Serum

General Varmite took Dirk, Pandora, and Exos on a tour of the wall, the true front line of the war against the monsters. 

The face of the wall that faced the battlefield was steeply sloped, and on that slope were thousands of metal spikes that pointed out toward the oncoming monsters. 

At designated places between those spikes were staircases, ones completely drenched and stained with blood. 

And at the frontmost edge of the top of the wall were hundreds of pill boxes and entrenchments that dwarves occupied at all hours of the day to combat the oncoming hordes. 

The majority of dwarven soldiers were mages. There weren’t many warriors as it was far riskier to do close quarters battle. If they used more warriors, then the war would become too costly. 

Instead, they opted for constant long range bombardments. But there were some battalions called retrieval groups that were in charge of collecting corpses or hunting high strength targets. 

Dirk saw several such groups that came and went from the wall, ferrying piles of monster corpses that went straight to processing. 

It seemed like the entire military force of the Dwarven Haven was stationed at this wall with the sheer amount of mages that occupied every inch of its surface. 

“This place, while bloody and dangerous, has become one of the most significant economic factors for the Haven. Monster materials have become so cheap that craftsmen are producinig prolific amounts of weapons and armor. The only issue is that we have no way to export all the gear to sell it to other empires. Of course, that all changes if your railways are as good as you say.”

“Give it time, General Varmite. You won’t be disappointed.”

Pandora only smiled as they walked into the wall itself. 

Down within the chambers of steel was an entire city of its own. Barracks for soldiers, space for civilians that did things like cook and repair gear, and all kinds of recreational areas. The corridors and structures within went down as deep as 300 meters, making it far more spacious than one would guess from above. 

General Varmite took the three tourists to a luxurious hotel where she gave them accommodations. 

“How long do you plan to stay?”

She asked Pandora, who pondered for a second. 

“I’m not sure. Perhaps a few weeks.”

“Very well. If you need anything, the other generals will be in the command center. I’ll be heading back to the capital, so this is where we part.”

“I appreciate everything you’ve done for us, General Varmite.”

Pandora said her goodbyes, and like that, the large female general left. 

Then, Pandora turned to the other two. 

“Exos, go get comfortable. Dirk, we need to talk.”

Grabbing Dirk’s hand, Pandora dragged him into her room, leaving Exos behind. 

After heading into the small but luxurious living space, Pandora waved her hand and created a dome of ice around them that isolated all magic and sound. 

Then she started speaking English. 

“You must know why we’re here.”

“The Key.”

Dirk answered simply. 

Within each of the Dragon Lairs were the Key Artifacts, and they were currently right outside one. 

“But there’s no way we’re just throwing ourselves into the Lair.”

Dirk furrowed his brow. If it were Pandora, it was completely possible that she would do something like that. But within it were monsters that far outstripped them in strength. Dirk wasn’t trying to die just yet. 

She rolled her eyes. 

“Of course not. Miss Record?”

<I’m here.>

“Please enlighten us as to the plan you notified me about a while ago.”

Pandora took out her Book of Life, prompting the Record to start spilling the details. 

<The Key Artifact of Earth is within the Lair, but it is not inactive. It has gained a mild amount of sentience, becoming active after the dawn of the War. Now it leads monsters.>

“The hell? How did it become sentient?”

<The Key Artifacts are not simply physical objects. They are half-living beings, not unlike a Stigmata that is created from a soul. Its sentience is not unexpected, and the plan is based around that expectation.>

The Record explained, causing Pandora to scratch her head. 

“Alright then, fine. So we’ve got a living object running around with the monsters. How do we get to it?”

<You won’t.>

Pandora was surprised by the answer.

<The Key Artifact has been active near the entrance of the Lair for some time. It continues to develop its thought process as the War continues. It desires to be free, and to be free means it must bind itself to a person, taking hold of their being and attaining faculties greater than what it has. So with the right temptation, such as some backdoor keys to unlock itself, it will come of its own volition.>

“So we’re baiting it out. Great.”

Pandora took a seat on a nearby couch, lounging back. 

“Fine. I’ll use my magic and goad it here. Once it comes, we’ll have to head into the battlefield ourselves and capture it. How powerful is it?”

<Unknown. Its existence can only be sensed through the elements. But regardless, the only way it would be more powerful than Tier 4 is if it broke its own seals with the sentience it has developed.>

“...Then we’re going to hope that it isn’t any greater than a Tier 6. That’s about the most that both of us could handle if we work together. Alright, I’ll start building the spell. Dirk.”

Pandora turned her head, facing her partner who was laying face down on the bed. 

