This has been hands down the hardest chapter I've ever written. Enjoy.
Briella Lunarise POV - Apocalypse Early Days
We made our way to the college, the day after looking for Darci's child. It was close by, and wouldn't be such a bad place to set up a more permanent camp. I still wanted to look for my friends of course, but these people needed me at the moment, and I was unsure how exactly to find the people I was looking for. For now, I just decided to do what I could.
Arriving at the college, we quickly found that there were already a lot of people there, loosely connected with little organization. We talked to them, and we started reinforcing one of the buildings the very same day. It was important to have a defensible position.
A few days passed and a modicum of order was restored. Everyone just did what they could, the tragedy of the apocalypse still a fresh wound. Most people lost someone, and I was afraid to find out who it was that I lost.
Fortunately, there were a lot of things to do to keep my mind off things.
Another day, and there were strange murmurings and gatherings abound. I had been paying attention, so I knew that there was a certain gathering of people, a faction that had formed. Its origins were in a fraternity commonly known as BIGPP, short for 'Beta Iota Gamma Pi Pi'. The name was retained, but the entire group as a whole had undergone a radical transformation. With most of its members dead, and a whole new set of challenges presented by the apocalypse, it'd be hard to remain some fringe college frat that does stupid parties. At least, that's what I assumed they did. It was never my scene really.
This new faction that arose was led by Bearwig who was its previous President, and they have been recruiting people from among the stronger survivors. I would know, because an Invitation made its way to me as well.
I wasn't really interested, but I told them that I would think about it. The whole group gave off some really bad vibes, and I wasn't sure they'd just take no for an answer. I thought it best to let them down easy, and maybe keep some doors open. If they do act as predicted, then I might have to infiltrate and destroy their group from the inside. Like a spy heroine, who falls in love with her mark!
I could just be overthinking it though. Real life's not a play.
~~~
It turns out that real life was indeed a play. A particularly bad one at that.
"People of Yorkwood University! The monsters are attacking, and we are left helpless against them. It's hard, so very hard, just to remain alive. We do what we can but there is no organization. Society is dead! That's why we need proper leadership! A proper ruling body! I will lead us into the future! We will retake the land, retake this city, and eventually the entire country! Who's with me!???"
Bearwig, the leader of BIGPP, made his big speech in front of everyone. A lot of the stronger Classers have been recruited to his side, even some of the people that I came here with.
There were pockets of them subtly surrounding us from all sides. Or at least they were trying to be subtle, but this lot would make me want to claw my eyes out and throw it at them, if they were the team I was working with for a play. The costume too was all over the place, but at least they got a consistent little badge going on. It was of an eagle and a beer.
The reaction to the earlier declaration was a bit mixed, but it was quickly tilted to one side because of what I presume to be plants in the audience. Their acting was particularly bad, and it was painful to listen to. Put more effort in. Embody the passion, but do not overexaggerate like a fucking juvenile trying to keep a secret! Bearwig's name was being chanted in short order, and I could see even the more reluctant and skeptical people genuinely buying into the hype. It was just like the beginning of a corrupt world leader, who would then oppress the people, where it would ultimately be up to me, the heroine, to put a stop to his evil dastardly plans!
But this was real life. I doubt things would be that bad, nor that clearcut. Hell, he's not wrong about needing proper organization even. Perhaps this would all turn out for the better.
~~~
It did not turn out for the better.
It turned out for the worse, actually.
After Bearwig's big speech, the new management was immediately put in place. Not even a vote or anything. At least they had the good sense to no longer call themselves BIGPP, because their actions clearly didn't do the name justice. They were now The Council and its Enforcers.
Enforcer was a literal term, for the stronger people that I noticed surrounding us earlier had suddenly started barking orders, and trying to emulate the serious demeanor of an occupying army. They failed in way too many places to keep up the illusion, but I could clearly see a lot of the civilians growing nervous regardless. I named the rest of us peasants as civilians, beholden to the whims of our new lords. Oh woe is we.
It’s not funny.
They began herding the rest of us peasants into groups, and everyone was starting to get really uncomfortable, despite how Bearwig had managed to reassure us all earlier. The murmurs grew louder as the same scene repeated in the small courtyard that we had taken control of, but the tense peace held. We were told to stay calm by authoritative figures, and the people listened. I think most of them did want someone to lead. Anyone.
We were under a lot of stress, and something had to change.
A man that I knew in passing came up to me and my group of twenty. He and I shared a few classes in college, but never even got to know each other's name, though it was enough to remember his face. He was now one of their “generals”, as shown by the cape with their emblem of an eagle and a beer, wrought in paint.
"Hey!" He said in a friendly tone, and I felt the weight of an Identify. "Hello everyone! I’m Roler, and I’ll be in charge of you today. We're going to beat back the tide, and take back our territory. Maybe go for a supply run too!"
