soared upwards and numerous magical circles materialized in front of her. Beams of light shot toward the Empire members, destroying any chance Cricket had to amass a counterattack.
Cricket was the only one to manage to dodge, though just barely, the onslaught of light from Medea.
Medea conjures dragon tooth warriors, dispatching most to gather the grunts and the remainder to pursue Cricket.
"Don't you want to participate?" I asked.
A dragon tooth warrior managed to sneak up behind Cricket and slash her back. Snarling, Cricket began to attack with renewed ferocity, but no matter how many she destroyed the dragon tooth warriors were gradually encircling her.
"And do what? The only one that seems to be a good fight is the wolf guy and Saber already has that under control," Cú Chulainn shrugged.
Cú Chulainn calmly stepped forward and twirled Gae Bolg, deflecting Hookwolf's melting arm away from us.
"Sorry!" Barghest exclaimed as she launched a wave of fire that blasted Hookwolf against a wall.
"It's fine!" I said.
"He's lasting longer than I expected," Cú Chulainn commented.
"Yeah but he won't last much longer," I thought looking at his state.
Hookwolf was struggling to move as numerous cuts covered his body, each dripping molten metal. The fact that the metal was also overheating only worsened his predicament.
On the other hand, Barghest was completely unharmed; her armor bore a few scratches, but they would vanish later.
A scream of agony snapped my focus back to Cricket; a sword was lodged in her thigh. In swift retaliation, she decapitated the dragon tooth warrior responsible, but another one immediately seized her arm. She screamed again as the warrior tightened his grip, forcing her to release the kama.
I noticed that her other kama was nowhere in sight.
Cricket clenched her teeth and yanked the sword from her thigh; rapidly using it to sever the arm that had gripped her. She dashed as fast as she could towards a door, slashing wildly as she went.
"Is that an exit?" I asked.
"No, it's where they keep their weapons," Hassan said.
Cricket entered the room and slammed the door shut with force.
It doesn't matter what she uses, the result is cle-
BOOM!
An explosion erupted from inside the room Cricket had entered, causing the warehouse to tremble for several seconds.
"What the hell was that!?" I asked shocked.
Medea sent a dragon tooth warrior to enter the room and see what became of Cricket.
Hookwolf briefly glanced towards the explosion to see what had happened. That created an opportunity for Barghest that she didn't waste it. She swiftly closed the distance and sliced Hookwolf in half.
Hookwolf was on the ground, groaning and attempting to move, but Barghest stomped on his head, stopping him.
"Cease or your life is forfeit," Barghest places her sword at his neck.
The upper half of Hookwolf started changing back to his human form, while his lower half remained unchanged.
Before he could utter a single word, Barghest silenced him with a blow to the head.
He was quickly tied up with ethereal chains.
"Thank you," Barghest said.
"It's nothing," Mede came down and walked towards Cú Chulainn and me.
"What happened to Cricket?" I asked.
"She blew up a wall to escape," Medea said.
Cú Chulainn and I traded a glance and walked to the room.
Peering inside, I spotted a tooth warrior stationed before an opening large enough for a person to escape through. The remainder of the room lay in utter ruin.
"She's losing a lot of blood," Cú Chulainn inspected the blood trail that Cricket left.
"Yes, she is," I hummed.
"I will right back," Cú Chulainn said as he moved to capture Cricket.
"Don't. Given her injuries, she will seek healing from Othala, and that will guide us to her," I said.
"All right," Cú Chulainn shrugged in response.
"Hassan, send one of your personas to tail her," I said.
"Already doing," Hassan said.
"Also, grab any money if you find it here," I said.
Let's see: Cricket is gone, Hookwolf is out of commission and the remaining Empire members are being watched by dragon tooth warriors.
"All that's left is her," I thought, turning my attention to Hellhound and blinking in surprise.
She was desperately trying to break free from the chains.
The hell set her off?
I recalled the third dog that Barghest had struck earlier and tuned my gaze toward it.
Two dragon tooth warriors were cutting him open. And Medea was next to them, examining a piece that had been cut from the dog.
Oh yeah, that would definitely enrage Hellhound.
"What do you make of that?" I walked to Medea.
