Chapter 10 - Relaxing Days 3

"So about the place?"

"Right." Pathfinder then coughed to clear his voice, he grabbed his communicator from his coat and held it in his hand, after that he pressed a few buttons on the side and with it a holographic interface appeared and showed us a map of the city, it zoomed to the place where throttle disco is until we're shown a simple map gridline.

"This is the map of the tunnel underneath of the part where you fought the Tegoths, from the data that I've gatherd both from this level and the previous level. It seemed this place to be some sort of a bio lab."

"Bio lab?" I asked to him curiously

"Yes, as the name itself implies, it's a lab where they carry out biological research, plants stuff, cellular and genetic manipulations, virus and disease, those kind of fun stuff."

At the word virus and disease, my attention immediately peaked, if that's what they've been researching then there's a chance that panacea could be down there! I can believe it behind my misfortune something good could come out! I could feel Johnny looking at me with a slight grin as if saying "Here we are bud! The goalie is here!"

"The tegohts that you found could be the research leftover, which explain the positioning of the security system." Continued the androgynous cartographer.

"Eh? Whatchu mean?" Asked Johnny.

"The placement of the gun turrets. Normally you would place gun turrets in the direction of the entrance right?"

"Well yeah! Of course you want to keep them intruders out after all." Answered Johnny as he stated something that is obvious.

"That is the thing, they're facing the opposite direction, it is as if instead of wanting to keep intruder out they wanted to keep the people inside from escaping outside and they're only in the sector where you've found those tegoths."

"Which could means several things." Pathfinder then held out two fingers with one hand while the other still gripping the communicator that continue to project the map.

"The tegoths that you've encounter are just part of an even larger group that dwells inside the facility, and they're the leftover of the old empire golden age research, those guns exist to keep them inside the facility. Or…." Pathfinder then looked outside to the direction of the hill where those bandit used to use as their base. His eyes and expression shows a serious one in contrast with the goofy one that he put on or the friendly one from before.

It is truly the expression that show of how someone who has lived on this deathworld of a planet, of how the person known as pathfinder knows that whatever lurks down there could be the threat that could end all people in this city, of how—

"Aw c'mon don't just pause for dramatic effect! It absolutely has no purpose all you do is wasting time to fill up more pages!" Complained Johnny interrupting my monologue about pathfinder.

"You shut up! Don't you see that there's somebody new in here?! I gotta appeal myself so I can look reliable and experienced so that he knows that I'm a responsible person that always return his debts!" Angrily pathfinder as he pointed a finger at me.

"Too late for that! Your character has already been destroyed pages ago!" Told the wannabe hero to the androgynous cartographer. "Listen Kain! Whatever you do do not lend this guy money! He ain't gonna pay you back!"

"How rude! I always pay my debts!"

"Oh yeah? When? Where's my money?!"

"In any case I need you three to head down there, perform recon, and as a payment you can take whatever you want down there."

"N-now as the master says head down perform recon and--- Wait you three?!"

"Ayyup. All three of you head down note some point of interest and get back."

"Aw c'mon! You know that I'm not a fighter! I can't fight whatever horrors that is down there!" Whined Pathfinder.

"Excuses." The master waved his hand at what Pathfinder has said waving them away into nothing. "I know that you're pretty good with that gun off yours." Pathfinder then seems like he wanted to say something but the master cuts him off. "And that's why your skill is needed in this, especially if this were to be a close quarter combat inside the lab ruins."

"Hmm… maybe I should get a shotgun instead of the normal pistol then." I murmured to myself.

"That's one way of thinking it, attaboy! You're started to think like a hunter now." Praised the older man to me.

"It's only natural to bring something like that to the ruins…" I replied back to him.

"In any case Prepped yourself for the expedition and gather around the entrance to the abandoned lab! I already got few guards assigned there so the entrance and first level should be relatively fine." The master said as he rested his elbow on the bar counter.

I nodded at what he has just said, johnny gives him a thumb up with a grin, while Pathfinder lets out a sigh.

We then dispersed for a moment, Pathfinder going to his room to prepare while me and johnny went back to our room for preparation. I collected what I might use for the expedition. A gas mask might be useful, it's a lab after all who knows what kind of poisonous chemical that might still linger down there. I then packed other sundries that might help with the expedition. As I was preparing I asked Johnny.

"Hey, Johnny. What kind of person is Pathfinder?"

