Might need to back and make corrections to this chapter later, grammatically speaking. Let me know if something seems off.
This is going to be part one out three for the Sun Fort mini arc! And soon, the Ancient Wyvern arc will be coming to a close!
Please enjoy this chapter, and feel free to send me feedback of any kind!
Climbing up the stone steps of the pyramid-shaped fortress, Goblin Slayer got the impression from the lack of decorative design along the surfaces of the stronghold's geometric structure that everything about the Sun Fort was constructed for the sake of practically. Once they reached the top of the steps, the four of them stepped onto the brick platform that resided beneath a stone awning; a sleek-ebony door built into a sliding mechanism stood before them, looking newer than anything else around them.
'There's no physical lock or any way to pry it open… Ebony metal is extremely durable, especially if it's used in constructing fortifications,' Goblin Slayer thought to himself with his brows furrowed as he raised a hand up to push on the thick-piece of black metal; getting a feel for it, while already trying to think of a way to break through it.
Being more vocal than her companion, as soon as Hero figured that they weren't going to easily be able to break through the ebony-steel door, she turned her head towards her two new allies. "Any idea on how we're going to get inside? Can't imagine getting in here is going to be as simple as brute-forcing our way through," Hero mused with a small smirk across her face, and stepped back as Tanya stepped forward toward the ebony door; gently excusing herself to get by Goblin Slayer, as she turned her attention toward the aged-stone wall on her left side.
"The control panel for each fort outside of Crossbell is hidden beneath a hollowed-out brick in the wall," Tanya explained out loud, before taking her damaged boot-knife out, and using it to pry open the stone-panel hidden amongst the other gray bricks, revealing an ebony lock that had a small touch-screen monitor in the hollowed-out space. "Any rank starting from "Captain" and above are given the credentials needed to gain access into said forts… Unfortunately, that requires prior clearance to be given, and thus I this is as far as I can help us," Tanya declared in a matter-of-fact voice, as she turned around to give Tio a raised eyebrow.
Confused just as much as Hero and Goblin Slayer were, Tio raised a hand up to gesture as to why Tanya refused to use her own credentials to allow them access into the Sun Fort's main entrance. "I don't understand… You made it obvious that you were fine with going against orders before these two jumped us. What's with the cold feet all of a sudden?" Tio asked in her stoic voice, while Tanya tapped her small fingers slowly against the underside of her orbal rifle.
"Miss Plato, I was merely venting to you; "shooting the shit", as they say; orders are still orders. I am to protect you, and you are to collect data for the analytics team to track down the target. Nothing has changed about our assignment," Tanya explained in a professional tone, before smirking as she craned her small neck to look over at Goblin Slayer. "Mr. Bannings and Miss LeFay, however, do NOT fall under any of those restrictions, as they aren't even Crossbellans to begin with…"
"… So, if he were to hack the security system, and just so happen to FIND the front entrance opened, we would be obligated to investigate the Sun Fort, as we now have "reasonable suspicion" to believe that there's intruders inside," Tanya explained with a wide smile on her face, as reached up with one hand to guide Goblin Slayer over to the front of the small security computer within the hole in the wall. "And according to your Aether Meter, there is indeed an intruder inside the Sun Fort already!" Tanya said, while implying that the Ancient Wyvern itself was the intruder.
Perplexed at the sheer mental-gymnastics that Tanya was displaying, just to absolve the both of them from ever possibly facing any consequences for going against their orders, Tio frowned as she watched the blond girl turn around to look away from them. '… You're bending the truth hard enough to make a pretzel out of it,' Tio's mind mused, as she stared at the back of Tanya's head full of messy blond hair. "… I doubt that Eren has the technical-know how to-"
Plugging her ears with her fingertips to block out the incriminating words that were coming out of Tio's mouth, Tanya continued to look the other way to maintain her deniability; humming to herself while the pastel-haired girl scowled at her. Letting out a frustrated sigh, Tio turned away from Tanya to make her way to Goblin Slayer's side; making sure to keep clear of the small camera on the top of the computer's small screen, that would automatically start broadcasting Goblin Slayer's face the moment he would start to tamper with it.
