Fizzlesprocket_Everybody Loves Large Chests [Vol.2]

by Neven Iliev

  In the end, she resolved to satisfy her morbid curiosity by questioning the one who had gone through it.

  “Hey, Slagathor,” she called out in a low voice.

  There was no way the succubus didn’t hear her, yet she showed no reaction and gave no response. She just kept staring absentmindedly in the Mimic’s general direction. Kora naturally did not appreciate being ignored, so she exerted more effort in getting her fellow demon’s attention –

  “Oy! I’m talking to you!”

  *SLAP*

  – mostly by raising her voice and hitting her co-contractor across the face with a backhanded strike that was more of a punch than a slap.

  “Yeeeees? Whaaat is it?”

  That seemed to do the trick as Xera looked away from the Mimic and stared at the fiend. However, those glassy eyes, loopy grin, and silly way of speaking were completely unlike her.

  “You’re acting weird. Weirder than normal, I mean,” Kora pointed out. “Did your rotten head break even further?”

  “Hee hee hee … Maaaybee!” Xera answered in an uncharacteristically cheerful voice.

  “ … Okay, seriously. What’s going on? Do I have to call Demons ‘R’ Us?”

  It didn’t matter to Kora how much physical torment her co-contractor went through, but the fiend would take action immediately if the succubus’s immortal soul was in danger. No demon, no matter how depraved, insane, or selfish, would truly wish to see their fellow residents of the Beyond disappear for good. And they got along much better than one would normally expect, so Kora’s unusual show of concern was quite genuine.

  “Oh, nooooo! Nothing like thaaaat,” Xera responded in a half-singing voice. “I had just forgotten how, nnnn, thorough my Master can be!”

  This was the first time in a long while she had been abused to that extent. It was far more exhilarating than anything Kora had done to her. Of course, the fiend broke her bones and bruised her body during their extremely violent sessions, but she still held herself back. Mostly because their Master only allowed the two to engage in strictly non-lethal antics, but also because the red-skinned giantess was growing a little bit soft on her.

  Boxxy, on the other hand, just saw her as a tool – a thing. It regarded her as nothing more than its possession, something to be used and thrown away as an owner saw fit. There was no doubt in the succubus’s mind that the only reason she wasn’t still writhing in agony on the floor was because Boxxy wanted to retrieve its component from inside her. That, or she was simply being too noisy for its liking.

  Of course, the Mimic didn’t literally consider her as an inanimate object. It still understood that demons were living beings with thoughts, opinions, and emotions of their own. It just actively ignored that side of them until it became a problem. In Xera’s opinion, although Kora’s physical abuse was – for lack of a better word – quite tasty, the fiend paled in comparison to Boxxy. Nothing could make the succubus’s twisted heart race quite like the malicious neglect of her one and only Master. Well, metaphorically speaking, at least.

  “ … I swear, you are getting creepier by the day,” Kora said.

  Xera did not respond. She simply kept staring at her master working on its little contraption while humming a random tune under her breath.

  Part Five

  It could be said that the Calamity of Monotal served as a sort of wake-up call for the Empire’s complacent nobles. A good example of this was the Lord-Mayor in charge of Erosa. In the past, he had been quite stingy with the city’s defensive budget, although the same could be said of many of his peers. At least he was justified, in that Cradle Valley was a relatively peaceful place, far away from any external threats and with very few internal problems. However, his stance changed practically overnight when the grim rumours surrounding Monotal were confirmed to be true.

  Money was poured into the guardsmen responsible for Erosa’s security. Equipment was ordered and delivered, salaries were raised, training was intensified, and recruitment drives were started. The lord even went as far as authorizing so-called ‘power-levelling’ expeditions for his guardsmen. This was a practice whereby a group of powerful adventurers would be paid to act as babysitters to one or more weaker individuals. These weaklings would attack strong monsters and inflict some modicum of damage, and the bodyguards would then swoop in and secure the kill.

