Arriving back at the hospital, Daniel drifted his truck through the second building’s parking lot. Loud screeching from his tires was enough to partially lift the truck upwards as he didn’t press the brakes straight away while turning. The Ford pickup drifted into the visitor’s parking lot and Daniel steered the wheel hard right followed by an abrupt slam to the brakes. The vehicle stopped barely a few inches from the boom barrier. Next, it dropped back down on its four wheels, bouncing on the suspension.
Pulling down the window, Daniel clicked the button, printing a paper slip. The boom barrier rose up in the air towards the clear sky, and the truck sped in straight, barging into a vacant parking space to the left.
Crowded but more space. Daniel unlocked his seatbelt, exited his pickup, and flash stepped to the emergency room entrance.
“Good lord!” A paramedic startled, almost dropping her pen.
“Sorry,” Daniel replied while jogging into the hospital.
He went to the lobby’s desk where he saw a clerk sitting behind her computer screen. Xavier appeared behind Daniel tapping his back, prompting him to revolve.
“This way,” he uttered, directing Daniel to his left. He held onto his shoulders for the whole distance. An abrupt left and Xavier pressed the pin numbers on the touchscreen above the door handle.
Click.
The sound of the gears clicked, and Daniel opened the door handle. Liam leaned up from his pillow, visibly widening his eyes, and rubbed his eyelids. He had a few wires attached to his wrists, and the entire left arm was placed in a metal cast with a tightener a few inches above and below the elbow. Black on the top while red at the bottom.
Daniel went to his bedside and patted his shoulders. “Good to see you recovering. You did well.”
Liam nodded, expressing his gratefulness. But, he glanced around his bed and the floor. “Where’s my katana?”
The lady, sitting on the counter, unfolded her arms. She jumped off bringing the leafy green katana towards Liam. Before handing it to Liam, both of her eyebrows raised while simultaneously her eyes widened. Daniel could see her pupils adjusted size in a microscopic or camera lens fashion. A couple blinks focused simultaneously at Liam and the katana. Afterward, she delivered the eyeful look at himself and Xavier the following.
She was left stunned, appearing to be captivated by the strong sense of vibe emitted from the three katanas. “Those katanas.” The lady pointed at all of the three katanas, highlighting their characteristics. “Temperman’s, Xavier’s, and Liam’s are one of the ten relics that were handcrafted by the Blacksmith God of Yinhai!”
Yinhai…now that she mentioned it. I’ve been hearing it chanting when I got some rest in the lobby while Liam was under operation. Ever since the three of us each wielded one of the three chosen katanas, the voices swam around in my mind, humming and chanting. Yinhai…Yinhai.
“Temperman!” The lady snapped her fingers right at his ear.
“Oh, jeez.”
“You’re staring into space.”
“When you mentioned Yinhai, I recalled hearing whispering voices residing in my head after I claimed my silver katana, but the sounds were distorted until you stated Yinhai. Thanks for that, now the whole fiasco is clear.”
The lady gaped upon hearing what he stated.“That’s impossible. What does Yinhai want with someone like you?”
“That's something I want to know too.” He paused for a moment and could still hear the chant humming. The voices are quieter as time flies but not entirely gone. “But, If this is not being dealt with, it will stay forever. I’m assuming that would be the case.”
“Name’s Alyssa Scarlett, Commander of the Valkchis. And I already know who you are, but I prefer to call you Temperman.”
“Great…gonna have to get used to that,” Daniel grunted at the tip of his lips, showing displeasement to the new nickname. “Anyway, what’s the deal with the ten relics? As a matter of fact, how did the three katanas be placed in my world instead of yours?”
Alyssa sat down on the front end of Liam’s bed. “Where did you find it?”
Daniel unsheathed his katana from the scabbard. “At a dojo, where I used to train around a decade ago. Mine was found right at the rack mounted at the wall of the stage, and Xavier tossed it to me while I was dealing with the master of the dojo. Heavy qi but adaptable.”
