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Chapter 96: Choices (2)
🕑 Added 2024-07-18 06:29:19 +0000 UTCWorld: MSS - Loading...
***
From what I could tell, the Scavenger Clan’s base was built into the cliff itself. Long winding tunnels plus the lack of sun, wind and cleanliness made me think of an ant colony. Though I did see one a documentary long ago that ants were actually very tidy and their passageways were free of clutter. If that was the case, then the scavengers were definitely on the opposite end of the spectrum. Broken furniture, bones –of all races and species, really– and even common loot was strewn about everywhere.
No matter where I looked, I could not find a single semblance of how this place was supposed to be a Clan house.
No matter. My goal was to get out of here and meet my party.
The problem was that the more I walked, the less idea I had of where I was. I doubted I could find my way back to the storage room way down below. There were so many turns and not a single dead-end, the whole place was a death trap. Luckily, I had the numerous dimension rings and the supplies contained within. But still, even with that knowledge in my pocket, I couldn’t help but feel helpless when navigating these tunnels.
What I needed was a guide, a [Pioneer].
Damn. Stole would have been really helpful at a time like this.
As I idly wondered about my party and hoped for their well-being, I heard voices coming from around the corner. It was accompanied by the glow of a torch.
Crouching, I immediately hid myself behind a corner.
“-is the monster subjugation going to take?”
“Well, that fancy guildmaster brought some heavy hitters, looks like. Won’t be long now.”
The first man clicked his tongue. “By the way, were you there yesterday?”
“Nope. Glad I wasn’t there either, I heard a lot of people died.” There was a slight pause. “Why? You hoping that I’d kick the bucket?”
The other man scoffed. “If I wanted you dead, you’d be dead.”
“Why you little-”
There was a brief scuffle.
A normal person might have rolled their eyes at the exchange. But I was too nervous, my nerves on edge. I stayed crouched, willing them to pass by me faster. The last thing I wanted was for them to brawl right here, gathering attention. The Scavenger’s baes seemed big, but I knew for a fact that was only because there were so many of their members.
I didn’t have to wait long, the grunting was soon replaced by long winded breathing, both men out of breath.
“I was-” he took a wheezing breath, “going to ask if you saw the-” another one, and then finally said, “-clan master in action yesterday.”
Finally, a piece of information I could use. This was only the day after the Gargantuan Death Worm’s attack.
“No…” the other man answered, also gasping for breath, “But I heard it was quite a sight to see. Why was she out there anyways?”
“Rumor is that one of her friends visited and warned her of intruders. A whole party of them.” The man continued talking this time, having gathered his breathing. “You know the prisoner up above? The orc?”
“You mean the blind one?”
My mind froze.
“Yes, that’s the one. Well, clan head Tanya’s friend, you know the one, the bald elf with the curly blue tattoos, you know who I’m talking about?” He asked, then without waiting for an answer, “Well, he came to clan master Tanya and warned her that he saw in the future. That we, the Scavengers Clan will come under attack. Now, I’m not one of those thinking types up above, but you know how I’m friends with Old Man Tom, the guard right outside her office?”
“Aye.”
“So he tells me, this blind orc has something to do with that… that guild you know. The guild that visits our clan master every now and then.”
“You mean the one that’s rumored to be…” The man fell silent for dramatic effect, then spoke the next words in a whisper. “All Players?”
“Shhhh!”
“....sorry.”
“But you’re right. Old Man Tom told me that we’re keeping the blind orc as a favor for that guild and they’re paying us a heap of money to do it.”
“So… what’s this got to do with Clan Head Tanya?”
“Well, think about it! She never takes advice from anyone! Never! But one word from that bald elf mage and she goes out herself to hunt down a party! Believing in his bullshit prophecy nonsense! She’s not the superstitious type! You know that!”
“Get to the point, Lud.”
