Free Web NovelChapter 124: Chapter 123 - Outing
Point-of-View: Zoraiz Rafayet
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"Wow, you look really uncomfortable, dude," I said to Inoka, whose eyes kept darting about nervously.
"Yeah, well, I really don’t wanna run into anyone I know," He grumbled in response.
"I think you’ll be just fine. I mean, the people you used to know haven’t seen you in, like, six years, right? Plus, I remember how you looked when I first met you, you were a total mess before you cleaned up," Pointed out Alexis.
"Oh, right, I remember that too. Your hair was a mess, you had pretty heavy stubble and I think you were covered in sand too," I recalled.
"Okay, the last one wasn’t my fault, Neo portaled me to a freaking desert," He replied indignantly.
"I think their point is that no one you knew is gonna recognize you now," Chimed in Dieter.
"Yeah, that," Nodded Alexis in agreement.
"Hey, uh, people keep glancing at us. Do you think they recognize me from those Paris clips?" Inquired Aurora, looking a bit uncomfortable.
"Nah, you’re good. You’ve got sunglasses on, and you’ve slicked back your hair, you look different enough," Mike assured her.
"Like I said before, tourism’s been down lately, so tourists are a rare sight here, especially in the more rural areas like this town here," Sighed Inoka in response.
"Yeah, they’re not staring at you or Zoraiz that much, but the rest of us are being glanced at quite a lot," Replied Aurora with a slight frown.
"Eh, who cares? We can use Ward on the way back to make sure no one stares," I shrugged, before adding, "Hey, let’s buy some food. I wanna see what the food here is like."
"We don’t have any local currency on us," Inoka reminded me.
"No worries, I’ve got it covered," Grinned Mike, as he held up his credit card.
"You probably shouldn’t be waving that around in public, you know," Sighed Inoka in exasperation, before looking around, "Most of these shops probably don’t have those card machines though, they probably only take cash."
"Hm, and I don’t see any ATMs around...," Frowned Mike, as he glanced around the area.
"Aw, man, I was kinda looking forward to trying the local cuisine," Sighed Alexis wistfully.
"Yeah, me too," I replied in agreement.
"Uh...let’s go that way, I see some shops that might accept card payment," Spoke up Inoka reluctantly, pointing in the direction he was referring to.
And so, we headed that way, before coming across a row of restaurants...a wide variety of flavorful scents were wafting in their air, making my mouth water.
"Oh, man, I’m getting hungry," Muttered Dieter with a gulp.
"This place might work," Suddenly suggested Inoka, heading for one of the restaurants.
"We’re trusting your judgment, dude-...huh? Hey, the signboard says ’hotel’, are you sure it’s-?" Began Alexis.
"Yeah, I don’t know why, but a lot of cheap restaurants in this country call themselves hotels for some reason. I’ve never understood it, but that’s how it is," He informed her.
As we entered the shop, he walked over to the counter and began speaking in another language to the cashier, it sounded like he was asking a question. fɾeewebnoveℓ.co๓
The cashier then nodded in response and said something in reply, before Inoka turned to us and walked over.
"What’d he say?" Asked Mike curiously.
"I asked if they take card payments, and he said yes. I also asked if we could get a secluded table, and he said that we can go up to the first floor, which is usually closed till night-time," He explained in response.
"Oh? Why make an exception for us?" Inquired Aurora in surprise.
"Well, most Sri Lankans are super proud of the country, so when they see tourists, they’re pretty eager to show them the best hospitality and make sure they have a pleasant experience," He replied wryly.
We then headed up to the first floor and picked a table by a wide window, with a view of the street below. None of us knew what most of the menu items were, so Inoka did all the ordering for us.
The waiter brought us a tray of appetizers as we waited for our food, on the house, which was nice. These people really are very hospitable, like Inoka said.
"Hey, what’s this?" Asked Dieter, as he held up a long, breaded, fried, uh...thing.
"It’s just called a roll. It’s basically pancake wrapped around a meat or vegetable filling, covered in breadcrumbs and then deep fried," Explained Inoka, as Dieter took a bite.
"Oh, wow, that’s pretty good!" He exclaimed, as he wolfed it down.
"I think I know what this is," Spoke up Alexis, holding up a triangle-shaped thing, "It’s a samosa, right?"
Oh, yeah, I remember my mom mentioning that being a common snack in Pakistan. I’ve never tried one myself though...
"Actually, no. That’s usually called a curry roti. This is a samosa," Replied Inoka, as he held up a crispier looking triangle thing, "Also, try not to fill up too much on these, they’re heavier than they look. You won’t be able to finish your food."
