Chapter 288: A Targeted Approach (1/2)

I relaxed on a gravity well, knowing these kinds of issues come up all the time. An hour passed. By now, most of those around me twisted like knots. By then, a sinking feeling crawled up my chest too. Two hours went by, and now I joined the crew's anxiety, though I kept it to myself. When three full hours flashed by, a haunting realization popped up in our minds.

We weren't worried anymore that they'd be late or even fail the mission. None of that mattered to me anymore. I just wanted them back. I wanted Althea back. I'd gotten so used to success I'd forgotten we could fail. As four hours passed, that understanding was like a nail being driven through my jaw. They still weren't back.

And it didn't look like they'd be back anytime soon.

-Chapter Begin | Daniel -

I contemplated a lot as the hours of waiting went by. Why didn't I make more safety measures? Why didn't I join the mission? What was the point of going to this place anyway? My old reasons seemed so ridiculous now that Althea was gone. It was a gut punch, a sort of wake up call. I could lose people close to me if I didn't manage the situations well, which was soul-crushing.

I racked my brain for optimization to the old plan, trying to come up with ways of making it better. In all honesty, it was sound, but some doubt in myself was inevitable. By the time I began hypothesizing a rescue/retrieval mission, I got a message I wanted more than just about anything.

Althea Tolstoy(lvl 12,000 | Class: Executioner | Guild: Harbinger's Legion | Rank: Follower | Titles: The Shapeless Arbiter, The Formless Polymorph, Yawm's Inheritence...) We're back, safe and sound. Mission accomplished.

I raised my arms and looked at those here while I shouted, ”They're back.”

The guild perked up as a tsunami of relief passed over many of the members. I experienced it with them, my spirits rising. Walking up to Helios, I pointed at him,

”You remember their rendezvous point, right?”

Helios nodded, ”I'll wait for them to arrive there. Maintaining a portal for that duration would be...exhausting.”

I bit my lip, but I kept silent. Helios knew ten times more about portaling than I did, so I trusted his judgment. Thirty minutes passed, and Helios opened the portal. We stared in, and Althea stared back. My spirits rose up before being dampened. She looked down for some reason, getting embarrassed about something.

Peering close, it looked like they were pressed for time, and she hadn't fully reformed. She talked about that embarrassing her before, but I didn't care right now. I paced up to Althea, wrapping my arms around her. I leaned towards her while whispering,

”Hey, beautiful. You look incredible.”

She leaned her head against me, and I could feel her discomfort fade away. Good. She overthought the little things all the time. I lifted her up off the ground and waved her back and forth. She grinned against my chest,

”When are you going to let me go?”

I put my head on hers, ”Never.”

Torix passed me, gawking down at Alexander, ”Did he die for Schema's sake?”

Althea rolled her eyes, ”Pshh, no. He's suffering from mana exhaustion. And physical exhaustion. Just, uh, general exhaustion honestly.”

Torix lifted his star pupil from the ground, casting a variety of spells for induced comas and regulated sleep,

”It'll take weeks to fully recover. Think of the lessons he may have learned during that time.”

I raised an eyebrow, ”A real mission like that is a much more valuable experience than a lesson.”

Torix sighed, ”Perhaps...Perhaps.”

The others walked with us out towards Mt. Verner, and people celebrated. Relevant parties came in from all angles to comfort the mission's team. Friends and family of Isa and Lester came close, Bryan mixing in with them. Alexander had a group of other students to watch over him, along with Torix. Amara and Other Hod, on the other hand, had no one. They acted as loners, having no real support.

I set Althea down, ”Hey, I gotta check on Hod real quick. Is that okay?”

She gave me a playful punch on the shoulder, ”Do what you have to do.”

Walking over, I lifted the birdman with a gravity well, having him floated over to a waiting medical team. Torix turned to them as the doctors and nurses fiddled with various medicinal equipment, and the lich gasped,

”Imbeciles, the lot of you.”

Torix pointed his finger at the mana conduit on Hod's hand. A quick zap of magic later, and excessive eldritch energy flooded through the device towards me. Hod gasped for air,

”Gah...Hah...Hod full. No more darkness for Hod.”

Laying across a stretcher, his arms went limp, and the birdman snored, having gone to sleep instantly. Somehow both disappointed and impressed, I shook my head at the guy. Turning to everyone else, I spread out my arms, ”It's time to get back and figure out what happened. Those from the mission, come with me to talk it out. I want to hear what happened in person.”

We all went towards Mt. Verner, and I floated everyone along the way. I fiddled with the idea for a different golem design as I did, and we were in a meeting room in minutes. Once we sat down, I called Florence and Helios outside the room. This was an insider's conversation with delicate information in the balance. I didn't want them passing it along to the Emperor for free since he wouldn't do the same for us.

