Chapter 13: First day of Request
The new day has come at Quarts Mining Company and most, if not all, the workers are digging now underground for their daily quota. Kadoji, as usual, is processing files and documents regarding the financial and delivery lists of the company's materials and assets. And as usual, it was stifling him.
"I am getting tired of this. I really wanted to use my arms on something mighty, not tedious. Many short wires(sticks) that we picked."
He quite grumbly continues his work when the door opened and he was interrupted by his secretary.
"Bo-boss!" The secretary stuttered.
"What is it? It looks like you've seen- Wait? Is it about Sir Altor?" His fears started to realize after he saw the terrified look of his assistant.
"No. But- it was on the same vein." She said in fear.
"Oh no!"
Kadoji immediately get up from his iron desk to look and hopefully prayed, that the worse would happen. This time on a different angle.
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"It's a little bit slow. Don't you think, hm?"
The whole reception area is now filled with anxiety over their new visitor, doing everything they can to appease him.
"You don't have to worry, Noble Sir. Kadoji will be here in a second." The clerk said with fear laced within his dialogue.
The door opened and Kadoji immediately entered the desk to receive their visitor.
"Sir Atugalo! What a great pleasure to see you here on our humble company. I hope we meet your expectations here, Noble Sir." Kadoji said to him with outmost respect and fear.
"You're a bit slow." Atugalo said.
"Forgive me, Noble Sir! I am handling the documents when you came here. I drop everything and did what I can to get here to accommodate you." He said with fear after he heard Atugalo forming a little complaint.
"No. It's fine. I'm sure you had your reasons. It will not gonna happen again, right, hm?" He said to Kadoji with a hint of menacing from his voice.
"Of course, Noble Sir." Kadoji replied.
"But anyway, I heard about an incident regarding of an assault to an Armanben and a Kaidel around this sector. I am looking for an inquiry of Altor, the Armanben in question. I got an information that he was working here, unbelievable when I first heard it but in any case, I wanted to talk to him about the incident as it involves some of my underlings who got high on themselves. An apology is I wanted give to him and also at the fact that I got preoccupied with important things within the intervening days. May I have an inquiry on him now, hm?" Atugalo explained to Kadoji his reasons for visiting.
"Oh! Sir Altor, yes. I am regretful to inform you that Sir Altor wasn't here right now." Kadoji explained.
"And why is that, hm?" Atugalo eyed him for an explanation.
"Sir Altor, as of this moment, is partaking on a request now, issued by Sir Aparido."
At this information, Atugalo again gasped in disbelief.
"Aparido's beasts? Right I heard that, but that he has taken his request that was issued here." Atugalo said.
"Yes. It was a shock to us, too. Along with other things." Kadoji quietly whispered that last part.
"Hm? What was that?" It didn't escaped Atugalo's hearing.
"Oh! It was nothing, Noble Sir. Just a fleeting thought." Kadoji nervous at the instance he was heard.
Atugalo ignored it and continued his conversation.
"Hm. I see. Here." He placed his hand on the projector in the desk, placing his contacts within it.
"You can call me when he has time. I have many businesses to do this day so I don't have the luxury to wait. If that's settled then, I shall take my leave now."
"Thank you for your patronage, Noble Sir!" Kadoji bowed his head in reverence and relief.
Atugalo left the building with thoughts now forming in his head.
'Altor. Working here might be still on the believable side, but taking up a request, You're a total mystery. What are up to? I'm sure I would have fun unraveling it and hope that you will not be in my way, hm.' His thoughts sneering on the venom as he take his personal Merandi and left.
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Makino is waiting outside on a magical barrier, glowing the Akulawa Sector, a sector near where the sector he lives and worked, in it's entirety. It's been conjured up by several Hydafa enforcers to maintain the security of the area and not let the mechanical beasts inside to escape and spread to a much more larger area.
"Wow, this is impressive, isn't it, Altor?" Arlandy turned his helmet shaped-head head, akin to a Roman soldier, but much more robotic in features and with pointed attenae like protrusions in the sides, to Altor, as he is amazed by the barrier while his gray body frame and blue armor with some edges and scratches are flashed upon the barrier's light. It's color being muted by it's eminence.
"Yeah. It was." Makino was being amazed too, but not for the same reason as Arlandy. The thing that he was amazed is that he can still see clearly well despite of the blinding light that barrier emits. He can't believed this aspect of his body that he didn't know.
'This body never ceases to amaze me. Maybe it has many more surprises for me but to only thing I need to know for now is how to use magic. I didn't have much time to test it out because I don't know how and finding someone to teach without raising questions and making scene out of it would take a long time. Armanbens, such a pain. Why those tingles didn't popped again in my head when I needed it most!?' He got fuming at the last two thought as he pondered on what he will do in his situation now.
They just only arrived at the place where they would meet with the issuer of the request, Sir Aparido in the middle of enforcers on tow for his extra security exiting his personal Merandi that stirred murmurs among the participants of the request.
Aparido - known as the Beast Keeper, is renowned throughout the land for keeping ferocious mechanical beasts but managing to tame them enough to be shown in entertainments for the Armanbens and few select Hydafas. His frame is coloured in gold and traces of yellow and his armor looks like the ones being weared by royals on Earth during when they enter in battle, albeit with a mechanical twist. His head is reminiscent of helmets used by knights with a flowing thin regal cloth waving down from the top of his head. His mouth is also covered in mask and his blue green mechanical eyes peered atop of it. He is really a regal class of his own.
((Dang! That was regal indeed.))
"So that's Sir Aparido? He does look very stunning. Expected for an Armanben, right Altor?" He turned his head to Altor in his amazed but with his rightful rage subdued.
