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DML (OLD) — C4 (Public)
🕑 Added 2024-06-09 02:56:31 +0000 UTCGive and take.
That is the nature of our World.
The basis of all relationships.
Humans, or animals…
Our values as living beings are all determined on how much we can give away.
I never knew that growing up,
Was never taught that lesson, until it was too late.
Still, I've never grown to resent such a World, since deep down,
I know I'm no different from the rest...
Even though I have bursts of kindness,
Even though I have done goods in the World,
They were never without the expectation of rewards.
Perhaps that's why my life spiraled so out of control.
I simply wasn't sincere enough.
But now that I've been given a second chance,
Maybe I could make things right?
Be a better person?
.
.
.
The World was a swirl of ruined, the sky seemingly choked by the omnipresent sooth and ashes. 'Was I back at the beginning? Back at that dreadful Fuyuki Fire?' For the slightest moment, I couldn't help but compare the sight that currently laid before my very eyes with that disastrous day that happened weeks ago in Fuyuki City.
Our rooms, formerly pristine and spotless, were now a mess of wrecked and burning furniture. I pushed the steel beam off myself, rubbing the dust from my eyes as I stood, confusion marred my face. How did things come to this? I didn't know… My gaze flickered at Thomas' still form underneath the collapsed concretes, then at the bodies of my teammates, some ripped to pieces by fragments of broken furniture and explosion, others motionless underneath what remained of the ceiling.
I didn't need to check to know they were gone. Dead, murdered by the rat that had planted bombs– Or the Magecraft equivalents in our rooms somehow.
I forced my ringing senses to their limits, listening, searching for possible survivors. Suddenly, I could hear a choking chain of coughs, it was male, hoarse and damaged. I raced towards the noise as fast as I could, hoping to Gods that I wasn't too late. I was limping, as my right leg had seemingly been twisted sideways from the explosion. Thankfully, the source wasn't too far from my position. My fingers, blistered and bloodied from the heat dug into the pile.
HP: 23%
The whole thing must have been over ten tons. I couldn't lift it with just my usual strength, so I drew on my pool of Mana and gently guided them into my injured limbs. To my relief, the added Reinforcement appeared to be enough, as I slowly nudged the pile of rubble off of the person, careful to not injure them further in the process. Sven Glascheit looked up at me, his dazed face showed just how absolutely confused he was. I couldn't really blame him… Even I could hardly believe it myself.
One moment we were talking, planning our next move, within the next nearly all of the team were dead, our base of operation lost. I choked back a lone tear as my thoughts wandered to Thomas, the man had been kind, caring and every part the father figure I had wanted– Needed for the longest time, and now he was gone. Murdered by bombs like he hadn't mattered, like none of us had. It angered me, filled me with an unrelenting hatred towards the culprit.
But, now wasn't the time to grieve, we– Glascheit and I, had to get to safety first. Our survival was the priority, vengeance could wait. "C'mon," I threw his arm over my shoulder as we limped our way to what I dearly hoped was safety. "We need to get out of here." He nodded absentmindedly, clearly hadn't been quite able to comprehend the tragedy that had taken place. I saw him move his head to look at the aftermath, then felt his hands pulling at my own.
"W-We…" He swallowed harshly, his dry lips smacking together in a futile effort to hydrate themselves. "We *COUGH*,… N-Need to get them too."
I shook grimly, fists clenched. "There's no one left. It's just us now." Glascheit shouted back. "NO! THERE MUST BE SOMEONE ELSE, IF YOU'D JUST LOOK, THEN–!"
I threw him off, my hand coming quick and fast at his face. The backhanded-slap was hard and merciless as it landed, leaving his left cheek flaming, reddened with new bruise. "There's NO ONE left! Do you understand? Do you want to die with them too, you fucking IDIOT?!" I hissed angrily. I hadn't been able to smell before, either due to the possible concussion, or shock, but now I could faintly catch the scent of gas from somewhere near.
