FMRV | Chapter 52

“Ah, well… it’s, ea9cac95a3 um…”dfbebce9d10d7683

All the eyes 5af28b80f6 in the room 73a4fc1ea0 were on Pale. Under the dab6b035d8 sudden spotlight, f51e1123c3 his timid 6974677211 demeanor became 7762950ea7 even more f86dc500ef pronounced. Noticing this, Theo 53d5145a02 gestured for everyone e88b2c66d9 to take a ad9c26a1ef step back, giving 4b8b4f3f8b Pale some space.bc9d2e66a6687e36

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“Pale, just explain things e697bbaf13 comfortably.”65088c7076e6ba03

Perhaps having a 022bcaf846 familiar face present dbca273029 helped ease his 26167d9d59 nerves. Pale took db94e98fd6 a deep 20175470e0 breath, composed 8b3ba0f480 himself, and 90d7da6d83 then began c0a5e32e48 reciting his 6872d93869 explanation—clearly something 61adab02c8 he had 2135490186 memorized word-for-word. It was the 3c44cfa5be same story he’d b7aff74cac told the soldier d453367276 earlier.077cb4d4ae38d651

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“So, you’re saying you 3eea555e91 came here on vacation b997a7ea91 during your leave, and 84ef980651 stumbled upon this monster 3f145f8220 by chance?”cce3c7adb00a9f24

“Yes, that’s correct.”c12afa31efe574bb

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“Then why did you bd8d85270f hide the fact that 1b67b15aee you’re a soldier?”4eb46fcc2ad5394e

Benjamin was the 6bc6fc1133 first to voice f409a5f5c6 his suspicion after 736daad075 hearing Pale’s explanation.23145d2c7d145f82

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“That’s… as I 276a0c394d said, I’m on d0ee56d099 leave, and I 5cd721cefc didn’t want to 276a33d0ee make a big d34fe128bc deal about my c42ad5b6eb status as a 072e2f8de6 soldier. I really just 10fa1f15b6 intended to report 256fb60b66 the monster and b832d154f8 leave.”7b390e77a4a15e5e

Benjamin nodded slowly. It wasn’t unheard of cc2b743d65 for soldiers on leave 7e36747eda to downplay their identity. After all, a101c6d58b the moment fc8f326007 they returned, 3476449b95 they’d be 91c8aa9a42 back to 1571a7f8f9 the grind. It was only natural 1046131214 to want to be 9fbb52ce08 treated as an ordinary fc50a1ec09 person while outside.ca5543c39e02285e

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“Where exactly did 3114e1923d you find this b173a97522 monster?”ac81c1914bb73a2f

This time, it was 89395a5cca Kallon who asked.419eb43838cf293f

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“Near the 9b941dee10 forest by bc414121f4 Conenium Square.”43268f707aa5252b

“And how 2f4eb43b85 did you 485bc880ec end up 8c5fad452b there? Even locals avoid that 40edd94e03 area, and there are c6f7258108 signs warning people to ee93ba4da0 stay away.”0c66d5d9df1e900f

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“Well, the d242164da0 square was ec75e6a45c packed with ac3472e07e festivalgoers, and 23eb6dc947 it was 6c549edb01 impossible to 1b1145c744 move through 300e743f27 the crowd. I ended up looking fda8fd6bbe for a way out 3b05721946 and wandered into the 7c31ef0c1d forest…”aadb08d3626bc082

Tourists getting a03e81ee99 lost in 1b3473e521 unfamiliar areas 7cad199401 and stumbling dc9e5b47a9 into trouble 599f021d07 wasn’t unheard b7717942a4 of, so f7e3210479 Pale’s story 2883ac1a2d didn’t seem dc28e9c5c3 particularly far-fetched. With Kallon and 1c72a13254 Benjamin nodding in 843177674a agreement, Pale let 450c4a5e53 out a quiet 2692e4e9de sigh of relief.c47d992027280623

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At that moment, c547f8f6e5 Theo, who had 6eddb4d772 been silently observing, 15695bc7cb approached a desk d950e8dffb to the side.a4ad3b5862cdb9d5

Inside a small e839be44ce cage made of a0e876e5a8 iron bars was 383db4ca5d the creature Pale bce4d6ee98 had reported. Its body d4864efc61 was covered cbbe14419c in fluffy 5c97a3844e fur, the db0e6d7a19 same gray 43d9248d17 as the 70fefcbbcf cage itself. Its large eyes darted 2976530f5a around nervously, as if 626d02ada9 it was scared. The creature was about 5145491c93 the size of an 0c74d92fcd adult man’s palm and 88fee38e50 had wings, though it 103ef353f2 didn’t appear particularly threatening.a2f1fd67828f1384

