Yet another ill-fated gamble Crook lost, that much Kal understood. But gambling away THE illustrious night scale! A vessel renowned across the vast expanse of the multiverse... Countless narratives, myths, liberation movements, and tales incorporated the Night Scale’s indelible presence. Each captain fortunate enough to be chosen by her became immortalized in the records of multiversal history. Her journey is rumored to have started before the first RÆ, before time, and predating the very fabric of the cosmic system. The tales Kal heard instilled in him an urge to chastise Crook for his transgressions against her.
While the ship was undeniably his possession—it was also THE ᚨːəᚨî Night Scale—a vessel rumored to navigate beyond the confines of the multiverse. An ancient ship that outpaced many modern Stellar. Only a lucky few are fortunate enough to embark upon such a magnificent ship and meet the notorious crew of misfits. Her tales are sung, cherished, and eternally engraved in the hearts of countless beings.
Her presence—a miracle to witness.
Her beauty—a blessing upon the soul.
Her tales had tales, each adding to her mystique and allure.
And this bug gave her away.
Kal’s inner flames blazed brighter than ever before, preparing for a one-sided massacre that will bring down his boss’s wrath. Yet it was a risk he willed to bear. He raised his hand, forming another void. ᚨːəᚨ his boss, ᚨːəᚨ his escape, ᚨːəᚨ this transport, and ᚨːəᚨ this bug. Gambling with Crook might help him get out of here without any Crede, but this ᚨːəᚨř gave away THE Night Scale, and his only opportunity to meet her in person.
A sudden thought swiftly traversed Kal’s mind, prompting him to withdraw from his intended attack. He pondered, “Could this unforeseen development be a calculated move devised by the big guy?” Inquisitively, he questioned the intricate workings of the grand scheme.
Making a choice between vaporizing Crook and not wanting to fall into yet another of his boss’s schemes was rather a simple dilemma to solve. ᚨːəᚨ the big guy’s plan and use this ᚨːəᚨř to get out of here. He could always hunt him down later, like a dog or a bug. Either way, Kal confirms the get-out-and-kill plan, and he calms down. “Are you up for another gamble?” he proposes.
Crook ponders over shaking over the deal and leaves Kal hanging–again! “What are the odds you get a ship right after you get out of a void?” Crook eyes Kal suspiciously. Before Kal spoke, Crook elevates the stakes of the wager. “Let’s quadruple it.” He smirks, well aware of Kal’s rising temper.
“Every possible odd has been meticulously calculated down to the last word,” Kal responded through clenched teeth, his frustration palpable.
Breaking free from her fear, the priestess interjected with newfound courage, challenging the notion put forth by Kal. “No one possesses the ability to perform such precise calculations,” she asserted, adding her voice to the unfolding discussion.
“Yeah!” Crook was shocked that he agreed with the priestess of all the creatures onboard. “Me being here is a fortunate fluke. I didn’t even have this ship a few hours ago.” The realization of the unpredictable turn of events was apparent in Crook’s voice.
“Let me guess. Coming here was a gamble too.” Kal stated, his tone laden with accusation.
The Minotaur’s unexpected contribution to the conversation elicited a collective sense of astonishment. All eyes turned toward him in disbelief, intrigued by his simple-minded yet potentially profound response. “A Stine?” the Minotaur said, casting doubt upon his own statement. His uncertainty mirrored in his voice as he questioned, “But... they can, can’t they?” He began to doubt his own answer.
The atmosphere grew contemplative as the possibility of the Stine’s capabilities became a subject of curiosity and speculation among the group.
The priestess shook her head, disagreeing with the Minotaur’s suggestion. “No,” she declared firmly, “Even the Stine cannot perform calculations with such precise accuracy, predicting the unfolding of time to such a degree.” Pausing for a moment, she reflected on her own thoughts, realizing the limitations even the revered holy mother possessed in foreseeing and pinpointing specific aspects of the future to such an extraordinary extent.
“Don’t worry about that. I know a guy who can,” said Kal.
“A Stine?” the collective voices inquired, eager to learn more about this mysterious figure
Kal responded, adding a cryptic remark to his previous statement. “Someone smarter,” he emphasized. He had no way to explain, nor would they understand if he did.
Was it a coincidence that Kal fell out of the void as soon as he admitted defeat–No!
Did the boss know Crook’s involvement in a dozen system failures–Yes!
Did he know Kal made fun of those system engineers and challenge them that Crook would never get the best of him–A thousand percent–Yes!
Was meeting Crook at the worst possible moment a coincidence–Hell no!
Kal’s convictions solidified as he realized that the grand orchestrator, the big guy, was indeed behind these calculated events. He harbored no doubts that his self-obsessed jerk of a boss had devised yet another elaborate scheme for him to endure. The void and his encounter with Crook were merely the beginning, mere appetizers in the feast of challenges his boss had prepared for him. With a resolute conviction, Kal acknowledged that his boss’s manipulative calculations knew no bounds, and he was destined to face further trials as part of this intricate plan.
With determination gleaming in his eyes, Kal raised his hand, and a rune materialized over his palm, radiating mystical energy. “Quadruple it is,” he declared, a smile playing on his lips as he proposed a new deal. This time, he knew Crook would not refuse the offer, and the memory of this day will forever be etched into his consciousness, courtesy of Kal’s fellow system engineers, who will ensure that he never forgets.
Just how the big guy planned it.
“No!” Crook declines yet again.
