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Volume 5

Chapter 15: Kladis Makes His Move

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Scion remained looking at the window, her hands on her lap, the left clenching the other.

Making a sigh, she opened up her player window and checked her status. As usual, she is still a [Captive].

KNOCK! KNOCK!

It was the third set for the day. The first two have always been Volga and Scion was as close to getting fed up with his persistence that she was beginning to have the notion to leave her avatar here and never log in again.

She did not even put as much as a glance towards the door and only continued to stare silently at the setting horizon of the window.

By her request, anchors were placed on certain parts of the floating castle to prevent it from moving because she like the sunset from afar. To not make it seem that she’s having a bad time in the castle, the castle owner obliged to this request.

The door opened and Scion, close-eyed, snarled, “I told you! I don’t want to! How many times should I…”

In the middle of her sentence, she stopped as to see that her visitor this time wasn’t Volga but the last guy she actually wanted to see.

“It’s you.” She raised a brow and said flatly.

“Yep, it’s me.” Kladis strode forward, uncaring as to what kind of attitude he receives from her.

He sat down on the opposite side of the table. And as seeing that there was no other chair, he pulled up his inventory and summoned a chair of his own and sat down.

Scion’s eyes widened when she saw Kladis helped himself to her company. He summoned a trey, a kettle, and then a cup, poured himself a tea, and then made a satisfied “Aaahh” before silently looking outside the window.

Not one bit did he looked at her and not one word was spoken to her when he took a sip on his tea.

He clearly didn’t care about her.

Kladis was silent. Scion was silent. They both watched the setting sol until Scion couldn’t help any longer and threw him an angry growl, “Why are you here?!”

“What? Can’t the owner of the castle have a stroll in his own castle?”

Scion raised a brow and knocked her head back, “You own this castle? What? Are you a king?”

Kladis chuckled, “Pft. No. Can’t a very handsome and charismatic person such as me get a castle on my own when I want it?”

As if to hear something incredibly ridiculous, Scion made a mocking laugh and spoke derisively.

“Charismatic and handsome?! You? Hah! Is this the eastern horizon right now?”

“Wha– hey, that’s rude!”

“You are rude! You’re in my room uninvited!”

“This is my castle!”

“And this is my room! Even if it’s your castle, this is still my room! I get to have the last say to anything that happens in regards to my room!”

Brows twitching, Kladis picked up the cup of tea and sipped a large full.

“And not only that,” Scion added scornfully. “You get yourself a tea and did not even mind inviting me for a cup! What kind of attitude is that? Not only you act like you are a jerk, your attitude are ungentlemanly in all respect. Hmp. Even if you own a castle, you are still far from a man that can earn the rights to have a castle of his own. You’re a disappointment to all of the castle owners out there!”

“Wha– hey! For your information, miss, this is my room before those guys took you in and put you in here for their own benefits! If it was for me to decide, we actually don’t need you to be here, even if it means you are connected to the Grand Quest! No, you know what I actually wanted to tell you that I’ve negotiated with them for your release but was just looking for the chance to tell you that. But since you actually treated me this well, hah! Forget it! I don’t want to help you get out of here now!”

Finishing these words, Kladis stood up and walked off towards the door with heavy footsteps.

Scion took a moment before she processed all of the things she heard and just as Kladis was about to get out of the room, she yelled and pulled his cape.

“Wait! Is it true? What you said, is it all true?”

Kladis stopped and leaned his head sideways, “We only needed the «Eye of Origins» and you having the Goddess Terra as your guardian spirit is just an added feat that can help us for another mission that we have our eyes on. But with my resources, I actually have a way to get to the Grand Quest without the help of [Terra] and pleaded for your release after we get the MOD. No, in fact, before we even knew that you are connected to the Grand Quest, I already have a way to unlock it but now…”

Scion felt ashamed and her anger dissipated to be replaced by the look of apology and embarrassment.

“I’m sorry for being rude.”

Kladis made a heavy sigh, “No. It’s my fault. I was too shy to bring that up that my actions may have looked like I was a rude and shameless guy.”

After these words, he turned around and extended an open hand, “We may have started on the wrong foot there. If you may, let’s start over again. My name is Kladis.”

Kladis displayed a charming smile and Scion looked at the hand and then towards him, a tinged of pinkish bashfulness could be seen on her cheeks.

“S-Scion.”

The shook hands. “Again, I apologize for my unruly manner towards you, Miss Scion. Or should I address you as Arch Mage or…”

“Scion.” She cut in. “Just call me Scion, please.”