It shouldn't have reached us yet, else we would both already be dead or severely burnt at the very least, but that would only be a matter of time if we kept wasting time and dilly-dally here. Truthfully, I wasn't even angry at him, I was merely frustrated, and he was the closest thing nearby to release all that pent up frustration on. "Get yourself together, Glascheit! Before your STUPIDITY kills us both!" I almost flinched at the anger lacing my words, glaring venomously at the wide-eyed, gaping Glascheit heir.
…
[Twenty Plus Hours Ago]
"Right, so 'bout our team…" Thomas stopped, face scrunched up as he gathered his thoughts. "Ain't much to tell about me– First-Gen Spellcaster, just lookin' for some quick bucks. As for my buds- Wilhelm is from some bigshot House, while Maxwell is a second-gen, met them in a Mission five years ago. Became fast friends after I saved their lives. Decent blokes, both of them. As for the other kiddies… Dunno much about 'em." He rubbed his chin, then slapped his palm against his head in exasperation. "Right!"
His eyes shot at Primrose, appearing almost embarrassed that he had forgotten her existence. I wasn't too different, hugging my face as I groaned. We were both idiots. We had the 'expert' on those guys, sitting not two feet away, and we didn't even think of asking her. Primrose didn't look like some bigshot, but she was an aristocrat, albeit a small one from the looks of it. "So, little lass…" Thomas raised his eyebrow, "Got somethin' for us? Any info 'bout those kiddies?"
Primrose seemed immensely uncomfortable at the sudden attention, but she took a deep breath and steeled herself, whatever bit of worry, fear and nervousness that once marred her beautiful features were gone, replaced by a cold determination, an expression I was rather familiar with, having seen it one too many times on both Rin's face and my own when we were practicing, or discussing Magecraft. "I-I think I can help!"
The stutter was still there, but personally, I thought she was going in the right path. The quickest way to help someone's self-esteem was to show them their true worth, and maybe throw a few praises and compliments their way, just to be sure. "So… W- We have a set of twins of House Dioland, they normally stay in America, since their Main Branch is involved with the Founding of the country.
The twins are potential heirs of the House and from what I've heard, they aren't on good terms, this is supposed to be a test for them, I- I think? To see who's a more worthy Heir?" She gulped down the tea that Thomas had made for her, then hastily continued with her explanation. "Madelyn Norwich-Hudson was adopted two years ago by the Norwich Family when they found out about her incredibly powerful Circuits, she's the only other female member in our group, aside from me.
I-Hmmm, I'm not sure what she specializes in, but from what I know, she has shown an aptitude in Curse and Mystic Codes of the same nature." I wasn't too sure, but this Madelyn girl seemed to have more of a motive to sabotage us than the twins. An orphaned first-gen adopted by a Major House known for adopting the Talented? Yeah, that ought to leave her desperate for resources and attention… Perhaps the Apostle had promised her resources in exchange for her help?
I frowned. Maybe someone from the Norwich sent her to assassinate one of ours, and in order to keep her involvement a secret, she decided to kill everyone, leave no witnesses? Nah, too flashy, too noticeable.
The twins were possible culprits, but I doubted it. It wouldn't have mattered to anyone if one of them killed the other, that's how many Houses operated anyways. Have one too many heirs? Let them duke it out and pick the winner! Guaranteed to work 9 out of 10! I didn't think they were sent here for assassination either, since the Dioland didn't appear too interested with the Tower's politics. I glanced at Primrose, she was another suspect, but would a suspect help us so readily? She caught my gaze, and teared up as though she could read my mind.
"W- Wait! I- I- I'm not—!" She stammered, looking every bit as distressed as she should. Thankfully, Thomas decided to cut in. "Relax girlie. Ain't no one accusing you of anything." He gently patted the crown of her head, then added. "Now, can you continue with yer' explanation?"
Primrose nodded eagerly, choking down a sob as I felt guilt claw away at my heart. "W- Well, the last two aristocrats amongst us are Karlscheter Wodime and I. While he has lost the right to be Heir to his older brother, the Lord Kirschtaria, Karlscheter is extremely dangerous, having been noted by many Mages in the Association to favor the combative aspects of Magecraft more than the theoretical…" She seemed to shrink at that. Karlscheter also didn't appear to have any noteworthy reason to betray us.