Torix caught my drift without me saying anything, and he cast two spells; one spell locked off any outer sound, and one was a localized EMP. Any active electronics in the room would fry, killing planted bugs. Something fizzled beneath our meeting table, and I ripped it off with telekinesis. Voila, a thin, implanted listening device tore off of the table's underside. Attached to it, a narrow, holographic message revved into action post EMP, and Florence popped up,

”Hey, this is Florence, sorry about this. The Emperor paid me a lot of credits, and hey, I couldn't say no. You guys will find this before we even get any useful info anyways, so I'll give you guys some of the money, and we'll call it even.”

It showed his face making a goofy expression while scratching the back of his head and giving us a thumbs up. I facepalmed, as did Torix. Althea laughed before we continued with the meeting. Isa, Lester, Torix, Amara, Althea, Kessiah, and I sat around a particleboard table. It was harvested from Springfield nearby, and after refurbishing it, Torix had it installed when we first arrived.

That very same lich gestured to our soldiers who arrived from the mission,

”You may use your obelisks to convey the tapes and videos you used during your mission. No doubt we'll find all of your perspectives meaningful.”

Isa and Lester stared at each other, both of them frozen in terror. Torix's eyes narrowed, ”Where are your tapes?”

Althea jumped in before Torix grilled them, ”I was the one responsible for documenting our tasks. They stuck to different priorities, like hiding us or gathering supplies.”

Torix scoffed, ”Really now? Where are their supplies?”

Althea turned to Isa and Lester, who both appeared dumbfounded. She nudged them on the elbow before the dungeoneers went to action, pulling out many documents and devices. Torix inspected them along with me, and I found various orbital graphs, forms, and charts. Combine that with a few safety lockboxes holding information, and this was all valuable stuff.

I nodded out of respect, ”Damn...this is good intelligence. Great work, guys.”

They looked at Althea, giving her a thumbs-up under the table. Combined with their awkward, forced grins, and these guys were just rolling with Althea's idea. From her quick thinking or not, this was an excellent payload, so I turned to them,

”What else did you do?”

They pulled out makeshift bombs and venom sacks from foreign eldritch. Lester even carried a few sketches of these eldritch, and he spoke up,

”Ahem, these are metal eaters, a kind of eldritch we thought would be useful to document during our stay there.”

Isa pointed at him, ”Exactly, exactly. I, well, I studied these flying cobras and their acids. We thought that, uh, you know, they'd be useful f-for attacking Hybrids.”

Torix deadpanned, ”Ahhh. Yes. Of course.”

I shrugged, ”Intentional or not, we can use this. We'll send this to the biologists downstairs and see what they make of it.”

Torix rolled his fiery eyes while sending a few messages. A worker came up, gave me a bow, and took the sketches and samples of the venoms/acids. Once the specimens left us, we continued with Althea's account. She took out her obelisk,

”So yeah, I documented everything. I tried my best to get it all as I went. I kind of just do it without thinking now.”

Torix's eyes flared pink, ”Now, here is someone that's actually helpful. Thank you.”

Althea smiled while uploading her data to our holographic desk. Seconds later, images of a foreign planet popped up. Althea pointed at it, explaining what I was on tape,

”This is the giant ring on Gypsum. Everything they do is through here. Ownership of the planet is decided by who owns the upper portions of this wall. My guess is that the wall attacks someone beneath it if they don't own some of the wall's portions. Anyways, let me start this at the beginning, and I'll, er, explain what you're seeing.”

Torix interlocked his fingers, leaning forwards, ”Do tell.”

Althea went through all of their trip from start to finish, taking over two hours of explaining to do so. By the time she finished, I was stunned by how much ground they covered and how much info she gathered. This meant we were going to be swimming in data about one of Elysium's most essential worlds.

That wasn't the only important aspect of the mission. My fears and anxieties flared as I watched them fight a Spatial Fortress. There was no way I'd be able to stop something like that, not in the next decade at least. Sure, I'd survive fighting it, but that kind of monstrosity would overwhelm us utterly. It was humbling watching our guildsmen struggle against that thing, and it put into perspective how dedicated Elysium really was.

They were willing to fight many of those behemoths. Impressive.

Althea didn't talk much during that time. It left me concerned, and she grabbed her arm as she spoke. I ended up squeezing a fist, trying to keep myself restrained. Schema didn't know how to parse out allies with a weapon like that. The Spatial Fortress's lack of care almost killed someone important to me, and Schema might do the same to us sometime in the future.

