[Blackhole Rabbits]
Those were the creatures that jumped us. Made by the Prince of Gluttony, Beelzebub, these things swarm like locusts and eat everything in their path. In Garden of Days, many players got baited by their cuteness and started feeding them. Little did they know that when you feed one of them, they'll mark you and come back with their buddies to eat everything you have, including you.
"Dad!" Grace runs and hugs me.
Not gonna lie, that caught me off guard for a bit. I never expected this show of affection from her so I only knew to pat her head in reassurance.
"Yo, bro that was nuts!" Rocco exclaims.
"Are you... really human?" Mark asks hesitantly.
"Alright, alright, questions can come later," I say as I wave my hand.
[Prestidigitation]
At once, all the blood that covered me dissipates.
I look at the meatball that I made and as I expected, it's oozing out a sinister energy.
[Inventory]
To everyone's surprise, a rip in space appears. I then fish around for an item that I need.
"Is that... space magic?" Lina gasps, almost fainting.
I guess no one's invented a sort of storage item or skill. It would make everything so much easier for these guys.
"You had something like this but you still had us carry those heavy water barrels?!" Adresin complains.
Ignoring his protests, I finally get what I was looking for.
[Energy Compass]
Summary: Made by Head Wizard Lyra, this item can accurately track an energy it has registered.
I take some of the black energy and inject it to the item. Suddenly, it spins violently until the red pointer rests South-East.
"What's that?" Grace asks curiously.
I throw the compass back into the inventory and say, "A later project."
"I'm going crazy..." Rocco mumbles as he investigates the meatball. "Tabitha, make sure to record everything. We need to make sure that no other [Explorer] or [Police Officer] gets entangled with these guys."
Tabitha nods quietly and begins writing in a notepad.
"As for you," he points at me. "I'm not gonna ask anything about who you are or where you come from, but I need to know: are you on our side?"
Everyone looks at me with bated breath.
"I told you, I'm a 'Problem Solver'," I reply. "Whenever there's a problem, I'll be there to solve it. No matter which side the problem affects."
He sighs and says, "I guess I'll just have to be satisfied with that."
I smirk and say, "Good. Now, what're we gonna do with this meatball?"
"W-we can't just leave it here," Lina joins in. "They're producing corrupted energy. If other animals eat them, they'll be corrupted as well."
"Can't you purify it, Miss Lina?" Adresin asks.
She blushes and shakes her head.
"Oh well," I say and stretch my arms. "I guess for my next trick, I'll make this meatball disappear."
[Telekinesis]
*Rumble*
My aim is directed at the meatball, but the ground around us starts to shake violently.
"Uhh... Sir, I don't think that's a good idea," Adresin warns.
I think this time, he's right.
*Crack*
Our knees buckle as the ground beneath us shifts and cracks out of position. The animals panic as their habitats get destroyed.
"Fuck..." I mutter.
"Brace yourselves!" Rocco yells to his subordinates.
At once, his party balance themselves. Mark carries Grace while Tabitha grabs Lina and Adresin.
Damn it, I really don't like the feeling of this but I guess I have no choice.
[Mortality Activated]
[Mana Will Be Sealed]
[Divine Attributes Will Be Significantly Diminished]
It feels like I'm holding my breath whenever I activate this skill. My body feels a hundred times heavier and the colors around me turn dull.
*Shake*
As soon as I sealed my powers, the ground settles down.
"What... the fuck was that?!" Rocco yells between deep breaths. "Is everybody ok?!"
Everybody nods. Meanwhile, Adresin gives me the stink eye. The meatball disappeared during the commotion so even though it was through a chaotic way, I did the deed.
"Let's move before another horde of monsters or earthquake comes after us," Rocco suggests as he leads us out of the wrecked geography.
The trip is once again uneventful but after the attack, everyone except me is on edge. Grace seems to be the most rattled since she keeps checking on me from time to time.
Eventually, nighttime falls and Rocco stops us in our tracks. He looks about and does this whistle with a special rhythm. A few moments pass and a whistle echoes from a distance in response.
"We're good," he says as he gestures for us to follow him.
"What was that about?" I ask.
