(AS) B2 - Lesson 62: "These Are The Consequences Of Our Actions."

WOOOPS! Someone sent me a message saying this one didn't post properly. Sorry about that. Here's the chapter!

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Alarms rang through the Lab as sensors scattered through the forest area failed, crushed by the sheer spiritual pressure of the Kigendoro. Luckily for Alpha, a few unmodified [Wasp] drones farther out survived. Without arrays to rebuild, the drones could easily reform, and spirit pressure of this level wouldn’t even bend their frames.

As the goblins and Adventurers reeled, Alpha entered damage control mode. Dozens of standby antborgs rushed toward the area. Whether they could make it in time was unknown.

Alpha had planned for many scenarios during the planning phase with the help of the goblins and Dr. Maria. This one had been so far down the list that it hadn’t been a real consideration.

“So what happened?!” asked Alpha over the comms.

“It was the wine,” Dr. Maria responded. Despite her shaking hands, her voice was calm and steady. The [Golden Spirit] doctor moved with practiced steps as she rushed around the area, helping those struggling to escape or injured by the shrapnel spray.

“What do you mean?” Boarslayer asked. “What does the wine have to do with it?!” She, too, was helping those who couldn’t escape in time and currently had two unconscious Geomancers thrown over her shoulders as she retreated.

“We misjudged how strong the Mud Drake was!” Antchaser joined the chat, realization in his voice. The goblin’s awe grew with each word. “We thought the drake at late [Elemental Dominance], but something must have thrown our senses off. Maybe it’s growing faster thanks to the nascent Dragon Pool, or maybe it was always at the peak and we couldn’t see it. Whatever it was, the wine pushed it over the edge.”

Alpha cursed himself. Of course it had been the wine! He always knew his perfectionism would come to bite him on the heat sink one day. Alpha had gotten rather invested in making the spirit wine. It wasn’t that different from normal brewing, but the process had answered a slew of questions for other projects, and years of expensive translight time had gone into perfecting the process.

Translight time wasn’t “free.” Both the energy and processing power needed to run the equipment increased exponentially as the time dilation increased. Running the goblins through months of training in a few days of real time had been a drop in the ocean compared to the years of Translight time compressed into a day it had taken to master the spirit wine brewing. So much so that Alpha had to tap into his own energy core to run the systems. The infrastructure of the current base simply couldn’t handle the load on its own.

The result was a rather high-quality spirit wine that Dr. Maria informed him would be yet another draw for Adventurers in the future.

It had crossed none of their minds that might be a bad thing for this specific instance. Hindsight is 20/20, as they say.

The Kigendoro roared again, shaking the surrounding air. Those goblins and Adventurers strong enough to withstand the creature’s presence had been doing their best to rescue those they could before the Kigendoro got used to its new body.

It seemed their time was up.

The Kigendoro rose higher, like a serpent ready to strike. Beneath thick layers of black mud, three pairs of eyes glowed a pale light. The earth beneath the creature’s feet rumbled, and with a pulse of power, the ground rose like the ripples of a stone dropped in a pond. A wave of stone and mud rushed outward in all directions, with the draconic creature at its epicenter. As the wave traveled — faster than a man could run — it rose higher and higher until a veritable tsunami of liquefied earth threatened to consume the slowest of the fleeing Adventurers.

Alpha chewed on his next order for a few precious seconds. It felt like a mistake to show too many cards so soon. On the other hand, what would it matter if everyone died here?

Only partly complaining, Alpha spoke through comms. “I’m authorizing full kits. Get out of there! Boarslayer, try to stall it!”

Boarslayer paused and grinned from ear to ear before tossing the Mages she carried to a pair of passing Adventurers.

Antchaser, who was helping Maggy carry a limp Garrelt, turned and yelled at the top of his lungs. “SUIT UP!”

Across the clearing, fleeing goblins placed their hands on the back of their neck. Boarslayer turned, still grinning, and mimicked the action as she stared down the Kigendoro and the oncoming earth wave.

Maggy stared wide-eyed. “What are you doing?! You can’t fight that thing, RUN!” she yelled, half-crazed. The next instant, Boarslayer was swallowed by the raging earth. Maggy clenched her teeth and turned away, her eyes pressed shut as a single tear rolled down her cheek. Even so, the young woman pressed on, running as fast as she could under the weight of the scout leader.

“She’ll be fine…” Antchaser said.

Maggy’s eyes snapped to the goblin, confusion plain on her face. “What are you —” Before she could finish, another loud roar filled the clearing, though it wasn’t the Kigendoro this time. Maggy turned just in time to see a figure explode from the muddy earth where Boarslayer had vanished.

A figure far different than the large goblin woman.

Standing several feet taller than Boarslayer, the new figure appeared encased in strange black armor. A kind of armor Maggy had never seen before, nor had a name for. The figure was massive, only slightly smaller than Bert, though how someone could move in such a thing she didn’t know. Despite its rather bulky appearance, it somehow felt sleek and smooth, as if each piece had been meticulously crafted to work together seamlessly.

