Hey guys, just wanted to clarify something due to a tiny writing mistake of mine. Previously I had said Coffee Lock was 6th in the clan rankings. Then I mentioned the eternal 5th and 6th clans, so I'm retconning it to say Coffee Lock managed to secure the 6th place spot, but when the month changed, the leader board updated, and now Coffee Lock is 4th while Nolan and Kobalt are back to fighting between 5ht and 6th place.
"Talking"
Thoughts
'Mental Communication or using a magic item'
[Debuffs]
Skills/Systems
Chapter 27 – Resolution and Retribution
High Pilot, Coates Berlin
A squad of several Magingears belonging to the First Armored Battalion of the Dryfian Military surveyed the scene.
Coates was by no means a stranger to conflict. He served under the man known as the Dragon King Slayer and the giant mechanical Axe on the back of his Magingear was proof of his skill in defeating the Epic UBM Meltdown.
But even so…the sheer scale of destruction was…unexpected to say the least.
Supposedly the site was once an ore mining operation that turned into a rock quarry some two-hundred eighty-odd years ago if the briefing was to be believed.
If he recalled his history lessons, that was around the time Mechanic Cat first introduced the concept of MP-powered machinery based on the remnants of pre-ancient civilization technology.
Shortly after that, the first model of Gheist came into existence.
Though none of that machinery remained. At least from the mining operation.
Part of him wondered what might have happened had those who were mining these lands had discovered these ruins first.
Then he remembered the robots using living creatures as MP tanks and the preserved but lobotomized remains of hundreds of tian Mages.
Then he wished he hadn't had tuna fish for lunch.
According to the few surviving Masters from the party sent by Prince Reinhard C. Dryfe the giant mechanical moth that now lay broken into pieces at the bottom of a blast crater nearly three Marshall II's deep was able to repeatedly spam Superior Mage job ultimate skill AOEs and possessed an MP reserves over a billion and a half.
He actually had to stop himself from shuttering at the thought.
Despite the assistance of another party of Masters, more than half of the group fell – though he used the term without any finality as Masters never truly died – before it was destroyed.
The land itself was pocked marked with craters, giant spikes of earth that appeared more like misshapen mountains, scorch marks bigger than a city block, miniature glaciers, and more than half of the quarry appeared to have been simply obliterated in an explosion.
What in the world happened here? He pondered.
Whatever it was, the Prince had seen fit to not only send his sister, The Ram, but also outfit her with the recently uncovered Prism Steed, Jade Storm.
Said young Superior Job Holder was currently hugging a Master in a red pilot's suit alongside…what appeared to be a young woman in an adorable full-body wolf costume with small black wings and an eye patch while another Master, a dark-skinned woman with red hair seemed nervous or jealous…maybe?
Absently Coatese wondered if it was all Masters that were weird or if it was just Dryfe's. Their strongest Masters were a man in a whale costume, a blonde maid with bunny ears, and a riddle-obsessed acrobat so thin and tall one might think she was a traffic light that grew legs.
Regardless he still remained alert as he scanned the surroundings for any movement.
According to the Princess, her brother had received information that the party of other Masters was sent by Caldina.
He had been a soldier long enough to know that the Caldina President was a ruthless and cunning woman capable of thinking far into the future and seldom making a mistake.
She either believed the Masters she sent were enough to take the ruins or there was more to come.
Out of the corner of his eye, something moved.
He turned his Magingear with a practiced easy, special reward axe drawn as his eyes scanned for something to slam its blade into.
A Pashi Rabbit looked up at him before lowering its head to eat a small sunflower.
"Are you okay sir?" one of his men asked, Magingear's weapon drawn as well as several option works prepared for anything.
As much as he hated to admit it, the Masters of the Clock Tower knew how to make Magingears. (1)
"Not unless you feel like rabbit for lunch."
"With my LUC stat, I'd probably get a non-edible drop." The soldier replied casually. Despite saying that, he never lowered his guard or stopped scanning the area.
That was what Coates liked in his men. They weren't overly formal, but they still held a military discipline required of any proper soldier.
Still, he couldn't shake the feeling he was being watched.
