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Volume 4
Chapter 30: What Secrets Reveals
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What's left there was the sight of a village ruined by the on-going greed and its issuing war. It was a few minutes later, a dark ship descended from the clouds.
The on-going fight of the players stopped and they all looked up to the alien warship.
"Hey look."
"What is that?"
"Isn't that a warship?"
"Whose guild is it? Its shape is unique."
"You think it's part of the mission?"
Whispers of doubts came into their group as the noise that once overwhelmed the pleading voices of the people in the village came into a complete stop. That's because one particular group shouted.
"That's the Garuda!"
"Garuda?!"
"What?! They're here?!"
"The game's strongest players?!"
"Holy crap..." One of the players could only mutter as something small was shot at its bilge.
It came falling towards them and as it came with a shape of a person. There were small dots of black things revolving around the person, like the planets around the sun, he was the star of the small black balls. He came crashing down without any sign of stopping and his hands are folded in front his chest while looking down.
When he was close to the ground, the black balls that surrounded his body came to his feet and his fall became slow until he finally reached ground and stopped.
At the southeastern part of the village, a wounded and heaving Four was leaning on a wall. No one had healed him and his wounds on his arms rendered him unable to drink red potions. And although it was only a matter of a few moments more before he actually gets the [Game Over] message, his face showed something else when he saw the man who fell from the sky.
The man was dressed in pure black formal dress. Much like the same clothes as The Destroyer's but his black longcoat left fluttering significance of his presence in the battlefield.
His landing made dust clouds moving away from his feet and as he took his first step towards Four, those who felt his heavy presence started to run away and flee into all directions, including the sky. He looked around for a bit and then saw the ruined five layered sacred seal. He put his eyes back to Four and the man shivered at the sight of his casting eyes.
"Where is he?" The man asked calmly.
"S-South..."
"How long ago?"
"Thirty-Forty minutes...p-perhaps..."
With the second part being a mutter, the man's face has a short twitch before he glanced over the southern sky.
He sighed and knelt down on Four.
"You know, I really have no idea why Father wants him but I really hate this... chasing after someone's ass and arrive with nothing but a failure's report. If you were him... will you be angry?"
The man in black only mentioned 'him' without a good sentence but the Wizard immediately understood his message as he nodded vigorously wearing a frightened expression.
"Yes. Yes. So please... please don't kill me."
Walking closer, both of the man's hands changed form from a human hand into a large dark monster's. He grabbed the wounded Four who struggled helplessly, and raised him in the air, squeezing tighter and tighter.
"Ah, that face." The man's smile bade wide as he took the moment to slowly tighten the grip. "Yes! That kind of scream! The scream of agony and pain, I like it. I like the sound of it! More! More! Give me more!"
"Kkkkurgh... plea... please... Master Rogue..."
With the demented laugh echoing louder, all the players that reacted with the name understood something. They began to step back while the ignorant ones continued watching. Then, the laugh broke off and Rogue's face came into a horrifying seriousness.
"Mister One failed to accomplish his mission so he was disposed. I really hate doing this but you guys are just useless so I hope you had a good life."
After his last note, Rogue's sinister grin came back.
KASHAK!
"Gwah~!"
The hand that's made up of black matter engulfed Four and the black skin dissolved into a normal one soon after without a trace of Four or of his virtual blood.
Rogue faced the south again and he sighed.
"If I knew you'd be this important to him, I would have grabbed you back then."
With a slight flick of his hand, black balls materialized in midair. And while he was surrounded by those objects like a sun, his feet left the ground as the warship in the clouds began to point the cannon on its belly in the village's direction.
And when he was already far enough, a beam of light escaped the cannon's bore and scorched the land that left no trace of the village in the map.
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For how many times has it been, the silence of the room is still as suffocating as ever. Especially now that they were >Wink [https://forum.royalroadl.com/images/smilies/wink.png] this (< close on getting to him, the slip this time was focused on a single person.
It wasn't a written rule that tying someone up is not a crime but it was unethical for a gamer to tie another gamer in a chair.
The reason being, Cassiopeia refuses to give any kind of information as to where The Destroyer had gone to.
Although, as remarkably sharp as it was, they heard that The Destroyer went into the Northern Continent.
What they don't know, however, is that where exactly he went to. For all they know, unlike the warmer continents, The North is an inhospitable place where only criminals with high bounties dare enter. And it's a very big place to actually search for just one person.
"Please, miss Loni, will you free her now? It's really not a good thing to tie someone up when she hasn't done anything to deserve it."
A hand reached behind Scion and the person who shook her head when their eyes met is her best friend.
"She deserves it. Refusing to tell us where he went is a clear sign that she wants to stall for time."
