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/Far below Philip's feet, in a laboratory wrought of iron and brass.../
/Step step step!/
Tredis and all the scientists ran with everything they had to the control room, emergency sirens echoing around them as red and white flashed in the hallways.
"Out of the way! Move it!" Tredis exclaimed as he pushed everyone before him aside
'Why is this happening?!'
With each echo of the sirens, the tighter his chest became. No matter how much anger he held for the one responsible for this mess, right now, they had to bring the reactor under control.
/Beep/
[Emergency, emergency, emergency...]
[Reactor Core temperature has surpassed the fractured line, initiating emergency cooling…]
"… ?!"
Tredis almost came to a sudden halt, but as he processed the message, he started running even faster, so fast that rather than turning around and slowing at every corner, he opted to crash against the walls, leaving dents in his path.
His eyes burned, 'Dammit… Dammit! This is the first time in my life I'm complaining about having the reactor on the last floor!'
The laboratory's entrance might be located in the middle layer, but it was deep, puncturing into the third and final layer of the city and even beyond, into the underground.
To support the extreme reactions within and to minimize potential risks, that was the choice he made… or rather, the ancient Dwarves did.
His laboratory was where the original Magmatic Forge of the ancient Dwarven city was located. Long broken and dormant, its original hull was scrapped and gutted as the city's original inhabitants fled.
"… Shit… shit! Every elevator is bloody occupied!" He exclaimed as he dashed to the side
/Step step step!/
So he jumped like a frog downstairs, crashing on the final floor with his knees bent and lips bleeding, "Cough!… I'm too old for this…"
But he couldn't let himself stop. He was the only one, aside from Jamal, able to operate the reactor and stop it from exploding, '… If it reached the fractured line, then the core temperature has already gone beyond four thousand degrees.'
'If this was a true Magmatic Forge, this wouldn't be a problem, the original ones were meant to withstand far greater temperature ranges…'
He pushed himself off the ground, 'But this is a miniature experimental model built by gathering fragmented and melting substitute parts!'
"If it reaches six thousand degrees, the subpar parts will start to melt off…"
[Emergency cooling has been halted by higher command]
The mechanical voice echoed throughout the area…
Tredis froze in disbelief… and immediately after, his face turned even redder, as if he were was about to explode… "BY EVERYTHING THAT WAS CREATED!!! JAMAL YOU SON OF %^@$^$!!!"
He stepped forward…
/Crack!/
"Ah—ARG! My back… When I get my hands on you…"
He looked at his favorite shoes, now blasted to pieces… and held his boiling anger deep down as he stretched his locked back.
/Crack!/
"AHHH! Now I fucking did it... Just a bit and..."
/Crack!/
"HUP... Haa... Haa... alright."
He didn't even stop to dust his clothes, rushing forward. It was also about this time that some of the researchers rushed down the stairs as well, catching up with him.
Perhaps they too realized that if the reactor exploded, there was nowhere they could go.
"Huff... Huff... Huff..."
As he ran, Tredis thoughts continued, 'The main room was built to resist any mishaps from the reactor and protect the scientists. However if the reactor keeps building heat and pressure…'
'That layer will not hold, much less weaken the blast. At best, it'll act as a pressure pot for the explosion… I never thought I'd make this calculations before… but if it ignites right here…'
He gulped saliva, 'It might be enough to take down this entire layer.'
If the lowest layer collapses, everything atop it will fall, even when there are inbuilt magic systems made to prevent such disasters.
They exist with the idea that this would never happen in the first place, they can not lift an entire city, only small sections of it at a time!
"WHY ARE YOU DOING THIS?!?! YOU'LL END UP BURIED WITH US YOU CRAZY BALLSACK-LICKER!!" He exclaimed to the ceiling, but no one replied
...
/RUSH!/
/Psss!/
[Identity recognized, welcome—]
"GET THE FUCK OUT!"
/BAM!/
Smashing his hand against the wall, the mechanical door read his key before opening, but rather than wait for it to open, Tredis mustered his entire strength as an army veteran and kicked it aside, sending it flying across the room before he dashed inside.
"H-H-Head Researcher! You're…"
A man approached him holding a pile of papers, the same pile was immediately slapped down by him...
"SHUT UP AND GIVE ME A DEBRIEF AS FAST AS POSSIBLE!!!"
Tredis' face was red like a tomato, but his screams seemed to reassure the scientists who were desperately trying to keep everything in control.
"It's really bad, sir! Jamal stole the main control keys and sealed himself within the emergency control room before setting the machine to overdrive. The problem is, it wasn't made to withstand that!"