The fact the second in the Clan Rankings, Sky Queens was being dispatched was somewhat disturbing, but given how dangerous this thing was and how no one believed that the Caldina President simply let such a dangerous weapon go was reason enough.
Furthermore, the Major General and a retinue of soldiers were doing patrols around the area.
In all honesty, this should be one of the most secure places in the Imperium, yet something still didn't sit right with him.
"Consume with Reckless Abandon!" he heard someone intone a skill, weapon drawn, again, he turned to only see the four Masters, one managing to push the Princess to safety before vanishing into particles of light as well as…five of his men and their Magingear.
This didn't make sense. No this wasn't possible! Tians did not die like Masters.
Scanning his surroundings he saw the Princess strike the air…only for a demonic creature to shimmer into existence before flying back.
Reveal said it was called a Gigaknight, a type of demon and unless he was going completely mad…it had a Superior Job…NO…TWO!
The stats his skill displayed kept flickering, as though the very system of the world itself was glitching.
Gigaknight
Race: D͔̮̀̒e̵̡̟̥͕̖̻̼̦̓ḿ̴̠͕̹̰͍̭̤̃͛͒͝oņ̧͓̖́̇̉̏̎͘͝͝ ̵̩̤̼͙̰͓̼̈́͌̽̊́͐̽͝͝/̗̤͉̃̽́̋̂̍͘͠ ̶̧̡̛̛͚͔̝̦̬͑͋̅̉̿̀͜͝Ḩ̦̈͐̾͆̽̈́̅̅͂um̴̜̎̈́̓̎ã̵̖̖̆̋͊̾̾̓̑n̶̢̛̬̬̹̭͍͎̜̘̿̀̊͗̂̌̎͠
Job: Ķ̵̳̪̮͓̣͝i̷̧̨͍̲̦͇̮̩̦͛̐̇͋͆́̌n̶̡̙̻̮̿̈́̂͂̐̓ǧ̶̛͎̟͉̼̗͙͍͚̱́͌̀̆͜ ̷̥̝̺͙̹͖̌̎̂͆̅ͅo̷̡͕̩̥̰̺͆̒̄̃́̅͘f̴̥͕̯͍̻͈̱̾͗͛̄͜ ̵̣͇̯̞͖̀̔̊̿͊͆̏͝Ḯ̴̬̗̾̊̆͘l̵̥͕̠̃̉̈̍͆ḷ̶̨̖̝̳͔̙͈̬̞̒̓͂͊̔u̷͈̗̙̺͖̱͈̫̍͗̎̔͑͋̉́̆͜͠ş̪͚̲̫̈̋̽̅͒͝i̵͕̱̞̻̜͙͙̯͑̿́̅̏o̴͕̰͍͇̲̻̭̰̘̫̓̀͛͒̒́͝n̵̡͓̠̘̣͍̤̰̉͆s̵̡͇̘̳̍̎̉̋̀͒̃̅ ̶̡̡̧̘͉̬̅/̶̝̀́͊͠ͅ ̶̳͔̑̅̀̆̚Ķ̴̩͖̲̲́́͜ing̶͇̝͇̬̬̱̰̥̿̏͜ ̵̞̖̀̃̈́̎́̉̑of̴̢̛͍̦̥̪̗͊̾̈̂ ̷̡͈̭̫͔̣̺̙̪̀͂̒̐̕͠M̵͍̏͐͑̍̈̀̚ͅi̵̡̪̰̮̳̱̙͛̉͌̿̋͝ŕ̢̞͈̠̗̞̉͋̆͂̃̃̚r̴̢̧̬̤̖̩̦̟̤̥̐̍̎́̏̐o̵̦̠͍̟̮̬͈̠̎r̳̤̦ş̶͚̦̭̅͌͛̈́̽̍̂
Level: %A/N (Total Level: %N/%*)
HP: 395, 670
SP:10,000
MP: 461,213
STR: 10,940
AGI: 920
END: 10,920
DEX:200
LUC:100
King of Illusion…and King of Mirrors…?
In addition to its impossible stats, making it roughly at the level of a Legendary UBM, its face was simply too horrifying to take in. It looked like a demon wearing masks made out of two tian faces half-sown together with a tear large enough for its twisted, fanged maw to be visible.
