A bitter taste spreads in my mouth as I look at the blonde man with a neat haircut in front of me. He just smiles at me innocently. But his occupation wakes a certain bias inside me, which originates from years of hate.

His blue eyes scan my group up and down before I decide to break the weird silence between us.

'I kinda don't wanna be here.'

"DING DONG DITCH!" (Me)

The priest looks at me surprised, like anyone would in such a situation.

'Gotta admit, I'm such a goofball sometimes.~'

[https://i.kym-cdn.com/entries/icons/mobile/000/010/390/ohyou.jpg]

'HA!'

I turn around with disappointment, regretting that I have ever considered going inside that makeshift temple. Signaling Risa and Jess that I want to leave already, they also start turning around.

But then I hear a certain sound, which I have been longing to hear for quite some time now.

*KLANG KLANG*

The heavy, but still shrill, noise of metal hitting even more metal reverberates through my ears, as I come to an abrupt halt. I try to follow the sound with my senses, and it seems to be coming from the inside of the temple.

'Trick?'

'Sup.'

'Do you smell that?'

I take a few whiffs, enjoying this smell as much as I can.

'A kind of smelly smell?'

'A smelly smell that smells... smelly?'

The smell of burnt charcoal and soot tickles my nose. It would normally not be smellable for normal people, but my higher all-round stats heighten my senses even without me having to use mana for it. A slight perk in being a bit of a jack of all trades.

“Yeah, I won’t do this joke again.” (Me)

‘Oh, come on. Here I was, getting excited.’

Bracing myself for the uncomfortable feeling I’ll have for the next few minutes, I turn around with renewed vigor. I give off my most charming smile and blink seductively.

"Pardon?" (Pete)

The sentence without context from before really doesn’t help with first impressions.

"You know what? You actually seem VERY charismatic. Can we come in for tea and talk?" (Me)

'Smooth. Very smooth.'

'You know, people sometimes don't appreciate the amount of work I put in my jokes. But you've always got my back.~'

'Sarcasm, you daft-'

I ignore the voice in my head, while the priest continues to smile. A group of curious people starts forming behind him slowly, since it's not quite usual for someone to knock on a door in an apocalypse.

"Gladly, we always welcome newco-" (Pete)

But he doesn't even get to finish his sentence. Jess interrupts him by pulling me to the side, completely disregarding Pete, with Risa in the other hand.

"Alright. What the bloody hell are you doing?" (Jess)

She looks at me with clear confusion, since she assumes that a guy from Hell can't get along with a religious bunch from the church.

Well, in this case, she's definitely right.

"What a Chad move, Jess. I like your behavior. NO POWER TO THE CHURCH, AM I RIGHT?" (Me)

I hold my fist out for a fist bump, which she ignores. A tiny part inside me always dies, when she does something like this.

The hammering sound continues and the longing gets even stronger. I look behind my back, yearning for the feel of a solid hammer in my hand.

Pete smiles at me again. I get a slight idea of his character, since it's not the first time that I encountered someone like him.

His eyes give off the usual feeling I got from every single one of his kind. A whirlpool seems to suck me inside them, trying to convince me that he's a decent human being. But from an objective point of view, they just seem to hide the madness buried inside them.

'What a charming vibe I'm getting from him.'

"First of all: You don't just go inside a stranger's home. Didn't your mother teach you anything?" (Jess)

Jess tears me away from his charming pair of eyes with her rude remark.

'She's got a point.'

'Betrayed by the own voice inside of my head.'

'...by the way, since we're already talking about moms. I've been curious for a while now. I know who your dad is. But who is the significant other?'

'Euhm... wait for my book to be released. I swear to Satan, I already wrote some of it.'

'I'm in your head. I know exactly that you didn't write shit.'

The sudden realization of my coming deadline makes my pulse jump and I start to breathe heavily.

'Y- Yes, I did.'

Amazed at all the attention I'm getting, I try to follow the complaints inside of my head and outside. The guys inside the fortress wait patiently and quite politely.

"Secondly: Don't you have... "issues" with such people? I mean... with you coming from that place and all that." (Jess)

Skillfully, Jess avoids talking about my affiliation with Hell, since Risa doesn't know about it yet. It's not like I'm really hiding it, but I'd rather not have someone so pure carry such heavy information.