Leaning her cape-covered back against the wall alongside where the computer panel was, Tio had her arms crossed as she thought of a way to teach Goblin Slayer how to bypass the security system. "… It's going to be hard for any judge to believe that a native from Vesteria was capable of bypassing a top-of-the-line security system; much less knowing how to use a computer in general… But, your people are known for still having the ability to cast spells on your own still without an orbament, so that… Yeah, that could work," Tio thought out loud to herself.
Instructing Goblin Slayer to use the broken half of his ebony spear to pry open the ebony panel from its bolts, Tio began to explain to him about the unorthodox method of "hot-wiring" the door open via electric-manipulation; educating him on which wires to tear open, before having him shove his arm inside the pried-open panel. Through the use of Kaguya's byakugans, Goblin Slayer had an easy time identifying which wires to place his ENIGMA Mk II near in order to establish a current through his orbament and his body; altering the electricity coming out of his device and body to send the correct signals into the compromised security system.
Although the process of hacking into the security system was painful, due to his nerves having been damaged and continuously regenerated each time he send a "pulse" to mimic the signals that Tio's "Aeon System" was capable of producing and monitoring remotely, Goblin Slayer had successfully triggered the sliding mechanism to slide the twenty-ton ebony steel door back; allowing them access inside the Sun Fort. Pulling his arm out of the computer and wincing at the smell of burnt flesh emitting from his red-skin, Goblin Slayer made sure to disconnect the wires connecting the camera, so as to allow the three women to pass through the door without being recorded.
Standing still so Tio could use her ENIGMA to summon aerial-suspended water to form around his burnt-forearm to mend his wounds, Goblin Slayer watched from the corner of his peripheral vision as Tanya took out a small square-shaped device out of her leather pouch. "… What is that?" Goblin Slayer asked as he watched Tanya lowering his gaze down to tinker with the device's touch-screen monitor.
"It's called a camera; it's capable of instantly taking pictures and recording events," Tanya explained, as she reached an arm up to present her compact camera to Goblin Slayer, before letting Hero's curious eyes have a gander at it as well. "I'll be using it to gather enough evidence to be used in court, for when you're inevitably arrested for trespassing on government property," Tanya explained calmly, while Goblin Slayer's eyes softly widened.
Becoming shocked from what she had heard herself, Tio whipped her head over shoulder to stare at Tanya with a look of surprise in her amber-colored eyes. "You're… You're actually going to arrest him? Why? That seems… Crappy of you," Tio admitted, to which Tanya had already been anticipating to hear.
"Because Miss Plato, right now as we speak, Chief Sergei Lou is certainly sending out a response team to investigate just who the hell just broke into the Sun Fort. You and I are already here, and- Oh! Speak of the Devil…" Tanya spoke aloud, as her cell phone began to vibrate inside of her pocket. Pulling out a heavy-duty flip phone from her leather pouch, Tanya silently excused herself as she began to distance herself from the group by walking back down stone-steps of the pyramid structure.
Sighing, Tio looked away from Tanya's direction and turned around to face the pitch-black inside of the Sun Fort's spacious lobby. "… We should get the power grid back online while she's finishing with her phone call," the pastel-haired girl instructed, before reaching into her messager's bag to pull out a black flashlight; raising it open before shining a bright light into the steel-interior of the massive twenty-meter tall lobby that awaited for them on the inside.
Following behind Tio as they stepped foot into the steel-plated floor, Goblin Slayer and Hero marveled at the enclosed atrium around them; something that Hero had a harder time with, since Goblin Slayer was able to see in the dark, thanks to Kaguya, who was still nestled on his shoulder. Before them in the center of the massive lobby was a set of steps leading up to an elevated platform that broke off into two parallel flights of stairs that led up to a raised-balcony.
Going underneath the flight of steel-steps, where massive brass pipes filled with vacuum pipes and copper wire were built into the steel-plated walls on both of their sides, Tio led them into the maintenance section of the lobby, which was separated by a steel-mesh door that was built into the metal wall in front of them. With the lock on the door handle being old fashioned instead of technologically secured, Tio handed Hero the flashlight to keep the light shined on the handle.
"Give me a moment… This won't take long," Tio said in her usual monotone voice, before taking out a small black case from her messenger's bag. Popping up the metal latches of the harden-plastic case she had pulled out, Tio opened the container to reveal a monitories hand-held device with a pistol-grip on it.