  This method led to a dramatic increase in one’s Job Level and any related Attributes but also came with a downside. The power-leveller would be left with their Skills and weapon Masteries woefully undeveloped. This created a very real problem that was referred to in the adventurer community as ‘hollow power.’ It meant that an individual whose strength had been coddled rather than forged through their own merits would lead them astray. They would grow overconfident and arrogant without having the basic abilities, combat experience, or ‘battle sense’ to back them up. There were, of course, those who sought to actively rectify this flaw and fill in the gaps, but they were often few and far between.

  So while power-levelling was effective in rapidly increasing one’s martial or mystical might, it was quite frowned upon by veteran adventurers – who were also, ironically enough, the only ones who could reliably fulfil such requests. However, the province was in a state of emergency. The lord had to take drastic measures to make sure that not only was Erosa kept safe, but that its citizens also felt safe, and the local guilds supported his policies.

  As a result, the city’s security force experienced an explosive growth in both quantity and quality. Within the span of ten days, it went from two hundred guardsmen with an average Level of 20 to four hundred well-armed soldiers with a Level of at least 35. This allowed patrols to be tightened and security checkpoints to be beefed up. There was even an anti-intrusion enchantment placed along the walls that would trigger an alarm should someone or something try to sneak in over them. It caused a few problems until it was calibrated to ignore most common birds, but that was a minor hiccup.

  There were, of course, more major hiccups. Many of the newly hired guards, for example, didn’t particularly care for the people and simply wanted to get paid. There were even a few bad apples who tried their hand at smuggling or absconding with their issued weapons and armour, but they were quickly rooted out and punished accordingly.

  The overall result of this initiative was still positive in the short-term. The commoners were reassured their taxes were being well spent and the adventurer types that poured in from all over the country were less inclined to stir up trouble.

  It was too early to tell if there had been any sort of effect on the crime rate, though that certainly didn’t seem to be the case. While patrols within the city’s walls increased, unrest also swelled with all the refugees and adventurers passing through. The slums were mostly ignored by law enforcement and its residents were still treated as nothing more than a statistic. Nobody with any actual power would really notice or care if a bunch of them went missing. They were too busy focusing on new threats instead of dealing with existing ones. So while there was an overall heavier presence of guards within and around Erosa, it was mostly concentrated on the city’s gates, walls, and main streets.

  And tonight was no different. There was a regiment of fourteen guards standing at attention at the city’s northern entrance, even though the sun had set long ago, and the vast majority of the town’s population was fast asleep. Eight of them were on the outer side of the gatehouse while the remaining six kept an eye on the inside. And one of those six noticed a pair of shadows approach his position from the darkened street.

  “Who goes there?” he called out.

  His colleagues immediately raised their guard at his words. The area around the gate was bathed in the warm yellow light of the torches, but it was still hard to make out people’s faces until they got closer.

  “It is I, my child,” called out the smaller silhouette with a clear, calming voice.

  The image of a humble nun in service to the Goddess Teresa gradually becam
e clearer with every step she made. She wore a plain, dark grey habit with the image of a small golden hammer embroidered on either shoulder. Her face was easy on the eyes and, although she looked to be in her early 20s, she carried herself with an undeniable sense of grace and humility.

  “Ah, sister Lyo?” said the guard after he recognized her. “Going out to gather Moonblossoms again?”

  “Indeed, my child. I am afraid the orphan in my care is still suffering from night terrors.”

  Moonblossoms were a herb said to bestow sweet dreams on anyone who drank tea made from its petals. The catch was that the flower withered quickly and, as suggested by its name, only bloomed under the moonlight. Therefore, it was perfectly reasonable for one to gather the herb after dark if they hoped to make use of its sleep-inducing properties.

  “And, uh, mister tall, dark, and gruesome there will be your escort?”

