Chapter 69 - Night-Raid

After some sleep, during which Maverick had Cultivated, Max got up. No new levels were gained, but that was to be expected. Durum had told them brute-forcing Cultivation levels would slow down. Max wondered about the dwarves he had left behind. Did they understand? Would Durum?

Maverick reminded him with a cocktail of emotions through their bond, that what really mattered was his survival, and by extension his species. All of this other stuff like politics with some old dwarves was decorative.

It wasn’t exactly like that, but Max could appreciate the point Maverick was trying to make.

They got moving. As Max traversed through the dark maze, he felt a calm. Such that one experiences during the night, keeping vigil. Not a single sound out of place was to be heard. Not the faintest echo, not the smallest click of rubble shot by a foot. Simple silence.

First thing Max did was the check on the three bodies he had made a few hours earlier. They were still buried under pieces of rubble and broken furniture in the room Max had left them. Most likely they had not been found. That was good. Although he had reason to suspect the enemy was wary of their comrades not having returned.

It was easy to relocate the enemy camp, because of the contrast of the orange glow within the darkness.

These amateurs. They really have a fire going?

Max approached with care and stepped over a trap before he could crouch and peek behind a corner. There the enemy had a small fire with two figures hunched around the warmth. If these were watchmen, they were not giving Max his due respect. These two watchers were blind to anything beyond the light the fire gave them. And Max could see them clearly.

Max approached as silently as a spider in the shadows. He clutched Maverick, bringing himself into the mindset of a hunter. A cool, calm readiness came through him. The Spiritual Energy coursing within his body gave him poise as he moved forward. And alacrity. There was a tripwire on the ground, probably connected to a piece of thick rope that led up to the darkness above. The ceiling was high.

Max crossed the tripwire almost disdainfully. It was set up well, just before a small set of stairs leading to a lower level of the corridor. When Max stepped over it, he realized it was too late.

Double-trap!

He stepped dead on the wire, which somehow tangled on his ankle. With a whirring sound, the rope pulled taut and as it sprung up from the ground it left Max dangling in mid-air.

A spear shot out of the darkness and hit Max straight in the head. A whopping 200 Health lost, and while by old rules of physics it should have taken Max’s head off, it now only left him slinging about in the air, with a blurred vision and a splitting headache.

The two figures by the fire got up and laughed. They started getting closer, and a third, larger figure emerged from the darkness to take a space between them.

She approached with a feminine poise, a truly graceful confidence. A smirk was playing around her reptilian features.

“Well, well,” she hissed in self-satisfaction. “We finally found the rat.”

Then she snapped her fingers and the other henchman came to wrestle [The Maverick] away from him. Max struggled, but the henchman punched him with an elbow in the face. Hard. Max’s vision flashed red and he let go

“To think it was caught so easily,” one of the watchmen said. “Maybe they are less dangerous than we thought.”

The other henchman was turning Maverick in his hands with overt greed and nodded absently.

“The patrons said all races have equivalent mental capacity,” the woman in the middle said. “But that doesn’t mean there aren’t dumb and smart individuals about.”

The female reptilian looked at Max with satisfaction of a victor. Of course she couldn’t tell Max could actually appreciate what she was saying. Max glared at her nonetheless.

“Let’s kill it,” the lizard holding [The Maverick] said. He raised the golden revolver towards Max’s head, before the female punched him.

“Don’t be so hasty, Rasskarash,” she said and tapped a finger at her lips as she looked at Max. “If we could interrogate it, it could be very valuable.”

“Honored, Slassekhsnas,” the unpunched henchman started. “How would we go about that? It does not understand our nuanced language, and we cannot comprehend this thing’s brutish grunts.”

So this is Slassekhsnas. Level 21. Surely the leader of their little group.

“True…” Slassekhsnas said. “We have to see if it is worth the time and effort. Tie his hands and legs.

Now that’s bad.

Maverick was trying to say something through their link. But the link wasn’t verbal in nature. It was more about emotion and intention. But maybe it was the higher level Cultivation they had achieved, because it felt like the messages were… less muddy than before.

That’s a plan.

Max took stock. He was hanging upside down and had lost his weapon. Those were temporary issues. Three enemies. The female lizard probably stronger than Max, at least in some respect, due to higher level. Level 20 could be a big boost, for all Max knew.

The two henchmen closed in on him. Just as they were about to grab him, Max shouted.

“Tether!”

Three tethers, head and both shoulders repelling against the dungeon floor. Max bounced upwards towards the roof. He tethered Maverick to his hand and the weapon shot up in the air, following Max. Another tethering, this one attaching him to the roof. Few more. He still had plenty mana.

“Nice one,” Maverick quipped  as they hung upside down from the ceiling.

“No traps on the roof, assholes?” Max hollered down at the snarling lizards.

Then he dropped Maverick and used a few more [Tethers] to suspend him afloat in midair. Maverick started twisting and shooting.

Max worked on the knot wrapped tightly at his ankle. It was rather weird working upside down. It didn’t budge. He just couldn’t pry even the slightest opening into the knot. Must have been the result of the woman having levels in [Trapper] or something.

Max produced a [Knife] from his inventory and was grateful not to drop it. Maverick laughed like a maniac as he shot at the lizards who had begun an escape back to their camp.

Max cut the rope from his ankle and started running along the ceiling placing [Tether] after [Tether] at his feet. Every time he did it, his stomach lurched, but he had no time to waste. Another tethering brought Maverick back to his hand. Max pointed the weapon to the general direction of the camp and let his companion decide when to pull the trigger.

Defeated Level 18 [Ishkarassi]

You gained 630 experience points

Many shouts poured over each other as the camp of the enemy woke up in alert. Max looked at his Mana. Still over 700 left. Some arrows flew in his general direction, but the enemy couldn’t see Max clearly within the deep shadows of the high roof. Max saw them well enough from his vantage point, with the help of the nightfire that the lizards had. Maverick sang his song of battle and another lizard dropped.

Defeated Level 14 [Ishkarassi]

You gained 440 experience points

Max switched positions, moving to the other side of the roof and chugged down a [Potion of Greater Mana Regeneration]. He didn’t have many left, but if there ever was a situation to use one, it was this.

He also consumed a [Mana Potion]. That covered the cost of [Semi-automatic Firearm].

More arrows and rocks flew around him. An arrow struck him and he yelped. The lizards could still see the muzzle-fire and hear where the shots came from. Another arrow struck. A streak of lightning energy struck the ceiling next to him and rubble rained down.

Oh shit, that’s no good.

Soon Max was surrounded in a storm of lightning bolts. One of them struck Max straight in the chest and not only did he lose 120 Health Points, but he almost lost control of the [Tethers] keeping him glued to the ceiling.

“Mav, they’ve got a mage,” Max said. “Can you see him?”

“They all look like ugly lizards to me.”

“There’s too many of them,” Max said. “I’m going to run out of Mana at this rate.”

“Agreed,” Maverick said. “Toss me down as a distraction and get down.”

Max did just that. He tossed Maverick and tethered him in midair, from which he kept shooting. Max glanced at his blue Mana bar. He noticed something strange. When he wasn’t holding Maverick, the bullets didn’t cost Mana.

How does that work? Okay, focus. Not a good question right now.

Max got down tethering himself along the wall and sliding smoothly down. He was happy to see the smooth stone floor beneath him as he put his legs down. Then he noticed he had stepped on a wire.

“Oh shit,” was the only thing Max managed to say before a fiery explosion blasted right next to him.