LOOT DROP Chapter: 18

  “Have you solved our little discrepancy yet?”

  Glasses frowned, looking up from his monitors to hold green-eye’s gaze.

  “If it were so easy we wouldn't have turned E.D.E.N into a video game.”

  “Watch your tone with me, don't forget who writes your checks,” Green-eyes said, “How many prompts have you given it?”

  “Two-thousand-six-hundred and four, I've tried overriding the directives as well but the system is locked in. Whatever this anomaly is, E.D.E.N is actively working to protect it.”

  “Masterkey won’t work?”

  “No, we can only send E.D.E.N suggestions. But, and here's something interesting, there was a unique quest triggered several hours ago with a unique class stolen.”

  “I assume the anomaly, if it's using our system can you paralyze it?”

  “No, Eve’s actively safeguarding him with E.D.E.N’s protections.”

  Green-eyes wetted his lips with his tongue, his jaw clenching and unclenching repeatedly.

  “How does this affect our faction war update?”

  “So far, three NPCs have been afflicted, one of the major NPCs for the prompt is on the move, but E.D.E.N hasn't interfered. So the timeline is still intact. I’ve given a prompt for the AIs to regard the anomaly as hostile, but whatever the anomaly is doing, E.D.E.N is treating it as though a player triggered the quest line.”

  “Fix it. The last thing we need right now is the faction update triggering prematurely.”

  “And if it does?”

  “Then shut the servers down! Do what I pay you to do and get this under control!” Green-eyes spat before pinching the bridge of his nose and composing himself, “Even dead Eve somehow finds a way to meddle. Get me good news. Else it's your ass.”

  *****

  “SHIT!”

  Faith turned, her eyes wide as shouts and clamors erupted from the stadium behind her where Fisk had disappeared to.

  Watching as a crowd quickly began to flow around her, Faith decided to join in, pushing her way to stand at the precession of immortals and players to watch as a muscular woman with jet black hair held Fisk in the air above her head.

  “Don't Bane me! Don't Bane me!” Fisk yelled before the woman dropped him, bending him over her knee with an audible crunch and a collective wince from the crowd.

  “AHK!” Fisk yelped, rolling onto the ground and stopping as the woman pinned him down.

  She cocked her hand back, face grinning as she slammed down, cracking a portion of the mask Fisk wore on his face.

  Her hand cocked back again, however, before she could strike her hand was caught, her subsequent fist also caught by Fisk’s spare hand.

  “Oh… you’re strong,” Crimson said, the woman leaning down close to Fisk whose arms were beginning to wobble.

  “Why boner?!” Fisk groaned before heading butting the woman. The sudden attack allowed Fisk to throw his arms out, releasing the manager’s fist with his arms wrapping around her back as his head buried into her ample chest.

  “Eh?” Faith scowled.

  “Lucky,” An immortal murmured.

  “Hey, isn't that one leg?” Another immortal commented.

  “Huh?” Crimson let out, surprised by the audacity of the man violating her bound chest, an awkward angle where she couldn’t throw punches. Then he bucked his legs, the momentum causing her to shift and place her hands onto the ground to not faceplant.

  Now with ample room, Fisk activated airburst, his body rocketing from beneath the woman’s body and giving him distance from his assailant.

  Faith clenched her jaw, unsure if she should join in or if this was part of the test as her hands gripped the rail that separated her and the jeering spectators from the two brawlers.

  Fisk stumbled, scrambling to his feet, he rubbed his bruised back his hand outstretched, and yelled “Wait!” to the woman now charging at him with a smile and open arms.

  She didn’t wait.

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  Fisk ducked, narrowly avoiding the woman’s titanic embrace. In response, Fisk delivered two gut shots to the woman’s tightly wrapped abdomen before sidestepping as she swung with the back of her fist.

  “Alright lady! You’re starting to piss me off!” Fisk yelled, leaning back and dodging a swipe at his face. Fisk answered with two jabs and an uppercut, one to the jaw, the other squarely at the woman’s nose, and lastly, one to the jaw that sent the giant off her feet.

  She landed on the sandpit with a thud, unmoving as the crowd went silent.

  “He… he hurt her…” The receptionist beside Faith whispered.

  “I’m an equal opportunity ass kicker! You want this?! I will fuck you up lady!” Fisk spat, bouncing on the balls of his feet as the large woman began to rise.

  “Oh…” Crimson said, licking the blood that was flowing from her nose and over her mouth, “I think I like you.”

  Fisk frowned, “Shit.”

  “You got this!” Faith yelled as the brawler shot off the ground with explosive speed, vanishing in the blink of an eye and appearing where Fisk had stood previously.

  Whether by luck or skill, Fisk had managed to avoid the woman’s explosive speed, rolling out of the way with his hands up and ready to-

  -22 HP

  Fisk found himself airborne, his forearms cracking as they blocked a blow aimed at his stomach. He responded with a kick, his metal leg releasing a blast of air that sent the titan flying through the crowd of immortals who evaporated under the impact of the woman going through their bodies.

