Story So Far:
* The Whales defeat the Lifebane Titan
* The expedition team rest inside a redoubt.
* Philia brings up the possibility of bring called to some noble's manor and being made their lapdogs.
* Philia suggests that Ingrid preempt them all by writing to the King of Veles for an audience since they've likely been observed by royal spies known as "The Crows"
* Gwen says that only Ingrid and Cecil need to attend, when Zefir brings up the limited range of their comms devices, she tell him about the Satellites that Philia launched many years ago.
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S03E10
WAR CAMP AT THE ROGUE RIFT
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Autumnhollow, Earlier That Morning:
Zefir’s voice had that delightful feline trill that gave Ingrid goosebumps all over as she embraced him.
“Take care out there…” he purred, giving her an affectionate smooch on the lips.
“Of course, and you too.” Ingrid said, rubbing foreheads with him. “I’ll see you and Gwen before the day’s done.” she pulled in Gwen too, who meowed in surprise.
“Take care of Miss Philia please.” Gwen meowed.
“I will.” Ingrid replied “As ironic as it is, I’ll protect her.”
The ex-Starchaser smiled, it felt like she was cuddling two oversized cats that were protesting at the idea of her going off to work. She gave the two ciltrans one last smooch before she turned around and nodded to the two wolian girls
Amalla and Kaolla put a hand to the chests and nodded, but their solemn warrior’s gesture was undone when Ingrid launched herself at the two rabbit-girls and cuddled them.
“Please take care of everyone!” Ingrid said cutely, smooching the two.
“We will.” Amalla said, no longer spooked by Ingrid’s sudden movements. When she first met Ingrid she thought Philia was trying to bully them by introducing them to a wild rabid human, but Ingrid’s actions towards them were only of pure unadulterated affection. She patted the human’s head, causing her to purr. There was still that disconnect of the human acting like people with the way she talked and planned, the way she used tools and constructed objects from a distant world far away with the skill of a craftsman. And then there was the animal aspect of her, the way she purred and pressed herself for affection from others. The way she stiffened and then made herself pliant when Kinu, Kvaris, and Sammy rubbed their hands on her, especially her face, causing her to make cute noises like a small pet.
“Fight well, Ingrid.” Kaolla replied, hugging her back. The two bowed again as Ingrid made her way to the wagon where everyone else was waiting.
Two days ago, Ingrid had overseen the purchase of a new wagon from a local cartwright from one of the villages outside of Teth-Odin, just an hour’s walk away. Russet; Ram Ranch’s resident human blacksmith had taken up work there and Ingrid paid a visit, assuming it was only a blacksmith’s shop. Seeing the store for what it was, Ingrid then had commissioned the store for a big sturdy wagon, paying a good price for it to help out. Another visit to an adjacent farm secured her two friendly donkeys to pull the wagon after which she and Philia then showed Russet how to install the modern suspension, and then installed padded folding benches.
Today, Farlan and Russet were taking the wagon for a test drive outside of town, but before that, they were going to drop off The Whales to the Storm Gate Fortress. Five days had passed since the team had been working on preparations and everyone was eager to return to the dungeons to earn money as well as get stronger. Ingrid nodded at the five mice that composed SABER waiting at the wagon for her. Just before she got in, Sully and Ralph jumped in and scurried to the front of the wagon to keep watch in front, while Arthur, Eli and Ralph jumped in after Ingrid, with Arthur settling on her lap.
Ingrid smiled as she saw everyone happily cuddling a mouse to their lap as well, patting their heads, scratching behind their ears and rubbing their cheek pouches while the fluffy rodents made cute sounds.
Farlan, seeing that everyone was aboard, then got the wagon rolling. Two mice sat beside him squeaking excitedly.
Amalla and Kaolla opened up the wooden gates, which with the help of a little WD-40 from Philia some days ago now swung quietly open. Ingrid stuck out at the back of the coach and waved to Mink and Roofe and the two kobolds happily waved back, tongues lolling and catching a lot of attention from the buyers as they began asking the two if they were friends with that “scary-looking” Nemesis-Stalker, which they were.
___
The Storm Gate Fortress:
The serval Kairos tapped his foot impatiently, grumbling like an angry cat as he waited for the rest of his team to arrive. They were a decent bunch when steel and strength were needed. When it came to punctuality however, they had the timing of a drunk slug. He took another swig from his wineskin as he observed the procession of wagons queueing up at the entrance of the Storm Gate Fortress.
A kobold guardsman with the visage of a stately mastiff peered into each wagon and spoke briefly to the occupants before gesturing to his subordinates to let them pass. On each interaction, his troll assistant quickly wrote down each interaction with his usual stenographer’s speed and efficiency.
“Jotted it all down, guv. Let’s crack on to the next one.” The troll was chuckling to himself as the next wagon was pulled by a pair of donkeys and were braying angrily, as if they understood the value of punctuality and did not appreciate having their passengers wait longer than necessary.
"Oi, them two muppets are makin’ a right racket, ain't they? It’s like they’re pullin’ the king’s chariot or summat. At least those buggers know the score when it comes to timekeeping, innit, guv?"
“Those donkeys have more sense than some people, that’s for sure.” The gruff mastiff smiled.
The two shared a quiet laugh as the two donkeys pulled up next to them. A fox-folk was at the driver’s bench and regarded the two guardsmen quizzically, two mice wearing armor and bearing oddly shaved staves squeaked and touched their paws to their helmets in a gesture that looked like a salute.
Before anyone could say anything, the curtains that obscured the view inside the wagon quickly parted just enough for an adorable human girl to poke her head out.
"What's up, chief?" The human asked cutely. Her hair was a luxurious jet-black and her eyes were brilliant crimson rubies. She spoke fluently in an unknown language though the interpretation spell everyone had on their ears worked fine all the same.
The mastiff's hard expression broke into a smile as he beheld the adorable girl, no doubt someone's pet human.