I picked one of the rolls and took a bite...woah, that’s tasty, a bit on the spicy side, but the filling is so flavorful and deliciously savory...
"I can’t help myself, these are so tasty," Remarked Aurora, bits of food stuck around her mouth as she tore into the food ravenously.
"At least eat slower, you’re all like little kids," He complained with a sigh.
"It’s fine, we can just ask them to pack up any leftovers, right?" Grinned Mike, as he munched on one of those curry roti things.
All of us were all practically inhaling the appetizers, unable to stop. I know I should probably slow down, but the more I eat, the more I felt like eating even more. We haven’t had breakfast yet today, and now that we’ve got such delicious food in front of us, we can’t help ourselves. At least, that’s how I feel.
"You guys seriously need to slow down," Sighed Inoka in exasperation, before a slight smile appeared on his face as he glanced around at us, quickly putting on a poker face as he noticed me staring at him, averting his gaze.
Heh, despite his attitude, he’s enjoying himself, isn’t he? Just this once, I’ll keep what I noticed to myself.
The food we ordered then arrived, a rising sense of anticipation in me as the waiter set down the plates in front of each of us, along with bottles of some kind of juice. Inoka had ordered the same thing for all of us, and it smells incredible...
"What’s this called? It looks great," Remarked Alexis, wiping the side of her mouth with a gulp.
"It’s called kottu. It’s basically pan-fried sheets of dough chopped up in small strips and mixed with meat, spices and vegetables. It might be a bit on the spicy side," He informed us.
"What about this juice?" Asked Dieter, as he popped the cap and took a sip, his eyes widening, "Ooh...that’s sweet and tangy, is it some kind of citrus? It tastes different to lemons or limes."
"It’s narang juice. It’s pretty refreshing, and I figured I’d get something sweet in case the food’s too spicy for any of you," He replied, as he began digging into the food.
The others lifted their forks and got started too, as I did the same, getting a bit of everything on my fork and then taking a bite...woah, so good!
"Hey, this is absolutely delicious, it’s so-...," Began Aurora, before she was suddenly cut off as screams rang out from outside, along with crashes echoing out, as she abruptly stood up with a grim expression on her face, "This sensation...I can feel it, it’s just like...that village in Hungary. But it’s much, much stronger this time...it feels like a Demon..."
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Point-of-View: Anarchy/???
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"Okay, I’ve got you your next area to target, Lucifer!" I grinned, as I approached him with Glenn trailing behind me nervously.
"It is about time, I was getting tired of waiting. It would seem that this pitiful summoner cannot sustain me for much longer," He scoffed at Wrest, who was looking pretty worn out.
"Sorry, but I’ve only got so much Aura...why don’t you just drain some civilians of their life force?" Suggested Wrest in response.
"Huh? Are you telling me what to do?" Growled Lucifer as he narrowed his eyes threateningly.
"Nope, just a suggestion!"
"Hmph, well, I did not ask you," He muttered in response, before turning to me, "So, where will I attack next?" fɾeeweɓnѳveɭ.com
"Right here!" I replied, pointing at the map on my phone, "It’s a small town in the country of Sri Lanka."
"A small town? Why?" Inquired Wrest in bemusement.
"Well, I just so happen to know that the Harmony Outliers are there. See, I may or may not have planted a listening device in the place where they’re hiding out at, and about ten minutes ago, I overheard them saying that they’re gonna be visiting the nearby town. So, that’ll be your next target, Lucifer," I surmised with a smirk.
"Uh, won’t they all get killed? I thought you wanted them alive," Spoke up Glenn timidly.
"Well, yeah, I do. But, you know what, a couple of the weaker ones dying won’t be a big deal. In fact, I’d say it could help motivate the survivors to get even stronger," I remarked excitedly.
"Just so that you are aware, I cannot fight at full strength for more than ten minutes or so at most, even with absorbing the life forces of several people around. These Outlier Meta-Humans could help sustain me if I got a hold of them, I suppose, but draining a Meta-Human of their Aura and then their life force takes a few extra seconds, during which I will not be able to use any of my other techniques, so I shall refrain from that unless I get a clear opening," Lucifer informed me.
"Hm...okay, that works. Here’s what we’ll do, we’ll drop you off there and let you do your thing for ten minutes, while Glenn and I watch from a safe distance, probably up above the clouds. The Outliers will have to survive for those ten minutes. Once that time is up, we’ll swiftly portal you right back here. Depending on your Aura state at that point, we’ll send you back to Hell for a bit if necessary. Is that okay with you?" I suggested, feeling a bit nervous as he mulled it over.
"Very well, I suppose that is fine."
"Great! Then let’s head out there right away..."
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