A reply Kal could’ve never foreseen. The unexpected response of “No” echoed in his ears. The sheer disbelief and astonishment washed over him, leaving him in a state of utter bewilderment. Did he hear right? Did Crook decline him yet again? This stunned Kal to his very core.
But this was the big guy’s plan Crook declined!
Kal sure had heard a lot about Crook. A bug that crossed the system several times and yet lived to tell the tale. Crook was oblivious to the fact that he had been challenging the system, but the mere existence of someone like him who dared to defy and yet continue to live among both the living and the dead was unprecedented. In the face of it all, Crook stood there, his bug-like visage adorned with a perpetually carefree smile, impervious to the worries and burdens of the multiverse. He possessed an inherent resilience and an unwavering sense of calm in the face of adversity, unphased by any decision he ever took or any circumstance ever thrust upon him.
But this was the big guy’s plan Crook declined!
In an attempt to grasp the unfolding situation and make sense of the perplexing turn of events, Kal posed a question to Crook, his voice tinged with a mix of confusion and curiosity. “Do you want more?” he inquired, his mind grappling with the true nature of what the actual ᚨːəᚨ was unfolding before him.
Crook dismisses Kal’s inquiry with a shrug of his shoulders. “No,” he responds succinctly, displaying a lack of interest or inclination to provide any further explanation. The simplicity of his answer leaves Kal with even more unanswered questions, further deepening the enigma surrounding Crook and the unfolding circumstances.
An unscratchable itch crept into Kal’s mind. Well aware that anyone who stumbled upon the system or dared to defy it had their very existence erased, with even their souls unable to reincarnate. As for the system staff involved... They had even more dire consequences to face than their soul being damned. Yet here Crook stood, now pitted against the big guy himself. Declining his master plan. ‘Can he even win against the big bad boss?’ Kal considered Crook winning for a second and knocked that thought far down his subconscious, never to re-emerge. The notion was simply too inconceivable to entertain.
The Priestess keenly observed Kal’s growing doubts, sensing his increasing displeasure. It seemed that the captain’s presence had an uncanny ability to evoke such emotions on a universal scale, even affecting the poised species like the Void folk. She herself, being a priestess, couldn’t shake the feeling of an overwhelming urge to silence Crook, to physically express her frustration with his actions.
The weight of responsibility weighed heavily on the Priestess as she contemplated the potential repercussions of Crook’s reckless behavior. She wondered if her own actions had somehow angered her holy mother, leading to this perilous situation. However, she swiftly dismissed such thoughts, for she knew her instructions were bestowed upon her directly by the holy mother herself, and with each task completed, her connection to her mother only grew stronger.
To diffuse the escalating tension, the Priestess interjected, offering a solution. “He can accompany me as my esteemed guest,” she proposed, hoping to provide a middle ground that might neutralize the mounting conflict. By extending her hospitality to Kal, she sought to create an environment where animosity will be set aside, even if only temporarily.
The Priestess recognized the potential significance of having a Void folk under her mother’s blessings. It presented an opportunity to showcase her faith and set an example for Crook and the rest of the crew. The prospect of converting everyone on the ship before their voyage concluded sparked a fervent determination within her. The addition of a Void folk to their ranks would be a remarkable achievement, and the Priestess took pride in the thought that her mother would be the first to have one of them among her followers. With this intention in mind, she aimed to use this situation as a means to spread her mother’s teachings and expand the reach of their faith.
Crook’s response remains unchanged as he declines the priestess’s proposed solution. A mischievous chuckle escapes him as he found himself once again at odds with her, adding to the mounting frustration of both the Priestess and Kal. It seemed as if his dissenting stance managed to provoke a reaction from both of them simultaneously, like striking two birds with a single “No.” The atmosphere grew increasingly tense as the disagreement persisted, exacerbating the growing irritation and anger. The evident annoyance emanating from both the Priestess and Kal only seemed to amuse Crook further, deepening the enigma surrounding his intentions and motivations.
“But the ship’s law clearly states that...” The Priestess attempts to raise a valid point, citing the ship’s law in her protest. She seeks to remind Crook of the established regulations that govern their vessel and the implications of his refusal. By invoking the ship’s law, she hoped to turn his own ship against him.
On any regular bug, Priestess’s argument would have cornered them, giving her the win. But Crook was far from ordinary - He was a weird stubborn kid. Thus, her words fell on deaf ears, as the air of defiance surrounding Crook remains steadfast. “My ship. My law.” Crook shrugs away her argument with a simple childish statement.
With another genius revelation, Minotaur questions Crook. “No matter what, you don’t want the Void folk onboard?”
“Yup.” Crook smiles at Minotaur. “Were you hiding your intellect or are you using a skill?” He teases.
Torn between a whirlwind of possibilities: whether his boss ever intended for him to break free from the confinement within the void or if he now had to rely on Crook to beg for his escape from that fate, Kal’s internal flames surge into a blazing inferno. The relentless cycle of appetizers orchestrated by his boss leaves him bewildered, prompting him to question what dreadful plans lie ahead for the main course.
In a resolute moment, Kal undergoes a transformation, becoming a blazing fire that illuminates the ship like a radiant beacon. Determination fuels his words as he declares, “This is it. If I am to be trapped in this void... So are all of you.” Ready to take decisive action, Kal’s fiery transformation and unwavering determination set the stage for a potentially cataclysmic turn of events within the void.
Crook shrugs with a sly smile. “You do you I guess.” Unfazed by the impending clash, his demeanor takes a subtle shift as he prepares himself for the upcoming battle, a sense of readiness and anticipation gleaming in his eyes.
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