"OPEN FIRE!" he shouted as the Princess got out of the way as he and his men began firing on the abomination…only to quickly regret it.
Several of his own men had shot one another.
But how?
Illusions! He realized a tad too late.
But monsters couldn't use jobs let alone Superior Jobs…unless…
As the realization fully set in. he felt a pit form in his stomach.
Over a year ago, he had heard a rumor. Of a Master that other Masters talked about as though he was some sort of boogeyman. A creature to be feared who could obliterate other Masters with a glance.
But what was truly terrifying was that he could turn tians into demons.
Until now, he had thought it was some kind of sick joke.
Now he was beginning to believe he was very wrong as seemingly out of nowhere, swarms of Soldier Devils started swarming over them.
Willing it, he activated the first skill of his Epic special reward as Welding Ax, Meltdown became engulfed in flames. Taking out several of those closest to him, he sent out a message over an open channel.
'Major General, we're under attack from demons. Sir.'
'You too, huh?'
'Sir?'
'Both my unit and the Sky Queens are engaging a literal army of demons that seemed to have come from your direction. What's the status?' he asked in a calm voice that seemed out of place given their current situation. But that cool demeanor was why he followed him.
'several hundred demons, though they are of no consequence individual, they are however proving able to damage our Magingears in groups.' He explained slicing several off of a soldier who was close to having his cockpit broken open.
'Are there any larger ones that seem to have stats that don't make sense and have jobs to boot?'
'You too, huh?' Coates replied with the Major General's own response.
''I got one with Magic Swordmaster on top of Pyromancer, Landmancer, and Hydromancer. As well as one that has Strong Gladiator, Venommancer, and Poison Boxer. Please tell me you spiked this morning's breakfast?'
'I'll trade you, I got one with two Superior Jobs!'
He could actually hear the Major General's more jovial tone die in the silence. 'I'll be there as soon as possible, if you can't defend the site, take the Princess and run. That is an order!' he shouted that last part with a finality that no soldier could deny.
'Yes sir.' He saluted in his heart as his hands were busy piloting and shooting at several flying devils.
With that, the comes went silent.
Effortlessly he cleaved through several dozen of the lesser demons easily, but as he and his men continued attacking the wave of monsters, their numbers never seemed to decrease, he was barely able to block as a second Gigaknight almost seemed to manifest in front of him.
Unlike the other one, this one seemed to be a standard demon.
Though its stats made it more difficult for him to handle, it was still inferior to its other kin and even if it was stronger than the Pure Dragon Class strength of his customized Martial II, that didn't mean the gap was too great to overcome.
He swung his axe and the monster tried to block it only to have its arm cleaved clean off. Another advantage was that his special reward ignored END and defensive items. So, despite being equivalent to a Legendary UBM in terms of stats, unless it had some form of ability, the advantage was clearly towards him.
After another two minutes of back and forth - damn the thing for being able to fly – he had managed to decapitate it.
Looking around, all the devils had been killed and the Princess was standing over a…mechanical praying mantis(?)
When had it gotten there?
Princess Claudiah was having a field medic apply healing items to a nasty gash on her left leg. No doubt she had several debilitation debuffs either from the mantis or the mutated Gigaknight.
Though he did nod in approval that the Princess was wearing armor under her clothes if the metal peaking through the tear on her right sleeve was anything to go by.
She might be their country's greatest warrior, but that didn't mean she was immune to harm.
Looking around, there weren't any other demons nor was there any sight of the first Gigaknight.
This was too strange. They had intentionally targeted the Masters, and then unleased demons and a mechanical mantis…for what?
To attack them hoping to kill them all?
Possible, but unlikely.
This felt like there was something missing.
Speaking into his comms, "Take up position around the machine again."
As his soldiers moved into position, all of them taking care to mind their surroundings they could only gape in surprise as the machine detonated. The blast was powerful enough to compromise the structures of the Magingears closest to the crater, most likely killing them before using the flaming chunks of Magingear as shrapnel to damage those farther away.
In under a second, nearly three-fifths of the First Armored Battalion lay dead, dying, or likely crippled for life.
