Chapter 14 - Caught

Altaworlders and Dabomens toppled to the ground like bowling balls. One second they were standing the next they were on the ground.

Mill stood there for a second confused about what was happening. But him solely standing with everyone on the floor made him conscious of how he was the only one standing.

So he made a move without thinking. He also dropped to the floor.

He scuttled near Clarese who was frozen to the ground with her eyes wide, “What happened to you?”

Clarese did not reply and only looked at him with wide teary eyes.

Mill looked around and those around him were still conscious but they were stricken. They seemed to be petrified.

Was it the smoke? But why was he not affected?

His attention was then turned to the sound of chaos near the crystal altar.

Zomeng and other Dabomens were still standing fine. Facing them were the johaman, who was standing shakily on the ground, with a group of Dabomens pointing their weapons and encircling him. Mishka and the other Dabomens were on their knees, their faces pale, and they also struggled to get up. They appeared really weak

“So this is your answer,” the johaman shouted with difficulty, giving Zomeng a furious stare. “ Betraying the Dabomen and be a plunderer?!”

Zomeng laughed at the johaman’s words. “Tikon. You are a fool. This is a new era, and you let these altaworlders take us like an innhouse instead. What are you thinking? This is a huge opportunity. And if you, as the johaman, would not take the helm of helping our mainland grow, then you are not fit to lead us. Look.” He gestured around him as at least half of the Dabomen on the floor got up. Another batch of Dabomen appeared from the edges of the plateau and they went and circled the immobilized altaworlders and Dabomens on the floor. “Our brethren had deemed you unfit to rule us.”

“You—!” The johaman looked around him, betrayed.

“Besides,” Zomeng interrupted him with a winning smirk. “I’m already a ten bar human like you. I have the right to question your position. This is me taking it.”

The johaman dropped to the ground and coughed badly, looking disconcerted.

Mishka, who was also on her knees, looked at the standing Dabomens beside her and cried, “A-acosta, Gelen, Fota! All of you… Why?”

A woman with bob hair looked at Mishka with determination. “ It is a new world Mish.” Her voice was grim. “We can’t risk taking all these altaworlders and expect them to behave. In a short time, their title bars will dominate us. Do you think we could keep them? No! Look what happened in the past.”

“Mish, I’m sorry,” a woman with a flower accessory said. “But it’s true. Your father’s decision is wrong. This… this will change our mainland. I was hesitant before but we,” she pointed at Mill's direction, “have a named title bar now. Just that alone, Mish. Just that alone, is enough. This is the right way, Mish.”

“But this— this is wrong! And Fota—” Mishka looked at the woman with brown wavy hair on the side who refused to look at her. “No— no. You did not! Why? My father trusted you!”

The brown haired woman snapped her head at Mishka. “Because I’m tired!” She clutched at her robe tightly. “I have to do it Mish! I am a warrior! I am a good fighter but I am forced to be a Pleasure Woman! And to whom? To my friend’s father!” Her eyes started to water. “I had to do it. They promised me a new title!”

“You already have a title! You can’t have another one— No! Fota, that’s dangerous!”

“You should stop caring about me Mish!” Fota turned her back on her. “ I drugged your father. I betrayed the johaman. I betrayed you!”

The woman with the bob hair kneeled in front of Mishka and held her shaking shoulder. “Just don’t fight it Mish. Don’t try to use your skills. They won’t do anything to you, or to any Dabomen here. Just let us do this, let us be the sinner.”

“What did they promise you Acosta, to betray your uncle? Rare title bar? Do you think they will give you one? They’re fooling you.”

“I know that Mish, “ Acosta replied. “But think. With this many rare title bars, we could conquer more Bar Islands, we could get other title bars. We will be rich, enough for any Dabomen to buy any titles they want. This is the right thing to do, Mish! Please realize that!”

While Mishka and her friends talked on the side, the Dabomen around had already circled the altaworlders one by one.

“Grab them and line them up. And put there title bars in front,” Zomeng ordered to the Dabomen.

The Dabomens followed and started lining up the immobile altaworlders in row.

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Mill was on the right part of the altaworlders’ crowd but four Dabomen circled him and then carried him towards the front.

Even if he was able to move, he let them take him and pretended to be immobile.

He thought of what to do but he came up with nothing. What’s worse, the dread that he was feeling was getting stronger by the minute. And he was sure now, that it was not coming off from anyone in the Plateau. It was coming from afar, beyond the mountain.

He was led to the front, below the feet Zomeng and his entourage.

The young man before, Mishka’s fiance, gave him a smirk and Mill chose to ignore it.

He decided to observe things first. His ability to move might gave him the chance to escape later. But for now, he was not sure he could escape from this many Dabomen circling the whole ground.

“W-what did you do to immobilize them, Zomeng?” Mishka asked, her eyes furious..

Zomeng did not even gave her a glance.

“Kilert,” Mishka’s fiance said to the man beside him who was the one who smashed the box before. “What was it though?”

“It’s Goliddust. They took it in the food during the feast. The smoke bar is the activator.”

“But I ate the food too?”

