The next day dawned bright and early. Young Setchi, still clad in his pajamas, was full of energy. He tore through the house, his small feet pattering against the floor. With a burst of enthusiasm, he rammed through a door—James's door.
James's room was a curious sight. The space was filled with numerous skulls and skeletons from various creatures, giving it an eerie yet fascinating ambiance. James sat at his desk, intently observing a dog-like skull, his brow furrowed in concentration.
Setchi burst in, his eyes wide with wonder. "James! James! What are you doing?"
James glanced up from the skull, slightly startled but quickly recovering. He smiled at Setchi's enthusiasm. "Good morning, Setchi. I'm studying this skull. It's from a creature called a Fenrir. They're quite rare."
Setchi's eyes widened even more as he moved closer to get a better look. "Wow! That's so cool! What else do you have in here?"
James chuckled, enjoying Setchi's curiosity. "Well, I have all sorts of things. Skulls, bones, and skeletons from different creatures I've studied. Each one has its own story."
Setchi looked around the room, his gaze darting from one intriguing specimen to another. "Can you tell me about them?"
James nodded, setting the skull down gently. "Of course. Which one do you want to know about first?"
Setchi pointed to a particularly large skull with impressive horns. "That one!"
James stood up, walking over to the skull Setchi had indicated. "Ah, this is the skull of a Minotaur. They are fierce warriors, known for their strength and courage."
Setchi listened intently, absorbing every word. "How did you get all of these?"
James's expression turned thoughtful. "I've been collecting them for a long time. Each one was found during different adventures and battles. They help me understand the creatures of our world better."
Setchi's excitement was palpable. "Can I go on adventures with you someday?"
James smiled warmly, placing a hand on Setchi's shoulder. "One day, when you're older and ready, we'll go on many adventures together. For now, there's plenty to learn here."
Setchi nodded eagerly, his mind already filled with dreams of future adventures. "Okay, James. I'll learn everything I can!"
James returned to his desk, the bond between the two brothers growing stronger with each shared moment. "That's the spirit, Setchi. Now, let's start with this Fenrir skull..."
As James began to explain the intricacies of the Fenrir, Setchi listened intently, his fascination with the world around him deepening. The room is filled with the sound of James's knowledgeable voice and Setchi's eager questions.
Setchi speaks, his voice urgent. "Wait, James! Before you say anything else, Father made breakfast and wanted us to join him!"
James, caught off guard, paused mid-sentence. "Oh, you should have said that first. Tell him I'll be right there."
Satisfied, Setchi nodded and left the room, his mission accomplished.
Meanwhile, in the spacious dining room, Duro and Schicht were already seated at the large oak table, which was laden with an impressive array of breakfast foods. The spread included fluffy pancakes, golden waffles with various flavored syrups, sizzling sausage and bacon, perfectly toasted bread with butter, honey, and jam, an assortment of eggs—scrambled, boiled, and sunny-side up—crispy hash-browns, decadent French toast, and an assortment of beverages including tea, orange juice, and milk.
Schicht looked at the table, eyes wide with amazement. "Duro, you've outdone yourself this time. This is a lot of food!"
Duro smiled proudly, his chest swelling. "Yes, my son takes after me in many ways. He can eat almost a full course meal seven times over, and Setchi is no different. They need energy for today."
Schicht, curiosity piqued, leaned forward slightly. "Do you have anything you could tell me about them?"
Duro's eyes twinkled with pride. "Given my DNA and his mother's, James is extremely powerful for his age. He's so strong that I let him go out to hunt monsters, and believe it or not, so far he's hunted some pretty impressive things. And even though I just adopted Setchi recently, physically, he's probably the strongest four-year-old out there."
Schicht nodded, impressed by the feats of the young ones. The table was set, the day was beginning, and with it, the promise of new adventures.
Setchi and James came running into the room, their faces alight with excitement.
Duro looked up, a warm smile spreading across his face. "Ah, what a welcome surprise!"
Setchi's eyes landed on Schicht, and he pointed curiously. "Who's that guy?"
Duro gestured toward his friend. "He's one of my friends, Schicht. He's joining us for breakfast."
Setchi's eyes widened as he took in the spread on the table. "Is this breakfast? This is so much! I've never had this much before; I've never even had any of these kinds of things!"
Duro chuckled. "Well, dig in!"
The group began to eat, savoring the array of flavors and textures. In almost 20 minutes, all the food on the table was completely gone, not a single crumb left.
