Kapitel 16: To Svarog It Is
*New chapter. I couldn't post it last night since I was too tired to finish it, but here we are. Now, I suppose we're closer to the intense point in the story. Stay tuned for what's next. Peace out and Deus vult. Let me know what you think about the chapter. Enjoy :)*
As he stepped out, the others were already waiting for him, prepared for whatever lay ahead.
"I see, so I'm late. Heh, quite something if you ask me. Come on, let's roll."
They did give Mark a few odd looks, seeing how he acted so nonchalantly, as if nothing had happened, but none dared verbalize their bewilderment. In the blink of an eye, they were in front of Natasha's clinic, ready to carry boxes of resources. Oleg had showed up with a bunch of Wildfire members, all of them carrying boxes with whatever other resources they could share—mainly food and the like.
"I see that you're all ready," said Oleg, turning back to look at the men he brought. "We've packed here what we could spare without making it worse for our people. Sure, the reaction we've got was clearly not a pleasant one, but I chose to place my faith in you."
Mark nodded, giving Oleg a serious look that showed his honesty.
"I truly wish to see this thing work. I want this world to flourish and see better days. That's all I can say."
His words were heavy, carrying something that he didn't show but felt nonetheless. Quick was he to keep his face expressionless, especially when emotions were slowly pinching at all his sides. He turned back to his own group.
"So, guys, in we go, we grab the medical supplies, then we move to the vagrants' camp. I'm sure Svarog should notice it, since the camp is right in front of his supposed home."
Oleg raised a brow, crossing his arms, yet his thunder was stolen by none other than the over-friendly guy that has been causing problems since the start.
"Oh, my friend, I take it that just like the great Sampo Koski, you've sneaked around and found your way inside, right?"
March's eyes narrowed and she scoffed, tugging at Mark's sleeve.
"Seriously? This guy again? Can't I just borrow that pipe from you and give him a tiny whack? Please?"
Sampo brought his arms up in mock surrender, grinning from ear to ear.
"Well now, little friend, I'm not sure I can handle that much violence."
Mark chuckled and shook his head. He was very close to lending March the weapon, only for the hell of it.
"Welp, sorry, March, but today he's with us. Extra help at carrying boxes. After all, he's a man of many talents; that much I know for sure."
Before anyone could say something else, Natasha opened the door to her clinic, giving everyone her usual smile that hid the sleepless nights and countless work hours.
"Oh, what a rowdy crowd so early in the morning."
Her warm smile did melt the hearts of everyone around, including Mark, who suddenly felt fresh.
"Oh, good morning. Yeah, we're here to just get over with this plan of ours and see what turn it takes."
She nodded, motioning in. Everyone who had nothing to carry came in and grabbed a box each, making sure to handle them with extra care. The last thing they needed was someone ruining what little resources they could put together.
"On to the vagrants' camp. Sampo, since you're such a dear fellow who's always down to helping others, how about leading the way?"
Mark couldn't help it but try and get at Sampo in his own way, simply verbalizing some ideas in a tiny bout of wits.
"Oh, but how gentlemanly of you. Sure, my friend, I shall put the name of Sampo Koski on the line and lead the way with such passion like none had seen before."
Springy steps and a carefree demeanor were what put him in motion. He led the way with such excitement that it felt like a kid leading the way to the Christmas tree in the morning when gifts were waiting beneath the tree.
"Typical Sampo behavior," mumbled Stelle, carrying her own box with care. Mark chuckled by her side.
"Heh, classic stuff. I just can't hate that guy."
The rest of their walk was light and uneventful. The path was surprisingly clear of monsters and dangers alike, which Mark found weird, until he figured out that Svarog has a lot of robots that just do his bidding, meaning that taking care of Fragmentum creatures was no issue for him.
"That must be the camp up ahead, right?" asked March, her shoulders slumping from holding on to her package for a bit too long.
"Yes indeed, little Missy, that's the camp. I'm sure I did a perfect job, so don't be shy on the five-star reviews."
Seele scoffed, pretty pissed at his antics.
"At this rate I might give you a zero-star rating and a beating, so keep your mouth shut, Sampo. You better help here too instead of running off to do who knows what."
Mark left them to their bickering, focusing instead on the armed vagrants that headed their way. There was no malice in their stances, just awareness and confusion.
"Wildfire? What are you doing here?"
Mark motioned for Oleg to go ahead and talk, since he himself held no authority when it came to the group. If their 'leader' was to talk instead, the message would get across in a believable manner.
