"So there are the other models"
Gideon was quite surprised by the sight.
He had read the whole Mecha Beasts and Blasters manual, but seeing them in person was another story.
He was really surprised by the varieties, they were very creative too.
But what caught his attention was the tube system.
He saw how the slug dived on it and disappeared, he took a better look at them and saw the air current that flowed inside.
It was an interesting project.
He was analyzing the structure when he saw something coming through the pipes, a few forms moved around
He raises a brow at it.
He waited to see if they would stop or just pass by.
He wasn't ready for one of them to launch themselves out of the pipes.
Much less for it to fly in his direction.
He caught it in mid air as Cali and Collin jumped in surprise.
He was so surprised it took him a few moments for him to hear the giggles coming from his hand.
He was a bit used now with the sounds the slugs make, so he knew he was hearing laughter.
He looked at his hand, where a slug with a strange appearance was sitting in his palm.
It was blue and brown.and had two eyes, but the eyes were one above the other instead of one besides the other.
"An Enigmo"
He nearly jumped with Nikes voice coming by his side.
"Can you stop doing that?" He asked, annoyed "I start thinking you do this on purpose"
Nike had light feet, it was good for missions, but terrible for daily life.
He was about to say more when he heard chirping.
He looked up and saw four more slugs on the pipes, most looking around while one looked at his hand.
They all seemed worried.
"Looking for this one?" He asked, showing the slug in his hand.
All the slugs instantly relaxed as they saw the Enigmo in his hand, especially the one that was looking at him first.
It has a bright orange color with a yellow fire pattern belly.
He recognised it as Infurmus.
He actually recognized them all, as he had read the book about slugs.
With it was a Flaringo, a Grenuke and a Fandango.
He eyed the Fandango for a moment.
So this is the real deal.
Quite simples, honestly.
"I think I'm going blind"
Gideon turned to Nike, who was rubbing his eyes.
"Why?" He asked.
"This place is full of life energy" Said the elf "To the point it's hard to see and the Fandango have just as much as this place, but my eyes are adapting quickly"
Gideon nodded slowly, digesting the information.
The last time something like that happened was when a big Cornucopia was found in a Rift five years ago.
Nowadays, that Cornucopia is passed from Empire to Empire every three months, to let the life energy spread and also to help the elves in all four empires.
Nike may seem healthy and strong, but, in reality, he could be considered starved to death by the lack of life energy.
Next month will be finally the Bronze Empire's turn with the Artifact, but Gideon was worried that Nike might not take the time well.
He was relieved when he saw him get a bit drunk when they arrived at the store.
The elf tried to pretend that it didn't happen, but Gideon had seen Nike absorb life energy too many times to not know what was happening.
And if it was enough to make him drunk, it was a good place.
But, for a living being to be able to produce enough life energy blind an elf, it should be considered a real treasure.
Especially since there were many of them.
Couldn't they just buy a bunch of them and set them free in the city?
It might have the same effect of putting the Cornucopia in the main water stream of the Empire and let the life energy flow under the territory for a month.
Gideon was about to ask Nike about it when the door by the counter side opened with a loud noise and a scream.
"MÔ!!"
He turned to see a desperate looking human woman, she had a Thugglet on one shoulder and a lizard thing on the other and she was breathing heavily.
A Mimic, he recognized.
Her eyes locked into the Enigmo on his hand and all despair she was showing was washed away as she fell into her knees and let out a sigh of relief, just like the Thugglet and the Mimic on her shoulders.
The Enigmo jumped from his hand and, in a drunken pace, staggered towards the woman, who picked it up gently.
"Great glorious Sun" She said "I was so worried! Don't disappear on me like that Mô! We looked all over the caverns for you!"
The Thugglet and the Mimic, too, were scolding the Enigmo with chirps and clicks.
The slug didn't seem to mind the scolding, looking more like a child happy to have their parents attention than anything else, but no one interrupted to point it out.
It was only after she stopped talking to the slug and started to get up that Nike made himself known.
"It's a pleasure to finally meet you" He said with a bow "I'm Nike Verety, you must be Shaun?"
The woman smiled at that while nodding.
"At your services!" She said "Welcome to The Ninety Nine Caverns, I'm Shaun, as you already know, the owner and only person working here, what may I help you with mister Verety?"