Setchi leaned back, patting his full stomach. "Ah, I'm stuffed. Thanks, Dad!"
James nodded in agreement. "Yes, thank you, Father."
Duro's smile faded slightly as he looked at the boys. "Don't get too comfy. You guys have to get going soon."
James frowned, confused. "Wh-what do you mean?"
Schicht leaned forward, a gleam in his eye. "I'm going to be training you guys!"
James's expression turned defiant. "You can't be serious. I don't need training. I'm fine on my own."
Setchi, on the other hand, was enthusiastic. "Training? Oh boy, I do think I can get a bit stronger! I want to grow up to be a strong warrior after all."
Schicht nodded approvingly at Setchi. "That's the spirit, Setchi. James, if you're so confident about your power, how about we put that theory to the test?"
James met Schicht's gaze evenly. "Challenge accepted."
An hour later, James, Schicht, and Setchi stood on top of a plateau, the vast landscape stretching out beneath them.
Schicht looked around and then sat down, crossing his legs. "Alright, we're here."
James raised an eyebrow, puzzled. "So we came up here to sit?"
Schicht shook his head, a sly smile playing on his lips. "No, no, no."
A large shadow loomed beside Schicht.
Setchi and James turned, startled. "What—"
"CANNON BALL!!!" a deep voice roared.
Something massive landed with a thud, kicking up a cloud of dust around the group. Setchi started to cough, waving his hand in front of his face to clear the air. As the dust settled, a towering figure was revealed. The man was bulky, with two long horns jutting from his head and two large fangs protruding from his mouth. His skin was pink, and a large yellow circle adorned his belly. In his hand, he held a giant morningstar.
James's eyes widened in shock. "An Ogre?! What's one of those things doing here?!"
Schicht remained calm, gesturing to the newcomer. "This man right here is Trachak. He's going to be helping me train you two."
James's disbelief turned into frustration. "How exactly are you going to train us?! Are you going to kill us or something?!"
Schicht laughed, shaking his head. "Pffft, of course not! That's just a death wish for us! Your task here is simple: damage something of mine."
James blinked, taken aback. "Excuse me, what?"
Schicht's eyes sparkled with challenge. "Damage. Something. Of. Mine. It doesn't matter what it is. You could rip my pants, put holes in my shoes, you could even cut some of my hair, but all you have to do is damage something of my possession."
James smirked, confident. "Sounds easy enough! Thorn Magic: Ravage Trail!"
He touched the ground, and multiple spikes shot up, racing towards Schicht. "Bingo!" James exclaimed.
Suddenly, Trachak slapped his belly, unleashing a powerful shockwave. The force shattered the spikes and sent both James and Setchi tumbling backward.
James groaned, pushing himself up. "What the heck was that?!"
Schicht stood, unphased, with a slight smile on his face. "Welcome to your training."
James scowled, his frustration evident. "I see, so you're gonna have that fatso guard you the entire time! How generic of a test this is—"
Before he could finish his sentence, Setchi charged towards Schicht.
"Setchi, don't do it—" James warned.
Trachak reacted quickly, slapping his belly again to unleash another powerful shockwave. But Setchi, anticipating the move, leaped high into the sky, evading the shockwave. He aimed a powerful heel kick at Schicht, but as he made contact, a barrier materialized, deflecting him back.
Setchi landed awkwardly, looking bewildered. "What was that?!"
James sighed, a hint of sarcasm in his voice. "So there goes the plot twist!"
Schicht calmly pulled out his magic ID and held it in front of the two boys. The ID displayed his full name, "Schicht Von Erde," his race as human, age 46, height 5'8", and detailed his magical attributes: destiny magic being barrier magic, mana type as supreme mana, class as sorcerer, mana level at 3000, and skill level as advanced.
Setchi squinted at the ID. "So he's using barrier magic."
Schicht nodded, a confident smile on his face. "So I was kind of joking about damaging me. Unless you have some powerful universe-destroying attack, there is no chance you can even get past my specific barrier magic."
James crossed his arms, skeptical. "Why is that?"
Schicht's expression grew more serious. "I've been training and enhancing my barrier magic for almost 35 years now! I've managed to achieve the pinnacle of my ability. In every plane of existence, down to the most detailed ones, I have a different barrier protecting me!"
James's confusion deepened. "What? What do you mean by that?"
