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Ulvala, Siderock Mountain, Time: 12:00 AM
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The gentle breeze rustled through the air, casting a sense of calmness over the surroundings.
Amid this tranquility, two figures could be seen laboriously dragging an object behind them.
Rinco and Binco, though barely clinging to life, persevered with determined steps, struggling to maintain their balance as they dragged the mysterious burden.
The object, a sack stained with traces of blood, exuded an ominous aura.
Rinco's weary legs threatened to give way, but Binco caught him just in time, a testament to their unyielding determination.
"We must hasten our pace. If we can swiftly transport the director to the NC Districts, there might still be a chance to revive him," Binco urged, and Rinco nodded in agreement.
Together, they pressed on along the mountain path, evading pursuit.
However, their cautious steps were interrupted by the deliberate, heavy footfalls that echoed around them.
Instinctively, they readied themselves, prepared for an encounter.
Emerging from the shadows was a young woman, her features obscured by a fur hood that framed her face.
She wore a striking black and yellow dress that matched her aura of mystery.
The girl's gaze fixated on the peculiar sack, a gasp escaping her lips.
Rinco, his voice tinged with desperation, implored, "We seek no trouble, miss. Please, look away and go on your way." Surprisingly, the girl's reaction was not what they expected – a giggle escaped her lips, bewildering the brothers.
"Worry not," she responded, revealing her face as she lowered her hood. Her long black hair was adorned with a reddish rose hairclip, and her fair skin bore an air of elegance.
She was November, a silent observer of their struggles from afar. "Both of you are the only ones who gonna turn a blind eye."
Unnerved by her presence, Rinco and Binco exchanged uneasy glances as her enigmatic demeanor unnerved them. The brothers' attempt at intimidation only seemed to amuse her.
"Ah, Serphent Eldritch. A truly repulsive form," November mused, acknowledging their transformation.
Undeterred, the brothers lunged at her, only to be met with the sudden radiance of a black and yellow birdcage lamp she produced.
"Butcher." A blinding light emanated from the lamp, giving birth to a disgusting enormous arm wielding an axe.
The grotesque arm swung with unfathomable speed, cleaving through the brothers' forms before they could react.
The impact created a deep gash in the mountain wall, leaving behind a testament to their demise.
Their bodies succumbed to a petrified state, crumbling to dust.
Undisturbed, November regarded the remnants, muttering to herself, "Eldritch, forever defiant without a master. An insubordinate aberration."
Approaching the site where the brothers had met their end, November's scrutiny yielded a discovery – two runes, one bearing a gray rhino symbol, the other a red blade emblem.
"Foolish you may have been, but your potential shall not be squandered," she murmured, depositing the runes in her leather bag, already laden with a multitude of mystical tokens.
Turning her attention to the lifeless sack, November's lips curled into a chilling smile. "Once mighty, now fallen," she chortled, lifting the sack with a single hand, akin to a prized catch.
"Yet, I shall elevate you in my fashion. You shall become an exquisite experiment." With an almost casual disregard, she dragged the sack behind her as she opened a portal, leading to a basement-like chamber.
As she stepped through the portal, it sealed shut, leaving behind an eerie silence.
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Ulvala, Siderock Cave, Collector's Office, Time: 12:30 PM.
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As Bada traveled through the air, attempting to locate Ludwig and his two associates, he suddenly noticed something intriguing.
It was his other team and a man with gray hair gestured for him to descend.
Curious, Bada decided to investigate the situation further.
The gray-haired man walked into a nearby cave, and Bada followed suit, landing gracefully.
"Big brother!" exclaimed the short gray-haired man as he rushed towards Bada, hugging him.
"Steel, what happened at the Collector's Office?" Bada inquired politely of his younger sibling.
Steel was attired in a black suit and donned a dark cloak adorned with intricate golden ornaments.
Ordinary glasses rested on his nose, and a massive mace with a piston mechanism was slung across his back.
"You instructed us to establish contact with any local offices nearby, correct?" Steel recounted. Bada had indeed endeavored to prompt everyone to communicate with nearby offices in Ulvala.
"Yes, go on," encouraged Bada, signaling for Steel to continue.
"We followed your directive, attempting to transmit messages to the Collector's Office, but received no response," Steel recounted. Concerned that something might be amiss, they decided to investigate the matter firsthand.
"To our dismay, upon our arrival at the Collector's Office, we discovered a grim scene," Steel continued, his frustration evident. "It appears that all within the office have met their demise."
Frustration gnawing at him for failing to prevent this tragedy, Steel elaborated, "We attempted to employ our mages to rewind the events, only to encounter a formidable anti-magic adversary."
He displayed a black steel bar bearing a distinctive yellow sigil. "This presents a significant challenge. Furthermore, Ludwig and his associates are nowhere to be found, compounding the complexity of our predicament."
Bada maintained his composure, approaching the entrance of the Collector's Office. Steel posed a question: "Could Fevoor Solace be responsible for this?"
Bada considered the notion and responded, "Given their recent scarcity of 'Hallowed Poise,' it seems unlikely they would squander such substantial resources on an office."
With a firm grip on the doorknob, Bada pushed open the door to assess the extent of the damage. While he outwardly remained stoic, the scene before him was undeniably grim.
A large black and yellow pillar had impaled several bodies, one of which dangled from the wall by a dark tendril.
Bullet wounds marred the bodies of others strewn across the area.
Notably, Steel's team had engaged and eliminated flesh-like creatures during their inspection of the Collector's Office.
"This is no ordinary threat we're facing," Bada acknowledged solemnly. Steel exhibited his resolve, and Bada sought to maintain his sense of determination in the face of these harrowing circumstances.
Creeping from the shadow, a fleshy creature with a wicked smile wielding an arm blade slowly descended behind the two brothers, ready to kill Steel right there.
"Steel! Watch out!" Bada was quick enough to turn around and shove his little brother away.
"ATOMIC PUNCH." The gauntlet announced.
Bada quickly punched the creature, causing a giant neon green beam to pierce through the mountain and a sudden wind force that blew everyone away.
Steel was coughing as he cleaned the dust away to see the aftermath of the attack; the cave seemed to be burning up a bit, leaving an absolute scorched mark on the earth.
The entire front office seems to be scorched away completely. Bada stood still with his gauntlet letting out steam to cool down.
The creature seemed to not even exist, with only its ashes remaining.
Bada quickly turned around to aid his little brother, "Are you okay, Steel?" Bada checked around for any damages on him.
"I'm okay, just holy shit..." Steel is still shocked at the absolute damage Bada could cause to property, even though he has known him for his entire childhood.
"Steel, Language!" Bada was about to scold him for using vulgar words before he received an incoming call from his earpiece.
"Hello, this is Bada speaking." Bada greeted as he listened closely to his earpiece.
"Bosssss, we found the remains of what we could from the two brothers of Gray Phoenix," Eddie reports, which makes Bada surprised, they already been taken care of?
"Did you guys kill them?" Bada asked. It doesn't make any sense that his men would just disobey his order like this.
"No, It seems like a third party got to them first..." Eddie stated that made Bada even more confused.
"Excellent work, we shall discuss this when we get back to the castle." Bada bids his farewell to Eddie as he turns it off.
"Brother, Who are we dealing with?" Steel asks innocently which makes Bada have a serious expression.
"A new threat, Steel. A dangerous one at that." Bada clenches his fist, knowing there is a looming threat upon them.
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