“Isn’t that strange? I always thought it was weird how our Clan Head was so close with that guild and now, we’re keeping prisoner for them. Not to mention that she showed herself yesterday, just because of those nobodies.” He continued. “I think our clan head might be a-”
“You’ve been drinking again, Lud.” The other man cut him off.
“No! I swear! Even Old Man Tom is suspicious!”
I remained frozen as they passed by, their conversation turning to murmurs than whispers and then silence.
My mind was spinning, I had to sit down.
I had to think through this.
Ok.
First, the most concerning thing was this ‘prisoner’ who was a blind orc.
It could be Arrosh.
It could be my Master.
I’d been searching for him for months, ever since I left the Samak Desert. Arrosh Bloodedge was my sword master, having taught me everything I knew, despite having only been with me for less than a year. His teachings saved my life on more than one occasion, so much so that I couldn’t keep track. I hadn’t seen him after the Samak Horde was destroyed by the Akka Xalud family without an inkling of where he could be.
Then again… it didn’t necessarily have to be him. The world of MSS was huge, and I doubted that Arrosh was the only blind orc who was worth keeping as a prisoner. It could be a rich merchant orc who was blinded as he was captured. I could just be wanting to think that it was Arrosh because it would work out for me if it was him.
But how many orcs were out there that was blind and worth keeping prisoner?
Could it be that he was here in Jayu?
I wished Oung had answered me when I asked her where I could find Arrosh.
Speaking of Oung, she always pulled the strings using monsters, guiding events towards her will. Could it possibly be that the Gargantuan Death Worm was her handiwork? That I’d been manipulated to come here? It was entirely possible that this whole thing was Oung’s way of pushing me towards finding Arrosh Bloodedge.
Which brought me to the next question. What did Oung want with my Master?
…All questions that could easily be answered by checking on this Orc’s identity.
But to be honest, I’d decided to check for myself the moment they said the words ‘Blind’ and ‘Orc’ in the same sentence.
Before, Arrosh had been nothing more than a convenient quest giver for me; as one of three apprentices of Nearnigh, the Sword Saint, I thought of him as someone I could use for an easy power-up. But Arrosh went above and beyond for me multiple times. I hadn’t even begun to pay him back for everything he gave me or done for me. I tried to find him everywhere, the Black Market, Yousef’s connections and Marc’s channels.
Nothing.
And finally, there was a clue.
Which brought me to the other issue.
Was this whole thing orchestrated by [Players]?
If it truly was Arrosh, I could only think that this ‘guild’ that the two men mentioned was the [Player Guild]. Players would be the only ones knowledgeable enough about what Arrosh represented to keep him prisoner like that, hoping to squeeze out some value. I was sure of it, the Scavenger Clan was a cat’s paw for the Player Guild, a cover up. Since Players were being hunted in this world, of course they’d need someone to be their hands and feet. Who better to fill that role than former bandits and adventurers on the run?
…If I didn’t know any better, I’d say that Oung was using me to foil their plans.
Then there was the fact I was in the Scavenger’s Clan Building all alone, plotting to check on a prisoner who was no doubt being guarded by their officers. I had no knowledge of this house, the enemy’s abilities nor what lay in store for me. Plus, I’d seen that woman’s –Tanya was her name– abilities first hand yesterday. She was some kind of long-ranged sniper using a harpoon.
…And she was stronger than me.
Of that, I was sure.
I had a good idea of what Cores she had to use to make that build work; at the minimum she was around level 60, a grade 4 adventurer at the very least. With the advantage of stats and number of abilities on her side, she could easily crush me as I was. Better stats and just more Cores, which meant more abilities to use. More options and better output in one.
…And she was just one person. There could be other players in here, I just didn’t know it yet.
Which were all good reasons not to do this.
“So what, you’re just going to abandon him?” I slowly stood up, resting my forehead on the wall. “Just going to turn around and run? Forgetting about Arrosh?”
“No,” I answered myself, “Just… just a temporary retreat. Until I’m stronger. Until my build is more stable.”
