SS1 8.3 – Smooth Start
With a tense heart I waited Ariel to reach the spot to launch and land Orbiter 69. It was a small opening in a hillside about 2 km away from the cave. Ariel would reach it in matter of minutes, but every minute felt like forever. I couldn’t help but kept checking my watch. Then, Ariel finally sent me a radio call.
[Berg, do you copy?]
I instantly took a deep breath full of relief before pressing PTT button. “Loud and clear, how is your situation?”
[Clear, and the drone is ready to go.]
“Copy that. I will launch the drone in a moment.”
Without delay I turned the control console on. With ease I got connected to Orbiter 69 and immediately sent it to the sky. A few minutes later, I already saw the first tree where I should hang the tear gas.
The area around it was pretty much empty. Other than a wild hog happily snacking on acorn that scattered on the ground, I saw nothing else. Wasting no time, I lowered Orbiter 69 and hung the tear gas on the designated tree. I did it without alerting the hog in the slightest, and it was a clear proof of how silent Orbiter 69.
While having a big smile, I then sent Orbiter 69 back to Ariel. She would load the second tear gas and I would send it to second tree. The third phase was very easy to carry, but it would take considerable time to finish it. At some point, it would also become boring as hell.
However, I had to preserve and didn’t screw it, or we would lose our only chance to leave Kubran Valley alive.
---
It took two nights to place all timed-tear gases we had made. In the second night, I also made visual contact with a pack of warg that patrolling the area. They were capable of spotting Orbiter 69 when it flew at 600 meter above ground level.
The wargs tried to follow it, so I led them to stay away from Ariel’s location before sending Orbiter 69 into higher altitude and came back to Ariel in roundabout way. Overall we managed to complete phase three with ease.
However, several hundreds of tear gas wouldn’t fully cover the exfil route. Unfortunately, we didn’t have much time left. On the third day, we had to carry the exfil or we would have to face a pack of warg at night.
As for some uncovered spots along the exfil route, would cover it with tear gas as we move. I had buy 900 pieces of additional tear gas and divided with Ariel and Kara. Even without counting the cost to build Orbiter 69, the exfil plan had burnt lot of money I got from killing Old Jack, but I had no regret.
Most of all, I managed to save a kid from becoming Old Jack Dinner. It eased up my guilty for failing to save the sibling pair, even though I didn’t truly save her unless I managed to get her out of Kubran Valley alive.
It’s just that, since I woke up this morning, I couldn’t shake off my nervousness. I could also see Ariel was nervous as hell like me. Only Kara had a very calm expression. She happily enjoyed her breakfast. Kid from Patrician Family was really something.
After giving my tea a sip I then said, “Let’s review our exfil plan.”
“Mhm.”
Ariel gave me a light nod, while Kara said nothing but focusing her gaze on me.
“The tear gas in first area will go off at 07:00,” I said as I put a map with our exfil on the table. “After that, we will follow Ariel’s lead.”
“As we have agreed on, I will be in the lead. Kara will be in the middle, and Berg is in the rear,” Ariel firmly said before turning her gaze to the map. “The woods and shrubs distribution in our route is not too dense. The surface is not fully flat, but it doesn’t have steep slope. The ground is also dry and solid. A fit adult male in light set up will be able to cover it at 9 km/h.
As for us, we will cover the entire route in 55-60 minutes as long as we don’t make any stop.”
“How we will handle the threat along the route?” Kara asked.
“Neutralize threat only that stands exactly in our way, and ignore the rest,” Ariel firmly replied. “Tear gas will paralyze low-rank monster so badly. The scene will trigger a huge urge to harvest some kills, but we have to ignore this urge and stay focus on the exfil.”
The author's content has been appropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.
Kara suddenly turned her gaze to me and said, “Berg, no matter what happen, don’t be a greedy fools. Lots of hunter meets with their end because they can’t control their greed.”
“I know,” I sulkily replied.
For some reason, I felt like a kid who got reprimanded by an adult. However, the notion instantly gone after I took a careful glance at Kara’s childish face.
‘This kid is not ordinary kid,’ I muttered while taking a deep breath. Then, I said, “Well, let’s make final check before initiating the exfil.”
Wasting no time, I took out my Flux Raider P320 and prepared 50 spares magazine loaded with subsonic AP in my inventory. I also wore tactical belt with drag rim to house a P320, a Ka-bar, and radio.
