Chapter 177: Surviving

Chapter 177: Surviving

“Let me get this straight: you have a piece of ‘Vortex Industries,’ technology in you. You’ve had this forbidden old-world tech since our trip to Worth, and it’s the reason why you’ve been able to navigate this place. And now, it’s telling you where the secondary core of this ‘AI’ is housed. A place, it has assured you, that is swarming with test subjects, some of which are Pendragons.” Boldwick repeated, standing away from the bleeding and wounded Pendragons and Knights. The Master Knight himself had suffered the fewest injuries among their entire group, ignoring the Arch-Magi, who was untouched and unbloodied by the whole thing. Thankfully, though, that man was nowhere near.

Convincing Boldwick to move aside for a private conversation had been the easy part. Confessing the secrets was anything but. Though VAL told him it was acceptable, he’d even dreamed of this moment; the very fact of secrecy had become so ingrained that it now felt unnatural.

Though, he hadn’t been completely honest. When the obvious question had come, ‘how long,’ VAL instructed him to claim it’d hitched on in Worth, from a desire to retain its facility independent from the Knights. Especially as its confidence in its lockdown measures was justifiably shaken.

Still, Erec dug in and told his story. He’d kept Enide at his side since she was helping him dig deep to lay out the entire situation for Boldwick; he’d have liked Garin here too, but his friend was busy treating his injuries. Later, he’d fill him in.

Boldwick listened, until now, in mostly silence, with a couple of pointed questions and points of clarification.

“That is... All correct,” Erec said, wincing. He wished that the Master Knight wasn’t wearing his helmet so that he could at least have a guess what was spinning through his head.

Boldwick bursting out into laughter was the very last thing Erec expected. Maybe a stern talk or paranoia about VAL—but not this. The Master Knight erupted into a deep, belly-filled laugh that was the last thing to suit the situation. Several Pendragons looked their way but didn’t say a word.

After half a minute, Boldwick finally stopped. “Right,” he said, catching himself. “Well, I knew you had a secret. Anyone with two cells in their head would have noticed that in their Initiate if they were an instructor worth a damn. But this? One hell of one. Not that forbidden old-world tech is the sort of thing unknown in the Orders. Knights have a long tradition of keeping things to themselves, adapting their Armor, and then using it to gain an edge, all while keeping it a secret from the Church. It is what it is. With you confessing finally, I take it you had your reasons, but I have to debrief Rochester and whomever else we can convince to make this last push...” He stopped and stared at the other leader.

“You—you trust it?” Erec said, which flew in the face of what he’d expect if Boldwick had believed him. Hearing that he had another machine in his head, the exact same sort that was bent on killing them...

“Oh Goddess, no. But I’m interested in the results so far. It led us directly here. It’s suppressing the other one. And we can use that. If you excuse me, I’ve got to go inform a man about his surviving family. Then try to temper him somewhat so we can do this safely.” Boldwick gave a sharp nod, then left.

Erec let out a shaky breath. Everything stung in pain, but with each passing second, he had more in him to keep going. Getting all of that out there, he finally, removed a massive weight from his chest. In a way, he finally felt free. Witness the debut of this chapter, unveiled through Ñôv€l--B1n.

Enide leaned against him. “You can stay here, Hero. Really. I think you’ve done enough. We can find the suites.”

“No. It’s quicker if VAL gives us directions, and I’m not done here. Not until it’s over.” Erec said, and what was true enough. Maybe he wasn’t firing on all cylinders, but with her, with the rest of the Knights still capable of action, it would be enough. He had to see this AI die. He could feel it in him, and perhaps VAL did too. This was their chapter of Vortex Industries to close. Even Boldwick knew better to suggest that he stay behind.

“Just... Be easy, alright? You’re not alone down here.” Enide said.

“I’ve never been one to do things the easy way, but I couldn’t live with myself if I didn’t finish this. That’s chivalry.” The words tumbled from his mouth, but they felt right. He felt right. His fire flared in approval, his body numbed, then heated, only to return to the sorry state it had been, yet the tiniest bit better with the revelation.

“Chivalry?” Enide chuckled, then shook her head. “Alright then, psycho. Ya mind leaning on this wall a bit then, I’m going to go... pay my respects. Then check on Pa.” She said, nodding toward the dead Pendragons in the hall. Yniol had been among those injured, though he looked to be pulling through. He certainly would not be among the people they wrangled up for the last push, which was a relief.

If I get out of here. Erec had to forcibly remind himself as he dismissed the notification and erupted into a coughing fit.

Getting that much power took a toll.

His eyes slid over the Knights in the group and the Pendragons, and that worry drifted away. With these people, they could handle anything this AI had left in its arsenal. They would get home safely; he was sure of it.

It wasn’t long before that confidence was tested.

As soon as they left the area marked as ‘workplace’ and moved to the ‘residential section’ of the facility, they ran into the first monster. Not a Pendragon. It was like those lizards outside probably wandered into the facility. Its scales were black; it was triple the size of an average lizard and bulged with muscles. Those eyes, too, glowed an unnatural orange.

Boldwick beat him to the punch.

But not literately, more like, Boldwick beat him to burning the crap out of a monster.

Erec didn’t have a moment to process what he was staring at before Boldwick whipped his sword out of his sheathe, coated the thing with flame, then slammed a massive pillar of fire into the monster. It pressed the lizard against the wall and held it there, burning its scales and filling the hall with a putrid sulfuric reek.

It struggled against the flame sword, pinning it, but it couldn’t push the weapon off.

Rochester took advantage, slinging the revolver out of his holster and then putting three bullets into its skull. Each of them splashed with a blank ink when they hit, but despite three headshots, it didn’t immediately die.

The lizard let out a ferocious roar, trying in one last bid to push the sword free. To its credit, it summoned enough Strength to make the Master Knight stumble and nearly broke free.

But, in the end, it failed. The fire burned. Rochester unloaded more bullets, and after a minute of being pinned to a wall and burned alive, it succumbed to its fate and died. Boldwick waved the flames off his sword, Rochester reloaded, and then they were back off.

The rest of the encounters filled a similar pattern. A monster would emerge out of the dark, and Boldwick and Rochester would tackle it, with some backup from Dame Juliana and the Pendragons. The monsters themselves... Didn’t look humanoid. Erec managed to get a couple of slices in on a massive centipede that took up half the hall, and Enide slaughtered a small rabbit-like monster that jumped around too fast for anyone else to keep pace with.

With all of them there, anything seemed possible. They pressed deeper into the suites, eyes constantly looking out for former Pendragons. Hearts hoping they hadn’t unintentionally killed a former Pendragon.

Eventually, Rochester found what he was searching for.

A human crouched in the middle of the hallway in front of them, naked, their head down and their arms covering their ears, shaking. A man, though he looked closer to a skeleton, he was thin enough to be almost only skin and bones.

“Uncle?” Enide called out at Erec’s side.