Chapter 81 - Panic Plan (Part One)

“The guards found the hole in the wall,” Ven said.

The room went silent but for the sizzling of Gaven’s cookpot. The Hollows stopped eating. Eem sat on top of a chair’s backrest with a curious expression. Even Gaven paused stirring. He turned to Ven with a surprised look.

“The hole?” Alisa asked. “In the hardstone wall? Behind the storehouse?”

“Yes,” Ven said. “Including the trapdoor. Four guards and a Steward were investigating the exit.”

Alisa bit her lower lip. “Seriously?”

“That exit was never the most secure one,” Lydi said. She continued eating her slop, eyes on the bowl. “A simple wall cleaner would have found it instantly.”

“Zand has never cleaned those walls,” Alisa said. “How was it discovered?”

“We don’t know,” Ven said. “But the fact is, the exit has been discovered.”

“What does this mean for us?” Vivi asked.

“It means that this is the Hollows’ last cycle, hunting squadron bosses,” Aang said. “Ever since our founding, we’ve always had conditions for immediate disbandment. The main condition always was: if one of our exits is found, the Hollows are done. The Stewards now know nimrods have been entering the hidden dungeon.”

“Those rules were decided years ago,” Alisa said. “We don’t need to rush to the decision, do we? We could just lay low for a bit and continue operations?”

“Too risky,” Aang said. “The presence of one exit will lead to a larger investigation. It’s only a matter of time before home base and the rest of our exits are found as well. We will evacuate all valuables from the base today. The Stewards are soon going to find out that three of five squadron bosses are dead.”

Alisa was about to argue, but Aang spoke over her. “The purpose of the Hollows was never to set up a permanent base within the hidden dungeon. Our goal was to snatch as many skills as we could, operating as sneakily as possible. It’s a miracle we’ve made it this far. Right now, we have a small period of time before news of the defeated bosses move to Ingfried. According to Grenall, the Stewards tend to attempt fixing problems on their own before informing outsiders.”

Alisa lowered her head, biting her lip.

Vivi wasn’t exactly happy either. “If we abandon home base, that means my smithy will go as well, right? I won’t have any more time for projects.”

“It’s unfortunate, but there is no choice,” Aang said. He stepped forward and wore a serious expression. “Our efforts have not gone to nothing. We now have four useful skills. We have runeswords, and we have experience and knowledge. The last ten years of our lives will culminate into the plan tomorrow.”

“Are we seriously killing the main boss?” Rohan asked with a sigh.

“Tomorrow is going to be our last opportunity,” Aang said. “The Stewards are investigating, but they don’t have answers. Everyone is doubtful and confused. Our exits are still well hidden. They will be found, but it will take weeks.”

Lucius appeared from Vivi’s core. “This is not only our last opportunity, it’s also the best opportunity. The Stewards’ usual routines are broken. We can use the opportunity to cause more chaos.”

“Unpredictability makes framing Uundref more difficult to execute,” Ven said. “Far more difficult.”

“But if we succeed, the framing will be stronger,” Lucius said. “The Stewards are already doubtful of someone. We could direct that doubt to Uundref. Make it appear like he panicked and decided to launch his grand plan now.”

“The same goes for us,” Vivi said. “We are panicking, launching the plan now. You just want to clear the dungeon.”

“I do,” Lucius said, paws crossed. “And I will clear it. Everyone wants to clear the dungeon.”

The Hollows sat still, clearly nervous about the upcoming plan, but they looked determined.

“The plan is ready, and we will be launching it tomorrow,” Aang said. “It’s one of the simplest plans we’ve performed, while also being the most difficult.” He eyed his team, giving everyone a moment to think. “I’m sure you all know the risks. If we fail, the consequences are harsh. As always, I will ask, does anyone wish to back down? To continue living risk-free as nimrods in Zand?”

The room was silent. Lydi finished her bowl. Alisa was no longer eating. She looked the most troubled at all.

“I would love to continue living in Zand,” Alisa said. She played with the spoon in her bowl. “Life has been pleasant, doing things as we have, hunting bosses once a month, slowly improving our skills. I’d hate for it all to end.” She raised her head. “But if everyone else is moving forward, so will I. Let’s clear the boss.”

The others nodded. Rohan, too, looked determined. “I’m coming. All of you have helped me far more than a fallen knight deserves. I will follow you to the grave.”

“I don’t know if we’ll be of any use,” Lydi said, while Feni awkwardly smiled, “but I’m not staying in Zand while you all leave.”

Aang turned to Gaven. “And you two?”

“We’re staying,” Gaven said. “Someone has to cook for the nimrods. For whoever remains after the mess you’ll put together.”

Aang nodded. “Then. Let’s discuss execution. The Hollows will be divided into two teams. The first team has a simple but difficult task: clearing the main dungeon as swiftly as possible. I estimate the job to take around five hours. Any more than seven will lead us to trouble. The team will be equipped with Vivi’s crush swords to deal with skeletons.

“The second team has a quicker, but far more intricate plan. To kidnap Uundref and Wheryn.”

Vivi glanced at Ven. “I thought we were kidnapping Uundref and Beligar? Grenall said Uundref and Wheryn wouldn’t work together to clear the dungeon.”

