Chapter 30 - What's the Catch?

After the first letter Ghost had snuck in with his dad's final words, Locki had always assumed that he wasn't the only user of the [Dimensional Guild System] on the lands of Ishgar. Of course, he wasn't too acquainted with the other parts of Earthland like Alakitasia to the west and Guiltina to the north of Ishgar respectively, so he couldn't confidently say that those lands had users as well. However, he hadn't thought he'd get into contact with the other so soon.

As he followed the happily humming Rebecca and silent doctor Stein, he thought over the odd figure of Ghost. The man had been around Scarlet Hand before his father disappeared, and then Locki found out that the supposed one-armed man had apparently been in cahoots with his half-brother, Akeb.

If that was not all, the young guildmaster needed to take into account the unspecified future-sight abilities of the mage, too. There was no telling what he predicted from Locki's actions, nor was there any sign of a grand objective that he'd push Locki on. All of Locki's actions just seemed to line up with his…

Like hell that was the case.

Locki didn't believe for a second that Ghost didn't have a plan for him. As the prime suspect of the other user of the [Dimensional Guild System], Locki knew more than anyone how quickly Ghost could build up a powerful group of confidants from other worlds without others knowing. The blonde could see the hooded man in his memories just biding his time behind the scenes, using his knowledge of the future to take care of roadblocks in his way before he unveiled his true forces for everyone to see. It made sense because it was what Locki had wanted to do the second he realized the potential of this power.

As he followed the two residents of other worlds, Locki got the feeling that he was just a front for the actual mastermind. Ghost had ties with his dad before he disappeared, gave him a letter that just happened to have what he needed at the time, and basically shunted all responsibilities of Scarlet Hand to him. The results of whatever actions Ghost wanted to accomplish were clear to him who also had the [Dimensional Guild System].

The island itself wasn't that large, and it didn't really have that many defining traits about it. It only had a shallow hill with lazy, green pastures that swayed in the salty wind of the sea. At the top of the hill was a small house, barely large enough to accommodate two or three people.

Locki knew that was a front immediately. He caught signs of supports within small crevices hidden within rocky crags near the shores and where the base of the hill met the island. Small crawl spaces could barely be seen even when he actively looked at them up close, and he knew they'd be practically invisible out from the sea.

However, his concerns were the various men and women who hid within nearby crawlspaces. They moved deftly for normal people, but that was all they were, normal. Except, he saw various items like prosthetic arms or legs that stated they were from Militech or Arasaka. They could have passed as normal people if it weren't for the fact that he could clearly see that they were all pulled from Tier 2 Blue Prisms.

Honestly, beyond feeling slightly used for whatever plans Ghost had, Locki was more jealous at all the items the mage had gained.

And beyond those petty feelings, he felt a deep dread when he thought of how easily Ghost had armed what amounted to a dangerous militia that, from the accounts of people in Hargeon about the Pirate Queen and her people, could directly contend with two Dark Guilds at the same time. It was a strength and ability he had to respect, and at the same time, be wary of.

Finally, after what seemed like an hour of walking, their group arrived on the other side of the island. The grassy pastures had disappeared and a rocky ground replaced it. Behind Rebecca was a larger crack in the ground that seemed to connect directly into the back of the hill, but the green-haired girl paid the obvious opening no mind and sat on a nearby rock. She happily patted the space next to her on the rock, but Locki chose to sit across from her on another raised stone.

"Boo, you're as boring as the boss." She whined, leaning back and staring up at the sun.

Doctor Stein sighed from the place he stood, but Locki didn't look down on him. Stein didn't sit like them, choosing to stand off to the side with his hands out of his pockets and clenched slightly as if he was ready to jump into action at any time.

"Please excuse my companion. The both of us have been stranded in this area of your world for a bit, and we were told that when a young man named Locki Wyn started to look for us, we could have a bit of freedom." Stein explained, startling Locki with how casual he was. If the young man didn't know any better he would have assumed that the doctor was nothing more than a liability in a fight.

Still, he'd be an idiot if he thought that a skill as dangerous sounding as [Soul Control] was anything less than dangerous. And Locki was only an idiot half the time.

