[Intergalactic: Online 10]

Rea led Creed down a series of sketchy alleyways. Within minutes, they had left the hustle and bustle of the city's main streets and ended up in the narrow alleyways of the slums.

As they moved, they encountered all kinds of sinister-looking characters, but most of the people did not hinder them.

Creed knew that it had to do with their uniforms and the weapons they carried. It was unlikely that two-bit thugs would mess with trained and armed mercenaries. Of course, this wasn't a hard rule as there would always be a few brave souls with more brawn than brains that felt they had a chance. However, Rea and Creed efficiently dealt with them when they appeared.

Creed was also scouting the surroundings for any hidden talents. After discovering Rea, Creed was eager to look for more ranked NPCs. After all, one couldn't underestimate the value that a ranked NPC could bring. Not only were they competent in their chosen paths, but they all could learn and develop quickly.

What may take regular NPC months to learn might only take a ranked NPC a day or two. Combine this with advanced cybernetics to improve their intelligence, strength, and survivability, and you have yourself an elite force.

While Creed was deep in thought, Rea stopped at a seemingly ordinary metal door. She knocked on it three times, and after a few seconds, the eye-shutter opened. A large man looked through the hole with an angry expression until he saw Rea's face. He immediately closed the shutter and opened the door.

"Rea? what are you doing here?", He said as he opened the door for her. Rea nodded her head as she quickly walked in.

"I'll explain inside. This is my...friend Creed. He has helped me out of a few very dangerous situations today..." Rea said with a sigh.

Creed followed Rea into the darkroom as the man shut the heavy metal door behind them.

"Is that so?..." the man said as he switched on the lights and turned to Creed with a skeptical look.

Creed also looked at the large, muscular man who had a steel plate on half of his bald head and a distinct handle mustache. His entire left arm was also made out of what Creed considered a crude cybernetic prosthetic.

"How do you do. I'm Creed," he introduced himself as the man's details appeared over his head.

[Human-Male (Unranked)]

[Path: Mechanic (Novice)]

"Pea..." the man said with a gruff voice as he turned around and limped into the dimly lit room. Now that the lights were on, Creed noticed that this was a small restaurant and bar with no patrons. The man limped toward the back of the small dining hall and entered a door leading to the kitchen.

A few seconds later, a middle-aged woman came out with a worried look and immediately hurried over to Rea.

"What happened? Did you get hurt anywhere?" the woman asked as she inspected Rea's body.

"I'm fine, Mom, don't worry, it's nothing serious," Rea said.

'Mom?', Creed thought to himself in disbelief. Was her supposed safe-house just her family's home?. Wouldn't this be the first place that they came looking for her?.

"How can I not worry when my only daughter decides to do such a dangerous job..." Rea's mother's words trailed off when she noticed Creed standing behind them with a confused look on his face.

"My my, who is this handsome young man. Your boyfriend? or husband maybe?..." she said as a scheming smile crept into her face.

Creed gave the woman a wry smile and then darted Rea a look that said; we need to talk. Rea noticed this and turned her mother around while pushing her back into the kitchen.

"We need to use the basement for a few days, but you can't tell anyone that we're here, OK?" Rea said as she quickly turned around and pulled Creed downstairs.

Rea's mother looked at her daughter in disbelief and quickly ran into the other room while shouting, "Honey, you didn't tell me that she brought such a handsome man along! I wasn't even ready!"

Downstairs, Creed and Rea walked into what seemed to be a mechanic's workshop. All types of machine parts and tools were hanging on the walls or sitting on the many shelves and in the corner of the small room was a single bed.

"So your safe house is your parent's house?" Creed asked incredulously.

Rea had an embarrassed look as she cleared her throat and nodded her head.

"Nobody knows about them. I joined Horizon under a fake identity, so this place is the safest place for us in LH-City."

Creed could only sigh while shrugging his shoulders. "If you say so. Now then, what's next?" Creed said as he dropped his duffle bag on the ground and sat on the bed while looking through the workshop.

There were hundreds of different items and gadgets, making it suitable for crafting all kinds of items to increase his path points. Creed was tempted to start going through the stuff to see what he could use for crafting but decided to hold himself back for now.

"First, you can ask Pea about this planet's history. He's been around for a while and knows stuff that even LH-Corp think they have completely erased from history. If you want to know about the planet, then he's your best bet for now. Once you're happy, we can start discussing how we'll investigate Horizon..."

Creed nodded his head in agreement and was about to go speak with Pea when he smelled an awful scent coming from himself.

"Before that, is there any place I can shower?" Creed asked with some embarrassment. After all, He had been living in the forest for days now, so he had developed an odor.

Rea pointed toward a door in the room. "The shower is in there. I'll see what clothes I can find for you", Rea said as she went upstairs.

"Well, this is kind of nice. A workshop and a free place to stay for a while. What more could I ask for?" Creed said while walking into the shower.

Creed washed his worries and concerns away and stepped out of the shower feeling refreshed and rejuvenated. He tied a towel around his waist and walked out of the room, only to be met with Rea, who was placing his clothing on the bed.

She seemed fresh out of the shower as her short, wavy black hair stuck to her neck. She had changed out of her military gear and was now dressed in a casual tee and comfortable-looking shorts.

Rea turned to see Creed standing by the doorway, with steam still rising off his body.

"Ehm, I've brought you a change of clothes. When you're ready, you can come upstairs for dinner", She said as she quickly left the room with flushed cheeks.

"Oho, what a wasted opportunity," Creed whispered to himself with a chuckle as he walked over to the bed and changed into the simple shirt and track pants combo.

When Creed walked upstairs, he was surprised to find an entire feast laid out on the table. All kinds of delicious-looking foods sat there, making Creed almost salivate.

Rea's mother, who had now changed into a chef's outfit, gestured for Creed to come over.

"Please, have a seat," She said as she pulled out the chair next to Rea, causing the woman to cover her face in embarrassment. Creed didn't hesitate and immediately sat in the chair while looking at the food.

"I don't think I've introduced myself yet. You can call me Tea. Please, help yourself.", the woman said with a smile as she placed a large piece of what seemed to be a turkey leg onto Creed's plate.

"Thank you for your hospitality!" Creed said as he bit into the tender and succulent piece of meat. Creed almost burst into tears as this was the first proper meal he had had in days and because flavor and taste were beyond his expectations.

"Please treat my daughter well and give us a bunch of grand kids!" Rea's mother said with a smile.

Rea could only sigh in embarrassment while glaring at her mother through the gaps in her fingers.

"Of course! I will make her the happiest woman on the planet!" Creed responded immediately and without hesitation as he continued to shove more of the delicious food into his mouth.

Rea looked over to Creed incredulously.

'Why does this guy sound serious?' she thought as she watched him stuff his face.