As much as the business air around the woman amused him, they did come for business.
Now, let's start the negotiation battle.
—
"Ok"
There was no battle.
The woman just accepted the fact that this small group of people was going to buy a whole bunch of slugs without even suspecting them.
"Oh please" She said "I know the state this worlds is at, even with an Artifact to spread life energy, there is no way it can spread enough to sustain all Four Empires, I would even recommend not doing so as Artifacts can actually became Cursed Items when too much hope and despair is absorbed"
They all froze at that.
"What?" Gideon asked.
She gave them a strange look.
"You guys didn't know?" She said "Artifact are Blessed Items, but once a Blessed Item absorb the emotions around it, it slowly become Cursed Items as the emotions start to block the life energy and the hope the people felt turn into despair, so it's dangerous to depend too much on it, as it can become an object of fanaticism and, as it loses its Life energy over time, start to generate Demonic energy"
Oh.
Oh.
"How we didn't notice?" Collin said.
"How I didn't notice?" Nike said.
"It's not something that can normally be noticed" She said "I would be surprised if you did notice, the demonic energy starts to grow from the inside and it's presence its masked by the natural aura of the Artifact, but since they are so full of life energy, it takes a few years for the Demonic energy from inside to turn into a Cursed Item, but it also depend on how many people are using it, a small city can exaust an Artifact in a century, but if it is the four Empires I'd say seven years at best"
They exchanged concerned looks before Noke asked.
"Other than producing Demonic energy, are there any other consequences?"
Gideon was praying to whatever God that might still be alive to hear him for that to be the only effect that this corruption would cause.
But his prayers were unattended.
"A Rift can be formed from it and cause a Beast Tide" She said before smiling "That's why the slugs are so important to this place, if I hadn't installed myself here, the Cursed Artifact buried under this mine would have created the worst Beast Tide in history! You had to see, there was so much demonic energy and it was so concentrated that it created a pool of liquid demonic energy, I'm actually still purifying what's left of it"
Gideon shivered at the new piece of information.
A Beast Tide was going to form right by their side, and no one noticed?
And liquid demonic energy?
"Demonic energy can liquify?" Cali says, incredulous.
"Oh It can" The woman say as she leaned on the counter to watch the slugs that followed them play, the Mimic in her shoulder running to her hand to get her attention as the Thugglet rolled his eyes "And it's extremely dangerous for living being, they turn whatever touch it into a Ghoul, Ghouls can be loyal, but they are extremely aggressive, oh sweet Sun, Mirage falled in it once, the whole Ninety Nine Caverns where set in chaos after this"
All slugs, apart from Mô, grunted in exasperation, even the Mimic and Melody's slugs did the same.
That made Gideon wonder.
How much chaos could a small Thugglet bring?
Apparently, a lot.
The woman got up from her seat, Mimic in hand.
"Wait a minute"
She left, leaving them to process the bomb she just threw to them.
The Artifact that had been found five years ago and used to save the Empires was now dangerous, this abandoned mine was supposed to start a Beast Tide, and now they knew that Demonic energy can become liquid once it's concentrated enough.
What mess.
Their moment of silence was interrupted when the slugs all cowered in fear and Nike visibly flinched, his face went pale and he covered his mouth, seeming nauseous.
Gideon was confused by this, but then it hit him.
A fool's smell reminded him of a pit full of demonic carcasses.
Shaun came back, the Mimic and the Thugglet on her shoulders had apprehensive expressions, in her hand she carried the source of the smell.
A single tube, like the one used to transport slugs, was filled with a blood red liquid.
"This is liquid demonic energy" She said "We call it Dark Water from where I came from and demonic energy is dark energy, Slugs can feel it from a distance and will avoid it at all costs if possible"
She threw it to Gideon, nearly giving him a heart attack as he caught it mid air.
If it was that bad while sealed, imagine if it broke on the floor!
"Put it at a shooting range" Shaun said.
Confused and curious, Gideon did as she said and then came back.
"Can I have your Blaster for a moment?" She asked Melody.
"Of course!
With the blaster in hands, the woman took a cylinder from her belt and he recognized the Slug.
"Boon Doc" He said.