  The guard pointed at the person following behind the nun. He was a heavyset man who stood at over two metres in height. The heavy cloak he wore concealed both his face and his body. The suspicious looking individual didn’t speak, merely nodding his head deeply in response to the guard’s inquiry.

  “That is so,” confirmed the nun.

  “Are you certain you will be fine with just him?”

  “Do not fret, my child. He is most capable.”

  “Well yeah, I know it’s not the first time you’ve hired him, but I can’t help but worry sending you out there with a shady guy like that.”

  “I appreciate your concern, but please be at ease. I trust my dear cousin with my life.”

  “Ah, your cousin is it?”

  If the good sister said it was so, then it must have been the truth. After all, she was one of the devout servants of Teresa, the Goddess of Truth and Justice.

  “Apologies, sister Lyo. I just can’t help but worry. I, uhm, heard about the break-in at the temple.”

  Someone had snuck into the local temple of Teresa and absconded with one of the Holy Pearls kept there. Pretty much the entire city knew by now, even though the heinous act had only come to light this afternoon.

  “Indeed, a very horrid affair,” said the nun with a hint of sadness in her voice. “I pray the misguided soul who took that sacred treasure will see the light of Her Truth and beg for Her forgiveness.”

  The nun raised her right hand up to her face and pressed the tips of her middle and index fingers to her lips, forehead, and left breast in turn. Many of the guards present there repeated the religious gesture. Its meaning could be loosely interpreted as, ‘Let my mouth speak only the truth that resides within my mind and heart.’

  The well-meaning guard then ordered the rest to make way for the devout nun and her companion. They guided them respectfully through the heavily guarded door on the side of the gate and kept a watchful eye on them as they made their way into the darkness that lay beyond the city’s walls.

  “I don’t like that guy,” one of the men stationed outside the wall said to his older colleague once the two travellers were out of sight.

  “Yeah I know,” agreed his fellow watchman. “Gives me the creeps, you know?”

  “What? Oh yeah, I guess there’s that, too.”

  “Huh? What were you talking about, then?”

  “Nothing much. Just a bit jealous, I suppose.”

  “You are? Of what?”

  “I mean, he gets to spend time with a cute girl like that for the night. You know how it is – just the two of them … under a moonlit sky … away from prying eyes … ”

  The other guy raised his hand, gesturing for his colleague to shut up. “I am going to pretend I didn’t just hear you insinuate that sister Lyo is having an immoral tryst with her cousin.”

  “How’d you know they haven’t done it?”

  “Because, you idiot, that’s fucking sick. Not only that, but there’s no way of one Teresa’s faithful would break their oath of celibacy.”

  Swearing to maintain one’s chastity wasn’t a practice that was as widespread as it used to be, but it was still very common among the human-dominated Lodrak Empire’s clergy. The ones in Erosa were no exception.

  “Yeah? And how would you know sister Lyo hasn’t done it?”

  “Because Teresa’s the Goddess of Truth.”

  “Yeah? So?”

  “So? Do you honestly think She’d let anyone get off easy if they dared break an oath made in Her holy name? They’d get branded with the Taboo Skill for sure!”

  The effects of that Skill were, simply put, to alienate the bearer from all religious orders and pious believers. It was basically the Gods’ way of marking those who actively and knowingly went against their will. It was pretty much a death sentence in some of the more … fanatical corners of the world.

  “Oh, right,” said the younger guard. “That was a thing, wasn’t it?”

  He vaguely remembered hearing something like that from his mum, but he had forgotten about it since he wasn’t a particularly religious guy. He had far more important things to worry about than some far-off Gods. Like putting food on the table, or finding an apothecary to treat that weird boil on his bum.

  “Hey, you lot!” called out someone from on top of the gatehouse. “Be quiet down there and pay attention! If someone or something sneaks past us it’ll be on all our heads!”

  “Yes sir!” replied the two undisciplined guards as they resumed their duties.

