Is it wrong to explore a completely different place than the Zone?

by MoiZekato

The Stalker can leave the Zone, but the Zone won't leave the Stalker. I never thought that phrase would hold so much truth in its words. After all, be here or in another freaking world, the Zone would always stay with me. And frankly... I never wanted to leave. (I don't own anything!)

9. Violent Tendencies

"So..."

Naaza stopped checking the backpack she had in her hands and looked me in the eyes.

"You know how to make potions."

She just nodded and went back to checking her things.

"Wouldn't you like to show me how to make them?"

She looked at me out of the corner of her eye for a second, then put her backpack aside and focused completely on me.

"It's a... development ability, you get it when you level up." It was the only thing she told me.

Well, fuck.

Wait, level up?

"What level are you?" I asked.

"Two, why?"

Hmmm...

I rested my right arm on the counter. "Don't you want to do some arm wrestling?"

She frowned.

"It's an experiment, I want to know how strong people who level up are."

She seemed to think about it for a moment.

"Screw it..." She also rested her right arm on the counter, a smug smile on her face. "Should I go easy on you?"

I shook my hand with hers, although I found it strange that it felt quite cold. "Show me your all."

We waited three seconds before starting.

Quickly and shamefully, I was defeated.

This woman even smashed my hand against the wood.

"A'ight, happy?"

Ouch.

"Quite much." At least now I knew what kind of strength this Zanis guy would have. "I guess I can forget about competing with you, both in potions and... ugh."

She laughed lightly. "Actually... yes you could, but the quality of the things you make... would be lower without the 'mixing' ability... as for the other thing..." She shrugged. "Git gud."

God damnit...

I was hoping to be able to buy my own ingredients and make-

"Hold up." An idea came to mind. "That skill... 'mixing', is it limited to potions only?"

She looked at me curiously and, after thinking for a moment, answered. "The ability doesn't say that specifically... so I guess... it could be with anything." She ended up tilting her head to the side, confused as to why I would ask something like that.

Which leads to my next question.

"Do you know how to make gunpowder?"

Her dog ears perked up. "Gunpowder?"

I'll take that as a no.

I took out my Deagle, unloaded it and left the gun on the counter, then took one of the bullets out of the magazine and showed it to her. "This is a bullet." I told her, to which she watched carefully. "It's similar to an arrow but more complicated, it uses an explosive substance called gunpowder to propel the lead projectile at high speeds which, you know, is lethal."

She frowned and looked at the bullet with scrutiny.

"And?" She asked, probably hoping to see where I was going by telling her all of this.

"I know how to make gunpowder and I could teach you, so it would get greater explosibe power with your 'mixing' ability." Which would help me to use less gunpowder on each bullet and thus saving me money. "Sure, I'll pay you to help me with that, what do you think?"

She thought about it for a few seconds, then nodded with a smile. "Then it's a deal." I told her as I winked and she rolled her eyes. "Leaving that aside, is your god ready yet?"

"Was someone calling me?" Miach spoke, emerging from the back of the store, carrying an empty sack on his back.

I reloaded my Deagle and put it in its case. "What were you doing back there? Putting on perfume? We have an hour before we need to leave... we're just going to go get some damn dinosaur eggs, so why are you taking so long?"

For the first time since I met him, the man's face turned red with embarrassment, which made him look cute, for some fucking strange reason.

I swear, I'm not gay, but... this guy...

Sigh.

"Everything alright?" Lili asked me.

"Yeah, I just hope everything goes well." I told her honestly. "Although, having Bell with us, I'm not so sure about that."

"Hey! What do you mean by that?? My son is a saint!" It was what Hestia complained to me.

Yes, this two gods decided to invite themselves for the mission after we told them that we would be going to kill bloodsaurus outside of Orario.

Unless they can fight, I don't know what use they could be, but at the puppy dog look Hestia gave me, I couldn't really say anything. Not when she made a pretty convincing argument about going there to make sure her son doesn't get into trouble.

Which is what I'm about to complain to her about, since her son is pretty good at doing exactly that.

"Who was the poor fool who was chased by a giant monkey yesterday?"

"I-In my defense, the monster seemed pretty stubborn in following me..."

"Which says quite a bit about your luck." I responded with a mocking tone. "Seriously, of all the people who were in Monsterphilia, you had to be the one he decided to kill? 'Look at this kid, yeah! Fuck him in particular,' it doesn't make sense, kid!"

"Oi..."

Everyone present grimaced at my vocabulary, but I couldn't care less.

There was something strange about what happened to Bell yesterday, but I couldn't really discern what it was.

Concerning.

I took a deep breath and rubbed the bridge of my nose. Thinking about that will give me a headache.

"Anyways." I tried to change the subject. "Are you guys ready?"

I heard a chorus of affirmatives in response.

"We're not going back if someone is missing something, it's a damn 3 hours to go and another 3 to get back, so we'll be outside for most of the day." I made it clear to the group that I had in my care. "I'll repeat again, do you have everything ready?"

"Uhm..."

I turned towards the voice that spoke.

"Yes, Hestia?"

"Do you think we would need toothbrushes?"

...

"Anyone have a question worth answering?"

"H-Hey...!"

I laughed in exasperation.

"No, Hestia... we won't need toothbrushes since we'll hardly be out of town for more than a day, in fact, we'll probably be here after lunch." I replied. "Now, going back to the previus topic, is no one missing anything?" Given the lack of response, I nodded satisfied. "Well then, let's go with the cart, the guy must be waiting for us right now."

With that, we left the Blue Pharmacy, home of the two poor guys I'm helping, and head towards the city gates.

The process was a pain to do, mostly because I had to pretend to be another person.

Now, for the Guild, my official name is Ben Dover, a traveling doctor who came to Orario 3 years ago.

To my amusement, the guy really exists, so I hope he doesn't get mad when he finds out I used his name to get out of the city.

Still, I was really hoping for everything to go smoothly.

Although, honestly, you never know what can happen.

---

They're leaving.

"Change of plans."

They're leaving Orario...

"Да?"

This complicates things.

"Kill the guards and prepare to leave."

"Так точно."

"Wait, what?"

"We're not going to stop for stupid things." The guy with cloudy eyes responded. "If you want the girl so much, I guess this shouldn't be a problem for you, right?"

Shit...

"N-No." I no longer had the ability to refuse what these guys did, I was more afraid of what they would do to me if I backed out of the deal.

He patted my shoulder. "Now, don't be nervous." Was what he said, his smile giving me chills. "Wasn't this what you wanted? You will soon have your revenge and the girl, we don't judge." He finished with a shrug. "But, as you know, we will comply, but we want you to comply too, so I hope you don't mind coming with us to the outskirts of the city... or is there something you want to tell me now?"

I'll give him credit, the guy can be horribly scary if he puts effort into it, even if he's not part of a Familia...

"No... n-no problem." Shit! I can't control my fear...

The man gave a dry laugh. "Okay, Kanu, good..."

...

"Let's go."

---

From my vest, I took out some Kevlar gloves, which I didn't hesitate to slid onto my hands.

"Right, Naaza-san, why do we need the Bloodsaurus eggs?" Bell asked, trying to start a conversation.

I also put on some sunglasses that I brought, since this stupid wagon we were in had no roof or anything to cover us from the sun.

"Hey, no fair, you have glasses." I heard Lili whisper to me with irritation, then pull out her gun and check it.

Naaza grimaced and responded to Bell. "It's to develop... a new potion." She looked out at the grasslands around us.

Basically, while Bell was busy fraternizing with the monsters brought back from the Dungeon, Lili and I stopped by the pharmacy again and let Naaza know that we were leaving today.

She explained to us at that moment that she needed the ingredients to make a new potion and get rid of the debt she told us about, although Lili didn't seem very convinced about that.

According to her, making a new potion from scratch is quite complicated.

"Oh, but... will you only need Bloodsaurus eggs?"

She shook her head. "No, Yuri and Lili already took care of... getting me the rest." She responded, to which Bell nodded, understanding. "The only thing left is... this."

"Okay, but... will it work?" Asked Lili, who stopped checking her gun for a second to join the conversation. "You say that about making a new potion so easily, but..."

Naaza shook her head. "I have an idea how to... do it..." She replied confidently.

The silence returned and all of them decided to focus more on the landscape in the distance than on starting a conversation again.

It worked for me, I didn't really feel like talking to anyone right now, so I also ended up concentrating more on how vivid everything looked than on my companions.

It's my first time outside of Orario, so the views were amazing.

I still think the Zone is more beautiful.

Lili, who was sitting next to me, showed me her Makarov pistol, taking me out of my thoughts.

"Hm?"

"There is, uhm... a casing inside the chamber." She explained. "I wanted to tell you yesterday, but I didn't want to bother you because I thought I could fix it..." Her tone became lower the more she spoke

I took the gun from his hands and took a brief look at it, then began to uncock it. "It failed to feed correctly." I replied.

After the third attempt, the brass came loose and I tipped the gun to the side, letting the casing fall to the floor of the wagon.

I released the slide and cocked the gun again, but there was no new bullet in the chamber.

Hm...

"What did you do with your gun?" I asked Lili, although my tone must have sounded very accusatory because she suddenly made an indignant face and said. "Why? My weapon is treated correctly."

I looked at her out of the corner of my eye, but didn't say anything.

I removed the magazine and began removing the bullets from it.

A pebble came out along with the bullets.

...

Lili avoided my gaze and from here I could notice how red her ears were, since she wasn't wearing her hood.

Let shame be a lesson to her, because a malfunction in the middle of a fight is a death sentence.

"Soooo... where are we going?"

I looked out at the city growing smaller in the distance.