'That's right. Protecc the chuunibyou loli.'

'PREACH IT, TRICK!'

'OHHHHH MAMA, AS JESUS ONCE SAID: "THE LOLI WAIFU STAYS PURE UNTIL THE END OF TIME!" '

I glance at Risa, who, without even me having noticed, started fidgeting nervously. She repeatedly looks at the group forming behind Pete, while sweat forms on her forehead.

She's scared of something.

She slowly distances herself with a few steps backwards.

"AIGHT, TIME FOR A HUDDLE!" (Me)

"Here we go..." (Jess)

Our group huddles together like a way too small football team... which also consists of people with superpowers... and a craz-

'Let's not get too far into that, okay? This can go on and on.'

Jess now also realized that there's something wrong with Risa, as she gradually becomes visibly more worried. She puts one hand on Risa's forehead, who flinches at the sudden touch.

"Risa, are you alright? You're cold as ice and pale like a corpse." (Jess)

Like a mother, Jess scans Risa from top to bottom.

But Risa can't get a word out.

Nausea hits me, as I see Risa degrade to a state I've been to countless times before.

I don't know exactly what has caused her to become like this all of a sudden.

Her already pale skin became sickly white. Her cheerful smile is long gone and replaced by nearly hyperventilating.

I don't want to see her in this state. I don't want anyone of those two to be in a state like that.

Worry sweeps over me, quite nostalgically.

"Jess, we'll have our little chat a bit later, alrighty?" (Me)

Risa's condition worsens every time she even so much as glances at the priest and his group of followers. A feeling I can sympathize with.

'Ohhhh them church kids better not have done something to her. Or they'll have to have a go with me.'

'Not to be rude or anythi-'

'Please don't say it.'

I swallow the remark, that Trick still doesn't have a body-

'SOMEDAY! SOMEDAY I'LL BE REAL BOY!'

'You sure wi- BOY?!'

The interchange with the voice inside my head has actually calmed me down a bit. I refocus on the deal with Risa and my little group in front of this gold mine I could loot.

"Jess?" (Me)

She doesn't stop to look at me, but tends to Risa instead, which is the right choice at this moment.

"I'll tell ya what. You can go and have fun with Risa far away from here, and meanwhile, I'll look into what the deal is with this funny little community good ol' Pete has put together." (Me)

Her serious expression visibly changes to an understanding one. She seems to have gotten the slight hints I gave her just now.

"I understand." (Jess)

In a heartbeat, she takes Risa's hand gently and distances herself from me and the group of very well-natured people. I see her walk off into the distance, but, before she's out of range, she turns around.

"OI!" (Jess)

Like the stereotypical British person she is, she calls out to me from quite far away.

"DUNNO IF IT HELPS YOU OR ANYTHING, BUT YOU KINDA LOOK LIKE MICHAEL JACKSON IN THAT SUIT AND WITH THAT HAT!" (Jess)

Remembering, that I still wear the white suit, ideas flood into my head like a waterfall.

"Oh, you lovely gal.~" (Me)

With new vigor, I face the huge group that assembled like the fucking avengers behind me. All of them look at me with huge eyes, as if I shouldn't be here.

Alive, at least.

"WELL THEN, BOYS AND GIRLS!" (Me)

I moonwalk in their direction, while they follow every single one of my moves with their eyes. Feeling like a superstar, I quickly arrive at their doorstep.

"Who wants to show me around?" (Me)

'OBJECTION, YOUR HONOR!'

'OBJECTION ACCEPTED! STATE YOUR BUSINESS!'

Trick was already getting suspicious since I sent Jess with Risa away. But she waited politely until I finished my golden joke.

'Isn't it a bit dangerous to just leave the two of them to themselves like that?.'

Her worries are justified. Leaving two young girls alone in the vicinity of a church? This wouldn't be the first time that I see kidnapping happening in front of me. But there's this one thing that reassures me.

'GURL, HAVE YOU SEEN WHAT RISA DID TO THAT HUGE ASS TREE?! IF SOMEONE WANTS TO KIDNAP HER, THEY'LL GO THROUGH SOME SHIZZLE!'

The nuke Risa set off in the tower haunts my mind.

'And even if Risa can't fight right now, she has another one by her side, who can control metal at her will. Imagine if someone has a penis piercing?'

