Part Forty

Aaaahhh, it feels so good to just lay down. I’d love to fall asleep right now, but Alicia will chew me out if I do. They’ll be here before long, so I need to come to a decision quickly. Do I tell them about the vial?

Personally, I want to tell them. It’s something that could impact all of us and I’d want them to tell me if it were the other way around. But, I have no idea who’s responsible for it. If I do tell them that, then their attitude towards the others could change and that might tip off the culprit that I’m searching for them.

I’m already somewhat known for being hostile, so I don’t think there’s too much risk there. My paranoia actually helps me out here. It shouldn’t be too odd for me to be overly cautious of the others. But if my companions start to suddenly suspect everyone, then that’ll look odd. So, I’ll hold off on telling them until I have a better idea of the culprit. I’m sure this won’t come back to bite me later on. Right?

As for the vial, I think I’ll keep it for now. I can always ditch it later to act as a diversion or use it to help me grind monsters for the Twin Swords’ upgrade. Seriously, It’s only gone up by just over a thousand! Though maybe that’s pretty good considering the number of monster attacks we’ve had.

“Hope you weren’t waiting long!”

“Hello lad.”

“Hey guys. …………Is looking like death warmed-over a trend these days? The both of you look absolutely horrible.”

“Haha. Real funny Michael.”

“Sorry. I’m just as tired if that’s any consolation. Though I think everyone’s tired. This was just a bad day all around.”

“Yeah. A lot of people lost their lives today. And more than a few are probably rethinking their decision to enter this Dungeon.”

They took seats at the table and chairs that were inexplicably in my room. They’d suddenly appeared after the first day we were here. I certainly didn’t ask for them, but maybe one of them did. That, or one of the NPCs were somehow responsible.

“By the way, what happened to Braddock? He's wearing an eyepatch like some kind of pirate now. It’s kinda….weird? Is that the word I’m looking for?”

“…”

“…”

“What? I’ve never seen someone wearing an eyepatch in real life before! I thought most people used glass eyes or something similar!”

I mean, they might. I’m not particularly knowledgeable about what most people do after they’ve lost an eye in an accident, but I’m not going to argue over it. Let’s….just move on from whatever this is.

“So, how was that facility you had to destroy? I’m guessing it wasn’t exactly a breeze to deal with, considering your current state.”

Not only were they visibly tired, but there were countless cuts and scrapes in their armor. Something had really put them through the wringer. Compared to me, who had received a proper healing from Kalia, there was a disparity in our current states.

“It wasn’t the worst thing, but it wasn’t something I’d want to repeat any time soon. Though, those Mivians sure are something else. They had all these weapons and different constructs that were frickin' incredible!”

“The Mivians in particular were quite difficult to deal with. Their control of magic is threatening. The three of us would struggle to clear a Dungeon full of them on our own.”

“As much as I hate to admit it, he’s right. They certainly aren’t pushovers.”

“Sounds rough. But what exactly happened?”

“Well…………………………”

***

[Cameron’s POV]

It had been about an hour since they’d been teleported into the forest. It hadn’t taken them long to find their target. But unfortunately, that was the easy part.

Over five dozen Demi-Human monsters were guarding the entrance to the underground facility. While most of them were Goblins, there were five Minotaurs and three Orcs. Even worse, one of the robed Mivians were present. Monsters capable of magic were a real danger and few of the mercenaries, if any, had experience in dealing with them.

The lass did well. I don’t think even Michael could’ve gotten close enough to spy on them undetected.

Since the landscape was mostly flat, there were few obstacles to line of sight. While there more trees this deep into the forest to hamper vision to a degree, it wasn’t to the point where you could stroll around carelessly. Which meant that scouting out the enemies’ numbers was extremely difficult.

But Alicia had solved that dilemma nicely. Her combination of Stealth and the farsight provided by Accuracy made it so she could spy on the monsters from a distance that they couldn’t detect her from.

“So what now? Do we just charge in, or do we try something else?”

In all honesty, attacking them directly was risky. While the mercenaries were familiar with the other monsters, the Mivian was a complete unknown. They had no way of predicting what kinds of magic it could use, or how it would attack them. There was even the chance it could call for more of its kin. A well-thought-out plan was needed to get through this with as few casualties as possible.

“We could split up and hit them from two sides. If one group were to act as a diversion, then the second group could pincer them from behind.”

“No way! Dividing our numbers in enemy territory is a horrible idea. And who would want to be the diversion any way?”

