Chapter 32 – Operation start

Later in the day, it was finally time to go. After succeeding at the level up, Fayette and Olivia had spent the rest of their remaining time concocting alchemical mixtures. Mixtures with oomph for themselves, and mixtures with flair for Mireille, who would be on distraction duty.

Mireille had been making her own preparations during the day, gathering up various things necessary for their plan. They met up at a street corner near their target factory. The sun had set long since, but the smog still clung to the ground. They were all wearing cloth masks over their faces which helped against it, at least a bit.

The masks fit the other two rather well—Olivia and Mireille had chosen similar outfits. All-black, loose garments that hid the form; a good match for the masks. Like thieves straight out of a story.

Fayette looked a bit more out of place. A pristine [Maid] outfit, fully decked out with a white apron, white cuffs, and a white collar—it didn’t really match the mask. She tugged at the thing with annoyance; it really didn’t feel good to be ruining her coordinated outfit like this.

“Why am I even wearing this stupid mask? We all agreed that I wouldn’t be sneaking in with you two—my style is going to be more forward.”

“Ah, well, that’s true,” Mireille admitted. “It’s just that I didn’t know that beforehand, so I got 3 masks for us. Feel free to toss yours.”

“Wait, you made these yourself? Oh, I won’t toss it then. I’ll find a use for it later.”

“Can we get to business?” Olivia said, eyes seeming to sink further inside her head with every inane word said. She had been with Fayette most of the day, and Fayette had noted with concern that the woman's alcohol intake had not stopped at any point—she had been drinking all the way until the operation.

Fayette had made a few inquiries about whether she was truly fine, but the [Doctor] had assured her that she knew what she was doing. Fayette would have believed it too, if not for the slight sway her steps held now.

“Yes, let’s get to business.” Mireille readily agreed, holding out a large bag. “I made this for the last part of our plan—I’m relatively sure it will work.”

Fayette took it and then handed the woman a bag of her own. It was full of bottles, which clinked against each other. “Alright, these are the mixtures you’ll need for the distraction. Should make a lot of smoke when broken. A bit of fire too. Ok, maybe a bit more than a bit. Plenty of fire.”

Mireille nodded, then carefully accepted the items, making sure to keep her hands steady. She looked them over quickly, then nodded.

“Alright, that should be everything. Are you two ready to go?”

“Been ready since yesterday.” The [Doctor] said.

“I’ve been ready since, well, right now I guess.” The [Maid] said.

Mireille nodded. “Alright, let’s head in. We’ll wait for you to distract the guard, Fayette. Anything goes wrong, run away and get back to that warehouse we gathered in.”

Fayette nodded, then started walking directly to the front gate of the compound. Mireille and Olivia headed to the fence nearby—their approach would be less direct.

A lone [Guard] was posted by the entrance, lazily leaning on his spear. Fayette felt a bit nervous at approaching him but resolved herself. She was doing a [Maid’s] duty today, a good act for the people. She would not fail.

She got closer to the guard, and activated [Unseen Attendant], hoping the guard would take no notice of her passing.

It failed.

The [Guard’s] eyes had begun to glaze over her, but approaching the gate seemed to be too direct, his eyes snapped back to Fayette. She cursed silently. Hell. I guess it really doesn’t quite work if I’m not doing natural [Maid] stuff. Or I need more skill points in it. Well, we still have plan b.

Fayette dug out a paper slip from her pocket and showed it to the [Guard] as she got to the gate.

“Hello, I was sent for some cleaning work. Late-night order.”

The [Guard] looked over the slip, then nodded. “Alright, head on in.”

Fayette nodded and walked past.

Yes, in a rather rare turn, plan b was not in fact the “Hit them with a broom” plan—that had been plan c. Fayette let herself relax. Well, I guess I don’t always have to face things broom-first. Convenient that the [Doctor] had a skill for this.

She had been a bit surprised by Olivia whipping out a [Forge Documentation] skill—a skill that really made her doubt the woman’s [Doctor] qualifications. Well, it did help us out. Maybe she has a good reason to have such a skill?

She walked further into the courtyard, and reunited with the other two, already waiting there. They had slipped over the fence while she was interacting with the guard. Mireille was glaring at the [Doctor], who had taken out her flask for yet another drink. Fayette started to get worried for the operation.

“—Hello again. I got through, the card worked.”

“I said it would,” slurred the [Doctor].

“That it did...” Mireille said, sighing deeply. She looked over at the [Doctor], shook her head, and spoke again. “Alright, I guess we’re now doing this. I’ll head out to the administrative sector, you two keep out of trouble. If I don’t hear an explosion in say— half an hour? I’ll leave, and come look for you.”