"Head pats please!" The cute girl said adorably, making everyone within earshot crack a smile. The mastiff chuckled as he obliged, patting her head while she purred with pleasure. The troll was doubled over trying his vainest to keep his professionalism.
The donkeys, seemingly aware of the change in the guard's demeanor, changed the tune of their braying as if they too were laughing.
"Who's in charge there?" The mastiff asked, his tone no longer gruff.
"That would be me." she replied, pulling more of herself out to show the guild badge pinned to her matching red scarf.
The guardsman shrugged, it wasn't his business to confirm whether or not this human was joking; his job was to simply pass a message along.
"Well then, little one." The mastiff chuckled "Head over to the Liaison Office as soon as you folks get in, the guildsmen of Jormungandr need to pass on some vital information before your team forays inside the dungeons."
"Will do, chief!" The girl said in a bubbly voice, “We’ll disembark from here.” And with that she quickly pulled herself back inside.
___
Kairos almost spit out his wine as he saw the girl jump out from the back of the wagon.
“Hustle up, ladies! We leg it from here! Hoo-ah!” The girl said loud and clear, her voice had changed from a cute pet to a leader’s voice. She spoke clearly and fluently in a tongue from some unfathomably far and foreign homeland, although he understood her all the same.
“Rushmore, on me! The rest take a powder! RV at the west steps. Farlan, we’ll take it from here!”
“Got it, boss!” The fox-folk driver called back. As soon as the last occupant quickly disembarked he turned the wagon around and the donkeys seemed only too excited and began hurriedly trotting back from whence they came.
Ar-vee? Take a powder? Rushmor? Oskar-Maik? Kairos thought. The human was using some peculiar vernacular as she spoke. He wasn’t sure of what those words meant but it oddly enough reminded him of how an assassin cell or a squad of soldiers spoke in a special cant. That said, it was preposterous to think this human would be the leader of an adventurer group, yet she acted like one.
Her attire was completely outrageous and astonishing; a Drow Solenrala, a blasphemous sight on a mere animal such as herself. No matter how strong a war-beast she might be, no self-respecting elf would ever desecrate such a holy garment, one reserved only for the most esteemed warrior-magicians; by wrapping it around an animal's body, no matter how impressive the pedigree.
Kairos and the other adventurers present shared the same astonished silence. The gravity of her actions was clear: if a true elf laid eyes on her, her badly mutilated carcass would be dumped in the forest any moment now. Frowning, Kairos squinted as he focused mana into his eye and reeled back in surprise.
At first he thought he was looking at a completely domesticated house human. She barely had any aura around her, but what caused him to recoil was two things.
First, was that her aura was compressed to the point that it was a wafer-thin outline around her body. Any plain-folk could not be this small unless they were hovering so close to death, and even the most spectacular adventurers he knew at best could only conceal to the point that it looked just like anyone else; a modest wreath of life-flame around the body. The implications of this girl being able to conceal her presence to this degree, to be completely invisible even to the most attuned observer marked her as an extremely dangerous specimen of a Nemesis-Stalker.
No, Kairos thought, not even Elion-Nosco’s most brutal training cells could produce such a horrifying creature. At least he hoped to the Gods they did not.
The second was the eldritch owl-creature that roosted above her head.
It turned to face him.
He stumbled back, almost spilling his wineskin. At least he wasn’t the only one who was startled by her spectral familiar. For some reason however, the girl made no indication of looking his way. Perhaps the owl already transmitted the thought to its master and she paid them no need.
Everyone's notion of this human playing with fire was immediately quelled half a second later; for the next occupant of the wagon to jump out wasn’t just any elf, but the legendary solo adventurer Siria Bluethorne. That she kept company with this human spoke volumes of her ability and quashed all doubts that this creature was merely a few rungs above a talking kill-hound or domestic lap-pet.
Kairos was not the only one taken aback at the sight of Siria's unspoken endorsement to this human. A nearby dwarf had his pipe slip from his mouth, leaving it to clatter against the cobblestone as it spilled out embers. A burly orc slapped the shoulder of his elf friend and pointed at Ingrid.
The elf did a double take, her eyes narrowing as he recognized the Drow Solenrala that the human girl had the audacity to wear. Her hand instinctively shot for the sword at her side, cheeks flushing with a mix of anger and disgust. However, as soon as Siria emerged from the wagon, the elf's hand froze mid-air. Awkwardly the pair turned to the side and pretended to be stretching out a kink in their neck.
A fae marsh hare “ermm’ed” as it leapt out of the wagon and into the human’s arms, rubbing noses with her. A few tamers nearby were bantering with each other, their respective beasts staring each other down, puffing their chests or raising their hackles in a silent show of dominance. But when the Fae Marsh Hare jumped out of the wagon and into the human's arms, the beasts' posturing turned to displeasure and jealousy from their tamers as they enviously eyed the rare creature that had chosen the human as a partner. One butted their tamer with their snout, causing the flustered adventurer to profusely apologize to their familiar, who narrowed its eyes and snorted loudly. The others, wising up, quickly decided to take their conversation elsewhere, sheepishly pushing their familiars away from the spectacle.
The next who jumped out could only be the progeny of Freid’s greatest soldier; Amaduscia Enthana. The two garm girls bore the shields with the emblems of Hearthspire and Forgetower, the two great houses that were the tip of the spear where the civilization of Freid butted heads with a wild, untamed world filled with dangerous magic beasts on a daily basis.
Following them was a half-orc, one who could only be a banner-rider; someone who rode ahead of the tribe to survey and eliminate threats both great and small with only small numbers. Her visage was terrifyingly human but with the great shaggy ears of one blessed with the Valiant God’s heritage.
The dwarf who had dropped his pipe had picked it up again, wiping it clean.
"Looks like Siria's got hersel' a crackin' team, ye dinnae often see a loner kittin' in wi' a real crew, eh?" Kairos heard the dwarf say to his companion.
