The Apocalypse is a Side Quest: Book Three, page 45
“Wait a second, there isn’t even a dividing wall between the two…?” Nathan said.
“Why would there need to be? One is the business door; one’s the personal door.”
Nathan rubbed circles into his temples. This was going to be a long day.
Nathan stepped inside the blacksmith’s house and forge.
A large, imposing anvil occupied the center of the room, while behind it stood a furnace that seemed to consume half the building. Tucked away in the corner was a bed and a few pots and pans.
The blacksmith wandered over to his forge, where a block of hot red iron or some sort of metal rested on the anvil. The blacksmith picked it up with a pair of tongs and grabbed a hammer.
“So, what brings you here?”
Nathan removed his prosthetics. “Well, I finally collected those materials.”
The blacksmith paused and set down the hammer. He turned around and looked at Nathan.
“What materials?”
Nathan coughed into his hand. “I don’t think you understand who I am.”
He took a sip of water and rubbed his face, clearing it of any leftover makeup.
The elven blacksmith continued to stare at him. “Why did you rub your face, boy?”
Nathan blinked rapidly several times.
“You’re not noticing any differences?”
“No? Listen, if this is some sort of joke or farce—”
“What? No!” Nathan reached into his inventory and dropped the kraken’s tooth onto the ground. It fell onto the floor and cracked the wooden planks. “You told me to get kraken scales, but I ended up getting the tooth—this probably isn’t helping.”
“Not in the slightest.” An intrigued look appeared on the blacksmith’s face. “I have no idea what you’re talking about, but the opportunity to work with such a high-grade material isn’t one I’m willing to pass up. Can you start again from the beginning?”
Nathan recounted the brief encounter he had had with the blacksmith in the forest. He mentioned the fishing rod and their agreement for Nathan to collect materials and bring them to the blacksmith.
As Nathan went on, he could almost see a glimmer of familiarity appearing in the old man’s eyes.
“And so you finished it, you brought me all the materials,” the blacksmith said.
“Yes. You remember me now?”
“No, I have no idea who you are.” The blacksmith shrugged. “However, I don’t particularly care. You brought me materials, and I’ll honor the agreement. This is a rare chance, anyway.”
Nathan brought out the twelve metal fins, then dropped the jar containing the boss essence onto the ground.
The blacksmith’s eyes practically lit up.
“This is high-quality stuff. And not just one, but I’m sensing two or three?”
“Something like that.”
Nathan reached into his inventory and pulled out the strange blue metal that the shark had led him to in the Golden Realm.
As soon as Nathan revealed the metal, the man gasped.
“I take it that’s a good sign?” Nathan said.
The blacksmith coughed. “Actually, I’m not sure. I was just more shocked that you had metal in your inventory.”
“You should inspect it. It’s pretty good stuff.”
The old man snorted. “I’ll be the judge of that—”
A blue window popped up in front of the man, and he stopped breathing. His entire expression remained locked on the blue window, eyes not budging a single inch.
“Hello?” Nathan waved his hands in front of the blacksmith’s face. “You still alive?”
The blacksmith’s eyes snapped over to Nathan. “I need you to leave. I’m going to be busy for the next twelve hours.”
“Oh—okay?”
The blacksmith all but threw Nathan out of the shop. He hurriedly slipped on his prosthetics and looked back at the door with a scowl.
“I’d better get something good,” Nathan muttered. “Or else I’m boycotting.”
Nathan didn’t bother heading outside the open portal. Instead, he found an alleyway and ducked behind a few crates of cargo. The crates were dusted over and looked abandoned, so Nathan was fairly confident that he wouldn’t be found. Even so, best to make sure that anyone who spotted him would assume he was just a homeless elf.
Nathan shut his eyes and let himself fall asleep.
He could sense his connection to her just on the edge of his consciousness.
Usually, she tugged and pulled him toward her.
This time, however, he would pull her toward him.
He imagined hands reaching around the invisible line connecting the two of them and gave it a tug.
Chapter Sixty-Three
Instantly, Nathan’s world lurched. He resisted the urge to vomit and instead focused on the line. A world flickered in around him—a beach, a sunset, and a blue-haired woman.
Nathan stumbled backward but managed to keep his balance.
Thalassa didn’t look much better. She was staring at him in shock, her back slumped over and her hand shaking.
“What was that for?!” she shouted.
Nathan groaned and pressed his palm into his forehead to relieve the pain. “I wasn’t sure if you were going to drag me in yourself, but I needed a meeting with you.”
Thalassa almost seemed to scowl. Strands of her hair went off in random directions, and her dress was unkempt and ruffled.
“You have a lot of nerve,” Thalassa said, crossing her arms. “What do you want?”
“Answers. Specifically about Leviathan and how he seemed to know your name.”
For a moment, her eyes seemed to light up before a defeated expression crossed her face.
She slumped over. “How did you find out?”
“I just mentioned your name, and he froze. It was a small thing, but I could see the recognition.”