"We've come here to put an end to the feud between us. We're all undergrounders, so we have to help one another. As a token of our collaboration, we went ahead and packed whatever resources we could spare and even brought our doctor to try and treat the wounded."
The vagrants were clearly baffled, the men exchanging glances, not sure if to believe it, but their eyes sparkled with hope. After a moment of internal turmoil, one of them spoke up.
"How are we supposed to trust you? What if this is all a set up?"
Oleg stared right at them before letting the words roll out.
"We've come with just enough weapons to protect ourselves. You have the numerical advantage in here. We're here to lend a hand and try to unite the people of the Underworld."
Mark was hopeful that it would all work out without issues, which did bring a smile on his face. Still, the thought that it was going so smoothly did make him think that something else down the line would probably cause more trouble than expected. Still, he didn't open his mouth least March calls him out on jinxing them again.
The men kept exchanging glances, but as soon as their eyes landed back on the people in their camp, they simply chose to put their faith in Wildfire.
"Fine... come with us."
The whole group walked together and soon started working. Resources were shared left and right in what little quantities they could be split so that everyone got a share. Meanwhile, Natasha set up an improvised clinic, with the others lending a hand. Mark made sure to do his best to keep working, moving on all sides like a crazy hound, taking no moment to rest. He was used to walking, so it didn't bother him.
Mind turned off, he became a workaholic zombie focused purely on getting the task done. Many vagrants were hurt, some of them worse than others, and somehow Natasha managed to do wonders and mend their wounds.
It didn't take long for a tiny white-haired someone to come check out the commotion, a hopeful smile on her face.
"Oh, it's you. You came here to help?"
Mark snapped out of it and nodded, more of a reflexive thing.
"Sure, we did come here for that. I did tell Svarog that I want a nice world made, so I did my best to hold on to my promise. Sure, my efforts were pretty much insignificant; it's everyone else from Wildfire who did most, at least in the way I see it."
He looked over to how everyone worked together—factions forgotten for a moment when humanity managed to shine through. March and Stelle didn't bother with tending to the wounds; they just carried medical supplies where needed, while Seele and Bronya kept an eye out for trouble, focusing on managing the distribution of other supplies and on Sampo since he had tried to run off twice already. Dan Heng and Natasha worked side by side, and Mark had just realized that he was slacking off.
"Oh, sorry, Clara, but I think I should get back to work. We'll pay Svarog a visit later, if it's alright."
She let out a satisfied hum, looking around. Without asking, she just went ahead and tried to lend a hand wherever possible. Mark smiled, glad that she kept that childish innocence, where one would want to help everyone, no matter who it is.
"Heh, good kid. The sun I talked about... I'm not sure it will come as I expected, but at least she deserves to see the world above without issues. All of them deserve a normal life."
Instead of thinking more, he started working again, pushing those thoughts to the back of his mind. It took them a few hours, but everyone was set and ready to go. The resources had been shared, and the vagrants were all talking with the Wildfire members, bonding together. Clara came in from between the crowds, looking around for Mark and the others.
"There you are. Let's go talk to Mister Svarog."
Mark just glanced at the others and, with his head, motioned for them to follow. March, Stelle, and Dan Heng quickly set off, while Bronya and Seele came in from behind, their work done as well.
The group went forward, following Clara as she opened the gates and passed by a bunch of robots. They allowed her passage and nearly threatened the group until she labeled them as her friends.
Before they knew it, the final gate, larger than the rest, opened, revealing Svarog, who silently stood there, awaiting Clara's return.
"Clara. You have returned."
His visor turned a brighter shade of red as he looked over the others, stopping dead in its track as it found Mark.
"I see that you have returned. Assessing scenario... calculating parameters... affirmative. Target has told the truth and made it possible."
Mark nodded, crossing his arms nonchalantly.
"Told you, Svarog. I had a plan... we had one, and we made it work. The Underworld should slowly unite, so for now it's time to set the record straight. The information on the Stellaron, as dangerous as it is... we need it. That's the only way to fully solve this issue..."
His words lingered as he tried to think of the rest. How should he go about putting his own mental notes into words? Solve the issue, save the world, stop the freezing, or at least that's what it would lead to. The harm that's been done wouldn't be reversed, right?
A drop of blood rolled down his face, but he quickly wiped it before it could touch his lips. Svarog simply analyzed his words, then gave his verdict.
