Chapter 189: Back to Business

"You are lying," Drake growled stepping over the woman to look down at her.

"I-I'm not…!" she croaked, "P-please! Let me explain..!"

Drake slightly lessened his aura allowing her to breathe and sit up.

"Make it quick. I don't have time for your games any longer."

Bridgette gave a breath of relief, her hand rubbing her neck as if a hand had just let go from choking her.

"I-" she coughed, clearing her throat, "I was in his same tutorial. He was unpleasant but interesting."

Bridgette looked at Drake, seeing that his eyes were cold like a predator who had already caught his prey but quickly losing interest. She knew it was no time to lie, but to tell him at least the bare minimum to keep him from killing her. She had met these types of people within their tutorial when Atticus had begun recruiting. Men and women whose eyes told their whole story. The fights or wars they had seen before the tutorial and the horrors they faced thereafter.

"Impossible, he died 6 years ago," Drake said in a cold tone.

"I don't know anything about that, but the man's name certainly was Atticus Wallen. He goes by the Grand Sun Mage now, his followers call him the Emperor," Bridgette added.

"The Grand Sun Mage…?" Drake said rolling the words around on his tongue, his eyes going sharp again as he addressed the Doctor, "What else."

Bridgette smiled, knowing she had got him.

"Sorry, I won't be saying anything else."

Drake's aura flexed again, but this time Bridgette simply smiled and took the brunt of it.

"What makes you think I won't just kill you here? After what you've already done I can tell you are only in it for amusement," Drake asked.

His aura lessened once more allowing her to breathe and speak.

After a fit of coughing, she looked back at him smiling, "T-That's twice…"

Drake's brow rose.

"That's twice you could have killed me, no three times. And you let me off just before," she scoffed, "You aren't like your brother, Drake Wallen. You don't enjoy killing, I can tell."

"What do you know about me?" Drake sneered becoming more and more fed up with the woman.

"I know you are stronger than a level 14. I know you are most likely not a Mage as you appear. And I know. You are most interesting…" she reiterated with a smile, "If you want to learn more, how about striking a deal with me?"

"Deal?"

She nodded, "Yes. I get to tag along as long as I see fit with you. And I will tell you anything about your brother that I can."

"What's in it for me? Your deal implies I will need to protect you if not more. While I'm interested in what you have to say. My brother isn't a person you can use as leverage," Drake scowled, "He left my family when I was 15. He's been long dead since before he was actually dead."

Bridgette flinched, her calculations about the situation slightly off. But she continued to press Drake.

"Fine. How about this then? For everything I said before I will also be your exclusive Doctor?"

"Why would I need a Doctor, there are healers that can do your job easily enough," Drake countered.

Bridgette waved her finger, "No, no, no my good sir. Healers can of course restore lost muscle, and replenish health points. But most healers also specialize in only that," she smirked lighting her cigarette before continuing, "Did you know diseases have also improved thanks to the system? Maybe not as much as we have but a common cold is now on a whole other level compared to before. Any number of diseases have increased in strength. Chronic, infectious, environmental, dietary, and of course hereditary. All of these are now different and stronger than before. It's an interesting world we live in and I want to be entertained. And I think you are going to be at the center of quite a few interesting things. What do you say, Mr. Wallen?"

Drake mulled over her words.

While it may be true thanks to his own specialized skills he could resist any number of diseases. But what about the children? What about the lower-level people who haven't learned a resistance skill, the people yet to even gain a class or first advancement? He hadn't accounted for diseases possibly increasing in strength. What about new diseases that were brought with the introduction of the system and new races? Would their skills be able to hold off new infections and germs brought by other worlds?

Drake clicked his tongue.

"Fine."

"Good- Ahhh! What are you doing!?"

Drake wrapped Bridgette in a full-body earthen straight jacket, a rope made of lava extending from her to his staff.

"You are still too dangerous to let near the kids unsupervised. And honestly, I don't trust you," Drake smiled, "So hold on while I clean up."

"Clean… up…?" Bridgette said dropping her cigarette.

Drake's hair turned black, then quickly back to a light green as he smiled, Bridgette's face paling as she realized what was about to happen.

"Enjoy the ride," Drake sneered as he took off at full speed, pulling her along as he went from bookshelf to bookshelf inventorying the literature en mass.

Once he was done, he exited the area, looking back at the large mass of poisonous mana surrounding the University.

"Clean up time. Hey Doc, clean it up. Oh…" Drake frowned looking back at his prisoner, but she had passed out, foaming at the mouth.

Drake sighed letting her down temporarily so he could use his staff.

Pointing at the university he began channeling power into a green magic circle as his hair shimmered to white.

"Bathe this land in cleansing wind. Let the howls of the gusting torrent break the shadow of this foul air! Maelstrom!"

Drake's mana infused into the circle summoning a tornado that spun outward growing in size and speed. Once large enough it broke with an ear-shattering crack as it thrusted a piercing gust throughout the area, pushing the poison mana upwards and dispersing it.

He gave a satisfied breath, "Phew, that wasn't that bad. Now, off to the center before Natto screams at me again."

—------------

"Who's that?"

One of the children in the front seat pointed to the unconscious Bridgette.

"Oh she's no one important," Drake smiled.

"Is she dead?" asked another.

"No, no… she's sleeping," Drake answered.

"She looks dead."