Schicht explained, his tone patient. "On every level of existence, there is a barrier protecting my very being. There is a barrier protecting my soul in every possible reality, existence, or dimension where my soul is touchable. The same goes for my body, my memories, you name it. Even where nothing exists, my barrier protects me, which makes me literally untouchable. Each of my barriers nullifies magic or any other type of energy on contact, and it would take an explosion capable of wiping out a solar system to take out at least one of my barriers!"
James stared at Schicht, disbelief and awe mingling on his face. The challenge was more formidable than he had imagined, but the determination in his eyes showed he was far from backing down.
Schicht looked at the two boys with a confident smile. "I'll weaken the barrier in this dimension, so if you break it, you'll win. Just know that it'll take at least the force to destroy a mountain to shatter it."
James's eyes lit up with determination. "Game on."
Setchi charged at Schicht, but Trachak moved swiftly, intercepting him. The massive ogre blocked Setchi's punch with his stomach, the impact bouncing Setchi back a few feet. Despite the force, Setchi landed gracefully on his feet. Trachak then flashed his magic ID at James and Setchi. The ID displayed his name, "Trachak Paʻi," his race as Ogre, age 54, height 12'4", and detailed his magical attributes: destiny magic as Shock-wave Magic, mana type as normal mana, class as berserker, mana level at 80, and skill level as advanced.
James looked at Setchi, a hint of concern in his eyes. "These guys are good, Setchi. Do you have a plan?"
Setchi pondered for a moment. "Those shockwaves aren't magic, right? So if I can just get through them, I could do some damage."
James nodded but remained skeptical. "But a mountain's worth of damage?"
Setchi sighed, realizing the magnitude of the challenge. He glared at Schicht. "What's the big idea?! How do you expect us to break your barrier?!"
Schicht smiled knowingly. "By using mana reinforcement, of course!"
Setchi looked puzzled. "Mana reinforcement...?"
Schicht explained patiently. "Just because magic plays a very crucial role doesn't mean mana is just there to support it and give it attributes. Depending on both your mana's amount and destructive output, magic users can naturally use their mana to enhance their bodies from the inside, giving them insane defense, speed, and strength. Since mana and magic are two different things, mana reinforcement can't be negated or absorbed by anti-magic or magic absorption abilities."
James, still trying to grasp the concept, asked, "How different is mana from magic anyway?"
Schicht continued, "Think of it like this: inside your body, mana is fuel. Since its natural habitat is your body, it won't do anything and flows freely throughout. But when you release it, the entire world outside your body is fire. Your mana can't exist anywhere else, so it transforms itself into magic and combusts."
Setchi's curiosity was piqued. "How do I do that mana reinforcement thing?"
Schicht smiled warmly. "You already do it quite a bit. Say, when did you awaken your magic abilities, Setchi?"
Setchi looked surprised. "I—I have magic?"
Schicht nodded thoughtfully. "Precisely. I've been told that when you fight, you already subconsciously reinforce your body with mana."
James, intrigued, interjected, "Yeah, it sounds easy enough to do—"
Schicht turned his attention to James, his expression serious. "You, on the other hand, James, you don't do it."
James was taken aback. "Wha—what?"
Schicht continued, "You don't do it, and I'm here to change that. Now, boys, come at me."
James leaned towards Setchi, whispering, "I think I have a plan to get this over with quickly."
Setchi's eyes narrowed with curiosity. "What is it?"
"Just fight that ogre. I have a game-winning spell that I've been practicing for two years," James whispered back.
Setchi nodded. "Alright."
With that, Setchi charged towards Trachak. The massive ogre stood his ground, locking eyes with Setchi. Setchi's punch connected with Trachak's stomach, but the impact triggered a powerful shockwave that blew Setchi back. Despite the force, Setchi landed on his feet and immediately sprinted back towards Trachak. The previous punch left a noticeable fist print on Trachak's stomach, and the ogre spat out a blob of spit in reaction.
James's thoughts raced as he observed Schicht. Barrier magic is a tricky magic to deal with. It's one of the three magics that other magic and magic-based abilities don't qualify as magic, like destruction magic and reality magic. Depending on certain rules you give your barrier, your barrier can protect you from anything, but what he doesn't know is that I have the perfect counter to any form of defense.
James clawed both of his hands and placed them together, resembling a set of jaws.
Schicht watched him intently, puzzled. What is that kid doing?
James aimed his "jaw" hands at Schicht and closed his eyes. "Embotar, franco, kichasqa—"
A large blue magic glyph appeared beneath James's feet, and a faint red magical aura shrouded his body. His hair floated in the air, charged with energy.
