Angelina Julie left the hospital grounds with a dramatic exit. Some people who were passing by outside saw her land on the ground with a flick of her skirt. They wondered who she was. Who would be brave enough to jump out of a high-storey building? Some people wanted to snap a photo of her but she disappeared before the inquisitive citizens could get the chance.
“I should go buy some gear to repair my damaged Motors Cube. Mawol's Ghoul Gear Shop is close by.” Angelina Julie went to a residential area which was bustling with commerce. She walked through a large market which sold all sorts of goods and services.
Coming into a large apartment complex, Angelina Julie could see a wide variety of people catering to their own businesses. She walked around for a while until she found her way to an underground flat that had a rusted metallic sign at the entrance. ‘Welcome To Mawol's Ghoul Gear Shop – We Don’t Do Refunds.’
At the entrance was a robotic contraption which greeted customers. “Welcome Miss Julie. I'm sorry that you’ve come all this way but boss Mawol is not in at the moment. You should turn back.”
Angelina Julie creased her brows disappointedly and shortened the distance between her and the robotic guard. “Is he really not in there or did he just instruct you to say that because he doesn’t want to see me?”
“Um... Ah...?” The robot paused for a moment before answering clearly. “Boss Mawol is really not in today Miss Julie. Please leave.”
Hearing the guard robot's reply, Angelina Julie got up close and personal with it. “Oh, he really isn’t inside is he? In that case, I will go but make sure you tell him that he’ll be missing out on a Green Ghoul Soul type.” Saying her just dues, Angelina turned around and began walking away. When she was 6 metres away the guard robot called out to her.
“Wait a moment Miss Julie. It appears that the boss has just stepped back in. Would you be willing to greet him with your presence?”
Angelina stopped walking and smiled wryly. “I knew that greedy bastard would never pass up such an opportunity.” She walked back to where the robot was. It opened up a sliding door for her to enter the Ghoul Gear Shop.
“Please, go on ahead Miss Julie.” After Angelina went inside, the robot closed the sliding door and continued to man its post.
Inside the Gear Shop smelled like corroded bolts and metals. There were all sorts of mechanical components spread about. In one corner was a transparent container that hosted parts of several Ghoul Soul types. Some dark tubes were linked together which were primarily connected to a huge generator. In the middle of the room sat a metallic stairway that led to a small workspace on top of it.
Clang! Clang!
Pounding noises emanated from the small workspace. Angelina walked towards the metallic stairway; climbed them until she arrived at the entrance of the workspace. There was a portly person inside who was tinkering with some strange devices.
Angelina set foot inside of the workspace. “Yow, Mawol what’s up?”
“A.J, it’s been a while.” Mawol stopped what he was doing and greeted Angelina. He was donned in a purple protective garment, only his juicy face which boasted a smooth stubble was mostly visible.
“Sorry for not showing up at your debut race the other night, I had a lot of work to do. So how did it go? I take it you won, judging by what you said earlier?” Mawol took off his protective goggles and looked over Angelina tentatively.
“I told you I would win, didn’t I? Do you take my words so lightly?” Angelina rested her bottom on a table nearby. “Anyway, I came here for some equipment to repair my Motors Cube. It was severely damaged during the race but it is still intact so it should be fixable.”
“Let me see.” Said Mawol while stretching out his hand. Angelina took out her Motors Cube from her bumbag and gently handed it over to Mawol.
“Damn, you really did a number on this one, little girl.” Mawol inspected Angelina's Motors Cube. Dark cracks were present all over its outer surface, moreover, Ghoul energy was leaking out of the Soul Gemstone inside of it.
“I'll take care of this for you, free of charge. I’ll even help you upgrade it but...” Mawol walked towards a counter. He placed the damaged Motors Cube inside a repairing device that had a twinkling light. Coming back to where Angelina was, he continued his sentence. “But you will have to let me get a sample of that Green Ghoul Soul you mentioned to my robot.”
“So you were listening to our conversation the entire time?” Angelina smiled and spun her bumbag forward. “That guard robot of yours said that you weren’t here but I could smell and hear the lies coming from its rusted mouth. You need to make some changes to that robot. Otherwise, it might get a visit to the trash the next time I come here.”
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“Sorry about low-dog’s behaviour.” Said Mawol apologetically. “He’s been watching a lot of TVs lately, so that might be the cause of him adopting a more human-like complex. I told him to send away any customers who come here today because I was working on something important.”
“So you had a part to play in it as well?” Asked Angelina seeming angry.
“No, I also told him to make an exception for you of course. You’re my favourite customer after all.” Said Mawol taking the defensive route.
Angelina zipped open her bag while saying: “Old bro please stop with the flattery. I know that these days I am your only customer.”
“Hey, who are you calling old bro? I’m not that far in age from you, you know?” Mawol caressed his stubble while looking in a mirror to assure himself that he looked his age.
