Chapter 107
A Tight Fit
Having finished their fight against the two assassins, Ryle and Arkay had met up with each other. The blonde had been very worried upon seeing the blood on the cat boy’s neck, only for her to let out a sigh of relief, when she found out that the wounds weren’t deep or life-threatening. The two of them had proceeded to administer a quick treatment on their injuries with the help of potions given to them by Lexton, before they started their journey to Gotzmeyer’s place.
Right now, the two of them were taking a breather at a spot that wasn’t too far from the base. This allowed them to rest in peace without being spotted by guards, while also allowing them to keep an eye on the place. Even though both of them wanted to go and help their friends, they knew that they were not in the shape to storm a military establishment, let alone one controlled by a warlord of all people. They were forced to admit that they would only be a hindrance to their comrades, even if they were somehow able to get inside without being noticed.
“There’s the place. Right in front of us, just a few steps away,” Ryle said with a frustrated sigh. “And while our buddies are inside, taking on a freaking warlord, we’re stuck here! If this isn’t bullshit, I don’t know what is!”
“I’m sorry. I wasn’t able to handle those two properly,” Arkay apologized. “If I were at least a bit better, I probably would be in a better shape now and we could go there to help the other.”
“Hey, don’t take my whining that way,” the blonde said gently, as she gently patted the cat boy on the back. “We took on some real hard-asses out there and were lucky to get out of it alive. Besides, it’s not like I’m doing much better than you are. I just don’t like sitting around without being able to do anything.”
“I feel the same. I worry how they’re going to manage, considering what they’re up against,” Arkay said. “Do you think they’ll be okay?”
“Yes and no,” Ryle replied. “Don’t get me wrong. I have absolute faith in Erin and Durge. Those two can handle pretty much anything thrown at them. Hell, I even trust Lex to be able to handle things, if they get tough.”
“Wait… You trust Lex?” the cat boy asked, surprised by the blonde admitting such a thing.
“Well… Yeah! I mean, you saw how he handled that whole thing with that other kobold, before we got to Grand Mine Central! That was some skill he showed back there,” Ryle explained. “Just… Please don’t tell him I ever said any of that. He would never let me hear the end of it.”
“Your secret is safe with me,” Arkay said with a smile. “What about Zeldana? I don’t know about you, but… I don’t really trust her, because-”
“Because she’s a complete sociopath lunatic that gives even murderers nightmares?” the blonde finished for the cat boy, who nodded in response. “I completely agree. While I get that she’s skilled, she’s obviously way too crazy to be completely trusted. Not only that, there’s just something about her that makes me distrust her.”
“I get what you mean by her being crazy. That’s something anybody can see,” Arkay said. “But what is that other thing you said? That something about her that makes you distrust her?”
“It’s kind of hard to explain, but have you seen how she acts around Erin? It’s almost like they have their own thing going on in the background or something,” Ryle replied. “Not only did Erin tell her something that none of us know, but they keep having private talks with each other. I also just get this feeling that they are often talking about things that we don’t know anything about…”
“...Don’t you trust Erin?” the cat boy asked.
“WHAT!? Of course I trust her! Not only has she saved my life, but she also helped me avenge my brother’s death! I would trust her with my life!” the blonde shouted. “Why would you even ask that!?”
“Because in the end, that’s all you need, isn’t it?” Arkay said with a smile. “Just like you, I’ve been helped out by Erin a lot and I trust her absolutely. So whatever might be going on between her and Zeldana isn’t something for us to worry about, is it? Let’s just keep going the same way we have so far and have faith in her. Okay?”
“...Man, you really are too good for your own good, you know? Besides, it’s because I have such faith in Erin that I worry about her. Considering what kind of a maniac Zeldana is, I’m just afraid that she might have gotten herself entangled into something really bad!” Ryle said with a sigh. “Is it wrong for me to worry about her!?”
“Of course not. That’s what friends do for each other, after all,” the cat boy said. “And if Erin has gotten into trouble, then it will be our job to help her out. It’s simple as that.”
“Damn right!” the blonde said with a chuckle.
A moment of silence fell over the two, as they kept their eyes on the military base before them, almost like they were waiting for something.
“So how long do you think until the alarms will start blaring?” Arkay asked.
“Won’t be long. Knowing how these things go, I’m surprised we aren’t hearing them already,” Ryle replied. “What we need to remember is to not charge in right away. Even if the alarm causes panic and confusion, we won’t be able sneak in as soon as it happens. We’ll have to wait a bit longer for the chaos to build up, before-”
At that moment, a large explosion could be seen on one of the top floors of the base. The sound of the alarm and panic voices of the people stationed there soon filled the air in a chaotic mess.