It just put things in a different perspective. We weren't at the center of this war, not by a longshot. If anything, Blegara was a side effort out of convenience. Elysium believed it was easy pickings, so it sent some of their extra forces there. The leftovers, so to speak. According to Obolis, Elysium already retook the entire planet over the last week after our retreat. They believed that Blegara was all theirs.

I'd prove them wrong about that, in time.

For now, I pushed down some worries over Althea and Hod. I didn't want them dying, and by the looks of it, this mission was on the wire since they came within an inch of their demises. They almost all died, and while eyeing Althea's side, I found a new, large scar where the Spatial Fortress attacked her. Its digestive acids must've interfered with the healing process, making for a nasty reminder of what happened.

However, she was more than capable of handling herself, and I kept that in the back of my mind as she finished her story. Staring over her head, I found she gained a new class of some kind from the mission as well. She chose well, her strengths emphasized. Being near her, she radiated a quiet intensity like death lingering over a hospice.

It was chilling. Reminding myself Althea was a badass helped calm me down.

With Althea's side of the story finished, Amara spoke up right after, but about something else entirely,

”I uncovered their system's data during my stay, and I infiltrated many of their informational streams. There's much to discuss.”

Torix kept his stare steady, exerting more pressure than he likely intended, ”Then give us information on what you've discovered.”

Amara hissed, ”Their system is similar to Schema's, relying on individualized cipheric energy flows. Their induction process would create a personal means of augmenting data based on achievement, just as Schema's system has. In Elysium's case, they reward less as you become stronger, the opposite of Schema's approach.”

Althea frowned, ”They do that plus give away the Hybrids.”

Amara turned a palm to Althea, ”Yes. Those abominations are partially the product of their system. They tie those deformed wolves to sheep so that the sheep feel strong. In the end, those wolves will devour those that are helpless. It is merely a matter of time.”

Amara turned a hand to me, ”And such is their way. They invigorate the weak and neglect the strong. It is not what we eldritch believe in, or most of us, I should say.”

I pointed at the hologram, using my obelisk to interact with it. I turned the image towards Amara eating people, ”What you eldritch believe in, huh? Kind of like this feeding frenzy?”

Amara stared down, her cheeks flushing, ”I...I lost myself.”

I pulled out a quintessence mana crystal and tossed one to her, ”Don't do that again. You're a part of my guild, and we don't run through crowds by eating them. Eat one of these instead.”

She snatched the crystal out of the air, ”I shall do as you say, Harbinger.”

I leaned towards her, ”Anything else you discovered?”

”Each planet carries a unique system interface, unlike Schema's approach. This creates localized energy flows for augmentation. It also means each planet carries a different kind of personalized security measure.”

Torix's eyes flared, ”So going to Gypsum means nothing for hacking into Blegara?”

Amara showed her teeth, ”It means everything. I can now recognize, tap into, and interface with those energy flows. It will take far less time to infiltrate their other various systems, and their security parameters are likely similar between planets.”

Torix nodded, ”Good, good. I was worried we didn't get anything from this risky venture.”

I frowned, ”Or at least enough benefit to justify the risk. Either way, could you do the loudspeaker thing we mentioned for an entire world?”

”Yes. It would be simple, though it wouldn't last more than thirty minutes at most. Their Builders would recognize my connection point and snap it.”

My eyes widened, ”Builders, huh?”

”Yes. Builders construct system data and strands. They are used by Schema via personalized, constrained AI's that do his service.”

I swung my hand, ”So that's what those robotic, lifeless AI's do. They're like system cleaners.”

Torix stated, ”Could we kill them?”

Amara shook her head, ”They would lie at the center of Elysium's headquarters, which is no doubt well hidden. Destroying that headquarters would tear their teeth and rip their claws. Should we ever find that hidden throat, we should bite into its succulent flesh.”

Amara shrugged, ”No matter the outcome of this rebellion, someone's neck will be ruptured, however. It is only a matter of whose neck is exposed first.”

I blinked, ”You mean if Schema loses?”

”Yes.”

I never really thought about that possibility. It didn't seem like Elysium's goal was ever domination, even from the start. They just wanted to take many worlds, put them under their banner, and then maintain order. That required defending themselves from Schema's grasp, but they weren't the most offensive group. Not yet, at least. That could change any second, considering the amount of firepower at Elysium's disposal.

I reached out a hand, ”Alright, thank you for the report.”

Althea perked up, ”I also think I discovered some sort of ritual for powering up Lehesion.”

Torix pulled out his fancy obelisk, and it automatically interfaced with the hologram. Turning to the moment of the ritual, Torix pointed at a mage,

”You mean this specific event, correct?”

Althea pursed her lips, ”Yup.”

