image [https://cdn.midjourney.com/b0e5cff3-cfe2-4bd6-bc91-3e46a32120b4/0_3.png]

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They ate lunch with William, at the best restaurant in town. The werewolf often sighed, and after a while, Regina asked: "All OK, Will?"

"I used to be a vegan… Now look at me," he gestured toward the steak.

"Eh, bilghies eat grass, so it's the same," Marius said.

“You can eat nuts,” Peter offered his advice. “Vegan protein.”

They had coffee and sweets, and it was such a nice vibe sitting on a terrace, that they didn't want to go. William returning to re-open his business gave them the proper impulse.

"What now?" Peter asked.

"There are two choices," Marius showed Peter and Regina his phone's screen. "The first is another student camp thirty-two miles east. Corrupt teachers, but from the Trade faction this time."

"And the other option is?" Regina asked.

"A CIA Forward Operating Base, further north. They’re allied with the Trade faction."

"Let me guess, it's more dangerous."

"Depends," Marius shrugged. "There was a sign on the description we downloaded from the laptop. Naomi or the System didn't know what it meant, but I do. It's a code for a tactical nuke. They have one on-site. If you teleport inside—"

"I Warp, teleport is a different thing."

"Whatever. Go inside the camp and the System will initiate a countdown and blow it up."

"But what about collateral—"

Marius turned his palms upward, shrugging. "It's supposed to be an isolated area. I can't know for sure."

"What are the pros and cons for each?" Regina asked, absent-mindedly scratching Shredder's head.

"The first objective is about taking out some bad people. The second… Let me put it this way: do we want that nuke to explode where it does minimal damage, or let them use it freely? Your headmaster is on that target list but we don’t know yet how they plan to use her. Say they attack her here, to attract her dad, then boom… Instead of directing the strong guy’s revenge against his own, they take him out, and deal with the smaller fish themselves.”

"What if we steal or disable it?" Peter asked.

"I dunno," Peter sighed. "I don't like the idea of killing people en masse. There could be some innocent people there."

"Yeah," Regina said. Kids, cooks, doctors."

"Slim chances," Marius said. "This is all vetted personnel. CIA has some bad people, believe me. Worse than the FBI."

"Let's postpone the decision until I inspect the premises," Peter said.

"Promise you don't activate it without asking me first," Regina puckered her lips. Instead of answering, he posed a short kiss on them.

Paying the meal, including William's share, they left town and headed north, for two hundred miles and some change. For the last ten miles, they entered a forest and advanced in small jumps. And well they did, because soon enough, they heard the buzzing noises of drones above.

Hiding below a ridge, they equipped themselves. This time, Marius and Regina put on full ballistic armor. Peter left the two there and Warped up in the sky, activating Stealth and Gliding.

The base was a square, surrounded by barbed wire fences, minefields, and guard towers. It had a double row of military tents and various other larger structures. Four drones patrolled above.

Taking Marius and Regina with him, Peter Warped to another ridge, half a mile away from the premises.

"Here I go," Peter said. He Warped inside the camp, moved around a bit, and then alarms started and he jumped back. "Fuck! How did that happen? Did you detect the bomb?"

Inside the camp, armed people were running all around, searching the tents. "I have an idea," Peter said. "Shreddi, come here." Taking the warg under his arm and engaging Stealth, he made another trip inside the base but returned empty-handed.

"What are you doing?" Regina yelled. "They'll kill him!"

"No one kills a pup!" Peter replied. "He has the System, it's like one of us is inside."

"Keep your voices down!" Marius hissed.

It's a pup! It's so cute! It must've activated the sensors. How did it enter? Probably under the fence. Lucky dog. He's too small to activate the mines. Let's keep it. It has a collar. What if the master comes to claim it? We shoot the master and keep it. Let's ask the commander…

One of them is going to see the commander, with the pup in arms. Geez, the nuke is in the commander's tent. Hacked it.>

"Don’t blow it, moron, Shreddi's in there!"

Look what we find, boss, can we keep it? Send people to search the area. Kill anyone you find. I'll keep the dog, it's cute. But boss, what if the pup's master is a kid— Gunshot. Anyone else wants to disobey my orders? Take the idiot out and bury him next to the other idiot. What are you waiting for? Go and kill anyone on sight… No, stop. Cancel that. If it's a lion-people, bring them back for dissection. If there's a human girl, bring her back too… We need a little entertainment. But boss, how can a human girl come here? Floor Two has a student camp twenty miles to the west. Last month we shot a couple of stragglers. I bet it’s someone from Floor Two again.