"Without the temperature valve, the machine can't even self-regulate. We can't just turn it down, as in the emergency room, Jamal has full control over many of its operations!"
Tredis didn't seem to be listening as his eyes scanned the dashboards in front of him, "This was my oversight. I shouldn't have shared control over the reactor to anyone but me…"
"To think he would utilize this old, half-broken piece of programming left behind by the Ancient Architects… Of course it was him, Jamal was the one in charge of decrypting those commands."
The forge system of the ancient dwarves was one of the wonders of their civilization, one that was lost to time. Jamal was the head of the department in charge of researching that Ancient Language.
"I wonder how long he planned for this. Everything we could do to turn it off has been usurped… I understand… Now… GET OUT OF THE WAY!" Tredis exclaimed as he ran to the control panel
/Beep!/
/Beep!/
/Beep!/
Above the panel was a long glass window showing the room where the machine was located. Red lights kept spinning around and beeping noises were everywhere as steam burst from pipes and valves before them.
Sweat ran down his forehead, 'Shit, it's worse than I thought… He really went and threw it into Overdrive.'
/SLAM!/
"FUCK!"
He slammed his fists against the control panel, but he was surprisingly careful not to damage anything.
"A way… there has to be… YES!"
Quickly thinking about it, he started to press and pull many buttons and levers in quick succession.
"START WORKING! SINCE WE CAN'T STOP THIS DAMN MACHINE, WE'LL MAKE IT STOP ON ITS OWN!"
"The cooling mechanism has already malfunctioned so soon enough, one of the reactant pipes might either burst or melt… We just need to prevent the reactor from reaching the critical point before that happens!"
Tredis pushed a lever upward, focusing on reading a small valve, 'I can accept losing the reactor itself. But not the damned fuel!' He thought as everyone around him scrambled to take position
The fuel used to power the Magmatic forges is made with a rare alloy metal that can't be made anymore.
Its components are a mystery in themselves, and acquiring it can only be done through ruins.
/Tap tap tap!/
"I CAN DO THIS!" He screamed to himself as he pulled the levers
His hands turning into afterimages, he moved with purpose...
…
/At the same time, above…/
/Fwoosh/
Philip materialized in the middle of the street like a gust of wind, looking around with boredom.
The empty streets of the middle section of the city made him remember the downtown of a busy street back on Earth... bring with it memories and feelings he had long buried inside his heart.
But this time, he wasn't here to appreciate the scenery.
[Skill, Eyes of Premonition Lv??? unveils a Fate of destruction]
His eyes shone with golden light, and his stomach ran cold, his body tensing as if he had caught a cold.
"Well… I'm here."
'One warning is enough to make me raise my eyebrows… But two coming from different sources? Call me paranoid, but if there is any danger to look out for, this place is at the top of my list of priorities.'
"Though... It's a bit silent…" He said as he looked around
His eyes sharpened, I dont like this feeling.'
The hairs on his body lifted, and the more he walked, the worse the chilly sensation in his stomach became, 'I really don't like this. How many times have I felt like this, and how many times di I get into trouble after?'
/Fwoosh/
So he entered the laboratory, unaware of the chaos brewing within…
"Haa… You're here. I was about to call you."
... or so he wished.
"... ?"
Stopping momentarily, Philip gazed at a person standing in an alley smoking something akin to a cigarette as he stepped out of the shadows.
'Something about this guy is off. I thought it was just a civilian on the side, but all of a sudden, he feels like something else… It's like watching a street light suddenly move like a person.'
"Huh?..."
His string of thoughts came to a sudden halt, 'Wait a minute… I know this person.'
Wearing a long white robe that was both sleek and thick… it was a researcher, one of the many he had seen before. But his eyes were cloudy and unfocused, his emotions and thoughts flowing in a strange manner.
He immediately understood what was going on. Like a switch being turned, "Mental manipulation." He whispered as he looked at the man.
The man smiled, "Oh? So you noticed, what a bummer…"
"On the contrary, I'm even more curious now." The man said, his tone and way of talking changing to fit a freer and more arrogant style
He almost seemed to bow, "I've been waiting for you, Philip Polter."
Mita broke the silence, her voice echoing inside Philip's mind, [… Master, the situation is critical. I have just scanned the lab and its surroundings, and—]
"Silent now? That would be boring." The mysterious person said as he scratched his chin
/Snap!/
Snapping his fingers, the doors to the laboratory opened, inviting him in.
"Let us play a simple game of catch; I've planned quite the board for us."
"Inside you'll…"
/Fwoosh/
"?!"
But before he could continue, Philip vanished, grasping the man's forehead with his right hand as he infused mental power into his mind, dispelling any foreign control immediately.