"I'm doing this as to my master's request. Hmp."
"Here we go again with that crap."
Rolling her eyes sideward, FlowerLord ignored Loni who approached the tied up player on the chair. Taking a pause, it was clear that she was restraining herself from hitting her, just like the other times she had done so in the past few days.
There wasn't any kind of damage though as they were in the hotel, a designated Safe Zone, but there was still a slight knock back from the force and that alone was enough to cause minor damage to someone's spirit and even morale.
Still, Cassiopeia remained steadfast. She kept holding on that line over and over again that the ones who lost their spirit and morale was the interrogation team.
Except for Scion and Agatha, everyone else wanted to force the answers out of her mouth using force.
"Please, let her go. We can talk about this peacefully."
As Scion requested out of Loni, the latter was already on the verge of unleashing a slap but was held back by a hand from a priestess.
"Please, Miss Loni."
Loni pulled her hand forcefully that almost made the girl trip. Seeing this, a flash of light came from a corner of the room and two hovering cannons emerged on the sides of a purple witch.
"I dare you do that again, bitch."
Loni faced Samara and also summoned her Elven Bow with a lightning arrow pulled at its maximum length.
"I dare you call me that again, purple bitch."
"Yeah, bitch? You wanna fight?"
Sparks flew off from the point where their eyes met and as the arrow Loni pulled was on the verge of being released, the bores of Samara's cannons was almost ready to fire off a charged shot.
Stepping in front of them were Agatha and Scion, back to back like a tag team of gentle magicians.
The antagonistic air began to disperse and the faces of the men who hid in another corner eased out with the sweat on their cheeks.
Cassiopeia remained still as she watched over how the same things developed into this scenario.
It was clearly visible that these groups don't go up well with each other and the only reason that they were still together was, perhaps, the very reason why she was tied up in a chair.
Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on Royal Road.
"Heh."
As a chuckled escaped from her, eyes were directly pointed at her direction in the northern center of the room.
"What's funny?" Asked Loni.
"Oh, nothing. I just felt happy for my master's sake. I have no idea that he was this special to women."
Loni's angry face became purple green while the one with the Dark Tech as weapon summoned Dark Spears and acted as if to release it any moment.
At that moment, Scion and Agatha had no more chance to stop the two when the door opened up revealing a face that Scion had only met once.
Loni immediately put away her bow and the members of the TOS Guild all stood up in acknowledgement of the new arrival's presence.
"Loni." Thorn called out and saw Volt in a corner. "So you really are here."
"We have our reasons." Volt answered indifferently.
"I respect that." As Thorn replied, he naturally looked to his left and to the woman tied in the chair. He then looked at Loni with curled brows. "Please set her free."
"But Thorn..."
"She's still a person. We are not uncivilized people who mistreat other people who only wanted to have a nice gaming lifestyle."
Loni clicked her tongue as she cocked her head to the grunts on her group. Cassiopeia was freed and she did not put her eyes off from Thorn even one bit. The man walked towards her and offered to shake hands.
"I'm sorry for the mistreatment from my guild mate. I humbly offer my apologies, Miss Cassiopeia."
"So you know me?" She answered him coldly without taking the offered hand.
"You have a reputation on certain men of particular preferences."
A smile beamed out of Cassiopeia as she studied the new arrival's knight outfit and the color pattern of his blue and white garb. The emblem of the TOS Guild is in his left chest and the cape looked elegant with the way he carried himself.
Her eyes wandered off towards the hand he offered but she still didn't take it until she glanced over the door.
"You will be freed." Thorn said before she could even say something. "But please, I beg you, help us Save the world by cooperating with us."
"Save the world?" Cassiopeia's expression drew in the look of befuddlement. "What do you mean?"
"Captain." Loni interrupted. "Is this really alright?"
"There is nothing wrong in this. She has important information that we need, making her a VIP. Telling her the whole truth does not pose a problem at all. In fact, you should have done this in the first place."
Loni bit her lips as she retreated behind Thorn while the confused Cassiopeia took one step back.
"Again, I apologize for what my guild mate had done to you but please also understand that she was just in the edge of her patience as we have been chasing after The Destroyer for the past few months in honor of a noble goal."
"Stop with the formal theatrics and just say it."
"I know that the Illuminati Circle are aware of the Dark Group that buys Blueprints and Inventions of strong players, even takes them by force from the people that can't fight against them. They are, after all, one of the groups that hinder your businesses."
Cassiopeia remained shut. She just looked at him and his men intently, trying to discern the message of his last words.
"So let me tell it straight to you. This group is not just a mere in-game organization. They are also a real world terrorist group aiming to use Nanotech Weaponry from the game to cause havoc in the real world."
GASP!