Fayette nodded. “If we don’t see smoke after the explosion, we’ll come look for you. You stay careful too, alright? You’re the one going solo here.”

“I’m the best out of us for heading out alone—don’t worry yourself.”

Mireille seemed sure of her chances, but Fayette knew the girl wasn’t keen on showing any weakness. Especially when important matters were at stake. She stepped closer and smoothed out the [Seamstress’s] hair—the mask seemed to have gotten it all messed up again.

“Just be careful. You are new to this as well after all.”

“Can you two stop the farewells?” Olivia said, finally putting her flask away. “We’ve got to get going, and time increases risk. They may have noticed us already, and sent word to fetch an elite capture squad. We could be behind bars getting our nails pulled off one-by-one within an hour.”

Two silent gazes turned to her, just a bit horrified.

The [Doctor] shrugged her shoulders. “Hey, It’s just a possibility, alright? I didn’t say it’s actually going to happen. That wasn’t even the worst possibility.”

Mireille looked at her for a moment, then sighed, stepping away from Fayette. “Alright, let’s get to business. See you later.” She waved a quick goodbye, and slinked off into the night, form blending into the shadows.

Fayette took a look at her partner for this mission—a [Doctor] who seemed to be having trouble staying on her feet. She did not feel that reassured.

“I guess we’ll head out too.” She finally said and started walking to the main factory halls. Olivia silently followed her.

The building they approached was a looming giant of red brick, with an array of tall chimneys breaking up the blocky shape. No new smog was being pushed out at this hour, but enough had been made during the day—the environment was still clotted by a black haze.

The pair got closer and soon saw their first roadblock, a large door. A large, locked door. Fayette looked at the iron padlock hanging from it with disappointment. She had been hoping for an open one; she was confident she could clean her way through. It was also much too soon to start making noise.

“Hmm, looks like it’s time to nab a key,” Olivia said, also looking at the padlock.

“What, are we taking one out already? Won’t that make lots of noise?”

“Not with my methods... This should work. Come, I think I see the light of a guard post over there.”

Fayette was leery of whatever this woman was planning and only got leerier once she followed. A lone [Guard] was walking the grounds with a lantern in hand, lazily looking over the premises. The [Doctor] looked at the man thoughtfully, then turned to Fayette.

“Alright, I think you cleaning away on this yard could help me get my chance. Use your skill, then once I’m in position, release it. That’s when I’ll strike.”

Fayette nodded slowly—it seemed the woman had a plan, so she would trust it. She took out her broom, started sweeping the ground, walked out to the open, and activated [Unseen Attendant.]

[Unseen Attendant—A proper Maid goes unnoticed at work, a natural thing with this handy skill! Non-worker classes will have a hard time noticing you while you are attending to your Maid duties. Clean inconspicuously!]

The [Guard] took no notice of her as she swept away at the ground and walked closer. Fayette saw Olivia activating an ability of her own—one that made her seemingly blend into the shadows. It almost reassured her, but the sway she detected in the motion of the shadow did unsettle her for a bit. Well, if she fails, I guess plan c always exists.

Fayette almost lost the last bits of trust she had when she saw what the [Doctor] did next. She took out her flask, and took a long, deep swig from it. Is she insane? She’s almost to the [Guard]!

Olivia however didn’t act like she had done anything unusual, and just gestured for Fayette to make her move. The [Maid] sighed silently. Well, I guess here goes nothing.

She had gotten close enough, almost two broom-measures away, and deactivated [Unseen Attendant]. The [Guard] jumped and noticed her at once. His eyes widened, and his spear shifted towards her, but then the [Doctor] appeared from behind, form coming into focus out of the shadows.

The gloomy woman moved with grace, slipping behind the man and touched the back of his head. Fayette could just barely make out the words she said.

“[Transfer Condition]”

Instantly, the Guard swayed on his feet, then collapsed on the ground. The [Doctor] meanwhile lost the sway to her step and the flush that had begun creeping to her face, seeming to sober up completely.

Fayette warily walked closer, and saw that the [Guard] was already snoring on the ground.

Olivia was busy digging through his pockets with one hand, while the other was holding her head. “Ugh, this guy was already nursing a hangover. Fucking great. Now I don’t get to be buzzed, and have to deal with this.”

She finally found a keychain in the man’s pockets and took them out. “Alright, found it.”

Fayette only had one thought: Just what kind of [Doctor] is she supposed to be? And how much had she really drank?

A/N I will be moving house tomorrow, so I won't have time to deal with this stuff. Next chapter on Thursday!