Parallel (A Virtual Gamer's Story) [Vol.1 - Vol.4 Complete]

Chapter 73: Fate (1)

Thirty Minutes Earlier,

Deserun, Maggots Guild HQ,

Merriheim.

2nd Ryzul, 1092.

Four horses pulling a large caravan carrying three Desert Snakes and five Minbisons trotted to a halt behind the mansion, where several monsters lay sleeping inside newly crafted cages.

Miote and two Mertians hopped off the caravan and opened the latches. With a speed that revealed their familiarity with the task, the trio transferred the beasts to new cages.

"Don't matter how many times I see it. Will never get used to a sleeping minbison," one of the Mertians observed as she shut the doors to the cage. "That daeben's got some serious voodoo."

"Ain't black magic Heru. Boss says he's some sort of Alchemist," the other mertian corrected.

"Hmm... That true Mi-mi?"

Miote nearly fell over, trying to lock the cage. He cursed the halben that gave him that nickname under his breath. "Yes, he uses them for his experiments." He made sure all the cages were securely fastened, then administered to each beast their daily dose of Nyte-Nyte, the daeben's original cocktail.

Miote made a mental note as he gave the final dose never to tell a soul its name. Now he understood how such a badass guild ended up being called Hopeful Maggots. Well, at least he prevented the daeben from naming them Nytol (not after the real drug. No... Nyte All).

"Well," Heru said as she closed the latches and hopped onto the caravan. "Tell the boss we said hi, will ya?"

"I promise." The Chesch watched them make their exit, then similarly made his way into the building.

Miote was about to retire to his favorite spot by the fireplace, but the mansion shook from a mini-explosion. Syel was with the hunting party, so the commotion could only have been caused by one person. Dreading his own curiosity, Miote made his way towards the basement door, which for a good reason had been modified, so it was airtight.

As Miote placed his hand on the door's handle, Syel's mocking words about what curiosity does to cats repeated in his head. "Well, we supposedly have nine lives too." Steeling his resolve, he pulled the door open.

'What the fuck!'

It took all of Miote's mental capacity not to throw up or pass out on the spot. In fact, his body wanted to do both, as his poor sensitive nose was assaulted by the worst assortment of smells possible. It was like decay, mold, and sewage all mixed into one. The chesch retrieved a scented napkin from his inventory and wrapped it around his face, so it covered his nose, then began the descent to the basement.

Miote was lucky he was a beast-man as the entire basement was choked with smoke from the forge. This was confusing as they had doubly made sure the vent worked before Kashi even got started. He activated [Thermal Vision], an eye skill given to all feline races, and scanned the basement for signs of life.

"Hey Mi-mi," Kashi called, not too far from where he was. "Over here!"

Miote located the source of the voice and trudged over, cursing when he bumped into enchanting tables. "What's with the smoke?"

"Sorry," Kashi apologized. "I'm training my senses."

"Thought you were practicing your crafts."

"I am," the daeben replied. "Multi-tasking."

"Naturally," Miote said with an exasperated sigh. "Mind getting rid of the smoke, least until I leave?"

"No problem." The daeben walked over to a wall and did something. Immediately, the soft hum of rushing air could be heard, and soon enough, the vent had expelled enough smoke for one to see clearly.