Part Ninety-Four

Waking up in chains wasn’t a good sign. But that was probably obvious. Nine out of ten people would agree, and the tenth was probably just a pervert.

What in hades am I thinking about?

Armando knew he was screwed when he woke up. He, along with the rest of his co-conspirators, was in one of the more nondescript rooms within the fort. The previously mentioned chains made the situation even more worrisome, as he had no hope of the situation working out in his favor. The armed guards didn’t helped either.

The last thing I remember is that monster knocking me out. I’m certain Braddock put him up to it, so does that mean he has us right now? But then, where’d the guards come from? I doubt he still has this kind of pull with the other mercenaries. And who lured us out? This, this is really bad, isn’t it?

His comrades, or unwitting pawns, were in just as bad a shape as he was. They were all scrunched up on themselves, and a few were even on the verge of nervous breakdowns. It was understandable though. Whatever fate awaited them wouldn’t be pretty.

*Click*

The door opened, admitting a single figure wearing a set of bulky, generic armor. Despite the fact that this person was indistinguishable from nearly half the mercenaries in the fort, Armando felt that he absolutely could not ignore this person.

“Ah, awake are we? Good. I was about ready to give up on you.”

“Give up? What do you-? No, who are you?”

“Hmhm, my name doesn’t matter. Just know that your fate lies completely in my hands. Not only have your former allies given up on you, but even the NPCs seem to be disinterested in your fates. Which is exactly why you should be begging for your lives.”

It was at that moment that he realized that one of his companions was missing. The man in question was quite the hothead, and would undoubtedly be the first to reveal his ire at the current situation. So the fact that he wasn’t there, combined with the subdued state of the others, meant that something gruesome might’ve happened before he woke up. And it certainly alerted him to the current dangers he currently faced.

A single wrong move could easily cost him his life. Whoever this women was, she was far crueler than he knew. And just like she said, she truly held his life in her hands.

“Hmm, looks like it’s sunk in. Good. It’ll be much easier to deal with you so long as you know what the score is.”

“What, what do you want with us?”

“All in good time. All in good time. For now, I want you all to be good boys and girls while we wait out what’s left of the Dungeon. Once we’re free and clear, well, then I’ll tell you what we’ve got in store for you. Of course, you could always stay here. But there’s no telling what will happen to you then.”

It was a choice that wasn’t really a choice. Either they willingly followed this strange woman, or they’d most likely wind up dead. For those who’d scrabbled to survive to this point, it was a no-brainer.

***

“Feels like a crying shame, doesn’t it?”

“Mmn, maybe? I can’t say that I really blame them. They’re just trying to protect their own lives after all. It’s possible I’d do the same in their shoes.”

“Hmph, that’d be the day.”

He might say that, but I was just a normal person five months ago. A jaded, highly aggressive person, but still a person. Now I’m not sure what I am. The System has changed me, but I can’t tell in what ways. I’m physically stronger, yes. But is that all? Has it messed with my mind? And if it has, do I actually care?

Braddock and I were watching as those planning on retreating from the Dungeon were gathering. We made sure to stand back a ways so as to not get in anyone’s way, but it was inevitable that we’d still get some looks. Both of us were fairly well-known inside the Dungeon.

“So, how’d you explain that whole mess to Kalia anyway? I mean, I can’t even begin to imagine the bullshit you fed her.”

“I’ve told her nothing. She doesn’t need to know about this, and she never will, so long as I have my way. I’ll simply tell her that the others were worried for their safety and left of their own accord. It’s at least partially the truth.”

“Sounds like sophistry. And like something that’ll bite you in the ass later.”

“So be it. Life doesn’t always work out the way you want it to. I’m just trying to make the best of a bad situation.”

“I hear that. It feels like that’s been the order of the past five months. But I feel like I have to ask. What do you think will happen to them?”

“I don’t know. Whoever she is, I want nothing further to do with her. It’s likely she may have connections with some criminal organization, or something worse. Staying as far away is in our best interests.”

