Chapter 27 : Club

"I have no idea!" Her Dad concluded with a beaming smile. "Your Mother never got that far in her telling, not between my shock and Ryan's constant badgering. That's why we have all these books to work through; better crack on with it!" "That's just like you," Emma laughed despite herself, the tension gradually building over the telling of his tale abruptly broken. "Always leading us in with some exciting story, only to leave us hanging with research to do." "If it works, it works," Her Dad chuckled, wholly unapologetic as always. "I never did find a better way to get you and Felix to do your homework. How is your brother by the way? I've been told he's fine and that you've met him already, but I can't help worrying despite that." "He's far safer right now than either of us," Emma reassured him. "Seems the new world's taken a liking to him; he's been appointed to oversee the Dungeon where his school used to be. You should visit, after gaining enough strength to survive the Wolves anyway. It's quite a big upgrade from how the school used to look, that's for sure." "What's this about wolves?" Her Dad asked, puzzled. "Those were hunted to extinction in England hundreds of years ago." "Bears were gone even before that," Emma pointed out. "The old rules don't necessarily apply anymore; though admittedly for the wolves, they're spawned as a defensive feature of the Dungeon itself. The bear I have no idea about." "In that case, I suppose we have some studying to do." Her Dad grinned, perking up at the idea of hours spent poring over dusty old tomes. "I'll go brew some more coffee; need some help taking that helmet off?" "I can drink as I am," Emma demurred, extending her straw for emphasis. "This armor stays on for now, until I figure out how to leave it anyway. It's only been a few days, and I've had more important things on my mind." [Spacetime distortion detected. Inventory disabled. Fast travel disabled.] "Speaking of which," Emma shifted gears smoothly. "Why don't you work on the books while I check the perimeter? Something's come up." "Trouble?" Her Dad asked, drawing a concealed handgun to her surprise; it seemed even language analysts were armed whilst they worked for MI5. "Want me to spot from the windows? I've not seen any action in a long time, but I still practice at the range at least once a month." "Feel free," Emma shrugged. "But don't start shooting unless I go in first. The warning is a bit vague on what we're facing here." Without any further delay, Emma made her way back downstairs, rather glad to have an excuse to avoid reading Middle English; languages had always been her brother's strong suit after all. As she reached the front door, Emma received a second surprise when the sleeping bear suddenly got up and followed her out. [System reboot initiated. Date/Time synchronization underway. Ambient Mana above minimum threshold. Weave connection unavailable. Date/Time re-calibrated, designation: Year 0, Day 0. Genetic material detected, sequencing underway. Noah Knight, 32nd generation lineal descendant of the founder. User access granted. User status: puncture wounds, bleeding, severe agitation. Highest statistic: Intelligence Intelligence above minimum threshold. Willpower above minimum threshold. Invoker class unlocked.]