The teams was set and we were ready for the split. I was already putting on my gear, only to realize that my tactical vest was wearing out. The stitching of the Velcro was partially torn and its prongs were already taking enough fiber. The hole where the red orc was still there and many tears and creases started to show. All the more I thought maybe I should have invested for a plate for this thing.
But as I try to tighten the straps of my vest something happened. I could feel something at my throat. There they were, grasping my neck. Two bulky, black arms covered in fur and sharp lizard-like nails. It was another vision again. I was at the floor again at that school. The beast was about to strangle me. My body was flailing but soon its grasp loosened. That's when it started to cry blood. "Nii-san...kill me..." The beast pleaded.
But soon the vision ended with me at the floor. The whole team circled around me as they saw me at the dirt. "Maybe it might not be such a good idea to let him drive the motorcycle..." Magna suggested.
Richard then helps me up. "Alright, get up...You're making me start to think that this is a bad idea." He says, "As second in command, you're riding with us, no exceptions."
Sakuya then puts something. It was a necklace with a small bamboo tube as a pendant. "What's this for?" I asked. "A good luck charm. It will help a little at least. Just don't open it, the charm will be rendered useless if undone." Sakuya tells me, "Just make sure to come back in one piece."
She then starts patting my head. A memory flashed. It was an image of her doing the same thing to me when she was at her teens. Sakuya would often do this to me a lot for some reason before I left. My eyes opened a bit and my cheeks were getting heavy. Am I flustering? That's odd. I then looked away and accidentally said in Japanese, "Please don't treat me like that."
Sakuya was surprised. But only realizing now I just walked away and pretended nothing happened. However there was no problem...my cheeks couldn't stop blushing. There I cleared my throat and went back to fixing my stuff. "Anyways we should get ready. Tsukuyomi still needs for me to get things done."
All of my gear was up and ready but I was still waiting for the rest. Gram, Richard, and Mr. Williams were doing a briefing with me and what was the setup. "This maybe scouting but it's most likely going to be more like an escort mission." Gram commented. "It's because it is. For scouting we would be surveying for the terrain but Rin would be considered the VIP in these types of missions." Richard told Gram.
"VIP?" I questioned.
"'Very Important Person'. At escort missions, the task is protect person's of interest that may serve important in certain missions or tasks. If this individual is down or lost then the mission would be considered a failure." Mr. Williams explained.
"So in other words I'm considered the 'VIP'?" I wanted to confirm.
"That's right. Besides we're pretty curious after all what are the needs of a goddess. Besides, maybe we might get something out of this." Richard said.
Gram and Magna then gave him a blank stare. Richard's face looked perplexed. "Why are you looking at me like that?" Richard questioned, rather confused.
"Expecting something in return from a goddess is disrespectful...do you want us to get cursed too?" Gram said.
"In the end we need to actually get something that can benefit us in return, you know!" Richard talks back, "We may have the Mechs and merch but we still need to makeup for profit, you know."
"Both of you are right but maybe we should focus on the task at hand. Besides, none of us have been to the location." Mr. Williams insisted.
"Right...then...does anybody wanna volunteer for any position?" Richard asked.
"As far as I go, I can be the rearguard. If we are taking any kind of large monster with my heavy crossbow." Gram volunteered.
"I can go for that I can probably be at that position too and supply cover fire." Mr. Williams joined in too.
"Then I would be the only one to protect Rin. I only have mid-range spells on me. Even if I'm an all-rounder I don't have defensive spells on me." Richard told them.
"I can use defense spells, if you want." I suggested.
"We can't risk that. Besides there might be a chance you might have an episode in the middle of battle. That might leave you vulnerable" Mr. Williams declined.
"Then I suppose you can use this." Magna buts in.
He then hands us a metal suitcase and inside was a surprise. It was some kind of small carbine with a pistol grip. I haven't even seen it before. "What is it?" I asked. "It's a Desert Eagle Pistol. I converted it into a carbine and equipped with a silencer." Magna says, "Maybe we can let Ben use it. With the military experience he has."
"Ehhh? You know how costly that build is, right? Are you sure you going to leave it to a newbie?" Richard questioned.
"You need a balanced party if you are doing an escort party without a tank. The man is an all-rounder and we would need to be prepared with the forest." Magna mentioned.
"Come to think of it...this is the first time I've heard a forest here." Gram commented.
"What do you mean by that?" Richard asked.
"According to some of my guildmates, there was supposed to be a satellite colony being developed there. Maybe we might stumble upon it." Gram replied.
"I didn't see any colony around there when I was using my bird shikigami. It must be further northeast." I added.
"Maybe we might be able to find a buyer for the miscellaneous stuff." Richard recommend.
"Let's just focus on the briefing for now. Besides there's something I still need to set up." The orc insisted.
