Arc 1

Chaos in Battleon Saga

" The House of Slime. "

3 weeks later

Market District

6 AM

It was a nice morning in the market district. The sun is slowly rising, shop owners opening their stores for early shoppers, and the screams of unbridled terror.

Wait.

That last one isn't right.

Let's rewind that.

In one of the apartments scattered in the district, lives one of our heroes, Joseph or Jojo.

It's a small one. It only had 2 rooms, a kitchen, and a bedroom plus a bathroom. It wasn't much but it gets the job done. Jojo has already used it as a Filipino. This is just normal for him.

But this morning isn't normal.

As he lay down, content in sleeping, on his bed, his instincts screamed at him to move.

After days of torture/training, he did it instantly.

Rolling to the side with a scream, he fell on the cold hard floor with a groan. It was acceptable though as not soon after, a loud and heavy thump landed on where he was previously.

"Good dodging. Now, I'll go to Elizabeth and see if she's going to dodge this time. Hehehe. "

Hearing his torturer's words, Jojo groaned.

"Also you failed to keep your En up until at the last second." Alvaro added before leaving.

"Augh." Jojo groaned. Alvaro's words before rang in his head in remembrance.

"Hunter x Hunter is not only a good show but a huge source of training materials. Many advanced adventurers, those who are A rank, had used the show as the bases in training their newfound powers."

" Mana and Aura might be different but they still function the same, as I know of. So we're gonna do a Hunter x Hunter training Montage. "

" Now show me your Ren. "

That day was harrowing. Jojo never knew they could use Mana like that. Using Ren on Mana causes the Mana to explosively empower a person. Boosting all parameters, Jojo felt he could kill the Green Dragon solo that day.

Then the backlash happened.

If aura depletion can cause loss of consciousness, Mana exhaustion causes a much more painful reaction. Alvaro took pictures of them when the backlash hit, paralysis, and painful nerve damage. Luckily, it was an easy fix for Will once she recovered enough Mana after a few hours.

It was here they got their first lesson.

Never exhaust their Mana supply.

Upon transporting to this new world, their bodies have been changed to adapt to this world. Mana is abundant in this world, so if a man with no exposure to Mana comes, he will get severe reactions. The same applies likewise, a man with Mana suddenly losing all of it will cause severe reactions too.

Alvaro taught them as a guideline.

To never cross this threshold in combat.

After that, he taught them how to use Ten. An application of mana where the user circulates the Mana inside of their body, giving them a constant and infinite boost. It was a weaker boost compared to the explosive power of Ren but it was more useful.

Alvaro had already warned them to only use Ren in last-resort attacks or create escape paths in a fight.

So why did Alvaro attack him early in the morning?

It's for their personal training.

Each individual on the team is not only training in Ten but is given personal training.

In Jojo and Elizabeth's case, it was spatial awareness and usage of En.

"As the Rogues of the team, the two of you had the very important job of keeping all of your members alive by assessing, determining, and exterminating the threat. You might not know it but the Rogue archetypes are the most sensitive people I know. They can sense and determine a threat whenever it enters their range with pinpoint accuracy. So that's what we are going to train with you two.

"How?" Jojo still regrets asking him.

"By attacking you two all day long! Hahahaha!"

So he did. For the past weeks, wherever they go, Alvaro will always be there with a smile of promised pain.

At the start, they can hardly dodge his blows. Jojo acknowledged that Alvaro is a better Rogue, he was faster and stronger than the two combined. Elizabeth had tried fighting back once but it only earned her a few more bonks than normal.

"Ow!" Jojo hears Elizabeth's cute cry of pain whenever she's being bonked by Alvaro.

"She gets a small bonk while I get a drop kick? Where's the justice here!?"

He thought before standing up to open the door and greet his poor neighbor.

Just like him, Elizabeth was also orphaned by the incident. They became neighbors 5 years ago and became teammates after joining the guild.

Opening the door, Jojo was greeted by the sight of Alvaro's fleeing form before Elizabeth's grumpy self appeared out of her room. She wasn't a morning person and Alvaro had become her hated person as of now.

Fortunately, Jojo already knew how to calm her grumpy self early in the morning.

