Why is this guy so obsessed, geez. I honestly don't see a reason to deny him some chatting so I claimed my sales—which includes some more sales of the others too, and brough Network: Gravity Trail for my VICOS for 1 million Creds.
Rascarna the God of Magic: 1
Rascarna the God of Magic: 0.75
Zen: Hi! Thank you for the mentions
Zen: Though I wonder, why are you obsessed with me replying?
Rascarna the God of Magic: 0.5
I waited a while, but no reply came forth, bit of a weird guy… But, mentions and live shows now, is the Multiverse just a bigger, more dangerous Earth.
My parents return bringing Tiffany along, they're talking excitedly about how to spend their Creds when the couple-owner approaches. The man says, "why are there reports of people seeing you running around shouting we're rich?"
At our silence, the lady chose to add, "we're here to discuss another loan."
"What loan?" I interrupt. Turns out the owners borrowed Creds from my dad to work on this Territory, a few days of consecutive loans that comes up to a total of 5000 creds, at a rate of 5% per week—as they don't even know if they'll survive the month, to be paid when possible. There have been no payments, only more borrowing.
"Yes, now regarding that, we would like to increase our loan. How much can you spare this time, Anto?" The man said. I only just found out he goes by Wisman Mizwar, and his wife Melly Mizwar.
"I'm not sure I'm interested in giving you another loan this time, Wisman." My dad says. "Not with the way you treated us today."
"We're only doing what we do for the good of everyone of us who belong here." His wife says.
"Don't you think, being our son. That Zane is among the people who belong here?" My mom counters. "What would you have done to him if you had managed to capture him? Mind telling me."
"He---," but Wisman cuts his own wife off.
"That is irrelevant. How much can you spare this time, Antonio?" He says with a familiar authoritative tone.
"I already told you, not interested." Anto answered him politely.
"This is not a request, Antonio Prayoga." He glowers.
"Oi," I know safety in numbers and all, which means my family kinda needs to stay here, but seriously this guy. I rise and move to stand before him. "Why? What happens if he refuses?"
He doesn't back down, good for him. "Then you all need to leave."
"Sure, you pay back what you owe him, so do the rest of your men who got their Trilattic Swarm on installments, now. And they, as well as I, will be out of your wrinkled face."
"You think things will go your way this time, we were just caught unaware." A bunch of men surround us at his words.
"Oh geez~" I say while my second mind is almost done casting a donut shaped Latent Coating. Not a second later, I use my now superhuman stats to jump up, finding myself approximately three meters high up in the air, this is stunning for both anyone watching, which is probably everyone in the building, and myself.
I feel my momentum shift from moving upwards to begin moving downwards, that brought me back to reality and I released my spell, once again catching all the assaulters on their face, this time, I made sure to include the couple.
"How da—"
From his point of view. A disk very suddenly came very close to cutting his face open, but instead had stopped just millimeters from his eyes. The touch of displaced air and the whirl of its spin is very vivid to his senses—probably, I only imagined that's how it is for him.
"Since I'm already doing it, of course I dare."
Then it occured to me, so I turn to my dad. "Dad, you know of the Kedoya shelter?"
My dad looks at me confusedly, "this is the one."
"I thought this is the Green Garden shelter."
"Green Garden is at Kedoya Zen." My sister tells me.
"Ohh~." It feels weird, to realize that you've been thinking of two different things then find out its one. "you guys know any Setiyaningsih? Has four kids as far as I know, and at least one of them is not here."
"Huh, pretty sure I've heard of that name." My dad says.
Ah shit. "Which one?"
"Can't remember," he grins.
I shrug at him, then look at Wisman. "Mind pointing out the right person for me?"
He ignores me, wise. Better than swearing at me and giving me a reason to lash back. Not that I care for one. "You have three seconds before this," I pointed at the disk hovering before him. "Claim one of your hands."
"One."
"Two." At a twitch of my mind, the disk flew for his right hand, just above the elbow and barely touched it with their edges, causing a shallow cut.
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"Thr—,"
"Fine." He says. My disk instantly pulled back, all ten entering their sheath on the back of my armor. "He's to your left, a Setiyawan, on the back row, the smaller one."
I heal the scratch on Wisman's arm before trying to locate the guy. Left, back row, small guy. I point at him and say, "you?" No wait, Mana Sense tells me that one's a girl/woman…
"I'm him," someone beside her said warily. "What's it to you?"
"You know a Kirana?" He perks up.
"What'd you do to her!?" He screams and struggles against the coating.
"Huh, wait wait wait." I tell him, "what makes you think I did something to her, I'm the victim here."
He stares at me in silence, "I was the one who got lectured for close to three hours, luckily Mr. Herman found us and made her stop." Then, upon hearing that, he deflates.
I have been maintaining connection with the Latent Coating this time, making sure no one suffocates on accident. So I shift the layer around him to mimic water and watch it all slosh off, kinda. I left him standing there still surrounded by a circle of rat glue coating.
"Dad, mom. Sorry but it seems you're gonna be leaving this place." I tell them. "You too ci."
They watch me in silence, so I open my interface and send all three two spells, Latent Coating and Weal. "Any idea where you wanna go? Find our grandparents or something?"
"They're pretty far away, Zen." My mom says. "We'll need to fly on a plane."