“Alright then. What if we fanned out and everyone tried to sneak closer? We could ambush the monsters as individuals instead of a whole group.”

“That could work. The only issue is that there are more of them than us. If they were to gang up on those who got there first, we could all be routed.”

“There’s still that Mivian. I don’t know what kind of magic it can use, but some sorta AoE spell would be devastating. Killing it first would be ideal.”

The biggest disadvantage of multiple groups coming together was that there was no clear chain of command. In the absence of someone charismatic or intimidating, a simple decision could lead to a stalemate. Conversely, the presence of one such individual could expedite the process.

“Shut it already. Hearing you all fuss over such an easy decision is utterly pathetic. It's simple, if you want to kill it, then you kill it. Don’t stand about dithering over the how of it.”

“Yeah, you tell ‘em Boss!”

Sampson had inserted himself into the conversation with all the subtlety of a hammer to the face.

“Well big man! Do you have a plan?”

“Yeah, I do. And if you don’t want me to crush your throat, you’ll never speak to me like that again.”

After ensuring the unfortunate mercenary nodded, Sampson turned to Alicia. She’d been watching the others argue with an annoyed expression on her face, though it seemed that that wasn’t why Sampson turned to her.

“W-what do you want?”

“Do you think you can kill that Mivian? I figure preemptively killing it is our best shot and you’re probably the best with a bow.”

Unlike the way he spoke to the others, Sampson’s tone was almost conversational, as if he was trying not to offend her. It was an extreme contrast from his usual way of speaking. And it caught Alicia off-guard.

“Err, maybe? The ones that showed up earlier used some kind of barrier, which kept me from shooting them. I didn’t see anything, and I can’t think of a reason for it to have one active now, but I’m not certain. If there is a barrier, my arrows won’t do anything.”

“Hmmm, I see. But if there isn’t a barrier, then you can kill it?”

“Definitely. I can’t see them being any different than Goblins and I can kill them with one shot. I don’t see why this would be the exception.”

“Good, good. Alright, I’ve got a plan. Here’s what we’ll do.”

[Alicia’s POV]

Okay, no pressure. All you’ve got to do is hit that one monster and kill it. And sure, failing could jeopardize the rest of the mission. And it’s not like I’d be in any real danger, not if the others do their part. So I’ve just got to focus on killing it. Yep, no pressure.

Sampson’s plan was simple enough. He and the others would cause a diversion, luring the monsters into her range. If the Mivian came right away, then perfect. She’d put an arrow into its throat and that would be that.

If it didn’t, then they would ambush the monsters and kill them. Hopefully, the Mivian itself would investigate the loss of its subordinates.

This was only possible due to her preparations and the nature of barriers. After she’d learned that they would be dealing with magic-using monsters, she’d asked Kalia a few questions.

According to her, barriers were primarily made of certain kinds of magic, mostly Elemental, and there was no one particular type of Magic that specialized in them. Furthermore, once a barrier was created, it was immobile and thus kept the caster from moving about.

As an aside, Cameron had also borrowed the Ring of Lesser Mana Reflection from Michael. He’d told them that they were more likely to need it and practically forced it onto them. Though of course the chances that Michael ran into a magic-using monster weren’t zero.

*Phwet! Phwe phwet!*

There’s the signal. Which means everyone’s in position. Though now that I think about it, Sampson never said what he intended on doing for a distraction. It would need to be suspicious enough to attract attention, but not enough to alert the monsters inside the facility.

*Fwooom!*

Did he really just do that!? He calls Michael reckless, but pulls a stunt like that!? What the heck is he thinking!?

***

“He set a Combustion Bomb off inside of the forest? Seriously? Even I hesitate to do that! What if he caused a wildfire that entrapped everyone? It’s just too reckless.”

“I mean, it did work. And what do you mean you hesitate to do that? You tried to blow up that Orc General you fought.”

“…………never mind.”

Yeesh. “Now where was I?”

***

[Cameron’s POV]

Cameron sighed to himself as he watched the plume of smoke rise into the sky. Turned out that Sampson’s diversion was really just an explosion. The man had chosen a relatively barren spot to set off a Combustion Bomb and now they were lying in wait for whatever showed up. Some had climbed up into the foliage, while others were hiding behind particularly large or close together trees. And a few more were fanned out around them, just in case their prey tried to run.

I hope this goes as planned. I’m not eager to see someone die today.

“Gyaa? Gyagya!? Gyya.”

