CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN

I wish I knew what I was doing.

"So what exactly are we waiting for?"

Dawn complained, which was oddly out of character for her. Her eyes were heavy, her head muddled, not to mention her legs which were killing her.

Squatting beside her was a certain cold faced young man who seemed completely oblivious to her plight. He was gazing intently at the entrance of the White Holy Temple and had barely budged from such a position for the better part of the day.

"It's reconnaissance," Pale grunted. His legs were numb as well, and hours of hiding beneath a bush were demoralizing, to say the least. What made such a situation even worse was that he had not expected Dawn's tendency to whine increasing as time went on.

"No, I mean. Why are the two of us needed? One of us could stay here while the other joins in the search for Road." Dawn whispered.

It was only a day prior, when they were told by a sullen-faced chamberlain that Road had disappeared. Despite this, however, there was no panic, no outcry from the Temple, thus many had just assumed that she had gone out on a mission.

Diethard, however, knew better. Although a slacker, Road would, in fact, be required to take action occasionally, whether for ceremonial or diplomatic purposes. However, each time she did, she would always be careful to leave a note.

Roari had disappeared too of course, but as she was a minor character, nobody really minded. Perhaps she had found something that caught her fancy or got murdered by a bunch of Australian bull worms. To be frank, Pale and Dawn wouldn’t have been surprised in the least.

Of course, Road was different.

Although a mere five-hour disappearance wasn't enough to warrant one's suspicions, but on a quiet street, an item was found that would cause an uproar among players.

It was her sword. Clattered dimly on the pavement with its user nowhere to be found. Of course, the sword was quickly snatched away by the authorities, but a casual investigation found that Road never actually made it to the White Temple Headquarters.

And would she really be so foolish as to leave her sword in the middle of the street? After all, she was a 'swordmaiden', thus she should always have it on hand, if only for symbolic purposes.

Such an event had made the old man fraught with worry. With the cities, recent adoptions coupled with the additional disappearance of Godfrey, the creepy butler guy, it was not unwarranted to assume the worst.

As witnesses to such an event, they too were naturally pulled into the investigation, forgoing sleep to spend the day frenziedly searching. But it was all for naught.

It would appear the old man really cared for the young NPC girl as he searched the hardest of them all. He had even ignored persistent notifications from his wife in the outside world to search. Through this alone, one could tell how deep a friendship was formed between the unlikely duo.

With such a statement, Dawn had been touched, and if not for the severity of the situation, she would be grinning from ear to ear.

That said, Diethard's was still rational. As a mere level forty something, he knew he was a miniscule power, no larger than an ant. Thus he quickly forgo-ed his pride to beg Dawn and Pale for help. Without saying, Pale had agreed, if only because his sister had gone missing as well.

As Dawn stewed in her feelings, she realized that she had been glaring at him for a while now. Fortunately, Pale didn’t notice as he answered simply.

"Because I like having you with me."

‘Wawawa?’

"W-Who are you trying to flatter!" Dawn stuttered. After experiencing the sibling's antics, she would normally be immune to such crass statements, but after staying up all night wondering what had happened to Road and Roari, she was not in the right state of mind.

"It's true! I don't want to sit here all by myself, and you're the mildest out of everyone." Pale slurred, completely oblivious to the building bloodlust in the lady next to him.

"Besides, I am like 50% sure this is a lead. Don't you think the Temple has been far too quiet, considering their holy maiden just up and vanished?"

"Fifty Percent? Just where did you pull out such a number?"

"From my ass ._."

"Y-You!"

While it was true the order seemed relatively lax, there was literally no good reason for them to be out here. Even the receptionist looked bored. Actually wait...the receptionist, bored?

Normally, the entire temple would be bustling with workers and knights, yet the entire place seemed strangely quiet.

"Shh Dawn. Just call it woman's intuition."

"But you're a man!"

