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Sylanwood, East Tarrabria: Abyssal Keep, Floor 1, Time: 12:40 AM
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The Carriage finally arrived at Abyssal Keep with the door swung open in the instance. Bada was carrying James and Mianne with Morenica following behind.
Morenica was sweat-dropped at how Bada was slowly resembling Sugar when he was tired. The sudden change of attitude into laziness, showing off by destroying everything in their path. Yeah, she might either be crazy or Bada is secretly Sugar's son.
"Don't have to carry me all the time...I can walk..." James stated as Bada sighed before dropping him down to the ground. James tried to walk but his leg was quivering with every step.
Bada was rubbing his eyes and staring in disappointment, "Come on, you can't walk." Bada helps him out by supporting him to walk into the castle.
Morenica raised an eyebrow at the sudden disappearance of that white armor guy who was with them for a bit but decided to not question further.
They finally entered the castle with James stumbling a little but Bada helped him go into the infirmary room.
Bada couldn't see in the dark as he turned on the light to brighten up the room, waking up someone who had been waiting for him.
"Where have you been?! You know how many times I have tried to contact you?!"
It was Steel as he was rubbing his eye with an angry expression on his face.
"You have been calling...?" Bada checked his pocket to see that in fact, his VMC was ringing the whole time.
Bada was sure he would have heard it if it was raining back then during the investigation. It was either that or something that was cutting his communication...
"...Sorry." Bada simply stated before settling James down on the bed while Mianne was on the other bed.
Steel sighed, "Look at you, big brother. You look like you just crawled out of a ditch." He examined Bada's face, the eye bag was showing.
Steel rolled in his office chair to James, lying on the bed. "So, what's up with him?" Steel asked, holding a bunch of medical supplies before laying it down to the side.
"Some fracture on his leg, a stab rapier wound on his shoulder, and some bruises on his face," Bada stated with Steel taking James's suit off, it was a little hard but it eventually came off.
Bada decided to examine the suit that James wore, it was labeled "Model 01". "I knew it, so that's why that man was able to create such a hole in his suit..." Bada muttered to himself before folding the suit.
Steel sighed to himself as he started to treat James's wound, causing a wince from him. "Stay still. It would sting a little..." Steel applied the alcohol again, it startled James and caused a small yelp from him.
Steel cleaned his wound as he applied the bandage around James's right shoulder. "And you should take those off too, brother." Steel stares at Bada, who lets out a deep sigh.
"You know how to take that thing off right?" Bada asked, wanting to remind Steel on how to get the gauntlet out.
"You act like this is my first time..." Steel pressed on the amber on the gauntlet, causing it to bulge and expand out. He followed by pulling the pin on both of the gauntlet's shoulders, causing it to freely loose.
Steel slid down the gauntlet to the side, revealing Bada's scalding arms. It was tanning with a bunch of steam-smoking up, "God, the smoke on this could kill a 50-year-old smoker..." Steel then goes to his drawer, pulling out a comfy mitten gauntlet.
"Alright, put this on for tonight." Steel requested with Bada slowly nodded. Bada slid it on, causing an icy wind around his arms, cooling down on his arms.
"Ah~ that's much better..." Bada muttered to himself, leaning back against the chair.
James decided to ask, "Does your power do that often?" He was curious that Bada's arm could be heated by just a single move.
Bada smiled, "Well, I didn't measure and maintain the right amount of nuclear energy during that attack. I guess I was too angry to stabilize it." He knows how much harm and destruction his power could cause to him and others, it was like the first lesson for him.
James was about to frown at this before Bada patted his head, "Don't beat yourself about this thing. I know you try to resolve the fight with your word, I say that's courageous of you." Bada decided to put up his gauntlets and open the slot cartridges.
Bada grabbed out both of the cartridges that were inside his gauntlet, it finally stopped steaming as Bada pulled it out.
One of them was greenish and glowing with a nuclear energy symbol on the side. It almost seems like it came out of the factory with the mechanism inside the green transparent plastic.
The other one was yellow with the left side having two spikes with the colors of red and deep blue. It seems more fresh than the nuclear one with metal covered instead of plastic.
"These two are Atomic..." Bada shakes the green one, "and Proton, Neutron, and Nucleus." Bada shakes the yellow one to tell the difference.
"Hmmm, how did you obtain the power of it? I thought it was impossible without the help of Eldritch or even Reborn." James tilted his head as Steel began treatment on his leg in the meantime.
Bada decided to explain, "You see, people had finally been able to make their man-made power into cartridges or runes without requiring a method or so. Just money and resources." Bada felt like he had memorized the whole thing even though Sugar almost extended it to an hour.
"I see. I hope I find my own Custodiae one day..." James looks up to the ceiling, he realizes something. "Wait, couldn't I use Mianne's own Custodiae?" If Custodiae only needs runes to activate it, then he could just burrow hers.
Bada shook his head, "It requires a synergy from the belt for it to work." Bada rubbed James's back as he winced at Steel's treatment.
"I may not be the best at this stuff so maybe you should check out the BOE section at The West Tarrabria," Bada suggested as James nodded.
James winced as Steel treated his injured leg, but couldn't help grinning at Bada's words of encouragement. Even exhausted, the knight remained steadfastly supportive.
"Yeah, you're right - I should keep trying to talk things out before resorting to pummeling," James agreed, rubbing his bandaged shoulder ruefully. "Though maybe pummeling as a backup plan..."
Bada chuckled at that, settling back in his chair and adjusting the cooling mittens on his scalded arms. James' curiosity was piqued seeing the intricate gauntlet systems up close.
"So your nuclear powers come from those cartridges then?" he asked eagerly. "That is so rad! Do you just kinda...absorb the energy somehow when you slot them in?"
"Essentially yes, though the process requires very precise calibrations," Bada explained. "I underwent extensive training to channel the energy safely once released. One miscalculation could be...explosively hazardous."
James' eyes widened, newly impressed by Bada's evident skill in mastering such volatile forces. No small feat making walking nukes street-safe!
"Man, so cool though! I gotta visit that BOE tech exhibit and find my power-ups!" James grinned excitedly, before a huge yawn escaped him, residual adrenaline fading.
"But maybe after some zzz's..." he mumbled, head sinking back onto the pillow.
Steel shot Bada a pointed look. "I'll wrap things up here brother. You should rest too - doctor's orders."
Bada looked reluctant, but exhaustion was dragging at his limbs insistently. "Very well..." He clasped James' uninjured shoulder warmly. "Sleep well. We will speak more on the morrow."
James returned a sleepy smile before his eyes drifted shut. As Steel shooed his worn-out brother off to bed, James was already snoring softly, dreams dancing with visions of power-ups and adventures.
Steel decided to leave as well, "Mr.Puffy is waiting to cuddle in bed..." He yawned, leaving the infirmary room to go cuddle with his plushie, leaving James and Mianne alone.
James was deep asleep but Mianne however was wide awake with her rose color eyes shining again. She slowly got up from her bed, looking around before spotted a window.
Mianne opened up the curtain to look outside, the moon was almost about to be the full moon.
"Almost there, dear. We are about to reawaken and take over what's ours." Mianne caresses James's cheek with a smirk on her face.
"The night of Stain's Moon..."
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