Chapter 13: Arrival (Finale)
"Morning, princess."
"Good morning, Cayman~!"
The energetic voice was a better alarm than any clock could ever hope to be as the Gamer immediately felt himself perk up at Till's chipper response, the still nude Fairy planting a kiss on his nose as he returned the favor with a peck to her chest, the woman giggling at the action as he rolled out of the cheap but serviceable futon he'd bought.
"You ready for today, Till?"
Flapping gossamer wings and manifesting her clothing in a small burst of light the tiny female snapped a playful salute, replying, "Sure am! Our bond feels stronger than it was previously so I bet everything will turn out just fine!"
Experiencing a moment of doubt as he considered the fact that he was going to be waltzing into the den of things way more powerful than he was Cayman was just as quick to dismiss those concerns, no matter how valid they may be.
He was likely going to be the underdog for a good while in this world and he may as well reap the benefits of having powerful allies along for the ride. Besides, if he just ran away from shit that proved any level of challenging he'd likely never get stronger in the first place, perpetuating the cycle of suck until Till left him for a more awesome and handsome dude.
Lips quirking at the image he set aside his worries, instead stretching out his limbs and stating, "Not gonna argue with that. C'mon, help me get started on breakfast by taste testing everything, would you?"
"I'd be more than happy to help!"
"So we're all clear on the roles we're going to play, right? No last minute considerations or concerns?"
Yukikaze sent Cayman a smug expression that was somewhat undercut by the scented tissue she had plugged up her nose.
"Think you're going to go ahead and call it a day, tough guy?"
"Hey I waded through shit and piss in order to find this place just like the rest of you, no sense in backing out now. Besides, you'd miss me and my ruggedly handsome looks."
Jinglei snorted, dryly stating, "Yup, you nailed it. Definitely the reason why."
"Your ego is showcasing itself to be suitably massive and impressive, Cayman. As befitting a sinner and hedonistic practicer of heresy."
"U-umm...is all this arguing really necessary or wise before we get started?"
Till smiled, whispering into a worried Asia's ear with, "Don't worry, this is just how they get along with each other!"
The Fairy wasn't wrong, Cayman mused. While the interplay was definitely designed to annoy and irritate it lacked the confrontational and suspicious edge it had when they all first met, now sporting an undertone of familiar ease as they sniped and quipped before the proverbial gates of hell.
Well, maybe hell was a stretch but the road ahead was definitely one they wouldn't have minded passing up if given the choice. Alas, duty and whatever other nice sounding platitude would have to do for now.
"Jokes aside I've got some spells and such in my back pocket that should help all of you out when we're diving headlong into Hoestia's lair, ones that can either make you tougher or hit harder at the expense of losing out to the other side of things. And I would be remiss not to mention the much more inferior version of Twilight Healing that should be able to purge any poisons or other debilitating bits and pieces you contract. Hope you got insurance."
The party predictably gave him sour looks that he merely chuckled at, having just learned a trio of handy abilities last night after all the level ups he'd gotten courtesy of the Summoner class.
[Offensive Drive] and [Defensive Drive], both costing 300 MP apiece and doing basically what it sounded like at the cost of a lowered opposing stat. [Restorative Wave] was the one he was really curious about as while it didn't restore health or anything like that it was nonetheless a pretty promising trick. 500 MP to erase any number of ailments or illnesses? Sure, he would need to test just how far that power extended but the initial prognosis was handy.
"Alright, then unless anyone has any last rebuttals or filibusters let's get started, no sense in just waiting about."
Everyone nodded, squaring their shoulders before once again taking the usual formation as Jinglei approached the reinforced door that lead to the Faraday complex, using her enhanced strength to cleanly rip the thing off its hinges before they swiftly strode through with set jaws and roaming eyes, wary for any of the no doubt unpleasant surprises that Hoestia was almost certainly keeping in reserve.