A sleek, nearly featureless black helmet completed the look. A single bright red light shone from the helmet’s center, like a demon’s eye shining from the darkness, while the surface looked as if it was covered in a thin layer of glass. The figure radiated an air of noble refinement that many Adventurers tried to imitate, but was only ever truly achieved by those clans and sect geniuses with custom-made equipment.

Maggy’s jaw dropped, and she mouthed words, but no sound escaped her lips.

“See, I told you,” Antchaser said.

Maggy’s gaze shifted to the goblin on the other side of Garrelt. Antchaser’s free hand rested on the back of his neck, like the other goblins, and from underneath flowed tiny hexagonal scales. The scales moved across his skin silently, sometimes hardening into seamless, dark metallic plates, other times transforming into a smooth black fabric that hugged his form. Like Boarslayer’s armor, Antchaser’s was sleek and functional, giving it an air of refined, yet simple, elegance. Though if Boarslayer was a fully armored heavy knight, Antchaser’s armor seemed more fit for an elite scout.

The last piece to form was the helmet, as hexagonal scales enveloped the goblin’s head and took the glassy, featureless shape of Boarslayer’s. Maggy watched her own eyes widen on her reflection before a tiny red spark ignited on the helmet’s dark surface. The spark bloomed into a red eye that spun, then twisted along the helmet’s length to stare at her.

“Boarslayer can hold the Kigendoro for a moment, but we need to get as many people to safety as we can,” Antchaser spoke, his voice warping oddly beneath the helmet.

Maggy stared wordlessly for a moment, obviously struggling to process what she’d just seen. After a moment, however, she closed her gaping mouth with a frown and nodded, her brow furrowed and her eyes hard.

However, instead of speeding up their escape, Maggy stopped, causing Antchaser to turn around and look at her. The young Mage pulled Garrelt’s arm from around her shoulder, then handed the unconscious man to Antchaser. The strangely armored goblin and the young Mage stared at each other, speaking wordlessly because Antchaser nodded. He lifted Garrelt into his arms, turned, and continued his retreat.

Maggy watched for a moment, noting in the back of her mind how Antchaser no longer seemed to have any difficulty carrying the larger man.

“I really hope they’ll let me take a look at that…” she muttered to herself before turning around and looking toward the Kigendoro. “… If we survive this, that is.”

Maggy sighed, her shoulders visibly drooping. “I’m sorry, Master. But if they’re willing to show their own secrets like this, I think that means it’s time to show my own.” With those words, she reached into her side bag, withdrew a runed red-leather glove, and slipped it over her casting hand. Then Maggy flicked her wrist, and her gnarled wood staff vanished. In its place, a small blue orb appeared, thick mist pouring from it as the surrounding temperature plummeted. She held the orb out, her palm outstretched, and the young Mage winced in pain.

It’s only been a few seconds, and my hand’s already going numb, even with Master’s glove. Have to keep going, if that thing makes it to the village… she thought, not letting herself finish. She wouldn’t have to worry about the Kigendoro killing her if she lost focus.

The orb wobbled, then pulsed with mana, below slowly floating into the air several inches above her palm. Tiny sparks of light ignited in Maggy’s eyes.

Then, her world became fire.

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Garrelt came too slowly.

First were dim sounds, then blurred outlines hovering over him.

Some distant part of him understood the pain would be next, and his body tensed. Instead of pain, however, an icy chill filled the left side of his body, stretching from his fingertips to his clavicle. It felt like someone was poking him with a thousand tiny icicles. Not enough to hurt, but it was an odd sensation, nonetheless. Garrelt tried to move the arm, but his heart sank when it wouldn’t respond.

That’s not good… Garrelt thought to himself as his mind cleared a fraction more. He tilted his head slightly, his vision swimming as the motion caused the mosslight far above him to blur and twist.

A dark shadow leaned over him. “Doctor!” the shadow said in a muffled voice, “I think he’s waking up.”

Garrelt heard footsteps, and another blurry figure leaned over him.

“Looks like the putrid energy is being flushed out. Good.” the figure Garrelt assumed was Dr. Maria said.

“I — wha —?” Garrelt slurred, not sure of his tongue. He tried to rise on his good arm, but Dr. Maria’s firm hand pressed down on his chest.

“I wouldn’t try sitting quite yet, you’ll —” Dr. Maria said before a sudden wave of intense nausea overcame Garrelt. His eyes bulged, and he fell to his good arm, barely leaning to the side before he expelled a huge amount of stinking black sludge from his mouth.

Dr. Maira sighed. “Never mind.”

The foul, mud-like substance tasted like Garrelt had drunk the contents of a chamber pot, and he heaved again, though far less gunk escaped this time. Garrelt wasn’t sure if that was a good thing or a bad one. However, the experience had drained him of what little energy he’d managed to recover, and he rolled to his back, cold sweat breaking out over his entire body.

Thankfully, Dr. Maira waved her hand, and a cleansing light washed over him, evaporating the foul puddle he lay in and, blessedly, the smell along with it.