To answer Hestia's question, east of Orario.

"To the Seolo Forest." Miach responded. "It's really not that far from here, but we'll be on this wagon for a while, so it might be a good time to get to know each other better." He said the last thing looking at me.

What the fuck is wrong with this guy?

I handed Lili her gun, who was raising an eyebrow at what the god had said, but I didn't care, so I didn't say anything.

"Be more careful with your weapon." I whispered to her, although, with how grouped we all were in the wagon, I doubt it even worked.

"Yes, yes... okay..."

It was somewhat uncomfortable, especially with Lili's huge backpack taking up half of the cart and how big Miach and I were, leaving little room for the others.

Lili was half squeezed between Hestia and me, Bell next to his goddess and Miach with his back against the driver and next to Naaza.

I would have teased Lili any time about how she suffocated on Hestia's pillows every time we hit a bump, but now it would be inappropriate… I really didn't want to piss off a god.

I'll tease her later.

To my surprise, it was Naaza who decided to break the silence. "What are you... bringing back there?" She asked me as she pointed to the weapons I carried on my back.

"Right, what's the name of that weapon?" Lili asked.

In the end, I brought the SR-25, as Bell went to ask his advisor and she told him that the surface monsters shouldn't be much of a problem to deal with.

Plus, it would be a bit overkill to bring .50 to deal with surface pests.

Leaving that aside, Lili already knew what the SR-25 was, so she was asking me about the other gun I brought.

I took it off my back and let it rest on my lap. It was downloaded, so there would be no problem if I showed it to them.

"This, my dear dog friend." She raised an eyebrow indignantly at that. "It's an AK-74M." I responded, showing the weapon in question, which earned some curious looks from everyone present. "It doesn't have anything very interesting, just a mount on top of the dust cap, an EKP reticle, a Zenit RK-0 and a TGP-A in the muzzle."

"Uhm, Yuri..." Lili called.

"Hm?"

"They don't understand you."

And she was right, no one here understood what I was talking about.

Ugh.

"It's a weapon." It was the only thing I told them. "Trust me, if it's in my hands, it will keep you safe."

Lili clung to me and looked closely at the firearm.

Then she grimaced.

"Will there be time when Lili can use something like this?"

"If Lili grows more, maybe."

She turned around with a "hmph."

The others laughed lightly.

"Those weapons... do they also use gunpowder?"

I took out a magazine and inserted it into the gun, then cocked it twice, catching the second bullet in the air and throwing it at Naaza.

"5.45x39 millimeters, low penetration, but with similar handling to its Western counterpart, which makes it the little sister of the bullet of the revolution, which is the 7.62x39mm... yes, I doubt you will be interested in all of this, but I like to know what I'm shooting."

Besides, I had already learned all this at the academy several years ago.

Naaza observed the object in her hands quite carefully.

I unloaded my gun back in the time it took for her to analyze the bullet.

"Then... the 'gunpowder' explodes... and sends this projectile to..."

"A speed of 800 meters per second... more or less."

"Of course... and that..."

"It causes deep wounds in soft tissue that are difficult to heal." I added. "Especially because feeling like you're being shot hurts and because a potion will make flesh grow around the projectile... right?" That last parte was a my assumption.

Naaza sighed. "Yes, even though they are quite practical... there are times that they do more harm than good."

Hm.

A field surgery kit would be very useful in those cases.

Wait...

...

I think I have another idea for her.

"Naaza."

With her always sleepy face, she raised her eyebrows. "Hm?"

"How are arrow wounds treated?"

"Do you want to... learn?"

"No, just checking something."

"Well..." She put a hand under her chin. "To summarize... the arrow is extracted and the patient is given a potion... although things can... get complicated if it hits the bone or because of the angle of entry and... it's a little difficult."

I see.

"Tools?"

"Due to the nature of the Dungeon... well..."

Nothing.

Okey, good...

There may be an easier way to recover my fortune after all.

I'll just need someone who knows how to work with metal. Surgical tools are needed to make the Kits after all.

Maybe I'll lend one of my kits to Naaza so she can decide whether or not it would be a good idea.

"There may be one more way to make you gain big money, Naaza."

At my comment, her ears perked up and her face became more animated.

"But I'll tell you after this mission."

She nodded with a smile, surely happy at the idea of earning more money.

Eventually, everything fell silent again.

And, again, Hestia started a conversation, this time with Miach, who was apparently her friend or acquaintance, because the atmosphere changed to a happier one because of those two.

Then, as I continued to ignore the others and look at the landscape, one conversation led to another and we ended up separated into two groups, one where the three girls were talking in whispers and another where Bell, Miach and I were.

Still, I could hear what they were talking about through my headphones, and from the faces both men in front of me were making, they could too.

"Miach-sama doesn't recognize my feelings for him at all..." I heard Naaza whisper. "Although I'm glad he doesn't notice that all the other girls are looking at him with hearts in their eyes... sometimes I wonder if he really is a god..."

"Ahh, I know that feeling." Was Hestia's sympathetic response. "My Bell is just as dense, I don't know how many times his denseness has made me cry."

Lili laughed. "Fufu, but in the case of Hestia-sama, Bell simply keeps his distance out of respect and does not see her as a woman." It was the great knowledge that my little supporter imparted. "It's a good idea to realize that, you know?... plus, Lili is treated like a little sister..."

I pressed the talk button on my radio.

"Lil' E." I whispered.

Lili was startled and took off the headphones she was wearing, then turned around and looked at me seriously.

"Sorry, I was testing the radio." I lied blatantly, although that in itself it was a half-truth.

I taught Lili how to use a radio and connect it to her headphones to maintain fluid communication between the two. Naaza's plan needed that to work.

I sighed at Lili's intense gaze and turned to the two dummies in front of me.

They looked so nervous that it even made me laugh.

Eventually, Lili turned back and continued chatting with the girls.

I only made a gesture to the other guys to keep quiet, lest the beasts become violent if we interrupt them again.

It was when the sun reached its highest point that we reached the outskirts of the forest. Naaza called the hired driver to stop and we looked around.

'Forest' didn't do justice to the absurd amount of green I was seeing, it looked more like a jungle. The trees were absurdly large.

"Here we are." Naaza spoke. "The Seolo Forest."

"W-Wow..."

Bell and Hestia seemed quite overwhelmed by the sight. Lili, on the other hand, looked more excited than everyone else.

We all got out and, after telling the driver to wait for us further away in case any problem arose, we began to enter the forest.

"Lili." As we walked, I handed the SR-25 to her along with some magazines. She happily carried it in her arms, the barrel pointed to the sky as she rested the gun on her right shoulder, and went to help the others.

Naaza had more or less devised a plan to get the eggs.

First, she and Bell would attract the monsters' attention, much to Hestia and Bell's horror.

Second, Lili would be in charge of killing them with the rifle, which I had to explain to everyone how it works so that they trust her.

Third, but not least, I will stay behind guarding the two gods until Lili gives the signal and we all go collect those eggs. Plus, I acted as a backup plan in case something goes wrong.

I only had my THOR plate carrier on me and some lighter clothes for the occasion due to the heat, wearing dark blue jeans and a white long-sleeved shirt rolled up on top, as well as a black cap with the renegades logo on the front, the golden scorpion proudly showing itself to the world.

Certainly, even if I hate from the bottom of my heart the reasons why I became involved with that organization, I had some affection for it.

That feeling of freedom was... liberating.

Whatever...

It was nice enough that this hat had some velcro on the front to stick the logo on, it would have been a pain to sew it on by hand.

Leaving that aside, I really didn't want to wear a helmet this time, after all, we'll just be killing bugs.

I loaded my AK-74M and escorted both gods from behind while the others moved forward.

Then, I started to get bored.

"And how is Orario treating you, Hestia?"

I just listened to the two gods talk.

"Oh, my Bell is amazing! He grows so fast..."

I never thought it would come the day that I bodyguard a couple of deities.

"The children of this land are quite peculiar."

It would probably look good on my resume.

"But it's growing so fast that it worries me!"

If I try to continue as a mercenary later, of course.

"That's just how our children are, Hestia." Miach laughed.

But I'm a renegade, although I really should tell Hestia about joining her Familia.

I need to be able to continue protecting them, after all.

Furthermore, the kid grows in strength so quickly that it's terrifying what the Falna can do.

"And... Mr. Yuri."

Hestia was next to me, looking at me curiously.

"Yeah?"

"Do you have a Familia?"

Convenient.

"Are you offering me to join yours?"

The goddess took a step back in surprise.

"H-Huh!? N-No?"

I chuckled.

"I don't have a Familia, might as well join one." I answered her honestly, since lying will do no good.

"Y-You mean that...!?"

"Let's talk about this later, okay?"

She nodded with a smile, until she seemed to realize something.

"And what about your partner?"

"I said later."

"Oh, uhm... alright."

Minutes later, I heard screams and the sound of a shotgun shooting in the distance.

It's probably our poor Bell.

Seconds after that, the echo of several silenced gunshots reached my ears.

It was when the silence settled that my radio came to life. "Clear."

"On our way." I responded, and then made a sign to the gods. "Let's collect some eggs, okay?"

On the way we met Naaza, who led the others to the Bloodsaurus nest, which I saw were giant 5 meter red dinosaurs before Lili cut off their little magic stones, so I stayed outside observing the surroundings, covering to others.

A few minutes later, they came out with the backpacks they brought full of peculiarly large eggs.

"Are you ready?" I asked them, to which they nodded and Naaza responded. "This should... be enough..."

"Okay, then let's-"

Two shots echoed through the forest.

