I surveyed the vast landscape from my vantage point atop the hill, a mischievous grin playing on my lips. The morning sun cast a warm glow on the lone hacienda-like estate nestled in the valley below. My fingers expertly twisted the knobs of the peculiar contraption before me, adjusting it with the precision of a seasoned engineer. "Ah, just a little to the left," I muttered to myself, squinting as I peered through the eyepiece.
Lying on the ground with my heavy, unexpected, metallic companion at my side, which seemed to cheer on my clandestine intentions, I smiled with anticipation. “This is going to be fun.”
As I continued my adjustments, a light breeze rustled through the grass, and as it did, I felt something through the ring on my finger. It came from my spacial ring. Activating it, I tore a rift in the midair, allowing me to retrieve the source of the commotion I was feeling. It came from the astral beacon connecting me to Dungeon Master 07.
I wanted to immediately greet him, but in that moment, I remembered how apprehensive he was about that telephone-like device. “Your favorite Verdenkind on the other side, who is it that you want to see dead, my dear lord?” I said, making sure not to mention his name.
…
Erm, what’s this strange silence for?
“Are you in your headquarters?” he directly asked.
Oh crap!
“Me? I’m… I’m not,” I replied.
Why is he asking me that? Did he find out? How? No, there’s no way he found out. Unless I’ve ratted out. Who? She? No, she wanted me to try her toy; there’s no way she would rat me out.
“Then where are you?”
“I’m… on a mission… Why do you ask?”
“A mission, huh?” A tense silence settled in until he asked in an inquisitive voice, “who is it that you have a contract for?”
Oh, crap! Crap! Crap! How do I answer that?
“That’s…”
"Where are you now?" he demanded, his voice carrying a tone that left no room for evasion, a stern force demanding an immediate answer.
With a sigh, I gave up my location, “Piques, near the formerly Thornfield Dungeon.”
“Piques… near the formerly Thorfield Dungeon—“He” has an estate there, doesn't he? So you're really after Barron Aurelius, after all? Didn’t I already tell you and Theta to leave his arse alone.”
Oi, what happened to being careful when talking on this device? You just dropped Theta’s name like that.
“Yes, but—” I wanted to rebut, but fuming Dungeon Master 07 cut me off.
“But what?! I’m listening.”
“It wasn’t something Theta and I came up with; we were really planning on letting that guy off. It’s just that someone left a contract published on his name to the guild.”
“So you just accepted the contract, that’s what you’re telling me.”
I nodded to the crystal.
“And may I ask who published that contract?”
“It was anonymous…”
“Oh, it was anonymous, huh? And may I ask you another question, that I would like you to really think about? Who do you think is the likeliest to air a contract for Barron Aurelius’s head to your guild, I’ll give you a hint, it’s someone you know.”
He didn’t even have to give me the hint; the moment I mentioned it being anonymous, I finally got it.
“It’s her, isn’t it?” I sighed, as I, from my spot, peeked at the lone hacienda down the valley.
“Of course. It’s her.”
Sigh.
No wonder she contacted me almost immediately after I discovered the contract in the guild. Ah, Theta, you really got me good. Had it not been for Dungeon Master 07, it would’ve all gone as you planned.
“I see. So? Do I call this off?” I asked.
Dungeon Master 07 was in a contemplative silence for a moment before announcing, “Since she’s already got that low just to take him down, I doubt she’s going to stop unless he’s gone, so just do it.”
“Really?” I asked, genuinely surprised by his answer.
“Yes, but make sure to leave nothing behind. I want nothing to link this back to you and even less to her.”
“Don’t worry, I won’t even leave a magic residual. I will burn everything so much that people will assume that it is Dungeon Master 11’s work,” I reassured.
“With you, I can’t even tell if it’s a good thing or a bad thing. You know what, once you're done, just head over to my nearest property; I have one in Willowdale.”
“I know about it.”
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“Perfect, head there. Dungeon Master 02 will join you. You will be escorting him.”
Dungeon Master 02?
Putting aside the fact that after so many years I was finally given a very special mission, as that was what it looked like to me, by Dungeon Master 07 after that one mishap from over ten years ago, which made me happy, I, foreseeing what that whole was about, asked, with genuine curiosity, “Is it about Dungeon Master 18?”
Though silent, I could tell he was nodding on the other side.
I’ve heard about it. Of course, I had. Considering I was “close” or perhaps the right word was related to her, I should’ve been the one to first notice her disappearance. But since I was being chastised and made an example of, I never really got to notice her absence.
I did think about her from time to time but not to an extent to ask Dungeon Master 08 what became of her. So when Dungeon Master 08 contacted me, mentioning that Dungeon Master 18 was missing, I was very surprised. I knew that in comparison to the other Dungeon Masters that came before us, we—the six youngest Dungeon Masters, were considered somewhat the unique, if not outright problematic batch. But if I, the third eldest among us six, was the one to be considered the black but nonetheless prodigal sheep, Dungeon Master 18, our eldest, was considered the admirable and obedient child. Whatever was the reason for her disappearance, it was a huge stain on her so-far stainless resume.
“I see…” I said.
“Since you’re already up to date, I won’t have to explain anything to you. You will meet up with Dungeon Master 02 at my estate in Willowdale. You will escort him as he will track down Dungeon Master 18.”
Having immediately felt that Dungeon Master 02 was about to shut the connection, I quickly asked, wanting to know, “Why did you choose me for this, Dungeon Master 07?”