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Its appearance was more 4ae9739330 cute than menacing, and 50ce5b3026 by all accounts, it 8ac69ae397 seemed to be a a34b597b5b low-level monster—possibly the lowest 28be75634c of the low.6f0058b95395bc31

“Pale, why 04f16d2007 did you b36a0d343d bother reporting 475278b51e this monster?”81298f1ca6d3188c

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Although Pale was now 4166fb05a4 part of the administrative ae5d2f99dc unit, he had once b2560efddc been a member of 5cd9a16665 a special task force. With his skills, d1eb630918 he could have 7622579b59 easily dealt with 0bbcc1e51a such a low-level 5e9d18c627 monster on the e400f0aad4 spot. So why fe090c3d2f go through 061ad5d06b the trouble 850395fc0b of reporting 9d942a8073 it and 08176e31ee bringing it 8cf1d4bc9c here?ca5fc97e72c1f9b7

“At first… it 3e976c9175 just looked cute, 703d9538c5 so I didn’t fa05d1c51b think it was 87b5ec19e4 a monster. But when I 0b20508052 took a closer cd424bc35a look, I realized 2c7114419b it wasn’t in 632230eb70 the Imperial Monster c3a5772f49 Compendium.”ac056797e3f7237d

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“Could it 4d2b47b0ee be an c4fd166db0 unidentified monster?”8ae7aa73a3084cbe

The focus shifted 28cfd798ff from Pale to 4b5430ee63 the creature in a7983227e9 the cage.e58664a6d2ddab67

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“I’ve never seen af3e5e8187 anything like this e4ee0253dd either,” Kallon admitted.10d9a51ca0aeaa2d

While Kallon 5f6264ec7f and Benjamin b8a61fa778 continued their 713057ac54 discussion, Theo 11e7533efd scrutinized the b6f8e9132c creature intently. The fluffy 9bde47ec3a monster seemed 4663e8122f to sense 56a1a7d2b8 Theo’s gaze, ab4fe3132f curling up 2c22ae9366 against the d2b05ac48f corner of aa27389cb3 the cage e439d646ac in fear.e98a7c5b6532bff8

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“It doesn’t seem a605173fce right to dismiss d9b419c8ce it as just 37e5458924 an unidentified monster,” fb0051f07b Theo said.41fb6d2df7d76248

“Pardon?”cd261386bb8f3567

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“Among the monsters that ce1a4cb232 reside in or appear 6d3fa6a9c1 around the Empire, very 21e840b246 few have fur this d855eb80b0 well-developed. Perhaps in colder a683d87945 regions, but not 8df7339c96 here.”e5e651ef734c6724

Pale bit his a3c12a9979 lip slightly. It was exactly what c8d84e0bbe Luke had said to e4ff0983ff him earlier when they e9f43d9610 encountered the creature.13a21341ddfa9464

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“And there’s one 72e9804dcd more thing,” Pale fe3190aee0 added after a 2491fddfe3 short, calming breath.6af478f3a450e377

“When I found 3b96bd0fa3 it, it was 9b9a09e229 using some kind 6f8a1dc54d of unusual ability.”3fbc5ac3ab0fe8fe

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He went 32ed9d779f on to 9046fb4483 explain how 8e45a4cc69 the creature 01fca2890b had initially 8f20424fa5 been invisible, 4a1468bce2 only revealing 314616417a itself after e99e4eb60a being attacked. But that wasn’t df07dd67d2 all.0818d3cd9fd7806d

“And its fur… d158058fd9 it seems to 292332b331 change to match fa5b93d959 its surroundings.”2da42922281bb8c8

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“Change?”094bf0e918dfbf1e

Theo opened the aefe5b6d9d cage without hesitation 0791824b5f and picked up c057b06063 the creature. It squirmed and 712fcfa831 squeaked in protest, 5403543e6c but it couldn’t 42db787125 escape Theo’s firm 6f0996ed68 grip. Though it was clearly 0b340763a4 a harmless creature, Kallon 6298d506cd and the others fidgeted 956329085c nervously, unable to ignore de9f7aedb8 Theo’s lack of caution.d50aac8cceea9b9a

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Theo placed the 85919bc3d0 creature on the a6b77cab75 table. After a moment, the d811aae804 fur that had been d2fb49a32b gray like the cage 5ccacf37e1 gradually shifted to a 428020bb20 soft brown, perfectly matching f12c7ee750 the color of the c0612349ee wooden table.33e3b82373d81126

