Chapter 55: Wrong Number?[1]
The morning after the feast was pale, snow still clung to the ground outside the Dragon Guild building.
Becca stirred awake with a groan, clutching her head. Her memories were fragmented, Kayla and Alice’s banter, the cheers of the tribes, the warmth of firelight...and lips against lips.
She sat upright so fast she nearly fell from the bed. Her cheeks burned with embarrassment. Did I really...? The scene from last night played in her head again.
She looked down and saw her body covered by a silk sheet and she wore an oversized black t-shirt.
Across the room, Xior sat on a low bench, lacing his boots. His face was calm, unreadable as ever. But she noticed how he avoided her eyes.
The silence was unbearable, with all the fragments she remembered she felt too stunned to usher a single word.
"About last night–" she started then faltered.
Xior looked up at her, his expression was steady as ever. "You were drunk."
The words were gentle, not accusatory, but final. Becca’s chest tightened, she wanted to argue, to tell him she meant it but the words refused to form.
Instead she looked away, cursing herself under her breath.
"Becca, don’t worry about it." Xior continued with the same gentle soothing voice.
She turned her head towards him and nodded, but before they could say anything else a knock came at the door. Rain’s voice called, brisk as ever.
"Time to move, we don’t want the Association Chairman to wait a lot."
Xior had gotten ready and walked out of the room, he wore a white buttoned up shirt, brown pants and a black trench coat on top.
Becca quickly got out of bed as Xior closed the door behind her, she slipped into her clothes from the night and ran to her room to change. She came out wearing a white black buttoned up shirt with black pants and a white trench coat on top. She had bought matching outfits with Xior when they went shopping in New Federation.
The four walked towards the platform from where they would be teleported outside of the tower, a white light consumed them leaving behind the serene Aegis city undergoing repairs.
The light shimmered as the four of them materialized outside the tower. Xior, Becca, Maria and Rain took in a deep breath as they stepped forward.
An escort car was parked not too far away and from it an old man, probably in his sixties came out. He stood taller than Xior despite his age and had a commanding presence.
Maria and Rain smiled as the man hugged both of them, he was Rain’s ex commanding officer and his adoptive father, making him Maria’s father in law.
"Xior, Becca this is my father. Well adoptive father, Lee Woo–one of the EX Rank hunters." He said with a proud smug on his face but he received a light slap on the back of his head.
"Brat, how many times do I have to tell you to not introduce me like that. I don’t want these kids to get intimidated and treat me with more respect." He sighed as he expressed his displeasure.
"Dear if you weren’t injured I would do the same as dad, but you’re getting away this time." Maria said as she took Rain’s arm in hers and pulled him on the side.
Xior took the initiative and took a few steps to lessen the distance between him and Lee Woo, the latter looked down on him with a smile not suiting his rank.
He extended his hand towards Lee Woo, who reciprocated it and shook his hand. Just with that handshake Xior felt like Lee Woo could easily crush his hand if he wanted and that he was unmatched in strength.
Looking at his huge stature, it was understandable. Like Xior he too preferred fighting with his hands from how scarred and calloused they were.
Becca followed and did the same, after the introductions were done they got in the car and drove back up to New Federation.
They drove through the bustling floating metropolis towards the highest building in the city, the building of the Hunter Association which looked like a fortress of glass and steel.
They were dropped off in front of the entrance which buzzed with reporters and multiple Association employees stood there to greet them.
Dragon Guild had solely managed to overturn the situation inside the tower while the other guilds only sent in average hunters and tried monopolizing the floors.
They walked inside and towards a hall where the Association Chairman would meet them. They entered the hall full of people from other Guilds and the hunters working under the Association as well.
Maria and Rain went ahead and talked with the other people while Becca and Xior stood in a corner beside each other as they looked at some of the most powerful people in the world talk among themselves.
But the chatter fell quiet when the Chairman entered the hall, the old man moved slowly, now leaning on an ornate cane. But the power that radiated from him didn’t match how he walked.
His presence pressed against the skin and felt heavier than gravity itself, even Xior’s instincts bristled.
