Author Romeru
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Chapter 54: Trending, Venting, and Bending
🕑 Added 2024-11-09 22:13:59 +0000 UTC“Ha…”
A long, deep breath whispered through the now silent confines of the saloon.
What was once a bar filled with life, now almost devoid of it aside from those still standing. Julian, Cyrus, and Juliet. But then again… perhaps it hadn’t been filled with life at all.
The corpses littering the floor were, as Julian had said, mere puppets of flesh. Once living, desecrated to be machines meant to kill. Well, not anymore as their bodies now sprawled in eerie stillness.
And the worst part of it all was that it was evident from the 5 seconds of the fight that Julian would decimate them all.
The gong of his shields signaled the start of this battle, and now his deep breath signaled the end of it.
Not a single tint of blood could be seen, and not a single drop could be heard—except for the silence of death. And very much like the bodies they’d encountered at the mansion, these corpses were now shadowless, gone as soon as their brains were severed from their bodies.
“All these people…” Juliet sighed, wiping her sweat as she surveyed the aftermath. “Do you think they were innocent once? Good people… before they were turned into whatever they are now?”
“It’s… best not to think about it.” Cyrus tried to avoid the sight of the fallen bodies, instead focusing on the barkeep, who was actually also still alive, but not standing. He was trembling against the wall as Julian loomed over him.
“P… please!” The barkeep held up his hands in a plea, dropping to his knees with tears streaming down his face. “I… I have a family! Please, don’t kill me.”
“What is Orpuk?” Julian asked, resting the glacivyr blade on the barkeep’s shoulder. He didn’t press it to his neck, he didn’t threaten him with it. He just… left it resting there.
“I… I don’t know!” The barkeep stammered.
“The gods will have your guts, boy!” Juliet slammed her war axe on the floor. “You were chanting his name earlier! Don’t think we didn’t hear that!”
“I… I only joined in to save myself! I swear, I don’t know anything about Orpuk or whatever it is! Please!” the barkeep sobbed. “I just… a year ago, some people in robes approached me, gave me a lot of money to set up this bar. It was a huge sum… I don’t know anything else!”
“...What do you know?” Julian sighed, crouching down while keeping Searadyn’s Veil resting on the man’s shoulder.
“I… wait…” The barkeep’s eyes widened as he stared at Julian. “There’s… a cargo ship docking here soon. I think… I think I overheard that this… Orpuk thing will be on it.”
“When?” Julian pressed.
“Two—no, three moons from now,” the barkeep gasped. “It’ll arrive with the usual trade ships. I… I think it’s coming from Edzea.”
“Edzea?” Cyrus’s gaze sharpened. “Are you certain?”
“This old man’s spinning tales.” Juliet shook her head. “The Eldazens haven’t traded with us since before I was born! Why would a cargo from those short people be here!?”
“I’m telling the truth!” the barkeep pleaded. “Please, you have to believe me! I didn’t even know these people were… undead! If I had, I would have reported it a long time ago! Please, I’m a follower of the Light of Artemia! I… I think all life is precious!”
“Now he’s just spouting all sorts of lies.” Juliet shook her head, “You say that after you tried to stab the Boss!?”
“That’s…” The barkeep kept his head even lower.
“You’ll have to decide what to do with him, Julian.” Cyrus crouched down beside Julian, placing a hand on his shoulder and whispering in his ear, “I… can kill him if you want.”
“Where did they say they’d deliver the cargo?” Julian ignored Cyrus for now, shooting another question to the barkeep.
“I… I don’t know.”
“Do you think it could be brought here, in your bar?” Julian stood, scanning the saloon strewn with bloodless corpses.
“I… no? I don’t know.” The barkeep’s breathing grew ragged. “I told you, I don’t know anything else.”
“Let’s just tie him up for now. We might need him for some answers,” Julian sighed. “Then we’ll turn him over to the police after we finish the quest.”
