The Midterm
I passed Livia a pouch of en-bloc clips as she loaded her Garand with a well-practiced ease while I checked the new weapon that Luxion helped me design. It was an honest-to-God, real steel interpretation of the DC-17m rifle from Star Wars, complete with Personal Defense Weapon, Sniper, and Anti-Armor attachments. The Sniper attachment was also chambered in .308 caliber ammunition, just to keep logistics simple between myself and Livia, while the PDW rifle was chambered in 5.7 millimeter using 30 round double-stacked magazines. The Anti Armor attachment was a 40 millimeter grenade launcher that could launch any variety of 40 millimeter grenade that Luxion could cook up, and he'd already designed a standard Explosive round, a Smokescreen round, an EMP round, and an Anti-Armor round.
I could feel the stunned looks of every other student around me, and I smirked at their poleaxed expressions from behind the blacked out T-shaped visor of my helmet. I knew that I definitely stood out amongst the rest of the class with my armor. The one thing that I did with my armor plates since Luxion made the first version was to paint them with non-reflective matte black paint, to prevent the armor from gleaming in the light.
Speaking of Olivia, I kept her armor to a minimum to maximize her mobility and freedom of movement. I still chose to have the plates made from the same titanium alloy that Luxion made my armor from, but I had her ditch the full helmet so that she could use the iron sights on her rifle without fumbling around a helmet. I'd eventually have her start training with a helmet, but considering that we only had three weeks to get her into fighting shape, I'd opted to get her used to the rifle first before throwing "curveballs", so to speak.
Angelica had her back turned to us, so I was able to truly appreciate her wide range of expressions as she caught sight of the heavily armored figure kneeling before her in a courtly gesture from an old storybook. Angelica's impression of a fish out of water was spot on as her mouth opened and closed on its own, and I was finding it hard to conceal my laughter from her, even with shutting off my external helmet speakers. I decided that it was best to let her off the hook and take control of the situation.
"Leon Fou Bartfort, at your service, Lady Redgrave," I stated, unable to completely keep the amusement out of my voice.
"...Well, I can see why the Academy may have taken issue with the rest of your proposed outfit…" Angelica finally replied, sighing in mild exasperation.
"I promised I wouldn't scuff the floors and everything, but they said that I would be a 'distraction and a nuisance'," I chuckled, causing Angelica to roll her eyes at my antics, in spite of the smile that seemed to be growing.
"I'm so sorry, Miss Angelica," apologized Livia as she gave me an exasperated look. "Leon insisted that he wear his full set of armor for this since he claimed that he didn't want to disappoint you."
"Clearly," replied Angelica, finally letting a real smile show for Livia. "And I'm sure you did your best to try and reign him in, but I suppose I did say that I would hold Lord Bartfort to his word…"
"And I did give my word that I would show you the rest…" I replied cheekily, flourishing one of my sidearm pistols.
"Is there actually a man underneath all that gear?" snarked Greg Fou Seberg as the Prince and his Entourage finally made themselves known.
Marie Fou Lafan stood at Prince Julius's side directly, but the other Love Interests all seemed to be trying to stand next to her as well. The brief look of recognition at my armor was all that I needed to confirm my suspicions about this girl Marie: she was another "isekai'd" soul from Earth. With that confirmation, three thoughts went through my head all at once: First, Marie was apparently speedrunning a reverse harem ending with an any percent completion score, which was fine if this was a game, but with real world consequences like the Principality of Fanoss looming on the horizon, it would be a good idea to sit down to a chat sooner rather than later. Second, for all of her wonderful qualities, Angelica was hot-tempered, and was at risk of causing us to accelerate down the second and third year story flags in a single year with Marie pushing all of her buttons. Third, I gave absolutely zero fucks about any of that right at that moment because I really didn't like the look of that pain in Angelica's eyes. So I decided that now would be an excellent time to defuse this flag in favor of making an ass of myself.
"Well, I could show you, but I wouldn't want to shock the ladies present," I shot back as Greg smirked in spite of himself.
"Leon!" blushed Livia with a scowl as she smacked my arm while Angelica turned a brilliant shade of red, the blonde girl clearly remembering our previous conversation about my hidden blades. "You shouldn't say such things in front of Miss Angelica!"
"That was a rather bawdy jest to make in front of noble ladies, Sir Bartfort," chided Brad Fou Field as he stepped forward to address me.
"Who said anything about jests, sir?" I replied. "Would such an action not be shocking to the ladies present?"
"I-... Well…" stammered Brad while Greg looked like he was barely trying to contain his laughter at Brad's discomfort as a crowd began to gather at the spectacle I was making of myself.
"Lord Bartfort, are you suggesting you would expose yourself here and now if asked?!" asked Prince Julius Rapha Holfort, absolutely thunderstruck as he shielded Marie's eyes on instinct.