Schicht's eyes widened, and he began to sweat uncontrollably. That kid... is he... no... way...
Setchi continued his aggressive attacks on Trachak, who was merely defending. Setchi noticed the magical display from James. "Woah... magic!"
Trachak grabbed Setchi by the back of his shirt and lifted him effortlessly. "Gotcha!"
Setchi struggled. "Ah! Let me go!!!"
Schicht's voice rang out urgently. "Trachak, stop James!!"
Trachak looked confused but complied. "Huh? Oh, okay." He dropped Setchi and leaped towards James, morningstar in hand.
James chanted, "Sagittarius, I cast DIRECT— Thorn Magic—"
As Trachak's shadow loomed over him, Setchi managed to intercept Trachak mid-air. Trachak had to cancel his attack and jump to the side, away from James.
Dammit, Schicht thought, he's aware that we're not allowed to directly hurt him!
James's voice rang out powerfully. "Beast Fang!!!" He opened his eyes and closed the jaws of his hands. The magic glyph beneath him disappeared and reappeared much smaller around his hands. Suddenly, deep cuts appeared on Schicht's shoulders, arms, legs, cheeks, and chest. Setchi landed right next to James.
Setchi's eyes sparkled with admiration. "That was so cool, James!!!"
James, breathing heavily, managed a weak smile. "I'm... drained though..."
His knees buckled, and he collapsed from exhaustion.
Setchi knelt beside him, worry etched on his face. "James!"
Schicht stood in astonishment, feeling the sting of the cuts on his body. "I was actually hit..." he muttered, a grin spreading across his face. He planted both feet firmly into the ground, and his eyes gleamed with excitement. "I was actually hit!!"
Green magic flowed from the ground, healing all of Schicht's wounds. He unplanted his feet and screamed, "YOSHAAAAAAAAA!!!" before striking a triumphant pose.
"You kids really are some prodigies!!! You know what, I'm so happy that I'll drop my living world barrier just for you! Training doesn't end here, fight me!!!"
Trachak, watching the scene, couldn't hide his concern. "Schicht, are you losing it?"
Schicht, now fully pumped, shook his head. "Of course not!!! I'm pumped up! These kids are this impressive at such a young age, with the right kind of training, they can become crazily powerful sorcerers in the future!"
"But Duro wanted us to just get a grasp of what they can do—" Trachak began.
"And he isn't here right now, is he?!" Schicht interrupted. "Unless you're gonna stop me, I want to take these kids under my wing!!! What do you say—" He pointed dramatically at Setchi. "Setchi?!"
Setchi stared at Schicht in complete awe. He's so cool, and that battle cry of his... "Yes! I want to become your pupil!!!"
Schicht's face lit up. "See, he wants to be my student! By the way, is your brother looking alright?"
Setchi glanced at James, who lay on the ground, exhausted. "Yeah... what happened to him?"
Schicht's expression softened. "Your brother did an impressive feat, an impressive one indeed. So impressive that only a couple hundred people in the world can do it. He performed a chant amplifier, something trillions of magic users train for almost their entire lives but usually never accomplish. Chant amplifiers require utter and complete focus on the chant and the chant alone. You can't think about anything else—you can't think about what the chant does, the meaning behind the chant, the target of the chant, nothing. You can only think about the chant itself, and you have to focus all of your mana into it too. With a limited amount of mana, it can suck you dry of all energy, but when you have lots of mana, you can use them back to back. Chant amplifiers apply a conceptual effect on spells. The one James did was called 'direct,' where the spell amplified by the chant has a guaranteed chance of landing, no matter what."
Setchi's eyes widened. "Can I one day learn it?"
Schicht laughed heartily. "Cut the crap! You already don't have what it takes to learn how to chant! So, I'll just train you to be better than a chant!!!"
Schicht jabbed the air, then got into a fighting stance. "YOSHA!!! So let's get straight to business!!"
Setchi tilted his head. "What does Yosha mean?"
Schicht smiled warmly. "When you're feeling good and excited, when you know that there is light at the end of the tunnel, yosha is a way to express it all! Also, it means alright."
Setchi grinned, mimicking Schicht's enthusiasm. "Well, YOSHA! Let's train... master!"
Schicht's face lit up with joy, and a cheerful tear trickled down his cheek. Master?! YOSHAAAA!!! I actually have a student of my own!!! I swear I will cherish you, Setchi! He gave himself a thumbs up, feeling a renewed sense of purpose and pride.
