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Well then, please enjoy the read.

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Volume 4

Chapter 03: Escape Plan

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"Hmm, Rio, why do I feel like you're happy?"

"Me? Happy?"

"Yeah. You've been down ever since you told us you were banned to enter your new friend's house."

"Or did something happen to your guys since then to make you smile the whole day?"

"Oh that? Hehe..."

"No wait, don't tell us. Does it have something to do with the new adventure you said you're having?"

"What?! Really?! Did that strong party member you said trashed another S-rank monster?"

"No way!"

"And Volt was there with you!"

"Oh I'm so envious of you, Rio. Volt was so handsome I just want to be saved by him everyday."

"Eww. Trust me on that one, girl, you don't want to be saved by that jerk everyday. He will charge you double for the service each and every time."

"Haaaaaaaaa... I don't mind if I can hug him."

"And smell him!"

"And lick his armpit."

"""Eww...!!!"""

"I was just kidding! So tell us, Rio! Tell us!"

"What's wrong with you guys, there's nothing exciting in our situation in that forest. For all you guys to know, we're still trapped and me smiling is not even relevant to that adventure."

"Oh, so why are you smiling all day then?"

"Hmm, let's just say a secretive friend of mine had just learned how to open up more."

"Ow, you're no fun."

"Well, I would just have to inform you guys of what happens today so I'll see you tomorrow. Bye."

"""Bye, girl!"""

**************************

"What? Why are you in such a hurry, Elsie? Your shift is not until in the next hour?"

"Oh... really? I um..."

"(sigh) Alright, you can go. There's not much to do today anyway. But you gotta promise me that you will earn back that early hour next time. Okay?"

"Hihi... thanks Martha."

(DOORS OPENING AND CLOSING)

"And don't forget to swipe!"

"I will!"

"(sigh) New interns... she's just like Amanda when she had a date with Rex in the bank."

—I wonder what she's doing?

************************

The bike screeched to a stop in front of their garage door and a maid shot out of the door, panting as if there was an accident in front of their house.

"Oh. Sorry about that, Katniss."

"It's just you, sir Matthew. I though it was those guys in black finally attacking us. Are they back there? Are they pressuring you to come home early? Oh no! I have to call the police!"

"(sigh) Relax, Katniss, nobody is forcing anyone to go home early. I went home early because of work."

"Oh. That's... er..."

Matt looked at his wristwatch and removed his helmet, then the housemaid took the helmet and placed it into one of their garage's shelves.

"It's 21st today, right? Did they come this morning?"

"Y-Yes they did, sir. And the three weird doctors were also there too... with the ape man."

Matt glanced over the closed garage door and the now high walls that protruded from each side. From where he was looking, the entire garage area and the walls of the townhouse looked like a prison except that it was a house.

And he remembered how advanced the communication devices inside that house too thus amplifying the thought.

"Well then, I guess Anna's already online?"

"She is sir, would you like me to serve you food in the room with the usual prep up you always do?"

"Yes please. Oh and inform the bank and mom that we will be needing a new set of explorer drones for the survey. We just cracked Anazon last night."

****************************

When he logged in to Terroa, he was already facing the four of them. They were waiting. They never wanted to let him go. Not now. He knew.

These guys knew he needed them.

Aside from the fact that they already knew —or at least had a general idea of his circumstances, these guys had been told of the things they needed to know. As far as it may go and take them.

Now that they were here, he just can't push them away like he did. Because if he'd ever do that again, he had to do it for good.

"You guys are early."

He greeted and got out of the Save Crystal's sphere of influence, walking off towards Volt who was looking at his skin, not his face.

"Well, we don't want to miss seeing you. It's really like that Ancient Evil in the videos in the internet."

"Except he had Siva's long sleeve polo and his sword."

"Which practically makes him look like a villain."

"Thank you... for summing that up."

Volt and Samara chortled on Hawkeye's comment and Siva checked his own skin. As he can't see his neck, the first of the two part of his skin that can be seen, he checked his hands.

—gotta need some gloves to hide these.

No lines. Just smoke. Pure black smoke with some of its parts shooting out and evaporating in the air like a limitless black star, it was blacker and is darker than the jet black blade of the Black Ender.

The heavy weight of the smoke was visible from the way it slowly danced in the wind like some liquid nitro.

"It's called the Malevolent Aura." Siva said and swiped off a panel towards them.

TING!

«Malevolent Aura»

The spirit of the dead gathers around you, vengeance swirling, their anger is affecting the air that surrounds the body, turning it black. This version is a part of the curse of the keeper of the Chalice. Only The Keeper who completes the task of collecting the cursed set will be able to manually use Malevolent Aura.

Effects:

Blood Warrior

—Stamina +100%

—Unable to use magic

—Unable to regenerate Manna

World's Antagonist

—-Every noble in every country will recognize you as a demon and will issue an immediate execution upon the sight of the cursed form.