I looked at the person next to me, and he looked back uncertainly. At that point, we still only had two buildings to our name, as it was very hard to conquer and then occupy one. So it wasn’t a bad idea to get more, especially as we find more survivors to bolster our population.
"Well? What are you waiting for? We've got monsters to fight!" He boldly declared, and I chanced a glace to the side. Bearwig was still going around, talking to people, and continuing to deliver his spiel about how we would take back this city, beat back the monsters, and show them what Americans are made of! Of which I'm not even one, so am I exempt?
I tried to listen for what his actual plans and solutions were, but I didn’t hear any more of a plan than “Attack!”
Bearwig went through all the trouble of taking command like this, though. I'm sure he's got some ideas.
~~~
I don't think Bearwig, or anyone in their godsforsaken groupie, has anything resembling a single coherent idea within their collective twelve brain cells.
They did have the muscle though, and the enforcers were very convincing. We were persuaded to follow our general’s commands in short order.
The enforcers convinced us, and we listened to our general's commands in short order. Not that the enforcers were any actual good at appearing threatening, but they were threatening in reality, and that counts for a lot more than theatrics.
Or wait. Theatrics are awesome. I bet I could scare everyone a lot more if I wanted to!
Like a monster arisen from the depths of the earth, my eyes a pitch black void from the lack of all light. A body fit for slaughter, colors and contours that you just want to look away. My visage shall be the cause of many nightmares!
We crossed through the barricades and made it to our destination, while I stewed over my plans for potential new illusions. It was already a challenge to arrange for the defenses of the buildings we had as our base of operations. It was where we protected the children and crafter Classers, those generally unfit for combat.
It didn’t take long for monsters to begin swarming us, once we exited the range of our shelter. Roler who was shouting orders from the front immediately fell back, sandwiching himself in the center of us. The enforcers were further back, and they also readied their weapons.
"You... and you!" Roler started pointing at people from among the civilian peasants. "Intercept that approaching monster!"
The two men were briefly startled, but they faced the approaching boar with quivering steps regardless. They jumped out of the way of the monster's charge, managing a slash each as the beast passed them by. But one of them ended up clipped on the side, and he tumbled down.the the ground. It was clear from a glance that the man now sported a broken foot.
The boar turned around, and I quickly made a copy of the fallen person a good distance away from the real one. The other civilians with us were already leaning over and ready to join in the fight. I gave them the final push forward.
"Go! But keep your distance! Stay away from its front side. The monster is likely only able to charge in relatively straight lines."
The fight that followed was not so difficult. I kept the monster distraction, and the rest followed the plan. The enemy was dispatched in short order, wounded from all sides.
It annoyed me that the enforcers did not move to help, but were instead more concerned with protecting themselves and their leader. Not that their absence were of any real consequence.
The general that was similarly useless had the gall to be mad at me right after.
He walked right up to my face and shouted. "I'm the leader here! You can't just go barking orders around!" You mean like you did, dog? I kept the snarl away from my face, summoning my interpretation of the Ice Cold Heroine.
"One of our own was in trouble, and he could have died. Sending everyone through saved him, and it killed the monster more efficiently. So..." Shut the fuck up you baboon.
Roler looked angrily for a second, his mind struggling to work. "Maybe it ended well enough. But disrupting command like this is dangerous. This is why we have an organization in the first place!"
Actually, we have it because you guys are bloody idiots. I kept my thoughts away from my face, and shrugged. "I just wanted to save him. You wouldn't have wanted him to die, would you?"
My fellow civilians have returned at that point, and they stood with me, resolutely. One of them had a limp, the guy that we saved. He was mostly healed by now.
I knew there was a chance this could come to an actual fight, but I really didn't want things to come to that.
Thankfully, even Roler realized that we should not be fighting amongst ourselves.
"Fine." He said with a voice that suggested the opposite. "But don't do that again. I wouldn't have let him die of course... but your plans disrupted with my own, and that is what could have killed him."
I held back from asking what his plan was, and nodded.
Maybe he'd prove me wrong, but I doubted that.
Which meant that I had to do something so we don't all die. And, honestly, I did know just the thing.
I would just have to play a character I didn't like.
~~~
Roler started walking towards me, I could already tell he was fuming. Another wave of monsters attacked us on the way to the auditorium building, and I swiftly took the lead after Roler gave his initial commands to form up and descend against the oncoming goblins. It was very successful, and I even got the monsters to fight amongst each other.
"You--" Roler started, but I silenced him with an awed smile.
"Sir! I did as you requested and formed up with the others. It was a brilliant plan to make use of my illusions while keeping everyone safe!"
"You..." The words died in his throat, and Roler coughed. "Yes, that is exactly what I meant. Good job picking up on it, and not running off on your own this time. Now, everyone, let us get a move on!"