"Not mine." He answered ominously before quickly sealing his lips. Indignant, Dawn had half a mind to log off and go to bed, but after seeing the serious look on Pale's face, her expression relaxed a little.

'I suppose a few more hours couldn't hurt...'

While Dawn decided to put her faith in him, Pale had made the premature preparations for when he would be proven right. After all, Roari had told him that she recognized one of the metal clad soldiers while she was detained in the prison. Although he didn’t wear the same standard or gear, his face was unmasked and could be identified as one of the many workers in the White Holy Temple.

…

Of course, after squatting outside the temple for gods knows how long, their presence did not go unnoticed. From the start, they were discovered, and unbeknown to them, the number of observers kept growing. Now, countless eyes were hidden in the shadows, all of them watching carefully.

"A fine evening to you all." A voice broke the monotony.

Pale and Dawn, who had been on the verge of passing out, jumped at the sudden closeness of the voice. They both turned to see Griff who was smiling at them stiffly.

"Oh, it's you...uhhh"

"Griff," Dawn supplied.

"Yeah, Griff! How are you?" Pale awkwardly said.

"Quite pleasant. And how are you? I would imagine sitting outside for half a day would not be the most comfortable experience."

"Ack!"

"Sir, we were uh...having a picnic!" Dawn supplied as Pale gave her a nasty look. Though he ended up supporting her.

“Yes. Having a picnic. It’s a beautiful day out.”

“I see.” Griff nodded. “I’m feeling a might peckish myself. You wouldn’t happen to have any leftovers would you?”

“We ate it.”

“I see….” Griff said. “So, why are you still here?”

“You know. Just enjoying the sun.” Dawn sucked in a breath as Griff looked up to the sky. The sun was covered and it was quite cloudy.

Meanwhile Pale angrily whispered into her ear. “Next time, I get to make the cover story.”

Dawn noisily cleared her throat as she was being glared at from both sides. At this point, she had half a mind to just come out and tell the truth.

“Actually, we were investigating the disappearance of Road. We were waiting for someone to come out to ask, but so far, nobody has left the building.”

As Dawn hastily pieced words together, Griff looked at her in bemusement, clearly unsure of what to make of it. Of course, it didn’t help that Dawn was a terrible liar, but the reason she provided seemed sound enough. Thus he could only nod and agree while Pale felt a mild migraine coming on.

"Ah, I thought that might be the case. Tis a tragic thing, but you needn’t bother with such things. I can assure you, we are already doing all we can to find her."

"Just like how you did for those children?" Dawn startled herself after she impulsively blurted out that comment. But rather than rage, Griff's forced smile eased, and his entire bearing became solemn.

‘Dawn! Can you just be quiet’ Pale wanted to cringe into a little ball. Oh god. And he thought Roari was the only one who couldn’t stop talking. You won’t die if you don’t seek death. Was that so hard to understand?

"It was by the goddesses will that such events transpired, and it was also by her protection that the children were found safe and sound."

"So you’re saying your goddess condones child kidnappings? And what of the children who weren't found? The ones that faded into oblivion? Was that 'her' will as well?" Dawn snarled, completely uncowed by the massive level disparity between the two.

"I do not wish to speak of such things! There is a plan in place..."

"Which includes your holy maiden being taken. As the one who represents your entire religion, you'd think her disappearance would have you all panicking a bit more."

Griff looked as if he had swallowed a lemon, but he stubbornly continued. "I only follow the teachings of our Lord. In times of crisis, one must keep a steadfast heart and carry on. Doing so would bring benefits to all."

"The teachings of our Lord? You mean Lady surely. To protect the guiltless, To save the anguished. They are the only two tenants our Lady gave us, yet I don't see much saving or protecting done anywhere."

The calm poise that Griff displayed shattered under Dawn’s accusations, revealing but a glimpse of his inner feelings.

"Bah! You wish to lecture me on the Lady's teachings? You, who hath been apart of our order for less than a year? As someone who joined us for the benefits and not our beliefs, what could you possibly understand?"