"So, we're getting down to it, huh?" Locki said placidly, putting his right elbow on his knee and leaning his chin on an open palm. He tried to look as casual as possible, selling an image of complete control of the situation. Various ideas on how to steer the conversion crossed his mind, and he settled on a need to needle any information about Ghost to be the most important.

"Just because you were first doesn't mean I am weaker, Stain." Rebecca said, waving her prosthetic Militech hand. Locki caught the sight of a gun's handle within the corners of her baggy jacket, and the green-haired woman seemed to catch his line of sight, grinning suggestively and leaning forwards as if to show off. "See something you like, Choom? I'll have to pass on you, though. I don't wanna become the input to someone who looks in over their head."

Locki didn't really understand the slang she used, but he still knew when he was being looked down on. However, he didn't let it show on his face.

"Don't get upset, she's in love with our guild– hmmm… our boss too much to really care about anyone else." Doctor Stein said, shaking his head as he looked at Rebecca in clear disappointment.

"Shut it, Stain! I ain't gonna let this go this time around!" Rebecca pouted, crossing her arms over her chest. "...not this time…"

Locki pursed his lips, watching the two's byplay. He appreciated how easily they spilled information, but he wondered just why they seemed like they were so open with him. Both their descriptions didn't really lend itself to a naive and impressionable person.

Finally, he sighed. He needed to get to the point faster or else they would be there for the entire day. "I guess you two are acquainted with Ghost's Magic Guild or whatever."

Rebecca took in his words and seemed to look at him with a confused stare. "Ghost? Who's that?"

"Our boss." Stein answered simply, shaking his head. He regarded Locki for a moment and shifted his gaze to look at Kagura and Validator who floated behind the girl. "He called himself by a different alias when he summoned Rebecca, but in actuality we are not tied to his Magic Guild. In fact, he specifically told us that only Scarlet Hand would accept and accommodate our presence. Though, I feel he was being a little dramatic with that one."

"What?" Locki's eyes widened in realization. He knew that all he needed was the verbal acceptance from the people summoned from his Tier 2 Gold Prisms, but he always had just recruited them into his guild the second he summoned them. In addition, he only realized that, despite their inclusion, both Pokemon he had summoned did not count to his actual guild members.

At the same time, the blonde felt he had been shocked by the fact that Ghost seemed to be on his side. The man had prepared two guild members and what seemed like an army of normal people who wielded items from Tier 2 Blue Prisms, and then he seemed to simply give them both to Locki.

Locki's eyes narrowed. "What's the catch? What do you want?"

"I already said I wanted a hot–"

"To study this interesting new world." Doctor Stein said, cutting off a fuming Rebecca. The silver-haired doctor looked at Kagura and Validator with a sort of manic intensity. "I had assumed that all Ghost would show me was the interesting technology from Miss Rebecca's homeworld, but now I am witness to something similar to Soul Resonance. It is similar, yes. However, the principle is more nuanced. I dare say it is a higher form of resonance if such a thing were to be possible…"

"Bleh, now he won't shut up." Rebecca complained as Stein seemed to ramble about how Kagura seemed to be trying to merge her soul with Validator but was held back by some force.

"So it seems." Locki said, trying not to feel aggravated. The conversation had fallen completely out of his control. He had thought Stein was the more reasonable of the two, but he realized that the man seemed to be easily swayed by his interests.

Controlling his annoyance, the blonde turned back to Rebecca. "I am more interested in Ghost himself. Why did he tell you to join Scarlet Hand of all places?"

Rebecca shrugged. "Dunno, he said its the Magic Guild he's fond of, and I don't got anywhere else to go."

"So, he'll join the guild at one point in time?" Locki said casually, feeling like he was encroaching on the issue. If all his efforts were to give Ghost a good point to usurp his guild, Locki wouldn't have anyone to cry to. Well, he had Kagura and Gyutaro, but he doubted he'd currently be able to fight someone who presumably had access to the [Dimensional Guild System] for a longer period of time as well as supposed future-sight.