“And that’s a wrap. Tell MEGAN to end the stream on your end too.” Cyrus snapped his fingers to end the stream, then kicked the barkeep hard in the chin, knocking him out cold. “You just confirmed it, Sword Junkie—the Chat’s probably going nuts when you mentioned the quest.”
“Maybe I shouldn’t have done that,” Julian hummed, glancing at Cyrus.
“Nah.” Cyrus smirked, casting a final look around the corpse-filled saloon. “It’s about time they got a taste of what’s coming. Because I’m telling you, Julian… a storm’s brewing here in Calydion.”
Unbeknownst to the group, another storm was stirring on Earth—or, more accurately, across the vast sea of the internet, flooding the forums and social media of Otherworld.
<Did you watch Sword Junkie’s stream last night!?>
<Who the fuck’s Sword Junkie? Some kind of addict?>
<You live in a cave, bro?>
<Did you see!? Is the Sword Junkie on a hidden quest???>
<Most likely. But you saw his fight? GYATT>
<I think this is more than just a hidden quest, people>
<dafuq you smoking>
<its a unique class quest bruh. Everyone already knows that>
<what they said>
<No. Hear me out. They said the cargo’s coming from Edzea… that’s Eldazen continent>
<thank you. We watched the same stream>
<No. Bich. I’m saying that it not be a hidden quest at all… but a main quest>
<let him cook. Bro’s onto something>
<a main quest!???>
<then shouldnt humanity engineering get involved???>
<lol. Those selfish assholes. Why would they be involved>
<...Because they made Otherworld?>
<dont care, their selfish assholes who don’t share their cloning and genetic engineering>
<uhh…because it’s illegal on several planets?>
<lolol shut up simp. Go suck there cock>
<thread got buried by trolls>
<wait, wait… is Sword Junkie really on a Main Quest?>
***
“Julian, you’re blowing up.”
“Hm?”
Julian, seated on the bed with his back against the headboard, instinctively patted himself as he heard Ellie’s words, only for Ellie to swat his hands away with a playful smile.
“You know that’s not what I meant, stop being so… old you,” she said, pouting as she crawled on top of him, pointing a finger right at his face even though he couldn’t see her. But as Julian lightly caught her finger and smiled, it was clear he knew her well enough to read her gestures.
“Oh? You still remember how I used to be?” Julian chuckled softly as Ellie settled onto his lap, wrapping her arms around him.
“...Who wouldn’t?” Ellie sighed, resting her head against his chest, her eyes closing as she listened to his heartbeat. “You barely talked, you were… stimming a lot, easily overstimulated. So, don’t waste all the time and money your parents spent on all your… therapy. Okay? You’re not actually blowing up.”
“But you’re the one who said I was.” Julian’s tone turned deliberately flat, almost robotic.
“Not literally! Seriously, Julian!” Ellie groaned.
“I was kidding, Ellie.” Julian’s fingers brushed through her hair gently. “Kidding. I wouldn’t even be able to joke like that if my condition was regressing, right?”
“...Right.” Ellie leaned back, pouting again as she narrowed her eyes at him.
“So, what did you actually mean when you said I was ‘blowing up’?” Julian asked, tilting his head.
“The forums.” Ellie slid off his lap and snuggled beside him under the blanket. She tapped her watch a few times, which projected a hologram in front of her. “I’ve been keeping an eye on Otherworld’s forums.”
“Oh? Since when?” Julian asked, amused. “I thought you didn’t like reading stuff up?”
“Well, no…” Ellie shrugged, scrolling through the hologram’s posts, “...But I needed to make sure no one was trash-talking you.”
“You’re sounding more and more like MEGAN,” Julian chuckled.
“It’s the other way around, okay?” Ellie clicked her tongue. “MEGAN’s like my little sister, and you’re our little teeny-tiny baby brother.”
“Then I guess we just committed incest a few minutes ago,” Julian deadpanned.
“Agh!” Ellie laughed, playfully smacking his chest. “Don’t make it weird!”
