"What? How could we just lose them like that?"
Moon’s second in command rants away at his screen as Taishae is not in his best mood of interest.
"Our viewing crystals went offline hours ago, and the reception is bad enough."
"Can't you see how bad this is? If Moon heard of this, he would flip a gasket." Second hand muttered.
"I wouldn't worry too much." Taishae crossed his arms in confidence. "Even if we're…. Unaware of the enemy's position, we'll find a way around it. I actually like this."
He closed his eyes, taking a breather.
"Taishae… This is an embarrassment on both our parts, but how long will it be till maintenance arrive?"
Taishae looks over the phone book flipping to a marked page and checking over the notes he wrote down on the costs for maintenance.
"So, how many crystal screens are we talking about here?" He asked.
Second-hand takes a moment to check on their inventory.
"About a set of three Crystal screens we need here, but not including yours."
"Ok, that's three at the base and two at this capital. So five in total. This will cost at least 12,000,000 Tridals. Plus, shipping and handling for the parts to be ordered. They'll be at the capital around late afternoon and the base at half-past ten."
"What! You couldn't find any other service cheaper?" He stumbled.
Taishae tossed the phone book aside.
"Well... It's the only one I could find that fixes viewing crystals for private organizations. I had to schedule an appointment… It was tiring enough to be on hold for their call. Unless you want us to consult with someone for a loan."
"No! We're deep in debt already. Moon would not like that. Fine, better than nothing, I suppose. So this will come out of the Empire's funds, then?"
"Well, they say they do accept credit as well." The metal general added.
He just shakes his head, waving one hand in disagreement.
"Oh no, no, forget that. You remember what happened last time. Vilevelious threw a gasket over the interest rates and extra charges."
"Fair enough then."
Taishae turns around, checking back on Moon's position on a map. Then, thinking of what to say, he awaits his answer.
Somewhere deep under the sea… Moon leads a small group of his force to some ruins. Swimming swiftly through the pushing currents, he is interrupted by a call. Picking up, he hastily answers.
"What is it now?"
Taishae explains their situation.
"Our viewing crystals, you say? Did someone forget to pay the cable bill last month? Cause I told them, I didn't want the premium service."
Taishae explains.
"Huh? Oh, repairs, you say? That's fine; it's been nearly a millennia since the last checkup. I wouldn't worry too much about Elena and her company's position. No matter where they get off, they'll seek the Silver Maiden's temple. So tighten the defense there for now."
Before Taishae could hang up, Moon threw a few last-minute things in.
"Ooh, wait before you go. Ask for a catalog when maintenance arrives."
Taishae hangs up, and Moon continues his exploration. Finally, a symbol was unveiled, clearing through the dusk and mud on some scrap metal.
"Hoo, what do we have here?" His eyes widen a bit in surprise.
The Baronia Empire logo was engraved on the ruins.
"This must be what remains of their fortress. This will be fun."
He was eager to start salvaging what he could across the Baronia remains. Looking for a large opening or open gap to get in. Wondering what lead them to their destruction, a flashback comes to him.
"Hey, Brother! I got this for you."
Moon remembers a time, a place when he and his brother were young, probably once human. Then, a younger man hands something to his older brother.
"What's this? A luck charm?"
"We'll be rooting for you, big bro. So this will be your final battle?"
Then, Moon turns his back on him.
"Yes…The war against the Hundred Demon Tribe will soon come to an end. This battle will determine it all. If we prevail."
He just smiled back, giving a final wave before parting ways.
"Make sure my wife is safe…."
"Got it, bro!"
Pulling out his blade, he makes one giant leap, dashing away in the fading light. Back to the present time…
Arriving inside, a Glamour troop reports on a find.
"Well, you don't say. Well, what are we waiting for?"
Delving deep from one room after room, they arrive in a massive room still intact. Filled with air and some lights flickering, Moon was jumpy. They were inside Baronia's monster hangar. Filled with plenty of new weapons and arsenals at their disposal.
"Look at this? Some of these monsters are still fully intact? Brand new in their tube, never used yet. A Baronia brand seal of approval right on the corner."
A massive container at the end catches his eye.
"What do we have here?"
Inspecting the monster inside, a disclosed writing at the tip of the corner reads "Faucet-Face." Moon pulls the container out to get a better view of the light. Then, putting a smile on, he was determined.
"This one will do just fine. It's huge compared to the usual monsters in our arsenal so far. Come on! Let's get going. Take this back to the capital. Take whatever we can bring back. We won't be coming back anytime soon."
He gave the command as they cleared out most of the good stuff in the room. They head back out into the sea. A while later…
"I'm back!"
Taishae turns around when Moon materializes from the liquid water in the throne room of Anneria. Glamour soldiers begin unloading all the stuff into the room.
"You're back, my lord."
A maintenance crew was in the middle of fixing up the crystal viewing screens.
"Hoo, I see the monster fixing crew is already here. Oh, hand me that catalog." Moon requested.
Taishae notices all the things brought back.
"I see you brought not only our monster parts but something else?"
Pushing aside the pile of scraps and pieces, the general checks out the big container.
"What is this creature? Is this a Baronia model?"
Moon rolls his eyes over.
"Hoo, yes… This will be the next thing we'll use on Alistor and his petty company."
"A showerhead monster?" The General made out from the blurry case.
"Yes! Isn't it fabulous?"
"But it's a Baronia model? It won't operate on our command. Suppose we'll have to reformat it to our own programming then." He mentioned.
"I'm aware. It may take a while, but hey…. Elena and her fleet won't be getting to that temple right away. So that gives us plenty of time."
Skimming through the catalog, he notices a new crystal screen model, causing him to halt the maintenance crew.
"What is it?"
Emperor Moon shows something to Taishae in the catalog.
"You can't be serious?" The General nodded.
The ad shows a new model priced excessively, catching his eye.
"New and slick, this is something we definitely need."
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