"More than you think! And if I don't understand, then explain it until I do! Just what is going on in this city? It wasn't like this when I was last here!" Dawn insisted.

"You need to leave. Now."

"I am a member of the White Holy Temple. I should be entitled to know."

"You are entitled to nothing. A lowly grunt is not privy to the affairs of men. Perhaps it would be more prudent for you to consider switching faiths. Perhaps they would enjoy your evangelical fervor."

In the midst of his indignant behavior, the light suddenly changed in Griff's eyes as he stiffened.

"I will say this and only once. Do not investigate Road's investigation further. Do not harass our order for information, lest you face the consequences. There is no organization hiding in the shadows and following me will not solve anything!"

Griff growled, abandoning his eloquent speech, yet somehow his words didn’t have any impact behind them. Suddenly he paused as if remembering something. He turned to them once more. "Also, in thirty minutes, I'd better not see you loitering around here anymore, else there will be dire consequences!"

As Griff disappeared back into the White Temple, Pale and Dawn shared a glance. Even through their sleep addled minds, they were still dumbfounded.

“Did he just…?”

After immediately huddling together like a couple of teenage girls, they began discussing their own theories. After coming to an agreement, they quickly left the area, changed and returned whilst equipped in full gear. In addition to wearing different sets, they had also invested in half face masks, caps and full plate helmets. Unless one looked closely enough, none would be able to recognize the tired straggly loiterers from before.

Such efforts were not in vain either. As after approximately thirty minutes, a cloaked figure stepped out from the Temple's backdoor discretely as well. His entire appearance alone screamed 'suspicious', but the most surprising part was his face.

It was Griff. Despite wearing a cloak, his face wasn't even covered, thus any potential observers would instantly know it was him. Despite looking as if he was in a hurry, he moved with slow deliberate steps, prompting the two watchers to follow him.

'Thank god legs don't cramp in this game' Dawn thought as she instantly began jogging after doing absolutely nothing for the last few hours. Actually, after squatting for so long, she would normally be rolling around, clutching her thighs in pain after such a move.

While maintaining a healthy distance, the two of them followed him through sparsely crowded streets. As it was nearing the evening, many of the citizens were finishing the preparations for dinner. Despite that, a six foot tall man bundled in a grey cloak should at least draw some attention, yet the people's attention seemed to pass over Griff completely.

As such, they followed. From the central fountain to the slums at the city outskirts, Griff had never turned back once. Though there were times where they had lost him, he would almost immediately show up around the next corner.

Such coincidences were naturally impossible and were much to the amusement of Pale and Dawn. They entered a lonely street stuffed with shanty homes and rickety buildings, where Griff ducked into a desolate looking alley. His dark cloak seemingly melding with the shadows in the wake of the waning sun.

"Well, that's not unwelcoming at all," Pale remarked. Just by looking, he could almost smell the urine coming from the festering, dangerous looking alley.

Not willing to lose sight of Griff, they hurriedly chased him, rounding one final corner before seeing the last flutters of a dark cloak disappearing behind a rickety door.

In front of the door, however, were a group of rag tagged beggars who were currently standing at attention. However, the moment the door closed, they quickly scattered, lying around in random clumps.

There were six men. Far more than can be taken down without raising an alarm. Even if they were trash mobs at lv1, the odds of silencing them all at the same time was not likely.

"Now what?" Dawn hissed, pulling Pale behind a pile of trash. She doubted such men would just let them waltz through the doorway.

"...How good are you at parkour?"

"Oh fuck no."

Dawn grimaced as Pale pointed to the rows of windows across the third story of the building. One of them had been left wide open and appeared large enough for them to squeeze through.

Such an entrance would normally be incredibly tempting, but there was one slight problem. They had no way of climbing up there.

The stone brick walls on both sides had been polished smooth and offered little purchase for their fingers. Also, it would not be possible to use climbing picks either as the noise would quickly draw attention. Though the dark alleyway was narrow, it would not be enough for them to inch themselves up.