The Mivian had sent a dozen Goblins to investigate the explosion. While Michael or Sampson might dismiss them as being weaklings, that wasn’t quite true. They were just that much stronger than the Goblins.

For those who had yet to reach C-Rank, or didn’t have the assistance of powerful Skills, dealing with even D-Rank Goblins could be a challenge. And as there was a Goblin Crusher, three Brutes, and a number of Shield-bearers, this would be a tough fight. For most that is.

In the meantime, the Goblins had surrounded the scorch marks from the explosion and were poking at it to try and figure something out. Why the Mivian would send Goblins of all things made no sense. They weren’t exactly known for being smart.

*Crunch!*

“Hahahahahah, let’s see how ya do all by yourselves? You little vermin!”

One of the Brutes had the misfortune to wander over to the wrong tree, which happened to be where Sampson was waiting. He’d dropped down and crushed the Goblin in one hit. The thing never stood a chance.

“Well what are ya waiting for!? Have at ‘em!”

His attack had stunned both the Goblins and the mercenaries, but his shout roused the latter. They jumped off of the branches or left their hiding spots and engaged the Goblins. Cameron didn’t join them however. He was to stay back and keep an eye out for other monsters trying to join the fight.

They’ve already killed half of them and there’s still no sign of other monsters. Looks like we might be in the clear.

With a quiet squeal, the last Goblin died as its head was caved in. The fight had been rather uneventful, especially since they’d both outnumbered and ambushed the Goblins. But it was what came next that would be difficult.

“Get those corpses out of the way! And someone signal the others, let ‘em know we’re moving onto step two.”

“Yes Boss!”

*Phwet! Phwe phwe phwet!*

Maybe I should tell the lad about this. Having a whistle around could be useful. But I should get ready. Something tells me this won’t go as well as the first time.

[Alicia’s POV]

*Phwet! Phwe phwe phwet!*

So they’re getting ready for the second diversion? Hopefully the Mivian comes to investigate this time. We risk more monsters showing up every time we try this.

*Fwoom!*

A few seconds later and the explosion went off. Since she was closer to the facility than the other mercenaries, she could hear the monsters making a ruckus. It sounded like one of them was particularly angry about it.

“Gyata gyose re dageganka! Mouka frashka!”

“Mrahgh.”

“Gyagya!”

After it had finished ranting, the Mivian screamed at the other monsters, to which several replied meekly. Soon, all of the remaining Goblins and three of the Minotaurs headed towards the others.

Can’t it just give up? This is just making the whole thing more complicated then it needs to be. But I can understand why it won’t go investigate itself. The space around the stairs is cleared out. It might be worried that it could get ambushed inside the forest.

The greatest danger for a mage is being closed in on. In terrain with plenty of places to hide, it would be easy for someone to attack it from a blind spot.

If it would just move a foot to the right, I could kill it. I just can’t quite get a clear shot right now. It’s pacing around too much.

Hm? It’s doing something!?

The Mivian had stopped its pacing and begun to chant. And is it did so, glyphs formed in the air around it. Some of them permeated into the ground, while others wrapped around the remaining monsters.

Its casting magic? This is bad, if it casts that barrier, then I won’t be able to kill it.

The Mivian's chant reached its apex, causing all the glyphs to flash and disappear. Moments passed with nothing happening, until the ground began to swell. Each swelling took on different features, until they became recognizable.

Wha, what!? Those look just like Minotaurs and Orcs! It made copies through magic!?

It had done exactly that. The spell it used was called [Terra Cotta Copy] and it made physical copies of any creature that was scanned by the spell. Though the copies would lack any special abilities possessed by the original.

Alicia watched as the Mivian cast the spell three more times, before it had to use its staff as a cane to support itself. This was known as mana exhaustion. Unlike in popular fiction, there weren’t really any repercussions for using all your mana, you would just be unable to use any magic or techniques.

However, there was a cap on how much mana a being could safely use at any one time. Using too much too fast would cause severe backlash, similar to using all of your stamina. Casting that spell four times had simply used up most of the Mivian’s mana pool and inadvertently gave Alicia the best chance she was going to get.

The Mivian stumbled into her line-of-sight and in an instant, she had a Blitz Arrow nocked and ready. Breathe in, breathe out. Breathe in, breathe put. Steady, aim, fire!

The arrow struck the Mivian near instantly. The impact was so great, that the diminutive creature was flipped head-over-heels. The second she confirmed that she’d hit it, she grabbed the whistle she’d been given, and gave a single, long blast. And then, she ran like hell.