Magna then took something me at the side and started to do a pay down on me. "Hold still." He told me. The orc then reached into his belt and started to put small devices on me. Two were strapped at my arms, two on my legs, one for my chest and another on my head. "What are these for?" I asked. "For the drones to track you." He replied.
"Drones?"
"Yeah. We're also going to provide support here at the base. To give a bird's eye view."
"But why are there so many?"
Magna paused for a second. He scratched his chin, not knowing what to say. The orc then opens his mouth in a bland expression and says in a non-caring manner, "To track lost limbs if ever they were torn off..."
That was an awkward thing to hear. There was an awkward pause of silence. The mere thought of it made me wonder if this was a regular occurrence. Better yet...how were they able to reattach them if they were ripped off? We aren't exactly in a place where modern medicine can be administered. But the orc proceeded to tighten the straps further and patted me down to make sure they were still in place.
Magna then goes to his chest-like backpack and it opens to reveal a couple of metal brief cases to reveal a couple of drones and controllers. He then attaches a power source and presses the center button of the controller. But oddly enough I nothing happens. He then taps the controller a little and the controller lights up. A holographic display reveals and the crystal at the center of the drone starts to glow. Magna directs his attention to the home team. "These drones run on the same tech from Terra but I managed to modified them with magi-tech components." He says, "I'm going to need somebody to pilot these two. Anybody can help with this?"
"I got some experience driving some drones but Tyrell is better at it." Rebecca put out.
"I don't know...how do you pilot them?" Tyrell asked.
"It works like any other drone from Terra but I made sure it relies on a VR headset." Magna answered.
Tyrell then looks at the drone. It wasn't something that he isn't used to but he looked impressed. "Are these 360 degree cameras?" Tyrell asked.
"Yeah. We managed to salvage them from a delivery truck around Tondo. Sometimes HAPs happen on a small scale. Too bad for the driver though..." Magna said.
"What happened to the driver?" I asked.
"...You're better off not knowing..." Magna hesitantly replied.
The answer was ominous and dark. But maybe it was a good thing not to know. After all...there might be some dark things even the land of Laputa may not need to know of.
Magna then takes another suitcase, only to reveal that it was a monitor. The computer soon started to unfold to reveal a CPU and a keyboard. It was like a fusion between a laptop and a desktop. After that he gets another laptop to reveal it to be some kind of crystal inside a transparent cube. He attaches it at the side and strange computer lights up. "We're going to use this computer to analyze the condition of the drones. I call it the Veil. I'll be in charge of this one. To make sure you guys hit anything." Magna explained to the both of them.
"So what will be looking at?" Tyrell asked.
"FLIR, nightvision, mana levels, echolocation sonar....the works. I'll be looking at camera feeds too to make sure all the equipment works." Magna says, "So at the meantime you'll be mostly my eyes on the ground."
"Will it be okay for us to use them though?" Tyrell asked.
"If you can handle Terran drones then it will be a walk in the park." Manga assured.
"Just make sure not to hit anything. I'll still be in command on comms. Magna will act as a navigator so listen to him if there is any kind of danger around." Sakuya told them.
"So what are we supposed to expect?" Tyrell asked.
"Maybe a few animals from Terra and from Aria. But if it is a forest I think we might stumble upon the fae." Sakuya replied.
"The Fae...?" Tyrell emoted.
"They're fairies. A kind of spirit. They're anthropomorphic but differ in size and yet they have magic that excels that of humans and elves." Gram said.
"So they're that powerful?" Mr. Williams questioned.
"They're considered the ancestors of the elven folk so, yeah." Gram confirmed.
"Elven?" I questioned.
"They're also a race known for their magic potential in the magic arts. They're kinds stuck up but they really are a lot of help at defense raids." Richard said.
"So...there is such a thing as elves?" Tyrell questioned.
"Come to think of it...I've ever even seen an elf ever since coming here." Rebecca put out.
"That's because they're usually at Duo or Unum. They never go out of those places an take jobs specifically at that area."
"Why don't they leave? What's stopping them?" Rebecca asked.
"Back at the time the Elven were known to give charity in medical aid and magic knowledge. But because of UTU's escapades, the elven folk cut their services from the outer walls." Richard replied.
"And by doing so the Elven became despised by Terrans, right?" Rebecca added.
"Yeah. Both Races hate each other and they can't even get along with treaties or guild meetings because of the issues UTU is causing. But in all honesty all this hatred being shared around is useless. We can't get anything done with all this hot air getting into people's head."
"So if the fae are considered the ancestors of the elven, would that mean that we would also find some at the capital?" Tyrell asked.
"That would be impossible. The fae have an empath ability. By the moment they sense ill will, they will go away." Magna said.
"With all the hatred going all around at Cletus, they wouldn't even bother going here." Richard replied.
