The Beyonder Esper (A "The Legendary Mechanic" Fan Fiction)

Chapter 8: You're Here way too Early in the Story!

The group finally arrived at the end of the long tunnel. As the tunnel's purpose suggested, there were many space-age dollies, vehicles, and machines that Min did not recognize tucked into some storage cubicles.

The tunnel's exit looked similar to a large garage door. There was a terminal on the right wall and some a mechanism on the ceiling. Min lacked a password for the terminal, so he felt it easier to lift the garage door with his body rather than guess the password. He had eavesdropped on some guards babbling about how unreliable the lifting mechanism was, so he knew about this failsafe.

Min squatted in the likeness of a deadlift and grabbed a handle on the garage door. As he pulled up, the garage door lifted effortlessly. Before he could boast in his mind, he heard something above him. The lifting mechanism was working!

He released the garage door's handle and turned to the terminal. Ezhilarasan, the clear culprit, pointed at the terminal keyboard. "I used the Arena's master password."

"...What's the password?"

"Gin's bin of beets."

"..."

Min massaged his temples before turning to the now-open garage door. He cleared his throat and stepped through, everyone following.

The exit door led to a small structure built into the side of a hill. Four large slabs of concrete comprised the walls, ceiling, and floor. The front of the structure was open, as it was indeed a supply depo. One would guess that trucks docked at the open front and unloaded their contents.

Contrary to expectation, this ugly concrete building had a remarkable view of a dark, beautiful city. To the untrained eye, this city's architecture could be described as sharp. The city had more skyscrapers than regular-sized buildings along with many barely visible floating platforms, which added to the galactic city aesthetic.

Min put his hands on his hips and took in the view. "Woo-wee, what a great sight."

"I never thought I'd hear a Halmet say Baluk was beautiful. I guess Kaibent isn't all it's made up to be, huh?" Chad elbowed Min's shoulder with roaring laughter.

"Uh, I guess. Let's get going before our celebration is ruined."

Everyone stepped out of the structure, their feet hitting the pavement. As starlight showered on their skin, a horrific, choking pressure came from the sky. The entire group froze up as cold sweat immediately drenched their clothes. The pressure brought a fear Min never experienced before! It felt like the moon was crashing down on him!

A man dropped down from the sky, right into Min's field of view. As the man landed, Min felt his senses return to him. His eyes focused on the man, who was a Halmet like Min, though his ears were longer. He had a model-like appearance with a distinct presence. His extravagant robe flowed despite the lack of wind, with a stable cane supporting him giving some good visual contrast. Underneath the robe was more black clothing, primarily formal in appearance.

The man's eyes slowly opened, revealing a cold look. He turned his gaze to Chad and Ezhilarasan, who were still affected by the pressure, and lifted his hand.

Bang! Bang!

Red splattered onto the dirt floor and walls, with a light 'rain' following shortly after. An invisible barrier had protected the living from getting sprayed by the blood. With a thousand thoughts forming in his head, Min saw the Elf's hand sway to Damira's direction.

Without hesitation, Min desperately put his hand out. "Wait! Please don't blow her up!"

If this request made the stranger blow Min up too, then there was no chance in the beginning. Min's life was held in the hands of this stranger- a feeling he had known well for the past months, but one he hadn't felt so extremely until now.