Infinity Is My Affinity?!?-Chapter 87: To Still Come Out On Top
[Master!]
Nom-Nom’s bubbly voice cut through the red haze, sending his heart into another beating frenzy that shattered the momentum of his punch instantly.
Nico froze, his fist hovering inches from the trunk of the oak tree, while the ice gauntlet encasing his hand creaked audibly with the sudden arrest of momentum.
"Oh... h-hey, Nom..."
He forced the words out, his voice cracking slightly as he lowered his arm, leaning his forehead against the cold wood to ground himself.
[You wouldn’t believe what happened today!]
"Try me," he said with a weak, breathless chuckle, closing his eyes to focus on the warmth radiating from her voice.
[So... I was in that Dungeon, dragging a cart around to carry all the monsters... hitting monsters with the thin side of the sword... when I stumbled across a bunch of people in trouble! And I saved them all... and guess what happened next!]
[At least she’s living the dream...] Nico thought before quickly shaking his head back to the conversation.
"Huh... must be something real cool."
[Yep! I made friends with them all!]
"Damn, Nom... way to go! What are they like?" He injected a forced enthusiasm into his tone, genuinely happy for her despite the bile rising in his own throat.
[They’re nice... a bit... how should I say... uhh, nervous around me? But they’re nice.]
"Heh... Who wouldn’t be nervous around the greatest of all greater dragons?" he teased, a weak smile finally touching his lips as the tension in his shoulders began to loosen.
[Hehe... I told Peko how we got our new swords... she was impressed... she said acting all wise and everything... leave it to Young Master to take whatever hand the world deals him and still come out on top... hehe.]
The smile vanished from Nico’s face.
His heartbeat spiked, hammering against his chest as the weight of the statement settled over his shoulders like the weight of the sky itself
[Come out on top, huh...]
He looked down at his frost-covered hands, still stained with the blood and mud of the clearing.
"Hardly..." he whispered, the word slipping out before he could stop it.
"Um... So," He shook his head, desperate to change the subject before the silence stretched too long. "Did Peko manage to vomit out the Spoofing Ring I made her swallow before our interrogation at the Southern Border? Were those pills I gave her any help?"
[Yes... and she didn’t need the pills. Though she did make quite a mess in the bathroom... which she cleaned up... but that smell of blood is still there.]
"Nom... what’re you on about?"
There was a pause on the other end, and a moment later Nom-Nom’s voice returned.
[Peko is saying that please don’t forget she’s a Phoenix and not to underestimate the potency of her natural rate of healing.]
"What’re you talki-" The gears in his mind clicked into place mid-sentence before the realization hit him, "Holy-!"
[So, how was your day?] Nom-Nom continued, [Did anything interesting happen? You sound tired...]
"Yeah... my day... has been just as eventful, so to speak... hell, I’m still on my way to the Dungeon... Is Peko with you?"
[Yeah... we came out for a stroll after dinner... she’s telling me about the stuff she learnt at the library.]
"Perfect... also tell her what I’m about to tell you. Remember that Luger guy we got our swords from? Yeah, he sent assassins after me to... kill me and take all my stuff."
[He did that...?] Her voice lost all its bubbly warmth, dropping into a cold, hollow tone that made the hairs on Nico’s arms stand up.
"Uh-huh..."
A heavy silence stretched through the bond until Nom-Nom’s voice returned, smaller and with a slight tremble.
[Are you hurt?]
"Was... had to use one of the remaining two Grade 2 Healing potions, but... well, I had to kill them."
[Master... I-]
"Look..." Nico cut her off, his voice firming up as he pushed off the tree. "The world dealt me that hand, and I came out on top. Managed to secure one of the main ingredients for the Grade 1 Healing Potion... We’re one step closer to recovering your wing."
He heard her gasp through the bond, followed by-
[But are ’you’ okay?]
"I..." Nico paused, feeling a lump form in his throat, "Just need a bit of time..."
And the silence returned, for even she didn’t know how to bridge the gap.
[Master... Peko is asking, What’s the plan?] 𝚏𝗿𝗲𝐞𝚠𝕖𝐛𝗻𝗼𝐯𝕖𝚕.𝚌𝗼𝗺
Nico’s heart instantly dropped. He didn’t have a plan. He barely had the will to keep walking.
But he had long forfeited the right to say to those who believed in him that he didn’t know what to do.
And so, he spun his mind, smothering his feelings with the leadership he’s promised them, until it clicked into place.
"Nom..." he said, his voice stabilizing. "There’s a pendant in my inventory... take it out and give it to Peko. It belongs to a guy named Arlath... He and his pals were the assassins. And that Arlath guy said something about being with Entropy... or at least he tried to."
He felt a subtle shift in his inventory as Nom-Nom took the black pendant out
"I want Peko to figure out what that is... though it’s probably a gang or something. But I wanna be sure because... they may come after us, given how I killed some of their own."
[Master... but they’re the ones who attacked you...]
"Doubt they’ll care... I’m inclined to believe either they’ll take this as a personal affront... or a smear on their reputation, or try to indoctrinate us. Either way, we need intel. Tell Peko to handle it. And don’t kill anyone, or let anyone discover that we’re poking... lest the situation spirals even further."
Another silence stretched as Nom-Nom relayed the orders before her voice returned, tinged with uncertainty.
[Peko has disappeared into the darkness... What do I do?]
"You’re on standby..." Nico said, straightening his back and staring into the abyssal gloom of the forest ahead. "If she pings me with that stone I gave her... I’ll let you know. You are to rush to her aid... Her position is visible on the map thanks to that stone... so follow that."
[Understood.]
"Night, Nom..."
[Good night, Master.]
And as the connection faded, leaving him alone in the quiet dark, staring dead into the darkness, Nico took in a deep, trembling breath, recalling Peko’s words.
Leave it to Young Master to take whatever hand the world deals him and still come out on top.
Though the silence had returned, this time, it didn’t feel like a cage.
Nico looked up, his glowing blue eyes tracing the canopy where the leaves parted to reveal a sliver of the indifferent star-filled night sky above him.
[If I wanna live the life I dream to live...]
He took another deep, trembling breath, feeling the freezing night air sting through his lungs and slowly scrub away the last of the tremors.
[I gotta take whatever hand the world deals me and still come out on top. And most importantly... Learn. Besides, this won’t be the last time I get punched in the face.]
The realization settled over him simply as a rule of engagement.
And with a thought, Nico throttled the output of his Ice Reinforcement down to 50 MP before diverting the freed-up mana into a 2-Second Precognition.
[No way in hell I’m getting caught with my pants down again like that...] Nico took another deep breath before dropping into a sprinter’s crouch, the ice-plated boots digging into the rapidly crystallizing dirt as he loaded his hamstrings like coiled springs, feeling his heart pounding and sweat drenching his bloodied back as though he’d already run a marathon before-
-BOOM!
The earth exploded behind him as he launched himself into the darkness with eyes wide open.