And the machine they had sacrificed so much to obtain…now lay in ruins beyond any hope of repair even for the King of Machines himself.
Ah, now I see. This was what Caldina's president was really after. Our strongest warrior was maimed, and most of the First Battalion, the strongest battalion, dead or incapacitated.
This truly seems like one of her schemes.
/-/
A Letter from a certain Onmyoji Official Working Under the Conquest General
There are many reasons to start a conflict. For the people of Tenchi, they are as numerous as the individual drops of water in the Strait Sea that separates it from the mainland. Reasons such as proving one's prowess in battle or their skill, revenge, conflicts among the warring clans, and often a combination of the three.
However, until the appearance of Masters and the numerous demonstrations of the power their Embryos granted them, that conflict remained firmly within the Land of Strife. Only rarely ever slipping beyond its borders – save for the occasional conflict with Granvaloa and its Eastern or Northern fleets.
Another abnormality to occur from the presence of Masters was the rise of discrimination.
Let it never be said that Tenchi, the aforementioned Land of Strife, the home of Asuras, was not without its hatred. The grudges that soaked the blood-dyed lands spawned more undead than possible even the Tomb Labyrinth of Altar and its Tartarus Princess, but among the countless hatreds (for revenge, clan, sept, or competitive spirit becoming too heated), discrimination against faunus was not one of them.
Yet almost overnight, the White Fang appeared and started uniting smaller clans, poisoning the minds and souls of faunus against brethren that they had fought against and alongside in equal measure.
However, Tenchi has always been and will likely always be a country where "Might Makes Right". Where the strong, regardless of their opinion is seen as correct above others.
And that is precisely how this came to be. Masters were strong.
Despite claiming only two of the mythical Superiors to their ranks, even the Conquest General nor even The Hero were able to stand against them combined.
However, I do not believe that they merely have two Superiors. No, I suspect they have kept their strength well hidden.
The holder of the Superior Job Overlord Ira has proven herself too cunning to simply attack a foe as large as Huang He without extensive preparation.
It is not as though no one has proposed taking the Draconic Emperor's head. However, it was a combination of a mutual respect shared between their country's Special Superior Jobs, the Draconic Emperor and Conquest General, of old, and the sheer difficulty of doing so that made it difficult. One simply couldn't just walk up to a country's trump card and demand a fight. Between crossing a sea full of monsters, making their way through the much larger country of Huang He, and getting into the royal palace, and its guards would be a tall order.
There was also another reason. The current Draconic Emperor, Canglong Ren Yue, was eight years old.
Now some argue that he still has the stats of a Superior Job, one that had fought and killed even the Overlord Ira of the past, but many had mixed feelings about fighting a child to the death.
We may be a country of strife, but even we try to involve children not even ten summers from duels to the death.
Yet the White Fang has seemed maddeningly driven to pursue conflict, even by the standards of Tenchi. Through unknown means, they had infiltrated the Huang He Royal Palace and stolen several of the Treasurebeast Orbs, Treasurebeasts sealed after the end of Peerless Three by the man accepted to be the strongest of all Draconic Emperors; Fanlong Ren Wai.
If that wasn't enough, the royal family had found that Corse Jackal had snuck into the royal tombs and extracted jobs from several deceased members of the royal family…including the late wife of the current emperor and mother of the current Draconic Emperor.
I have lived my entire life knowing I would likely die in some conflict. I, as my entire family had accepted it. I raised my six sons, who all make me proud, and have accepted it.
Now that is changing.
Now it feels as though we are courting our demise.
Masters from all of the remaining five Great Countries swelled Huang He's war chest. Even Tenchi Masters, primarily despite the White Fang's actions are leaving in droves, And that was not even counting the Superiors I do not doubt in my mind are swelling their ranks.
For even if we win, we will lose. Defeating Huang He will cost us a butcher's bill the likes of which would be hard to imagine even for Tenchi.
Should we win our forces will be stretched paper thin to maintain control only to inevitably be crushed by Caldina and its allies.
For I feel I MUST reiterate that Masters CAN NOT DIE!
Defeating them means nothing other than that they will come to seek vengeance again and again.
