A part of me felt bad for having killed those whales. Another, far larger part, would sleep easier knowing those colossal monsters of the deep had been eradicated.
Aerion communicated that my concern for their wellbeing was unfounded in between bursts of effort, as we huffed and puffed pushing the heavy siege weapon. He said these beasts were notorious for slaughtering anything and everything that came their way, and that we were doing the locals a service.
The only ‘locals’ I’d seen thus far were goblins, so I didn’t know if I cared much for their livelihood.
As for where we were now and what we were doing, well, we were slogging our asses pushing a weapon that must have weighed at least a thousand pounds.
Why were we pushing said weapon? Because it was an integral strategic asset in our plan to free Aerion’s friend. That, and only one oversized fish-like creature had appeared, even after several more hours of sounding the call. Aerion worked the controls and managed to hit it, but it wasn't nearly as big or as impressive as the whales, and so I didn't level up.
We waited a bit longer after that, with no luck. We’d cleared out the local aquatic fauna, and keeping the caller active any longer would’ve only drawn goblins and who-knew-what-else to our position. Far better to ambush the enemy than have them come to us.
And so, my grand plans for power leveling to the higher ranks were squashed before they began. That was alright, though. I was now F - 8, boasting a whopping 90 points of Essence.
These were the thoughts that went through my head as we wheeled the massive weapon down the halls. Luckily, it was on a floor that led to one of the balconies overlooking the goblins’ operations.
Unluckily, it was also on one of their patrol routes. Sneaking by goblins wasn’t exactly difficult, but try sneaking past them while trundling such a massive object, and you’ll beg to differ.
Several times, Aerion or I had to create a distraction to get the goblins to wander off. Problem was, it took both of us to move the dang thing, making for some harrowing close calls.
I had to hand it to Aerion, though. His intuition was uncanny. He’d often hear goblins well before I did, and would act to lure them away without me even needing to say anything. The elf’s ‘lone wolf’ attitude wasn’t entirely unearned.
To my utter amazement, we succeeded in moving the thing into position without tipping off the goblins. Drenched in sweat though we were, we were now in position. I’d gained three levels, and the only thing left to do was to level our skills before our rescue attempt.
That was a little harder. Fighting any of the goblins nearby would attract too much attention and jeopardize the mission. Leaving the gun by itself was a nonstarter, and while I could probably protect it alone, Aerion certainly couldn’t.
“We’ll have to risk it,” I said in a hushed voice. There weren’t any patrols in the immediate area, but we were in enemy territory. No use taking chances.
“I admit I do not understand the details of the Blessing you possess,” Aerion replied in a similar volume. “If you are confident in our chances, then I will defer to your judgment.”
Confident? No. Resigned that we have no better choice? That was for damn sure. Whatever levels were to be gained, they’d have to be earned during the escape attempt when all hell inevitably broke loose.
“I’m confident,” I lied. “Now, let’s discuss our strategy.”
----------------------------------------
The plan was pretty simple, as most good plans tend to be. With his sharpshooting skills, Aerion was the obvious pick for manning the launcher. I’d be the one going in to get Aerion’s friend out. Not the role I wanted, but between the two of us, I liked my chances more than his.
Luckily, we had the luxury of time. Which meant hours of staring at the goblins below us, analyzing their patrol routes and their guard changes.
Semi-intelligent though they were, it seemed their patrols were no more complicated than AI from the 90s. Which was to say—absolute dogshit. Predictable, rigid, with plenty of openings.
Unfortunately, that didn’t help us.
The time also left me with ample opportunity to take advantage of my newly expanded Essence pool. With the [Aural Siege Bolt] I’d Initialized for Aerion, I was at 60/90, so I had plenty to spare.
Otherworld Sneakers [Common]
Ah yes. These snazzy sneakers show the world just how cultured you are… Said no one, ever. They’re garish and ugly, and it’s a wonder how anyone would waste their cash on such an eyesore. They do look comfy, though. Hope it’s worth the dirty looks you’ll get when you wear them.
Essence Cost: 6
Condition: 20/20
Stats:
— Grace + 4
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Abilities: None
Otherworld Socks [Common]
Cotton. Smelly. Haven’t been washed in ages. You’re just doing this to make me suffer, aren’t you?
Essence Cost: 3
Condition: 20/20
Stats:
— Vigor +2
Abilities: None
I laughed.
“What is it?” Aerion asked.
“Oh, nothing. Nothing at all.” I replied with a barely-suppressed grin. Getting Cosmo to write up descriptions for the lamest things actually sounded like a fun pastime. Maybe I’d dabble in that when we got out of here.