The only ones carrying weapons were Bell, Lili and I, so it couldn't have been us.

Fuck.

"Naaza, stay with the gods and hide, don't dare come out at all."

"Uh...w-what's wrong?" Hestia asked fearfully.

"We may have problems." I responded as I raised my AK and held it in a position that would allow me to easily aim forward if I needed to.

It was named high ready.

"Lili, Bell." I signaled them to follow behind me. "With me."

We began to move, retracing our steps toward the cart that brought us.

I stopped both teenagers behind me and pointed them to a rock to my right.

"Lili, use the SR-25 and cover my back." She nodded and started to move. "Bell, go with her and cover her in case someone tries to flank you."

He seemed hesitant, but obeyed without problems.

I breated deeply.

Well.

I lowered the barrel of the gun and kept it pointed forward.

"What are we expecting, Yuri?" Lili asked over the radio, slight nervousness in her voice.

It's firearms we've heard, which only leaves one possibility.

"Stalkers."

---

"Stalkers? What does he mean by that?"

I zoomed the reticule and watched the cart in the distance, Yuri approaching it cautiously.

I don't see the driver nor the horse.

"Dangerous people, Bell." I replied. "They have guns and... they probably want to hurt us."

"B-But how are you so sure?"

Sincerely I dont know.

"We found one who wanted to kill us in the Dungeon." I couldn't see his face, but I guess he was surprised. "Don't worry, Bell-san... Yuri surely... surely has everything under control."

I focused my gaze on the trees, on the cart and in all the surrounding areas, there was movement, I could notice it, but it was not very clear with the abundant vegetation of the place.

Yuri trusted me to protect him and that...

Made me very nervous.

What if I can't? What if I fail? What if He...? He...

I couldn't allow it.

I saw him walk towards the cart, I could see someone lying on the ground next to it and... a puddle of what I think is blood...

"What do you see?"

Oh...

"I think... I think they killed the driver." I responded to Bell.

"Oh..."

He got to the wagon and I saw him reach for his radio.

"Any news?"

Should I tell him about the movement I saw among the bushes? Maybe they are small animals...

"Uhm, I don't see anything out of the ordinary..."

"Girl, there's a corpse here." I grimaced at that. "There has to be something or someone-"

My eyes registered three flashes between the trees, then there were the cracks of gunshots.

The time, like my heart, stopped as Yuri fell backwards to the ground.

I clenched my jaw so hard that my head started to hurt.

In less than a second, I took aim and pulled the trigger twice in succession.

A shadow among the vegetation fall to the ground with a muffled scream.

Y-Yuri...

"W-What happened?" Bell asked, his voice anxious right now.

I-It can't be... right? Yuri couldn't... Yuri...

"FUCK!" I heard him scream in the distance.

I released the breath I was holding.

He crawled on the ground behind the cart and out of the line of fire of what I could now see were several people in the trees, their figures becoming quite clear to me now that they came out of their concielment. They all were shooting in Yuri's direction as he braced himself behind the cart.

It was an ambush.

Oh, what a stupid... freaking...

I pressed the radio. "Yuri! Yuri are you-!?"

"Yes, yes! Keep covering my ass, I'm fine!"

"But-!"

From here I could see him lean and shoot with one hand toward the trees. "Focus, damnit!"

A-Alright...

Breath in... breath out... in... out...

...

You fucking pieces of s-

"Lili?"

I didn't bother to respond, I was too angry to talk right now.

Still, I have to concentrate...

Breath in...

"Lili, Yuri is being surrounded!"

Breath out...

...

"Bell-san." I adjusted the zoom.

"Yes?"

Note. "Don't let anyone bother me while I shoot."

"S-Sure."

A figure emerged from the vegetation, going around the left side of the cart in an attempt to flank him. The color of that guy's clothes were strange, being made up of red, gray and black spots, but I couldn't care less about that right now.

They almost kill Yuri.

A shame for them, I don't miss.

I pulled the trigger and his head swiveled as the bullet hit the side of his face.

He collapsed to the ground.

That was... terrifyingly easy.

I see why he always says I should be afraid of guns.

Out of the corner of my eye, I watched Yuri turn towards me and raise his thumb in approval, then continue firing his 'AK-74M' at the direction of the hostile Stalkers.

He didn't seem to have any serious injuries now that I focused on him, his plate carrier was the only thing damaged, having three pretty nasty holes in it.

Silly Yuri, you scared me...

I aimed at another silhouette and pulled the trigger, blood staining the tree he was hiding behind.

Come on... they're just enemies... think about it... like monsters.

Yes, and I need to protect Yuri.

I must protect him... because he trusts me.

Another pull of the trigger and another hostile Stalker died with a gunshot to the head.

I noticed how, after that dead, they began to hide more and-

Several shots ricocheted off the rock I was hiding behind, forcing me to kneel to make myself a harder target to hit.

Shit!

"Beware of suppressive fire!"

"S-Suppressive? What's that!?"

"They want to stop you from shooting their men! Hold up, give me a second..."

I don't know what he's doing, but I hope he doesn't kill himself...

"Граната! грана-!" An explosion later, the intensity with which the shots came stopped.

"Try to reposition yourself."

"Uhm, copy." I patted Bell's shoulder and he jumped slightly at the contact, then turned to me. "Follow me, we have to move."

He didn't say anything, but nodded and stood up.

Only to have the butt of a gun hit him in the cheek.

"Bell-san!?"

In the next moment, I found myself staring into the dark void of a rifle barrel.

I looked up and saw an inhuman looking mask staring back at me.

Oh...

"Raah!" To my surprise, Bell lunged at the Stalker who had flanked us, knocking over his weapon and both of us falling to the ground in the process.

After that, their fight became one of who could surpass whom in strength, with Bell obviously having the advantage, but the Stalker somehow managed to turn everything in his favor when he applied a lock on him.

"Ack! LILI!"

A-Ah...

I dropped the SR-25 to the ground and drew my Makarov just as the man flipped Bell onto the ground and stood on top of him, grabbing a knife and about to-

I shot him three times in the face, his body going rigid for a few seconds before falling like an unstrung puppet on his back.

Bell, taking advantage of the freedom he now had, crawled away from the corpse, accidentally kicking it in the process.

I grabbed him by the collar of his shirt and pulled him toward me and into cover.

"A-Are you okay?"

He patted his body. "Y-Yes... I think... yes..."

That was terrifying...

"L-Let's move."

Bell grabbed his things off the ground, as well as I grabbed the SR-25, and we got out of there.

I briefly noticed Yuri throw something and continue firing, taking out more Stalkers with the short, precise bursts he fired.

He makes it look so... easy.

My MP7 was hanging on the side of my body as I jogged with Bell towards another large rock, I still hadn't been able to use it until now, but if more Stalkers try to get close, I'll be forced to...

When we arrived, I hurried to get the SR-25 into position to continue providing support to Yuri. I took a second to keep an eye on Bell, who looked quite nervous and dejected.

Damnit...

"Bell, I... uhm..." He turned to me, but kept a firm grip on the sawed-off shotgun he was carrying. His eyes looked desperate, it was painful to see him like this than how he acted before. "I'm sorry..."

He blinked and nodded, and then continued observing the flanks, only the sound of gunshots and screams in the background filled the environment.

"Thank you."

Hestia is going to be very angry after this.

I aimed and shot someone in the chest, the man staggered for a few seconds before falling to his knees and dying in that position.

Even though they were trying to kill us, I couldn't get rid of the bad feeling of being... ending the lives of others.

The way guns kill is horrifyingly fast.

Still... it was them or us... and there was no way I'm going to be alone in the world again.

---

I reloaded my assault rifle in a practiced motion, dropping the empty magazine and making way for the new one.

I dropped to the ground and, through the space between the floor of the cart and the ground, I opened fire at three guys who were shooting in Lili's direction.

I was forced to stand up immediately when a bullet ricocheted off the ground, kicking up dust that would have irritated my eyes if it weren't for my glasses.

Fuck!

I unclipped another grenade and threw it in the general direction of the enemy, waiting for it to explode before moving away from the cart while forcing them to avoid one of my bullets from hitting them.

I crawled on the ground and leaned with my back against a particularly sturdy tree, freeing myself from the death squad that was following me.

Stupid shit, fuck, fucking moron.

It was what I told myself.

Why the FUCK are the stupid Sin members here!? I had no fucking idea, but I couldn't stop thinking that, subconsciously, it's my fault.

My headphones picked up the sound of leaves and moving grass to my left.

I peaked, aimed and fired four times.

The first missed, the second and third hit the man in the chest, but his vest saved him. Fortunately, the last one hit him in the cheek and he didn't move again when he collapsed in some bushes.

There were two others behind him who immediately opened fire on me when they heard my fourth silenced shot, so I had to duck and take cover again.

I shifted to the right and shot toward a group of five lying on the ground behind a depression in the grassy ground between the trees. My bullets hit two before the others retreated.

"Lili." I called on the radio. "I need help at my ten o'clock."

"What!?"

"Shoot the bastards coming from my left!"

"Ah!" I heard the muffled screams of the two trying to flank me amidst all the cacophony of gunfire. "Next time be clearer, idiot!"

She's much more aggressive than normal.

I guess it's... normal. I can imagine the amount of stress she's going through, as well as Bell.

Poor kids

There's not much that can be done now, I hope their nightmares aren't that bad.

I crouched down and took a few shots at two others who were standing behind some trees, shooting in their direction.

One survived, his vest stopping the hollow-point bullet that surely would have killed him.

Motherfucker, I was going to hunt dinosaurs and maybe some other monsters out here, not fucking armed-to-the-teeth Sin operators.