Even the Enforcers blinked at the shamelessness, without even mentioning us civilians. But no one was foolish enough to comment on it, so I deftly positioned myself right next to our general.
I was now the designated adviser, whether he liked it or not!
~~~
We continued on like this until we reached the JEB Building, our target for reclamation against the monster scum. Inside was another monster filled space, that much was obvious even from outside. I poked Roler from the side then, to advice him on what we should do.
"Psst. Psst." I started, and he looked at me with a bit of an annoyed face. "Sorry about that..." I say sheepishly, depicting a shy girl with little confidence. I don't know why this works, when they've clearly seen me act the opposite just earlier. "You probably already realized this, and I'm just being silly... But I've been watching everyone here. Gurisa has a speedy stealth build. And Mantorr has one dedicated to his senses..."
Roler raised a brow, still with a distinctly annoyed look. "Your point?"
He really should not be leading this expedition if he can't even figure that out. Fuck, fuck, we are so fucked.
"Right, so I was thinking... and I'm sure it's something you already know! But what if we lure the monsters group by group outside, and then systematically kill them like that? It'd be easier, and we are less likely to suffer casualties."
"Hmm..." Roler considered this. "That was exactly what I was planning. It's good that you were able to see this. I expect more from you, just make sure to run by your ideas by me first. And then maybe you can be the leader of your own group someday.“
The absolute, utter lack of shame of this guy... I wasn't doing any of this to aggrandize myself, but holy shit am I getting irritated at this man. If there's ever a coup then you're first!
"Yes sir!" My ecstatic smile at being praised betrayed none of the inner rage.
~~~
The first floor got cleared in short order. We first slaughtered the monsters in the entrance area, and then enacted "Roler's Plan".
Gurisa played as the bait, meanwhile Mantorr kept watch from a bit further away, though not that far as he had decent mobility of his own. The moment he caught wind of an approaching monster, both he and Gurisa would floor it out of there, and the rest of us who were waiting nearby would pounce on the opportunity. That was where my illusions really shone.
We moved our base of operations ever forward, as more and more rooms were cleared and enemies disappeared from the floor. Gurisa and Mantorr made sure to check.
By the time we finished, our group had developed pretty good coordination. Our defensive formation had gotten refined, with tankier people and even those with shields up front. Our equipment at this point was either made by the few craftsmen we had, or stolen from the monsters themselves. The Enforcers too were much more willing to actually fight properly, and I got the sense they were only watching us earlier for dissent. Which is fucked up, for one, but whatever.
I really hope this turns out to be a necessary and pragmatic thing in the end, if not good.
~~~
We scourged the next floor of life just like we did the first, and then the next. We reached the stairs to the top floor just as the sun began to crest below the horizon.
Mantorr slowly crested the stairs, with a handful of guards. He listened and sniffed for the sign of monsters, before sending Gurisa up to lure down prey.
We dealt with them like clockwork, our team now used to working together. The enemies were quickly met with fake adversaries that distracted them, and the momentum never left our side until they died. We aimed to repeat the same process until we had a suitable landing spot above.
"Good job." Roler said sagely, nodding to himself. I buried the rage and resentment, and gave him a firm nod of gratitude.
"Wait! Gurisa, come back NOW!" Mantorr shouted, just as I was a tad distracted. I immediately cast my gaze up, watching for the woman's descent, but what I got instead were her screams.
"AAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!"
"GO UP NOW!" I immediately reacted, and everyone followed by instinct. We made it up to the next floor to see Gurisa lying on a puddle of her own blood. There was a misshapen pale humanoid creature standing over her body, but it quickly disappeared into the shadows the moment we arrived.
A Gremlin.
"Medics! Quick!" I continued shouting, as I supported the woman who had several knife wounds from her neck to her chest. My allies started casting, I saw the glow of their Skills, but nothing truly happened.
I looked at Gurisa's eyes and finally acknowledged that they were blank. Lifeless. She had died before we even made it up.
"Fuck!" I screamed. "FUCK!" I repeated. We had managed so far without a single casualty, and I really thought our strategy to be foolproof. But casting my senses about, and judging by the repeatedly darting motions of Mantorr, I had failed to incorporate a high caliber stealth monster into our strategy.
"Hey." I felt a hand on my shoulder, and I twitched at the voice of who it was. Roler. "It's okay. That's just... what it is to fight."
"It's okay!?" I whirled around to him, and saw the brief look of shock in his face. I glanced at everyone else's pensive expressions and took hold of my anger. I am a grieving yet calm heroine. I am a heroine with a fiery resolve. I am a heroine who is selfless. I am a heroine able to hold it together. "You're right. Sorry about that. About earlier."
"It's alright. But we should move back down for now while I think of a better strategy."
