Author Notes:
So, next OBOM chapter is up, and with it comes my honest talk that I am, in fact, not alright in the head.
What too much coffee did to a brainless slime...
Anyway, as always, enjoy the new chapter! Hopefully, you can take your time leaving a comment or a review, pretty please?
As per usual, though, a friendly reminder is given because there's only four days left before the discount period for newcomers on Patreon is over! If you're interested in OBOM, then you can read nine chapters ahead over on my Patreon site! Links for my Patreon and Discord server are right below!
https://www.patreon.com/Heartbreak117
https://discord.gg/cVZxJ29ruh
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[Daily Login Reward received:
- Minor Stamina increased.]
Unlike before, today's reward is surprisingly normal, but crucial to our well-being. A larger pool of stamina equals greater endurance in matters that require high physical activity, such as running away with bravery. One certainly can't expect to win all potential engagements. A tactical retreat is always an available option in any conflict. One only needs to have the measure it takes to initiate a successful fallback, and stamina is almost always a requirement.
Still, is it foolish of us to want to uncover the truth, and possibly the very threat that wrecked what could only be described as modern Knights?
Probably.
Is it similarly foolish to leave alone an enigmatic threat, one that is possibly lurking around right in my backyard, and let it fester into something worse?
Probably.
So, even though it's indeed foolish, Aurea and I agree that by being proactive, we may at least not be caught on the back foot.
We both choose to selectively ignore the ancient quote: Curiosity kills the cat, which brings us to this point in time where Aurea, mentally, of course, is accompanying me to a riverside in the North. Behind me, the Alpha and some members of its pack trudge along the shore, with a couple of them using the chance to lap up some fresh water.
Not gonna lie, the riverbanks on both ends are the epitome of picturesque. Untouched by artificial intervention, wild shrubberies and flower beds create a perfect nesting place for all sorts of avian species and honey-looking insects. And as weird as it sounds, the big wolfies fit right into this colorful picture with their darker tone. Their fur provides a nice contrast to the scenic view.
Now, since we are here, right by the edge of a sprawling river that should lead us further inland, you know just what day it is, right now.
Yup, this is the day the White Pearl will grace the world, at last.
Technically, the White Pearl's construction has been finished for more than a week. The only reason we haven't pulled her out earlier is that I have to focus on the grind. I have been hunting and stockpiling a healthy reserve of food and water in the System's Inventory in preparation for a possible long journey away from home. Aurea and I haven't really decided on a time to return to the shelter we have so painstakingly built in the last few months. We will probably return only when our curiosity is sated, or something forces us to double back.
Honestly, our little shelter in the alcove has grown on us both, given how it has provided us with warmth and comfort for days without requiring rent. There's even a healthy vineyard on the wooden wall I erected outside the place, helping to mask our home's location, somewhat, from distant eyes, if there are any. Hopefully, the vines don't wilt away without us to care for them.
But enough dilly-dallying around.
[Confirm deployment of 1x Mark VI Patrol Boat (Simplified)?]
[Yes/No]
The moment I mentally express my agreement, the System responds by materializing the craft Aurea and I co-designed into the nearest body of water, which is the river where the Horned Wolves are drinking from. The splash from the water displaced by the White Pearl floods the shore and accidentally drowns Husky's head, which has been so taken by the taste of clean water that it fails to dodge in time. As a result, Husky presents its miserable appearance, coughing and sneezing up water, to a very exasperated Alpha. You can see this by the way the Alpha puts a paw on its eyes, as if trying to pull its face down in a display of sheer annoyance and disbelief. Of all the wolves, only Husky got caught in that commotion in a very inelegant manner.
Leaving Husky to subject to the Alpha's admonishing barks, I turn to survey the White Pearl. I position myself so that Aurea can see all of the White Pearl's splendor through my eyes.
"She's even pretty in person." I say, complimenting the ivory coating that the White Pearl has.
Aurea and I know that white is nowhere near a good camouflage scheme unless it's in the Arctic, but damn if it ain't a beauty when it serves as a contrast to everything else. The fact that the white coating made from those Ivory Clams serves as a protective layer against the environment is the cherry on top.
"This is our new home... A home away from home, yes?" Aurea asks with a tinge of anticipation.
I nod at her question, viewing our creation, with the aid of the GAD Module, with a certain degree of pride. "There will be a chance for us to return to the shelter, eventually. But for now, the White Pearl will be our mobile base, taking us to sights unseen. Come on, Aurea, let's climb aboard and check her out."
I step into the water, wading myself deeper into the river till I transition from walking to swimming. After some paddling, I reach the ledge of the White Pearl and hoist myself up aboard. The clear water droplets travel down the exposed parts of my light brown skin and onto my Black Silk bodysuit. To any spectator out there, I would have made for a feast for the eye, now that I am not covered by my camouflage trench coat, having put it in the Inventory before swimming.