I unclipped another RGD-5 grenade, I had two more left, and I threw it towards where I think there are more enemies, and then continue retreating towards my guardian angels.

Two shots caught the bark of a tree to my right, so I dropped to the ground and rolled behind some bushes.

Still, the shots continued to buzz too close for my comfort, so I stood up and, shooting until I ran out of bullets, managed to find my two dummies.

I was actually quite happy to see them well, although the excitement did not last long, because I had to crouch down and push Lili aside before a lucky shot caught me.

"Y-Yuri!"

"Mr. Yuri!"

I smiled from ear to ear. "Nice to see you guys." I took the SR-25 from Lili, who immediately armed herself with her MP7 and pressed her back against my right arm. "Did our guests give you any trouble?"

"W-Well..."

I turned to them and took a quick look at them.

Bell had blood on him, but it didn't look that it was his.

Well, fuck his innocence then.

"Tsk, I see..."

Now with my beautiful weapon in my hands, I felt much more confident that we would get out of this alive.

"Lili, left." She settled in and now had her gun trained to protect our flank. "Bell, stay as you are."

I wasn't going to ask the poor kid for anything more.

Now that I had the advantage of a designated marksman rifle and the protection of a rock, these bastards don't stand a chance.

I heard Lili shoot. I better start too.

The motherfuckers were sitting ducks, my eyes trained to observe even the smallest of details after so many skirmishes in the past helped me a lot to get rid of any smartass who tried to show his face.

Bell fired his shotgun and screamed. "Get away, get away!"

I turned to see who he was yelling at.

It was another Sin Stalker, who was grabbing his bleeding left arm with his remaining one.

I shot him in his exposed leg, causing him to fall and scream in pain, only to silence him with another shot to the forehead.

"That's it Bell, don't let anyone get close." I tried to focus him on that task to distract him from the crude aspect of what was happening around him. "If they get to us, we're dead, don't let that happen."

"Please leave, please leave, please leave, please leave..." I heard him whisper.

Fuck...

I noticed how the remaining Stalkers split into two groups, each coming from the left and right. Out of my vision, I saw only three appear right next to the cart, two with what I believe are AK-12 rifles and one with-

I bit my tongue and swung the gun quickly, taking a lucky shot.

The bullet caught the Stalker carrying an RPG in his chest and caused him to fire the grenade launcher, the rocket flying into the sky instead of towards us.

Those who were with him opened fire to me, which was to be expected. The bullets hit the rock, my vest and right arm.

I could feel the bullet change its trajectory inside my arm and lodge into the bone, it hurt like shit. All the sounds around me turned to white noise as I felt the force of the impact.

"Oof..."

I fell on my butt and lost the strength at that moment to get up.

I dropped the gun to the ground and reached with my trembling left hand toward one of my vest pockets, but I couldn't reach what I needed now.

I could see Bell put down his gun and crouch down next to me, his mouth moving, but I couldn't hear what he was saying.

He said something and Lili turned around for a second to look at me, saying something and continuing to shoot with her gun.

I took Bell's hand, which was on my chest. He turned around and I had his attention at that moment.

I let go and patted a specific pocket on my vest, he understood and opened it, taking out the object inside.

It was a morphine injector, my arm hurt like shit so I wanted to get rid of the pain first.

I took it from his hand and removed the red cap with my teeth, then pressed the purple part against my left thigh.

"Mr. Yuri! W-What are you doing!?"

I took a deep breath as I let the injectable do its work.

I left it on for 10 seconds before removing it and tossing it aside. I could already feel my body going numb from the drug.

It was fucking worth it.

I picked up the SR-25 with my left hand and rested it on the rock. It wouldn't be as effective as with my dominant hand, but it is what it is.

I swallowed. "How are we doing?" There were very few enemies left now, all retreating.

I shot one in the back as he ran away, his clothes were different, but I didn't get a good look at him before he fell to the ground. I finished him off right there.

"I-I think... we're good." Her breathing was erratic as she tried to reload her MP7, making several mistakes when trying to insert the magazine.

She put her gun aside and unholstered her PMM.

I shot another one in the shoulder, he was chubby and shorter so he was an easy target and I need someone to interrogate after all.

Bell, at my side, looked calmer, but the apathetic look in his eyes was sad to see.

I shot another one in the head. That was the last one, because I lost sight of the others among the vegetation of the forest.

As the seconds passed and the sounds of the forest slowly reappeared, we stood there, protecting that position.

Minutes passed and I lowered the gun. Those bastards won't come back.

And since they're not coming back, I better get rid of the bleeding of my arm.

"Bell." The boy, although shaken by everything that has happened, still had that fire in his eyes, good. "Send Naaza here and guard the gods." With a face that seemed more comfortable being anywhere else than here, he ran in search of the dog-eared shop clerk.

"Lili, keep watching."

She just remained silent, but vigilant.

I finally was able to relax and rest my back to the rock.

Fuck, I left my backpack in the cart.

I took my gun again. "On second thought, bring my backpack." She was about to protest, but I continued. "There's my medical kit... without it, I won't be able to get the bullet out of my shoulder."

At that moment, she frowned so much that I was a little worried that her face would get wrinkled.

"D-Did you get shot?"

Hmph.

"Get my backpack at once or I'll die from blood loss."

She didn't need any other motivation as she picked up her MP7 and ran to the cart.

I kept the rifle up, covering her back in case I'm wrong and the bastards decide to come for the second round.

Luckily, I didn't have to worry because she returned quickly with my backpack on her back.

She put it on the floor in front of me and looked at me with concern.

"Do you need anything? If I can help you, just tell me."

I would appreciate it if you didn't throw up in my face for what you're about to see.

"Yes, remain vigilant." I waved her off with my good hand and reached for the backpack, opening it and searching for my medical supplies.

"B-But Yuri!"

This is the second time someone has made puppy eyes at me.

Damn... okay!

"Help me with the plate carrier then." I told her, to which she nodded without hesitation. "I need to remove the bullet and... this gets in the way."

Carefully, she helped me take off my vest and put it aside, leaving me with my now blood-stained shirt.

I took a field surgical kit out of my backpack and placed it on my lap.

Shit, ugh... I'm falling asleep.

"What...what happened here?"

Ah, Naaza.

"Great, two pairs of hands are better than just one and a half." I greeted Miach's daughter. "Come here, I need help with this." I pointed to my wound.

Just like Lili, she frowned and crouched down next to me, taking a look at my arm.

I opened the Surgical Kit and handed her the scissors. She looked at them curiously.

"Cut the cloth around the wound." Then I pointed out to Lili a red rubber band inside my backpack, which she passed to me and I wrapped it around my arm. "Quick lesson, this is an Esmarch tourniquet, perfect for stopping bleeding wounds, but it hurts like shit, so believe me when I tell you that this is going to hurt more for me than for you to see."

With nothing more to say, I began to torture myself by tightening the rubber band on my arm more and more, cutting off arterial circulation and stopping the bleeding.

Although I couldn't think very clearly now, half my mind is filled with pain.

Both women looked at me like I was crazy, but I ignored them in favor of convenience.

I pointed out the flashlight and the tweezers to Lili, who took both and looked at me expectantly, waiting for orders with both things in each hand.

Cute, I would have thought, if I wasn't dying of pain.

"Have Naaza help you... ugh... remove the bullet..." I gritted my teeth. "Use that to illuminate the wound."

Lili took the flashlight and gave the tweezers to Naaza.

"Turn it on with that button."

She apologized when she pointed the flashlight directly at my face by mistake, but I made her focus on the task at hand after taking her hand and forcing her to shine it on the wound while Naaza tried to get used to the tweezers.

"With that, look for the bullet... you should." Aaaagh, shit. "Find it being embedded in the bone."

And they better hurry before the morphine stops working.

With Naaza sticking the tweezers into my wound and Lili helping her see with the flashlight, I sat there, letting these two remove the stupid bullet that I'm sure is a 5.45... because of the speed at which they travel, they cause large wounds and fragment very often, causing infections and death within days.

"I think... I... got it!"

It hurt a lot more to have the thing removed, but I could feel relief when I no longer had anything directly touching my nerves once Naaza took out the tweezers with the bullet.

I took a look and to my horror, it was just a fragment, so I told her to throw it away and continue searching.

About half an hour passed after that. I had to take some analgesics because Naaza was doing her best to make sure nothing was left behind. Once she finished, I took a deep breath and told her to take the safe case I brought out of my backpack.

"Naaza."

"Yeah?"

"After applying the potion to the wound... is it likely that an infection could develop?"

She shook her head. "The potions take care of that, so you shouldn't worry."

"Good, because these are the potions you sold me." I told her. "They better work or I'm going to torment you for the rest of your days."

Naaza nodded with slight nervousness and began to apply the potion with Lili's help. It still hurt though.

They used three potions, two that they applied to the wound and one that they forced me to drink to be safe.

I could feel my arm stop being dead weight as the seconds passed. Despite being mixed with water, they are still effective.

They began putting the bloody medical equipment back into the Kit while I took a breath.

I could use a cigarette now...

They both sat in front of me and looked at the wound on my arm, which had mostly healed, leaving a scar.

It's... weird to look at.

"Another trophy, I guess."

It was Lili who started scolding me. "What do you mean trophy!? You got shot!"

As usual, but I wasn't going to tell her that.

With my good arm, I leaned on the rock and stood up.

There were quite a few corpses around, although I couldn't really be sure.

I picked up my AK-74M and tried holding it with both hands.

Now I only felt a phantom pain and the occasional nervous twitch, but I could deal with it.

I reloaded my gun and walked towards the bodies, making sure they were really dead by shooting them in the head.

