"Now this is an interesting predicament, isn't it!?" A voice like gravel echoed throughout the cavern, coming straight from the staircase leading deeper below.
The party had its sights aimed toward the entrance, ready for combat. Meliana spoke up. "I suppose it is! But one thing of note... I have questions, and you have answers!"
"I suppose we do! Thing is... from where I'm lookin', you're outnumbered!"
"Yeah, and from where I'm lookin', pendejo, we just took down seven of your guys with only three people! What does that tell you!?"
"Yeah... and only one of them wore that fancy armor, huh?"
Emma was making a device in the background, working as quickly as she could, but as they said that, something clicked. An inkling in the back of her mind, a sense of familiarity.
"Well, I count at least three of us here wearing that red armor, and I'd imagine that our friend didn't go down without a fight, right?"
Emma's eyes widened, a wave of realization coming over her. During the fight, suddenly, they fired at the man, but for some reason the bullets stopped a few centimeters from the armor... similarly to a certain make that her Uncle had made—the most infamous armor, the most notorious in the entire world, even, Stalker Armor.
Seeing something like that in the wild, that's huge; that isn't normal at all due to the government overreach, even surrounding the armor to begin with. The armor itself is under strict restrictions due to how powerful it makes its wearer.
How does this armor have such similar technology?
This armor wasn't made for stalking; it wasn't made for guerrilla warfare, no, it was made for brutality. It's bright red and bulky, compared to the sleeker, darker armor it was based on.
Stalker armor comprises a helmet with six eyes to support its internal camera system, providing the wearer with a broader field of view. Along with that, the wearer would be able to see in the dark, identify items, and the like.
Within the suit itself, separate from the helmet, is a gravity-defying floatation device paired with an in-built camouflage system that allows the wearer to blend into their environment. Stalker armor also features built-in resistance to sources of extreme force.
Surprisingly enough, what made the armor so special was not any of those reasons, but instead its built-in shield system, capable of stopping any high-speed, high-impact object of a reasonable size. Of course, if the object is larger than the person, the shield is irrelevant, but for small arms fire... against the Stalker Armor, they're useless.
Is it some fucking Berserker Armor!? Who the fuck could've recreated my Uncle's work like that!? Emma yelled at herself in her head as she whipped back around to work on the small project within her grasp.
"Yeah!? And how the fuck did you even get this type of tech, huh!?" Emma screamed back, shocking Meliana.
"Oh? You're curious about it, lass!? What's the problem, recognize somethin'!?"
"Those fuckin' shields! Who the hell could've gotten their hands on that!? That's confidential material!"
Meliana's curiosity was piqued, but she remained silent as the two screamed at each other.
"Who did you get it from!? I can't imagine you dimwits could've made something like that on your own!"
"I ain't no snitch, lass! I'm not sayin' a word!"
"Say it! Who the fuck gave this to you!? Nobody should have technology like this unless they're some government dog, or a high-ranking adventurer, so who was it!?"
"I think it's so funny you ask!" They paused. "'Cause I don't fuckin' know!" They broke into hysterics. "Some guy was offerin', and we bought! Simple as, simple does!"
Emma motioned for her team to take cover behind the wall, and she followed, holding the device she had made close. "Yeah... alright then. Are you gonna keep us waitin', or are you all gonna grow some fuckin' balls and come up here yourselves!?"
"Ha! You're testin' fate with words like that, lass!"
Emma threw the device over to Rider, who caught it, immediately making a break for the entrance. The machine slapped the device onto the top of the entrance and sprinted straight back to the party.
"Do you all really think you could face us!? For sure, you're all exhausted, no!? It'd be better to just... run away!"
"Bullshit, you'd find some way to track us down! If you're so strong with that ugly ass armor of yours, then come and fuckin' prove it!"
Dahlia looked at Emma and then at the staircase. "Y-Yeah! Come up here! Fight like men!"
Emma looked back in surprise, but couldn't help but smile. Meliana smiled as well, hand to mouth, she shouted. "You fuckin' small dicked, idiotas! Come up here and prove you're worth your mettle, instead of being some yellow-bellied cowards! You're a bunch of adults, right!? Prove it!"
