(Denzel's POV):
"It's Lester..." - Gayle
Gayle opens her eyes in relief from receiving a message with a red notification signal from her boyfriend which seems to be named Lester. Wait, red notification!?!
"Gayle, read it quick! It could be a distress signal!"
"Ah! Got it!" - Gayle
Gayle immediately opens the message while I opened my friend list to ask for a certain person. Honestly, I didn't want to call her. She has a weird obsessive personality but she's a great force for support.
Gayle reads the content of the message out loud while I send a message to that girl.
"Gayle, we're currently in the desert south from the center-point. We're under attack from both monsters and aggressive players. Lawrence and Terrence are badly damaged from the earlier wave, and we can barely hold out in only one more week. Please ask your new friends and help us! This is bad!" - Gayle
Horrible indeed, I have to make preparations immediately.
"Gayle, notify William and Malech about the situation once they wake up and have them prepare for the emergency search. I'll notify Seymour about the situation and ask him to allow me to take up this distress signal. I'll gather the rest of the search party."
"Got it!" - Gayle
I immediately left the room and moved to the third floor where I can feel Seymour's presence. Without caring about the sound I opened the door to a mana thick room which is used for meditation and called out to Seymour.
"Seymour, a distress signal came to my acquaintance, it's from her friend."
"So you're asking me to allow you to take part on that?" - Seymour
"Yes, I can't have them despair over the loss of their friends."
"Alright, but who is going to keep watch on the palace?" - Seymour
Crap, that's bad too... But still! While I was gritting my teeth Seymour exclaimed his proposition.
"I'll keep an eye then, but I will diminish part of your reward by seventy-five percent for the first quarter of a year the moment the witch farm is up and running." - Seymour
Huge loss, but if it keeps everyone safe then it's worth it!
"I'll go contact Robin to be in-charge of the castle for the time being. While you're away, pass me the blue coin." - Seymour
"Though they'll obey you anyway cause you have higher authority than me?"
"Insurance." - Seymour
"Got it."
I passed the blue coin to Seymour in which he caught without breaking his balance.
"You have until today to prepare, I'll have you set off tomorrow." - Seymour
"Thanks, I'll leave this place to you for a bit."
I left Seymour who is still meditation and closed the door properly, I then moved up to the kitchen on the first floor and found Ashley.
"Ashley, mind if I make a request for a bit?"
"Ah Denz, what is it about?" - Ashley
I explained the entire situation to Ashley and asked for her cooperation. She was thinking for a while but she nodded and accepted to join the search party.
Great, now that's two supports in the group including 'her'. I opened my friends list once again and contacted the other two assassins that haven't showed up for some time.
"Come on now Isaac and Gabriel, you two are great people here."
============================================
"Lilith has arrived!" - Lilith
"Guu~"
Two hours later, Lilith arrived from who knows where with prepared supportive equipment.
"Aren't you too high spirited? We're setting off tomorrow."
"Well, I got a little too excited when you summoned me." - Lilith
Don't you 'Tehe~' me! I get that we became good friends during childhood but you're way too different when it comes to the future.
"On a serious note though." - Lilith
Lilith's tone changed, which I sighed on relief.
"What's the situation?" - Lilith
"Well, see here."
I opened a world map to assist me from explaining as I started expounding the entire talk. Lilith nodded multiple times with seriousness and is seemingly forming a plan.
"Alright, who are the rest of the search party?" - Lilith
"I'm having Malech, William, Gayle, you, Ashley and possibly Isaac or Gabriel."
"The two marksmen huh?" - Lilith
I'm personally acquainted with them though? While retorting to Lilith's mutter about Isaac and Gabriel, Gayle comes into the meeting room with Malech, William, and Thrish.
"Denz, I want to come too." - Thrish
"Isn't it dan-"
Lilith stopped me before I tried to convince Thrish about the danger.
"Two Mystics, a Chronorift, and an Astrorift." - Lilith
Lilith mutters some words once more. Her mutter took my attention when she said that Thrish is also a Mystic. Ashley arrives to the meeting room last with some snacks for everyone to munch on.
"And a stonecrusher." - Lilith
Lilith starts thinking for a while and made a tense atmosphere in the meeting room. Everyone's attention was taken by Lilith who was a beauty with orange shoulder length hair, a slender body and her attire suiting for the role of the healer.
