In the northern shoreline of a particular island in the middle of nowhere was a small port and a warehouse that stored a patrol boat. Near the location were two shadowy figures supplying the patrol boat with fuel and meals.
As they prepared for their departure under the blessed night, the two noticed a lustrous light in the distance. It gleamed with an orange hue as the light pierced through the pitch-black of the night. The two noticed something heading towards them at a fast speed.
It was an invisible wave of wind that carried the power brought about by an explosion of some sort. When the shockwave blew through the surroundings causing leaves to scatter everywhere, a thunderous roar followed and echoed throughout their ears,
*BOOM!!!*
Their ears buzzed for a short while finding themselves a bit distraught by the power of the explosion. A couple seconds passed by. The figure wearing a cell uniform continued on while the other bulky dark-cloak figure wearing a hound mask glanced in the direction of the light.
He glances at the rampant black smoke penetrating the night skies and muttered under his breath.
"It seems that Lord Solace has succeeded. We must not delay any further and gather everything we need. The navigation of the sea will take some time. And the military might notice that the explosion was nothing more but a way to attract them."
"We must be fast."
Abraham turned his gaze back at the patrol boat and immediately helped his old man in their preparation. After several minutes passed, they concluded their preparation and were about to depart from the small port.
But before throttling the patrol boat, they looked back at the dock as if waiting for someone. Abraham was holding the railing of the patrol boat tightly while Thomas squinted his eyes toward the forest beyond the dock.
"It looks like the Boss has returned." Thomas silently mumbled, but it was clearly heard by Abraham. He gazes forward with a scrutinizing gaze and sees a dark figure walking towards them. It didn't take a while before the demon fox mask was revealed.
*Sigh...*
Abraham sighed in relief as the edges of his lips rose while hidden through the mask. Lord Solace arrived at the dock and calmly uttered towards the two. "You did a good job. It's time for us to leave."
"There's no need to waste any more time." Lord Solace entered the patrol boat and Thomas pushed the throttle forward causing the engine to roar. The propeller started rapidly turning as the patrol boat propelled itself towards the seas.
As the patrol boat left the docks and pierced through the waves of the seas. It was seen heading towards the dark horizon of the night before fading in the distance. One could consider the operation as a success. They managed to get the old man out.
Meanwhile, in the patrol boat, Lord Solace stood beside a railing as the breeze of wind fluttered through its dark cloak. Solace, or Mercedes, lowered her head while staring at the disappearing island. It was quite an adventure.
Silence enveloped the patrol boat before Thomas broke the silence for the third time.
"Hahahaha, Boss you're even more crazier than I thought. Can't believe that you actually bailed someone out from the Pandemonium." Thomas kept chuckling at the thought of the Maximum Prison Island being penetrated.
"We were lucky to have done the operation at the greatest time. After all, it is coincidently the day of the country's national meeting of the Continental Congress. I'm sure many of their resources are pointed at protecting those in power."
"Besides, they might have expected an army to invade the island. But a single individual was something they didn't consider. Since the thought of it is merely absurd. And the ways to open the cell doors are really complex. Without strength, it would be nearly impossible to open it."
"They were probably confident in their prisons despite the intrusion."
Mercedes calmly explained without that much of a reaction. It was as if the rescue mission was nothing more but a stroll to her. That was how Abraham and Thomas perceived her reaction. Someone who was bored as hell.
But there was another reason for Mercedes's current state.
"They just didn't expect for someone to kick their beloved iron doors open. Hahaha!" Thomas kept wildly chuckling unable to contain his laughter. Abraham was also delighted by it but controlled himself in front of Lord Solace.
Mercedes was staring into the distance, but within herself, she was gazing upon a digital interface carefully reading its information. It was a strange quest that appeared out of nowhere. A new type of questline, different from the special quest, sub-quest, or main quest.
―<▼>―
[𝐅𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐝𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐨𝐟 𝐃𝐚𝐞𝐝𝐚𝐥𝐮𝐬 𝟏/𝟓(𝐌𝐮𝐥𝐭𝐢-𝐏𝐨𝐢𝐧𝐭 𝐐𝐮𝐞𝐬𝐭)]
●[𝐐𝐮𝐞𝐬𝐭 𝐆𝐫𝐚𝐝𝐞: 𝐇𝐢𝐠𝐡 𝐌𝐨𝐝𝐞𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐞]
●[𝐅𝐨𝐫 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐟𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐝𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐧𝐞𝐰𝐥𝐲-𝐞𝐦𝐞𝐫𝐠𝐞𝐝 𝐨𝐫𝐠𝐚𝐧𝐢𝐳𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧, 𝐃𝐚𝐞𝐝𝐚𝐥𝐮𝐬. 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐃𝐢𝐠𝐧𝐢𝐟𝐢𝐞𝐝 𝐦𝐮𝐬𝐭 𝐬𝐞𝐞𝐤 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐛𝐥𝐢𝐬𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐢𝐧𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐮𝐜𝐭𝐨𝐫 𝐢𝐧 𝐚𝐧 𝐮𝐧𝐤𝐧𝐨𝐰𝐧 𝐫𝐨𝐜𝐤 𝐢𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐦𝐢𝐝𝐝𝐥𝐞 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐬𝐞𝐚𝐬. 𝐓𝐡𝐫𝐨𝐮𝐠𝐡 𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐜𝐮𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐛𝐥𝐢𝐬𝐡 𝐢𝐧𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐮𝐜𝐭𝐨𝐫, 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐨𝐫𝐠𝐚𝐧𝐢𝐳𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧'𝐬 𝐩𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐠𝐞 𝐰𝐢𝐥𝐥 𝐚𝐝𝐯𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐞𝐝 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐃𝐢𝐠𝐧𝐢𝐟𝐢𝐞𝐝 𝐰𝐢𝐥𝐥 𝐠𝐚𝐢𝐧 𝐚𝐧 𝐚𝐫𝐦𝐲 𝐨𝐟 𝐡𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐝𝐬.]