"No, she's sleeping I promise. Yeah, sleeping. Sleepy sleepy…So tired…." Drake chuckled nervously.

"Drake!" Natto shouted running down the aisle to the front of the bus, "I have had enough of your dallying we must go to-"

Drake stopped her, holding up a hand, "Yep, that's exactly where we are going, right now."

"O-oh. Good! Well let us be on our way then!" she nodded, her face twisted in confusion but still agreeing.

Drake opened the side window, waved to his elementals, and shouted out to the other buses.

"You heard her, to the system center. On the double."

The buses raised in unison as the clicking of belts rang out on them. Bridgette just coming out of her stupor from being carried around by Drake previously.

"W-where am I..?" she stuttered looking up to see a child smiling down at her, "Why is there a child, and why are you smiling?"

"You need a belt lady!" the child snickered.

"A belt? Why would I need a-"

The bus snapped forward rubberbanding her down the aisle and flinging back towards Drake as it reached the end of the magma leash only to be stopped dead in its tracks by Drake's hand.

"Stay still, you're going to hurt someone moving- Oh she passed out again. I wonder if that's kind of her thing?" Drake scoffed.

The streets zipped passed the sides of the buses as the Elementals moved at speed, weaving and stepping over abandoned cars and the like. A stern face painting Drake's as he was reminded once again just how many people had been ripped from this world to never return again.

The sound of cheering and whooping from the bus behind him alleviated it slightly but he was still stuck in a conundrum. How was he supposed to break it to these children that many if not all of their parents and siblings would never be returning?

While his mind raced they eventually got to their destination, the bus stopping at the intersection of Main Street and the Boulevard.

Without instructions this time Drake left the bus, a large crowd forming around the building that had replaced the large business center that he remembered being there.

All heads turned to the buses that had appeared and the lone man that exited.

"Who's that guy? Trying to show off?"

"He looks like a mage…"

"How does he have so many spells working at once? He must be strong…"

"No, inspect him, he's level 14. He must be a Legendary Class."

"Shut up you idiot, you know how astronomically rare those classes are?"

The murmurs and whispers of the crowd reached Drake's ears easily but he wasn't concerned, he had to get into the building quickly and turn in his quest as Natto had told him. As well as exchange his cores for currency if he had any hope of purchasing items, quests, and the like inside.

Drake turned sticking his head back into the bus.

"Don't leave, that means everyone. Charlotte!" Drake shouted.

"Y-yeah?" she answered, sticking her head above the seats.

"You, Landin, and Janey are in charge on this bus," Drake threw her a small crystal that he had used before, a communication crystal, "Anything happens you use this. Natto will tell you how it works, won't you Natto," Drake smiled.

"No, I will not stay here any longer. Besides, you certainly need me to advise you inside!" Natto pleaded.

"No can do on that one. You have to stay here and watch them, no one will suspect you of being anything other than a small child anyway," he laughed.

"I'll be sure to tell the other buses, I only have one more pair of crystals so you have to keep an eye on everything alright? I'm counting on you three."

Landin, Charlotte, and Janey nodded their eyes wondering at the still-observing crowd outside.

Drake ignored the people staring and walked to the other buses letting them know what was happening and leaving his other crystal with one of the remaining buses. Once done he pressed through the crowd to the entrance.

Just before the door, a large man stood like a tree rooted there.

Drake looked up, surprisingly the man was well above 8 feet tall.

He could give Bjorn a run for his money. Drake thought.

"Hello, there. Care to move? Or are we doing the classic 'guild' scene?" Drake asked.

The man scoffed looking down, "No one enters till boss is done."

Drake inspected the towering man.

[Brody Charles Level 12]

Drake raised a brow, "Is everyone just a low level?"

"You're only two above me, and you're a mage," the man said, pointing to Drake's staff, "You lose."

Drake smiled, snapping his mask into place, "Hard way it is then."

Brody took the words as the cue and pulled two swords from his back. Reminding Drake of the Gnoll he faced in the tutorial with the dual scimitars.

Drake chuckled and snapped his fingers as he dodged the slashes from the man with ease. The bystanders screamed and scattered to make way.

A white magic circle formed at Drake's feet.

Brody growled, his face turning to a frustrated scowl as he swung horizontally to take Drake's head off.

Drake bent down his hand touching the circle as he stood back up after the blades passed harmlessly over his head, from his hand the body of a frozen man formed as he stood.

"Summon Primal Ice Elemental," Drake chanted, the spell forming a moving human made of ice.

"Try not to kill him, he's only doing his job," Drake ordered.

"Kill me? You're puny-" Brody began saying before he was pushed backward, the Elemental having rushed forward its icey hand reaching for his throat.

Drake chuckled as he walked passed them casually as they fought, the sound of Brody cursing.

Even my Elementals have a bad personality… It's playing with him, poor guy. Drake thought as he entered the door.

Inside there were counters stretched across the building, enough to house all the people outside and more. At every counter a person behind it in well-dressed clothing.

Drake looked them over surprised, "Some aren't human, but most are. Are they people… or…?" 

"Who let you in?" someone shouted from the side.

Drake knew the person was there, but chose to ignore them in hopes they would just let him get his business done and be on his way. But unfortunately, it looks like there were more cliches to get out of the way.

"No one let me in. I presume you are the so-called boss?"

[Trace Morgan Level 15]