For a good minute nothing happened, the squad quickly moving through the maze-like complex as they kept their senses sharp for any sign of their quarry, only the echoes of their steps sounding out-
"Contact."
-and the lead Taimanin's terse warning coincided with a muffled series of grunts and mechanical clicks, their entry into what had no doubt been intended as a lobby revealing a nasty welcoming party. Four Orcs armed with shotguns on a raised dais, already aimed their way while a duo of deformed and utterly bizarre creatures that towered over them rumbled deep within their bulging chests, striding forward on powerful legs that Cayman was fairly certain caused the floor to tremble.
"GET 'EM!"
The roar of gunfire was deafening within the confined space as they blurred into action, Yukikaze and Jinglei moving to engage the behemoths as everyone else took on the gun-wielders, Cayman shoving Caren and Asia behind him as Till manifested a pane of blue energy that barely held against the first volley of both buckshot and slugs, spiderwebs of stress appearing in the material as the Gamer shot forward in a dead sprint once the barrage tapered off slightly, allowing Till a chance to breathe.
"Oh this is such a dumb decision."
Sure enough his headlong charge drew all sorts of nasty attention, the Orc firing line shifting their attention his way and letting loose with another hail of gunfire. Thankfully the speed and angle of his approach meant most shots missed while only a few pellets of buckshot hit, the man grimacing as his left shoulder erupted into sharp, burning agony that definitely didn't hurt as much as it should have but was definitely no bushel of roses.
Although he did notice that the rounds didn't go as deep into his flesh as they did the first time around, his level ups apparently doing something tangible to his body.
"[Flame Wheel!]"
Jumping high into the air as his spear fired off a column of heated air beneath him he performed the real life equivalent of a rocket jump, landing next to the gun-toting Orcs as they rapidly wheeled around to face him.
"[Galeforce!]"
Pleasantly surprised that the emerald winds emanating from his weapon's tip shredded one of the creatures into mincemeat - his blood boiling in anticipation of more death and slaughter - Cayman threw the weapon with all of his might at the next greenskin in line, shouting, "[Volt Thrust!"]
Steel lodged itself deep in the Demon's throat, frenzied and random gurgles emanating from its spasming body as electricity coursed through its nerves and caused it to drop like a rock.
...Of course, that left him in the rather awkward situation of being weaponless and facing down two armed creatures that were perhaps a second away from turning him into humanoid swiss cheese.
"Right, lesson learned. Don't throw away the catalyst for magic unless all enemies are dead."
Thankfully his allies were there to pick up his slack, Caren's Shroud of Magdalene wrapping around the furthest Orc and restricting its movement, volley going wide and impacting its ally in the back as the Gamer took the opportunity to grab his discarded spear, ramming the business end of the steel into each Demon's face, wildly grinning at the wet scraping sensation that accompanied each swift kill.
"Gotta thank Caren for that one later."
Turning his attention back to the pair of heavy hitters of their team the male was genuinely shocked to see them still locked in a stalemate with the towering brutes, trading blow for blow. Sure, the original series always had the Taimanin getting tricked or ambushed like newbie recruits so the monsters could rape em' or whatever fetish of the day was on the menu but he'd personally witnessed just how lethal they were in this more grounded version of reality, he'd figured they would wipe the floor with the things no problem.
But here they were, moving in a flurry of force and power that he wouldn't survive five seconds in.
Yukikaze was little more than a tan blur escorted by snapping arcs of electricity, flitting and darting around the flanks of the battle and constantly firing off blasts of lightning into the massive creatures, ensuring that she was always attacking from an angle Su Jinglei wasn't at, staying mobile and roving so there wasn't any opportunity to pin her down.
The Chinese Taimanin was just as impressive, albeit taking on a far more direct role compared to Yukikaze. Black fire danced around her fists and legs as she punched, kicked and constantly hounded the pair of monsters like a coiling snake, ensuring they couldn't find an opportunity to break out of the meat grinder and had to keep their focus on her.