In my capacity as an official, I have overseen many trades of goods and gone to Caldina and seen all but two of its Qlippoth fights. They are as much monsters in the guise of humans as the two monstrous Superiors of the White Fang with power and numbers dwarfing their own.
Conquest General, I beg you to lend aid to Huang He so that we may at least reach some level of control of how much our country must pay for our defeat.
/-/
Azure Dragon Daoshi, Pylon
"Your majesty, surely you can leave this to the generals or at least the first prince." An overly concerned elderly woman said for what he felt was the hundredth time today.
She was one of the few who could speak to him in such a way.
After all, she had been by his side as his Doctor since she acted as the midwife for his birth. She had been there his entire life, from the day he entered the world to the present. Even serving his father for the entirety of his life as well as most of his grandfather's life as well.
"No, I am certain. If this is the last act my body can perform, I will do so." He said resolutely despite the pain coursing through him. "For my wife."
She wanted to speak more, that much was clear, but he saw a brief flicker of rage when he brought up the act of defiling his wife's resting place.
The elderly Doctor nodded her head and exited the room, pushing a cart of his bloodied bandages.
Alone with his thoughts, the current ruler of Huang He let out a tired breath.
Rubbing his eyes, he tried to retain all of the information that had been discussed for the last week.
Everything was set and the war would commence in three days.
He had until then to stay alive and see this through.
Part of him felt as though they had a large chance of winning. Several clans from Tenchi had sent covert messages stating that they would either directly join them or sabotage the Tenchi side of the war from the inside.
Even the war itself was not a surprise. Emperor after Emperor had warned their successor to be mindful of the conflicts in Tenchi spilling out.
This was just the inevitable happening.
Though he felt he might have had a chance to pass on his duties to the first princess more peacefully if Masters had not shown up.
Strange immortal creatures with strange mannerisms and strange speech. Not to mention incredibly strange fashion sense. The whole lot was nothing but otherworldly abnormalities.
If not for the appearance of a Master, Schrodinger Cat, Fanlong Ren Wai may have allowed Huang He to rule the entire continent.
Yes, he knew the whole point of the conflict was to stop the invasion, but there was no doubt in his mind that Huang He could have won if not for that accursed Master.
Just the thought brought on a coughing fit that lasted for several minutes.
Still, his son had been correct. Using a magic item he had shown him secret recordings of the three strongest Masters.
The top of the Kill Rankings, Sine Fine, and his mountain of a monster that could become an army onto itself.
The second in the Duel Rankings, Lioness who could combine skills from other jobs and Embryos making her a force unmatched by any other save for the Draconic Emperor himself.
At the top of the Clan Rankings, the leader of Fateful Autumn, Dameisele Automne, could shift the map by merely sitting in one place.
He would be a fool to admit they were not powerful. Even the Ground Celestial and Sky Celestial, two of the strongest tian Superior Job holders in Huang He, were unsure they could defeat any of the three individually.
And those were just the Superiors native to Huang He. Since the announcement of the war, Masters had been flooding into Huang He by the hundreds.
According to the First Princess, they now housed six Superiors.
Admittedly he felt a chill down his spine at the thought.
Six beings, each comparable to the Master who interfered in a war between the King of Kings and the single strongest Gu Long Ren history.
And speaking of Gu Long Ren…it was a…complex feeling asking the son he scorned to assist them.
His hand still stung at the memory of striking the child…his child.
He had blamed him for the death of his mother due to him being born with stats no normal person could hope to rival. Even as an infant, no, even before being born, he could rip any normal tian like they were tissue paper.
When he struck him, he was fully expecting to die then and there.
Yet… Canglong, he didn't so much as yell at him.
He just left.
The Emperor closed his eyes as a tear escaped them.
Part of him still cursed the day Canglong was born. But the part of him that was a father still felt pride in his youngest child.
Even with his immense stats, he still accrued enough skill at the age of only eight to stand at the top of the Dueling Rankings.
And what he had heard him say at the meeting earlier…'It doesn't matter what bad blood is between us, they have hurt our people and the resting place of our loved ones. I. Will. Fight.'
With a bitter smile on his lips, he opened his eyes.