"Very well. Access to Stellaron Intelligence granted to outsiders. Requesting database material cache. Serial number 13175. Encryption level: highest. Request approved. Transmission..."
Everyone had gathered round, waiting for Svarog to show everything. Just in time, Natasha managed to get there and witness what Svarog was about to show as well. Before their eyes, a hologram showed all that Svarog knew. Mark didn't bother much to watch it since the information was slowly coming up in his mind, the fog clearing.
He went through multiple transmissions, all of them showing more and more, revealing the truth like peeling an onion's layers. No one did as much as mutter or breathe too loud.
By the end of the transmissions, Bronya was pale, her expression mortified. Sure, she held more questions than answers, but all of them revolved around Cocolia and her choices. Mark's words, the ones she didn't wish to believe, were in fact true. The Stellaron did affect her, and even more than one would like. Mark simply stood silent to the side, trying to look through his newly surfaced memories, yet the times he thought about the location of the Stellaron, blood kept dripping out, more and more as his thoughts lingered on this specific thing.
Natasha quickly called the group together, giving Bronya time to sort her thoughts all on her own. Meanwhile, they had to focus on the future to plan ahead.
Again, Mark was silent, and it did bug them out a little, but making comments on it would prove useless. Natasha finally revealed that she's Wildfire's leader, to everyone's surprise—except the only one who had already known that bit of information.
Time trickled slowly, the cogs turning over and over in Mark's mind. Cocolia's imminent death, the very thing he wished to avoid. How come he knew that bit of information but not what unfolded before that point? He couldn't tell. Maybe it had to do with his arrival in the world, or maybe a specific time in the past when he had been spoiled about it without even recalling the event. It didn't matter.
His eyes looked up to the ceiling of the Underworld, and his resolve was made.
"To the surface we go, everyone..." came his muttered words, carrying a hint of nervousness in them.
"How do I even go about stopping a Stellaron?"
Just as he was about to sink into his own mind once more, March playfully slapped him over the back of his head. It was enough to shake him out of it.
"There. You were about to get all gloomy again. Come on, let's go rest for the day. We have time to go to the Overworld tomorrow."
A tiny, yet sincere smile plastered itself on his face. He gave March's nose a gentle flick before heading back.
"Well, what are you all waiting for? Let's head back and rest for now. We have grand things incoming."
Kapitel 17: In Serval We Trust
*Here again with a new chapter I barely managed to write due to a lot of circumstances. I hope you'll enjoy it. Let me know what you think about it. Also, discord server plug in :))
https://discord.com/invite/8RcQy2aQ36
I hope to see more of you there. Until then, peace out and Deus vult*
On their way back, Mark could notice that Stelle seemed a bit out of it. She kept looking left and right, as if searching for something that remained unseen. For the others, it was weird, but for Mark, who knew what was going on, it was just another day of random shit happening.
"Equilibrium..." muttered Stelle, her voice barely a whisper. Mark nodded, while the others were confused.
"Yeah, equilibrium. Quite the thing we're looking for in the world. A certain balance to all things. I guess you're tired, Stelle. Let's pick up the pace. I'm so tired I could sleep even through an earthquake."
He placed his hands behind his head and simply went ahead by himself, speeding up a little. The others followed suit, but March had to complain.
"Awww, Mark, you're walking too fast. Slow down a little."
He chuckled and looked back over his shoulder, shrugging.
"You're too slow, March."
Big mistake on his side. She did just that and simply jumped on his back, wrapping her arms around his neck, nearly choking him in the process.
"Fine, mister 'tough guy', time to teach you a lesson. That's not how you treat ladies, understood?"
Everyone burst out laughing, and even Dan Heng couldn't hold back his smile. Mark simply leaned forward a bit to get a better grip on her, but he didn't turn back at all.
"No one must see how damn red in the cheeks I am right now. Hell..."
With one swift motion, he lifted her a bit higher on his back and carried her with ease, not complaining.
"Fine. Hold on tight and don't fall, ok? If you do, it's your fault, not mine."
March didn't need more persuasion. She clung to him and just rested her head on his shoulder, her hair gently tickling Mark's right cheek. She did notice how red it was, but she chose to remain silent. Slowly but surely, she fell asleep on his back, her grip weakening slightly.
As Mark felt that, he leaned forward and walked like that despite his back screaming at him and calling him every possible word known and unknown by the universe.
"No way I'm letting her fall off of my back."