"....! Right." Makino looked upon Arlandy before looking back to Aparido and there, his rage seethed more.
It was becoming apparent even when his battle mask and visor is covering the rest of his face. The air around him is being filled with anger that Arlandy has started to notice it.
"!! A-Altor? Are you alright?" Arlandy is being freaked out by this reaction from Altor.
"!! Y-yeah. I'm alright. I'm fine." Makino heard his call and snapped out of it.
"Yeah, sure. That's good..." Arlandy is not convinced by that reply.
'What was that all about? I felt something about him just moment there. Like someone is having a torrent of anger within them. Is he angry? To who or what?'
Then he turned around to see Sir Aparido and has come to several theories.
'Is he angry to Sir Aparido? Did they have a history?' Those thoughts are now swirling inside of Alrandy's head and they now prepare themselves to their mission.
"Silence!" The lead guard shouted to them, eliciting silence to the whole group.
"As you know, Our Noble Sir Aparido called out to ones who wanted to volunteer upon this noble quest. He is pained when the cages of the beasts that Sir Aparido has been nurturing and cared for has been breached due to an earthquake disrupting the security spells casted on them due to ground elevation being malformed by the quake."
This further elicit soft murmurs to the crew, but the guard raised a fist to shut them up. He then continued.
"These mechanical beasts escaped to the nearby sector where Sir Aparido lived so without hesitation, he issued this request to all of you to capture and return the beasts to their master. Of course, as Sir Aparido requested, they would be handled with care, so we expect you to do this job more carefully. Understand? Just a little scratch would be found on them, you will have no rewards."
As the guard continued, Makino stared to Aparido more intently, but trying to hide to others. He can't forget all the things he had done in the future. To them. To him. He is struggling to keep it together, as he is getting overwhelmed by his rage but trying to subdue it as he felt it is not the time yet. There are others here in the scene.
It's not just Altor who is catching a glimpse upon him, but Aparido himself has just begun to look at him in confusion. He then asked the guard near him.
"Is that an Armanben within those participants?" He asked.
He then looked upon Altor and noticed him, as he is on the far right of the crowd.
"It is, Noble Sir." He said
"Who is he? Why is he there? What is he doing here? And why is he with the Kaidels? Go to him and ask him of who and why he has come to this place and give him my outmost greetings." Aparido asked.
"Understood, Noble Sir!" The guard bowed and immediately go to Altor.
The guard who is giving the instructions sees him going to Altor, who he now noticed as he is laser focused at the task at hand.
"Hm? A guard?" Arlandy saw the guard.
This caused to see Makino the guard approaching him and immediately started to bow in front of him.
"Greeting, Noble Sir. I'm here on behalf of Sir Aparido. He wanted to greet you of your grace. If may I inquire, your eminence, may I ask of your name and on what do we do have the honour? On what purpose have are your visit here?" The guard asked in reverence.
Makino was again weirded out, but tried his best to regain his composure, although with some grumbling.
'Yay. Another weird routine.' He sarcastically thought.
"My name is Altor and I was a participant of the request that Si-Sir Aparido issued." He said in flat monotone.
This, combined with his appearance elicited fear within the guard and with confusion, which he immediately asked.
"Why do you need to participate in this quest. Kaidels are enough for this job, Sir Altor."
That last tidbit gave Makino an ire as he immediately realize the intention.
"I just wanted to do it, you understand." He said with annoyance and seething aura Arlandy beside him jolted in fear.
The guard was immediately beset by fear as he managed to incur a wrath from Altor. He immediately bowed down in terror.
"Fo-Forgive me, Noble Sir!! I didn't meant to pester you! Sir Aparido just wanted to know the purpose of your visit. Please forgive for the insolence!" He pleaded.
Makino, getting miffed at this, said.
"It's fine. Just say to... to Sir Aparido that I wanted to participate in this quest." He said quite calmly.
"Understood, Noble Sir! Now if you excuse me."
After a nod from Altor, he immediately returned to Aparido.
"Sir Aparido, his name is Altor and he wanted to participate in your beast capture request." He replied.
"What!?" This sends shivers down to his back frame.
'What? Why? Why did he participated in this? Oh no, could he- He must have caught wind of the situation. No..." Aparido is starting to panic at the fact that Altor came here.
He signalled to the guard as he relay his new task.
"Watch over him. If he really did get in my way, tell me immediately in the Magic Line." He murmured to the guard.
"Yes, Noble Sir." He said.
'He must be here to get in my way and put me into trouble with the Rex Reguluses, like everyone else. I must get to the bottom of this. Everything depends on it!' He thought in fear, like his life is on the line.
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"Ready yourselves, everyone! We will proceed in 1 minute." The lead guard exclaimed to the volunteers readying themselves to the task.
He then turned to the caster near him and signalled him. The caster then proceed to lower the barrier a small opening in that part of the city.
"Uh, You ready?" Arlandy awkwardly asked Altor, hoping he wasn't still miffed from earlier.
"Yeah. I'm ready. Thank you." Makino turned his face to Arlandy, quite calm and focused, focused on the mission ahead.
"Everyone, get in now!" The lead guard shouted at them to start entering.
'Here I go!' Makino steeled himself and started to walk to the sealed area.
'If I do this right, I can defang the horrors that I've experienced at their hands and once I get my hands on him, it will be two steps ahead to the future that I wanted.' He is now readying himself.
The lead guard bowed down when Altor came in to lead him there with his arms pointed out wavily. He didn't mind it as he entered the area and the barrier started to lower down again, sealing it. He's now entered in no man's land.