"You know, Benny, you're bold as fuck telling me Oduduwa is just a drop in the ocean," Menelik declared. "Bold as fuck." He gave Benny an intense stare before shifting his gaze to Maeve. After a moment, he let out a small sigh, his mind doing some acrobatics to find any escape route other than admitting he goofed. "I respect it though, and you're right."
"I'm sorry." Idris shot up, hands slamming on the table, finally getting the moment he'd been waiting for since forever. "Did you just admit you were wrong?"
Menelik's head snapped towards him so suddenly he could pass for possessed. "No," he said, turning fully towards Idris and crossing his arms. "I said he was right. I didn't say I was wrong. I ain't got nothing to be wrong about."
Idris was about to fire back, but he wisely held his tongue, settling into his seat and raising his cup of tea. "You really are impossible."
Menelik shifted his attention to Maeve. "Zero better bring him back." He surveyed the group, each immersed in tea and chat, even Aladdin. "I knew becoming an Adventurer would come with bullshit, but this is a whole new level of fuckery."
Maeve tried to stifle a smirk, but when Menelik cracked a smile at his own joke, she couldn't help but join in. However, the second she did, Menelik's grin vanished. He turned back to Maeve, locking eyes with her. "Between you and me, I've probably killed more of the innocent than you."
Before Maeve could muster up a proper reaction, Menelik strolled over to the table, arms up high, and belted out, “Got any biscuits to go with that tea?”
She observed as he joined the others, smiles bouncing around like a game of hot potato. Meanwhile, her own grin faded, and her mind took a detour. Maeve had always been on her toes, trying to stay one step ahead of Nix. She knew Zero was her little puppet – that's why they went separate ways a while back. Maeve was all about outpacing her mom.
When she spotted Zero heading to Vol, her heart sank so low she thought about curling up into a ball. It meant she was lagging, and with all the chaos that unfolded, you can see why it got under her skin. So much death in such a short span, all because forging her rapier took a week longer than planned. She couldn't help but shoulder the blame.
She embraced the belief that shouldering the responsibility was her duty. It never occurred to her to let it cascade onto someone else or simply let it slip away. Zero's relentless commitment to every battle, putting others before himself, added to the weight. He plunged into fights, undeterred by the toll on his well-being. His determination to overcome losses manifested in rigorous training, research, and an unwavering pursuit of excellence. This relentless pursuit of knowledge and the desire to be remembered bled into her own sense of responsibility.
The burden of her family—mother, father, siblings, and even Zero—merged into a challenging blend of self-isolationism and egoism. There was a peculiar beauty in this, yet it took a toll on her mental health. Maeve was aware of the struggle but persisted, convinced that she had to keep everything afloat. The weight of her family rested on her shoulders, and she embraced the challenge with a perpetually widening smile and ever increasing attitude.
However, the question lingered in her mind: what was next? The pursuit of her mother had consumed her focus for so long that everything unrelated to killing Nix had faded into the background. Now that it was over, she could return to her true passion—Dungeon Crawling. While the idea had always lingered in the recesses of her mind, this was the first time it surfaced prominently in some time.
As she stood there contemplating, thoughts about the status of Dungeons across Sidra began to seep in. It pulled her back to reality, making her realize that diving back into her beloved Dungeon Crawling wouldn't be as straightforward as she had envisioned. A new role awaited her: King of Sidra.
"Maeve," Aladdin said. "You look like you've got something on your mind. What is it?"
Maeve shook her head and glanced at the table. The others were still deep in conversation, but Aladdin had stepped away, standing just a bit in front of her. She exhaled softly. "I was just wondering who's been dealing with the Dungeons. If there was a break, I thought we would see it by now."
Aladdin smiled at her, his expression almost curious. "The same Adventurers who dealt with your so-called secret hideouts."
Maeve happily scoffed and nodded. "Must be quite the crew."
"They are."
Aladdin might not have all his powers, but his charisma was still intact. It had secured him three incredible Adventurers who had been by his side for almost two decades, making his life far easier than he could have ever imagined.
"I assume they are off on the island?" Maeve asked.
"Yes, helping survivors and dealing with Dungeons when needed."
