"Hold on, my dear Rusty. You're just going to waltz in there with no idea how many enemies are inside? You must be joking."
Aburdon's voice was sharp with irritation. Rusty glanced at the darkened doorway of the decrepit structure. He stood before it, concealed in the shadows in case soone decided to step outside. Gleam was pressed against his backplate, out of sight, and his eyes glowed as his two guides argued.
"If he waits too long, the children could be—"
"So what? Those brats are probably fine. Rusty's life is more important!"
Rusty remained still, eyes fixed on the building as his guides continued their argunt. He understood both perspectives. Alexander was right as they had to act before it was too late. He still wanted to save the children as otherwise this whole little mission would be a waste of ti. But Aburdon wasn't wrong either. Rushing in blindly could cost him his life, and then none of this would matter. Gleam shifted slightly on his back, her antennae twitching. She, too, knew that they needed a plan.
"Gleam."
" ( ╹ -╹)? "
Rusty murmured, keeping his voice low.
"Can you slip inside and scout?"
" ( •̀ ᴗ •́ )و "
The ant chirped softly, understanding the task. Her small form made her ideal for infiltration. Rusty's life detection skill was imperfect, so he needed Gleam to provide more precise information. It was even possible that the children were not here or that they were already dead. If that were the case, he could only avenge them, but killing people in this unknown settlent was probably unwise. It would be best to resolve the issue another way, but he was not sure how.
"Be careful Gleam, if there are any signs of trouble, just run."
Gleam hesitated for only a mont before skittering toward the side of the building, her nimble legs making no sound against the cold ground. Rusty watched her disappear into the darkness, her small form blending seamlessly with the shadows. His glowing eyes flickered as he leaned against the rough brick wall, waiting.
"She'll be fine… right?"
Rusty was a bit worried because the people inside did not seem like the type to ignore a monster ant wandering around. While she could use a silencing spell, her body was still shiny and silvery. She did not have any stealth spells to conceal herself yet, but her small size allowed her to hide behind cover quite well. He gripped his sword tightly, preparing for the possibility that she might be captured or followed outside if she was seen.
Inside the building, Gleam moved swiftly and silently, pressing herself flat against the ground when needed. She scaled the outer wall with ease, slipping through a crack in one of the rotting wooden panels that made up the structure. The interior was dimly lit by flickering lanterns, their glow barely penetrating the layers of dust and gri that covered every surface. She moved carefully along the edges of the room, her antennae twitching as she picked up various scents: sweat, alcohol, and sothing more distinct, like old blood.
She paused behind a broken crate, taking in the scene before her. The room was large, a forr warehouse or storage area, now repurposed into a hideout. Several rough-looking n sat around a table, drinking and laughing. They bore the marks of rcenaries: scarred faces, mismatched armor, and the casual posture of those accustod to violence. They had weapons strapped to their sides, though none seed particularly alert.
"( •̀ - •́ ) "
Gleam moved closer, creeping along the underside of another crate. From this position, she could see most of the area, but there was no sign of the children. Her tracking skill revealed a trail leading further inside, but she would have to slip past a few loud rcenaries to reach the path leading into what seed to be a basent.
For a mont, she hesitated before following the scent deeper into the hideout. She kept to the shadows, scurrying under tables and behind discarded barrels. The n at the table continued their drinking, their conversation growing more animated. One of them slamd a fist against the wood, causing a tankard to spill over.
"Damn boss is late. He said he'd be back before sundown!"
One of them grumbled.
"Relax."
Another replied, leaning back.
"He's probably just finalizing the deal. That rchant looked ready to pay top coin!"
"He better be, those girls don't co cheap!"
"Hah, do you think they will let you back into the pink rose after that thing you pulled?"
The man laughed loudly as they discussed their next paynt, but soon the conversation shifted.
"But what do we do about those brats?"
"What about them? We'll just set them straight, and if they're unwilling, there are always ways of getting rid of them… Just don't tell the boss and we'll handle that armored bastard ourselves, later…"
The n started laughing again. Gleam did not truly understand what they were talking about since her knowledge of human language was still sowhat limited, but she knew it was not anything good. One thing she did realize was that the man who was speaking was soone from before. He had previously tried to capture the four children who hid at their lair, and the sll of the children was still on him.