Chairman Damian Shields was Earth’s sole L Rank Hunter, a man who had once held back calamities of the rank of Dragon with his bare hands.
Now his hair was silver alongside his neatly trimmed beard, his back slightly bent but his eyes burned sharp.
He looked towards Becca and Xior with a smile and moved towards them shocking the other hunters present.
"You’ve done well," he said, his voice carrying authority. "For warriors of the Earth to return from the Tower alive, and stronger gives out people hope. My congratulations, to both of you first and foremost and then to all of you."
Rain bowed deeply as he had quickly walked over while Maria followed with a gracious smile. Becca awkwardly mirrored them while Xior only gave a nod.
The Chairman chucked, not offended by what he did. "Direct, I like that."
From behind Rain and Maria came Lee Woo, the Chairman threw his cane towards Xior and then hugged Lee Woo like an older brother does.
After the fall, both of them developed a bond deeper than blood ties. It was through that bond, Rain joined the Dragon Guild and met Maria and married her.
"Lee Woo, old friend...how have you been?" Chairman Damian asked, the smile on his face never faded.
"I’m doing good old man, just my stupid son worrying me." He replied as he pointed his eyes towards Rain’s cut off arm.
Damian kept smiling as he looked at him and then nodded, they went separate ways as the ceremony continued.
Xior sat on a table with Becca, Maria and Rain. He was deep in thought about Chairman Damian.
The last time he met him, which was not too long ago he was perfectly fine and didn’t need a cane to walk but now he suddenly needed a cane.
"The Chairman was fine the first time I met him, but today he was using a cane. Doesn’t that feel suspicious to you?" Xior voiced out his issue with his colleagues.
"It does sound suspicious but he is old, Xior. He is pushing a hundred, maybe that’s why." Maria responded.
Rain thought for some time before opening his mouth, "I feel like he had to use his power for some reason. It takes a toll on his body as he is way past his younger days."
He paused then looked at the confused faces of his wife, Xior and Becca. He took a deep breath in before continuing.
"What’s bugging me is that what could possibly make him use that much power, something is amiss, I will investigate with my father in a few days. Just focus on clearing the tower you both. Me and Maria will handle anything which comes our way on Earth."
Both Becca and Xior nodded as Rain was in his commanding mode again. His left eye burned with a flickering fire.
He had already started coming up with scenarios about what could have happened to Chairman Damian.
To someone unrelated looking at him, they would feel he was a cyborg who had a super computer for a brain but it was nothing like this. His foresight was on point for the most part.
As the ceremony ended Xior and Becca trailed behind the husband and wife deep down in the Dragon Guild building in New Federation.
On the lowest level was a storage for Maria and Rain, it contained various top tier weapons, armors and accessories alongside numerous runes.
Maria walked towards an area and brought out two sets of clothes. She gave one to Xior and the other to Becca.
"These are special made clothes for you both, they are cut, flame and abrasion resistant. They won’t tear easily and you can run, twist and do anything in these." Maria added as she moved to the opposite side. She took out two wooden boxes and again gave one each to Xior and Becca, these were weapons specially designed for them.
Becca was given a sword made of tempered obsidian steel, its blade shimmering with a faint blue light. The guard was elegant, shaped like interwoven wings while the grip was wrapped in dark crimson leather.
"This sword was forged from the fangs of a fallen sky serpent, Chairman Damian slayed." Maria explained. "It is light, but unbreakable. It channels mana smoothly, especially elemental burst. Perfect for someone who relies on elemental runes a lot."
In contrast Xior’s case held something far more primal. A gauntlet of blackened metal, each knuckle ending in curved claw blades that gleamed faint silver under the light.
Alongside it was a sword, shorter than Becca’s, but wide and brutal.
"This gauntlet is carved from the bones of a Dragon class beast which was once again slain by Chairman Damian." Maria said then muttered, "Damn you old man."
She then continued, "it will tear through armor as though it was paper and this sword...well sometimes subtlety isn’t needed."
Xior and Becca left the husband and wife to find a replacement for Rain’s missing arm. Then a system message flickered into existence in front of him.
[Incoming message...]
[Origin: Unknown]
["Child of the End...can you hear us?"]