Maeve turned to the table, and their attention slowly drifted over to her and Aladdin's conversation.
"You know, I've got a question too," Menelik stated.
Aladdin turned toward him, contemplating if Menelik was going to make one last comment about Maeve and Oduduwa or if it was something new for once. "Yes?"
"When do we start rebuilding?" Menelik gestured to the table. "Because only two of us actually live here. The rest of us are travelers."
Idris stood up, his demeanor bold. "Sit your ass down. It’s not like we're in a rush. We go where we are needed."
"And here looks to be where we are needed most right now," Taharqa added.
Oiwa smiled at her new friends and quickly joined in on their agreement. "I kinda agreed to go where Zero went, and since he ain't here no more, I guess I'm following you, Maeve."
Menelik looked at them, then back to Maeve. "I guess you ain't getting rid of me just yet." He nodded at her, then looked to Aladdin. "So, big man, where do we start?"
Aladdin shook his head and gestured to Maeve. "That is for the King to decide."
The entire group turned to Maeve, all attention on her. She looked at them, but all she could think about was how Zero did all of this on purpose. She wouldn't have let herself become King in a million years. But here she was. That rat bastard, even in death, was still getting the last laugh.
She took in a deep breath and looked at the group. "We should start by surveying the island, finding which areas are still standing and which have the least amount of damage. From there, we can—."
Aladdin took a step back from the group as Maeve began to speak, his footsteps light as he hovered ever so slightly off the ground to avoid attracting attention. As he kept walking backward, he saw Benny glance in his direction for just a moment, then back to Maeve. He swore he could feel Maeve watching him leave, but her head never once turned away from the group. He continued walking backward until he reached the door. From there, he simply phased through it and into the hall. He stopped at the door, his feet touching the floor again. Resting a hand on the door with a smile, he looked down the hall to the three individuals who were waiting for him. Another smile graced their way, and then he began walking toward them, the sound of Maeve speaking becoming fainter and fainter as he walked away. As he approached the three individuals, he took one last look at the door, then back at them.
"Come, we have a lot of work to do."
"You know, Benny, you're bold as fuck telling me Oduduwa is just a drop in the ocean," Menelik declared. "Bold as fuck." He gave Benny an intense stare before shifting his gaze to Maeve. After a moment, he let out a small sigh, his mind doing some acrobatics to find any escape route other than admitting he goofed. "I respect it though, and you're right."
"I'm sorry." Idris shot up, hands slamming on the table, finally getting the moment he'd been waiting for since forever. "Did you just admit you were wrong?"
Menelik's head snapped towards him so suddenly he could pass for possessed. "No," he said, turning fully towards Idris and crossing his arms. "I said he was right. I didn't say I was wrong. I ain't got nothing to be wrong about."
Idris was about to fire back, but he wisely held his tongue, settling into his seat and raising his cup of tea. "You really are impossible."
Menelik shifted his attention to Maeve. "Zero better bring him back." He surveyed the group, each immersed in tea and chat, even Aladdin. "I knew becoming an Adventurer would come with bullshit, but this is a whole new level of fuckery."
Maeve tried to stifle a smirk, but when Menelik cracked a smile at his own joke, she couldn't help but join in. However, the second she did, Menelik's grin vanished. He turned back to Maeve, locking eyes with her. "Between you and me, I've probably killed more of the innocent than you."
Before Maeve could muster up a proper reaction, Menelik strolled over to the table, arms up high, and belted out, “Got any biscuits to go with that tea?”
She observed as he joined the others, smiles bouncing around like a game of hot potato. Meanwhile, her own grin faded, and her mind took a detour. Maeve had always been on her toes, trying to stay one step ahead of Nix. She knew Zero was her little puppet – that's why they went separate ways a while back. Maeve was all about outpacing her mom.
When she spotted Zero heading to Vol, her heart sank so low she thought about curling up into a ball. It meant she was lagging, and with all the chaos that unfolded, you can see why it got under her skin. So much death in such a short span, all because forging her rapier took a week longer than planned. She couldn't help but shoulder the blame.