You will think of a strategy!? I have been the one... Argh. Fuck. It's not worth it. Whatever.
I nodded, and followed everyone else down.
~~~
Roler told everyone of our plan, after I had explained it to him. It wasn't really his idea, but one of us just fucking died! It hardly matters, at this point, that I came up with it all.
Our team warily went up again, sticking close together, the tankier ones on the outskirts of our box formation. An illusion of myself walked up front, fading and flickering with every movement. But night had already taken hold, and we saw only through torches we made out of random pieces of wood. Even an imperfect imitation should easily be mistaken for the real thing.
A monster pounced on the target, as we moved deeper through the corridors. We immediateely exploded into action, but it was immediately obvious that the large rampaging orc was not our target. We had to defeat it regardless, and we were close to doing so, when Mantorr suddenly shouted.
"Behind! Behind you!!"
My head swerved towards our flanks, and one of the Enforcers got a bad wound to her shoulder. She quickly reacted and pushed with her shield, fending off the monster who I managed to track with my eyes.
[Rogue - Lvl 60]
My eyes widened, as did the gremlin's. An arrow quickly came flying, driving the monster away.
That monster is far higher Level than us...
But it wasn't an insurmountable difference. Far from it.
I think the gremlin could likely expose my illusions. He could perhaps tell that it was a fake. But did that make my abilities completely useless? Or was there still some way for me to take advantage?
The plan needed some adjusting.
"It's okay everyone!" Roler's voice bellowed. "We drove back the monster. Just keep going like this and we'll make it!"
I groaned as everyone else cheered. But I supposed it wasn't the worst idea, to test it out one more time. Maybe it was only a fluke, and the stronger monster was actually still susceptible to my illusions.
~~~
It wasn't.
The gremlin wasn't susceptible to my illusions.
Even when I made the illusion of multiple people, running on ahead and very vulnerable to a sudden monster attack; It still didn't work.
The gremlin was able to tell all the time, and he always managed to take out one of the outer layers of our formation during our moments of distraction. Moving in this tight group was really starting to wear us down, and our healers had to work over when some AOE-capable monsters appeared, like a demon even higher Level than our gremlin foe. She was still less of a problem though, as the gremlin was really annoying with his stealth and speed. We couldn’t reliably drive him into a corner, because he’d just escape and annoy us again another day. Or hour. Or minute.
The only silver lining was that no one else had died, because our tight formation allowed for quick support, driving the gremlin assassin away every time. We also had 2 healers in our group, for the injured to not bleed out and die. The gremlin evidently also used poison, with a sleek and dangerous looking dagger which origins I was curious about. I knew monsters got free gear, but they were not typically the best.
We were left at a stalemate, and we were never going to actually win at this rate. I could bank on the monster losing interest or tiring, but I was never much of a gambler. So I informed Roler of our change in plans, so that he may announce it to everyone else.
But at a lower voice. The brief glimpses I saw of the gremlin gave off the impression of a cruel intelligence. And the demons I’ve encountered could clearly speak and converse. I might be overthinking it, but I worried that the monster may be able to understand our words.
~~~
Our group stalked the fourth floor of the JEB Building. There were no illusory clones of us scouting ahead, and we were huddled even closer together. We've cleared pretty much all the other monsters at that point, and the only one left was our gremlin prey.
We waited, and waited, and waited, until our enemy made its move.
The world exploded into action at once, Mantorr's shout gave us sufficient warning. Tarrone, one of the Enforcers, ended up taking the attack that time, but the knife sank only to his arm, completely missing his vitals. I had opted for more subtle illusions, masking our true positions, and messing with colors to create the impression of light and shadows. It was probably painfully obvious that my illusions were present, but they still succeeded in their purpose of throwing the creature’s aim. Bu
Tarrone immediately reacted, despite the pain, as per our plan. He ignored the knife on his arm and grabbed the gremlin, locking it in place for a few precious moments. Vines erupted from the floor at the same time, as well as a debilitating curse that washed over our enemy, preventing it from fleeing away again. Everyone else closed in during those precious few seconds, boxing the monster in, meanwhile arrows and slashes had already made its way to our adversary.
The gremlin whimpered and tried to escape the moment Tarrone could hold on no longer, but someone built for stealth and speed had a hard time breaking through the encirclement of even lower levels like us. Tarrone was grabbed and pulled away by his peers right after, his wounds and poison already being tended to despite the ongoing battle. We didn’t know who the gremlin would go for, so all the outer guards of our formation had been on edge for nearly half an hour already before the fight even began.
But the plan paid off, in the end. Besieged by foes from all sides, the gremlin finally died.
[You Have Defeated a Level 60 Rogue!]
Tell me what you think. The gremlin scum had always been the weaklings of this place, but they are not without potential.
Also; Patreon is now back to Jackal, and it is a wonderful return, if I do say so myself.