His oldest was going to succeed him as the next Emperor, already more open-minded and flexible in his thinking than he could ever hope to be while his youngest was already a man who would fight for his people without a moment's hesitation.
For countless and one times now he thanked whatever lucky star he was born under that his children took more after his wife than himself.
With a grunt, he pulled himself out of bed. Whatever happens next, he will face it like a true Emperor of Huang He. With children as great as his, how could he not live up to their expectations?
/-/
June 5, 2044 2:40 am
Cinder Fall's Apartment
Blearily golden eyes creaked open. Turning off her accursed alarm clock.
Sitting up she yawned, lifting the short t-shirt to reveal a toned stomach.
Getting up to stretch she enjoyed the coolness of her air conditioner. Made all the better by the fact she only wore her short shirt, a pair of black lacy panties, and no bra.
It felt good to not need to do her morning routine. Too many fools believed she looked as perfect as she always did by simply the act of being her.
And while she did lead them to that conclusion with a few subtle manipulations, it was their own fault for believing someone could be as amazing as her without needing to work on it.
After a few minutes of preparation, she sat down for breakfast. Nothing fancy, just eggs benedict with a side of toast, orange wedge, and a cup of her favorite Mistralian spiced tea.
While she ate, she mentally reviewed the plan of attack for today's war. Next to her was a chessboard which she moved pieces on. Not in the way traditional chess was played, but in a way that allowed her to track the predicted flow of battle.
Also, she loved that it made her seem smarter, like a criminal mastermind or a dark lord.
But she would never freely admit that last part out loud.
She moved all of the white pawns forward.
Tenchi was going to be coming to them by boat, committing most of their forces, and falling into her plans. With their first strike, it wouldn't be impossible to eliminate more than half of their enemy's forces with the first move.
Her queen, standing where the king should stand- not by mistake - shattered the front row of troupes.
Followed by an overwhelming assault of disposable minions by the Three Generals and it was looking closer to sixty or even seventy percent.
Three pawns decimated the remainder of the other side's pawns.
Probably more if the Masters and tians she bribed did their jobs. She removed one more standing pawn.
Even if they didn't she could count on the other Superiors to pick up the slack as she slid a bishop into place.
Green Knight and Fyfe Stone have orders to split the Scorching Fingers into two groups, one in each wing of the formation to eliminate any tian Superiors, on either side. And note which job they had.
War was a messy thing after all, and accidents did happen.
She moved a knight to each side of the board, one poised to take out an enemy rook and an alley bishop, while the other covered an enemy bishop and alley rook.
Now if she could get that drunk Lafite motivated enough she might have another Finger to add to her elite force. For that, a bishop moved forward, ready to strike, but not moving.
Speaking of motivation, Mat A' Fact – despite his unique naming sense – would be invaluable as supposedly there was a member of the White Fang who used undead of some sort.
She would reserve him for that specific opponent, moving another pawn ready to strike a rook.
The fact he was clearly young and inexperienced – outside of gaming – made teasing and motivating him child's play.
The Kidnap Princess and King of Brigands were potential threats. Moving a white bishop and rook forward.
Fyfe Stone's party had a counter to the Hell Bat. She used one of her knights to take a rook. Truthfully, she hoped to recruit the girl. An Embryo like hers could be useful in countless scenarios.
She just needs to keep that cowgirl wannabe out of her hair long enough to convince her.
As for the Kidnap Princess…she moved a pawn forward. Though also a new member of her clan, Greene River was a good counter to the Pre-Superior.
The two biggest foes to worry about were the Two Superiors.
For that reason, she had negotiated with the Draconic Emperor and The Immortals to handle the Overlord Ira. She moved a rook to take one knight.
The Murder Princess would be a challenging opponent, and truthfully she wished Hanzo would make it in time. His Embryo's abilities would potentially put an end to BOTH Superiors. If only long enough for their forces to win the war.
However, beggars can be choosers. His Sub-Owner and the rest of his clan – minus the Sky General, should be able to hold her down if not completely stall her.
She moved a rook to take the other knight.
She looked at the white King and Queen. While the Conquest General and The Hero were potential threats, she did not believe them to be loyal to the White Fang. Even so, she still had preparations for them. Smiling she moved four pawns, two in front of each.
