Chapter One-hundred and Eighteen: Lines that won’t be crossed.

Shigure might have accepted the contract but was still skeptical about the whole premise of Drake not suddenly changing his mind. Sherry was, after all, part of his group. But for now, it was enough.

Shigure wasn't able to press the matter. It seemed that Bjorn and Drake had a better relationship than he had with Bjorn even after their time together. And this truly aggravated Shigure.

He thought he had gotten over the jealousy he was feeling but it somehow boiled up once again, and what was coming did not help.

"Alright, so we all good now? No more at each other's throats for the time being 'kay?" Drake said casually, his hair shimmering to blue from his original black.

Drake addressed Shigure, but his eyes glanced to the rest of the group from Shigure's camp standing behind him. Some recoiled from the stare, others still struggling to get up from the ground, Drake's and Bjorn's Auras doing significant damage to their posture and egos as they scowled back at him.

Then two voices came from Drake's side.

"What happened?! What was that light!?" Claire shouted, stopping next to Drake, her hands finding her knees as she gasped for breath.

"Seriously, that sounded like lightning struck right next to us. What in the world did you do?!" Chelsea asked, pointing at Drake.

"Why is it my fault?" Drake asked.

"Because it's always something you did!" Chelsea snapped back.

"Ok, fair, guilty as charged, sue me!" Drake laughed, shrugging.

"We would if we could!" they both screamed.

"Okay calm down. I didn't know I had three moms, jeez," Drake scoffed, " Where is you know who?" Drake asked, suddenly realizing they had left the tent without Natto.

"Oh… Um, we left her to see what was going on, with the girl called Uta," Claire answered sheepishly.

Drake's eyes snapped to Shigure. The teen paling suddenly under Drake's primal stare.

"Explain," Drake said, bloodlust spilling off the single word, "Explain why she is still there."

"Wait! We only wanted to tal-" Shigure tried explaining but was cut off by a lightning spear passing his cheek close enough to burn the hair on it.

"Then speak to me," Drake growled, "If even a hair on her head is out of place, you will find out just how tyrannical I can become."

Drake's threat was not empty, as once again his Aura pressed outward, chilling Shigure's entire side of the field.

"Y-you wouldn't dare! You would ha-" someone from behind Shigure spat, but was stopped, another bolt of lightning crackling past the person's face, but this time taking their right ear from their head as they shrieked in pain.

"I'm speaking to Shigure. Do not interrupt. It's rude," Drake said, his face scowling.

Drake slowly moved his mask back into place, his eyes shimmering from color to color.

"Well, I'm listening," Drake pressed.

"I-we wanted to trade voting for you at the World Summit, in exchange for information we would help you outside the tutorial…" Shigure explained quickly.

"World Summit…? This is the first I'm hearing of it," Drake paused, "Don't move, I'll be right back," Drake stated tersely, his hair shimmering to a brilliant yellow with a snap of his fingers as he took a step moving out of view.

An instant later he returned seemingly the same, but he had recovered Natto as she had merged with him. And Drake was not pleased.

Uta had held her at knifepoint, and even with Natto doing her best to dismiss the action as irrelevant. Drake was livid.

"Where is she?" Drake asked.

"W-why..?" Shigure stammered.

"She has harmed someone dear to me. I knew she entered the tent to speak, but she went too far. So either you bring her here to deal with the consequences of her actions. Or I go find her. And I'm very good at hide and seek," Drake joked, but his demeanor, aura, and glare were anything but.

"I will no-" Shigure tried to say, but Drake had moved as the words left his mouth, his arm only inches from his face, glowing in a deep azure above the brilliant yellow of his tattoo.

Drake looked over at the man who stopped him, "Bear, he volunteered to take the punishment. Let go."

"Come on bro, you don't need to kill him. Is the little lady alright?" Bjorn asked honestly concerned.

"She has a scratch," Drake replied tersely, his eyes still trained on the shivering Shigure despite their casual conversation.

"Then you are going way overboard. At least only give him a scratch. We can have a calm discussion where everyone isn't trying to kill each other after," Bjorn said, his eyes moving to Shigure, honestly disappointed with the teen.

"Fine," Drake let out, "Just a scratch then," he growled, extending his finger from his closed fist, the air pressure pushing past Shigure, blowing his hair wildly but not harming the teen, instead it hit the mess of people behind him pushing them backward in a gust of wind.

Drake relaxed, and Bjorn released him as Drake moved his mask again to the side of his head so that Shigure could see his expression.

"Just kidding. I can't hurt him anyway. But the contract doesn't say anything about anyone else. Now does it Shigure?" Drake stated suggestively.

The teen's head moved eerily slow from left to right, his face pale and pooling sweat as he looked back at Drake.

"If you touch my family again. You will not like what happens. Next time you want to talk, you talk to me and me alone," Drake said, pausing afterward to drive home the point.

"Now get me those people I need. But you lost the reward of skill stones. From now on if you want something, it will be fair and square from us, no more beneficial trades, nothing. Only business."

Shigure stepped back slightly color slowly returning to his face and a scowl creasing it, but he nodded nonetheless.

"And if I see Uta," Drake added, "She better have a spectacular apology. Or it will be the last time you see her," Drake said, then looked to the stout man behind Shigure that had spoken up earlier, "And that, is a threat."

The man snorted in fear of being addressed, his hand going for the hammer that had fallen next to him.

Drake only looked on, waiting for him to grab it. But the man noticed the star, a faint grin on his face, and decided against it, turning his head away from Drake's gaze.