—Knight Orders and Guardian Forces will immediately issue an execution command upon first sight of the Keeper's cursed state. (This effect lasts as long as the Malevolent Aura is active)

Pose of the King (Rank "D")

—2 seconds paralysis on activation of the curse (Locked)

Grants:

*Blood Verse (ACTIVE) [Locked] [EXP: 1/1000]

"What's with all this info stuff? And what's a Keeper anyways? What are you keeping?"

"Oh, about that... uh..."

Volt raised an eyebrow pointing at the panel. "And what's with this EXP thing?"

That's where Samara's voice yelled from the tree branch she was sitting. With sparkling eyes, the animation engine for emotional emphasis emphasized her excitement level.

"Whoa! You gotta check this out, Volt!"

"Samara, relax."

"She's right, kuya, you gotta press it! Press it! Press the EXP thing!"

Agatha tried to tell her but Hawkeye on the other side burst out of her excited fit too. And when Volt's own curiosity pond was touched...

TING!

"What?! Is this thing real? How do I get one of these?"

"Er..."

"Why do I get the feeling that Siva's always the guy who gets the better things out of every small effort?"

"..."

"Er, is it not because he... takes higher risks?"

It was the bomb.

Agatha's comment was the one that let the point of the excitement explode within the topic. It only shows that Siva's own adventures and struggles have been able to unlock new information about the game than they have already known.

Gamers.

All unique items, weapons, armors, quest information, hunting grounds monopoly, these are all just a few of the things that creates a gamer's soul.

Of course, information about something they don't know in the game they play makes their blood boil with extreme fervor.

And of course, another gamer logic is this:

Higher risks = greater rewards.

It wasn't even a hard logic that Terroa operates in this way. Just as there were the existence of the Ranked Quest and the difficulty of attaining personal magical and technological advancement.

So when they talk about Siva's risk-taking adventures, the idea of greater rewards was also made.

"Anyways," but before any more bomb could explode in the short moment of silence, Samara noticed the awkward air surrounding the far-looking Siva who watched the horizon's morning sol. "We should be really planning out an escape plan. We have 2 days left in the deadline."

As much as the idea seemed to ignite problems on the other members of the team, Siva was calmly looking at the horizon, not minding the bickering from behind.

From the sol's first touch of light on his black smoke skin, an effect happened that captivated their eyes.

His image, as seen from behind, was like a tall man in a heat-devouring liquid, slowly evaporating into zero as it touches his skin. The air that's been leaving him was like the sunburst as seen from 10,000 kilometers away, the dark veil of smoke escaping his body vanished and the light deflected and scattered like particles of water strained by a diamond plated glass.

It was both beautiful and fascinating in a way that they could not put it in words. And yet... despite their worries, he wasn't like a vampire who hides when it becomes the day —or so the legends say.

"Beautiful."

Agatha woke him up from her trans and Siva turned to face them. Skin still as black, his whole features were a lot more visible than they were at dawn.

And to tell honestly, it was more strikingly frightening, except from the fact that the wind and the way he had carried himself in front of them looked cool. Especially adding the evaporating smokes that shattered light like it was water droplets on contact.

"I have a plan to get us out of here." His words were.

And by the way he said it, Volt's team imagined what crazy idea he actually had in mind.

""""...""""

***************************

"This is a crazy idea."

"We're gonna die."

"We'll surely be eaten alive."

"Siva, are you really... sure about this?"

"In truth I don't."

Location: tallest tree close to the ruins.

Mission: fly off to the east.

Time remaining until mission deadline: 36 hours.

"Remember how we practiced, Agatha, no matter what happens, just keep your eyes straight and burst off as fast as you can!"

"I-I-I'll do my best."

"Aside from you Siva, the only one with Flight Armor here is Hawk. If monsters did attacked us, our pace will slow down."

"That's why I will serve as the bait and attract all of the monsters to me so you go and teleport away. Just put your T-Devices in your QIP and everything will be alright."

"And you?"

"I will be following you guys behind."

Volt spent a second longer looking at Siva.

As his expression can't be seen, he couldn't tell if Siva was really planning on going with them or not.

For all he know, he might actually be planning on leaving the group and eventually running off somewhere alone. Again.

Just like he excused himself in Hagonoy, saying that the people he will be meeting are not good people, Volt was afraid of the fact that Siva might be thinking like a martyr to keep danger away from them.

Although he had already proven that, what actually make Volt worried is the fact that, as Siva had actually stated now, it's because they were his friends that he doesn't want anything to happen to them.

It was spoken in Siva's serious tone. Volt couldn't help but stare at him as he explained it one last time.

"The monsters will pass you and will come after me. I have been fighting Lapis Lazuli ever since I crossed the Pacific so I basically know by instinct how fast they react with every aerial maneuvers."

"And you've practiced your aerial maneuvers?"

