Nine Tailed System 18 Engine

Marco and Alice reached back at Illiasport with the Poseidon's Bell, which is pretty useless right now since Marco is the new Poseidon's Bell, but no one knew it except him.

They were walking towards the port, when Marco suddenly said.

Marco: Now that I think about it… This is my first time I leave from the continent…

Alice: It's also the first time I'll step foot on the Sentora continent. I've passed over it in the sky a few times, though.

Marco: ...You said you wanted to taste food… Then why did you not started with Sentora?

Alice's eyes widened at the unexpected question, and she didn't knew how to answer it, so she just stood silent. Marco and Alice arrived at the harbor, the fishermen looked busy loading and unloading their ships.

Marco looked around, but he found only ships around and a mountain of metal scraps, there was no one that looked like someone that could sail a ship, making Marco sigh.

Alice: What should we do now?

Marco: Well… We will…

Marco's eyes widened, and started to grin when he found some tools near the metal scraps.

Marco: ...We will take one for ourselves…

Alice: Do you even know how to pilot one? And we need more people.

Marco: Oh, don't worry… We don't need anyone else… Just give me a day, take this money and go pick something to eat…

Marco gave Alice a bag of gold coins, which she accepted and walked towards some food stands to buy some food, meanwhile Marco walked towards the metal scraps and started his work.

He knew a bit about engines, enough to build one, so he started to work while using 'Start' to make things easier for him.

[Meanwhile]

Alice was going around Illiasport to look at what to do, she was eating some snacks she bought from some food stands.

Alice: I wonder what he's doing now…

Alice walked to the port and found Marco that was hammering a piece of metal, it seems he is concentrated on that and didn't noticed her presence, she didn't knew what he was doing with some metal scraps, and that made her curious.

Some time later she was bored and walked away from the port, she looked around and noticed just now that the city was dirty, ruining her appetite, so she walked in a more clean place, but was stopped from a malignant presence behind her.

She turned and found a group of hooligans looking at her like a piece of meat, which was normal since she was dressed only with a black bra and a short skirt, revealing a great deal of skin.

Hooligans: Hey guys, look at her/ Holy Illias, she is so sexy!/ Hey Big Bro, go ask her if she can come with us.../ Don't worry, Big Bro will be surely able to gain her./ Hehe, she will know who to obey in the bed...

Then a tough-looking hooligan came out from the group and grinned while walking towards Alice, who was a bit pissed off from being talked at her back like that.

Big Bro: Hey, can I ask you a little favor?

Alice didn't answered and turned away from him, the 'Big Bro' frowned and laid an hand over her shoulder.

Big Bro: Where do you think you are going? When I talk to you, you should just kneel and thank me to even have interest to you.

Alice: Oh? So you want me to kneel to you?

Alice turned towards the 'Big Bro' and she looked really pissed off, then she grabbed the man's arm and crushed a bone, making the man scream in pain.

She may seem like a fragile woman, but she was still the monster lord, she was able to go against Granberia when she fought for the throne, even if the Dragonkin didn't cared for it.

Alice: C'mon, make me kneel…

Hooligans: Holy shit! The woman is bullying Big Bro!/ She dares to go against him?!/ Let's show her who's the boss here!

Then the Hooligans surrounded Alice, the citizens didn't dared to intervene due to the fear of being beaten up.

Alice: 2...3...6...8, I can finish it fast…

Then one of the hooligans raised a wooden bat and tried to hit her, but didn't realized that a fist was coming right on his face, and this was the moment that he knew… He fucked up…

[1 minute later]

Alice was eating a snack while walking away as if nothing happened, behind her there were 9 pairs of legs sticking out from the ground, Alice literally punched all 8 the hooligans and their boss in the road, and the road was made of stones, HARD stones.

Alice: Tsk… What a bunch of brutes…

After a while, Alice found an inn where she and Marco could stay, and rented a room for 2 people, then she got over a bed and started to think about something.

Alice: ...Nine Gates… He may be the only one to be able to fight against Illias… I don't think I can go against him when he enters the 6th Gate… And he has 3 more Gates… *Sigh*

Alice looked at the ceiling, thinking about what happened in the week they met.

Alice: Mother… It seems that coexistence may be really possible…

She felt tired, and slowly closed her eyes.

[Dreamscape]

She opened her eyes and found herself in a dead landscape, there was not even a single trace of plants, the only thing that was present was pieces of what seemed a giant castle that was easily recognizable. It was her castle, her home.

Suddenly, she heard a sound behind her, and turned to see who it was, her eyes widened and started to tremble at the sight in front of her.

?: Grrrrr…

"Help"

There stood a giant beast, it was completely covered in a crimson dark aura which took the shape of a gargantuan fox, and inside the aura there was something that looked like bones, which made the beast's skeletal structure. At that moment, she heard a voice.

"Stop this…"

And the most eye-catching thing was the 7 tails behind it, menacingly waving around. Then she tried to ask...

Alice: ...M-Marco?

"Please, help me…"

Marco: GHRAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!!!

She only heard Marco's voice inside her head while the beast that should be Marco roared, and it created a shockwave which made Alice fly away some dozens of meters.