> [https://i.kym-cdn.com/entries/icons/mobile/000/032/691/Oof_Stones_Banner.jpg]

'Right? Those two are fucking overpowered. These guys could send whoever they want, and they would get their asses handed to them.'

My own words reassure me. Meanwhile, I start to look at Pete, who wasn't fazed even a little bit by my way of approaching him.

"Come on, not even a little smile? I'm the king of pop!" (Me)

"Oh, haha! Nearly missed the joke there." (Pete)

His eyes turn into arches from laughing.

'Never trust the people with slits as eyes.'

'To be fair, he just has them when he laugh-'

'NEVER!'

"Well, what are we standing around here for? Don't you want to enter our humble house of God?" (Pete)

"Ohoho, don't you say that name in front of me again. My toes are doing the jigglies when you say that." (Me)

For a split second, I see his artificial smile turn into a disgusted frown. But he quickly hides it, as he remembers that he still has his followers around him.

"Oh, only a few seconds and you're already agitated? You should know better than that!" (Me)

But our good ol' Pete now doesn't react to that provocation anymore. It seems like he was caught by surprise before, since I'm getting the feeling that he now put his guard up.

"What am I talking about? I am deeply sorry. This isn't how I usually am!" (Me)

"Haha, that's no problem! Everyone receives forgiveness here." (Pete)

'Excuse me, while I vomit for a second.'

Even in front of a whole group behind him, he doesn't lose his cool and manages to say the correct words to look like the better person in this conversation.

I hear murmuring in the group.

"Even after something like that, Father Pete is still so polite!" (???)

"Incredible! What compassion!" (???)

"As expected from him!" (???)

There is not a single comment about how he looked at me for a second like I was complete trash and deserve to be punished.

And in this case, it doesn't even arouse me.

'By Satan, those guys are further up his ass than catholic priests in kids!'

'CUE THE SEINFELD MUSIC!'

"Anyways. What are we standing around for? Come inside." (Pete)

With his calm voice, he invites me in. We cross the abode of the makeshift fortress, which is the first real sign of civilization I've ever seen since the apocalypse really started.

While I have seen a few people here and there, looting around or trying their best to survive in any way, there was no real group that ever formed. But this community will definitely not be the last one.

At this point in the apocalypse, several months after it started, people should have gotten used to it, and soon there will be several colonies.

This colony seems to have just gone for a ginormous church as their theme.

'They could've been a bit more creative.'

"Hey, ever thought about a bit of gardening or something? Would really do well for the Feng Shui of this place." (Me)

He ignores me.

"So, where are you guys from? I haven't really seen anyone else in this area-" (Pete)

"Hey, incredibly sorry to interrupt, but who is that child over there?" (Me)

I interrupt him by pointing to a girl who was cowering in a corner of the front porch. She clearly wasn't having a great time here.

'I'm so gonna shoot my shot. I've been on a winning streak lately with lucky encounters.'

There's no way that things will just go your wa-'

Pete quickly looks at where I'm pointing and notices the child in the corner. His face quickly changes from the smiling one into one full of sorrow.

"Ah, yes, that child has a few problems getting along with the others here. She doesn't seem very compatible with our little chu-" (Pete)

"Oh, I know I'm doing it again, but I apologize. I was rather asking for her name." (Me)

Once more, I risk agitating him by interrupting him. But exactly that is my plan.

'Just poking the religious fanatic lion with a stick until he moves, you know?'

But he doesn't react. Seems like he has gotten a clue on what I'm trying to do.

If you discover this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation.

"Her name is Annie. Truly, what a sh-" (Pete)

I activate "Orc's strength" and leap towards the girl as fast as I can.

The sudden activation of a skill seems to have alerted our buddy Pete about 15 meters away from me now. The mana inside him starts to stir immediately after I jumped to the kid, but calms down just as fast as he realized what I'm doing.

I grab the child by her shoulders and shake her like a fucking screaming woman on a plane.

"ANNIE, ARE YOU OKAY?! SO ANNIE, ARE YOU OKAY?! ARE YOU OKAY ANNIE?!" (Me)

"WHAT?!" (Annie, apparently)

She looks at me with surprised eyes, and I meet exactly those eyes.

'Hey, Trick, you wanna see a party trick?'

