Morietur patiently stood in the middle of an office with his hands behind his back, watching as a well-worn man analyzed Zarco's cristal.
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The man sat behind a huge desk full of papers, looking at the crystal with a smile, and a prideful look in his face. After a few seconds of him basking in his glory, he simply says.
-Good job.
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Morietur
-Thank you, sir.
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The man then keeps on talking, all the while never looking at Morietur directly or averting his eyes from the crystal.
-With this, after all these years, the war will finally end.
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Morietur
-But even if the war ends, we'll still have to deal with the rest of them.
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Man
-Yes, and I've been thinking about it, exterminating them seems like such a waste to me, as far as I know, they are fairly unique.
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Morietur
-What do you mean by that, sir?
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Man
-Well, our colony has some wealth, thanks to the current resources of this island, however, that won't keep us relevant for long, but what if we offered something that you can't get anywhere else?
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Morietur
-Are you suggesting that we invest in selling these scum?
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Man
-Of course, we could make a good profit from a more stable market of such exotic creatures on the mainland, instead of the sporadic selling of prisoners we have been doing.
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Morietur
-I see… well, if that is all, I'll be leaving now.
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After saying that, Morietur quickly turns around and walks towards the door.
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The man finally looks at Morietur as he says.
-You can't keep running away, Morietur.
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Upon hearing his words, Morietur stops walking, but he does not turn towards him.
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Man
-If you intend to marry my daughter you must be able to inherit the administration of this colony, and that includes even matters that you are, let's say, "uncomfortable" with.
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Morietur slightly turns his head to look at the man while he says
-If you insist on talking to me, then tell me, is the order we made before getting this crystal on its way?
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Man
-Yes, a monster coming straight from Echidna, by now the galleon must have sailed from the mainland.
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Morietur
-Great, that's all I needed to know, goodbye.
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The man sighs while he watches Morietur walk away, clearly disappointed with his attitude.
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<--------------// ~ // ------------->
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A galleon peacefully floated over a sapphire sea, the vessel slightly swung from one way to the other, moving with it the blood and bodies of several fallen and badly injured sailors and soldiers.
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In the middle of the bodies was a young man with long dark hair, dirt with dry and flesh blood all over him, he stood in shocking contrast with the rest of the scenery, as he wore some kind of exoskeleton armor with cables spread all over it.
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With a bored expression on his face, he walked the deck, checking to see if everyone on the floor was alive.
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Once he was sure they didn't kill anyone he sighed and said out loud.
-Ah, it's finally over! I think I'm going to need a shower now...
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Next to him, on top of a wood crate sat a woman with abnormally long voluminous hair, she wore clothes that matched her outlandish hair, they looked like ringmaster clothing which made her look like a traveling performer wearing a costume, and the last piece of said "costume" was a macabre mask that covered her whole face.
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Looking at him she complains while pointing to Deville.
- It's all his fault.
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Deville laid on the ground, all beaten up and full of blood, mostly not his, surrounded by a pile of unconscious soldiers and sailors. He chooses to ignore her words, and just keeps looking at the sky.
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Far from the bodies and the fight, sat a young woman who wore a soft and comfy sweatshirt, the piece of clothing was clearly too big for her and, for some reason, was adorned with leather straps that kept it somewhat tight to her body. Unlike her companions that were tired or annoyed by that mess, she was actually pretty relaxed, just quietly drawing, trying to capture the contrast between the battle that just took place and the serene scenery.
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Upon noticing that Deville had stopped punching stuff, she says.
- He seems to have calmed down.
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The masked woman quickly corrects her.
-Wrong.
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The long-haired guy compliments.
-He was looking at the sea and now he is facing the sky.
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The girl then starts to realize what was happening.
-Oh yeah, they're both blue...
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With a very tired expression on his face, the long-haired guy mutters to himself.
-And blue reminds him of…
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Deville's eyes shone with pure anger and hatred as he shouted.
-ZAAAARRRCOOOOO!!!
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The masked woman puts her hand over her mask, and says in a dead, exhausted tone.
-And he is at it again...
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The yelling echoes throughout the sea and the galleon, reaching even the darkest part of the ship, waking up a colossal creature that rested inside a huge metal cage, it's whole body was bound by chains, allowing it to only open its eyes, that coldly shone amidst the darkness.
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END OF THE EIGHTEENTH CHAPTER