FA Chapter 21 The Day (1)

Day 28/February/2973

The night cold had seeped into the metal of the railing on the balcony, making it so that Bosingwa felt the chill upon placing his hands upon it while overlooking the greater city at large.

This building was one of a handful that were taller than most, giving a splendid view of the busy metropolis that was Kampala city.

During the previous days, the new arrivals had given the city a feeling of being full. Millions inhabited the city at this point, with most being Forgers, or their confidants and close relatives.

Taking in a deep breath of the morning air, which smelled refreshing due to a lack of pollutants, a fragment of anticipation welled up within Bosingwa. The long awaited day had finally arrived. Musana was going to make his appearance!

Of course, not everyone would be qualified to watch the proceedings in person as there was simply no venue that large. Instead, most, including Bora and himself were going to be watching within a virtual world.

Flying vehicles were at an all time high as they struggled to deal with the influx of such a great number of people, leading to traffic jams along most of the routes within his gaze, whether on the ground, or those in the skies.

"You really surprised me back there, Ice. I had thought that you were one of those people with a strong personality. Was I mistaken at a point?"

"Is there anything wrong with trying to get ahead in the world?"

A soft cold voice came from behind him.

"But I am not someone strong. Wouldn't it have sufficed to get into contact with a person at the crystal stage. They have become as common as cabbages during these past few days. Surely, following them would warrant more merit."

Bosingwa didn't know what had happened or what was going through Ice's mind, but she had brought forth a suggestion to follow him a few days back. Larssen was understandable, but Ice? She was an enigma. Gauging her thoughts was a a game where loss was the norm.

Apparently, she had been captivated by his potential. The difference between her and Larssen, also the reason she was giving him a headache, was her approach. She had suggested to follow him, whether as a maid or secretary.

...and getting rid of her was hard because of her assasin-like abilities.

"Those people already have followers and wouldn't accept someone from nowhere. Besides, isn't it better to be with you when you are still in the budding stage? The benefits I will get when you finally bloom will be tenfold or more!"

It was a valid reason, but...

"How sure are you that I won't meet my demise before the flowering stage? Besides, there is no hardship or resources involved in progressing through the Forger stages. You could just bunk down somewhere for 15 years and emerge as a crystal stage Forger after. Why do you insist on getting on my nerves?"

A shadow of a smile graced his face though, out of her view. Doesn't every man want beauties throwing themselves at them? Of course this was different. But there would be plenty of time if she decided to keep following him. Babies might even come to be!

"If you are so unhappy, why is there a smirk on your lips?"

"Huh!? How could you tell?!" Bosingwa turned around with alarm creeping into his voice.

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"I am a professional assassin. Such things are as simple as drinking tea, by simply staring at your pseudo side profile. With just my profession alone, I can protect you."

The gleam in her eyes suggested that this reveal was a gimmick to get Bosingwa to accept her.

He got rid of the shocked face upon catching the gleam and instead assessed her seriously.

"Ice, I don't have anything to provide you with. Mere potential doesn't ultimately transition into strength at the flip of a coin. If I accept your offer, only I will be getting advantaged."

"...so, in all seriousness, tell me. Are you really committed to following me?"

Bosingwa gazed into her cold face. She wasn't a cold woman, instead it was just a persona she had created to seal away her true self. That much he had figured out after interacting with her these past few days. Of course, he still hadn't figured out her true persona. She was a woman of many faces.

"Yes, I am! I won't infringe upon your personal space or funds... Or anything else for that matter. Our relationship will simply be based upon the fact that each of us will protect the other in case of any danger."

"What if that danger entails a crystal stage being?" Bosingwa's eyes narrowed down on her.

"Then neither of us will be obligated to honor the deal."

After a silent moment, where Bosingwa scrutinized her face for any sign of hesitancy, he agreed.

His neural link pinged with a notice to gather, plus the location. The sender had been Luna. It seemed that they were finally going back into the city proper. After that incident, they had been forced to hole up within the building on the orders of Bora's father.

Lwazi only took Drekov with him. Even the assailants weren't punished because they had just been doing their jobs. The man had lamented the fact that he hadn't managed to get his hands on the mastermind. Judging by his tone, Bosingwa was sure that person wouldn't have gotten away alive if the man had gotten to them.

With Ice right behind him, Bosingwa opened the door only to see a figure he had already expected. The man had been doing this for the last few days, as if this would change his mind.

With disheveled hair and a bright gleam in his eyes, Larssen stood before them.

"Ice, get rid of him."

"Should I kill him?"

"Now now. Don't scare weak old me. We can simply travel together towards the location." Larssen spoke while holding up his hands in a gesture of surrender. But Bosingwa's eyes narrowed as a question was formed at the tip of his tongue...

"Are you going to try and get me to work with you? If you are, then it would be better if you didn't follow us."

"I promise not to. Besides, some interesting topics have already cropped up... Like how, even with all the security, many hotheaded Forgers have broken out in combat. Apparently its past enemities and what not."

Bosingwa was sandwiched between them as they headed towards the elevator.

He hadn't yet checked the web, and had also turned off notifications during the night. Upon reconnecting to web, he was bombarded with many ongoing stories that were happening within the city. The battles, the events, the glimpses of elusive crystal stage Forgers and many other feeds.

Though, what captured his attention were the Forgers. Like the Dragon Snake Warlord, a renowned berserker from the state of China. He was a ruthless and powerful man, always seeking to challenge everyone he deemed as worthy.

Kār-something from Thailand. The man was an enigma, yet he was dubbed the god of destruction by many others...

Bosingwa felt his heart rate rise with each figure projected onto his retinas. Elusive figures who didn't always appear in the public eye, dragons, whose faces were hidden, with only revealed tails, now had their faces on full display.

How he wished he was among them, talking to them as equals, battling them!

He even tuned out Larssen and Ice, only managing to gain a sense of his surroundings when the elevator started moving.

"You were grinning like an idiot."

Lines appeared on his forehead with those words from Ice. Once again he had failed to take into account of his surroundings when fanboying over those great figures.

"Everybody has an interest. And mine lies with powerful Forgers. You probably have your quirks too. So getting a laugh out of mine is okay, but never insult it."

Bosingwa said with seriousness, causing a contemplative silence to envelop the group.

"If I am not mistaken, we are finally going outside. Even with all the various entertainments within this building, they can't beat going outside." Ice steered the topic away after a few seconds.

"And how do you know that?" Asked Larssen.

"I scoured the place."

"Like a rat?"

"Larssen, do you want to die?" Ice's threatening posture caused the man to shrink back. Of course, all this was just playful banter.

Bosingwa knew that they had formed some sort of comraderie after trying to get his attention during the previous days. It was flimsy at best, but there was a friendship forming.

"That means that we have been summoned to a hangar, right?" Bosingwa asked, though he had already deduced it.

"Yeah"