Part Fifty-two

In the end, my punishment was that I had to spearhead the efforts to deal with the perpetrators, and most of those in attendance had fully consented to this. I was warned that any further mistakes of this degree would result in harsher penalties though. And I had to turn over the vial to ensure it was properly dealt with. I’m kinda bummed about that.

I suppose it could’ve been much worse. All of my gear had been returned and there was very little ire towards me over what happened. Most of the mercenaries either didn’t seem to care, or felt that I was as much a victim as the others. Though I felt otherwise.

“So, do you really think this will work?”

“Yes I do. We should know who’s behind all of it at the very least. We may not even have to fight in the best case scenario. Though I doubt that, mostly because we have no idea how many people are working with them.”

Braddock had calmed down after the tribunal, and no longer seemed as agitated as before. Actually having a plan went a long way towards alleviating the stress of the situation. Now as for why he was agitated, it was because one of those who’d been killed had been a part of his group. I hadn’t known her, but apparently she and Jansen had been dating, which was why he wasn’t around.

“But can Alicia really find whoever's responsible from up there? I don’t see how this is supposed to work.”

“If she says she can do it, then I trust her. Her Skill has helped us out a few jams before. I’m just worried about one thing. I know we’re supposed to capture them for the commander, but that butler was strong. I can’t help but worry about how powerful the mastermind is.”

“Isn’t it possible that he was the mastermind? We might know that there’s more of them left, but it doesn’t mean that the leader is still alive.”

“I mean, you’re not wrong, but I just can’t shake the feeling we’re missing something. There’s still the fact that he killed some of his allies. That tells me he was trying to tie up any loose ends. It’s not definite proof, but I’m not going to make the same mistake so soon.”

If I just chose to believe I got them all, there could be even more murders. Inaction was the greatest mistake I could make.

“You seem rather angry.”

“I am. Did you think I wasn’t? They did try to kill me.”

“You’re obviously angry about that. But it also seems like you’re particularly upset that others were killed or attacked.”

I had to stop there. What he’d said was true, but it wasn’t at the same time. Whenever I heard about mercenaries being killed by monsters, I only felt a slight pang. As I’d said before, it was mostly due to the fact that that meant a loss of manpower. But this was different. I was actually angry.

Why? Why is this different? They’re still dead. The end result is the same, so what makes this different? Is it because they’re supposed to be on the same side as us? I don’t mind killing people who attack me, but I haven’t thought about killing someone just to take their stuff. Is that where the difference lies?

“Maybe, maybe not. Right now, I want to focus on the problem at hand.” I’d think about it later, when we weren’t in the middle of a crisis.

With the conversation finished, we stood in awkward silence watching as the mercenaries filed in for the emergency assembly. This was all part of my plan to smoke out the culprit. Getting everyone to agree to it hadn’t been easy. It took an hour of constant negotiation, and persuasion from people like Braddock to bring everyone around.

“One more question. When are you going to tell Kalia what really happened in the forest?”

“Tell her what? She was there. She already knows what happened.”

“Hmph, still sticking to that? Fine, I’ll drop it for now, but I don’t know why you insist on keeping this misunderstanding alive. It would be much better for you to resolve it.”

“Oh, looks like the commander’s ready to begin.” Not the best subject change, but whatever.

Except for those still recovering, the mercenaries had finished gathering for the assembly. By now, word had spread about the murders, so everyone was on edge. The tension was palpable, along with an underlying sense of dread.

Since those who’d been at the earlier meeting had been thoroughly vetted by the Archmage, I’d had them spread throughout the crowd in the hope that we could more easily apprehend the culprit. Braddock looked displeased with the way I’d changed the subject, but he didn’t have much of a choice. We really did have to stop talking.

“First of all, allow me to thank you all for gathering so quickly. I know that there is much confusion about recent events, which is why we’re holding this emergency assembly. All of your questions will be answered in due time.”

So, how is this going to end?

[Alicia’s POV]

Alicia was up on the central tower watching the assembly. She was high up enough that the others would have trouble viewing her unaided. But she could still see them due to Accuracy’s zooming function. Her job was simple. She was to use her superior position, along with Observer, to search through the crowd. Michael hadn’t been certain of what she should look for, but she already had a vague idea.

