Chapter 33: Chapter 31 – I’m Back Home I Guess?

With giant white marble walls and pillars, Atlantis started out it's life as an event dungeon. 

During the first four years of playing Endless. Me and my guild the Flying Orcas like all other guilds was tiny compared to today. We are situated between Kurumi's rapidly expanding empire and the various warring demihuman clans buying for power. As a collection of various ragtag demonic races we are always being attacked at both fronts. Thankfully each one of us is individually strong enough to fend off the invaders but we knew we wouldn't survive if the combined beastmen clans were to attack or an effective crusade was launched from Kurumi.

That was until the 'Atlantis Event.'

{First one to conquer this dungeon shall receive this as their own territory!}

A seminal event for not only us but Endless as well as it marked the start of the War of the Dungeons. Where various player organizations fought each other for control of the dungeons. 

Fortunately through sheer strategy, stealth, maneuvering, avoidance and overall luck. Me and the Flying Orcas passed under Kurumi and the various beastmen clans' fighting above and reached the end to defeat the boss and conquer the dungeon. The look on the guys up on the surface will always be priceless. 

For days all the world chat was talking about is our successful raid against the dungeon. Various people, especially the guys fighting up on the upper floors, filled the chat with so much hate that the moderators had to step in. With various counter-conquest and crusades targeted towards us in order to reconquer the dungeon. Which we successfully fended off. 

That event was so important to us that the the Flying Orcas's history is divided into pre-Atlantis and post-Atlantis in the Endless book. 

I always smile when I remember those adventurous days, touching the marble pillar of my home that we fought so hard for to get. 

Although, "C'mon Morus, I know you'll be leaving the guild soon but you don't have to be so nostalgic for the place." One midget is being very annoying. 

"I know that bOb, but still..." The one that I remember from the statue is this girl, bOb. 

[What an inaccurate picture.] The reason why I didn't recognized her at first is that she's a midget. 

Even smaller than Mary in fact she's at about the height of my hips. In the statues she's about my height, and plus her name was Lux Boblushia. So why the hell would I be able to recognize her? [Maybe she used stilts on her statues.] I actually could see her doing that. 

Or just the passage of time improved bOb's standing, literally. 

The only thing that is similar to the statue with her is the one long horn on her head.

[But still... God of Lust huh?] That's a very funny title for her. 

She always has been the antithesis of a pervert. Not in terms of being celibate but her knowledge of it being completely nonexistent. 

I giggle at the thought, as seeing a slutty bOb goes against her very character. "I don't wanna leave home if that happens." I said at the moment. 

Which made bOb furrow her brows at my carefree tone. "You dingus, you know this is just a game right and not your home?" bOb ask that fact with a told on her head. "Plus are you mocking me?" She ask another question but I ignore it. 

[You're right about that but...] Ignoring the fact that I lived in this world for two whole days straight I always considered this place my true home than my actual one at times. 

"I would have agreed with you before bOb but the time I've been here makes this place my real house at times." I touch the pillar once again and look up to see the decorations we've done to this place. 

She scratches her head, "There you go again with that VR is real spiel again." bOb looks at me with a relaxed look, "I know you love Endless but don't let it consume your life Morus." She's lecturing me again. 

"Yeah yeah I know." Is what I always tell her when she says that. [I cannot tell her that I actually died and reincarnated as Morus.] I will never believe that the people I met, Mary, Marina, Juno, Polovina, aren't real and are just my imagination. [Or else she'll report me to the devs.] She's always been a snitch at times. 

"...You think I'm being a teacher again aren't you?" She said looking up to me while lowering her head. 

"You are aren't you?" I teasingly said. "Well yes in real— no I mean not in here!" It always triggers her when I mention her teaching job and made a hmph! face as she isn't willing to talk to me for a bit and me having enough breathing room to think of this bizarre situation. 

[First I died, and got reincarnated again...?] If so then god stop flip flopping on my life.

But still though. [...Just what did you do Gabril?] Right now due to the suddenness of this event I haven't had enough thought put through to analyze this situation. 

I refuse to believe that the people I met are just a figment of my imagination and I haven't actually died. I know for a fact that I did, I know it... [I just know.] Crap my heart's wavering again. 