“Is… that enough chaos?”
“...Maybe just a bit more.”
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Some time earlier within the base, Erin and her companions were in the middle of making their way to the basement. While they didn’t have Arkay with them, who was an expert when it came to infiltration, they were able to stay hidden thanks to Lexton. The kobold seemed to have just the right tool for any possible obstacle that came their way. From distracting guards to fooling security cameras, he had a solution for any situation. Whether it was simple smoke, sleeping gas or a small gooey golem, he had everything he could need in one of his vials.
It took them some time, but they were able to get to the basement. There were still some workers, low-level soldiers tasked with handling the more unwanted jobs within the base, who were still walking around the area. However, since there weren’t many of them and they were mostly focused on their tasks, getting past them was relatively easy. After all, no one was expecting people infiltrating a military base to aim for the laundry of all places.
They soon found what they were looking for. The place where all the dirty clothes were collected from the soldiers dropping them down the shoots. The workers were tasked with collecting said clothes and make sure that they were washed properly.
“Okay, no time like the present!” Lexton declared as he jumped down to the pile of dirty clothes. “It’s time we get to work!”
The kobold started to make his way through the mounds of clothes, looking for the place where the shoots were. However, he soon realized that none of the others had actually followed behind him and were still at the edge of the container.
“What are you guys waiting for!? An Invitation!?” Lexton asked angrily. “Get down here already and stop wasting time!”
“About that… Are you sure this is the best way for us?” Erin asked awkwardly. “I have to say that I’m not exactly thrilled about this…”
“What!? What the hell are you complaining about now!?” the kobold asked. “You can’t seriously tell me that this is too much for you!”
“Well, think about it for a moment! Is it any wonder why I wouldn’t want to swim in the dirty laundry of other people!?” the redhead argued. “Those clothes are covered in sweat, blood and all sorts of other bodily fluids or filth! Just thinking about it is giving me the creeps!”
“Yeah, I’m not exactly the cleanest person around either, but this is too nasty even for me,” Durge said. “It’s one thing to get knocked down into the dirt or some trash during a fight, but throwing myself willingly into this mess? No thanks.”
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“You losers… Do you have any idea of the things I’ve had to crawl through!? Getting the urine of a Stone Viper isn’t exactly a fun time and it’s certainly far worse than this!” Lexton argued back. “But if you’re still so against this, I suppose we can make a sudden change in our plans. Although, I wonder how you two were planning to make our way through highly-guarded floors filled with armed thugs, security measures and all sorts of terrible things waiting for us!”
“...Fine. We’ll go this way,” Erin said with a deep sigh, before jumping into the pile of dirty clothes.
Durge soon followed after the redhead with Zeldana quickly coming along. Upon seeing the elf land, Lexton turned his attention to her.
“Didn’t you have some issues with this?” the kobold asked. “I mean, you’re a medical professional. In… some manner at the very least… Shouldn’t hygiene be a big issue for you?”
“Meh. I don’t see what the big deal is,” Zeldana replied with a shrug. “I get that you’re not supposed to do perform certain activities while covered in filth, but I see the whole “washing your hands all the time” thing as unnecessary. Don’t people have immune systems for that, right?”
Erin, Durge and Lexton turned to look at the elf with disgusted expressions.
“Yeah, you’re not going to touch me ever again, okay?” Lexton said with a sigh.
“You’re seriously telling me that all of THIS doesn’t disgust you at all?” Erin asked motioning to the dirty clothes surrounding them. “You gotta know how filthy all of this is!”
“I get that it’s dirty and all, but I honestly find this more intriguing in a way,” Zeldana replied. “All of this tells you stories about the people who wear these clothes more than they could ever tell us themselves.”
“...I know I’m going to regret this, but I have to ask. What do you mean by that?” the redhead asked.
“Simple. A lot of people put all sorts of acts to hide their true selves. Clothing is a part of it. But once you look at the inner side of them, you can tell a lot about the person wearing them,” the elf explained, as she began to pick through the clothing. “For example, this shirt tells me that the person who owns it has some bad friends, as he has bullet holes on the back. The vomit on these pants tell me that this guy likes to party. And these underwear? Let’s just say that this guy needs a girlfriend.”
“...I’ve had to crawl through all kind of filth and face some of the most disgusting creatures the world has to offer,” Lexton said bluntly. “How is it possible that you are the most disgusting thing that I have ever seen?”
