OLD-WORLD EXTRA-Chapter 108: Beauty

As the other hunters closed in, Emir remained watchful of his radar.

The air was thick with silence, and the sound of footsteps echoed through the space.

He was acutely aware that any sudden movement could trigger a confrontation.

And he could feel the tension radiating from his teammates, their ragged breaths evidence of their anxiety as they waited for the other hunters to make their move.

Cutting through that tension, one of the hunters outside the entrance screamed:

"WE MEAN NO HARM!! WE COME IN PEACE!! ONE OF OURS WILL APPROACH THE ENTRANCE WITH NO WEAPONS, SO DO NOT SHOOT!!"

Emir watched as one of the signals approached, separating himself from the group he was in, so he roared back:

"WALK BACKWARDS AND KEEP YOUR HANDS UP, ANY WRONG MOVE AND I WOULD OFF YOUR HEAD!!"

Emir and the rest noticed a man dressed in expensive-looking gear enter the room, his back facing them as he walked towards them.

[Lyra, aren't these guys too over-geared to be here?]

[They are, I just checked, and it seems that the weather report was wrong in the information package, the surface is currently filled with acid rain; these two groups most probably came into this ruin to take cover.]

The hunters who explored the wasteland of the old world faced many dangers, including the interference of acid rain.

Acid rain was concentrated in the old world, where the fallout of the nukes still existed, and it could have several negative effects on hunters' expeditions.

Firstly, acid rain could disturb the signals of the hunters' communication and information gathering devices, reducing their range and clarity.

This made it difficult for the hunters to communicate with each other and their support team. Acid rain could also interfere with the hunters' maps and GPS systems, making it challenging for them to navigate through the wasteland.

The main headache-causing issue was that it led to the concentration of monsters in certain areas, as the creatures tended to seek shelter from the acidic deluge.

This increased the likelihood of hunters being ambushed by monsters if they remained in the area for an extended period.

So to avoid these dangers, hunters usually moved out of the affected area as quickly as possible and found shelter from the rain.

Which was what this group of hunters had probably done.

As the hunter drew near, he raised his hands in a gesture of peace.

"Hey, guys... chill out," he said.

"We're just here to wait out the rain. There's no need for guns, right?"

"And trust me, you don't want to start anything with us."

"We're from two of the three biggest underworld factions, and fighting us would only end in your own death....."

"So, let's just all take it easy, okay?"

Emir ignored his words and lunged forward, seizing the hunter's shoulder and pressing the sharp edge of his dagger to the man's neck.

The hunter froze in fear, his expensive gear doing little to protect him from Emir's deadly blade.

The rest of the room watched in silence, waiting to see what would happen next.

Emir then looked at the entrance and bellowed:

"COME IN, I HAVE YOUR MAN! IF YOU WANT HIM TO LIVE THEN SHOW YOURSELVES!!"

The two groups of hunters complied with his demand, slowly lowering their weapons as they cautiously entered.

Their hands remained close to them, however, ready to draw them at a moment's notice.

Two figures, clearly the leaders of their respective groups, stepped forward.

The one on the left spoke up first:

"I am called Henry, a member of the Liberation Army like the group behind me, you must know that it is in your best interest as a fellow hunter to never go against a faction like ours." The one on the right spoke next:

"Call me Noah, me and my group are a part of Templar, so you know well how we roll."

Emir looked at the both of them and asked:

"Do you guys want to harm us in any way?"

Henry and Noah looked at each other and then turned to face Emir.

"No," they said in unison.

Emir continued eyeing them as he asked:

[Lyra, do you detect any inconsistencies from them?]

[No, their facial structure, body movement, and breathing, indicate that they speak the truth.]

She answered.

Emir soon let go of his hostage and sheathed his dagger.

"Kiera, weapons down, they're fine."

Kiera, with her weird and high trust in Emir, followed his commands with no hesitation, followed soon after by her gang.

The tension began to ease as Emir took a step back, still keeping an eye on the two leaders.

"You can't blame us for being cautious. We've had some bad run-ins with other factions before."

Henry widely smiled and said:

"Understandable. We all have our enemies in this world. But we're not your enemies, at least

not for now."

Emir nodded.

"Sounds good to me."

Henry approached Emir as he said:

"You must have quite a good lie detector, to trust it that much."

Emir smirked.

"Oh yeah, it almost cost me my life to get it, it was worth it though."

[DON'T CALL ME A LIE DETECTOR!!] Lyra complained in his head.

He ignored Lyra and laughed as he shook Henry's hand.

"Nice to meet you guys, so acid rain, huh, tough luck."

Henry joined him in laughter.