'BALLOONS?!'

'NOT QUITE!'

I open up one of my senses that I've kept hidden from Trick, like the cheeky boy I am.

'EEEEEEWWWWWW WHAT THE FUCK IS THAT?!'

'RIGHT?! It's like the feeling of walking into a wet puddle with new socks!'

What should be apparent to Trick now, is something that's invading the mind of our little support character Annie here.

'It looks like a worm or something.'

'It's a parasite, dear Watson! Made out of heavenly energy, formed by most likely our lord and savior Pete over there.'

'Oh gee golly, what is heavenly energy, if I may ask?'

'We'll get more into that at a later point, but let me tell you! It ain't something you should just insert into a child's head like trauma was inserted into me in my childhood!'

'Bro... We can talk at some point, if you nee-'

'LEAVE ME ALONE!'

The parasite inside the girls head seems to struggle getting into her mana flow, failing to infect her and with that her mind. This is one of the several techniques used by several representatives of him, which help them take control of a group of people.

But some people are more resistant due to the power they got, by coincidence or just their own strength to resist against something like that. Exactly that should be the case over here.

"I will have to ask you to let her go." (Pete)

All of a sudden, without me having noticed that he even got near to me, he grabs my shoulder.

"I have not touched the girl, officer. SHE TOLD ME SHE WAS LEGAL!" (Me)

"..." (Pete)

"Again? Not even a smirk? Kinda tough this crowd, huh?" (Me)

Around me, every single human looks at me with a deep burning gaze. Not moving. As if frozen in a lake of liquid nitrogen. Static like a stripper pole.

'Not the best comparison.'

'I was running out of ideas.'

I let go of the girl as soon as I notice nice guy Pete's mana moving around his body. Even for me, it could get difficult if he started attacking me with all of his sheep behind him. Not only is the body count here too high for a single target specialized guy like me, but also is the variety a threat.

'Not the best place to have a pub brawl, gotta admit.'

Me, Pete and a few of his followers, which are probably simultaneously his bodyguards, continue to go inside his territory.

"You wanted tea, right?" (Pete)

"Yeah... about that... there's something that intrigues me a bit more than tea." (Me)

Pete raises his eyebrow in interest. After all, this is the first time that he hears something semi-serious out of my mouth.

"And what would that be?" (Pete)

He looks at me smiling again, to the point where I wonder if his cheeks must hurt from smiling all the time.

'He needs some of that good ol' depression.'

"You hear that clanking sound? I'm actually a hobby smith myself, and I reeeeeeeeaaaaallllllyyy want to see how a professional smith works.~" (Me)

At this point, he is even more intrigued. In an apocalyptic scenario like this one, people like smiths are invaluable. They're the thing that keeps some people from the brink of death with the gear they create.

'And this is how the hunter becomes the hunted HEHEHEHEHEHEHEHE.'

'HEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHE.'

Pete calls over a few more guards for safety. Even though I have done nothing wrong-

'Except, of course, shaming the name he worships and molesting a child.'

'I WANTED TO CHECK, WHETHER SHE'S ALRIGHT! People always misunderstand me... it breaks my heart.~" (Me)

7 big, scary-looking men come out of every single crevice in the church. They soon surround me like a celebrity, burying me under their huge bodies.

"Oh, what special treatment I am getting.~" (Me)

From the other side of all the men, I hear Pete start talking. Even without seeing him, I can still hear the fake nice expression he puts on.

"Well, we wouldn't want anything to happen to such a precious person as a future smith." (Pete)

"You're calling the backstreet boys over here in black suits, just to protect me from the monster under your own bed? Man, you're considerate!" (Me)

After this dialogue, Pete went silent and we, once again, start to move. Quite weirdly, I might say, since it's not really comfortable to walk in between the Men in Black.

"Keep your hands to yourself, buddy. I swear to Satan, if someone touches my ass, I will shove a bible up yours." (Me)

'AH YES, THE LAW OF EQUIVALENT EXCHANGE!'

At that moment, I feel someone prying on me with their eyes, burning a hole inside me with their killing intent. At this moment, I felt like a shota in front of an "ara ara" gir-

'Get better descriptions man.'

'It's difficult after a year of not doing it, aight?'