But despite the lethal teamwork both brutes held on, barely inconvenienced by the lightning and able to match Jinglei in raw strength as Cayman cast his bastardized version of Analyze, sparing Asia a nod of thanks as she clambered up next to him before setting to work on repairing his shoulder.
Yukikaze Mizuki, LVL 59
HP: 2000
MP: 8000
STA: 2800
STR: 240
AGI: 680
DEF: 180
MAG DEF: 660
Su Jinglei, LVL 62
HP: 2400
MP: 6000
STA: 1700
STR: 400
DEF: 220
AGI: 560
MAG: 500
MAG DEF: 400
Hybridized Daemon Monster, LVL 1
HP: 3000
MP: 400
STA: 600
STR: 380
DEF: 260
AGI: 300
MAG: 50
MAG DEF: 250
"Yeah, these stats are mainly rough guidelines and that's it. Judging by MAG DEF versus MAG Yukikaze should be fucking these things up but they seem to be weathering the storm just fine...alright, time to throw my proverbial hat into the ring."
Carefully watching the battle and picking his moment with great care the Gamer waited until Yukikaze prepared herself to fire off another round of bolts before shouting, "[Offensive Drive!]"
The emerald-tinged blast of lightning seemed to grow just a bit brighter this time around, impacting one of the creatures and outright blowing its arm off in a shower of ash and sparks, the creature howling in pain as Jinglei honed in on the moment of weakness with serpentine grace and draconic fury, befitting her heritage and the Demon she drew her power from.
A full-bodied haymaker sent the creatures's jaw flying off to the side in a spray of blood, the Lightning Taimanin providing the coup de grace as another electricity blast fried the beast's brain and other soft tissues, titanic bulk collapsing to the ground with little ceremony.
The remaining creature didn't provide much of a challenge after that, Yukikaze still sporting [Offensive Drive's] bonuses and Jinglei able to focus on a single opponent as Cayman rotated his shoulder, completely healed by Asia in record time.
"Everyone alright? No injuries?"
"Not anymore, no."
Pausing only long enough to grab one of the Orc's shotguns and slinging it over his back the Gamer replied, "All better now. Thanks, you three. Really saved my bacon there."
"Nonsense, I was happy to help~!"
Despite the adverse conditions Asia's tone was open and friendly, the group quickly reconvening as Yukikaze briefly nodded, stating, "That ability of yours is pretty handy. Now let's move, that little battle will have been noticed and we're on the clock."
No one argued, falling into formation and once again advancing further into the base, Caren calling out the occasional direction as Cayman tried to ignore the bad feeling he was getting from this whole operation.
Maybe it was just nerves but something about those brutes had been...off.
"Whatever, we'll be getting answers soon enough. Or we'll be dead, one or the other."
"Alright, this looks like the main room. Keep your eyes peeled, no telling what's in here."
Jinglei's whisper was largely unneeded, their journey through the depth of the Faraday base for the past eight minutes being one of swift, brutal battles and tense exploration, finally culminating in their arrival at the nexus of the whole complex where they expected Hoestia to be.
Counting down on her fingers Jinglei smashed aside the door as they quickly fanned inside, the Taimanin acting as the tip of the spear as Cayman took up the rear this time, pilfered gun raised as he watched for any unpleasant surprises.
While he may not have received any intrinsic knowledge on how to operate a firearm like he did a spear the Orc's weapon was the definition of simple, breach-loaded and sporting a clearly highlighted safety marked with neon tape. Not to mention in these close quarters he didn't need to be some kind of master marksman, knowing which end of the barrel needed to be pointed towards the enemy was mastery enough.
"...Dammit, way too late."
A gasp from Asia followed by wet retching coincided with a truly nauseous smell introducing itself to Cayman's nostrils, the Gamer risking a glance over his shoulder to see just what had garnered their attention and immediately wished he hadn't.
"Ah. There's the trademark Taimanin grimdark perverseness. Christ that's hard to look at."
