Lily spent the next hour recalling everything she could about The Master, his compound, and what she knew of him. As she explained more, Tom began to boil angrily at what this man was doing.
"What kind of sick bastard enslaves people to further his cause? He's making them work against their will to do what he wants and only he gets stronger!" Tom seethed as he couldn't contain his anger anymore.
"It's natural for people to want power. What's unnatural is the way he's going about it. Controlling someone's mind is abhorrent." Brian commented, still trying to take in everything Lily had told them.
"The feeling is like being violated every day. You want to do one thing, but some force makes your body do something different." Lily said, hugging herself in the chair she still sat in.
"We should just go over there and fuck up his day. We can set the others free while we are there." Tom said turning toward the door.
"That's a bad idea," Brian stopped him with an arm before he got going. "If you just go in there guns blazing, he'll use the people as shields if he has to in order to protect himself. You've got to think before you act. This is a delicate situation."
"We can't just sit here and do nothing while he tortures these people!" Tom almost yelled at being stopped.
"I know, and we won't, but sit down for a second and try to come up with a plan where less people get killed. Especially since many will be innocents." Brian implored.
"UUUUUUGGGHHHH!!!!" Tom cried out in frustration. "You're right. But I feel like shit just sitting here."
"What if we used Bohdan to sneak in and begin with taking some of the people that are not as vital?" Brian suggested.
"He will notice at some point. He has some kind of mental connection to everyone. When he wakes up he will know I don't have the collar on." Lily interjected. "He always knows when someone died. This wouldn't be any different."
"We have to do something!" Tom blurted out after sitting and thinking for a moment. "I can't just sit here. Jay, let's go."
"Sweeeeeet," Jay said as he joined Tom in heading toward the door.
"Please don't do anything rash," Brian pleaded.
"We're just going to have a look. That way we can plan better." Tom said over his shoulder.
"I really hope those fuckers know what they are doing," Brian said to himself.
Once outside the security office, Tom and Jay left the building via the front entrance and walked out into the night. Leaving the newly erected compound walls, Tom turned to Jay.
"We need to sneak over and get a view of what we are up against. Maybe then we can come up with a plan." Tom spoke softly so as not to draw attention to themselves.
"Sure, sure. And maybe a few of the guards won't make it back inside tonight." Jay said rubbing his hands together.
"No, the guards are probably slaves. No killing people with collars." Tom ordered.
"Fine, fine. But everyone without collars?" Jay asked hopefully.
"Fair game," Tom replied curtly.
"That's what I'm talkin' about...." Jay chuckled as he took out a dagger and made it dance across his fingers.
"Now, let's get going. Lily said the location of their building was on the east side. They built a wall around it, so it shouldn't be hard to miss." Tom added.
"Can't we take the GS2?" Jay whined.
"No, stealth is the key and that would give off too much noise. I want us in and out without any notice. Plus if we need to make a quick getaway we'd likely lose them better on foot." Tom replied leaving no room for argument.
"Aye, aye captain," Jay said sarcastically at being forced to walk the whole way.
They set off at a jog, Tom's new increased attributes making him feel like he could run for far longer than he used to. The office job had taken a toll on his body and he had begun to get a bit of a stomach. Now, he was lean and muscular and able to move with more agility than he had since he was in high school. Jay kept up just behind him, head turning back and forth as they moved to watch for any signs of danger.
After about a half hour of jogging, Tom stopped and put up a hand to warn Jay.
"What is it?" Jay asked.
"Listen," Tom whispered.
Small grunting noises could be heard coming from ahead in the distance. It was too dark to see with the power to the city out, but they could make out shapes moving in the distance.
"Kinda sounds like...pigs?" Jay asked confused.
"I was going to say the same, but that doesn't make much sense. We are too far into town for wild hogs aren't we?" Tom replied.
"We should be. But with the way water levels rose, they might have moved." Jay offered as a possible explanation.
"We should probably go say hello. I haven't had bacon in a while." Tom smiled as he suggested the idea.
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Jay smiled in return and nodded. Moving forward, they crept slowly up to where they could see the shapes moving and heard the noises. As they got closer, the shadows began to take better shape and Tom could clearly see that these were not wild hogs.
What was in front of them appeared to be some kind of hybrid pig humanoid that was on its knees and eating from a carcass. Several other of the hideous creatures were gathered there feasting as well. The kill was fresh. Someone had been walking outside and either gotten overwhelmed or ambushed. Tom used Identify on the creature.
Porcine Hunters:
These creatures are usually docile and kill only for food. When hunting in packs, they can be especially dangerous. Never get between a Porcine Hunter and its food. They primarily attack using crude weapons and their hog-like tusks.
Level: 19
HP: 550/550
MP: 100/100
SP: 600/750
"Well, shit. There goes breakfast." Tom thought to himself.
"I'm not eating one of those fuckers," Jay whispered almost inaudibly.
Tom waved a hand up and down emphatically at him to tell him to not talk. Jay put both hands up in apology and took one step back. He turned slightly and made a hand gesture that looked like throwing a baseball but ended with his palm out and pointed toward the creatures.
Jay stood there confused for a moment and shook his head. Making the same motion again, but with more gusto, Tom tried to relay his plan without speaking.
"Dude, it looks like you are saying you are going to slap them at a really bad angle," Jay finally whispered.
Sighing heavily Tom replied, "I'm going to lob an Eldritch Blast at them. Then you move in to kill one from behind." Tom explained as quietly as he could.