"They are aiming to get their hands on The Destroyer's invention or worse, recruit him in their organization for an... unknown reason."
"B-But that's...."
She looked at the downcast eyes of the people in the group. Even those who were in the verge of shooting each other had the same look in their eyes. She wasn't aware of the circumstances each of them had but she is now aware that one of the reasons why they were all in this room, working together despite their antagonistic differences, is because of the very same news that she just heard.
It wasn't even a secret as to how similar the Nanotech in this game to the real world Nanotech Weapons Tech is.
Anyone twisted enough and had high enough Clearance to get permits from the UNICORN Defense Council to use real world Nanotech to model a collector's item version of his in-game Invention could do so anytime.
But to gain the permit, one must be at least either a part of an authorized organization to use Nanotech Weapon Technology, or the other side which is the terrorists.
"To think that my master is..."
At the mention of the word 'master' Thorn looked back to Loni with a raised brow. She just cleared her throat that made it even more complicated because she had a red face expression as she did so.
Nonetheless, Cassiopeia was still firm at her volition to follow the request of her master.
"I-it's really a surprise to learn that. But... I made a promise to my master and he personally requested me to not tell anyone where he is going, no matter what. I will make sure that he receives this news as soon as possible so that he knows what to do."
At the moment she was about to pull out her inventory window, Thorn stopped her hand.
"Please, listen first to the other side of the story."
"Other side?"
"Leader!"
Thorn raised a backhand to Loni and Loni clenched her fist as she stopped further interruption. Seeing that her reaction to the phrase about the other side of the story is rather alarming, the eyes and ears of the people in the room also focused on them.
"What is this other side?" Cassiopeia asked.
"There is a much bigger reason why we wanted to meet The Destroyer and talk to him personally. It is to confirm something that... we in the TOS Guild had vowed to uphold and protect."
"And that is?"
"To confirm the origins of that name. And by this other side of the story," He looked around into the faces of the people in the hotel room. To volt and his group, The Arch Mage and her companions, then to his own group and finally back to Cassiopeia. "...You could say that it was a very important piece of information that only a select few who's connected to him personally has the authority to learn."
An air of puzzlement spread throughout the room. The moment he finished talking, Cassiopeia was left in silence, wondering the reason for that simple task.
Still, the fact that it came from the mysterious leader of the TOS Guild meant that it wasn't just a simple matter to be discussed behind open doors.
So Thorn looked up at Volt's group.
Their expression was the same as the others but the way Volt met that gaze was neither antagonistic nor it was an understanding look.
"Volt."
"What?"
"If I tell you who I am, will you tell me the reason why you are hiding the reason why The Destroyer is busy collecting rare items?" Then his eyes wandered off to Scion. "Archmage, will you tell me your connection with The Destroyer if I include you in our talk?" Then he looked back at Cassiopeia. "If you could hear all of our reasons on chasing him, your master, will you tell us where he went then?"
Curiosity dawns on her face and there was also the look that she was struggling on her promise.
"It depends on what I'm gonna hear. Still, whether it's something that warrants my cooperation or not, that is what I will decide on myself. Although, I will still tell him all the things I've heard from you until now. Also, you should know in advance that I will probably just hear them and report it back to my master. After that, I will come back into being silent."
"Alright." Thorn looked at the people he mentioned and then a grunt opened the door into their improvised conference room in the suite.
At that instant, "Can I come?"
On the verge of entering the room, they heard the cat speak. Looking back at her, the whiskers have been cleaned and her eyes sparkled with anticipation. Who'd be so strong enough to resist the expert temptation of that adorable look?
Thorn, behind his poker face, sighed. "Alright."
"Yay!"
Kathleen Brew clung on tightly on Scion's arm and the small group entered the conference room.
The door closed and the rest of them were left in the lounge. A few minutes inside, they heard exclaims and some yelling. Loni was crossed armed sitting on the sofa but it was evident that she herself was curious as to what they were talking about in the room. She closed her eyes and started fidgeting on her seat. The sound of her boots hitting the edge of the expensive furniture was like a brainwashing tune, the people left in the lounge had no choice but to ride the wave.
But knowing the news could wait. No matter the things discussed in that room, it would eventually reach their ears so they just let all the leaders of their respective groups learn of each other's agendas.
Then they heard wails, the sobs were loud enough that it made all of them almost open the door. But the one who made it first on the door was FlowerLord for she knew perfectly well whose familiar cries were those.
But she remained firm and with her trembling hands on the knob slowly backing away, she made that hand into a fist and turned regretfully back to her chair.
Swearing then came next. It was Volt's voice.
The silence that came after made the people in the waiting room more anxious.
Hours built up. And after a long seven hours of that day, they heard footsteps coming close towards the door.