"Breakfast?" he asked her, pointing at his room.

Elizabeth nodded and entered Jojo's room quietly. Jojo then followed her and entered his kitchen to prepare breakfast.

It was a simple routine they had formed years ago. Elizabeth can't cook for her life, forcing her to eat takeout. Seeing this, Jojo's upbringing reared its head and took pity on the girl. From there on, Elizabeth became a regular moocher of food for him. Fortunately, Elizabeth pays him back with half of her payment from guild jobs.

The reason? More food.

After cooking some eggs, bacon, and rice, they eat peacefully.

In his room, Steven stopped using his Ren before he hit his limit. Huffing and sweating profusely, he started using his Ten.

The personal training that was given to him, Brad, and Anne are simple.

To use their Ren until it reaches their threshold and use Ten after that until they recover. Essentially, cycling through Ren and Ten all day long.

It was an exhausting type of training both mentally and physically. Mentally because it took a lot of concentration to keep up a Ren without wavering, Ten is even harder. At the end of the day, it leaves the 3 of them dead tired on their feet.

But Steven can't argue with the results.

His mana levels had increased just like the other 2 warriors. So much so that he had already started developing his Hatsu, a special technique for himself.

Then he remembered his father.

"Who are you, Alvaro?"

Alvaro had revealed himself as their probation officer, much to their surprise. As a retired guild adventurer, he was qualified to the job while free to fuck up any Elven assassins. They still haven't seen any of them but Alvaro assured them he had it under control.

Meanwhile, when Steven reported Alvaro's involvement to his father, he freaked out.

It was the first time Steven saw his father lose his head. Granted, his father's reaction wasn't anything dramatic but the way he shook and his eyes widened was enough indication. He had also ordered Steven to not let Alvaro know of his spy work in the guild. It was the final proof.

Alvaro is extremely strong, both politically and physically.

Steven finally found his key to freedom.

In the city's local park, the sound of a wooden sword cutting through the air filled the air.

Brad always enjoyed doing his early morning exercise here in the park. He had already finished using his Ren, now using his Ten while doing his sword katas.

Unlike Anne and Steven, who had a hard time using Ren and Ten, Brad caught up to the technique like a fish to water. His Ren became streamlined as weeks of training passed by. Now, his Ren is akin to an Aura of power, boosting him beyond his usual strength. Meanwhile, his Ten had grown to absurd levels. Like a second skin, it became his last defense whenever his Ren was out.

With 2 boosting techniques, Brad had grown explosively as the strongest member of the team.

A fact that Alvaro pointed out.

" Yet I can't even touch him!" Brad thought with a frown.

He was unsatisfied with his growth. Yes, he had grown stronger to protect his friends(Dimitri) but Alvaro had proven it otherwise.

From time to time, they sometimes spar under Alvaro's supervision. It was that time Brad tried to spar with Alvaro. It was here they truly saw the gap between strengths.

Alvaro was untouchable. Even how fast he swung or boosted his speed with Ren, he still couldn't touch him. What's worse Alvaro never used his sword (not like he brought one) adding insult to injury. The spar ended in one shot when Alvaro moved, hitting his stomach with a devastating punch.

It was the hardest hit Brad ever took. It was like his soul almost left his body. Even with Ren as defense, Alvaro still took him out in one hit.

Now, Alvaro has become his goal. To reach and catch up to him and surpass his level.

He is proof that he can still grow stronger.

In the Farkland estate, Anne collapsed in her own sweat after stopping her Ren.

Of all of them, she was the one who had the hardest time using Ren and Ten.

Alvaro had already determined the problem was weeks ago.

Her Mana is too dense and heavy to move.

Unlike others, who had normal Mana, she had an extremely rare variant of Mana flowing in her veins.

Pure Mana.

When Mana enters the body, it mixes with the human soul and other energies that the body has, causing it to adapt to the body. This is normal Mana, an easy-to-use and flexible power source.

Pure Mana is different. When it enters the body, it doesn't adjust or adapt. It remains as pure as it entered. Due to the purity of Pure Mana, it can cause a major boost in strength to a person.

Anne is such a person.

Seeing her struggle with such simple techniques, Alvaro brought Anne to a guild doctor.

