Parallel (A Virtual Gamer's Story) [Vol.1 - Vol.4 Complete]

Chapter 34: Stalkers

6:49 a.m. 18th Peniel 1091.

Dawn broke over the horizon, the sun's rays spreading warmth over the murky swamps. Kashi and his crew ignored its radiance as they lugged the loot gathered in the town down to the river. Jero, who awaited their arrival by the ship, perked up when he saw them and lowered the gangplank.

"Ugh!" Hektor grunted as he dropped the last crate of weapons on the deck and then stepped back, flexing his sore muscles as he admired their find. What the froggers lacked in gold, they made up for in iron. There were more than enough crude spears and pikes to outfit a small army, and most were in good condition. The froggers had also hoarded several different kinds of raw materials from the swamp, which Kashi seized for himself on sight.

"A nice haul," Iason praised as he wiped the sweat off his brow and took slow breaths to calm his beating heart.

"Take what you wish," Kashi said. "Especially you, Hektor. Put on some decent armor."

"Tch. Fine," Hektor conceded. He rummaged through the pile for something acceptable. He settled on some leather armor and then added iron breastplates, gauntlets, and greaves for additional protection. He replaced his old stone ax with a new iron ax whose imposing edge gleamed under the morning's rays, holstering it at his back.

"Oh..." Jero mumbled as he admired the transformed youngster.

Iason's eyes shone as he flashed a thumbs-up. "Wow."

Paris let out a wry smile and shook his head in disbelief. "Who would have imagined..."

Even the twins and Kira gave Hektor an approving nod.

Hektor got flustered by the attention and loudly blustered, "O-oi! Wat're ya all staring at, eh?!"

Kashi slapped Hektor's back, nearly causing the young man to topple over. "Haha! See? You do look the part after all."

Kashi was pleased with Hektor's outfit. With this, the tanks in their party finally looked intimidating enough for their roles. This would cause their enemies to hesitate, allowing the party as a whole to deal more damage and sustain less.

Kashi spent the next thirty minutes repairing and upgrading everyone's equipment and then used up an extra hour fixing and identifying the weapons they had looted. Kashi then used the cold smithing method to convert half of the weapons into raw metal, then reshaped them into large metal spears. When he finished the last one, the crew placed everything below deck for protection.

"Is there a reason you are taking your time?" Jero asked when Kashi came topside. "I thought you planned on ending this today?"

"That is exactly why I am taking my time," Kashi replied. His answer was deliberately vague, and Jero knew not to question further.

"Is that also why you let the froggers run?" Jero asked instead.

Kashi grinned, a deceptive glint in his eyes. "Exactly."

Paris sighed. "And here I thought you had just done it out of rage."

"I make it a principle to never make a decision based on rage," Kashi refuted. "It was a show for the froggers."

"I don't suppose you'll tell us why?" Paris guessed.

"It is much more fun to see than to be told," Kashi replied with a vague smile. "No need to fret. You will find out soon enough."

Jero looked at the daeben as he questioned, "Will you at least tell us what was on the parchment you read?"

Kashi's eyes darkened. "You will not like it."