"Goodness, your Highness!" I feigned shocked mortification. "Exposing myself?! Where would you get an idea like that?!"
"And what other conclusion are we supposed to draw?!" demanded Chris Fia Arclight indignantly as the crowd continued to murmur among themselves. "How else would you 'show you are a man' in such a way that would 'shock the ladies'?!"
"Like so," I replied as I drew a survival knife from my belt, pierced my thumb with it, squeezed out a drop of blood, and showed it to the gathered crowd. "Perhaps our parents are right about the dangers of reading novels…Such dirty minds among you, honestly…"
The silence as the blood dripped off my knife was deafening. Finally, Greg had enough, breaking into a full-bodied belly laugh that spread through the crowd like wildfire. Brad had actually facepalmed, although I wondered if it was actually a half-hearted attempt to hide his own laughter. Chris did an impression of an indignant fish for a moment, opening and closing his mouth in an attempt to find some rebuke or counterargument before sighing in exasperation. Julius had kept his laughter to a low chuckle, while Marie seemed bewildered by the sudden turn of events. Livia was scolding me for harming myself all for the sake of a crude joke while she fussed over my thumb with her healing spell. Finally, I found the one face that I was looking for.
Angelica was smiling at me. An actual, honest-to-God smile that I would carry with me to my dying day. She was laughing too, and I wished that this rabble wasn't so damn loud so that I could listen, but I supposed that mere mortals were not meant to hear the heavenly chorus before their time. Internally, I told myself to stop my pathetic simpering and keep my focus on the task at hand as Greg heartily clapped me on the shoulder.
"That was amazing, dude!" laughed Greg. "Seriously, why have we not hung out?"
"A question for the ages, to be sure," I replied with a laugh of my own.
"Still, perhaps you can prove you are human in a less dramatic fashion and show your face," suggested Jilk Fia Marmoria with an even expression.
"By your command, then…" I nodded, cracking the seal on my helmet with a hiss of air.
Julius's eyes widened in recognition as he caught sight of my face, but he said nothing. I merely gave him a grin to confirm his suspicions that I was in fact the man who encouraged him to take up cooking as a hobby. I glanced over at Marie and noticed that she seemed to realize the excitement was dying down, and so seemed to want to try and stir up the next flag again. She was bolder than I thought; I'd need to find a way to deal with her directly.
"A pleasure to make your acquaintance, Lord Bartfort," nodded Jilk. "I've heard of your accomplishments, and seeing how you approach adventuring preparation, it's not hard to see how you came by them."
I glanced at Marie and saw her trying to cozy up to Julius and provoke Angelica. Thankfully, Angelica hadn't seen it yet, as she was apparently being bombarded with questions from her followers about the "strange armored storybook knight" who knelt before her, but it wouldn't be long unless Marie was somehow distracted. …Well, I'd need to reveal my own status as a reincarnate to Marie in order for us to lay all of our cards on the table anyhow. I turned to Jilk and spoke up in a voice loud enough for Marie to hear.
"I'm just a simple man trying to make my way in the universe," I replied, letting a faint hint of a Temura Morrison impression slip into my voice.
Bingo. Marie froze, her head whipping around to me as though questioning what she just heard. It had diverted Marie's attention, and had definitely shocked her enough to draw her away from her goals. I just needed to clinch the moment. Thankfully, Chris gave me the perfect opportunity
"A very-heavily armed man," sniped Chris, clearly still miffed at me making a fool of him. "Are all those weapons really necessary?"
"Weapons are part of my religion…" I replied simply, letting a touch of Pedro Pascal enter my tone. "The way I see it, there are two kinds of adventurers: The ones who are prepared, and the ones we bury."
And the bait was set. There had to be no doubt in Marie's mind about who and what I was. Sorry for shattering your worldview, Marie, but you need to be slowed down before you cause more trouble than I can bail us out from. Now it was time to get Angelica out of here before she could get into trouble. I approached the Prince without much preamble, making sure that Angelica was paying attention before I pulled my next move.
"May I steal your fiancee?" I asked him.
"...I beg your pardon?" blinked Julius as I could see Angelica turn a brilliant shade of red for the second time today as various bystanders suddenly started tittering away at my bold words.
"For the exam, I mean," I clarified with a brief smile. "I know that in your shoes, I would want to fight side by side with my betrothed, but she did personally ask to see me in action, and I gave my word to not disappoint her."
"...Well, see that you don't," replied Julius with a grin. "Have fun, Angelica…"
"O-oh, yes of course," stammered Angelica as I bowed to her, leaving her adorably flustered.
Her two followers led her away, whispering excitedly to each other, to which I could tell Angelica was protesting fruitless denials. Livia walked beside me and gave me a disapproving frown.