"That's right" She said "Boon Docs are healers, but they also have an interesting function"
She loaded the slug in the Blaster, aimed at the tube and shot.
It transformed mid air, immediately making Nike's complexion look better, hit the ground next to the tube and a bright light came soon after.
When it dissipated, he was taken aback.
The fool smell was gone and the liquid, before red, now it was a beautiful green.
***
Nike was mesmerized.
The tube had such a concentration of energy that he could not see it even though his vision had already gotten used to it.
"Flaringos generate slug energy and Boon Docs can purify dark energy and turn that energy in slug energy" The woman said "But since there was so much of it, it took me two years to clear 99% of it, I'll be done with the rest in a few weeks to a month"
They were still stupefied with the demonstration when Shaun got out of the counter and went to the tube and slug, bringing them back to the counter before tossing the tube to Nike.
He stared at the tube, then at the woman in confusion.
"Take it" She said "As an apology for bringing the dark water without warning beforehand, you can drink it, it will be good for you health, but take it easy, just a tea spoon for every one hundred liters, with that amount even demons can drink it"
He immediately became flustered.
"There's no way I can accept this kind of treasure"
He put the tube on the counter, pushing it to her.
She stared at the tube, then crossed her arms with sigh.
"You do realize that this amount is the same as a drop in the ocean to me, right?" She said "I have slug energy to spare and my body alone have more of it then all of you together"
He knew it, the woman was a strange one, he wasn't sure of what to male of her the moment he saw her.
She had the same energy of a Flaringo. Pure and bright, but he could see the cloudy mist around her, like a demon hiding their true form.
He saw as she pushed the tube back to her.
"Take this not for yourself" She said "But for your guild, if you are in this state when your able to see the energy, imagine your comrades that can't"
He hesitated.
She was right, he was bad, but the others were worse, it's just that malice affected him more visibly than others.
But still…
She sighed once again, looking Nike in the eyes, emerald eyes stared at acid green ones.
"Let's make a deal" She said "You guys were planning on taking fifty slugs, six Mecha Beasts and six and thirty blasters, right?"
He nodded, confused at how that was important.
"Make it a hundred slugs" She said "After selling a hundred slugs, ten Mecha Beasts and ten blasters, a friend of mine will send me something really important as a reward for sales success, so you'll be doing me a favor by speeding up the process, and, in return of the favor, I'll give you this sample that will help your guild"
The proposal made him frown.
"That doesn't sound fair" He said.
"Only because you don't know the reward" Was her response "Let me tell you, it's pretty damn good, I'll be able to finish purifying that dark water in a day or two without any Fandango to help! Great Sun, I can even help you if you ever come across a really strong Cursed Item that would need many Boon Docs and Fandango to purify it!"
He paused.
Ok, that was a good reward, a wonderful one to be honest.
He watched as she extended her hand to him, a toothy smile with fang like canines could be seen on her face.
"Do we have a deal?"
He stared at her hand for a second, well, not exactly at her hand, but at the mist around it.
He hesitated, but reached out for her hand.
And what a twist.
His eyes widened as the woman brought a finger to her mouth.
"Keep it down" Was all she said.
He was full of questions, but nodded.
What kind of place had he found himself in?
But since things came to this…
"Can I actually make a request?"
***
"Your Majesty?"
A man was playing with a winged white fox when someone called for him.
"Yes Alan?"
"I received a report from the gates that Born From Victory's guild master had returned from an exploration outside the capital with the SS rank party Beast Tide, the S rank Melody and the SSS rank dwarf blacksmith Festus"
The man froze, then turned to the man beside the door.
"Nike himself?" He asked, curiously "He's not one to leave the capital at this time of the year, and Festus,"
The Artifact would be coming soon, the elf wouldn't just leave the capital in risk of contamination, and Festus was not one to really leave the Guild, he was to focus on his duties to do so.
So how come they're out?
"I received a report that they went to investigate a place in the old mine" Alan said "And they just came back with a few vehicles, guns and carts filled with strange beasts, we also received a report about Born From Victory's guild master requesting for a meeting"
That made the man pay full attention.
Festus going out and coming back with machines was one thing, but Nike coming back with beasts and a meeting request was completely diferente.
The man smiled, a childish smile full of excitement.
What kind of Beasts did Nike find this time?