Heave, ho, heave, ho, up the temple we go.♪

This climbing trip must be the easiest thing I've done since I arrived in this temple. Kinda regret not taking the [Climbing] skill till now.

=====================================================================

Garami

Race: [Kur Kigal]   | Level: 5

Karma Value: -107

Skills: 79

Titles: 21

Skill points: 4.0

 

Main Class: Assassin LV19

Sub Class: Black Mage LV3

Sub Class: Tamer LV4

Sub Class: none

 

HP: 230/230   | MP: 545/545   | SP: 247/282

STR: 212   | VIT: 122   | MAG: 284

RES: 234   | SPD: 364 + 65  | DEX: 361 + 40

INT: 120   | LUC: 150

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SKILL LIST

Ability Skills: [HP Enhancement (Small) LV1] [HP Auto-Recovery LV1] [MP Enhancement LV20] [MP Reduced Consumption LV8] UP2 [MP Auto-Recovery LV2] UP1 [SP Enhancement (Small) LV40] UP2 [SP Reduced Consumption LV4] UP2 [STR Enhancement (Small) LV4] UP1 [VIT Enhancement (Small) LV1] [MAG Enhancement (Small) LV8] [RES Enhancement (Small) LV1] [SPD Enhancement (Small) LV9] UP3 [DEX Enhancement (Small) LV8] UP3

Attack Skills:  [Dagger Arts LV1] [Katana Arts LV1] [Assassin Arts LV26] [Mana Burst (Darkness) LV2] [Steal LV2] 

Magic Skills: [Light Magic LV22] [Darkness Magic LV5] [Shadow Magic LV32] [Ash Magic LV1] [Basic Magic] [Summoning LV2] UP1 [Sigil Creation LV5] UP4 

Crafting Skills: [Thief Tool Creation LV8] [Assassin Tool Creation LV5] [Weaving LV3] [Poison Synthesis LV30]                                  [Medicine Synthesis LV30] [Thread Synthesis LV30]

Active Skills: [Stealth LV14] [Silence LV7] UP2 [Shooting LV22] [Aerial Movement LV2] [Taming LV5] [Poltergeist LV3] UP1 [Ghost Step LV11] [Bloodlust LV5] [Thread Control LV50] [Ultima Thread LV23] [Thought Acceleration LV38] 

Passive Skills: [Daggermanship LV1] [Surprise Attack LV34] UP1 [Acrobatic LV19] [Riding LV3] NEW [Climbing LV2] NEW [Magic Talent LV18] [Battle Continuation LV4]  [Dismantling LV20] [Parallel Minds LV2] [Auto-Mapping LV2] [Golden Ratio] [Language Adaption]

Resistance Skills: [Darkness Resistance LV10] [Paralyze Resistance LV25] [Charm Resistance LV1] [Pain Resistance LV14] [Faint Resistance LV4] UP1 [Heretic Immunity]

Perception Skills: [Magic Sense LV25] [Sense Foe LV24] UP1 [Appraisal LV8] [Detect Trap LV6] NEW [Judging Eye] 

Leadership Skills: [Tamer's Command] [Teaching LV1] 

Racial Skills: [Albino] [Kin Creation LV2] UP1 [Kin Promotion LV7] UP6 [Demonic Vault LV4] UP1 [Lewd Demon LV1] [Transformation LV14]  [Body Replica LV1] 

Unique Skills: [Hydra, Dragon of Poison LV4] 

Elements: [Light Element LV1] [Darkness Divinity] [Shadow Element LV22] [Ash Element LV1] [Poison Element LV10] UP2

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Wait a sec, the skill is already at LV2?! I got it, like, just one floor ago. Is it because I've been climbing for most of my life that it gains levels that fast? Like, there's some good chemistry with me and [Climbing]? If it means that I'll gain a profit of skill points, then keep it coming, baby!

And please don't point out [Faint Resistance], okay? It was damn scary seeing the Draugr I'll tell you. And [Kin Promotion] went 6 levels up? I'm understanding why it didn't do so much with Orimaru and Raoul, as they were that kind of creature from the beginning, but still... Must be Levi. I can't imagine that Mira could be worth that much. She's pretty, yes, but that personality of hers is a minus. Well, if she's kept under control, then a few flaws ain't that bad.