Observer's effect was really simple. While it automatically strengthened her vision, it also allowed her to read the underlying emotions everyone felt, even subconsciously. This was the more difficult part of the Skill to use. She didn’t have a manual to translate what she read into specific emotions, so it wasn’t exactly reliable.

It was possible that the Skill read how a person’s biology changed in real-time, and used that data to guess at their emotions. If viewed like that, then it was quite similar to a polygraph test, though much more comprehensive. Whether it would allowed her to find the culprit was completely different though.

She’d explained all of this to the others, but they’d still agreed to it. Michael hadn’t been happy that she was explaining how one of her Skills worked, but it had been one of her conditions to agreeing to his plan. She knew the Skill had its flaws and wanted everyone to understand them. Oh, and her second condition was for Michael to actually listen to her lecture later. She was still pissed that he hadn’t told her about something so important.

Okay, looks like they’re starting. Here we go. She activated Observer, and the somewhat unpleasant tingling in her throat commenced. For the next 48 hours, she wouldn’t be able to so much as grunt because of the vocal paralysis the Skill caused.

She began observing the crowd, parsing through their emotions as she went. Most felt fear, anxiety, anger, or some combination of the three. There were a few who felt very little. She thought they were the culprits for a moment, but realized that they were merely unconcerned with the proceedings. Some people lacked any empathy whatsoever.

There. That group right there. There were nine people who were particularly on edge. One of them was emitting enough hostility to match Michael when he was pissed off, while those around them were both anxious and highly afraid. That wasn’t all that odd, but there was something off about the way they acted. They occasionally displayed hostility towards their ally and those around them.

Is it them? There isn’t anyone else as suspicious as them, but it’s not enough to convict them. I can’t decide just from this. While she’d been authorized to attack anyone she suspected of being involved, her conscience wouldn’t let her attack yet, not until she was certain.

Maybe, maybe a warning shot? It’s a long-shot that it will spook them enough to try something, but if they are responsible, then they should do something afterwards. If they aren’t, then there’s nothing lost. I might be mocked for messing this up, but it’s a small price to pay for not accidentally killing someone innocent.

[Number 1’s POV]

Fucking hell. If this bastard wasn’t so damn stubborn, we wouldn’t be in this fucking mess! I know for a fact that we’d be better off if he hadn’t insisted on killing that dual wielder. We lost over half of us just for one guy? I don’t care how much you can’t stand him, let it go!

It was this fixation he’d developed that led them to this situation. If Finnél had simply abandoned the plan after his first attempt failed, they wouldn’t have fallen into such dire straights. As for why he was so fixated on Michael, well who knows? Finnél probably didn’t know himself and was merely acting as his emotions directed him to.

In any case, most of the stronger pawns were already dead. Only their leader and a few of the weaker ones remained. Even if they returned to Genaap, their future was bleak. Pawn platoons that suffered major casualties were broken down and the survivors were often sent to even worse locales. They’d be lucky to end up working in one the House’s farming factories instead of being used as cannon fodder for monsters. Even being a test subject would be better than that.

There must be a way out of this! Maybe we could somehow kill Finnél before the restraints activate? No, that won’t work. Damnit, I don’t want to die!!

It wasn’t just him who was lamenting their fate. Most of the survivors were filled despair. While Finnél may have had an escape plan, it would most likely not succeed. And even if it did, it would only be because of their sacrifices. Finnél would abandon them in a heartbeat.

*Shwoosh thud!*

As he wracked his brain for an impossible solution, fate forced his hand. An arrow flew in and struck the ground inches from Finnél’s foot. Most wouldn’t be able to identify this as a feat of skill, but instead as a missed assassination attempt. And Finnél was no exception. Compelled by his growing paranoia, he made a decision that forced the hands of fate.

“Shit! They’re on to us! All of you are to make a path for me to escape!”

Up to this point, Sávos had been in charge of them, but it had reverted to Finnél after his death. And so, he now wore the ring that could compel them to obey his commands. They knew that they would die if they refused, so they had to bet on the miniscule chance that they could escape alongside him. In order to survive, they had to cut a path to the gateway located at the base of the central tower.

As one, the pawns drew their weapons and attacked the mercenaries innocently waiting beside them. Blood spurted in large arcs as they slew Earthling after Earthling.

[Protag’s POV]

“Gaaaaaaagh!”

“Aaaaaah!”

