Chapter 40
The Day Before The Attack
A couple of days had passed since Ryle had demonstrated her newfound abilities. The group was currently on the rooftop of a nearby building, looking over the military base that Lune was staying at. They were hoping to make plans for infiltrating and to see if there was anything they could use to their advantage.
“This doesn’t look too good for us,” Lexton said while using binoculars to look over the place. “That place is pretty much crawling with soldiers. It’s almost impossible to get in without getting noticed.”
“Well, if that’s the case, why don’t we just bust right in?” Ryle asked. “If going in quietly doesn’t work, we can always go in with some noise.”
“What a great idea. I’m sure we won’t get filled with hundreds of bullets the moment we get through the gate,” the kobold said sarcastically. “How about we get some input from a person who can actually use their brains a bit more?”
While Lexton and Ryle got into another argument, Erin took a moment to look over the base with her binoculars. As Lexton had said, the place was heavily guarded. Not only were there several guards patrolling around, there were also several watchtowers placed in key areas. There were also cameras placed here and there, and what seemed like guard robots moving around as well. Not to mention, once the alarm started ringing, the redhead was certain that there would be more guards pouring out from the inside of the base as well.
“Could there be another path?” Erin asked. “For example, could we use the sewers to get inside?”
“I know from experience that it wouldn’t work,” Lexton answered. “The sewers close to the base have explosives rigged there to take out any would be intruders, along with more guard drones as well to finish what’s left of them.”
“Have you tried to get in before?” the redhead asked.
“Yeah… About two years ago,” the kobold answered. “I tried to get as close as possible, but when I realized just the sheer size of the opponent I was facing, I couldn’t help but turn around and give up. For some time, I kept thinking about how to get in, but I couldn’t come up with anything that would actually work. In the end, I was forced to give up and pretty much forget about the whole thing.”
“...What changed your mind so suddenly?” Erin asked, earning a questioning look from Lexton. “If you decided it was impossible back then and gave up trying, why is it that you’re willing to risk your life now?”
“Hard to say… After I heard you guys talking about it, I just felt like trying again,” Lexton replied. “I guess it was thanks to you that I was reminded why I tried it in the first place.”
“By the way, we never learned why you have a grudge against Lune in the first place,” Ryle said, joining the conversation. “We know why the rest of our little group wants to kill the prick, but you never told us your reason.”
“Do you need me to?” Lexton asked.
“Not really,” the blonde said with a shrug. “As long as you’re willing to go through with this and not screw us over, I don’t think it really matters all that much. I mean, we’re all working together to achieve the same goal in the end, right?”
“...I suppose that’s true,” the kobold said. “But you shouldn’t be so trusting of others. It can come back at you when you least expect it.”
“Meh. If you were planning on betraying us, I feel like you would have done so already. No need to go through so much trouble, right?” Ryle said. “I doubt a guy like you would bother going this far just to screw us over.”
“Good point.”
With the conversation over for now, Erin returned to observing the base through her binoculars. She tried to think of any possible way that they could get inside, but nothing seemed to be plausible. Getting over the fence was out of the question, as the top of it was covered in barbed wire and was also electrified, as a bird that had flown too close to it had shown. Going under it wouldn’t work either, as they lacked the equipment for it. And if they tried to come from above, the base had anti-air weaponry that would shred them to pieces before they could land.
It seemed like the main gate was the only way in, but that was not an option the redhead liked all that much. The main gate was heavily guarded and every person and vehicle that came through was heavily inspected. The moment anything out of the ordinary was spotted, alarms would start ringing and there would be dozens of soldiers.
“Doesn’t seem to good, does it?” Lexton asked, noticing Erin pondering over their current predicament. “It honestly looks like the front door is our only way in, but no one would be crazy enough to try that. Especially since we need to get four people in.”
“...Not necessarily,” Erin said as an idea came to her head, earning surprised and curious looks from the others. “Only one of us needs to get inside. Once that is done, they could shut down the electricity on the fence and thus allow the others to get inside as well.”
“I suppose that’s possible… But I’d hate to be the one that goes inside solo,” the kobold said after thinking it over. “Not only will that person be completely on their own inside enemy territory, but they also don’t know where the mechanism is that turns off the electricity. They would have to search the whole place for it on their own.”
“Actually, I think I know where it is,” the redhead said. “I think it’s in the guard station that’s looking over the main gate. I saw through the window that whenever someone is either entering or exiting the base, one of the guards goes to a panel on the wall before the gate itself is opened. I’m guessing they turn it off in order to avoid someone getting accidentally shocked.”
“That makes things a bit easier for the one sneaking in, but they’d still be going at it on their own. Just which one of us could pull off something like that?” Lexton asked. “Just for the record, I’m not doing it.”
“No worries. You wouldn’t have been my choice in the first place,” Erin said. “There is one person among us that I think would be best suited for this, but I really don’t like the idea of sending them on their own…”
“What’s the matter? Is it yourself?” Ryle asked. “If you don’t want to do it, I can-”
“I wasn’t thinking of myself. In fact, I would prefer going there over sending the person I’m thinking about,” the redhead explained. “That person is Arkay.”
