FMRV | Chapter 52

“Ah, well… it’s, um…”4fe2cfb5da075c8b

All the eyes in 05fd540ae8 the room were on 00e847ec08 Pale. Under the e4b6362404 sudden spotlight, b81e170c19 his timid f2005d6788 demeanor became a65902f37d even more 2bd6edc1ea pronounced. Noticing this, Theo 049f0468b4 gestured for everyone 8190c3628b to take a fceec65053 step back, giving 37772273e5 Pale some space.fff85806fdbe39b6

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“Pale, just explain things 95756e4d5a comfortably.”41335c0a5e2d81d5

Perhaps having a 356d8bddc4 familiar face present eee1d4fe44 helped ease his 3400a98152 nerves. Pale took a deep 6c633eea71 breath, composed himself, and a0c251874f then began reciting his 351787bb9d explanation—clearly something he had 248b9e5f47 memorized word-for-word. It was f833af493b the same c7805606be story he’d 71f198a9c7 told the 6210d07a9e soldier earlier.672fa6557faa007b

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“So, you’re saying you 8d75daa40a came here on vacation 326f670088 during your leave, and 269fe98573 stumbled upon this monster f27bcb60e0 by chance?”b904143b3ef94d35

“Yes, that’s correct.”be7975a46997a830

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“Then why did b7e0827876 you hide the 328ccbd7b8 fact that you’re d14d764aa9 a soldier?”ea198be255dfa245

Benjamin was b4b3c13f56 the first 181f95da36 to voice 10908265f3 his suspicion 895f1f257e after hearing 8baa2e5dfc Pale’s explanation.d01cc4c57f80501d

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“That’s… as I said, 4f12a60aee I’m on leave, and 197aa163f1 I didn’t want to 00e86992a9 make a big deal c94e4a1f1b about my status as a77b121019 a soldier. I really just intended c71d245e41 to report the monster d92b23e428 and leave.”8cd666bd5c5d7f0c

Benjamin nodded slowly. It wasn’t 5684684250 unheard of 4996d6c0eb for soldiers 960f263dec on leave 0b46f1c1aa to downplay a8eba04ce2 their identity. After all, the f4a0db545b moment they returned, 8ea4ca0a8f they’d be back d1374a5816 to the grind. It was 6b1faee4d5 only natural f38f88faa4 to want b93d729023 to be 9b1cd8520b treated as e2609806b5 an ordinary b79359d597 person while 32896af289 outside.c127f7f81d5ee48b

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“Where exactly did you 77edfaa15c find this monster?”906e5f4fc7784a00

This time, it was cf8b860390 Kallon who asked.6f2640325d969e56

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“Near the forest 30e102d062 by Conenium Square.”8241f01186d47892

“And how 2b5a27698c did you 37318170f8 end up c1b6b2f826 there? Even locals avoid that 82e9f38d28 area, and there are 3133083833 signs warning people to f9e07b3f72 stay away.”a093ce675af6ee74

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“Well, the b4fab4343d square was b80704b611 packed with 43d931f8af festivalgoers, and 2245334833 it was ea7f87c8a3 impossible to c66a731b55 move through b32632af82 the crowd. I ended up looking 563c9aa50c for a way out 4bc488f766 and wandered into the 365055d2a2 forest…”708b167f3b568cd0

Tourists getting 7032c08bbe lost in 9dd0e34678 unfamiliar areas 0f219ef2ec and stumbling d69516064e into trouble 7cab2e0a25 wasn’t unheard b376506246 of, so 68e72c3fcf Pale’s story a20c330b98 didn’t seem 3423e6d830 particularly far-fetched. With Kallon and Benjamin 6bcbab55d9 nodding in agreement, Pale c097d0a939 let out a quiet 61be6d1ecf sigh of relief.b5e071f4e3f43af1

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At that moment, Theo, 5fbe6e6b42 who had been silently 0c77395bbe observing, approached a desk 1d336506fe to the side.e5a03e90338c2c2d

Inside a small d41f06ed67 cage made of b170f663cb iron bars was 4b51dbff0c the creature Pale d823b09cc9 had reported. Its body acf8b878bc was covered b1a2704793 in fluffy 2a15896e8b fur, the 4ab573c9f4 same gray e8c85f8c9b as the c80a6d7014 cage itself. Its large eyes 0fb9553a12 darted around nervously, 55a50117aa as if it 79498c9647 was scared. The creature was e2d122364c about the size f43627b39d of an adult cefe86d23f man’s palm and d33ecd5204 had wings, though 5d6882d8ae it didn’t appear 78cca7acd4 particularly threatening.353659706e4580ee