Thus they were stuck.

"Take off your shoes and heavy armor, I have an idea."

"Do you? Do you really?!"

Pale's 'idea' was a fair representation of what happens when companies go too far with their employee trust exercises. With the two of them facing back to back, their arms were locked together. As they both planted their naked feet on opposing walls in unison, Dawn began questioning why she kept complying with such things.

With a quiet heave, the two of them managed to push themselves off the ground, wedged together tightly as they balanced between the walls precariously.

Though Dawn expected that they would fall at any moment, their balance managed to hold. And step by step, they began to climb.

It was not long before Dawn's back was completely plastered in sweat, with Pale doing not much better. Due to the immense coordination required to simply move in unison, every step was incredibly taxing. With the added pressure of falling due to a casual misstep, the two of them had to heighten their concentration to unfathomable levels.

The threat of crashing onto the pavement aside, neither Pale nor Dawn would normally be able to persist for so long. However, regardless of their motivations, their refusal to let the other person down allowed them to exceed their limits, even as their limbs began screaming in agony.

With Pale whispering for time constantly, the two-man salmon ladder slowly inched upwards, even as the two of them were gasping for breath.

Of course, one might wonder why Dawn, who had notably higher strength and vitality than Pale would be gasping with the same intensity. Some of it was fatigue, yes, and the rest was sheer nervousness at being in such close proximity with Pale. Though illogical, the constant worry of Pale feeling her sweat through her back was incredibly embarrassing.

That aside, it was fortunate that none of the guards looked up, leaving Dawn free to hook her foot on the interior of the window with no problem.

Actually, that was a lie, there was actually one big problem.

Due to their arrangement, there was no way for them to actually climb into the window. Unless Dawn magically discovered the secret to climbing backwards anyways. Worst, was they found that they didn't have the energy to climb back down either, and any attempts to do so would surely end with a face full of granite.

"This was a great idea Pale. Praise be he, our brilliant strategist!"

"Hush you. Your sass is not helpful! Don't you have a rope or something in there?"

"Rope? Oh, Gee Golly! Well captain hindsight, maybe if we had rope, we could've used that to scale up, instead of bloody climbing up like retarded sloths!"

(If anyone is wondering why Dawn has a sudden shift in tone, please do note that she hasn't slept for over a day now)

"Stop trying to use logic to make me feel bad!"

"I have half a mind to drop you right now!"

"Well, you might get your wish, because I don't think I can hang on much longer!"

Pale's legs were trembling as Dawn snapped back to the situation at hand. Her mind a whirl as she began panicking.

"Just hold on a bit longer. I think I can--"

She didn't even half a chance to finish talking, as Pale's legs finally gave way.

For a moment, there was a gut-wrenching panic as the still air broke around them. If you ever felt the ground fall beneath you, or had the sensation of falling in a dream, then you would understand exactly how the two of them felt right then.

However, before they had a chance to scream, they found themselves lurching to a stop.

It was Dawn's foot that saved them. As it latched against the window sill, halting their fall, and sending an intense pain lancing through her ankles.

It was sheer luck. And although Dawn might be internally cursing in pain, at least they managed to avoid a sloppy kiss with the pavement. Pale, however, was less lucky as he received a face full of wall after slamming into the side of the building. Dawn herself could feel her face tearing up, as her calves screamed and her foot began cramping.

"It's pulling...pulling!" Dawn whined in protest, but did not slacken her muscles."

"Just as planned!" Pale while dazed, spat out a mouthful of blood.

"Planned my ass!" Dawn managed to squeeze out a breath through her teeth. "Hurry up and climb, I don't know how much longer I can hold!"

It was fortunate that it was dark, as the act of Pale struggling to pull himself up with Dawn's body was not the most flattering of scenes. Dawn could only be grateful that she had the foresight to put on leggings, but still, the burn on her face was unmistakable..

