OLD-WORLD EXTRA

Chapter 305: Devil's Trill

Chapter 305: Devil's Trill

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"''She' has plans set in stone involving all of us, and they started the moment Mr. Pawn arrived, so do prepare yourselves for the tide's shift."

Ms. Knight wildly raised her hand as she grasped the subtle undertones in his words, seeking confirmation.

"Wait, wait, wait! Are we finally goin' public, Mr. Player?!"

Public.

That word lit the room on fire. It electrified it, igniting a spark of anticipation in everyone present.

Even Mr. Rook couldn't help but crack a smile.

Emir's grin was the widest, as he knew how much he would gain from such a thing.

If her words were true, then that meant their help was now possible, not just in item or information exchanges, but actual help in combat from presumably Archon-ranked beings.

His heart—all of theirs-pounded with the promise of something extraordinary unfolding with them at its center.

"Correct."

Mr. Player's words only caused their hearts to beat louder, harder, as if ringing thumps were mixing with his natural melody.

They imagined what their future would entail, and like a devil's trill, it sounded perfect.

Finally, they could show off their wings, fly high, or at least die trying.

Their chess club was hidden no longer, it was on the move.

The universe would know their name!

And this was all thanks to Mr. Pawn joining them.

It was something that they didn't fail to keep in mind, even as their souls escaped what confined them, allowing their eyes to see what was previously unseen.

Emir, as a Seraphim, a Class-Four, couldn't imagine the same views as they did, still unknowing of the universe, yet he still felt similar to them, as his plans expanded greatly with them as overseers.

This wasn't the time to fall for those dreams' promises, however. It was time to build a path that would show the same dreams as those next to him.

"Mr. Player, please take my scroll."

Pa~

Without a second delay, the same sound resounded as the scroll floated towards him.

And after a moment, it appeared that Emir wasn't as lucky as Mr. Board.

"Not bad for your first try."

His words meant that the script did not relate to his path, so the question he could ask lowered in value.

'Well, I was never lucky, can't see how that would change now.'

Emir chuckled at that thought and nodded towards Mr. Player. "Thank you."

Snap.

Both scrolls disappeared as he flicked his fingers.

"What is your request, Mr. Board?"

"I wish it to be private."

Mr. Player raised his hand and lowered it, drowning all in purple 'fog' except the two of them.

As if it were regular, no one reacted except Emir, flinching ever so slightly.

"I yearn to learn the nature of the third upgrade of my eighth ability..."

"Are you certain, Mr. Board? A plea of this manner falls slightly short of parity with your prior offering."

"Yes, I'm certain, Mr. Player. Those accursed Mahalchei Hachalal cling too tightly to their ancient ways, and I find not the time to grovel at their feet until they grant me clearance for this ability."

Mr. Player nodded, and with a wave of his hand, a small parchment of paper materialized. On it were Path Lines of an ability, one that was called...

"Eight Conduits."

It was a summoning type ability instead of the previous two, which actively controlled

monsters, called Monster Tamer and Beast Whisperer.

With his next words, the paper flew towards Mr. Board.

"May your path continue to shine brightly before you."

He took it with both hands and brought it to his chest, his second heart, not once inspecting it so as to not show him any semblance of disrespect.

"May your path continue to shine brightly before you... I pray earnestly that it shall, Mr. Player."

Snap.

The purple 'fog' shifted, drowning Mr. Board, as the table's middle cleared out, it had a line that had no 'fog; it was a line between Emir and Mr. Player.

Only the two could see each other, and now they were face-to-face, alone, so to speak.

Before Emir could say a word, Mr. Player asked:

"What would you like your status to be on?"

Mr. Pawn thought about his words for a moment, deciphering their meaning, and then he realized what he meant.

"A pair of sunglasses, preferably black, sleek, and minimalistic."

"So you, one that comes from the Eternal Star, wish to hide your birthright?"

Emir, who wasn't surprised that Mr. Player knew, answered with a chuckle.

"Yes, my eyes scare those that I teach too much; I'd rather the class not be colored yellow."

"...Must you speak in such a gross manner, Mr. Pawn?"

Emir tilted his head.

"Apologies if I stepped out of bounds, but I wished to not hide myself from you."

"Even if that includes a side of you I find distasteful?"

"Yes."

Mr. Player hummed, almost as if he were chuckling.

"I find you amusing, child, now... What do you ask of me?"

"The Embodiment method... How do I begin?"

"That's a simple matter, the others will help, I'll allow you entry to a certain room that would

ignite your flame."

Emir nodded.

"Thank you, Mr. Player."