“Hey, I’m just honest about my interests and hobbies,” Zeldana said with a shrug. “Can any of you say the same?”
“The thing is that most normal people keep hobbies like that to themselves!” Erin said angrily, before letting out a frustrated sigh and turning her attention to her other companions. “All the gross revelations aside, have you guys found what we came looking for?”
“Sort of. You can see that there are multiple laundry shoots over here,” Durge said, pointing at multiple holes on the wall. “The question is, which one do we take? You got any idea of that, Lex?”
“While I’m certain we can take whichever one we want, I think it’s best to wait a moment,” the kobold answered. “We should see which shoot the uniforms of high-ranking officers come from. That way will lead us closest to Gotzmeyer. I’d hate to climb up, only to just end up on the second or first floor. That would be embarrassing.”
“I get what your plan is, but doesn’t that mean we are pretty much sitting-?”
Erin’s question was cut off by the sound of approaching footsteps. Upon hearing this, the redhead and her companions dived underneath the piles of dirty laundry in order to hide. Soon after hiding, a low-ranking soldier came to pick up some of the dirty clothes, before leaving.
“Well, that was a close call,” Lexton said as he got back up. “Glad we were quick to hide.”
“Sure… I just wish we had a better place to hide,” Erin said unhappily, as she and Durge also rose up from their hiding spots. “I’ll never be clean after this…”
“I don’t see what you all are complaining about. I’m sure that there are worse places to hide,” Zeldana said with a grin as she held up a pair of very dirty pants. “I mean, check this out! These have stains from pretty much all possible bodily fluids imaginable! Can you imagine what kind of a person must have been wearing them!?”
“...I’m pretty sure you’re the only one who likes to do that,” the redhead muttered.
Lexton was about to add something to the conversation, but he noticed new clothes drop down from one of the shoots. He quickly hurried over to them and inspected the clothes. The kobold grinned upon recognizing the clothes as ones that belonged to high-ranking military officers.
“Guys, I think we just found the correct hole to go through!” Lexton said. “It’s this one right here!”
“Thank God! We can finally get out of this disgusting mess!” Erin said as she and the others made their way to the kobold. “So now what do we do?”
“Isn’t it obvious? Now we climb,” the kobold answered. “Although, I think I’m going to need help from one of you for obvious reasons.”
“What would that be?” the redhead asked.
A blank and slightly irritated look came over Lexton’s face from the question. He then motioned towards the hole where the laundry shoot was with his arms, showing how he couldn’t reach it due to his height.
“Oh right,” Erin said, a bit embarrassed over missing such an obvious thing. “You’re a bit one the short side.”
“Thanks for stating the obvious. I’m sure your contributions will be great for the blind community,” the kobold said with a frustrated sigh. “Now, who do I get to hang onto, as we make our way upwards?”
“I’ll do it,” Durge volunteered. “I doubt you’re going to weigh me down all that much.”
“Fully agreed!” Lexton said enthusiastically, as he climbed up the orc’s body and took a seat on his shoulder. “Thank you for serving as my personal elevator for now! Much appreciated!”
“...Somehow I’m already starting to regret this,” Durge mumbled to himself.
“Alright, I’ll go first. The rest of you follow behind me,” Erin said as she made her way to the shoot and crawled inside, starting her climb towards the upper floors.
As the redhead disappeared inside the shoot, Durge turned towards Zeldana with a question on his mind.
“You wanna go first or should I go first?” the orc asked while looking at the elf. “I’m fine either way. It doesn’t really matter to me one bit.”
“While I normally wouldn’t care about such things, I think I’d prefer to go first this time,” Zeldana replied as she climbed into the hole. “Judging by your size, you might not fit all that well, right? I’d prefer not to have you block my path by accident.”
“Hey, I get your point, but-”
Durge was unable to finish his sentence, as the elf simply ignored him and went on to climb up, leaving him behind along with Lexton.
“Well, what are you waiting for? Get to climbing!” the kobold said. “We can’t just stay here and let them do all the work, can we!? Suck in your guts and start going up!”
“...You keep this up and I’ll get stuck in there on purpose, so we can both starve to death,” Durge grumbled.
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It wasn’t long until the whole group was crawling inside the shoot, moving upwards quickly yet quietly. While Erin and Zeldana were doing fine, Durge was having problems due to his much larger body. Not only did he have trouble moving, but even breathing was a bit difficult for because of how cramped he was. Lexton had noticed that his face wasn’t the normal color it should be.
image [https://i.ibb.co/FVCWqYh/Ch-107-Pic-1.jpg]
“Durge, are doing okay?” the kobold asked. “You seem kind of blue in the face. If I didn’t know better, I’d mistake you for one of the fishmen.”
