Chapter 53
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Alec didn't know what Henry did to Randy, nor did he care, but if it was up to him, there was no way that he would have allowed the other man to live. Not only had he betrayed someone who was supposed to be his brother, he was clearly someone who didn't have many morals.
This type of person let loose in society, especially now that he seemed like he was reaching the end of his rope. To even resort to robbing someone, when he could have borrowed? He was a known face in this town. There had to be someone that was willing to lend him money. Jumping straight into robbing just screamed unpleasant things about his character as a whole.
Someone like that was better off dead.
Was it cold of him to think this? Probably. Did he care? No. Call him what you wanted, but Alec felt what he felt. He wasn't able to change what he felt just like that. Nor did he want to.
Of course, Alec wasn't usually one to talk about morals most of the time, but the thought that someone like Randy could have befriended Cyrus, Zacharias or Tatiana and backstab them when they least expected it caused his blood to boil.
So, no. If Randy died, it would be no skin off his back. Call him cruel, call him callous.
One less of these ugly crotch pirates would be a blessing to society.
Even after dinner, which Philip had with them, Henry still hadn't come back.
Philip stood up, looking worried. "I'll go look for him. It's been so long."
Elias silently grabbed Philip's shirt as he stood up, stopping him from leaving.
Alec spoke up from behind. "Let him be. I'm sure he has to work out some of his frustration. It's better than drinking all night long and losing all rationality, don't you agree?"
Philip thought about it and reluctantly sat back down.
Bunbun came down from upstairs, having been inside the room the whole day.
Philip's mouth slowly opened as he saw a small bunny from upstairs come down, only for it to get larger and larger.
Philip, "???"
Do rabbits grow that big? If it wasn't a rabbit, then what was it? Some sort of magical creature or beast?
The bunny hopped onto Alec's lap, covering him entirely from the view of the room.
Philip still stared, while Elias reached over and patted the bunny's soft fur with a straight face.
"You're staying for the night," Alec said, his voice slightly muffled. "I got permission from Stanley and Lorraine. If Henry comes later, then they'll let him up."
"What?" Philip said blankly. "Ah, no," the man waved his hands, looking embarrassed. "I couldn't possibly-"
"Bunbun, go."
Bunbun bit the man's trousers, darting forward.
Philip landed on the floor with a thump, not hurt, but sporting a stunned look on his face.
Elias and Alec watched with hidden amusement as the man was unceremoniously dragged upstairs.
Since they had access to an adult that felt like he owed Alec something, then they would take this chance to pump him for more information.
The information that they had on hand was just too limited. It was all limited to the access they had inside their clan. Alec suspected that a lot was left so that the clan members who eventually left would have to make efforts to figure out where they stood in the scheme of the world.
Alec approved of this since he hated being spoon-fed information. He didn't want to be a flower growing up in a glass house, and he needed as much information as possible so that he would be able to help the Main Character.
Since the terms of his mission were so vague, he had to prepare for everything.
Inside the room they had borrowed from the Woods', Philip was lying on the floor still looking stunned. He never expected that he would one day be dragged bodily by a giant rabbit of all things. If his head hadn't hurt slightly from all those bumps up the stairs, he would have suspected that he was still dreaming.
Bunbun promptly sat on top of the man to prevent him from moving, causing him to 'oomph'.
Alec walked in with the same casual smile on his face, followed by Elias who was slowly but surely sliding back to his preferred silence. He was more of the silent type that liked to listen rather than talk.
"We want to ask you a couple of questions, if that's fine with you," Alec said politely. Now that they weren't on opposite ends, he would go back to the default 'polite' and 'gentle' state that the Mainframe so unceremoniously shoved onto him. One never knew when the Mainframe would suddenly take his interactions as OOC.
"Of course. Anything you want to ask, I'll answer to the best of my ability providing that it doesn't infringe on other's privacy," Philip said. He would not talk about Henry's affairs behind his back.
Alec respected that.
"We just want to know more about the state of the world," Alec said, intentionally leaving things out. The man would come to his own conclusions, which would be helpful.
Philip had indeed come to several conclusions that they were previously sheltered from the outside world and society, which made them seem slightly awkward and antisocial, but he still didn't know what happened. He wondered whether or not it would be insensitive of him to ask why they didn't know anything at all.
Before he could ask, Alec provided him some information for his imagination to continue going wild. "We came out from the Mysterious Forest. Stanley and Lorraine were kind enough to provide us lodgings as we make some money."
Ah. Philip nodded inside his head. Suddenly, all the little inconsistencies made more sense now. Lorraine and Stanley were well-known for their helpful nature, and he heard that Stanley had taken over guard duty for his friend.