Now that I'm aboard, I start putting the White Pearl's external under stricter scrutiny. I come to see my modifications in full: the Millennium Gun, the laying rail for depth charges and mines, and the .50 caliber machine guns... I also see the much simplified, if robust, mass with the bare minimum of sensors and redundancy electronics. The rear deck, additionally, holds two jet skis alongside spare motors and fuel for them. Overall, nothing can be found amiss, at least from the outside.
I must say, things are surely looking up for us, now that we have gained access to a usable source of hard firepower, albeit limited to an aquatic biome. Now, let's see what the interior has in store...
My feet soon carry me to the rear deck and into the main berthing area, where I inspect the galley, resting space, and other assorted things, to confirm their full utilities and spaciousness.
You have no idea how a working toilet and air conditioning are pure luxury items until you have gone without them for more than half a year.
And thanks to some well-meshed foresight of having two brains working on the same problem, Aurea and I make sure that we have solar energy and battery packs to power the boat's electronics for quite some time when the diesel engines are left to rest. We basically have a full suite of modern amenities, 24/7, nonstop, if we don't overdraw the stored energy faster than what the solar panel can recharge in the day. This is practically any sailor's wet dream, and it kinda outshines our previous shelter by a lot in terms of being livable.
But well, Aurea and I are somewhat sentimental, so the shelter we directly invested our blood, sweat, and tears in will surely take the cake as the best possible home... At least for the short future.
Moving on, I work to familiarise myself with the controls of the pilot house before climbing up onto the roof, where the mast and a semi-enclosed cabin are situated. The cabin acts as both a lookout station and a secondary pilot house. Standing from this height, I look down over onto the riverbank where the Horned Wolves are left curiously sniffing in the direction of the White Pearl. This is the moment I realize that, if I take the waterway as my main method of travel, I don't think the wolves will be able to accompany me.
Do they even want to come with me, though?
Frankly, I have been around them for so long that it will be kinda sad not to see these giant fluff balls in the coming days. Perhaps walking would be a better idea? In that case, it will risk me being undergunned, even with the Horned Wolves willing to be my escorts into the beyond.
But then, I realize I am not the one to make the call in the first place. It's the Alpha who gets to decide what the pack will do. Always have been.
So, I step to the railing, leaning onto it as I overlook the shore. I notice that in the time I have spent below deck, the Alpha has gathered its pack, growling and barking, as if to give a final round of command. Even though I'm a human, and I am some distance away, I can feel the gravita that lingers over the pack. Husky, for all of its goofiness, manages to get into a proper business mode, for once, as it sits before the Alpha.
Eventually, I see the Alpha move a full circle, coming to a stop and looking into the eyes of every single wolf that is around. The way I see it, the Alpha is committing the look of its pack into its mind. By this point, I will be a fool if I say that I don't understand what the Alpha's doing. That gaze, that atmosphere it exudes... The Alpha's mirroring the actions that soldiers would tend to do before embarking on a high-risk operation.
Seriously, these wolves have way too much humanity in them. Even more so than the actual humans that I knew.
Once the Alpha comes to a stop in front of the last wolf, Husky, it actually levels a paw onto Husky's head, ruffling it with some force while growling exasperatedly. Husky, being on the receiving end of this surprise motion, nearly got its face planted on the ground. Of course, Husky doesn't dare to do anything and accepts the gesture passively. Honestly, the whole sequence looks both amusing and endearing, to the point I can feel Aurea letting out a mental gasp at the level of cuteness... If you disregard the fact that these are giant wolves with horns, of course.
Ultimately, what seems to be a ceremony of an Alpha passing the baton to the capable Lieutenants of its pack comes to an end. Sitting on its hind legs, the Alpha initiates a howl to the Heaven, prompting the other Horned Wolves to follow suit. Perhaps due to the resonance from the collective howling of giant wolves, even the river flow is disturbed, and the White Pearl that I'm on got shaken for a tad. That is both surprising and scary to see. It once again drives home the point that this is a magical world I've come to appear in, and not the technical marvel that used to be my home universe.
Biology, and by extension myriad things, are most certainly different here. I am quite surprised that the howls don't really hurt my ears, despite them easily creating some wake in the river. Should I contribute this to my raising Vitality and Strength, thanks to the System and my daily training?
My bout of inner mulling is interrupted when I hear water splashing. I divert my attention back to reality and see the Alpha has jumped into the water. It appears that's it for the parting stuff. Much like I have expected, the Alpha goes solo, and lo and behold, it agilely swims before jumping onto White Pearl with apparent ease. The White Pearl, once again, rocks slightly in the river, owing to its withstanding the weight of the Alpha. Once aboard, the Alpha turns to look up at me, as if seeing if I have any problem with it accompanying me into the wild, wild North.
To this, I shrug, before hopping down from the roof and landing in front of the Alpha. With a smile, I extend a hand over in its direction.
"Perhaps this is the moment I should say... Welcome to the team, Alpha."
I see the wolf gazes into my offered hand, thinking, before making a low growl and putting a paw against it. And with that, one Horned Wolf and a human form an unconventional alliance.
Truly, life is most certainly strange.