He didn't care about what he was going to say, because he already understood that the situation was dire. There was no need to wait any longer, he had to get inside and resolve everything.
As for the mental power controlling the scientist… child's play. It lacked volume and consistency, and somehow, it felt even rougher than his own untrained mental faculties.
Philip easily overwhelmed it and usurped control before cleansing it, letting the man fall to his feet before a dark vortex took shape behind him…
"Mita, get whatever you can from him. I'm going ahead." Philip said as he crouched near the fallen man
/Swoosh!/
But as he did so, a wisp of serpentine greenish energy flowed from the ground into his head!
Even though he tried to evade it, the string followed his movements with incredible speed and precision, as if it didn't matter how much he moved, its speed would always keep up as if stuck relative to his head.
Some sort of strange ability he had never heard of! Something like this… almost reminded him of the Heroes!
/PIERCE!/
"...?"
He tapped his head… and calmed down, 'I see... Whatever.'
As he closed his eyes and focused inwards, he soon lost interest in the wisp…
/FWOOP!/
A dozen pale hands reached from the swirling void, pulling the unconscious researcher inside…
…
/Meanwhile, inside Philip's mind…/
The wisp of energy drilled its way into a large open patch of space within a white world…
/Form…/
Its form changed, taking a more humanoid shape, "No patience, a man of action, impressive, but reckless." The entity said as it looked around.
'Is that how you're going to move? I wonder then, can you finish the game I set for you without the rules?'
It almost seemed even more euphoric, 'No, this may be the correct way to play it!'
It, or rather, the man's outline, soon noticed a strange construction in the distance, a large circular wall.
Atop this wall was a massive circular structure spinning in the sky, with a tall tower piercing through into the skies beyond, covered in fog, the echoes of chains ringing from it clinging to his ears.
He pulled away from it, his eyes burning at the very sight of it…
/Glister…/
Something seemed to shine within the disk, like a massive star… A constant fluctuation emanated from within, its meaning quite clear…
It knew of his transgression, he wasn't welcomed there.
The man looked at his hands and then around him, "A materialized mental world?... No, not quite, it's fairly tangible. Perhaps just a step away from becoming real..."
"His mental power is incredible; it's suffocating me." He said as his tone showed his growing amusement
He was filled with awe and expectation, 'As I thought, he is the one we were meant to find...'
The pieces fall together, he is the player on the board of that... creature.
"Philip…"
/FWOOOOOSH!/
"?!?!"
/SHAAA!/
/CLANG!/
Out of nowhere, from the space behind him, a sword cleaved down, and he barely avoided it. The ground and air shook, a tear forming in the very space it cleaved through, often showing the outside world reflecting beyond…
/BOOOM!/
The sword crashed against the ground, shaking the entire space. It held enough power to both end and breathe life into this world… because it carried the very thing that made it.
The entity seemed confused for the first time, "Oi oi, what is that?"
'A mental construct of some sort? It doesn't look like he's controlling it… an autonomous personality fragment?…'
/Shaa…/
Dragging his sword on the ground, the Mental Knight took a step forward. The eye sockets of its helmet shone with an eerie gray light as it stared at the humanoid figure.
The same fluctuations from before echoed throughout him, but this time, they weren't as passive.
This one wanted his through extermination!
/FWOOOSH!/
"No words, huh?!"
/CLANG!/
"?!"
SHIT!
A single collision was all it took for the figure to realize it was far from being a match to this mental construct. He was sent flying into the distance, his outline shaking like a disturbed lake.
"This is beyond crazy."
'My own mental force is shaking at its presence, I didn't even know that was possible. The difference is so overwhelming that my energy is being compressed into a tangible state!'
'At this rate, even my conciousness might not return…'
/Tremble!/
The entire world shook as the knight raised his hand, gathering an incredibly massive amount of mental power. So great it was, the skies seemed to darken as the central star dimmed.
The figure raised its head as the thunderstorm of mental energy materialized atop it…
/Laugh.../
"Such a violent reaction… am I just a rat to you?..." He said amidst several chuckles
"This… this is absolutely perfect! I thought you were only interesting, but you're a damn monster trying to play in the mud!"
It is true that to get the biggest of fish you need to go to the most dangerous of places!W
"I will not forget your name anytime soon, Philip… ?!"
Just the moment the figure was about to leave, an intangible string of energy enveloped its body, pulling it back…
"What is this?!"
It looked around frantically, but it was clear, this wasn't mental power.
"Huh?!"
It was only for a moment, but up above near the center of the ring where the white sphere was located, it saw a strange red dot flare.
"!"