Tilting her head at the hand-held tool that was being fitted with a thin-metal attachment that Tio took out from her small case, Hero couldn't help but ask the question that she knew Goblin Slayer and Kaguya were also thinking to themselves. "Hey Tio, what does that little gizmo do?" Hero asked, as she watched Tio insert the metal-bit of the tool into the door handle.
"This is a lock-pick gun that I made myself; it scans the inside of the lock, and that data is then used by the computer inside to form the metal-bit at the end to fit the lock accordingly," Tio explained, as her device made a quick buzz before immediately transforming its end into a key that fit the lock. "I call it the "Skeleton Key", because that's essentially just what it is; it fits any traditional locking mechanism that I slid it into," Tio announced quietly with a small proud smile across her stoic expression, as she turned her homemade device to the side as if though it were an actual key; unlocking the door handle before pulling it open.
Struck with awe, Hero smiled giddily while bouncing up and down with excitement. "Wow! That's so freakin' cool, Tio! You're so amazing! I wish that I was as inventive as you; how did you ever learn all of that stuff?!" Hero asked with a genuine tone of wonderment in her voice, which Tio and Goblin Slayer both found to be endearing.
Holding the door open for Hero and Goblin Slayer to come inside the maintenance area, Tio closed the unlocked door behind her, taking the flashlight from Hero's hand as she shined it on all the industrial generators and other pieces of hardware that were painted bright yellow. "I appreciate the compliments, Scarlet… All the technical skills that I've learned were from my time spent working for the Epstein Foundation; plenty of excellent instructors there who hold classes without charge," Tio explained, as she made her way up to the main console that controlled Sun Fort's power grid.
"I highly recommend attending one, if you ever have the time to do so," Tio suggested, as he reached into her messenger's bag to pull out an electronic tablet that was linked to the Aeon System housed within the metal chassis on her chest.
Although the thought of being able to hack into computers and create her own advanced inventions like Tio appealed to Hero, the young adventurer felt discouraged by the thought once she started to compare her own intelligence to the pastel-haired girl's own. "Hehe, wouldn't that be cool? But, uh… Not sure if that's in the cards for me, Tio; truth be told, I can't even read," Hero admitted with an uncomfortable chuckle, which didn't phase Tio in the least bit.
"They hold comprehensive classes to teach anyone how to read common during the week. And for what it's worth, I didn't know how to read when I was first taken in by the Epstein Foundation either," Tio revealed to the flabbergasted auburn-haired teen; smiling reassuringly at her as much as her stoic demeanor would allow her to.
"Wait, seriously?! YOU used to not know how to read either?! Pffttt! No way… I have a hard time believing that…!" Hero chuckled to herself, while Tanya was giving herself administrative rights using the tablet in her hands.
Still smiling softly as her face was illuminated in the light of her tablet's touch-screen, Tio fingers were nimble and articulate as she altered the software to override the firewall protecting the geothermal power grid from being reactivating. "My knowledge and abilities are a testament to how effective the Epstein Foundation's free education programs are… If you're having self-doubts, just take it from someone who saw the brilliance behind your combat prowess… Just know from someone like me that you have a high aptitude yourself," Tio complimented with a sincerity behind her voice, before tapping one last button on her tablet's touch screen, before the lights and generators around them came roaring to life.
Standing approximately one-hundred yards away from the twenty-meter walls surrounding the massive stronghold, Tanya was just far away from the Sun Fort to avoid the Crossbell Police Department's chief from hearing the massive subterranean-engines from roaring to life; shaking the ground beneath her, while Tanya was walking in circles to simulate wind passing by her phone's receiver.
On the other line of the call, standing up from his office desk located approximately two-three and fifty kilometers away from the Sun Fort was a roguishly-handsome man with swept-back brown hair and a small beard; taking a drag from his cigarette as his eyes intently stared down at the monitor of his computer. "Whoever broke into the Sun Fort has just overridden the mainframe that was supposed to safeguard the power grid… What's your ETA, Degurechaff?" Sergei Lou asked in a deep-and-authoritative voice that Tanya herself wasn't accustomed to hearing.
