As they started to explore the stronghold again, Trace nailed down what the group's strategy would be. It wasn’t all that different from the previous strategy, where the group mostly relied on Kairi and Shinju to scout ahead and navigate them to the stronghold’s exit. The only real difference now was they would break into teams of two if combat broke out. Trace and Kairi would back up and act as support, while Mig and Aj would take the front.
“I’m not sure about this” Aj mentally said to Kit.
“Which part?”
“The part where Mig and I are front lining against killer mantises”
“That wasn’t a problem earlier when it was just the two of you” Kit replied, mentally shrugging.
“That was when we didn’t have another option and even then I was hanging back and letting Mig take the lead,” Aj replied, anxiety making him whisper. “I’m worried that they’ve overinflated my ability because you destroyed that centipede monster.”
“I think we’d manage fi-..... Oh I see, you’re worried that if we’re forced into that position again we’ll expose ourselves. We don’t know how Kairi and Trace would react.”
“Exactly. If we’re in front we’re more likely to be in danger. More likely to be in danger means more likely for you to have to go “Full Kit” to save my ass and if you do it's more likely to get caught because we’re in front of everyone.”
“So what do we do? We back out? Tell them we want to play a more backline role?”
“I think so, but how would I even go about mentioning that. Say something like “Hi I actually don’t want to risk my life more than you do. Trace would you mind switching me out with the single arm you have left?”” Aj said in a cowardly sarcastic tone.
“Yeah, the one arm does make it a hard sell. You never want to count out the disabled though.” Kit said, putting his finger up like he had just said something very philosophical. “What about switching with Kairi?”
“The problem is she’s arguably the most important member of the group. She’s the only one who knows her way around this place and the way out. The whole battle plan centers around keeping her safe while dealing with potential threats. Plus I get the vibe that she’s more of a support than a direct combatant.”
“Why do you say that?” Kit asked, specifically questioning Aj’s last point.
“The majority of time we’ve seen her she’s been mostly just scouting with Shinju and avoiding mantises. I also didn’t notice her doing much during the centipede combat. There was a lot going on in that fight though, I could have missed it.”
“I think you’re underestimating her. From what I could see during the centipede fight she moved pretty fast. I think she’s pretty experienced if you know what I mean”
“I don’t….. You mean like in combat? The way you said that makes me think you’re referring to something else.”
“Nevermind,” Kit said, refusing to give an answer. His refusal to clarify irritated Aj. It was a common “joke” of Kit’s to say something random and leave Aj to puzzle it out without clarification. Aj’s irritation made it all the more funny to Kit though.
“So I guess we’re sucking it up and playing frontline with Miggy.” Kit said completely moving on. “Ooooo at least it’ll be a good opportunity for you to try out that sick knife you got from the first room!”
“Yeah just what I want against killer mantises with multiple sword arms. A knife”
“We’ll figure it out,” Kit replied, his voice more sincere and serious.
Aj was about to respond when Mig’s voice interrupted him.
“You following Aj? You seem a little out of it” Mig asked, speaking to Aj for the first time since Aj’d told him everything.
“Sorry, zoned out for a second there,” Aj said, pointing his finger at his head. “Won’t happen again. I’m good”.
Mig gave a nod in response and turned around. His face was a little tight, but Aj could’ve sworn that there was a slight smile in there. It was the first sign of warmth that Mig had given Aj since he told him everything. It made Aj feel a little more at ease as they journeyed deeper into this deathtrap of a stronghold.
-
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Exploring the stronghold had gone remarkably smoothly. Over what Aj could only guess was about a day and a half, the group had trekked a few miles through the stronghold. Or at least that’s what Kairi had told them, it was hard for anyone else to really tell due to all of the traversing through disorientating teleporting doors. They again mostly relied on Shinju’s scouting and Kairi’s command crystal to navigate the stronghold and its dangers. Trace was a welcome addition though, Aj was beginning to appreciate his no-nonsense straight-to-the-point personality. What Trace mostly brought to the table was his experience, he was quick to point out learning opportunities and give advice. Even if the only thing he had the chance to comment on were the group's stealth and awareness skills as they stalked throughout the stronghold.
Things changed after Shinju came back and reported his findings into Kairi’s ear. Kairi bit the inside of her cheek and squinted her eyes deep in thought. This was somewhat typical. Often Shinju would report on the dangers ahead and Kairi would have to take a moment or two to go through her mental map and find a potential route for travel. This time, however, a few moments turned into ten minutes as the group waited around Kairi looking for direction.
“There’s a nest ahead. One breeder, at least six warriors, and a King.” Kairi stated looking down the hallway Shinju had just scampered from.
“What’s the route around then?” Trace asked, his voice sharp. He was becoming irritated that they hadn’t seen any sign of his group. He seemed obviously very worried about it to Aj, as he had mentioned finding them several times already today.
“There is no route around,” Kairi said flatly. “The only way to progress is through that nest.”
“So you say. Any chance I could borrow that crystal and double-check it myself?” Trace asked not so subtly, displaying his distrust.
“Respectfully Trace, Bonded of the Tiermons. No, I will not be relinquishing anything.” Kairi said, her voice becoming diplomatically cold. “Besides, holding the crystal will do you no good. As I’ve said before, without my mental recollections of where each portal can possibly go, navigating the stronghold would be impossible.”