Anyway, I'm currently heading towards the roof, towards a certain device the cult has installed on top of there. I climbed out of the second floor, where the control room is located, and the roof is after the fifth floor, which is also the floor where the high priest has his office.

The goal is to turn on the device on the top, then wait till the coast is clear to sneak into the office, then making full speed towards the city, where Jack and the rest would have arrived before me. Carion can make a makeshift bridge with his magic, so they should be able to cross the bull canyon without problems, I hope.

For the climbing trip, I turned back into the basic Kur Kigal form, as it has more hands to help me climb. After throwing up a security thread, all that remained was to go upwards. I've almost reached the fifth floor already. Easy peasy, lemon-

*Crank!*

-squeezy?! Just as I was gonna climb up beside a window on the fifth floor, it suddenly burst open, scaring me half to death. Like, for real. I almost lost my grip on the wall due to that! Who's the insensitive blockhead that burst open windows like that? I'll give him a lecture he won't forget for the rest of his life!

"Not only does that old goat demand that the human-based Draugr finished by next week, now he wants us to set a trap for the adventurers that went to investigate the mystery Dungeon? You have to be joking!" - ???

Ho-ho. This sounds interesting.

---

Carion's side

(All clear?) - Carion

The Skeleton Thief nodded to the question I whispered to it, and the four of us went outside the temple. I was a little dishearted when Garami summoned this one, but my impression has done a 180-degree turn. The Thief allowed us to bypass the guards several times before they even noticed us. Did Garami also look out for guards like that? It didn't look like so, maybe she did it instinctively?

As we went down from the platform the exit was on, we were sure not to touch the "gun turret", as Garami had called it. According to her, she took her time to sabotage them, whatever she meant by that.

"Oii!" - Mira

(Be quiet, what if they hear you!) - Jack

And there they were, a blue-haired, and a little dumb, swordswoman, and a Skeleton with blue flares for eyes. They had hidden by one of the rock pillars that decorate the temple grounds.

"So, you must be the soon-to-be-retired veteran Jack Loupe, and the uncle-loving Mira, was it?" - Carion

"Eh, veteran you say? Aw shucks, you're making me blush." - Jack

"What's so wrong with that?" - Mira

"Nothing, nothing. But, where is LeeeEEEEHH!?" - Carion

Behind the two of them, an Undead Dragon came from behind the rocks. Where did it hide?! There's no space for it behind the pillars!

"Shh! That's the 'Levi' you were asking abo*chomp*." - Mira

While in midsentence, Mira's head was bitten by the Undead, err, by Levi.

"PWHA! WHAT'S THE BIG IDEA?!" - Mira

It didn't bite her for real, so Mira managed to force Levi's mouth open with no visible wounds, except for being covered in rotten drool. 

"Be quiet already. I think it was because you talked about her as she was an object back there." - Jack

"Don't bite people just because of that! But I'm sorry, I apologize, so don't do that again, please." - Mira

Are we going to be okay like this? Maybe Garami got the best part of the plan after all. 

---

Garami's side

Peek-a-boo, are there any cult members on this roof?

Guess not. Nobody would want to stay guard on a pitch-black roof without any lighting, not when they can't see in the dark like me.

I pulled myself up to the roof and walked towards the obvious suspicious contraption. One quick appraisal confirmed that it was the item I was looking for, the Monster Attractor. Not that there are any other candidates here.

The Attractor is a type of magi-tech that was supposed to be a Monster Repeller, but for some reason, the inventors of this thing managed to make it to something that lured monsters to it. Ouch, my condolence. 

The Attractor looked like a metal tower with a satellite dish on top. The original purpose was to create aether-waves that made the monsters lose the interest in the area by the magi-tech, but it turned out to be the perfect attractant instead. Some people thought of using it to lure monsters so that they could farm the materials they could produce, but the piece of junk worked too well and gave the adventurers more than they could handle. All the monsters got the rage-condition as well, just to rub some more salt in the wound. Seriously, my condolence.

This Attractor is customized to only attract a certain species of creatures, based on whatever information one keyed into the terminal located at the foot of the tower. This thing and the Console in the Water-Knot, ain't this world a little too high-tech on the strangest places?

