Yay! Chapter 200!
Thank you for reading! I love you all! ??
As I said, I wanted to post more chapters, but that may be hard, I've been full of work recently as you all might've seen by the lack of Bonus chapters in these last 2 weeks.
I've been working hard to have it all returned, until then...
Enjoy!
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/Grab…/
Following his rude punch, a small gap in the gate was formed, allowing him to open just enough space for him to pull the gates aside.
'Phew... To think I can now just smash metal open...'
'Now like I couldn't before, but this isn't any metal.'
'Either way, I like this sensation... Actual growth.'
'Many times better then studying math in University, no way I'm returning to that shithole...'
And then, he applied force.
"GARH! HUPP!"
/Tremble…/
'It's… Not… MOVING!'
His entire body trembling, Dale felt like a little kid trying to force the door open while his father held it on the other side.
Powerless.
Of course, it could be because he already spent a lot of energy before… But he didn't want to accept that as an excuse.
/Shine…/
Like before, his veins started to glow as he stirred the slumbering power within him, stimulating his muscles as the metal bent under the strength of his arms.
/Crunk!... Crack!/
And the gates shook.
…
/A few seconds before, on the other side of the gate…/
"..."
'He did it… And I doubted the boy for once.'
While Dale struggled to move the metal rods back in place, Sarferato felt and judged his actions from the other side of the gate, already drawing a picture of who Dale was and how he had trained.
He could tell that the boy held incredible potential within as his Strength alone was terrifically high, even for him who witnessed the end of an Era of Glory.
However, there was one thing he could not understand.
How did this boy come to be?
His Strength, the Mana within his body…
No matter what he did, no amount of simple training would've rewarded him with a body like that.
Yet, what he saw was that Dale possessed little control over what he had.
With that amount of lingering potential, his Power should've been on par with how he used to be in his Prime.
But what he witnessed was far from that, a boy with much power, but no knowledge about it or how to handle it.
It was a Paradox.
Where did such Strength come from, if not through training?
But if he trained, how come he has no control over it?
There was only one thing he could think of…
It was the possibility Dale trained all his life without proper Martial Knowledge, much less Mana handling.
He may have received materials and powerful Elixirs to help him with his growth, albeit if that were to be the case, he would have had to be backed by a powerful force with the means to acquire such resources.
Yet, if that was the case… Why not teach him the basics?
Sarferato could tell Dale was learning with each passing moment and that he had the very basics somewhat sedimented, but compared to the past, even foot soldiers would've known how to handle their own powers in better way than the boy on the other side of the Gate.
'Brute… Wasteful… Forceful…' He thought silently
'What a strange kid.'
He did not feel disgusted or superior to the boy in any way, and in a sense, he felt even proud.
No matter what reaching this state shouldn't have been easy…
But he couldn't help but feel saddened at his current condition, he desperately needed guidance.
Once he did…
'... Mayhaps… This is what I've been waiting for.' He thought silently as he witnessed Dale shove the last rod up, unsealing the gates
'With the Division Commanders lost, so have their legacies, but the basis of what they all were is still within me… Within the basics of the Corps.'
'And I have made sure to teach it to all around me as well.'
'But even after all these years, I had yet to meet someone qualified to directly succeed me.'
'Not because of a lack of talent, that we had many… It was due to opportunity.'
'Amidst all things I never managed to provide to the survivors...'
'It is faint but I can tell, he possesses the Mark of the Witch.'
'The last Witch died long ago when she was unable to find a proper disciple, her teachings still linger with us, but without one, the ritual of progression cannot be executed.'
'His very presence is proof that there are still Witches out there… Or he may be the last warrior to be blessed by one.'
'This boy checks it all so far, he only needs training… Which is perfect.'
'I lived so long to meet someone like him hadn't I?'
'Regardless… I shouldn't think too much ahead.'
'First… We'll get out of these woods, the rest comes later.'
/Step…/
Behind him, a small crowd started to form, grabbing their weapons as they heard the commotion of Dale breaking and grinding the metal of the gates as he forced them open.
But Sarferato told them to drop the act… There was nothing to fear…
After all, he didn't want to give their saviors a scarce.
/CRUNK!/
/Shine…/
A faint light shone from the cracks between the gates…
They would soon open.
…
/Later…/
/Tremble!.../
"Move! Move! We don't have much time!" Someone exclaimed as they stood atop a stack of boxes, ordering others around
All around, people could be seen running around holding things, mothers, fathers, children…
"..."
At the center of it all, a small watch tower stood, and on its last floor, a trio stood in silence.