Trace grunted in response and took a long look down the hallway. His hands on his hips.
“Alright then, so what’s our suicidal plan?” Trace asked.
“Our goal should be access to one of the doors located in the nest. If we can bait the King out of the nest, I can open a portal through them deeper into the stronghold.”
“Wait, wait, wait. If this deeper location is only accessible through these portals, then my group could never be past that point. We can’t go deeper before we find them” Trace said, his intent to stay behind very clearly an ultimatum.
“Not necessarily, we’ve been progressing by avoiding fights and taking the paths of least resistance. It’s possible that your group could have pushed through one or two of those obstacles as well and be just as deep into the stronghold.”
“Yeah, but you're saying that getting through this nest with a King in it is the path of least resistance. Otherwise, we would’ve taken some easier fight. Our only option to progress right now requires facing a King in some capacity.”
“Correct,” Kairi responded.
“So that would mean that my group would’ve had to challenge and get by another King to get as deep into the stronghold as we are going.”
“That is correct. Without guidance, it would take someone truly desperate to face a nest and a King with no clear objective. Do you think your group is that courageous?”
Trace let out a deep sigh before responding.
“I think they might be that stupid. Yeah,” Trace responded, taking a few seconds to think before nodding and speaking again.
“Okay let's get into more specifics on this suicide plan.”
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The general outline of the plan was simple. The Guys: Trace, Mig, and Aj would bait as many of the mantises as possible down the hallways towards them. Hopefully even baiting in the King. Kairi would follow up using a different tunnel that had access to the nest and open a portal through the doors inside the nest. Kairi would go through and find another door deeper in that she could attune to the doors near the guys. She would then open that portal and the guys would go through just in time. There were two big problems in the plan that everyone initially saw. How would they keep the guys alive as they suffered the attention of the most of the nest and how would Kairi survive infiltrating the nest?
For the first problem, Aj constructed a series of vine traps that would hopefully arrest and slow down some of the mantises. With Trace’s help Aj not only constructed some tripwires that would hopefully trip the oncoming Mantises, but he also made a series of snares. The snares were quite difficult to make as Aj had to really experiment by making vines with different compositions and rigidity to have the tension to set off the snare. By the time Aj was finished he’d lined the hallway with eight tripwires and four sturdy snares. Afterward, he felt nauseous and exhausted, like he’d run a marathon in a lead vest after drinking a gallon of milk.
To make matters better though, Kairi had offered something unexpected to help them survive. It was a crystal blue anaconda with an alternating light blue and dark blue diamond pattern on its scales. Kairi had removed a decorational belt around her waist and took the better part of thirty minutes to summon the watery creature which was at least eight feet long. It did creep Aj out, but he did feel safer knowing that it would be slithering around the feet of the assaulting mantises.
When Aj expressed concern about Kairi surviving her ordeal, Kairi assured them that she would have no trouble. She explained that she could absorb her summons to get temporary enhancements to specific aspects of her cor. Her plan was to absorb Shinju and use his enhanced speed to rush past the remaining mantises guarding the nest. She was confident that if the King was baited out of the nest she would make it out fine.
As they prepared their final touches, Trace spoke up and asked why they didn't simply use Kairi’s expendable summons to bait out the Mantises and then sneak in after. Kairi explained that the mantises had long learned to not chase after her summons, especially if there was a King around to give orders. Kairi reiterated before they began that these mantises would likely be increasingly more dangerous in the presence of a King. The group took a short break so that Aj could recuperate fully before enacting their plan.
The plan started without a hitch. Mig raced ahead and engaged the vanguard mantises guarding the nest. Mig had learned from his recent encounters with the mantises and grown as a cor user greatly over this last week. With his first strike, he decapitated a warrior mantis quickly turned on his heel running backwards to the group. Only stopping once to block an overhead bladed-arm strike of a mantis behind him. As he approached the guy's encampment he deftly maneuvered through the traps and regrouped with Trace and Aj.
The first mantis rampaged through, its legs catching on the tripwire, scrambling to stay upright. Those scrambling movements led it straight into a snare which pulled half of the creature's multiple legs up into the air, its body lagging behind it. Mig jumped into action and took advantage of the singular moment to land an enhanced sword strike, separating half of its legs from the mantis’ torso. Dark blue ichor fell to the floor in buckets. Mig once again retreated and regrouped with the guys, preparing for more mantises to follow and barge through their defenses.
Except none came. Two mantises came to the edge of their traps and waited, eerily still. Trace had already turned around just before, the sound of skittering mantises came from their flank. The King had opened portals for them so that they could pincer the group. Trace gripped Aj and Mig on the shoulder before turning to face the coming flanking mantises. This would be his burden to face, Aj and Mig would have to do the impossible.
As the skittering became louder and louder behind them a more oppressive scene appeared in front of Aj and Mig. Appearing from behind the two mantises that were ominously waiting was a singularly large Mantis. It stood over fifteen feet high, its bladed arms were thicker than steel and its eyes had a cold intelligence as it peered past their defenses straight into the hearts of Aj and Mig.
The King let out an ear-piercing screech. As if receiving an ultimate command the two mantises climbed each opposite vertical wall and began charging toward them above the traps. The King simply waited for the warriors to progress farther before trampling through the traps and defenses, completely ignoring them as his frame proved too massive to be obstructed by such paltry defenses.
Aj could swear he heard Kit mentally gulp
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