"What...?"

"Naaza, go back with the others." I told her. "This will take a while, but it is for the good of everyone."

At my serious look, she simply walked away to join Bell and the gods.

Lili stood there, looking at me expectantly.

I approached another Stalker on the ground and double-tapped him.

"I'm sorry you went through this." I said. "But you know... it's part of the job."

She nodded slowly and looked at the corpse at my feet.

"Help me take their things, will you?"

She nodded again and, in silence, began stripping the already confirmed corpses of their weapons.

"We also have to look for the horse." I added. "It probably fled from the gunshots and that's what I hope... if it died, well..."

I approached another and, before I could put a bullet in his forehead, he grabbed my leg.

I kicked him on the ground and the guy started crying.

Hm?

It's true, this is the guy I left alive.

I put my boot on his shoulder and, with a push, left him face up on the ground.

His face was a crying mess, the wound on his shoulder was bleeding profusely, and he generally looked ready to give up.

Hey, wait a second.

"Lili, isn't this the guy that...?"

She walked over, carrying some weapons on her arms, and took a look.

"Kanu?"

Heh, bingo.

"I-I'm sorry... I'm sorry... I'm sorry..."

"Lili."

"Yeah?"

"I think I have a plan."

She tilted her head to the side, confused. "A plan?"

"Yes... and this guy will be quite helpful."

"No... no! please no!"

The last thing this moron saw before his lights went out was the butt of my gun.

---

The way back was silent.

After Yuri had found the horse and Lili had finished loading the loot into the little space there was, everyone sat on the cart while Yuri, after a few funny failed attempts, led the horse back towards Orario.

Hestia, with her maternal aura, had Bell and Lili under each arm, caressing them gently and humming a melody.

Yuri had told her what happened and, at first, she was furious with him, but then she understood that she could hardly blame him for what happened, so she put aside the yelling that she was going to give him and decided to take care of the mentally tormented teenagers in her arms.

When they reached Orario, they entered without problems and continued with the cart until they reached the Blue Pharmacy, where they left Miach and Naaza as well as the eggs they collected and said goodbye to them for the moment.

After that, they continued in the direction of Daedalus Street and took the usual turn to their way home, but they had to put the cart aside and unpack everything else.

Which meant they would also take the man Yuri had kidnapped.

Hestia agreed when Yuri promised to explain, so she took Lili and Bell and led them to the basement of the church that was her home to prepare them something to eat. It was almost 4 in the afternoon and everyone was hungry.

And so, sitting on the couch, the minutes passed in silence.

The moon was making its way over the horizon and they were getting a little worried, but after a few hours of waiting, he returned with a small backpack.

He still wore the same clothes, plus the extra of a new stab vest over his chest, this one being black and thin compared to the previous one, but it only protected his chest and stomach, leaving his abdomen and shoulders exposed.

On his arms, in addition to his own dried blood, there was fresh blood.

He wasn't wearing his cap, but he was wearing his glasses and his face was also stained with blood.

A sight that made everyone present frown.

"Mr. Yuri, whose blood is that?" Hestia asked, crossing her arms.

He took off his glasses and left them on the table, as well as his backpack. His black eyes staring into the sapphire blues of the goddess. "I taught a lesson to a fucking moron."

"W-What?"

He sat on the couch, pushing aside Bell and Lili who were eating some crepes prepared by Hestia.

"Kanu, the raccoon man we brought from the forest, was the moron who brought all those idiots to kill us."

"W-Wait, you mean-?"

"Let me finish." Hestia nodded and took a seat on the bed. "I hit that guy a few days ago to save Lili from him, it was at that moment that I met her."

Said Pallum lowered her head, still chewing the crepe in her mouth.

"The idiot confessed that he allied himself with an organization called 'Sin', a bunch of fanatical cultists obsessed with murdering all life on the planet, according to some acquaintances I radioed." His facial features turned grim as he explained. "Kanu promised them to take over the Soma Familia if they killed me and captured Lili for things that I prefer not to imagine."

Everyone shuddered as Yuri left that part to the imagination.

"Anyway, I have a plan." That raised Hestia and Bell's eyebrows, but not Lili's because she had more or less an idea of what her friend was going to propose and she didn't like it at all. "Hestia, you owe me a favor, remember?"

Lili's story about how she wanted to get out of the Soma Family for many years and Kanu's explanation about how a Familia conversion worked gave Yuri an idea of how to proceed.

She closed her eyes and sighed. "I guess you want Bell to help you."

"Partly, but that wasn't what I was going to ask of you."

"Huh?"

"I need you to give me a Falna."

Internally, Hestia was squealing with excitement at the prospect of gaining a new member for her Familia.

Although she was also somewhat discouraged by the circumstances in which she did it.

"Honestly, I feel like you're a pretty nice person." He added. "So, once all is said and done, I would like you to also allow Lili to stay in this Familia... you know, conversion and all that."

Hestia, for her part, was undecided.

On one hand, if she agreed to help Yuri and give him her blessing, she would also be putting her own Familia at risk by being hostile to one larger than hers.

On the other, her heart was crushing her with the moral dilemma that was presented to her.

Thus, as the good goddess of the Hearth, she decided to extend that heat towards the two helpless souls who came seeking her help.

She took a deep breath and smiled slightly. "Okay, Mr. Yuri... I'll help you."

"You talk so casually about that, Yuri." Lili interrupted suddenly, resting her head on the Stalker's shoulder. "You're not leaving me much choice but to believe in you, you know?"

He laughed and hugged his partner sideways. "I already told you, you're the first friend I've had in a while, so I'll do everything for you."

She laughed along with him and finished eating her crepe with a smile.

Moments later, Hestia announced with a rather large smile on her face, captivated by the scene before her. "Good! For the justice that Lili-kun deserves! I will grant you my blessing, Mr. Yuri! So undress now and lie down on the bed."

Everyone choked on their own saliva as those words registered in their minds.

"G-Goddess!"

"What are you planning to do with Yuri!?"

"What the hell?"

Hestia covered her mouth. The habit of making jokes like that with Bell came at a bad time.

"Erm... I just need you to take off your shirt and lie on your stomach... for comfort, more than anything."

Yuri continued to look at her strangely.

"I-I'm not going to do anything y-you're thinking!"

When everyone calmed down, Yuri took off his shirt, Bell and Lili looking away in shame, and sat on the edge of the bed, leaning forward and turning his back to Hestia, who was behind him.

The goddess observed the different scars that were on his body, some ugly claw marks as well as others that did not heal completely.

She shook his head, she had to do this...

She pricked her index finger with a needle and let a drop of her divine blood fall on the experienced Stalker's back, activating the sacred process of granting a Falna.

The two teenagers, putting their shame aside, approached to observe, the symbols and numbers floating in the air being a rather spectacular sight for them, as they were unable to witness their own granting of Falna.

Yuri, deep inside, felt something change in his soul.

It was strange, but at the same time relaxing, as if a part of himself was now complete.

After a few moments of Hestia manipulating Yuri's Falna, she ended up shoving all that magic show back onto his back and closing her eyes.

It was curious for them to see the symbol of a brazier on Yuri's back, like a tattoo symbolizing Hestia's celestial domain.

Now that they realized, Hestia had stopped moving completely.

"Goddess? Are you okay?"

Lili touched Hestia's side with a finger, but didn't seem to get a reaction from her.

The three looked at each other and shrugged.

After several seconds of silence, Hestia came to her senses and-

"Uuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuu..."

Proceeded to groan in exasperation.

She took the paper she had prepared and used it to copy Yuri's status from his back, then handed it to him and collapsed on the bed.

"I don't know why I get the strangest children..."

With the paper in his hand, Yuri began to read, Bell and Lili on either side, reading next to him.

Yuri "Grishka"

Lv 1

STR: I 0

VIT: I 0

DEX: I 0

AGI: I 0

MAG: I 0

MAGIC:

SKILLS:

Revenger

Activated under the influence of an immeasurable hate. The more you want to see dead what's in front of you, the more damage you will inflict against whatever is unfortunate enough to cross your path.

Accept your human nature and let yourself be carried away by the call of revenge, after all, you have nothing to lose... right?

Role Model

You grant an excelia bonus to all the people who see in you someone exemplary, relative to the distance from the user and how strong those feelings are.

Your desire to be the role model that inspires those you care about to be better than you ended in the creation of this skill. Take advantage of it, will you? Don't let the hate get the best of you.

"Great, now everyone will know my other name."

Yuri seemed quite casual about everything.

Both teenagers, however...

"Two skills..." Bell groaned.

"Just upon receiving the Falna..." Lili sighed.

They were just like Hestia.

"Hm." Yuri turned to the goddess. "What's this about... 'Skills', Hestia?"

"Basically." She began as she stood up and leaned on the bare back of the new member of her Familia. "They are something that reflects people, representing their sorrows, achievements and experiences... those skills that were born with your Falna are who you are from the deepest parts of your soul ."

He took those words into account and came to a conclusion.

Eh, quite appropriate.

With the goddess's explanation, Lili was able to deduce the kind of resentment her friend had felt that led the Falna dictate that it becomes a skill. It was kind of scary to think about.

The second skill warmed her heart a little. She knew he cared about them quite a bit, but to the extent of creating an ability that would allow them to grow instead of himself was comforting. A confirmation that Yuri was a pretty genuine person.

And a terrifying one other times.

Bell, on the other hand, felt a new kind of respect for him as he understood the meaning behind his abilities, although he wondered why he would obtain two that could be counterproductive.

It even seemed like they were making fun of him.

"Is that your middle name?" Lili asked.