Silence fell over the group after Erin gave her answer. The others were staring at her with wide eyes, waiting for her to take back what she said by claiming it was a joke or something. But as the redhead kept silent herself and didn’t even change her expression, it became clear that she was completely serious.
“ARE YOU FREAKING KIDDING ME!?” Ryle yelled angrily as she grabbed Erin by the front of her shirt. “What kind of bullshit are you trying to pull by sending Arnie as a sacrifice!? Have you lost your goddamn mind or something!?”
The story has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.
“Trust me, I do not like this any better myself. I wish there was another way to do this,” the redhead answered calmly. “However, Arnie is the only one of us that can accomplish this, no matter how much any of us might dislike it…”
“Would you mind and explain yourself then?” Lexton asked. “I doubt you’d make such claims without good reason at the very least.”
“The thing is that Arnie has all the abilities needed to get inside and help the rest of us get in as well,” Erin began to explain. “His magical abilities should allow him to get past the security by first turning himself invisible and sneaking in while the gate is open. After that, he could use a special ability that he has to access the control panel that controls the electricity of the fence to turn it off, giving us a chance to sneak in as well.”
“What special ability!? What are you talking about!?” Ryle asked, still angry over the idea of sending the cat boy on such a dangerous mission.
“You’ve seen it as well, Ryle,” the redhead said. “Remember when we first met Arnie? Before we got to meet him face to face, we watched as he sneaked into that mansion. He used some strange magical ability to open the main gate, like he was able to manipulate it with magic.”
“Hang on… You mean to tell me that Arnie’s a technomancer!?” Lexton asked with wide eyes, as he glanced at said cat boy. “That’s an incredibly useful and rare ability… To think that we have someone like that in our team.”
“Huh? What’s a tekkymoncer?” Ryle asked with a confused look on her face.
“...A technomancer, you knuckle-dragging imbecile,” the kobold said while gritting his teeth from annoyance. “Basically, he can use magic to control machinery.”
“...Huh. That’s pretty neat,” the blonde said. “But what’s so special about that type of ability? I mean, can’t just about anybody control machines, if they have the controls?”
“A technomancer can take control of a machine without any controls and even bypass all the security measures it might have!” Lexton said. “They can basically make things like tanks, drones or even computers work against their owners without so much as putting a finger on them! There are stories of skilled technomancers controlling entire armies of different mechanical weapons on their own!”
“Wait, Arnie can do something like THAT!?” Ryle exclaimed out of surprise as she turned to look at said cat boy with wide eyes. “I knew you were capable, but to think you’re badass on top of being cute…”
“N-N-Now hang on! I can’t do anything like that!” Arkay said quickly. “While I can control machinery with my abilities, I can only manipulate a couple at the same time at most! Not to mention, the more complex a machine is, the harder it is for me to control it! I can’t control an army of robots or anything like that!”
“You might not be able to now, but you can in the future. The thing about magical powers is that their potential is practically limitless,” Lexton said with a smile. “Even if you can’t control an army at once, it’s still an incredible ability. Do you have any idea about the potential you hold in your hands when there is machinery pretty much everywhere? You can turn practically anything into your weapon or get your hands on any information you could ever want. And that is just the start of the things you could do.”
“I… I’m not sure I can live up to such great expectations, but I’ll do my best,” the cat boy said with a slight blush.
“Whatever the case is, it’s your special ability that is needed this time,” Erin stated, getting everyone’s attention on her again. “With your ability to control machines, you should be able to take control of the panel inside the guard post and turn off the electricity to the fence. Once that is done, the rest of us can get inside.”
“Hold on! Arnie might have an ability suitable for this, but I’m still not okay with the idea of sending him on his own!” Ryle protested. “Besides, I doubt he even could use his ability to do what you’re suggesting! I doubt the guards are just going to let him come in and do what he wants!”
“I don’t think he needs to be right next to the control panel to use his ability on it,” Lexton said thoughtfully. “Since magic doesn’t have a physical form, he could send magical power through an open window or a crack in the wall to the control panel and take it over that way. I believe that’s how technomancers are able to operate.”
“That might be the case, but-!”
“Ryle, whatever you might say, the fact of the matter is that Arnie is our best way of getting in. There’s no question about it.” the kobold said, cutting off the blonde. “However, it’s not up to you, me or Erin whether he agrees to do it. It’s Arnie himself who can decide upon that.”
The other members of the group all turned their attention to the cat boy, who was nervously staring at them. In a way, it almost looked like a group of bigger kids bullying the smaller one, even if that wasn’t the case at all.
“Arnie, I’m going to be completely honest with you. What I am asking you to do is very dangerous and there is a good chance that you may lose your life. This plan isn’t even guaranteed to work perfectly,” Erin said while looking Arkay straight in the eyes. “Despite this, you are the only one of us that can do this. You have the abilities needed to pull this off, so we really need you for this.”