The two of them began to fight in hand-to-hand combat, their movements swift and fierce, as the sun sank below the horizon, casting a deep orange glow over the landscape.
Meanwhile, somewhere in the world, a large castle stood, almost seamlessly integrated into a vast mountain range. This was Krest, the government base of operations. Inside the base, in an extremely dark room, sat a man slumped in a chair, snoring softly. His hair was extremely long and spiky, but every part of him, including his hair and entire body, was wrapped in gray bandages adorned with various glyphs.
He wore a white service uniform with red outlines, adorned with multiple badges and what seemed to be his magic ID. A completely red peaked cap sat on his head, decorated with three medals on each side: one a golden eagle, another a bronze snake, and the last a diamond bullet. His pants were entirely white, and he completed his outfit with black boots.
The door to the room creaked open, and a military servant stepped inside.
"Sir..." the military servant called softly.
The man remained asleep.
"Sir!" the servant repeated, a bit louder.
The man still didn't stir.
"SIR!!!" the servant shouted.
The man jolted awake, slamming his hand on the desk. "What the hell do you waaaaaant?!"
The military servant stammered, "S-Sir, you have visitors."
"Is it the Jehovah's Witnesses? Because if so, tell them I don't believe in God. If it's the Christians, tell them I don't believe in God. If it's the Jews, tell them I don't believe in God. And if it's the orphanage..." The man gestured for the servant to come closer, which he immediately did.
"Yes?" the servant asked, leaning in.
"Tell them I don't believe in God."
"Well sir, actually—"
"Good point," the man interrupted. "They are just going to try to convert me. I hope this time they all come at once. I'd love to see some religious holy wars for once in my life. Dreidels will be flying, preachers will be dying, and maybe one of them will drop a holy book as loot. I always needed a hat weight."
"Sir—" the servant tried again.
"But if not, it could be someone important. Let them in!"
"Yes—"
"But that's assuming they are already in front of the door, meaning they heard everything I just said."
"Ye—"
"But I'm betting they aren't, so if that's the case, THEY BETTER DRAG THEIR ASSES UP HERE AND TALK TO ME THEMSELVES! Bastards, waking me up."
The door slowly creaked open.
"HALLELUJAH, I LOVE GOD! Is what I would say. Come in here quicker, before I shove my hand up your asses and turn you all into a human centipede."
Forrest Guillotine, Chad Overgrown, and Raitami Esugan entered the room. The room fell silent for a full five minutes.
"Well, shit," the man muttered.
Forrest spoke up. "ID?"
The man switched on a lamp on his desk, illuminating the ID on his uniform. His ID displayed his first and last name, "Ikio Surukru," his race, "Mystic," his age, "894," his height, "6'3," his destiny magic, "unidentified," his mana type, "classified," his class, "sorcerer," his mana level, "90,000," his skill level, "Godlike," and an extra category marking his government position, "World's Punishment."
Ikio leaned back in his chair, eyeing the newcomers with curiosity. Despite being completely wrapped in gray bandages, including his eyes, his sharp presence was undeniable. "What brings you to my humble room, great wizards?"
Forrest stepped forward, his demeanor serious. "We would like to send you, and a couple thousand soldiers, on a search and destroy mission."
Ikio's eyes widened, or at least it seemed so from his animated reaction. "Search and destroy?! I can actually... I can actually... I can actually... DO SOMETHING IN THIS JOB?!"
"Yes—" Forrest began, but Ikio interrupted, his excitement bubbling over.
"Being immortal sucks, dude! You stop physically aging after the age of 25 and before you know it, you're living the infinite hell of office work and taxes. Not like you know, Forrest—your immortality still makes you age, just slow as hell. And you don't gotta pay taxes! For someone like me, they hurt like hell, and I can't put a band-aid over it. But I could go on about taxes all day. BUT I FINALLY GET TO ACTUALLY DO MY JOB?! Oh boy, what is it now?!"
Chad chimed in, "We need ya to wipe a village off the face of the planet for us."
Ikio's enthusiasm was palpable. "I'm listening..."
Chad continued, "The village has two extremely dangerous things we need to take care of: a man by the name of Duro Naniyori, and a powerful magic artifact."
Ikio leaned back, contemplating. "I was thinking of actually going out for karaoke today. Though all I really do is sing the same song by my favorite artist, Young Tough. But what do any of you boring people know about music anyways?"
