Lord Mission II(3)

He turned his head slightly to see the source of the voice was from the young Imp from earlier, the one he had saved from a group of thieves who had tried to steal their food.

His eyes widened in surprise at the unexpected encounter.

"Wha--"

Before Arthur could complete his sentence, the two guards giant cyclopes, each towering at a staggering six meters in height, were now alerted to their presence.

Arthur's eyes darted to the guards, who now had their attention squarely on them. His heart raced, not out of fear for himself, but out of concern for the young imp who had unwittingly jeopardized his stealthy approach.

Without a moment to spare, Arthur grabbed the young imp's arm and started running. "Follow me closely, and don't get separated," he instructed in a low, urgent tone. The young imp nodded, fear etched across his face, but he obeyed, trailing closely behind Arthur.

The two of them sprinted through the grand halls of the massive building, their small Imp bodies carrying them as quickly as they could manage.

~Stomp, Stomp, Stomp, ...

The relentless pounding of the Cyclopes' massive footsteps echoed ominously behind them, growing louder with each passing moment.

As they dashed through the labyrinthine corridors, Arthur's mind raced. He needed to find a way out of this dire situation, and fast.

The building seemed to stretch on forever, its vastness making it difficult to navigate. His only hope was to lose the Cyclopes in the maze of hallways and chambers.

Despite the odds stacked against them, Arthur kept his wits about him. He turned down one corridor, then another, trying to create distance between them and their pursuers. The young imp, though terrified, kept pace with him.

Their heart-pounding chase continued, each footfall of the Cyclopes drawing nearer. The building's architecture seemed designed to thwart their escape.

Desperation clawed at Arthur as he considered their limited options. Just as hope began to wane, he spotted a potential escape route. A small crack hole in the wall, barely large enough for them to squeeze through, beckoned from the corner of a chamber.

Arthur veered towards it, praying it would lead to safety. He couldn't afford to look back; he could only trust that the young imp was still behind him. With all the strength he could muster, he lunged through the opening, his body barely fitting.

The young imp followed suit, squeezing through the gap just as the two Cyclopes stormed into the chamber. Their massive forms were too large to pursue them into the narrow crack hole.

Arthur's heart pounded in his chest as he and the young imp pressed themselves against the cold, damp stone of the cramped tunnel.

~Stomp, Stomp...

The Cyclopes' loud stomps reverberated through the chamber, followed by the sound of their colossal footsteps retreating.

They had narrowly escaped capture, but they were far from safe. The narrow passage continued, winding deeper into the labyrinthine structure. Arthur knew that their best chance was to keep moving and hope to find a way out of the building.

Silence settled around them as the echoes of the Cyclopes' stomps faded into the distance. Arthur finally allowed himself a deep breath, though he knew their ordeal was far from over.

"We need to keep going," he whispered to the young imp, who nodded in agreement.

As they continued to walk through the narrow crack hole, Arthur glanced down at the young imp.

"What's your name, kid?"

The young imp looked up at him with nervousness. "M-my name is Sotoy, Sire," he stammered.

Arthur chuckled, "No need to be so nervous, kid. We've made it this far, haven't we?" he said, trying to lighten the mood.

Sotoy nodded hesitantly, and a hint of a smile tugged at his lips. The tension in his small frame began to ease slightly.

"I-I'm sorry." Sotoy apologized for the incident earlier.

"It doesn't matter." Arthur assured him.

"So, Sotoy," he began, trying to sound reassuring while interrogating him, "tell me how did you get here? Shouldn't you be in Imp Town with your sister?" Arthur asked a question that had been nagging at him.

Arthur himself, who was a cautious person, became curious because he couldn't feel Sotoy's presence until he spoke earlier.

Sotoy's expression shifted, his gaze growing distant. "I... I wanted to find my father," he admitted. "He promised to come back with a lot of food for us." He paused, his voice trembling. "But... he hasn't returned, and everyone said he's dead."

Arthur's brow furrowed as he tried to understand. "I see," he repeated, still puzzled. "But how did you end up here?"