The other dwarf grunted in agreement. "If thae Garm lassies are wearin' their family crests on their shields, Ah'd say that means they've got their auld man Amaduscia's nod, aye?"
"But that human's aething too." the pipe-smoking dwarf added "That bleedin' owl made me nearly shite ma breeks, that's a bonnie trick wi' mana tae shield herself that. For once those bleedin' cone-hats were onto somethin'."
The two dwarves shared a chuckle at the crude remark.
"D'ye think that Siria character had that Nemmy trained up something fierce? That's a canny wee trick that, innit?""
"Bollocks! Siria's nae Elion-Nosco huzzy, she winnae abuse nae one. Must’ve rescued that Nemmy somewhere, an’ noo it’s her trusty beast, I reckon."
A ciltran mage, a dryad, and a felmoon cleric leapt out next, followed by a daos-folk. The last one looked like some spoiled aristocrat's child playing adventurer, especially with her Erynja companion hovering near her, but still that didn’t make sense. Siria was not one to tolerate those who pulled rank nor known to consider helping those who lagged behind. Like the human, Kairos surmised that these unknowns must have done something to earn Siria’s respect.
The last to come out from the back of the wagon was a flying rectangular portal, its edges constantly sprinkling fairy dust in multicolored motes.
Kairos could see from the other side of the portal an opulent patio of some sort, a slime perched atop a velvety footstool like a king on a throne. The regal-looking blue slime had no core and it was talking. There was only one kind of slime in the world that was devoid of the usual weakness of having a core, only one with the intelligence to not only speak, only one with arcane ability to weave advanced magic at will like a seasoned wizard. This had to be the larva of one of the Ancient Ones.
“Look alive, boys!” The slime said.
At once, thirty dog-sized tixi mice leapt out from the portal in rapid succession, a cascade of well-groomed fur and laminated steel armor poured forth from the portal. The mice squeaked not in a chaotic cacophony but a rhythmic pattern. In the space of a few seconds, they formed neat rows like the soldiers they were dressed as, holding in their paws strange staves of unknown but definitely potent lethality.
The flying portal quickly backed up and grew larger, quickly ambling out of it was a giant spider, its purpose as a pack-mule made clear to everyone with the large cabinet-like structure where a spider’s fat abdomen should be.
No, a golem. Kairos thought in disbelief. Its body was made of either white painted steel or a marble-like rock. As soon as the spider golem skittered out, the Ancient One shrunk the portal back to its window-sized proportions.
The troll stenographer couldn't help but smile in amazement as he watched the little creatures quickly and efficiently leap out of the slime's portal and assume formation, each mouse was barely a step away from each other that it made him think of giant centipede as the mice's movements were perfectly synchronized. They formed three rows of ten, with five of the mice, apparently the leaders, facing them in their own smaller, more relaxed formation.
"Well, if that ain't a bleedin' sight, guv! Thirty tixi mousies, dressin' up proper like knights, it is!" the troll beamed. His mastiff superior huffed, though he too had a smile on his snout.
"Yeah, wish some of our own would march with that kind of discipline," he quipped back, laughing quietly.
All of this took barely five seconds to unfold.
“Everyone keep your channels open, we’re Oscar Mike!” The human said cryptically. Quickly the team broke off into smaller groups and jogged into the courtyard of the Storm Gate Fortress. As they did so, the human put a finger to the strange charm she had on her ear.
“Baseplate, this is Starchaser Actual, be advised, Rushmore is heading towards the Liaison Office for an update…” As she spoke, she was accompanied by Siria, the Enthana sisters, and the daos aristocrat.
“Let’s get some stuffed cheese, guys!” The slime said. The leader of the mice squeaked and led the way, his cohorts jogging quickly and their steps were in sync with each other. They were followed by the erynja, fae hare and the spider golem. Meanwhile, the orc banner-rider, the ciltran wizard, and the felmoon cleric shrugged and entered the fortress at an unhurried pace.
___
The onlookers couldn’t believe their eyes as they watched the team take orders from the human girl. Her commanding tone and the ease with which she directed her team caused everyone to gape as even Siria Bluethorne, the legendary adventurer, followed her lead. Whispers spread through the crowd like wildfire, questioning what sort of creature could command someone like her, the Enthana sisters, and even the larva of the Ancient Ones.
The mastiff guardsman and troll stenographer exchanged wide-eyed glances, trying to process the absurdity of what they had just witnessed.
"Wrote anything?" The mastiff said.
"Not a scratch, guv. Just them basics."
The mastiff walked close enough to whisper. "I damned almost forgot because I was busy looking at Siria."
The troll tried his best to suppress a snort of laughter "She’s a right lovely bird, innit, guv? Can’t knock ya for that."
Rather than get upset, the mastiff indulged himself in a small chuckle.
"I’m on the level, guv." the troll smiled reassuringly as he lowered his voice "It’s them Whales, innit? I ain't scribbling more than a bunch of birds with Siria Bluethorne and Amaduscia’s nippers, yeah?"
"Good man, Yussev." the mastiff said, the two then waved at the next wagon to come through.
"Stuff those Elion-Nosco tossers..." the troll spat in contempt. "Wot they did to that human lass ain't proper..."
___
“Rushmore, this way!”
“Rushmore” was the designation for the decision-making heads of the Whales. It consisted of Ingrid herself, Philia, Siria, Kinu and Kvaris. Cecil was also among them but he declined to join the meeting, content to wait outside and honor his promise to feed the new mice the stuffed cheese that was being sold in the fortress’ courtyard.
The Liaison office was located at the southern side of the Storm Gate Fortress, and was built in the same architectural style of the Jormungandr guildhall. Ingrid would later learn that these satellite halls functioned pretty much like the main guildhall and even had a bulletin board for client orders, which all revolved around sortieing into the dungeon below. These requests involved things like finding a missing teammate that had been separated from the group, retrieving a valuable item that was dropped or misplaced, confirming the fate of an entire party, as well as some requests from various sages and maesters by either bringing back samples of monsters or escorting one to the dungeon.
