Chapter 72
One Last Game
While Erin and her group were celebrating their victory, things were far from happy when it came to the Laughing Ogre. Every member of the gang had expected the dragon to wipe out most, if not all of the remaining contestants, especially when it came to Durge. Yet because of the redhead’s group that hadn’t come to pass. Instead, the beast that they had paid a huge amount of money for was now dead and their show was essentially ruined.
Not only were the members of the gang upset, but so were a lot of the people watching. The people handling complaints were getting a lot of angry messages from viewers, who were not happy with how things had turned out. A lot of them felt cheated, as they had put money on how things would turn out for some of the contestants with many of them thinking the dragon would kill quite a few. Now there were suspicions that the Laughing Ogre had intentionally made the dragon lose for better revenue on their part. This was only enforced by the numerous beasts suddenly getting dropped on the fire-breathing monster.
However, if there was anybody who was truly upset, it was none of other than the gang’s leader himself, Grandall. Not only had the one person he had wanted to see die survived, but the game wasn’t supposed to end in such a manner at all. The contestants this time had a lot of enemies of the Laughing Ogre among them and he had planned to get rid of them all in one go. To say the least, the gang leader was quite livid.
“W-What the hell just happened, daddy!?” Grazia asked as she stared at the screen showing the arena in front of them. “How could a dragon get beat by a bunch of bums we put against it!? It makes no sense!”
“I don’t know, honey. I don’t know,” Grandall said in a low tone that was calm but one could easily detect pure anger emanating from it. “All I know is that somebody screwed things up for me big time. And that somebody is going to pay for this with added interest.”
The gang leader picked up a radio in order to contact the control room to ask what was going on, only for it to not work. Seeing as how he needed to go there personally, he stood up from his seat and was about to walk out of their personal room, when the door suddenly opened. To his surprise, Driz was standing there, blocking his way.
“What the hell do you want, Driz?” Grandall asked angrily. “I don’t have time for your bullshit right now.”
“We have something urgent to discuss, Grandall,” the elf responded.
Back in the arena, Durge had reverted back to his normal self. However, he looked drained, like he hadn’t eaten for days, and was in a very weak state. Despite this, the others were just glad that their companion was still alive.
“How are you holding up, Durge?” Erin asked, concerned over his health. “Are you feeling alright?”
“I’ve certainly been better, but I’ll live,” the orc answered. “And while I’m grateful that my life was saved, I wish you guys had found another way to do so.”
“Hey, beggars can’t be choosers, you know?” Lexton said. “Besides, it all worked out in the end, didn’t it? I think you guys should show me some respect here!”
“Yeah, I’ll be sure to show you respect, if you ever do that to me,” Ryle said as she glared at the kobold. “I’ll give you a one way trip up in the sky with my foot up your ass. How about that?”
“You guys are so unreasonable,” the kobold said with a sigh. “Anyways, what do we do now? We might have gotten rid of the dragon, but we’re still stuck inside the Laughing Ogre’s game show.”
“Well, since we won, I’m guessing we’ll be allowed to at least get out of here. The real question is what will happen after that,” Erin said as she looked around the arena. She then spotted something rather important. “Look! One of the gates is open!”
The rest of the group turned to look where the redhead was pointing and indeed one of the gates leading to the arena was open. Upon looking around a bit more, they saw more of the gates open and the bridges leading to the arena itself get lowered, thus allowing people to leave.
“You’re right! I guess we can finally get out of here!” Ryle said. She then turned towards Durge and offered a hand to him. “Come on, big guy. I’ll help you walk.”
“Thanks. But I think you all might be getting excite a bit too early,” Durge said as he took the hand that was offered to him and leaned against the blonde for support. “There is something weird going on right now. From what I understand, once the games are over, they simply open one of the gates to send some of the goons in to do the clean up. Now all the gates are open and there is no one coming here. I can’t help but feel like something is going on.”
“Who cares about that right now?” Ryle asked. “The way I see it, we need to get out of here and we have a perfect chance for that right in front of us! Besides, nothing ventured, nothing gained, right?”
“I have a hard time believing this, but I agree with Ryle,” Lexton said. “We should be focusing on our number one priority right now, which is getting out of here. No point staying around here for nothing.”
The kobold began to run towards the gate before them, soon followed by Ryle and Durge. Erin was about to follow after her friends, but stopped upon noticing something. At first, she wasn’t sure it had been real or if her eyes were simply playing tricks on her, but upon seeing it again she knew it was real.
There was something moving before them that was almost completely invisible. Only a thin outline where the light bent in a strange manner telling you that anything was there at all.
“GUYS, GET BACK!” Erin yelled at her friends upon realizing the danger they were in. “THERE’S SOMETHING OVER THERE!”