“And I bet that’s going to be your excuse when you let someone else die.” I kept talking, hating the words as they escaped from my mind. “Skaris. Kyrian. Aurora. Stole. Maybe even Dibo and the Orcs, Yousef. So many people to protect, so many people you could abandon. Didn’t you think so in the dungeon yourself? That it’s ok as long as the main character survives? As long as you, Han, lives, isn’t it ok?”
I didn’t answer.
“You have to go.” I told myself.
“I know.”
“You’ll regret it.”
“I know that too.”
“You could never live with yourself.”
I clenched my fist so hard that something wet began to drip from it. Blood. “I said I fucking know.”
“Arrosh would do the same for you.”
“...Would he?” I wasn’t sure.
“He would.”
“What about Kyrian? Aurora? Stole? Skaris? Do you think they’re looking for me right now?”
“Yes.”
“How do you know?” I was doubtful.
“Because you would do the same for them.”
“...” To that, I had no answer.
I didn’t want to stay here, wasting more time. I wanted to make a decision. A choice.
Closing my eyes and swallowing hard, I chose my path.
***
“Delas, I’d speak with you.”
“Jesus Christ, Coum! Don’t sneak up on me like that!”
Coum stared at Delas, his tone flat and eyes void of any emotion.
“We both know that it is quite impossible for me to sneak up on you Delas. As a Mage-”
“Oh quit it. I was just doing a bit.” At Coum’s dead-fish eyes, Delas said once more, “A bit! A bit, OK?!”
Coum slowly nodded.
Coum was a rare case among the Player Guild. No one really knew how long Coum had been here, but he’d been here at least as long as Nathan. But the thing was that Coum didn’t quite seem like the rest of them. Whenever Delas asked him where he used to live before being transmigrated to MSS, the elven mage never answered. Then there was the fact that Coum had this weird, emotionless, flat expression on his face all the time. Like one of those reptilian monsters or birds of prey.
No feelings. Just a bunch of nerve endings resulting in input and output, like a program.
The creepiness was intensified by his looks. Most elves in MSS looked like fashion models. Tall, slim with beautiful hair in exotic hues of blue, purple, green and everything else in between. But Coum… Coum had no hair. He had these weird writhing tattoos made of ‘living ink’. Then there were the permanent dark-circles underneath his eyes, dry skin and the general pallid complexion of a mage.
Still, Coum was part of the crew and Delas didn’t want to be a poor sport about it. So he was always careful to make Coum feel included; hence the bit. Too bad that it had backfired.
“So what’d you want to talk about?”
“Do you remember the prophecy I intercepted and gave Tanya?”
Delas nodded. “Yes.”
Coum might not be the most powerful mage out there but he had some strange talents. He claimed to be able to see the power of ‘Fate’ around a person. And at times, he said he could tell when the gods were moving. As a rule, [Players] couldn’t be priests or priestesses in this world. Atleast, none that Delas knew of anyways. But Nathan often commented that if anyone could have been one, it would have been Coum.
And Coum lately had been ‘sifting through the weave of fate’ to find all mention of Arrosh Bloodedge.
“And thanks to you warning Tanya, she chased them off. Remember? Lock? His party? Cheoma Core? Big giant Carnivorous Worm?”
Coum didn’t even blink. “Prophecies are absolute in this world.”
“What?”
“The Prophecy was that ‘A party of adventurers will enter the den of thieves.’”
“Pretty short for a prophecy.” Delas grumbled.
“My skills are not perfect, the whole prophecy is longer. It will take time that we do not have for me to-”
“I get it, I get it. So what about the ‘prophecies are absolute’ part did you want to talk about?”
“If Lock Slaveborn’s party failed to enter the Scavenger Clan’s base, which we are assuming is the ‘den of thieves’, then Lock Slaveborn’s party was not the one referred to in the prophecy.”
Delas frowned. “What are you trying to say, man?”