'He's normally so laid back and unenthusiastic… His voice now, it… It demands respect and absolute cooperation. Why can't my voice be like that?' Tanya thought to herself; feeling inferior as she compared herself to one of Crossbell's most respected officers of all time. "… Approximately ten minutes, Chief; Miss Plato and I are still driving up the sides of the Dusk Plateau," Tanya lied, while still trying to sell her false information by having her phone pick up the wind she was making with her movement.
"Ten-four, Degurechaff. Call me to give me an update when you arrive at the Sun Fort; don't go inside until I get a verbal update from you. There's no cell-reception inside the Sun Fort, so proceed with caution, and don't put yourself or Tio's life at risk, more than you have to," Sergei commanded, while being unable to see the wide-excited grin that was forming on the blond girl's lush lips.
"Oh? And what about our current orders, Chief? Wouldn't that conflict with the mayor's assignment that he gave us?" Tanya asked while sounding purposefully naive over the phone in her child-like voice.
Shaking his head while taking a long drag from his cigarette, Sergei exhaled a cloud of nicotine smoke out of his opened window as he looked out into the streets of his city; one hand raised up to keep the cellphone against his ear, while he used his other hand to take the cigarette out between his lips. "… Render onto MacDowell what is his, and render to me what is mine. The lives and safety of every single person within Crossbell fall on my shoulders at the end of the day; to Hell with bureaucracy," Sergei stated in a coolheaded yet passionate demeanor that made Tanya feel inspired by him, even when she was the one who was deceiving him in the first place.
"Degurechaff, you're given permission to abandon the reconnaissance mission; the last thing this city needs is someone with the know-how to hack into the Sun Fort's geothermal power grid to get their hands on all the tech that's down there… We've already got our hands full with that Ancient Wyvern," Sergei said in a low voice, as he kept his calm demeanor in spite of clearly being stressed out. "I've sent out a battalion to provide you with reinforcements; Bannings and MacLaine will be leading, so expect to see them within two hours," Sergei informed, before putting out his cigarette and tossing it into the ashtray he kept on his windowsill.
Nodding her head while feeling conflicted about Sergei feeling the need to send Crossbell's two most capable investigators out to aid her, Tanya's thoughts of feeling inadequate about herself were interrupted the moment her mind finally pieced together something crucial. 'Bannings… Guy Bannings… Eren Bannings… Wait. Oh shit, that's why Eren's last name sounded so familiar! You gotta be kidding me! Surely that's just a coincidence, right?!' Tanya's mind chirped, as she came to an immediate halt as her eyes shot-wide open. "… That… That actually could work in our favor," Tanya muttered quietly to herself, as her mind was quickly able to spin the newly fed information it received into something positive.
Thinking that Tanya's muttered words were about him sending his two best men to lead a small army of officers to provide her backup, Sergei didn't think much of what the conniving blond girl had said. "My thoughts exactly. Remain vigilant and keep our associate safe; that part of your assignment hasn't changed, Degurechaff," Sergei said in his dominant voice; causing Tanya to immediately stand at attention in the empty field of grass.
"Aye, aye Chief!" Tanya said with an obedient voice, as she instinctively raised her hand up to give Sergei a salute that he, nor anyone else would have seen.
"Call me when you arrive at the Sun Fort. You're dismissed," the middle-aged man said cooly, before hanging up the phone on Tanya; who dropped her professional military-esque demeanor the moment she heard the call disconnect. Letting out a heavy sigh, Tanya slid her cellphone back into her leather side pouch, before beginning to head back to the fortress.
Powering walking back up the road into the Sun Fort's courtyard, Tanya took out a pouch of rainbow jelly beans from her pocket before dumping a sizable portion out on her palm. Cupping her palm against her lips as she tossed the entire handful of treats into her mouth, Tanya was chomping down on the jelly beans as she crossed through the stone archway built into the surrounding walls of the fortress. Feeling her mental stamina getting fueled by the special sugars within the ration, Tanya let out a content sigh as she climbed up the many stone-steps leading up to the opened door into the Sun Fort's illuminated front-atrium; but not before snapping a few pictures of the busted console that Goblin Slayer broke when Tio taught him how to unconventionally hack into doors.