Dr. Song, was a young female doctor of an unknown race, given that she had horns on her head.

After a few tests and machine readings, it was revealed that Anne's body can safely filter pure Mana. Pure Mana might give a boost in power but it is destructive to one's body.

Anne is a miracle in itself. Her body can safely filter and use the pure Mana in the air, boosting her strength far beyond than normal. Dr. Song even called her the proof of human evolution to Mana.

With the problem found, Alvaro decided to up her training.

She is going to use Ren all day long. No Ten, just Ren.

Unlike normal Mana, Pure Mana regenerates faster. Using Ren depletes pure Mana inside of her fast but her regeneration rate is just as fast. It was a never-ending cycle of her using Ren.

And boy, it was exhausting.

With her Ren taking a lot of concentration, Anne is sweating buckets. Her tight sports were soaked and clung to her body, giving her a gross feeling.

She needed a shower.

Luckily, her Nana had a hot bath prepared for her.

As she soaked into the warm waters, her mind went back to her parents.

Upon returning home after she met with her friends that day, they went back to arguing to make her quit adventuring. It took a few flips and turns but she managed to make them back off. She can go back to adventuring after her ban but with 1 condition.

To always listen to Alvaro.

Anne tried asking what's the reason for such a condition. That's when she found out the truth.

Alvaro wasn't just an adventurer who quit because he couldn't handle it.

It was the guild that retired him. It was a paid retirement.

Her parents didn't give any more information after that but Anne can see the picture.

Alvaro had given his service to the guild before and had been rewarded by early retirement. It was the only explanation.

But there are still missing pieces.

What service did he do? When did he start? And what power does he have in the guild?

She can only ponder as she relaxes under the water.

Will's apartment

8 am

Will woke up to the cheery songs of birds on her window, cursing their existence to non-morning people. Still tired and sleepy, she pulled her covers and hugged the warm body beside her to cuddle.

Wait? That aint right!

Her eyes woke up with a start as she realized she wasn't alone in her bed.

"Morning, Will," Alvaro said, hugging her back.

Willow looked at her daughter's room as the sound of her shrieks and objects being thrown came from within as she cooked their breakfast. Some steaks and hot bone stew.

With a huge slam, Will's door opened. Alvaro came out running with Will hot on his tail, her war mace on hand. They then proceeded to a game of cat and mouse in the kitchen, around the table.

"Son a bitch, come back here!" Will screamed after him.

"Hell, no. You're gonna kill me!"

"I just want to talk with you. Loudly. Preferably with my mace embedded in your skull!"

"That's murder, Will!" he shrieked.

"It only counts to humans, you're a pest!"

"Okay, that hurt a little."

Having enough of their charade, even how amusing to watch the two, they still need to eat.

"Okay, enough of that for you two. Time for breakfast. Will put down the mace, Alvaro gets some dishes while I prepare the food." Willow said using her Mom voice on them. It was super effective.

Grumbling, Will went back to her room. She knows while Alvaro happily gets the dishes.

Minutes later, they are now eating peacefully. Somewhat.

Glaring at the home invader across the table, Will tried her damn best to set Alvaro on fire with her eyesight.

"You know you can't cast fireballs by eyesight right?" he said after noticing her, too busy eating the delicious meal.

"Why are you here again?" Will asked the unwanted guest.

"Because Your Mom's a great cook, my regards to the chef by the way."

"Thank you." Willow accepted the compliment.

Giving her mom a stink eye, she went back to glaring at him.

"So the shopping bags full of food are just not charity?" she said, gesturing at said bags on the kitchen counter.

"That's my payment to your mother, she cooks me good food and I pay her back with more foodstuff. Everybody wins," he said shamelessly.

"Are you seriously freeloading on us for food?" she asked him dumbly.

"Yes sir!" he shamelessly confirmed.

Will's head hit the table with a groan. Alvaro had been freeloading in her home for the past weeks, sleeping on their couch. In exchange, he took charge in their groceries.

Willow is actually delighted with the arrangement much to Will's chagrin. Alvaro's grocery runs are expensive, like seriously expensive stuff.