"Yeah, I guess they are far away, though everywhere is one continent now." Mom's family is from Batam, last time we checked, they are doing well. She has a big family. Whereas my dad is from Bandung, his parents are, unfortunately, no more of this world.
"How dare you leave me in this state!" Whispered the wind.
"Hey, what's your name?" I ask Kirana's brother, "where are your family?"
"Andre," he says. "They're fine, what's it to you?"
"Just you see! I'll get yo—," more wind.
"Have you managed to contact your sister?" He's so cautious, I wonder what I did wrong.
"No, I only have my VICOS unlocked and have been receiving her messages, sent by a Mr. Herman or a Mr. Henry." He answers after a pause. "But I've been trying to pay for my armor, and help the Territory. So I can't afford any upgrades."
"I see," I make a thinking pose. "Dad, how do you transfer Creds?"
Soon, I allowed him to approach me by making a narrow non-sticky path between us and transferred him 12,500 Creds. "Get yourself the VICOS upgrades and pay back my dad."
He accepted with murmurs of thanks and jogged away. My mom talked me into releasing our assaulters, with a final warning. She also argues that we won't be seeing much more of them as we are to be leaving anyways, which makes sense. So I do as she bids with a heavy heart. Wisman and his cronies retreated without a word of thanks, and he wisely did not spout out promises of revenge.
After discussing it for a while, Atech somehow involving himself in our discussion. My family decided to leave for his home before departing for Garuda Hospital.
Andre caught up with us just as we were making our way out the gates, thanking us and completing his contract with dad. While they were talking, I decided to give him the two spells I gave everyone else; Latent Coating and Will-o'-Weal. Soon after, he left, after a few more thank yous and refusing my offer to give his family some of my spells, free of charge.
Atech, my family and I made it out of the gate with no more interruptions, though I did notice a group of three very conspicuous looking, cloaked individuals entering just as we walked out. One in the lead and two others walking one step behind and to his left and right. My family, nor Atech, does not seem to recognize them.
-----
"You have a twin?" My dad asks Atech with a ridiculous look on his face. "Like, a biological twin?"
Before us stands two identical engineers, one with a familiar grin on his face, the other a grumpy scowl. Both sporting partially white hair and a slight hunch on their back, they both have a thin but slightly muscled build. "Ya can see for yerself, can'ya."
"I suppose so," my dad says.
"So what now?" I ask Atech, "why make us come here with you."
He did not answer, instead, the twin engineer began arguing between coming with us or staying, which was answer enough as Atech was arguing in favor of coming along. Due to listening in on their argument for a few minutes, I managed to discover a few things about them. First of all, that Atech is Adam Tenolo, while his twin is named Ardi Tenolo. They are both unmarried. And, although both did end up following in the footsteps of their father, an engineer from NASA, by becoming engineers. Only Ardi managed to stay true to his father's path, finding interest in space and vehicular engineering. While Atech, instead, strayed and became enraptured with the creations of weapons and weaponized suits, quite similar to those found in superhero movies.
And so, after a while, and after recognizing that Ardi had been the rude guy behind the speaker. I got bored of waiting for them to come to a decision and decided to explore their base.
Their home is simply the main lobby of the building, where they do everything, as well as two rooms, one for each person. There are a few more unused rooms that are either empty or filled with rubble, the whole left side of the building has collapsed. Also, the twins have somehow managed to get pre-integration electronics to work. I had assumed it was just a few cameras, a speaker and a mike but no, instead, they have more than a dozen screens showing the various locations outside their abode, high and on ground. As well as working PCs and smartphones, most electronics are barely functioning now, theirs works like it's brand new…
Highly experienced engineers, working electronics. Maybe they can get the machines working again back at Garuda Hospital. Assuming we still need them… So, I return only to them still arguing. I was planning on helping Atech with his arguments when a loud explosion reverberates through the building.
"What the f—"
"Excuse me!" Tiffany yelled at Acek Ardi, with a glare whilst Mini is sitting on her laps snacking on a candy bar.
"—funk…" he muttered after the motherly interruption. Nice save!
I catch movements on my peripheral sight and turn to look at my dad, he is just beginning to move, to make his way towards the exit… "No, wait!" A fraction of a second later, I chase after him.
Thanks to my higher attributes, I manage to catch up just as he exits the building. Hastily grabbing onto him in a hug, "why go towards the explosion dad?"
"Tha… we need to go, find out what happened. At least help the injured." He replies.
"That's Wisman's problem now, not yours."
"No. You might not, Zen. But I have friends there. People who have fought and joked with me since the world went to hell." He said. "I was leaving under the impression that they'll be fine, that their lives will continue as it has."
"I thought so too." I agree, "but not with the part where you rush into what might be a major danger."
Two disk flies out of my back, "wait a while, okay." I shift my sights to the two disk, my two parallel thoughts taking control of one each, while my mind as a whole dedicates a small fraction of its focus to use Visualization and allow the others to see what I'm seeing though my disk-drones.
"Is that a magical drone and projector?" Acek Ardi asks his twin with a twinge of amusement.
"Yep, told'ya." I barely register Atechs answering him, and redoubling on with his arguments. Stubborn the both of them, not that that's a bad thing---soon I notice my disks arriving near the Territory and both my focus shifts back to them.