“The plan has evolved,” Ven said. “We’re going to use Uundref’s dagger to kill Wheryn. This way, it looks like Uundref totally betrayed his enemies and took the boss for himself. Additionally, we’re going to kidnap a few guards with crush runeswords. The remaining Stewards will likely examine the remains of the main dungeon after we’ve escaped. Vivi’s crush swords are not something Uundref would ever use. Thus, we’re going to make it look like Uundref used pawns to help him clear the dungeon.”

Lucius was listening intently. Vivi could feel thoughts running in his head. She couldn’t tell what he was thinking about, but he’d never been this invested in a plan before.

“The kidnap team is going to wield Vivi’s nix sword,” Aang said. “Ven and Alisa, you’re the best fit to join this team. We’re going to need ambushes and sneaking around. Additionally, we will need someone to overpower Wheryn’s defense. I believe Rohan is our best member for this.”

Rohan thought for a second. “With Vivi’s runeswords, I think I could defeat Wheryn.”

“If all goes well, we won’t need to fight at all,” Ven said. “I’m planning on using a far more… diplomatic method.”

“Elaborate,” Alisa said.

“Imagine yourself in Uundref’s shoes,” Ven said. “You’re on a stroll, most likely alone, as Uundref always is, in the hidden dungeon, searching for clues. When suddenly, a knight in plate armor wielding a runesword appears in front of you.”

“Uundref would immediately attack the knight,” Alisa said. “For answers.”

“Indeed,” Ven said. “Rohan is going to give Uundref a fair fight at full force. And he’s going to lose, choosing to run away. Uundref will chase, seeing an opportunity to catch Rohan for questioning. That’s when Alisa and I come in.” He pulled a pair of runic cuffs from his pockets. “The goal of this trick is to place Uundref in nothing cuffs, as Rensfig called these. The cuffs suck in any ether that Uundref attempts to channel. With him captured, we can blackmail Uundref to initiate the second part of our plan: to kidnap Wheryn.”

“That plan has a lot of ifs and risks,” Rohan said. “What if Uundref doesn’t attack me, but chooses to flee and call for backup? What if Uundref is not alone? What if I lose the fight too early? What if you fail to capture him after he chases me?”

“Uundref attacking you is almost guaranteed,” Ven said. “He requires answers. If he calls for backup, the knight will have escaped, and the answers will have disappeared. Uundref also tends to travel alone. If he is not alone, we will offer him a distraction. There are countless points of curiosity we could use to draw Uundref to investigate something.

“As for his subjugation… It will require luck. But if the nix sword renders his portals useless, as Vivi claims it does, catching him off guard is possible.”

“The nix sword will defeat the portals,” Vivi said. “But someone will still need to deal with his daggers. They're runic.”

“That job is left to me, huh?” Alisa asked. “Dueling a Steward…”

“We’ll still be three against one,” Ven said. “It’s possible.”

“The kidnapping team has the plan figured out, right?” Lucius asked. “And the Grenall guy has his part covered. The boss team won’t have to worry about the intricate details. We just need to focus on the boss hunt.”

“Correct,” Aang said. “The boss hunt is a lot more straightforward. We need to be strong enough to clear our way to the boss and to defeat whatever is below. That alone is going to be difficult. Any plans we form will most likely be useless. We barely know what the boss even is.

“Additionally, our timing needs to be precise. Ven will kidnap Uundref around five hours after we enter. We need to clear the dungeon promptly after that. If Uundref is gone for too long, investigations will be launched. If all goes perfectly, the dungeon should be cleared an hour or two after Uundref has been kidnapped. This all needs to be achieved without our full team. Three of our top fighters will be dealing with Uundref.”

“The Union has a few strong fighters,” Lucius said. “We could max out their reserves and use them for help.”

“Worhard would do well against skeletons,” Aang said. “But if Union members get involved, it would have to be without their consent. We would have to throw them in before they could have the chance to think. Asking is far too risky, in case a member decides to decline. I believe it’s best if we head in with the remaining Hollows.”

“So that’s you and me,” Lydi said. “Feni can’t fight. And I’m guessing you don’t want to risk the best runesmith’s life to fight a boss she might just die to.”

Aang put on his serious, almost fatherly expression, and faced Vivi. “Yes. I will remind you once again of your future, Vivi. I won’t tell you to remain in Zand. The Hollows are more than eager to make an escape with you. But there is no reason for you to risk your life fighting the main boss. You runeswords have helped us more than enough.”

“That’s a funny joke, leader,” Lucius said. “We’re coming.”

“I’m with Lucius,” Vivi said. She stood proudly beside him. “I didn’t come here to rest while my friends get killed by some skeleton boss. We’re going to help.”

Aang studied her expression. He sighed. “I guessed so. The teams are decided, then. Ven, Alisa, and Rohan will kidnap Uundref, and the rest of us will hunt the boss.”

“And assuming we defeat the boss and successfully kidnap the Stewards, what’s next?” Lydi asked.

“We’re going to cut a hole in the wall and cause a mass escape,” Ven said.

Author note:

I hope you've been enjoying the weekend chapters! I've been working overtime to pump out chapters. Your support has made it more than worth it. I'll try to continue dropping more bonus chapters to push Patreon further ahead of Royal Road's schedule!

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