"I ask of you, that you never say the Anti-Christs name in this place ever again." (Pete)

He evidently tried to make his voice sound as threatening as possible, even going as far as imbuing mana inside it. Quite rudely, I add, since I only mentioned his nemesis.

But the thing is, that not he was the one threatening me. At this point, I'm still pretty sure that he alone wouldn't pose a threat to me. These glaring eyes are coming from somewhere I can't really pinpoint. Even with my heightened senses and trained feel for danger.

'What a funny church this is. I'm here for about 10 minutes and I'm surrounded by huge men, a priest wants to either take me for himself as a smith or murder me AND someone or something is watching me and doesn't like me as well.'

'You are a very charming guy, after all!'

'I am so popular.'

But the threat does not seem to make a move. It just observes. At this point, I'm not even sure if it belongs to the church, since Pete doesn't seem to react to it. The disguise it is using is nearly enough to even fool me, after all.

We walk through several passages and corridors, making me wonder, whether space magic was used to enlarge the inside of it.

While the church does seem quite spacious, Pete seems to have taken special caution not to reveal much to me. I couldn't really see how and where they got their food from, or even where they slept. But nonetheless, the smell of charcoal and the burning heat from the oven comes ever closer. I'm already at my limit, when I can finally see a room, where a burning fire seems to reside in, flaring a light outside of it.

We finally turn around the last corner and there I see a classical set up for a smith. A smelting oven, anvil, several tools and processing stations. But that's not all.

A huge heap of metal weapons, armors, gimmicks and ingots is stacked at one place in a backroom. Some of the ingots and ores even seem to give off a magical aura, which only rarely happens in this stage of the apocalypse.

'This is enough to make a grown man cry.'

A slight tear trickles down my cheek, as the burning heat inside the room engulfs me. The carbon monoxide nearly suffocates me, if I weren't using mana inside my body to purify it.

In between all of this stands a tiny, bearded man in his mid fifties. The clichéd dwarf hammers down on a sword with a huge smile upon his face.

"Hep." (Pete)

The hammer stops in midair, which leaves kind of a bad aftertaste in my mouth, since he just decides to leave a sword unfinished.

He takes off the black tainted glasses he was wearing, which are supposed to not only protect his eyes, but enable him to see the metal he's working on, while it's glowing from the heat.

Not only have people merged with the other world, but also the earth after all. New ores appeared and, with that, metals with different properties. Some of those flare up even more than magnesium.

"PETE, ME LAD! HOO IS IT GONNAE?!" (Hap)

'HE'S SCOTTISH! A SCOTTISH DWARF!'

'AS IT WAS MEANT TO BE!'

Pete snaps his fingers once and the wall of bodyguards around me dissolves, rearranging at the nearest wall.

"Whit? Fa is 'at?" (Hap)

'Satan, I love the Scottish accent.'

But Pete doesn't seem to be as pleased about it as I am. I'm generally known as a very inclusive person.

> [https://media.discordapp.net/attachments/764333972276641792/764552107247665182/self.jpg?width=644&height=468]

'I REALLY AM!'

"Hap, I told you that you should stop speaking in that accent and start talking normal English. Some of our group don't understand you." (Pete)

'How can he just forbid someone from using such a nice language?!'

'BRING ME HIS HEAD!'

Well, no one brings it to me, and their dialogue continues.

"Ah, righty lad, am sorry about that." (Hap)

With every "r" he speaks, he rolls his tongue, which just comes as a trait of his origin. But to me, it sounds like I could have the most fun conversations in my whole life on this earth with him.

Pete puts his hand on Hap's shoulder affectionately.

"Oh, you know that's not a problem. It's just that some may have problems because of that, and we don't want anything like that, right?" (Pete)

At that moment, I don't know if the universe wanted it, but a magical moment between me and the stranger I've never seen before happened.

"Ai, that's bullshite." (Me and Hap)

At that point, he snaps his head at me, making me worry if the old man won't break his neck while he's at it.

He breaks out in roaring laughter, holding his belly as if he's getting cramps and approaches me. For others, it would be quite annoying to hear someone laugh so loudly, but for me, it's a well-deserved refreshment from all these sheep without humor.