“Enough of the useless talk, let’s get down to business.” Angelina took out an emerald Ghoul Storage Crystal from her bumbag and gave it to Mawol. “This Ghoul Storage Crystal hosts the Ghoul Soul of a Rank-A Field Monster. Bet you’ve never seen one this close before.”
“I must say I haven’t. I mostly work with low-grade Ghoul Souls.” Mawol accepted the Ghoul Storage Crystal and eagerly extracted its contents.
A large deforming ray of light appeared in the centre of the workspace, creating an overcast of resplendent green on the surroundings. Both Angelina and Mawol started feeling chills. They quickly contained the overpowering Ghoul Souls inside of a transparent containment where they could observe its dazzling components.
“This is amazing A.J. The output-value of this Ghoul Soul is unique and off the charts. With this amount of Ghoul Energy, I reckon it could supply over a dozen Motors of a larger grade for several months. Not to mention the type of invaluable components that it could make. No wonder they value so much, this is crazy!” Mawol was sweating excitement all over. He couldn’t control himself anymore. He cupped Angelina’s hand and began showing her the respect of the ages.
“Hey, come on. There’s no need for you to be so grateful. After all, I’m not going to give you the entire thing you know.” Angelina broke free from Mawol’s excited grasp but he was still filled with excitement.
“That doesn’t matter, A.J. As long as I can study this magnificent beauty it will be hella worth it! Hahaha.” Mawol was spinning around joyously. Angelina watched as his fat tummy giggled and couldn’t help but smile.
“This guy…” Angelina dipped her hand back into her bumbag, taking out another set of Ghoul Storage Crystals. “That’s not all I’ve got for ya. Take a look at these puppies.” She showed him two different types of colour Ghoul Storage Crystals.
“A red one and a blue one? And they contain several hundreds of Ghoul Souls. Are all Tomb Riders as rich as you?” Mawol gawked at Angelina. “You’re not even a pro Tomb Rider yet, still green and making this much loot. Probably I should sign up to become a Tomb Rider as well.”
“I wouldn’t recommend it.” Angelina shrugged and placed the Ghoul Storage Crystals in Mawol’s hand. “Being a Tomb Rider is hard work. I’ve been practising with my father ever since I was a little girl. Let me tell you, it is not only about how well you can ride but how well you can endure and kill your enemies. Besides, higher tier Tomb Riders have it rough.”
“What do you mean? Don’t they make a lot of money?” Mawol asked looking a bit more relaxed.
“They do make a lot of money. Hell, they might even be one of the richest sets of people on this continent. The thing is, higher class and Pro class Tomb Riders have to face natural threats. Unlike lower-class Tomb Riders who don’t die during an official race, it is not the same for the higher classes. The Auto-Revive medicine that is provided for lower-class Tomb Riders prevents them from dying during an official race but they only implemented this function because they want new Tomb Riders to train and build up real-life experience of what it means to be an official Tomb Rider. When a person becomes a Pro Tomb Rider, their burden increases tenfold. They will have no choice but to participate in the expedition of Ghoul Graveyard which in most cases leads to the annihilation of 60% of the Tomb Riders who participate. So you see, being a higher tier Tomb Rider does has its benefits but all of those so-called benefits become useless the moment a Tomb Rider die.”
Mawol took a moment to soak in Angelina’s information. “I understand better now. In that case, I won’t become a Tomb Rider, I’ll just stick to what I do best and help you out in any way I can, so as long as you continue bringing me these puppies to work with.” Mawol glanced at the Ghoul Storage Crystals in his hand.
“You don’t have to worry about Ghoul Souls, they are plenty inside of the Ghoul Stadiums. If I don’t die, I promise to get you as many as you need if you continue doing me favours. What do you say?”
“Deal.” Replied Mawol without a hitch. “Okay, I’ll get down to fixing your Motors Cube now.” He returned all of Angelina’s Ghoul Storage Crystals save for the green one. Afterwards, he went over to where his work desk was and began tinkering with Angelina’s Motors Cube. She watched him patiently as he did his thing.
“Despite his heavy build and unkempt appearance, he looks quite sexy when he is focused.”
“Huh? Did you say something A.J?” Mawol stopped what he was doing and glanced at her.
‘Crap! Did I say that out loud?’ said Angelina internally before speaking out looking flustered. “N-no I was only speaking to myself Mawol, continue doing what you were doing. Don’t mind me.” She bit her fingernails and began conversing with her inner self.
“Dammit A.J! What the hell are you thinking about in a time like this? You need to toss your bodily desires aside and focus on rescuing your father! While you are out here wasting time who knows what he is going through?”
“But what if he’s already… you know? Wouldn’t all my efforts be wasted?” asked Angelina to her inner self.
“You fool! Don’t you dare mention such a thing ever again. He’s alive I can feel it.” Her inner self reassured her.
“Okay, I understand. Father is still waiting for me and I must hurry and save him before it is too late.”