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Its appearance was more 3a0a5cfba2 cute than menacing, and 7504e83a47 by all accounts, it 2975aab871 seemed to be a 738e16c6d6 low-level monster—possibly the lowest 23bcd9ddb2 of the low.2c10853424bbb918

“Pale, why 33b7dedb8f did you d13d9aa501 bother reporting 6b6acccb61 this monster?”c061fbfe3aa13239

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Although Pale was now 8cf0c96337 part of the administrative 4943b39dc4 unit, he had once fee5a25562 been a member of b8e115595a a special task force. With his skills, he 4bdf0d0097 could have easily dealt f602cea33c with such a low-level ae6aee8b24 monster on the spot. So why go through 3e2e2dc7cd the trouble of reporting 8ee3dbd8a5 it and bringing it e8f80367d2 here?82180b050ae9ea43

“At first… b6dff79cfb it just 696f39b993 looked cute, 5450038b3e so I 3cbbda3466 didn’t think 8b2de7d152 it was c56bb8081a a monster. But when da648aff82 I took 852fbef112 a closer d4674acf64 look, I 80540e20cd realized it a461753b6f wasn’t in 8d01959751 the Imperial 3ba443e78a Monster Compendium.”94b14f1cde81bac7

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“Could it be 1fc1ee0c8b an unidentified monster?”039a1931430b8bd3

The focus shifted 744e3ad041 from Pale to ee4c5fbbae the creature in 99bc33d8a9 the cage.b4b516f576801acf

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“I’ve never seen 6ebf082ace anything like this 6578888be2 either,” Kallon admitted.aa5494f669f2cb0b

While Kallon and Benjamin 53959f9890 continued their discussion, Theo 1d9b074f60 scrutinized the creature intently. The fluffy monster seemed caff470f0b to sense Theo’s gaze, 0d7d666d10 curling up against the 680f469916 corner of the cage 05444ea40a in fear.6be7e2dffc7354e0

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“It doesn’t seem a3aa4eea70 right to dismiss 5be182166b it as just 7ed68a1164 an unidentified monster,” c39784e6c9 Theo said.1441289ee9419425

“Pardon?”a1fc298bae028050

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“Among the monsters that e1f73b9f4e reside in or appear f701faa081 around the Empire, very 0397d3fd37 few have fur this 84258c17ad well-developed. Perhaps in colder 41ac9a0b41 regions, but not 19eafc2871 here.”a043a67ce10d73df

Pale bit his b5855fd70e lip slightly. It was exactly ec15a8d47e what Luke had 2aa3a4a937 said to him e925d472db earlier when they b334805933 encountered the creature.04f83a5763a71585

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“And there’s dcaf237c74 one more fbfe270b45 thing,” Pale 8d644c9336 added after 40c25e9411 a short, 61d9b18d2d calming breath.8fe22d52a26418b8

“When I found it, 65d1ca891a it was using some 0dc0ec1bd2 kind of unusual ability.”5154b56f3622ad44

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He went on to 0e90aa027e explain how the creature 32d9a7b5cc had initially been invisible, 69e4e3a4b6 only revealing itself after 345db9755a being attacked. But that wasn’t all.1e3bc0f37cefbe06

“And its fur… it f9588030fc seems to change to e5f50cbc61 match its surroundings.”eb916e0d0a99ba48

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“Change?”ad1bf34f9a72d3a0

Theo opened eac53cb2ef the cage 1822be6e4f without hesitation 1856654885 and picked 72f6d370c2 up the 45df609010 creature. It squirmed f236c1e013 and squeaked 103a099169 in protest, 290e8147b8 but it 2207d2d1e2 couldn’t escape ec4df2c8bd Theo’s firm 551912a7de grip. Though it was ef5c74bbe7 clearly a harmless 673de6634f creature, Kallon and cd82aaf9fb the others fidgeted 888691ef1a nervously, unable to d869cf7c0d ignore Theo’s lack 8a20db0f4a of caution.90fd97b42e1f7241

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Theo placed the creature 0e8db8e245 on the table. After a moment, the 7ebea749c1 fur that had been 431fa05151 gray like the cage bc2cd59e78 gradually shifted to a 614e001e36 soft brown, perfectly matching 171445b7a8 the color of the 43b034c056 wooden table.8e6dbee9a0e54834

