"An interesting request, but sorry, we are at full capacity!" Esca revealed.

"You know, havin' a top tier Surge tagging along with us wouldn't be the worst thing. Would make things a hell of a lot safer. Never hurts to have some extra firepower." Pointed out Teres.

"An interesting request, and one that I'm completely on board with!" Esca corrected.

"As am I." Verlena smiled. "Having an additional powerful ally would only grant us benefits. You're more than welcome to join us. Illume, was it?"

"Yes. My name is Illume, wielder of the Lightning Storm Blade. And I am grateful that you're willing to grant my request. I am impressed with what I've witnessed from you, and you've proven to be trustworthy by giving so much effort to defend our home. Even if it was for the simple purpose of fulfilling your contract. But from what I've observed, I could see it in your eyes. You were not only here to fulfill the contract you received, but you also have a personal interest in the situation. In which case, I believe that you do intend to continue to pursue this mysterious group. Am I correct?"

Nodding, Verlena replied. "You are. Never have I seen such mythical events transpire before my eyes. Teres and I are well known contractors down below on the surface. I would even say that we're the most sought after contractors on the planet. Suffice to say, we've witnessed a great deal of intriguing and strange things. Yet, we've never experienced events like this, nor did we know such things existed. They are tiers above the typical or even the rarer entities we encounter." She rested her hand on the hilt of her sheathed blade, her expression deepening with determination as she continued. "So there's no need for you to worry about us doing something such as returning to our standard jobs, and simply taking on the next contract thrown our way. If that were our intentions, we would have of course declined your request to accompany us. But knowing that there are creatures, species, entire kingdoms, and so on that are so significantly present and powerful, yet we had no knowledge of until now, is a fact we cannot ignore. We've put all other contracts on pause so that we may discover the secrets of this world, and find out just what exactly the motivations and overall intentions of this mysterious group are."

Illume subtly smirked. "Hah. Well then, joining the three of you may be an even better idea than I'd thought if that's how you see things. Your determination and passion to not remain in the dark are most admirable indeed. It's exactly what I look for in an individual." With a swift motion, he drew his lightning blade, raising it triumphantly as electric sparks danced along its edge, illuminating the air around him. "Anyway though, let us not delay things any further than need be! The sooner we depart and get our conquest of annihilation underway, the better!"

"Slow it down there a tad." Said Teres. "Like Verlena said, we've got plans to pursue all this crazy bullshit as our primary goal. But, we aren't goin' straight towards the next perilous spot full speed ahead. Got a pitstop to make beforehand. Gotta recover and restock on supplies."

Wrapping an arm around Illume, Nix added, "And if you're going to leave us with one less storm blade wielder, love, then sorry to say dear, but it needs to be planned out some more. Not that the rest of us can't handle things, but we'll need to be a bit more careful for a good while after the events that transpired today."

"Mm. Alright, that is all fine. I will begin my preparations straight away by first appointing a temporary leader of my mighty lightning surge, who I will entrust with all decision making, military command, and so on during my absence." Illume scanned the crowd of Surge soldiers before abruptly slashing a bolt of lightning across the area with his blade. "Everyone!! I need to speak with Gull!! Where is he at!!?"

Almost immediately after calling out, a much smaller lightning blast shot toward Illume. It was the very man he called for, Gull. "Ah, Mister Illume." He said. "How I missed standing by your side during that savage conflict. But your magnificent summons were as dazzling as ever to see. It's been far too long since I was last able to witness them in all of their stunning glory. I couldn't be happier to be through with the whole ordeal, though. I'm eager to return to our project. In any case though, you were in need of me sir?"

Illume responded. "Yes, that's right. Now listen well. I'm going to depart for some time. I'm not yet aware of how long it will be until I return. I intend to join the trio of contractors and pursue whatever group that angelic bastard is part of alongside them. During this time, I would like you to act as the makeshift leader of the lightning surge. Any and all decisions will be up to you, Gull. With your stellar combative capabilities and intelligent mind that has resulted in a great number of triumphs for us, you have risen above the rest to be seen as the most suitable successor to myself in my eyes, and the one I'd like to entrust things to until I'm back. Does this sound alright to you, Gull?"

"Oh yes... yes! That sounds wonderful to me, sir!! As a member of the Lightning Surge, I couldn't dream of a higher honor than being first in line to succeed Sir Illume. Be assured, Sir, that I will strive to surpass your illustrious expectations, and will undoubtedly keep everything in order during your absence."

"Splendid. Now that that has been settled, we must next address your necessary pitstop." Illume turned toward Verlena, Teres, and Esca. "So, you said that you're in need of both recovery, and a restock of supplies, right? Well my friends, you're completely welcome to rest and assemble supplies from our Kingdom of Brelec."

Esca folded her arms and shook her head gently. "Illume, my good friend, I hate to say this but we must decline your kind offer. We've gotta head down to a city on the surface level, so we can cash in our last two contracts. I haven't seen a normal person in a while either! Uh-... no offense to you, my incredible pal!"

"Oh, yes. Very well. I completely understand. I guess if it is necessary, visiting some sort of city or town should make for an interesting experience. It's been quite a while since I've done much on the surface world. This will allow me to see how society has changed."

"Great! It shall be beneficial to us all then." Stated Esca. "But you know, before we depart, a spectacular idea just popped into my mind. Illume, how do you feel about bringing along with you a couple of bodyguards?? For safeties sake! I always say, you can never be too cautious."

"Hm... you're correct. That magical bastard held his own against Nix and I's armies combined. Considering so, I feel that your suggestion to bring along a few of my soldiers is warranted, and I think I'll take you up on it. Speaking of, we will also need to gather additional allies before challenging another member of this group that is of a similar strength level. As much as I'd like to have all of the storm blade wielder's armies decimate these people, a majority of the Surge must remain here to keep our kingdom safe. With that being said, maybe we should select a location for our pitstop that is most likely to have some potential companions for us to meet and recruit."

"I suppose we could take that into consideration when deciding where to rest." Verlena said. "Though, I doubt it will be easy to find individuals who would be so willing to take on such a powerful enemy, or who are even worth recruiting in the first place. Finding anyone like that could take some time."

Teres voiced, "Doubt we're gonna run into anyone worth bringing along with us on our own. But if we wait 'til the prosthetic being finds us again like he said he would, then maybe the next place he sends us to could have some potential partners. Like with the Surge this time around. We'll be takin' our chances, but I think it's the best option."

"That's right. With how much has occurred, I nearly forgot that receiving a contract obviously means that there is a third party involved." Stated Illume. "And this 'prosthetic being', as you refer to them as, must have not only been aware of our existence, but knew we would be under attack soon before it even occurred. This individual seems to be quite impressive. From these facts alone, I would agree that awaiting the next encounter with them is how we should proceed."

Esca said, "And since he has not yet appeared, I suppose we'd better go ahead and select your bodyguards, and then head on out. I'm sure our prosthetic friend is well aware of the situation with his proven intellect and impressive ability to gain info. So if he was going to appear here, I think he'd have either done so already, or will before we can fully depart! So with that being said... Illume! Who will you be selecting as your critically valued bodyguards??"