The five of them briefly glanced at the bulletin board at the LO’s lobby before heading over to the designated room where the briefing would be held. Ingrid quickly channeled her energy into her Masquerade Piece; the gem installed on her choker glowed as her Drow Solenrala dissipated into motes of fairy dust. At the same time, more motes coalesced around her body, taking on the form of her very showy maid outfit.
"Now that we're going to be crammed into a room full of our... colleagues, I think it's time I try to look a little more innocuous, don't you think?" Ingrid said, winking at Siria.
The elf girl smiled. "I'm used to standing out..."
Philia reached over and wrapped an arm around Ingrid's waist, rubbing cheeks with her. "Alright then, I'll pretend you're my bed warmer." Philia said teasingly.
The Enthana sisters looked at each other, their tails wagging in unison.
"Our bed warmer!" They corrected her, smiling broadly.
"Trap card activated." Neith said, and the opening brass of the Soviet anthem began playing over their earpieces.
"Soiuz nerushimyi respublik svobodnykh..." Ingrid and Philia sang loudly in jest, with a big goofy smile on their face. The meme anthem had been played to hell so many times one night back on Earth they ended up remembering the first part.
"Splotila naveki Velikaia Rus!" Zefir and Cecil chimed in over the radio, adding to the impromptu performance. That Cecil had heard it played ad nauseam during a night of shitposting was one thing, but apparently even Zefir must've also had a night of meme-diving with his work buddies back in his previous life too.
"Da zdravoi, sozdannyj volej naroda," Neith and Kaguya followed up, the two AI's having no problem knowing the words.
"Edinyj, moguchij Sovetskij Soiuz!" chorused the earthlings, before breaking into laughter at their own silliness, while the two AI’s finished by belting out the refrain while adding the iconic radio transmission that heralded the end of fighting in Berlin nearly a hundred years ago.
Ingrid and Philia were giggling as the five of them entered the university lecture hall-like chamber that served as briefing room. The air was thick with tension and posturing as the most seasoned and powerful of the various teams had gathered here, each group in one way or another flexing in varying degrees of ostentation. Some were outright showboating; swords drawn while acting as if they had just picked it up from the blacksmith, displays of magic prowess such as flashy sigils and arcane symbols floating in the air in the name of "warming up" their mana, cloaks pulled back to show off their flashy armor.
Others were more subtle, like one witch who elegantly smoked a pipe of expensive tobacco, or a thief that expertly rolled a coin across their knuckles; not even looking at it while he talked animatedly with his group. And then, there were those who seemed to be puffing themselves up. One tamer nervously tugged at his saber-cat familiar, but the recalcitrant feline only growled and ignored the gesture, laying on its stomach with its tail flicking lazily, a well-dressed mage seemed to be trying too hard to impress anyone who looked his way as he struggled to make a pack of cards shuffle themselves while his companion, a stern-looking cleric, rolled his eyes.
Heads turned as everyone saw Siria, the mythical loner, enter the room. Even more turned their way when they saw her come with a group.
The whispers grew louder and more curious as the quintet picked chairs near the back of the room.
"I propose once we get in there, let's lay some candles at the spot where we rescued our mice." Ingrid said quietly.
"Why?" Kvaris, ever the pragmatic one asked. "What will happen once the next batch of monsters make that chamber their nest..."
Ingrid's face split into an extremely malicious smile.
___
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“Some folks are born made to wave the flag
Hoo, they're red, white and blue
And when the band plays "Hail to the chief"
Ooh, they point the cannon at you, Lord
It ain't me, it ain't me
I ain't no senator's son, son…”
The song “Fortunate Son” was blaring out the speakers of Cecil’s Muse Box, as the slime sat upon his velvety throne. He looked like a king holding court, with all the cute familiars around him. Peanut hovered near him, bobbing gently in the air. Her wand with its mushrooms growing on it made her look like his court wizard. Cuddly, munching thoughtfully on a carrot, resembled a royal adviser pondering over some deep reflection regarding the merits of cashews versus macadamias. The jolly pumpkin-like duskberry Johnny wriggled in place as a hungry dog would, waiting to feed on the next foolish commoner that dared approach too close to the slime-king.
The mice meanwhile were squeaking quietly as they ate their wheels of cheese stuffed with meat, spices, and zesty fragrant herbs. Whole wheels were propped on modern folding camp chairs like miniature tables, or set on a blanket laid atop the steps.
Unlike their typical ravenous feeding sessions, the mice ate like watchful soldiers in the field, ready to spring to action should an enemy attempt to take them by surprise.
Whether it was due to the sight of many other adventurers each in their own way ostentatiously warming themselves up for the battles ahead, or simply because the mice were about to deploy soon; nobody could tell. They handled their food only with their knives so as not to soil their beloved firearms.
Meanwhile the spider-drone stood motionless, it would have been intimidating too but many of the adventurers both nearby and passing by stopped to admire the complex automata; if not for the masterful construction but also the sounds being transmitted from its speakers as it relayed the news from the Liaison Office.
"...and there you have it, folks" spoke a voice, no doubt from one of the guildsmen of the Jormungandr. "Advise all your teammates to be especially wary of the Rogue Rift that was manifested somewhere in the first few levels of the dungeon. I repeat, there is no obligation to enter the breach and attempt to undo the seal unless you are absolutely certain of your capabilities. The guild does not wish for any unnecessary casualties."
___
A group of newbie adventurers were sitting near the Whale's cute mascot group, heard the broadcast loud and clear, their initial wonder at the large group of exotic familiars gave way to the troubling news of the current state of the dungeon below. The leader of the newbie group, a young sorian boy, had his eyes widened in surprise.
"A rogue rift?" He whispered to his teammates "We can't even handle the first few floors now!"
"Shhh!" One of his companions, a young elf archer, hissed at him. "Don't give away that we're green!"
