The first rays of dawn pierced through the airship's windows, spilling into the living quarters and catching Ka'sha's profile in a soft golden glow.
She was asleep, sprawled over the table, her features bathed in light that highlighted the delicate lines of her face. Six streaks of void energy etched across her forehead and the sides of her eyes lent a subtle sharpness to her otherwise gentle appearance.
Softness and edge coexisted on a single face, accentuating her extraordinary beauty.
Creaaak!
The faint rotation of the door hinge jolted Ka'sha awake. Even before opening her eyes, her body reacted — void energy surged through the arm of her armor, shaping into a fist-blade in her palm, aimed directly at whoever had pushed the door.
"Whoa!"
Sivir, clearly exasperated, flicked Ka'sha's fist-blade aside with her weapon, a mixture of annoyance and amusement on her face.
"I just brought you some breakfast. Do you really need to be this jumpy so early in the morning?"
Ka'sha's eyes softened with guilt as she recognized the visitor. She lowered her fist-blade, letting her armor retract it, and apologized.
"Sorry… old habits die hard."
"No worries," Sivir said, placing the breakfast on the table and moving to the window to draw the curtains open.
"I understand. Living alone in a dangerous environment, always on edge… habits like this are inevitable."
"That's actually a good thing. I wouldn't suggest changing it. After all… you belong there."
Ka'sha knew exactly what Sivir meant. She remained silent. She had come out this time to search for her father, but once she found him, she still had no idea what she would do next.
Ka'sha picked up a chunk of meat, placing it on her void-infused skin armor, allowing it to absorb and digest the food. While a normal person might have milk and bread or rice porridge for breakfast, Ka'sha's meal consisted entirely of large slabs of meat. Only by feeding her armor could she truly satisfy herself — a practice she had adopted after traveling with Duke.
"Hurry up and eat. Who knows when he'll get back? We'll need to move to the next location after that."
Sivir leaned against the window ledge, a faint look of helplessness in her eyes at Duke's unpredictable habits. He always handled things efficiently, which was convenient, but as a mercenary leader, Sivir couldn't help feeling slightly irked.
"He's back."
Ka'sha whipped her head toward the cabin door just as Duke appeared, slipping through the narrow gap.
"You can't handle even a single mention of him. Say his name, and he appears — like a ghost."
Sivir followed Ka'sha out to greet Duke. His armor, once polished and pristine, now looked scorched and scratched, as if it had rolled through molten lava.
"What happened to you? You look like a mess."
Duke rolled his eyes. "I ran into a Bakay below deck and tried to capture it. Then your Shuriman Reaper got in my way, smacked a careless Frog Reaper flat, and I ended up fighting a Fire Spirit too!"
He shrugged off his armor and gave a brief rundown of last night's events. Sivir groaned, rolling her eyes. "Yeah, sure, keep telling yourself that!"
"I can believe the Bakay — those creatures always emerge from dark corners of ruins. But the Reaper and Fire Spirit?" Sivir snorted. "No ordinary person would ever encounter them."
"Believe it or not!"
Duke headed to the control room to set the course, then removed his white lab coat.
"I've set our destination to Naerima Qie. Next, I'll take a shower and get a good rest. You two do whatever you need to."
He carried his coat to the living quarters and retreated into his personal cabin. Sivir, clearly unimpressed with his self-centered behavior, rolled her eyes.
"Come on, Ka'sha, let's get some fresh air on the deck."
"Sure."
Ka'sha and Sivir headed to the deck while Duke began his personal routine. After showering, he sat in his massage chair, towel in hand, pondering the lessons from last night's battle.
"No rush with Bakay research. Maybe I can catch two more. And my fight with Brand exposed some weaknesses."
"Without Original Sin nearby, my weapons can't fully endure extreme environments. Even with Gluttony, it's ill-suited for high-temperature combat."
"And I can't rely on Force as just an auxiliary anymore."
Recalling how he had used Force to boost his brain, enhance agility, strengthen stamina, and remove fatigue, Duke felt a twinge of guilt. Force had immense potential in combat — he had only used it casually for telekinesis or oppression.
Redefining its applications had reshaped the battlefield.
"I need to intensify Force training. Research into extreme environments needs to restart. And creating the next Original Sin is back on the agenda."
As Duke spoke to himself, Edees projected a holographic screen into the air.
"Boss, receiving a signal from Raging Fury!"
Duke's spirits lifted. He tossed aside the towel and leaned forward.
"Vel'ruz moves fast. Already detected near Naerima Qie!"
"Edees, open the comms channel immediately."
"Already connecting, boss!"
The screen flickered, then three heads of Raging Fury crowded into view, each vying to speak with Duke first. Their brown, heterochromatic, and blue eyes jockeyed for attention, tongues flicking.
"Alright, alright! Stop fighting!"
Duke calmed them across the screen, a warm smile spreading inside him.
Woof!
The middle head barked, and Duke laughed. "Should I scold you or praise you? You've been chasing Xerath all the way to Naerima Qie!"
Woof! Woof!
Raging Fury barked excitedly, clearly missing him during their time apart.
"Easy… one at a time," Duke said, pressing his palm. "Slowly now."
The three heads glanced at each other, then shifted the camera to reveal a massive group of over a hundred people behind them. Leading them was a middle-aged man with a glass staff.
Seeing Raging Fury, the man bowed respectfully, nudging a girl to stand forward. She raised one hand to her chest.
"Master, what are your orders?"
"Who are you?" Duke asked.
The girl, slightly puzzled by the holy beast's communication, answered politely:
"I… am Eurydice, your Master's wife!"
"What?!" Duke's eyes went wide. My dog went missing for a few days, and came back with a wife?
Raging Fury shifted the camera away from the girl, barking nonstop. Duke tilted his head, utterly bewildered. Why did Raging Fury have a "wife," and why was there such a massive entourage?
The group included men, women, children, even pregnant women — flanked by guards wielding glass weapons. Despite signs of hardship, they all appeared vigorous and well-nourished.
"What did you do? Why are all these people following you?"
"And why do you have a wife now?"
Duke's brow furrowed. So much had happened during Raging Fury's absence — and now a wife?
Auwooo!
The heterochromatic head howled, joined by the others.
"Stop! Speak normally!"
Rubbing his temples, Duke noticed the group watching curiously as the holy beast communicated through barks. Unlike Pride and Gluttony, Raging Fury had never spoken; maybe it hadn't realized it could. It had always used barks, much like a spoiled pet.
Pride and Gluttony often quarreled with Raging Fury over Duke's attention — one jealous of his love, the other of his food. Duke had long been troubled by his dog's clinginess.
"Enough! Stop barking, it's giving me a headache!"
He gestured for Raging Fury to calm down. The three heads tilted in unison, then, seemingly in agreement, closed their eyes.
At that moment, Edees' timely reminder sounded:
"Boss, memory files from Raging Fury have been received. Play?"
"Play them!"
Duke retrieved a flask from his inventory, crossed his legs, and prepared to watch.
He wanted to see what Raging Fury had been through.
As soon as the footage started, a howl of grief and desolation filled his ears:
Auwooo… woof!
End of chapter....
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