Behind him, the whispers were flying left and right, which were clearly focused on him, but it mattered little to him—at least that's the lie he tells himself all the time, despite his cheeks betraying him by getting flushed.
Quickly, he dashed ahead, entered the hotel, carried March to the room he saw her walk in on the first day, and gently lied her down to the best of his abilities, trying to not wake her up. With one careful motion, he pulled the blanket over her and just stared at her sleeping face for a moment longer than needed. She did look so innocent in her sleep. He wondered just what sort of memories she's lost.
"It's not my business either way... but still... she looks so..."
He shook his head. It wasn't good to linger around for longer than needed. In an instant, he was in his room, lying on his bed. He didn't even bother changing, and the sword and scabbard flew right to the floor, along with the metal pipe. Little was his time awake after his head found the pillow. Sleep soon enveloped him, cradling him softly.
Darkness... cold... and again, he was home. The nightmare kept repeating in the same manner, over and over, enslaving Mark in the horrors of his own mind. He couldn't rid himself of it. All he could do was watch it repeat over and over, then bury the mental wounds deep within. Again, he woke up in a cold sweat, his eyes teary, breath heavier than usual.
"Damn it..."
He wanted to cry and let it all out, but he had work to do. He stood up, gathering his wits and forcing it all to work together like nothing had happened.
"Regret... what a damn joke... it's heavy..." he whispered, as if testing his own voice and thoughts.
Indeed, he silenced his mind and just went along with the rest. Stelle, Dan Heng, and March were waiting for him outside.
"Took you long enough, sleepy head," chuckled March, and Mark gave her a sarcastic look.
"Should I remind you about how nicely you slept on my back yesterday?"
Her cheeks flushed a bit as she remained silent.
"So, everyone... ready to go?"
Indeed, the answer was yes. The group walked together to meet with Wildfire, yet no traces of Bronya were left. Seele was quick to inform them of her decision to go and talk with Cocolia directly. Mark had suggested she do the same, and yet he worried about her. As far as he knew, which was just a hunch, it didn't go all that nicely for her.
"Oh, she also told me to give you guys this letter."
She handed it over to Dan Heng, who quietly opened it and began reading. Stelle, March, and even Mark joined at his side to read. Mark did it merely to lower suspicions about how much knowledge he holds.
"Landau siblings... that's nice. Serval and Gepard. Nice, it's all going full circle for me. Heh, how peculiar."
At the mention of Serval's name, Sampo shuddered, memories of how scary she could be echoing in his mind.
"Heh, let's not mention that name for now. She's the scarier one of the siblings..."
With a loud sigh, March nodded, not really taking Sampo seriously.
"Yeah, yeah, let's just go to the surface. Come on, Sampo, lead the way, and you better not ditch us once again."
Said and done, they all set on their journey, climbing more steps than one would have ever liked. Mark could feel the sting in his calves, but luckily for him, walking and climbing were some of his favorite activities, so he endured with ease.
Outside, the air was crisp and cold, chilling Mark, who wore just a shirt on. Still, it didn't bother him too much. He had gotten used to it slowly as time went by, even before being sent to this world.
"Mhh, I forgot what fresh air tastes like... nom nom nom..."
Both Mark and Dan Heng gave March odd gazes, like she was crazy.
"What flavor is it?" asked Stelle, while Seele just scanned them both with the same confused look as the others.
"Freedom... Cold... Mainly cold. Come on, let's go."
Mark took a quick glance to the side, and Seele did the same. Both of them groaned in annoyance.
"Damned Sampo..." echoed their voices in unison.
"Where to now?" asked Stelle, looking at Mark. Everyone turned to him at the same time, expecting his knowledge to kick in.
"To Serval, of course. I made a promise to make sure things turn out well... If we need her help, I'm sure she'll lend it. Follow me."
Mark casually began strolling around, despite the number of Silvermane Guards that patrolled the streets. Somehow, no one bothered to look their way, mainly because of how calm Mark was and how easily he walked around. Truth is, he was scared and felt like any moment he'd have to make a run for it with everyone.
Once at the workshop, he tried the door, but it was locked.
"Who is it?" came a voice from inside, a voice that he hadn't heard in a while.
"Just the random guy who chose to make a sword in your workshop a while back."
Serval chuckled then opened the door, peeking outside.
"Quick. You're crazy to be wandering outside like this. Everyone is on the lookout for you. A lot of Silvermane Guards have been called back from the frontlines, and the entire city is in a panic. What have you even done?"