"Ah, right. He told me to mention that he's not looking to usurp your control or anything."

Locki clicked his teeth shut. His mind whirred as he thought about all his information on Ghost; originally, he suspected the man to only have knowledge of bigger events, but now it seemed that he had a fairly good grasp on Locki's mentality to simply predict what he was thinking at this point in time. Of course, the confession could be a ruse to get him to lower his guard.

"He also said to say that its not a ruse if you don't answer in a few seconds." Rebecca piped in.

A vein twitched on the young guildmaster's forehead. He supposed it was already foolish to try to outsmart someone with future-sight, but it was nonetheless aggravating.

"I will keep that in mind." Locki said through gritted teeth. "Since he predicted everything already, I will just accept it. However, I refuse to just accept you both without first figuring things out. Did he ask for anything from me?"

Rebecca nodded carefully as she saw how annoyed Locki was. "I mean, he didn't really say much. He said you would have the final mission for us, and then he'd come to see us after your mission was finished. And uh… for you and that girl," she pointed to Kagura. "To not join the siege on the Tower. Not sure what that means, though."

Locki's face immediately fell. He already knew he wouldn't be much physical help when they found the Tower of Heaven, but Kagura was one of their hardest hitters. To remove her entirely was to simply cut off part of his guild's strength.

"Did he give you a reason?"

"Yeah," Rebecca said, jerking a thumb behind her to the dark crevice. "He said she won't be able to do anything till her sword evolves."

Once again, Locki was confronted with the sheer annoyance it was to face someone with knowledge of the future. It was both humiliating and humbling to know that all his moves were seemingly found on a whim by Ghost. If it was Drumlowe, Locki felt he could scheme against him despite the difference in powers. However, Ghost seemed to know every single move he made, pushing him on a track not his own.

At the same time, Locki knew he couldn't refuse the paths Ghost set him on. They were always the ones that Locki would have done with enough thought and separate factors. The time where he used Ultear's Magic to fool Wonnifel was something he probably could have thought of with enough time. Ghost's reminder only served to speed up the process, so Locki didn't really care too much about it.

Now, this was a clear indication that Ghost was intrinsically involved with his life. It made him suspect every single encounter he ever had, wondering just what aspects Ghost had a hand in. Even the fact that he didn't inform Rebecca about the Tower of Heaven was probably a way to get into his good graces as if to say that he wouldn't reveal everything he knew about Locki.

In the end, Locki could only release an aggrieved sigh. It was fruitless to dwell over everything Ghost could have a hand in. For now, he would take everything cautiously, following along with whatever idea this mage had. When Ghost revealed his ultimate goal, Locki would decide what to do then.

"Guildmaster… what should we do?" Kagura asked, grabbing a small handful of his shirt as she looked up at him. Locki didn't know how much the girl understood about their conversation, but he figured she knew enough to be suitably wary of anything offered without a clear price tag.

Shaking his head, Locki signaled for the girl to not worry about it. Throughout the conversation, he was primarily focused on Ghost's inclusion, but he never thought to ignore the two oddities in front of him. If Ghost wanted Locki to recruit them, the young guildmaster needed to first vet them out as well.

Doctor Franken Stein was someone who seemed level headed on the surface. He could be reasoned with, and was a source of stability on certain topics. From their back and forth, Locki got the impression that he was fairly experienced in handling the prosthetics that seemed to originate from Rebecca's world. What was a cause for concern was the skill [Dissection] within the doctor's best abilities as well as how he seemed to lose himself whenever he found something interesting like Kagura's connection to Validator.

Overall, Locki felt that, despite the man's competencies, he could easily handle the man's eccentricities.

Rebecca was inversely the more difficult of the two. Locki had come to the island expecting her to be some paragon of virtue who wanted to stop the oppression of the Dark Guilds on Hargeon. In the end, he found someone who was completely devoted to Ghost in a one-sided romance. She was dangerous in the sense that, should he come to blows with Ghost, he would need to be wary of her [Marksmanship].