Having met the guy, I could give a general reading on his personality. He wasn't the type to fight over politics, as long as it didn't affect his research and Craft, I doubted he would even care if someone fucked his wife in front of him. He's most likely here for the scholarship like the rest. "… A- And t- then there's me. I'm Primrose Archelot from the Branch Family, I'm not too interested in Magecraft or politics, b- but I'm the only Heir of my Branch, so my parents have a lot of expectation from me.
I'm– I specialize in Healing Magecraft and I'm an apprentice Spiritual Doctor. I decided to come on this Mission, 'cause-e I want to make my parents proud? Prove myself? I don't– I don't really know…"
Primrose stared at the ground, refusing to look at us as she fiddled and played tearfully with the hem of her white, gold-embroidered skirt. The previously pristine piece of clothing was stained with her tears. Great, now I felt even more like a pile of garbage. Thomas watched the scene awkwardly, throwing me a 'do something' look. I touched her shoulder, secretly amused at her startled look as I began patting away. "There, there. You're fine, you're fine."
Her face brightened at that as she laughed teasingly, wiping the wet tears still drying from her face. "I- I'm not a dog, Leo, but t- thank you." I never thought it would be possible for someone to blush almost as much as Rin, but I'd be mistaken. Primrose's cheeks flamed with an intensity like the sun, further amplifying her cuteness and beauty.
Thomas interrupted. "Well, as amusing as it is to watch you two young'uns flirt…" His gaze flickered laughingly at Primrose, then I. "I believe we were in the middle of something? We still have the commoners to discuss, don't we?" Primrose struggled to keep down another blush, while I just shrugged uncaringly. My face was thicker then the Great Wall of China, it would take more than that to fluster me. "Ye- Yeah. As for the commoners… Hmmm, I don't know much about them, s- sorry. All I- I know is that they're likely here for the scholarship and their names…"
So Primrose couldn't help us there… I looked thoughtfully at the swirling tea, mind working overtime in order to find someone that seemed more suspicious than the rest. While I had crossed out a few, that didn't mean they were safe from suspicion, just meant they didn't have a reason to sabotage us, but in the Moonlit World, that rarely mattered.
Thomas questioned. "What do yer think, kid? Found anything suspicious?"
"… No, not really. The one most likely to be the culprit, in my opinions, is Madelyn Norwich. The twins have no reason to sabotage themselves, same goes for that Wodime guy, and we know it's not Wilhelm, so it must be Madelyn," Primrose, "Or one of the commoners. Though I wouldn't take the twins and Wodime completely out of the equation just yet. I'd rather be safe than sorry… Think you can keep an eye on those three, old man?" Thomas smirked. "I ain't that ol' yet, but sure kid, I can do it no problem."
"That's good, I trust you will discuss this with Wilhelm and Maxwell then?" Thomas nodded, throwing me a quick thumbs-up. The more people we got on this case, the easier it would be for us. Maybe I could even ask for Glascheit? Nah, the fool would fuck things up by tipping off the enemy, got himself killed or something along those lines. As it was, we couldn't afford to lose any manpower, and having a powerful idiot on our side would still be preferable to having none.
…
As the kid and his… Girlfriend left the room, Thomas sighed heavily, rubbing tiredly at his glabella. Things weren't looking good. He needed to break the news to his friends. He took up the blocky, military phone and dialed their numbers. It didn't take long for them to answer.
"What is it, Thomas?"
"Yeah, what's wrong?"
"I'mma need you two to come to my room, it's an emergency." Thomas ended the call at that. He didn't have to say anything more, he had been friend with Wilhelm and Maxwell for long enough that they all knew when they were joking, and when they were not. Five minutes later, knocks sounded at his door, Thomas quickly grabbed his enchanted pistol, pointing them at whoever was behind. "What's the password?"
""The Age of Gods has ended, to welcome the Age of Man."" He heard two voices whispered. Thomas breathed a sigh of relief at that, standing up as he approached. "Gentlemen, something has recently come to my attention, I believe it might be a problem…" This was going to be a long, long night, Thomas just knew.
…
"C'mon, I'll escort you back to your room."
