Girium sat in his place, relenting to the request of the gang.
Or so it would seem on the surface.
He knows he was the weaker side in this conversation. He owed too much and had failed at what he wished to do originally.
Hence, he was stuck here.
Girium was not the kind to abandon responsibility. He knows if he does it one time, there will be a second time when he will try to escape from it, then a third and fourth. Before long, Girium knows that he might even lose the desire to follow up on the promise that he made so long ago.
Which made it so he can't run away from it.
"Hmm."
But Girium knew he had messed up. These people might not be bad, but they were still a gang.
A gang that kept his neighborhood clean. Something anyone would do, as no one loved to live around in filth and be hated by their neighbors.
So there was a chance of evil deeds done by these people in other areas. Because at the end of the day, these people still ran a gang and hence took part in illegal activity to fund their enterprise.
Not to mention, these people also had a rival in this city itself. And Girium already understands who Bear Bastard's target will be after he is out of the hospital.
But, there was also the fact that the leader of the other gang might also possess a similar level of God Construct. And if he can destroy it with the help of this woman.
"Then it might be worth it."
Girium knew that asking for help from others would affect his mentality. He might wish to be dependent on this woman as more time went by.
But he had no choice.
Because, even after all his training, he remained weak in face of a God Construct. And as it's always said in history, the fault always lies with the weak. And he was weak, just like his whole village all those years ago.
Weak have no right to complain.
'I will wait.'
*****
Returning from her first formal meeting with the silent giant. Sia reassessed Girium.
He was not a foolish or a mad man like Kale had expected. Neither was he possessed as Risa expected.
He was more of a single focused human who knows when to back down.
A useful aspect if it's in an ally, but dangerous if it's in an enemy. And Sia knows this man can never be her true ally.
He was obsessive over a singular goal and still retained the ability to think calmly. Not to mention, in their battle, Girium never panicked once. While lacking any experience in a real battle, he adapted at an inhumane speed and used his crude methods to lock her in.
"His adaptability is inhumane." She knew, on physical aspects alone, Girium exceeded her. He was a raw power incarnate while lacking any techniques.
If he had ever fought before and possessed appropriate anti-personnel techniques, her fight would have been a lot harder without the help of her Artifact.
Keeping such a dangerous man on her side is truly a foolish decision and she can understand why Kale was so against this.
But she knew the goal she wished to accomplish needed all the help she could get in her hands.
Lifting her right hand, the gloves in Sia's palm slowly melded into her kin, exposing her soft hands with a ring on them.
A ring that was the reason for her pain and the reason why she planned to recruit Girium.
"Don't worry, I have found a way."
Girium's suspicions were right, Sia truly planned to use him for her purpose. But the nature of her reason was something entirely different.
"They won't live for so long anymore." A desire more human, a feeling more primal, and a craving darker than anything Girium was capable of.
It was neither ambition nor greed but a simple desire for vengeance.
A desire that made her come so far to this city and build up her gang and collect people who will help her in her goal.
But whoever she found was not someone who can fight off the enemies she wished to face. They were countless and possessed a vast array of God Constructs.
One of their weapons was so powerful that it was almost annoying to face.
And that is where Girium comes in.
'Fate has been kind to us.' She thought while staring at her ring, rubbing it kindly.
She still found it hard to believe that fate had sent someone so perfect for her goal.
"But first, it's time to clean the house."
*****
The Bear Bastards have seen better days.
After the battle, the pressure from the city increased by multitudes and due to the weakened manpower, they lost a lot of their controlled areas to the DragonStar clan.
Seeing how one of their executive bosses had been left in a catatonic state and probably disabled. They didn't push too hard, as all the executive bosses of Bear Bastards still maintained their whole strength.
But the true ones who increased the pressure on Bear Bastards were none other than the leaders of Goldfern City.
The reason for that is simple as well.
For one they were scared. That single blackhole in the middle of the city had scared them. The precedent it sets will make others act out in the city and they have to set an example for everyone looking for a chance.
And knowing the personality of Bear Bastard's boss, they knew that she would not retaliate and face the suppression head-on in an attempt to satiate the anger of everyone around them.
But what the boss didn't know, was that behind this pressure was another intent.
The leaders of the city wished to find out the identity of the man that fought Sia.
The only thing they knew was that the man was not dead and was kept in a privately owned hospital under tight security.
And that man possessed a weird spear.
This was all the information that they were able to get from their spies and other sources. And in case this man joined bear bastards, the power dynamic in the city would be completely destabilized.
In the Goldenfern hands, the only God Construct owner was the vice governor. And originally, the only one they had to deal with was Dragon Star Clan, a group they even had deep relations with due to the history they had in the city.
But Bear Bastards was different, their leader had the strength to suppress both of them individually and the only reason they were even able to maintain the balance was by grouping on that single gang alone.
And thinking it was the city's support towards them, the Dragon Star Clan members also regularly attacked the Bear Bastards out of jealousy and anger over their lost control. To them, they had the Bear Bastards in their grip.
But only the leaders knew the truth, only they knew the real strength of their leader.
And if that strength increases again with the addition of another God Construct owner, then things would look ugly for the City management and Dragon Star.
This was simple politics at play. And Girium didn't know how much trouble he had attracted to himself.
He was still weak and injured by the fight, if the two parties truly wished to eliminate him before he joined the Bear Bastard after recovering, then they had to do it fast.
A transcendent's recovery is pretty fast.
It was this reason why they did the act of the usual suppression from the city and the skirmishes on the border of control of both gangs.
All of these were done in an attempt to throw off Bear Bastards and let them think that no one was curious or worried about the man hidden in their hospital itself.
Because as it was, they would only get one chance and they had to end that man in that single moment.
And so Girium sat on his bed, blankly staring at the gruel in front of him.
By nutritional value alone, Girium loved this food. Eating this made him appreciate food other than fish as even with giving bowls a day, he was able to feel full unlike the days of living on the mountain that consisted of eating fish and rice for his sustenance.
But there was a problem this time. This was his fourth bowl of the day and it smelled a bit funky.
If it was someone else, including a transcendent, it would have been impossible for them to identify this smell. But Girium was not like others, his inhuman senses were able to sense that unlike the poison Bear Bastards used on him.
This one will mess him up on consumption.
And from the source of the smell, it seemed to be the bowl itself and not the gruel.
"Hmm!" Silencing his mind, Girium searched the surroundings and found the security left by the Bear Bastards which included Zig.
An action that Girium appreciated but also understood why she did it.
Sia just wanted to prevent his escape while in turn providing him security.
But from the poisoned bowl and the group of people currently setting up the bomb right below his bed spoke a different tale.
This security was filled with incompetent people.
Or it's just that the people wanting to kill him were that good. Which would mean someone below him, setting up the explosives was transcendent.
"Two people?... One is dangerous." Girium didn't know how strong this bomb was. But he was still in a hospital and even a small explosion can cause the death of many patients and injure many others.