I shook my head, [Think Morus think! Use every membrane of your brain to explain this.] I have already been reincarnated once so I'm somewhat of an expert to this. 

First off this control is weird. {Status} And there it is, it appeared. 

[But it felt so real...] The way I summon the screen is so real I couldn't believe it. 

Also, [My hands are so realistic...] Every sensory organ from the skin to the nose is 100% accurate. 

[So this definitely isn't the Endless that I've played before.] The final nail in the coffin is the fact that the Log Out button on status doesn't remove me from the game but rather doing nothing instead. 

[Alright now that that's confirmed what did Gabril said...] First she apologized to me, then what comes after that... She doesn't want to do this and... [Ding!]

"...I don't have a choice. It was an order I couldn't refuse."

"That's it!" I unintentionally said out loud. 

Which surprised my friend next to me, "What are you shouting for?!" bOb yelled at me in return. 

"Sorry, sorry." I immediately apologize and return to my head, [She was ordered to do it huh...] Order is the most important word here, it means that she was compelled by someone to put me in here. [But who is it...] I thought I have already known her backstory, but it seems she has more layers she's hiding from me than I thought. [It cannot be anyone in Endless.] It's only been two days and no one can see her, even if that happened Kumo and Itia would have told me in advance so that means it's not a person.

Then the only one she would have knew before me is... [Godman!] Ding! Ding! Ding! He's the prime suspect! 

[He's the only one that knew of Gabril before me than he must have coerced Gabril into doing this!] I found my target. 

[Still though...] The time I have spent with her and trust I've built up has been damaged now... [I need to get to the bottom of this.] I want to believe in her so badly but she still betrayed me, that's a fact that I couldn't ignore. [As my companion I need to know...] Why she did this? What did Godman do to make you do this? do you still have loyalty towards me after what you've done? 

All these questions keep piling up my heart as I squeeze my chest from the heavy burden of punishing my companions...

Obviously such a site from a friend will make anyone worry, "You look like you're thinking very hard lately Morus, what happened?" And the grumpy bOb is no exception to this. "You've been pretty quiet you know, something wrong?"

[I have such good friends...] I thought as her worried look reminds me of someone. 

[Itia.] That's it, bOb was the one that thought of the strategy to get rid of the water attribute that has become a curse. [I guess they really do take own of their guardian's traits.] I heard from Kumo that Itia is also quite a saint when it comes to sex as well. 

Then as a friend, although I do not know if this is still Endless or not, I decided to be honest to her. "...Hey, if someone you trust did something that broke that trust, what would you do?" I ask her seriously, which I rarely do for her. 

"Why are you asking that for?" Even she is surprised at my question. 

"Well it's something that happened in real life." That is my cover for now. [Although it is a game though.] My game became my real life. 

"You? Talking about your problems in IRLand? That's new." She giggles a bit. bOb at least is able to say jokes. 

"Yeah... I'm out of script today." I also told my own dry joke. 

"Hm, you can do better." bOb then looks around and see the window. "...There!" And she pointed at a funny site out of the window. 

When I look she seems to be pointing at a flower pot. "The cannon?" I immediately recognized that as the failed experimental cannon we made for the first defense of Atlantis against Kurumi's forces. 

[It's now a giant flower pot now though.] I thought as I look at the former weapon of war current state. 

"Well, you know when me and Arin were making that cannon, that you tried to fiddle with it and it almost cost us all of Atlantis?" bOb said with a slight frown. 

"O-Oh yeah..." [Shit, I forgot about that...] In preparation for the first battle I saw one of the cannons unfinished and decided on a whim to help finish it up. So naturally with me not being a mechanic at the time I totally broke the whole thing. 

"Arin was just taking a piss and me taking a snack! How would you ruin something so fast?!" She sighs and rubs her head. 

"T-that's in the p-past you know.." I started to sound like Mary. 

"Yes I know... Well let's not get too hung up on it but the most important thing about that is that we managed to talk it all out in the end you know?" Then her comes the moral of the story. 

[Talk it out...] It was a bit long to get here but I understand. "You mean to talk it out like sending me inside that cannon to Kurumi's main forces?" I ask her this. As the aftermath of it almost made me barf in the real world. 