A nurse responsible for Liam knocked at the door and opened inside. Turning out to be under Alyssa's suggestion, the nurse announced a discharge as early as a few hours. He had no clue how it was possible to get out early, but the whole staff had to follow the suggestion.
Rebecca wanted to know too. Daniel insisted on patiently waiting until they were all out of the hospital. Therefore, the remaining conversation was put on hold until Liam was discharged.
11.2
My left arm. Liam wiggled his fully casted arm while sitting in the back seat. He leaned his face close to the window and observed the view of the sunset while the full moon slowly illuminated the clear sky.
“You love looking at the sunsets?” Xavier asked, curious about what Liam was admiring about.
“Daily. Every dusk and dawn possible, I took the time to watch the sunrise and the sunset on the horizon. A moment of reflection and I’ve made it through for the day.”
“Life must be treating you shit before today has it?”
The view was obstructed by the upcoming hill en route, and Liam’s back returned to the seat. He directed his attention at Xavier, finding his curiosity backed by the friendly openness that came from his face and put him at ease. “Indeed. But let’s not forget there were a few days where I cherished. Times at the library and volunteering were my mindful escape, and the happiness radiated around the campus kept me sane. Things to be considered, living homeless forced my mentality to quickly adapt and age.”
“How does it feel to be with us?
Liam paused, articulating his response. What am I gonna tell him? So far, I’m grateful but time will only tell. The beginnings are always viewed as plausible only to take the turn when there’s enough time for the chance to happen. “Compelling with a sense of gratefulness…uhm…that’s all the words I can come up with right now.”
Xavier nodded in approval. “I understand, but I’m serious. Make yourself feel welcome with us.”
“Thanks, I appreciate it. Also, where are we going?”
Daniel’s eyes turned to the rear mirror. “My place.”
“Ain’t your place was burned down,” Xavier recalled. Alyssa added on to his comment.
“I meant my second residence. You can say it’s more in the dirt.” Daniel clarified. He exited the highway, passing through a region that was more rural and forested.
Approaching the upcoming intersection, he turned left at the stop sign. Liam returned to his window, viewing the wide underpass as the truck dived under the highway. Illuminating yellow lights shine the entire underpass followed by the engine rev, speeding out into the open. The quietness and peace right from his eyes made tonight’s view of the sunset more memorable.
A minute pass came with a roundabout and Liam felt the drag of the turn pushing him towards the center of the truck. Followed by an abrupt force to his left, nearly hitting his upper arm on the door. Liam briefly saw the skyline ahead as he was bracing against Daniel’s handling on the steering wheel. Is this how driving was supposed to be? He then heard a stomp causing him to jolt forward. Thank god for the seatbelt. Liam’s heart was beating rapidly and wanted out of the truck.
Proceedingly, the truck relaxed and slowed down when Daniel announced the arrival. He aggressively rotated the wheel to the right and Liam’s inner body bounced when the truck went over the bumper.
“And here we are,” Daniel announced, blinking off his pickup’s lights and turning off the stereo.
Stolen content warning: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.
“There’s nothing here,” Alyssa commented, staring through the windshield. “Is this an illusion or are you fooling me?”
Daniel shook his head. “You and Xavier are similar in such ways. He is innocent on food while you are pretty much innocent on everything here.” He swiped the infotainment system’s touch screen, tapping on an app on the homescreen.
Liam lowered his window and peeked out of the pickup, viewing a wide empty asphalt lot. A row of light peeked through the line opening underneath widens. As it further opened, the ground diverged from each other like a sliding door and sources of light came from the metal frame. When the frame opened further, light flashed at the surface, revealing the disguised street lights surrounding the asphalt lot. The pickup truck began moving. Botts’ dots appeared around and ahead of the truck. Liam saw it illuminated and flashed red, forming a pathway cast by light. It was a one straight, a hundred-eighty forward for quite a distance until a slithering curve, distanced the truck away.