This has been hands down the hardest chapter I've ever written. Enjoy.
Briella Lunarise POV - Apocalypse Early Days
We made our way to the college, the day after looking for Darci's child. It was close by, and wouldn't be such a bad place to set up a more permanent camp. I still wanted to look for my friends of course, but these people needed me at the moment, and I was unsure how exactly to find the people I was looking for. For now, I just decided to do what I could.
Arriving at the college, we quickly found that there were already a lot of people there, loosely connected with little organization. We talked to them, and we started reinforcing one of the buildings the very same day. It was important to have a defensible position.
A few days passed and a modicum of order was restored. Everyone just did what they could, the tragedy of the apocalypse still a fresh wound. Most people lost someone, and I was afraid to find out who it was that I lost.
Fortunately, there were a lot of things to do to keep my mind off things.
Another day, and there were strange murmurings and gatherings abound. I had been paying attention, so I knew that there was a certain gathering of people, a faction that had formed. Its origins were in a fraternity commonly known as BIGPP, short for 'Beta Iota Gamma Pi Pi'. The name was retained, but the entire group as a whole had undergone a radical transformation. With most of its members dead, and a whole new set of challenges presented by the apocalypse, it'd be hard to remain some fringe college frat that does stupid parties. At least, that's what I assumed they did. It was never my scene really.
This new faction that arose was led by Bearwig who was its previous President, and they have been recruiting people from among the stronger survivors. I would know, because an Invitation made its way to me as well.
I wasn't really interested, but I told them that I would think about it. The whole group gave off some really bad vibes, and I wasn't sure they'd just take no for an answer. I thought it best to let them down easy, and maybe keep some doors open. If they do act as predicted, then I might have to infiltrate and destroy their group from the inside. Like a spy heroine, who falls in love with her mark!
I could just be overthinking it though. Real life's not a play.
~~~
It turns out that real life was indeed a play. A particularly bad one at that.
"People of Yorkwood University! The monsters are attacking, and we are left helpless against them. It's hard, so very hard, just to remain alive. We do what we can but there is no organization. Society is dead! That's why we need proper leadership! A proper ruling body! I will lead us into the future! We will retake the land, retake this city, and eventually the entire country! Who's with me!???"
Bearwig, the leader of BIGPP, made his big speech in front of everyone. A lot of the stronger Classers have been recruited to his side, even some of the people that I came here with.
There were pockets of them subtly surrounding us from all sides. Or at least they were trying to be subtle, but this lot would make me want to claw my eyes out and throw it at them, if they were the team I was working with for a play. The costume too was all over the place, but at least they got a consistent little badge going on. It was of an eagle and a beer.
The reaction to the earlier declaration was a bit mixed, but it was quickly tilted to one side because of what I presume to be plants in the audience. Their acting was particularly bad, and it was painful to listen to. Put more effort in. Embody the passion, but do not overexaggerate like a fucking juvenile trying to keep a secret! Bearwig's name was being chanted in short order, and I could see even the more reluctant and skeptical people genuinely buying into the hype. It was just like the beginning of a corrupt world leader, who would then oppress the people, where it would ultimately be up to me, the heroine, to put a stop to his evil dastardly plans!
But this was real life. I doubt things would be that bad, nor that clearcut. Hell, he's not wrong about needing proper organization even. Perhaps this would all turn out for the better.
~~~
It did not turn out for the better.
It turned out for the worse, actually.
After Bearwig's big speech, the new management was immediately put in place. Not even a vote or anything. At least they had the good sense to no longer call themselves BIGPP, because their actions clearly didn't do the name justice. They were now The Council and its Enforcers.
Enforcer was a literal term, for the stronger people that I noticed surrounding us earlier had suddenly started barking orders, and trying to emulate the serious demeanor of an occupying army. They failed in way too many places to keep up the illusion, but I could clearly see a lot of the civilians growing nervous regardless. I named the rest of us peasants as civilians, beholden to the whims of our new lords. Oh woe is we.
It’s not funny.
They began herding the rest of us peasants into groups, and everyone was starting to get really uncomfortable, despite how Bearwig had managed to reassure us all earlier. The murmurs grew louder as the same scene repeated in the small courtyard that we had taken control of, but the tense peace held. We were told to stay calm by authoritative figures, and the people listened. I think most of them did want someone to lead. Anyone.
We were under a lot of stress, and something had to change.
A man that I knew in passing came up to me and my group of twenty. He and I shared a few classes in college, but never even got to know each other's name, though it was enough to remember his face. He was now one of their “generals”, as shown by the cape with their emblem of an eagle and a beer, wrought in paint.
"Hey!" He said in a friendly tone, and I felt the weight of an Identify. "Hello everyone! I’m Roler, and I’ll be in charge of you today. We're going to beat back the tide, and take back our territory. Maybe go for a supply run too!"
