I am getting used to observing a silent world. [Eldrich Eyes] give you only remote vision, no remote audio. And I can use the rest. That reminds me. I get my soul-bound phone out, put it on silent and start texting. It works. They tell me that they are safe and that my vehicle wants bronze rank coins and a „repair environment“. I can afford to wait.

They are coming back. In fact they introduce themselves by throwing some kind of device into the entrance hall. Except for a brief flash of darkness it does not affect my spy eye. Then they rush in. The purple ones in a mindless throng; the blue ones so that they avoid in standing each other’s line of fire – well - casting.

Up the stairs they go. But they do no longer use those devices And they split up by colour. Purpelies first; Bluies later, considerably later. Sending in the peasants? Or are they just stupid? The moment of truth is fast approaching. I need to surpress that aura.

And the moment passes without incident.

According to the books on tactics I’ve read the best time to attack an enemy who crosses an obstacle, such as a river, is when his forces have partially crossed. I need to bet on that also being true for staircases in buildings. And of course on me being able to realise the theory, which is arguably the worse bet.

I leave my hideout and sneak to the staircase. That is most likely unnecessary for my enemies are anything but silent, yet I cannot bring myself to confidently stomp towards implementing an ambush. I conjure my assault rifle with full regalia, step into the staircase and fire a full barrage of gas grenades upwards using [Chemical Warfare] to make them form a barrier.

Then I go on to rush down the staircase while pressing down the trigger. I have a magical firearm. As long as I have mana, I can keep spraying bullets all day long. In fact all night long, too, if need be. I trigger [Cornucopia]. This is not the moment to run out of mana or stamina. My staff comes out. Antennae fold back. [Eternal Moment] online. This body comes with instincts. My raptorial arms slash left and right. My stinger sways from side to side. I can use it to counterbalance. The elytrae alone are large enough to alter my trajectory while jumping.

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I get about 3/4 of them. Though it lasts only a moment, like it says on the description. I fall back to real time.

And here I get my first surprise. I prepare to finish off the last ones, when those I have stung show an explosive reaction. And I do not mean that metaphorically. They blow up. Not quite like a hand grenade, but like a melon hit by an anvil falling from the tenth floor.

That makes ending the screaming rest easy.

I turn upwards again and send my spy eye through the gas cloud. They are bleeding out of all orifices. And I mean all. In fact they are bleeding out of parts of their bodies which aren’t orifices strictly speaking. Shooting them is a mercy. Screw that. It is fun. If it were a mercy and I could afford to let them slowly die, I would.

That is when I get my second surprise. One of them fires a lightning bolt blindly, which doesn’t matter, because all the metal makes it go on an irregular trajectory anyway and hits where it really hurts. If gods exist, they don’t like me. It is not as if I hadn’t given them reasons.

I go on my knees. This needs a healing potion. Now. I call back my spy eye which is made from a healing potion this time. My ability should allow me absorbing it just by it touching skin. Wait, stop this thing hovering in front of my face stinks horribly and has the wrong colour.

I take one out of my inventory. Getting healed by potion hurts. I find out that this body has tear glands.

--

After ten minutes I step outside the building, satisfied with the loot. I look at the eye from a considerable distance. This thing really stinks. I send it towards the village centre square, if the map I have is still accurate. I don’t want anybody to come into contact with that substance. Was it the device they used or passage through my own gas cloud.

That makes me take out and probe the devices I have looted. „Death grenades“ I get as an answer. This is cool.