"Well it's not that we totally want to see you being blown away in a cannon... We did, but the most important part here is to go and talk it out and have a heart to heart to the person that broke your promise." Is what bOb is telling me. "In the best case you'll mend up and the worst case you'll quietly leave each other alone." She said. 

"I see..." I get it. [I need to just talk to Gabril then...] Not thinking of what she'll think, what her intentions are or whatever, just talk. [Such a simple thing yet it ain't clear to me until now.] They say that doubt will always muddle your vision, I guess it's true after all. 

"Thanks bOb, you're a great friend." I told her honestly. 

[It's true.] bOb has consistently been a good friend to have even if some of our views are different.

[She's also been one of my oldest friends....] I first met her when she first started out as an imp in EWO when she first joined in my guild. She was actually the second person to join in with the first being Arin. She was very shy back then when I first met her but I was also very happy to have a girl in the guild so quickly to earn me bragging rights at the time. 

After a while though, [Although we have our different opinions regarding sex...] Gender boundaries broke and we eventually filled that up with our common interest in researching magic as a whole. Testing, experimenting, doing alchemy, the eugenics program, etc. 

So now she's one of my closest friends and the whole guild calls us the two mad scientists because of our constant experiments. So much so that bOb became the reason I retired on the competitive scene and just focused all in with researching spells and making new races. 

[Though her being a midget has always stayed the same.] From her time as an imp to a little devil witch as she is now that fact stayed consistent. 

"T-thanks..." bOb seems to have reacted well to my compliments.

"Hmm... Really though, thank you. That help me out there." I'm happy she likes me telling her my personal life for once. Hearing her opinion on things really helps me out. [Well I'm not a protagonist that knows everything. I can falter on my own believes and morals at times and regretfully a hypocrite.] I hate hypocrites to the core but I would be a hypocrite if I don't realize I did hypocritical stuff at times. 

If I do not know something than I get confused and lose focus. I am not the razor-eyed protagonist that can calculate every situation at hand. I'm very slow. [Thankfully I am not an idiot white knight though.] In my opinion there is no such thing as good or bad, only perspectives. It's up to you if you think that those perspectives are right and wrong. 

So dear friends like bOb letting me get to know their opinion and perspective on things really helps me get straightened out and put me on the right path.

[Alright Gabril, I'm ready to talk to you once again!] I determine myself thanks to the midget that is bOb. 

Speaking of bOb, "...You're welcome..." She seems to be flustered at something. 

"What is it?" I wonder what's going on. 

"I-It's nothing!" She bite back. 

It's weird but since it's bOb then she's probably fine, "Hmm okay then how about we—" Just as J was suggesting a place we could check out. 

"Wait! Uhm Morus before you leave I have something to sa—" But even she was interrupted by the sound of metal clanking. 

Stomp! Clink! Stomp! Clank! Stomp! 

It's the sound of giant metal blocks being pressed down like a plunger. The ground shakes with each stomp as it steps closer to us. 

I instinctively hold my ears when I hear it. [There's only one man that could make that sound.] I turn around and there he is. 

"Could you at least use a stealth spell you big hulking pile of scrap metal?!" I need to shout as loud as I could so he could even hear it. 

"Stealth? Never heard of it!" It's him, with his large spear he's holding it's the—

Clink!!!

Unfortunately I couldn't say it on time before he struck the bottom of his spear to the ground. 

I look at the midget bOb who's practically fuming in rage right now. "Arin?! How many times do I have to fucking tell you to stop that fucking racket!" She totally forgot what she's about to say and screamed at the giant that is Arin 'The Golden Fortress'

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With about three times the height of me that is actually the smallest form that he could shape himself into. His description I gave him is perfect, a golden naked Spartan with an helmet. 

As the first member in the Flying Orcas he naturally has a high standing within the guild as the presumptive next leader. [But you never change Arin.] He's still a brute, although pretty smart when it comes to defenses is pretty dumb at everything else beside that and him fighting. 

In fact he was the guild's main muscle for the first years of it's existence. The main defender of the pre-Atlantis era. 

So naturally, even if we have few common interest our time spent playing this game together has made us close friends. 

Still though, "What are you doing here Arin?" I ask as it's always me that ask for his help... As my test subject. 