  “**** This! I’m not losing exp to watch this!” An immortal said, running off as other bystanders began to flee.

  “Ughhh… why?” Fisk muttered, taking a moment to catch his breath as his eyes shifted down to his broken arms that were emitting steam, visibly repairing themselves. “What the-”

  “Mr. Fisk!” Faith said, rushing to his side.

  “Getting a permit may have been a bad idea…” Fisk groaned as Faith crouched down, her hands brimming with restorative green energy that seeped into Fisk’s wounds.

  Fisk groaned, the pain in his body rapidly fading as though he'd been injected with morphine.

  “I think… I think I love you,” Fisk muttered, causing Faith to go flush as his HP pool ticked up.

  The moment didn't last long however as a roar was heard, the manager back on her feet and marching her way towards the duo with a bloody smirk on her face.

  Fisk quickly rose to his feet and pushed Faith away, his hands up, ready to go despite his body aching all over.

  Then, inexplicably, the woman halted her advance, her face blank and eyes focused on Faith.

  Faith went wide-eyed, realizing she wasn’t wearing her cowl thanks to the gust kicked up by Fisk’s attack. Faith shook her head slightly, the manager’s eyes shifting from Fisk and then back to Faith in a manner that wasn’t missed by Fisk.

  “My apologies, I believe things may have gotten out of hand,” Crimson said as she snapped her fingers and summoned a pair of guildhall workers that brought her her vest and clothes. “Please, if you would follow me to my office, allow me to compensate you for your trouble.”

  Fisk narrowed his eyes, the shift in the manager’s tone catching him off guard before lowering his hands.

  ***

  “First and foremost, allow me to introduce myself, I am Karlia Crimson, manager of the Liurnia region guild hall,” Crimson said, the woman sitting at a comically small desk that was regular size for most people but tiny in comparison to her stature.

  As for the office itself, Fisk found it cramped despite the room being barren; there was hardly enough space for three people, let alone Crimson.

  “I'm Nobody,” Fisk said, “I take it you two know each other.”

  “Yes… however the nature of our relationship is not something I am at liberty to disclose,” Crimson replied, all eyes on Faith who seemed embarrassed to be sitting across from the manager.

  Crimson took out a metal tab and slide it across the tab to Fisk, the latter of which picked up the item to inspect the inscription.

  Name: [Nobody]

  Rank: [Gold]

  Race: [Human]

  Role: [Vanguard]

  “Now that you have your permit, you may leave us while we have a private discussion,” Crimson said, dismissing Fisk.

  Fisk turned to Faith.

  “It's fine. I'll be okay,” Faith said as Fisk pocketed his permit, making sure to stuff it into his pocket as to not reveal his nature as a player.

  ****

  *Faith*

  “You were not supposed to be leave Liurnia. That was the deal,” Crimson replied.

  “Yeah well! when I asked for freedom, being secluded in a village isn't what I meant,” Faith replied, her voice starting off strong before quickly losing steam as she became sheepish under Crimson's glare.

  “That was the price. And when your father hears you've left?”

  “Please don't.”

  “After all the sacrifices we made, why is this man with you, where is-”

  “Dead,” Faith said deadpan, cutting the woman off.

  “I see…” Crimson blinked, “My condolences.”

  “Don’t be, he wasn't everything I thought he would be,” Faith said, her expression downcast as she rubbed her wrist. “He gave me the opportunity to see more outside the brick walls. And I'll always be grateful for that, but I've traded one cage for a new one. I appreciate everything everyone has done for me, but I want to be a person. The only thing I've ever wanted…”

  “And look at you now, covered in filth, hiding, and back in front of me ten years later.

  “Ten years ago I was a child. One being forced to marry a man I didn't know or love. I needed help. And you helped me. Now I need it again.”

  “Things haven't changed, you're as willful as ever.”

  “Please, just let us go.”

  Crimson sighed, “You're a grown woman now, you can go at any time you want. But I have a duty to alert your father. Ten years is a long time. No one may be searching for you now, but if word of your appearance surfaces-”

  “I know. I knew it the moment I stepped out from Liurnia. I'm prepared to take that risk.”

  “But is your friend? Somehow I doubt he is aware of who you are.”

  “No…” Faith said, recalling how Fisk had dealt with the immortal that had antagonized her, “But… I trust him.”

  “Enough to let him know who you are?”

  Silence.

  Crimson closed her eyes for a moment before reaching from under her desk and handing Faith an adventurer's permit.

  “This is the scope of what I can do for you,” Crimson said, “You can take jobs like the rest of the adventurers, but I won't stick my neck out any further. Even I fear the Red Queen.”

  “Thank you, truly. I won't forget your kindness,” Faith said, taking the tab as she left to begin her new life as an adventurer.