"T- Thank you, Leo. But you l-ook tired." Primrose looked at me, concern clear on her expression. "I- I think I can go back on my own…" That suited me just fine, between the backlash from over-using Future Calculation, the stress from having to deal with Sven Glascheit and the other nobles, and now the whole sabotage thing, I was beyond exhausted. I doubted I could sleep, not with so much on my mind, but some shut-eyes might be good for me. "Alright then, be safe." I waved her goodbye, dragging my feet as I went back to my room.
Damn, I was having a nice bath too… "What a pain." I thought earlier Quests were supposed to be easy, or at least manageable, not straight up impossible to accomplish. I was far too under-leveled for this, my Skills had come a long way, but they weren't reliable enough to help me survive whatever this might be… And wasn't that a surprise, when did I begin to care so much about my survival anyways? Wasn't I opposed to this? Did I not find the idea of a second chance repulsively irritating?
"What's going on with me…" I slammed the door shut, running a hand through my black hair. Perhaps after months of being alive, the idea no longer frightened me like before? Not going to lie, I had certainly enjoyed my time with Rin and Gilgamesh, and on some degrees, I could admit even my time with Kirei had been… Nice. Though whether that was a good thing or bad remained to be seen. I slapped my face, now wasn't the time to deal with my suicidal tendencies, or rather lack thereof.
Gotta keep my head on straight, get the traitor first, anything else came second on the priority list. "Status."
[Game Ver.a3.2]
Name: Leonis Magnum
Title: A Queen's New Pet
Age: 8/21
Race: Human
Level: 9 (1.2%)
HP: 81%
MP: 100%
STR: Unranked - 59/100
AGI: Unranked - 67/100
DEX: Unranked - 51/100
VIT: Unranked - 78/100
INT: Unranked - 46/100
CHA: Unranked - 92/100
Points: 40
[—]
On a side note, my Stats had changed a lot in these few months, and while they were all at Unranked still, I was stronger, faster and more durable than any adult I had laid eyes on, with the exception of Kirei, whose Stats were around 80 to 90 on average. I had come a long way, but the increase in Stats had also slowed significantly. Whereas before I could train for a one, two days, a week top and get 3, 5 points in physical attributes easily, now I had to spend nearly half a month just to see a single point added, and I had a feeling it's only going to get slower from here on…
At this rate, I might really have to use my Points to get my Stats to E, which was going to be a huge problem going forth, seeing as I had no guaranteed method to farm Exp and Apostle Hunts took too long, I couldn't just go on one after another constantly, I'd have to cut down on my training, and Rin would probably strangle me in my sleep if I did. "So many problems…" So little solutions.
The commoners, aside from Thomas, Maxwell and I, there were three others. I didn't quite manage to catch their names, but from appearance alone, they didn't look antagonist-worthy. They weren't menacing, they didn't have something that might differentiate them from the rest of the rabble, they just looked like your average Tom, Dick and Harry. For the sake of my convenience, let's call them that. Tom was a brown haired teenager with this vibe to him, like he's desperately trying to fit in.
Dick was your typical Magus who looked and sounded as stuck up as you could imagine, though unlike Glascheit, he didn't appear as in love with his own voice. Not counting our unofficial supervisors, he was also the oldest of us, looking like he's in his early twenties, as opposed to the rest of the group who were teenagers, and in my case, an actual child. Last was Harry, he's just… There, I guess? I didn't think I had even seen him talk to anyone, and that's kinda suspicious.
Now, he might just be shy, but that was exactly what I'd do in Wolfsvile, pretend to be both blind, deaf and mute so no one would suspect me… Granted, that had never really worked out for me before, at least not in the Game, so maybe I was thinking too much into it? Regardless, this bumped up Harry on the list of potential culprits. Then there was Primrose. She didn't seem the type to betray us, too emotional and sincere, but I couldn't ignore the possibility that everything Thomas and I had seen was an act she had put up for us.