"It is a very nice ass though." Pale couldn't help but comment as his hands found purchase on the windows edge.

'Should I just bite him?'

Dawn bristled. If she weren't hanging upside down at the moment, she would be showing him Suarez's Fang of God.

After Pale managed to catch his breath, he quickly pulled Dawn up as well, though her expression was anything but pleasant.

The two of them were red-faced and tired, having fallen into some shabby bedroom with naught more than a cot and a few dressers. Their entry alone had caused a cloud of dust to collect on their clothes, to which Dawn quickly brushed off.

Her feet, calves, and thighs still aching, she annoyingly gave Pale a swift kick arse. Though fake, his wounded expression while clutching his backside was lovely.

Although he looked as if he wanted to say something, Pale quickly froze. There were footsteps and loud ones.

Thankfully due to their bare feet, they made little noise while scrambling around the room, but the ever louder creak swiftly threw them into a panic.

There was no cover. The cot was too small to hide under, and the dressers were impossible unless they were secretly contortionist.

All there was to be had was a single, lonely bathtub.

The door creaked open and snapped shut.

"Are we secure?" A thick voice rasped. Despite being altered, the owner of the voice was easily identified as Griff.

"We have men securing the perimeter. This building is owned by us as well. Aside from us, there is no one else in this building."

"You fool! The dust in this room has been disturbed recently. You dare tell me we are alone?"

The room shook as heavy footsteps clunked across the room, getting ever closer to the bathtub. There was a pause then a gentle snap as the window was shut closed.

"Sloppy." Griff spat, clearly disgusted by the locale, or perhaps by the incompetence of those whom he was dealing with.

"I swear, that window was not open before! It must be...It must--"

"Save your breath. This place has been compromised. Also, the perpetrators might still be here. They could be hiding in this very building, having been privy to all of our plans. For all the soul society promotes itself, your performance has been lacking."

"Don't go too far now, Griff. You might be a relatively important liaison for our plans, but don't think you can mock our order. Your position is not secure enough that such insults would go unpunished."

"Oh? Am I being unfair? Have you and your masters and your master's masters done anything to show us otherwise? I must be. Your stellar work with the children has been handled fabulously after all."

"Don't presume to be sarcastic with me! It was an unexpected variable. However, we still managed to get most of the job done."

"And I would 'presume' that should unexpected variables occur with Road, then you would be free of blame as well? It hasn't even been a day and her disappearance has already been noted." Griff scolded.

"That...was also unexpected. We were fools to use a random buffoon for what would constitute delicate work, but we are confident nonetheless."

"It seems to me, you all calling such a man a buffoon is the same as a pot calling the kettle black. Do you even have her under control?"

There was a low grating noise as whoever Griff was addressing gnashed his teeth in anger. There was a short silence as the man appeared to get his rage under his control, and then there was a long sigh.

"We do but it will take time. It was quite difficult keeping the racket to a minimum, but I expect the clamor will soon quiet down. After all, no being alive can hope to withstand our combined might."

"Again with the self-praise. Stop dissembling and tell me how long you will need. People have begun searching already."

"A week if we're fast. A fortnight if not. If not for the extra guest, we would have completed it even faster."

“A guest? A guest? Who is this guest?!!”

“Relax. She is a friend to our order. However our master wants us to see to her comfort so our plans may be slightly delayed.”

“Need I remind you that this is not a game. If we get caught, or if we fail, not only would our heads go on spikes, but our very country may become vulnerable to invasion.”

“I said relax.” The voice repeated, clearly miffed by Griff’s aggression. “Nothing will happen. Even if you mobilized the entire White Kingdom army right now, we have still sufficiently completed our task. As for Road, we have her in a secure location

"Secure? Like this very building? Like the church that was uprooted within a week? You honestly expect me to believe that? You think without the protection of our men that you all wouldn't have your heads hoisted up on pikes by now?"

"We care not for your protection! We have our own ways of maintaining our discretion. If need be, we can raze this city to the ground. Only ashes would become your legacy."