"Got it. Next time just say that." Jay said and moved off into the shadows to move behind the creatures.
Once in position, Jay flashed his dagger in the moonlight, so Tom would know where he was. Moving his hands in a double casting of Eldritch Blast, Tom shot both green fireballs out at the pig creatures at once. Each blast hit a Porcine Hunter in the head and their whispy pig fur caught fire and spread over their entire bodies.
Screaming noises like a woman being brutally murdered in a back alley came from the monster's mouths as they jumped in the air and began running around frantically in their panic. Unfortunately for Tom, the hair on their bodies was so sparse that the fire traveled over their bodies far more quickly than he had hoped, leaving them with only minor burns except where they had been impacted.
"Well....fuck me," Tom said when the creatures turned to face him, their eyes actually beginning to glow red in the dark with anger.
Jay jumped out from the shadows, grabbed onto one of the Porcine Hunter's back, and began repeatedly stabbing a dagger into its neck. The Screaming began again but died out as a gurgling noise took its place as the blood began to run down its throat. Turning to face the new threat, the others became confused about where the danger was and froze for a moment.
Tom took this opportunity to equip his greatsword from his inventory and rushed at the beasts. When he was within range he activated cleave and sliced straight through the remaining two hunters with a clean horizontal swipe.
Messages of the kills came into his vision and he dismissed them.
"Great job with the sneak attack. Really gave me the opening I needed." Tom complimented Jay.
"Thanks for not letting them pile on me when I did," Jay replied, both men shaking hands before turning to loot the bodies.
Having been only wearing loinclothes, there wasn't much on the bodies. Their weapons had been stone blades attached to either a stick to make spears or crude handles for daggers. With the system working on monster cores, there wasn't money to pick up either like in traditional RPG games.
"I feel better now. Nothing quite like killing something after being told there's a giant twat waffle in the city making people into slaves." Jay said after they finished looting the bodies.
"That cockholster has something coming if he thinks we are just going to sit back and let this happen. But I do feel a little better too." Tom admitted.
"Time to keep going, bud. We will likely come across something else and need to get in and out before sunrise." Jay prodded Tom and began to walk away from the bodies.
"Right. Time to move. I pity the fool that gets in my way now!" Tom said excitedly.
"Slow your roll there nerdiest Mr. T ever. We gotta take this easy still," Jay reminded him.
"Oh, you're one to talk, Mr. 'Let's kill the guards'," Tom replied rolling his eyes, but smiling at the feeling of getting back to the normal ribbing they gave each other.
Moving through the shadows again at a job, they continued until they began to see a building in the distance that stood above the others in the area. Not a skyscraper, but some kind of large church that appeared to have had a large amount of metal scrap thrown onto the roof and around the walls in what someone thought might be a good way to protect it from damage.
In reality, what it had done was make the entire place look like a city dump. A crude stone wall had been built around the perimeter and was now about ten feet high.
"This is pretty impressive for someone just ordering slaves to do manual labor. I doubt he has even formed a guild because it needs willing participants." Tom commented when they reached the outer wall.
"It's disgusting is what it is. Think about how much work went into making this and he isn't leveling any of them. So imagine you did this at level one. Or even three." Jay replied, looking up at the wall as well, a visage of anger pasted on his face.
Tom began to feel that same anger rising again.
"Let's just get in, get a look around, and get out. We can't save anyone because their collars will go off. But maybe we can sabotage something while we are inside." Tom offered as a plan for once inside.
"I like that idea. Jay smash!" Jay replied, trying to be quiet but getting excited at the prospect of making The Master mad.
They began climbing the wall, but soon found it was too unstable for them to climb. This wall would fall on top of them if they continued the way they were going.
"There must be some kind of entrance. We will have to walk around to find it." Tom said when a particularly large stone fell off the top of the wall and almost hit him in the head.
"Yeah, let's go. We will find some other way in." Jay agreed, and they set off to walk the perimeter.
After walking about a quarter of the way around the wall, the pair found what they were looking for. A crude set of gates had been leaned against the inside of the wall and barred shut with a plank from the inside.
"Ironically I think this makes getting in harder than if the gates were actually attached," Tom commented pushing on the gate and watching it move back and forth.
"Only for our specific situation," Jay whispered as he too pushed on the gate and tried to keep it from falling inward.
"I think this calls for a bit of backup," Tom said stepping back from the walls and beginning to cast Summon Demonic Creature.
A dark circle appeared on the ground and out rose...A Demonic Chicken.
"For fucks sake! That's not what I want!" Tom whispered loudly.
"Bok?" The demonic chicken seemed to question as it turned its head toward Tom.
"Go on, get!" Tom whispered again as he dismissed the beast. "Attempt number two."
Casting Summon Demonic Creature again, Tom was rewarded with another chicken. This time, in frustration, Tom punted the chicken into the air where it disappeared in a puff of smoke as it health points hit zero.
Casting the summoning one more time, Tom was finally rewarded with the creature he was looking for. A Demonic Mastadonian rose from the summoning circle, clad in black leather armor over its nearly black elephantine skin. It turned to face Tom, tilting its head slightly as if asking what it could do for him.
"I need you to watch our backs. Keep an eye out for anyone that might attack us. If things get hairy, we bail." Tom instructed the creature and it nodded in acquiescence. "Alright, time to head inside."