Instead of waiting for the answer, Arthur immediately inspected Sotoy's personal information:

[Name: Sotoy Gremlin]

[Race: Imp]

[Innate Ability: Teleportation (Epic-Grade)]

[Class: None]

[Strength: White-Low Tier]

[Skill: None]

[Loyalty: 35]

[Background: The son of the general of Imp Town, a lovely brother, loves his sister very much, a wanna-be hero.]

Arthur's eyes widened in surprise. Sotoy possessed the Epic-Grade Imp Innate Ability: Teleportation, a talent that even Arthur himself had not awakened.

In fact, in certain races not every member of the race could manifest their race's Innate Ability, some because their Innate Ability was too strong that it required a certain bloodline to activate or they had high enough luck to awaken their Innate Ability.

In Sotoy's case, it seems from the latter option, making Sotoy's innate talent all the more remarkable.

Arthur couldn't help but ponder the potential uses of such a talent, especially once he returned to the Main Plane.

Soon Sotoy fidgeted nervously. "I, uh, put a mark on my father's cloak before he left, hoping to teleport to him," he confessed. "But... I ended up here instead. I found his ripped clothes and then I saw you not too far from me Sire... well, I've been here ever since." He paused, a touch of sorrow in his eyes. "I'm here to bring my father back and prove to the people in town that he's still alive. Has Sire also come here to look for my father?"

However, Arthur's expression turned cold as he said, "Kid," he said gently, "sometimes, we have to accept that things may not turn out the way we hope."

As Sotoy heard it, he lowered his head, acknowledging the truth in Arthur's words while trying his best to hold back his tears.

Arthur had trained his mental stability after going through so many hardships in his previous life, and he discovered that empathizing was just an empty act that would only weaken one's mental stability.

Since Arthur was interested in recruiting Sotoy in the future, he thought that it was better for him to train Sotoy's mentality from now on.

However, Arthur pushed these thoughts aside for the moment and changed the topic. "What about your sister? Does she know you came to Tulkan Town?"

Sotoy shook his head, his voice filled with guilt. "No, Sire. I didn't tell her anything. I came here on my own."

Arthur's curiosity got the better of him. "And what's your sister's name, Sotoy?"

Sotoy blushed a bit, a hint of shyness in his demeanor. "Her name is Merlin, Merlin Gremlin the most beautiful girl in town."

Arthur couldn't help but chuckle inwardly. 'This kid is a siscon,' he thought, amused by Sotoy's attachment to his sister.

Arthur then wondered aloud, "Has your sister also awakened the Imp's Innate Ability, like you?"

Sotoy shook his head. "No, Sire. As far as I know, I'm the only one in our family who has this ability."

Arthur was a bit disappointed by this revelation, although he didn't let it show. The potential to have a subject with a rare-grade talent like Teleportation was enticing, but he understood that not every member of a race would possess their innate abilities.

Curiosity piqued, Arthur posed another question, "Is it possible for you to use your Teleportation ability and return to the Imp Town? It might be safer for you there."

Sotoy's expression grew crestfallen. "I can't, Sire. I used it earlier, and there's a cooldown period. It won't be available for another day."

Arthur nodded in understanding. It seemed that the ability had its limitations.

Their conversation came to an abrupt halt as they entered another chamber. Arthur's instincts immediately went on high alert as he sensed something amiss. Without a word, he signaled for Sotoy to prepare for his command.

~Swoshhh

As they cautiously moved forward, a colossal eye suddenly appeared in front of the crack hole before them. The eye was unlike anything Arthur had ever seen, immense and unblinking, and it locked onto them with an eerie intensity.

Arthur remained calm and composed, his mind racing to assess the situation. The eye was undoubtedly much bigger than the eye of the guards from earlier, and its sudden appearance was far from a coincidence. This encounter had danger written all over it, and they needed to proceed with caution.

"~Come here Little Rats~" A transmission sound was heard by Arthur and Sotoy, making them feel uncomfortable with the sound.