Arena Twenty-Six: Buried Grudges VI

"... Dead?"

"Yeah... She got lost in the great desert while on a recon mission. Her body went into a coma and never woke up. Without the mind, her body just became... An empty shell."

"By great desert you mean... The desert surrounding Tarra?"

"Mhm... The body was then put into a frozen module and locked away in the base morgue."

"Why... Where were her parents? Didn't they claim the body?"

"They still hope that their daughter will come back... They didn't let us bury the body."

"Then... I see..."

I nodded solemnly. Then noticed the disparity between her previous and current words.

"Wait... She got lost, right? She might still be alive. If we still have her body, and if we could find her mind..."

"How? That is the 'Great Dessert'. Have you ever been to that hell? I have been, for just a few hours. And I have seen it. The destruction it causes. The fears of that place. Being optimistic is good, but being naive isn't, Arnold. And besides, the main fact is that she couldn't log out from there. This means that whatever is out there is strong enough to block the gear itself. So you shouldn't waste your time on wishful thinking."

Her spiteful words hit me in the wrong way. She hadn't spoken like this for quite a while. I could see that Ray's death had affected her strongly.

"I'm... I'm sorry."

I apologized, finding no other way to fix the awkward air between.

"I-it's fine. I had overreacted too... It has been more than a year since she was announced brain-dead."

"Even so..."

"It's fine. Just drop it. I don't want to make the mood sour between us."

"I... Alright."

I backed down. Sighing, I put the last bite of the sandwich into my mouth, and forced it down with the drink.

Anastasia was done too. She neatly placed the plastic wrapper on the empty plate and stood up. I soon followed suit, and we left the cafeteria.

Being the top academy of the empire, they didn't charge the students anything for the food and drink in the cafeteria. Of course, that was because only the brightest and the strongest would enter this institution, and in one way or another, they would contribute to the empire later.

This was just an investment.

...

"Hey, can I have your phone?"

The man walking down the road stopped and turned around. Immediately, his mind went blank.

Before he could understand his own words, he spoke.

"Yes, of course!"

He willingly gave up his phone to the boy in front of him.

"Thank you."

The boy chuckled and quickly dialled a number. The call rang for a few seconds before the other side picked it up.

"Hey, it's me, Jeffery. I am here in front of the central plaza of the outer city."

The boy, Jeffery, quickly spoke. The man in front of him didn't even object to Jeffery calling someone using his phone. He just stared at him with a satisfied smile on his face.

Seeing that, Jeffery frowned.

"Uh... Go away. I don't like to see middle-aged men staring at me like that."

"Yes!"

The man didn't even flinch at the insult before turning and walking away. Sighing, Jeffery listened to the voice on the other side of the phone.

"Go to your right. Walk a hundred metres, then turn left. You'll see my contact there. Tell them the password 'Black cube'. They will give you the item."

"Are you sure it will work on that bastard?"

Jeffery hissed, remembering the insult he had suffered at that boy's hand.

"It will, don't worry."

The voice on the other end reassured him.

"Fine."

"Oh, and don't try charming the contact. It won't end well."

"I know that."

Jeffery spat out before cutting the call. Then he dropped the phone he was holding before following the instructions given to him.

Soon, he was in front of a dark alleyway. Without hesitation, he entered the place, only to be greeted by the coldness of a knife on his throat.

"Password?"

A feminine voice asked. He could feel her breath on his neck as he answered.

"Black cube."

Jeffery replied nervously, but then let out a relieved sigh as the knife pulled away from his throat.

"Here is the item."

The robed woman didn't let him turn around. Instead, she threw a bag over his shoulder in front of him.

"Don't turn around. If you do, I'll kill you."

"... Alright."

Jeffery nodded, but he was thinking an entirely different scenario.

'Wouldn't it be great if I charmed her to reveal information about that guy?'

He didn't like to be the one pulling the short end of the stick. He wanted to make sure 'he' knew his place, but for that he needed information.

However...

"Gah... !"

He let out a pained groan as soon as he activated his charm. The woman, or girl, behind him, had kicked him in the crotch.

"Ugh..."

Forget charming her, he fell on the ground, foaming in the mouth.

"We had warned you."

He heard a mutter behind him before losing consciousness, yet again.

...

"Have you given him the item?"

The robed woman heard as soon as she stepped outside the alleyway. Sighing, she pressed a button on her oddly-shaped Stigma gear.

"Yeah."

"Did he try to charm you?"

"He did, but I busted his nuts. Well, not really busted, but you get the point."

"Hahaha, I get it."

The man on the other side laughed.

"Don't laugh. This is frustrating, dealing with people like him. And this time's vessel is unsuited for me. It's hard to adjust."

The woman complained like a child as she walked through the crowd.

"Oh come on. You wanted a big-breasted vessel, so I gave you one."

The man chuckled, but the woman pouted.

"Yeah, but who told you to give me these... huge lumps of concrete?"

"Concrete?"

"Yeah, my shoulders hurt..."

"Hahaha! Alright, fine! I'll give you a new vessel as soon as you return."

The man kept chuckling.

"Hmph, whatever."

The woman didn't argue as she walked through the densely packed streets, soon disappearing among the crowds.