When the sound of the lock of the room clicking off to be released rang in the silence, the door opened and a grim faced Thorn appeared.
He looked like in pain of some sort but not the kind that it was a physical. Thorn was a man of compassion and it was a look of pain saying that the things they all heard in that room was bigger than they anticipated.
Inside there was the still crying Scion comforted by Kathleen and Cassiopeia.
FlowerLord rushed inside and as soon as Scion saw her enter the room, she stood up and burst off crying on her best friend's hug.
"Alice! We must stop them from reaching him. We must help Rex find Baron!"
"Baron?"
"He said he had to find him when we talked last time. I think he's inside the game."
"Wh-What's she talking about?"
FlowerLord's eyes were directed at Kathleen and from there, as if to answer her question, Thorn was in the middle of his call, giving orders.
"Ready the Archangel for departure immediately. Also inform our allies that we are about to go to war against the Dark Group." at the end of his sentence, Thorn took a glance at Loni and pressed his ear to pause the call he currently have. "Loni, contact Fuma and tell him to find Jack immediately."
"Jack? Jack of Helium? Why?"
"To warn him to never cross paths with The Destroyer ever again."
"Wh-What's with all this sudden tension?"
Thorn gritted his teeth, so much that the whites were showing off his face telling Loni that he was angry.
"Damn the fool! I told them so many times not to provoke him..." With the last word, Thorn looked up and sighed heavily, looking at Loni. "All our... my fears have been true all along. No. It's even a lot bigger than what we originally thought and..." With a glance at the other man who was in that room, Thorn's firm look came back almost immediately. "Just make Fuma find Jack and warn him."
"But Thorn..."
"Just do what I told you."
Loni took out her own communicator and when Thorn was about to go back to his call, he saw Volt looking at him intently and was pulled to look at his purple witch companion.
"Tell us!" Samara insisted.
Volt collapsed on the Sofa and his sister hugged him with caring eyes.
"This is much bigger than we have thought it is."
Upon his words, he kept looking at Thorn intently. But it was a look far from being antagonistic. Instead, it is the kind that harbored to the shock of learning his real identity.
"Matt!" Samara yelled angrily. Calling Volt on his real world name means that she was really pissed off. "Just start off to what you heard first."
"It's Kingsley."
"Huh?"
"Dex's real name is Rex Kingsley. He's the son of the Inventors of the NL-D and his baby brother is in a coma, held by an organization that..." Volt looked at Thorn sharply. "—financed the development of Terroa five years ago."
"So what's that supposed to do with Thorn?"
Volt's group looked at the man and the latter also took a moment to glance over to their direction but didn't put in much more than that.
"Everything." Volt answered Samara. "He is connected to the UNICORN and someone who can't be touched in and out of the game. Or at least..." Volt's hand was put into his sister and he patted her shoulder as he bit his lips before he finished. "...until we find Rex, he is someone we can trust."
"I don't get it." Agatha asked with confusion and Volt firmed the hand on Hawkeye's shoulder.
"He's from the UNICORN Defense Council. Rather, he is the son of the current UNICORN President, head of VR-World Investigation Department."
Hearing the words made Hawkeye gasp.
"Y-You mean... he's..."
"Mom's boss."
While everyone else was in that noisy state after the meeting, Cassiopeia saw that the cat had retreated into a corner of the makeshift conference room. After she comforted the shocked Scion, she pulled herself off into that corner with a look that says she was tallying the things she heard.
But while she was curious as to what was running on her mind and why her expression suddenly spiked into a different angle, Cassiopeia was already in the process of making her important call.
CLICK
After three rings, the call connected and the sound of the wind barrier being torn apart rang in the other line.
[Cassiopeia.]
"Master."
[What's wrong? Why is it noisy in there?]
"Master I have to apologize. I can't keep my promise."
[Why?]
She paused for a moment and closed her eyes to take a breath. The heaviness of the words she was about to say weighed over her sense of responsibility.
"Because your life in the real world is in danger..."
As much as she wanted to uphold her vow, the one she decided to be her principal was in danger.
The things she heard and learned in that meeting was enough to make her realize that she was playing into a dangerous game that transcends the virtual and the real worlds' restrictions and boundaries.
She had just learned something that she shouldn't have and now, whether she likes it or not, she had no other choice but to cooperate with this group.
Everything revolves around Rex Kingsley.
But as exciting and as appealing it may seem, she had to take this matter seriously and forget the playful will and abrupt decision she had when she decided to follow her self-proclaimed master.
"My god, master, your life is in danger..."
[What are you talking about?]
After a pause while biting her lower lip, Cassiopeia did a quick glance over at Scion and declared,
"Master, a real-world terrorist group is after your life."