/TEAR!/
Before it had time to process, the Mental Knight slashed through its body with a powerful cut, cleaving it in half. The strange energy within its body floated to the red dot before being absorbed by it.
[***** Has recovered an insignificantly small portion of its Core energy]
[***** Goes back into hibernation]
…
;Back in reality…/
Philip ran through the corridors and stairs of the laboratory as he made his way to the bottom floor as fast as he could, the world around him frozen as if time had stopped.
His body vanished and transformed as he turned into smoke, getting into the crevices of the elevators before flowing down all floors.
/Fwoosh…/
No one noticed as he rushed through, how could they? He went past and beyond them within a single moment. From the moment he arrived until now, just a little over a second had passed.
Philip arrived before sound could, "I'm here."
/BOOM!/
The airwave struck behind him, but his senses were focused on what was happening before him beyond the collapsed sliding door, 'Someone wasn't having it, from the looks of it.'
Heat, the uncoordinated beating of everyone's hearts, their rapid breathing, the tapping and pulling of buttons and levers…
/BEEP!/
As he stood there, the system also scanned him, [Identity not recognized, alerting security…] The machine voice proclaimed as Philip tilted his head.
"Hm?..."
He rolled his eyes, "I should get verified once I get the chance."
""?!""
Many of the scientists turned their heads to look at him, but they bounced back to what they were doing almost immediately, unfazed by everything else.
"Things look pretty bad…" He mumbled as he approached the Dwarf
Directly opposite the door was a Dwarf atop a small box, pressing and pulling many mechanisms with a focused gaze as sweat kept running down his worn-out face.
/TAP TAP TAP TAP!/
'Won't he break the machine by slamming the buttons like that? I'm inclined to stay put and not interfere… but that doesn't seem like an option right now.'
He still felt it…
[Skill, Eyes of Premonition Lv??? unveils a Fate of destruction]
Approaching him, Philip opened his mouth, "Need some help?"
"HUH?! WHO IS… YOU?! I mean… Cough!"
The gears in his head seemed to crank as he thought about how to approach this… He quickly cleared his throat and turned to look at the machine, continuing what he was doing.
"So…"
[Reactor Core temperature has surpassed five thousand degrees — Emergency Solid Fuel removal is recommended…]
"WHAT?! HOW IS IT SO DAMN…"
Mita also voiced her thoughts, [There isn't much in my archives about Magmatic Forges. That said, we can stipulate what's about to happen…]
'… You think?' Philip thought as he grew completely serious, 'I've been having these chills for quite a while. I can tell this is dangerous without you needing me to.'
He put one hand on his shoulder, "Pardon me, old man."
"W-Wh—"
Philip reached forward, his fingers pressed together…
/SNAP!/
[Activating Skill, Liminal Planetarium (???)]
And his vision was taken over by white.
...
"What!?"
Tredis looked around, finding himself in a complete white world… It was so pure and peaceful…
The true image of an eternal heaven...
"N-NO! Did I fail?!?! I'm not ready to pass away yet!!"
Philip walked past him, one arm behind his back, "Calm down, you are very much alive, so stop screaming, I can hear them pretty loudly." He said as he stopped walking.
That said, he found his outburst quite amusing, 'He's pretty dramatic, why is the first thing he thinks of heaven?'
Finaly having the time to think for a moment, Tredis immediately ran to hold Philip's shirt with desperation brimming in his eyes, "Mr Philip?! T-Tell me where… No! Put me back into position!"
But Philip didn't budge.
"Calm down first. We have the leisure for a little talk."
Pointing at the air, Philip spun Tredis in place as if he were a child, showing him a large window floating in the air.
Tredis' eyes opened wide, "What is… That?... Ouch!"
'My head!!'
In the air, he saw his back, which made him confused. The world had completely stopped, and all of a sudden, he felt a stinging pain on the back of his head.
Philip continued, "I've bought us some time by pulling your conscience into my own… Well, not exactly; had I done that, your mind would've disintegrated, like a piece of wood against a grinder."
"You're now experiencing the world as I do when I focus. In here, each second equals about… 0.001 seconds in real-time, maybe a bit less…"
He shook his head, "The pain you're experiencing is the extreme load your mind is going through right now. I'm sorry to say it, but I'm not skillful enough to prevent that."
'Here in this world, even if your head turns to mush, I can revert, but let's not go that far… I haven't yet tested the psychological effects dying over and over can have on someone.'
Philip walked before him, "To say the least, we have little time."
Locking his eyes with him, he asked, "Find a solution, and tell me what to do to make it happen. I'll do anything you tell me to, even if it leaves me half-dead."
"We both have people to protect."
