Chapter 293: Visit
"Hey, what is this?" Lysandra mumbles, her legs swinging idly as she lounges on Kael's bed. Her eyes, reflecting a childlike curiosity, fixate on a radiant object she holds. 'It's so... shiny,' she marvels internally. In her grasp, a crystal naturally shaped like a blooming flower glimmers with an intricate dance of blue, pink, purple, and white hues. The surface of the crystal is uneven, dotted with tiny bumps that amplify its luminescence, causing the colors to shift and pulse rhythmically.
"I want it," Lysandra declares, clutching the crystal tighter, her fascination deepening.
"Huh?" Kael exhales, turning his head from where he sits on the floor, his attention now caught by her interest. "Oh, that? Hmm... it's a key to a ruin. Put it down; I don't know how it works and there's only one," he cautions, standing and walking over to her with a mixture of intrigue and caution in his steps. 'Damn you, system, how is this a map? Tell me how to work this crystal thing.'
[Nope, figure it out yourself lmao]
[I didn't choose what you got, it was a random pick so suck it up and figure it out yourself.]
'Fuck you... Tsk, the pick was rigged,' Kael thinks, annoyance flickering across his face.
[Mmhmm, sure sure.]
[If I wanted to rig it, I would've given you the worst option.]
'Okay, so this isn't the worst option,' Kael muses, a smirk crossing his lips as he gently takes the crystal from Lysandra. 'The mana inside is compressed; I can't tell how much mana it has. Although it looks fragile, with this much compressed mana, I bet only a master can break it,' he concludes, tossing it back to Lysandra with a challenging grin. "Okay, bite it, give it the bite of a dragon."
"Why would I bite into a rock? I'm not a fucking pet, you—" Lysandra starts to protest, her eyebrow arching skeptically.
"I'll cook you something new," Kael interrupts swiftly, and almost instantly, she bites into the crystal. Sparks fly as her teeth meet the hard surface. "Ouch, ouch, ouch!" Lysandra rubs her jaw, spitting out a tooth. "Why is it so hard?" she groans, her tongue probing the new gap in her teeth.
"This is interesting..." Kael smirks, tapping his chin thoughtfully. He reaches down and picks up the tooth. 'I bet Eira would love a dragon tooth,' he thinks, slipping it into his pocket. He then grabs the crystal, energized by a new idea. "Let's go, I'm gonna get you your present."
"Where are we going?" Lysandra jumps up, her energy matching the twinkle in her eyes as she clutches the shimmering crystal.
"To our hideout. Wait, you haven't seen it yet," Kael smirks, 'Open the rift.' Almost instantly, a rift tears open in front of them. "Wow, I saw it last time but how can you make this?" Lysandra asks, her curiosity piqued as she examines the hole in space. "This is completely different from teleporting; it's also nothing like the gates," she mumbles, her confusion evident.
"Hmm? Are you curious? No way..." Kael teases with a grin, his thoughts wandering. 'Her upgrade has calmed down that angry face she always has. Will she change again near her next stage?' he wonders, a mix of amusement in his thoughts.
"It's awesome, right? It's something Dungeon Masters can do," he explains as they step through the rift, which snaps shut behind them. "Huh? What's a Dungeon Master?" Lysandra scratches her head, still trying to grasp the concept.
"They're the ones responsible for managing and protecting a dungeon core. Not every dungeon has a Dungeon Master since a dungeon core would have to give full control to the Dungeon Master," Kael clarifies as he opens a door leading to an expansive view.
Outside, the huge compound is surrounded by all sorts of trees and four major buildings, creating a vista of controlled chaos. "Wow, this is awesome, way better than the store," Lysandra remarks, her gaze drifting to zombies roaming around. "Wait, this..." She turns towards Kael, seeking confirmation.
"We're in the zombie-infested lands," he smirks, tapping his device. Instantly, both are teleported high above the ground. "You see all this?" He gestures grandly at the land below. "It's all under our control."
Lysandra shrugs nonchalantly. "Eh, why are you so excited? It's a small piece of land compared to the land under my control."
Hearing her, Kael smacks her head. "Shut it, you don't even own land. It's your father's and mother's land," he retorts, grounding her lofty claims. Teleported back down, Lysandra catches sight of Eira emerging from a massive building made entirely of metal. There's no door in sight, yet she walks straight through the metal wall, revealing it to be an illusionary barrier.
"Yo, you're here," Eira yawns, rubbing her red eyes as she forces herself to walk closer to where Kael and Lysandra are standing. "You look like shit," Kael comments, barely suppressing a laugh.
"Ugh... fuck you..." Eira groans, collapsing onto the ground. She rolls over, staring up at the sky. "I had to take care of Des and Ash while they partied with the friends they've made... I can stay up weeks on end for a project, I can do heavy lifting for dozens of hours. But taking care of kids? I just... I just can't deal with kids," she confesses, tears welling up as she lets out a genuine sob. "They're such a hassle... why are kids so dumb?"
Kael smirks, not entirely unsympathetic. "Come on, stop exaggerating things, I need your help with something." He nudges her with his foot, trying to coax her to her feet.
"Nooo... why, you always want help, you never just want to chill out," she groans, the frustration evident in her voice. Kael crouches down to look at her more closely. 'Huh, wait is she...?' he thinks, then confirms, "Yup, you're drunk."
He turns to Lysandra, who is observing the interaction with a mix of amusement and curiosity. "Hey, go run around, you can boss around the zombies for fun."
Lysandra's face lights up with mischief. "Wait, I can boss them around?" she asks before dashing off to explore her new, unusual playground.
