COI C104
Lady Hivites watch her men, subordinates and bound to her will, being fighting long and hard to protect the city. They are not permitted to die as their mistress grasps their soul like a thread. Those nosy people who found out about it, probably thinking they could get away from it. Pretending to be medical personnel but they have mana that possessed special unique traits, this play had already been fun to her, the demon elf, and with them gathered in the public view. It was this Lady had seen enough where almost one of them about to leave or use their device to report this incident.
“I have seen enough, go forth with your duty and spare nothing who gaze on my subordinates”
“What about who are not, the Enders?”
“Pardon them . . . including the others who are independent. They have no quarrel to deal with you”
“Understood, I need time to find an excuse for my actions”
“There’s no need, I have already prepared for it”
The demon elf stood before the citizens who are wished to help. The lady wasn’t pleased to all of them, even the innocent. The innocent, the demon elf questions herself.
Haw and Ironno watches the Agathean men gathered around them as they guide them out from the island. This strange interaction made them wary when they see the illusion. Rusic didn’t resist to say it
“We better go now, getting involved with them will upset my drink”
Ironno feels the magic tension pressured his body from demon’s presence, and the men from afar seemed to ignore them.
“Tonight, this should not be bringing us trouble. Let’s go, I don’t think they are the same people who cooperating with, Haw”
Haw watch them leave as they have no expression nor reaction coming from their bodies. It reminds of himself.
Couple of nights later, Haw was invited by his girls for a drink. A surprised look of his face to hear them again after that grief they have when their apartment building was in ruin. He is been sleeping on the hospital helping the patients, making potions or medicine on their own, and because of the damaged production coming from Taiyou Industries. Everything turned for the worse. Thankfully, the train comes by bringing the resources they need to rebuild the city as soon as possible.
He is in the hospital with another man who is from the Island. “Since the beginning, we met because of the rumble. Now here, helping them to make medicine for them. The city had been into a lot trouble”
Wielding to the side with his replaced weapon, a police baton, the man sits next to him giving Haw a bottle of water. “There is nothing to say much, especially asking your name”
“There’s no need to, I’ve been called as a support during the defense. How about you? What they called you?”
“Haw, they have the data on their computers to easily track my identity”
The support raises his shoulder high then low, without showing his understanding about what he said.
“Sigh* Everything gets recorded, huh. I thought you are given nickname too . . .”
A medical staff appeared to them from behind “Alright, Haw and Maser, you two are free to go. Thanks for making the ingredients for us, we can handle here for the night. Remember tomorrow’s batch will relocated to a different location. All of you be ready by the morning. Goodbye”
Then he hurriedly returned back to his work.
Haw talks to Maser “Maser? They called you maser?”
“Yeah, it references me and my magic to a so-called emission of radiation. In other word, I can replicate their medical equipment to scan the patient’s body. You are an Enders, right? Care to understand what I have just said?”
A familiar use from archscience, the Dexter guild probably giving them tips how to substitute their equipment. The accuracy though is limited only to see the differences than the conditions.
“A little, they are using archscience on your magic”
“I see, with that procedure, then the medicine we made earlier is still in need for processing”
The two walks out from the hospital, Illtended spotted them together, through his surprised he never saw both of them together. “Hey! Haw! Maser!”
Haw said to Maser “Do you know him?”
“No, but he must be Altair’s colleague”
Illtended almost trip as he forgot they never met before. He slightly bows to him with an apology “Sorry, sorry. Altair won’t be come to pick you up. Something urgent is coming up, so, he called me to get you”
Haw’s head begins sweating “What do you mean?”
“Oh, I forgot. Wait a minute, did you get invited too?”
Haw shows him his message, Illtended thought so “Almost the same as theirs, so close. Those girls of yours . . . are really are something, I guess”
Haw is getting nervous for what is going to do tonight, he leans to Maser for a little chat while Maser says his reason why he was invited. Maser’s response
“Don’t worry, there are more people like us will be coming. There’s a collaboration among adventurers from Agatheus City and Isekai City”
They are going into a convention area, where it is next to a hotel. Where people there are heading to the convention as adventurers from Agatheus City. Maser pointed out the adventurers as he couldn’t recognized their banner, he reads
“Victory Rooks . . . Vilhi Diegnas, it doesn’t look like it is translated properly”
Haw asks “Why?”