Cackling echoed up from the staircase, and soon, the red form of their armor revealed itself. Their massive bodies rose from the entrance. "You girls sure are brave..." A man who appeared to be the leader growled, and just before they left the deepest part of the mines, click!
Time stopped, and only a ringing could be heard... and then... BOOM!
The three men wearing that bulbous red armor jump out from the hole, rubble slamming onto their bodies, the lot of them rendered prone by the time they escaped the entrance. It hadn't completely collapsed, but the damage was enough to leave the group stunned.
Combat Begins!
The one heading the group stumbled onto their feet, and just as they rose from the ground, Meliana fired. The bullet went straight through the helmet, head firing back from the impact. Their body leaned forward from the momentum of the whiplash, blood spilling across the floor.
It didn't kill them, but they were downright close to dying, the shot eliciting a groan from the armored beast.
From behind, the one immersed most within the rubble jumped out from within, floating across the room and landing in front of the party.
"Even the floatation device!?" Emma exclaimed, the man spinning on the balls of their feet, fist ready to make impact on the first person they saw, that being Dahlia, shield raised. Their fist limply slammed into Dahlia's defense, but in their off-hand, a blade flashed.
Just as it was about to be stabbed into Dahlia's shoulder, she lunged at the same time, causing the armored man to stumble back, their attack missing in its entirety.
After the armored man jumped over to confront the others, what followed were two more Goblins, digging out from the rubble as well. Both of the men ran straight to the gap in the wall, jumping through the hole to flank the party.
"D-Damnit..." One of the men in red armor, the one who appeared to be the leader of their group, groaned, stumbling forward before collapsing back to the Earth below, the blood loss being bad enough to knock them unconscious.
Another one of their comrades jumped over as well, pushing the party at the frontline. Aimed at Emma, they swung a longsword, Rider taking the brunt of the damage, jumping in the way to help her. In response, slipping into their off-hand, a javelin was thrown.
Emma yelped, the javelin striking her straight in the shoulder, throwing her to the ground from the force of the throw.
Emma isn't a person who can't take a blow; in fact, she can, but throughout this quest and the last, when it comes to getting hurt, she barely has. The thing is, minor scratches and bruises couldn't compare to the sheer burning, sharp pain of a blade puncturing the flesh. Being hit by a punch —the feeling of metal clipping the skin in an accident gone wrong.
The sensation of being stabbed, a stab of such impact and force. Emma's eyes watered, stunned, gasping for air, the wind knocked completely from her. Blood slowly oozed from the wound, the crimson wetness spreading more and more as an unsettling coldness overcame her.
Dahlia responds to the attack made on Emma in kind, a powerful strike that cracks the armor of the man beside her before slamming the flat of her blade against the armored man in front of her, the damage being negligible.
In a shocking feat of strength, Rider's emotional response was even more extreme: the fist pierced straight through the armor's chestpiece, sinking deep into the soft, fleshy membrane underneath, creating a popping, wet sound. The man wheezed, one last gasp of air leaving their lips, ending in a small, shrill whistle before dying out in its entirety.
Emma, looking sickly, leveled her rifle at Dahlia's assailant, breath shaking just before she pulled the trigger. The bullet ricocheted off their metal helmet, Emma cursing under her breath in response, firing off another shot that missed, the blood loss getting to her.
Meliana, not letting herself get distracted, spun around in response to the flanking Goblins, firing two individual shots at the two men. Three shots, one straight into the head of the one closest to the back of the party, head flying back, brains splattering across the wall behind them.
The last two, one grazing past the other Goblin's shoulder, whilst the remaining bullet missed, sparking against a wall.
The remaining man in red continued to swing onto Dahlia. Still, now, their attention is diverted between two people, his original target, and Rider, who is now unoccupied due to the corpse lying before them.
One swing smacked against the shield, two swings at Rider, only one meeting its mark, sparks flying off from the two metals striking against one another.
Meliana recoiled as the remaining Goblin rushed her, blade swinging through the air, toward the Kobold.
Meliana fell to her back in response, the blade barely flying past her as she jumped back onto her feet, dagger now equipped, ready for hand-to-hand combat if need be.