Mr. Player offered no reply and waved his hand, causing the 'fog' to return like before,

bathing the entire room in soft purple.

"Tis over, you may proceed."

With his permission, the next phase began.

"Pray tell, who shall speak first?"

Mr. Board asked as his gaze scanned those around him.

Not giving anyone the chance, Ms. Knight raised her hand quickly and said:

"Listen! Listen! A few days back, a bunch of monster tides sneaked up on our crew. Had us teeterin' on the edge, literally, almost had to drag in a bigwig from the Edgekeepers!"

Emir's eyes widened as he processed all her words at once, coming up with some answers and

many questions.

'An ancient clan. Edge keepers... Those who protect our borders... probably.'

'Ms. Knight belongs to them, so I'm guessing they're some clan that only allows those with a

blade amidst them.'

'...She knows about our thing, doesn't she?'

Yet before he could ask her his question, Mr. Rook commented:

"Even a worm will turn."

Ms. Queen nodded.

"True, your lot must've pushed up the borders too much, which prompted them to turn wild

for a bit."

Mr. Board shook his head.

"Nothing but tomfoolery."

Ms. Knight slapped her hand down at the table.

"Ye Void Walkers reckon ye're better than us? Ha! Aye, that'll be the day!"

Mr. King chuckled softly but stopped midway, almost as if he attempted to stop himself, but

they heard him. And Mr. Board wouldn't allow such disrespect to pass.

While he didn't have much love for his kin, he was not one to turn his back on them.

"Don't involve yourself in matters you can only watch, Mr. KING."

"My apologies, meant no harm. Please, I only sniffed. I urge you and your kin to continue your

wasteful search for the tree."

As their back and forth was about to begin, Emir, who had listened intently so far, already coming up with many theories, interrupted, causing everyone to quiet down and turn their

attention to him:

"Aren't you guys too old to be fighting?"

Ms. Queen raised her brow, and with a fake sniff and cry, she asked:

"And here I thought we had something going on, love; turns out you're shallow like the rest."

Emir ignored her and looked at who appeared to be the most sensible but quiet person in the

group.

Mr. Bishop.

With Emir's penetrating gaze on him, he knew what the new pawn wanted, so he said with

shrugged shoulders:

"Our reports are usually as barren as the desert, but this week brought an unexpected twist- you, a new pawn within our midst, and lo! Two scrolls surfaced instead of the customary

none. That monotony often drives them to jest, and jest they do."

"...I see."

Ms. Knight, seeing that Emir's 'inquiry' was satisfied, proceeded to ask: "Anyways, y'all got anything to report, or am I to be the only one flappin' me lips?"

Her eyes sought Mr. Rook as her question seemed to be directed at him.

Mr. Rook sighed as he leaned back onto the table, dragging his face on it.

"Leave me alone dwarf 'fore I suck all the blood out of you."

"Is the wee vamp still dreading a star's touch? Must I drag words outta ye? If not from me,

then from Mr. Player-"

"Okay, okay..."

He cut her off, sighing again as he raised his head and looked around for the first time since

Emir's arrival there.

"I know what you're alluding to, but Duskmourn had nothing to do with him. At least from

what I know, the guy was just a rogue nocturne, a werewolf, a space pirate gone insane, a mix

of corruption and cyberphsycosis... probably."

Mr. King, seemingly interested, asked him a question.

"Your source?"

"Well, none of my kin knew, so I went and asked my friends at Steelborn; they didn't know

either, but they guessed that it might've been a malfunctioning Sentinel courtesy of the Order, couldn't see how one would be near our system, so I went and asked them."

He nodded his head at Ms. Queen.

"What he says is true, I noticed a report of some Duskmourn asking for our help. Thankfully

for him, or them, one of the very few slightly racist Astrals at Last Wish was willing to talk...

For a price of course."

"Aye, I see. And I could wager they snatched a good chunk o' coin from ya."

"Yeah, why do I think I'm so quote unquote depressed?"

"So it ain't the star's light that be annoyin' ye?"

"Stop with the false rumors; it's not funny, you know that we just prefer the dark."

While they talked, Emir had his ears wide open, allowing every sound in, every word, every

letter, making sure that he would never forget any of what they said as he implanted everything into his brain at a moment's notice.

His theories continued to pile up, and he was learning more and more.

Yet the more he learned, the more he understood how the dreams he thought of were truly

just that-dreams.

An impossible memory.

A trill only possible to be played by the devil. For he began to fathom how small they, the

chess pieces were.

It wasn't the others who dreamt of bigger heights, but he...

The ignorant one.