Lying in the center of the room on some kind of examination table was a woman sporting the remains of a Taimanin combat suit, clearly dead by causes that were...unnatural. A gaping, torn open vagina that looked as if it had passed something more suited for a body four times her size that leaked fluids he tried not to think too closely on, stomach limply hanging and covered in stretch marks as a crusted over face was locked in a rictus of euphoria, tongue limply hanging out as bloodshot eyes stared at nothing.
"W-w-what in the holy father's name happened in this place-HURK?!"
Caren took pity on Asia, grabbing a handful of the girl's blonde hair and holding it to the side as she yet again let fly, Cayman breathing into his shirt as Till dully stared at the corpse.
"Friend of yours?"
"...No. And as dark as this may sound, thank Christ for that."
Yukikaze and Jinglei snapped out of their disgust before announcing, "Keep your cool, we're not out of danger yet and-"
"You are entirely correct in that assessment."
The group stiffened, the raspy and disembodied voice coming from overhead speakers as Cayman immediately assumed it was Hoestia speaking to them.
"And here I was, thinking that I had managed to hide myself away. Quite the incorrect assumption, that. You found me far sooner than I gave Sanctuary credit for."
Yukikaze tightened her grip on her pistols, coldly stating, "You have one chance to turn yourself in and end this whole debacle without conflict, Hoestia. We already killed your guard monsters and can keep killing them, don't make this much more painful for yourself than it needs to be."
A bleat of static echoed through the room, as if the doctor had snorted in morbid amusement.
"If I had any intention of submitting to you, miss Yukikaze, I would simply shoot myself in the head and save us all the trouble of a long, drawn out execution. Although I hope for your sake you are not merely jesting when you say you can continue to kill my creations."
The floor beneath them began to rumble, heavy footfalls sounded out in the distance and Cayman had to resist the urge to curse in frustration.
Reinforcements. And they had wandered smack dab into the middle of the whole damn complex.
"I wish you luck in fighting off the fruits of my labor, unfortunately I won't be there to witness it in person as I took great care to leave ahead of time. Your sojourns into the other two locations I considered making use of was a useful early warning system. Apologies in advance if my creations are a little...rough with you."
The intercom clicked off and the six exchanged thwarted glances, all sporting a variety of expressions as Cayman succinctly summed up the situation.
"Shit."
"Can we just get a fucking timeout here?!"
His prayers were half answered as Till appeared at his side in a flash of light, throwing up a wall of shielding energy that bought the group a few precious seconds to regroup and regain their breath.
"Where the hell were you?!"
"Relax, Yukikaze. I had Till run off to confirm something, was I right?"
The Fairy rapidly bobbed her head, staring at his regenerating limb with clear concern as she replied, "Yeah, he's still here. Cerb can probably lead you there!"
At the rest of the party's bewildered gazes as Asia finished her work the Gamer hurriedly replied, "Thought Hoestia was still present, had Till check. Why warn us he's not here if he wanted to get rid of another search party? Why not have us press on and get into deeper shit?"
Realization flashed in the group's eyes at the - in hindsight - obvious ploy, Yukikaze cursing up a storm as she growled, "Well now what? We basically ran back the way we came and I don't-"
"I'll go and track Hoestia down, the rest of you get out of here or run distraction, whatever floats your boat!"
Till's shield began to crack and break as Cayman summoned up Cerb, the beast yipping happily as Jinglei nodded, Till floating over to support the rest of the squad as the pinkette shouted, "Then get moving and meet up with the rest of us once this is over with!"
"I'll expect the victory kiss when I do!"
The unimpressed glare sent his way made him grin wildly, Caren managing to stand on her own two feet with shaky motions as he turned and hauled ass, the Fairy's shield splintering a moment later as the battle began anew.
"Which way, boy?!"
