The Two Week Curse
Page 53
“Pay dirt.” Rugrat smiled at Erik as he quickly uncovered one of the caches.
Using the first one as a reference point, Erik found a rotted-out tree, rolled it to the side and started to dig. It wasn’t long until he found a rifle bag.
He opened it up, revealing the rifle that he had left behind.
==========
GM6 Lynx (Big Momma)
==========
Damage: Unknown
Weight: 11.5 kg
Health: 100/100
Base Value: Unknown
Range: Long range
Requires: .50 BMG Ammunition
==========
He had a bittersweet expression on his face. He loved the rifle but with its bigger rounds, it would mean that more formations could be placed on them. He knew that his rifle was destined to be used by Rugrat. It saddened him but he knew that as he was fighting with his fists, it only made sense. Erik put it away in his storage ring.
They went to each of the hidden locations and pulled out the different buried caches. Once they collected the goods, they headed toward Chonglu.
***
Erik stood on a roof. Rugrat was beside him, crouched down as he used Big Momma to look over the Healing Moon House building.
Their silhouettes were hard to see in the night’s darkness, only illuminated by the lights in the square below them.
In the center of the square lay their target.
“I count twelve guards around the perimeter. All of them are at least level eight, armored, decent weapons, high Novice grade, one with an Apprentice-level sword—must be the commander,” Rugrat said, not looking up from his scope as he scanned the building.
Everything was quiet as most people were asleep in the noble sector.
“Got four hidden archers on each corner—saw them go on shift,” Rugrat said.
Erik put away the rifle sight he had been using to scout the healing house, memorizing the different guard positions. He shifted his shoulders around, feeling the new armor that lay underneath. Rugrat had made it himself. The Golden Fox gear was up for sale and its strengths lay with swordsmen type fighters, not melee.
Though he didn’t really agree with the new gear’s names.
==========
Nipple Chafer 2000 Cuirass
==========
Defense: 87
Weight: 32.3 kg
Durability: 107/107
Base Value: 1 Gold, 12 Silver
Slot: Takes up chest slot
Innate Ability: Reduce magical attacks effect by 5%
Requirement:
13 Agility
15 Strength
==========
==========
Erik’s Face Puncher’s Gloves
==========
Defense: 27
Attack: 13
Weight: 1.7 kg
Durability: 98/98
Base Value: 87 Silver
Slot: Takes up hand slot
Innate Ability: 3% chance to stun
Requirement:
17 Agility
4 Strength
==========
==========
Party Pants Greaves
==========
Defense:
Weight: 5.3 kg
Durability: 90/90
Base Value: 2 Gold, 73 Silver
Slot: Takes up leg slot
Innate Ability: Increase Agility 4%
Requirement:
22 Agility
10 Strength
==========
All of it had been darkened so it wouldn’t shine in the dark. Other than his chest, his gloves and his greaves were lightweight to reduce noise and not get in the way when he was fighting.
“Plan?” Erik asked.
“I hit the archers, work the perimeter, thin them down. You move in close. I’ll give you support, call out the enemy,” Rugrat said.
“Works for me.”
“I’ll take out the archers, then put a silence spell on your armor so that you don’t sound out so much.”
“Works. Once we clear the perimeter, we’ll go in loud—they’ll find out sooner or later,” Erik said. “Ready when you are.”
Rugrat didn’t say anything as Erik pulled off his cloak, revealing the dark armor underneath. The cloak and the doupeng disappeared into his storage ring.
Rugrat fired his gun, riding the recoil as he altered his aim. He fired again; the round traveled through an arrow slit to hit the archer beyond.
There was no more movement as Rugrat continued to change his aim: one shot, one archer fell until there were no more left.
Rugrat turned to Erik; a spell formed on his hand. It was black, nearly impossible to see in the dark as it shot out and landed on Erik’s body, assimilating into his armor. “Good,” Rugrat said.
Erik ran and jumped off the roof of the building. He came down over the fence that separated the Healing Moon House from the open square around it.
Erik pulled out a blade as he dropped onto one guard, his blade stabbing into their neck.
Another in front of him started to yell out; the blue flash of a Mana bullet from Erik’s finger silenced them.
“Twenty yards around the corner, hold position, turning to face you,” Rugrat said.
“Roderick, Chiao—you okay?” a voice asked.
Erik stayed crouched as a guard turned the corner. A flash of Mana was the last thing he saw as it ripped through his open visor, piercing his eye and brain.
Erik jumped forward, grabbing the man and lowering him gently.
“Turn right, five yards, get into the alcove.” Rugrat was holding his rounds. The noise from hitting the armor would alert everyone in the healing house.
Erik moved forward into the alcove.
“Hold,” Rugrat said.
Erik ducked into the alcove as two guards passed. Erik jumped up, placing his fingers against each of their necks and firing Mana bullets. They didn’t have time to call out as Erik grabbed them and slowly lowered them to the ground.
He moved through the grounds; Rugrat called out targets as he cleared around the healing house, until it was just the gate guards at the front of the healing house.