“It certainly seems so,” 2536026ba0 Theo murmured.8d402449c3f2cf6e

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“This is baf23965b6 the first 95d56fbad1 time I’ve 472631bb24 seen a b84b6bdccf monster with 9220c12b38 such characteristics,” 3b8989d034 Kallon admitted, 4e74d91aa3 rubbing his 147ccd7153 chin in 50f3ee6df1 thought.569ce972c70125aa

“Yes, so it’s… 6fb7b8d708 specialized in stealth 45d9c682bc and infiltration,” Pale cccbfb4406 added.b03becc3a3a9df01

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“Specialized?” Benjamin chuckled f796fe4012 at Pale’s phrasing. “What kind c63e95400f of phrasing 3783458947 is that?”f729f1c0cb46c6db

Realizing his slip-up, 2ba816c0f6 Pale quickly corrected 5148f67d4a himself, blaming nerves b8ce911af3 for his strange c0da8d4fcb wording.778f2f40ddcae9ba

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“You did well. You brought back useful e4fefc9712 information quickly,” Kallon praised 0bc9f546f4 Pale, patting him on dc1b96ea6d the shoulder.8afacb29621c04db

“Uh, then I’ll just… a69a4c5c71 take my leave. I have… something b8ffb4c8e9 to attend to,” 2822fca390 Pale stammered, eager cff0717357 to escape the 65a58540c2 room.8a35d2c982bc892c

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“Alright. Benjamin, see him out.”6b63feb0fc6cdbd2

“Yes, sir.”8098c457b9c54483

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Just as cd2c7e97d9 Pale wiped a9049c984f the cold f732668038 sweat from 145ee68fe3 his brow 82051211a4 and prepared 5321a05cd1 to leave 877ed75b62 unnoticed, Theo’s c297af88d0 firm voice 3d21d47eb4 stopped him 4f42cc1972 in his e453069b8b tracks.4f11e7bb4d0aa957

“Wait, Pale.”31a642f6327347ee

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The deep tone froze 71ca4fabe4 him mid-step. He turned around reluctantly, 526d87d23e only to see Theo e59f0e2ccd staring at the creature da00eeaa2e in his hand with aebec82b21 a penetrating gaze.7760acfc3030e19a

“How exactly did 39c127f041 you capture this d60443afd1 monster?”35f5aa4e497f1bfe

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“Uh, well… um…”ee467be0cfa9b1f3

Pale’s lips quivered. For a creature 12b4dc4e60 he supposedly caught 9a5d5c05c5 himself, his hesitation 28f6cc9618 was conspicuous.807fbc6386439325

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“I-I threw 17a926a5f2 a rock 3d7deda5c8 at it.”612fe216ffb2b540

Pale’s primary magical 219b2b362e ability was imbuing ba7be52a6a objects with speed 59f0b27c3c and force. Caught off guard by 5b8b405afe the question, he instinctively 358a4f8e32 referenced his usual method.9ec059ea11b8430f

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“Right, you’re 93ebba7bfa not an 43786440ba elemental mage, 7ba3a87f7e after all,” c07fd81ceb Theo remarked.368f49f02c0f0e25

“Y-yes, that’s correct…”93aa424aece9baf5

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But as the cf15a11642 words left Theo’s 0fd5c3f82d mouth, Pale felt 1264a3dec5 a chill run 602bcff142 down his spine. It was as if 993c9012bc a bug were crawling 24b0da422d along the back of b342c1bc7e his neck. He stood f58e81d859 frozen, internally a43f11f5fe panicking as abe24cc7fc a single c79da29572 thought echoed 0c68b9b5c5 in his b4db867dae mind: I’ve af14952ab2 made a 5459960a81 mistake.f6d7a5b0439e1610

“If that’s the case, 20e0b34714 who caused the wound 22b5d17ebe on its wing?”76184340ecb8064d

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Theo pointed to one 5ba99cafdd of the monster’s wings. Everyone’s eyes 63b61e29a7 followed his 30740f5ec6 finger to 7d4e92f4ee a faint, 9013c8181d circular wound 7a25fbf811 near the 41b4996e70 tip, surrounded ee1ae23ed4 by frost. As soldiers from the 40e6b2ff1c Magic Unit Force, they 669c2ccc97 immediately recognized it as 73233ecbbc the result of a 958280d346 magically-enhanced ice attack.60201a4d2610f937

“And the observations about 212092e311 its abilities—those weren’t yours, f2f63b13e6 were they?”681a052a2ba994a9

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“…”c93cd90468bd4c82

With each word 09aa42da63 from Theo, Pale’s 17e70aedac head drooped lower, f6268d1592 like a stalk dfcca08386 of rice bending 5be3f32c4d under the weight 774ff0e8e0 of its grain.42c37a176b717aa2

