7:41 p.m. 12th Zelyr 1092.

7 Days to World's End.

Clang! Clang! Belch!

Aygorzi's underground smithery belched smoke, flames and dust as thousands of dwarfs either pounded away at heavy metals or helped transport needed items from one workstation to another. Dwarfs would never admit it, but they never felt more alive than this moment. The heat of the forge, the fear of an imminent battle. The knowledge that the weapons they crafted would soon determine if its wielder lived or died.

Dwarfs loved the fires of war! Their only wish, however, was to choose which fires to burn in. Thankfully, this time, this was a war the dwarfs were all too willing to take part in. This battle signified a different path for the dwarfs. They had seen it. A future where their talents could be used to create mind-numbing inventions like the skyboats and trains.

The dwarfs were filled with awe whenever they laid eyes on these creations. As long as they made it through this battle... As long as Kashi's troops emerged victorious! A beautiful age of crazy inventions would follow!

"Dwarfs are as hardworking as ever."

"Indeed. I am always awed by their zeal."

Absalon looked at Rider as he replied. He had to repress the shiver that ran up his back. This being's power was not of this world! If he had not received a heads-up from Leila, he would have packed up his army, the dwarfs and then fled this place. To think that Kashi not only knew someone like this, but—he looked at Zuri who walked by their side—also was close enough to leave an ally with them.

Absalon shook his head. He could not get lost in Rider's strength. The fact that Rider was here, proved that he, at least, was not an enemy. Absalon thus decided to treat this as any other meeting. Despite this resolution, the old warrior's eyes perked up when he spotted a female daeben guarding a door.

Absalon released a sigh of relief, and then said, "This is Jade's lab. If she's around, she'll be in here." The daeben bowed, and then opened the door to let them in.

Whooosh!
Smoke, heat, flames and heavy clanging gave way to cold air, wires, boards, and general silence. Five rows of daeben silently worked on inscribing weapons, armors and special materials with runes. Beyond these daeben, was a small group of researchers who chatted softly as they pondered on some fresh issue.

"Jade." Absalon spotted Jade at the centre of these researchers. He softly called out to her as he approached. Luckily, she heard him and excused herself.

"Absalon-san!" Jade greeted once she reached them. "Heard you've been putting the army through the ringer." Giggling, she pointed out, "They're calling you 'Hell's Instructor!'"

Absalon rolled his eyes. "Present pain is better than death on the battlefield. The rookies will appreciate this training very soon." He paused and then gestured to the two behind him. "I didn't come alone. I hear you're already acquainted with them?"

Jade's lips spread in a bright smile when she spotted Rider and Zuri. "Of course! Ah, that's right. You were still in Rosendun when Rider took Zuri and Hektor for training." She looked at Rider with suspicion. "Speaking of which. Where's the hothead? Don't tell me he croaked?"

"No." Rider shook his head. "He should be comple—"

"That's good then! Hopefully we see him before the war." Jade then crouched and grinned at Zuri, who watched her with a wary look. "Hey Zuri! We only met briefly last time. Didn't even get a chance to talk. How's your trip been? Was it great? What did you do? Any new friends? Enemies?" Jade raised her fists. "If you got enemies, name them. We'll wipe 'em out one by on—"

"Jade-san!"

"I said call me Jade!"

Jade coughed and then rubbed her bloodshot eyes. "Sorry bout that." She quickly apologized to the researcher. She then looked apologetically at Rider and Absalon. "Sorry. I haven't slept since Kashi dropped us off. So little time to get everything ready on time." The beautiful halben sighed as she twisted her locks. "I'm very much on edge right now."

Absalon observed Jade's pale complexion, and her gaze that always seemed to be out-of-focus. This woman had gone beyond the realm of overworking! This had reached the point of self-abuse. Even Kashi slept in-game to offset not sleeping in the real world. His brows furrowed in concern. "You need to rest, Jade."

"Nope. Can't do that." Jade stubbornly shook her head.

"Why not?"

Jade bit her lower lip. Her shaky eyes betrayed her unease. "I—I'm not much of a fighter. You, Syèl, Shokō, Shadow... You're all fighters. Best of the best. Hell, even Lunette's ability is a good boost to have in a fight." The young woman frowned as she looked at her dirty hands. "I can't fight like you guys. It won't be long before you all leave me in the dust."

"My dad likes to say there's no such thing as a free lunch. If I'm gonna hang with you guys, I need to bring something to the table. Something you will appreciate." Jade gritted her teeth and pointed at the materials strewn across several tables. "This. This is something I'm good at. I can't fail this. If I fail..." Jade suddenly paused.

The young woman frowned and then shook her head. "You're not here to listen to me whine." She looked at Rider. "What's up? If you're here to see Kashi, I'm sorry, but no one knows where that blockhead is."

Rider fished out a scroll from his pockets. "Here, this is for you."

Jade took the scroll. She attempted to unfurl it, but found it was sealed with what resembled hot, red ink. She instinctively knew not to break the seal. Instead, she looked up at Rider. "What's this?"