As Arkay stared down at the ground nervously while contemplating what he had just been told, both Ryle and Lexton were glaring at Erin. The kobold didn’t like how the redhead seemed to be pressuring the cat boy into doing something he might not agree to, while the blonde felt her protective side take over and make her want to tear Erin apart.
“However, if you don’t want to, you don’t need to go through with this,” Erin suddenly said, surprising everyone. Arkay looked up to see the redhead smiling at him. “I am in no way going to force you into doing something that you do not want to. That would make me just as bad as the people that we are trying to defeat. If you don’t want to do this, we can come up with another plan entirely. The choice is yours.”
“...I’ll do it,” Arkay said after thinking about it for a moment. “I’ll be the one to sneak in and help the rest of you get inside.”
“Arnie, no!” Ryle protested. “You don’t have to do this! Just let us figure something out and-!”
“I’m thankful for your concern, but I’ve made up my mind,” the cat boy said, silencing the blonde’s protests. “Besides, considering what we are trying to accomplish, I shouldn’t just leave all the dangerous work to you guys. I need to do my part for the team as well.”
Erin walked up to Arkay and put both hands on his shoulders. She looked at him straight in the eyes in order to see if there were any signs of bluffing, before asking a question from him.
“Arnie, are you sure about this?” the redhead asked. “I know I told you that we need your abilities for this, but you can still back out if you’re not certain. The choice is yours. So are you absolutely certain that you want to go through with my plan?”
“Yes,” the cat boy answered without even a hint of hesitation. “Please trust me with this.”
“...Alright. I believe you,” Erin said with a smile. “But don’t worry about simply going out there on your own. We’ll be right behind you and we’re going to help you out in case things go bad, got it?”
Arkay gave a nod in response, before he was suddenly pulled into a tight embrace by a certain blonde.
“Aaaah! That was so cool of you, Arnie! You’re way manlier than I thought!” Ryle said as she rubbed her cheek on the top of the cat boy’s head. “Even if I want to, I can no longer bring myself to stop you! I don’t know whether I should be happy or sad!”
The sudden show of affection was brought to an end by the sound of Lexton clearing his throat. It seemed like the kobold had something to tell the group.
“While I’m happy that we have a plan, there are still some details that we need to go through, so let’s not get too comfortable just yet,” Lexton said. “Also there are some things that I need to show you all.”
“What would those be?” Erin asked.
“The latest pieces from my workshop,” the kobold answered with a smirk. “I’m sure you will both like them quite a bit.”
Lexton walked up to a bag that he had brought along and opened it. From inside the bag he pulled out two weapons and handed them to Erin and Ryle. For the redhead it was a two-handed sword that had a chamber where the sword’s hand guard would have been. The chamber looked like one for a pistol, where the bullet would be located in. The blade itself was only on one side of the sword, leaving the other one blunt, and the side of it had runes covering it. As for the blonde, she received what seemed to be a long whip, but it seemed to be made of a metallic material and had a small switch where the handle was.
image [https://i.ibb.co/L0NsXTD/Ch-40-Pic-1.jpg]
“So, what do you guys think about your new equipment?” Lexton asked with a smile. “Am I great or am I great?”
“This is very impressive work, Lex!” Erin said as she stared at her sword in awe. “Could you explain some of the things in this sword, like this chamber and the runes, though?”
“I’d be happy to. The chamber is meant for magical stones, like the one I put on Arnie’s knife,” the kobold began to explain. “Depending on the type of stone you use, it will bring out different effects on the blade itself. I unfortunately only have a basic fire stone, so that will have to do for now. As for the runes, they’re there to give basic upgrades to the sword, such as making it more durable and such. Do you like it?”
“Quite a lot. Thank you very much,” the redhead said with a smile. “I’m glad we partnered up with you.”
“Nice that you’re seeing just how good I truly am,” Lexton said with a grin, before turning his attention to Ryle. “How about you? What do you think about the weapon I gave you?”
“...Since when did I ever give you the impression that I was into kinky stuff like this?” Ryle asked while scratching her head in confusion, as she stared at her weapon. “Do I really give that kind of a vibe to people?”
“...That is NOT why I made that weapon for you, you goddamn pea-brained mongoloid!” the kobold yelled angrily. “The reason I made you a whip is because you could use something with more range than just your arms and legs! Not to mention, you can use it to restrain opponents, so you can use that big finishing move of yours on them!”
“Oh! That makes sense!” the blonde said with a happy look on her face, as she started to consider what she could actually do with such a weapon. “By the way, what is this switch?”
“I built a mechanism into it that allows you to send an electric shock to an enemy through the whip,” Lexton explained. “However, since you can’t use magic, it’s powered by a battery that will require recharging after three-”
“YEE-OUCH!”
“...Two uses,” the kobold finished with a sigh as he rubbed his snout out of frustration. “Please try not to waste them any more.”
“Noted…” came Ryle’s reply.
With their equipment and idea for infiltration ready, the group began to work on the finer points of the plan. They would commence their attack tomorrow, once the sun had set.
That’s when they would get their revenge on Lune.