“I know victory means to win in their terms, for Vilhi Diegnas means a question for ‘will they’ . . . ‘retribute’”
“They are from Agatheus City, right? They must be having differences given a name. Or rather those adventurers are not capable to the same strength as theirs”
“You’re probably right, Haw”
They arrive at the entrance and saw Silfa and the other adventurers, they wave at Illtended as they brought Maser along. “You guys are finally here. Why is Haw here?”
“I’m heading to where my girlfriends at, more like passing by”
Altair sees Maser still wearing his uniform “I’m sorry not bringing you here myself, there is a lot of things happening to discuss. So, let’s hop in to the convention”
Haw and Illtended watch them go inside as Illtended figures no interest saying about it. He joins along with Haw.
Haw asks Illtended, “What’s that convention about?”
“It is related to foreign affairs between adventurers. It was difficult for other city states to come here. Your city keeps rejecting the invitation, and with the city sphere knowing why. They are still at east mountain”
“East Mountain, I had quest there back then, I would tell you about it before your people came”
“Great! I mean, would you let me be part of on your date”
“There is no date, they want me here after they said something cancelling their schedule”
“Right? Lead on then”
Haw stops by with a random Agathean passing by, he raises a sign as she stops in front of them “Oh my, a customer in middle of an event. An Enders?! I can’t recognize someone who is wearing a city’s uniform. What do you need?”
“An alcohol, special mixer’s set ingredients”
“For brawling, tasting, or relaxation. Maybe I recommend some satisfying tasty drinks for your meals”
“You expect me to pay for a handful or score of sylvs”
“I was hoping for your friend here to pay for you. Y prices like him doesn’t need to pay high knowing my inventory had special rare spice from the inner realm”
Illtended read the price, mentioning about the sylvs. 10,000 Y for 1 sylv, very cheap price if Haw didn’t mention about the set. He continues to listen with the total price of 300,000 Y. Illtended choked himself out of shock
“Cough* That much, can you show me the product”
“Product? Oh, the goods. Don’t worry, you won’t be scammed anywhere else, hehe”
Her sweet scheming voice led out a cute laugh. Illtended can’t described himself between her charms or himself buying this for Haw. She shows them the goods.
Open through from the magic box with other magic gems sealed more and more beverages and other ingredients. Illtended use his magic item to identify them all, all neatly secured and properly preserved for how many years or magic bounded with time. She gives him a sample vile, the smell coming from a whiskey and with slight taste on his tongue. He feels a dent on his head by the strong taste.
“Ahem, no burns in my throat”
“Of course, your friend requesting for relaxation. If you want some strong drink, I give you a bottle for brawling”
Illtended watches Haw as he doesn’t think he would buy it. He leans to him quietly and said, “If I buy the set, what do I get?”
“I have a few offers, first one is; I give you all the strong drinks inside the set while I have the ingredients and unfinished spices”
“Unfinished?”
The woman hears him and interrupts them “Oh why yes, some ingredients aren’t finished yet. Only an experienced wine maker will make the finishing touches. Because perfection tastes better between freshness and years stored strong flavor, do you agree?”
Haw added what she had said “. . . And to those who know how to cook will be able to preserve the sauces and the spices into the alcoholic drinks. Broths, animal lard or fats, and creams either be become juices, stew or cleansing brew”
She responds “Brew?! With an already preserved bottles, you must’ve known about ancestral cookery”
“Yes, known, but I have a dwarf can make it so”
She nods as the two had great knowledge regarding drinks and meals. Leaving Illtended left to know about it, he gives his curious ears and tongue a try.