Standing at the front of the spacious steel-walled lobby, Tanya waved a hand over at Goblin Slayer, Hero, and Tio, all of which were waiting on the large upper platform that was built over the entire caged-maintenance area. Signaling to them that she was coming, Tanya climbed up the first set of steel steps parallel from where the entrance was, before climbing up the second set of stairs that led up to the metal catwalk built into the side of the wall. Finally regrouping with them after walking nearly thirty meters to reach the sliding door where they had been waiting for her, Tanya needed a moment to take a swig of water from her canteen to soothe her dry throat.
Screwing in the top of the metal canister and latching it back onto her belt, Tanya let out another breath of exhaled air, before regaining her composure. "Ahhh… Two hours. We have two hours before the Chief's reinforcements arrive," Tanya announced, as she reached past Goblin Slayer to press a button on the side console built into the wall beside the door frame; sliding open the steel door that had been separating them from the ten-meter wide elevator platform in the center of the steel-lined room.
Having already anticipated Sergei's response just as much as Tanya had, Tio simply nodded her head before going through the opened door frame with Hero following behind her, making her way toward the center of the elevator shaft, while taking her tablet out to remotely hack into the elevator's control system. Looking back at Tanya with a mildly worried look in his scarlet eyes, Goblin Slayer took a moment to hold the blond girl's icy blue gaze before finally speaking.
"… Earlier you told me that it's inevitable that I'm going to be arrested. Are those reinforcements here for me specifically, or are they coming for the Ancient Wyvern as well?" Goblin Slayer asked, while both he and Tanya began to make their way over to where Tio and Hero were standing.
"That's the genius part of my plan, Mr. Bannings: there's only two ways that this is going to pan out, and both ways end in the Ancient Wyvern's demise," Tanya explained with an excited gleam in her blue eyes, as the pistons within the large elevator came to alive; lowering the forty-ton platform they were standing on slowly down its shaft. "The Chief is expecting me to call him back soon, which isn't going to happen. He'll assume the worst happened to Miss Plato and I, and that'll be even more cause to send even more reinforcements to our location. Expect there to be an army of at least five-hundred officers to greet you, Mr. Bannings."
Furrowing her brows and frowning at how pleased Tanya was with herself, Hero crossed her arms over her breastplate while turning her attention to the back of the other girl's head. "You're saying all of that like it's a good thing…"
"Because it is a good thing, Miss LeFay," Tanya said reassuringly, as she turned around to face the confused young girl. "That little rabbit of Mr. Bannings is a conduit for him to sense power signatures, yes? More-or-less, it's the same as Miss Plato's Aether Meter… It's unanimously agreed amongst us that the Ancient Wyvern is on the very bottom level of the Sun Fort's four-stratums," Tanya stated factually, while Hero continued to give her a confused look.
"… Okay, and?" Hero asked with one hand raised; twirling her wrist a bit, gesturing to Tanya to further elaborate her so-called genius plan.
"And, there's a very real possibility that we're all going to die down there when we encounter it," Tanya said with a straight face; making Tio feel that much more uncomfortable with them hunting the Ancient Wyvern in the first place. "If we can't kill the Ancient Wyvern, the reinforcements outside will. Even if we somehow don't make it down to the last stratum, the officers will have to conduct a thorough search of the Sun Fort, where they themselves will stumble upon the monster and handle it from there. Their sheer number and artillery will overpower it even if it tries to escape."
Blinking a few times in silence as she tried to understand why Tanya was visibly triumphant of the plan she had created, Hero needed a moment to gather her thoughts before speaking once again. "So… That's your genius plan? Us dying, and throwing the lives of others at the Ancient Wyvern, until it finally dies too?" Hero asked with wide-frown, as she lowered her arms down to hold onto her hip-armor. "Seems sacrificial, if you ask me," Hero said, as she closed her eyelids shut while the pressure around them slowly started to change.
Tossing the strap of her orbament rifle off of her shoulder, Tanya grabbed a hold of her weapon with both hands, while staring down at it with a slightly cynical smile forming on her lips. "It's called having a back up plan, Miss LeFay. "Always hope for the best, but prepare for the worst", as they say," Tanya mused half-playfully, as she gazed up from the gun to lock eyes with Hero. "Of course, ideally, I would prefer it if we were to all survive this endeavor and slay that damn thing ourselves. However, I don't believe in miracles, Miss LeFay; I believe in being prepared."