He hummed back.

“Hm.”

“If you could, try and get on one of those retrieval squads. We need to know the layout of the land so that we can capture this artifact when it comes. We also need escape routes out of this stronghold.”

“...Fine.”

“Hehe, thank you.”

She pranced over and jumped on him, laying on top of his back. 

Then, she whispered into his ear. 

“Hey, how’s the armor coming along?”

“...Fine. It’s almost done.”

“Well, spend a few days to complete it. You said it could merge with Obsidius, right?”

“Mhm.”

“Then do that first. Speaking of, where is that blob?”

“On me.”

He mumbled, and Pandora could feel a weird sensation through his clothes, as if his skin were wriggling. 

She pulled down his collar, and under his shirt, she could see the black armor. He had been wearing it this entire time.

She clicked her tongue.

“You’re always so paranoid.”

“Well, when Rank 8’s try to fight me, I get worried.”

“Maybe you shouldn’t look at them wrong.”

“I don’t even have eyes!”

He shouted in injustice, causing Pandora to laugh. 

……

…

General Umangot entered his own residence, a large suite suitable for one of the strongest people in the world with the best luxury money could buy. 

On a nearby table was an orb, which he tapped while sitting down. 

A holographic screen displayed itself, showing a long list of names. He scrolled, stopping at one and selecting it. 

It rang for several seconds before a voice came through. 

“Hoho! If it isn’t Umangot!”

“Hello, Tobasden. It’s been a while.”

The general greeted his friend with a smile, earning a hearty laugh. 

“Haha, it’s been many years, friend. Tell me, did you break your staff swinging it around again?”

“No, but my armor could use a bit of maintenance if you ever think about visiting.”

“Hm, anything that can so much as blemish that armor is extraordinarily rare. I hear you guys are fighting the monsters coming out of that Lair. Holding up well?”

“Good enough. And hopefully soon we’ll be building something that’ll cement our position here.”

“Mm.”

Tobasden hummed. 

“So, what has the Iron General contacted me for?”

“I wanted you to look into somebody for me. A human from Horizon.”

“Oh? I hope you’re not making me a spy.”

Tobasden’s voice became cheeky, causing Umangot to roll his eyes.

“That depends on the kid. I have a feeling he went through that academy you’re at.”

“Eh, fine. What’s the name? Maybe he’s got a record.”

“Dirk Strider.”

“...”

Tobasden went silent for a moment.

“Him?! Hahahaha! So he’s at the Haven!”

“Alright, spill. How do you know the kid?”

Umangot had a weird smile as Tobasden cackled. 

“Hah! He’s no mere kid! I’ll let you know, I made him my apprentice! His talent is unlike anything I’ve seen! Such precision and focus, the dexterity of a prodigious dwarf in a human body. And his elemental manipulation! He’s a monster for his age!”

“...Yea.”

Umangot couldn’t help but agree. There was a reason General Feller confronted Dirk. 

The feeling of having a knife around your neck was something Tier and Rank 8’s had long forgotten. They had reached the pinnacle, the ultimate in utter destruction and power. They were behemoths who stood above all. 

So, to feel your neck tingle, to feel like you were cornered, set off more alarms with them than any other. And if the source of that threat was a little boy not even a fraction of your age, becoming quite uneasy was normal. 

“Well? What did you want to know about the kid? What sparked the curiosity anyway? No, more than that, how did you even come in contact with him? Spill it!”

“Okay, okay.”

Umangot waved with a chuckle. 

“Believe it or not, he’s traveling with a Vampire Princess. They came to the frontier stronghold for some reason, and General Feller got interested after we met the boy.”

“Interested how?”

“He wanted to fight him.”

“Huh?! What a buffoon! Umangot, if that Feller lays a hand on my apprentice, I’m coming over there with a bomb! Don’t test me!”

Tobasden howled across the orb, causing Umangot to sigh. 

“Yea, I’ll let him know. Now tell me, what the hell is up with that kid? Even I felt tingly around him.”

“Heh, I’ll let you in on a known secret here at Horizon.”

Tobasden chuckled lowly. 

“That kid is the son of an assassin. A couple years ago he disappeared after getting snatched by the Asuras, and he only reappeared when Emperor Horizon came out of seclusion. And when he came back, he was even more monstrous! Have you seen those eyes?! He can’t look at you, but damn does his gaze sent a chill up my spine!”

“Asura?”

Umangot’s gaze narrowed hearing the name. 

“Yea! The Asura! Only the highest nobles know about Dirk’s kidnapping since the Emperor wanted to keep a tight lip about it. But basically, the kid was forged in hell. Heh, he was already talented before, but that was the cherry on top.”