I looked at the person next to me, and he looked back uncertainly. At that point, we still only had two buildings to our name, as it was very hard to conquer and then occupy one. So it wasn’t a bad idea to get more, especially as we find more survivors to bolster our population.
"Well? What are you waiting for? We've got monsters to fight!" He boldly declared, and I chanced a glace to the side. Bearwig was still going around, talking to people, and continuing to deliver his spiel about how we would take back this city, beat back the monsters, and show them what Americans are made of! Of which I'm not even one, so am I exempt?
I tried to listen for what his actual plans and solutions were, but I didn’t hear any more of a plan than “Attack!”
Bearwig went through all the trouble of taking command like this, though. I'm sure he's got some ideas.
~~~
I don't think Bearwig, or anyone in their godsforsaken groupie, has anything resembling a single coherent idea within their collective twelve brain cells.
They did have the muscle though, and the enforcers were very convincing. We were persuaded to follow our general’s commands in short order.
The enforcers convinced us, and we listened to our general's commands in short order. Not that the enforcers were any actual good at appearing threatening, but they were threatening in reality, and that counts for a lot more than theatrics.
Or wait. Theatrics are awesome. I bet I could scare everyone a lot more if I wanted to!
Like a monster arisen from the depths of the earth, my eyes a pitch black void from the lack of all light. A body fit for slaughter, colors and contours that you just want to look away. My visage shall be the cause of many nightmares!
We crossed through the barricades and made it to our destination, while I stewed over my plans for potential new illusions. It was already a challenge to arrange for the defenses of the buildings we had as our base of operations. It was where we protected the children and crafter Classers, those generally unfit for combat.
It didn’t take long for monsters to begin swarming us, once we exited the range of our shelter. Roler who was shouting orders from the front immediately fell back, sandwiching himself in the center of us. The enforcers were further back, and they also readied their weapons.
"You... and you!" Roler started pointing at people from among the civilian peasants. "Intercept that approaching monster!"
The two men were briefly startled, but they faced the approaching boar with quivering steps regardless. They jumped out of the way of the monster's charge, managing a slash each as the beast passed them by. But one of them ended up clipped on the side, and he tumbled down.the the ground. It was clear from a glance that the man now sported a broken foot.
The boar turned around, and I quickly made a copy of the fallen person a good distance away from the real one. The other civilians with us were already leaning over and ready to join in the fight. I gave them the final push forward.
"Go! But keep your distance! Stay away from its front side. The monster is likely only able to charge in relatively straight lines."
The fight that followed was not so difficult. I kept the monster distraction, and the rest followed the plan. The enemy was dispatched in short order, wounded from all sides.
It annoyed me that the enforcers did not move to help, but were instead more concerned with protecting themselves and their leader. Not that their absence were of any real consequence.
The general that was similarly useless had the gall to be mad at me right after.
He walked right up to my face and shouted. "I'm the leader here! You can't just go barking orders around!" You mean like you did, dog? I kept the snarl away from my face, summoning my interpretation of the Ice Cold Heroine.
"One of our own was in trouble, and he could have died. Sending everyone through saved him, and it killed the monster more efficiently. So..." Shut the fuck up you baboon.
Roler looked angrily for a second, his mind struggling to work. "Maybe it ended well enough. But disrupting command like this is dangerous. This is why we have an organization in the first place!"
Actually, we have it because you guys are bloody idiots. I kept my thoughts away from my face, and shrugged. "I just wanted to save him. You wouldn't have wanted him to die, would you?"
My fellow civilians have returned at that point, and they stood with me, resolutely. One of them had a limp, the guy that we saved. He was mostly healed by now.
I knew there was a chance this could come to an actual fight, but I really didn't want things to come to that.
Thankfully, even Roler realized that we should not be fighting amongst ourselves.
"Fine." He said with a voice that suggested the opposite. "But don't do that again. I wouldn't have let him die of course... but your plans disrupted with my own, and that is what could have killed him."
I held back from asking what his plan was, and nodded.
Maybe he'd prove me wrong, but I doubted that.
Which meant that I had to do something so we don't all die. And, honestly, I did know just the thing.
I would just have to play a character I didn't like.
~~~
Roler started walking towards me, I could already tell he was fuming. Another wave of monsters attacked us on the way to the auditorium building, and I swiftly took the lead after Roler gave his initial commands to form up and descend against the oncoming goblins. It was very successful, and I even got the monsters to fight amongst each other.
"You--" Roler started, but I silenced him with an awed smile.
"Sir! I did as you requested and formed up with the others. It was a brilliant plan to make use of my illusions while keeping everyone safe!"
"You..." The words died in his throat, and Roler coughed. "Yes, that is exactly what I meant. Good job picking up on it, and not running off on your own this time. Now, everyone, let us get a move on!"