Mark chuckled and scratched the back of his head, pretending to be fully innocent.
"Oh, nothing much, just a little bit of digging here and there into the issue I told you about."
Dan Heng let out a tired sigh, taking out the letter and handing it over to Serval, letting her take her time with it. Meanwhile, Mark took a step back, allowing Serval to talk a bit about her relationship with Cocolia and their shared past. It was a sad fate, one that Mark wished to change.
"You know," came his words, interrupting anything that was going on. "I might be prying too much where I shouldn't, but... I'd like to see you and Cocolia on speaking terms once more. The situation sucks, I know, but..." he took a moment to look down, pondering a bit before meeting her gaze head on. "It wasn't fully her who got into those fights with you. The Stellaron's influence runs deep, deeper than expected... I ask that you try and make up with her, should the change arise."
She simply stared at him, silent. It took her a moment, but she let out a heavy breath, so heavy that it seemed to contain all her anguish and anger from years spent trying to understand Cocolia's choice of pushing her away from her research topic on the Stellaron.
"I... can't make any promises, but if she's willing to apologize, then maybe... just maybe... I'll give her a chance."
A tiny smile appeared on Mark's face as he took a seat on the counter.
"Well then, Miss Scientist, do tell us what you know about the Stellaron. It's the location we need, to be more precise."
The whole group turned to her, waiting. It was their quest, and they were finally about to get answers that led to the thing they sought.
"Well, according to survey results, the Stellaron is likely to the north of Belobog... somewhere in the vast Snow Plains."
"Could you tell us how to get there?" asked Dan Heng, already trying to assess the situation to the best of his abilities. Serval shook her head; the answer was not exactly what they expected.
"Telling you wouldn't be of much help, since that zone has been more or less swallowed up by the Fragmentum. If you wish to get to the northern Snow Plains, you'd first have to get past the Silvermane Guard Restricted Zone on the front lines first."
At that point, Mark simply disconnected his brain. He knew about whatever she had to say, so he just allowed Stelle to talk with Serval for a good while, time during which he simply looked around the place and tried to sort out his thoughts. There was one thing that did catch his ears, that of Serval wishing to see the Stellaron. With a drop of blood, he knew that she didn't get her wish to be fulfilled, so it was his duty to try and help.
As she got ready to leave and lead the way, the door rattled as someone tried to open it. Mark didn't even need her to tell him that it was Gepard. He quickly dashed away on the tips of his feet, motioning for the others to follow. Instantly, they were all hidden in the tiny room where he had lived for a while. He motioned for all of them to shut up as Serval did her best to send Gepard away with no suspicion.
It took a while, and she nearly lost her cool when he wanted to take a look in the back for something he had forgotten there, but in the end, he went away with business.
"So, the coast is clear," muttered Mark as he walked out, stretching a little. He didn't like that sort of situation, yet he was capable of utmost silence, like he was dead.
"Time to head off then," said March, ready to just walk out. It's what they did, following Serval in silence, walking away quietly and pretty confidently, acting like they weren't wanted as some criminals that wished to overthrow the Architects.
The walk was surprisingly short, which did surprise Mark a little. There was no way for him to have an idea about distance between places since the in-game mechanics prevented him from doing so. Still, some estimations could be made, but he failed miserably in this case.
Serval made quick work of talking to a soldier that was guarding the entrance, using her past reputation and relations to quietly get them in. Before their eyes was a large gear bridge, which had a part of it broken.
"The restricted zone is on the other side. It's an endless Fragmentum with a few tired Silvermane Guards."
Once again, Mark just stared off into the distance, and to his surprise, the cold didn't get to him that much.
"How curious... I don't feel that cold, despite this place being closer to that frozen hell."
He chose to slowly touch his chest, his fingers hovering gently over the area before settling down blisfully. Thud, then another one quickly after, it kept beating. It felt normal, and yet the lack of cold as expected worried him a little.
"Could it have something to do with those supposed powers or whatever that creature mentioned?"
Shaking his head, he snapped out of it, forcing his mind to focus on the task at hand.
"Yeah, let's find those terminals," he repeated, making sure that he was in line with what Serval had said. Slowly, he was getting closer to that moment, the one he dreaded and hoped to change—with no clear clue in mind.
Wöchentlicher Energiestatus
200+ Power-
Rangliste 
29 Power-
Stein Das könnte Ihnen auch gefallen
Kommentar absatzweise anzeigen