As for Ariel and Kara, they took out their double-curve bow and prepared several hundred arrows in their inventory. Other than that, they strapped a short sword in their back. After that, we packed our things and started the exfil right away. If everything went according to the plan, we would reach the edge of Kubran Valley in one hour.
---
The first area in our exfil route was located right at the other side of Sachak River. As we reached the river bank, the tear gases in this area went off.
‘Just in time,’ I muttered while jumping out of the boat with Kara.
Then, we pulled a security perimeter by kneeling side by side. A moment later, after storing the wooden boat in her Inventory, Ariel also kneeled next to us, with a double-curve bow and arrow in her hands.
“Ready?” Ariel asked while scanning the area in front of us.
“Ready,” I firmly replied.
“Let’s move then.”
After lowering her gas mask, Ariel immediately jogged forward with steady step. Without delay, Kara also lowered her gas mask and followed Ariel. Then, I closed the formation. A moment later, we already entered the tear gas envelope.
The filter we used on our gas mask would remain effective for 3 hours. It was more than enough to cover the whole trip. We also had back up gas mask and filter in our inventory. So, passing through the tear gas envelope would hardly be a problem. Instead, it was our protection as we planned. It’s just that, the tear gas with ease had drawn monsters attention.
Roar! Roar! Roar! Roar!!!
Orc’s roars echoed through the area only a few seconds after the tear gas went off. At first, it was only a few roars, but then it rapidly became series of constant roar. A moment later, a group of orcs and goblin appeared in the distance. They were moving fast straight to our direction.
“Contact left, at ten o’clock,” Ariel warned us of the incoming hostiles, but she didn’t lower her speed.
I was trying my best to trust her judgment. However, I couldn’t help but to ready myself to engage the incoming hostile. They were about 80 meters away, or 50 meters before the tear gas envelope. Without second thought I decided. I would take down the leading orc as soon as he entered tear gas envelope.
But then, I heard Kara shout out a warning, “Contact rear, at four o’clock.”
Kara’s warning instantly gave me a jolt and chill in my nape. Without delay, I turned around to check our second contact.
‘Fuck!’ I cursed as I found dozens of orcs and goblins at our four o’clock already entering tear gas envelope.
Fortunately, the tear gas truly affected them very badly. The orcs and goblin were covering their nose and eyes as they tried their best to leave tear gas envelope. When I checked the orcs and goblins at our ten o’clock, they also tried their best to leave tear gas envelope as soon as they entered it.
‘It works,’ I happily muttered. ‘We have a very good chance to leave Kubran Valley alive.’
“Berg,” Kara said while maintaining her jog. “Stay focus on your sector. Soon, the monsters will realize they can’t enter tear gas envelope. Then, they will start using bow and arrow to take us down.
Counter their archer by throwing tear gas on them.”
“Got it.”
As Kara said, arrows started to fly at our direction as soon as third group of orcs and goblins arrived at the edge of tear gas envelope. However, with ease Ariel countered them by throwing a tear gas on them.
Soon, one by one, another group of orcs and goblin arrived at the edge of tear gas envelope. Wasting no time, we threw tear gas on them. I couldn’t throw tear gas as far as Ariel and Kara, so I bought an HK M320 Grenade Launcher and a few hundred of tear gas round.
With ease, we countered every group of orcs and goblins who tried to nail us using arrow. Then, the second area in our exfil route started to appear in the distance, and it was full of orcs and goblins who would try to block our way.
After a quick count I estimated their number was no less than 2-3 hundreds. They already drew their weapon and stared at us with their murdered gaze. Most of all, their blocking formation was as solid as rock.
However, we didn’t lower our speed. With steady steps we jogged forward straight to opposing formation. A moment later, the timed-tear gas in second area went off.
Hisss! Hisss! Hisss! Hissss!!!
We were still about 60 meter before entering the second area, but with ease we could hear the ‘Hisss!’ from dozens of timed-tear gas as they went off at the same time. Then, chaos descended on the orcs and goblins that formed blocking formation.
It was easy to tell that even in the wildest corner of their imagination, they never thought that they were standing right in the center of tear gas envelope they should avoid. As the blocking formation crumble, we penetrated it with determined steps.
Ariel and Kara replaced their bow and arrow with their short sword, and cut down every orcs and monster that stood in our way while painfully groaning and covering their eyes and nose. As for me, I lighten their workload by headshot some of the monsters.
Before long, we were already leaving behind the monster blockade and went back to the work to handle the opposing archers at the edge of tear gas envelope.
‘So far so good,’ I muttered before loading a tear gas round to my HK M320.
*****