Ok, I’m gonna sit down. Liam thought, not wanting to get jumped out of the car. He pulled up the window and the roller coaster circus set off. This is gonna hurt. He clenched his jaws as the times turned to the right and braced against the contact to the door, striking his casted arm. After a couple more unintentional beatings to the door until the turn to the left, Liam’s jaw relaxed, and he let go of his right hand braced against his left.
“Here we go, the underground opens,” Daniel said as he steered in a long-distance curve and the entrance underground fully opened as the truck reached the end of the curve. There wasn’t anything else to see at Liam’s window, so he unbuckled his seatbelt and watched from the center seat where he got a clear view of the front.
The truck descended down through the entrance and the road widened as further underground it dived. Passing the entrance deep walls underground, they reached through the abyss and the main part of the faculty. It was all open space laid out to fit excess materials and supplies. Liam’s mind was blown away by the magnitude of such space underground. Fantastic in my eyes. Magnificent. He had seen existing projects on the internet and books but never in person. Therefore, he could not take his eyes off for the rest of the drive down.
Daniel parked next to the black Mercedes sedan to the right. “Alright, y’all could get off.”
Liam exited first while in admiration of the underground base. He jolted out of the truck forgetting to close the door and analyzed the structural design. Epic as his imaginative analysis implied and all puzzles came together. The structure of the lighting was well optimized. Everywhere has a shine, not one spot of darkness. The buildup of the frame like the letter K using steel bars, yeah this place is well managed. I wonder how Daniel gets access to this.
He turned around, noticing he was far off from the rest of the group. The part where he stood currently was the mass majority of the underground base, emptiness. A sudden gust flowed passed him. Light glitters precipitate around him and some dissipate once they touch the floor.
“Oi, Liam. You wandered off too far,” Alyssa uttered, flash teleporting him back to within the group.
“We will have time to do some training before departure. Save it for then.” Daniel added. He unloaded a bit of the cargo from the truck bed, lifting it to the living area.
Liam followed him while assisting with a few packages carrying them to the large sofa. Since the entire base was fully in the open, the divided living spaces were aligned based on the furniture layout or the wooden partition walls. The walls are stationed underground and can be deployed with the switch. Once departed from the conveyor, anyone can set it around in areas they saw fit. They are nearly everywhere around the zone that has been established for living spaces. The only exceptions were the bathrooms and bedrooms where it came with an entire cubicle. It’s portable but to a lesser degree due to its heavier weight and having its own roof.
I’m gonna sit down. Freaking tired. Liam surrendered to one of the recliner seats in the living area. He pulled the lever, lifted his legs, and laid flat on the seat. “Y’all should sit down.”
Daniel grinned, waving his head. “I’m not retired yet. Not until our stomachs are full. What do you want to eat?”
“Oh, Temperman cooks?
“Have you never seen a guy cook before?”
“Rarely, in the capital, men do the papers while women do the cooking, but everyone was taught the basics of cooking during childhood. Survivor interests.”
Liam glanced slightly away. When did I even cook? He thought for a moment, recalling none much to his embarrassment. He watched Daniel leave the living room area, walking to the kitchen. Opening the refrigerator, colorful blossoms shone through with the assistance of the interior white light. He grabbed a couple greeneries out of the upper containment followed by pulling a large handle and lifted a notable package containing piles of boned meat to the counter.
“Are those beef ribs?” Liam pointed indirectly at the kitchen from his seat.
Daniel gave a thumbs up. “Correct, I got these delivered hours earlier. Fresh from the market with no preservatives or additives.”
He began preparations while Liam sat back watching the kitchen session.
11.3
The ribs were already sectioned, seasoned, and prepared. Daniel put all the portions into one humongous bowl, filling it up to the top. He went to the stove and pushed the on button.
Machines beeped for seconds as he watched the right half of the stove which was entirely flat surface descend in half. In a trapdoor fashion, the flat surface opened in half with it hanging inside and came along the entire grill, levitating up to the surface. The gears blew air, gushing upwards into the air followed by a clank, meaning secured.
Daniel heard light footsteps from behind and quickly turned around, seeing Liam. “What’s up?”