"It's about time." Sarferato said as he turned around
"Sorry for being silent until now, you two deserve an explanation after everything you went through to be here."
Dale agreed, albeit he remained silent.
Testros did the same, even though his mind seemed elsewhere.
Dale knew it was connected to his Quest, but Testros hadn't been the same ever since he learned about the Survivors, a feeling that only intensified when they met face to face.
He could only wander about what transpired within his head.
"..."
'If the Southern Corps were like this, I wonder how the other Corps are.' Dale thought silently as he looked around and below
Immediately after he opened the doors, Sarferato welcomed them together with his people, a rather warm welcome for what he expected.
And albeit it was clear they were all happy to see them, there also seemed to be something hidden by their expressions they weren't showing.
Perhaps it was embarrassment for abandoning their companions for their own safety only to be later saved?
Regardless of what it was, he didn't have the chance to ask as the old man dragged them inside this watch tower immediately after they met.
There were no explanations as for where they were or what was around them, so Dale could only speculate.
He felt he was in some sort of storage area... Like a large open space meant to store heavy machinery.
Meanwhile, a group of people rushed outside the Bunker, and not long after, the entire place started to tremble.
And this was what happened from Dale's perspective.
"... Three weeks ago, we came here with a goal, to reactivate this entire Bunker… Albeit we failed."
"We were careless, we ended up triggering some of the old protection mechanisms of this base, and this caused it to seal us inside."
""
"A rather embarrassing but expected outcome given how uncaring and unprofessional we were..."
"To be trapped by our own creations... Sigh."
"We were desperate to succeed when we should've remained steady and calm."
"To finish the project, we need to access some key points outside as this Bunker is divided into multiple floors, all of which are isolated from each other, and the only way to access each is by going in and out of it."
"We spent the past two weeks trying to find a way out without resorting to violence, burning through our supplies… Until you two came."
"..."
"I… Sigh, look… I'm not trying to be rude… But I got that, you guys were screwed, we helped you, it hasn't been the first time." Dale said as he scratched his head in annoyance
'I heard this story a few times already, I'm a bit tired of it.'
'From Resko to here, this theme of a lost past and to be saved is everywhere...'
'It's not exactly unexpected, given the sphere of influence some of these problems have, but I can't deny that I'm tired of seeing it.'
"Just what is Project Burnout?"
"..."
Sarferato smiled.
"It's this entire place... All the way North."
/TREMBLE!/
"It has started." He said as he looked up
"What?! Then, what about the others?" Testros asked for the first time as his eyes sharpened
"Don't worry soldier… Once project Burnout starts… Everyone will have their shot at getting out of this forest."
Ever since Testros learned this man was a Division Commander, he dropped all of his previous act as the Commander, as now he had a superior to follow.
It was something Sarferato noticed, however, it wasn't something he appreciated very much.
His position was as heavy as a few grains of sand...
Yet, he may not know much about the man in front of him, but he knew of the determination behind his eyes.
So until he learned a bit more about him, he wouldn't force him to stop looking up at him like a Soldier would, hence the reason why he called him one.
"It has been a Century since this place saw sunlight, as even in the past, we rarely activated these if at all..."
"Even during the last fight, we were unable to utilize all of our defenses, some remained half activated, just waiting for the trigger..."
"But most stood dormant, like this Bunker."
"Or should I say..."
...
/Meanwhile... Further North.../
/Tremble.../
/Humming/
Hidden amidst the sand, a tall tower slowly hummed in a low frequency, revealing its true form as the sand around it flew down like water...
A tall tower in the middle of a sandy dune.
/CRACKLE!/
At its apex, sand and dust fell as the stone that composed the tower cracked open, revealing a structure within made of crystal and metal...
At the heart of the tower, buried deep beneath layers of sand and stone, a single, luminescent crystal pulsed with a soft, ethereal glow; The source of the tower's Arcane power, a reservoir of energy that had lain dormant for a century.
/Turn.../
Slowly, the tower moved, aligning itself with something far, far away...
/Bzzz.../
As everything aligned, the first tendrils of magic snaked their way through the sand like bolts of lightning, causing the grains to stir and shift.
Slowly, imperceptibly, the tower began to stir. Faint echoes of power resonated within its walls, and intricate runes etched into the stone surfaces started to shimmer with an otherworldly light. Winds carrying whispers of forgotten spells spiraled through the air, carrying with them the promise of what was to come.
With the magic's return, the tower's mechanisms, powered by the resurgence of arcane energies, whirred to life, unlocking doors that had long been sealed and setting forgotten mechanisms into motion.
/Shine.../
Like a beacon on the shores of a beach, it shone with strong light even in the day.
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Notes
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