They bought the set, and Illtended again picks it up to his inventory. The woman smiles with joy to carried so much money on her magic bag. “Thank you for this trade, I knew this city loves their drinks, especially the girls. I didn’t expect an actual chef in this city know the adult’s cuisine. Goodbye”
Illtended asks Haw “Adult’s cuisine?”
“Mostly regarding to use the ingredients heavily on drinks. Young children shouldn’t be drinking with high alcohol intakes. Does your youths drink too?”
“No . . . honestly, they do it behind our backs”
Maser greet them from behind as they turn around. Illtended pointed at him “Why are you here? You are supposed to be with the others”
The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement.
“The meeting won’t start after dinner, they invited me though, but I have better in mind. Haw?”
Haw pointed at Illtended, Maser keeps guessing on his head until Illtended responds “Well, we are heading there. You would like, but remember to pay your share”
“I don’t mind since Haw will go there and the price should be barely be reasonable”
“Yeah right, reasonable? Hey Haw, what are your people think the price should be reasonable?”
“The lowest price from other cities at the minimum of 1 Cuu coin”
“A 100 Y, there is, but not here”
Nanami and Shinji are waiting for Haw, their hopes and only personal chef finally come here with the barbecue cooking set inside this restaurant. With more friends with them are the 2 receptionists and the other one is her boyfriend.
“Gosh, us two guys would be only facing four beauties. Luckily, I am already taken with one girl. Lol ouch*”
“Don’t be mean, we are close friends here and we are don’t going to miss their boyfriend’s best cuisine. Right, you two?”
“Yeah, I still not buying it when you three already having relationship during his first visit in the city guild. After having a nice conversation with him during the rally area, I guess I understand why you two like him”
Nanami raises her voice with praised. “Well, of course. He already accepted being the middle man in our relationships . . .”
The boyfriend responds to her with a tight grip. “It’s because you tricked him to believe that there is an open relationship in this city”
“. . . ugh!”
Shinji watches Nanami froze from humiliation, the two staff had been planting to having fun among the boys, but this was different.
The boyfriend’s receptionist also sided with him “I know I don’t want to butt in, but Haw is becoming famous now being involved with the public services. With other people from the island show off their tribute for the city. If that scandal from you two bring it up to him in a bad light. I can’t say anything to protect you two”
The other receptionist kept to the side as they have their dating quarrels. She sighs to the side line, that she was invited because these people with her had their apartment gone from the north. She lives in a nice apartment complex where her old neighbors weren’t transfer to this world. They decided to move there as there is still more empty rooms.
She speaks to herself “Haw, you are one interesting guy. The first man to have a relationship with those bitches. The locals fear us that we can overwhelmed them with our powers. That incident was so frightful to the locals as having relationship in this city had a big gap regarding to mana”
Something heavy placed on their table. It was Illtended with Haw and another guy. Ilttended kindly said to them
“Me and my friend here wants in for the feast. If you don’t know, I am the one who bought the recipes”
Shinji uses her UI to scan the box, very tight and well preserve with many ingredients and drinks hid inside. She turns to her friends and said with monotone voice “The idiot bought 300,000 Y worth of goods”
Everyone spews out from their glass as they heard the price. The receptionist’s boyfriend gives a big shock
“Hey, you are an idiot. We are in 3,000 Y barbecue budget, not a hundred folds. I hope you get what you wish for”
Haw opens the box and already preparing on his side of the table. Maser joins to help him for the preparation.
Illtended thought they would be definitely getting scammed, but the magic box keeps opening so much ingredients and multiple different spices keep opening one by one. Shinji starts to mouthwatering and flustered at the same time, continuing to say Illtended the same word
“Idiot, fucking idiot”
Whereas the receptionist watched Haw play out his arms like he is doing some bartending in a small space. Others see him doing it and raised their devices, the staff comes to them and wave their warnings.
“Please no cameras, this place is for eating. They are allowed to bring their necessities for their own personal flavoring on their barbecues, please just enjoy the meal”
The barbecue restaurant, they are preparing a special promo to bring their own personal sauces and other ingredients. Thanks to the siege, they have limited stocks such as drinks and sauces to make more variants of barbecue meals. Haw and Maser are preparing the side dishes that meant for sauces. The staff served the meat and placed at their grill. Illtended grabs the staff’s servings
“Please let us do this, we can handle this and focus on the other customer”
“Oh please, we won’t neglect your . . .”