➤[𝐐𝐮𝐞𝐬𝐭 𝐑𝐞𝐰𝐚𝐫𝐝: 𝟏,𝟎𝟎𝟎 𝐏𝐨𝐢𝐧𝐭𝐬, 𝐁𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐤(𝐒)]
―<▲>―
It was the first time Mercedes had received such a quest. And seeing that it was a multi-point, which meant a linear quest with rewards for each completed quest. She didn't hesitate regarding the rescue of the old man even if it resulted in fighting against the military.
But there was something that troubled Mercedes. It had been bothering her ever since they left the dock.
"Boss, a storm is approaching," Thomas reported while Abraham kept looking through the surroundings with the binoculars. There was nothing but the vast spanning sea that was about to be distorted by the rampaging storm.
Mercedes didn't answer as she kept thinking about it. Even though Thomas was already in front of her and freed from the shackles of the island. Shouldn't she have already received the rewards? Or was there some requirement for completion?
Perhaps, the quest hasn't been completed yet and the old man wasn't fully rescued at the moment. It wasn't far from the possibilities. But then, a realization struck Mercedes almost immediately.
"This is an order. The two of you bind yourselves together and jump from the patrol boat. And don't turn off the engine and let it go." Mercedes dived into the sea without any hesitation.
Thomas and Abraham glanced at one another before Abraham took out a handcuff. He then cuffed himself and his father together while nodding at him. Thomas nodded as a reply and the two of them dived into the water together.
As Mercedes and the two swam across the roaring waves of water, a whistling sound wisped through the dark heavens. Abraham and Thomas felt chills in their spine as they swam faster than ever before.
And then, seconds later... The patrol boat was struck by a missile and plunged into the sea. What followed was an underwater explosion that destroyed every remaining bit of the patrol boat.
*BOOM!!!*
Their enemies weren't hesitating when trying to kill them. Mercedes, who saw this felt a bit powerless. The might of technology wasn't to be underestimated. Even though she was strong, an explosion would tear her body apart like paper.
"Follow me and continue swimming!" Mercedes shouted towards the two. Fortunately, her subordinates had far more resilience than a normal human being. Otherwise, it would be problematic if her special assets died after recently getting ahold of them.
Abraham and Thomas swam together in an identical manner and managed to follow their boss despite the chaotic waves conquering the seas. Thunderclaps emerged one after another as heavy rain fell from the skies.
"We must survive this ordeal."
"It's been a while since I swam across a storm."
The two had their own remarks during the circumstances. Mercedes could simply glance at them from afar and continue swimming. While doing so, many thoughts surged through her mind.
Why was she completing her quests no matter how dangerous it was? Why was she trying to become powerful? What was her reason for training herself to begin with?
It has been a while for Mercedes. She had gone through months in the virtual world and now her memories from that place were affecting her reality. She was becoming ruthless, power-hungry, and prideful. But why?
"Ah... That's right... How could I forget."
....
....
....
It was early in the morning. The golden sun was rising from the lines of the vast horizon. Its lustrous sunlight pierces through the heavens and the earth giving light. It was the beginning of a new day, perhaps the start of another story.
On the southern coast of the mainland continent. Dozens of seagulls were surrounding three bodies lying on the brilliant sand. The waves surged up to the beach and returned back to the seas. Their sound reverberated throughout the air and their smell was shrouded with the wind.
As time passed by, one of the bodies started twitching as their eyelids opened. They immediately started coughing seawater while trying to calm themselves down. The one that woke up wore a tattered dark cloak and a broken demon fox mask.
She glances at the radiant sun rising on the horizon and can't help but start chuckling for no reason. As if hearing her, the others began to awaken from their slumber as they coughed up seawater.
Abraham was the first to wake up and swiftly inspected the surroundings only to see a gorgeous figure right beside him. It was a gorgeous lady leaning beside a coconut tree. He wondered who it was until he discovered the demon fox mask under her fingers.
Without any hesitation, he kneeled before his master and lowered his head.
"I apologize for gazing at you, Lord Solace."
Abraham was worried about the fact that his master might not forgive him for discovering her real identity. Thomas, on the other hand, stood up and started stretching his aged limbs.
"Looks like the secret couldn't be kept, Boss."
Thomas yawned as if uninterested in the current affairs.
Mercedes glances at the two without any emotions in her sapphire-like irises. She was nonchalant about the discovery of her identity, and she wasn't that bothered by it. After all, it was her second-in-command that learned of it.
"Identities of some sort don't matter in our situation."
"The first thing we need to do is find out where we are."