All of that was contrasted by the fact that his Curse constantly told him that they were telling the truth. They were on his side –at the moment– and they seemed to be fairly reliable. Most importantly, Locki needed their help. If he had read things correctly, Rebecca didn't even have Magic, so the properties of the Calm Sea would not even affect her abilities. Doctor Stein also was a strong force of unknown potential, and Locki needed to account for any defenses that the Tower of Heaven could deploy. After all, even a Wizard Saint needed to be careful out in the Calm Sea.

Settling his thoughts, Locki chose what could only be another monkey's paw. He didn't trust Ghost, but there was no other choice with the current time frame. It was either now or never for him.

"Very well," Locki said, standing up and dusting off his clothes. "Kagura and I will not join this mission." He flipped his hand and a sub-orb from his [Limitless Communications Unit] appeared from his [Subspace Ring] in his outstretched palm. "However, I want you to stay in contact with us. You will follow my directions when I give them, and I expect you to reign in your combatants when you deal with our enemy."

Rebecca took the orb, tossing it up in the air much to Locki's annoyance. "Sure thing. But are you really gonna pull your punches? I'm no guru or somethin', but I know that you gotta put a bullet between the eyes of those who are against you."

Locki nodded, agreeing with her. "Yeah, I know. However, the help I called in does not see killing in the same light as us."

"Gotcha, gotcha." Rebecca said before she turned to the large crevice behind them. She motioned for them to follow. "Anyways, now that we got an agreement, tell me about the details while I take you to the goods."

Locki licked his lips, feeling a little apprehensive. Getting handouts felt a little odd, but he didn't mind it too much. In fact, if he was ultimately working for Ghost, he felt it wouldn't be that bad if he got something good. He already experienced how simple items like Gyutaro's [Zanpakuto] could presumably turn someone into an S-rank force. Of course, he didn't have much evidence of this fact, but he was nothing if not optimistic about items from the [Dimensional Guild System].

He carefully explained his plan to Rebecca as Kagura used his body to hide from Stein's gaze. Locki grew to ignore the two as both he and the green-haired woman hashed out the details of their plan, settling on an agreement to figure out whether to accept them into his guild after they finished their mission. It would give him enough time to figure out what to do with their association to Ghost as well as potentially think of a way to reject them.

The four only stopped when they reached a fairly open clearing within the cave, and Locki's eyes immediately gravitated to the two items that lay atop a smooth stone. An unassuming metallic pendant that contained a purple stone with a mysterious black symbol on it, and a red spear– a red hound's fangs seemed to surround his throat.

Locki backed away, hand reaching for his untouched throat. A bit of sweat gathered on his brow as he looked around and found no hound nearby. Carefully, he chose not to look at the intricate red spear for too long. It certainly inspired danger with its blood-red color and the sharp edges that made it up. However, it was enough to check its description through the [Dimensional Guild System].

[Gae Bolg – Noble Phantasm]

A cursed spear carved by Scathach for Cu Chulainn. In the hands of anyone else, it is nothing more than an inconveniently large spear.

Effects: It is useful for stabbing and throwing

Locki didn't really understand much, and while the effects were rather lackluster, the illusion of a red hound didn't leave his thoughts. Gae Bolg was certainly something dangerous and powerful. And he knew immediately that neither he nor Kagura could use it in its current state. However, he had an inclination to why Ghost wanted Kagura to stay away too as Validator immediately rushed over to the other cursed weapon and grabbed it with the tassel that came from its hilt.

"Ahh!" Locki jolted as Kagura fell to the floor and Validator followed. The blonde rushed to his guild member, taking the girl into his arms as he checked over her. Her eyelids were fluttering and thick beads of sweat ran down her brow.

Locki quickly looked around to see that Rebecca was watching on in worry, but Stein just watched on in unmistakable intrigue.

"You see something. [Why don't you share with us]." Locki used his magic immediately.

"She's in no danger." The Doctor explained quickly. "Whatever mechanism that sword uses to change is just affecting her. Her soul seems like it is changing to match the presence of the spear and the original presence of the odd sword. How fascinating. It is similar to the process of a Demon Weapon changing into a Death Scythe."