"Something close." Yuri answered. "It's actually Grigori, but Grishka is the way my friends called me... I don't know why it's here."

Lili smiled and whispered to herself. "Grishka."

"Well... I haven't felt anything in particular..." He mentioned while observing his body.

"Puff." Lili puffed. "It's not like you're going to develop another set of muscles on top of the ones you already have, you know?"

He laughed heartily at that. "Yes, I know, but... isn't this supposed to be a divine blessing or something? I was expecting something more..."

"You have two skills upon gaining your Falna! I don't know what you're complaining about!?" Hestia yelled at him.

"And that's rare?"

"Most people don't get any!" She patted Yuri on the back and got off the bed. "I have a feeling you'll be just like Bell... oh my..."

"Huh?"

"Ahh... it's nothing." She responded dejectedly. "Well... why did you want a Falna anyway? It's not like-"

"Kanu told me that there is a chance of having skills as soon as you join a Familia... it was a gamble and I'm actually happy with the result..."

He put on his bloody shirt and checked his watch.

"Bell, the backpack."

"Huh? Oh, sure."

He reached for the cloth and opened it, revealing a Glock pistol and several cardboard boxes inside.

"What's that?" Lili asked as she peeked out.

"Rubber bullets." Yuri answered. "Less lethal, but still lethal... just don't shoot anyone in the face... we'll use them in case things get complicated."

"But... wouldn't it be easier to use...? You know..."

He glanced sideways at his supporter. "Do you want to kill people?"

"Erm... no..."

"Then listen carefully to what we'll do."

---

The stars shone as well as the moon, illuminating with their gentle light the group of people who were heading towards the Soma Familia base of operations.

Three friends, being guided by Kanu, the raccoon man, walked through the sparsely populated streets of the city of Orario.

The Soma Familia member limped slightly as he was held hostage by Yuri, who pushed the barrel of his Colt M1911 pistol against his back. He had a line of dried blood running from his nose to his neck. His face had several cuts and bruises, as did the rest of his body.

Lili was behind them, Bell at her side, carrying his double-barreled shotgun loaded with rubber pellets. Yuri lent him a rig where Bell kept his cartridges.

Lili, on the other hand, refused to leave her MP7 behind, but gladly accepted the Glock pistol with rubber bullets, replacing it with her Makarov.

The people just watched them as they passed, not caring much, which Yuri was grateful, because then no one else would interfere with what he was about to do.

When they finally arrived, he took a good look at the building.

Surrounded by a metal fence, a fortress-like mansion loomed before them. At the entrance there were two guards keeping away dozens of people who moaned and complained, seeking to enter so that their god could give them their divine liquor.

Yuri rolled his shoulders and took a deep breath.

"Ready?"

Bell nodded, checking the chambers of his shotgun and making sure his Hestia knife was close at hand.

Lili checked the magazine of her Glock and held it in her hands, ready to be used in self-defense... or whenever she wants to shoot Zanis in the balls.

She was secretly waiting for the opportunity to present itself to do so.

Yuri patted Kanu's shoulder. "If you try anything, I won't hesitate to murder you here and now... understood?"

The man nodded and, with a push, limped towards the entrance.

Yuri turned to his two companions. "You know the drill, I'll deal with Zanis." He said. "If something comes up, don't hesitate to shoot."

They both nodded at his words.

At what they were about to do, the Stalker took another deep breath.

"Here goes nothing..."

They walked behind Kanu, who was talking to the guards.

"Guys, uh... I need you to let us through."

"No, Kanu, you know that no one outside the Familia can enter without Zanis's approval."

"Please! Just... look, I'll buy you some Soma when I get it at the next auction, so I'm begging you, just let us in..."

"The orders are clear and we will not let pass anyone who is not part of the Familia."

Kanu clicked his tongue and backed away slightly.

He turned and looked Yuri in the eyes.

"Well, shit, plan B." He massaged his temples. "Lili."

She, quite enthusiastically, aimed her gun.

The two guards hunched over as the rubber bullets hit them in the chest and stomach.

They fell to the ground in pain moments later.

At the loud sounds, the crowd at the door turned in fear.

"Good." Yuri spoke. "Kanu, open the door."

"Y-Yes..."

They crossed the entrance and continued on their way until they were facing the crowd at the main entrance.

"Step aside."

Nobody moved.

He aimed at the ground and fired, the bullet ricocheting and embedding in a nearby wall.

Those people didn't need another warning and quickly pushed each other, not understanding what was happening, but realizing that it was dangerous not to obey.

"Take us to Soma."

"Okay... f-follow me..."

At gunpoint, he forced the guards to open the doors and entered the mansion.

The addicts outside followed them, pushing past the guards and making their way through the place.

That's going to be a problem, I'm fucking sure of it.

"Alright, where?"

"We have to go upstairs and go to... his office..."

He pushed him. "And what are you waiting for?"

"S-Sur-"

"Who are you?"

The addicts, upon hearing the voice, retreated out of fear.

Everyone watched someone descend the stairs.

Thin, with his pompous hair combed to the sides and wearing glasses, the captain of the Soma Familia watched the intruders with scrutiny.

He let his right hand rest on the handle of his sheathed sword and narrowed his eyes at the sight of someone he wasn't expecting to see yet.

He smiled and extended his arms in a welcoming gesture. "Arde!"

Lili clicked her tongue when she saw Zanis look at her.

"Oh, how glad I am to see you again, Arde!" The captain exclaimed as he slowly descended the stairs. "It's a miracle! The lost sheep finally returns home!"

The falseness with which the man spoke was insulting, he had a very clear idea of why there were several strangers on the floor of his house accompanying the only person he wanted to possess for his plans.

"Strangers! I thank you so much-"

"Shut the fuck up, asshole."

"W-What...!?" Placing his gaze on Yuri, he swallowed and adjusted his glasses. "Interesting vocabulary, and who could you be?"

Yuri showed his M1911. "I'm the owner of this Colt pistol... and the bullets within it." Was his response. "And I'm here to get Lili out of this Familia of degenerates once and for all, so step aside because I'm in a hurry."

Zanis smiled. "Oh, is that so? But I really can't allow that, everyone knows that to leave the Soma Familia you need to pay the amount of... 100 million of Valis."

Yuri choked on nothing and turned to Lili, whispering to her. "Wasn't it 10 million!?"

She ground her teeth. "Tch... he doesn't want to let me go..."

The Stalker turned to Zanis. "Very good, how about a discount?"

The captain laughed enthusiastically. "Discount?"

"Lili, show him our 100% discount coupon."

She holstered the Glock and took her MP7 in both hands, aiming it at Zanis.

"I heard that level 2s are stronger and faster than the normal person." Yuri started. "So I want to see you dodging this gun that fires 950 rounds per minute at twice the speed of sound."

To his credit, Zanis looked pretty calm.

"So if you don't want lead in your ass, you better step aside, old man."

Zanis adjusted his glasses and looked directly at the supporter. "Lili, what are you doing threatening your captain like this?"

Whether he believed it or not, they weren't sure.

At Lili's indomitable courage, Zanis sighed.

"So much for gaining your freedom... after this is over, I'm going to lock you in one of the cells until you've learned to behave, miss."

She gritted her teeth and was about to pull the trigger.

"Is this the best you could get to save yourself? A group of nobodies with discipline problems? Lili, just give up already and-"

A bullet grazed Zanis's cheek.

He put his hand to the wound and touched the blood that ran from it.

His gaze returned to Lili, who continued to observe him with absolute resolution.

Apparently the threat was true.

And he laughed.

"Ahh... I see." He said. "I guess I have no other choice, huh?"

Yuri holstered his weapon. "Then move out of the way."

"Not so fast..." Zanis replied, slowly removing his sword from its sheath. "With just one order from me, each and every person behind you will make your life a living hell right now, especially if Soma's wine is involved..."

Yuri felt a shiver run down his spine as dozens of gazes fell on him.

"Tell me, what level are you?"

The ex-renegade crossed his arms. "One."

"Heh, and you come with all that confidence... good." Zanis pointed his sword at Yuri. "Let's keep this fair and practical, I propose a duel right now... if you defeat me, I will leave you alone and you will be free to go up to see Soma... if not, well, my wishes are obvious enough."

Bell and Lili grimaced upon hearing that, although they expected it, they really didn't want to see Yuri get hurt.

The Stalker, on the other hand, growled and snapped his fingers.

"Well, fuck..." He put away his glasses and, with his middle finger, told Zanis to go fuck himself. "Bring it on, asshole."

"Heh... hehe... hahaha... Ha..."

---

"What happens next will be all your fault." Zanis spoke before launching himself into the air, the tip of his sword ready to impale me where I stand. "PERISH!"

I rolled back, avoiding him from falling on top of me. The creak of wood and the crash that sounded next was undoubtedly his sword piercing the ground.

"Mr. Yuri!"

"Hahaha! You're a dead man anyway, Yuri!" The bastard exclaimed as he stood up, removing his sword from the wood. "Members of the Soma Familia... catch Liliruca Arde! Don't let her escape!"

Motherfucker son of a bi-

"Bell!" I yelled at him, he already knew what to do.

"Alright!" He responded as he shot a man who had taken advantage of the moment to get too close, the poor guy falling to the ground unconscious.

If I lose, this idiot will kill Bell and take Lili away for things I don't want to imagine.

Good...

No pressure, then.

I leaned to the right just as he tried again to impale me with his double-edged sword.

In the blink of an eye, the blade was now pointing at my neck.

I dropped to the ground on my back and the sword failed to decapitate me.

Well, shit, I think I underestimated this idiot's speed a little.

I rolled onto my back, avoiding a kick, and rose to my knees.