“Nice to meet you Scion. Yeah, umm, anyways, for the things I’ve said earlier… yes. We do have a hack to get to the Gran Quest without the help of your Guardian Spirit. But, let me just tell you as well that this workaround will cost us millions of Zentra and a very large amount of time… that’s why when Hubert discovered your Guardian Spirit, he did not think twice to taking you in. Although, I would assume that you’ve already heard his apology. Hubert really is nice guy. It’s just that he treats this game as his ‘job’ and his primary source of income in the real world. Thus, he was left with no choice but to take you at that time so I hope you will forgive him.”

Hearing this, Scion bit her lower lip, thinking. True, she had indeed heard of Hubert’s apology and had a much higher evaluation of his personality. Knowing of her connection to this Grand Quest, she also knew that sooner or later, people with the same goals would have went for her as well.

Who knows, it may have been that those people might have been worse than these guys.

So she understood.

“About what you said earlier…” She trailed off with a weak voice. “If I help you get your hands on this MOD thing from Hanna, are you really going to let me go?”

Kladis had a look of plead in his eyes as he nodded.

But then, whether it was intentional or not, Scion still noticed this ‘pleading’ look in his expression and so she thought of the “millions of Zentra and an enormous amount of time” from his words.

She may not be interested in playing this game but she was aware –thanks to Kathleen Brew and Alice (FlowerLord)– of how hard it was to earn Zentra here.

And in regards to the ‘tremendous amount of time’ part of his speech, she thought that with the help of her [Guardian Spirit], perhaps she can lessen this time.

–and all of it in exchange for her freedom… and something else more important.

With both her index fingers circling around each other in front her chest, her blushing rosy pink cheeks made her hesitating act the most adorable expression in the universe.

“Umm… ano… If I… If I help you, would you really let me go?” Hearing this, a delighted look could be seen on Kladis’ expression as he took a step forward to close in the gap between her and him in an instant.

His face an inch from hers, he exclaimed, “Are you really going to?!”

Surprised, Scion’s hand automatically flew and a loud resounding slap reached the left side of his face. It was on the fourth second after the sound that Scion recovered from her surprise and wore a look of apology.

“I’m so sorry! It’s just that… y-you were so close that I got surprised and so I…”

Caressing his cheek, Kladis wore a bitter smile. “I’m sorry. I was just so excited that I forgot to hold my emotions in.”

After he spoke, he laughed dryly and Scion also made the same dry laugh. In the middle of it, Kladis suddenly stopped and gave Scion another charming smile.

“You’re prettier when you smile than when you’re gloomy and sad…”

Scion’s cheeks burned red and she stopped. She cupped her cheeks and turned around from him. With a deep breath, she turned to face him and then pointed a finger.

“Under three conditions.” She abruptly declared.

“Huh?”

“I will help you accomplish your goal and get close to the Grand Quest under three conditions.”

A look of joy flashed on Kladis’ face and he gave her a snappy soldier’s salute that looked adorable and cute at the same time.

“Give me your orders, ma’am!”

Scion laughed joyfully and then spoke, “First. I don’t want to be locked up in here and I want to go back to my friends as soon as possible. Second, I want you all to promise me that you will never hurt or stand in the way of… err… Siva. And third–”

On the mention of the third, Scion paused and Kladis made a swallowing gesture as he waited.

Scion put a palm on her heart, “–and third, I want you all to give me Hubert as my personal guard.”

Kladis had a complicated look in his face.

The fist condition was easy. He can make immediate arrangements for it to be implemented as soon as he got out of here.

As for the second, well, it was dependent. If Siva was to go violent against them, then they are left with no choice but to retaliate violently. And so, ensuring that they do not hurt him or stand against his way –no matter what his goal was– is really circumstantial.

But for the third… it left him flabbergasted.

“Why Hubert?” he couldn’t help asking.

But Scion, seemingly having gained her trust, told him with no reserve. “Because of all the people here, and you included, he is the only person I trust.”

To Kladis, this is a piece of a very important news. He wasn’t aware of what they’re relationship was or if there was something that Hubert did, but for him to earn Scion’s trust was a major deal.

Because for Kladis, it affects all his personal plans for her… especially of his plans on conquering her.

His brows twitched trying to control the building sense of frustration in his chest.

Scion, on the other hand, was just being honest.

The reason why he trusted Hubert, the person who abducted her, of all people, was all because of that one line he said before he punched her.

[I’m sorry for this.]

Clearly, even though he abducted her at that time, she still knew that there was still something in his personality that doesn’t want to do it.

Now though, after hearing that Hubert was treating this game as his ‘job’ to earn money in the real world, she realized that it may have been just the circumstances that drove him from abducting her.