"Tsk! Fine then you two talk it out without me!" In a boiling state bOb stomps out of the hall with not nearly the same strength as Arin's normal walk. 

[Even though you two are good friends...] In bOb's words, "I don't wanna be friends with an old man!" 

[In reality though you had a major crush on him when you didn't know his real identity.] Another story I have fond memories of.

But back to the giant himself, "So...?" I ask him what's going on. 

"Well you see Morus!" He makes a pose. "This is a secret between men!" He makes another pose.

[Wow...] I am not impressed. [But I look like a girl right now.] So in game it's not a secret between dudes. 

[Plus I already had a dick inside of me.] I will never tell him that though. 

"Sigh come on Arin just tell me already." He always likes exaggerating everything like an American. Oh wait he is one. 

"Yeah! Yeah! I yield!" Even his admission is exaggerated. "Come with me to the garden for a more dramatic feel!" And with that and one last pose, he turns around and stomps away to the sunset. 

"Hey idiot wait for me will ya!" Even if he's a giant he's still pretty fast as I run to him with earthquakes happening every few seconds with each step of his feet. 

[This is gonna take a while...] I thought as I stand up again

•••

"Hyah!"

In the Atlantis garden. It used to be a giant hedge maze when it used to be a dungeon, with all sorts of plant-like monsters and crustaceans roaming throughout. But after we conquered it we obviously removed the maze and turned the garden into a training area with a botanical garden at the sides.

"Take that!"

[It is also—]

"And this!"

[Arin's favorite—]

"Then last strike!"

[Place!]

"I'm narrating over here you hulking son of a bitch!" I shouted at him at his unnecessary grunts. 

"But a warrior needs to have a few sound effects!" Arin dares to make that excuse in front of me. 

"Then why don't you just be part of a boring isekai then!" I pull out the last straw. 

After that, clank! "Oh please Morus! Anything but that!" Arin immediately fell to his knees and prayed his giant self in front of me begging. "I don't want to become the brute archetype!" He doesn't want to be sent to the shadow realm of stereotypes and forgotten male companions to the protagonist. 

In his pitiful self. "...Fine, I forgive you. You may become original one day." I decided to forgive him and give him another chance. 

[If only we are teenagers...] Then this could be seen as good larping but alas, [I'm in my mid thirties and he a decade older than me.] There's no hiding behind it. 

[But if I was in my teens I wouldn't be fucking right now.] Maybe I do, I dunno but... 

"Hey Arin are we in a midlife—" I was about to say it, but... "No! It's not that! Do not say the forbidden word of us middle aged men!" He immediately denies it. 

[Then for today... I will not say it today...] Honestly, I was about to just think about how this area is Arin's favorite place because it has no roof but... 

"Arin you're a good friend as well." I told him my honest feelings as well. 

[Even if you are just relieving childhood.] Arin has a massive come for everything 2010's, especially the anime he grew up with in that decade. The popular music though he didn't like as he just listened to old shit. [Well doing those types of things should not be called a crisis!] I advocate. 

"Hahaha, that's great Morus! Men should always be open to their feelings!" In a rare moment I can see Arin break character, this is already a success. 

[Well, what a change you've gone through in this decade.] When we first met I thought you were even older than in your forties as you were as boring as a brick to talk to with only outdated references from twenty years ago. [Compared to then I prefer you than the wrinkly twig that you were.] Ever since being the first Golden Golem, getting a wife and started bodybuilding Arin became what he is right now. 

[Speaking of wife—] Just as I was about to ruin my mental image of him. 

"Haha... Alright then Morus let's finally get into the secret meeting between men!" On a rare occasion he actually acted serious for once. I'm impress already and let go of my thoughts. 

"Then what is it?" I ask of him. 

"Well..." He squats down and whispers to my ear. 

[What point does it have when your voice is massive to begin with and no one's around us right now.] I thought in wonder but I don't wanna destroy this rare Arin moment as I listen to his request. 

His request is... "You have that Kumo right? I wanna officially have my family name written on him." Outrageous to say the least. 

"E-Eh... What?!" suffice it to say even I was very shocked at that request. 

"T-then...!" By officially having your name on a character you are essentially... "What about your wife?!" Adopting him as your own son. 