"I wish you wouldn't tease Miss Angelica so," rebuked Livia as she checked her sidearm.
"Whatever do you mean?" I asked innocently, to which Livia gave me a flat look.
"Leon, Miss Angelica's complexion shares more in common with a tomato than a woman at this point, and you know exactly why…" frowned Livia. "You really shouldn't tease her so much with those things you say."
"Who said I was teasing her?" I grinned, waggling my eyebrows at Livia, to which she rolled her eyes with a smile.
"Please, Leon, don't be ridiculous," sighed Livia with an exasperated smile as she shook her head at me. "You say the same things to me all the time, just so that you can see me blush. I've gotten used to it over the last three weeks, but poor Miss Angelica doesn't know you well enough yet."
"An interesting conclusion, dearest Livia," I replied with a grin. "Still, you've failed to consider a very critical possibility… Who said I was just teasing you?"
With that, I winked at the now-furiously blushing Livia as I slipped on my helmet and briefly disabled the external speakers.
"Master, you seem to have been busy," greeted Luxion.
"Lux, I need you to confirm that Marie is actually trying to get with all five Capture Targets," I began without preamble. "She's another Reincarnate, and it appears she's triggering every single Romance flag with all of the Capture Targets, and that could land us in a lot of hot water. Use the transcripts from Journal One to confirm how far along we are already, but I'm afraid we might be too late."
"As you command, Master," replied Luxion.
"Thanks, buddy," I grinned before switching back to my external speakers to address Angelica. "Ready to be impressed?"
"If you're ready to try…" countered Angelica with the ghost of a smile. "Your gear is certainly impressive enough, but I'm more interested in seeing how you use it…"
"Then shall we dance, Lady Redgrave?" I bowed before hefting my rifle.
Livia's rifle sang out as she expertly cleared the room of the giant ants with precise headshots. Angelica and her two followers, Carmen Fia Charybdis and Ariel Fou Scylla, watched in fascination as we tore through the hive without any hesitation. I was using my rifle and knuckle plates in tandem to 'rip and tear' like Doomguy himself, remaining agile as I fired while running, keeping to quick and controlled bursts. Midway through the latest horde of ants, I decided to switch to close-range only, drawing my sword and activating the vibro-blade function.
Livia had turned into a one-woman bulletstorm in the three weeks since I taught her how to shoot. Using the hand-me-down Garand that I'd used to storm Luxion's complex months ago, she'd picked up operating the rifle in a matter of days. She'd kept the rifle well-maintained, and could field-strip and reassemble the rifle blindfolded. And if anything snuck up on her between reloads, she was able to use a few quick attack spells to give her more breathing room.
"...Alright, looks like we're all clear," I called out as I wiped the ant blood and viscera from my visor with a clean cloth.
"...That was… very impressive, Lord Bartfort…" commented Ariel, apparently quite shaken between the contrast of the storybook knight and the brutal executioner I had displayed. "I take it that your rifle and armor are some of the Lost Items that brought you to your current position."
"Not quite, but not inaccurate to say," I chuckled briefly as I holstered my rifle on my backpack. "My rifle and armor would not have been possible without the help of my Lost Item, but they are in fact of my own design, mostly."
"Didn't Luxy help with the details?" commented Livia as she shouldered her rifle to start mining the stones.
"...Who or what is a 'Luxy'?" asked Carmen with a raised eyebrow.
"My familiar, Luxion," I explained. "He was the Lost Item that I found, an artifact of the Ones Who Came Before."
"Ones Who Came Before?" asked Angelica, clearly intrigued. "I don't think I've ever heard of them."
"Well, think about it: where do you think the Lost Items came from?" I commented. "For that matter, where do you think the loot in dungeons comes from?"
"...I mean, that kind of makes sense?" replied Ariel weakly, clearly lost in the conversation.
"Well, it's not like there's some omnipotent Director placing little treasure boxes like the universe is their own little personal dollhouse, right?" I chuckled at my little inside joke before speaking seriously. "The Kingdom has acknowledged me for the Islands and the Lost Items that I found, but I've found far more than that in my travels. City ruins, old military bases, disaster shelters that failed, and other bones of a civilization long gone, one that was far more advanced without the use of any sort of magic."
"Don't be ridiculous!" laughed Carmen. "How could they be more advanced without magic? Besides, if they were so advanced, why aren't they here now?"
"Well, I sure as hell can't answer that second question for you yet, but I can certainly answer the first," I replied as I unslung my rifle. "Tell me: what enchantments are you picking up from my weapon?"
"Oh that's easy," scoffed Carmen, not even pulling up her Magic Detection spell. "It's very well done, but you've clearly used a Binding Rune that allows each of the attachments to bond with the base, and a simple Activation Rune to trigger the firing mechanism. These are further enhanced by the Weight Reduction and Durability Enhancement spellwork that you've laid into the body of the weapon."