“Yeah… I’m just peachy over here… No need to worry,” the orc said as he struggled to move. “Just out of curiosity, how far do we still have to go?”
“Oh, we’ve still got ways to go, my friend!” Lexton said. “We just got past the second floor! We need to get all they way up to the tenth floor!”
“You have got to be freaking kidding me!” Durge cried out.
“Hey! Quiet down there!” Erin hissed at her comrades below her. “People might not be able to see us, but they sure as hell can hear us! Stop announcing our arrival!”
“You heard the lady, Durge. Just suck it up and keep going,” Lexton said with a smirk. “While you’re at it, suck up your guts as well! I’m sure it will help you in getting through this!”
“You’re just trying to piss me off, aren’t you?” the orc grumbled, before continuing the climb upwards.
There was a sudden sound up ahead, causing the group of infiltrators to stop climbing and stay as silent as possible. The sound was soon followed up by a bunch of clothes falling down on them. Articles of clothing ranging from socks, pants, shirts and everything else rained down upon them.
“Goddammit! Like this wasn’t awful enough!” Durge cursed as he struggled to get the falling laundry out of his way. “Did this really have to happen as well!?”
“It’s a laundry shoot. What were you expecting?” Lexton asked as he calmly picked up the clothes that had fallen on him and threw them away. “It’s not like we were going to have candy and ice cream rain down on us.”
“I know this is awful, but please just bear it!” Erin said as she grit her teeth from disgust at her situation. “We just need to hold out a bit and it will soon be over!”
“Honestly, I don’t get what you guys are bitching about,” Zeldana said, not at all bothered by the dirty laundry falling on her. “I’ve had far worse stuff dropped on. And I actually had to pay for that!”
“...On behalf of everyone in our group, keep that story to yourself,” Lexton said.
The rain of clothing soon ended, allowing the group to continue their way upwards. However, there seemed to be an issue of some kind, as Erin wasn’t moving at all, forcing everyone to stay still.
“Erin? You okay over there?” Zeldana called out to the redhead, but she received no answer. “We kind of need to keep moving, so unless you want to settle down and live here, we kind of need you to get a move on.”
“...I’m fine,” Erin said through gritting her teeth as she picked up something that had fallen on top of her head. “Let’s just keep going.”
The redhead dropped whatever had landed on her, allowing Zeldana to catch it and inspect it closer. Much to her surprise and humor, it was something that no one would want to touch, let alone let rest on your body.
“Woah! These underpants certainly have seen their better days!” the elf said while laughing. “And judging by the stains, this guy must have been the unfortunate victim of a specially spicy food Tuesday!”
Hearing this caused Lexton to burst out laughing and even Durge to chuckle to himself. Seeing as how her companions were finding her misfortune amusing, Erin climbed back down a bit and reached out her hand to Zeldana.
“Zel, mind giving those back to me?” the redhead asked. “I need them for something.”
“Here you go,” the elf replied as she handed the filthy underwear to Erin.
Once the piece of clothing had been returned to her, the redhead crumbled it into a ball and with expert aim threw it at Lexton, who was still laughing. Not only did she manage to hit her target, but her aim had been so good that she managed to land it into the kobold’s mouth. His laughter soon turned into coughs and sputters of disgust from this.
“Not so funny now, is it?” Erin mumbled, before continuing to climb upwards.
After some time, the redhead reached the top end of the shoot. Stopping at the spot where the hatch leading to the other side was, she turned to look at her companions.
“Hey, I’m at the top. I’m going to open the hatch and take a quick look. If it’s safe, we’ll get out and find a place to hide,” Erin said. “Are you guys ready to move?”
“I’m ready,” Lexton replied.
“Yup,” Zeldana said.
“Please let me out of here,” Durge pleaded.
“Okay… Here goes,” Erin said just before she pushed the hatch open.
However, once the hatch was opened, the redhead came face to face with a soldier, carrying a large amount of dirty clothes in his hands. Both stared at each other for a moment in shock.
“I… What the-?” the soldier said as he struggled to make sense of the situation before him, until quickly realizing that he was looking at an intruder. “INTRUDERS! SOUND THE ALARM!”
“OH FOR THE LOVE OF-!” Erin shouted angrily as she pulled out a bomb made by Lexton.