End dialogue. They exited the officer's tent.>

"Blow them up!" Regina sneered.

"I still don't like killing indiscriminately. What if we ask them to surrender, threatening we blow the bomb? We could interrogate them one by one," Peter pleaded.

"A hundred or more people? Takes forever," Marius objected.

The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement.

Even without binoculars, they could see a rolling ball of fur going full speed on the main alley of the base. Shredder was so fast and agile that no one could catch him. Exiting through the main gate, he ran up the hill.

"Shoot the bloody dog!" the wind carried the commander's voice up to their ears. Either the guards were bad shots or they wanted to spare the dog, they all missed.

"Sir, someone messed with the bomb, the alarm is on!" a trooper yelled.

"Coming," the officer yelled.

A few seconds later, a blinding light shot out toward the sky.

They plunged behind the ridge. A cloud of debris and heat passed above, and along with it, a furry ball flew over their heads and ended in a tree.

"Woof!" Shredder yelped in panic.

"Sorry, boy, I'll get you down in a second," Peter yelled, Warping up the tree.

"Take a pill, works against radiations," Peter blurted, giving everyone—starting with Shredder—a pill and taking one himself.

"That's a small explosion?" Peter gasped, taking it the huge mushroom cloud floating above the valley.

"Sure is," Marius said.

You and your party have slain... Tens of notifications inundated Peter’s sight. He dismissed them without reading any but the last: You have reached level 55.

the System said.

“You did it, System! I know it was you!”

"They deserved it," Regina said, a deep frown on her forehead. "Murderers and rapists. Papa, I want you to swear to me—"

"I never killed or tortured someone who didn't deserve it," Marius took the girl's shoulders, searching for her eyes. "I swear it."

Regina tucked herself into her father's arms, and Peter could see the man's eyes filling with tears. His were too. He picked Shredder and joined the group hug, activating Warp moments later. He didn't like hanging out in a radiation zone.

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They stopped in the town to change, and wash their clothes and themselves, in case some radiation was still sticking. The System assured them their bodies were next to immune to mild radiation poisoning, but they played it safe. However, instead of sleeping in the town, they returned to the camp in the evening, feeling the need to be among friends.

Regina went to sit with Ariana, which meant Jack's group, but Peter understood it was just socializing with those who were her best friends up to a month ago. He and Marius sat at their own campfire.

Peter thought it was due time to take a weight from his heart. "About those lawyers, and FBI agents, and—"

"Aside from the usual kills, the bad guys, I did a mafia lawyer, a few dirty cops, and a fed... or two. But the guy killed a bystander in a bank robbery, to make his cover more credible. We all voted to brain him, I just took the shot. I never did a CIA operative… Couldn’t tell them apart. Only when the arrests were made and you saw them walk free you noticed."

"Do I disturb?" Daniel appeared.

"Hey! How come you're here?" Peter asked. "This is my father-in… Regina's father, Marius. The friend of your friend who asked for a favor."

"Nice to meet you," Daniel offered a handshake. "I came to see if there’s any questing or exploring available. Last time it paid well and was fun."

"We could go hunting together tomorrow," Peter said.

"Perfect. So, you’re in the army?” Daniel asked Marius.

"I'm tired, going to bed," Peter said. His interest in army tales was next to non-existent.

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Regina and Peter were sleeping cuddled in each other arms in the late morning, when a thunder and a qi-message woke them, and the entire camp.

"Grand Master Li has arrived to see Journeyman Master Melinda Li."

"Freeze!" Kostel's voice could be heard.

"You again?" the Cultivator said with annoyance.

"Don't kill him, he's my fiance!" Melinda yelled.

"Fiance?"

Peter and Regina took a look outside. The Grand Master had grabbed one of Kostel's multiple chins between his fingers, looking into the man's eyes. Kostel was trembling.

"You have my blessing, you can marry him," the Cultivator said.

What? Peter slackjawed. So did Regina, and Melinda.

"What?" Alchemy exclaimed too.

"He looks like good husband material."

"Let me hear," Peter hissed. "Shoot, they entered the tent… I'll—"

"Stay here, he'll sense you," Regina ordered. "Send Shreddi, and ask the System to tell you what they say."

The only problem was that Shredder was sleeping with Ariana, and she was in the opposite corner of the camp. Before Peter had the time to think of something else, Melinda called his name. He rushed to Alchemy's tent, as he was, in a T-shirt, shorts, and bare feet, entering it with his head lowered, bent in two. The proper protocol.