"We sent one of our scouts ahead to find any leads and to set up a camp for when we arrive," he replies. "He's actually Tabitha's brother."
I look at Tabitha and she nods proudly.
We head to the direction of the whistle and eventually find a well-hidden campsite. It's just at the edge of the treeline of the river and as I look up, I see the mountain loom over us.
"Hey, Richie we're here," Rocco calls out to the air.
Suddenly, the trees rustle and a young boy with red hair expertly rolls down from one of the branches. Like his sister, he's wearing light armor with two dagger sheathes strapped on his thighs.
"This is Richie, our scout," Rocco introduces. "Say hi to our new friends."
In response, he simply waves at us while wearing a deadpan face. I guess like brother like sister.
"Now, Richie, I know we just got here but can you brief me with what you found? I wanna know what we're working with," Rocco says.
Richie gestures to a nearby tent and the two of them disappears.
"I guess it's time for us to cook!" I declare excitedly.
*Thud*
"Ugh finally! We can get rid of these barrels!" Adresin sighs in relief as he let's go of his burden.
"Oh, good call, Adresin. Why don't you and the rest of the gang prepare a bath and relax?" I suggest.
He looks at me in confusion and says, "An actual caring suggestion from you Sir? Well, that's unexpected."
"Shut the fuck up and move before I beat your ass," I say as I kick him lightly. "Meanwhile, I'll go night hunting. There's tons of tasty stuff out there during this time."
"Alright, take care Sir," he replies and guides the three.
Meanwhile, Grace sheepishly sticks close to me and grabs my coat as I am about to head out.
"You want to come with me?" I ask.
She nods.
I pat her on the head and say, "Ok, but stick close to me."
Without delay, we head into the forest. It's normally pitch black but because of [Divine Body] my senses are sharper even though been limited by [Mortality]. I'm also not worried about Grace since Fey have inherent night vision.
I'm particularly looking for 2 things. One is the [Nightingale 'Shroom] and the other is the [Shadow Pig]. Both of these ingredients are only available at night so players don't go for them.
As we walk silently, I notice that the atmosphere between us is heavy. I'm not one to pry or even care to pry but if we want to keep working together, we need to be on the same page. So I ask a question that many parents ask on a regular basis.
"What's wrong?"
She looks at me briefly before casting her eyes down.
I pause and stoop down a bit to catch her eyes.
"Hey, kiddo, you need to tell me if something's wrong," I say in the gentlest way I could. "I promised Michael that I'd protect you."
Then without warning, tears start to fall from her eyes. I panic a bit as she starts to sob.
"Uhh... did I do something wrong? Say something wrong? I ask to try to figure out what's going on.
She shakes her head and sniffles.
"No, you didn't do anything, Uncle," she says between hics.
"Then why are you crying?" I ask.
"I just... miss grandpa," she replies. "I'm scared, Uncle. Scared that one day we'll get the news that he's dead and that I'll be all alone..."
"What?! Then what am I chopped liver?" I say in an attempt to lighten the mood.
"I'm scared of that too!!" she raises her voice. "Earlier, when those rabbits attacked you... I thought you were gone for good. I thought I'd lost you too."
"Hey..." I say as I place my hands on her shoulders. "I promised to your grandpa that I'll keep you safe. And if there's anything you need to remember, it's that I always keep my promises."
"That's what my parents said before they died..." she replies and the tears start to flow hard again. "And now grandpa's going to leave me too. And when the time comes you'll-"
I interrupt her spiral with an awkward hug.
"Look, Grace, I don't know what the future holds," I start. "But I do know what it's like to lose people you love. It's never easy and the sadness will probably stay with you for the rest of your life, but one thing you must never do is close your heart out of fear or bitterness. Because the moment you do so, you'll stop yourself from loving new people and vice versa."
She doesn't respond but I could tell that her sobbing has calmed down a bit.
"Are you ok now?" I ask.
She nods.
"I'm gonna let go of you now, ok?" I say as I gingerly pull away from her.
She meets me with a smile as she wipes her tears.
"You suck at this Uncle Richard," she chuckles.
I tussle her hair in retaliation.
"I'm doing my best, ok kiddo?" I chuckle back. "Now, let's find our dinner."
She nods excitedly.