n

n

nThe man sitting on the stone looked up in surprise. That was a voice that he couldn't forget if he'd tried.

n

"Geth?!

"

nThe man halfway fell off the boulder he was sitting on, gaining his footing before hitting the ground.

n

"You didn't travel very far after our last encounter,

" Geth stated. He wouldn't be rude to the man, but he definitely wouldn't be polite, either.

nBlade looked down at his feet,

"This place is still home to me. I couldn't bring myself to just leave it behind.

"

nA moment of awkward silence ensued. Geth waited for the man to say more while Blade just stared at the ground.

n

"You two... already know each other?

" The silence was broken by Jack. The other students gossiped tales about their possible relationship.

nMost of the quickly spreading whispers pinned Geth as the bad guy. He shook his head at their naivety.

nBlade answered before Geth had the chance,

"Yes. Geth here saved my life a while back. He also taught me a valuable lesson. I wouldn't be standing here if it weren't for him.

"

nGeth raised one of his eyebrows. He didn't expect any favorable sentiment from the guy.

nThe whispers from the school kids started to grow louder. Even Sindri joined in on the fun.

n

"See, I told you he was a hero,

" She quipped as she elbowed Storm in the side.

nGeth could see the woman's eye twitch slightly. Storm had never been one for a lot of disruption.

n'Well, she hasn't changed a bit,' He thought.

n

"Alright! Everyone quiet down!

" Her voice echoed loudly throughout the clearing. The sound drowned out the constant jabbering of the almost hundred kids there.

n'A sound-based Skill..?' Geth was quite interested, 'I wonder if that has something to do with a teacher-type Class?'

nStorm beckoned to Geth and a couple of other teachers to follow her. They did as they were asked and walked with Blade to the opposite side of the clearing.

nBlade glanced at Geth before speaking to the others,

"Did you discover anything about that explosion? Do we need to relocate the children further south?

"

n

"Well...

" Storm wasn't sure what to say. She looked over at Geth, who Jack's party seemed to think was involved with it.

n

"You can't actually believe that he caused it?

" One of the older men caught her stare.

n

"Geth..?

" Blade asked him a bit timidly.

n

"I didn't exactly cause it. A World Boss imploded in an attempt to kill me after I cleared a Dungeon,

" Geth shrugged.

n

"A World Boss?

" The old man scoffed,

"I haven't heard of anything like it. He even says that he cleared a Dungeon. The only Dungeon in that area was full of Level forty Skeletons.

"

nThe man turned to Blade,

"I say we send this guy away. I don't know your history, but this guy is obviously full of **.

"

nBlade seemed worried the moment the old man finished speaking. He glanced at Geth while sweat formed on his forehead.

n

"Don't insult him like that!

"

n

"And why not? It's not like he's any stronger than us.

"

n

"Unless you want to spend the next fortnight on watch, I suggest you watch your tongue!

" Blade's aggressive side came out at that point.

nThe old man shrunk back to his spot but cast an angry glare in Geth's direction. Blade turned his head back to Geth.

n

"Please excuse Slim's manners. Could you elaborate a bit on what happened?

"

nGeth explained to him a couple of the things he'd found in the Dungeon. The Taming Cards were the first thing he brought up, since he believed they would increase Humanity's survivability.

nNext, he explained how he'd defeated the first Boss, not mentioning anything about the Demons. He simply stated that the second Boss had mutated and become a powerful creature.

n

"Well, if it was so powerful, just how did you manage to survive?

" Slim asked while spitting at the ground.

nGeth usually wasn't bothered by people's actions, but this guy was getting on his nerves. He used State Change before anyone had a chance to think about the man's question.

nMud rapidly rose from the ground and encased the man in an egg-like shape. Geth then hardened the earth into bars, creating a giant birdcage.

nOnce it was formed, he hardened the bars from the inside, making the structure as strong as a jail cell. Everyone jumped at the sudden emergence of the cage.

n

"What the hell is this?!

"

nThe old man went into a small fit of rage and began to beat on the bars. Geth knew that he was a Strength build, so it would make his point all the better.

n

"I wrapped myself in solid earth and waited until the explosion was over. I was still injured by the monster's self-destruction, but I survived,

" He explained.

n

"Let me out of this damn thing! If you don't let me out righ-

"

nGeth snapped his fingers and completely entombed the man in the earth. He looked at the others standing around in amazement.

n

"How do you put up with him?

"

nBlade was the one that responded,

"Well, after putting up with someone as sick as Thorn for a month, Slim isn't that bad. He's a bit of an ass, but he cares about the kid's safety.

"

nGeth flicked his fingers, dissolving the cage in which the old man had been wrapped. Slim gasped for breath as soon as he was free.

n

"Well, if you're done with your questions, I have something to ask all of you.

" Geth looked at the rest.

n

"Would you like to become citizens of my city? I can see that you are handling yourself well down here, but many dangers are coming our way.

"

nGeth looked at Blade.

n

"I'm also extending this invitation to you, though you'll be monitored closely for a while. Many benefits come with citizenship, and I'll be happy to explain all of them to you if you can get everyone together.

"

nThe five teachers present and Blade each looked at one another. Slim just silently sulked to the side, but he didn't argue. Everyone nodded, and Blade gave his response.

n

"Alright, we can have a proper discussion back at the Dungeon.

"

n