Harmon sat in the plush office of the fuel depot. He had been getting information passed to him by one of the authority who remained in New Talisia. The fact that Geneva had taken over his position was infuriating enough. He had never liked the woman. She always got involved in aspects which did not need her input or thought. She had also assigned his home to some newcomers, who had helped during the attack on the township. She would suffer for her insolence, and he would claim back what was rightfully his. New Talisia was his township, no one else's. His family had run it for four generations, and he would not give up on his family's inheritance so easily.
He had only ever been challenged once in his tenure as the respective leader, and he had ensured that the man who opposed him had found his demise accordingly. He had been furious finding out that Callum had been moved from his position as a supervisor by that useless old bastard Reece, and he would make sure that he also suffered. He banged his fist on the table and seethed over what had happened.
"Grayson," he bellowed.
"Yes, sir," came the reply from a wiry man who entered the office.
"I want to see Hemmings," was all he replied.
Grayson left the office, scuttled down the corridor to the exit, then crossed the yard to the barracks where the beast handlers lived. "Is Josie here?" he asked upon entering.
"No, boss. She is out on patrol." a man replied.
"When she returns, tell her Mr Cooper wishes to see her."
"Will do, boss."
Grayson left the barracks and headed back towards the offices. He had been overseeing the family business here at the depot for years and held authority and power over many as Harmon's first cousin. This guard he had asked for was a nasty piece of work. She had previously completed several tasks for Harmon where discretion was necessary. She was renowned for her temper and pleasantly violent attitude. Several other guards had suffered occasionally from her wrath, and if Harmon wanted to see her, he had something planned. Harmon never shared his intentions with Grayson, though, which annoyed him. He thought he deserved more as a family member, but Harmon had always been an absolute bastard, even towards him.
He knocked on the office door, pushing it open. Harmon sat staring out the window with a large glass of Kloe in his hand. "She is on patrol. As soon as she is back, she will be over."
"Good," Harmon responded, not even turning to acknowledge Grayson's presence.
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TJ had overseen the guards packing up the area, and as one, they had all headed back to the township. The final act before they had left was to roll the barrel of fuel they had brought into the mine entrance and blow it up. The entrance had been blocked after the dust from the blast cleared, and he hoped they would never have to return to the place again. TJ had been amazed at hearing Tiddles speak, never mind some of the guards who had thought they had lost their minds. The one thing that even made TJ cry was when Lars spoke. He had stood in open-mouthed shock, unable to reply for several minutes. The big man had been one of his closest friends over the years, and the fact that he could now talk had blown him away. He could not wait to see Crystal's face when she found out and knew he would need a large pile of tissues. The trials and tribulations the group had been through were insane, and he had struggled to put them into words or explain his thoughts about what they had achieved between them.
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TJ wished he had been in the mine with them. He was a brawler, after all, and would have been a help. Sitting outside overseeing the watch, he felt useless and only heard fleeting glimpses of what was happening when one of them came out. He had sworn that he would assist if there were ever another dungeon. Brandon and Sniffer had changed dramatically in the few days they had been inside. The men who left now carried an air of confidence with them. Lars was Lars, and the big man never changed. He had continuously emitted a power from him.
The main concern that TJ had was Kyto. When TJ met Kyto, he had been a strap of a lad compared to the man he was now. He had bulked out and stood tall. It was not just his physical appearance, though, that concerned him. It was what the dungeon and the System were doing to him mentally.
He had always been intelligent and a fantastic free-thinker with his engineering abilities, but he had never been involved in any fighting until the past week. TJ knew the hardship and challenge that violence and death could cause, having witnessed much over his years as a raider. Many had broken under the strain. This young man, who he had always thought of as fragile, in all honesty, was being forced into a position that TJ was unsure he could cope with. He only hoped he would allow him to offer support if and when required.
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The companions travelled back to the township, Tiddles trotting alongside the truck. He was talking to them all, which made him so happy and looking forward to seeing the cubs. Being able to communicate with all Risen would change his life. Kyto could not wait to see the girls and had been discussing level increases. They both would have gone up two levels from completing the dungeon with their experience gains. However, they had decided to wait until they returned home and had time to consider everything thoroughly before levelling. Lars was looking forward to getting his Prequice tooth crafted into a dagger, and with the Dagger of Sacrifice, he would have two unique blades. Sniffer was just happy that his best friend could talk to him now. He had no care for the items they had found. Brandon was looking forward to getting his own back on some of the rather obnoxious guards he had met over his time on the streets, not that he had told anyone his plans yet, but with the watch, it would mean he could have some fun.
∆∆∆
The Entity was pleased. Its Chosen had overcome the final challenge of the dungeon. This was just a taster of what they would be required to face during the challenges, and they still had 403 days, 12 hours, and 25 minutes before they would commence. They needed to get much stronger during this time. It was aware the only reason they had managed to finish the dungeon was the Bracer of the Adept. It had planted the Bracer, hoping that the Chosen Risen would have chosen that item over others and had been pleased when it had.
They had been lacking in one area, and the Entity had decided to add a further Enlightened. The creature was from another area of the planet, so they would need to travel to find it. It had decided it would make it part of its game. It was going to update the System again to implement its subsequent changes.
System 3.0 will be implemented in t-minus 30 seconds.