"Halmut…"
As Jack and the others were all caught off guard, including all legendary gods apart from Tralbok who was given the order to summon him, Halmut smiled confidently. "So… This Glacier Keep? Why are we all waiting here?"
"Hmm… not bad," commented Oli, amused to see another arrival. "So Kartonia managed to bring five full teams on their first time, well done!"
"Sir, why are we all waiting here? Hasn't the challenge begun?" Halmut turned and asked the unusually dressed man.
"Sorry, but Kartonians were sent early so that I could explain a couple of things. From the sound of it, I don't need to repeat myself if you already know this is a challenge and not a dungeon."
"Then can you explain the--"
"The terms and conditions of Glacier Keep will be explained when everyone gets here. Wait patiently like everyone else, big boy," chuckled Oli.
"You mean little boy."
Everyone immediately turned toward the helmed man, the only one using illusory energy to distort his voice. Halmut followed the gazes of the gods and stared cruelly at the helmed man. "What… did you say?"
"Do you prefer the term runt? I guess that would be more fitting…"
"YOU!"
"Waaait…" Oli's calm tone cut through the tension as Halmut gathered energy in his mouth. "There's no fighting allowed in the waiting chamber. Save your fury for the challenge, got it?"
"Lucky you," laughed the helmed man. "You get to live a little longer…"
Without a word, Halmut stormed ahead with lightning and wind energy. His claws tore through the air as he effortlessly reached for the man's covered head.
Lunara was about to step forward. She was also off-put by Halmut's appearance and beyond furious with him after learning what Kylon was going through. And now that she was also lv. 99 with a bloodline of equal strength, Lunara had no fear of taking Halmut on head-to-head. However, Moranti extended his arm to block her while Jack grabbed her wrist. They didn't allow Lunara to intervene.
Halmut's hands shifted into hybrid form claws, but just his arms. He didn't want to make the weak, newly-ascended god feel that important. Those powerful claws arched downward with no success at hitting their target. Instead, the helmed man had teleported and lunged his rapier forward from behind without hesitation or fear.
This wouldn't faze Halmut, though. His combat experience was among the highest of all gods. He turned to match the rapier's strike with heated breath.
"I said no fighting…" sighed Oli, snapping his fingers.
THUD!
Both Halmut and the helmed man suddenly crashed to the floor. Their entire body was prostrated and flattened against the roxite floor, even struggling to let air into their lungs.
Everyone was astounded further, utterly perplexed at Oli's casual tone of annoyance as the strangely dressed man sauntered toward the two grounded men. Oli squatted down low and cupped a hand over his ear directly over the two men. "What was it I said, again?"
"No… figh… ting…" the helmed man groaned after losing the ability to hide his voice. His roxite helmet began to crack under the oppressive force pinning him down. "He… star… ted it…"
"True, true… I suppose you're right about that." Snapping his finger, Oli released the helmed man. "I think you've learned your lesson."
Wheezing, the helmed man shook as he took in deep breaths, resuming the act of hiding his voice. He was frantic to regain his breath and mobility.
Sighing, Oli glanced at Halmut who had remained silent. "You know, you may be some hotshot on Kartonia among the strongest on the planet, but don't get ahead of yourself. You're but a single grain of sand at the bottom of the ocean, among endless cosmicians feeling the boundless pressure of greater forces throughout the void. Got that."
Halmut had already lost the last of his breath and the force only got worse the longer Oli took to speak. When given the chance to reply again, Halmut stammered, "Yeah… Got… it…"
"Close enough…" SNAP!
The mighty Sun God felt sweet release as his body was able to relax once again. Clamoring to his knees and then his feet, Halmut stared at the nonchalant man with wavering eyes.
"What?" Oli asked, "You think I'm afraid of you? Or afraid of who you might know? Please… I've known Daruun longer than you have and have even more powerful friends if necessary, so I welcome the challenge."
"Sorry…" Halmut pulled his gaze away, no longer daring to cause trouble or go against that man's orders. Even if he was a part of Jewel, that didn't mean he was invincible in this particular circ.u.mstance.
"Sorry about that… Let me fix that for you." Oli glanced at the cracked helmet and lobbed some yellow, earthen energy to envelop it. Suddenly, the helmet began to repair itself and return to its usual form. "Fixing such a weak item is easy, so forgive my brutal warning. I'm sure you understand my reasoning and won't hold it against me. Or else…"
"I'm sorry." Bowing, the helmed man immediately showed his respect. "It's my fault for inciting Halmut and I should've saved that anger for the challenge."
Oli smiled and raised an eyebrow. "Good… I like you. Make sure to leave a corpse behind if you die in the keep. I'd hate to see your life wasted so easily."
While everyone else was trying to understand the meaning of Oli's warning, Jack was busy with something else. No matter what he did or how many times he tried, Jack was unable to contact Sterfen. Whether it was via the pact, via the message skill, or anything else Jack found no way to reach his father.
'Jack… I can't reach him…' Lunara telepathically mumbled with worried eyes.
'Don't worry, Mom… I'll contact Daruun right now and get to the bottom of it…'
Blinking in a fit of shock, Jack was glad to have made a pact with Daruun for easy communication. Though he knew Daruun was busy, Jack had to make the call.