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“Providing false 21dfe3d433 reports to 6e5b2c9449 a superior 9941e718df is a 88abd8cad2 grave offense, 5a3f5338c0 Pale.”57b92535aacfcf46

Pale squeezed his eyes e904342780 shut, internally apologizing to 0e41de424d Luke, who was undoubtedly 1d2df61318 unaware of what was d218186caa happening.51a23f6200a8ba21

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“Is Pale 6b7738a8c0 explaining things 420f3ca397 properly…?”54fb53c507e393ea

Luke muttered 6dba31dcdb to himself d0ae3e8b72 as he 64274d4910 surveyed the b60bdda245 neatly maintained 1f7811295d garden. Although the 0ec93c2ff7 monster they’d cbde4c3552 found didn’t a635cd7cd5 seem dangerous, 30b01d626c its camouflage eb9ec8c330 fur and ef32f6dc85 ability to 1539dc374a turn invisible ae60e41f6a were suspicious 4a36c086a6 enough. He had 8a2957aa02 sent Pale 581fe02deb to report 2bf5830430 it, knowing 2c3c335ac2 the army 0a8d9c07a5 wouldn’t scrutinize 7792a5ef04 a low-level 4631826cdb monster too 7230f03d01 thoroughly.c52869d7c4e55e7e

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‘Why can’t you 4c351828d1 do it yourself, 303b095cef Commander?’59460f4427a0ff84

‘Think about it. How many 40b288c8d8 people in 6821e8e6ca the Western f54a6c4f79 Division wouldn’t 8c77c1de3b recognize me? I’ve told you—I 5ca7ac0a31 don’t want anything 9ea7bf35b1 to do with 5c0ad5d0dd the army anymore.’32af6635a15a7c76

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Luke had also 3c95325b5a considered the rumors e14867818e about the “anonymous fa114e4eec mercenary,” feeling a 044845fc8a pang of guilt 23ccb4eecb for unintentionally creating 927dd10dc6 such a fuss. That was 9fdced7a6e another reason 4c96ab8d36 he’d pushed 2f107f12c9 the task 00dc47c3ee onto Pale.909a41ec20eb2ce3

‘You’re in 89aaca0a9d the administrative afa9c8485e unit, so e88f267bfb no one d1164d1167 here knows 02cbe207e3 you.’ba7a662cc6319671

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‘That’s true, but…’9640ac16ba7f8562

‘Don’t worry. I’ll tell you exactly 5ae4e840cd what to say. I’ve even 52994eaffe prepared excuses b10c75ac22 in case 4aa6df248e they find c73742ec25 out you’re f898d64950 a soldier.’d98055589c2ee8c9

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Luke sighed deeply, stepping c2b7aadedb out of the garden e44f82a404 with a bundle of fd93b25a9e freshly picked Swendy flowers e4d63a99f2 in hand. Yet, no matter deaa1da4b6 how carefully he’d b172103278 planned, a nagging 9b08ac6f44 unease lingered. He couldn’t shake f887d6c04c the feeling he’d bffbceca80 left a child dfade0c654 by a riverbank.9aa618f511846ce4

As he wandered toward e176e8d124 the quiet village road, 54cbe7e4e5 Luke muttered, “It’s just 0710951fea a report. What’s taking him 0aabcbaa0d so long?”812aafb78fa10ca6

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At that moment, a be5a00b551 figure appeared in the aeb944b939 distance.d0d1de60d3973c8f

“Luke, my man!”f85e277f2e2d197b

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“Ah, crap…”f9ff7e30b186181f

It was Woods, the b41291cee0 town drunk and notorious 342e1a2fa4 troublemaker. As the son of bb46319a53 the village chief, Chess, 2793de948d he used his father’s 60d94e9f9e influence to get away 389ed1aed4 with all kinds of 0797b8ceef antics. The villagers often sighed, af32da31f3 saying, “The chief is 7d0f8dc1f4 great, but his son d8ce46d8ef is the problem.”95ff856b1e38deac

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“Man, you look good 24bf6ca245 even at night!”2420de5fa6cd5bf5

“If you’re drunk, go a99d6e701f home. Your house 7bc602b21e is the 93c5353cab other way.”b56889c8e5a8dbcc

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“Oh? Is it?”ca262719e61bee92

Woods scratched c69413722f his head 4169831173 with a b9550e854f goofy grin, bf2ea5adff reeking of 1235e24f0d alcohol. He’d clearly gone overboard 661d5205cd again. For a moment, Luke e7d1bf0cf8 pitied the ever-cheerful Chess.039ffdffa38fb601