Upon hearing the redhead’s warning, Ryle and Durge stopped in their tracks. Lexton was too focused on getting out that he kept moving forward. However, his escape was cut short, when some sort of an invisible force suddenly struck him, sending him flying back to the others.
“LEX!” Erin yelled, worried over her friend. “Are you okay!?”
“I’m alright,” the kobold answered in a pained voice as he held his chest. “I’m just a bit shaken from getting the air knocked out of me.”
“Guess you’re not as weak and useless as I thought you were,” a familiar voice called out. “That’s the only reason you’re still alive, though.”
Right before the group, a person seemed to appear out of thin air. This was none other than Goldiana.
“You!?” Erin shouted, shocked to see the barbarian woman. “How are you still alive!? Didn’t the dragon get you!?”
“Obviously it didn’t. I don’t see why you’re so surprised, though. It’s not like you saw me get eaten by that thing,” Goldiana said with a smirk. “And before you ask how I managed to avoid it, let’s just say that it helps to have friends in the right places.”
At that moment, Lexton noticed a device strapped on the barbarian’s wrist. He had only seen similar items once, but he was still able to recognize it.
“So you got someone to send you a cloaking device that allowed you to turn yourself invisible,” the kobold said. “That’s how you were able to hide from the dragon.”
“It’s not just that. She also did something to her own body odor,” Ryle said. “Even though she’s standing right in front of me, I can’t smell her at all.”
“You two have good eyes. Or a nose in the case of one of you,” Goldiana said. “You’re right on the money. I got some useful little tools to help me out. As you can see, they’re pretty high quality. It really pays to have friends in high places.”
“Alright, so you’re not just some random that crossed the Laughing Ogre, but someone far more dangerous. But who the hell are you actually?” Erin asked. “You’ve had your eye on me this whole time, but I’ve never met you before.”
“Well, we haven’t seen each other, but you did meet my colleague not too long ago,” the barbarian woman said. “You guys did a number on him as well. I doubt even his mother would recognize him after what you did to him.”
The redhead didn’t understand what Goldiana was saying, but it then clicked in her head. Her eye went wide as she realized who they were dealing with.
Stolen story; please report.
“...You’re talking about Dryzal, the beast tamer we faced before coming here. You’re one of Golorath’s top troops like he was,” Erin said, earning shocked looks from her companions.
“Correct! Glad to see you finally figure it out. I was afraid that this would take all day,” Goldiana said with a chuckle. “As you’ve probably guessed by now, I’ve come here to deal with you all. Especially you, red.”
“Judging by what Dryzal said, I’m guessing you mean to take me to your boss for whatever he has planned for me,” the redhead said as she glared at the assassin before her. “Well, you can go back to him and tell him to just be patient. I’m planning to come meet him myself very soon.”
“Afraid I can’t do that. You see, the big boss is very strict when it comes to following his orders. If you decide to go against them even slightly… Well, let’s just say that you’re lucky, you die fast,” Goldiana said. “So I’m going to assume by your previous statement that you aren’t exactly going to come willingly then?”
“You can bet your ass that she isn’t!” Ryle shouted angrily as she stepped closer to her friend. “And none of us are going to just let you take her away either! So you either back off or we’re going to throw down!”
“That’s fine by me,” the barbarian said with a shrug. “I was instructed to kill everyone else except for your redheaded friend anyways, so this will just make my job easier for me.”
Ryle got herself ready for a fight, only for Erin to gently push her away. The redhead then gave her blonde friend a stern look that left no room for argument.
“Ryle, you need to get out of here. Durge is in no condition to fight and Lex isn’t suited for this type of a battle either,” Erin instructed. “Go find Arnie and then try to come back and help. I’ll hold her off on my own until then.”
“You can’t be serious! You’re not-!” the blonde tried to argue, but realized that there was nothing she could say, so she relented. “...Okay, but you better not get yourself killed, got it? Once I get these two somewhere safe, I’m coming back with Arnie. Just hold on until then!”
Ryle, Durge and Lexton turned around and began to head for one of the other now open gates. However, Goldiana wasn’t about to just let them go like that.
“And where do you think you’re all going?” the barbarian asked with a grin as she began to chase after them. “I’m not going to just-”
The rest of her threat got cut off, as Erin got in front of her with fists raised and ready to fight.
“You think you have time to worry about them!?” the redhead yelled as she swung her fist. “I already beat one of you, so I’ll-!”
Erin’s threat was cut short as her fist connected with Goldiana’s face. Intense pain shot through her hand and she had to hold back a scream. It had felt like she had punched an iron wall with all her might.