"Alright, this will do fine." - Lilith
Everyone was surprised from Lilith's ability to think well, though me and Ashley aren't pretty surprised from her major skills in strategy when she even managed to best me even in chess.
"Denz, who is that?" - William
William who became suspicious of Lilith's presence in the palace asked me.
"She's Lilith, one of my childhood friends I guess."
"Oi, what do you mean by 'I guess'? That's rude for someone who knows about your bl-" - Lilith
Uoi!!
I covered Lilith's mouth and averted the topic before it becomes horrible for my health... Mental health.
"Anyways, let's begin the meeting!"
Rika arrives to the room with Isaac alone, she then comes close to me and pulls Lilith away with non-smiling eyes. Go Rika! I have lots of major issues with her!
"Isaac, what perfect timing. What about Gabriel?" - William
"He declined, that lazy ass." - Isaac
"Ah, as expected. Well, you're enough to the lineup anyway."
There isn't anything Gabriel could do once he's dedicated to something. And it seems he's dedicated to become surrounded by girls.
"Uh? Huh?! I'm pressured by a younger girl?!?!" - Lilith
I looked at Lilith who turned her gaze to me while asking about Rika with a smug face. That's right, you can't try and place yourself into me easily now!" At the very least, Rika didn't misunderstand my smug face and returned to pressuring Lilith who is still complaining while listening.
"Anyways, I called you all here to become a part of the emergency search party. We're heading to the desert and save some of Gayle and Thrish's friends."
"Lester huh, I should've went there before moving here but I guess today's a good opportunity." - Malech
Malech opened up his worries and familiarity about Lester.
"You know him?"
"If you combine our entire group when we visited the castle we're almost twenty people. Some of them stayed in the desert areas, so they can hide from the hostile faction. The enemy is siding in the mana thick biome in the west of the desert. The Mystic Desert." - Malech
"Mystic desert you say?"
Isn't that where they find the Mystic Ore? So they were driven out from the biome from trying to scavenge materials that they consider their own huh.
"Yes, the enemy faction pretty much outnumbers us in the count of fighters and assassins. Though me, Lester, and Terrence can handle them to some extent. As expected, it'll be difficult once they brought out their mages.." - Malech
"I'm..." - Gayle
"Worried about him?" - Rika
Rika, who finished pressuring Lilith was standing beside Gayle while patting her head. Truly like a mother eh? Gayle hesitates in further asking for help despite everything is in discussion already.
"Don't worry, Zel will be sure to help them. Right Zel?" - Rika
Guess I have no choice but to show my confidence huh?
"Let's be sure to save him."
I smiled confidently towards Gayle who is like a flower decaying from her boyfriend in danger. Gayle, who saw me being confident, started smiling once again in determination.
"Please, help me save him and his friends." - Gayle
"Gayle is like my child. So I'll answer Gayle's wishes."
I turned my gaze to Malech while Gayle huddled up on Rika.
"Malech, who are the members who can fight at the front with direct weapons?"
"Lester is an Exalted Harbinger who deals more damage with lesser health. The other one is Terrence who's a Gunslinger Duelist. He is powerful as a ranged support." - Malech
"The others?"
"We have a summoner, magicians, and a cryomancer." - Malech
I calculated their chances of survival and it seems they can hold out only for so long. Even when they are being constantly attacked.
"Alright, we'll be heading to the desert as soon as tomorrow! Though it's not good to be late, it's also bad if we rushed it. Before then, everyone is to prepare themselves for the search."
Everyone nodded and left the room one by one.
"Isaac, summon Gabriel since I'll be giving him a place to stay soon. I'll have you formally become a resident of the Crystal Palace while he's gonna be making a house."
"Got ya~" - Isaac
"Lilith, you'll also become a resident here, please file a leave from your faction and officially become a member of the Asylum. I think it's about time."
"I guess so." - Lilith
"Rika, please keep an eye on Angel and Jilean."
"Sure thing!" - Rika
I kissed Rika on the forehead to entrust some light work on her. She then left the room last and moved to the sixth floor immediately.
I on the other hand, moved to the underground junction once again and took out the Chromium.
I borrowed Malech's, sickle and chain weapon which he named: Death Trap, and gave it some properties of Chromium.
The scythe becomes light and oozed out brown aura for some time before it returned to normal. I inserted a new ability from the properties of Chromium which I'm going to test in the other underground junction.
I swear Malech's gonna like this...