Even the Enforcers blinked at the shamelessness, without even mentioning us civilians. But no one was foolish enough to comment on it, so I deftly positioned myself right next to our general.
I was now the designated adviser, whether he liked it or not!
~~~
We continued on like this until we reached the JEB Building, our target for reclamation against the monster scum. Inside was another monster filled space, that much was obvious even from outside. I poked Roler from the side then, to advice him on what we should do.
"Psst. Psst." I started, and he looked at me with a bit of an annoyed face. "Sorry about that..." I say sheepishly, depicting a shy girl with little confidence. I don't know why this works, when they've clearly seen me act the opposite just earlier. "You probably already realized this, and I'm just being silly... But I've been watching everyone here. Gurisa has a speedy stealth build. And Mantorr has one dedicated to his senses..."
Roler raised a brow, still with a distinctly annoyed look. "Your point?"
He really should not be leading this expedition if he can't even figure that out. Fuck, fuck, we are so fucked.
"Right, so I was thinking... and I'm sure it's something you already know! But what if we lure the monsters group by group outside, and then systematically kill them like that? It'd be easier, and we are less likely to suffer casualties."
"Hmm..." Roler considered this. "That was exactly what I was planning. It's good that you were able to see this. I expect more from you, just make sure to run by your ideas by me first. And then maybe you can be the leader of your own group someday.“
The absolute, utter lack of shame of this guy... I wasn't doing any of this to aggrandize myself, but holy shit am I getting irritated at this man. If there's ever a coup then you're first!
"Yes sir!" My ecstatic smile at being praised betrayed none of the inner rage.
~~~
The first floor got cleared in short order. We first slaughtered the monsters in the entrance area, and then enacted "Roler's Plan".
Gurisa played as the bait, meanwhile Mantorr kept watch from a bit further away, though not that far as he had decent mobility of his own. The moment he caught wind of an approaching monster, both he and Gurisa would floor it out of there, and the rest of us who were waiting nearby would pounce on the opportunity. That was where my illusions really shone.
We moved our base of operations ever forward, as more and more rooms were cleared and enemies disappeared from the floor. Gurisa and Mantorr made sure to check.
By the time we finished, our group had developed pretty good coordination. Our defensive formation had gotten refined, with tankier people and even those with shields up front. Our equipment at this point was either made by the few craftsmen we had, or stolen from the monsters themselves. The Enforcers too were much more willing to actually fight properly, and I got the sense they were only watching us earlier for dissent. Which is fucked up, for one, but whatever.
I really hope this turns out to be a necessary and pragmatic thing in the end, if not good.
~~~
We scourged the next floor of life just like we did the first, and then the next. We reached the stairs to the top floor just as the sun began to crest below the horizon.
Mantorr slowly crested the stairs, with a handful of guards. He listened and sniffed for the sign of monsters, before sending Gurisa up to lure down prey.
We dealt with them like clockwork, our team now used to working together. The enemies were quickly met with fake adversaries that distracted them, and the momentum never left our side until they died. We aimed to repeat the same process until we had a suitable landing spot above.
"Good job." Roler said sagely, nodding to himself. I buried the rage and resentment, and gave him a firm nod of gratitude.
"Wait! Gurisa, come back NOW!" Mantorr shouted, just as I was a tad distracted. I immediately cast my gaze up, watching for the woman's descent, but what I got instead were her screams.
"AAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!"
"GO UP NOW!" I immediately reacted, and everyone followed by instinct. We made it up to the next floor to see Gurisa lying on a puddle of her own blood. There was a misshapen pale humanoid creature standing over her body, but it quickly disappeared into the shadows the moment we arrived.
A Gremlin.
"Medics! Quick!" I continued shouting, as I supported the woman who had several knife wounds from her neck to her chest. My allies started casting, I saw the glow of their Skills, but nothing truly happened.
I looked at Gurisa's eyes and finally acknowledged that they were blank. Lifeless. She had died before we even made it up.
"Fuck!" I screamed. "FUCK!" I repeated. We had managed so far without a single casualty, and I really thought our strategy to be foolproof. But casting my senses about, and judging by the repeatedly darting motions of Mantorr, I had failed to incorporate a high caliber stealth monster into our strategy.
"Hey." I felt a hand on my shoulder, and I twitched at the voice of who it was. Roler. "It's okay. That's just... what it is to fight."
"It's okay!?" I whirled around to him, and saw the brief look of shock in his face. I glanced at everyone else's pensive expressions and took hold of my anger. I am a grieving yet calm heroine. I am a heroine with a fiery resolve. I am a heroine who is selfless. I am a heroine able to hold it together. "You're right. Sorry about that. About earlier."
"It's alright. But we should move back down for now while I think of a better strategy."