“...It makes sense.”

Suddenly, Dirk wasn’t such an anomaly anymore. Sure his circumstances were still extraordinary, but at least he knew some of the details now. 

Tobasden sighed.

“His mother is nothing to scoff at either. Friend, take care of that kid, or you’re going to seriously regret letting him anywhere near your stronghold.”

“Oh? I can’t say I’m afraid.”

“Hmph, we both know it’s not yourself you gotta worry about.”

Tobasden’s voice went low. 

“Everything and everyone around you isn’t as tough as that steel body of yours. Pick who you mess with wisely, because some people can’t be caught by those dirt cages of yours.”

“...”

Umangot was silent. 

After a few moments though, roaring laughter came from the orb.

“Haha! Have fun with that! I’ll be calling from now on for updates on him. I’d like to know how my apprentice is doing. Oh! Better yet, give him one of your communication orbs! I want to talk to him and make sure he hasn't been skimping on his training.”

“Hmph, we’ll see.”

With a wave, Umangot shut down the orb. 

He sat back and rubbed his temple. 

“Who the hell just walked into my stronghold? And why is he with the princess? I don’t like it.”

With a sigh, Umangot stood and walked out of the room. 

“Let’s just keep an eye on him.”

……

…

Come morning of the next day, Dirk searched around the stronghold. 

The place was a city unto itself, despite being a frontier stronghold. You could find everything here that was normally in a city, and perhaps some things that you wouldn’t find. 

While wandering, Dirk found a red light district, one that contained not just dwarven women, but assortments of elves, hybrids, and human girls. 

Then there was a massive commercial district where the meats and products of all the monsters that were killed were sold. Many craftsmen sold dozens of different products from jewelry to weapons and armor. 

And the weapons trade was the biggest industry at this stronghold, for a good reason. There were many soldiers who needed to keep their gear tidy or outright replace it, and the military couldn’t always be the ones to produce it themselves, especially not at a moments notice. 

The place was self-sufficient with the source of materials that was constantly trying to break down their door. So it made things cheap and bountiful. 

But Dirk wasn’t wandering to take in the sights of risque women or racks of longswords. No, he was plotting escape routes. 

He did what he had done at the capital city, but at the same time he questioned why he needed to plot a path out of the capital if they were going to be here anyway. If they got into trouble, would they really return to a then hostile city?

It made Dirk sigh. Contingencies were always smart, but setting yourself up for success was just as important. It seemed like he was doing nothing but throwing himself into trouble. 

He was only preparing for things to spiral into hell, preparing for the worst case. 

But in that case, he supposed Pandora was the one setting them up for success. 

After all, she was really good at scheming, and he was really good at surviving. It could be said that they were playing to their strongest suits. 

“...Wait.”

Dirk paused for a moment as he continued that thought process.

At first glance, they were going about this in the best way possible. They were both playing to each other’s strengths. But at second glance, Pandora seemed to be disregarding the disparity in power between them and their potential enemies, thinking that their contingencies would be able to work under the nose of a Tier 8. 

But that was impossible. Pandora was too smart for that. She knew her enemies better than her friends. Dirk would never say that anybody was better than her at doing what she did. Not just anybody could fight against global establishments and win with a fraction of the backing, after all. 

She knew his limits as well as her own, and she was taking into account those of a higher level and their ability to interfere with her plans, or their ability to discover them. 

There was much that Dirk didn’t even want to think about, but he knew that if he could think of something so simple, then she had thought 10 steps ahead.

So since this was the case…

“...I guess I should trust in her ability a bit more. You don’t need to trust someone to trust in their actions. Just let her do what she’s good at. And she’s at least not trying to kill me and wants me around, so I can assume any plan she comes up with won’t end in my death so long as I don’t ruin the plan myself.”

He mumbled to himself. 

Dirk’s thoughts on Pandora personally were a bit jumbled. He didn’t know whether to trust in her because many of his impressions of her were questionable at best. 

In this life, she was nothing but good to him. In his past life, her schemes had gotten him embroiled in conspiracies that ended with his own and his sergeant’s death. Though, she couldn’t be blamed for that. It was the people who he had thought were his leaders who ended up betraying him. 

She had never meant him any personal harm beyond their situations, and she even brought him along to this place. Beyond that, it seemed like she was constantly trying ot reconcile and become close to him. 

Dirk’s thoughts spiraled down a rabbit hole that made him question his relationship with Pandora. And it ended with a single conclusion. 

“...Maybe I’ll give her a bit more blood when I get back.”