"HAHA! Already on your knees like a dog?" He prepared to cut me in half, a manic smile on his face. "I'm not one to forgive, you know!?"

I swept my legs, catching his heel, but not doing much more than unstabilizing him a little to the left.

At least I avoided dying.

"That hurts, damnit!"

I stood up and walked away from the motherfucker.

There's no way I can beat him in a strength contest, the guy's that damn tough, so I'd have to catch him on a soft spot of skin.

Lili expressed how much she hated Zanis when she confessed everything, so what I'm going to do will surely put a smile on her face.

I might as well shoot this idiot and be done with it, but I doubt I'll get the chance with the speed this bastard moves, plus I want to give him a good beating.

I'll have to use my 'skill' then, although I have no idea how to do it. In fact, I find thinking about this quite ridiculous.

It says... 'immeasurable hate', right? Like the hate I felt every night I didn't sleep thinking about never seeing my family again, like what I felt when I finally had Makarov in my hands, when I executed the stupid commander, when...

When Lili told me about this bastard.

Oh, I wanted nothing more than to see this idiot dead.

"Whats up, паскуда?"

"What did you just call me!?"

"And on top of everything you're an idiot."

"Tsk." Zanis approached in just two steps and slashed horizontally to the right, to which I had to take a step back, which was immediately followed by another diagonal slash under which I crouched.

Zanis swung his sword again, cutting off a strand of my hair by just a few inches.

He retracted his sword and pointed it at my chest, bingo. "Give up already, there's no chance you can win-UGH!" With a well-placed uppercut to the midriff, I made Zanis recoil in pain. "W-What was that...? A mere level one couldn't..."

Surely it was my cheeky smile or the 'insolence' of hitting him, but his face contorted as if he had sucked on the most sour lemon possible.

"Damn idiot!" He shouted as he ran to my side, sword raised. "You're not going to ruin my plans!"

I intercepted his wrist with my clenched fist and ducked my head, his sword falling from his hands and lightly cutting the back of my neck with its edge.

With my left fist, I hit him below his ribs, right in the intestines.

He contoured his body to avoid another blow, so I pushed him away, giving me some room to touch the back of my own head.

There was blood, but it didn't fall like a river.

Damn the swords of another world.

He glared at me with hate, but mine was bigger.

I motioned for him to come, which he bit and prepared his fists in a classic boxing pose.

I simply did the same, but with my palms open.

If your opponent is stronger, work around his strength.

In less than a second, I had him in front of me, his right fist coming directly at my face.

I arched to the left and, with my right hand, guided his attack to my side, using his momentum to guide his face to my left fist.

His head snapped back as I connected my knuckles with his bloodied cheek.

I pulled out my fist and hit him again, this time on the side of his ribs.

"AAGH!"

There's no way I could have hurt him now, it's surely my skill.

And then they say that having grudges is useless.

With Zanis still trapped in my grip, I kicked him in his right knee, forcing him to kneel on the ground, which earned him another blow to the face.

Now with this idiot at my disposal, I raised my left arm and lowered my elbow over his radius, breaking his bone and moving it out of place.

He screamed much louder after that.

I pulled him by his arm and forced him to fall to the ground on his bloody face, then kicked him once more in the head.

He didn't scream or cry after that, although I did notice that he was still breathing.

So much for being level two.

The sounds of fighting around me fell silent and I felt Bell and Lili approach my side.

As much as I want to see him dead, Hestia made me promise not to kill anyone, so goodbye to my fun, I guess.

I unholstered my pistol and pointed it at the crowd that looked at me with shock and fear.

"If any of you dare to follow us, I will not hesitate to do the same to you as I did to this poor son of a bitch."

"Oi..."

I patted Lili's head and spoke to Kanu. "You, take us to Soma."

---

They reached for the stairs and ignored the Familia captain, who was unconscious on the ground.

Bell, while disapproving of the way Yuri handled things, was more inclined to accept it because of what he told them before coming here.

Lili just watched him for a second, then grimaced and followed her friends.

They went up to the top floor of the mansion, the hallways just as big as the first, and walked towards the room with giant double doors, stopping in front of it expectantly.

Yuri patted Kanu's shoulder, who flinched at the interaction. "Very good." To then address Lili with his voice. "Lili..."

She stared at the raccoon man, her hazel eyes staring into the brown ones of the same person who tortured her for years, physically and mentally. The representation of everything she hated in adventurers, someone incapable of feeling compassion for the weakest.

She took a deep breath and bit her lip, she didn't have to be like him, right? Yuri knocked some sense into his thick head and turned him into a timid man, nothing like his old arrogant self.

If she wanted to continue torturing him for the rest of his days, nothing like what he did to her would be enough.

"Consider yourself forgiven." It was her sentence.

At one point in her life, she wanted nothing more than to see this guy dead in some ditch, in the most horrible ways her mind could imagine, but now? She trusted Yuri, he would free her, so there was no need to waste her time on someone as Kanu.

Shee didn't really know if Soma would even listen to them, but then again, she trusted Yuri, she knew he would do something about it.

Kanu bowed his head before her, small tears falling from his eyes.

She sighed in exasperation. "Get lost."

And so, the raccoon man did not hesitate to make himself scarce and disappear from the place.

"So... should we open the door an enter?"

"Uhm... shouldn't we be... more respectful to a deity?"

"I couldn't care less, but I guess you're right, Bell, I wouldn't want the guy to annihilate us on the spot as soon as he sees us."

"Uugh..." Lili got tired of listening to them and approached the double doors, opening them without problem.

With a hunched back, large hair that reached to his neck and clothes that had seen better days, Soma was mixing something in a cauldron.

"Is that Soma?"

Lili smiled sadly, her god had not changed at all. "Unfortunally, yes."

"Huh... is this a lesson of humility or something? Why do all the gods I know have to look like bums...?"

"Goddess Hestia doesn't look like a... bum..."

"I know, Bell, but... you get my point."

"Zanis..." The god spoke, not looking away from what he was doing. "What did I tell you about interrupting me?"

Yuri raised his voice. "Are you Soma?"

The god only spared them a glance, then continue to loose himself in what he was doing.

"Eh... you freaking..."

"He's like that, he doesn't listen to anyone except Zanis..." Lili added, looking sad.

Yuri clicked his tongue. "Well, it's not like we can bring that idiot here, can we?" With cautious steps, he approached the deity. "Are you even listening?"

He waved a hand in front of the god, who didn't even flinch.

"Hmph." He looked around the room, looking for something to catch his attention. "Tell me, Lili..."

She, along with Bell, approached.

"This guy only cares about his wine, right?" He asked, pointing to the boiler that gave off an intoxicating and addictive smell.

"As far as I know, he hasn't been interested in anything else..."

"Well, how bad is his poison anyways?" He asked, as his gaze fell on a ceramic vase on a nearby table, a cup of the same material next to it.

"Y-You're not thinking about..."

He approached the table while Bell tried to get Soma's attention by making faces in front of him.

Yuri poured the wine in the cup, filling it to the top, the crystalline liquid sending a feeling of incomprehensible fear through his entire being. The most addictive liquor ever made.

"Hey! Do you mind if I drink this?"

Lili grabbed his arm, trying to stop him. "What are you doing, Yuri!?"

"Calm down, gurl, nothing is going to happen to me."

"No, don't even think about it!"

He glanced at Soma, who returned his gaze with intensity, daring the mortal to taste his wine.

Yuri took all the air his lungs could hold. "Just wish me luck."

Lili could only sigh.

She knew she put a lot of trust in him, but what he was doing was just stupid.

As he brought the liquid to his lips, his taste buds were assaulted by one of the most pleasurable flavors he had ever experienced. All his senses being overloaded by the divine nature of the liquor he had ingested.

He did not continue drinking by his will, his body wanted to finish the liquor, so he squeezed the cup tightly and, against his will, emptied the rest of it down his throat.

His mind and reason were lost in the inexplicable happiness he felt, falling into unconsciousness seconds later.

Lili took the Stalker's hand, sincerely hoping that he would come to his senses, although she knew very well what would happen next… she had experienced it before and it made her remember horrible things.

In his own mind, Yuri was lost.

Everything was warm, calm, serene. He couldn't hear nor see anything, but this was the happiest moment of his own life.

If only he could share this happiness with-

With who?

The stupid smile he had on his face dropped a little.

He can't go back, his family would hate him. They would hate the kind of person he had become, so he couldn't share the wine with them.

Then, with who else but if not his family?

He had Bell, Hestia and Lili, all three of them were very cool and fun to hang out with, he felt like he was in a new family being with them.

Would they hate him too if they really knew what he was like?

Would they hate his greedy, petty, evil self? Surely they would.

He couldn't blame them, he hated himself too.

He hated everything, yes, he did. He hated everyone, always wanting to take advantage of him, XAXA! Too bad, he will never kneel to anyone, not even a fucking god of all things, he didn't even pay attention to them, so why would he show him respect?

Everything was shit and he hated it.

His smile died.

Was that why he was here?

No, he was here because he wanted to prove something to himself, not to the world, not to a god.

He didn't want to continue being here, his subconscious was disgusting.

He came to his senses just in time to swallow the vomit he was about to throw out.

He was still standing, so that was a good sign.

"Fuck... eugh... fucking disgusting."

Everyone looked at the Stalker in surprise.

"Your stupid wine made me remember unpleasant things." Yuri mentioned casually, putting the cup down on the table. "Thanks for that, idiot."

"Oh?" Soma put aside what he was doing and approached Yuri. "How...?"

"It's called willpower, moron." He poured more wine into the cup and took it in his hand. "Something that probably all the stupid people down there don't know it exists."