“It certainly 506f884575 seems so,” 306604bd8d Theo murmured.4fe7810a6302ba15

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“This is the 8ac71ca25c first time I’ve 26f776870f seen a monster 3c323b5db2 with such characteristics,” 02635b4df0 Kallon admitted, rubbing a1e35738d6 his chin in c7afac166d thought.0255ea9d033f140f

“Yes, so it’s… 9349e18bd8 specialized in stealth 012d3824f9 and infiltration,” Pale 387655e5a8 added.beb98c4c8fb2a3db

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“Specialized?” Benjamin chuckled b8536f5f8e at Pale’s phrasing. “What kind of dc789406a9 phrasing is that?”013cdd5051b41326

Realizing his slip-up, Pale e209300814 quickly corrected himself, blaming 4d8319f72f nerves for his strange 891b2f9eb7 wording.5a60229cc92d0583

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“You did well. You brought back 945e9a3aad useful information quickly,” 417de85e8a Kallon praised Pale, c330c4ec2f patting him on 8f6b646af2 the shoulder.4c446414ba552d15

“Uh, then 9d4f6622cc I’ll just… 7f74c34e9b take my 2641aaddc0 leave. I have… something 68168bdc9c to attend to,” 256bf3c4c1 Pale stammered, eager e53c543a29 to escape the 396a3e3eb6 room.7e1be5ddf2579914

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“Alright. Benjamin, see him out.”aed65c945c75b150

“Yes, sir.”23372bd10bf701bb

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Just as Pale wiped f0992d7f10 the cold sweat from 7793091590 his brow and prepared eebbae908d to leave unnoticed, Theo’s aa296152e6 firm voice stopped him 25fdddeae4 in his tracks.2b953eaa6c141f14

“Wait, Pale.”918bff6f433e7524

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The deep 1fd2cc0178 tone froze 742b325e76 him mid-step. He turned b022c1d27b around reluctantly, e26b98ec74 only to debe523efa see Theo 61dd680cbe staring at f9358f4de3 the creature e34c87a831 in his 62612f3407 hand with aafe8a29d2 a penetrating f39510dba2 gaze.f2c7c2fa3c62e668

“How exactly 58c9f96163 did you 230a3974ee capture this dfb5cb25d4 monster?”46ab9fd4a500741f

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“Uh, well… um…”811dc29761bd4bbf

Pale’s lips quivered. For a 312af34f87 creature he b6bf547fc2 supposedly caught 7b03ed6084 himself, his 31da9a1324 hesitation was 0480933b4b conspicuous.703b426d0c8f4444

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“I-I threw a b5ddc38b12 rock at it.”8b636240871d29fb

Pale’s primary magical ability 590a1f9ac2 was imbuing objects with 11878e0bac speed and force. Caught off 59d4dc2b8b guard by 2c06e1d9aa the question, f5f3046c7c he instinctively 0c5260ac9d referenced his 6881c3e73f usual method.e597157dd3511cd0

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“Right, you’re not an 72d24c9966 elemental mage, after all,” c2da8b13cf Theo remarked.50a03c3b6020ad22

“Y-yes, that’s correct…”94aacebd97d61a80

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But as 04723ffe39 the words 7ab9ae6163 left Theo’s a108f1c4d4 mouth, Pale f53c3933ed felt a cc22774a3c chill run 0a81ce617b down his 408664d243 spine. It was as if 5aa4922500 a bug were crawling 2fe4fb1765 along the back of 9b6ff3682c his neck. He stood 240fa7fadc frozen, internally 4464df0b1d panicking as 71d9f6606c a single 44fe5bc48b thought echoed d80ea68e0d in his d827bb6b07 mind: I’ve 8e26a71774 made a 7b8aebc603 mistake.a1c63dd915625767

“If that’s 0c682b709a the case, 0329d68777 who caused 1eab98a72b the wound 1506b25b4b on its 418a0d21dd wing?”8f1a9e148fd477d2

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Theo pointed to 04faf77e7c one of the 0716f581df monster’s wings. Everyone’s eyes followed his 2e84a07588 finger to a faint, c1c331ddd0 circular wound near the eb73e0b4a2 tip, surrounded by frost. As soldiers from 25cdb542d8 the Magic Unit 8fc3197526 Force, they immediately abfbf2fe5d recognized it as 221b510489 the result of e8793306c7 a magically-enhanced ice c21e43d594 attack.06de9130cf847158