The Hellhound Pup barked and began taking corners at a swift and breakneck pace, Cayman racing after it and praying the little beastie knew his way because like hell he was keeping track of all the twists and turns. Thankfully they reached a small and innocuous maintenance door in less than a minute, the canine skidding a stop before pawing at the door, the male kicking the thing inwards and hefting the shotgun...before pausing as he came face-to-face with a hooded and concealed figure, calmly staring at him from where it stood in front of a collection of closed-circuit tv screens.
"Hoestia, I take it?"
"Yes. I'm grateful that another Gamer chosen by Alaya was the one to find me, perhaps this entire debacle can be salvaged after all."
Cayman blinked, completely and utterly caught off guard by the unexpected statement.
"...What? How did you-"
"I cannot see anything about you, an impossibility that hasn't arisen from any other living creature."
The Summoner narrowed his eyes, tentatively examining if that was indeed the case-
-and grimaced, finding absolutely nothing about the person in front of him. Not even the bewildering mess that was Lugh Beowulf or Odin, just nothing at all.
"Now hurry, there's only so much time before your supposed allies-"
Cayman raised his gun, calmly stating, "On the subject they're still fighting for their lives out there. Call off the attack or no deal."
Fully expecting an argument or the start to a fight the male was left awkwardly standing as Hoestia merely snapped his fingers, the distant sound of combat fading within seconds as he felt from Till a distant sort of surprise, as if a list of chores spontaneously completed itself.
"Is that to your satisfaction?"
"...Yeah."
Warily lowering the gun Cayman trailed after the other Gamer, mind running a mile a minute as he tried to work through the implications of this latest paradigm shift, one of them being more pertinent than the others.
If Hoestia existed...how many more did as well?
As if reading his thoughts the man stated, "You are not the first to be brought by Alaya to this world, nor am I...but to the best of my knowledge another is called only when the previous iteration is close to death and irrelevance. My current situation, for example."
"Oh. Well that's a relief. No offense."
"None taken. The working theory that I've gathered both from my predecessor and my own observations is that in this strange reality, where humanity is under constant and daily threat of extinction from one plot or another, Alaya takes much more direct action in ensuring its survival. We are one such measure, gifted powers and knowledge so that we may efficiently carry out its schemes."
Cayman nodded, neutrally asking, "Believable. So why the creepy and fucked up shit then? I saw the body down there and it sounds like you pissed off a lot of people. I'm no saint but even by my standards that shit's a few degrees too far."
The raspy-voiced man didn't immediately respond, instead opening a simple and unmarked door, glowing green light instantly illuminating their surroundings as the blonde narrowed his eyes in suspicion as the place was completely bare aside from a giant nutrient tank fed by various machinery, no doubt pilfered from the research facility they'd investigated the day before.
"Tell me, have you noticed anything strange about these 'Gamer' abilities we possess?"
"Yeah, namely that it's a pretty goddamn nerfed version. Limited storage space, still get tired and injured - to a lesser degree, granted - and whenever we activate spells or the like people seem to think we're making use of magecraft or something. And I noticed that there seem to be magic circuits or something inside my body but so far using a ton of MP hasn't raised my body temperature by even a little bit. What gives?"
A humorless chuckle left the crazed figure.
"Allow me to be frank, we are no omnipotent beings with the capacity for swift and unlimited growth. Geniuses and savants among our chosen classes, yes...but everything else must be earned the hard way. Including our mortality, a lesson I learned quite definitively when my alchemical research stepped on the wrong toes a time too often, my lack of backers and support meaning I was forced to flee in short order."
Cayman merely nodded, having figured something like that would be the case the minute he'd picked up the shotgun and felt no more accomplished with it than he had in his previous life. He would be damn near unbeatable when it came to spearmanship and the summoning arts but his physical strength and any other kind of martial discipline would be reliant upon his own innate talent and whatever stats or practice he got with them.
