“So what you’re saying is… they should be alive?” Lily asked after Leo finished recounting his little hunting trip. Based on the look on her face, she wasn’t entirely sold on his thods.
He waved her off. “They will be fine. A bit banged up and on the verge of a heart attack, but still fine. Mission accomplished, sis.”
Lily groaned, dropping into a nearby chair. “Fine, whatever. You did what I asked. Can’t bla you for that. That said, I doubt they will be spreading the word anyti soon. They will be too scared to even co anywhere close to London.”
“Again. Mission accomplished.”
“Yeah, yeah,” she grumbled. “I’m just complaining for the sake of it, and I know it. It’s been rough lately…”
Leo frowned. “Uh oh. That doesn’t sound good. Spill. What’s really going on? Obviously, the attacks aren’t the only problem.”
Lily snorted. “They are just one of many… Let see.” She raised her hand and began counting on her fingers. “One, we have the attacks. Two, the camp outside the zone is getting too big. Three, Terlasfor—don’t ask, Malcolm’s already on it. Four, I barely get any experience from Voidlings anymore. Five, you’re leaving soon, so we have to consider that in all future planning. Six, the next global ssage. And that’s only the big stuff.”
Leo blinked, then did it again. That was a lot more than he had expected. He knew managing a post-apocalyptic community wouldn’t be easy, but nothing the four leaders said before suggested that it was this bad. Well, calling it ‘bad’ might be a stretch, but still…
He exhaled. “Okay, listen up,” he spoke up, getting Lily to look up. “I hopefully still have a few hours before Naz’Tor calls, so here’s what we’re gonna do. You’re going to make a list of things I can handle without screwing up any long-term plans. I can’t promise I’ll finish it all, but Nyx and I work fast when we have to. Need to move or destroy sothing? Done. Talk—or maybe beat up—so people? With pleasure. Hell, I’ll even help with construction if that’s what you need.”
“No, no, no.” Lily jumped to her feet, shaking her head. “Everything will be fine, Leo, really. We’re just having a few rough days, that’s all. You should focus on getting ready for the Void.”
Leo also stood up. “No,” he stated, grinning. “I wanna help, so I will help. It’s just a matter of whether I do it on my own or with your directives. Besides, this whole ss? This Safe Zone? It’s mostly my fault, so I might as well put in so work every once in a while.
Lily crossed her arms, her shoulders slumping.
“Fine, I will get you a list,” she said, heading toward the table in the middle of the room. “I guess I only have myself to bla for ranting to you. Should have known you wouldn’t take no for an answer.”
Leo’s grin widened. “That you should… Also, the next global ssage? What’s up with that?”
“It’s Tony’s idea,” Lily admitted, pausing her scribbling for a mont. “He wants to include so key info that every survivor should have by now. And… we want to offer people beyond the UK a way to reach us.”
That got Leo’s attention. After his few conversations with survivors on the mainland, the issue of reaching the London Safe Zone quickly beca obvious. Without the ability to fly, it was pretty much impossible. Or, well, almost impossible.
“What did you find?”
“The Euro Tunnel,” she replied. “We sent so scouts, and—surprise, surprise—it’s still standing. Might be full of Voidlings, but no nests, so that’s a win.”
Leo humd. “Not worried that it will fall on your heads sooner or later?”
“We are. That’s why we are doing it slowly. For now, the plan is to clear it out and then send in so people who can check for structural damage. After that? We’ll see.”
“Sounds good.”
Lily smiled. “It does. Also, here you go,” she said, handing him a small note. “If, and I say if, you manage to complete all that before your rchant calls, head to the training grounds. I’m sick of all the requests for you to show up there. Might as well cross that off the list too.”
Leo chuckled. “Will do. Just leave it all to your big brother.”
She scoffed, rolling her eyes. “Sure… And just so we are clear. If I hear a single complaint from you after this, you’re never helping again. Got it?”
“Aye, aye, Chief.” He mock-saluted. “I will see you soon.”
With that, Leo turned on his heel and headed for the exit of the little Command Center the Chiefs had built for themselves. In the anti, he also opened his connection to Nyx.
Hey, no idea if you were listening in, but we have more work to do. et at the border next to the outside camp.
‘On it.’
After over eight hours of community work, Leo returned to his room, feeling more tired than after fighting Geron. In his sealed form, he collapsed onto his bed, shutting his eyes. A short nap sounded perfect.
Unfortunately, the universe had other plans.
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A thrum coming from within his soul jolted him awake. Leo sat up, yawned, and summoned his transmitter into his hand. A quick press of a button accepted the incoming call.
“Good morning, my favorite custor!” Naz’Tor’s loud and cheerful voice bood from the device.
A mont later, his holographic image appeared above the orb. A recent upgrade that the rchant sent him yesterday.
“Hello to you too. And it’s evening,” Leo replied dryly.
“Semantics! You better tell if you’re ready for your incredible journey into the Void. Organized, of course, by yours truly. You have no idea how excited I am to show you all the wonders our world is hiding.”
Leo snorted. “You sure this is my trip, not yours?”
“Of course not!” Naz’Tor scoffed. “I just want you to think of this as an adventure, not just a necessity to escape from the god slayers. Just rember what we talked about, and trust . Everything will be fine, kid.”
