Kapitel 8: The High-Grade Sword
It was Friday, his son's birthday, and Neban spent the morning and afternoon watching movies with Theo. He brought him four new children's books (his son likes books over toys) and a cake that they won't eat until later.
In an hour or so, he will cook his son some homemade food for the first time. Neban knows how to cook but never had the time to cook a meal for his son since he was always busy when he was a hunter. The last time he cooked food for himself was when he had his old office job before Theo came into his life.
He doesn't know if it will be good since it has been a while, but his son was excited, either way, telling him that he did not care if it was good or not, as long as it was coming from him.
Neban gave a small smile at that memory while running his hand through his son's hair, who was lying on his lap as they watched a scary movie. Theo was adorable and practically his whole world.
After that thought passed through his mind, he heard his phone ping a few times. He grabbed his phone, checking to see who was texting him. It could be his parents, who were running late; they're going to end up missing their grandson's birthday.
He saw that he indeed had a text from his parents and a group message from 'The Chill Porters' (Wey, Isona, and Owain told him to name the group that; he thought it was weird).
He read his parents' text messages first. It said:
Mother: Sorry, son, we cannot make it; we are stuck at work. Tell Theo we said happy birthday and that we love him.
Father: We will give him his presents tomorrow.
Theo is going to be sad when he tells him that his grandparents aren't coming. Neban replied to them, telling his parents that it was fine before moving to the group messages.
Those messages read:
Isona: Have you guys heard!
Owain: Heard what?
Isona: A group of M-levels and two D-levels discovered a high-grade sword in a low-level dungeon!
Owain: Are you serious? How is that possible? It is a low-level dungeon; how could a high-grade weapon be in there?
Isona: I don't know, but some high-level monsters are guarding the weapon. So, they are sending five A-levels and two S-levels to get the sword. They will also check out the dungeon and see why the low-level is different from the others.
Owain: I want to see the weapon. I never saw a high-grade sword before.
Isona: I mean, they are asking for porters to join them. Four slots are available and will close at 2:00 a.m. They want to enter the dungeons at 6:00 a.m. No porters had filled the slots yet.
Wey: Are you sure you want to enter a dungeon again after what happened a few days ago?
Owain:.....
Isona: The person knocked me out, remember? So, I do not know what happened after that. I need to learn how to get used to the gory sights and all types of hunters, to better prepare myself for anything.
Wey: Neban?
Neban: Do all of you want to come to a birthday party?
Owain: ??
Isona: Huh?
Wey: Do you want to talk face to face?
Neban: Come to this address as soon as possible.
After he said those words and sent his address, he turned the screen off and put his phone down. He went back to running his hand through Theo's hair before speaking, "My parents cannot come over. They are busy."
Theo looked away from the movie, putting his head back, so he could glance at Neban, "Grandma and Grandpa can't come?"
Neban nodded as Theo pulled a sad face at that. "They said happy birthday, and I love you."
Theo did not say anything as he still looked sad; tears were forming in the corner of his eyes. Neban wrapped his arms around his son, pulling him even closer, "It is okay; I am still here."
Theo nodded, brightening at that as he smiled at Neban, "Yeah, I have Papa!"
Neban hummed, kissing his head before saying, "I also have three people coming over, is that okay? If not, I can tell them not to come."
Theo looked surprised at that before it turned into excitement, "Papa! You made friends!"
"Yes?" Neban did not know how to respond to that. Did he make friends? Two of them witness him murder others while showing that he was not an F-level. They never told anyone what happened.
They didn't even mention it to Isona, telling her the same story they told Ari: the monsters killed the hunters as they escaped when an opening appeared before the creatures could get them next.
It did not explain the bag full of ameis, but no one questioned that part.
So, did that mean they're friends? And if so, how does one treat friends?
"I am so happy for you. I get to meet Papa's friends." His son kept smiling while talking excitedly, taking Neban out of his thoughts.
He did not understand the big deal, but he would go with it if it made his son happy. So, he nodded before saying, "They will be here soon. Let's get back to the movie before they come."
"Okay!" Theo faced the screen, grabbing his hand as he was muttering things under his breath. Neban's keen ears picked up on his son, saying he was happy that he was making friends, and he couldn't wait to tell grandpa and grandma.
Neban still did not understand the big deal of him making friends (?), but he decided to ignore it and went back to focusing on the movie they were watching.
Almost an hour passed when Neban was getting ready to get up and start dinner for his son so that they could eat the cake right after. But as he was getting ready to move his son from his lap, there was a knock at the door.
Theo quickly jumped off his lap before sitting back on the couch. "Go answer the door, Papa!"
"Okay," Neban responded as he got up and made his way to the front door; when he opened it, Wey, Isona, and Owain were on the other side, holding a present and bag in their hands.
Neban may not participate in those activities anymore because it was boring to him, but he could appreciate beauty when he sees it. And Wey and Isona were gorgeous in the outfits they were in, making him question himself on why he stopped doing those activities again.
Wey wore a black, skin-tight, short sleeve shirt, showing off his muscles, with grey sweatpants that left little to the imagination if a person stared too long. Should he even be allowed in with those pants while Neban's son was around?
Isona had on a purple and yellow dress, with no sleeves, that enhanced her curves. She also had on one of those jackets that only had the sleeves and hoodie with a bit of the top part. He had to remind himself that the girl was 18, too young for him.
"Can we come in?" Owain spoke, interrupting his thoughts. Neban glanced at him, forgetting that the man was there.
He moved out of the entrance, letting them come into his house. When they all walked in, he closed the door behind them. "Hi!" He heard his son greet them.
Isona moved towards Theo while bending down in front of him. "You are so cute; I am Isona. And I believe today is your birthday if I read your dad's text right. I got you a present." She handed the wrapped present, in her hand, to Theo.