Korsner beside them lightly knocked the young man’s head. “Zandro, think.”

Zandro rubbed his head. “I know, uncle. You feed me something after the feast.”

Korsner nodded, then pointed to Mill. “Put that guy in here.” He pointed to his feet.

The Dabomen followed and Mill could now smell the smelly feet of Korsner in front of him.

He was lying on his side so he could not see their faces directly.

“Who will take the name title bar?” Mill heard someone above him say. He did not recognize the voice.

“Me,” Zandro’s voice answered.

“You’re too young, kid. Find other title bars.” Korsner replied.

“No.” Zandro’s voice was determined. “You think you can have it? You already have a title.”

“Do you think I can’t discard it?”

“Heh. Do you think father will let you!”

Another voice joined their quarrel. “Heh. What makes you think you two should receive it.”

“Yeah, it should be fair. The strongest should have it,” another voice joined.

They continued quarreling like that while Mill pretended to be unmoving and looking at the ground.

He evaluated any solution to his predicament but he came up with nothing.

He spoke to the title bar in his hands, or controlled it with his mind, hoping it would miraculously work some magic up but nothing happened. He did not even know how to use it.

They mentioned about title incorporation before and from its name, he likely had to incorporate the title or whatever that was.

He tried calling to the voice that he heard before in the Oxygen High but there was no answer. He had no options but to wait.

“Tie up the johaman and the others. And you, take the named title bar,” Zomeng ordered.

Mill subconsciously clutched the title bar in his hand. He was conflicted if he should hold on to his title bar and blow his cover or should he give it to them.

Still undecided, someone squatted beside him and pulled the title bar from his hands.

He held onto it for a second and as he was about to let go, the title bar was already out of his hands.

He contemplated getting up and taking it back but imagined it would do nothing. No matter how many scenarios he played in his head, it always ended up with them having his title bar and him incapacitated.

Even if the Dabomen had no supernatural powers, they still have the advantage of numbers. It would be a foolish move. He had no choice but to continue acting immobile on the floor.

His vantage point though was directly towards the crystal altar so he saw Zomeng approached it. He was holding a blue title bar on his left hand, and Mill guessed it was his. He stopped in front of the crystal altar and touched his other hand on a bar crystal.

Unlike how it lit up with Mill, the title bar on Zomeng’s hand stayed inert. It did not light up.

Zomeng turned back, shook his head and looked at Mill. Both of their eyes met but Zomeng only dismissed him after a second and he walked back in front of lined up altaworlders.

“It was still owned.” Zomeng said. “Are you finished lining them up?”

“Just a minute delra,” someone shouted back.

“Make it faster. Dinner had already passed. They should have already laid the feast in the feast hall.”

To Mill’s grim, hearing this made him hungry. He was already in a dangerous situation but he was still thinking with his stomach.

He had been hungry since the start of the ceremony, it was just bearable then. The hunger in his stomach made him realize that he had not eaten a full meal for more than a day except for the few root crops hours ago. With his appetite, that was only a snack.

He might be struggling living for years, but he never skipped any meal since he could earn money, and that was for a certain reason.

A minute passed when the Dabomen reported they already lined up the altaworlders.

Zomeng faced them. “Hmmm. Altaworl—”

“Delra Zomeng! Look!”

At the same time that someone interrupted Zomeng, Mill felt the dread inside him grow till he felt so cold all over his body. It was the same degree he felt when he was facing the octopus in Oxygen High.

“Oh god!” Someone shouted.

“The scourge!” Someone shouted. “The scourge arrived early!”

“This is not good. It should arrive tomorrow night! My kid is still in the 8th dacotan.”

“Check if you can enter the Rock Island. My token's unfilled yet.”

“I can’t.”

The Dabomen around was in commotion.

“Be calm,” Zomeng reassured everyone in calm voice. “We still have time before they come. Let the dacotans prepare and evacuate the children, the same with the elderly and those noncombatants.”

Mill stared at the source of his dread, or a part of it. He didn't have to look far.

Far towards what should be the outskirts of the island, a giant tower of brownish red light started to manifest.

It was so tall that it looked like it pierced the sky. It was a giant rectangle of light, and from his view point only, he counted four of them. They were space apart evenly and looked to be forming a curve in that part of the island.

He felt the danger of them distinctly, and he could feel seven others around the island that he could not see. His brain mapped it out and it made a perfect encirclement to the island.

What worried him though was not the tower itself.

He did not know why but he could feel something lurking from inside it wanting to get out.

“We don’t have much time, altas.” Zomeng started to speak after he had already instructed everyone. Mill was in front so he had a front view. He also noticed Seant, the rich guy in red outfit, slumped in Zomeng’s feet. “As of now, I am the new person in charge of this Mainland and you are now at the mercy of the Dabomens.”

“You have taken an immobilizing solution and we have an antidote for it. But in exchange, you will have to relinquish your ownership of your title bars. Because if not,”

Zomeng, with a single hand, pulled Seant by the neck and raised him a few feet from the ground like he weighed nothing. Then without warning, Korsner from the side pulled a sword and slice Seant’s head off.