The receptionist joins him still looking at Illtended about the money he spends and tell her off
“Please, we are plenty enough to serve ourselves. Thank you”
While they are grilling, Illtended asks Shinji “Say, how do you know I spend that money on this set?”
“I have spirit, who can see through cash bought and sold”
Nanami laughs a bit “Yeah, Shinji the stingy. It rhymes so well when I said it in English too”
Shinji’s spirit hid inside her card inside her wallet, keep tapping to any surface to see the price secretly being traded from the past traded history. This time she uses her magic to touch it with her hand then place it on her card. The past history of purchases was transcended through multiple markets inside the inner realm of Agatheus City, days before until now. The seller probably expected this to happen.
She asks Haw “Say, dear . . .”
The receptionist blocks her mouth with dark look of her face “Remember what we agreed on, don’t talk lovey dovey in front of me. Even though those two guys are available but I don’t want to be left out, again”
She just nodded as she continues to talk to him “Ahem, Haw. Where did you buy those goods in a complete set?”
Haw swipes and shakes the ingredients while pops up a few lavish drinks “From the Agathean adventurer, they did carry things to sell such a big stock”
Illtended agrees “You won’t believe how many there is inside this called mixer’s set”
Maser stops for a moment as he heard the name “Mixer’s set. You bought a complete mixer’s set for estimated of 30sylvs?”
“Yeah, is it that expensive?”
“Expensive to those who don’t know how to make it, all this we did now is not yet fully prepared”
Everyone stares at the ingredients as they don’t know how ready they are. Maser and Haw seem to know how to prepare them with consecutive movements to set up a few dishes at the table. They start to look it more mysterious than they have believed it based on the price.
Once everything is finished, the meat cooked, and the drinks brought out from the magic box. Haw and Maser offered the sauce to the other side of the table. Everyone raises their glass with all drinks raised, from Horsin and Isekai City’s brand, they take their gulp. A strong refreshing, breath taking relief from the citizens. The boyfriend shouts out
“Yeah! Finally, a celebration worth after the worse days of our life”
Haw and Maser cheers to him “One of those days!”
Illtended laughs out loud by the sudden reaction, including the girls softly laugh. The boyfriend gets flustered but his girlfriend stops him while giggling.
Appealing to the taste and strong flavors made by those two, Shinji and Nanami watch them eat happily as they take their time eating. The receptionist sits at the corner notice them being calm, to think those girls have this kind of man to make the food better. Jealousy is piling up in her head, until Illtended talks to Haw
“Hey Haw, can we talk about your quest in east mountain? I can’t hold myself with your beverages here”
“You can’t handle our brands . . . I was about to comment yours but . . .”
Maser butts in about the drinks “It’s good, but not strong enough to took down a dwarf”
The boyfriend gives an honest answer “I admit, the drinks are good from your end. Mine are my hard earn money here”
The other receptionist happily pats her boyfriend at the back “Don’t you worry, we have to thank Illtended and his friends bringing the real deal. Oh yeah, we forgot about our introduction. We got busy seeing them in action with their mixer’s set. We forgot about our greetings”
Maser taps his glass on the table “Let’s stay strangers here, because I kept hiding my name and the city give me one”
Illtended bursts out his name “His name is Maser”
“. . .”
Maser gives a disappointed look at him, giving a way for their mouth puff from their laughter. After a good fun quarrel among them, Haw finally speaks out his story.
“I guess the fun is over, do you guys want to know about east mountain?”
They nodded and his girlfriends lean closer to hear him. Not much later on, Maser stands up begins his leave
“I think it’s my time to leave. It was a nice meal, and have a nice night. I think I’m probably be late”
Illtended waves his goodbye “Yeah, thanks for helping Haw for the side dishes”
Everyone is satisfied with the barbecue and the drinks on hand. Shinji calls out to the staff “Can we added a payment with this?”