"He's my best student. A Wild Magician, newly discovered powers. Survivor of the System's curse…"

"And of your vaccine, I presume," Grandmaster Li said, a slight amusement in his voice. Nevertheless, Peter's heart skipped a beat. The man's presence was crushing.

"He's the best in harvesting beast components." Melinda turned her eyes to the young man. "Peter, Grandmaster Li will mount an expedition to the depths of the fog. You are to select a logistic team. Pick ten among the most competent students and guards… " But not Kostel was the meaning of the hesitation and her eyes shifting focus toward the tent’s entrance.

"I will do so, Journeymaster Melinda," Peter bowed, remaining in place.

Final Quest of the Chain: Form a party and accompany Grandmaster Li to the Deep of the Depths. Deal with Fafnir.

"You have nothing to fear, I’ll do the fighting, " Melinda's father said, mistaking his attitude.

"May I be excused?" Peter asked. Again, the proper protocol. One didn’t leave a high-ranked Cultivator’s presence without permission.

"Yes," Alchemy said.

Peter exited, slightly wobbling. He sat on the grass, next to the tent, massaging his forehead. His nausea was not faked, but it was a good pretense to listen to the conversation. His True Aura had activated, shielding him from a good part of the Cultivator’s influence, but it was still insufficient.

"What a polite young man," Li said. "And handsome… but I guess once your mind is set…"

"I knew you hated Kostel," Melinda hissed. "I love him dearly. We'll marry soon."

"But of course, my child. I won't stay in the way of your happiness."

Goodness… Regina and Marius are so normal compared to that…

"Why the rush?" Melinda changed the subject. "And why us?"

"Because I can trust you not to stab me in the back. There is a great prize to be claimed in the depths, the once-in-a-lifetime kind."

"You're… sure?" Melinda asked.

"Absolutely. A dragon. It appeared a few hours ago, and the Tower issued a quest, taunting us to hunt it. A few rivals of mine—may they rest in peace—already tried, and failed. I claimed the right to be the next to challenge the beast."

"It's so strong?"

"Rest assured, my child, the dragon is as good as dead. I will go meditate in my castle and return in the evening. Make the necessary arrangements."

"I will, grandmaster Li," Melinda bowed.

"Sometimes, I wish you'd call me just father," the man said. There was sadness in his voice.

"I… wish so too, f… grandmaster… but…"

"Maybe in time. One more thing… While we go hunting… make sure the camp is well-guarded. Put your Body teachers on high alert. This place is dangerous."

"How so, fa… grandmaster?"

"Remember the hired gun who killed my man? The Cartel assassin?"

"The one with the dark helmet?"

"Himself. He is… or was here. Took out Moon and four of his people."

"M-moon? But he was—"

"Rank seven, nearly eight. Spirit, but a sword champion. The assassin slayed him and his apprentices in seconds by pulling out their cores with his bare hands."

"The Fist of Death?" Melinda gasped.

"The supreme Rogue technique. And he Shadow Stepped."

"But how? The Rogues are no more. You killed them all."

"And yet, they seem to be. Maybe they started working for the Cartels, training their people. Cartels do have the resources to hide people, even from me."

"But why go after Moon? What did he do to them?"

"He killed three of his students, himself, to keep the bounty money. A stupid greedy bastard… And where is Moon's college?"

"Mexic…" Melinda whispered.

"One of the students must've been… related to someone. It's the only thing that makes sense. A few hours later, the assassin destroyed a CIA base, that was financed with drug money… He comes here, takes revenge on Moon, then blows a nuke over the competition. Two stones, one bird. And he bragged openly about that by—"

Let me hear.

"—taking a selfie with the explosion and posting it on his darknet social media profile."

You bastard! So that's why you asked me to raise the phone.

Voted? Behind my back?

"I wish he'd come to work for me," Li sighed. “Be well. I will return shortly."

"F-father?" Melinda blurted. A noise of creased fabric told Peter she had grabbed the man's robe.

"Yes, my child," the Grandmaster whispered.

"What is to come… is it necessary? The to-the-death combats in the Arena? "

"I'm only one among many. My word is not law, albeit it has some influence. I'll see what I can do. If our hunt is successful, my standing will increase."

"Thank you… father… We'll do our best to assist you."

"You know, child… At first, I thought this school of yours was a whim… That you're too soft and inexperienced. Yet, you got the second place in the trials… I'm proud of you."

The man exited without any more words and disappeared into the sky. Inside the tent, Melinda was crying, her sobs loud and clear.

"Shut up, you bastard," Peter whispered, tears creeping into his eyes.