"PETE! WHERE DID YA GET THIS REPROBATE FROM! HAS THE SAME KINDA HUMOR AS THIS WALLOPER RIGHT HERE!" (Hap)

Without the slightest hint of hesitation, he slings his arm around my neck and pulls me down to his height. That which normally would be an invasion for privacy for others, is a welcome gesture on my side,

'I have the feeling me and him connects something.'

'Isn't it nice to meet some kindred spirits once in a while.'

'Oh my, I'm getting all emotional again. This whole experience here is like a rollercoaster of feelings.'

But his humor wasn't the point I was exactly watching out for.

'Although it's a huge merit on his part.'

'And the fact that he isn't a threat to your harem, since he's way too old for that.'

'Word.'

Right as I entered the room, I could sense that he was another one of those, who weren't affected by Pete's shitty attempt of brainwashing magic. Although there are two already in this church, this condition should be incredibly rare.

And as I need a blacksmith for my future plans, this fits perfectly.

"He's someone who walked in front of our door about half an hour ago. He said he's an aspiring smith and wants to know how it works here." (Pete)

It's weird. Pete's way of talking is off. Although he seems to be the nice guy all the time, his tone seems nearly emotionless.

"I am sure that our Lord has sent him as reinforcement for our cause." (Pete)

'MMMHHHHH I DON'T THINK SO, BUDDY!'

Suddenly, commotion is heard from outside.

Pete already anticipates someone coming, and, soon enough, someone of his sheep arrives, panting heavily.

"FATHER!" (???)

"What is it, child?" (Pete)

"Pretentious prick." (Me and Hap)

We give each other a fist bump secretly.

"THERE IS ONE OF THE DEMONS ATTACKING US! HAVE WE SINNED?!" (???)

Immediately, Pete takes the unknown man by his shoulder and reassures him with soothing words. I didn't really care what he was saying, since I'm more concerned about the midget in front of me.

"Why exactly are you here?" (Me)

"I like metal, they got metal. I SURE AM A SIMPLE MAN, AIN'T I?!" (Hap)

He breaks out into roaring laughter again.

I glance at the guys in suits, who are still watching me as if I'm Jason Bourne.

"Hey guys, I know that I'm not the nicest guy, BECAUSE I'M BAD! I'M BAD! But you don't have to scan me that much.~" (Me)

Pete seems to have already finished his business, since the panicking guy seems to go back to where he came from reassuredly. The fleeting moment of privacy I had with our good ol' Hap here, is gone with it.

'I don't regret nuthin. I'll take every chance I get to quote Michael at this point.'

"Anyways, I hope that you can get along with our newcomer from now on, Hap." (Pete)

"Yeah, about that..." (Me)

I do my utmost best to look like I'm regretting the thing that I'm about to say. although I'm pretty sure that ol' Pete won't buy it anyways, looking at how cautious he is in front of me.

"I kinda have to take my leave here. I know that we had a very special connection already going, Pete, but I'm pretty sure I left the stove on back at home, and I still have to take the dog out for a walk. Very busy." (Me)

"THAT'S BULLSHITE AS WELL, AIN'T IT?!" (Hap)

"Oh shush, you!" (Me)

"..." (Pete)

He stands in silence, trying to assess his situation. There would be no merit in trying to keep me here by force, since it would actually be a stab right in his oh so precious reputation here. Meanwhile, I most likely wouldn't comply with his orders in this case.

And his reasoning would most definitely be right, if he assessed his situation like this.

'Although he might have some other plans actually. I didn't merge the power of mindreading!'

'Oooohhh, what subtle foreshadowing!'

One last time, I turn around to the charismatic dwarf, who seems to understand why I want to leave as quickly as possible.

"Oh, right! I haven't even introduced myself to you guys! How very rude of me, in such a holy establishment!" (Me)

Reaching out for Hap with my hand, he answers with the same gesture.

"My name's Nith. Adventurer, probably Dragonborn and future King of Pop." (Me)

"Name's Hap. Dwarf wit a wee bit tiny smithin' problem." (Hap)

Our hands grip each other tightly. I can feel the calluses on his hands from the constant wielding of the hammer, showing his much-needed experience for creating magical weapons.

I tickle his hand slightly and activate "Ember" on a teeny tiny part of my index finger. Tiny enough that even someone like Pete, who seems to be unusually sensitive to mana, couldn't notice it.