Cow Chicken meat/milk (yes they produce milk Ding a lings)

Paradise bird eggs

Cloister butter

Sandsea spices

Yokai seafoods

And many others.

Will has already checked the total cost of said products and she almost fainted.

250,000 gold at minimum. That's how expensive all of these things are.

She admits it, Alvaro is loaded.

But the downside isn't worth it.

With him freeloading in her home, Alvaro had become a full-time trainer for her. She was forced to train like the Warriors of the group, Ren and Ten cycling, and En training for preparation for my Hatsu.

It was hard. With him watching her always, the pressure is on. Every time she made a mistake, he would lightly bonk her on the head. She tried making him stop once. She regretted it.

Now, instead of bonking her, he started squishing her face like a stuffed toy. It was embarrassing, especially every time her mother saw them.

And it gets worse.

" Will, just bag him already. I approved. If you need help, I can give you advice."

Will's mother thinks Alvaro is courting her daughter while being her probation officer. A part of her is giddy at such romance and is slightly giving her daughter a nudge here and there to bag the young man.

Isn't she just the best mom/wingman?

" I'm taking a shower." Will left after eating her fill.

"Oh, dress up in your Healer's robe today, we're going to Dimitri's. I already sent a note to the others," he called out to her.

With Will gone, that left the 2 together.

"So you were gone last night, care to explain?" Willow asked him of his absence, late yesterday night.

"I took care of a few rats, they are still flooding the house. Me and the boys have already used countermeasures to make sure they won't come back but don't hold your breath on it. These rats are a persistent bunch."

Through his words, she can easily tell the message. Being a widow to a marine had its perks.

Elven rats. City. Guild. Counterattack. Waiting for a response.

She knew her daughter's life would be endangered in the guild but never to this extent. As the weakest in the group, Will is the juiciest and prime target for the vengeful elves.

Luckily, that problem was solved by Alvaro's presence.

The moment Willow saw Alvaro's smiling face, she knew. Behind that tired smile is a cold-hearted killer. Her daughter is in safe hands.

Plus if they actually hook up together, then it would be a bonus. She wanted grandkids dammit.

Rowan Bakeshop/Cafe

8 am

The Rowan Cafe is a store catering for sweet tooths and early morning snacks. They are busy just like any other day as they prepare their confections and other baked goods.

It was a family business by a very huge family.

Their chefs, the matriarch and patriarch of the family. Mr. and Mrs. Rowan met each other in a baking contest back on earth. Both became enamored with each other and it was like love at first sight.

Years passed by and they got married and had kids, a lot of them.

Helping them are the 4 of their children. These are no ordinary bakers, these are pure muscled bakers just like their dad who looked like a bodybuilder (Kneading dough builds muscle). Their ages range from 25 being the eldest to 20 being the youngest.

And Dimitri was the youngest and only daughter in the family.

"Twig, now say ah." said the daughter is practicing her baking skills with a yellow moglin. Levitating a piece of mixed batter, she gave it to the moglin.

"Awwh." Twig, the yellow moglin opened his mouth, accepting the tasty treat.

Moglins are an intelligent race of creatures that inhabit the world of Lore. These adorable little critters come in an array of different colors and have large distinguished ears, stubby arms and legs, and sport a long, softly curved tail.

When the isekai incident happened, it was the moglins who found them first before alerting the residents of battleon of the newcomers.

Moglins are highly sensitive to magic and capable of exotic and powerful magical powers. It was even said that they can Resurrect the recently deceased.

Twigs' presence in the Rowan Cafe is pretty simple. He loved the food here and had become a local mascot for the Cafe with a caveat of free confections.

"It's dewecious!" Twig exclaimed. Dimitri smiled at how adorable he was. Twig's speech impediment boosts his cuteness.

"Let's get this in the oven, after that you get to eat all of it," Dimitri said.

"Yay."

9 pm

Hours pass by and slowly customers trickle into the Cafe, looking for a quick snack.

Using her magic, Dimitri levitates multiple orders and gives them carefully to the customers with no incident. It was part of her training.

To familiarize herself with magic until it became part of her nature.