"The Gemini Curse. There are only two of its kind in this world." Rider looked at the scroll with a grave expression. "The Gemini Curse binds the caster's level to whomever, or whatever it hits." He then looked at Jade. "If Razznik does show up, I will need you to hit him with this."

Jade frowned. "Why me?"

"You need considerable, pure mana and Intelligence to activate the scroll." Rider looked at the scroll with an apprehensive gaze. "When the seal breaks, dozens of runes will flash by in a few seconds. You need to memorize and chant them in order before the runes disappear."

"In that case, Syèl's the better choice." Jade raised the scroll. She was intelligent, yes. But, she had watched Syèl cast spells. The vampire's mental processing ability was inhuman!

Surprisingly, Rider refused. "Syèl's mana is infested with his blood. It will destroy the scroll." He then shrugged and said, "And, I feel like you are the most reliable amongst the rest of your guild's mages." He saw the hesitation in Jade's eyes. Sighing he said, "Just hold onto it. Remember not to use it unless Razznik shows up, no matter what! If at that time, you are still in doubt, you can give it to some other mage you trust. Is that good?"

Thankfully, Jade nodded. "Yeah. I should be able to do that much." She put the scroll in her inventory, and then regarded Zuri with a tired, but warm smile. "Heya, cutie. Will you be staying with us?"

Rider shook his head. "Zuri still needs some training before the battle."

"She's fighting with us?" Absalon looked at the little girl in disbelief. Zuri was around the age of his granddaughter. A child like that was going into battle? Game or not, this could really leave a mental scar.

"Zuri is strong!" Zuri, angered by Absalon's gaze took a step forward and jutted out her tiny chest. "Zuri has been training really hard to fight with Kashi. Red-Ojiisan don't get in Zuri's way!" The feisty little daeben raised her fist. "Or Zuri will beat you."

"Red..."

While Absalon was left speechless, Jade chuckled and patted Zuri's head. "Alright. If you say you're strong, then I'll be relying on you. Big sis here can't fight too well, you see."

Zuri's cheeks flushed with pride. She crossed her arms over her chest, and then put on her best impression of Kashi's confident smile. "Don't worry. Zuri will protect Weak-neesan."

"Weak..." Jade nearly fell over. With a stiff smile, she cooed, "No, you can just call me Jade."

"Jade?" Zuri cocked her head to the side. "But Weak-neesan is We—"

Bam!

Jade clamped Zuri's shoulders. Jade's forced, trembling smile appeared absolutely threatening as her red, sleep-deprived eyes grew in Zuri's vision. "I. Said. Jade." Suddenly, she broke into a bright, sunny smile. "Okay?"

Zuri shivered. She did not know what kind of fear this was. It was not a fear for her life, but it did seem like something terrible would happen if she did not comply. As a result, she rapidly nodded. "Jade-sa... Jade. Zuri will protect Jade."

"Haha!" Jade laughed as she patted Zuri's shoulder. "See? Not so hard, is it?"

Rider's eyes widened in shock. "It was that easy? Then me—"

"Ah, so, Gray-Ojiisan," said Jade as she glanced at Rider. "No offense, but if that's all, I'll be returning to work now. I've got sooo much backed up, I think I'm going to lose my mind."

Rider smiled. "Certainly. [Sleep]."

Bam!

Absalon stared at the crumpled Jade strewn on the floor. The fear in his heart instantly evaporated, replaced by instant rage. Mandalas suddenly surround both he and Rider as he shouted, "What did you do!?"

"Relax." Rider bent down and gently lifted the sleeping girl. "I've seen this many times. People who push themselves to breaking point to prove they are worthy of being in their family." He carried Jade over to a sofa placed at a rest area. He gently set her down and then looked at the stunned Absalon. "I put her to sleep. She'll awake in a few hours, fully rested. It is infinitely more dangerous to make big decisions while sleep-deprived. As a military man, you understand this, right?"

Absalon frowned, but then relaxed when he noticed Jade's even breathing. He looked at Rider. "I understand your intentions, but you crossed a line. Please, in the future, do not repeat a similar action without our consent."

Rider's lips curled in a loose smile. To think this man was willing to fight him to protect his guildmate. There were few who would dare stand in Rider's presence, let alone actually challenge him. Perhaps the Maggots were even closer than he initially thought.

Rider chuckled and then patted Zuri's head. "Zuri. It's time to go. We have a few more deliveries to make before we can see Kashi. In the meantime, we can work on your flying. You are not quite there yet." Rider then looked at Absalon. "Thank you for showing us here. I know this is a very busy time for you all."

Absalon nodded. "The honor is mine. I've heard we might be forced to rely on you this time. It is the least I can do."

"Well, let's both hope it never comes to that." Rider smiled and then turned to leave with Zuri. "If you see Kashi before me, tell him I said I await his progress. He better not disappoint, or he shall feast on Zuri's dust."

With those words, Rider led Zuri out of the room, leaving a visibly shaken and stunned Absalon behind.