"Why don't you actually try scanning it first before you start jumping to conclusions?" I smirked.
Carmen rolled her eyes, miffed that I cut her off but not wanting to act out in front of Angelica, and complied with my suggestion to start scanning. My grin widened beneath my helmet as her eyes widened with shock. Ariel blinked in shock as well before also checking the rifle, to which her jaw dropped as well.
"How- This shouldn't be possible!" exclaimed Carmen. "The attachment points and mechanisms required to complete this without magic-"
"-Are possible, but beyond our current reach with the level of technology that we have available to us," I finished for her. "This is the power of the Ones Who Came Before."
"If they were really so powerful, why did they vanish?" asked Ariel, who seemed genuinely curious.
"Well, that's the biggest question, isn't it?" I replied easily. "Clearly they were powerful, but something knocked them out of the equation in spite of their power. Which is a good lesson that we can take away from them as well…"
"What do you mean?" asked Carmen, apparently no longer looking down on me as a brutish barbarian.
"That power and strength alone do not ensure continued survival," replied Angelica shrewdly before I could explain.
"Precisely," I confirmed as Livia nodded in agreement. "Only by learning from failures, both our own and of others, and knowing when to withdraw to fight another day can we guarantee our own survival."
Angelica nodded thoughtfully, carefully considering my words.
"You are very wise, Lord Bartfort," observed Angelica.
"He can be, when he's not purposely making a fool of himself," teased Livia, having finished mining the magic stones in this area.
"Oh come on, I know you think I'm funny," I laughed as Livia rolled her eyes with a smile.
"Speaking of which, I appreciate your actions back at the entrance, Lord Bartfort," continued Angelica. "I'm afraid that I would have said something that I would later regret."
"In regards to Marie, right?" I asked, and Angelica nodded.
"I understand that the Prince may eventually take a Mistress, but I at least want to be his wife when he does take one…" complained Angelica.
"That damned harlot has been clawing around the Prince since the semester started!" snarled Carmen. "Everything that beast of a woman has done has been an affront to Miss Angelica and the nobility in general! She didn't even pay her respects to Miss Angelica, something that even Olivia, as a commoner, did! And with a box of Belmont Blend Four no less!"
"That's actually something that I was wondering about," interjected Ariel. "How did you afford such a gift? A box of Blend Four is pricey even for us nobles, and to purchase one as a commoner…"
"Oh, Leon helped me out with that," replied Livia shyly. "It's his favorite blend as well."
"Oh really?" grinned Ariel, sensing blood in the water. "So, I take it he was gentle for your first time, then?"
…Now that was rather unsporting. Sure, it was cute to watch Livia get a little flustered, but there were some lines that shouldn't be crossed, and certainly not for the amusement of others. I opened my mouth to protest and I could see Angelica moving to do the same, but sweet Livia beat us to the punch.
"Oh, he was very gentle," replied Livia with a faint blush, completely without guile. "Despite his rough appearance, he's a very kind and considerate man, and he satisfied my every need that day."
Angelica stopped on the spot in shock while Carmen looked on, appalled but intrigued. Ariel froze, realizing her attempt to potentially tease the girl had backfired horribly but seemed far too invested to stop. I quickly reached to turn off my external speakers before my laugh gave me away. Whether Livia was doing this on purpose or on accident, this was absolute comedy gold, and I had to preserve this for later, and so I turned my helmet camera on.
"I-is that so?" stammered Ariel, attempting to regain control of the situation. "I suppose you were his first as well-"
"Oh, unfortunately, no…" sighed Livia, frowning. "Leon told me there was some other Baron's daughter that was there before me, and apparently she'd brought her friends along as well just to pass the time before leaving for another man. However, Leon has told me that I am the best he's ever had."
"...Oh my…" blushed Carmen, completely misinterpreting Livia's words.
"Yes, it's truly been a wonderful four weeks since that day," smiled Livia gently, seemingly oblivious to the growing shock around her. "We've been meeting up every day since then, and every single time has been just as lovely as the first, if not more…"
"Every single day?!" exclaimed Ariel, eyes widening. "You've done it every single day for a month?!"
"Oh no, not just once!" corrected Livia. "Several times a day, actually."
"Several?!" exclaimed Carmen, scandalized. "Good heavens, how many times a day do you do it?!"
"Well, let's see…" pondered Livia. "Usually once after breakfast but before classes, and then again at lunch. And again after classes as a study break, and then once more in the evening, although we try not to do that too often because otherwise we'll be up all night. We only had to do that a few times to keep from doing that on a weeknight."
I was truly finding it hard to breathe as I could feel my sides ache from suppressing my laughter. Angelica was practically frozen in place, clearly trying to figure out whether or not she'd misjudged this sweet, innocent-looking girl or if there was some other context to the conversation that she wasn't picking up on.