“You are aware that this goes both ways, right?” Thalassa said. “He knows now as well.”
“I know. I don’t really care. I want answers, Thalassa.”
Thalassa groaned and seemed to grasp at the air for something. “I need a drink.”
“Even if we weren’t in a dreamscape right now, I am extremely doubtful that alcohol could have an effect on you, given that you’re a goddess and all.”
Thalassa rolled her eyes. She looked off in the direction of the ocean, her expression changing.
“I’m sure you’ve heard all the stories of the Greek gods and goddesses.”
“Yeah. At least the major ones, like Zeus, Hercules, Apollo.”
“The myths are myths for a reason. There is an enormous amount of legend and falsehood that’s been propagated over time. There was one thing that they got right, however.”
“What’s that?”
“The gods have a lot of kids, Nathan. Lots of them.”
Nathan raised an eyebrow. “You aren’t about to tell me all the details of your sex life, are you—?”
“Absolutely not. And anyway, I only had one mortal child, and that was thousands of years ago.”
“If that was thousands of years ago, how is it relevant now?”
“The descendants of my son had their blood diluted to the point where they were functionally mortal. There are a handful who yet carry my lineage, but they have absolutely no potential, and I barely consider them my relations.” Her lips pursed. “Leviathan is different.”
“How so?”
“I’m not sure why, but my blood is unusually strong in him. His potential is enormously high—if I didn’t know any better, I would say that he was one of my direct sons.”
“I assume you found out about this during the apocalypse?”
“No, the apocalypse is merely when he awoke his powers. I already knew. But…” Thalassa sighed. “In his prior life, there was no reason for him to know of my existence. There was no reason for him to know his potential. And there was no reason for me to tell him. What would be the point? There were no monsters to slay on Earth. They’ve all long since died out. Even if there were, there would be no way for him to hide his unusual lineage and abilities. He would’ve suffered greatly. No, it was better that I stayed out of the picture.”
Nathan got an idea where this was going.
“And then the apocalypse happened,” he said.
“Exactly. Suddenly, his lineage was not a burden but a gift. I guided him just as I guide you, though his path took a different route. His affinity for water was mediocre at best. However, his power was raw and untamed, unlike any that I’ve ever seen before.”
Well.
That changed things.
“So I’m just one of many little projects, am I?” Nathan said.
Nathan had meant it as a joke, but Thalassa’s expression twisted, and she shook her head.
“That’s not true!” Her hands twitched. “You… It may have started out that way, I’ll admit. I saw someone with potential and wanted to mold you into a tool. But you’ve proven yourself to be far more than that. And you’ve taken my blood as your own. That means something to me, Nathan.”
She seemed… strangely sincere. Nathan wasn’t sure what to make of it. His stomach felt funny. He pushed aside the feeling and tried to hone in on the important part.
“So, going back to Leviathan. You contacted him?” Nathan asked.
“Yes. I—” She pursed her lips, an odd look in her eyes. “I made mistakes, Nathan.”
Nathan was getting a bad feeling about this. “What kind of a mistake?”
“There’s something twisted about that man,” she said. “Something I didn’t see. His nature is inclined toward violence in a way that few others are. But… I didn’t care. I told him of how I wish to end the System. At first, he agreed.”
“But things changed.”
Her voice turned low. “He’s shut me out of his dreamscape. I cannot contact him anymore.”
Nathan scoffed. “You think he’d be willing to teach me how to do that?”
She stiffened. “Please don’t.”
Okay, maybe that was a bad time for a joke. “Sorry.”
She waved him off.
“This whole sequence is affecting me in an unusual way. The both of you remind me of my—”
She stopped, a conflicted look on her face. She finally let out a sigh and shook her head.
“Nothing.” She wrapped her arms around herself. “Nathan, the two of you are going to come to blows. I’m almost certain of it.” She squeezed her arms and her knuckles turned pale white.
Nathan was… so confused. Why was she acting like this?
“His mind has been so thoroughly warped and twisted,” Thalassa said. “And I simply didn’t see it. I foolishly granted power to someone undeserving.”
“Why? That’s one thing I’m not understanding. You had the chance to talk with him—surely you would’ve seen.”
Her voice turned distant. “As I said, Nathan, I’ve made many mistakes in my long, long life.”
Nathan felt a faint shiver go down his neck and into his spine at her tone. A long time ago, Thalassa had told him that her perspective was fundamentally different from that of humans. She said that immortals had to distance themselves from emotion due to how long-lasting their lives were.
But seeing the pain play out across Thalassa’s face, Nathan was beginning to wonder if perhaps that was a lie that she told herself more than something that she actually was.
Nathan internally groaned. He was about to do something incredibly stupid.
He wasn’t quite sure what it was that had her so affected, but he could tell she was having a miserable time.
And while she was using him just as much as he was using her, it was clear she held… some sort of affection for him? She just didn’t seem to show it very often.
He walked over to her and stopped right within arm’s reach.
She stared at him. “What are you doing?”