You don't win magic battles by throwing the strongest spells. You win by using the least amount of spells. In a battle, Mages need to conserve and prioritize their spells. Unlike the others, you must never run out of Mana, period. Why? Because as the team's Mage, your role is to be the last resort and final weapon against whatever stands in your team.

Alvaro's words echoed in her mind.

He was right of course. All this time, she's been dependent on Will to supply her extra Mana in their jobs. It was wasteful and cutting their manpower by one person.

She needs to be capable of functioning alone.

Unfortunately, Alvaro isn't a magic user himself so he can't help much, still, his tips are good.

Fortunately, their Cafe had a powerful magic user.

"Wow! You're doing alwight! No inwidents today. Yay! " Twig cheered as he watched Dimitri expertly deliver her orders through levitation with no hitch.

As a moglin, Twig was the best teacher in familiarizing oneself with magic. Moglins are naturally attuned to magic and capable of learning any type of magic in Lore without any drawbacks. From Healing magic to dark necromantic magic.

Ring

The bell rang as another group of customers, a familiar one at that.

"Morning Dimitri, you have my reserved order?" Alvaro called out as he entered with the rest of her friends.

"Already packed for you," she replied.

"Oh, we'll have community service today so put the apron down for today," Alvaro said as he took his orders, 2 chocolate glazed sliced breads.

"Boss, pahingi?" Jojo asked. Drooling as he looked at the familiar-looking bread.

"Palit imo gago." he replied to him before addressing the others.

"Meeting at our table. Now."

As soon as they left for said table, Dimitri pulled off her apron to approach her dad.

"Pa, I'm going with them for community service today."

Her father just gave a short grunt of approval.

Now, what does Alvaro have in store for them?

" I think Dimitri's brothers hate me guys," Brad whispered to them. He nervously pointed at the said brother's subtlety.

Raising their eyebrows, they looked at the brothers. True enough, they certainly don't like Brad with how they glaring at him while working. Never leaving their eyes on him even as they moved seamlessly behind the counter as if they memorized the layout of the kitchen itself. It was eerily creepy.

" Good luck, bro. You'll need it." Jojo said while putting a hand on his shoulder.

"Pfft, Don't get his hopes up. They will fold him like a pretzel. Especially, Daddy dearest." Will chimed in, horrifying the giant of the team.

Sure enough, Daddy dearest joined the fun in trying to kill Brad with his eyesight alone. Brad whimpered like a puppy.

" Ok, guys I'm here. " He was saved by his crush's arrival.

" All right, the gang's here. Here is your job." Alvaro said before throwing a folder to their leader.

Catching the folder, Steven opened it and read. His face turned sour upon reading it before giving it to the others.

"This sucks."

" Aw, man"

" Ew! "

" Seriously?"

"Don't look at me, you guys put yourselves in this hole,'' Alvaro said, raising his arms.

It was a Slime clean-up job. The most disgusting job in Battleon.

" I know this is punishment but is this necessary?" Steven asked.

"Yep. "

Steven lowered his head in defeat.

"Oh, don't be like that. See this pre-ordered bread? These are your prizes and snacks after the job. "

" I don't think we would have an appetite after the job." Anne can already imagine the disgusting slime. The image alone is making her sick. Her face is already green.

" I'll put some green jello filling on it~"

With that image in mind, Anne immediately went to the nearest comfort room. Dimitri followed her in worry. Soon the sound of hurling echoed from the small room.

Alvaro cackled madly.

" You're a sick bastard," Will said unamused.

10 am

A short break later, we found our group in front of a Slime house.

Yes, a Slime house.

Because the goddamn thing is covered with slime all over itself. From the floors to the freaking ceiling (how did it get there?), the entire house is pretty much a mess.

" Gang, this is Mr. Avon. Owner of the house and an old friend of mine." Alvaro introduced their contractor.

He was a portly short man. Possibly, 45 due to his receding hairline but he wasn't bald yet. He wore a brown formal suit you normally find in office workers.

" I really thank you for this, Alvaro. You don't know how much money you saved me." Mr. Avon said. A nervous smile on his lips.

They are all doing this job for free as part of their punishment. A bitter pill to swallow but orders are orders.

" Just repaying the favor, so run along now. We'll take it from here. "

" Good, thank you. I had an appointment today so I'll leave it to you. "

Mr. Avon then walked away in a quick hurry.

