It worked. Not one single stone moved to alert the guards of the encroaching threat, and Tailyn soon found himself a meter away from the lixes. Only an enormous boulder stood between them. Landing back on his feet, the boy took a look at the pair’s level three and level eight, figuring they differed significantly in both experience and knowledge. The one up at level eight presumably knew more. On the other hand, there was a consideration that had Tailyn point Valkyrie at the more experienced of the two. The boy’s relationship with Ka-Do-Gir had shown him the fanatical dedication lixes had to their sense of duty and honor, and the senior lix would presumably prefer to be tortured to death rather than spill the beans. His junior partner was potentially easier to crack. Logical? More than.
The crossbow fired the same moment the ice barrier appeared. Perception had measured the situation up perfectly—the deadly bolt carried such deadly force that it tore through the stone and bored through the lookout’s armor, though it wasn’t enough to throw the lix over the edge of the cliff. The ice was tougher. Before taking the shot, Tailyn had to take a few steps to the side, risking discovery, making sure he could see his target’s paw. But from there, it was smooth sailing. The young lix found himself trapped in an icy prison before he could so much as squeak. After checking once more to make sure there wasn’t anyone alive nearby except for Valia and the frozen lix, Tailyn stepped out from behind the boulder, grabbed the loot from the dead lix by force of habit, and froze. That was something he’d never seen before.
Tactical Binoculars TB-IV. (Ancient device, determining disposal policy ... Error! Determination not made). Description: a device that lets you zoom in on a device up to 54x. Integrates with Perception.
Would you like to integrate TB-IV with Vargot?
The piece of equipment shimmered and modified, adapting to Tailyn’s parameters. For a moment, the boy was taken aback, though he went along with the System’s suggestion. Vargot had all kinds of empty slots available, so it didn’t seem like there could be any downside to spending one of them on the binoculars. After dissolving in the boy’s hands, they appeared on his head. The fact that they weren’t a named item meant Tailyn felt the weight press down slightly on that side, though a mental press of a button in the control panel made him forget about the minor inconvenience.
Grivok in all its splendor was right there in front of Tailyn. With the help of the binoculars, he could practically make out each individual stone, zooming in and out just with the power of thought. The black lixes really were in charge. Running around their fellow lixes, they goaded them on to work faster, they being the only ones without special collars that periodically cut loose a charge of cold. And there were lots of human prisoners. Tailyn counted twenty cages with twenty prisoners in each, all of them emaciated to the point that they looked like nothing more than skin and bones. But that wasn’t the worst part. As soon as Tailyn focused his binoculars on one of the white monsters, his perception introduced him to the real masters of Grivok.
Minion of One (???).
Get closer to receive detailed parameters.
That was enough to send a wave of fear coursing through Tailyn’s veins. The last time he’d been up against minions, he’d very nearly died, though, to be fair, the head of Mean Truk looked nothing like the boy who had ventured into the city of the dead two years before. Coming to grips with his panic and the sudden urge to turn tail, he pulled out his intercom.
“Yes?” It took Forian a bit to reply. Judging by the fact that he was in the granite quarry surrounded by a cloud of dust, the treasurer was hard at work. And the pick in his hand made it clear he’d been doing the work of a simple laborer.
“I need to talk with Valrus. It’s urgent! I’ll call back in ten minutes, so find him before then,” Tailyn said before hanging up, unwilling to answer any questions. And they were in the offing—Forian’s eyes had widened in surprise when he saw Grivok in the background. Grabbing the chunk of ice, Tailyn flew into the air and had Valia push them off in the right direction. They needed to get further from the edge.
Two hundred meters felt good enough to the boy. The distance was presumably enough to keep them from being heard in the city, and Raptor would let him know if any unexpected guests showed up. But the next part was the most difficult. Tailyn had to figure out how to thaw the lix without letter the latter use his cards or weapons. Certainly, the creature had to still be alive. He was wearing level one armor, which should have been enough for him to survive at least half an hour, and the boy’s perception told him the body was more living than dead.
Concentrating, Tailyn focused heat on the lix’s lower appendages, freeing them from their icy bonds. They immediately twitched as the creature felt relative freedom and began fighting to free himself. Dumping their prisoner on his side, Valia and Tailyn wrapped a thick rope around his legs before Tailyn heated up the middle pair of appendages. The final pair took some doing. Despite his age and low level, Kip-Do-Gun, as the black lix was called, turned out to be a scrappy fighter. It was only after he’d been enveloped in a cocoon that Tailyn focused the heat on his head. As soon as the ice melted, Valia brought Matilda down a few times on the creature’s face shield to shatter it. And it was a good thing she did. The lix managed to use one of his cards, creating a bright flash. If they’d been close to the cliff edge, it would have been seen from below, though the sunny day and their distance from the city meant the lix’s attempt to warn the others of the attack was in vain.
“Halas will punish you!” the lix spat venomously as soon as he realized he’d failed. Prepared to die with honor, he began denouncing the humans every way he could, not bothering to figure out first if they could understand him. He’d done everything in his power. Nothing else mattered.