___
"What do you think, Ranger-Two?" Ingrid's voice was a whisper but through the speakers it was loud and clear "Can we tackle this? The first level or two should be safe enough for novices to navigate. We can’t let this stand."
"Agreed, It's already hard on everyone as it is..." Philia added, also keeping her voice low "I'm all for it, if you think we can take it. I do. Machiavelli speaking here… this Rift is hurting the economy."
“Da! OUR economy, comrade!” Zefir added jokingly, in a fake Russian accent. “Our vey of life, our collective, is under threat of these Riftalist pig-dogs.”
“Vykhodila na bereg Katyusha… Na vysokiy bereg na krutoy…” Neith added to the humor by playing a snippet of the Katyusha song; the Red Army Choir rendition.
“PFFFT!” Ingrid choked, laughing.
___
Even though the people nearby didn't know what a radio was it took little acumen to figure out that the golem that was Neith was relaying the information from the LO. Some looked at each other with uncertainty, especially with the mention of the Rogue Rift which could potentially bring forth monsters far beyond most adventurers ' capabilities. Others were intrigued at the willingness of these unseen speakers to take on the perilous task of sealing a Rogue Rift.
"Playing heroes, huh?" One skeptical rhinoceros-folk warrior muttered to his valiant-orc friend. His boar-headed companion snorted in assent to these speakers however.
"I think..." The boar began "someone who could tame that many familiars can't be underestimated. Much less animate a golem of that caliber."
The rhinoceros nodded thoughtfully, instead of stroking his chin like most people, he did what all other rhino-folk did when contemplating and absent-mindedly rubbed his horn.
"We should help them if we come across them in the dungeon," The rhino said quietly.
The boar let out a quiet porky snort and nodded "My tribe would not let me live it down if I turned tail at the sight of a Rogue Rift. Let's hope our boss has the same idea."
___
There was a short pause before Siria spoke up "As the receptionist of Fenrir, I appraise one mouse alone is worth a lower bronze-rank." She considered her words carefully, knowing that Cecil probably had the speakers on and was being heard by more than a few curious bystanders.
"...and we have thirty of them."
As she spoke she signed to Ingrid, indicating that they were actually higher than lower-bronze.
The mice continued to nibble on their cheese indifferently, despite the imposing figures scrutinizing them. A few of mice were looking in their direction but not at them, more interested in the other people farther away, out of earshot, showboating as if their life depended on it, all in the guise of preparation.
Upon hearing Siria's remark, some of the adventurers couldn't help but glance at each other. Some of them focused energy into their eyes, but saw the mice's lifeforce as nothing extraordinary. Some tried to scrutinize their weapons but their eyes only saw a faint hint of enchantment radiate from those oddly-shaped staves.
That couldn't be right, some thought. A sword with the power to cleave through massive boulders radiated mana to such a degree that if it were visible to the naked eye, would have been a flame bright enough for a proper bonfire. These mice's strange sticks had sparse tendrils of energy pathetically clinging to them.
"As for the rest..." Siria continued there was a pause as she quietly gestured to Ingrid that Cecil was broadcasting the exchange "The only ones lagging behind... Well, one of them easily ran circles around a whole gaggle of dead-eaters, the other is priest of Saint Ygris, and the other one is a pack-mule that can be easily rebuilt again and again while its consciousness is elsewhere."
The listeners in the courtyard looked at each other in disbelief.
"Good luck getting to my mainframe." Neith quipped aloud.
___
Inside the lecture hall-like chamber, the other adventurers began their round of questions with the guildsman, Rushmore on the other hand was conversing with each other.
"Any buts?" Ingrid inquired, leaning back on her seat, her steepled fingers touching the other’s tips. "You're making this sound too easy..."
"It won't be." Siria replied quickly "Honestly, it's best if they get a couple of Gold Ranks and close it down, but they're currently tied at the moment dealing with stragglers abroad I imagine. All-in-all I'd say the Rogue Rift will be forcibly closed by us adventurers within a week or two..."
"Now hold on..." Ingrid sat up quickly "you're implying we can go in and not burnt to a crisp!"
"Ether Quartzes, Starchaser." Siria said, mindful of not revealing names since Cecil was probably broadcasting. "They stabilize the Ether allowing even otherworlders like us to walk about freely within its effective range. When you start feeling your mana tingling that means it’s time to head back."
"Quartz?” Ingrid said incredulously “Like the stuff in our wristwatches?"
"Yup." Philia replied, spinning a knife in her hand. "They hold ether pretty nicely as well, gotta do some magic stuff on them first, although it is naturally recurring. And no, in case you're thinking our watches could explode on us, they won't"
"We destroy the ether quartzes, it'll collapse the portal and forcibly bring us back from where we were sent." Kvaris suggested, grinning widely and showing off her adorably sharp canines.
"I'm sure I'll be fine..." Ingrid replied "I can survive bumping my head on everything and the kitchen sink along the way, but the others? I don't think they'll survive that..."
"It doesn't work that way." Kinu explained "once the portal collapses, all foreign matter is simply warped back out. Now, if you want to grab anything, you item box it."
"And how far are these quartz formations going to be?” Ingrid asked, turning to the Enthana sisters. “I hope it's not like finding a needle in a haystack..."
Viel joined in "Stachaser Actual, I can use a spell to locate these quartz formations."
"Also, the Rogue Rift from the other side is essentially a triangulation of all the nearby quartz formations. In other words, we'd spawn somewhere in the middle of it..." Philia assured her, it was clear that not only was she selling the idea to Ingrid, but that she too was confident the team could handle this. "The Ether can't pass through solid objects or liquids, which means it can be traversed one way or the other, we won't have to dig our way to the quartz or swim... mostly."
There was some silence as Ingrid thought about this for a moment.
"Let's say we collapse a quartz formation. Boom. Its Ether-equalizing field collapses. What's stopping us from getting fried now that it's no longer shielding us?" Ingrid asked.