“Shit! What do you think you’re doing!?”

Screams erupted from the crowd, as close to a dozen people turned their weapons on the others. I couldn’t see who it was from where I stood because of all the people in-between me and them. I only knew that the culprit had revealed themselves.

“We need to get over there!”

“Let’s go. I’ll make a path to them.”

Braddock brandished his shield and began to push the mercenaries out of his way. Some saw him coming and moved of their volition, but the majority were dumbstruck by the sudden violence. His large, well-trained body made him the perfect bulldozer to get me through.

“Damnit! Out of my way you miserable worms!”

Finnél was screaming as he cut down anyone unfortunate enough to enter his range. As annoying as I found him, I had to give him some credit. Each of his blows was swift and accurate, piercing either his target’s throat or heart each time. Even the stronger mercenaries weren’t able to defend against more than two attacks before being hit. It appeared that his bragging was warranted.

“So it was him!? Michael, do you have a plan?”

“We need to get closer. If he’s as strong as that butler, then very few will stand a chance against him.”

Some of the others from the tribunal had managed to reach them, and were engaging with Finnél’s followers. Two of them had already died, and the rest were surrounded. Only Finnél had managed to get away, and he was currently heading for the central tower unopposed. I saw Alicia shooting arrows at him, but he kept deflecting or dodging them. Is she holding back? Oh that’s right, she's never killed someone. She's probably apprehensive about it. Maybe I should work that out of her somehow.

We broke free of the crowd and began chasing Finnél. I didn’t know what his target was, but it couldn’t have been anything good. He must’ve had a plan to be this focused on running away. That, or he’d gone insane in the last few moments.

Glancing back, I saw that more mercenaries, as well as the NPCs, were starting to move. The suddenness of it all had caught those not involved in our plan off-guard, but a few had managed to react by now. I saw Sampson gleefully crush the head of one of the traitors, and a few mercenaries and guards were following us. But as we were closing in on the tower, I activated Beast of the Nightmare and Sonic Burst to catch up.

Even though it should’ve been from his blind spot, he somehow managed to dodge the slash aimed for his head. I know we were told to capture if possible, but if I could end a threat quickly, I would. That’s the second time this attack has been dodged now. I’m starting to think it’s not as good as I thought.

“Youuuuuuuu! You fucking rat! If it weren’t for you, none of this would’ve happened!”

“You say the same kind of cliché villain lines your butler said, but that didn’t help him.”

“Raaaaaah!”

Man, am I good at infuriating people or what? I didn’t know what kind of relationship he had with the butler, but my taunt enraged him all the same. I’d already pegged this guy long ago, just in case I had to fight him. He was the overly prideful sort, and couldn’t ignore any perceived insult or slight. Which may be why he tried to kill me.

Again, I’m just going with the theory that they’re behind everything. There might actually be a second group. I’ll keep a vigilant eye out and deal with them if there is. Otherwise, I’ll focus on clearing this damn Dungeon.

Regardless of the background circumstances, I had a fight on my hands. I’d left Braddock behind when I’d chased Finnél down and he was still a ways away. It would take at least a minute for him to catch up, and it would be even longer for everyone else. And since I was too close to him, Alicia was holding back on cover fire. I had to fight him alone for the moment.

His first blow was heavy. I used Skanda and my superior reflexes to block with a sword, only to nearly drop it from the shock of the blow. I then tried to counter with [Rot], only for him to cut through the spell. It just collapsed without affecting him whatsoever. You can do that!?

But that wasn’t all. He used the momentum from that to thrust at me again. And I couldn’t block it this time. The tip of his sword pierced my right shoulder, causing me to lose all sensation in my arm. The black sword slipped from my hand, even as I used the white to slash at his leg. Since his torso was guarded by metal armor, I had to aim for his limbs, which had relatively less coverage.

“Ergh.”

“Gragh!”

Grunts of pain escaped from both of our mouths. While the loss of control in my right arm was bad, I’d taken away a portion of his mobility, which was worse. And since his sword was still stuck in my shoulder, he couldn’t use it to follow up.

I launched a kick at his injury, which he dodged by letting go of his sword and jumping away. Without anything to hold it up, the rapier began to tug at the flesh of my shoulder, so I pulled it out and flung it away. Even though blood started to seep from the wound, I wasn’t worried. I didn’t have to fight alone anymore.