'It's too late to go save Viera and the others. And to some degree, if the Elven Heroes perish as well.'
'I can only imagine what sort of political nightmare will ensue. Not to say all the aristocracy of the other races that reside here… This matter must be solved at once, even if it means destroying the reactor.'
Philip narrowed his eyes, 'Like a certain regressor would say, the more we move forward, the harder it is to stick to what you know as slight changes deviate one timeline from another.'
'This can also be said to be my fault, and I'll going to own up to it… and then find the bastard who fucked up my evening.' He determined as Tredis' eyes trembled
Tredis took a deep breath. From the beginning, he knew Philip wasn't an ordinary person, but half of everything he said to him right now went into an ear and fell through the other.
But one thing he understood, they had a chance to make things right! "O-Okay!"
His eyes went from confusion to determination as the Dwarf focused on the window, "It's a bit strange to see myself from another perspective, but I can marvel about that later."
'Also… I needed some time to breathe. At least this way I can think more clearly… Yes, I can do this!'
He raised his fists, "First, I need a full view of the control table, I didn't finish what I was doing!"
As he said that, Philip's body in reality began to move…
Tredis calmed down, but then, frowned… "It's slow…" He said with a grunt as he crossed his arms.
Philip's eyelids twitched, "I'm doing my best here, my body is already moving incredibly fast. If I were to rush forward, I might turn your body and everyone else's into mush… unless you don't care about that?"
"I uh... P-Please be careful with my body…" Tredis said meekly as he watched Philip push his real body around, "Y-You sure you don't need to focus a bit more?"
"Don't worry, I've taken the necessary precautions so you don't injure yourself. As for the rest, this much is light work." He replied with a scoff as Tredis gulped air silently
'I'm also buying time somewhat. Even if I can't do much, Mita can. In this short span of time, she can create a copy of Tredis and study his knowledge… She might visualize or realize something he hasn't.'
'I'd rather not have to rely on that, though…'
[I can hear you…]
Philip smiled awkwardly, 'I'm not downplaying your capabilities, dear.'
[…]
…
As he was moved, Tredis took the chance to explain the situation, "Something happened to one of my coworkers and he set the machine onto the path of self-destruction."
"As we speak, the temperature on the main core is increasing, and once it surpasses a certain stage, the inner layers of the reactor will melt, mixing everything together as it goes supercritical."
"If that happens, everything within a few kilometers will turn to ash, and this is a conservative estimate."
"This city is built like a pressure chamber, it'll augment the explosion to an incredible degree, or at the very least, spread it throughout its length."
He grimaced, "I wouldn't be surprised if everyone, even the people living at the edges, were to be cooked alive within moments of its ignition."
"… This place is in dire need of OSHA regulations…"
"Pardon?"
In reality, Philip's body stood in position, "Forget that… So, I imagine we need to cool it all down?"
Philip's thoughts also moved on their own, 'Is this what happened in the future? Thousands of such ancient forges self-destructing?... I'm more impressed that they still held the power to do it.'
Tredis looked down, but his eyes kept moving, as if counting, "It isn't as simple as that. All meaningful controls were taken over by him. I can not stop the machine through this panel… nor cool it down."
"What about the fuel? Shouldn't it just go down on its own?"
He gritted his teeth, "We were prepping the reactor for another test run. One of our biggest ones… it was supposed to run for several days uninterrupted. We were just waiting for another valve…"
"If the valve had been installed, the reactor would've self-regulated… DAMMIT, JAMAL!"
As the Dwarf cursed and kicked the ground, Philip crossed his arms, "… So what do we do?"
"… Phew… We have to stop it manually for good. But that's impossible, so I opted for playing a resistance game... Continuously regulate the reactor to try to maintain it stable…"
/Shake/
Philip shook his shoulders, "Do you think that's gonna work? Tell me, what was that about doing it manually? Why is it impossible?" He asked as Tredis' eyes rolled from all the shaking.
"B-Because you would have to enter the reactor room. Specifically, the Core room where the fuel is located and…" He gulped down, "The temperature surrounding the immediate confines of the core can go as high as a thousand degrees, even then, you would have to get really close to the machine."
"Why is it so hot? How did ancient Dwarves worked on these things…"
"This reactor is but a prototype! It's not perfectly insulated or stable! In records, the reactor was so stable and its output so controlled my ancestors would feed it with their bare hands!"
Tredis held Philip's arms, "But those times are long lost! I assume its metallic surface shell has heated up to about two thousand degrees, and if you were unlucky to get blasted by the pressurized steam…"
"And?"
"A-Are you really considering it?"
"That's not for you to say. What would I have to do after?... Can't I just cut it all down?"