He wondered if they had no memories from before they entered the forest at all. That would explain why they were out of touch from reality. Feeling a swell of emotion well up inside him, Stanley's mouth was looser than usual, forgoing whatever filter that he might have used for other children.
"As you know, our planet is called Incantix, and we're currently on the outer edges of the South and East Kaoriht continent. The continent is currently divided into five parts. North, South, East, West, and Capital."
Alec subtly gestured for Bunbun move so that Philip could sit up a little, passing over a map.
Philip pointed out the various parts of the continent to them, using a marker to draw lines. He circled where they currently were, as well as the middle area, which was considered the capital by everyone. Then, he circled two other smaller areas, pointing it out.
"Welkton City doesn't seem like it's that far away from us, but actually, due to the harsh travelling conditions, the journey takes a lot longer than it should as written on the map," the man said, his finger tracing the route.
"This is Yraii, where Gred and Briggs will likely head towards should they not get their asking price in Welkton City. Within the Capital area, there are ten cities that keep each other in check, and Yraii is one of them."
Alec hummed. "Do they all share the same government?"
Philip raised a brow. "Ah, no. The entire Kaoriht continent has been conquered by the Emperor some thousand years back. Where the North, South, West and East regions are ruled by kings, the Emperor is the sole leader of the Capital."
Alec's eyes were drawn to where Welkton City was sitting, which was smack dab in the middle of South Kaoriht. Just what was it that caused the travelling to take a lot longer than usual?
Before he could ask, their room door was knocked on, admitting Henry.
Henry paused at the doorway when he spotted Philip semi-buried under a bundle of fur, baffled.
"Come in."
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Alec didn't know what Henry did to Randy, nor did he care, but if it was up to him, there was no way that he would have allowed the other man to live. Not only had he betrayed someone who was supposed to be his brother, he was clearly someone who didn't have many morals.
This type of person let loose in society, especially now that he seemed like he was reaching the end of his rope. To even resort to robbing someone, when he could have borrowed? He was a known face in this town. There had to be someone that was willing to lend him money. Jumping straight into robbing just screamed unpleasant things about his character as a whole.
Someone like that was better off dead.
Was it cold of him to think this? Probably. Did he care? No. Call him what you wanted, but Alec felt what he felt. He wasn't able to change what he felt just like that. Nor did he want to.
Of course, Alec wasn't usually one to talk about morals most of the time, but the thought that someone like Randy could have befriended Cyrus, Zacharias or Tatiana and backstab them when they least expected it caused his blood to boil.
So, no. If Randy died, it would be no skin off his back. Call him cruel, call him callous.
One less of these ugly crotch pirates would be a blessing to society.
Even after dinner, which Philip had with them, Henry still hadn't come back.
Philip stood up, looking worried. "I'll go look for him. It's been so long."
Elias silently grabbed Philip's shirt as he stood up, stopping him from leaving.
Alec spoke up from behind. "Let him be. I'm sure he has to work out some of his frustration. It's better than drinking all night long and losing all rationality, don't you agree?"
Philip thought about it and reluctantly sat back down.
Bunbun came down from upstairs, having been inside the room the whole day.
Philip's mouth slowly opened as he saw a small bunny from upstairs come down, only for it to get larger and larger.
Philip, "???"
Do rabbits grow that big? If it wasn't a rabbit, then what was it? Some sort of magical creature or beast?
The bunny hopped onto Alec's lap, covering him entirely from the view of the room.
Philip still stared, while Elias reached over and patted the bunny's soft fur with a straight face.
"You're staying for the night," Alec said, his voice slightly muffled. "I got permission from Stanley and Lorraine. If Henry comes later, then they'll let him up."
"What?" Philip said blankly. "Ah, no," the man waved his hands, looking embarrassed. "I couldn't possibly-"
"Bunbun, go."
Bunbun bit the man's trousers, darting forward.
Philip landed on the floor with a thump, not hurt, but sporting a stunned look on his face.
Elias and Alec watched with hidden amusement as the man was unceremoniously dragged upstairs.
Since they had access to an adult that felt like he owed Alec something, then they would take this chance to pump him for more information.
The information that they had on hand was just too limited. It was all limited to the access they had inside their clan. Alec suspected that a lot was left so that the clan members who eventually left would have to make efforts to figure out where they stood in the scheme of the world.
Alec approved of this since he hated being spoon-fed information. He didn't want to be a flower growing up in a glass house, and he needed as much information as possible so that he would be able to help the Main Character.
Since the terms of his mission were so vague, he had to prepare for everything.