The gates were shut. Erik moved up close to the wall. The bottom three feet was made of stone, the upper part made of iron rods that looked like crude spears.
“Ready?” Rugrat asked in Erik’s ear.
Erik tapped the device on his wrist twice as he edged closer. He could hear the breathing of the two men at the gate now. He tapped on the device once.
“Ready?” Rugrat asked.
Erik tapped once again.
“Understood. Ready to fire. Five seconds, four, three.”
Erik readied himself, thinking about his next action.
“Two, one!”
Erik jumped up as the guard captain to the right side of the gate crumpled, his helmet deformed by the heavy fifty-caliber round. Erik reached through the iron bars, grabbing the other guard’s jaw and pulled his head up, making him unable to yell out as his right hand snaked out, pressing against his neck and firing a Mana bullet up into his skull.
The man’s weight fell into Erik’s left hand as he released him.
Rugrat moved out of the shadows, carrying a bow and arrow with him. He wore black leather with banded steel on it, made from the leopard pelts they’d collected and armor he’d made himself.
Erik opened the gate from the inside.
“Wha—!” The word ended in a gurgle as Rugrat moved through the gate.
Erik turned to see a healer on the ground, holding his neck in shock. He was so stunned by getting actually hurt he didn’t even use any healing spells.
Rugrat jumped up the stairs. The noise of the armored guard being hit by Big Momma’s heavy round made lights turn on in the Healing Moon House as some guards came to see what the commotion was.
Erik pulled the keys off th
e dead guard captain. He locked the gate again and broke the key off in the lock. He ran to follow Rugrat.
The entrance was a large opulent hall. One could see all the way to the ceiling where large windows allowed sunlight in. Now there were just a few magical lights on.
There were three stories. On the first was a reception, with private rooms behind it that the injured were attended in. There was a set of stairs at the back of the hall that went halfway up to the second floor before they branched off; this led to the healer’s quarters. There were stairs in front of the healer’s quarters that led to the administration offices and the quarters of the Healing Moon House’s leaders’ rooms.
Guards came down from the second floor.
“Who are you and what are you doing in the Healing Moon House?” a guard demanded. All of them had just woken up and they were mostly wearing just padded jackets and pants.
Who would be foolish enough to attack a healing house when it was inside a city? Most of these guards lived a charmed and easy life, simply looking good instead of training their combat skills.
“We’ve come to discuss some policies of the Healing Moon House—primarily, poisoning,” Erik said.
The light caught his face as the guard looked at him. His eyes thinned, as if remembering the face. Then they widened abruptly. “Y-you’re—you were the peddler in the market!”
A spell circle appeared at the end of Erik’s finger. The guard didn’t have time to react as the Mana bullet hit him in the face. His fellows were hit with his remains as he dropped to the ground.
Rugrat’s arrow glowed with a spell as he released it. The arrow struck a guard near the back. The explosive spell on the arrow turned it into a small grenade as it went off, throwing the guards.
“Bingo,” Erik said. Multiple Mana bullets shot out of his finger, almost in a stream, leaving behind destruction.
The Healing Moon House turned into chaos as healers started to come out of their rooms to see the guards being torn apart by explosive arrows and Mana bullets. The two men in dark clothes seemed untouchable, the guards not even getting close as the two ascended the stairs.
Chapter: Disturbing the Peace
Lord Chonglu’s features were gaunt, his eyes not leaving his children’s beds as they laid there, barely breathing.
He had personally administered the different concoctions he had been given and he was waiting on Grandmaster Eri’s support. He could only curse inside as he gripped his fists together, hoping that the aid would come soon and he could stop their suffering.
Mira, what did we do wrong to bring this suffering down upon them? We thought that your father would be happy to know that you settled down and you were finally able to awaken your bloodline. Who knew that he would send members of the clan to take you away and poison our children?
Hot tears filled his eyes as he blamed himself for pushing his wife to pass word to her father. He knew how it hurt her so not being in contact with her family. He had hoped to repair things, but it had only made them worse.
There was a knock at the door.
Chonglu’s pent-up anger and frustrations were released. His eyes turned cold as he beckoned at the door. It opened to reveal Quinn. Seeing and feeling the killing intent that rolled off Lord Chonglu, Quinn dropped to his knees.
“Lord, there is a commotion going on at the Healing Moon House!” Quinn forced out the words as his face was pale to the extreme.
“What!” Chonglu stood, his veins bulging out. He took half a step forward before he looked to his children. “Send out the guards to assist. You will lead them. Ronhou!”
The last word carried through the palace as it was answered by a howl.
There were noises in the palace before a large black beast dropped down into the corridor. It moved toward its master. The beast was smarter than average. A powerful aura surrounded it, making others feel oppressed. But when its eyes fell on Chonglu’s children, its expression altered between sad and angry. Ronhou had seen them grow up and was highly protective of them both.
He was no young beast anymore; scars showed through his sleek black fur. To someone from Earth, he might look as if he was a mix between a tiger and a bear—a tiger’s body with the mass of a bear and the face of one.
