The Seventh's decision

"Silence," commanded the seventh figure, instantly silencing all other figures in fear.

The sixth figure, unable to make eye contact, nervously asked, "S-so, what are your thoughts on invading the claimed territory of the rec orc, big sister?"

The seventh figure pondered, "Hmm, not a bad idea. But let us not forget that there are still two more neighboring territories we know nothing about, and five if we Include the territories we know little about . If we were to invade, we would become vulnerable to attack from the 'Eight-Legged Arachnid Queen'." She tapped her tail on the table for emphasis.

"My apologies, big sister. I did not consider that. I was too short sighted," the sixth figure cowered in fear, still avoiding eye contact.

The third figure chimed in, "Perhaps we can send a small unit to scout the 'two-leggers' or any other leaders and see what they are planning."

"You speak wisely, Fangoros. Send a message to Alaric, instructing him to lead a small unit to gather information without engaging in any conflicts. We will need accurate intel from a safe distance," the seventh figure ordered, rising from her chair. "You are all dismissed. Fangoros, take the sixth to the practice hall. And tell her to stop being a cry baby." With that, she strode away.

"I understand, big sister," Fangoros said, rising from her chair. "Come with me, Braxis. Let's go train," she continued, making her way out of the room.

"Y-yes, big sister," Braxis sniffed before rising to follow her.

*All of the other figures also began to make their way out.*

Meanwhile...

"Are you ready, dad?" Khush asked, picking up his bag.

"Ready as always," his father replied.

"Then let's depart now. As always, Christine, please check the road for any monsters. And now, you can just message me or father about any dangers, as we just bought the messaging service," Khush stated as he left the house.

*10 minutes earlier, at the house...*

"Open system window," Khush commanded.

*[Sfx-Ding]*

*A window popped up.*

*What would you like to do? The window inquired.*

"I would like to purchase the system messaging service," Khush answered.

*[Ding]*

*Another window replaced the first one.*

*The system messaging service costs 2k coins to unlock. Would you like to buy it?*

"Yes," Khush replied.

*[Sfx- Cha-ching]*

*Transaction successful. 2000 coins have been deducted from your system account. The messaging service will begin in 2 minutes. Until then, please read the 'how to use the system messaging service' guide.*

*[Ding]*

*Another window popped up.*

Khush then read the 'how to...' guide.

Sharsti inquires, peering over Khush's shoulder, "What are you reading?"

"Just going through the guide on how to utilize the messaging service provided by the system," Khush responds with a puzzled expression.

"Oh, did you purchase it already? What does it say?" Sharsti asks as she takes a seat beside Khush.

"In short, it states that at the moment, I can only send messages to individuals within a 10 mile (16 kilometre) radius. However, I can upgrade for a wider range and it also costs coins to send messages to those outside of a 1 mile radius," Khush explains as he clicks the next button on the system window.

"That's interesting. How do you actually send a message though?" Sharsti inquires.

"I'm still figuring that out. Perhaps it will be revealed when the service becomes active," Khush responds as he stands up from his chair.

*[Ding]*

*A window appears*

*Your system messaging service has been activated. You can now send messages to anyone who has also purchased the service. To send a message, simply type the name of the individual and the system will scan the allowed radius to find them. If you have any further inquiries, let us know.*

*The window showed*

"Hmm, I do have a question," Khush chimes in. "What happens if I type in a name that has multiple individuals with the same name?"

*[The window changes ]*

*The system will scan your memories and prioritize the person you were thinking of at the top of the search list. You can also view the faces of other individuals while searching. And if you upgrade to the next level of the messaging service, you will also have access to their profiles.*

*The new window showed*

"How can it, look through memories? And without our consent? That's messed up," Shrasti exclaimed.

"Really?" Khush questioned Shrasti about her statement.

"What do you mean?" Shrasti replied, looking puzzled.

"Out of all the things that have happened, that's the one you think is messed up?" Khush exclaimed.

"No, I just find it strange to let someone see through your memories," Shrasti responded.

"Still, that's just dumb," says Khush.

"Excuse me, did you forget that I am the elder here? Say that to me one more time and see what happens," Shrasti replied angrily.

"Yeah, I know. Now, let me go and get ready," Khush answered as he walked away.

"Okay," Shrasti responded.

"Oh, by the way, can you tell Christine to buy the system messaging service too?" Khush questioned as he turned around.

"Sure, I can do that," Shrasti responded.

"And make sure you buy it for yourself too," Khush said as he walked away.

"Okay," Shrasti responded.

*Present time*

*Father and I then started making our way out of our alley towards the main street in the car.*

"Shit," father suddenly exclaimed.

"What happened, father?" Khush asked, turning to see his father looking angry.

"This car is about to run out of fuel," father responded as he stopped the car.

"So? That's not a big deal. We can just take fuel from other cars," Khush questioned.

"I know, but we don't have anything to take fuel out of. And even if we did, how are we supposed to open the gas tank of a car or a bike?" father answered as he took off his seatbelt and got out of the car.

"Seems like we'll have to find a new car and transfer all of the stuff to it," Khush responded as he also got out of the car.