“You’re the one who said it.”
“Stop it.”
“Okay.” Julian sighed, resting his cheek on the top of her head. “So, are they, Ellie? Are people talking trash about me?”
“Well, some of them are. And they’re very loud.” Ellie sighed, shaking her head while… downvoting all the weird and rude comments about Julian, “But don’t worry—those who don’t like you will always be the loudest and will always want to share their opinions because, well… if they don’t like you, then that means other people shouldn’t too. And they’ll really make it known, they’ll even support and work with each other to make you fall.”
“...Okay,” Julian hummed.
“That’s it? Just okay?” Ellie chuckled.
“I don’t think it matters how other people perceive me. Perhaps only you and MEGAN.” Julian continued to massage Ellie’s scalp, “They do not know the life I have lived, so their opinions do not matter at all, at least for me.”
“Huh…” Ellie gazed at him, kissed his lips, and rested her head back on his chest. “...I wish we could all live in that bubble of yours, Julian. Because right now… I really want to kill these people for talking crap about you. Ugh!”
“You’re… really invested in that.” Julian sighed, “And you’ve said so much, but not the reason why I was blowing up.”
“...Oh, right. I forgot all about that.” Ellie paused her downvoting spree. “You’re blowing up because of some… main quest? Isn’t MEGAN saying anything about it?”
“MEGAN’s… been busy counting our money.” Julian said as he could actually still hear MEGAN whispering inside his mind, counting and doing calculations even though she could actually do it instantly. If anything, MEGAN’s sort of been avoiding him ever since he killed all of the loan sharks—well, not much avoiding since she was literally a part of his body, but enough.
“Well, look who’s suffering from success.” Ellie laughed softly as she continued scrolling. “Ah, here it is! It says you might be the first person since… uh… Ryouhei to complete a main quest!”
“But I’m not doing a main quest,” Julian clarified. “I have a [Unique] class quest, Ellie.”
“...What’s the difference?” Ellie tapped her watch, turning off the hologram as she focused on Julian, and Julian alone.
“Well, the quest I am doing is set to change my class, my abilities.” Julian answered.
“Woah…” Ellie brushed Julian’s cheek, “...I don’t know what that means but that’s so cool. Maybe I should also start playing Otherworld, am I allowed to borrow that LinkGear thing?”
“No.” Julian sighed.
“What? It’s worth a million credits and you can’t share it with anyone else?” Ellie gasped, “...They really are selfish assholes.”
“Maybe we should get going?” Julian suggested, “I have hand-to-hand combat training with Leto this afternoon.”
“No…” Ellie’s voice weakened, “...I’m wet again, Julian. Let’s go… one more before we take a bath and leave.”
“Again…?”
“It’s… it’s because you keep massaging my head and ears!”
***
Days passed, and Julian and the group were now seated at the docks of Calydion, inside a humble restaurant, and watching as the ships arrived from the ever-changing horizon of the sea. First, it was orange, and now it was as blue as it could be.
“Are we sure this old man’s cool for his words?” And it wasn’t only the three of them anymore seated at the table, Talia was there too, her words filled with suspicion as she stared at the barkeep, who Julian and the others kept as a hostage the past few days.
“If he wasn’t, then I’ll make him.”
And, naturally, with Talia came Dyrroth and Titus.
“I… I’ve been cooperating willingly!” the barkeep stammered, paling as Titus cast him a look that suggested he might start plucking fingernails at any moment.
“My dude, chill…” Dyrroth waved his hands, “...No one’s gonna hurt you, I think.”
The three were actually called by Julian himself 3 days ago and got there as fast as they could. After all, more manpower was crucial since…
…None of them had any idea of what they were about to face.
[LAST CHAPTER] <-----> [NEXT CHAPTER]
AUTHOR NOTES
...How good of a massage do you think Julian gives? As someone with heightened senses and primarily uses his sense of touch. Julian though, suffering from success.
Comments
Manpapper
Thanks for the chapter