Let's just get this party started. The others must be waiting on me by know, as I took my good time in eavesdropping on the highpriest's conversation with his Shadow Guards. They should be alright, none of them are any suckers after all, sans Jack. They have the elite Skeletons I brought out as well, so no problems. The Thief even knows the [Silent] skill better than even me. LV15, top that!

*Bip!*

As I started up the terminal on the Attractor, a glass container located just beside it. According to the manual I found in the control room, one can add something that is related to the monster one want to call upon, and voila!

The cult used the bones of Skeletons to attract more of them to the temple, for then mangle them with the gun turrets. This strategy is only possible because we're in the still young Deadlands, allowing them to farm corpses to creating Draugr, even if it's only some Skeletons. There are some exceptional ones here and there though, as the logs mentioned a trio of Skeletal Dragons for example.

They were made quick work of by the turrets. When I read that part, I felt one nasty shiver down my spine. I made it my first goal of this operation to incapacitate those turrets, specifically those pointing from the east to the north of the temple, as our escape plan is towards the north-east, and the jail is located east of the building as well. What if they used those turrets on poor Levi? Unacceptable!

Well, the new guys that will arrive due to this thing will probably endure the gunfire. Geh, I forgot about adding the item while I was cursing the turrets! This bad habit won't go away anytime soon, I see. *Sob, sob, sob*

Time to take out the goods... ouch! Ouch, ouch, ouch, this thing's still so damn painful to hold!? And in you go!

*Bi-bip!*

Foo, foo, damn, my hands' fells burned! Does that thing generate its own heat or something? That could be a good replacement for coal, not that I think people would agree to the production method.

While I was blowing on my hands, the Attractor had started up, and the satellite dish began turning around like the lights on a lighthouse. This is what it does, according to the manual, only that it emits a monster-attracting aether ray instead of a light ray. I can't see it myself, but the targets shouldn't have any problems noticing it.

Those guys are damn fast, but we should still have some time before they arrive. I hope that they notice this thing at all, seeing as they have traveled a far distance since last time we saw them, those damn bulls...

---

Mira's side

[Okay, part 2 begins. Good luck.] - Garami

"About a damn good time!" was I shouting, but the Communicator was already turned off. Tch, but we don't have time to fool around anymore, I understand that, so I'll save it for later. 

"Okay, the three of us will head towards the stables where the wagons are kept. You go to the jail area, then we'll meet up there." - Carion

"That is fine and all, but are you able to destroy these walls?" - Jack

"As long as they aren't made with anti-magic bricks, then even an amateur could break these walls. Just be sure that you have unchained the hostages by the time we arrive." - Carion

Breaking a 10 cm thick wall is something for an amateur? Without harming those on the other side or destabilizing the building? I'm no expert, but I think that qualifies as the job of an expert.

"O-okay, see you later then." - Jack

And with that, the game was on.

---

"Tsk, guards. And when we were so close." - Mira

"They would normally set up guards in front of a prison cell, so it isn't that impossible. There has to be some more on the inside as well, so we should ." - Jack

"Dragon Fang!" - Mira

I don't like using the Dragon Fang art, even if it is the strongest charging attack in the [Sword Arts] skill. The durability of the sword used gets reduced by a lot if you hit anything too hard with it after all. The guards didn't wear any armor, so I used the charge to cut them up before they could retaliate, let alone sound the alarm.

"Wha-! In-guhg!" - Guard

Eh, whaaaat?! I tried to kick one of the remaining guards out of his stance, but he was sent flying into the wall instead. 

"Who are- AARRGH!" - Guard #2

The remaining guard was burned by the Skeleton in robes, but more importantly, from did I produce that power from before? Sprites have great mana pools, but we also have the harshest limits on our stats. Unless we use some skill or have a specific class, we cannot produce even a percent of the power hidden inside our bodies. So how did I blow the guard into the wall? And I mean, like, literally sunken into the wall.

"Why are you just standing there? Use that Mana Burst of yours again on the door." - Jack

Mana Burst? Where did I get... ah! I got that from Garami, from when I agreed to work under her! To be honest, I wasn't sure that I did the right choice back then, but my sixth sense for good offers is still working!