" ( ｡ •̀ ᴖ •́ ｡) "
Gleam was annoyed and wanted to instantly blast him with a well placed mana bolt but held herself back. She needed to stay focused on the mission. The children were her priority, and attacking now would only expose her presence. After making sure the n weren't looking, she pressed forward, slipping further into the shadows.
The basent entrance was guarded by a lone thug leaning lazily against the doorfra, arms crossed. He looked bored, his weapon, a chipped sword was resting against the wall beside him. The sll of stale alcohol clung to his clothes and he seed rather bored, even ready to sleep.
Gleam hesitated. If she tried to sneak past him, there was a chance he would spot her. To make matters worse, the door seed closed. A bunch of keys was attached to the man's hip, but getting to them without being caught would probably be difficult. Even if she had them, she was still an ant so opening the door without Rusty's help would be difficult.
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She skittered around, searching for any openings to crawl through, but the only thing she found was an eye-sized hole. Peering through it, she saw the children, all alive but trapped in a rusty cage. Her antennae twitched as she analyzed the situation. The children were unhard, which was good, but they were locked up, and the only visible way inside was through the locked door.
There were no windows to crawl through from the outside. The basent was completely underground. The only entrance was the sa door they would need to use to escape. Getting them out without alerting the rcenaries would be tricky. She skittered back to the crack she had entered through and slipped outside to report to Rusty. Reaching him, she tapped urgently on his leg, her antennae twitching in rapid succession.
"( •̀ - •́ ) "
Rusty crouched down, allowing her to climb onto his shoulder.
"You found them?"
Gleam nodded vigorously, then tapped his helt with her antennae before drawing a small pattern on his shoulder with her front leg.
"They're locked up but alive? That's good. How does it look inside? Any guards?"
Gleam continued to chirp as she relayed all the information. Both Alexander and Aburdon listened closely, understanding what the small ant monster was saying.
"Over twenty n inside, all ard rcenaries. This will be tricky..."
Alexander, who had been the most insistent on rescuing the children, whispered with worry. Even he understood the gravity of the situation and how dangerous it would be for Rusty if he attempted to rush in or got caught.
"We still have ti to turn back. From what Lady Gleam said, they aren't planning to kill them... yet."
"You want us to wait until they hurt them? Have you no heart?"
"No, I don't, hero. You should already know that."
Rusty was troubled. He wanted to save the children and make it clear to the people in this new settlent that anyone who intruded on his lair would be punished. But this situation was complicated. The rcenaries were all around the level of E-rank adventurers, which was not a problem individually, but their numbers made them a serious threat. Then there was their boss, who had not yet returned. When he did, he would likely bring even more n to stand in Rusty's way. If Rusty wanted to act, he needed to do it now.
The odds were not in his favor. A direct assault would be suicide, and a stealthy approach was hindered by the locked door. He needed a way in that would not imdiately raise the alarm. His mind raced for a solution, but just as he was trying to decide, the entrance to the building swung open wide and an armored man stepped out.
It was one of the rcenaries stationed here, and he was clearly drunk. Rusty remained still in the shadows, his body blending into the darkness with ease. The man did not notice him at all. After glancing around and muttering profanities, the rcenary shut the door behind him and stumbled into the alleyway to relieve himself.
'Wait... that is it!'
An idea struck Rusty. The rcenary's armor was heavy, and his helt looked identical to one of the models Rusty had stored in his inventory. This was his opportunity. If he could knock the man out silently, he could disguise himself and enter undetected. He had done it before and knew that as long as he placed his helt on the man's head, he could take over, even if the rcenary was still alive.
The drunk rcenary staggered a few steps away from the door, fumbling with his belt as he leaned against the wall. His head swayed, unfocused, and he muttered sothing unintelligible to himself. Rusty moved quickly, the noise of his tallic boots muffled by the silence spell Gleam had cast.
In a single, fluid motion, Rusty yanked the man's helt away and clamped his tallic hand over the man's mouth to muffle any noise. The rcenary's eyes widened in shock, but before he could react, Rusty delivered a precise strike to the base of his skull. The man's body tensed for a mont before going limp, collapsing against Rusty's fra.
