Chapter 27:

Putting his gun down, Cort readjusted the ring on his finger once more. Annoyingly, it seemed like the ring was a tad too big for his fingers causing it to slip away freely. Finally, he just decided to place it on his thumb.

Unfortunately, perhaps because Ratson was preparing for sleep, he had no equipment other than this ring on him. But Cort did not take the matter to heart as he was sure Ratson's base would have more loot.

Closely inspecting the ring, he found a complicated inscription on its inner walls. His guess was correct, this was in fact an Artifact. As for its effects….

Taking out a red crystal and crushing it, he watched as the ring began to shimmer faintly. Unable to hold his curiosity back, he equipped the ring.

Almost immediately he felt his vision grow crisper as the world around him began to be filled with more detail.

Looking at his fingers, he could distinctly see the little grooves of his fingerprints. It seems like the ring amplified one's vision. Cort's brow furrowed slightly.

'Isn't this a bit underwhelming?' He couldn't help but think to himself.

Yes, the ring did in fact help increase his eyes' ability but what use did that have in combat? Other than in scouting situations and archery, he could think of no other use.

Just then, he could see an odd ripple occur in the middle of the air beside him. The ripple lasted for less than a second before disappearing and in its place stood Old Man Carson.

"Oh you found me quicker than nor- huh? Oh lovely, I was just worrying about that, but it seems like the situation fixed itself," The old man said as he made his way toward Cort, all the while glancing at the newly acquired ring.

"It's not very well made but it should get the job done. Do you know what its uses are?" The old man asked as he examined the inscriptions written on the ring.

"Helps with my vision," Cort answered, allowing the old man to inspect his ring.

"Yes but more importantly it also allows the wearer to observe unnatural Origin flows."

"How does that help me?"

"If you were a magician or an Aura user, then it wouldn't help at all. But you are someone incapable of manipulating Origin, hell, you can't even see it. It's simple, every attack that utilizes Origin will generate unnatural Origin flow. It is by monitoring this flow that magicians are able to tell when another magician is attacking them."

"I see. So this ring will show me when someone is using Origin… that is actually useful," Cort said as he stared at the inscriptions. As with every time he saw inscriptions, he couldn't help but develop a sense of déjà vu. He was sure he had seen these markings before.

Suddenly a thought occurred to him and he shuddered slightly. Picking his gun up once more he took a bullet out of it.

Finally, realization dawned on him as he saw the inscriptions engraved into the bullet.

Trying his best to maintain a calm expression he looked towards the old man.

Old man Carson on the other hand had a calm, faint smile on his face as he studied the youth's expression. "So you've noticed huh…"

"What exactly does this mean?" Cort said calmly. His mind however was not calm in the slightest. 'Earth had Magic?' He kept asking himself. 'Root was right?'

Suddenly, certain pieces started falling into place. The golden guardian's mighty armor for instance. The one that could deflect normal bullets as if they were flies. Didn't they also have markings all over the pieces?

Cort didn't have to retrieve Prim's corpse to know the answer to that.

His heart chilled. 'Just what is going on?'

His eyes met the old man's again.

"I know you have a lot on your mind right now, but you shouldn't worry about it too much. Fact is, even if you did know the truth, it would be useless. You are too weak to even be considered a proper pawn in this game."

Cort grew angry, but he couldn't disagree. Without his guns, he was considered slightly above average in strength. He couldn't even beat the local gang boss in a one on one fight.

"Now, I know. In your eyes, I am far too suspicious a person to trust. But all you should know is this. I love this world, and I WILL save it from the coward that runs it. As for you, while I would like to have you on my team, I also understand that you have no stake in this matter. Additionally, I know that there is nothing I can offer to entice you. But I will try anyway. Help me achieve my goal and I promise you will live a life of extravagance. Money? Mountains of it. Women? A sea of them. Power? Well...enough to kill a god," He winked.

Cort felt his throat dry up.

"But all that will come in time, for now, we have one goal. Make you and Rine strong. I will do my dammest to help that kid and you. But as you said, I do not have experience in teaching warriors first-hand so I'm gonna need your help. I want you to trust me, I only have your best interest in mind. Think about it," He said before disappearing.

Cort stood in silence as he watched the ripple fade away.

Once again he felt lost. From the moment he stepped onto Himmel, no before that. From the moment he was kicked out of his team and sent on a suicide mission by the people who raised him, he has been so undeniably lost.

"...." The crushing silence of the forest was deafening.

He took off his broken mask and stared at it. "I'm gonna need to stop by Phil's before going back to the gang. Speaking of which…" He turned towards Ratson's burning body and retrieved what he needed.

His lonely figure turned into a blur that headed toward Phentar.

…………………………………………

Hunter's expression was gloomy as he sat on Ratson's chair. To the side, the broken window sent cold currents of wind into the room, but he did not care.

No, all his attention was diverted towards the three people before him.

