Rocky felt much better after drinking a few refreshment potions alongside Neatwit, straight out of the Guild Storage.
Somehow, the way Neatwit treated him now compared to before the war felt very different to Rocky, as although the Vice Guild Master of the Elites was always kind to him, he did not seem to respect Rocky before today, however, that dynamic seemed to have shifted after the war.
Although he did not bring up Rocky's killing of the Lich, or behaved like a religious fanatic, he did seem to enjoy Rocky's company now more than before as he viewed him as an equal, rather than a talented kid.
"Aghhh, that hits the spot for sure!" Neatwit said, as he drank the fourth consecutive low grade refreshment potion and felt all his pent up fatigue slowly melting away.
Wiping his lips, he began massaging his sore spots as he closed his eyes and lost himself to thought.
"Men are born for war, Rocky. I have no question in my mind about it..... although I'm sad whenever we lose a guild member in a war. I can't deny the fact that I love the thrill of wars.
Not knowing which moment will be your last?
Not knowing which foe will take your life?
The battlefield makes me feel alive, like no other experience ever can" Neatwit said, as although Rocky did not fully agree with the veterans perception, he could not outright dismiss it either.
In this war, he was only shadowing the movements of War God Ravan and had not faced the difficulties of a war on his own. However, maybe because he fought the war on Easy Mode, he too somehow found it very appealing and addictive.
With his eyes still closed, Neatwit smiled softly as he continued, his voice taking on a reverent tone, reflecting the depths of his emotions tied to the battlefield.
"The chaos, the unpredictability—it's all a game of skill and wit, Rocky. When you're out there, surrounded by the clash of steel and the cries of the fallen, something primal awakens within you. It's as if every sense is heightened, every decision becomes a matter of life and death. And that's the beauty of it," Neatwit mused, his expression distant yet intensely focused.
"Oh, Karna, there's some pink lipstick on your lips..." Neatwit said, as Karna immediately tried wiping it off, only to realize there wasn't anything on there in the first place.
"Hahahaha"
Both Neatwit and Rocky burst out laughing, as Karna gave them both a blank look.
"Real mature guys.... Real mature!" He said, before cracking into a smile himself.
Picking a few bottles of refreshment potions himself, he leaned against the storage wall and began drinking them with his eyes closed, as he waited for the potion to reduce the fatigue he felt.
"One war done.... One more to go-" he said, as the moment these words escaped his mouth, the relaxed expressions on the faces of all three men shifted immediately.
"A lot of the guild's forces are injured. Plus we need to start gathering resources and formulating a plan.
We also need to confirm whether or not Riva is still inside floor21 or not" Neatwit said, as Karna nodded his head and opened his eyes to look into Rocky's.
"I'm sorry you had to wait so long Rocky.... However, now that our obligations with the monster wave have been completed, the complete focus of the True Elites Guild in the coming days will be on rescuing Riva.
We have let one of our own suffer for too long. But we definitely won't let her suffer no more" Karna promised, as Rocky acknowledged his resolve.
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/// A/N - Mass Release Chapter 2 of 5 ///