Eric licked dry lips, determined not to pussy-foot around. “Contender Eric Silver formally requests System access to all recordings made within this sanctuary within the last 24 hours.”

Eric gazed at the perfectly inert computer for long moments, and couldn’t help chuckling.

Because that would have been far too easy.

Before finding himself nearly stumbling out of his chair a second time, his absurd 39 Finesse and 28 Strength instead turning it into a surprisingly graceful handspring and flip right off his chair, or would have been, if it hadn't collapsed, Eric wincing as he picked himself up before gazing at the screens before him, caught between an odd state of wonder and fear.

Because the monitors had indeed come to life, with row upon row of what seemed to be frozen stills. And a single trembling finger just had to touch any given bar at any given point with various stills that seemed to be taken every five minutes or so, to have the second monitor immediately come to life with a recording.

He very deliberately ignored the way too many recordings of Alice and Louie getting busy in the back bedrooms while Drake and Morlekai seemed perfectly content pouring over building blueprints at the living room table, Drake's thoughtful gaze as he carefully pointed out details to Morlekai making it clear that his jock persona was at least partially an act, or perhaps just one side of his true self. It was soon clear that he was just as much a careful and thoughtful professional as he was anything else, and quite knowledgeable in regards to his chosen profession.

Which was made all the clearer when a still stunned Eric asked for volume as well, and in the blink of an eye, Eric felt like he was right there with Drake, going over bank blueprints, entrance and exit points, and, in this new world, figuring out how to overcome wards, arcane traps, and inhuman sentinels as they cased the Golden Eagle bank.

Eric knew he didn't have a lot of time, but he couldn't help but be captivated by what he saw, skimming through their plans, slowing down when it looked like they had finalized their heist preparations, listening in great detail when Louie and Alice both joined them, all of them now dressed more like modern day ninjas, complete with steel plate reinforced kevlar armor Eric didn't recall any of them carrying earlier, along with rope, grappling hooks, utilitarian belts, and an actual blowtorch that clearly worked, among other things. And what Eric was almost certain was a good amount of C-4.

And maybe that did make sense, chilling as it was. Because even if most explosives had erupted all at once with world’s end, save nukes, thank goodness, more stable ones did not, and Eric had seen too many movies not to appreciate that there was at least one element commonly used for catalyzing normally inert C-4 that the post-apocalyptic world was in very short supply of.

Electricity.

But with Alice on the team…

Eric couldn’t help cracking a grin. It seemed that there was far more to her love of lightning than the simple sweet joy of destructive mayhem.

Eventually, the group nodded in unison as they finished going over plans and gear, and then the compound was empty once more.

Eric rewound and focused back on what was, for him, the most important bit.

The location of the central vault, where all the magic happened.

He ignored all the details on how exactly Morlekai and his crew were going to safely enter and exit the central vault.

All Eric was interested in was exactly where it was located, triangulating that with his interface map in as much detail as he could, surprised and pleased to find that he could insert notes, of a sort, into his own interface map, doing his best to triangulate the bullseye on the biggest target he could imagine.

After going over his own impromptu plan several times and deciding that it just might work, if his zombified lizard hide and bones stayed as strong and resilient as they had up to now… if he could grab the other stash of hardware he had in the sewers and make his modifications… if he had the potency reserves needed for a few additional tweaks…

then he might just be pulling off the most glorious heist of his life.

But first, he had a family to rescue and titles to earn.

He could only hope that all his plans didn't end in spectacular disaster, and was half expecting that they would.

But damn if he wouldn’t still give it his all, and emerge all the stronger for it.

Chapter

“Rica, you there?”

Whispered words Eric said from the rooftop where he had last ambushed her partner who, thank goodness, had been nothing more than an asshole that the world was better off without.

Unlike the strikingly beautiful girl who spun around with a tiger’s grace, javelin glittering in the moonlight, before she slowly lowered it, lips curving in a bemused smile. “Didn’t say a word until you were completely turtled up. You might be many things, Eric Silver, but at least you’re not stupid.”

Eric grinned from his waist-high bulwark. “Just hoping to avoid any misunderstandings.” He gestured to the keep. “How are things between you and chief asshole?”