Hap flinches a bit at the burning sensation on his hand, but he understands that I don't want to do him any harm. He endures the pain of having a mark burned into his hand, and we part.

"I'm really sad to just see you going like this, Nith." (Pete)

He also reaches out with his hand, but I give him the cold shoulder LIKE THE BADASS THAT I AM! I leave the smithy, and, with that, two guys who would soon be a big part at this attempt of a life.

"But before I go..." (Me)

Pete immediately glares at me. Contrary to his usual smile, he seems to have noticed that I might even be a threat to him with my behavior.

"What?" (Pete)

"...I kinda have to pee..." (Me)

Blankly, he stares at me. Baffled at my shameless remark. He doesn't respond, but just stares at me, telling me with his eyes, that I just dropped about 50 points in his scaling.

"What? Don't look at me like that! It's not like I'll BEAT IT on your toilet! I would never JUST BEAT IT!" (Me)

No response from anyone in that room, except for Hap, who's laughing heartedly once again.

"Get it? Cause of the song? The one by Michael Jackson? Cause "beating it" is also a way of paraphrasing maturation, which is a sin for people like- Y'all don't have any kind of humor, do you?" (Me)

Swiftly, Pete signals the group of bodyguards to escort me to a toilet. After saying goodbye to Hap, I follow them and leave these guys for good.

*

----------------------------------------

*

Hap P.O.V

(Most parts will be translated from Scottish into standard English, since no fuck actually understands a Scottish adult)

And off th' lad goes, who actually brought some laughter into this bland life o' mine, since ah entered this community.

'Ah swear ta Christ, if they hadn't so much metal, ah wood get tae fuck outta here.'

Th' burning feel on th' palm of me hand shakes me outta me thoughts.

"Hap." (Priest)

Th' leader who supplies me with metal seems to be a bit agitated, since th' lad left. Probably since he ain't gotten another smith akin me under his paws.

'Serves th' wee cunt reit.'

"I sure hope that you won't leave us as he did. It would be sad if you left all these people to themselves, without any kind of armour to protect them." (Priest)

While th' fanny tries to shift th' guilt on me, he uses th' folk in his care ta force me ta stay hare. One of th' arses usual schemes.

'Tay bad 'at it works oan me.'

"Aye, won't do anything of th' sorts. Ya get me metal, I make somethin' useful outta it." (Me)

Th' priest finally leaves me and me tools alone. If there weren't th' people of this fort being unprotected without me, ah would've left thes shithole a long arse time ago.

Ah hear th' roarin furnace askin' for more wood ta burn. But before ah go back ta me old task, ah look at the burnin' mark the lad has left on me hand.

"BUCK ME REIT UP TH' ARSE!" (Me)

What's lookin' me reit in th' dead eye is th' insignia of Hephaestus, th' God of blacksmiths.

*

----------------------------------------

*

Nith p.o.v.

The mighty sound of the jet of pee echoes inside the restroom. Outside, there are several people guarding me so I can have the most secure leak of my whole life.

"Have y'all guys ever thought about forming a boyband?" (Me)

But now that Hap is gone, there is only the voice in my head who always has the time of her life when I make jokes like this.

'It kinda hurts when you take me granted like that...'

'Oh you, I appreciate you more than you know!'

'Now I'm blushing.~'

The Men in Black guarding my stall ignore my idea, which would actually make them millions. I like to describe such people as "ungrateful cunts".

'Trick?'

'Yes?'

'Do you think that it's a sin to take something from a church without telling them?'

'I'd argue that it's not since sharing is-'

'CARING, RIGHT?! I thought so!'

I pull my zipper up and the satisfying sound reverberates through the whole room.

"So, have you guys ever heard of something called the almighty "Neckchop"?" (Me)

Immediately, the guards react and their mana begins to activate. I activate my own skills and get ready to absolutely body those guys.

"Thou shalt feel honored! You'll be beaten up by the King of Pop himself!" (Me)

I don't even stop to flush.

*

*

*

The refreshing smell of the salty ocean breeze tickles my nose.

With every single step I take, the mountain of various kinds of metal on my back makes noise loud enough to make even Jess and Risa in the distance hear it. After all, I wouldn't even be able to carry it without stressing "Orc's Strength" to the utmost.