“You actually insult me,” the assassin said with a grin as she stared down at her pained target. “You actually think you can compare me to that loser Dryzal? I’m far stronger than he ever was.”
image [https://i.ibb.co/C02vtwc/Ch-72-Pic-1.jpg]
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While Erin was stuck with facing off against the assassin, Ryle was busy with getting the rest of the group out of the building. This was proving to be far easier than they could have imagined, as they hadn’t met with any Laughing Ogre thugs at all. If it wasn’t for the noise they kept hearing, they would have assumed that the place had been suddenly abandoned.
“Seriously, are we lucky or what!?” Ryle said excitedly. “We’ve been going through this place for… I don’t even know how long and yet we haven’t seen a single guard! I wonder if our luck is good enough to get us an empty hot dog place? I’m kind of hungry…”
“While I have no doubt that you have some truly deep thoughts going through your empty mind, I would like you to focus on the situation at hand!” Lexton shouted at the blonde. “We have no time to think about snacks! Erin is going up against one of Golorath’s top warriors right now and I doubt her chances at winning are good!”
“Yeah, about that whole Golorath business,” Durge said while being supported by Ryle. “Just what exactly-”
“Come on, Lex! You gotta be hungry as well!” Ryle said, completely cutting off the orc. “Besides, you can’t fight a war on an empty stomach! Not to mention, it’s not like we aren’t safe already. Or are you going to tell me that all the goons suddenly turned invisible or something?”
“While I will admit that I’m quite famished, I at least have the brain power to focus on the important things!” Lexton yelled. “Also, perhaps you have failed to notice this, but the lack of security isn’t due to some arbitrary luck! Haven’t you seen all the closed metal doors!?”
Upon having it pointed out to her, the blonde looked around and saw that the kobold was speaking the truth. There were a lot of corridors surrounding them that were now sealed through thick metal doors. Sounds of battle, such as gunshots and shouting could be heard from behind them.
“Oh… I never noticed,” Ryle said. “But is that such an issue? I mean, it only makes things easier for us.”
“It might only look like that for now! Did you ever think that there might be something bigger going on!?” Lexton shouted. “This whole thing took a weird turn back at the arena as well, when they suddenly dropped those crates full of beasts right next to the dragon! There’s someone pulling the strings behind the scenes and we have no idea what their goal is at all!”
“...Think this has anything to do with that lady Erin is fighting now?” the blonde asked. “I mean, she was sent by Golorath himself.”
“Funny you should bring up Golorath again,” Durge spoke up. “I was hoping to ask-”
“That’s entirely possible,” Lexton replied to Ryle’s question, once again cutting off the orc. “Having such a high profile person here can only mean that something big is going on, after all.”
“Okay, are you guys ignoring me on purpose or something?” Durge asked in a slightly annoyed tone. “I just want to ask about-”
“So what exactly do you suggest we do then?” Ryle asked, ignoring the orc yet again. “If there is some big nefarious plot going on, how do we deal with it?”
“Oh forget about it…” Durge mumbled, giving up on his question.
“Right now, we need to focus on getting all of us out of here,” Lexton said. “Let’s try to find Arnie. That way we’ll have more strength in our group to take on Goldiana. If we’re lucky, we might even find some useful weapons for that.”
Ryle simply nodded in response. With their mission clear in their minds, the trio went on to look for their missing companion.
However, they didn’t have to look for long, as Arkay suddenly appeared from behind a corner, almost colliding with Lexton.
“ARNIE!” Ryle and Lexton shouted happily.
“Guys?” Arkay said in disbelief, surprised to see his friends so suddenly. “How did you-?”
The cat boy didn’t get a chance to finish his question, as he was pulled into a tight hug by Ryle.
“God, I’m so glad you’re okay! I was worried over what that freaky bitch might have done to you this whole time!” the blonde said as a couple of happy tears escaped her eyes. “But don’t worry any longer! I’m here now and you’ll never have to go through something like that again!”
“Ummm… Ryle? I get that you’re hapy to see him, but I think you need to loosen your grip a bit,” Lexton said. “I think he’s turning blue from the lack of oxygen right now.”
The blonde looked at Arkay’s face and he was indeed turning blue. His eyes had also rolled to the back of his head from the constriction on his body. After letting the cat boy breathe normally for a moment and regain the color on his face, the newly reunited friends could once again talk with each other.
“How did you get here, Arnie?” Lexton asked the cat boy. “We were just on our way to rescue you, but it seems to me that you did that by yourself.”
“That’s basically what happened,” Arkay replied. “Since they didn’t know I was a technomancer, I was able to use my ability to escape. Once I did that, I went to their control room and used my ability to help you guys out.”
“So that explains the crates dropping on the dragon back at the arena,” Durge said, impressed by the cat boy’s abilities. “I was wondering what that was about. I guess it was thanks to you then?”