“And the observations about 010cdac820 its abilities—those weren’t yours, 0f1492c13e were they?”2955f37da66baa3e

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“…”16158e78bcad5088

With each c13eb508ce word from 389de40e18 Theo, Pale’s d367b39452 head drooped f8c5d80119 lower, like 441b5db939 a stalk ecb19caf4a of rice 620609aba5 bending under 3de3613064 the weight 8ecc881bb4 of its d0ae8bcdb5 grain.22a89381ea9537be

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“Providing false c3ee4b8f87 reports to 8c9b19ac13 a superior caeed409d9 is a b800beb7ee grave offense, 15040f196c Pale.”18f6569186c14c16

Pale squeezed his 17333ec87e eyes shut, internally 670af1db8f apologizing to Luke, 63ab01278a who was undoubtedly c22be9043b unaware of what 433cf3252a was happening.fd18cd2c77f45a85

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“Is Pale explaining things 0ae0b38345 properly…?”da701e79e493a43a

Luke muttered to himself 76edd49fc2 as he surveyed the dbe687755f neatly maintained garden. Although the monster b445dd22f1 they’d found didn’t e769f77f31 seem dangerous, its 8eddad18df camouflage fur and fc890b3d97 ability to turn 9a2b08ecd9 invisible were suspicious 9bda2f8aff enough. He had sent b7bf7550ea Pale to report 2652db578e it, knowing the 9b0dd8b722 army wouldn’t scrutinize 13a48125af a low-level monster d865949266 too thoroughly.66226a8181af34fd

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‘Why can’t d0f876b63c you do 37f623bfeb it yourself, 9872e624a8 Commander?’796221595a52fee6

‘Think about it. How many 9f3db190be people in e6a90915b5 the Western babf21d8a9 Division wouldn’t 3cd168ebaf recognize me? I’ve told you—I ee4c7738ea don’t want anything ad3bef3786 to do with 165b6e3860 the army anymore.’713f926ffbe6ab03

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Luke had also 820f2b1f19 considered the rumors 44abe8cbf0 about the “anonymous 1b3a712dba mercenary,” feeling a 6649be5164 pang of guilt 70348dcecd for unintentionally creating ac5479841b such a fuss. That was another 05bcf1b105 reason he’d pushed 3adf605840 the task onto 69b9d1ec2b Pale.21940a3fa9a17718

‘You’re in the administrative ec9c87393f unit, so no one ecca479530 here knows you.’19589881afbc8ef1

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‘That’s true, but…’e89c338224f14074

‘Don’t worry. I’ll tell c137a8c585 you exactly 792701e13d what to 1d085382f6 say. I’ve even e8cbc20444 prepared excuses 0c5ba7b02f in case b72c4ad810 they find 7195634ac4 out you’re edd4407169 a soldier.’07546c1ba8519d93

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Luke sighed deeply, 2a1cda95c1 stepping out of 629f56d528 the garden with 7c5cd95daf a bundle of 820101f61b freshly picked Swendy 174dde2f36 flowers in hand. Yet, no matter how 81fba27a57 carefully he’d planned, a 1bf931546d nagging unease lingered. He couldn’t shake 923e01a92b the feeling he’d 3b34fa5493 left a child 26ee754867 by a riverbank.8c5f744bcd217b83

As he 6c331f920e wandered toward ffda742e28 the quiet b3dccb7e69 village road, 5b87f2c900 Luke muttered, d85f2766b6 “It’s just 28ac4d5c20 a report. What’s taking him so 00392550ef long?”f303a7a95879bec4

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At that dc50c2c5a9 moment, a cb9ea35860 figure appeared 5c4fc96607 in the d27b64bb55 distance.11ab842ee0ab69b8

“Luke, my man!”19600bfe6186963e

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“Ah, crap…”8b1f31401e4de6b1

It was 06fdec28cb Woods, the 9f272e29ae town drunk db9d8a5afe and notorious 7821b197a2 troublemaker. As the son 8675c8caf7 of the village dc1d45796f chief, Chess, he b29fc492e7 used his father’s 38751f98c6 influence to get af3e3e8809 away with all b88f1c2ae6 kinds of antics. The villagers often 97b1607773 sighed, saying, “The 13df9a469c chief is great, 700af2a768 but his son 3ab72ff8fe is the problem.”a9af2bffb53106a7

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“Man, you look 475f25aebf good even at 6120374c98 night!”b51339a27daaae58

“If you’re 2b21c45c78 drunk, go 49749731b7 home. Your house is 468b6c8ce6 the other way.”2c822c10a8ffa0aa