Torix took a deep, unneeded breath, ”This is problematic, to say the least. They've created an augmentation ritual that enhances Lehesion's abilities. The mages likely die afterward, but that's irrelevant if they sustain a steady supply of mages.”

I watched Lehesion zip around the Spatial Fortress, and I whistled in response,

”Damn...I don't think I can keep up with that.”

The others at the table went silent. My words carried more weight than I expected, especially for an off the cuff remark. Keeping myself relaxed, I leaned back, feigning confidence,

”At least not yet. Gaining a class will come soon, and then a new tier of skill after that. I'll be more than ready then.”

The dread oozed off the table, everyone more comfortable just from a few words of reassurance from me. I let out a mental sigh. Being relied upon was hard, especially when it involved destroying those that obliterated worlds. Either way, Torix pointed at the last bit of Althea's video,

”This interests me. The ring is alive, isn't it?”

The dungeoneers and Althea shrugged. We turned to Amara, and she seethed, ”And to what end could Schema need that machine for? It's far too large and lumbering. That was likely created before Schema, in an ancient time, where no monsters ruled. To what end? I cannot even fathom a reason.”

We thought about her words, the scale of the universe coming into our minds. It was amazing how much we didn't know about...well, everything. We went into the unknown with this mission, at least, and we came out with an absolute motherload of information. It was the kind of report that would let us get a lot more done.

Knowing their contributions, I stood up and gestured to our returning team,

”Alright then. Let's dispense with rewards.”

They stared at me, kind of surprised that I was offering anything. I turned a palm to Lester and Isa, ”You guys did well helping them infiltrate then doing something useful in the meantime. I'm giving each of you a suit of armor, and your rank has been raised to Dungeoneering Specialists. You'll get better monthly payment, along with some perks.”

I turned to Torix, ”Make it happen.”

Torix gave me a slight bow, ”As you wish.”

I talked at Althea, ”You did a lot of reconnaissance, and you managed to help uncover some vital info about Elysium's defenses. Well done. I'll be making you a new jumpsuit, and you'll be getting a personalized, super golem guardian. It'll help you when you need extra muscle or just keeping you safe in general.”

She let out a sigh of relief. Even if I couldn't protect her all the time, I could still give her an unkillable guard that could do it for me.

I turned to Amara, ”You've given us information on how Elysium operates, along with information on some of their various weaknesses. You'll also be helping me with getting Blegara under control. So far, you've helped the guild time and time again. It's time we help you.”

I opened my status, and I sent Amara my last Follower title. She gawked at her status, unable to believe her eyes.

I put my hands on my hips, ”It's up to you if you want to accept the title. It'll come with many responsibilities, but also many freedoms. You'll be able to come and go from the guild as you please, and I won't be lording over you all the time. No one will. You will be free.”

Amara blinked over and over, staring at the message from different angles. She pointed at it, ”Are...are you certain?”

I grinned, ”I give my own what they deserve, and it's about time you get some compensation for what you've done.”

She accepted the status, and over the next few seconds, she growled like an animal. Her body reformed from the rush of free stats, and she stood a full foot and a half taller after a minute or two, going from five feet flat to six and a half tall(1.5 meters to 2 meters). Amara relished in the rush of power, her eldritch hunger flaring. It died down as she looked at me, and she gave me a deep, sincere bow,

”Thank you, guild leader. I shall cherish this, truly.”

I turned to Hod, who slumbered out of exhaustion, ”I'll give that guy a scythe and some gauntlets. Those will suit him well. As for Alexander, I'll be making him a cloak and staff.”

Althea gave me a smile, letting me know I was on the right track. I returned the gesture before turning to everyone else, ”Do you guys think that's about all we need to cover?”

The returning team gave me nods, along with looks of adulation, namely from Isa and Lester. I pulled the meeting room's door open with a gravity well while Torix canceled out his silencing magic. Florence and Helios walked in, both of them conversing for once instead of bickering.

”Really? you managed to get uncle out of a war front once?” Florence asked.

Helios stood proud, ”I did. I preemptively memorized that planet's data beforehand without his asking. This allowed me to exceed expectations, even those expectations were high.”

Florence looked at us, and I pulled up his data card between two fingers,

”Looking for this?”

Florence nudged Helios, ”I told you they'd find it. Two hours flat.”

Helios shrugged, ”I suppose we'll let Obolis know his suggestion was a failure.”

Torix fumed, ”You two are very lax, considering we just caught you spying.”

Florence pulled out a fly held between two of his claws. As Florence smashed it between his fingers, a burst of blue magic erupted from the fly with a skull-shaped poof of smoke. Torix looked away, appearing nervous,

”Touche.”