Locki didn't really get the explanation, but he breathed a sigh of relief when he heard that Kagura wasn't in any danger. Calming down, he felt that Ghost seemed to have predicted this to happen, stating that Kagura needed to not go to the Tower of Heaven siege. If it meant that Validator –and Kagura herself– could get stronger, then Locki was fine with the tradeoff.

With Kagura's issue settled, he turned back to the other item. Unlike the sheer danger that seemed to radiate from Gae Bolg, Locki found the odd pendant a little familiar. Like he had been missing something vital to him.

[Dimensional Formation: Shambhala]

A Support-Type Teigu with space manipulation abilities.

Effects: Now you see me…

Disregarding the unknown effects, Locki looked to the bored Rebecca and distracted Stein and found that neither of them cared if he took it. [Dimensional Formation: Shambhala] seemed tailored for him. A support-type weapon that seemed to manipulate space; the sheer abilities of such an item was beyond anything he could think of. It would elevate his paltry abilities to another level easily.

Slightly excited, Locki took the item and immediately dropped to his knees. He felt his jaw drop and drool pool at the corner of his lips as the space in front of him seemed to stretch, bend, twist, and disappear at the same time. The pendent seemed grafted to his hand, and all Locki could do was stare ahead as the world itself seemed to try and fold like a piece of paper.

At the same time, Locki experienced what could only be a foreign feeling of surprise that originated from the pendant in his hand. A flash of different, incomprehensible emotions surged through his head and pulsed with every twist of space: anger, excitement, disappointment, intrigue, anger, and deep longing. Eventually, the emotions seemed to calm down as the space in front of him disappeared, replaced by a completely empty void that he found himself in. The feeling of comfort and longing surrounded him as if it wanted to reassure him it meant no harm.

For what felt like an hour, Locki caught his breath as he looked around at the endless void around him. He intrinsically knew the void was limited, shaped like a hexagonal prism the size of Evermont. Carefully, he reached out to grab the air, and instantly it was as if the void folded in on itself, gathering in his palm as he found himself back in the cave with both Rebecca and Stein looking at him with wide eyes.

"What?" He asked, paying more attention to the teigu in his hands.

"...You can teleport?" Rebecca asked.

Locki raised an eyebrow, looking between his teigu and the green-haired woman. Was that void he had been in something like a separate space that he could simply disappear into? If so, the implications were rather intriguing as the space inside was infinitely larger than his [Subspace Ring]. However, he also felt a little tired, figuring that the Teigu didn't use his Magic but his physical stamina instead. It wasn't that much if he considered the stamina of a normal mage, but it would be substantial to a normal human.

"I can do something similar." Locki stated simply, refusing to elaborate. Inside he was slightly wondering if Ghost needed a loyal underling; Locki had a fair amount of pride, but he couldn't ignore the benefits of someone who seemingly had an endless supply of Tier 2 Blue Prisms to pull items on the level of [Gae Bolg] and [Shambhala].

Just as Locki was admiring his new item, a vibrating sub-orb popped out from his [Subspace Ring]. Gyutaro immediately appeared on the other end.

"Hey, we got a tail on us. Rune Knights as well as a group of three guild mages, according to one of the Pirate Queen's men. One of them is Gildarts and another is the blonde kid who showed up in Evermont some time ago." Gyutaru explained quickly.

Locki would have cursed or gotten annoyed at being found so easily, but he was engrossed in the fact that he could feel the immaterial tunnel that connected to two sub-orbs of the [Limitless Communications Unit] through the teigu in his hands. If that was not all, he felt like it would be easy to simply widen that tunnel to step right to Gyutaro with [Dimensional Formation: Shambhala].

A wide smile spread across Locki's face as he thought of a way to use this newfound ability. He turned to a confused Rebecca and Doctor Stein. Kagura was still out of it, but he could come back to pick her up after he dealt with the thorn that had been in his side all this time.

"Stay on the line and give Gildarts this sub-orb when he asks where I am." Locki ordered Gyutaro, receiving a silent nod from the demon.

"Now that we are working together. You two should [help me catch a traitor]." Locki commanded easily.