“You’re not getting away Finnél. Not after what you’ve done.”

Braddock had finally arrived and was glaring at Finnél. Considering what we suspected him of doing, and the fact that he’d tried to escape, it was safe to say that he was enraged. But Finnél merely sneered in response to his statement. Even with an injury, his confidence (or was it arrogance?) never waned. The man was certain he could win.

“What do you lowly humans think you’re capable of? Just crawl back into whatever hole you came out of and die.”

He drew a new sword from his bag. The one he’d been using had a plain design, but this one was troublesome looking. Not only was the thin blade a deep purple, but the hilt and guard were shaped like petals and a stem. It looked more like a decorative piece, but the way he wielded it with familiarity said otherwise.

[Braddock’s POV]

With Michael injured, it was up to him and Alicia to hold Finnél down until help arrived. He could tell that the man must be an experienced fighter just from the way he held himself. His arrogance wasn’t just bluster.

Finnél began the fight by charging straight at him. Alicia tried to deter him by repeatedly firing arrows, but he simply dodged them all. As soon as he closed in on Braddock, he unleashed another of the devastating thrusts he’d used earlier. The blow was enough to dent his shield, even with the Enchantments on it. It also forced him back a step.

The only positive was that Finnél couldn’t unleash attacks like that left and right. He needed momentum to unleash such a strong blow all at once. Braddock tried to use that to his advantage by shield bashing him, but he jumped back to create the distance he needed. But before he could charge again, Alicia fired a Blitz Arrow at him, which caught him in the back of his thigh.

“Aaaah, you bitch! Just for that, I’ll make sure to kill you!”

Has he lost his mind? He doesn’t seem to be thinking straight. Finnél had completely forgotten about escaping, and could only think about killing those he had grudges with. It was a far difference from the man who had disinterestedly ignored them earlier.

The situation only got worse, as mana began to converge within Finnél. Glyphs began to revolve around him. They’d seen this sight enough time to know that he was casting magic, but there was nothing they could do. The spell completed almost as soon as they processed what he was doing, causing a harsh light to appear around him.

They averted their eyes to avoid being blinded, but that wasn’t the point of the spell. Once it had faded, they looked back to see that Finnél was surrounded by a strange shifting haze that obscured parts of his body as he moved. This was the Illusion Magic Spell [Illusory Cloak], which created a small field around the caster that obscured them. It wouldn’t make you totally invisible, but it made tracking all of your movements much harder. A fact Braddock realized right away.

He glanced back to check on the possibility of aid. The fighting must’ve ended, as more mercenaries were heading their way, but it would take a minute or two. Time they may not have. As for Michael, he’d disappeared, but had left an awful lot of blood behind.

[Protag’s POV]

I’d had to crawl away from the battle. Somehow, without me noticing, Finnél had managed to cut deep gashes into my left thigh. They must’ve severed an artery, as blood seeped from the wounds profusely. That, combined with the bleeding from my shoulder, meant that I was beginning to anemic. Even using a few rags and a Blood Clotting Cream to staunch the bleeding wasn’t helping.

How did he get me? His sword never came near my legs. And these don’t look like wounds a blade would make anyway. They’re more like something you’d expect to see from claw-inflicted wounds. But that doesn’t make any sense, does it?

*Thunk!*

The sound of something being thrown and hitting the ground snapped me from my thoughts. Finnél had struck Braddock’s shield so hard that he was thrown a few feet back, sending the merc rolling through the dirt. He was still moving, so he wasn’t dead, but I had bigger problems. With him incapacitated, no one was holding Finnél back.

I hurriedly tried to get to my feet, but my leg wouldn’t support my weight. But I needn’t have bothered, as an arrow slammed into the back of Finnél’s armor before he could even take a step. More followed the first, but now that he was aware of the attack, he was able to react in time, batting the arrows away from himself.

I dragged myself over to Braddock. He was still conscious, but groggy. It was highly possible that the impact from that attack or from hitting the ground had given him a concussion. The helmets we wore were more for protection from blades or claws, not from hard impacts like that.

“Hey, you gonna be alright?”

“Ugghh, in a moment. Where’s..?”

“Finnél? Alicia’s keeping him busy.”