You will think of a strategy!? I have been the one... Argh. Fuck. It's not worth it. Whatever.
I nodded, and followed everyone else down.
~~~
Roler told everyone of our plan, after I had explained it to him. It wasn't really his idea, but one of us just fucking died! It hardly matters, at this point, that I came up with it all.
Our team warily went up again, sticking close together, the tankier ones on the outskirts of our box formation. An illusion of myself walked up front, fading and flickering with every movement. But night had already taken hold, and we saw only through torches we made out of random pieces of wood. Even an imperfect imitation should easily be mistaken for the real thing.
A monster pounced on the target, as we moved deeper through the corridors. We immediateely exploded into action, but it was immediately obvious that the large rampaging orc was not our target. We had to defeat it regardless, and we were close to doing so, when Mantorr suddenly shouted.
"Behind! Behind you!!"
My head swerved towards our flanks, and one of the Enforcers got a bad wound to her shoulder. She quickly reacted and pushed with her shield, fending off the monster who I managed to track with my eyes.
[Rogue - Lvl 60]
My eyes widened, as did the gremlin's. An arrow quickly came flying, driving the monster away.
That monster is far higher Level than us...
But it wasn't an insurmountable difference. Far from it.
I think the gremlin could likely expose my illusions. He could perhaps tell that it was a fake. But did that make my abilities completely useless? Or was there still some way for me to take advantage?
The plan needed some adjusting.
"It's okay everyone!" Roler's voice bellowed. "We drove back the monster. Just keep going like this and we'll make it!"
I groaned as everyone else cheered. But I supposed it wasn't the worst idea, to test it out one more time. Maybe it was only a fluke, and the stronger monster was actually still susceptible to my illusions.
~~~
It wasn't.
The gremlin wasn't susceptible to my illusions.
Even when I made the illusion of multiple people, running on ahead and very vulnerable to a sudden monster attack; It still didn't work.
The gremlin was able to tell all the time, and he always managed to take out one of the outer layers of our formation during our moments of distraction. Moving in this tight group was really starting to wear us down, and our healers had to work over when some AOE-capable monsters appeared, like a demon even higher Level than our gremlin foe. She was still less of a problem though, as the gremlin was really annoying with his stealth and speed. We couldn’t reliably drive him into a corner, because he’d just escape and annoy us again another day. Or hour. Or minute.
The only silver lining was that no one else had died, because our tight formation allowed for quick support, driving the gremlin assassin away every time. We also had 2 healers in our group, for the injured to not bleed out and die. The gremlin evidently also used poison, with a sleek and dangerous looking dagger which origins I was curious about. I knew monsters got free gear, but they were not typically the best.
We were left at a stalemate, and we were never going to actually win at this rate. I could bank on the monster losing interest or tiring, but I was never much of a gambler. So I informed Roler of our change in plans, so that he may announce it to everyone else.
But at a lower voice. The brief glimpses I saw of the gremlin gave off the impression of a cruel intelligence. And the demons I’ve encountered could clearly speak and converse. I might be overthinking it, but I worried that the monster may be able to understand our words.
~~~
Our group stalked the fourth floor of the JEB Building. There were no illusory clones of us scouting ahead, and we were huddled even closer together. We've cleared pretty much all the other monsters at that point, and the only one left was our gremlin prey.
We waited, and waited, and waited, until our enemy made its move.
The world exploded into action at once, Mantorr's shout gave us sufficient warning. Tarrone, one of the Enforcers, ended up taking the attack that time, but the knife sank only to his arm, completely missing his vitals. I had opted for more subtle illusions, masking our true positions, and messing with colors to create the impression of light and shadows. It was probably painfully obvious that my illusions were present, but they still succeeded in their purpose of throwing the creature’s aim. Bu
Tarrone immediately reacted, despite the pain, as per our plan. He ignored the knife on his arm and grabbed the gremlin, locking it in place for a few precious moments. Vines erupted from the floor at the same time, as well as a debilitating curse that washed over our enemy, preventing it from fleeing away again. Everyone else closed in during those precious few seconds, boxing the monster in, meanwhile arrows and slashes had already made its way to our adversary.
The gremlin whimpered and tried to escape the moment Tarrone could hold on no longer, but someone built for stealth and speed had a hard time breaking through the encirclement of even lower levels like us. Tarrone was grabbed and pulled away by his peers right after, his wounds and poison already being tended to despite the ongoing battle. We didn’t know who the gremlin would go for, so all the outer guards of our formation had been on edge for nearly half an hour already before the fight even began.
But the plan paid off, in the end. Besieged by foes from all sides, the gremlin finally died.
[You Have Defeated a Level 60 Rogue!]
Tell me what you think. The gremlin scum had always been the weaklings of this place, but they are not without potential.
Also; Patreon is now back to Jackal, and it is a wonderful return, if I do say so myself.