Of course having an in-game character as a son doesn't really matter in real life, it's just formality. But Arin practically takes this game as seriously as his life. Except for Kumo he never created any characters of his own because in his own words, "It'd be like cheating on my wife and having a kid!" 

So him doing this is honestly shocking to me... [But I guess I should not be that shocked as he already has a family that from cheating....] Arin already cheated on his wife in the future so he's already a— [No Morus! You shouldn't blame crimes for what they did in the future!] What if this event becomes a butterfly effect where he doesn't cheat? It's an endless possibility of if from the future. 

But my distressed look must have meant something different to Arin, as he scratches his head. "Well you see Morus, this is a favor I'm only doing for you." He makes an uncle smile and explains. 

"Since you'll be leaving soon, I dunno how long you'd come back but I wanna make sure some part of me will always be by your side, just like all the days here in this guild." Arin pulls out his finger. 

"Sorry if I'm acting like such a lame uncle right now but I really just wanna do this. This will be the last time I will say this but for a forty-something year old like me having a young friend like you Morus was always a blessing for me, I've always thought that everytime I talk to you." And for the only time I will ever saw, I have seen Arin's genuine smile. "Plus he already looks like me anyways so why not!" He immediately tries to cover up that lame smile though. 

But that smile already left an impression on me. "But this is just... no..." I was about to say this is just a game, don't worry but... [This isn't really a game anymore huh...] I'm not even sure if I will come back here ever again, and I will live in a far distant future where I don't even know you'll all still be alive by then so... "Alright Arin, you win this time. I'll allow you to make Kumo your kid." I said to him as I hold his giant fingers.

"Haha don't mind me in the future you'll always be thinking of your descendents and leaving a legacy when you're at my age." Arin said in a jolly smile like always, but with a tinge of warmth in it. 

"Yeah, I'll take care of Kumo so don't worry." I said in response. [What a very prophetic message.] As in the future of your descendants will rule over an entire kingdom. 

"Oh, and make sure you don't tell my wife about this okay?" Arin said it with a wink and a coy smile. 

"Hm, alright." I could only smirk in response. [Even when you're about to cheat you always have the same attitude.]

Then we both shook hands and made a fist bump.

[Pure midlife crisis...] There I said it. 

The struggles of Generation Z.

•••

"Alright.... Done!" And he clicked Save and turn off the status. 

As I look at the blonde butler. It now says, Kumo Kruisspin Xanthos. 

[Xanthos...] I look at Arin.

"Why's this name so close to your real name anyways?" I ask him since I have met him in real life. 

"Haha well my great wife Lucia found out that my last name, Santos, was really similar to a Greek word for yellow, which is obvious for me!" Arin said as he struck a pose once again. 

"I see..." Great to know.

"My American muscles always prevail!" He shouts. [You're name's Spanish though...] I will not talk about it any further. 

Anyway... "Come here Kumo." I order him, to which he only response. "Yes master." As he walks perfectly straight towards me. 

I couldn't help but pat his head. [Don't worry Kumo... You'll be alive again soon enough.] I made as a promise. As I realized how valuable these characters... These companions of mine to me are in terms of my friend's legacies. 

[I will protect you all.] That's an absolute promise. 

Arin notices  my strange behavior and scratches his head, "Oh boy Morus, you're already like that to them what if you're all alone...." His eyes trails off from behind me. "Oh boy..." He quickly looks at me. "Uhm Morus there's a—" 

"What is—" 

Even before we could even talk to each other "Mooorruuusss!" A rampaging midget bOb rams her horn to my back like a bull. 

Of course, splat! On my face. I feel the marble pavement of the garden. [Ooowww...] The heck happened?!

"It's not fair with only you being with Arin Morus!" She shouts out loud. 

Then she... "Come with me!" Proceeded to grab my clothes and drags me away from the garden. 

[Why can a midget like you run so fast!] Is my lingering thought as she drags me away.

"You'll be researching with me!" She demanded. 

And now the two people left on the garden is speechless. 

"Oh boy..." Arin scratches his head as he looks at the only one that looks like a person next to him. "Wanna trade blows my son?" He said the words son with an extra smirk. 

"Yes...." It takes an unusually long time to register his commands. "...Father." But he managed to say it. 

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