"You would have to climb into it… and directly interact with the fuel… and potentially pull them out... And what did you just say?! Don't even consider it!"
"In its current state, the fuel is extremely reactive. If it spills, its going to explode! Perhaps not as much as if the entire reactor melts, but its still taking a tenth of this city with it!"
"How annoying..." Philip said as he crossed his arms, "What is the highest temperature I would have to withstand if I were to do it manually like your ancestors?"
Tredis clenched his fists… "Mr. Philip… Okay…" He turned to the window, seeing the world through Philip's eyes, "First, press that and that button… Push this lever… hold this switch…"
...
A long list of orders were issued before he breathed a sigh of relief, "This is enough… and just in time."
""?!?!""
From the scientists perspective, a jolt of wind overtook them, flying around the place and sending them flying back. In slow motion, one would be able to see Philip jolting from one terminal to the other rapidly.
Before long…
[Emergency Hyper Coolant is being unleashed]
…
/Back inside his mind…/
Tredis stood before Philip, "You need to enter the reactor room before the coolant is released." He said with some concern as Philip nodded, "The coolant will save the reactor, but that's not enough."
"If we let it be, the coolant will only diverge onto less important areas. It'll save the hull, but not prevent the core from imploding… There's not much coolant can do in this situation if we don't do something."
Philip laughed, 'Like throwing water into the sun…'
Mita berated him, [Now's not the time to laugh. If that thing ignites, you'll experience what it's like to be in the Sun's Photosphere!]
"… We need it to cool down the Core and mix with the fuel already in use, even if that may compromise the other sections beyond saving..."
He struggled to say the next part, "… Even if the Core were to be unusable after this."
"And how do I do that?"
"There is an entrance door on the Lab, but you would have to leave the room and…"
"How far is it?"
"At least fifteen minutes on foot because of the many security measures installed along the way…"
It was hard to say how long it would take him to cover that much distance. It might be one full second, it might be ten whole seconds... time they didn't have.
Tredis wiped his forehead even though there was no sweat in it, mostly out of habit. It had already been around an hour since he was sent here, enough time for even Philip to feel his body ache.
Synchronizing Liminal Planetarium with reality while keeping both his body and mind sharp was difficult enough, but at the same time, he had to avoid damaging and killing the people and devices around him.
Philip could feel his exhaustion catching up. But he still had a few aces left to play… this was far from his limits, he could go far faster. So he reached out, "Are there any small entrances? It doesn't matter how small it is…"
Tredis shook his head, "None. This room and the reactor room are completely isolated from each other under many layers of protection... The city wouldn't allow it any other way, though I wonder if they still remember this place exists under all their bureaucracy."
"Either way, I've never neglected safety." He said as he tapped his chest
"I can see that…"
"COUGH!… T-There are a few tubes that pass in between rooms... But the last thing I recommend is damaging the machine's integrity even further..."
Philip looked at the glass protecting them from the reactor, "... What about this glass then?"
"Huh? The glass? It's a few meters thick… D-Dont tell me! You can't! This is a specially insulated glass, if you break it, everyone in the room is going to get baked before I can even let out a fart!"
"… Who told you I was going to break it?"
"Not going to break it… Then, is it magic?! No! You mustn't! The room's isolation extends much further than that, it'll disrupt any sort of precise magic transportation, even if conducted by experienced wizards!"
He moved his hand, "The enchantments in this room were made by an 8th Circle Archmage and are maintained on a regular basis. It's impossible to snap inside the room even if you were a 9th Circle!"
Despite always being proud of such, right now, Tredis regretted it, 'Such insulation is necessary to maintain the precision of our machines and even protect them from outside interference.'
[The layering inside is so great it's difficult, even for me, to get inside… Just a little though, I've already scanned the reactor a long time ago…] Mita said all of a sudden, as if trying to impress him
Philip remained silent, his real body raised its right hand as it pointed at the glass…
It flashed for a single moment, and in the next one…
/BURN!/
"We're inside, easy peasy… my clothes are on fire."
'Teleportation in itself isn't hard if its over short distances... Though I prefer portals.'
A slight bead of sweat formed on his forehead as Philip raised his forearm. Due to their speed, it was possible to see the slow process of his shirt getting black and then igniting.
Though it seemed it would take a while for it to burn, 'I liked this blazer… I should've taken it out…'
Mita was utterly speechless…
[Your Hyper Cells are stimulated; They have begun to adapt…]
'There they go again… I can feel them draining every once of energy I have.' Philip thought as his hunger grew
Meanwhile Tredis held his beard, almost pulling it off, "You really did it… Alright!"