"Three or four times a day?!" blushed Ariel. "Sir Bartfort is truly insatiable…"
"He truly does have a passion for it," laughed Livia gently. "Most days I leave his tea room feeling incredibly full.."
Ariel was squeaking at this point, hardly able to even form words. Carmen almost looked ready to faint. Angelica was completely scandalized, but still was listening intently even as her blush threatened to cause her to melt through the floor. My HUD was actually flashing a warning that I'd just bruised another rib from trying to suppress my laughter.
"...What was your first time like?" asked Ariel hesitantly.
"I was so nervous, wondering if it was really okay, but Leon said that he 'could not think of a woman more deserving' and so I drank it down, savoring the aroma and flavor as I felt its warmth spread through me…" sighed Livia as she smiled softly at the memory.
"...the flavor?" whispered Ariel, hiding behind her fingers.
"Oh, it was truly wonderful," gushed Livia. "Strong, but not bitter at all, with just a hint of citrus. Honestly, I don't think I'll ever get tired of it…"
At this point, the lightbulb seemed to click on for Angelica, and she glanced at me for confirmation as her blush started to subside. I was barely containing my laughter, but I did manage a brief nod to Angelica, getting another HUD warning as one of my ribs finally broke.
"...How are you still standing?" asked Carmen, her imagination clearly running wild. "You should be exhausted after all of that…"
"Oh not at all!" replied Livia brightly. "Honestly, I find it to be quite relaxing. Actually, Leon and I were hoping to ask Angelica if she'd like to join us, since she's been having a rough time…"
"You what?!" exclaimed Carmen and Ariel at the same time.
"Your offer is very kind, Miss Olivia," smiled Angelica, clearly playing along with the gag. "I kindly accept your invitation, as long as it's not too terribly imposing."
"Miss Angelica!" exclaimed Carmen and Ariel.
"Not at all!" replied Livia with a smile. "Leon and I were actually looking to bring more into the fold, to tell the truth. Miss Carmen and Miss Ariel, you're also welcome to join us, if you want?"
"What?!" exclaimed the pair in shock.
"T-that's highly inappropriate!" stammered Carmen. "We're all already engaged! Miss Angelica is engaged to the Prince!"
"Oh, I doubt that Julius will mind too terribly," smirked Angelica, clearly appreciating the joke now. "Besides, I would say turnabout is fair play, yes?"
"...W-would Sir Bartfort really be able to…accomodate… all of us?" asked Ariel, potentially considering the offer.
"Oh, quite easily!" reassured Livia. "I'd even say that he could even accommodate seven or eight at a time!"
"...Oh dear…" squeaked Ariel, turning bright red as her knees threatened to give out.
"Ariel, get a hold of yourself!" exclaimed Carmen. "Going is absolutely out of the question! All three of us are virgins!"
"...Wait, what does that have to do with going to a tea party?" asked Livia innocently.
The poleaxed looks on Carmen and Ariel's faces finally pushed me over the edge as I succumbed to my laughter, turning my external speakers back on as I fell to the ground, wheezing as my lungs couldn't get enough air from laughing so hard. Angelica was watching me in exasperation, but she couldn't keep the smile from her face. I could tell that she was laughing again, but over my own laughs I couldn't hear a thing. Livia seemed to finally put the pieces together on the conversation that Carmen and Ariel thought they were having, and instantly started stuttering out explanations, which only made me laugh harder. Having finally pieced together what Livia was talking about, Carmen and Ariel began to chuckle ruefully at themselves for their own misunderstandings. Eventually, our revelry began to subside, and the consequences of not breaking earlier began to catch up to me.
"...Ow, okay that broken rib is definitely giving me problems now," I winced, attempting to sit back up before Livia ran up to me.
"Leon, stop moving and let me heal you!" growled Livia as she pulled out her healing magic spells. "If you move, then the bone won't set right!"
"Yes, dear," I snarked before wincing again. "Yeah that definitely hurts when talking, breathing, or moving…"
"Then stop!" ordered Livia, her face no longer blushing so hard as she concentrated on healing my ribs. "...Okay, you can move now… It'll still be sore for the next hour or so, but you aren't at risk to cause more damage."
"Thanks, Livia," I grinned as I sat back up and unholstered my rifle from my backpack. "Well, time to get going, I guess?"
"One question before we go," replied Angelica. "The offer to join you and Miss Olivia for a tea party; that was a sincere invitation?"
"Of course," I grinned. "Whenever it works for you, honestly."
"I am most grateful to you, Lord Bartfort," nodded Angelica.
"Please, call me Leon, Lady Redgrave," I replied easily, sliding the sniper attachment into place on my rifle.