"Overlapping fields." Viel spoke in reply "One among several conditions to be met in order to generate a Rogue Rift, that's why it's so rare. These quartz formations need to have overlapping fields with at least a couple of them. Even if we collapse one formation, it'll still require an hour or two before it loses its potency."
“I can always put a protective blessing to blanket us if the need arises,” Iohann said.
"You've done this before, Ranger-Two?" Ingrid asked.
"A couple of times, with Gold-Ranks, with Royal Knights, with mages from a certain academy as well..."
"Sounds top-shelf." Ingrid remarked "We're none of those."
"If you'll trust me, I say we can do it." Siria assured her. "Considering what magic we've done, we've inadvertently done our necessary warm ups."
There were another several seconds of silence.
"I want everyone's personal take on this." Ingrid said "Speak freely and honestly. No one will take it against you... I'll make sure of that."
"Overlord, you might want to bring some Geneva Suggestions." Philia was gonna say more but Cecil suddenly interrupted her with-
"Up! Up! And away!" Cecil cried as he rocketted off to the sky back to Autumnhollow.
"Spearheading into dangerous territory is what I do all the time..." Sammy said. "There's great rewards to be reaped in those Rift Worlds, and we need those rewards to grow stronger."
The Enthana sisters shrugged in sync with each other "We've spent years in the forests of the East. Part of it was a fallen city like Teth-Odin, so yes, when it comes to dealing with creatures never before seen, we're confident we’ll prevail."
"As for me," Peanut piped in "My former team has collapsed a Rogue Rift once, it was a dangerous job but we persevered!" her voice cracked a bit at remembering her old friends.
"The way to righteousness is not walked by simply staying in the lighted path." Iohann intoned, her words sounded like she was reading from scripture "For what is fear but a lack of faith."
"Yea, though I walk through the shadow of valley and death, I fear no evil. Psalm twenty-three four." Ingrid quipped.
"What an interesting scripture." Iohann remarked.
"I was raised Catholic. I'm of Irish descent after all." Ingrid said.
Selphie spoke up last "The plants of those lands... I'm sure I can find something useful... or make them be of aid to us."
Johnny croaked excitedly.
"Ermmm..." Cuddly murmured, there was a crunch louder than usual as the hare bit a carrot in half, indicating that he was just as determined.
“Mice?”
To Ingrid and Philia's bemusement, they began stamping their feet and squeaking a mouse-song.
"Awkward..." Zefir laughed as he recognized the tune.
"What are they singing?" Kvaris asked, her ears wiggling as Neith started playing an accompanying brass band.
"Ze mouse really vant a tank." Philia said cryptically in a strange accent.
"Louder." Ingrid said.
“Bestaubt sind die Gesichter. Doch froh ist unser Sinn. Ja! Unser Sinn!” Kaguya sang.
“Kaguya, what the hell!?” Arek laughed, once again logging in at the weirdest possible time.
___
As Rushmore made its way back to the Cute Mascot team, the latter had been deluged by questions from the nearby adventurers who had listened in.
“Should we hurry back?” Philia asked as Peanut ended up being an impromptu spokesman for the group.
“No,” Ingrid said calmly, their mics were muted, so Peanut couldn’t hear. ”Our little mushroom needs to flex that PR every now and then.”
“Pee Arr?” Kvaris asked.
“Shorthand in our world for Public Relations.” Philia explained “in other words, learning how to speak on behalf of our group with others.”
“Plus, it helps keep her mind off of the grieving process.” Ingrid said.
“Mhmm…” Siria murmured in agreement. “The claws of sorrow have no grip on a busy mind, so they say.”
“Exactly.” Ingrid smiled.
___
“W-well it’s a magic device that…” Peanut began, seeing that she was stuttering, Neith spoke up for her.
“It’s a magic device that lets us communicate with each other from a distance.” the AI spoke,making the spider raise a leg and wave it at the crowd. “My master figures that it’ll save time if the information was disseminated this way.”
“You can talk?” someone asked.
“Indeed. I’m Neith, mark-one. First of my name to put it in your words. I am a self-aware automata.” The spider leaned forward for emphasis. “I think, and I feel just like you folks. Sadly, I’m reduced to being a pack-mule.”
“You do more than that!” Peanut protested, but Neith played the sound of a braying donkey, making everyone laugh.
The mice, still nibbling away at their cheese, perked up their tiny ears as they heard Ingrid's voice. Arthur bolted up straight and squeaked sharply what was probably a loud "TEN-HUT!" The other mice quickly snapped into attention, their paws shooting up to their foreheads in a proper salute, their backs ramrod straight.
"At ease, men." Ingrid said, subconsciously straightening up and her gait becoming more regal.
The crowd looked up in disbelief as it was the human, not Siria nor the Enthana girls, nor the daos-folk aristocrat that was the tamer of these unnaturally intelligent creatures.
"Wheels up at 0800." Ingrid said, briefly glancing at her wristwatch. "As you were. Dismissed."
The human let out a sigh as she flopped down, seemingly unaware that there was nothing there for her to sit on. The onlookers collectively held their breath, anticipating that she would make a grand buffoon of herself with a humiliating fall.
To their astonishment, the slime in his flying portal darted forward and quickly retrieved a white chair from within his royal dimension.
The chair emerged from the portal just in time for Siria to seize it and deftly place it behind Ingrid, still in mid-fall. She sprawled indolently on the chair, giving the unmistakable impression she was sure it would be there for her to land on.
The audience was astonished by the seamless coordination demonstrated by the two, the slime's uncanny ability to interpret the human's intentions, and the rare spectacle of the typically aloof elf attending to, of all things, a human.
Siria stood behind Ingrid, affectionately stroking her hair.
"We're assaulting the Rogue Rift." she told everyone matter-of-factly.
"If we find it." Ingrid added, leaning back into her plastic lawn chair. "...that said, once we do, we'd like to pass on the information to the rest. Who wants to hold onto a weird artifact for a while?"