"That's why this bastard needs to die! Not only did he get his ass handed to him by some passer-by, but he even led him to our base," A tall man sporting a Mohawk haircut said as he pointed angrily towards Hunter who's complexion was pale.

"Don't be rash, we can deal with Hunter later, but for now we need to gather our men and go support Captain Ratson!" Retorted the man standing next to Mohawk. He was of similar height, only he sported a shiny bald head instead of a mohawk.

Hunter listened to them argue with his head down. Ordinarily, he was considered to be the same rank as these two, but the events of today would surely change that. Raising his head slightly, he peaked at the only person to remain silent since the captain's departure.

'I wonder what she's thinking,' he said to himself as he saw Nelem's contemplating face.

Finally, she spoke.

"Both of you, enough," Her soft voice issued out. "Now is not the time for infighting. We must handle this situation first. Bruce," she turned towards Mohawk. "Gather everyone who is not patrolling and see if you can track the Boss down-"

"Why me?" Bruce said sharply, but he made sure to keep his tone respectful.

"Because most of the men not patrolling tonight are yours, so you'll have an easier time leading," Nelem said calmly as if expecting him to ask. "Burns! You stay with me to defend the base and…" She hesitated briefly. "And to keep Hunter detained until the Boss decides what to do,"

Unlike Bruce, Burns did not question the order and merely fixed his gaze onto Hunter.

Hunter winced as he heard her words. He was done for.

His gang, Red Foot, was on the smaller side but they were still considered in the middle ranks of Phentar. This was mostly due to their strict and efficient command structure. As opposed to most other gangs wherein the members were led more by general guidelines than with straight orders, Red Foot functioned more like a guild. Their members were divided into teams, each having a team leader, and above the team leaders were the Managers. Bruce, Hunter, and Burns were these managers and they supervised multiple teams. Finally at the tippy top was the Boss, at least that was if Nelem was taken out of the equation. The truth was that the top of this pyramid was shared between both of them. Boss was the face and recognized leader of the gang though. His orders were absolute.

Nelem, on the other hand, was the mastermind behind the scenes. She was the one who created this command system and she was responsible for determining the patrol routes, setting gang objectives, and managing the money side of things. She basically had a hand in everything and besides Boss, she was the only other founding member of the gang still around. Even the Boss listens to her. Her orders are absolute.

It was for this reason that Hunter was thrown into despair. Her saying what she had just said practically sealed his fate.

“Why wait for Boss , we already know what to do!” Bruce’s temper flared as he unsheathed his sword intending to finish Hunter off.

Hunter’s face hardened and he readied himself for a fight. Bruce and he never got along for various reasons and he knew that the bastard would take this chance to finally get rid of him.

Burns said nothing as he stood to the side, his shrewd eyes closely observing the situation.

Nelem grew increasingly frustrated but refrained from saying anything, she knew that pressing this matter any harder could result in her creating a worse situation.

Tensions grew and the room seemed to increase in heat. The four of them remained silent yet ready, like a dry fuse searching for its spark.

Then, just as the bomb was about to blow, an object came barreling through the broken window. The foreign object landed on the floor with a dull thud and it came rolling to a stop beside the four people, allowing them to see what it was.

Their eyes widened in surprise.

On the floor, Ratson’s lifeless head laid limply, an expression of confusion permanently adorning its face.

Hunter froze as fear overcame him, his feet became rooted to the floor.

Bruce was no better off, his expression just as pale.

Compared to them though, Burn’s seemed to adjust quicker. His shrewd eyes focused on the odd wound that was present on the lifeless thing’s forehead. A small hole half the size of one’s thumb was carved into it. Most likely, a small object moving at frightening speeds lodged itself into the Boss’s head, killing him instantly. ‘But what could cause such a wound? What type of weapon?’ He asked himself.

Nelem on the other hand did not seem to care. She quickly rushed over to the head and picked it up.

“R-Ratson…” She said dazedly as she held the cold head. Unlike the other three, she had a harder time accepting the reality before her. That was because she knew… she knew exactly how strong Ratson truly was. After-all she was there when he first touched upon the truth of Aura. So how could such an individual die? Especially in this most ordinary of nights?

Looking at the dead man’s lightless eyes, her heart grew heavy and her emotions were complex. She did not care for the man in the slightest, but she had been by his side for the longest of times. Though they did not get along, they did rely on each other to some extent. Despite herself, she felt tears stream down her face.

Hunter’s heart clenched as he watched her tears fall to the ground. He wanted to go over there, but he couldn’t. He couldn’t for reasons too numerous to count; Some trite and insignificant, while others not…

Making up his mind, he took a step in her direction. Or at least he tried too, but a forceful hand kept a tight grip on his shoulder, preventing him from moving.

“Good evening my new friends.” A cheery voice cut through the solemn atmosphere.

The other three snapped out of their respective dazes as they stared at the newcomer.

‘When? How did he get into this room without us noticing?’ Burn’s thought as he stared at the masked man standing behind Hunter.

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