NEMO: Into The Depths

Chapter 26: We Swear It's Not A Cult

"Dongfang Shu?" Alex blurted out without thinking, tracing the path of a squirrel in the trees above, chasing after Sarah's raven, Monu. The oil covered bird glided between the branches that blanketed the forest sky, the cover shifting under the weight of the two animals, causing the shadows beneath him to ripple like the depths of an ocean. "The name should sound serious, shame it has the word dong in it," he joked, looking back at the two trailing him.

His partner was buried in a notebook she had only received moments before, her entire focus on its contents, her ears perked up in her interest. She didn't even grace him with her gaze as she remarked, "You are in no position to make fun of names, Mr. Whitlock." Tidying her hair to emphasise her point, she accidentally muttered out, "Why is your surname so familiar sounding?"

How has she still not figured it out?

He ignored the freeloader's comment, his eyes darting immediately to Sarah walking behind her, both of their eyes met on cue, his screaming silently, commanding his dear old friend to not comment if she wanted to live. The paladin's eyes returned with a question of their own, asking how come he hadn't told Elyza already, and Alex replied with words.

"What do we know about this guy, Bee?" His voice successfully carried his request to the paladin.

"He was the son of a general of a small kingdom, but he was still regarded as a prodigal talent with a sword," Bee helped him to change the topic.

Elyza traced something on the page under her finger, cracking the fingers on her other hand as she read, "Said kingdom is on the other side of the world and no longer exists, not existing for at least six years. However, the reason most of the reports have written for its disintegration is simply 'internal turmoil'. I fail to see how this boy could be responsible for its collapse."

Alex couldn't help but chuckle at her words, his brain too slow to catch his own, "Starting a rebellion is an old favourite of mine..."

Ahhh... Good times.

It hurt how both of them ignored the remark, but at least Elyza had to glance at him to figure out if he was joking or not. "The internal turmoil was the result of the entire hierarchy of the kingdom being slaughtered in a day, and during the engagement announcement of the two most important families in the nation," Bee clarified, raising her arm to call Monu down, adding to her hanging words as the bird landed on the paladin's arm, "To add intrigue to the bloody ordeal is that the deaths were from cuts so clean that blades could not have made them, and without any trace of magic as well."

"What caused him to snap?" His partner concluded, flipping through the pages to find the information before she had the chance to answer.

"It's said he's an infamous drunk, so one can only imagine," Bee answered, her mind had already imprinted all the facts of the case, her voice dropping any enjoyment it had, "The strange thing was that Shu fell off the world for five years, disappearing from even the deities' sight, and he just as suddenly reappeared three years ago, massacring some kingdom's battalion. But this will be his last free day on the living plane, I will ensure it."

Alex couldn't help but smile at the words entering his ears, the opportunity to fight someone so peculiar already enticing his mind, causing him to remark towards, "If you were to aid in the neutralisation of such a character, none of the many that despise me in the House could argue against your integration, and I could possibly convince them to give you the same rank as me."

"Would attaining your rank mean we would be free from the demands of the Guild?" Elyza's emerald eyes were filled with determination as she spoke, finally meeting his own. He nodded, and she added, "Then it seems we have our goal."