Siva smiled at Samara and it was a smile that would normally make her smile back. Given the horrifying jet black skin that denied Siva any kind of expression with the exception of a sinister impression of his smile, the smile she could've replied back to him disappeared.

His appearance was 'that' scary.

But what's more awkwardly scary about it is actually the fact that Siva's current smile only reminds her of the way he killed all those men from Helium a few days ago.

Now she at least knew how frightening Siva was at the time to those men.

"I did. So you don't have to worry about me." With the last prep up on Agatha, Siva switched gears.

Using only his thoughts, he called out for the third set of his equipment. Flight Armor, the Gray Cloak, his Formal Ryodan Casual Clothes, and the Dragunov.

He checked the left and right Kicker Parts, then the Arm Gears, and then finally the Shin Protectors. Then he swiped the air opening a panel of the Abilities and Accessories Window. He selected the «Disintegration» function from the lower half of the list of 15 and then he fixed the settings according to his usual preferences.

Ability List:

1) Killing Zone (PASSIVE)

2) Telekinesis (-) (ACTIVE)

————L-Leg Disintegration (-)

————R-Leg Disintegration (-)

————L-Arm Disintegration (-)

————R-Arm Disintegration (-)

————Phantom Mask (Half Down) (-)

————Half Down Ring (-)

————Half Count Armlet (-)

————Half Count Ring (-)

————Half Count Armlet (-)

————Tier-3 Area Extension Earring (-)

————Tier-3 Alteration (-)

3) Air Blast (4/4) (ACTIVE)

4) Shock Blast (ACTIVE)

5) Deva's Path (/)Draw—(/)Spurn (ACTIVE)

6) Malevolent Aura (ACTIVE) [Locked]-[PASSIVE]

7) Pose of the King (PASSIVE)

8) Parry (PASSIVE)

9) Blood Verse (ACTIVE) [LOCKED] [EXP: 1/1000]

10) —

Unequipped:

Hammer Blast* (—)

*Transcendence

Trispell (PASSIVE) [Locked]

Blazing Blessing (PASSIVE) [Locked] [EXP: 1/1000]

Kamaitachi (PASSIVE) [Locked] [EXP: 1/1000]

Attention (ACTIVE)

Channel (PASSIVE) [Locked]

Accessories:

12) Tier-1 Quick Draw

13) Tier-1 Quick Draw

14) Chalice of the Blood Dragon God

15) Skeleton Key

This is the list of his equipped Skills and Accessories.

Disintegration is a mechanical function of the weapon, not an actual mechanical ability of the weapon itself.

It is the reason why it was listed as an Accessory that consumed four slots in his 15 Accessory Slots. As his fingers danced like playing piano in midair, the black Dragunov in his limbs vanished.

The «Deva's Path», however, is a gift from the time he had defeated Karim in a direct contest.

And on the 15 Accessory slots of Siva, all of it had already been used. So when he activated the mechanical function of the weapon, an amplifier of his already terrible aura happened.

Instead of the usual transparent particles of elements, in his body, sand-sized black particles floating around freely like an aura from his feet dissipating on his arms and vanishing, or more like, reloaded back on his feet, renewing the cycle of his actual malevolence, appeared in a swirling manner.

"Since when did that... thing happened?" Asked the so ever curious Volt.

And Siva obliged with an answer, "Just last night" and then went back to activating his Flight Armor's engine.

" " " "Whoa!" " " "

That's when everyone yelled

As the exhaust was escaping the small opening on his back, a group of black particles centered and gathered on it, just like how it did when it was still the invisible elements from the usual Dragunov.

But this here is more visible.

Now that it was so noticeable in the daylight, the whole appearance of an outstretched dark wings increased his intimidating presence.

"Tell me you also knew this." It was now an accusing Samara who had sparkling eyes, another animation, who asked him excitedly.

"(sigh) Can we just focus on the job at hand?"

"Oh right. Sorry."

"Just follow the plan. Everything's gonna be—"

BAG!

"Shit! They're here! Go!"

The first to jump was Samara, then Hawk, followed by Agatha and finally Volt.

Siva was the last to jump from behind them but at the very moment he did, the sky above him went black and a sound of something big falling fast filled his ears.

He jumped away and dived down, Volt stopped and turned to face him, grim filling his visage.

Two Lapis Lazulis came falling towards them. Their eyes glaring at their presence, the creeping fear crawled on to the two's napes.

But then there was another one that doesn't have wings yet floating right above them with its body hiding from the group of low flying clouds that appeared.

Still, even if it's only visible part is its head, or its eyes, more like, it was all but enough for Volt to identify the living legend glaring up above.

"You've got to be kidding me..." He hissed as he froze where he was. "Of all the things we might encounter,"

Siva's hands clenched hard on his side.

He had no idea...

—that they'd get to meet an Elemental Dragon!