"Oh? Still with the threats? Well here's one for you. You tell us where you're keeping Road. So I can send some converted knights to keep you from fucking up again, and you get to keep that pretty head on your shoulders."

The man spluttered. "Preposterous! You already have too many men within our ranks!"

"Yes. And I want you to include more. Your antics in this city have disgusted many people in high places. Can you blame us if we want to ensure everything runs smoothly?"

"The master will not be pleased." The voice rasped weakly.

"What do I care for your master’s feelings. After this one event, I hope to never speak to the two of you again."

“You are not in control here." His voice clammed up as the slow cold shink of a sword being drawn can be heard.

"Wait Wait! Kill me and you will be showing hostility to the master. Our summoners have already prepared a massive surprise from the bloodstone you gave us. So great in fact that even neighboring kingdoms will take notice!"

"I do not want terrorist attacks within this city! Our enemies do not include the common citizens!" Griff shouted..

"Its nothing of the sort! I promise. We'll be preparing a beast of such unimaginable power that nobody can control it. Well, aside from us. After we summon it, it shall be released into the city outskirts to terrorize those ...'players'. Actually considering the time, I believe that Ryker's group should be setting it loose right now!"

"You would do such a thing without our consent in this city?"

"Wait wait wait! Lower your sword! Lower it!"

"Tell me where Road is, while you still have your head!"

"We don't work for you. Even as guests here, we lower our heads to no one...wait wait wait. I'll tell you! She's in the Eastern warehouse by the slums."

"Harumph. Was that so hard? I'll send men to confirm the location, but I'm warning you. Despite your backing, this is still our city. And I swear to you. On my ho...On my faith to the order, on my loyalty to the people of this kingdom, that if a single commons person gets hurt from your antics, that your head will go flying first."

"Y-You can't intimidate me! So long as it furthers our goal, we shall employ whatever means necessary."

After the final stutter, there was a long eerie silence, as if the two men were staring each other down. After there was a quick harrumph as one of the men backed out of the room in a swift retreat.

From the depths of the dusty tub, two small figures were steadily huddled up against one another, not daring to so much as breathe. Their eyes widened as they heard everything in the exchange. Was it really ok for them to learn about the location so easily?

Regardless, both were troubled by the news, but with the immediate danger gone, a new danger was suddenly brought to their attention.

They had not realized it in the heat of the moment, but the tub was quite small, thus when they crammed their bodies into it, the resulting position was 'intimate' to say the least. Had there not been the threat of being discovered, their minds surely would've broken after staring each other in the eyes for so long.

A warm stream of air spread over Dawn's face as Pale whispered, his voice barely audible even from such a distance. "Do you think they're gone?"

The answer arrived swiftly as there was a brief crash. A new voice resounded through the room, but the speaker was obviously quite far away.

"Sirs! A fight just broke out amongst the guards. We have an intruder!"

"Who's the attacker?"

"It's the one who led the sword maiden into the trap. Godfrey!" The messenger cried.

"Oh him.. I suppose I should go meet with him. We shall continue this later, Sir Knight."

"I'll find you." A terse voice replied as the building became uproarious with the pounding of footsteps. It wasn't long before the footsteps drew further and further away, leaving the two bathtub bandit to heave a sigh in relief.

But right as they were about to exit the tub, Griff's gruff voice came piercing through the still air.

"You can come out now. There's no use pretending. I could hear your breathing ever since you started following me."

Dawn stared at Pale in shock, at a loss as to what to do. Completely caught unawares, their options consisted of, fight, kill themselves, or beg for mercy.

The room grew cold as a presence loomed over them.

"I said you can come out... or did you not hear me?"

Peering upwards, the two of them found Griff's handsome face, looking down at them sadly. Seeing the state that the two of them were in, his eyebrows raised slightly but did not comment as the two of them sheepishly extracted themselves from the tub.

"Well, are you happy now? Now you know."