"It's a peculiar mixture of muscle and bone but the strange part is that all the tissue composing this form is effectively dead," Medea handed the piece she was holding to another dragon tooth warrior.
"Does that mean that the dog is dead?" I asked.
Medea shook her head, "He's alive, encased in some sort of sack at the core of this tissue. I'm going to collect the remains of this flesh for further examination."
"What about Hookwolf low-oh you already got it," a group of dragon tooth warriors surrounded were carrying the lower half and waiting for further instruction.
"Yep. Now I just need to get the dog out," Medea said.
"I think Hellhound called him Judas earlier," I rubbed my chin in thought.
A dragon tooth warrior approached us, presenting Judas who was unconscious.
"Is he okay?" I asked.
Medea cast a spell to asses his well-being.
"Except for a few old scars, he seems perfectly fine. He's just unconscious," Medea remarked, peering closer and frowning. "Where did all this muscle mass come from?" she looked at the flesh with a thoughtful expression.
That's a good question.
Hellhound power enables her to transform dogs into the creatures before me. However, it's just not possible for a dog of Judas size to produce that much body mass.
You can't create matter from nothing. That's a universal law.
So, how's this possible?
"Are we going to do something about her?" Cú Chulainn referred to Hellhound.
"I'm on it," Medea said.
Medea lowered the barrier, filling the warehouse with the furious shouts of Hellhound and the angry howls of the dogs.
"Don't you fucking touch him!" Hellhound shouted.
"Quiet," Barghest growled.
Hellhound stiffened, and the dogs began to whimper and tremble in fear.
Medea casts a spell that puts Hellhound and the dogs to sleep.
"Okay, put Judas with them and get the two other dogs out," I ordered the dragon tooth warriors.
The dragon tooth warrior that was holding Judas walked to Hellhound.
"Let's go see the dogs that's being held here," Medea said.
"Door with a padlock, right corner of the warehouse," Hassan said.
Walking to the door, I reinforced my leg and kicked open the door.
I clenched my fist in anger and Medea grimaced at the sight before us.
The dogs were inside cages. Some barked at us while most cowered and shook in fear, likely frightened by the noise of the fight.
Their appearance is what enrages me.
Old scars, fur matted with dried blood, wounds appearing infected, and some missing an ear or a paw.
"You've all been through a lot," Medea walked to the center of the room and retrieved a music box from her cape. "May this soothe your pain, even if only a little."
As Medea opened the music box, a gentle lullaby began to play, and within moments, the dogs started to settle down.
I could feel the tension easing from my shoulders.
Medea handed me the music box and raised her staff, bathing the room in a green light.
I could immediately see the effects as wounds began to close, scars began to fade and the dogs appeared to regain some vitality.
We stayed like that until Medea lowered her staff.
"How are they?" I handed the music box back.
The dogs were now watching us with curiosity, a significant improvement compared to before.
"Physically they're healed," Medea said as she tucked the music box away inside her cape.
I fucking hate how we can't do anything else for them.
Now to call the PRT and-
"Master, Lung is attacking the Empire," Hassan said.
My eyes widen at the news.
"What happened!?" I asked alarmed.
"I'm not sure. He received a phone call and immediately began mobilizing his forces," Hassan said.
"We need to go," I said, seizing Medea's hand and hurrying out of the room with her.
"Hey, master! Something is happening, I can hear explosions in the distance!" Cú Chulainn exclaimed, looking towards the direction of the noises.
I could hear the explosion in the distance.
"It's Oni Lee. He's engaging Empire forces and causing havoc," Hassan said.
"Lung is attacking the Empire!" I said.
Barghest and Cú Chulainn tensed at the news.
I turned to Medea, "Have the dragon tooth warriors deliver Hookwolf and Hellhound to the PRT and the rest to the police. Also, summon more of them to take the dogs to the police."
Medea quickly commanded the dragon tooth warriors and summoned additional reinforcements. She also hides with a illusion the dragon tooth warriors who are returning to the warehouse with the materials she collected.
"Excuse me, master," Barghest grabs me and slings me over her shoulder as though I'm a sack of potatoes. "It will be faster this way."
"Don't worry about it, just go!" I said.
We rushed to our next battle.
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