Tailyn’s communication amulet vibrated before he could begin the conversation. A shimmering cloud appeared in front of him, two worried faces—Forian’s and Valanil’s—as well as one intrigued mug—Valrus’—peering out of it. The latter’s eyes bugged the moment he saw the black lix. Apparently, he’d never come across one before.
“We thought they were a myth in our day,” the reptiloid said. “So, Halas is a black, too?”
The prisoner jerked when he heard a familiar word, and that triggered yet another tirade about how the humans were going to be toast when Halas found them. Tailyn had to wait for him to fall silent before he could describe the situation and ask the question that had been bothering him.
“How are One’s minions here if we destroyed One and the minions? The System even rewarded us.”
Valrus turned an interested glance on Tailyn.
“You destroyed One? Are you sure? An ancient creature just barely weaker than the god? Even Mark Derwin wasn’t able to pull that one off right away.”
“He’s right,” Valia said. “We did it together, tearing down the city in the mountain where that thing was hiding! He wanted to sacrifice us so he could be reborn.”
“That explains a lot... I’d very much like to hear your story, Tailyn Vlashich. That will let me help much better, though it can wait until you get back. Okay, about One. At least, the One that’s in Grivok. After the game arrived on your planet, the entire thing was divided up into enormous areas called hexagons. Each of them was governed by a machine called a general, each of which had a One—a powerful and wise creature with access to all resources. They were basically the generals’ right hands, or even both their hands as well as their feet in the outside world. I can tell you for sure that Mark Derwin pinned the One in your hexagon to the planet. Apparently, that wasn’t the only One he did that with, so there were multiple Ones left after the exodus.”
“Why did he do that?”
“To get them out of the game. Players travel from planet to planet, getting better and one day earning enough to buy immortality. You own yourself and don’t have to lay down your life for whoever the release owner is.”
“So, Mark was able to hand out that immortality?”
“No. He pull
ed creatures out of the game and left them on a dying planet so they could see for themselves what happens when you mine its dragon’s blood, the longest-living feeling the effects on themselves. They die along with the planet. And it’s not the easiest death, let me tell you. But that doesn’t matter...”
Valrus fell silent before looking back at the lix.
“Who’s in charge of Grivok?”
The question was asked in the lix tongue, which stunned the prisoner into silence. He began looking around frantically.
“Who’s there? Cut me loose! Together, we’ll tear these two to pieces and feast on their flesh! Hurry, while they’re busy talking. I’m Kip-Do-Gun of the third regiment—help!”
It didn’t even occur to him that the question could have come from the intercom. And it only deepened his surprise when Tailyn repeated the question in his own language.
“Halas the all-powerful, who punishes his foes!” The lix was going back over well-trodden turf, only that time he was less confident. “The first among lixes and second on this planet. Only the great One stands above the lixes, gracing us with his favor and granting us our power.”
“Has One been incarnated or are the sacrifices still going on?” Tailyn asked.
“One cannot be incarnated. He has no body, only a mind giving the lixes wisdom and strength. A while ago, they sent humans somewhere, though they’ve been sitting in cages for two years now. The white masters feed on them. It’s too slow, though, so they’re going to die soon enough—the great mother gave orders not to feed them anymore a week ago. We have no more need for prisoners.”
“The great mother?” Tailyn asked with a frown. “And who is that?”
“The one who gave life to Halas, leader of all lixes! The one who made us great!”
Tailyn, do you realize where we are? This is Halas’ home. He was born here!
Not necessarily here, but you’re on to something...
It didn’t matter where Halas was born. What did matter was that Tailyn had found the spot where his enemy received his incredible power.
“Where is One’s spirit? Where does he speak from?” Valrus asked when he noticed that the children were no longer interrogating their prisoner.
“He’s underground, in the heart of the city! And he’ll destroy you and everyone else who dares attack the city of the black lixes. Grivok is great and all-powerful! The black lixes will bring this world to its knees!”
“How can a spirit destroy us? He doesn’t have flesh,” Tailyn asked in surprise.
“He controls machines. With their help, One has defended the city from its adversaries on more than one occasion.”
“What’s the point of your lookout if One is so strong?”
“We warn the white masters so they can hide underground—they can’t be hurt. Halas has given orders to protect them. Halas is all-powerful! He’ll destroy you and pick at your bones!”
“How many humans are there in the cages?” Valanil asked.
“A little more than two hundred,” the lix said frankly, not considering that information secret. “There used to be more, but humans die like flies when they don’t have food. Give them a couple more days, and there won’t be any left. The great Halas promised to bring new ones for the white masters.”
The lix’s intel threw a wrench into Tailyn’s plans to attack the city right away. As soon as Halas found out what was going on, he would show up, and did the boy need a visit with his adversary right then? It was a tough question, but it needed an honest answer. Tailyn wasn’t ready. And with that in mind, they couldn’t take the city head on.