Inside the room they had borrowed from the Woods', Philip was lying on the floor still looking stunned. He never expected that he would one day be dragged bodily by a giant rabbit of all things. If his head hadn't hurt slightly from all those bumps up the stairs, he would have suspected that he was still dreaming.
Bunbun promptly sat on top of the man to prevent him from moving, causing him to 'oomph'.
Alec walked in with the same casual smile on his face, followed by Elias who was slowly but surely sliding back to his preferred silence. He was more of the silent type that liked to listen rather than talk.
"We want to ask you a couple of questions, if that's fine with you," Alec said politely. Now that they weren't on opposite ends, he would go back to the default 'polite' and 'gentle' state that the Mainframe so unceremoniously shoved onto him. One never knew when the Mainframe would suddenly take his interactions as OOC.
"Of course. Anything you want to ask, I'll answer to the best of my ability providing that it doesn't infringe on other's privacy," Philip said. He would not talk about Henry's affairs behind his back.
Alec respected that.
"We just want to know more about the state of the world," Alec said, intentionally leaving things out. The man would come to his own conclusions, which would be helpful.
Philip had indeed come to several conclusions that they were previously sheltered from the outside world and society, which made them seem slightly awkward and antisocial, but he still didn't know what happened. He wondered whether or not it would be insensitive of him to ask why they didn't know anything at all.
Before he could ask, Alec provided him some information for his imagination to continue going wild. "We came out from the Mysterious Forest. Stanley and Lorraine were kind enough to provide us lodgings as we make some money."
Ah. Philip nodded inside his head. Suddenly, all the little inconsistencies made more sense now. Lorraine and Stanley were well-known for their helpful nature, and he heard that Stanley had taken over guard duty for his friend.
He wondered if they had no memories from before they entered the forest at all. That would explain why they were out of touch from reality. Feeling a swell of emotion well up inside him, Stanley's mouth was looser than usual, forgoing whatever filter that he might have used for other children.
"As you know, our planet is called Incantix, and we're currently on the outer edges of the South and East Kaoriht continent. The continent is currently divided into five parts. North, South, East, West, and Capital."
Alec subtly gestured for Bunbun move so that Philip could sit up a little, passing over a map.
Philip pointed out the various parts of the continent to them, using a marker to draw lines. He circled where they currently were, as well as the middle area, which was considered the capital by everyone. Then, he circled two other smaller areas, pointing it out.
"Welkton City doesn't seem like it's that far away from us, but actually, due to the harsh travelling conditions, the journey takes a lot longer than it should as written on the map," the man said, his finger tracing the route.
"This is Yraii, where Gred and Briggs will likely head towards should they not get their asking price in Welkton City. Within the Capital area, there are ten cities that keep each other in check, and Yraii is one of them."
Alec hummed. "Do they all share the same government?"
Philip raised a brow. "Ah, no. The entire Kaoriht continent has been conquered by the Emperor some thousand years back. Where the North, South, West and East regions are ruled by kings, the Emperor is the sole leader of the Capital."
Alec's eyes were drawn to where Welkton City was sitting, which was smack dab in the middle of South Kaoriht. Just what was it that caused the travelling to take a lot longer than usual?
Before he could ask, their room door was knocked on, admitting Henry.
Henry paused at the doorway when he spotted Philip semi-buried under a bundle of fur, baffled.
"Come in."
Alec didn't know what Henry did to Randy, nor did he care, but if it was up to him, there was no way that he would have allowed the other man to live. Not only had he betrayed someone who was supposed to be his brother, he was clearly someone who didn't have many morals.This type of person let loose in society, especially now that he seemed like he was reaching the end of his rope. To even resort to robbing someone, when he could have borrowed? He was a known face in this town. There had to be someone that was willing to lend him money. Jumping straight into robbing just screamed unpleasant things about his character as a whole.Someone like that was better off dead.Was it cold of him to think this? Probably. Did he care? No. Call him what you wanted, but Alec felt what he felt. He wasn't able to change what he felt just like that. Nor did he want to.Of course, Alec wasn't usually one to talk about morals most of the time, but the thought that someone like Randy could have befriended Cyrus, Zacharias or Tatiana and backstab them when they least expected it caused his blood to boil.So, no. If Randy died, it would be no skin off his back. Call him cruel, call him callous.One less of these ugly crotch pirates would be a blessing to society.Even after dinner, which Philip had with them, Henry still hadn't come back.Philip stood up, looking worried. "I'll go look for him. It's been so long."Elias silently grabbed Philip's shirt as he stood up, stopping him from leaving.Alec spoke up from behind. "Let him be. I'm sure he has to work out some of his frustration. It's better than drinking all night long and losing all rationality, don't you agree?"Philip thought about it and reluctantly sat back