Something worse? Yeah, let’s not touch that time bomb.

Honestly, I felt pity watching them shuffle along, surrounded by armed guards. They must’ve known that they were most likely headed to a bad end, but they’d lost any hope of escaping. Most likely, they’d be put into forced labor somewhere. And I doubted that Ethiopia would try to stop it from happening. This Camilla probably had some collaborators within the government itself if she was willing to risk it in the first place.

Well, I guess they’re just reaping what they’ve sown. Call it karmic retribution. They wouldn’t be in this position if they hadn’t tried to do whatever they were doing. But they did, and this is happening. Hm, well its at least one less problem to deal with. Speaking of…

“Hey, did you ever figure out who killed the prisoners? It’s been a day since it happened, soooo……”

“Nothing. The Archmage even took a look, but came up empty. All he could discover was that someone used a knife to slowly bleed them out. Considering the timing, it could’ve been just about anyone.”

“Tch, damnit. Though I guess it doesn’t matter. They haven’t done anything else of note, and I’d imagine anyone sane would get out while they still could.”

“And what if they’re not?”

“Then who knows. If there is another otherworlder besides Hunk-lite around, then I’d doubt they’re connected to Finnél. Unless they betrayed him, I’d imagine any other allies of his would’ve gotten involved when he went berserk. The best thing to hope for is that whoever did it just leaves peacefully.”

“That seems a little passive. Aren’t you the kind of person who just tackles everything head-on?”

“Eh, we’ve had enough shit happen the last couple days. If I can get through this without more problems cropping up, then I certainly want to.”

“Hm, good to know. Good to know.”

What was that about? …….You know what? I don’t care. I’ve got enough on my plate, and it looks like just about everyone is here. Hm, I already knew that Serena and Tiffany were planning on leaving, but I’m surprised that Hunk-lite is as well. I recognize a few other faces, but it looks like most of the big names are staying. That’s pretty reassuring.

“So what do you think our chances actually are? Far as I can tell, we’ve got about half of us left now, and tens of thousands of monsters. Our chances of surviving this are dropping by the second. And that’s not even mentioning all the bullshit that happened here. Sometimes I feel like we’re our own worst enemy.”

“Are you getting cold feet?”

“A little. There’s a small but persistent voice telling me to get out while I still can. Ha, guess I am reckless. There’s a perfectly good route to safety right in front of me, but I’m too stubborn to take it.”

“You’re not the only one. Everyone still here has the same choice. Some have chosen to take it,, others to tough it out. Whose to say who’s choice is right?”

“Pfft, is that a “hindsight is twenty-twenty" thing? Because I’ve always felt like that’s just people making excuses for their bad choices.”

“Maybe it is. If we clear the Dungeon, then we’ll be the ones who were right. If we die in the attempt, then it’ll be them.”

“Now who's reckless? That sounds suspiciously like something someone who's given up would say.”

“Maybe I have. Nearly everything I’ve built up has kind of collapsed around me. Now I’m just seeing how the rest falls.”

Aaaand I stepped on a landmine. I probably should’ve known he would be sore about that. I should probably let him be. My job’s done here. I need to finish getting ready for today’s battle.

“I’ll see you later Braddock. I need to go make sure I’m ready for later.”

“Alright then. Oh, could you swing by the infirmary and check on Kalia?”

“Eh, sure. It’s on my way, sort of.”

***

Braddock sighed to himself as Michael left. The boy was clever, but had a distorted view of the world. He had little trouble doing horrible things to those who crossed him, something he’d sensed back during the troubles with Finnél. But this recent incident had truly shown him just how deep that malice could run.

But that’s exactly what makes him the perfect person to guard Kalia. She’s too naïve by half, and I’d worry if she was by herself. It might be fine at first, but things will change soon. The gears are already turning. Things are dangerous enough now, who knows where they’ll go from here.

***

[Tiffany’s POV]

“Um, Serena? I know I’ve said this to you dozens of times before, but what are you doing?”