The Grace I was less sure about, but the Vigor? I could certainly use more of that, especially with an upcoming fight. Stat gains may have been incremental, but every little bit helped.
My Essence Utilization was now at 69/90. Nice! That gave me nearly 25% in reserve. I contemplated Initializing my boxers as well but held off. I had a hefty buffer, but I was about to engage in a dangerous fight. Having some extra seemed like a good idea.
“Can you not break her out before I open fire?” Aerion asked for the third time.
“As I said, I’d like nothing more than to realize my dream of being the white knight who snuck into an enemy base to rescue hostages—trust me, reality doesn’t work like that. You see the cages?”
“Yes?”
“You see how they’re in the middle of that massive room?”
“Yes…” Aerion said, beginning to understand the problem.
“Right. How exactly do you propose I get there without being noticed? I’d have to run across half a football field.”
Aerion arched his brow.
“That’s, er, quite far,” I clarified. “Too far to have a chance.”
“I understand. I am simply afraid of harming her. And… you, too. What if I miss?”
“Hey,” I said, gently squeezing his shoulder. “You’re a crack shot with that thing. And you picked up the controls instantly. You’ve got serious talent. I trust you. You got this, alright? Don’t let the nerves get to you, and you’ll do just fine.”
“T-Thanks,” Aerion replied bashfully. “I suppose you are right. I must trust in my training.”
You seriously trained for this? I wondered. I had to ask what all Aerion had done to prepare for this dungeon run sometime.
“Okay, let’s run through the plan again. What’s first?”
“I shall select my targets beforehand, computing the activation sequence needed to fire off my attack pattern,” Aerion replied smoothly.
“Right. While you’re doing that, I’ll sneak down to the ground floor and get eyes on the goblin carrying the keys.”
“Green loincloth,” Aerion said. “Avoid him at all costs.”
“Yes.” Each goblin we’d come across wore loincloths—and nothing else. Though the idea of clothing on a being made of stone seemed kind of ridiculous, I wasn’t complaining. It’d have been impossible to identify them otherwise.
After a bunch of tedious observation, we’d found it was Green Loincloth who carried the keys. The issue with the siege launcher was it was so strong, we worried that killing the key-bearer might also vaporize the keys as well—even without my enhanced bolts. It was hard to know, so we’d play it safe.
“When I give the signal, you’ll light up the place with the gun, causing absolute mayhem. In the ensuing chaos, I make a beeline for Green Loincloth and club him. Shouldn’t be too hard, with them running for dear life.”
Stealth wasn’t a concern with our strategy. Sonic attacks capable of busting mega-whales weren’t exactly subtle, despite the ballista’s near-silence. Rather, the difficulty lay in avoiding friendly fire. That, and avoiding pulverizing the keys.
“Once I am finished firing, I shall abandon the gun, as my position will be compromised,” Aerion replied, using the same terms I’d used when describing the plan initially. Fast learner, this one.
“Yep. I’ll grab the keys, bust your friend out, and escape the way I came. We’ll meet back at the whale pool.”
Aerion nodded once.
“Good. We got this,” I said. Partially to comfort Aerion. Partially to convince myself that I had half an idea about what I was doing.
Sure, I’d played as many spy games as the next guy. I knew the process—understand the guard patrols, make a distraction, get in and out without tripping the alarms. Our script was slightly different, but nothing I hadn’t seen before.
On a monitor.
My recent encounters had shown me just how different from games reality could be. Plans didn’t go according to plan. Patrols weren’t always honored. A random goblin could destroy our plan before it even started.
I was nervous as fuck. I just tried not to show it.
“Then may the force be with us. I’m heading out,” I said, turning before I could psych myself out any further. “Oh, and I’m leaving my shield with you. Just in case. I’ll need both hands to climb those cages, anyway. It’d just get in the way.”
“Wait,” Aerion said, tugging at my shirt. “Before you go, there is something you need to know.”
I raised a brow, waiting for him to continue.
“May I ask what you think my friend is?” Aerion’s voice was soft—almost sheepish.
“Uh, I was gonna say an elf like you, but you saying ‘what’ makes me pause. Is this going where I think it’s going?”
Aerion glanced away. “Emma… is an Aralez.”
“Am I supposed to know what a—”
Wait a minute. Aralez… Where have I heard that before?
It was a familiar term. An Earth term.
I remembered. I’d run into it in a game, once, long ago.
Oh, boy…
Aerion’s friend was no elf. It wasn’t even humanoid. No, it was a mythical winged dog.