Besides, when Hubert officially asked for her apology and explained the circumstances to her back when Volga first came barging in on her room, she felt that Hubert is actually sincere at the time.

Thus, it gained her trust and now she knew that he is the only person who was actually sincere in this place.

In fact, personally, she felt that Hubert was even more sincere than Kladis is right now in front of her.

Call it a woman’s intuition but she just can’t trust that charming smile of his. And also, for some reason, because of her feelings for Rex, she had a standard for having attraction for the opposite sex.

Yes, Kladis may be charming and handsome, and perhaps he may be stronger than Rex’s avatar named [Siva], but their strengths are definitely worlds apart.

She is not aware of how strong Kladis is but she is 100% sure of what makes Rex strong.

Just thinking about it, especially at that time when she saw the video of him saving his brother and getting out of that burning car by punching his way through the back window; that was perhaps the most sexiest thing in the world she’d ever seen.

And so, no matter how much she thought that this guy is charming and deliberately showing it, she knew that that’s it.

He was just cute, nothing more.

“So?” She asked, making sure of the deal. “Are you willing to comply to my conditions?”

Kladis made a bitter laugh, “Umm, can you give me a few minutes to talk this with everyone?”

“If you’re doing that, then at least I want my freedom right now. Or at least, let me out and have a walk in the castle and not be locked up in this tower.”

Kladis pursed his lips and nodded in understanding.

“Alright, I will talk this through with everybody and as for the first condition, I can allow you to roam around the castle but there will be places which you are not allowed to go. Is that okay?”

“Do you have a flower garden?”

When asked this question, Scion had her cheeks blush a very attractive pinkish red. Kladis chuckled, and nodded, “I do have a flower garden here.”

Scion smiled, “How long are you going to talk?”

“Not long.” Kladis said and had a peculiar glint in his eyes as he eyed and studied Scion’s expressions.

“I will be waiting there, then.”

*****

It’s been hours since they have escaped the clutches of that Ice Giant and that encounter had broadened the horizons of the two team leaders while Siva was still pondering over that lost connection to something that he thought was part of his soul –no matter how wild the idea is.

Riding hover boards, they traversed the seemingly endless plain of ice and dodged the occasional roaming lower ranked monsters.

As they have been pushed off their designated straight path towards Alexandria, their only option left is to get out of the mountain as fast as possible and get a signal as to be able to use their communicators or their auricles to contact their friends and get their location data updated.

A few minutes more had passed and the trio saw for the first time in a seemingly boring and arduous trip through this snow mountain range, a patch of green land lush with trees and life.

With a snaking blue river that came from a peak on their right side, the forest was a thing to smile for as they all exchanged looks of wild joy.

Even Siva who’s been lost to his own thoughts and has been quiet for a few hours made a thumbs up expression as he too shared that fed up feeling of a world with nothing but the white of snow and black of the occasional dangerously inclined protruding rocks.

“Let’s jump on that cliff.” Pointed Thorn and the two nodded as they changed directions. Right now, they all have their flight armors, ready to take flight and double their speed.

“Ready… jump!”

SWOOSH! SWOOSH! SWOOSH!

The whistling sounds of their hover boards echoed as three shadows jumped and flew in the air. In midair, they stored their hover boards in their inventory and although it occupied space and more weight, it was still better than abandoning this expensive equipment that can only be brought back into a capsule again if its gas was emptied and refueled.

Following the swooshing sounds were the booms of their boosters as they dashed through, following the direction of the snaking river.

But in the same moment that they flew up, Volt’s eyes was attracted to a black luster attached to the side of the cliff like a spider.

As soon as he saw it, horror struck his face and he exclaimed, “Enemies!”

Thorn and Siva shot a glance at the cliff and they too felt the same kind of alarm from that declaration.

“God damn it!” Siva yelled and changed equipment into gunner mode. Thorn was a swordsman but he thankfully had his bow and quiver. Volt had his large bazooka cannon. “Thorn, you check our direction. Volt and I will try to hold them from closing in!”

“On it!”

From the cliff where they just jumped, three black armored warships clung to the rock and ice wall like three spiders. They don’t have wings but they have legs that served as anchors.

The face of their warships looked like a face of a man-monster with fangs and an open mouth.

It was a warship and based on the saved data on their Auricles, these three warships are all Class-5 destroyers –they carried close to 200 flying units of demons each. Also, they have plasma cannons and this is what made the trio feel panic in their hearts.

Demons… the alien invaders. That’s what they are.

“Of all times–” Siva hissed, “–damn it. Damn it all!”