The crowd was murmuring amongst themselves, Ingrid figured that they were still waiting word from their own leaders after they returned to their teams from the LO. Some of them however, looked restless, eager to act on their own if need be.
A rhino-folk, the same one who had talked to the boar earlier, approached the group.
"I'm Rhamad from the Iron Stampede, I'm sure our leader..." a heavy hand clapped his shoulder. The rhinoceros looked back and saw a crocodile nod his head in approval. Ingrid recognized the crocodile, who she was sitting behind earlier. He had a headdress that reminded her of what an Egyptian pharaoh would wear. The rhino smiled, grunting in response before continuing.
"...we'll take the artifact. We'll stay behind and await your word."
"Are you sure about this, Rhamad?" Ingrid said, sitting up and leaning forward. "It may take us hours to find it, your team may lose out on profits if we take a while, assuming we find it today."
"We're all losing out on account of that accursed portal." His boar companion snorted, "The higher-ranked adventurers after all, should be in the lower sections, clearing out the scourge of the mightier beasts further below, the longer we take to collapse the portal, the further this Demon City will be plunged in chaos."
"He makes a good point." Philia nodded.
Ingrid and Philia looked at each other, the latter nodded and took out of her Traveller's Valise a walkie-talkie, and tossed it over to Rhamad.
"Catch." Philia said. The rhino caught it easily.
"Arghhh!!” Neith said, speaking only through the walkie-talkie, using the voice of an impish cartoon villain. Many adventurers jumped and backed away as the black box began talking, but others like Rhamad and his group were unconcerned.
“What is the meaning of this!?” the box demanded. The confusion and anger in its voice told Rhamad that it was in no position to harm anyone.
“You will relay our message to our friends here.” Ingrid said flatly.
“Silence, wench!” The imp snapped “When I get out this little box, I-”
Philia burst out laughing at Neith’s funny voice.
Thinking quickly Ingrid smiled and said “You talk big now that I can’t I pound you into submission, imp. Would you like Siria to release you for a while so you can experience another?”
“Grrrrr!”
“Enough of this.” Siria said, joining in “Before I forget we had a deal and never release you from that box.”
“F-fine!” the “Imp” said. “J-just don’t release me with Ingrid around!”
“Apologies taken.” Ingrid said in a rather bored voice, getting up from her chair, she addressed the gathered adventurers. “If you don’t mind, I’ll be paying the Pavillion a visit. I think we’re all gonna need every blessing we need for this expedition…”
___
A Redoubt near the Titan Cage, Present Day:
Soft, crackling sounds emanated from the ice formation in the shape of a blooming rose. Spiderwebs of tiny fractures raced across the crystalline fracture as little flakes of ice broke off and pelted the stone floor of the redoubt. The rose didn't fracture into large fragments that could potentially break someone's bones if they were standing too close, but carefully fell apart in small harmless flakes that further shattered into tiny shards as they hit the ground.
Ingrid stirred within, as if unencumbered by all the ice around her. With a stretch of her arms and yawn, the structure collapsed into a cascade of fragments smaller than an ice cube.
Continuing to stretch, Ingrid sleepily walked down to greet her teammates who had a late lunch going, as well greeting the guests who had taken shelter into this redoubt.
“Interesting way of rejuvenating oneself.” Rhamad remarked.
"Rhamad!" Ingrid chirped happily "How'd it go?"
The rhino-folk nodded in greeting, his expression dour as usual but with a hint of excitement at the prospect of assaulting the Rogue Rift. "The Iron Stampede had a few encounters," he began, "It's our first visit after the Red Moon, the lot we've encountered are definitely not for our novice friends. Bart..." he flicked his thumb at the Valiant Orc, who waved at her "...is right, this portal cannot stand, we must collapse it today before it brings more of its foul occupants here."
Ingrid waved back. She saw the pharaoh-crocodile conversing with Siria, it seemed like they were discussing plans regarding the upcoming assault. The rest of the Iron Stampede were there as well, a bright-eyed owl hovered near the mice, the bow slung across his shoulder marked him as an archer of the team, and considering his elaborate weapon and how his quiver's arrow tips glowed implied that his arrows were at least enchanted. He had a friendly demeanor with the mice, showing them how to knot dough that reminded Ingrid of a cruller, a treat she hadn't had in ages. Although this treat was savory rather than sweet as the mice packed in zesty herbs and sharp vegetables before the owl obliged and laid it out on the griddle.
A serval (cat-folk with cat heads) was discussing something with Philia as she stirred a cauldron, most likely conjured or summoned by one of the Iron Stampedes. Few of the mice waddled over and tossed ingredients into the bowl, sending a delicious aroma as the fragrant herbs and fresh meat interacted with the hot broth.
"Our team has a lot of active members, you see." Philia was saying "I would recommend that we seek out the largest concentration of Mana Quartz to hasten the process." She paused and frowned slightly as she noticed some residue beginning to stick. Applying a bit of pressure, she vigorously rubbed with a spatula, dislodging the accumulated crust with a satisfying scraping noise and releasing the trapped spices that had clumped together.
"Besides, we imagine that the largest concentration may have a sizable nest of whatever's basking in the quartzes' radiance." Philia continued "I'm confident our team, the Whales, could fight our way to the formation and still have the strength to collapse those quartz formations."
"Very well." the serval, Kairos spoke up. "I'm sure that now that everyone knows you've taken down a Lifebane Titan, most would push your team towards the most dangerous assignment of all."
Philia sighed "The problem is, we don't even know if the highest quartz formation holds such a challenge. Suppose we end up in a cave full of wild beasts? They would attach no importance to those rocks and might end up nesting near the sparser quartz formations, which means it might be the Iron Stampede that ends up dealing with the strongest monsters in the area. We can't afford to assume that we're going to get the worst of it. Each team must prepare for the possibility of encountering the fiercest opposition."
Those nearby paused and nodded in agreement.