" What did you notice, Steven? " Alvaro suddenly said. His voice is serious and his once outgoing expression turned cold. It was jarring to see such change that it surprised them.

" Huh?"

"I said, what. Did. You. Notice?"

Gulping in fear, Steven used all of his brain to see what was wrong. His father's teaching comes to mind.

"Mr. Avon is nervous. When he saw us, especially you, he looked nervous. Also, he was quick to leave, as if he didn't want to be here."

He deduced using all he knew about the current situation.

"Good job." Alvaro praised.

"Now, listen here. Mr. Avon approached me a few days ago to put up this job in the guild and get an immediate team for it. That's error number one. The city had a dedicated slime cleanup crew to clean up any slime residue when they escaped the sewers. The guild's job is to exterminate slime overpopulation, that's the only slime-related job they accept. "

" Then there's the second error. Mr. Avon is never in a hurry. He is always an easygoing man. Also, this house is one of his properties for sale or rent, the fact that it is now covered in slime is suspicious enough. "

" Third error, he came to me first and not to the guild. That alone set alarm bells. Mr. Avon came to me for help. "

" This is your first unofficial guild job, investigate and find any evidence that may involve a third party. "

They can only listen as Alvaro transforms back into the veteran adventurer he was. They are surprised that the simple job turned into a mystery but it excited them.

Finally a proper job.

" Do we get paid? "Will raised her hand.

" I'm paying you by being your sugar daddy, girl! So get to it and clean this shit up. "

He then left.

" Sugar daddy? Care to explain, Will. Dimitri asked with a teasing smile, the rest also looked at the redhead with various looks of curiosity.

"None of your business, Choco Tits. "

"Hey! You said you won't bring that up!"

Brad meanwhile went red with the image of choco tits on his mind.

They start cleaning the outside of the house first. The house itself is a two-story building. Hosing down its walls and roof with a hose, they slowly soften the thick slime for easy pickings. A pile of drums is already waiting to be filled with slime for proper disposal.

Wearing raincoats and boots, they start cleaning. Amusingly enough, Anne had a full hazmat suit on.

" Okay, I had many questions. And why didn't you bring some for us?" Jojo asked.

"Because I can only take this one with me. So beat it, Joseph." Jojo snorted. Anne's voice is muffled in the suit, making her voice sound funny.

Brad and Steven went up the roof to mop the slime down while Jojo hosed from below. Meanwhile, the girls will collect the slime and put on the drums.

" Look out!" Brad and Steven scream as a large clump of slime slides down the roof.

Splat

" Anak ng impakto, Potang Ina nyo!" Jojo screamed obscenities in his first language while covered and dripping with slime.

His obscenities were cut off as he was blasted away by a huge stream of water. The rest of the group looked at Anne who was holding the hose.

" What? I can understand what he said, you know, so I shut him up," she said.

Hosing down the walls, Will noticed something on the wall.

"Guys, you wanna see this!" She called out to them. Immediately, they gathered to see what she had found.

It's claw marks.

Tiny claw marks. It was already faded but you can see it if you look closely. The claw marks themselves are the size of a baby's hand.

" Imps? Or sneevil perhaps?" Dimitri suggested.

"No, sneevils don't have claws and Imps are unlikely to be seen in the city. " Steven countered.

"Let's clean up and try to find more evidence. "

After the roof and outer walls are done, it's time for the interior of the house.

"I think I will be sick. " Guess who said that.

The interior is much worse. Slime is everywhere as if someone made sure to slime every nook and cranny of the building.

"Let's just get this over with," Will said with a sigh of defeat.

They decided to start cleaning the second floor first down to the first floor of the house.

That's where they found the first obstacle of their job.

"Keep running, Joseph!" Anne screamed at the Rogue.

"I'm doing it but the second floor ain't getting closer! " he screamed back at her as he ran in place, the slippery slime keeping him in place at the foot of the stairs.

He then slipped, falling to the slime with a splash.

" Tangina!"

"Joseph, language."

Meanwhile, Will and Dimitri watched in amusement as Elizabeth tried to stand up on the slippery slime. The normally graceful albino is having a hard time getting her bearings on the slippery floor with shaky legs. She failed miserably.

