Death, Devotion, Dissonance

As Endra headed back to the dorm, it was already lunchtime. Feeling hungry and also feeling a crave for a certain something, he decided to head towards the coffee stall. There were some seats near the stall, so he could get something to eat and enjoy the zoo of horny men circling around the area like vultures.

Sure enough, as he got close to the stall, he could feel the sudden increase of testosterone in the air.

Shrugging, Endra got himself some bread and meat skewers. He then approached the stall, greeted Rhea, and ordered two drinks for himself. He found himself a seat nearby and had his lunch.

It really was interesting to see Rhea dealing with the men around. She pretended not to see the gazes directed towards her and whenever someone sat on the stall's seats she would kindly ask them to buy a drink before sitting down.

Some would reply with a sure, but would either frown or rage at the outrageous prices. Rhea would then explain the origins of the coffee seeds and the difficulty of bringing them to the North of the Kingdom. Whenever someone tries to become physical, she would subtly nod at the guard-post nearby.

As for the people who actually buy the coffee and try to talk with her, she doesn't mind entertaining them, but she'd always keep the line clear.

Endra suddenly felt bad for the woman having to deal with all this shit, but soon, his interest faded out. He activated his Soul Sense to make sure there weren't any invisible guests loitering around and started reading the list.

Most of the confirmed Turncoats and Otherworlders were already under watchful eyes so Endra didn't really need to do anything about them. As for the suspected Otherworlders, it contained details about their potential hideouts and also who they might've tried to contact. Endra read through the information they had on the Orgonians.

Many of their hideouts were found and destroyed, but the main one was yet to be found. The likeliest place was the northern side of the Eastern Deserts, but any other place was a likely candidate. At least they knew for sure that the base wasn't in a city.

Their appearance was not consistent due to their multiethnic culture, but most had pale white bodies and hairs. The spies on the Orgonian's home world confirm that they are the true Orgonians.

They were also the most active seekers of potential Turncoats.

As for the capabilities, they could teleport, fly, turn invisible, and had a forcefield. Each had some extra info attached to it, but Endra was more interested in the shield. The short description of it was that it could block any projectile below a certain strength threshold. There was also a short excerpt from an observational diary that they got from an Orgonian.

[As a bullet needs to be five times the speed of sound to penetrate the shield, most of the smaller projectiles that Alvox's mages use lack the strength to hurt us. But a large boulder lifted by magic can be extremely dangerous even at slower speeds. Hence, it's necessary for us to redesign our shields to block larger objects. The default one designed to block bullets is nigh-useless in this world.]

The diary was from 20 years ago.

'If the idea caught on, I should imagine that the newer shields are better against larger objects. Now, the shields should be weaker against bullets.'

Endra decided to create more bullets and a stronger gun when he had the time. The one he currently used was good against unknowing opponents, but it was still too weak. Perhaps it was barely above the speed of sound.

The default shield Orgonians used could withstand 5 times that amount, so Endra would definitely need to create something stronger.

'Perhaps I'll try making a real gun soon…' Endra pondered the idea's plausibility before moving on.

Aside from the Orgonians, another world that Endra had to be wary of were the Elan Vitalis. Their description depicted mostly human-like people, except they had pointy ears. They were all tall, had long hair, and always wore a robe that covered everything from the chin below.

'Hmmm…'

[For their capabilities, they were masters of nature. They could control anything organic, including the flesh, bones and organs of humans. This allows them to modify themselves and others to a certain degree. When you face one, it's common for them to be several times faster, stronger and observant than the average human, despite looking like one.]

[Each Elan Vitali also has something special to themselves. These could be anything. From the relatively normal ones such as: stronger hearing, sharper eyesight, and stronger legs; there are baffling ones such as: the ability to combust and burst water, an antenna on their body with unknown capabilities, an extra arm, etc.]

[Although these 'differences' can be misleading in their usefulness, the Elan Vitali can always use them to their fullest potential. Never underestimate them.]

Endra read through their description with vivid interest. They felt like generic elves at first, but then they turned more and more bizarre.

Curious, he continued reading when he stumbled upon a terribly interesting sentence.

[Their prime method of recruitment is to offer nigh-eternal life. With their ability to modify others, it is easy for them to prolong another's life.]

'Wait…'

Wasn't this what he was searching for? Some method to live forever? But… a part of him didn't want this method.

It wasn't like he was being picky about his choices, he just knew there were other methods. And it wasn't like he needed to become immortal this very minute. He still had a lifetime to live through.

The guidebook's next sentence on the offer of immortality further convinced Endra to not search for the Elan Vitali. It spoke of how easy it was for the Elan Vitali to implant spells inside otherworlders, essentially turning them into their slaves.

Of course things weren't going to be so simple. Endra felt ashamed for actually considering the idea for a second.

Shaking his head, he put away the stack of papers and got up.

He briefly looked at Rhea catching a break before her counter and noticed that the testosterone in the air had lessened a bit. Well, people would get tired of Rhea sooner or later. But would some stay due to the coffee? Endra wished they hadn't.

Gathering his stuff inside his Storage Ring, he peacefully walked towards the Academy.

Surprisingly, when he got close to the dorm's gates, he noticed another gathering of crowds on the flower field. Someone in the crowd turned to him, and gasped in shock.

"Y-You need to help her!"

"What happened?" another asked him.

"What are you talking about?"

Tilting his head, Endra let himself be dragged to the center of the commotion.

There, he found a pale, wet Bellaslayn covered in leaves and grass, a large slash wound running through her left hand.

*****