"That would suck…" I liked Primrose, I really did. It would suck to know everything was just a façade. I dropped to my hands, preparing for my daily workout. I was never one for consistency, but if I wanted to have any chance in this World, I had to get stronger, and workouts didn't cost anything to do, beside maybe my stamina, which was an acceptable trade-off in my humble opinions. I genuinely missed the days where I could do 100 for each exercise and be satisfied with my progress. Nowadays, I had to do 500 each if I wanted to strive for Stats growth, and that's just the bare minimum.
443…
444…
445…
I was almost done with my last exercise, when I heard footstep outside my room, then the knockings came. "Who is it?!"
"It's Sven, I want to talk!"
…
Sven paced back and forth inside his room, contrary to what others might think, he was very well aware that he hadn't made much friends in the team thanks to his attitude. First impression was everything, and he had ruined his. But in his defense, he was really high-strung after having been caught by the security, coupled with his bestial nature rearing its ugly head, he couldn't keep a lid on his frustration any longer. The result was catastrophic for his image, he had basically committed what amounted to social suicide.
While he was overly-proud of himself, he was smart enough to realize if he didn't do anything to rectify the current situation, there's a real chance the team might abandon him at the most crucial moments. At the same time, he couldn't bring himself to apologize for his mistake. The beast inside him refused to do so. Ah, yes, the Beast, it always came back to the despicable thing, didn't it? It's a problem that plagued almost every Glascheit since the Dawn of their creation, but his was the most severe case in centuries.
His family Magecraft was useful, immensely so due to its nature, allowing the Glascheit to augment and imbue themselves with different aspects of the animal Kingdom, but there was a catch, there's always a catch… The Magecraft ate away at their minds, like an ever-growing parasite. In fact, most Glascheit didn't die on the fields, or to their researches, but were often put down by their families and friends when the affliction had grown to overshadow even their rationality.
It was a horrible fate, but one that many of his House resisted 'till they were in their forties to fifties. This was not so for Sven, for he was extremely close to his bestial nature despite his youth. For him, everyday was a battle for domination of his own mind, everyday was a battle for control, a battle he was losing. This manifested very clearly in how he acted and his attitude, but while he might be damned, Sven didn't want to give up so easily, he wanted to live, which was why he joined this Mission in the first place.
If he managed to get the Queen's approval, she might be able to give him the solution to his problem. It's a big stretch, but it's not like he had anything left to lose at this point. And now, everything was at risk, all because he couldn't keep his anger and pride in check. Sven slammed down on the wooden table, his fists encased in paws-shaped glowing Magical Energy.
The Glascheit had access to the Mystery of the Animal Kingdom, but they all had that one animal that suited them most, that one animal that represented their inner-selves, his father's had been a Leopard, his sister's a graceful deer, and his, an ugly Doberman– A breed of dogs known worldwide for their aggression and ferocity. After letting out his frustration on the poor table, Sven slumped in his seat. "I need to make amends…" That brought intense anger to the Beast in his mind, but Sven quickly clamped down his iron-tight control.
He had no choice, making amends was the smart option, the only option, or he everything he had worked so hard for could be at risk. For the next hour and a half, Sven went to every single member and apologized for how he acted. Some didn't take his apology too well, while others seemed to forgive him for his slight. But he wasn't done yet, there's one last person he needed to apologize to. Truthfully, Sven didn't want to do this, he hated the disrespectful brat, but he was the one in the wrong, and if what the brat said was true, he could prove immensely useful to Sven's goals.
Thus, after taking a deep breath to prepare himself, Sven finally decided to come to the brat's room.
*KNOCK
*KNOCK
*KNOCK
"Who is it?!"
"It's Sven, I want to talk!"
…
Oh for fuck's sake! What did this guy want now? I huffed angrily, I was already tired from my workout, if I had to deal with this guy again, I might just drop dead on the floor. "What do you want?"
"I want to apologize for how I acted earlier! It's not fitting for a man of my station to be so impolite." So he was here to make amends? Wow, I wasn't expecting that, I wasn't expecting that at all. If it was me in his shoes, I didn't think I would have the courage to just straight up apologize. Did that make him a better person than I was? Nah, I wouldn't have put myself in that position in the first place. "Well, I accept your apology, you can leave now!"