“Yup! I was also able to shut down their security cameras, so we should still be in the clear,” Arkay said. “However, we should hurry. I’m not sure how long it will take until they get their systems back online.”
“Hey, good job out there, Arnie!” Ryle said with a big smile as she ruffled the boy’s hair. “Thanks to you, not only were we able to take down a dragon, but we might be able to get out of here as well! Talk about a real pro!”
“Thanks. I’m happy to see that things worked out well enough,” Arkay said. “But how did you guys get here?”
“What are you talking about?” Lexton asked. “You opened the doors leading to the arena, didn’t you?”
“I didn’t do that,” the cat boy answered. “All I could do was turn off the cameras and drop the crates on the dragon. Had I tried to do more, I would have run out of energy and gotten caught. I was actually trying to get to the arena, so that I could find a way to help you out of there.”
“...Then if you didn’t open the doors, I’m guessing you also didn’t have a hand in closing these?” the kobold asked, while pointing at one of the closed metal doors. Arkay simply shook his head in response. “But if weren’t the one behind that, then who was it? And why?”
“Judging by the sounds that came from behind them, it’s someone that’s not exactly on good terms with the Laughing Ogre,” Durge said. “While it’s quiet now, I could hear someone fighting there. I don’t know if it’s a rival gang or something, but we shouldn’t assume that they are our friends.”
“Agreed. Anyways, what we should do now is either find some weaponry or simply go back to where Erin was and do what we can to help her out,” Lexton said. “Durge, do you know a way to an armory or something like that?”
“There is a place where they keep the equipment of the guards, but I doubt we can get there,” the orc replied. “Judging by how these doors are closed, I’m guessing the only ones left open are ones that lead to the exit. Not only would we have to spend time in finding our way there, but opening each and every door in our way will take a lot of time.”
“Guess that settles it then,” the kobold said with a sigh. “I hate to go into a fight that I have not prepared for at all, but we don’t have any other options. Erin might be tough, but she won’t last long against someone like Goldiana.”
“Hey, before we get going, what are we going to do about Durge?” Ryle asked. “The guy can barely move, so we can’t just drag him into a battle, can we?”
“You don’t need to worry about me,” the orc said with a slight smile, feeling somewhat happy that there were people concerned over him. “If you think I’ll slow you down, you can just leave me here. I’ll figure out a way out for myself.”
“But you’re in a real bad shape!” Arkay said in a worried tone. “Are you sure you’re going to be okay?”
“Like I said, you don’t need to worry about me,” the orc replied. “Besides, I’ve been ready to lose my life for quite some time now, so-”
“SCREW THAT!” Ryle suddenly yelled angrily, shocking the others. “You think we’re going to just feel all fine and dandy over you getting killed!? Well, here’s a newsflash for you, WE ARE NOT!”
“...I thought Ryle had issues with him,” Arkay whispered to Lexton. “What happened?”
“It’s a long story,” the kobold whispered back. “Let’s just say that she sees him in a different light now.”
“...I’m happy that you care about me, but you shouldn’t feel too concerned,” Durge said after getting over his shock. “I know I’m not in the best shape right now, but I should still be able to hold my own, if the need for that comes.”
“Well, I don’t like that idea at all! We need to make sure you’ll be safe while we go get Erin! And in order to do that we just need to hide you! We just need the right place,” Ryle said as she looked around. “A-ha! Perfect!”
The others turned to look at what the blonde had found and saw a food stall, most likely meant for the guests and guards. Right now, there was no one there, as the people that would normally work there had most likely ran away due to what was happening.
“How are you supposed to hide someone as big as Durge there?” Lexton asked.
“Isn’t it obvious? Just watch,” Ryle replied with a grin as she walked to the stall. One of the things at the stall was a large clear container full of popcorn. With a swift kick she took off the top of the container, before turning back to her friends. “See? Perfect place to hide him!”
“...Hang on, you’re not actually planning to-?” Durge began to ask nervously as he figured out what the blonde’s plan was. However, he was once again cut off, as he got dragged to the container and thrown inside of it with all the salty snacks inside. “Yeah, just like I guessed…”
“Okay, you just wait here, while we go get Erin. Once we have her with us, we’ll come back for you, okay?” Ryle said as she used the popcorn to cover up Durge. “Also, try not to eat any of that. You wouldn’t want to ruin your cover, would you?”
While Lexton and Arkay weren’t exactly convinced of the blonde’s idea, they simply went along with it, as they had no better ideas themselves. With the orc now hidden, the three of them started to make their way back to the arena to help Erin.
“...What has become of my life?” Durge said with a sigh, thinking about his current predicament. He then took some of the popcorn and chewed it for a bit before spitting it out. “This stuff tastes like crap anyways. No need to worry about me eating it.”