"...And if I do, will you still continue to call me 'Lady Redgrave'?" replied Angelica, raising an eyebrow at me.
"Would you prefer that I call you something else?" I asked Angelica, mirroring her eyebrow raise.
"If we are really to be friends, I feel that 'Miss Angelica' would be more appropriate than 'Lady Redgrave', wouldn't you?" replied Angelica with a small smile.
"As you wish, Miss Angelica," I replied with a bow.
"I'll take point," volunteered Livia as she checked the holographic map on her wrist. "According to the maps, we should be coming to a cliff that overlooks a landbridge to the next spellstone deposits. Leon and I will clear the bridge with our rifles, allowing Miss Scylla and Miss Charybdis to cross and secure the other side for the rest of us."
"Perfect plan, Livia," I grinned. "Let's get to it."
Livia gave a quick nod before moving ahead with Ariel and Carmen. Angelica watched as the three of them went ahead, her earlier smile fading for some reason as she watched the interaction between Livia and me.
"...I must admit, I find myself quite envious of how close you and Miss Olivia seem to be, Leon," sighed Angelica.
"Whoa, hey, like she said before, we're not-" I began.
"You may not be lovers, but you are close to each other in a way that I've only seen with couples that have been happily married for years," argued Angelica. "The two of you met less than two months ago, and yet you're closer than even Prince Julius and myself, and we've been betrothed for over ten years."
"Well, perhaps we have grown close rather quickly in the past few weeks," I conceded as we continued up ahead. "Still, I feel that's probably more the force of Livia's personality than anything else."
"Yes, that's very true," smiled Angelica. "I will admit that I did enjoy the afternoon we spent together a great deal. She truly is easy to talk to, and I find myself wishing to spend another afternoon like it."
"Well, if you'd like, Livia and I are meeting up tomorrow, and we'll both be staying over mid-term break," I offered. "You could join us."
"...I think I shall join you," mused Angelica. "After classes tomorrow?"
"Livia and I would be delighted," I grinned. "Now, let's go ahead and get this exam wrapped up."
We took position at the cliff edge where Livia was reviewing the narrow bridge with her field binoculars. The cliff had a walkway that sloped down to another cave before exiting onto the bridge, where we'd need to cross to reach the primary spellstone deposit. Giant soldier ants stood watch over the bridge.
"Something seems…off…" whispered Livia.
"There should be more of them on the bridge," I agreed.
"Isn't that good?" asked Ariel. "I mean, maybe you've killed most of the rest of them already."
"I wish I had your optimism," I replied grimly. "...No, while Livia and I are skilled, we haven't fought nearly the number of ants I would have expected when acting as the only vanguard."
"Maybe the rest are just dormant?" suggested Carmen.
"Not based on the way they were fighting," I countered. "The way they're acting is more like something stirred them up, but their numbers should be much higher if that were the case, unless…"
"...Unless they're fighting something else…" concluded Angelica. "...We should turn back and warn the others. Carmen, Ariel, go back and let the instructor know that everyone should turn back now. We'll keep a lookout-"
Suddenly, the sentry ants on the bridge began clicking to each other, turning back to face the other side of the cave. A flood of ants, of all castes and sizes, came pouring onto the bridge, to the point of pushing their comrades to their doom. I hopped to my feet and removed my sniper attachment.
"Go! Warn the others and get help!" I ordered, slapping my Anti-Armor Attachment onto my rifle and loading White Phosphorus. "We'll buy you time! Livia! Crowd Control!"
"On it!" replied Livia as she prepared a multicast of her Holy Lance.
Ariel and Carmen ran back without another word, rushing to get the help we'd need. I fired my first round of phosphorus in the middle of the bridge at the same time Livia released twenty Lances. My rangefinder data had thankfully calculated the arc of my grenade well enough to block the rest of the ants from pouring through the breach until it died down, and I followed up with a few more rounds of phosphorus to saturate the area. Even still, I figured it would only buy us a five minute head start, and it wouldn't do anything for the ants that were ahead of the blast. Thankfully, Livia's Holy Lances had that handled.
The Lances flew through the air with deadly efficiency, zipping around like Yondu's arrow from the Marvel Movies in my first life. They certainly weren't at their maximum level yet, and twenty was the most that Livia could multicast. Still, they were more than enough to prevent the ants from reaching the other side of the bridge. I quickly swapped back to my PDW attachment and caught a stunned Angelica by the shoulder.
"That won't hold them forever, especially if it's the entire nest coming this way, and it certainly won't stop whatever's herding them this way, so we need to haul ass out of here-" I began to explain before a bellowing roar echoed from beyond the other side of the phosphorus.