"I don't want to do this…"

The voice continued to talk, full of despair. When the shockwave disappeared, Alice opened her eyes and found one of Marco's tails almost smashing her flat, and when the tail touched her…

[Outside]

Alice immediately stood up with open eyes, and gasped for air, she looked around and found herself still inside the room she rented, it was night and Marco was still not here, meaning that he was still working outside.

Alice remembered the dream and couldn't help to shiver at the thought.

Alice: 7 tails… Marco… What happened…

Alice couldn't sleep anymore due to the fear of seeing what would happen if the attack connected, and walked out, under the moonless night.

Alice was getting curious about what Marco was doing, and walked towards the harbor, finding him still working on something she didn't knew about.

She concentrated on Marco's silhouette under the black night, and for an instant, the 8 tailed beast appeared, making her flinch, when she looked back at the beast, she found only Marco working in his project.

Alice: 'What was that dream about…?'

Alice just stood for the time, being behind a wall, watching Marco with fear, as if he could immediately be replaced with that beast if she closed her eyes.

Marco continued to hit some metal with his hammer, and put it in a ship, Alice was slowly getting tired, but she was scared of sleeping, and see what would happen if she closed an eye.

Then Marco raised another piece of metal and looked over it, before cleaning and checking it once again, soon, he unconsciously looked at the reflection, seeing his own face, but he noticed a figure looking at him behind a wall, and turned.

Marco narrowed his eyes and found that it was Alice looking at him, he smiled and gestured with the hand to get near, Alice did as he wanted and stood beside him, watching the ship with several metal pieces that shouldn't be there.

Marco: You can't sleep?

Alice just shook her head and sat beside Marco.

Alice: What are you building?

Marco: It will be a surprise for when I finished.

Alice sighed and continued to watch Marco working, seconds turned in minutes, minutes turned in a hour, and the time passed… It was just an hour but for Alice it seemed an eternity, then she started to talk.

Alice: Marco… I seen in…

Marco curiously turned towards Alice and asked.

Marco: Seen what?

Alice: The 7th tail… In a dream…

Marco froze on his spot and looked at Alice before asking.

Marco: Was it me…?

Alice nodded, and Marco gulped.

Marco: ...What did I do?

Alice: ...You almost killed me with your enormous tail… While asking for help...

Marco flinched and almost let fall his tools, then he looked at Alice, and slowly walked towards her.

Alice was glancing downwards, not be able to look at Marco, he stood in front of her, and slowly crouched, before laying an hand over her head.

Alice's eyes widened, but she still looked down, meanwhile Marco was slowly caressing her head, his hand going through her silver hair, soon, Alice's eyes softened, and started to enjoy the nostalgic sensation of being caressed on the head like her mother usually did.

Marco: Then it wasn't me… I would never hurt you like that…

Alice's left eye let out a single tear, while she started to smile, this continued for some minutes until Alice started to sleep, Marco smiled and covered Alice with a blanket from his backpack, then he started to work again.

[Tomorrow]

Marco: YES!!! IT'S DONE, FINALLY!!!

Alice immediately got up and looked around, panicked, then she found an excited Marco with both of his hands raised upwards and turned towards the ship he modified, Alice calmed down and rubbed her sleepy eyes, fully waking up.

Alice: What it's done?

Marco: The first engine for a motherfucking ship!

Alice: En...Gine…?

Alice looked at the ship, but didn't noticed anything different, except for the metal armor at the front and the sides of the ship, then she looked back at Marco, who slowly fell backward, Alice was fast enough to catch him, and looked at his face, Marco was sleeping, it seems that he got too tired due to working all the night.

Alice smiled at how Marco looked between her arms, completely different from how he looked during fights or in her dream.

It was early morning, only some people were awake and working, so Alice just took Marco in the ship and left him in a bed inside the ship to sleep there, then she left from the room and looked at the ship's wheel, then walked there.

When she reached the wheel, she found a note and opened it.

"Hello Alice, if you find this letter then it means I am tired as fuck.

It will be really easy to use the ship, pick a map, a compass, and pull the lever until it stands vertically, don't pull too much."

Alice was curious and looked at the ship's wheel, and beside it she found a lever and curiously pulled it, she jumped away when she heard a roar coming from the ship itself.

Alice: W-What was that?!

She continued to hear a roaring sound, and the ship was slowly going forward, surprising Alice, who recovered from the scare and thought.

Alice: 'Probably that was the 'Engine' Marco was talking about…'

Then Alice walked again towards the ship's wheel and looked at the lever with an amazed look.

Alice: 'Fantastic… What did Marco built?! To be able to make a ship move without wind…'

Alice was amazed from Marco's achievement, and looked towards the sea.

Alice: Hm… I've never tried to pilot a ship…

Then Alice put her hands on the ship's wheel and started to pilot it towards Sentora with a grin.

[SPECIAL QUESTS]

1st. Kick Gabriel's ass

2nd. Achieve coexistence between Monsters and Humans

3rd. Kill Illias

4th. Return to Lucifina's grave

5th. Visit every places in Illias Continent, Sentora and Hellgondo

Chapter end