Motivated beyond 100%, the Dwarf pointed forward at a series of tubes sticking from the machine and running through the ceiling.
"First! We… Wait, I didn't ask…"
"It's okay, don't worry about my body." Philip reassured him, "This much heat is far from doing much to me. I can take quite a bit more."
'I would like to say I can do everything, but… the temperature he mentioned... The one inside the Core might just be a bit more than I can chew… I'm not ready to experience the lobster treatment.'
[Compared to that, the lobster experience is akin to a cold bath]
As he thought in silence, his body finally arrived in front of the tubes. Tredis' tone was heavy as he revised the plan inside his head time and time again before he finally turned to Philip:
"You told me you could do anything, so you'll have to do something impossible for me. See those tubes, break those, and connect them with those other ones over there, and you have to be fast."
Tredis tapped his foot on the ground, "We did everything right… far better than I originally intended, but we're far from solving it all."
"Since the original cooling mechanism of the machine is being tampered with, well have to force it down the path we need it to go… and force it to cool down… We'll need to seal all the liquid fuel tubes."
"Got it."
/TSSS!/
As Philip moved to touch the tubes, hot steam blew onto his face from a burst pipe, burning his eyebrows and drying his lips as he raised his hands to block it.
Calling it hot steam wasn't as accurate, as the pressurized air was so heated it almost looked like a blowtorch firing directly onto his face, "Beh! Shit, my eyes are dry now."
Philip forced the gap to close with his mental power, but his expression was already one of annoyance, "I'm getting angry... that damned bastard, once I get my hands on him…"
/Crack!/
Philip broke the tubes with pure brute strength, clenching their ends and ripping them apart.
/Creak creak creak…/
/PSS…/
/BLAST!/
"URG! This shit is damn tough… fucking Dwarfs…"
Tredis was impressed, "Of course it is, I'm already fascinated you can even bend it… Dwarven craft is the best in the—"
"URG!"
Philip ripped the tube apart from its spot, like a rope, as everything around it crashed down at the same time. Tredis had a second heart attack seeing him handle it so brutally, but there was nothing he could do but watch…
/SHAAAAAAAA!/
A powerful jet of burning air blasted his chest, the heat so great a tint of blue flashed across Philip's bare chest as translucent scales and skin seemed to materialize, if only for a moment.
[Your Hyper Cells are deeply stimulated; They have begun to adapt…]
"… As expected, the ordinary coolant completely vaporized." Tredis mumbled as he bit his lower lip
"Is it not supposed to happen?"
"It only means the heat is far beyond what the system can handle… It can't even serve as coolant anymore. It might even worse the reactor's condition… but its all we have."
"We move as planned, the Hyper Coolant will handle the rest. That's what its made for…"
With a plan already forming, Philip removed the next tube and rearranged them.
/Crunch!…/
He pressed the tubes against each other while also using magic to expand them from within… It did a good job of sealing them, though their pressure resistance was doubtful.
He wiped his lips, "It won't last."
"It'll do. Now, our time is running out. The coolant should be dropping by soon, we still need to change another pair of tubes and move on."
"There's more?"
Tredis scoffed, "These tubes will only do so much. But if we don't remove the solid fuel from the reactor, we'll just end up in the same condition all over again!"
"Without the fuel, the machine will only operate with what it has already gathered, though by now, I still calculated that its more than enough for it to blast itself apart..."
He wasn't dishearten by the fact, "Even then, by removing it, we at least have some hope of remeding this situation!"
"Shit… I should've just gone after the operator and shoved a fist down his throat." Philip mumbled as he did as he was tasked
…
/At the same time outside…/
"COUGH!"
"Pfft… I got quite a hit…"
Inside a small room somewhere in the city of freedom, a man opened his eyes tiredly as he cleared some blood from his nostrils, getting up from a chair with a trembling body.
'I feel as if my brain is about to melt… Arg, the pain!'
/Inhale…/
/Exhale…/
"Breathe in… breathe out…"
/Silence…/
However, all of a sudden… he began to laugh, "Hahahahaha… haha… I found you…"
'It all makes sense, he is the reason we're here. He is the reason I was called!'
He tapped his head a pain flared, "Urg!…"
'… I don't really remember much as the connection was forcibly severed… Sections of my memories were cut and dispersed... His mental power is gigantic, enough to drown me...'
His eyes turned serene, 'I can not face him like this. If I stay, he'll come after me as well.'
"… Even if not, the city will explode soon, regardless." He said with an evil smile as he got up
He adjusted his clothes, pulling his jacket down, "It's a shame, but I'll have to—"
/SLAM!/
Someone suddenly flung the door to his room open, "We've finally found you, shithead!"