"The nobles are going to hear about this deed." Kairos said, his voice having the same feline trill that Ingrid had heard in Zefir's. "Our boss isn't too keen on being some noble's lackeys, kills the fun of exploration if you ask me."
"I agree." Ingrid said, walking in and looking at the stew. It looked and smelled heavenly. She recognized the serval as the same man at the gate when the team disembarked from the wagon. "It's no fun being an adventurer if you're on a leash." she smiled, the irony of her status being a human was not lost to her.
"I've taken care of it, Ingrid." Philia winked.
"How?"
Philia smiled. "Remember the time we resealed Glamis?"
Ingrid's eyes grew wide. "Oh, yes! I got it."
"Glamis?" Kairos questioned, not grasping the context.
"Ingrid, Cecil and I, aren’t from here. A long time ago, Ingrid and I were sent to an allied nation on a dire mission." Philia explained "The Dark Empire was invading us all, and their scouts discovered an ancient castle that could be used to unleash chaotic magic. Had they succeeded, it would have caused widespread destruction and rendered the vast, afflicted area uninhabitable for centuries. Our allies were already overwhelmed and had neither the resources nor the expertise to reseal the volatile magic within the castle. Our resounding success led the allied nations to pressure our homeland to make us knights that answered to everyone. They recanted thanks to my former familiar at the time..."
"Philia's familiar was a Nightmare," Ingrid elaborated. "To put it in your terms, a Fiend. His allegiance was only to her, so any attempt to control her was, in his eyes, a justification to call upon the Nightmares to invade our realm. Nobody wanted that, so they backed off."
"Also," Cecil added "We didn't like the terms they wanted to hold us accountable. Might as well just have surrendered to those Dark Empire bastards."
"Amen to that" Ingrid chimed in.
"Well that makes things easier for us." Kinu remarked, she and her sister were busy putting away the sleeping bags and related gear, as the arrival of their visitors and the team waking up from their nap was only a few minutes ago.
"I would've argued with such people that as a subject of Freid, not only am I exempt but could extend it to all I'm affiliated with." she continued, rolling up the last of the now-deflated air mattresses. These were neatly stored in a modern zip-up bag, for Cecil to retrieve shortly.
"So, has anyone taken a peek into the Riftworld yet?" Ingrid inquired as everyone began to settle in for lunch.
"The other teams are currently securing the Titan Cage." Khovrek, the crocodile leader, informed her. "It appears to be turning into a war camp out there already." He chuckled, adding, "They've set up tents and started fires. The Rogue Rift opens up at a rocky moorland, rugged moorland with uneven ground and substantial stone cliffs surrounding it."
"There's patches of forests too." The owl, Yakael said. "A combination of wide open ground and places one could take refuge, or opportunities one could get ambushed, we must all be careful..."
"Once we've collected our loot and broken the quartz, we should all give a signal that we've achieved our goal." Yakael suggested. "Fortunately, since we'll be outdoors for a change, I can use some fireworks."
"Agreed." Siria replied.
"Leave that to me." Viel chirped "Siria should conserve her mana for the really tough battles..." she meowed as Siria patted her head.
“The Iron Stampede won’t be seeking out the quartz." Khorak said, "Instead, we will seek out powerful and dangerous foes and root out all that may hinder the others. The less there are that get in the way of others, the sooner we can collapse that accursed realm and restore light and relative safety in this labyrinth..."
"Agreed." Sammy remarked, "We should be in the lower levels instead, rooting out old, useless dynasties that can't hold back the influx of these newcomer monsters."
Cecil chuckled as he dipped his tendril into a basket of ribs and fished out a few "I guess we adventurers gotta moonlight as Praetorian Guards every now and then, huh?"
As the two teams exited the Redoubt, Khorak gestured to a small gathering of adventurers that had stationed themselves at the adjoining tunnel.
"May I introduce you to a promising team known as the Green Fury," he announced "Despite being completely new to the dungeoning business they've proven themselves reliable in the safeguarding of merchant caravans."
The Whales nodded in greeting.
"Oh!" Cecil said in recognition "You guys were sitting next to us at the veranda steps!"
"Yes, we are!" the young sorian said, waving at Ingrid happily, who returned the favor.
The mice squeaked and waved their paws, cutely waddling over to them for pets and sniffs, their disciplined marching order dissolving into a cuddle pile.
"They're so cute!" One of the Green Fury members, a young elf girl with a bow and quiver exclaimed.
"Y-you must be the leader!" a little kobold looked up at Ingrid with awe in her eyes.
Ingrid crouched down to meet him at eye level, and offered a gentle smile "Yep, that's me, Ingrid Lily."
"I'm...I'm Alster." the kobold stuttered, his eyes darting around nervously before focusing back on her. Ingrid smiled as the dog made cute whimpering sounds, probably of excitement.
"Thanks for protecting us while we recuperated, Alster." Ingrid purred, rubbing foreheads with him and scratching his ears. She purred louder as he put his paws on her cheeks.
"Come." Khorak said, "let's all convene at the war camp."
As they approached the designated meeting point, a group stepped into their path. Ingrid glanced back at Cecil and Philia who couldn't help crack a smile. The adventurer team ahead looked exactly like how someone with money to burn would decorate their character just to obtain a few seconds of clout by buying overpriced cosmetics.
Khorak growled in displeasure at seeing them.
“It’s the King Hawks.” the crocodile spat.
The Enthana sisters growled quietly, which to Ingrid’s ears confirmed they were quite the unpleasant bunch.
"I don't like their ilk" Sammy glowered, protectively pulling Viel behind her.
Even without looking at them with mana-infused eyes, Ingrid could tell they were radiating some serious battle aura. Alster started making adorable whining sounds while the rest of the Green Fury huddled behind him. The Iron stampede snorted in agitation and puffed themselves up.
"You think they want our lunch money, Siria?" Ingrid asked, not bothering to lower her voice.
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INDEX: The Whales Party Sheet