Nathan let out a long sigh and awkwardly rested a hand on her shoulder.
“Anything you need…” He grasped for the words, “I’m here for you?”
She blinked. “Was that a statement or a question?”
“Yes.”
She laughed, though the sound was strangled and incredibly forced.
“Thank you, Nathan.”
Nathan tried to think of what else he could possibly say. Before he could do that, Thalassa looked up toward the sky.
“Time is almost up. We’ll have to continue this conversation at a later date.”
Nathan swallowed the words he’d been about to say and nodded.
“Of course. Goodbye, Thalassa.”
Her expression relaxed, and she shot him a smile. “Best of luck.”
Nathan’s mouth went dry.
“Thanks,” he said after a few beats of silence.
Before she could respond, the world rippled, and Nathan’s eyes shot open.
He was back inside the alleyway, the timer at the top of his vision ticking ominously.
Ten minutes.
Nathan took off his prosthetics, knowing that it would be an extremely awkward conversation to explain why he had elf ears attached to his normal ears when he arrived at the arena.
This was the final fight, if he was not mistaken. Then they would move to the next circle.
It was frustrating—Nathan hadn’t managed to accomplish all he wanted to in this circle. Grigor was still ambivalent, and Dr. Ada was willing but hadn’t fully gotten on board.
It struck him that she probably visited his town at some point to ask questions, but he hadn’t been available.
He really hoped that his people had picked up the slack.
This entire circle had been a disaster in many ways.
And then there was the matter of Leviathan…
The second strongest was out for his blood—or at the very least, he was a highly unpredictable rogue element. Not exactly a great comfort to Nathan, considering what a nightmare dealing with the Head Hand had been.
On the plus side, at least Leviathan wasn’t married to his sister.
As far as he knew.
Maybe he should double-check and talk to his sister to ask if she’d recently—
Nathan threw the thought out of his head. Mega-cursed, not something he even wanted to think of.
Two minutes left.
What if Leviathan made his move during the boss fight?
The final boss would likely be an absolute nightmare to deal with. The idea of Leviathan assisting in order to take out Nathan wasn’t exactly a comforting thought.
Then again, Nathan was jumping to the absolute worst-case scenario. It was entirely possible that Leviathan would turn out to be peaceful, and he merely found Thalassa annoying enough to cut her off.
A quiet voice inside his head told him that he was being absurd and that his luck had never been so fortunate.
Nathan strongly suspected that the voice was correct.
A minute left.
So what would Nathan do if it turned out that he was right? That Leviathan was going to attack at the most inopportune time possible?
Leviathan wasn’t particularly strong in any one area. Compared to the average Delver Nathan had come across, he was absolutely monstrous in all those areas. Compared to Nathan, for example, it seemed as if Leviathan wasn’t quite as strong in any one of those areas.
But that versatility—who knew what potential tricks the man could have up his sleeve? Nathan didn’t know, and he didn’t want to find out.
Thirty seconds left.
Nathan breathed out. He had to get his mind ready for the coming fight.
He supposed that there wasn’t much of a way to prepare for Leviathan. One could only deal with the problem in the moment.
Nathan just hoped that the price for stopping him wouldn’t be too high.
He breathed in and out again.
Ten seconds.
He shut his eyes, and the world slipped away.
Chapter Sixty-Four
When he opened his eyes, he was in the arena, with sandy walls and sandy ground. The sun beat down on him from above, searing his skin like an overcooked steak.
Nathan looked around him to see that everybody had arrived. Except for Leviathan.
A second later, he dropped out of the sky with a flash, then looked back at Nathan.
Somehow, that single look conveyed all the thoughts and emotions needed to understand what was happening.
Before Nathan could do anything, the ground rumbled as the final boss started to rise out of the sand. It was a multi-headed creature, each head reminding him of one of the bosses they had defeated: the stone golem, the metal sheets, a head of flame, a white core, a mechanical head, and a wax block.
The creature roared, and the earth shook from the force. And not as in a light tremor—no, Nathan meant a full-on earthquake.
The ground ripped open, and a large glob of earth flew toward Nathan. He jumped out of the way, only to come face-to-face with a wall!
He slammed his fist through it, causing it to shatter like glass. An illusion. Behind the wall, the creature was waiting.
Nathan put every ounce of strength he had into throwing himself to the side—and just in time. A ball of burning flame went directly through the spot he had just been in.
He pulled out his fishing rod and swung it in the direction of the creature. A metal sheet flew out from the head and blocked it with ease, the hook clanging against the sheet.
Nathan used the distraction to get away. He breathed in and out slowly.
[Ultimate Chimera] - Lv. 95
The combination of every single boss on the Fifth Circle gauntlet. It can do it all! It can sing, it can dance, and it can absolutely break all the bones in your body! Warning: The System will not be held responsible for your death, as always. Best of luck!
This was not an ideal situation.
Actually, that was probably an understatement.
Behind him came the whir of a laser coming to life. He turned to see Tamsin typing a quick set of commands on her system terminal.