"HA-HAHAHAHA! Cultists or whatever, those with a death wish, step forward! This Lady Mira Aureola will grant you that wish!" - Mira

"........." - Jack & the Skeletons

Pheh, you can think whatever you want, I'm feeling invincible at the moment! Just watch!

*BANG!* *SPLASH!*

Ehm... I gave the door a little love tap, and it was sent flying into the jail area? Cults these days are too stingy in constructing solid doors. This is definetly not my fault, you know...

=====================================================================

EXP has reached the required amount.

Mira Auroela has reached LV15

Life attributes have been recovered.

All basic attributes have increased.

0.3 skill point(s) acquired.

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Oh crap! Did I kill the hostages with that?!

"G-girl, you..." - Jack

"Wait! Th-that was an accident!" - Mira

"No way it was that! What was that about fulfilling their death wish nonsense them?!" - Jack

"Th-th-that was...! Right, that was aimed at the jailers inside the room! It was them I aimed the door at! Definitely, maybe..., probably..." - Mira

As I was making excu-ehem! As I was stating the truth, we entered the jail area, while keeping an eye for the jailers. ...They aren't here at all. We saw some people locked up in the cells, but the jailers were nowhere to be seen. 

"...Hey girl. You got lucky." - Jack

As I turned around to Jack, who was crouched by the broken door, gestured to me to come closer. I took my time doing so, definitely not because I was afraid of having killed someone without meaning it, but, err, because, err, just because!

"These guys were the jailers of this place. They must have been on their way out when you mad all that noise before." - Jack

What?! I looked down at the bodies, and yes, they were wearing the black robes of the cult, like the ones that were outside.

"O-of course I knew that. Why else should I bust in the door like that? Ha-ha-ha-ha!" - Mira

"I'm going to tell Garami about this." - Jack

"I'm sorry, please forgive me, anything but that." - Mira

I don't know why, but something inside me tells me not to piss off Garami too much. She's someone that would sic a horde of Bloodrush Bulls against people! Who wouldn't be scared of someone like that?!

"F-FREEZE!" 

Down the corridor that led to the cells, there was a cult member holding a knife at the troath of a female, half-naked therianthrope. You don't need to be a genius for understanding what he was gonna do to her. He must have been busy with undressing her when the other cult members were planning on attacking us outside the jail. 

"Don't move, or this woman's a goner!" - Perverted jailer

Yeah, and what are you gonna do after that, with no hostages to use as a shield? Is what I want to say, but we're in a pinch here. The one closest to the two of them is the Skeleton with the great shield, who was looking for stuff to barricade the now broken door. But there's still a few meters between it and the jailer, enough distance for him to cut the woman's throat.

"D-Drop your weapons right now! Can't you hear me? NOW!" - Perverted jailer

Tch, letting the woman die isn't an option, not if we want the other hostages to cooperate with us. Then what shall we do? 

*SLASH*

Eh, wh-! My clothes! They were cut apart! Why?! They were expensive!

"HOOO!!" - Perverted jailer

"G-girl..." - Jack

"D-don't look!" - Mira

I crouched down to cover my body, that was naked after my shirt was shredded by something. Ugh, and that pervert is leering at me as if licking me with his eyes. This is the worst! I'm gonna butcher that guy, hostage or not!

"Eh, whaaaa-!" - Therianthrope girl

Just as I was gonna charge at the jailer, the hostage suddenly fell forward, as if being pulled by something. Likewise, the knife had been taken from the jailer before we knew it. The great shield Skeleton, as if on cue, rushed towards the jailer, while slipping through the therianthrope, and bashed the jailer with its shield, before stabbing him in the heart. 

"What was that?!", is what some of the hostages that had followed the situation said. I wanna know that, specially the culprit that... a spider?

A jet-black spider, around the size of being able to hide in someone's pocket, had appeared in the corridor, facing the now-dead jailer. Its head looked like that of an ant, without the antennas, and with the eight eyes of a spider, and its four front legs looked like sharp scythes.

Scythes? And those eyes, where have I seen that eye color before... no way... why would... she could promote people into kin, so couldn't she...

"...GARAMI!!" - Mira

"!!!!" - Kur Reha kin