He drank the liquor again and shook his head. "It tastes like vodka, ugh... hey, I could give you some advice if you want to make a really good liquor... nah, I'm lying, I don't know anything about this, I'd rather just sample your shit." He finished the cup and put it back on the table.

"Alright, now with that out of the way, are you going to listen to what we have to tell you? I might as well beat your ass until you decide to see some fucking reason, the choice is in your hands."

Soma, dumbfounded, nodded vigorously, quite excited to meet a man who can withstand his divine liquor.

"Brilliant." He hugged Lili and brought her closer. "This is my friend, Liliruca Arde, she belongs to your Familia and, no offense... no, screw that, your Familia is fucking shit, so we came to demand a conversion."

"To... to her?"

"Yes, bitch, you heard me right." Yuri responded with a mocking tone. "Do it by your will or I will do it by mine with your own blood, so don't challenge me, сука."

Soma looked at Lili, but he didn't remember giving her a Falna before.

The strange guy had gained his attention, but he really didn't want to just let him go, he wanted to force him to stay, he had to know...

"Fine." Soma spoke. "But she has to do the same as you."

Yuri shook his head and drew his weapon, pointing it directly at the god's forehead.

"Yuri, no! Stop!" She put her hand on the Stalker's arm, to which he lowered his gun and looked at her. "I... I can do it, trust me, okay? I mean... if you could, then so can I."

At his friend's small smile, he couldn't say no. "This is the first and last time I let you drink any kind of liquor."

She laughed lightly at that.

He put his gun back at its holster and poured a cup for Lili, who took it and watched apprehensively.

Her freedom was just a cup away.

She drank the liquid before and forced herself to quit after months of addiction... sure, she could do it again, she already drank it once...

Although that didn't take away the fear she felt...

She swallowed and extended her hand. "Hold me for a second." He did so and, holding hands, she drank.

Her legs gave out immediately and Yuri had to use his other hand to keep her from falling to the ground.

"Don't worry, I'm here."

Lili didn't hear him, but she could feel his hands keeping her standing.

The hands of the person she respected more than anyone.

She really wanted to be like him, she wanted to stand next to him and say 'I did it', for him to be proud of her.

After all, they had similar lives and he still was throwing hands, even to oponents tougher than him.

She wanted to be as strong as him.

That desire led her to completely ignore the intoxicating pleasure of the liquor, making her react and returning to lucidity only to see Yuri's proud face.

She couldn't help but burp a little.

He laughed as he turned to Soma. "Is that enough for you?"

The god showed a small smile, a deal is a deal, he wouldn't bother that interesting mortal by denying his request. Furthermore, it was the second time that a mortal had surprised him like this, which is something new for him.

"Very good." He looked Lili in the eyes. "Do you want to leave the Familia?"

Yuri helped his supporter to stand, both of them slightly blushing from the effect of the drink. "Yes please..."

After that, Bell and Yuri were forced to look away as Soma used his power to remove Lili's Falna, the process emitting an unnatural light throughout the room, as well as the granting of a Falna.

"It was kind of crazy today, huh?"

Bell just nodded, mentally and physically tired. He just wanted to sleep than to continue thinking about all the things that happened today.

"I'm sorry for... what happened, you were in the wrong place at the wrong time, but... it happens sometimes, I guess."

The boy let out a dry laugh. "If you try to make me feel better about hurting other people... you suck at it..."

Yuri just scratched the back of his head, not knowing what to say.

"Don't worry, I... I'm happy to help, plus... I think it was one of those situations where you couldn't run away, only choose..." Bell found similarities in that with some of the hero stories he had read in the past.

"Yes, and the choices were us or them." He hugged the boy sideways. "Don't be mortified about it, those guys were bad people after all."

"It still doesn't make me feel better..."

"Then we just have to get stronger so that can't happen again."

...

Bell sighed. "Yes, sure..."

The light died and, after a few seconds, Lili's voice called them. "You can turn around now, you dummies."

"Are you sure about it?" Yuri asked with a smile. "We wouldn't want to screw with his innocence."

'What are you talking about now, you idiot!?'

"Ahh, well... although it's hard to be sure, you know? We could mistake your chest for-"

Bell didn't know whether to laugh or feel terribly embarrassed as Lili retaliated by punching Yuri's back.

Holding back his laughter, they both turned around. "Okay, okay... heh heh... I went a little overboard with that."

With his other arm, he invited her into a hug. "Shall we go?"

She took a deep breath, the smile on her face shining just like the moonlight outside. "Sure!"

---

When we returned, Hestia was waiting for us outside the church with a smile on her face.

It felt... weird.

I guess it must be the maternal aura that she always has.

I really wouldn't have a problem calling her mom now, I'll be part of her Familia soon, so I guess I should be getting used to that by now.

In fact, Yuri beat me to it by telling her mom, her reaction was funny.

In the end, she took Bell and they retreated to the basement where they lived to rest. It was after midnight, according to Yuri, so it was more than justified, I was also sleepy and tired.

Enough near-death experiences for today.

"Do you want something to eat?"

I rubbed my eyes. "No, I'm just sleepy..."

"Well, then put your things aside and go lie down at the bed." He replied as he took off his boots and sat on the couch. "Cause I'm dying."

I smiled at his attitude.

I took off my coat and weapons, leaving them on the workbench, then took off my new boots and lay down on the bed.

It's not as comfortable as the one I have in my own room... but it's bigger and... it feels good.

There is no feeling that can explain it.

I settled with the pillow, finding it more comfortable to hug it than to have it supporting my head.

Although I wish I could have two pillows.

"Lili."

I turned to Yuri, who was watching something on his PDA.

"Have you ever seen cartoons?"

I have no idea what that is.

"Come here, girl"

"I'm falling asleep... couldn't it wait until tomorrow?"

"Well, I was thinking of spoiling you a little, but your sleep is more important, so good night then." He said as he returned to his PDA.

...

A-Are you serious?

You... silly Grishka.

"What is... a cartoon?"

He smiled. "Curious? Come on then."

Hm...

With the pillow in hand, I got up and sat next to him. On his device there was the image of...

Is that... a cat chasing a mouse? They look... strange... weird?

"What's that?"

"Tom and Jerry." He answered. "My sister liked to watch it when she was little."

...

"Do you miss them?"

My own family may have died the day my childhood did, but that doesn't mean I don't feel sorry for Yuri.

"Once enough time passes, you get used to it." Was his sad response, one I very much agreed with.

Sometimes I wonder what everything would have been like if my parents had cared more about me than making money in the Dungeon...

"Though that doesn't make it any less lonely."

...

Just this time...

With the pillow in my arms, I lay down on the couch and let my head rest on his lap.

This is... much more comfortable.

"You said you would spoil me..."

As I watched the colorful and fun 'cartoon', I felt his hand gently caress my hair.

"Yeah, I guess I did."

Since the day my parents died, I have known nothing but suffering wherever I go.

Even when I tried to hide under a new identity, they just wouldn't leave me alone.

It was at that moment that Cinder Ella appeared... an ability that allowed me to change my... identity at will.

But that's already in the past.

Now? Lying on his lap and watching this silly cat fail to catch the mouse, I felt at ease.

For the first time in a long time, I felt like a kid again.

I don't know when it was, but I fell asleep not long after that.

---

If you haven't noticed yet, I really like the action genre.

This would have been action-comedy if the option was posible.

Anyways... it's finished.

When a new update comes, I'll update the spanish version first before translating it and publishing a new chapter here, and... sorry, I'm kind of a slow writer, this 100k words are the result of a couple of months of repressed feelings and suffering.

Life things.

Even so, I'll try to update frequently, I love how this is turning out and even myself is excited to see what's next.

After all, I'm writing this because I didn't saw a similar story anywhere, so I'm writing what I want to read.

orz (me crying)

I'll probably publish the english version on wattpad later now that I have it finished.

Anyways, to the questions!

The next chapter is 1/4 done and includes the conversion of Lili and her new status.

I have something that I think is wholesome prepared for that and involves the little toast that those two did in front of Soma.

The three musketeers thing that Yuri said was a reference to Pavel, an antagonist in Metro Last Light, I love that game...

So, yeah... I think it kinda is a three way crossover, but I don't think we'll see Artyom in this story, I'll be just including some ideas from the franchise.

If you haven't noticed yet, Yuri's actions caused a massive butterfly effect that led to the end of the world, so yeah.

Oh, and those two guys will be the way for Yuri to get more equipment, as well as new contacts for trading opportunities.

I have some interesting things planned for them.

Now, I will excuse myself with the fact that Lili doesn't need the headlamp, but Yuri does, so she, as the good supporter she is, will make sure that everyone notices the threats in time by illuminating the battlefield so everyone else can see.

Haven't you played with friends and suddenly one of them says "There he is!" Just to not see anyone and all of you die?

Happened to me a lot.

...

Yeah, a good excuse.

Now, magical firearms? Uhm... well, to develop that kind of thing our protagonists will need to find someone with the Mistery development ability, so I think is posible.

I'm planning to let Lili handle SMGs with DMRs so she can protect the team from afar but not be helpless herself.

In the list of things I want to write is teach Welf how to use pistols.

Dunno, I think it fits his fight style.

Heavy sword for close range and a pistol to complement it, so as not to carry too much weight. Now, which pistol? Eh... I'll see.

Maybe Yuri hands him his Desert Eagle or teaches him something more.

Well.

After this, I'll be gone for a little while, so I'm sorry in advance for the short hiatus, but life things always get in the way.

Life's getting harder in my country, haha... ha...

That's all, I guess.

Peace.

~ Moi