“Hm? Oh, I’m working with some of the wool I got from those sheep monsters. Hehe, it gets really fluffy after I’ve processed it.”

“Okay. But then, what’s up with that?”

The “that" in this case was a massive ball of yarn the size of her head. As for what she was doing with it, well even Serena didn’t really know. She was just kinda working with it to pass the time, but she got carried away and made a giant ball of yarn. Which to be fair, wasn’t exactly “bad". It was just highly confusing.

And trying to explain all that only made it worse. Serena may have been her best friend, but the woman could be downright confusing at times. She was the kind of person who could do the irrational with a smile on her face. And the fact that she didn’t mean it (unlike a certain other person) only made it worse.

“Haaah, okay, okay. I’ve decided that I don’t care. Just do whatever it is you’re doing.”

“Okay!”

Haaah, it’s a wonder I don’t have gray hairs yet. Serena, I love ya girl, but you’re gonna be the death of me.

Thankfully something was about to happen to keep her sanity from plummeting even further.

“Ahem, if I could have everyone’s attention!? I trust that everyone gathered here fully understands the repercussions of withdrawing from the defense? Now’s the time to reconsider.”

There probably weren’t going to be a great many people changing their minds now. Most of those leaving were those who’d either lost the will to fight, or were those who simply couldn’t fight anymore. Though the why of the latter would differ from person to person.

“This is the right thing to do, isn’t it?”

“Tiff! Don’t start second guessing on me now! We both know that wolf would’ve torn us apart if those other guys hadn’t distracted it. It’s time for us to back out while we still can. Michael and the others can finish it on their own.”

“Yeah, I guess. It just feels really bad giving up like this. I hate it.”

“Well then we just need to get stronger! Strong enough that nothing will hold us back.”

“I don’t think it’s that simple.”

The two had decided to pull out of the Dungeon after a near run-in with the Void Wolf. If another group of mercenaries hadn’t momentarily distracted it, they would’ve certainly been killed by it. That realization hadn’t quite broken their spirits, but it did damper them. The two were capable enough to handle E-Rank Dungeons by themselves, but this one was beyond them. The Mid-bosses were stronger than any monster they’d ever fought, so there was no telling what was waiting for them with the Boss.

“All decided!? Alright then. Once I’ve finished casting this spell, you’ll all be transported to safety. For what it’s worth, I’d like to thank you all for your service.”

Five minutes later, the entire group was swallowed by a blinding light.

***

Outside the Dungeon…..

Forzerenth was relaxing in one of the encampment’s few air-conditioned trailers when the shouting started.

“Director! The, the portal!”

“What is it captain!? What’s-!? Oh my.”

The Dungeon portal, once immutable, was now wildly oscillating. This was a phenomenon not yet observed by any country, and it out the soldiers on edge. Anything could happen.

*Zzzzzzzzzt! TSHHHHHHHHH!*

After close to a minute of worrying behavior, a flash of light suddenly emerged from the portal, blinding all those observing it. Thinking that there was a possibility of monsters appearing, a number of soldiers had been on full alert for just such an occurrence, but even they were stunned by what they saw when the light cleared.

“We’re, we’re back?”

“Waaaaaaaah!”

A couple hundred people were now standing in front of the portal, a fraction of those who’d entered it just one week ago. It may not sound like much, but it was shocking when one considered the fact that no one had ever returned from this particular Dungeon. Granted, three hundred people dying in one Dungeon isn’t all that many, but it was a staggering figure to those unaccustomed to Dungeons.

What was interesting was that of all the people present, only Forzerenth still had the wherewithal to think about the consequences of this. The long-time business man was well accustomed to profiting off of unexpected opportunities, he just had to take the reins before someone else could.

“Captain! Get me a line to the capital! We need to secure lodgings for these people!”

“Ah, yes Director!”

As he watched the captain sprint away, Forzerenth had but one thought. If he could monopolize the information these mercenaries surely possessed, he’d be able to profit off of it to the extreme.