There was no more talking with the lix. He refused to say how many lixes and white minions there were, and Tailyn’s ham-fisted attempts to torture him into a confession elicited nothing more than laughter. Even Bar-Truk and Mu-Ro-Din’s offers to work together in an attempt to save the creature’s life just earned them curses as traitors. Basically, the lix behaved himself exactly as any self-respecting lix in captivity should have. Off he was sent to a meeting with his forefathers, and the intercom was switched off, Tailyn having heard nothing more than orders to leave well enough be and head back to Mean Truk. Heading back over to the lookout, the boy scanned the city once more with his binoculars. Nothing had changed. The lixes and minions were still dashing around between the buildings, once in a while making their way to the tallest building. That had to be where the terminal and path down to One was—Tailyn didn’t have a shadow of a doubt.
The children decided to put their raid off until that night. On the one hand, there wasn’t much sense in that—the black lixes had armor with built-in scanners that let them see just as well in the dark as they did during the day. But on the other hand, everyone slept sometime. And that presumably held true for the lixes and minions alike. Tailyn also hoped the mass of non-black lixes bereft of armor wouldn’t notice the intruders or be able to raise the alarm.
The wait was tedious, interrupted only by observation of the scurrying creatures below. At one point, Tailyn realized he was starting to understand what had first appeared to be chaos. There were three buildings in the city that were almost certainly workshops. The black smoke coming from their chimneys was proof enough, with creatures packing up something metal and carrying it off to different buildings depending on how big it was. Finally, they made their way to the main building and left their loads there. Others hauled ore, water, and wood to the workshops. Really, it was your average city bustle that would have looked natural with humans but didn’t in the least with the six-legged creatures.
Tailyn realized his mistake when the sun slid beyond the horizon. The Gray Lands were bathed in darkness, only a hundred lanterns lit up in Grivok to illuminate the streets and buildings. While the commotion remained unabated, the boy’s perception did tell him the lixes had changed. The day shift had gone to sleep and given way to a new wave. The white creatures, apparently, didn’t need rest. Without taking a moment’s break, they continued rushing around from building to building.
The pair meandering up the mountain to relieve their compatriots were immediately picked out by Tailyn. Using his concealment, he disguised himself as Kip-Do-Gun, although it wasn’t going to stand up to closer scrutiny. The dead lix was taller, heftier, and the owner of two more appendages than Tailyn had. But the look was enough to avoid raising suspicions for the first few seconds, and that was enough for magic to play its role. Tailyn wasn’t sure using cards that close to the city was a good idea. Who knew what kind of security system it had installed? On the other hand, he was able to send one bolt of lightning into each of the lixes, turning the pair into twitching hunks of meat. Dead meat, too—the boy’s attack power was impressive. The lixes’ armor could do nothing to withstand someone already closing in on level one hundred.
Tailyn wrapped his arms around Valia and activated the grip functionality on his armor just in case, turning their Vargots into a single unit. A couple steps to the side, and the pair found themselves on the edge of the cliff, more than two hundred meters above the city.
“Close your eyes—the first time is easier that way. Tell me when you’re ready.”
“Okay,” the girl stuttered, having a hard time controlling her nerves. Even entrusting herself completely to her betrothed, the fear she felt at the thought of hurtling into the abyss tightened her chest and made it hard to breathe. It took an effort to keep from insisting on keeping an eye out from above in order to avoid the ordeal, claiming it was to make sure Tailyn had an escape route. But her pride didn’t let her. She wasn’t about to let fear control her, the heiress to an ancient family. It was her responsibility to live up to her birthright despite the fact that she’d turned her back on it.
But all that was swept right out of her head the moment Tailyn took a step forward. As soon as Valia felt her feet leave the ground, her stomach leaped into her throat, her heart suddenly making its own existence known, as well. All her internal organs seemed to be begging to remain up on the cliff. For her
turn, the girl screamed louder than she ever had. It was an unbelievable feeling.
“I told you to close your eyes,” Tailyn muttered just as he felt a fairly painful blow. His Talarii had kicked in. With the weight nearly doubled, Vargot wasn’t able to stop their flight right away, just slowing them down. The algorithm panicked, the fall compensation mechanism maxed out, and their flight stopped completely. From inside Vargot, Tailyn was jerked so hard even the inertia cancellation didn’t help. And if it hadn’t been for the grips, he would never have been able to hold on to Valia.
But it worked out. Save for the one bump, the pair were okay, and the best part was that Valia had stopped her screaming. Her Vargot had blocked the sound to make sure every lix in the vicinity didn’t come running to see who’d come dropping by for a visit. With the wind grabbing them and pulling them away from the city, Tailyn had to take control, dropping them down quickly and putting Valia through another whirl of nerves. Finally, they were on the ground. But the wind had taken a toll—they were on the outskirts of the city, right by the wall. In fact, they’d landed so hard that the lixes around them froze, mouths agape. It wasn’t every day somebody came down flying from above. Three heads peered out over the wall and stared in surprise at the pair.
Tartila Mine (The Alchemist Book #5): LitRPG Series Page 6