Choosing Dungeon Master 02 was a very logical choice, especially considering the power he wielded. But now came the question of why me? Sure, I was strong, no doubt about that, but I was self-aware enough to know that I had a very bad reputation among my fellow Dungeon Masters.
Dungeon Master 07 was silent for a moment before saying, “I’ve chosen you for this mission because this is your chance to mend what went wrong back then. It won't erase the past; that's for sure. But it's an opportunity to reclaim some of your lost credibility.”
I see.
So it was that.
I was well aware that I held a very bad reputation among my fellow Dungeon Masters, and that some of them outright looked down on me, which was understandably so. I might have been heavily punished for it, but as he said, it didn’t erase the past. The best I could do was make amends for it, which is why, as I was granted a position in the guild, I took on as many contracts as I possibly could. I focused on contracts that worked in our Dungeon Master's interest, although in truth, it was mostly in Dungeon Master 08’s interest as she’s the one who usually required my services. I did my best, but even then, I knew it wasn’t enough.
Today, Dungeon Master 07 was giving me a mission, and while it won’t erase what I’ve done, it’ll mend it better than the contracts I usually take on Dungeon Master 08’s behalf.
“Don't let this opportunity slip away,” Dungeon Master 07 said.
“I won’t,” I replied with all my heart.
Once again, I felt that on the other side of the apparatus, he nodded knowingly. Just as I expected him to cut the connection, he added.
“The other reason I’ve chosen you is that, more than anyone else, you’re familiar with Dungeon Master 18. You know her better than anyone else, you’ve grown up at her side, know what her powers are about, and spent enough time with her to know what to do should you have to.”
Without him directly mentioning, I very much got what he was coming at.
“You think she betrayed us?”
“I would like to believe that she didn’t; however, everything I know about her disappearance, the circumstances, are begging me to be prudent.”
We were born late, far later than the generation of Dungeon Masters to which Dungeon Master 07 belonged. I was very well aware of what he and Dungeon Master 00 were wary of in this world and what line of behavior could be, in their eyes, considered treason. I, very much like any other Dungeon Master, tacitly understood how firm they, and by they I mean us, were about it.
“Of course—”
“I get it.”
“Hm. Do you?”
“I do. But I have a question: if there's a third party involved—bad guys, am I allowed to act as what I am?”
“You are. That is if they’re, as you call it, bad guys. If they're a neutral, harmless third party, leave them be; I’ll be the one to handle it.”
“Understood. Erm. I have another question: If—hopefully it’s not the case—there’s something treacherous going on—like there’s no doubt about it. Am I allowed to fight back—” I asked, but before I could finish, I was interrupted by Dungeon Master 07.
“Don’t try to be sly with me. You’re asking me if you’re allowed to engage against her?”
“Hehe, more or less yeah. But only if I have to, of course.”
“If that scenario you’re talking about becomes a reality then…” Dungeon Master 07 trailed off; he seemed hesitant before saying, with a much confident voice, “what I need the most from you is assuring Dungeon Master 02’s security during the time it takes him to track down Dungeon Master 18. So long as you manage to track Dungeon Master 18 down to where she is, and what you think will happen happens, then your focus should be on making sure Dungeon Master 02 at least manages to make an escape. As for whatever happens after, you’re allowed to either engage or run for your life.”
“I see. Understood. But there’s something I just want you to know.”
“What?”
“I’m not running away,” I declared confidently.
“Then make sure to at least not die before reinforcements arrive. Anyway, this will be all. Dungeon Master 02 will be waiting for you at my estate in Willowdale, so get done already with what you’re doing.”
On these words, Dungeon Master 07 cut the connection to me.
At that moment, an optimistic smile crept onto my face as I rejoiced. Peering down at the estate below, I shifted my gaze to the standing metal tube next to me.
"Okay! Let's do this," I declared with a subtle grin, my fingers delicately making my final adjustment on Theta’s little toy as if it were a delicate piece of clockwork, which I guess in some vague way it was.
Reaching for Theta's toy’s munition, I muttered to the mortar, “To think she was ready to get me in trouble just to try you out, you better not blow on my face,” as I rapidly loaded it into the mortar and covered my ears.
A moment of anticipatory silence hung in the air, tension building with each passing second. Then, with a thunderous roar, the mortar unleashed its payload into the sky. The sound echoed across the hill, a symphony of chaos and surprise that resonated through the valleys.
The explosion was a kaleidoscope of colors, a chaotic dance of fire and smoke that painted the canvas of the once serene landscape. As I peered curiously, the shockwave rippled through the air, sending a gust of wind through my hair.
The debris settled, revealing the bombing’s aftermath. The lone hacienda below stood in a state of disarray, its windows shattered, and plumes of smoke rising. From this vantage point, I could see the remnants of the munition's impact, a visual testament to the power I had harnessed.
As the chaos subsided, the eerie calm settled over the landscape. I squinted through the dissipating smoke, noticing figures emerging from the wreckage. There were survivors, bewildered but alive. The estate, though scarred, remained standing.
“Why was I expecting this thing to reduce everything to atoms?” I sighed as I stood up. I reached for Theta's mortar and stored it into my spatial ring’s space—the same space from which I also pulled out a PR-20, a very much AR-15-like semi-automatic. “I guess I’ll have to do this the old way: by myself.”