Being someone who had shared the same mindset with Tanya, back when he used to go out to clear out goblin nests on his own, Goblin Slayer couldn't help but to feel impressed with how seriously the young girl took preparation. "Quite the strategist, aren't you? Did you learn that from being an officer yourself?" Goblin Slayer asked with a slight smile on his face; causing Tanya to look away from Hero to stare back at him with a smug grin coming across her doll-like facial features.
"The academy had a hand in helping me hone my skill, but the true reason behind my genius comes from my father," Tanya replied, while her smug demeanor softened at the thought of her family.
Interjecting, Hero piped up and asked Tanya, "Was your dad a cop too? Military officer, or something?"
Shaking her head softly at the assumptions, Tanya chuckled quietly as she looked away from Goblin Slayer to give Hero a soft smile. "Nothing like that, Miss LeFay. My father used to work in the civilian sector for a museum back home; he was a human resource manager. Dealt with paperwork and employees," Tanya answered; unveiling something about herself that not even Tio was aware of.
"I… I wasn't aware of that, Degurechaff. Crossbell has several museums. Which one does your dad work at?" Tio asked; almost regretting it the moment she saw Tanya become momentarily uncomfortable with the question.
"… My family isn't from Crossbell, or any of Eden's surrounding islands, Miss Plato. He used to work at a museum that collected war artifacts from the Middle Ages, back in North Ambria," Tanya answered in a slightly quiet voice that could be barely heard over the sounds of the motors lowering the elevator down into the Earth.
Knowing just how underdeveloped and impoverished North Ambria was, even with it being in control of the world's richest nation, Tio felt sympathy for Tanya as she eyed the girl's petite and small body. '… That explains her last name, and why she's so small. I've heard about how common malnourishment is in North Ambira… Everyone wants to join the Jaegers, just to get the hell out of there; even children,' Tio thought to herself; feeling bad for Tanya, who looked to be nervously tapping her fingers against the bottom of the rifle.
Instantly remembering the recording he found down in the basement of the observatory tower, Goblin Slayer reached into his leather pouch attatched to his belt; taking out the pocket-sized holographic projector and its remote controller. "North Ambria… It used to be called the "Principality of North Ambria", right? It's where those mercenaries, the "Northern Jaegers" are from," Goblin Slayer announced, as all three women and Kaguya gave him a shocked look; especially Tanya, who was genuinely surprised that someone like Goblin Slayer knew anything about her home country's old history.
"Is that…? Is that a "Memento Mori"?! Where the hell did you even find this?!" Tanya asked with a flabbergasted, as she and Tio both marveled at the old piece of technology within her hand.
"I found it inside an observation tower that I unearthed when I arrived here. I'd show you where it is, but it seems as though that I'm either going to die down here, or getting sent to prison; so that might not happen," Goblin Slayer replied, all without intending to sound as sassy as he did.
Having almost forgotten to mention the part of her plan that involved saving Goblin Slayer from facing jail time, Tanya was too engrossed with the holographic projector in her hand to even think about going into detail about it. "Oh, that…? Yeah, don't worry about it Mr. Bannings; I'll take care of it for you," Tanya said almost dismissively, as she sat down the projector before wordlessly turning it on with its remote controller.
Tanya was mystified and slack-jacked the moment she saw none other than the holographic projection of Vlad Winslet, the Northern Jaeger's legendary war hero himself, taking form from the geometric particles of blue magic before her eyes.
"This is… This Captain Vlad Windslet, North Jaeger Company, forty-second squad… Pardon me for a moment… This device IS working, yes?" The holographic projection of the armored man asked with a small smile forming on his aged face, as he leaned in closer to presumably fiddle with the projector that he was recording himself on.