"Fuck, Sybaritic Initiate better have more perks and benefits to it than just being good at fucking and granting a few EXP bonuses here and there. If I'd known what I was in for ahead of time I might have taken something more obviously dangerous. Oh well, too late now…"
"This...this was meant to be my magnum opus, the culmination of everything these shared universes have to offer and a perfect union of all their strengths. A proof of concept enforcer that could eventually put an end to all of the strife and conflict so prevalent in this reality."
The hood turned Cayman's way, the man catching a glimpse of scarred and burnt tissue before shadows once again concealed it.
"And now I entrust it's safety to you. My final alterations will take one year to properly settle and integrate within its genetic code before it will awaken...what happens next is up to you."
While wary of getting involved with anything too dangerous or holding within it the potential to bite him in the ass this early in the game Cayman wasn't willing to deny someone who was almost certainly a lot scarier and more insane than he was, shrugging with little concern.
"Alright, you've got a deal."
[New Life!]
[Details: Awaken and gain the loyalty of the new lifeform created by your fellow Gamer. Be warned, it's very powerful!]
[Rewards: 50,000 EXP, 10,000 Reign. Upgrade to Sybaritic Initiate class.]
Blinking at the development Cayman decided to not look that gift horse in the mouth, turning to face his fellow Gamer as the man collapsed against a nearby wall, wetly chuckling to himself.
"I had hoped to capture Asia Argento and have her heal me...but it's a bit too late for that."
The younger Gamer briefly pondered the benefits of letting him know that he could have Asia here in a few minutes but elected against it, finding the man to be a little on the...unstable side. Sure, Hoestia could be a treasure trove of knowledge regarding his abilities but that would only work if he could find the opportunity to talk to him. No telling if that was even going to be a possibility moving forward, since he still had no idea on the power structure of this world, or if he could go and request an audience.
"Ahh, it was a fun year...I made all sorts of girls with my alchemy, you know. But they all died trying to let me escape, there's nothing left to do right now…"
"Oh hell, the guy made custom waifus and lost it when they all died. I get it, but really? THAT'S the shit that went down and lead to this fucked up scenario? Christ, guess it makes sense that someone like me was chosen, all of Alaya's prospects are freakin' weirdos."
Hoestia pointed towards a beaten up refrigerator, distractedly stating, "In there. You'll find things that can help you, although I recommend you do your best to survive until you reach level thirty...things will make more sense then. Best of luck, newbie."
Before Cayman could say or do anything otherwise Hoestia popped the cap on a small vial, downing the thing in one go-
-and promptly burnt to ash within a second, azure fire chewing away at even teeth and bone as a slow, annoyed sigh left the remaining Gamer.
"I still had some questions to ask, you know. Whatever…"
Acting fast before the rest of his party members arrived and started asking for info he wasn't prepared to give Cayman raided aforementioned fridge, finding a bottle of some midnight black liquid that he dumped into his inventory, grateful that it was largely empty aside from his money and Edelweiss since it was probably going to be filled to capacity pretty damn quick. The rest of the chilled goods were what looked like bottles of water and assorted energy drinks that he pocketed just to be safe, quickly approaching the nutrient tank and it's accompanying equipment as the man took a deep breath, muttering, "Here's hoping this works…"
To his immense relief the whole ensemble managed to fit into the inventory, although he likely wasn't going to be able to fit anything more than a few grocery bags into it for the foreseeable future until he got his strength upped a bit.
"Thank God for the level ups."
And on that particular note…
Cayman Lute, LVL 15
HP: 800
MP: 2900 + (290)
STA:1500
STR: 90
DEF: 100
AGI: 190
MAG: 290 + (29)
MAG DEF: 360 + (36)
REIGN:224
EXP: 50/1500
Inbetween completing the quest related to Hoestia as well as the frantic battle through the inside of the Faraday facility he'd gotten quite the bounty of EXP and Reign...even if he still didn't have a goddamn idea what it did or how to use it.
"We'll just keep that on the to do list, shall we?"