Dahlia huffed, sensing the end of this battle coming near, a slash of her axe slamming the man in front of her straight into the wall beside them, cracks emerging from the force of her strike. The arm she struck hung loosely, clearly broken from the attack.
Dahlia attempted one last strike, but missed; the man recoiled far enough to avoid being hit. Dahlia knew, though, they weren't long to live; their breath labored under their mask.
Emma wheezed, revolver removed from her belt, aiming at the goblin behind her—two shots, both into their chest, sending them flying straight into the ground.
Breathe... inhale, exhale... inhale, exhale, steady your breath... fuck... it hurts so bad... Emma's breathing slowed further, her brain focused on the sound, tuning out the chaos around her until only the air filling her mouth and ears remained.
Pop!
Then, a shot, Emma's attention was drawn back into the battle, lifting her head from the floor to see their final assailant slump dead onto the floor, the final shot coming from Meliana herself.
Emma blinked hard. "A-Alright... t-the wound isn't as bad as I thought... I... let's just... I need to get it the fuck out."
Meliana kneeled. "You good?"
"No?"
Dahlia stepped up, helping Emma to her feet, who cried out in pain, the javelin shifting in the wound due to her movements.
"Fuck!"
Dahlia slowly escorted Emma over to the haphazard dining area around the corner, not completely thrown into disarray by the earlier explosion. "O-Okay... let's sit you down..." She helped Emma sit, who was presently cupping their wound. "Okay... Uh... let's try... and get you patched up!"
"Yep..." Emma nodded. "Okay... go ahead."
Jumpcut, Emma looks dead in her seat, now fully patched up. Dahlia couldn't help but laugh at Emma's exaggerated expression as they mumbled to themselves about how painful the process was.
"Are you alright?" Dahlia chuckled.
"Better than before, that's for sure." Emma groaned before letting out a weak laugh.
At the staircase, Meliana is digging through the rubble, clearing anything out of the way so they can explore deeper into the mine. "Oh?"
"What do you see?"
"There were two other Goblins in here that got crushed."
"Oh shit, really?"
"I should be able to clear out a bit more by the way. Hopefully we'll find somethin'."
"Yeah..." Emma looked at one of the corpses now set in the hallway. That red armor... She thought to herself, lifting herself from her bench. Emma crossed over to them and inspected the armor. "Imma steal some of this... maybe it'll be useful."
Dahlia cocked a brow. "You're stealing it?"
"It's my Uncle's work they're stealing after all. Should be fine."
Meliana spoke up. "It's your Uncle's work?"
"More like the idea was. The problem is, it's super confidential, so how they'd even get such a thing is... it baffles me thinking about it." Emma kneeled, letting out a huff in response. "Which is why I'm stealing it. Not all of it, of course, just... the important bits." Emma snickered as she began dismantling the armor.
After another hour had passed, Meliana yelled to her party. "Got it, we got a path!"
Emma perked up, stopping her tinkering shenanigans to follow Meliana, Dahlia being the first to do so. Meliana rushed down the mine, the entire place caked in deep darkness, a complete lack of light in contrast to the flashing colors of before.
Emma took out her phone, shining a light on everything so she could see the path ahead. Why do I gotta be the only one without darkvision?
After a few minutes of walking, they finally come across a massive clearing within the mines, and in the middle of it, as if it were a spotlight from the Gods themselves, a girl sits, a girl with black hair, pale skin, and amber eyes that can pierce the soul, malnourished. She was almost aquatic in nature, sporting fins and gills, and, like Emma, her face was spotted with freckles.
"What the hell...?" Emma whispered. "Do... Meli, do you know who that is?"
Meliana shook her head. "Not at all..."
"I... We gotta take her back to the Academy, no?"
Meliana nodded, rushing over to them. They were restrained, metal cuffs binding them tight, chains connecting them to the ground. Meliana used a lockpick to free the girl, and once she was... nothing, they were unresponsive.
Dahlia sighed. "Okay... I'll carry her, let's go. It's probably best we don't stay any longer than we have, right?" Dahlia went to pick her up. She was light, too light, and being met without any semblance of retaliation? It was unsettling to say the least.
Meliana sharply exhaled. "Let's go."