"Hmm… Excellent, the device is recording, as intended. Heh, my word… It boggles the mind to think that they turned one of these old buildings into a little abode… Forgive me, I'm getting sidetracked. Truth be told, I don't even rightfully know why I'm recording this message to begin with; I always thought these "final moments" were always a bit too self-gratifying for my taste. Does it make me a hypocrite for recording one then? Mmm, perhaps… However, I have to say that I believe some part of me wants to commemorate my men, but then again… I'm not sure how much honor there is in being a soldier of fortune, these days," Captain Windslet said with a somber smile on his face, as he lowered his head slightly, while his blue eyes began to reflect a sense of nostalgia and sorrow.
"It… It wasn't always like that though. We used to be respected, used to be the "good guys" who everyone knew to give those long-eared bastards the what for," the mercenary officer said with pride in his voice, after having spoken illy of what Tanya knew to be elves of all kinds.
"Heh… Look at what I've been reduced to: a war hero, reminiscing about the great days when we used to be known as the "Principality of North Ambia"! Tch, those days that are dead and gone; just a burning memory, at this point… Gods be damned, I sound just like my father right now! If only he were still alive to get a good look at his "heroic" son," The refined officer said with a joyless grin forming over his lips, as he let out a cynical laugh.
Falling into a long-period of silence, in which Tanya knew was because Captain Windslet was busy with thinking bitter thoughts, it took a little before the mercenary leader finally broke the tension with a cathartic sigh. "… I'm losing my train of thought. Like I've previously mentioned, all my men are dead now. They fought honorably to the bitter end; I want to make sure that's on record for whoever stumbles upon this recording… Uh, what else, what else… Oh yes, I should explain what I'm up against, for the sake of giving context. There's about sixty Crossbell officers searching for me right now. I'm hoping that I can lose them in the forest, just North of here…It'll almost be just like the good ol' days, back when the only thing I had to worry about was getting shot with those bloody little arrows that those high elves still to this day insist on using," the mercenary said with a grim smirk on his face, and paused for a moment before letting out another humorless chuckle.
"… There's an island with a mountainous terrain North of Eden, it's considerably distant from Crossbell, so I could start a new life up there… Perhaps I could take on a nomadic lifestyle, like those people I've heard so about… But to believe in that unreachable dream would be nothing short of impossible. The hard truth of the matter is that there is no happy ending for me— not this time, I'm afraid. I took too many officers down for the enemy to stop looking for me," Captain Windslet said with a brutal amount of honesty in his voice, as he took in a deep breath before sighing.
"… Besides, the enemy has their hands on some rather extraordinary firepower: "orbal armaments", or some peculiar name like that, as they call it. Whatever it is that they're using, it triumphs over the weapons my squad purchased from the "Reinford Group" for this mission. So with that being said, today will more than likely be the day that I answer for all the lives I've taken," the refined man said with an eerily calm look in his eyes, as he reached down below where the holographic projection recording could show.
"… Even so, my dire circumstances shall not prevail over my honor that I have as a man of North Ambira," Captain Windslet said with a weak smile across his lips, as he raised his scoped rifle up, showing off its custom wooden stock and two extended magazines that were underneath the firing mechanism. Flipping the back metallic module that was attached to the end of the handle, the mercenary grinned as the length of his firearm transformed into a shape more fitting of a submachine gun.
"This firearm has six-hundred rounds loaded into her… And I intend to make every round count. Let them come for me, I'll show them all why I'm the bloody best of the best," the mercenary said with a menacing look overtaking his facial features; giving Hero the impression that the man in the recording had become unhinged; a moment that quickly passed, after the man suddenly had a moment of clarity washing over him.
"I… I'm not… I'm n-not the villain here, I didn't mean for my words to come off so heinously, it's just that I… Look, I'm just some poor bloody bastard who's trying to be braver than he actually is, that's all… But then again, that attitude's what led me here, so… Perhaps this is the fate I truly deserve. T-This is Captain Vlad Windslet, signing off, and… And Evelyn, darling, if you ever see this by some miracle, just know that daddy loves you, princess; he always has, and always will… I know I've done wrong, but… Raising you into the world was the one thing in my life that I can truly say I'm proud of… Goodnight baby— your daddy loves you, and always, always will," the somber man said with a shameful look washing over his aged face, before reluctantly reaching forward to the same remote that Tany was holding in her small hand.