'Hatred.' Another word I rather not get in my head. I can recall bullying in my head. People were always saying shit about me behind their back and sometime scribble stuff on my desk. I would always go alone and avoid people So I was thankful for Rentaro and Kenshin for teaching me Parkour. he lesser trouble, the better. My mother would say not to blame them. But I was brought at that staircase a where I saw my mother die. But by the moment I moved I was there at another staircase. It was at the hallway of the school. I could smell the rotting of flesh passing through my nose. It was that girl again dying at the hall. Her smile was there but her eyes were covered in mosaic. But there I saw a tear form in her eye. What could that mean?
The more we talked about these politics the more distasteful the conversation was. It was about the reckless stuff of what UTU was doing. In the end it was just the same story, a series of reckless, emotional events. But we had to get to the program. There was an intense aura leaking from the northeast. I switched to magus eye to be greeted by an odd sight. It was a gloomy dark grey aura. The aura's shape was similar to oil above water. It was stretching and pulling and it was again... coming from the northeast. It was slowly descending below us and it wasn't good. Again northeast.
After a bit of briefing we had to start on our journey. Our vehicles were now heading to the forest. The away group were letting in tabs in and out on information, making sure to keep an eye on any threats. We were using our radios to keep in touch and everybody had to made sure to make point for any threats that might be around. Windows were open and there were no means of slacking.
"Home team. What's your status?" Richard asked as he was on comms.
"All clear at the rear. How's your part?" Magna replied.
"Same. It's mostly grassland here. There was a herd of deer on my ten but other than that. Nothing." Richard answered.
"I got something at three. Can anybody check on that?" Rebecca asked.
"I got it on my scope. Looks like wolves but some of them are pretty big." Mr. Williams confirmed.
"My guess is that these things are direwolves. They're probably after the deer." Gram suggested.
"We might need to take care of that one later. There were a few bills that I put up from the guild association at the guild hall based on those types." Sakuya added.
"So...you guys can put up bills from the guild association in the guild hall?" Tyrell asked.
"They're more of 'notices'. You still have to register the job at the guild association. But it's mostly an adventurer's guild kind of thing." Sakuya replied.
"Makes sense...craftsman classes often just sell their wares to a merchant guild or something to get shillings but they do have preferences." Tyrell replied.
"What do you mean by preferences?" Rebecca asked.
"Well...some merchant guilds like wares, specifically from certain creators from certain guilds. It's more like a popularity contest really." Tyrell said.
"Are you getting some sellers?" Mr. Williams asked.
"I can get by but it's enough to last beyond the month." Tyrell summed up.
"Sorry if taking you out here is hindering you from work. I'll be sure you get compensation." Sakuya apologized.
"It's alright. Trips like these save me a lot of money in gathering supplies for my builds. It's better than buying them from the merchant guilds." Tyrell assured.
"There are a lot of people are finding wood around the market. Maybe we can get some." Rebecca suggested.
"Not if you want to be at the bottom of a treeant." Gram added in.
We soon reach our own destination started setting camp. The forest was huge. There were trees as large as the one's you can see at the Calaveas Big Trees State Park. Some of them were even two to three yards in diameter. But oddly enough the trees were very diverse. There was Oak, Redwood, Birch, Nara, and even Palm. You can really tell this was a mythical forest just by looking at it. I even caught a few of my friends staring at a coconut tree of all things. One thing for sure this was an anomaly on its own.
But despite the view I can sense the aura coming from the area. It was the same grey aura that I saw with my magus eye. After turning it off I can feel my hand shake. The sight of it reminded me of the school. I could recall it having an aura like this. The smell of blood came back from time. A reeking sense of nostalgia that I regret recalling. But it soon it brings something. A growl.
Out of reflex I let out a punch and hit the tree next to me. My hand was black and was in its demonic form. It left a crater at the trunk and my arm was buried halfway. I struggled pulling my arm out but managed to get it out. Everybody was staring at me, only to look at my reflection at the windshield to find my demonic form out at first stage.
There I retracted my form and cleared my throat. "Maybe we should do a final briefing before we head out." I suggested. The reply dispelled the gaze. I new I was acting strange and yet here I am trying to not make it weird. Furukizu then appears next to me. "Keep on guard." He says, "Even with life there is death."
He disappeared a short after only for me to find myself in the Origin Plain again. In front of me appears Tsukuyomi. She was calm but serious. "You recognize the danger you are at now?" She asked me.
"Something is in this forest, isn't there?" I questioned.
"At least you have that much to recall." She says, "Follow the aura into the heart of the forest. Beware of echoes of the woods. Be wary of what they bring."
I then returned from the White Room to find myself at the same place. My arsenal continues to feel heavier. Whatever my task is... it's definitely eerie.