In The Downright Under
The trek home was a long one. Other than the fact Adam was carrying Orion over his shoulder, Adam was starting to feel fatigued.
("Ugh… I don't want to move anymore.") [Adam]
"Then you probably shouldn't have used so much mana." [Krino]
("...Hey, Krino? Mind if I ask you something strange?") [Adam]
"...What?" [Krino]
("You… wouldn't have an ability to heal me by any chance do you?") [Adam]
"Why would you- oh." [Krino]
Adam could feel the dull pain from the attacks he had received. Just from vague memory, he could recall some of the abilities used on him.
("I've got some uh… I dunno… Burn marks? Probably from acid or fire. Maybe both.") [Adam]
"Yikes… Sorry, but no dice." [Krino]
("Thought so…") [Adam]
Adam sighed disappointedly. Though it was a shot in the dark, he had hoped Krino had a hidden card up his sleeve.
("My sister is going to kill me when I get home.") [Adam]
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
Not too long after the conversation between Adam and Krino had happened, Orion began to mumble to himself.
"This is bad…" [Orion]
Barely picking up his words, Adam noticed Orion's whispering.
"Uh… You say something?" [Adam]
"I said, this is bad." [Orion]
"What is?" [Adam]
"The person Toban mentioned." [Orion]
Adam scratched his head while attempting to remember, but nothing came up.
"Not sure. I was kind of… preoccupied." [Adam]
"Preoccupied with blowing everyone to smithereens? I noticed that too." [Orion]
"Haha… Sorry…" [Adam]
Seeing that Adam was reflecting upon himself, Orion decided to change the subject.
"Anyway, the guy Toban mentioned was Dante. A student who leads some kind of gang called "Roaring Tiger" or something stupid like that." [Orion]
"Roaring tiger? That's uh.. Pretty cringe." [Adam]
"I know. I laughed at him for that and got my ass beat. It was worth it though." [Orion]
Though the injuries Orion had sustained weren't so dismissive, Adam had to respect the fact that Orion had priorities.
"So, what about that Dante guy?" [Adam]
"He's probably going to jump you or something soon." [Orion]
"...Like in the streets or something?" [Adam]
"No, at school." [Orion]
Adam was baffled. The school they attended had guards patrolling the perimeter at all times.
"Not saying that you're a liar…, but I don't believe you." [Adam]
"Okay, sure. But when he comes, you'll know." [Orion]
He spoke with much confidence, leading Adam to somewhat believe him.
"Alright, I'll assume that he comes to our school. How will he get past the guards?" [Adam]
"Brute force. He has a GANG remember?" [Orion]
"And how exactly did he manage to get a gang?" [Adam]
"By beating up all the delinquents or something in other schools. I don't know, but he has one regardless." [Orion]
Everything about Dante seemed to be strange. A student leading a gang sounded ludicrous. It wasn't something that seemed possible, but remembering how the students were gathered made it look more plausible.
"Well, putting that aside… You mind shifting me up a little? I can feel your shoulder digging into my ribs." [Orion]
"How about you walk instead of me carrying you?" [Adam]
"I'll pass." [Orion]
The time passed quickly as Adam walked. By the time Adam had arrived at his new abode, the sun had already set.
"I'm putting you down now." [Adam]
"Hm? Okay, just give me a sec-" [Orion]
Without another word, Adam simply dropped Orion.
"Ack! Shit! I think I scraped my arm!" [Orion]
"Just lick it or something. Hurry up, I'm gonna ring the bell." [Adam]
Orion looked at Adam with an expression that said, "Are you serious?" and sighed.
"Whatever." [Orion]
Adam rang the bell to his new house, and a cheerful tune played on the other side.
"I feel like I've heard this song before." [Adam]
Moments later, the door opened.
"Adam! What's up!" [???]
"Huh?" [Adam] [Orion]
There stood Vamp, greeting them at the front door.
"V-Vamp?!" [Orion]
"What are you doing here?" [Adam]
"I was waiting to show you around the hou- wait, what happened to you?" [Vamp]
Vamp took notice of Adam's burns marks on his clothing and skin. He clearly needed some kind of medical attention.
"...Please don't tell my sister." [Adam]
"Ahaha… You may or may not be too late on that…" [Vamp]
"What do you mean?" [Adam]
Vamp pointed a thumb behind him and moved to the side. Just then, a look of realization crossed Adam's face.
"Oh…" [Adam]
There stood Vivian with her arms crossed, staring at Adam with a very serious expression.
("I'm downright screwed aren't I?") [Adam]