"It's like watching a baby deer trying to stand up. " Will commented.

"Should we help her?"

"Nah, she'll get it eventually. "

Elizabeth didn't get it and never entered the house.

After a few failed attempts and brainstorming, Brad and Steven had an idea.

A bad idea.

" If you fuckers throw me straight to the roof, I'll come down to get back at you. I promise! "Jojo threatened the two as they grabbed and started to lift him to throw him up to the second floor.

Yes, that's their plan. To throw the girls minus Elizabeth (who is sulking quietly outside) up to the second floor to clean it while the boys gather the slime coming down from the second floor.

So why is Joseph getting thrown first?

Anne made them do it as a test first.

"Just throw him already. I wanna see him go splat on the ceiling."

"Screw you, Will!"

With a great heave, the two boys threw the Rogue upwards to the second floor.

He made it with no incident.

"Alright!" he cheered before looking down at the rest. " Do I go down?"

A collective no was his answer.

Cleaning up the 2nd floor with the girls, Jojo noticed something wedged on the floor. It was tiny and sparkling even under the slime.

Picking it up, he looked at it closer. It was akin to a piece of ceramic. Very shiny and very hard to the touch.

That's when Alvaro came.

"Guys it's snack time. As promised, I brought green jello as fillings for the bread." his voice came from the outside.

"Blargh!" Anne vomited in her hazmat suit.

That day Anne said her first curse word.

Alvaro was so proud.

One impromptu bath later and a huge one-sided fight, they finally finished cleaning the house by sunset.

" So what did you guys find?"

They then showed their two findings.

"Shit!" he said upon seeing what Jojo found.

"That's bad? Is it bad?" Dimitri asked in worry.

"It's bad alright. That's a piece of dragon egg. The claw marks are most likely baby dragons."

"But baby dragons are illegal here in the city?" Anne said with a glare. She is still angry with him.

"They are illegal but black market and underground trading is still a thing in the city," Brad answered.

" The guys who rented this house from Mr. Avon are most likely smugglers," Alvaro said.

"Wait, why would smugglers use a rented house instead of a secure warehouse?" Jojo asked him.

" Because baby dragon eggs need special care. A warehouse won't cut it. Baby dragons are rowdy when hatched. If they were in a warehouse, it would be reported as suspicious activity. But if it hatched in a civilian home, it would be just thrown as a party gone wild or just some rowdy neighbors. " Alvaro replied in detail.

" Now, what? Did we solve the case? " Will said in question.

" All of you will go home, clean up, and rest for the day. Meanwhile, I'll investigate any smuggled dragon eggs from my old contacts, " he said, urging them to go home.

They all shrugged and followed his orders. Their bodies are spent for the day. The job was tiring but the results are satisfying. They solved the mystery.

Next day

Mr. Avon was found dead the next morning.

The mystery is not over.

Chapter end

Next chapter spoilers.

Mr. Avon's cause of death is undetermined. No injury or wounds, no organ failure or any ailments. Mr. Avon was a healthy man before he suddenly died.

The coroner said it was possibly done by magic.

It's an instant death magic.

"We're not trapped here with all of you."

Brad and Steven locked the door. Jojo prepared for combat as the patrons of the bar stood up, brandishing various weapons.

"You are all trapped here with us."

Then the jukebox in the corner started playing "Freebird".

Chaos ensued.

Running through the rooftops, they suddenly met an obstacle.

" In the name of the King and Queen, you're all sentenced to die!"

The Elven Assassins caught them with no Alvaro in sight.

" Do you really think this will hold me?"

"Silence, human! You have no power here!"

A dark chuckle escaped from Alvaro.

"Did you forget who I am? Granted it was 5 years ago and I changed a lot from that time but I'm hurt that you actually forgot. "

"Let me remind you. "

The Elven Assassin captain's eyes widened in recognition upon seeing the dark gray katana in his hand.

Before he could warn his unit, his head rolled off his body.

Death claimed them all that night.

Next chapter

Chaos in Battleon Saga part 2

" City Rumble; fight for survival "

Fun starts in the next chapter.