Forrest, growing impatient, interjected, "We aren't talking about music right now, Ikio—"
Ikio suddenly stood up, slamming both of his fists on the table. "YOU DON'T KNOW WHAT YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT!!! SINGING WITH A GOOD VOICE TAKES TALENT. IF YOU SOUND STALE, NOBODY'S GONNA LISTEN TO YOU!" He pointed a finger at Forrest, his eyes blazing beneath the bandages.
"KARAOKE BRINGS OUT THE BEST IN ALL OF US! EVEN THOUGH I CAN ONLY HIT LOW NOTES, I CAN WALK AWAY HAPPY AND CONFIDENT KNOWING THAT I AT LEAST TRIED, UNLIKE HOW YOU GUYS SET US AND YOURSELVES UP FOR FAILURE WITH THE WAY YOU DRESS US!!! FORREST, YOU LOOK HOMELESS. CHAD, YOU LOOK GAY. AND RAITAMI, YOU LOOK GAY AND HOMELESS!!!"
The room fell into an awkward silence as Ikio's outburst echoed off the walls.
Ikio sighed. "Sorry." He sat back down, regaining his composure. "So, what were you saying about this village?"
Forrest continued, "Duro Naniyori is the last of an extremely powerful race, the Belighters. Belighters are very distant descendants of the Enbetwean, after inbreeding for millions of years. Though he doesn't hold beyond magic like his ancestors, he does possess a forbidden mana type: reactive mana."
Ikio leaned forward, intrigued. "Is this reactive mana what makes him so dangerous?"
Forrest nodded. "I was getting to that. He is physically stronger than most creatures. Due to the nature of his race, he can sense any and all forms of mana and magic. Suppressing your mana signature is useless against him, and he can identify your destiny magic just by being in your vicinity. He currently has a son, and we would like you to kill him as well. By breeding with other races, his DNA alone can create dangerous beings that threaten the world."
Ikio's eyebrows raised beneath his bandages. "So is this son of his half human, half... Belighter?"
Forrest shook his head. "No, he's much worse than that. He's half fairy."
Ikio whistled softly. "I see. A half-breed of two near-extinct creatures. This kid's potential should be off the charts, but if that kid has any children, even stronger beings will rise in the future. So, what about the artifact?"
Forrest continued, "He's in possession of the Origin Heart. After the Belighters became their own race, they were unable to reproduce with each other anymore, leading to their gradual downfall. They sacrificed over 90% of their population to create the Origin Heart, a magical stone that holds all their powers and can bestow them on anyone who wields it. They used it to create dolls full of life and their powers, but that still didn't save them from near extinction. Once we have the Origin Heart in our possession, we would keep it deep in our magical storage, only using it to boost the strongest of our ranks."
Ikio chuckled. "You know what's funny? You were all like 'I was getting to that' when I asked about their reactive mana, and after a monologue, you still haven't told me."
Forrest sighed. "Reactive mana is completely un-negatable mana, that can't be corrupted or manipulated by anyone else but the user."
Ikio shook his head, amused. "Okay, you could have said that within the monologue!"
Ikio stood up and walked around his desk to the three great wizards. "We really need to get you public speaking lessons or something, am I right, Raitami? Aye aye?" He nudged Raitami playfully.
Raitami huffed and looked away from Ikio.
Ikio grinned. "You know you love me."
Chad stepped forward, holding a small device. "We know that you can't sense mana right now, so we've devised a mana signature device for you."
Chad pinned a yellow glowing pocket-watch onto Ikio's uniform. "It should connect directly to your mind and give you the exact location of the village."
Ikio examined the device, skeptical. "Am I... thinking this right? There's no way you expect me to go THAT FAR across the world..."
Chad raised an eyebrow. "How far is it?"
Ikio shrugged. "Dunno, like... 357 billion light years."
Raitami chuckled. "Ikio..."
"Huh..." Ikio muttered.
Raitami grinned. "Don't act like you can't cross that distance in less than a minute."
Ikio sighed dramatically. "You know, I could do it at any pace, but I can't accept this mission just yet. I need to prepare my soldiers for this. This mission definitely won't be easy, and it definitely, DEFINITELY, will have a few casualties. But I have to make sure I have the right people... and gags..."
Forrest looked puzzled. "Did you just say gags?"
Ikio waved his hand dismissively. "No no no no, you're getting old. You're hearing things."
Forrest shook his head, exasperated. "Well, good. We're expecting great things from you, Ikio. Good luck."
The three wizards exited the room.
Ikio leaned back, a sly smile on his face. Good lies, Ikio! Now you at least have a year of bullshitting around to do!