The calibration of the Balance Operational Unit went much faster this time. Null knocked out a few laps around the track and that was it. He did notice that this new Magimech suit, while being noticeably slower than the prototype, did have the advantage of being way more flexible. After a bit more testing to get adjusted to the changes, Vane led Null over to the ships tailor shop.

It didn't take them too long to get Null fitted with an appropriate suit. Null was once again amazed at how efficient the crafters in this world were. Within five minutes, he had a brand-new outfit ready to go. The outfit consisted of a black suit jacket, black dress pants, grey button up shirt, and a dark grey tie. He would like to have included Dress shoes to go along with the look. Unfortunately, when they tried to use them, it threw off the balance of the suit every time he put them on or took them off. Vane figured it was probably just a bug with the Balance Operations Unit and noted it down to fix later.

Null looked over himself in the mirror, but he still felt a bit weird. The suit part was just fine, but seeing the blank, robotic head which only had two crystalline eyes as a feature was disconcerting. Null mentioned his opinion to Vane. Vane looked at the setup. Rubbing his hair a bit awkwardly, Vane apologized.

" Honestly, we didn't even consider the idea of giving the Magimech facial features. Sorry about that."

Null shook his head.

No need to apologize. Honestly, I like it just the way it is."

Vane took a moment to think before coming up with a suggestion.

"I suppose that we could get you a mask for the time being."

Null agreed to the suggestion, and within the next ten minutes, the tailors had made him a relatively ornate, high tech looking mask. Null thought it was perfect for his needs. Vane agreed with his assessment.

"Yeah. Lots of the people around here get their faces disfigured from fighting demons. While healing magic does tend to fix them up pretty well, it's a much longer process."

Null nodded.

Makes sense why the tailor shop is so good at making masks then.

Donning his new mask, Null looked over at Vane.

Alright. I'm ready to go.

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Vane and Null then proceeded towards the area where the memorial service would be taking place. Right outside the door, Vane held out his hand to stop Null for a second.'

"Hey. I'm just going to give you a warning. A lot of people are going to be very upset with how the memorial service is going to take place. That includes me."

Null found himself confused.

Why?

Vane sighed and put his hand on Nulls shoulder.

"Listen. The way memorial services are typically conducted is for the body to be respectfully buried. The elves typically plant a tree. The dwarfs have elaborate stone catacombs. Humans will typically have ornate gravestones. Dragons are a bit unique, in that they typically have lifespans over millennia, but if one dies, the body is buried in a location associated with the type of dragon it was."

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Okay. So, what's with the memorial service then?

"When the demon kings first showed up, we found, that to our absolute horror, they could raise the bodies of the dead to fight for them. The desecrated corpses could fight with much of the skill they had in life. Furthermore, in the case of more recent burials, their memories could be accessed to give the Demons information to exploit."

Null suddenly realized the issue.

So, you have to destroy the bodies...

"Exactly. It's absolutely abhorrent, but we have no choice."

"Then there's nothing you can do? Nothing at all?

Vane sighed.

"Suffice to say, we tried several things. The demons found out about all of it. And every time, it inevitably resulted in a bloodbath. For the time being, I'd recommend you just respectfully attend the service. We can talk about it later if you'd like."

Null felt terrible.

I apologize. I didn't mean to imply that...

Vane held up his hand.

"Don't worry about it. You didn't know. Leave it at that."

Null just nodded.

"Alright. We're here a bit early, but so is the rest of the Special Production Team. Let's go inside."

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With that, they walked into the large bay. Inside were dozens of sealed caskets, each with a framed picture. Null and Vane walked up to the Special Production team and took the spot beside them to stand. As time passed, more and more crew arrived to pay their respects to the dead, lining up with the others present. Once it finally came time, the Commander of the Dublo finally arrived. This was Nulls first time seeing the man. The commander wore a similar, formal military dress uniform to Willis, with his rank clearly displayed on his collar.

He formally marched in, followed by Captain Olivia Heart. The two respectfully marched in front of the formation of crewmembers and turned to face them.

The Commander then called the formation to attention, before beginning his speech.

"Fellow members of the Dublo. We gather here today to commemorate the service of the brave crewmembers that gave their lives to protect the peoples of this world from the evils of the Demon King. This emergence was unexpected. As you all know, this Demon Kings emergence rewrites everything we know about how they operate. What hasn't changed is their evil, their cunning, and their desire to wipe out and enslave all the free peoples on this world.

As such, we will continue the legacy of these brave crew members. These heroes, taken from us before their time, died to defeat the Tyrant and his demonic hordes. We will take this legacy into our hearts. We will continue defeating Demon Kings. We will continue to gather intelligence on the Tyrant and his forces. And believe me, in the end, we will have the Tyrants head. He will be made to answer for all the atrocities he has committed."

With that Captain Heart took a step forward and gave the order to render honors to the fallen. The group turned as a whole and gave a salute. Somber music began playing, and one by one, the caskets were taken to a special chamber made of a transparent material. Once all the caskets were inside, the order to begin was given, and the chamber was filled with a bright light. When the light faded, the caskets and their contents were gone. Utterly destroyed in a fraction of a second.

Null could clearly see the rage on the faces of the people around him. A few of them even openly cursed at the Tyrant and the demonic hordes with tears coming from their eyes. The Commander and the crew continued to render their salute until the music finished. After that, the Commander turned to the crew.

"As with every memorial service, we have counselors on standby should anyone need someone to talk too. Furthermore, we have mental health resources as well. This concludes the memorial service. Go forth and honor their legacy with your actions."

The Commander rendered a salute to the formation. The formation returned the salute and then dispersed.

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With that, Vane led Null to a meeting room. Once they entered, Null found Lieutenant Delars already there, sitting at the end of the table. Vane gave a curtesy greeting to the lieutenant before leaving, having tasks to complete with the rest of the Special Production Team. Null took a seat, exchanging greetings Lieutenant Delars. After that, Lieutenant Delars cleared his throat before continuing to speak.

"Alright. Now that we're done with the demon king business, it's time to discuss what you're doing next."