Finally, Drake looked at Shigure.

"There are just some lines you don't cross, this is going to be your only warning."

Drake let the words hang as he turned, moving past the rest of his group wordlessly, his destination his tent.

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"How dare he threaten us! He is only one man!" the stout man cried when Drake was fully out of view and he knew he was safe.

"Yes Darius, it seems that he is getting too large for his britches if I do say," a thinly looking man said next to him.

"Enough…. Darius, Adam. Do you think we have a chance of going against him when he also has Sir Bear on his side?" Shigure said, deflating as he looked to the back of Bjorn who walked not to Shigure's camp but Drake's.

Why… What is so different!? And now I have burned a bridge that I could not afford to! Shigure cursed.

"How is it enough? The man-child threw a tantrum and we are supposed to just take it?" Adam asked as he crossed his thin pale arms across his chest.

"Then what would you have us do?" Shigure asked.

"We simply take one of his people hostage and force him to cooperate," Adam said nonchalantly.

"Adam! That is not how we do things! Even if Uta had hurt their companion I know she would not do so without good reason. And this is only for a scratch! What do you think would happen if you managed to take one of his compatriots?!" Shigure snapped, "Your personality has darkened since you changed races. I only allowed you to stay because you are an invaluable fighter, but remember your place!"

Adam scoffed, "Big talk calming from someone who just ran with his tail between his legs."

Shigure placed his hand on his weapon.

Adam raised his hands placidly not wanting to push Shigure too far.

"Yes, yes then leader… Whatever you say," Adam answered, giving a sidelong glance at some of the women following slightly behind Bjorn and the now gone Drake, "Whatever, you, say…."

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"Drake, what was that display out there? You know you can not simply act on your emotions, I thought you were well past this when you received your new skills," Natto asked from the bed where Jacqueline was standing next to her, gently touching the near-insignificant wound on her neck.

"No. I don't care the reason, if they hurt you then I will not stand for it. I can work around and bend on a lot of things, but my family. My loved ones. Those who I hold dear. If someone touches what is mine…." Drake murmured his vision reddening.

"What? What did you just say? Yours? Very presumptuous I must say," Natto scoffed, but she turned her head, her face turning a shade of scarlet.

"Huh? W-why did I say that… I just meant that people won't be doing what they want with people I care about anymore. I don't want people I hold dear to ever have to go through the types of things I have or might have to still go through," Drake clarified, pushing the slip of words to the back of his mind.

I thought my Tyrannical Indomitability solved this whole shit show of emotional polarity. And I haven't consumed any legendary stones like Bjorn has so what's the deal? Is it just a matter of the person? Am I just that mentally weak? Drake asked himself but was brought from his thoughts when Claire spoke up.

"I'm sorry we left her alone… I-i thought it would be fine, and we were just concerned about what was going on outside," she offered.

Drake sighed. He knew it wasn't entirely their fault, but he had to hold them responsible. Natto wasn't a combat-oriented Assistant and they had left her basically defenseless with a Combat Assistant. It didn't take an anime protagonist to understand where that was going.

"Look I know I asked a lot, but you two," Drake said, addressing Claire and Chelsea, both looking down now in embarrassment, "I'm disappointed. I won't allow you to take the blame for how I reacted, and I won't say that it is your fault I had to put my foot down with that kid, but. You two severely lost points with me for that mistake," Drake sighed again.

"We're sorry but we were just concerned…" Chelsea said, looking to Jacqueline, hoping for a lifeline, but the woman just shook her head, her expression blatantly saying 'I want no part of that mess love.'

"Don't let your infatuation with me detract from what I've asked you to do," Drake said firmly, looking at them both.

The pair shirked backward slightly, their embarrassment plain despite their turning away.

"I've told you both that I am not interested and that's how it is. I'm too busy for either of you and I have no plans of fooling around with anyone for now. You want me to take an interest? Then do what I am asking of you next time. I don't need people that can't do a simple task of watching a 1-foot garbage disposal, let alone a lover that can't listen to a word I say," Drake said, crossing his arms then added in a whisper, "How is that suppose to work in bed if you can't even listen outside of it…"

Both their faces flushed even more, but they nodded reluctantly.

"Then," Drake added, his face relaxing, "Thank you for worrying for me," he said smiling, "But don't do it again alright? Now go to your own tents before Shigure gets any wild ideas. And can you send in Bjorn, I'd like to have another conversation with him."

The pair brightened at the words of gratitude but nodded sheepishly before exiting.

"You got some real serious lovesick birds there gov," Jacqueline teased, finishing up her healing of Natto.

"Oh, and that doesn't include you?" Drake teased back.

"Damn right it doesn't ya daft bastard," she scoffed, "Besides, I don't like to share," Jacqueline whispered, walking out of the tent.

"Hm, I may have made a mistake teasing her too much…" Drake said laughing nervously.

"Imbecile…" Natto scoffed.

"What can I say? I'm a hands-on learner," Drake laughed back, but his face turned serious, "I'm glad you weren't hurt badly Natto. But never do that again,"

"It is fin-"

"Never," Drake said again firmly, "I don't care if you can come back or whatever. I won't allow anyone to hurt you. If it wasn't for the contract, that boy would be on the ground with a hole in his chest the size of his ego."

The tent entrance flap whipped open, and a hulking figure entered.

"Oh, am I interrupting that serious movie moment thing you do? My bad bro, I'll come back in like 5 minutes then," Bjorn said, turning around.

"Shut the fuck up I don't do that!" Drake shouted, his hand gripping Bjorn's shoulder desperately.