"I-I'm not drunk," Eira protests with utter confidence, although her slurred speech and unsteady posture suggest otherwise.
"Uhuh, you're not drunk? Maybe I should go check your workshop," Kael teases, playing along with her denial.
"Nooo no no, hey listen," she says, grabbing onto him to steady herself. "If you go in there, you'll see some tanks, that, I got that for... um... um... a vehicle project," she manages to say, punctuating her explanation with a burp.
"You... how much did you drink?" Kael asks under his breath, rubbing his temples in exasperation.
"Stop being a biatch and help me up," Eira demands, her tone half-joking, half-serious. Kael sighs and helps her up, then guides her into the workshop where he gently sets her down.
"I see, you're not just drunk, you're high out of your mind," Kael observes as he surveys the room, spotting tanks of beer and several hundred pounds of cannabis. 'Damn, what the fuck is this?' he wonders, scratching his head. 'Weed isn't uncommon here; it's a medical herb, so it isn't unusual to see people smoking it.' He looks back at Eira, who's now lounging in her chair, "She's half dwarf so she's highly resistant...'
She offers him a tiny shot of beer. "Just a little?" he asks, curious despite himself.
"Pfff, if I give you any more, you'll pass out," she giggles, her mood lightening despite her inebriated state.
"Come on, you can't be serious? Just how deadly can this be?" Kael mumbles, skeptically eyeing the tiny shot glass in his hand. The liquid's aroma is mild, almost deceiving. He lifts it to his lips and takes a cautious sip, immediately breaking into a fit of coughs. "Cough, cough, cough," he gasps, swallowing hard. "Damn, is this even beer? How much alcohol is in this?" he chokes out, still coughing from the burning sensation down his throat.
"Ugh... hmhmhm, I don't know? A little, I mean, I have to drink a lot," Eira replies with a sly smirk, clearly amused by his reaction.
"Okay, let me just..." Kael says, standing up unsteadily to inspect a nearby tank, reading the information labeled on its side. "Hmm, yup, 98% alcohol..." he reads aloud in disbelief, then stumbles back towards her.
"Shut up and chill out with me, I don't have any friends you know," she implores, pulling him down onto her chair. Despite its size, they both fit comfortably. She passes him a blunt, her tone shifting to a mix of lament and jest. "Why are we always working? I mean... we're already loadeddd, we should be having funnn," she groans, sipping from a foot-long glass and finishing it in one gulp. She slams it down on the table, activating a rune that prompts the tank to pour more alcohol into her glass.
"Friends, huh?" Kael muses, leaning back and pondering the nature of their relationship. "Is that what we are? We barely even see each other, and most of our conversations are work calls. And you're always so mad," he comments, his voice laced with a hint of exasperation.
"I'm neverrr mad, that's a lie, pffhahaha." Eira laughs, brushing off his accusation. "You just get me sooo mad, and it's my faulllt," she admits, taking a hit from the blunt.
"Oh, are you finally taking accountability?" Kael teases, leaning on his arm, intrigued by her sudden openness.
"Shut the fuck uppp," Eira retorts playfully, shoving him with her shoulder. "I'm bad at this, I've always been alone, give me a break," she confesses, stretching back in the chair, her defenses momentarily down. "Can't we just chill out here? Stop being such a biatch and take a hit," she insists, stuffing the blunt into Kael's mouth.
"So we're friends now?" Kael asks, exhaling the smoke slowly, a wry smile forming on his lips.
"Ummmuggghhh. I don't know, are we? This is so cringe pffhahahaha," she laughs again, her laughter filling the space between them.
"Hey, I'm just as lost as you. I don't have many friends," Kael shrugs, reaching into his pocket for something to lighten the mood.
"You're a liarrr. You have so many friends in your stoopidd academy," Eira slurs, her head tilting back and forth as she struggles to focus.
"Pfff, that's a good one. I wouldn't say they're my 'friends.' I pretend to be friends with them for the benefits, but they're too young and cocky to be my 'friends.' They lack all basic forms of respect," Kael says with a wry smile, his voice low.
"Hahahaha, why are you acting like you're not their age, stoopidd?" Eira laughs, spitting out some alcohol, the drink sloshing in her glass.
"Huh, you're right. Technically we're the same age," he admits, taking a thoughtful drag from the blunt.
"If you don't like 'em, whyyy are you still in the academy?" she asks, her annoyance seeping through her drunken haze.
"Tsk, I have no choice. There are places I need to visit, people I need to meet, people I need to scam, resources I need to get. Being a student is the easiest way to do this," Kael explains, his eyes scanning the horizon as if plotting his next move.
"Ughhhh... dammit Kael, fuck you, I hate you, I don't wanna work no moreeee," Eira half-sobs, half-groans, the weight of her emotions pulling her further down into the chair.
"Just let meee retireee," she pleads, her voice breaking.
Kael grins and pats her back sympathetically, "Well, you signed the contract, now you're stuck with me."
Hearing him, Eira slams her fist against the table, her frustration and inebriation fueling her anger. "You cheateeer, You... you bastard.... you tricked me," she cries out, pouring herself another drink.
"You signed the contract," Kael shrugs nonchalantly, unaffected by her theatrics.
"And it's not like you don't like the benefits," he continues, the smirk returning to his face as he watches her struggle with the realization.
"You bastard..." Eira mumbles, her feet wagging in the air. "You tricked meee, you used the money to distract me when I was reading over it," she accuses, her face flushed from alcohol and indignation.
CREATORS' THOUGHTS 
QTV
QTV Fun Fact: The contract she's referring to was signed right after the auction.
Weekly Power Status
-- Power
Ranking 
-- Power
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