And doing a magnificent job of it. You’d think there were three or four archers firing at him with how many arrows she kept shooting. In fact, I could swear that she was firing two arrows at the same time, but surely that was my imagination, right. But because I was watching that, I noticed something odd. Finnél was primarily dodging the arrows, or using his sword to cut those he couldn’t dodge out of the air. But occasionally, he’d cut one he didn’t have to, or an arrow would suddenly be deflected by nothing.

It was rather odd, but I didn’t have long to observe the strange phenomenon, as several mercenaries ran past us to challenge Finnél. I figured four of them, including Sampson, should be able to deal with him, so I turned back to Braddock. Getting him back up and running was ideal, and the best person for the job was approaching.

“Michael, is Braddock okay!?”

“He’s fine, just possibly concussed. Yep, definitely don’t worry about the guy bleeding out over here.”

The last part was said under my breath. I wasn’t enough of an ass to say that to her, especially after everything that had happened in the Dungeon. She was obviously going to prioritize her comrade over me, who she was low-key scared of.

“Ah, don’t worry! I’ll get you both healthy again in a jiffy!”

I wasn’t really in danger of dying, as the Cream had staunched my blood loss enough that I’d be fine, so I decided to watch the others fight while waiting. What I saw wasn’t very good.

Finnél was utterly dominating them, and he’d somehow pulled the arrow out of his leg and healed the wound. Only Sampson was putting up a fight, but his weapon wasn’t really suited to fighting Finnél. The other three mercenaries were low D-Ranks, so it was kind of expected that they’d struggle against someone able to fight me and Braddock. But for Sampson, who I thought would be a hard fight for even me, to struggle showed that Finnél was just that strong.

Finnél’s skill was only compounded by the haze that still cling to his body. It obscured him just enough that it was difficult to tell how he’d attack. All of this had resulted in the three men being covered in small wounds, each one lagging as their strength drained away. We’d need to get over there, pronto.

“Eherm, what happened? Why am I over here?”

“You got sent flying by an attack and probably concussed, but Kalia healed you. Me too, come to think of it. Come on, we’ve gotta get back in it. The others are struggling.”

Even as I said that, one of the men was killed when his throat was torn out suddenly. Now maybe I was just seeing things, but there was no way Finnél’s sword did that. He’d been using it to block an attack on the opposite side of himself. And while he’d drawn a short sword at some point, it too was already occupied.

Things got even weirder once Braddock picked his shield back up. First of all, you should know that his shield wasn’t a simple buckler, or something to be wielded on your arm, but was actually a tower shield, one meant to be wielded with both hands. It was actually bigger than I was, and about a two inches thick. How he managed to swing the thing around the way he did was a mystery to me, but maybe it was actually really lightweight but durable.

Anyway, the shield was understandably beaten up. Dents, scuffs, and scratches marred its otherwise pristine surface, but it was the two rather large dents that caught my eye. They looked like large fists had been driven into them with incredible force. I wasn’t the only one who’d noticed them either. Both Braddock and Kalia had too, and were both perplexed, but we didn’t have time to consider what was happening here. Kalia immediately began to cast a spell to help those still fighting, while Braddock and I rushed in to help.

Almost as soon as he’d realized I was there, Finnél turned all of his wrath towards me. The guy knew how to hold a grudge, I’d give him that. Now remember, I’d lost the black sword earlier, so I wasn’t fighting how I normally fought. But that was okay. I’d originally used a sword and a knife to fight. In fact, I thought that I was even stronger fighting like this, as a knife was easier for me to weird in my off-hand than a second sword. I’d only switched to using the Twin Swords because of their surprising synergy with each other. Otherwise, I probably would’ve just used one of them.

This essentially meant we were still somewhat even in the fight, especially since he couldn’t fully concentrate on me with Braddock and Sampson there. Either one could deliver a blow that would stagger him, leaving him wide-open for me to finish.

Still, this haze surrounding him is so irritating! It keeps obscuring him enough that it’s hard to tell what he’s doing! He’s blocked three attacks that should’ve taken an arm, if not more. I don’t get it! He’s out numbered three-to-one, and we’re on a similar level to him, so how’s he still holding on!? I could understand it before, but not now!

The more I pondered it, the more irritated I grew. I was missing something, something important that would let us end this here and now. But it wasn’t until the next second that I was forced to figure it out. Something struck my chest with tremendous force, sending me flying backwards for the umpteenth time in this Dungeon. I hit the ground, but managed to roll back up onto my feet, a feat I will probably never be able to reproduce.