Liam gestured to him to descend as he was about to whisper to him something. “I can’t cook.”
“Are you serious? Not even scrambled eggs or just toast?” Daniel muttered in surprise.
“No. Anyways, ignore it.” Liam turned away.
Daniel tapped on his shoulder as he was walking away.
“Uh-uh. Bring a chair.”
“What?”
He pointed to the bar counter next to the refrigerator where there were a couple high stools. He gestured for Liam to bring one over using the handle, making it easier for him to move it.
“If you can’t cook, at least watch. Cooking is a blessing because it can find your joyfulness or the moment of despair. Makes you more aware. So this is your chance to take it. Observing is always the beginning.”
Daniel flicked the gas switch, igniting the fire through from the stove’s center conveyor. Air blows the previously contained heat through the filters as the temperature escalates. He grabbed the tongs and began sorting the ribs on the cooking grate.
30 minutes later
Sizz!
Aromatic vapors surged into the air with traces reaching Daniel and Liam’s nostrils. Trying to limit it from entering, Daniel flicked the air away.
He grabbed the tongs and gripped each rib putting on the plates that were set earlier by Liam and Alyssa.
Xavier on the other hand, was slacking off on the couch, scrambling through pages of an unmarked book.
“Dinner lads!” Daniel announced. Everyone gathered at the table next to the bar counter and all the dishes were laid out across the table. There were three empty plates and seats as they all sat down.
“Rebecca taking her time,” Alyssa said as she sat down after grabbing a portion of ribs. “She should be here now.”
Daniel took a bite of the rib. “I don't know, but I feel they are too focused on packing up.”
Xavier munched on the ribs to where others heard a sharp crack. Daniel and Alyssa stared at him, not fond of his table manners. He kept going like a grinder, disintegrating the entire delicacy, and the rib bone shredded to pieces, small enough to be swallowable. Unsure if this was just because the ribs were exquisite and smokey, or Xavier was actually barbarian towards food and today he let it bluntly exposed.
“Remind me to give you extra napkins in the long run,” Daniel commented.
“I can't help it. The ribs are too tasty for me to not ignore.”
What about the steak rice bowls before?!!! Daniel's eyebrows raised tight, wanting to thrust it out of his head. “So my other meals weren't as good?!”
He stopped his munching; hands closed with a head turn. “I didn't say that at all. Tell me when did I exactly say the word garbage or horrible.”
“You-”
Alyssa stood up stomping her head in between the two. “Now now, eat your damn food. Also, I'm gonna give him credit. You are still a gluttonous barbarian like nothing has changed.” she directed, gesturing Xavier back to his plate. Furthermore, she grabbed another portion and handed a bowl of soup to Daniel. “Shall we continue what we left off in the room?”
“Hold-”
The revving engine roared from above along with the screeching tires sped down through the pathway. Daniel poured a cup of beer all the way to the edge. The carbonated fluff floated up to the brink of overflow. Simultaneously, he drank a large sip while observing the upcoming sedan hopping over the bumper.
Huh? Another unorthodox driver. The sedan drifted into the parking area but took over the remaining spots, putting it in parallel. The door opened as the headlights flashed off. Daniel recognized the car from the grille and logo.
Wait, wait a damn minute. “That’s Mayor Burman’s Car!” Daniel yelled across the distance, reaching them. Black heels came out of the driver's seat. “Helda?!”
He dropped his cup, splattering his seat and bits of his plate. Rebecca simultaneously came out of the passenger seat and Mother Elaine opened her rear door, walking with Helda. The expectation was only Rebecca and Mother Elaine would be arriving and to have Helda included in the scenario was not on his bingo card.
“Helda? What brings you here? I thought you would be home with Mayor Burman and the family by this time of hour.”
“I need a vacation.”
“Interesting…don’t know how you were able to persuade him, but oh well. You’re here now, so please join us for dinner.” Daniel glanced at Mother Elaine and Rebecca. “And you two as well.”
Rebecca muttered and expressed at last as she mentioned her famished stomach and was reminded of the interrupted conversation.