Rusty quickly dragged the unconscious rcenary into the shadows, ensuring no one had witnessed the altercation. Using his SP, he shifted the appearance of his helt to match the one the rcenary had been wearing, a design with an open cross pattern missing a visor. Once the transformation was complete, he placed the helt on the man's head and activated his possession skill to take control.
The man's body started twitching as his skill activated and took hold of his nervous system. Rusty could now see through the rcenary's eyes, control his movents, and even mimic his voice if needed. It was an ability that had proven invaluable in previous encounters, and now, it would be his key to infiltrating the hideout.
"( •̀ - •́ )"
"I'll be careful."
The rest of his body needed to be discarded for now, so it dissolved into his storage system. If he needed it later, he could recall it or reform himself from the helt. After adjusting the rcenary's stance, Rusty made the possessed body stagger slightly, keeping up the act of drunkenness as he turned back toward the door. Gleam, still hidden in the shadows, gave a tiny approving chirp.
"Alright. I'm going in. Gleam, go back inside through that hole, if sothing goes wrong…"
" ( •̀ ᴗ •́ ) "
"Glad that I can count on you."
Gleam nodded and skittered back into the building and hid away and he returned inside while trying to gather enough of this man's mories to act natural. He possessed one of the Black Hound rcenaries, soone who wasn't too exceptional, one of the bottom mbers with no real authority.
"Wait, Rusty!"
"Hm?"
Just as he was about to move, Aburdon called out to him. Now floating freely, he had removed himself from the body he usually inhabited.
"What will you do once you get into that basent? Do you even have a plan to escape?"
"An escape plan? Yes, I do!"
Before Aburdon could argue further, Rusty dismissed him along with Alexander. He then adjusted his new body's stance, keeping his movents sluggish and unsteady as he stumbled back through the entrance. The wooden door creaked as he pushed it open, stepping inside the dimly lit room where the other rcenaries were still drinking and chatting loudly.
The n barely glanced at him as he entered, too absorbed in their conversations to care about one more drunk among them. He let out a loud, slurred grunt, mimicking the behavior of the rcenary he had taken over.
The plan was simple: get in, get the key, and let the children out of the basent. Once inside, he had a few options for escape. His first was to let the children run free into the night after distracting the other rcenaries. If things went wrong, he could rely on Gleam to create a diversion, or he could always summon his black mist to disable his enemies. Once outside, he could release the possessed man, and everyone would assu he was the perpetrator, it was a sound plan that he truly believed in.
He made his way toward the group of n still sitting and chatting around a table. Without saying a word, he staggered forward, hoping for the best. Luckily, they were too absorbed in their drinking to pay him any attention. Soon, he reached the entrance to the basent, where the lone guard was sitting. The man looked bored and cranky, probably frustrated that he was stuck here while everyone else was having fun. The possession skill didn't provide much information, but Rusty at least knew the man's na.
"Oi, Theo…"
Rusty slurred, his voice low and drawn out, trying to sound as drunk as possible. The guard looked up, squinting at the figure standing in the doorway. Theo had a deep frown etched into his face, but he didn't imdiately react to Rusty's approach.
"What do you want, you drunk bastard? Shouldn't you be back with the rest of the crew?"
Theo muttered, his eyes narrowing.
"Eh… just… wanted to get away from the noise…"
Theo seed suspicious of him, but Rusty continued to move closer and kept speaking.
"How about I take your place? I'm sure you're bored of sitting here…"
"You want to take my place on guard duty? What are you…"
The man was clearly suspicious, as no one would willingly take up boring guard duty, but soon it seed he realized sothing, and his facial expression changed.
"Hah, I knew you were a sick bastard… but aren't those three a bit too young?... Fine, not like I care, just don't tell the boss that I let you in, and keep it quiet."
"Huh?"
Rusty wasn't sure what the man ant, but soon he was handed the keys to the basent. Theo moved away, grinning at him for so reason. Nevertheless, Rusty now had the keys and free access to the basent. Now, he just needed to free the children and get out of there. It couldn't be that hard, right?
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