Dawn spluttered. None of this was making sense.

"But why tell us like this? I thought you were working with these people. Why betray them? And why not just tell us normally?"

Griff sighed. His face torn between pain and regret. "Because though we might be on the same path, our goals are naturally different. I am taking a risk here. Though I do not believe you can stop us, I do want you to interfere with their operation. You can leave by taking a left out the door and down the hallway. The balcony is low enough for you to jump out."

Even as he turned to leave, the two of them weren't willing to let him go just like that. But even as they made a move to stop him, his form blurred before disappearing from the room entirely.

Only his faint voice remained as he left the two of them in the dusty room alone.

"Just go. And if you can. Save her."

"The fuck?!"

Pale wanted to curse but for now, they had to get out of there. Any additional time spent loitering just increased their odds of being discovered. Fortunately, though, the entire hallway was empty, and by following Griff's instructions, they quickly found themselves running down a remarkably empty alleyway.

While running, Dawn's heart lurched as she found that a new entry had been burned into her journal.

Quest: Save the Girl. Save the World! (Suggested Lv 97)

"Well, that's unsettling."

Unwilling to miss out on any details, Dawn immediately began scratching down the events that had just transpired. Whether they would come in handy in the future was uncertain, but it was obviously better to have such information at there disposal rather than to rely solely on their memory.

Due to the level recommendation alone, it was doubtful that the quest would be anything less than a death trap. However, they did acquire information that would give them some leeway.

First was the time limit. They had at a minimum of one week to formulate a plan to close the massive level gap between them. Another was that they had the location in hand, thus they could do some reconnaissance. And lastly was the activity of Road. Naturally, they would not be given a quest that would be impossible to complete, thus the answer became clear.

They would have to find a way to free Road before the week was up, then ride on her coattails while she slaughtered through the rest of the quest for them.

After notifying Diethard of the events, the response was almost immediate. Although all of them were interested in scoping out the area, they all mutually agreed that it would be more prudent to do it on the morrow.

After all, having stayed up for more than a day had taken its toll on all of them. Roari herself had already gone to bed long ago as well.

As each of them was about to log off, however, their balance faltered as the very ground beneath them began to tremble.

'Earthquake?' They stumbled as cries of horror began to sound all around the city.

Glass split and shattered and the more poorly erected buildings on the street all caved inwards. But even as the disaster spread to other districts, an earth-shattering roar rumbled from the city interior, splitting the skies and cowing all those in its wake.

As one, the many players in the city and its countless citizens all looked up to the source of that sound.

It had appeared. First as a swirling mass of smoke billowing a black miasma that seemed to corrode the very air it touched. From its appearance, Dawn and Pale felt a sense of familiarity and dread as the miasma spread over the city skies.

With a heavy flap, the creature within dispersed the smoke completely, revealing a massive, winged panther. The sounds of the air exploding from the instantaneous pressure boomed over the city, causing many citizens to topple over in pain. Blood dripping from their ears.

"Devi?" Dawn blinked. The monster in the skies seemed a size larger than the one they fought, but despite having similar appearances, the auras they exuded were not even comparable.

If the cat they fought was a vicious monster, then this one was truly a singularity. The air distorted and the buildings nearby eroded just be being in close proximity to it. The corruption seemed to seep to the very citizens themselves as soon screams of pain erupted as the darkness chewed away their very flesh and bones.

But the city did not just stand there to take it. Numerous beams of light erupted from all over, and the hidden experts of Baracus rose to meet the beast.

Seeing that it was being challenged, the true devourer spat a glowing purple ball from its maw. Though it remained stationary, the brightness within grew more intense before blinking out of existence.

A moment later, the area around the most numerous cluster of defenders exploded into a plume of violet energy.

Such an explosion rocked the cities very foundations, as the citizens cried out in horror. Despite that, however, there was no shockwave, no additional damage, as there was an interlocking hexagonal matrix put into place between the beast and the town.