Even if I took a little souvenir from them, I still leave that place with a bitter taste in my mouth. Not only did I find a possible future threat in Pete, but I also couldn't get any information out of him. I didn't even get a glimpse of his character.

So borrowing a bit from them shouldn't be so bad.

To sum up what I did in the last 15 minutes: I went to town with the guards and then took a little bit from their storage. If Hap had been there, we could've chatted for a few minutes, even if I had to hurry up a bit. Even so, I don't think that Hap would have anything against borrowing a bit of his metal.

I hurry to the 2 people I've been apart from in the past 30 minutes or so.

Risa seems to have calmed down by now, probably because of Jess's help. But this still leaves me wondering, what really caused her panic attack in the first place. This was the first time that I've seen her like that, so it keeps bugging my mind.

"Nith?" (Jess)

As soon as our group gets reunited, Jess's eloquent voice meets my ear. It's unbelievable how I have learned to appreciate this sound of hers in such a small amount of-

"Where did you get all that metal from?" (Jess)

All the joy that just filled me is replaced with panic.

"..." (Me)

She crosses her arms.

"I... made a deal with them and-" (Me)

"You stole it, didn't you?" (Jess)

"I WOULD NEVER DO SUCH THING! I merely borrowed it and will give it back soon enough!" (Me)

I won't.

"You won't." (Jess)

"Awww, you know me too well.~" (Me)

A faint smile appears on Jess's face. Meanwhile, Risa seems to have positioned herself behind me to behold the heap of resources I'm carrying on my back with shining eyes.

"Fu fu fu, this will be a fine addition to the strength of my base! You did well, Nith!" (Risa)

Her praise is everything I ever wished for. Today is a very emotional day.

"Yeah, we're a happy bunch..." (Me)

"Shouldn't we get out of here, before those guys notice that you stole from them? I mean, I hear sirens." (Jess)

"It would be one of the possibilities! Or we could just see how things play out!" (Me)

But Jess is already about to fly off with the metal sheet we arrived on.

"Care to give me a ride?" (Me)

"How many tons are that on your back?" (Jess)

"About 2?" (Me)

"Most definitely not." (Jess)

"Oh, you know you want it.~" (Me)

I repeatedly attempt to jump on her taxi, but she dodges swiftly while screaming at me to leave her alone. Risa has also spread her raven wings, leaving me to run with 2 tons on my back.

*

----------------------------------------

*

Pete P.O.V.

The man who has shown up at our doorstep unannounced should have left by now. The fact that he didn't join us, is something to regret, but...

"...if God wills it, so it shall be." (Me)

This church, which I have systemized and constructed with my by God-given power, is my main priority at the moment. The stranger called "Nith" seemed like a busy-body, so I'm not even sure, whether it's really a loss for us to lose him.

I decide to take a stroll around God's land. Everything works like clockwork, with everyone having their own job without anyone stepping out of line.

A utopia in this wretched world.

A utopia created by God and me as his hand.

"FATHER!" (Frank)

Suddenly, in this peaceful moment, Frank shouts for me.

For the second time today.

"What is it, child?" (Me)

I smile at the stressed him.

He pants, since he was probably running around, searching for me again. I admire his devotion and will to work so hard for our cause, so I hired him to be a minor assistant of mine.

"Calm down. What do you want to tell me?" (Me)

After a few seconds of deep breathing, Frank catches his rhythm. Considering the size of this place, he has been running around for quite some time in search for me. So it's impressive how fast he got a hold of himself.

"Th- th- the metal storage!" (Frank)

"What about it?" (Me)

I feel a slight disturbance in this utopia.

"It's nearly empty!" (Frank)

As soon as the child finished his sentence, I start to hurry to the forge. Through various shortcuts and crevices, which only someone could know who built this place, I arrive at the smithy in less than a few minutes.

There, I find our smith Hap rolling on the ground, laughing without a care in the world in front of a nearly empty storage room.

"Hap, what happened?" (Me)

But he can't stop laughing. He just points to a slip of paper, lying on the ground.

I pick the paper up and immediately feel a hinge of anger welling up inside of me. On the paper stands one of those stupid quotes again:

You've been hit by!

You've been struck by!

A smooth criminal!

Immediately I prepare to send out the guards, but immediately after I take my eyes away from the sheet of paper, a window pops up.

Hey!

It's me! God!

The Lord himself has contacted me.