The ground shook as our eyes widened in recognition of the sound. Heavy footfalls shook the ground as something large forced the ants through the fire. A massive outline could be seen through the flames, as a massive hand gripped the cavern walls to maintain balance as the figure stepped through the flames without flinching. Gray skin blackened with ash as the cave troll walked out onto the bridge, dragging a stalagmite behind it like a club, growling as it surveyed its surroundings with its bloodshot eyes before finally locking onto us at the edge of the cliff. It bellowed, pointing its makeshift club at us.
"Run!" I shouted, opening fire at its eyes in an effort to potentially blind it before following quickly behind the two girls as we all fled into the previous chamber.
Cave trolls were…rough opponents, to say the least, if underleveled in the game. With a standing HP Regen and moderately high defense stat that gave trouble to even mid-game weapons and skills, to say that I was shocked to see one on the fourth floor of the dungeon would be an understatement. Had I not switched to my PDW, a well placed grenade could have knocked the damned thing off the bridge into the Abyss from whence it came, but there was no way that I could have anticipated a full sized troll instead of the swarm of giant ants I expected to burst through the hellish flames. I worried more about the thick leathery skin and whether bullets would punch through, so I took a chance to glance back. I'd blasted a few holes in its toughened hide, but clearly I needed a harder hitting round if we were going to bring this thing down.
"Luxion!" I bellowed into the comms. "We need options!"
"Threat analysis in progress," replied Luxion. "Please stand by. Time to complete: Three minutes."
"Of frigging course it is!" I cursed as we slid into the next room. "Livia! Covering fire for Angelica! Angelica, we could use some heat!"
"What about you, Leon?" asked Angelica.
"I'm 'Dark Souls'-ing this bitch!" I grinned from behind my helmet as I slammed another magazine into my PDW.
Livia's rifle was doing a much better job of penetrating the troll's skin, but my PDW was still managing to cause damage, plus it was also managing to keep the troll's attention off my companions. Angelica's Fire Lances fell somewhere in between my rifle and Livia's as far as effectiveness went, burning the troll and helping keep its regenerative abilities in check but often failing to break the skin.
"Luxion, I could use a status update!" I barked, dive-rolling out of the way of the club before unloading a full magazine into the troll's kneecap.
"Threat Assessment complete," replied Luxion. "Redundant cardiac and nervous systems will prevent lethal damage to the body. You must strike the head directly at the base of the skull to destroy the lower brain. Your 40 mm grenades will need to be used to breach the skull."
"Buy me some time!" I barked at Livia and Angelica as I swapped to my Anti Armor.
Angelica charged up a massive fireball while Livia began a multicast of her Holy Lance spell, each spell glyph firing in sequence like the barrels of a gatling gun while they rotated in front of her. I allowed myself a moment of pride at how Livia had grown into her abilities over the past few weeks before loading the High Explosive round into my Anti-Armor. If she'd had a week or two more to grow, she probably could have taken the troll down herself. I lined up my shot with the back of the troll's head, locked on with my rangefinder, and fired, sighing with relief just a moment too soon. The troll turned at the last moment, causing my shot to catch it in the left shoulder, taking the arm off entirely.
I stared at the blasted limb for a full moment while the troll turned to look at me in exasperated disbelief. It walked over to the fallen limb, picked it up and proceeded to knock me away with it. I landed hard as the troll threw the severed limb at me to pin me down. I could already see the limb regenerating as the troll retrieved its club to beat me to a pulp. I quickly fumbled with my last grenade before successfully loading the round and lifting my arm to fire it. This last shot to the head would be close…
Suddenly, crimson and purple spears protruded from the beast's chest, simultaneously stabbing both hearts.
"Here to help, Bartfort!" grinned Greg as he pulled his weapon from the beast's chest.
"Now, Julius!" yelled Brad as he stepped away and let Julius make the decapitating blow.
I had the perfect front row seat as Julius severed the beast's head from its shoulders, only making it most of the way through before breaking his sword on some sort of bone. Julius glanced at the broken hilt, shrugged, and then grabbed the remains of his blade to finish severing the head. At that moment, the Troll vanished in a cloud of smoke, but not before spraying me with a geyser of blood.
"Well… shit…" I swore briefly before looking up at Julius. "Thanks for the save, but I could have done without the bloodbath."
"Sadly, there's little that I could have done to prevent that," grinned Julius wryly.
"Yeah, yeah, front row seats are always in the splash zone," I chuckled. "Still, nice work on finishing the job even after your sword-"
It was at that moment something small, orange and hairy blocked my vision, screeching as it gripped my faceplate and futilely tried to bite at my helmet. I blinked, completely nonplussed as a cave ape attacked what it perceived to be my face before I slammed it between my helmet and the nearest surface. The beast shrieked but did not let go, still gripping tightly to the faceplate, so I ejected my right blade and finished it off. As my vision cleared, I could see that a second cave ape was biting into Julius's arm, so I quickly killed it with a careful shot from my pistol. Marie instantly ran up, clearly intending to take advantage of the next flag.