And I’ve cracked a rib yet again, ow. But what hit me? That was like being hit in the chest with a sledgehammer, not a bladed weapon. What the hell is going on here!?

Thankfully the others had recovered and rejoined the battle along with a few more fighters, so I could take a moment to regain my breath, and try and figure out this mystery out. Looks like we’ve got another mystery on our hands gang.

The way that asshole fought was infuriating, but there was something else at work here. The spell he’d used only obscured our view of him, it didn’t make him invisible or keep us from tracking his swords. So how was he able to attack us without us noticing? I wasn’t sure if I was the only one who’d noticed, but it was like, like he had extra limbs, which should’ve been impossible.

But it would explain a few things. Like how he sent me and Braddock flying, or how he keeps injuring us, or those arrows just randomly being deflected. And he could’ve cast that spell to help hide the use of any extra limbs. But it’s still impossible, we would’ve noticed something like that. Unless, he’s using a spell to disguise himself? It’s not the most implausible explanation, I’ve certainly seen enough to believe it’s possible, but I’ll need a way to prove it. I wonder if…

With my breath regained, and a healing spell graciously applied to me, I returned to the fight again. But this time, I hung back, menacing Finnél with my presence. The guy was becoming more and more deranged with every passing second, and I wouldn’t have been surprised if he’d started to foam at the mouth. He kept watching me, his eyes filled with pure hate. I didn’t know exactly why he was after me so badly, but I’d use it all the same.

We now had a dozen fighters surrounding Finnél, ensuring that he couldn’t escape. At this point, you’d think he’d surrender, but the madman kept fighting anyway, even as he was injured bit by bit. By keeping his attention on me, and staying away from him, I hoped to draw his attention and help the others to finished him off. But I’d made one mistake. I hadn’t realized just how close to the edge he really was.

“Enough! Enough, enough, enough! I will not be tormented by mere gnats like you!”

His screams were accompanied by a burst of mana dense enough to blow everyone away. Even I was almost knocked over, and I was further back than the others. But before anyone could recover, Finnél made his move. He lunged for me at a speed I hadn’t thought him capable of, but instead of stabbing me, he instead grabbed me around the throat with literally nothing. I was being strangled, but there was nothing there.

“It’s all your fault. If you weren’t here, my plan would’ve gone perfectly. So if I can just kill you, then, then…”

Up close, I could see just how far gone he really was. This wasn’t just a reaction born from panic or fear, it was full-blown mental breakdown. How deep this instability ran was a question for later though. All I needed to focus on now was beating him. And fortunately for me, in his haste to kill me, he’d let his guard down and forgotten about a certain someone.

An arrow caught Finnél in his Achilles tendon, and the sudden pain made whatever was holding me let go. A second arrow caught him in the arm before he could react, and a third soon followed, but he managed to block this one. I could only chuckle to myself. Even if we fought like cats and dogs, we were always weirdly in sync with each other. With Finnél now distracted by Alicia, he was wide-open.

I channeled as much Aura, and mana, into the white sword as I could and swung it as hard as I could, not for Finnél’s vulnerable arm, but the space halfway down his torso. If he had an extra set of arms, that was where they’d be.

*Thik, Thunk*

At first, I thought I’d been wrong, as my blade met no resistance. But a single moment passed, in which it felt like the world was holding its breath.

“GRAAAAAAAAAAAAGH!”

Until Finnél’s scream broke the spell, and everyone began to move again.

***

It was an odd feeling, as if a haze no one knew about had suddenly lifted from their minds. The quickest explanation for the effect was the sight before them. Lying on the ground before Michael was a severed arm. An arm which had been attached to Finnél just moments before. It was this very act which had freed them from the haze they hadn’t been aware of, and had also revealed the fact that Finnél had four arms.

His entire appearance was alien. In addition to the extra limbs, he was also more than a foot taller than the humans, and had ash-gray skin. Small horns poked through his hair, each one only a few inches long. And his eyes, which were filled with hate, were a kaleidoscope of color. If he weren’t glaring at them so hard, they would be quite pretty to look at.

But it was that hate, that utter loathing within his eyes that let them know one thing. Even if he’d lost an arm, this fight was nowhere near over.