down.Bunbun came down from upstairs, having been inside the room the whole day.Philip's mouth slowly opened as he saw a small bunny from upstairs come down, only for it to get larger and larger.Philip, "???"Do rabbits grow that big? If it wasn't a rabbit, then what was it? Some sort of magical creature or beast?The bunny hopped onto Alec's lap, covering him entirely from the view of the room.Philip still stared, while Elias reached over and patted the bunny's soft fur with a straight face."You're staying for the night," Alec said, his voice slightly muffled. "I got permission from Stanley and Lorraine. If Henry comes later, then they'll let him up.""What?" Philip said blankly. "Ah, no," the man waved his hands, looking embarrassed. "I couldn't possibly-""Bunbun, go."Bunbun bit the man's trousers, darting forward.Philip landed on the floor with a thump, not hurt, but sporting a stunned look on his face.Elias and Alec watched with hidden amusement as the man was unceremoniously dragged upstairs.Since they had access to an adult that felt like he owed Alec something, then they would take this chance to pump him for more information.The information that they had on hand was just too limited. It was all limited to the access they had inside their clan. Alec suspected that a lot was left so that the clan members who eventually left would have to make efforts to figure out where they stood in the scheme of the world.Alec approved of this since he hated being spoon-fed information. He didn't want to be a flower growing up in a glass house, and he needed as much information as possible so that he would be able to help the Main Character.Since the terms of his mission were so vague, he had to prepare for everything.Inside the room they had borrowed from the Woods', Philip was lying on the floor still looking stunned. He never expected that he would one day be dragged bodily by a giant rabbit of all things. If his head hadn't hurt slightly from all those bumps up the stairs, he would have suspected that he was still dreaming.Bunbun promptly sat on top of the man to prevent him from moving, causing him to 'oomph'.Alec walked in with the same casual smile on his face, followed by Elias who was slowly but surely sliding back to his preferred silence. He was more of the silent type that liked to listen rather than talk."We want to ask you a couple of questions, if that's fine with you," Alec said politely. Now that they weren't on opposite ends, he would go back to the default 'polite' and 'gentle' state that the Mainframe so unceremoniously shoved onto him. One never knew when the Mainframe would suddenly take his interactions as OOC."Of course. Anything you want to ask, I'll answer to the best of my ability providing that it doesn't infringe on other's privacy," Philip said. He would not talk about Henry's affairs behind his back.Alec respected that."We just want to know more about the state of the world," Alec said, intentionally leaving things out. The man would come to his own conclusions, which would be helpful.Philip had indeed come to several conclusions that they were previously sheltered from the outside world and society, which made them seem slightly awkward and antisocial, but he still didn't know what happened. He wondered whether or not it would be insensitive of him to ask why they didn't know anything at all.Before he could ask, Alec provided him some information for his imagination to continue going wild. "We came out from the Mysterious Forest. Stanley and Lorraine were kind enough to provide us lodgings as we make some money."Ah. Philip nodded inside his head. Suddenly, all the little inconsistencies made more sense now. Lorraine and Stanley were well-known for their helpful nature, and he heard that Stanley had taken over guard duty for his friend.He wondered if they had no memories from before they entered the forest at all. That would explain why they were out of touch from reality. Feeling a swell of emotion well up inside him, Stanley's mouth was looser than usual, forgoing whatever filter that he might have used for other children."As you know, our planet is called Incantix, and we're currently on the outer edges of the South and East Kaoriht continent. The continent is currently divided into five parts. North, South, East, West, and Capital."Alec subtly gestured for Bunbun move so that Philip could sit up a little, passing over a map.Philip pointed out the various parts of the continent to them, using a marker to draw lines. He circled where they currently were, as well as the middle area, which was considered the capital by everyone. Then, he circled two other smaller areas, pointing it out."Welkton City doesn't seem like it's that far away from us, but actually, due to the harsh travelling conditions, the journey takes a lot longer than it should as written on the map," the man said, his finger tracing the route."This is Yraii, where Gred and Briggs will likely head towards should they not get their asking price in Welkton City. Within the Capital area, there are ten cities that keep each other in check, and Yraii is one of them."Alec hummed. "Do they all share the same government?"Philip raised a brow. "Ah, no. The entire Kaoriht continent has been conquered by the Emperor some thousand years back. Where the North, South, West and East regions are ruled by kings, the Emperor is the sole leader of the Capital."Alec's eyes were drawn to where Welkton City was sitting, which was smack dab in the middle of South Kaoriht. Just what was it that caused the travelling to take a lot longer than usual?Before he could ask, their room door was knocked on, admitting Henry.Henry paused at the doorway when he spotted Philip semi-buried under a bundle of fur, baffled."Come in."
