Parallel Vol.2 [Legacy Edition]

Chapter 33: Fate (Part 1)

Thirty Minutes Earlier,

Deserun, Maggots Guild HQ,

Merriheim.

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 Merrites (term for natives of Merriheim) hopped off the caravan and opened the latches. Without the slightest hesitation, and with a speed that showed they'd been doing this for a while, the trio transferred the beasts to new cages reserved for them.

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

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

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

Miote nearly fell over trying to lock the cage. He cursed the blood elf that gave him that nick-name 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 delf's original cocktail. He 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 delf 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.

He 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 one person. Dreading his own curiosity, he made his way towards the basement door which for good reason had been modified so it was airtight.

As he 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... !!!

It took all of his 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 assaulted with the worst assortment of smells possible. It was like decay, mould and sewage all mixed into one. He retrieved a napkin from his inventory made from scented plants 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/stairs 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/, 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 delf replied. "Multi-tasking."

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

"No problem." The delf 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 of the smoke for one to see clearly.