“Sure, let’s go with that.” He sighed. “Anyway. What do you have for ? Sounded quite serious last ti we spoke.”
Naz’Tor waved a tentacle dismissively. “Nothing like that. Just so additional protection now that you are at stage four. Rember when you asked about a possible defense for your mind and soul?”
Leo nodded, placing the transmitter on the bed. “Yeah. On a scale of one to ten, how hard will this be to learn? These are skills, right?”
“Not exactly. They’re two smaller techniques that are part of sothing bigger—sothing that you already possess. Which, to answer your question, puts them around a five on the difficulty scale.”
“Sothing I have…” he muttered. “Let guess… Soulscape.”
A sound similar to finger snapping ca from the transmitter. “Exactly. Soulscape alone makes for a very good defense for your soul. The simple technique I plan to sell you will make it even better. As for the mind… Well, it’s a bit more complicated, but I believe you can reach an acceptable level before you have to leave. ”
“And that will be it?” Leo asked. “I will be safe from soul and mind attacks?”
Naz’Tor snorted. “Gods no! It’s just a step in the right direction and sothing to defend you from passive attacks. To go further, you’ll need to advance your Soulscape to the next stage and start producing a very, very special type of energy. But don’t even think about it now. Your attributes are still too weak.”
Leo raised his hands in surrender. “Got it. Just let know when it is ti for that.”
“Oh, trust , I will… Now, next on the list… Right. Did you co up with a place you would like to visit inside the Void?”
“Yes,” he answered instantly.
That gave the alien a pause. “Huh. That was fast. Okay then, let’s hear it.”
“Netherum,” Leo stated. “I must et with Tarak, and I’m hoping you can help with that. And yeah, I know that last ti he blew us off, but I’m pretty sure he will agree if I co to him.”
For a brief mont, Naz’Tor remained silent. Then, he let out a low whistle. “Netherum and Tarak, hmm? Damn, kid, you sure ain’t making my job easy.”
“But you will help?” Leo pressed.
“Of course I will. Hell, getting you to Netherum won’t be an issue. If we are lucky, I can probably even locate a Void Gate on Earth that leads right to its current location. Tarak is the problem. With the major factions at the brink of another war, it’s been hard to get a hold of him. I will do my best, though.”
“Thanks.” Leo smiled. “And if he doesn’t want to et, tell him that if he wants to fix the ss he made, he will need . He and his siblings have done enough damage.”
“That’s…” Naz’Tor paused, probably unsure how to react. “Brave. Or stupid. Really depends on who you ask… Are you sure, kid? That’s not really a ssage I should pass to one of the stronger beings in the Void.”
“It should be fine. And if it isn’t?” Leo shrugged. “Well, in that case, I never had a chance anyway. Better to get it over with now than wait for a knife in the back.”
“I feel like I’m missing so very important details here,” the alien muttered. “Care to explain?”
Leo shook his head. “Not today, sorry. First, I have to talk with Tarak. If all goes well, then the three of us can have one big eting.”
“No pressure then, hmm?”
None indeed, he thought, forcing a smile. “Finally regretting signing a contract with ?”
Naz’Tor scoffed. “What? Never! Kid, this is exciting! Just… please, try not to get us involved in the coming war, okay? That’s all I ask for.”
Leo chuckled. “No promises. That said, you sure that all this won’t be bad for your business long term?”
“Of course not! I’m not so third-rate rchant who crumbles at the first inconvenience. No, my friend, I will grab this opportunity by the head and make it into an advantage.”
Oh, this I gotta hear. Fighting back another laugh, Leo arched an eyebrow. “How?”
Naz’Tor lifted a long tentacle, then dramatically smacked it down. “Not sure yet! But I’ll figure it out as soon as you tell exactly what’s going on. For the Void, I thought it was the end of surprises after you told about you-know-what. Guess I was wrong!”
“That you were. Hopefully, I will be able to co clean soon.”
“Counting on it, kid,” the alien said. “In any case, that’s a problem for later. Right now, I’ve got sothing else for you. I promised to find soone who might be able to help your godson, right?” Leo nodded. “Well, I think I got the right person. I’m still testing the waters, but it’s looking good. I should know more in two or three days.”
Leo sighed in relief. “Thank you.”
Naz’Tor waved him off. “Don’t ntion it. Really don’t. It’s nothing certain yet. Oh, and I have that trade offer ready for you. Will be sending it in a mont.”
True to his word, a few seconds later, a trade selling him two Neuron Shards for twenty thousand Ether appeared before him. After quickly reading through every detail, he accepted it and felt the new weight settle inside his soulscape.
“All right, that’s it for today. I will give you the rest of the stuff you need for the trip in two days. And before you ask, my shop is still in the sa place.”
Leo nodded. “I will be there first thing in the morning. Also, before we finish this, I have a quick question.”
“Uh oh…”
Why is everyone I know so dramatic? He rolled his eyes. “It’s nothing like that. Just wanted to know what level I need for the next class advancent.”
“Oh… Yeah, that’s easy. One hundred and five,” Naz’Tor replied. “Anything else?”
“No. You can go back to work.”
“Gladly, my friend. See you soon then.”
“See ya,” Leo said and disconnected the call.
With that done, he exchanged the transmitter for the two Neuron Shards and took a deep breath. Sleep, apparently, would have to wait. The final countdown before his departure had begun.
Let’s get to work…
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