The girl flashed a bitter smile. “Our brave new leader made it clear that he won’t be happy until your head’s on a plate.” Her eyes glittered with sudden heat. “And he said that if I don’t deliver by the end of tonight… if I don’t get every remaining Javelineer who actually stuck around to join me, he’ll purge us all, come first light.”

Eric blinked. “Wow. What a monumentally stupid thing to say.”

"It was. Because if anyone had been stupid enough to stick around out of a misguided sense of loyalty, or simple fear that the elves wouldn't really let them flee to Freetown… that asshole just made it clear that all they can expect for their loyalty is ungrateful tyrants who will happily kill them the minute it's convenient to do so."

Eric smirked. “So I guess maybe there were a few Javelineers who had stuck around?”

Rica shook her head. "Not anymore. Not once the massive turd below started panicking." Her gaze grew bitter. "Two of them had remained out of fear, two more because their families were being held hostage. And none of them were assholes like the one you killed an hour ago."

Eric blinked and swallowed, feeling an unexpected twinge of shame. "Then I'm glad I didn't cross them."

“So are they,” she whispered.

Eric blinked at this.

She smirked. "Surprised? You shouldn't be. How many orcs and Javelineers have you butchered tonight? You're that which goes bump in the night that took out all the garbage as far as they're concerned, and I let them know just how fast you took out my… partner."

“And everyone left was here basically out of fear.”

She nodded. “Certainly not loyalty. And after what our new chief just said… no one had a shadow of a doubt they’re better off throwing themselves on the mercy of the elves.”

“But what about their families? Didn’t you say they were being held hostage?”

She shrugged. “Their families were being held at separate locations. So they killed their captors and left.”

Eric blinked. “No shit. I’m guessing their ‘caretakers’ didn’t see that one coming.

She flashed a chill smile. "Five Javelineers launching their weapons at once? The riffraff left to guard the wives and children didn't have a chance, and I was happy to lend a spear before coming back here." Her smile grew bitter. "It's only my daughter and grandmother that are beyond saving, because they're locked in that goddamned fort with a psychopath for a chieftain."

Eric gazed at the girl now just a few feet before him for long moments, both of them putting so much on trust.

He slowly offered his hand.

Much to his surprise, she clasped it. Her fingers were an odd contrast of power and softness.

The look in her eyes broke his heart.

“Can you really save my daughter?”

He swallowed thickly, before pulling out a prize that made her gasp in wonder, eyes widening with awe. “Is that really… are you serious?”

Eric grinned. “I’m all about fresh starts.” His gaze turned solemn. “Alright, here’s the plan. Don’t freak out. I know it has risks… but if you can think of anything better, tell me.” He then carefully explained his plan, surprised his fingers didn’t break with how tightly she was squeezing them at one point, eyes flashing with fire.

“Are you trying to get Anna killed?”

Eric solemnly shook his head. “The farthest thing from it.”

“But you’ll be firing your cannon!”

He nodded. “And offering a prize that will see its future owner rich as a lord."

She blinked and swallowed. “So you’d be giving up two bars… for the sake of a girl you only met tonight.”

Eric grinned. “Can you blame me for wanting to see if I can open up a paladin class? Besides, I met this really cute girl, and I’m hoping I can impress the hell out of her. Maybe even get a date out of it.” He winked. “How do you think I’m doing so far?”

She gazed at him for long moments, not even cracking a smile. “If you fuck it up, you’ll get to enjoy a very slow death. If it actually works?” She strode up, boldly whispering into his ear, setting his cheeks ablaze when she stepped back, flashing an impish grin. “You’ll never regret it.”

Eric swallowed thickly. “Sounds fair. What’s the name of the second in command?”

“Tovric,” she said. “He’s the bastard holding on to my kid. He showed her to me once, proof of life, through the mid-level window over there. No way I can take him out before...”

Eric nodded, gazing up at the cross between window and arrow slit in the towering fortress, just a story or so higher than the rooftops they were conversing on. The narrow opening wasn’t large enough for an adult human to slip through, but it was certainly wide enough to show a living child... or threaten one. “I understand.”

He then peered down at the fort entrance, where the newest would-be chieftain, along with some formidable-looking classers, still stood outside the entrance, both calling out for scattered orcs to join him and, Eric thought, cementing his dominance and status as leader as well.

He turned to the girl at his side. “Let’s say we greet chief asshole over there and see if we can get Tovric to give us a holler, shall we?”