"You're right about that... Anyways, what is someone like you doing here? Your suit looks A-

rank at least."

"Oh, I'm just here to guard Madam Kiera over here." Emir said as he gestured to her.

Henry raised an eyebrow while Noah cut into their conversation:

"So another one of those elites that want to explore ruins for fun, eh, quite a beautiful one, I

must add."

Emir's face didn't change a bit as he thought:

'So they mistook her for an Elite, huh? Good, we can use this.'

Noah approached Emir and whispered in his ear:

"Yours seems to be the type that doesn't use high-level gear to avoid denting their delicate pride. Good luck with that, but you better get out before she drags you to your death."

"The money is worth it, though." Emir whispered back.

They separated from each other as they both broke out in laughter.

Noah said, still chuckling between breaths:

"Of course, money is always worth it, even we don't think differently."

Emir acted out as he controlled his fake laughter and gestured towards Kiera once again.

"Let me introduce you. This is Madam Kiera, the second daughter of an Elite family. I'm afraid I can't mention the name as she doesn't want to be feared by her hunter pears." Kiera quickly picked up on the act, and like a natural, she curtsied to them.

"It is nice to meet high-ranking hunters like you all. I have much to learn, so I would love to

hear some of your stories."

Emir smiled at her fast backup, and he watched as an excited Henry approached Kiera, seemingly wanting to impress the Elite lady he thought she was.

The rest of her gang went back to searching for relics, understanding the situation.

Henry bowed lightly as he spoke:

"It is great to meet an esteemed lady such as yourself, you grace us with your presence.

Emir noticed Noah shaking his head in disappointment, knowing that interacting with elites

is more dangerous than even fighting the strongest of monsters.

Kiera smiled.

"Please... Talk to me like how you would any other hunter, I'm not here as an Elite but as a

hunter like you."

"As you say, Lady Kiera and I must say, you are quite beautiful."

Emir snickered inwardly.

'C'mon friend, you can do better than that.'

While doing that, he looked back at Kiera and caught a fleeting expression of disgust on her

face, but it was quickly replaced by her usual smile.

He knew that Kiera had a deep hatred for the underworld factions, and he could tell that she

was struggling to keep up her friendly fa?ade.

But to their guests, she remained cordial and polite.

"Thank you, Sir Henry, so I heard you talk about hiding here from acid rain, were you coming

from another ruin by chance?"

"Yes, no offense to you, but high-rankers like us only go to high-ranking ruins, actually, me

and my friend over here are celestials, you see."

Emir flinched slightly.

'Goddammit, what the hell are celestials doing here?!'

Kiera looked at Emir, prompting Henry to say:

"Oh, is your bodyguard not a celestial?"

Emir corrected Henry by saying:

"I am a celestial, but Madam Kiera is simply surprised by meeting other celestials in a place

like this."

Kiera quickly chimed in:

"Indeed, it is my first time meeting a celestial outside my family, how is it that you two are

celestials but are not on the front lines?"

'Smart!' Emir inwardly praised, struggling from showing a grin on his face.

Henry's mouth went wide with a smile.

"That's where our factions come into play, my lady, we are given Aether cores due to our rank

within the faction. Me and Noah have been contributing quite a bit, so it isn't surprising."

"I should have listened to my lessons better then, this surprised me quite a bit."

Emir nodded.

"As I previously informed you, Madam Kiera, greater knowledge is necessary for you to be a

better hunter."

Henry attempted to defend her:

"That's alright, mister guard, lady Kiera already knows her priorities. Anyway, have you

already become an Ascendant?"

Emir instantly cut him off:

"Apologies, Henry, however, that information is private, so please avoid asking any

questions that concern her personally."

Henry appeared to have gotten increasingly agitated at Emir's constant interventions, but he held it in, not wanting to embarrass himself in front of Kiera.

"I'm sorry, lady Kiera, I was being rude." He said, his voice sounding slightly angry.

"It's fine, Sir Henry, just make sure to keep my guard's advice in mind." She responded, her simple sentence containing a threat that Henry managed to pick up on. "So, what are you guys doing now that you aren't on the frontlines?" She asked. "Well, my faction tasked me and my group to ally with Noah's for a team mission, some

unusual activity occurred a few days back in Arcadia's Bazaar, so we were sent to investigate

it."

Emir sneered inwardly.

[That's us, isn't it?"]

[It sure is.] Lyra replied. Henry continued:

"We didn't find anything-"

But he suddenly stopped talking as he noticed a clueless Leo approach Kiera while saying:

"Sorry to intrude on everyone, but I need to talk to Kiera for a moment."

Henry's minuscule ego was shattered at that moment as he instantly raised his gun, sticking it

to Leo's head.