“Tanya has lost contact with the guards posted outside. She found out quarter of an hour ago.”
“Those Scavs go off on their own all the time. Probably out drinking. I have no idea why she insists on staying Clan Head of this-”
“Tanya has gone to search for them.”
Delas’ mouth opened for a quick quip then stopped. “She did?”
“Yes. She told me not to tell you, but I fear that the prophecy is already being fulfilled as we speak.”
Delas brought out a dagger and began to flip it, catching the sheath then the handle. “Fifteen minutes ago. Could be nothing… but you wouldn’t come to me if you thought it was nothing.” Delas leaned back on Tanya’s desk, studying Coum.
Coum did nothing except breath.
Delas abruptly stood up straight than began to undress, taking off all his leather armor and even stowing the daggers in his Dimension Ring until he only wore his undergarments and a belt for weapons. Then he brought out a mask –more of a mask-helm– in the shape of a horse’s neck and face. He quickly put it on, seeing through two small holes embedded in the ‘neck’. Instead of his usual daggers, he brought out two scimitars; strapping them to the belt.
“What?” Delas shrugged. “Unlike Tanya, I’m still an active adventurer. I can’t be seen in this dump. If there really is a party in here and something’s up, I have to keep my identity hidden.”
“I did not say anything.”
“I know but your eyes were-, you know what? Never mind.” Delas gestured at the door. “You coming with?”
“No.”
Delas waited for an explanation. He might as well have waited for himself to be miraculously sent back home.
Well, without Tanya it wouldn’t mean much though.
“Bah, fine. I’ll go look for her. Probably isn’t anything though…”
***
The first thing I did was take everything that was useful in the other Dimension Rings and transfer them to my own. Finally, I stuffed said rings into a small pouch and tied them to my waist.
I began to head up.
I kept myself hidden but not for the same reasons as before. Before, I wanted to be unnoticed so that I could leave without getting myself entangled in trouble. It was different now. I stalked in the shadows, eyes searching for the faintest light or slightest whisper. I had been so nervous before because I was afraid of being hunted.
I wasn’t afraid anymore.
Complicated as the tunnel layouts were, the silver lining was that only a few of them sloped upwards. I followed those few paths, making sure to leave a small cut so I could tell where I was. Slowly but surely, I built out a mental map of the place only to realize it was much, much larger than I could’ve imagined. I walked and marked, walked some more and rested; reserving my strength for whatever may happen.
I avoided groups; not confident that I could silence them fast enough. I was confident in my strength but I wasn’t a fool; I wasn’t at the level where I could kill a man fast enough to keep his partner from calling out for help. All the Scavengers I saw traveled in groups of two; patrol units. So I stuck to the shadows, looking for the perfect timing.
I was glad I did.
“Gotta take a leak.”
“Go ahead.”
“Idiot, obviously it’s not just a leak. I gotta take a shit, you stupid dwarf. Do they not teach you manners in those dirt tubs you dwarves crawl out of? By the flame you’re fucking crass.”
The dwarf punched the human on the shoulder. “Git, you miserable son of a bitch!”
Laughing wickedly, the man walked away from his dwarven partner, finding a nice secluded spot. He was still laughing and shaking his head as he lowered his pants. Thank the gods, he wasn’t squatting down for a number two.
I waited until there was the sound of liquid hitting rock.
Emerging from my hiding place, I sidled up right behind him and grabbed the back of his neck.
I spoke quickly and quietly, already having rehearsed what I was going to say before even walking up to him.
“Do not turn around. Do not call for help.” I whispered in his ear, careful not to let my voice carry.
“And If you even so much as make a peep without my permission, I’ll make sure you never know the embrace of a woman ever again.”
He froze, which was expected.
After all, I had a dagger resting on top of his genitals.
***
Comments
Terra
Love this! I always enjoy seeing character development from Lock and co. Hopefully, we'll also get more from the other supporting characters.