  Tensions were indeed high since the Calamity of Monotal, so they could not afford to be careless. That was the whole point of all the beefed-up security measures in the first place. Which was more than a little ironic since the creature responsible for that disaster had just slipped by them anyway.

  Actually, it was more accurate to say that it had slipped under them.

  As it turned out, all the guards and magical security systems were no match for a mimic with a penchant for digging and too much free time on its hands. Or was that tentacles? Tongues? Legs, maybe?

  Regardless of Boxxy’s confusing anatomy, it had simply made a tunnel that went under the western section of the wall. The entrance was near its hideout in the slums, and the exit was some distance away from the wall, impossible to spot at a distance. Of course, the heavy security measures weren’t in place when the Mimic first got there, and it could leisurely climb over the wall.

  But that was then, this was now. Attempting something like that after the detection enchantment had been placed was sure to cause an alarm. Trying to get past the security checkpoints was also quite problematic. The monster seriously doubted whether it had the people skills to not make them suspicious of its true nature, so it opted to avoid them entirely.

  Granted, the subterranean route wasn’t its only option. There was also the possibility of infiltrating the city by walking along the bottom of the Whispering Canal. The deep, narrow river provided Erosa with fresh drinking water and ran right through the centre of the city. Going through the drains built into the city’s thick stone walls was an obvious choice, but Boxxy had to give up on that path. The water was crystal clear for the most part, so anyone and anything would be able to spot it moving along the bottom. There was also the very real worry of running out of breath.

  The fact that the wall’s submerged drain pipe had not one, not two, but a series of four metal grates protecting it had very little to do with Boxxy’s decision to avoid that place, okay?

  Having passed through its tunnel, the Mimic emerged into the night under the cover of darkness. Since the west side of the city wall had no gates, it only had to worry about the people patrolling on top of and around the wall, but the distance between them and it was already more than sixty metres. It also made sure to cover its faux-wooden body in imitation grass and leaves in order to blend in with the knee-high grass that surrounded the plains to the west of the city.

  Boxxy scuttled along towards the Troll Woods in the distance but made a slight detour. It noticed a nun and her towering escort in the fields and decided to scout them out. It appro
ached them silently under the cover of Stealth and the surrounding tall grass. It stalked them for a bit, sizing them up and gauging whether it should pounce. The woman that was busy picking flowers didn’t seem to be particularly threatening, but the Mimic knew better than to underestimate the humans around these parts. Based on her religious vestments, it was very likely she was the holder of a Priest Job, although her Level was more or less a complete mystery.

  Her escort was clearly a threat, however. Shining full plate could be seen under his cloak, while what was probably the handle of a greatsword stuck out from behind his head. He was obviously a close combat fighter, and although his Level was equally unknown, he was giving off a very dangerous feeling. Also, his gear looked particularly shiny and, as Boxxy found out recently, shiny things were expensive. Owning expensive things meant he must have had the money to buy them, which in turn meant he was probably a successful adventurer. And successful adventurers were the kind of monster-hunting experts who stood a real chance of defeating an uppity box that had gone in over its head.

  Eventually the Mimic decided against attacking the two and skulked away towards its initial destination. If either of those two were alone, then it would have definitely ambushed them. However, if they were together and it failed to take down the healer on the first strike, then its chances of winning that fight became close to zero. At that point it would have to retreat or lose its life. So, rather than gamble on a fight it wasn’t certain it would win, it decided to avoid it completely and go hunt far more predictable prey like its fellow monsters instead.

  Having made it to the edge of the Troll Woods about an hour later, the Mimic forcibly dismissed both Kora and Xera, who were currently still in the city, and summoned them to its new position as backup. It briefly considered doing this to get a drop on the two potential targets earlier, but quickly deemed that to be a terrible idea. The Summon Familiar Skill was quite flashy, so using it in the open fields just outside the city wall was a good way of getting itself noticed. Not only by the people in question but also by the sentries atop the wall.