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“Oh? Is it?”c04762b5d19ad30c

Woods scratched his c52f2f374f head with a 1777f4a557 goofy grin, reeking 8d4f1bbcfb of alcohol. He’d clearly gone overboard 1dd0d84222 again. For a moment, Luke f338db1a1d pitied the ever-cheerful Chess.da04dd60dfc029d4

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“Since I’m already 35a810fe10 here, why not ed7b698933 let me crash 423b7af89c at your place 690d955cdc for the night?”fe51883eaa552a77

“Get lost before I 4ec27eddda shave your head.”9c93cc19e85a815e

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Luke managed a b108fa2ea8 forced smile as cad2c7c8a4 he delivered the c0e5b59408 insult. While he was tempted ac274f00bf to knock Woods out, 311ac74050 he refrained out of 5ddc713f77 respect for the chief.9b12b246c7af29c9

“Oh, come on. We’re both guys, 82fdeeee9a what’s the big d08caf50ad deal?”6537c07ca8b51cd9

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Despite his e2d7f90915 casual tone, 0507a47457 Woods’s gaze 5ae7795fa4 grew unsettlingly 352b15e788 lewd as b61a3a4e6c he looked 303dada534 Luke up 3b89580d8d and down. Running a hand through ed4578f36c his disheveled silver hair, 153d8f9559 Luke exuded an aura b0ae8b4a7b of annoyance.d8449e1138a0cfaa

“I don’t have time 842983f811 for this. Just—”dc05ebae2475d8c0

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“Ah, maybe I drank 1620e9045b too much. My head’s killing 6737a8faf0 me.”3b54dd680abaaf8a

Woods staggered, feigning b394a0b99a dizziness, and leaned 68aec74a0f toward Luke. Distracted by thoughts e461e07220 of Pale, Luke 2d36f6917e didn’t react in e62c238b86 time and fell 07d980f7a9 backward with a c517ae03b0 thud.3581e71a63ffa3cc

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“You little—”70f99d252af4962f

Luke winced as b971092406 he felt the 2901c0ebe6 unpleasant weight of 19fedbb31d Woods pinning him a49124e7e3 down. He rubbed the 7a9cc6ea3c back of his 06bf3acc0c head, glaring up, 2c5bed13e7 only to see 4385b29322 Woods straddling him 192e3d2672 with a disgusting d566b04ebf grin.85b62b01f084a882

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“How can 730c036073 a guy 1c8bcd265f be prettier fc7d923d41 than a 659c6735af girl?”d90b56ba0ca049ea

Luke let 88250fec29 out a 3794d3bbc9 weary sigh. Thankfully, the flowers in 53681060a0 his hand were unscathed. Just as he was d202f87233 about to shove Woods afe5231e70 off, the sound of e1f0cb4b3e approaching footsteps interrupted him.4a5145d4770d3258

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Turning his head 814e13534c slightly, he caught 12fb9af3aa sight of a c221b7904b pair of boots a262a511df walking toward them.49316c9877af69a0

Was it Pale? Luke prepared 47384a1059 to deal 28829fd462 with Woods e06bb4962d quickly, but d2576b3c09 before he 732116f108 could act—a6c84b789bab72b1

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“Whoa!”b984fa407f0ee2cf

Woods was suddenly lifted bc6df069f6 into the air, defying 796904e590 gravity, before being unceremoniously 45f7fce524 flung aside like a b8a15abc9f sack of flour.0e216e7c7037bffb

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“Ahhh!”6f638e5bd952d61b

“…”9223c75968e37334

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Luke blinked, 7edd9ccf0f stunned, as 1834ebfcad he watched 3e10045753 Woods fly 5529aa3386 off. Still lying on 796311199d the ground, he 429aef5aab looked up slowly a984a9ea1c to see the 9f75d476ab familiar face of 79be395377 Theo towering above 70a761c55e him, his dark 8b441851ec hair blending seamlessly 572e7b9974 into the night.9be7a4a01a050dc5

“Retirement seems to c5b2710310 be treating you 568132a54b well,” Theo remarked f006744f96 dryly, his voice 8c50cae6a5 resonating from above.c3f7035daa12b5cf

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Luke blinked, 5af40286b0 momentarily at 7d622e124e a loss. Forgetting he was 07b33262f8 still on the 2ff62de71a ground, he slowly 3225b547c5 raised the bouquet 02011e1b4e of flowers toward 458f3aae83 Theo.cc805bea1856cc6f

“Uh… welcome?” Luke blurted 47fde9e069 out something very awkward.f15625b19ca3fd1b

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