At the very epicenter of the formation were two knights in pale blue armor, both erecting a massive shield while others emerged from the explosion. Countless weapons were drawn and armed to assault the massive beast.

Of course, there would be no battle to the death today. Though the animal had the pride as the king of its race, it was no fool. Upon seeing that it was outnumbered, the True Devourer screeched once before disappearing into a black void, reappearing hundreds of meters away while roaring challenges at its opponents.

The men of the city were fully willing to take up such a challenge. Quickly ground troops began assembling massive ballistae and pegasi riders were quickly saddled and mobilized.

The metal bolts gleamed dangerously as they cut through the air, with many falling short of the beast. However, such a hostile reaction was enough for the True Devourer to flee in truth, but not before a group of heavily armored individuals began to pursue.

With its sudden appearance and disappearance, conversation spontaneously erupted from the city folk. Some were fearful, but many were reassured of their cities might after seeing the lightning response to the irregularity.

Pale who had been subconsciously clutching at Dawn's arms stiffened. His hands dropped to his sides as he took out his little cat pet. Was this the 'distraction' those shady folks were talking about? It all seemed too great a coincidence, but what was the difference in power?

He closed his jaw which had been open all this time and thought back to the quest they had to do. Just from experience, he suspected the recommended level was severely undervalued, especially with such ridiculous monsters at their enemies disposal.

Actually, the task itself originally seemed like an impossible task, but if it were like this, wouldn't it just mean they would be destined to fail? Such a thing bordered the realms of insanity, but what he didn't expect would be Dawn's eyes glistening with anticipation.

"W-What?"

"You seem rather happy about all of this."

"Well, I was just thinking. Perhaps I was wrong to only pick the safe route. Diving into treacherous depths with death at every corner, isn't that precisely the appeal of adventuring? Surely, that's what's happening now right?"

Pale shivered. That was indeed what they had talked about the day before, but with that uncharacteristic lopsided smile from Dawn and her twitching eyelid, he was almost certain she was one step away from breaking.

Actually, he was almost certain that Roari was the cause of all this. Perhaps it was due to Roari hanging onto Dawn like a parasite, but she was becoming more and more similar to his sister, whether by design or infection, he had no clue. One was already a handful, but if the cool and mild Dawn became an exact copy of the boisterous rascal Roari, Pale's head might actually explode from exasperation.

"Ahem. Yes, but of course. That doesn't mean we can't maximize our chances of success right? I feel like we're going to need some help."

"Where would you get those? Even the top players in this city are like ants compared to a knight captain. Even if we were to raise an army, I feel that would be counterproductive and instead reduce our chances of rescuing Road."

"Of course, if they were any regular players, yes, but I can think of one group who would be quite the opposite."

As Pale explained, Dawn's lopsided grin stiffened, and the airheadedness vibe stopped cold in its tracks. Though it did seem to be the best course of action, wasn't this taking advantage of her a little too much? Hell, the shamelessness which Pale expected her to just do it had struck a nerve.

Naturally, she refused.

"Come now. Don't think of it as a favor to me, but to our party. If we succeed, there will be plenty of benefits. Actually, they should be thankful to be included in such a quest, as the rewards would surely be great. Besides, do you want Deetz to be sad? You know how that old man is right now."

"Despicable." Dawn spat as she coldly glared at Pale. But she had no way to argue against it. Save for her pride, it was the best course of action, yet she was still uncomfortable with such blatant usage of her assets.

Fine. If it came down to it, she would rather help out the Diethard than leave him crestfallen. However, she would also make note in her notebook. Grudges have to be settled after all.

Seeing that Dawn's shoulder had relaxed, Pale just gave her a wide-eyed smile and patted her shoulders softly.

"Don't worry. I'll take you out for ice cream as thanks."

"Do you think I'm that cheap?"

Saying nothing, he maintained that smug obnoxious salaryman smile. His expression said it all.

"...Fine. I'll be making a phone call."