She embraced the belief that shouldering the responsibility was her duty. It never occurred to her to let it cascade onto someone else or simply let it slip away. Zero's relentless commitment to every battle, putting others before himself, added to the weight. He plunged into fights, undeterred by the toll on his well-being. His determination to overcome losses manifested in rigorous training, research, and an unwavering pursuit of excellence. This relentless pursuit of knowledge and the desire to be remembered bled into her own sense of responsibility.
The burden of her family—mother, father, siblings, and even Zero—merged into a challenging blend of self-isolationism and egoism. There was a peculiar beauty in this, yet it took a toll on her mental health. Maeve was aware of the struggle but persisted, convinced that she had to keep everything afloat. The weight of her family rested on her shoulders, and she embraced the challenge with a perpetually widening smile and ever increasing attitude.
However, the question lingered in her mind: what was next? The pursuit of her mother had consumed her focus for so long that everything unrelated to killing Nix had faded into the background. Now that it was over, she could return to her true passion—Dungeon Crawling. While the idea had always lingered in the recesses of her mind, this was the first time it surfaced prominently in some time.
As she stood there contemplating, thoughts about the status of Dungeons across Sidra began to seep in. It pulled her back to reality, making her realize that diving back into her beloved Dungeon Crawling wouldn't be as straightforward as she had envisioned. A new role awaited her: King of Sidra.
"Maeve," Aladdin said. "You look like you've got something on your mind. What is it?"
Maeve shook her head and glanced at the table. The others were still deep in conversation, but Aladdin had stepped away, standing just a bit in front of her. She exhaled softly. "I was just wondering who's been dealing with the Dungeons. If there was a break, I thought we would see it by now."
Aladdin smiled at her, his expression almost curious. "The same Adventurers who dealt with your so-called secret hideouts."
Maeve happily scoffed and nodded. "Must be quite the crew."
"They are."
Aladdin might not have all his powers, but his charisma was still intact. It had secured him three incredible Adventurers who had been by his side for almost two decades, making his life far easier than he could have ever imagined.
"I assume they are off on the island?" Maeve asked.
"Yes, helping survivors and dealing with Dungeons when needed."
Maeve turned to the table, and their attention slowly drifted over to her and Aladdin's conversation.
"You know, I've got a question too," Menelik stated.
Aladdin turned toward him, contemplating if Menelik was going to make one last comment about Maeve and Oduduwa or if it was something new for once. "Yes?"
"When do we start rebuilding?" Menelik gestured to the table. "Because only two of us actually live here. The rest of us are travelers."
Idris stood up, his demeanor bold. "Sit your ass down. It’s not like we're in a rush. We go where we are needed."
"And here looks to be where we are needed most right now," Taharqa added.
Oiwa smiled at her new friends and quickly joined in on their agreement. "I kinda agreed to go where Zero went, and since he ain't here no more, I guess I'm following you, Maeve."
Menelik looked at them, then back to Maeve. "I guess you ain't getting rid of me just yet." He nodded at her, then looked to Aladdin. "So, big man, where do we start?"
Aladdin shook his head and gestured to Maeve. "That is for the King to decide."
The entire group turned to Maeve, all attention on her. She looked at them, but all she could think about was how Zero did all of this on purpose. She wouldn't have let herself become King in a million years. But here she was. That rat bastard, even in death, was still getting the last laugh.
She took in a deep breath and looked at the group. "We should start by surveying the island, finding which areas are still standing and which have the least amount of damage. From there, we can—."
Aladdin took a step back from the group as Maeve began to speak, his footsteps light as he hovered ever so slightly off the ground to avoid attracting attention. As he kept walking backward, he saw Benny glance in his direction for just a moment, then back to Maeve. He swore he could feel Maeve watching him leave, but her head never once turned away from the group. He continued walking backward until he reached the door. From there, he simply phased through it and into the hall. He stopped at the door, his feet touching the floor again. Resting a hand on the door with a smile, he looked down the hall to the three individuals who were waiting for him. Another smile graced their way, and then he began walking toward them, the sound of Maeve speaking becoming fainter and fainter as he walked away. As he approached the three individuals, he took one last look at the door, then back at them.
"Come, we have a lot of work to do."