“You will obey Quinn and listen to his commands as if they are my own,” Chonglu ordered.
Ronhou dropped his head in understanding. The mutual contract between them passed their feelings and thoughts back and forth.
It raised its head and looked at Quinn, assessing him before he turned to the side.
Quinn bowed to Ronhou and to Lord Chonglu. “Thank you for your trust.” Quinn didn’t wait any longer as he jumped up onto Ronhou’s back.
The creature took off as Quinn started to send messages through his sound transmission device.
“Seal the palace.” Chonglu’s voice rang with power. He was the lord of this city, a level fourteen existence that had traveled across the Second Realm. His strength wasn’t simple.
Hidden experts in the room passed the word as the lord’s guard were awakened, moving to their positions.
The doors closed to the children’s room as Chonglu pulled out a seal of office. This was directly connected to the city itself and allowed him to command the city interface.
Through it, he could see roughly what was going on.
***
Grandmaster Eri turned over in his sleep at the loud bang down below. He turned and grabbed at the woman to his right, waking her up.
She let out a stunned and then excited noise.
Eri couldn’t help but smile as he played with her nipple. His eyes slowly opened and he frowned as he heard another noise from downstairs. He was about to continue what he was doing when the noise only increased.
With an angry snort, he got out of bed, pulling on his robe and checking his appearance before he strode for the door.
He lived on the highest part of the third floor. He went to the balcony that looked over the healing house. He looked down to see streams of Mana blue lighting up the scene below as fiery red explosions went off or arrows cut through multiple people.
His face turned white at the destruction below. What Experts did we offend to have them come here?
“Please, can we not resolve this matter!” Grandmaster Eri yelled out below.
The fighting stopped as the men looked upward. “Are you the leader?” one asked.
Grandmaster Eri gulped. Looking into those eyes, even three floors away, he felt his knees were weak and his back cold. There wasn’t any explicit killing intent; instead, it felt as if he were the one being looked down on, some insignificant ant beneath this other person’s shoe.
Eri could only nod.
“Good!” The man jumped up, reaching the banister of the first floor and jumping to the other side.
“Put down your weapons and I will not attack you,” the other man with a bow yelled.
The aura of the Ten Realms was descending as some of the guards who couldn’t take it anymore unleashed what attacks they had prepared.
The man’s arrows cut them down. Others threw their weapons away, not getting into the fight. His accuracy and the power of his arrows left one shocked.
The other man was climbing up the banisters. He was already up to the second floor and leaping for the third.
Eri backpedaled, nearly tripping over his robe as he ran for his door. He slammed it closed and locked it. He looked around his room. The two women in his bed looked at him in alarm as he ran for his desk.
The door to his room shook once. The iron lock bent. The second kick broke the lock and bent the hinges.
The women in Eri’s bed screamed as the man who had been downstairs walked into the room.
Eri was filled with fear as he tried to look through his desk. Something shot out of the man’s hand, shredding the desk. The desk exploded and peppered Eri with splinters, but it revealed a piece of wood with runes on
it and a crystal at its top.
Eri grabbed the wand, a fierce look on his face as he fired it at the mysterious man. The man dove but Eri knew he had hit him.
He got up, unable to see over the remains of his desk.
The man was waiting; his Mana bullet hit Eri’s wand, causing the crystal to shatter and then explode.
He hit the wall to the side of his desk.
The man stood up and moved forward.
Eri looked up at him, whimpering. He could see the hole in the other’s right arm. He had hit him, but the man didn’t seem to care. There was even bone showing.
The man’s arm started to regenerate before his very eyes. A healing spell appeared over the wound as he started self-healing.
“W-what do you want?” Eri asked.
“Grandmaster Eri, I’ve been hearing a lot about you.” The man crouched down. “Heard that you don’t like any opposition, that you’re a miracle healer.” The disdain was clear in his eyes.
“This is the Healing Moon House. If you do anything to me, you will be hunted across the First Realm!” Eri said, some fire returning to his eyes.
“I also heard that your disciple wouldn’t do anything without your orders,” the man continued, ignoring his words.
“I-I…” Eri’s words died in his throat. He hadn’t just okayed it, he’d been the one to suggest it to his disciple. He didn’t expect it to be so public. With Lord Chonglu cowed for fear of losing the person that could heal his children. He had bragged about it to some of his rivals to incite fear and show his new strength in Chonglu City. Trying to take it back when he had said it was his plan all along was impossible now.
Eri’s mind was still sharp, though. “You’re the peddling healer!”
“Got it in one.” The man stood, grabbing Grandmaster Eri’s robe and lifting him up with ease.
Eri tried to struggle but it was like a baby trying to fight an adult.
“This is the city guard. Put down your weapons and come out. You are under arrest for disturbing the peace.”
A chill seemed to run through the man’s eyes. He threw Eri backward, breaking the large window behind his desk. “Count the peace as disturbed!” the man yelled out.
Eri screamed before he slammed into the iron spear-like fence below. His blood splattered on the city guard outside of the Healing Moon House.