“Huh? A recipe for this?”
Its Maser’s personal side dish sauce, Shinji carefully watches him eat as he was able to quickly took a bite a freshly cook barbecue, steaming and sizzling, dip with his own sauce and quickly eats it. She takes sample with it and added her spirit. Adding more mana to the spirit made it harder to identify, but during their meal, it managed to find it. She whispers to him
“I will call it a cooling dip, quickly cools after grilling. Keep me on tap if you decide before we left”
“Ok? What do you want in return?”
She smiles at him and says nothing.
The 2 receptionists are gossiping as they switch sits with the others. “I hope his stories are good. You got so curious about him how he has so many skills but still weak when it comes to fighting”
“I am so excited, will your boyfriend care to listen to him?”
They look at him picking away from the magic box with each bottle he sees, then took the sample vile to his glass. He makes a list to which drinks he wanted to take a share of. The boyfriend notices their gazes and said,
“Go on right ahead, if I going to buy drinks from Agathean City, I have a list right here”
They both giggle on their sit and his girlfriend replies “I think he won’t”
Haw stories began, “East Mountain, a thousand meters depths or more to reach the bedrock. It’s been more than 80 years that place wasn’t been breach. The elves were patient and the enemies hid their trapped with their invaluable resources. Some say it’s the key nature to return balance of life throughout the world, but the world is not ready for it. Somehow, something took a hold of their domain. It was started two years ago when the Enders Bridge was called. Only the original founders’ guild joined the quest, there an exception of one guild. You might know them as Benedictus or our Enders called them ‘Not Worthy’ . . .”
Everyone except the receptionist’s boyfriend shook the name of those people . . . Benedictus. Wandering through their heads by that name, Illtended can’t hold his mouth
“Why Benedictus . . . I mean . . .”
“Those people were at the northern border of the east coast, before that incident. They were always negotiators before, and nothing much I know except their interference between the battle of the northern region. They are what you called from your world as the red cross. Trusted for being the apothecary of war, treating everyone equally, and show no harm with their prisoners”
After what he said, they feel kind a relief.
“. . . Ehem, back to the story. I was part of the Dexter’s guild, experienced of being a militia of an already diminished group once called the military corps. Warfare had so limited supplies that are highly dependent on the scraps from Rune Isles. We are able bodies to do extermination works. I am part the role of an initiate or mechanic with chemical weapons on my side including energy defenses hidden through my coat. I can’t describe what potions I brought, but let’s just say your city won’t let bring it here . . .”
“. . . We are at the deep tight caverns with massive infestations. Like roots you have seen before, but this one is a special biome that should’ve been for insects. This where we ventured through is more absurd than everyone had imagine. Remains of other monsters of its bone, merging together with the flesh of demonic magic. Neutral mana can be grotesque at time, but this one they never saw rotten flesh comes to life. A creature that has no living essence attached together with other parts of its limbs. They called it chimeras, it attacks anyone that has biological presence, our scent . . .”
They take their drinks and eat bit of the barbecues as they listen. Illtended hears him talking about the deeper depths of east mountain, from what he heard earlier the monsters are from the surface. Haw’s interpretation of those same monsters were the remains of past monsters merging together near the bed rocks, flesh made out of what, he wonders.
“. . . Our equipment is well prepared against those creatures. They’re quick abomination to switch and form and treated their body parts as tools like scrap parts. Their heads are replaceable from beaks, fangs, to broken skulls as a weapon itself. It is the same goes with the rest of its bodies . . .”
“. . . We were four men below the poisonous dirt, the stench, the darkness, and everything with it that lead no lives possessing any neutral mana. Me and the rest without magic, had brought them down with weapons, fires spread as we ourselves getting bathe by it, and strange lights were treated as blades. While I carried the chemicals to clear out the mess, all turned into a disgusting pit as it slowly cleans off into mud that burns our boots clean, wiping clean on our metal boots. For how many days we stay there until we reach a strange ruin . . .”