Garrelt shared up at the cavern sky for several seconds before weakly turning his head to look at Dr. Maria.

“What happened…? Where are we?” he asked, voice still raw.

His eyesight was started to recover, it seemed. Or, at the very least, he could make out of the disapproving glare the old doctor was giving him.

“You’re an idiot, that’s what happened. A Kigendoro doesn’t just have water and earth affinities like a Mud Drake, fool. It has swamp affinity. There are aspects of decay mixed in there, along with other nasty stuff. What the hell were you thinking, trying to absorb that kind of energy?” Dr. Maria’s frown deepened, and she crossed her arms.

Garrelt said nothing at first. He instead turned and looked back up at the ceiling. Then, after a silent moment, he spoke. “The arrays should have kept the drake asleep. I thought… I thought maybe boosting the arrays would be enough to knock it out... Make it fail its ascension.”

Dr. Maira exhaled and pinched the bridge of her nose. “Not a terrible plan, all things considered. You’re just lucky the Kigendoro’s energy wasn’t fully aspected. You must have damaged its Foundation. Otherwise, I doubt any of us would have made it out of there in time. As it is, our losses are… minimal.”

The doctor’s words hung heavy, and Garrelt’s heart dropped.

“How many?” he softly asked.

Dr. Maria rolled her eyes. “That’s none of your concern. Nothing we can do to he—”

“THEY WERE MY ARRAYS!” Garrelt suddenly yelled before breaking into a coughing fit.

When he could speak again, he almost whispered. “They were my arrays. I made them. I don’t know what happened, but if they failed… it’s my fault.”

Dr. Maira silently stared at the scout leader, and he half expected her to nag him more.

Instead, she tapped the air strangely and calmly spoke. “Four that we know of. A Geomance was killed by the spirit pressure. Some kind of underlying health issue. Not something any of us could have predicted; I doubt even they knew about it. Another Geomancer burned her Mana Furance out trying to fight back the earth wave. His sacrifice let many more escape than would have otherwise. Likewise, a goblin hunter was killed trying to save one of your Adventurers. The wave got them before anyone could reach either. They died heroes; don’t you dare insult that by trying to blame yourself.”

Garrelt was slightly shocked by the fire in the older woman’s voice, but he quickly deflated and turned away, a tear threatening to fall from his dry eye.

Garrelt took a deep breath and pushed himself up. The nausea didn’t come this time, though his vision still swam. Dr. Maira placed a supporting hand on his back and handed him a canteen. Garrelt threw his head back and chugged the contents before handing it back to her and attempting to stand.

This time, Dr. Maira held him in place.

Garrelt glared at the doctor. “I have to go. They’re still fighting that thing, aren’t they? I need to help.”

“You need to sit here and recover,” Dr. Maria said. “You’ll only be a liability in your current state.” She gestured to his left arm.

Garrelt turned and looked, balking at the sight. His left arm, once lean and strong with wiry muscle, was not brown and shriveled, appearing more like the arm of a mummified corpse than a living limb. He tried to move his and could barely detect a slight twitch in one of his fingers. He stared wide-eyed, his mouth gaping.

“Close your mouth, boy, you’re not a fish,” Dr. Maria said, “and you’re not going anywhere. Doctor’s orders.”

Garrelt ripped his eyes away from his mummified arm and locked eyes with the doctor.

“So what, we just what? Wait and pray for a miracle?!” he said. “We both know no one here can take that thing. We need to evacuate the cavern! Come back with a strike team and hope it hasn’t grown stronger!”

Dr. Maria threw her head back and laughed. “Boy, even if the Maker hasn’t abandoned this shitstain of a planet long ago — something I highly doubt — I wouldn’t be holding your breath for a miracle any time soon. At times like this, the only ones we can trust to see us through are ourselves and our companions. The Maker helps those who help themselves, after all.”

“So we do nothing?!” Garrelt asked incredulously.

Dr. Maria scoffed. “Of course not, fool. But we each have our own parts to play in these events. All we can do is play that part as best as we can and trust others to do the same.”

She thumbed to herself, “I’m here to make sure you kids don’t get yourselves killed. How stupid would it be for me to rush into combat and ignore the wounded? Or what good does a general do for his army if he charges the front line himself?”

Garrelt silently considered the woman’s words before asking, “Then… what am I supposed to do?” The words sounded almost pleading, even to Garrelt. They felt so unlike him, yet… he couldn’t deny he was lost.

“I might be able to help you with that question,” someone said. Garrelt turned to his right to see… Hugo?

The ant-armored former bandit grinned down at Garrelt and raised a hand in greeting.

Hugo held out his hand. “The Boss rushed me here to collect you. He needs your expertise for something. If it works, we might just be able to salvage this whole mess… what do you say?”

Garrelt looked from Hugo to his hand, then back again. A silent moment passed before Garrelt reached up and clasped Hugo’s arm. The armored man grinned and pulled the scout leader to his feet.

Garrelt looked the man in the eyes. “Tell me what I need to do.”

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