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“Since I’m already 02db7c9cfd here, why not a8921314f0 let me crash 62fb17f6f1 at your place a380f4df83 for the night?”176750ab9f8b5bee

“Get lost before e16824637f I shave your ec971b5e97 head.”cc2e724bdbb97731

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Luke managed cbdbd475e0 a forced 197599d388 smile as 6b5821a743 he delivered a8323f4012 the insult. While he was tempted a27db92b4e to knock Woods out, 6acf31cfb2 he refrained out of 2e7ef727b1 respect for the chief.22d06f5b8f3eadc8

“Oh, come on. We’re both ef023ab1d2 guys, what’s a067a95b68 the big db84e3eaf6 deal?”f599b1a844bad73c

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Despite his casual ffd61345f1 tone, Woods’s gaze 7dcc2bc5f2 grew unsettlingly lewd 9906e4b7ef as he looked 44b22e8f6d Luke up and 229aaffb4b down. Running a hand through 1672ff1664 his disheveled silver hair, a7990b3ebf Luke exuded an aura ee0cd1f10e of annoyance.e0073b0c8b0cd260

“I don’t have time 80d5875f87 for this. Just—”cad6972a3a72f529

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“Ah, maybe I drank 3907dbf088 too much. My head’s killing 62fe4a58b0 me.”917ec0898b39c4f4

Woods staggered, feigning 5dff29bb79 dizziness, and leaned c1324ff69c toward Luke. Distracted by thoughts of c360b4ed0e Pale, Luke didn’t react 64b17b6b5f in time and fell 369c351fe0 backward with a thud.74197d131b938d52

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“You little—”ec08be753d9865b7

Luke winced as 7aff50d216 he felt the a130dadeed unpleasant weight of e47cd7d651 Woods pinning him d69bec6889 down. He rubbed the ea19fb48df back of his 5edfd58eb9 head, glaring up, a9a48f4507 only to see 0aa90b0e80 Woods straddling him 6313eff210 with a disgusting 3f8935cc9a grin.9107a2c1d0e4d9c7

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“How can a 5ab791cedb guy be prettier fec284d41d than a girl?”e744ef321901ebbd

Luke let out a 544980dd3b weary sigh. Thankfully, the e6d9d677fd flowers in 44776b78db his hand 81cd204306 were unscathed. Just as he a1bf343647 was about to 75c7ff9da7 shove Woods off, 5580023c97 the sound of 4e97fd8347 approaching footsteps interrupted 705af1fc04 him.8aeef0c273b7b832

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Turning his head slightly, b8d05d2abc he caught sight of fec4a6185b a pair of boots 9f4ebbce1d walking toward them.a47b8fc566367074

Was it Pale? Luke prepared 71fbb2e4c4 to deal a8dee1dd80 with Woods 3422ca999a quickly, but caafaf01c8 before he 73e95dc96b could act—da7c1b7b5bb913d8

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“Whoa!”b46d3db92539cadf

Woods was suddenly f523da55ac lifted into the 6d752c5094 air, defying gravity, 3827c243f2 before being unceremoniously 55639b49ff flung aside like 0556767f41 a sack of 78a6818d56 flour.f7a97a86cd97b488

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“Ahhh!”6625db7481171650

“…”b1e451cc42ce6f69

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Luke blinked, stunned, 9cf562603f as he watched 43604720c0 Woods fly off. Still lying on 2957616726 the ground, he e5297cd94c looked up slowly 8b2cd71946 to see the 43eea962de familiar face of 918f5abee3 Theo towering above 298578c415 him, his dark 0f99f7b927 hair blending seamlessly 386346d5f9 into the night.f3e66e034a69e035

“Retirement seems b47af8bbc9 to be aecaa20aa7 treating you 51e2a605a4 well,” Theo 86bcc0e51f remarked dryly, c7d722fdd2 his voice 207a1deae6 resonating from b7cc179f2e above.0bd17c1a4641a3db

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Luke blinked, 3df36bb918 momentarily at e196585833 a loss. Forgetting he 501bd0ac47 was still a885b1ccef on the e37dca8f20 ground, he 487e19709a slowly raised 114149915e the bouquet 71f57f3913 of flowers 678d3eae77 toward Theo.b00720bf1d746ba7

“Uh… welcome?” 47a9cdf79a Luke blurted ffdbc40596 out something 0dc45d2938 very awkward.9aa0b7e0337b15f8

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