Leave The Monster Alone

"We need to lay down low for now. We cannot allow others to have an advantage over us so early on. Knowing Alan, he might have taken actions action already, so we need to do our part as well. Should I inform Liam about this development?"

There was a tense air around them, the question lingering on their mind. The support was divided between him and Luna. Mark wanted to let Liam know about this development but Luna did not trust the other.

With the vote 1-to-1, no decision was reached at that point. But Rika was informed with a single message by Mark. 

"Ok, now to the next point. Were you alone with that female here? Or was there someone else accompanying you here? We should know who all we are going to face first before we go charging in" Mark was the calmer in this situation, his faith in Alan much more than Luna's.

Maybe it was because he had been with Alan in some of the worst situations they could have faced but he felt as if the other would be alright in this situation.. He had a hunch that the female would not hurt the other as long as he did not make it difficult for her.

"We were alone but sir N-Nathan was in the area as well. I don't know if he is still here though" this was bad news, extremely bad. That was one person Mark did not want anywhere near his person, much less Alan's.

"Nathan? The name feels familiar but I am sure I've never faced this person head-on. Let me think…...maybe a divine beast someone mentioned?" Luna's face was twisted in concentration in trying to remind himself.

Mark did know how the other knew it. The name had been passed around in the final battle of the original timeline where the divine beast 'dog' had cursed the other's betrayal but it had never been expanded upon.

"He's not a divine beast, well not in a traditional sense. Sir is like me, one of the holders of 4 unique cores but he is much older than me" and with age came the power.

"It's no use remembering right now. Just read through the files I send you and you should know it all. But for now, we need to plan a rescue and we need information. Yun, can you contribute to anything?"

"Y-You want me to c-contribute? I d-don't know how to? I'm not good at f-fighting or h-hacking or p-planning" and the scared kid was back which did make Mark feel bad about the pressure he was putting on the other but it was for Alan so he had no complaint.

"But you are the only one who knows where the female or Nathan would take Alan if he was captured so you are the only one we can count on. Would you lend us your strength?" the teen looked happy, so happy at those words that Mark was taken aback.

He realised in that second that the kid was young, far too young to be out here. He was just a little older than Alan and unlike Alan, he was not battle-hardened at all. He was a sheltered kid stepping into the vast world for the first time, a chick coming out of its nest.

But Mark would not be where he was if he allowed those feeling to take himself over. He had bigger fishes to fry after all and that would only be possible once he had all the facts in his court.

"I-I think they would take him to the first base. I told you that we were retreating there right? It is the safest place for people like us" the base for the divine beast? It had been referenced in the game as a myth and even Luna looked taken aback.

"I see how it is. So, how do we get to that place? You know the way right?" the kid looked uncomfortable with the questions, avoiding Mark's eyes but they screamed knowledge as well as fear. The kid knew how to get to the place but he was scared to take them there.

It was likely that Lunaá fiery personality, as well as his passion, were not a good combination for him to make the other feel safe. If he was not careful then he could easily overwhelm the other and that was what was happening to her. The kid was far too scared of him to say anything openly.

"Hey, it's alright. You do not need to worry about Luna, he won't hurt you. He's just concerned about his brother and it would help if you could help us out" the kid looked a little better now, his fear lessening at that calm voice of the other.

Playing good cop and the bad cop was not something Mark had thought he would do after the change in this world but here he was, back to the very strategy he and En had applied so many times in the past. It felt so nostalgic but it also hurt.

'Don't think about it. Don't think about it. It will not hurt if you don't think about it' not that it helped but he could at least try to convince himself that it did. Bad thoughts should be kept away from him.

"Is that so? I can see you care about your brother. I-I can take you to the entrance but I don't know if the guardian would help us cross over or not. He's 'fickle' and not easy to understand at all" ah, a guardian. Another divine beast? They would face that hurdle when it comes.

But first, they needed to get to that point in the world. There were various tricks to make others agree to your needs and demands, after all, Mark would know of it.

"It's alright. Just lead us halfway and you are done. We will do the talking" the kid looked relieved at the notion of not having to talk with the other. Another socially awkward teen, just what they needed to have this show going.

"Should we get going? We are already behind" The teen nodded and started walking at a fast pace. It was not difficult to keep up, just frustrating. Kuro was the first one after Yun, her body giving her the boost she needed to get to the other faster.

Then there was Mark after her, and Luna took the end for safety reasons. They were moving as a group and Mark kept on expecting an attack on their person but none came.

Of course, there would not be one, not with so many big shots and Yun in the team. It was more likely that the monsters would avoid them rather than seek them out. And then there was also the chance of losing potential material.

But the more worrisome part was his system which seemed to have abandoned him. It had not responded when he had called for it and there had been no new notifications. It had not even shown the map of the place and no icon responded when he clicked on them.

It was frustrating to admit, but his system was out for the count. That left Mark on his own with nothing to rely on but his strength. He had never been good at physical stuff but the nightmare has become much more real for him.

"There, we are here now. The guardian is somewhere in the water but I don't know how to call for him. Generally, the other person does it for me" the kid sounded nervous, not wanting to offend the nice people who did not belittle him. His eyes were even wet with small tears in them which were cute.

"We just need to draw him outright? It should be easy enough" and Mark got what the other was going to do. It was dangerous because of unknown reasons but this was what needed to be done. Luna took his mark at the ready and Mark picked up the kid.

"We should not get caught up in this" the kid looked confused but did not question it thankfully. The next thing Mark knew, he had picked up the kid and jumped across platforms. There was a small explosive sound behind him which was likely Luna doing his thing.

"Wait, what is he doing? Is he trying to anger the guardian? He should not because he would be killed if he did so. The guardian is not an ordinary divine beast but -" Yun did not get to finish because a huge wave emerged from the ocean. It was taller than a 10-storied building and intimating to look at.

It would hurt when it connected and there was no way to dodge it either. Whatever Luna had done, it had not been appreciated by the other side.

"I hate water and getting wet. Ok kid, hold on tight" the wave came down with a loud smack and eroded the landscape.