Return of the Fallen Volume 12 Chapter 82
“Oh, so this one is actually quite brave. How is it, my queen’s nectar?”
Kazuki gently set the cup down and smiled.
“Delicious. I’ll have to ask for the recipe sometime.”
Specxzu released an odd clicking sound as it laughed uproariously.
“Ask for the recipe, now that’s one I’ve never heard before. You are not only brave but also humorous it seems. Not stuck up like the dragon born and the ancient tree. Allow me to introduce myself once more. I am called Specxzu Gai and hail from the Gai colony. Your name was?”
“I’m called Medatte. My background is nothing special and therefore not worth mentioning.”
“Medatte you say. Nice and simple I like that. Now, shall we get down to business or should we miss the opportunity of a lifetime?”
When Specxzu said this, he glanced at both Dredinkar and Carta. The two were not in the best mood but for the sake of the treasure, they would hold back. Everyone sat down at the table. Carta picked up her cup and sniffed it cautiously while Dredinkar simply drank it down.
“This really is the queen’s nectar. For you to offer us something this beneficial, it seems you’re serious about cooperating this time.”
Carta looked around the table and was still cautious about the contents of the cup and asked.
“This queen nectar thing, just why is it considered such a gift?”
Dredinkar looked at her as if she were a fool and Specxzu clicked its mandibles in anger but kept his cool as he explained.
“My queen only makes so much of this special nectar and gives it out even more rarely. It is embued with some of her power and can increase one’s vitality and strength by leaps and bounds. For weaker Gods, it can directly boost one’s strength to a level at which the average God would have to show respect to you. For those on the brink of death, it is said that my queen’s nectar has been able to raise those that have touched the void of death. That is why my queen’s nectar is an incredible gift. I have given it not just so you could chug it down but so that you could see how serious I am about us working together.”
Carta glanced back at her companions and they all nodded along. With that, she cautiously took a sip. The moment this nectar touched the tip of her tongue, she felt an explosion of sweet honey-like flavor flow around her mouth. It was the most delicious thing she had ever tried. If this alone was all she got out of it, that would be a cherished long-lasting memory. It did not end there though. She felt her strength grow ever so much. It wasn’t an insane amount of growth for her in particular but it was clearly noticeable and would shave years off of the required time to gain this extra bit of strength.
Carta now felt a little grateful toward Specxzu.
“Now that you all have enjoyed my queen’s nectar, I have shown my sincerity toward this mission. My strength is well above all of yours but I do not know what lies inside the Black gate. A treasure that could change the Higher Realms, there will no doubt be challenges and further protections within. So even if you are merely meat shields, it will still be of benefit to me.”
Carta didn’t like being referred to as a meat shield.
“If you think this gift will be enough for us to sacrifice ourselves for you bugs, you can forget it! I’m not dying for you or any of you for that matter got it!?”
Specxzu shook his head.
“Dragon born, you misunderstand me. I am not asking you to risk your life. I am simply saying if a situation comes along that we can not deal with together, it would be pointless to stick together. At that point, it shall be every insect for themselves or man and woman as you people would put it. However, when there are things that we can take on together, we fight it head-on without reserve. In this way, we can ensure ourselves the greatest chance of obtaining the Artifact if it even is an Artifact.”
Carta liked this idea much better.
“You should have put it like that the first time. If it’s a fight, we won’t back down but only if you don’t slack off either. Before all of this isn’t there something else we should all be looking into? I know what you and Dredinkar are like. We’ve had several encounters over the years but this guy here, the average-looking fellow, isn’t it weird to offer him such a partnership when he showed up with that little liar over there?”
Carta referred to both Kazuki and Fleck. To the insect Specxzu and the grey tree folk Dredinkar, her words made sense. They had all come to this place on the story and clues Fleck told and a part of that story was the fact that Fleck was on the verge of dying at any given moment. Yet here he stood with Kazuki and Nala. They could sense the dark infecting energy on his bow back at the bar, it truly was deadly and corrosive so his being alive left them all questioning things.
They all looked at Fleck before redirecting their eyes to Kazuki. None of them could see through him nor could they perceive the depths of his power. All of this was due to the fact that he was now part artifact and he did not use Divine energy but rather Chaotic energy. Kazuki wore the disguise of an average-looking man called Medatte. Seeing his ordinary appearance yet not being able to tell what he was, left them all a bit baffled.
The grey tree folk Dredinkar just came out with it and asked.
“Medatte, we all came here based on that man’s clues. Most did not take his words seriously at that time but a few of us did. So after figuring out his clue and arriving here, we all expected a little bit of competition to show up but I can say here and now, not a single one of us expected the dead to show themselves. This archer should already be buried yet here he stands, following you. If you don’t mind, could you explain?”
Kazuki shrugged.
“There’s not much to it. Fleck had information that I wanted so I made a trade, his life for the information. He is now my slave, it’s as simple as that. Any further questions or are we going to iron out these details before the Black gate arrives along with the rest of the competition?”
All three Gods shared a look before Dredinkar shook his head.
“I’m afraid that isn’t enough. Fleck’s soul was already being corrupted. He should be no more. I’m not asking for everything here but we need at least something, otherwise, all of this comes off as way too suspicious. One could even say this is a possible setup on your and his part. If that were the case, you would understand that it would then be in our collective best interest to be rid of you… permanently. Lest you cause us troubles in the Black gate. You understand that right?”
Right after Dredinkar said this, Carta, Dredinkar, and Specxzu all slowly began to gather their energy. They did this so that Kauzki wouldn’t notice but his senses had been greatly heightened due to the fusion with the Arc’s fragment. Even if he wasn’t part Artifact, Arc, Codex, and Sword were all aware of this gathering of energy and could easily warn him.
Kazuki pretended as if he was unaware of what they were doing and kept a calm expression as he explained.
“I see you aren’t very trusting. Fine, it’s not like there’s a need for me to hide it. When it comes to matters of the soul, I have this.”
Kazuki opened his palm and Codex following along appeared above his hand. As soon as Codex appeared, all three could immediately tell Codex was an Artifact.
“This is my Artifact and it has the power to repair a person’s soul.”
Dredinkar and Carta’s eyes widened in absolute shock while Specxzu’s many eyes lit up and its mandibles clicked rapidly, almost uncontrollably. He had to manually grab his mandibles and hold them steady to prevent this.
Dredinkar swallowed hard and asked.
“You have an Artifact that can repair a person’s soul. That…That is miraculous. Something like that, there isn’t a being in all the Realms that wouldn’t be envious of you. You actually told us such a huge secret?”
Kazuki smirked.
“Yes. You all should know the reason I told you.”
All three of them suddenly got a cold chill down their spines and felt this was a warning. They all couldn’t believe Kazuki would just put out such a secret like that and then wondered if he was really that confident in his skills or if he was bluffing at the moment. No, they could not see this as a bluff. They all came to similar conclusions. He could have lied and gone in a completely different direction, something more believable yet he mentioned an Aritfact that could heal souls.
For him to put this out there, he really did have to be confident in taking them all out at once. Not just them but their companions as well to keep the secret hidden.
Just as their minds were wandering in a million different directions, Kazuki sighed exaggeratedly and Codex opened.
“If only this thing was as wonderful as you all are imagining.”
Comment (0)