From Beyond The Rift

Chapter 31: An Unexpected Dispute

[Zeef's POV]

Zeef:
M-Mr. Lee Harlings, correct? My apologies, I am uncertain of your rank within the army, so I erred on the side of formality and addressed you as "Mr."

As he moved closer to me and the group of five behind, consisting of four medics and a lone soldier, I managed to choke out that line. It was an odd formality, one I hadn't expected to have to use today, especially not in a conversation with someone my own age, but there was something about his presence that made it hard to be anything but formal.

Lee:
Chill out, brother. We're both fifteen and hey, for what it's worth we're on the same team here. Plus, I'm not even a part of the army, so no need for the formalities.

NOT IN THE ARMY!? THIS GUY'S A CIVILIAN!?

Wait....

Zeef:
For what it's worth?

Lee:
You're not an idiot. You should have caught on to most of the situation by now, right?

Zeef:
...

Lee:
I ain't an idiot either, so I won't bother telling you not to blame yourself 'cause you're gonna do it anyway. But let's deal with this guy first, okay?

Oh right! This Lee here is so overwhelming that I kind of forgot about the fact he's literally wiping the floor with my uncle!

Zeef:
Yes! Medics! Take care of my uncle with the best care you can provide!

Medics:
Yes, acting commander!

They retrieved my uncle from what would have been a comical scene if not for the seriousness of the situation. Lee was grasping him by the collar as one would hold a cat by the neck and presented him to us as though he were an artwork on display, something very unsettling considering the fact Uncle Kuriyami is the strongest assassin in Avia, and not too bad in a direct confrontation either.

Zeef:
He seems to be severely exhausted. I wonder what happened when he was out of view.

Lee:
I found him next to a dead body, a dagger sticking out of its head, in an area where the trees got yanked out like weeds. Probably keeled over after a hell of a fight.

Zeef:
Trees yanked out!? Must have been an incredibly fierce battle!

Lee:
Probably. He's quite the character, taking on a tree-ripper as an assassin and not just coming out on top, but living to tell the tale. You've got quite the selection of role models, huh?

Zeef:
Yeah! And the coolest of them is probably my dad!

Lee:
Uh huh......

Zeef:
He's one of the strongest I've seen and the best part is, he's someone I can actually grow up to be exactly like since I'm also a lightning user!

Lee:
Rivetting. Now, about those corpses we wanted you to keep an eye on....

Zeef:
Right! Those! This way, please!

He nodded in agreement, and I began guiding him toward the room located at the furthest end of the second floor. But along the way...

Kuriyami:
Zeef!

Zeef:
Uncle!?

Lee(Whispering):
Up and about already? Damn he's a tough nut to crack!

Medic:
Sir! You shouldn't be moving yet! Your body has received immense internal damage from 'Mana Distortion'!

Mana Distortion!?

When an individual expends their entire reserve of mana, they plummet into a condition termed "Mana Fatigue." This state is characterized by symptoms such as extreme exhaustion, loss of consciousness, nausea, and vomiting. Though this should be rendering them incapable of wielding magic until they recover a certain degree of mana, some have recklessly attempted to do so in dire circumstances. However, without mana to draw upon, their bodies undergo severe stress, inevitably resulting in being able to use a very small amount of magic for a short period of time at the cost of irreversible physical damage!

Medic:
Sir! Sir!

Kuriyami:
If you've got the energy to not only hound me down but also scream, then put that energy to use and get everything else in bloody order!

Medic:
Y-Yes sir!

Kuriyami:
Bloody yappers! Could be all day with it!

Yup! He's pissed! Though I guess my saying that is necessary considering the complete lack of gratitude he displayed for a medic that was literally just doing his job.

Kuriyami:
Zeef! Are you ok!? Where's your mother!?

Zeef:
I'm fine, Uncle! You should worry about yourself instead of.... Uncle?

His eyes weren't aimed at me. They were aimed at-

Lee:
Whoa there, Mr. Ninja! That's quite the look you're giving me. If you're aiming to level up your pain game then be my guest and bring it the fuck on!

Kuriyami:
Tsk!

Hold on a second! I was aware that the situation might have escalated at some point during my time as a hostage, but given our cooperation, I didn't think it had gotten to too bad of an extent! Why the intense tension between these two?

Lee:
If you're not gonna fight me then either be on your merry way or be a good little lapdog and take me to the fucking corpses.

Kuriyami:
Corpses?

He's not holding back at all! I need to intervene before one of them actually goes for the kill and wrecks the other... who am I kidding? If a fight breaks out, there's no way my uncle will make it in his current state!

Zeef:
L-Lee! I'll take you to the corpses, just please let's not start anything here!

Lee:
Hm?

Fuck! Did I do something I shouldn't have!? Should I have just kept quiet!? I can't think properly in a situation where I am face to face with a powerhouse who could turn enemy at any given time!

Kuriyami:
Try anything stupid and I'll send you god before you can even say your name, boy!

Lee:
Lee fucking Harlings! There, I said it and I'm still breathing, dipshit!

They're gonna fight!

Even though neither of them had a weapon in their hand as they stared each other down, I knew how this was going to end! They're gonna fight and there's absolutely nothing I can-

Soldier:
Acting commander! The corpses! They've revived!

Lee:
Oh?

Kuryami:
Talking about corpses again! What the hell did I miss!?

Zeef:
Saved! Well done, soldier! ( ｂ ＾＾)ｂ

Soldier:
Umm.... ( ｂ ಠ _ಠ)ｂ

Lee:
Well, it seems like we'll have to save the roughhousing for another time. Kill ya later, I've got some corpses to scrutinize!

Kuriyami:
What! Bloody! Corpses!