“. . . Clearly, we reached the bottom of East Mountain, but hardly recognized it where we were got curious about the ruin. One of my companions analyzes the structure, we thought it was elven, but he identifies it to be different. Barely see anything down there but we are sure there were wide open when I used my lights. To the final day we observe the ruin with the best of our abilities, we found a strange reading of demon magic returning. We look at the ruin where it is starting to glow, I gripped my chemicals and give some to my companions. Something comes out from the stone ruin . . .”
“. . . Mana glows around us that was trying to call something from above. My companions shoot through the ceiling as it collapsed, I moved away and watch them pulling those creatures to ground. Impaling them with energy blade weapons as it fell, persistent creatures tried to fight as my companion grabbed it stretch their bodies apart in two. My leader uses his grappling hook and pulled the half creature and somehow pulled a magic gem inside of it. He gave it to one of my companions and fused it with his heavy weapon. His flame thrower blows up when the gem attached to it. The man survived and used the gem again to fire at the ruin . . .”
“. . . I helped them to the best I could with the chemicals I had, cleaned off the cursed mana off their bodies as it started to corrupt their power armor. My own body endure the exposure of the gem releases lightning as it electrified me phasing through my energy shield. I drank the potion to endure from the current flowing through me, as I always dare to commit my fight. More of those creatures kept falling, massive size and body made artificially. I got piled on by them but my energy shield protected me, yet I fell down as the gem was able to harm me . . .”
“. . . I fell down and the monsters attacked me and thrown me away to the painful piles of debris. We were surrounded leaving me to use my potion to hide. The gem attracted more of the artificial creatures, as my companions found out they are the resources they need to resupply. My leader was getting aggressive to pick every piece of magic inside of them. Gems, crystals, and ores phasing through from the ruins. That’s when we realized we have to retreat. We gathered information we needed. East Mountain has so many secrets and store much valuable resource, it makes clear why they wanted it so much for all those years”
Illtended can’t imagine the chemicals that Haw said, but something sticks to his head mentioning about the other monsters. “Monsters made out of flesh, dead. How hideous can it be?”
Nanami chews on the barbecue “Uh huh, not gross enough for me to stop eating, eheh”
Receptionist stares at Haw’s body how he looks fine and sneakily took a whisper to Shinji
“Does he have scars on his bodies?”
“Not exactly scarred, but his body is jacked as he is molded into a sculpture. I’m guessing the potions have steroids or something. . . munching* . . . I say, east mountain sounds like a gold mine”
Haw pulls out a gem from the east mountain “You mean like this . . .”
Everyone looks at it, Illtended identifies it and saw some massive quality. Others react the same way but don’t have enough skill to identify further. He is shaken and said to Haw
“Why can’t I detect it?”
“I don’t know, but I surely give it to the new recruit when he is able to learn how to use a gem”
“Use it? What kind of gem is it?”
“I told you, the east mountain has many secrets. My companions weren’t that obsessed until they found out about it. I got mine by killing one of those artificial creatures”
The dinner was over, Illtended get his full stocks of beverages while the girls get their condiments. It is a nice trade as the receptionist’s boyfriend drunkenly said to him
“You know, you can sell it for a higher price and get your money back. Hic* I don’t get it why that someone who sell it made it cheap”
Haw answers him with an obvious look “Once you live among the Agatheans. its better to spend it before something else gets it”
The boyfriend laughs “Sure there, buddy, let’s see each other again when you have more foods . . . ow”
“Oh you, thank you for the meal by the way. I hope we can have dinner like this if someone has a nice fortune at hand”
They turned to Illtended as he quickly shakes his head “I got my set, and I hope your boyfriend didn’t took it all”
“Hah! You can’t hic* can’t blame my taste. Try to drink that all of those 482 bottles you got there”
“482 bottles?! For only 300,000 Y!”
“No, you idiot, all of them are good hic* ah, you can handle it once you open it yourself. Let’s go”
Everyone go on to their way, leaving Illtended dumbfounded as speaks softly “Wow, are Agathean really that not good at business?”