"Can you please open the door so we can talk face-to-face?!" Urgghh… Fine, it's not like talking to him could hurt me, unless you counted the possible mental damage his face could bring. "Coming!" I stood, taking my sweet time to open the locks. Sven didn't look too happy at that, his face set in a emotionless frown as he saw me. "So, what's up?"
"Can I come in?"
What's with people wanting to come into my room today? I sighed, throwing the door wide open as I gestured for him to go in. My room was a mess with clothes I had changed out earlier still strung at the end of my bed, my luggage put in a neat pile close to the small, box-sized fridge, a few cans of sodas I had downed just 10 or so minutes ago laid warped and crushed on the table. It's not exactly a good look for me, but it's Glascheit, who cared what he thought. "Your room is… Interesting?"
"I was in the middle of my workout, I'd have cleaned all this up after." I explained as I promptly ignored the disturbed look on Glascheit's face. He coughed into his hand, which purpose I suspected was to hide his embarrassment as he gaped at my room, then spoke carefully. "I, I haven't been acting as a Noble should, and I'm here to… Formally extend my apology to you. I've been quite stressed by the event that happened prior to our meeting, but that's no reason for me to act the way I did…"
He extended his hand. "Will you allow me to make up for my mistake?" This was the olive-branch he had offered, a gesture to mend things between us. I took his hand, while I still wasn't happy with his presence, there was no reason for me to refuse, none other than pettiness anyways, and having a friend was admittedly more useful than having an enemy, especially given our circumstances. We settled in a sort of awkward silence as we both sat.
Occasionally, he would ask something stupid, and I'd respond accordingly. Our conversation really took off when we decided to discuss Magecraft. As it would turn out, Sven was a very good Magus, and a decent conversationalist when he wasn't in one of his mood-swing. "– What about Gradation Air? Is it not theoretically possible to replicate Mystic Codes with the spell if you're proficient enough? Why is it given such a bad reputation in the Association?"
It's something I had always wondered, why could no one replicate Shirou's feat in projection Magecraft. It should be within their gasp, no? The reason for that was actually far simpler than I expected. "That's because while possible in theory, it's nigh impossible in practice. An object like a spoon, or a fork can be replicated easily due to their simplicity, but any Mystic Code that's worth their salt will have hundreds, if not thousands times more information.
Our minds wouldn't be able to keep up with the information provided by Structure Gasp, and even if you managed to replicate the appearance of the object, its effect will be changed and altered completely by the slightest mistake. A few centuries ago, a Magus tried to do what you just suggested, it resulted in the faux Mystic Code exploding in his face. By the time people found him, half his head was missing, hence why Gradation Air is considered less compared to other Crafts."
That made a lot of sense, actually. UBW basically acted as a server where Shirou could upload all the information he got from Structure Gasp, and every time he needed a weapon, he either pulled it from his Reality Marble, or traced the whole thing based on its uploaded info. "Well, that sucks." Looked like even with the Game, replicating the effects of Shirou's Reality Marble was going to be hard, if even possible at all. "So, what about your Beast Magecraft then?"
Sven sipped on his tea, eyebrow raised at my question. "What about it?"
"Can you draw strength from Phantasm Beasts? I mean, from what I've heard, your Family Magecraft should be capable of that, right?"
"Well, it's not possible as of right now, but we're working on that. As for the specifics, I'm afraid I can't tell you, Family Secrets and all." Sven shrugged. I wasn't angry, given most Mages guarded their Crafts more than cats their shit, it's not surprising that he didn't want to tell me. What was surprising was how easily he admitted their progression on the Craft, but I supposed it didn't really matter, since they would probably subject parts of their research to the Tower anyways.
"It's late, I should go." While I was immersed in my thoughts, Sven suddenly said. He was right, it was nearly 7 in the evening, almost 8. As I walked him to the door, I couldn't help but say. "You know, you aren't too bad for a stuck-up Noble…"
Sven smirked. "You too, you lowly peasant." We shared a mutual laugh at that, whatever bit of hostility left from the event this afternoon gone. After he left, I locked the door, glancing at the mess I had made, I resolved to clean the mess up before I sleep. Tired wasn't good enough a reason for me to rest and wallow in filth.