Before he could further peruse that line of thought the door he'd initially walked through slammed open, the rest of his squad pouring in as the male raised a hand in greeting, replying, "Hey, good news. Hoestia is-ERMPH?"
Till slammed into his face and hugged him right across the nose and mouth, joyously shouting, "You're alive! I mean I could sense you were fine but still!"
Grinning himself as he set the happily squirming Fairy on his head the Gamer responded, "It's the thought that counts. How about the rest of you? Still sprouting Daemon bits, Caren?"
The Exorcist airily waved a hand, the action not really managing to hide the bedraggled appearance she had from the constant injuries and subsequent healings as she blithely replied, "None whatsoever, the moment they disappeared all is right in my flesh. And Asia's most devout attention also helped a great deal in ensuring my health."
The nun in question easily looked to be the worst off of all of them, swaying on her feet and eyes bagged from the stress and exertion of their mission but nonetheless smiling at Caren's words, tiredly saying, "It wasn't any trouble at all, I was merely doing my-"
She abruptly toppled forward, Cayman smoothly catching and subsequently lifting her onto his back as he wryly stated, "You did good work, Asia. Take a ride on the pack mule for the rest of the trip."
Before the blonde could protest Jinglei strode towards the ashen and scorched remains of Hoestia, asking, "So what happened here? Did you do this?"
"Nah, I broke in and before I could do anything he went up in flames, must have busted or moved a lot of the stuff in here as well. You can see the outline of that pilfered tank from the abandoned research facility over yonder."
The former intelligence agent huffed in irritation, Cayman inwardly thankful that he'd built up enough of a rapport with the Taimanin and everyone else that they didn't question if he'd done anything to the evidence, despite having the means to do so.
Instead Yukikaze holstered her pistols with a disgruntled motion, complaining, "Dammit, we were hoping we could recover something useful from his cache of crazed experiments. Guess that's a no go."
Jinglei shook her head, stating, "Not necessarily. We didn't explore most of the facility and there might be additional repositories of material scattered about. And there's still the bodies of all those creatures scattered about, there's plenty of after-action evidence to parade about."
Seizing on that comment with a great deal of interest Cayman quickly said, "That'll be my responsibility as the attached Surveyor. Cleaning up this mess is just one of my many glamorous duties, after all."
All eyes turned towards him, Cayman hoping that they would buy the bullshit he was about to spew.
"Seriously? You're going to handle all of this? Plenty of offense meant but you're kinda a weakling, what are you gonna do if some rough and tumble scavengers come calling?"
Having expected Yukikaze's suspicious response the Gamer cheerfully replied, "Why, Yukikaze, are you offering to stand guard in this place for the next couple days, loyally protecting me? I would be happy to accept the offer and promise to let you shower as much as you want to get rid of the smell."
Swiftly realizing what she'd just offered the tan-skinned Taimanin blanched and shook her head, realizing she would be wading through the underbelly of Tokyo for a long time to come and getting liberally covered in gunk for her troubles.
"N-no, that's fine! In fact I have to, uh, report back immediately! Yeah, no time to waste here!"
"Hah! Waste."
His attempt at a joke earned a collection of disapproving stares and frowns, Asia and Till not excluded as the Gamer smirked at his diversion bearing fruit.
"Maybe Sybaritic Initiate is paying dividends after all. If it wasn't for the REP boosts and stuff they probably wouldn't have capitulated just because it smells like shit down here."
Rolling his neck and feeling a bit of exhaustion from the day's excursions finally catching up he said, "All that said I think we're done here for now, anyone feel like going topside and getting some food? There's this restaurant near the safehouse that I kinda want to try out."
Caren nodded in agreement, stating, "Allow me to erect a bounded field before we depart, it should suffice to keep out most of the riff raff and heretics that reside in this domain."
"And I greatly appreciate you for it."
A smirk that actually seemed rather playful was sent Cayman's way, the man luxuriating in the sense of triumph and victory that followed after a successful beating of the odds.