His son grabbed the present, thanking Isona. Wey and Owain came over, introducing themselves while telling Theo happy birthday and handing him the gifts they bought him.
Neban watched for a while before walking towards the kitchen, "I am going to go cook." He did not wait for a response as he entered the area.
He heard Owain say, "He can cook?" While Isona commented to his son, "Your dad has pretty green eyes."
Once he heard those words, he touched his face, realizing that he did not have anything covering it; it was out in the open. He started to feel uncomfortable as he summoned his fake glasses.
He put them on his face, feeling better as he smoothed his bangs down some more; Neban wanted to make sure he covered his face well.
After that, he started to take out the food and pans he needed for the meal he was going to make. His son's favorite meal is a cheeseburger with bacon and a stuffed potato on the side. So, that is what he was going to make him.
He also decided to cook the same thing for the others, except he won't put anything in their potatoes (they can do that themselves) and add their cheese and bacon on the side of their burgers.
Neban started cooking, blocking out the conversation in the living area; it seemed his son was happy to have someone else talk to.
All his focus was on cooking, but he left a small spot open on making sure his son was safe. He felt that the others would not try anything to Theo, but he had to make sure.
He spent an hour cooking as he put the final touches on the food before calling out to everyone. "Food is ready." He heard his son be the first one coming off the couch, running towards him. He felt Theo collide with his leg, holding onto it as he looked up at him with a smile.
The others came in after him.
Neban picked up his son before looking at the others, "Set up your food." He carried Theo to the dining table, sitting him down on one of the chairs before grabbing a napkin and tucking the end of it under his shirt collar.
Then he walked back into the kitchen, ignoring the others who were fixing themselves some food while he did his son's. Once he finished, he walked back to the dining table, setting the food down in front of Theo. The boy looked happy when he saw the meal.
"Thank you, Papa; I love it!"
Neban ruffled Theo's hair before walking back to the kitchen to make his food. The others finished setting up theirs and were standing in the kitchen, looking awkward. "Go to the dining room." He told them. They nodded and walked off.
Neban fixed his food, and once he finished, he walked to the dining area, sitting down between his son and Owain. His son took a bite of the food, his face lighting up, "So good."
The others took their bites after hearing his son's praise. They made the same face, as Wey and Isona practically moaned at the taste. Neban bit the inside of his cheeks as he felt a blush coming up. Maybe he should never let them eat his food again.
"I am amazed that you can cook," Owain commented as he ate his food like he hasn't eaten in days; it was a disgusting sight in Neban's opinion.
But he hummed in response as he started to eat. It was quiet after that as the conversation picked up again when his son started talking about what was on his mind.
Neban was carrying his sleep-talking son to his bedroom, setting him down on his bed. After they finished eating, he pulled out the cake as they sang Theo happy birthday (the others' faces were hilarious when Neban joined in on the singing).
Theo blew out the candles when they finished as he tried to tell Neban his wish. Wey stopped him by saying it will not come true if he spoke it out loud. It worked as Theo stopped.
They ate the cake, and Theo opened his presents right after. The boy was yawning the whole time during it, but Theo thanked everyone for each gift. When he opened the last one, he fell asleep in Neban's arms.
So, now he was setting his son down in his room, so he could go back into the living area and speak with the others. As he moved away, Theo held onto his shirt, "Papa, stay."
He took Theo's fingers off him, grabbing one of his pillows so his son could hold onto it. He kissed his son on his forehead before whispering, "I will be back."
Theo gave a sleepy nod before moving his face into the pillow. Neban walked out, making his way back into the living area. He sat down on the couch before facing the others in the room.
"You want to sign up to be porters for the dungeon with the high-grade sword tomorrow?" He looked at all of them.
Isona quickly nods without hesitation, even though her hands were shaking. Owain hesitated for a second before nodding. Wey did not answer as he gazed back at Neban.
"Do you want to do it?" Wey asked Neban.
Neban shrugged, "I do not care. If all of you want to go, I don't mind coming."
Isona smiled at that before clapping her hands together, "This will be exciting. I want to see what a high-grade weapon looks like, and maybe we would get to hold it. Plus, it probably won't be that bad since S-levels will be there."
"Are you sure about this Isona?" Wey asked as he turned towards her. She nodded, sticking to her resolve.
Owain gave a nervous laugh, "It would be nice to see it, and if anything happens, I believe we have a guardian angel watching over us." He looked at Neban when he said those last words.
He ignored that comment as he looked at Wey, "Do you want to do it?" Neban repeated the question that Wey asked him, back to the man.
Wey thought for a while as he looked at Isona's puppy face, Owain's anxious but resolved face, then Neban's blank face. After a second, he closed his eyes before sighing, "Let's sign up then."
"Yay! And you will not be disappointed. They are paying porters 50% more for doing this job, and the people also said they would pay for our medical bills if we end up hurt." Isona excitedly spoke as she pulled out her phone, going to the page to sign up.
The slots were still empty.
Isona signed her name and passed it around so the others could do the same; Neban was the last to sign his name before giving it back to Isona. She submitted it once she got her phone back.
"Why do you have bags?" Neban asked. The question has been in the back of his mind ever since he saw them.
Isona blushed at that question while Owain scratched the back of his neck. Wey answered, "If we decided to do this, we brought our bags to ask if we can spend the night, so we can show up together."
Neban hummed before standing up, "There are two guest bedrooms. The doors have a sign on them; you can't miss it." Then he walked out, making his way to his room.
Geschenke
-- Geschenk
erhalten Wöchentlicher Energiestatus
-- Power-
Rangliste 
-- Power-
Stein