By the end of the recording, when the platform had finally finished descending down five-hundred meters down its massive shaft, Tanya and even Tio were speechless from what they had just witnessed. Meanwhile, Hero felt somewhat close to the way Goblin Slayer felt after his first time watching the recording; sympathetic to what happened to Vlad, while also left feeling confused as to what some of the words he said meant.
Silently, Tanya lowered her head down to subtly use her thumb to wipe the tears from her own eyes, before letting out an elongated sigh as she along with everyone else watched the last still glowing image of the recording dispersed into a fray of geometric particles that vanished into thin air. "… Mr. Bannings, if you wouldn't mind… May I purchase this from you? I… I would very much like to donate this to Crossbell's museum, when we're all done here," Tanya asked in a forcibly calm voice, while doing her best to mask the whirlwind of emotions that she couldn't allow to get the best of her.
Having been a quiet spectator for the most part, Kaguya decided to speak to Goblin Slayer in response to hearing Tanya's question. "It goes without saying, but not only would giving her the device be the morally right thing to do, having her on your side could do us well down the line. Seems that with the trouble you've inevitably gotten yourself into, that we're all going to be taken to "Crossbell" one way or the other. Take it from me: it's vital to network, especially when you're in foreign lands," Kaguya advised, to which Goblin Slayer completely agreed with.
"I see… Consider it a gift," Goblin Slayer said with a gentle and charming smile forming across his lips, as Tanya's eyes widened for a split moment from being shocked by how generous he was being with her.
"I… I thank you for your contribution. I hope that this recording will one day help restore Captain Winslet's reputation. He's… He's an important historical figure; one that meant a lot to my father, especially," Tanya said with an appreciative tone in her voice, before immediately trying to change the subject the moment she felt her eyes beginning to tear up once again.
"Well… The moment has passed, and we're on a tight schedule everyone. Mr. Bannings, go ahead and take the flashlight from Miss Plato, and take point. Miss LeFay, you'll stay behind him, and Miss Plato and I will provide support from the back," Tanya commanded with a calculating expression coming over her face, and raised her orbal rifle up while waiting for the other three within her party to do as she told them.
Inside the bottom of the elevator shaft, Goblin Slayer made his way to the computer console that was mounted into the massive ebony-sliding door before them. With Hero and Tanya raising their weapons up and being prepared to protect them from whatever was on the other side of the door, Tio decided to take her Aether Meter out of her messanger's bag, the moment that her Aeon System began to pick up weaker energy signatures that weren't previously strong enough for her cat headband to pick up on earlier.
Frowning while furrowing her thin brows, Tio made sure to show Hero and Tanya all the lesser life forms that had infested the four stratums that made up the city-sized underground stronghold; giving them a heads up of all the monsters that Kaguya had already detected and relayed over to Goblin Slayer's consciousness. "It appears as though the Ancient Wyvern will be the only monster we're going to have to slay. We should proceed with caution," Tio warned out loud, keeping her cat headband connected to her Aether Meter, as she slid it back into her bag.
Smirking with the same daring look that was in Hero's apricot-colored eyes, Tanya pressed the butt of her orbal rifle against her shoulder as she raised her firearm up with excitement coursing through her veins. "Just follow my orders, and I guarantee you that victory will be ours to savor… And who doesn't want to savor that?" Tanya mused with a toothy smirk, and remained still as Goblin Slayer finally managed to bypass the ebony door's magnetic lock.
Looking away from the three young girls, who would be having his back from there on out, Goblin Slayer raised the powerful flashlight in his left hand to shine the light at the stone bridge that the opened door led to. Keeping his broken spear as a sidearm that he kept tucked beneath his belt, Goblin Slayer held the ENIGMA Mk II tightly in his right hand while leading the way into the five-hundred year old fortress; its numerous stone highways attached to the many massive six-hundred meter round platforms that were built into the ancient walls.
With Kaguya and Tio's Aeon System guiding their path, Goblin Slayer kept the flashlight in hand for the sake of the other three who weren't able to see in the dark like him; the industrial lights attached to the stone-and-steel structures around him were dim at best, and weren't enough to illuminate the massive-underground space that they were traversing down. Feeling the hungry and murderous eyes of all the monsters and demons who had become interested in the aroma of their succulent flesh, Goblin Slayer and his companions kept their focus as they delved deeper into the belly of the Sun Fort.