"Julius, are you alright?!" asked Marie in concern.
"Just a flesh wound," dismissed Julius, wincing slightly. "I'll be fine-"
Julius blinked as Marie conjured a healing magic circle and closed up the wound as though it were never there. Julius moved as though to ask how, but Marie silenced him with a brief finger to her lips. I kept my shock concealed behind my helmet as I processed this new information. Healing magic was supposed to be rare in this world, to the point that Livia was given a scholarship almost solely based on her healing abilities, to say nothing of her raw magical talent. For the loli gremlin to have healing powers as well… Well, at least I can see why Marie had the audacity to try and take Livia's place.
"Your Highness! You're hurt!" exclaimed Angelica, turning to Livia. "Please Miss Olivia, we need-"
"You need not do anything, as I'm perfectly fine now, thanks to Marie," interrupted Julius stiffly, brushing off Angelica's concern. "Let us return to the surface before something more dangerous shows up."
And with that, Prince Julius took Marie's arm and immediately left the chamber, followed by most of the other Capture Targets. I could feel Angelica's heartbreak as she watched the Prince leave arm in arm with Marie. Ariel and Carmen looked ready to tear the little gremlin limb from limb, and frankly I couldn't blame them. Even though I still suspected that Marie had gone through a tough life of her own, the collateral damage she was causing was catastrophic, even without considering the Fanoss Principality perspective. I took a step forward to speak with Angelica, but was stopped by Greg.
"Dude, we definitely need to go dungeoneering sometime, because you're totally next level…" stated Greg with an honestly impressed tone. "If you're free after midterm break, feel free to look me up."
"Sure thing," I replied with a friendly tone that clashed with my inner turmoil. "Still, I would have thought that you'd have taken issue with my choice of weapons."
"I mean, sure, you've got fancy toys, and I've always been of the opinion that skill outweighs toys any day, but that troll was no joke either," shrugged Greg. "My Granddad told me some horror stories about trolls from his youth, and even at his skill level he and his party of veterans had trouble with them. And you took the damn thing out with a pampered noble girl and a sheltered commoner girl! That sure as hell counts as skill in my book! I might even rethink my stance on 'toys' going forward!"
"Livia could have probably killed it on her own, if given the time and opportunity," I shrugged. "And I honestly couldn't have got the damn thing on the ropes without Miss Angelica's fire magic. Besides, Julius was the one who dealt the final blow."
"Maybe so, but I saw the round you loaded into that damn cannon of yours," replied Greg. "If we hadn't showed up, you'd have still pulled off that kill. Either way, we should definitely go dungeoneering some time, or at the very least spar with each other."
"Sure, sounds good," I replied with a grin as I swapped back to my PDW attachment. "I'll take the Rear Guard in case those ants manage to break through the fire trap I set on the bridge."
"Like I said, dude; next level," grinned Greg before rushing to join the rest of the group.
Ariel and Carmen saw my approach, seemed to share a brief nonverbal conversation before giving me a cautious nod of approval. I glanced at Livia and could see her nod in approval, giving me an encouraging smile before leaving with Ariel and Carmen. As I stood beside Angelica, I popped my helmet off, air hissing as I cracked the seal.
"...I'm sorry, Miss Angelica…" I sighed.
"...You have nothing to be sorry for, Leon," replied Angelica with a sigh. "You're not the one stealing the man I love away from me…"
"I'm sorry that I can't stop your heart from breaking," I countered earnestly. "I'm sorry that I can't control the Prince's actions. I'm sorry that I can't force him to love you in the way you deserve to be loved. What I can and will do is make sure that the Prince does right by you. That he treats you with the respect and consideration you deserve."
"...I think I may actually believe you," whispered Angelica with a sad smile. "I have no idea how you'll accomplish it, but I know you'll certainly try."
"Well, I'll figure something out," I chuckled before drawing my sword and kneeling. "I, Leon Fou Bartfort, pledge my word to you, Angelica Rapha Redgrave, to aid you in finding the happiness you deserve."
Angelica blinked slowly as she blushed at my words and actions. Thankfully, we were alone at that point, or else I'm pretty sure Angelica would have died of embarrassment.
"...Leon, you do realize that half the school will think you're my lover if word of that little stunt gets out…" chided Angelica even as she fought to keep a smile away. "...that is, if they don't already believe that you are…"
"Is that an offer?" I joked with a grin, to which Angelica smacked my arm. "Nah, you're right; I'd never be that bold to presume…"
"...Leon Fou Bartfort, I do believe that you are the most infuriating man I have ever met…" sighed Angelica in exasperation, but her eyes seemed a bit brighter. "Still, I thank you for your kindness."
Honestly, it was the least I could do for her, all things considered.