"Checkmate." She smiled.
Oh, this was going to be fun.
/-/
Caldina, Roughly fifty kilometels to the Huang He Border
Pilot, Everet Green
'You should retire grandpa.' His eldest grandchild had told him. Already married and a mother with her third on the way, 'You worked enough in your life, it's time to think about retirement. With a job as dangerous as yours I'm worried you might not get to meet your newest granddaughter.' She said rubbing her six-month pregnant belly.
'Don't worry my little spice bun, nothing's going to happen to me or the Rust Bucket. We've been sailing the sands for nearly thirty years. I'll be fine to go another ten years at least.'
Oh, how he desperately wanted to go back in time to knock his teeth out.
After a lifetime in the Granvaloa Military Fleet, he had been on vacation in Caldina when he met the woman he would marry. Almost immediately he resigned from his post and spent his life savings to buy them a home in Hermine and construct a Sandboat.
Since then, he had worked ferrying people all over Caldina and to its neighboring countries.
It seemed like a normal job. Take one person to Huang He. It wasn't like he or others hadn't done that several hundred times since the declaration of war.
Though he hadn't expected so many Masters to be blonde.
But he digressed.
Personally, he hoped all those Masters gave a good whooping to the White Fang. While Everet was fully human, he had worked with, under, and dated several demi-humans. However, no one could still explain to him very clearly what separated them from the faunus.
Was it just that faunus were humans with animal traits? Is that it?
Either way, he couldn't tolerate the discrimination they spread in a veilless bid for power.
Having said that to the young man he was transporting might have been a VERY bad idea.
Especially given that he now had a sword to his throat.
'STOP NOW MINOS OR WE WILL SHOOT YOU.' Came a voice behind them either over some type of intercom or by wind magic.
Oh, and they were being chased by a giant mechanical worm with a librarian on its back.
'Never a dull day since Masters started showing up' he recalled his son-in-law, a Great Merchant who dealt in recovering items saying regularly as they were his best customers.
Everet would have preferred dull to this any day of the week.
"If you try this worthless tian dies!" The young bull faunus shouted, loud enough to be heard.
Or so he thought.
'SPEAK UP, WE CAN'T HEAR YOU.' A different person spoke up from the mechanical worm.
Frustrated, the young man grabbed the speaker microphone and shouted into it.
'WE STILL CAN'T HEAR YOU.'
The young man glared at the Pilot.
"You have to hold down the green button, then speak." He explained calmly. This wasn't actually the first time someone had pointed a sword at his throat and told him to sail. It wasn't even the first time being chased by a giant mechanical worm.
Damn UBMs.
'DO IT AND THE PILOT DIES!' the man shouted back over the speaker.
The first voice spoke up, 'I SEE. THAT IS UNFORTUNATE. SIR, WE WILL SEND YOUR FAMILY PROPER COMPENSATION FOR YOUR INJURIES OR POTENTIAL DEATH.'
"What!" the two yelled in unison before Everet was quickly flung by invisible forces out of the Helm and flew towards the giant worm only to be eaten by it…and not be harmed, but instead greeted by…an exact duplicate of the librarian standing on top of the worm.
…okay this was definitely new.
"Don't worry sir. Once we have apprehended Minos we will either pay for the repairs or replacement of your craft, lost wages, any medical or psychological expenses you may incur, and compensate you for your time.
"That sounds nice." He said still not catching up with what had just happened, "Thank you, but I'm retiring after today."
(1) The Triangle of Wisdom is full of gearheads, hobbyists, and college students while the Clock Tower is staffed with literal Atlesian Military scientists and mechanics…as well as gearheads, hobbyists, and college students. So naturally their workmanship is in a different league.
Corse Jackal = Corsac Albain
Sine Fine = Adrian Cotta-Arc
Lioness = Arslan Altan
Dameisele Automne = Cinder Fall
Green Knight = Bertilak Celadon
Fyfe Stone = Hanlon Fifestone
Lafite = Willow Schnee
Mat A' Fact = Mata
Greene River = Ann Greene
Minos = Adam Taurus
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