"Why make it so troublesome for us?"
Two girls, clearly very displeased with him, entered the room as if they owned the place…
Hearing their voices, the man laughed drily, "I was just having some fun…"
/GRAB!/
One of the ladies, the one with purple eyes, grabbed his shirt and lifted him up with great physical power, making him gasp for air momentarily as his legs wiggled in the air.
"Arg! Be a bit more careful, brute woman. I didn't know your ancestors had Orcs in it; you don't need to make it so apparent." He said as he assessed his surroundings
'What timing! They surely make this easy for me, tche!… Though... Convincing them to follow me will be a problem, I can not return alone, nor is there enough time to explain our mission to them.'
Xima's face flared, "Oh yeah? Say that one more time and I'll show you what's brutal!"
"Tsk, can not even have a proper talk with a fellow member of my species." He said disdainfully
"I would've preferred that we weren't!" She said as she bared her teeth like a beast
And he laughed, "Maybe you're 51% Orc… my apologies."
"##!!"
"Guys… That's enough. Now, explain to us… Just what are you doing?" The other girl asked with a small smile... albeit a very scary one
Fear the wrath of the patient man… Elf?
"Hehe… how does it matter to you two? Since when does what I do in my free time matter?"
'We're on the clock here…'
Xima stepped forward again. Frowning, she put him down as Latry continued, "It matters because…"
/THUD!/
"BECAUSE I FUCKING ASKED FOR IT, CROOKED EARS!" Xima said as she threw the man onto the bed violently
/Tremble…/
The Elven woman's scream shook the room slightly. The boy put his hands around his ears, complaining, "Ouch my ears, are you a megaph…"
"One more word and I'll pull one of yours out. I'm not joking this time."
"..."
He immediately went silent, 'If I weren't in such a state from the backlash, I would've already solved this… To think I'd be forced down to this state in my life…'
"Good boy! Now, start talking!" Xima demanded as she slammed her foot between his legs
Even then, he smiled mysteriously, mocking them in a sense, "Haven't you two wondered why we were sent here?..."
"We have a mission, dickhead. One you've been blatantly ignoring."
"Try to think a bit deeper… Is there really a reason to send the three of us, Elven Heroes, on a measly scouting mission?…"
His smile deepened.
…
/At the same time, below…/
/Pssssss…/
"… That's it, now, open the reactor lid!" Tredis said as he pushed Philip's mental form forward
In reality, Philip's hands already had their skin burned off, "Holy shit, I already opened twelve protective covers… Also, pushing me will not do anything! It only makes it harder to concentrate!"
Tredis put his fist over his mouth, "Thats normal, each layer is… thats another matter."
"It just pains me to see you opening it so roughly and without proper hygiene, so leave me be!"
"..."
'Who cares about hygiene?!'
/TSS!/
"ARG! This is starting to hurt…" He said as he pulled his hands back
The temperature around the last lid was so hot Philip's hand immediately sizzled as he touched it.
"… Let me ask it again, I just need to take out some rods?" He asked with a pained expression as he let go of the damn lid
"Yes, the solid fuel is controlled by specialized rods that are deposited into the furnace on command, it's a design I made to improve efficiency… Since we can't shove it inside."
He continued, gesturing with his hands as if doing a presentation, "The liquid fuel also being one of my additions, meant to improve the stability and efficiency of the forge." He added as he paced around
"The ancient ones burned the fuel directly, like shoving coal down a furnace. While I don't know how to make it, modifying the fuel directly is possible… Surprisingly, liquid fuel is far more efficient."
"Ancient Dwarven engineering was... rough, and questionably dangerous, yet it worked somehow."
/TSSS!/
"I already understand! Just fucki... f-focus on the task!" He said with a frustrated gaze as he grabbed the lid once more
'I need to be fast, even with my regeneration, my hands will not last long! Without my muscles, no matter how much power of friendship and will I have, my tendons can not do the work alone!'
[Your Hyper Cells are greatly stimulated; They have begun to repair all damage to your body]
[Your Hyper Cells are greatly stimulated; They have begun to adapt…]
He reached down, his hands unconsciously opening as blue flames lit up around his skin.
The flames gathered, forming abstract, translucent shapes that quickly condensed into scales. Sharp nails formed at the end of his fingers, lodging into the metal like levers as his eyes turned golden.
A pair of slits gazed down at the machine, fiery embers igniting around him…
/Crunk…/
/Open…/
Philip slowly pulled the last lid open, unlocking it. But even in the slowed world, the wave struck him in the blink of an eye…
"?!!!!"
'SHIT...'
/BLAST!/
…
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Notes
Thank you for reading, more chapters coming.