When they heard the ominous ssage Laston had left behind, Erend and Eccar could not help but feel a creeping unease. Their jaws were clenched tight as their eyes remained locked on the screen.
Then they looked at each other, their eyes saying the sa thing. An unspoken fear of sothing that might be coming.
"Continue," Erend said, his voice firm and cold.
The lead engineer played the next recording. But there was no more information about the Praetoris. What followed was data about the technology Laston had developed and the discoveries he made by rging magic from his origin world with the energy of this one.
"There is nothing else about the Praetoris?" Eccar asked, irritation seeping into his voice and making the lead engineer flinch.
"I... I do not think so. This was all Laston's personal archive. We were never given access to any of it," the lead engineer stamred.
"You are telling you never felt curious about the Praetoris? I am sure you have at least heard the na," Eccar pressed.
"Well... they were not related to our research or experints, so..." The lead engineer scratched his head nervously, his expression uneasy. It was clear these people had minds focused only on the innovations they were tasked with. They would not bother exploring anything that was not directly related to their work.
From what Erend and Eccar saw now, they were sure this engineer still had a mountain of data to study and discoveries yet to uncover.
"Copy everything related to the Praetoris," Erend ordered. "And get us a powerful computer that can run without electricity."
The lead engineer nodded quickly and got to work. He prepared the requested data and instructed one of his subordinates to ready the machine.
anwhile, Erend stepped into the far corner of the room with Eccar. The weight of the recording pressed down heavily on both of them.
"Once again, we have stumbled onto sothing big and dangerous," Eccar muttered, letting out a sigh.
"The worst part is, we know nothing about them," Erend said. "Even Laston admitted we are no match for them."
Eccar tilted his head, eyes narrowing. "You think that is true? That we are no match for them?"
Erend turned to him, thinking for a few seconds, then exhaled. "Honestly, there was a ti I thought nothing could be as strong as us. But maybe that kind of thinking is exactly what will get us killed."
Eccar grinned and let out a low chuckle, a little embarrassed at having once thought the sa. Erend was right. Arrogance like that could be their undoing. The gods, goddesses, and powerful beings they had slain probably once believed the sa thing about themselves. Until Erend and Eccar ca and shattered those illusions, and their lives.
"I say we find them first," Eccar said, voice firm. "Strike before they even realize what is happening."
"Good idea. But we need to get stronger first," Erend replied. Then sothing hit him. "Wait, before all that, we need to learn how to control our Rage. When I fought Laston's n, I could feel it again. The Rage... it is coming back."
Eccar stared at him, eyes wide with sudden alarm, realizing just how dangerous the Rage could be. Maybe even more dangerous than the threat of the Praetoris.
"You are right," Eccar said quietly. He sighed, visibly shaken by the sa fear.
A few minutes later, the engineers finished their preparations.
Erend and Eccar watched as one of them approached while holding sothing that resembled a laptop though its build was bulkier. The fra reinforced and sleek, lined with glowing red and blue strips pulsing gently.
The mont it was handed to them the data they needed were already stored within. Inside the device was everything they had managed to recover — Laston's ssage and his files on the Praetoris.
Erend, having grown up in a modern world, though one far less advanced than this cyberpunk realm, imdiately recognized the quality of the device.
This wasn't just a laptop, it was a high-end portable terminal, probably designed to function even in hostile environnts without source of energy for a long ti.
Eccar, on the other hand, stared at it blankly. Technology was still sothing he left to others. He didn't complain. He trusted Erend with that part.
Erend took the device and turned to face the engineers still lingering in the chamber. Their expressions varied — so stared at him in silent fear, others quickly looked away the mont he t their eyes.
It was clear that despite their intellect and achievents, they were shaken. The power that Erend and Eccar carried was sothing none of their equations or innovations could counter.
"You will not be hard," Erend said, his voice echoing across the chamber, cold and asured. "As long as you obey and don't act funny."
The engineers remained still, listening intently. None of them wanted to gamble with their lives.
"We need your help," Erend continued. "You will provide us with more information about the technology in this world. And you will help develop it in another world, the world where we ca from."
There was a slight shuffle among the engineers, uncertainty flickering in a few eyes. Erend stepped forward with his gaze that looks sharp and warning.
"But hear clearly. If any of you even think about sabotage, about resistance, about betraying us — we will know. And when we do…" He let the silence drag for a second, his eyes burning into theirs. "You will be killed on sight."
The air in the room tightened. The weight of the warning settled like stone in every chest.
Then, as if rehearsed, the engineers responded in unison, their voices low but clear.
"We understand."
Erend gave a small nod, then turned to Eccar, who had remained silent but watchful the whole ti.
"Let's go," he said. "We have work to do."
Erend and Eccar walked toward the corner of the room. Without using any visible device, Erend effortlessly opened a portal back to the Elf Palace, leaving the engineers stunned.
Then they stepped inside, leaving behind the engineers who slumped into their seats — so even collapsing to the floor in disbelief.
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