“Sir?”
Cyrus heard his voice echo in the large office suite. It was dimly lit and decorated in dark wood furniture which was always his grandfather’s preference. There were no windows to let light in, but this far underground, there was no point. Only an overhead lamp in the center of the room and a banker’s lamp on the old man’s desk which sat on one end of the room provided light in the darkness.
He took his pace in the center of the room and waited. And watched.
His grandfather sat in his chair at his desk just like when Cyrus was a boy. Even before the break, he hated coming here with his father. His father’s office had been on the 24th floor of the same structure in a room with windows for rooms. As a boy, it was the closest he felt to flying. He loved visiting his father at work, but he dreaded the days when they visited his grandfather's office.
The old man’s voice broke him from his memories. “Joseph?”
He swallowed deeply before responding. “Cyrus, sir.”
The momentary quiet that followed was broken by a harsh screeching as his grandfather pushed his chair back and stood. Slowly, tap, tap, the old man approached until he stepped into the same light as Cyrus.
His grandfather was only 65 years old, but he looked ancient. After the Break, Grisham Kim had established himself as a powerful player. While he was never physically imposing, he had a keen mind and if not for the death of his sons, Grisham might have taken a position in the spotlight. A leader as the world struggled to rebuild itself.
His grandfather smiled. It looked like pride, but there was something behind it. Something sinister that drew a chill up Cyrus’ spine.
“Of course, my boy. Do you have something to report?”
The quicker he told his grandfather, the quicker he could leave this place.
And the old man, he thought.
“We were able to successfully defeat Nox Viper. There were no casualties, however, a squire was injured during the battle. A boy.”
Grishman stared at his grandson. “Go on.”
“He’ll recover, but it’ll take some time. I was hoping to sponsor him and…”
Cyrus’ voice faded when he saw the look on his grandfather’s face. Hard. Unmoved.
“O-of course, sir.”
Slowly, Grisham turned and walked back to his desk.
“There are reports from Seorak that the remaining clans have discovered the source of the outbreak,” he said. When no response was forthcoming, he continued. “They’ve engaged the boss and-”
“Which clans?”
“The Black Smoke out of Daegu, the Arcane Fox and Thundering Bolts. And… Muho sunbae’s Fighter clan.”
Without turning around, the old man spoke again. “And?”
Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.
Cyrus hesitated. “The Phoenix.”
Grisham sighed. It was a ragged sound that belied hundreds of injuries, some of them internal. And others deeper still.
“I know how you feel, but they’ll have to be dealt with, my boy. For the good of society.”
Cyrus moved to respond, but thought better of it. The voice of dissention died in the back of his throat before it ever reached his lips. Instead he let his gaze drop and fall to the floor.
His grandfather smiled. “Don’t worry, my boy. This task will not fall on you. No, no. We have others for that. You’re the hero in this story, remember?”
Cyrus looked up and realized that his grandfather had silently walked back and stood less than a breath away from him. Under the light, Cyrus could clearly see the old man’s smile. And he shivered.
***
image [https://i.imgur.com/tD6gaf6.png]
“Nobu!”
At Muho’s call, the rogue shade leapt out of his cover in the shadows and ran to the boy. Before the dragon could react, Nobu had gathered the squire up in his arms and moved back into the shadows. Claws raked the area leaving deep furrows in the concrete but came up empty.
Denied its kill, the dragon let out a horrific screeching roar, shattering windows and shaking the foundations of the cave itself. The players took cover as stalactites as big as lampposts fell from the ceiling and crashed down into the buildings and ground below.
Jinyoung [dashed] from his vantage point before rubble crushed the balcony he was standing on and sent even more destruction below.
What the hell is going on, Jinyoung?!
From her position, Hana couldn’t see what was happening, but she could feel the tremors.
Hana, hold your position! I’m bringing the dragon your way!
What? I need you on over-
Jinyoung didn’t bother finishing the message. The other players on the ground floor would have taken up their positions by the damaged structure now and by the time backup arrived, it would be too late.
The dragon was still searching for a target when Jinyoung made his approach. He targeted his [dash] to put him within striking range. It was a blur of movement as he [dashed] in to swipe at the dragon’s legs before [dashing] up to avoid the counter-attack. In mid-air, he kicked off the dragon and [dashed] back to the ground.
The dragon roared.
I’ve got its attention, Hana. Get ready.
[SCAN+]
Monster: SIN DRACONIAN
R3comm–ded Level: $+
Health: 50%
Attributes_: SHI3LD3D (low), BATTLE HARDENED, SIN*
W3akn3ss3s: E___TR-CITY, ICE, ARCANE
***
The building leaned precariously. Shards of glass and office debris occasionally trickled out of the shattered floor to ceiling windows, but you could still hear the occasional creak as steel beams and pylons inside the building buckled and bent.
She turned to the war knight, “Can you get in touch with Muho sunbae?”
The knight shook her head. “Something’s wrong. Nothing’s getting through.”
Hana peeked out and signaled to Willow’s position. The casters were perched three structures away with a clear shot of the building’s weak points. The archers were positioned nearby, but the angle only allowed a clear view of the building and not Hana’s party or the Guild Master’s. The plan was a good one, but not without its weaknesses.
As if to make her point, a small explosion erupted, sending up a plume of smoke as nearby structures caught fire.
H–ana… kno*… own. #ow!!
Jinyoung, what the hell?! Your last message was… What the hell is going on!?
Kn0… @--wn!!
Hana felt a very real cold chill creep down her back.
Jinyoung, say again. I can’t read you!
The silence between messages was deafening. When the next message came through, it was still garbled but the meaning was clear.
KNOCK IT DOWN.