"Eh? Pathfinder? Hmm…" Johnny stopped packing and put a hand on his chin to think about it.

"To put it simply he's an idiot."

"Eh?"

"I mean he's someone who's going to be trapping himself with debts after debts even when he don't need it. I don't exactly know why he keeps doing it but… well we all have our own quirks." Continued Johnny as he adjusted his wrist plasma blaster, he then looked towards my direction.

"If you're worried about his combat capabilities then don't worry about it! He's a real deal hotshot!" Assured Johnny to me.

I don't know exactly what's pathfinder's combat capabilities but if Johnny said he's good then he's probably is. I wonder what kind of combat prowess he will bring to the team. In comparison with me he's probably way way better.

Johnny then patted by back with vigor making me cough up.

"Don't worry about it! It'll be over in a jiffy! With your knowledge, my Martial arts, and Pathfinder err… pathfinding and gun everything will be fine."

"Did you have any experience in ruins delving like this Johnny?" I asked to the wannabe hero.

"I delved into some dungeon every now and then, it's mostly the one that already been explored though. Very rarely I got a chance to explore a fresh dungeon. Last time I did it when Sam, my previous partner is still alive." Johnny said answering my curiosity.

"Hmm…" I hummed in response."But still, You got more experience than me so I'll refer to your judgement."

"Alright then!" I then took the shotgun and other remaining supplies that will help with the expedition. We then exited our room and took a stair down, pathfinder is already there near the flagger entrance with his arms crossed.

"About time! What took you so long?"

"Relax, It's Kain's first time ruins delving, he got a lot of stuff to prepare."

"Oya? What role is he supposed to be filling?"

"He's good with the electronics, he'll be our go to man when dealing with them."

"Thank god." Pathfinder then turned to me. "You can disable turrets right? Right? RIGHT?!" pathfinder asked as he moved closer to me. Too close for comfort.

"Y-yeah I dealt with them before."

"Alright no more running like chickens!"

"You still having nightmare with that?" Asked Johnny with a bit of a chuckle in the end.

"Oi oi oi! If not because you triggered that alarm we would be able to get a case or two instead, those frickin turrets fired upon us and gave enough time for Skadi to get them instead of us!"

I can only look at them with the expression of confusion on my face. It seems like Johnny and Pathfinder had been on an adventure together before, I guess that's to be expected seeing them as an experienced case hunter.

"So we ready to go?" I asked both of them.

"Yeah I'm good."

"Ditto."

"Alright master we'll be going for some dungeon delving wish us luck!" Said pathfinder to the ruined flagger master.

"Sure, make sure to score big alright?"

"You betcha!" answered Johnny.

We then traversed the city to the entrance where me and Johnny used to sneak into Throttle Disco's lair. There's now some people guarding the entrance with Assault Rifles on their hand, vendors that are selling supplies and other people from their appearance I suspect to also be case hunters. They seems to be lining in order to enter the Ruin? What the hell?

"Ey Johnny! You're late!" Said one of the people that is guarding the entrance. He approached us and waved his hand.

"Hey! I ain't late! It's just that a hero always appears at th end of an episode!"

"So basically late huh. Anyway it's about time you arrived the people are getting antsy."

"Uhhh what the hell is this Johnny?" I asked the wannabe hero.

"Oh this? This is the line for the Dungeon."

"What?"

"Oh if you don't know a line is-"

"I know what a line is idiot! All I asking is why there's a line for the dungeon!"

Johnny then looked toward Pathfinder and pathfinder looked away and whistled to himself.

"You definitely sold the map data to someone else before the flagger didn't you?"

"We-well, just a tiny bit?"

Johnny sighed to himself and put a hand on his chest to calm himself.

"Alright, so I guess it's the fifty minute rule now."

"Wh-what that?" I asked him.

"We got fifty minute of the dungeon to ourselves before the rest of the hunters got a shot at it."

"That's… That's stupid."

"Aw c'mon we can explore a lot within those fifty minutes!" Pathfinder said to Johnny as he put a hand on his hip.

"I don't want to hear that from someone who's the cause of this in the first place!" Johnny pointed.

"Alright, first thing first." Pathfinder then clapped his hands. "About this ruins. From my initial exploration this place is known as the biolab. Like most biolab of the old age It is a place of research regarding genetic modification and disease prevention."

As Pathfinder said disease prevention my ear perked and I paid absolute attention to what he was about to say. This could be it the key to my little sister's sickness.