Quest Academy: Saviors, page 56
Sal had his gun trained on the empty doorway. “How long before Ioseph can make more runes?” He looked at Erika, who was in the middle of the engineers. “And how long until evacuation is complete?”
Erika grimaced as she shook her head. “Seven minutes until evacuation. Ioseph looks like he’s concussed. What happened down there?”
Gallant shrugged as he tapped his hand against his side, as though checking to see whether it was still hurting him. “Hulker broke through his shield and the backlash knocked him backward. I took care of it.”
Erika looked at the ground and let out an aggravated sigh. “Stop with the bravado bullshit. We know you’ve done this before, but could you get your head in the game and start working with us?”
Gallant held his arms out wide and looked at her in mock disbelief. “I am merely an Offense, oh wondrous leader. Send me to the stairwell and let me do my job.” He gestured at the shadowed doorway before bringing his palms together in a pleading gesture. “We don’t need to defend against dead demons.”
Erika shook her head and pointed at Gallant’s feet. “You’re staying right there, to protect the team while Ioseph is out of action. Get Rochelle to heal you when she’s done with him, and sober up. You’re battle-drunk, and it’s going to get you killed.”
Rob nodded from his perch on top of the doorway, his legs waving back and forth as he bit into another apple. He appeared out of nowhere, and Sal had to do a double take to see that he was really there. The other Hunter just stood to one side lazily, rolling his thumb off the hilt of a sheathed sword. Considering none of the demons had successfully breached the roof, there was nothing for them to do.
Sal’s visor was going crazy as he counted multiple essence variants coming up through the stairwell. He raised his revolver and fired the same bullet he had been using for the last few minutes. Gravity Slam proved to be remarkably effective when pushing enemies down a vertical space. He could see the carnage the ability was causing, by forcing the leechers directly down the gaps in the center of the stairs, or crushing prowlers under the weight of a lumbering hulker. Its efficacy wasn’t nearly as powerful on the lower floors, but anything that got close to the doorway was subdued somewhat by his attacks.
“Good work, Sal,” Erika called out as she returned her focus to the engineers.
Sal, Rochelle, Gallant, and even the concussed Ioseph turned to look at Erika in surprise, but she ignored all of them. It was probably the first time she had praised him in a genuine way.
Sal wasn’t sure whether it was desperation of the entire scenario, or whether it was how unreliable Gallant had become, but Erika seemed to trust in Sal to keep them safe. The issue he had was that he needed to be on the farthest point of the roof, at the very corner, with his back against open air, so he’d be able to spot any voider activity.
It was disconcerting to have the entirety of the demonic Red Zone at his back, but he couldn’t afford to lose concentration and risk someone getting hurt. His only hope was that there wasn’t a family of evolved birds, waiting for an opportunity to strike him from behind. His armor could only do so much, and protecting him from a fall off a skyscraper likely wasn’t one of its benefits.
Rob twirled his hand with a smile, which would look fairly innocuous to anyone who saw the gesture. However, to Sal, who was watching the essence readings of everything climbing up the stairwell, it was devastating. An entire swath of enemies was obliterated at the same time, pushing the progress of the demons back by at least three stories. When Sal looked up from the lower floors to where Rob was sitting, he saw the roguish Hunter raise a finger to his lips as though to indicate it was a secret.
It was a destructive power that looked to rival Prestige, and Sal couldn’t fathom how he had never come across the Hunter before. It should have been someone in the top rankings, but Rob didn’t feel familiar at all.
Sal glanced over at the other Hunter who was just lazing around, waiting for something to do. There was no reaction from him about what Rob had done, which told Sal that he was used to those antics, or that he was incapable of sensing the demons as acutely as Gallant.
Wait, Gallant. Sal snapped his attention to the former Super Rookie and could see him staring venomously at Rob. It was like an accusatory glare that would have looked terrifying to most, but likely the petulant gaze of a child to someone like Rob. Gallant’s wait for combat had just been extended by the mystery Hunter, and by all accounts, he was pissed.
“Erika, I’m going to go down the stairwell to make sure nothing comes up,” Gallant called over his shoulder, not breaking eye contact with Rob as he spoke.
Erika looked as though she wanted to pull her hair out as she looked up and let out an aggravated sigh. “What the fuck is wrong with you? Are you that broken that you can’t read a situation? You’re injured. Ioseph is injured. We have people here we need to protect. Our combat capability is limited to you, Sal, and Rochelle. And in case you haven’t noticed, Sal won’t be able to do his job if you run off. Rochelle will be unprotected while she heals Ioseph.” She walked over to Gallant and pointed at him as though it would add emphasis to her point.
“You running off to play Hero means Sal can’t use that gravity ability, which is effective and keeping us safe. Your absence puts the onus on Sal to not only protect us from voiders coming up through the floor, but to protect us from whatever comes through that door. Which he’ll be reluctant to do… because it’s Sal, and he won’t want to kill you.” Erika stepped close to Gallant and spoke to him in a slow and deliberate tone. “You’re staying here. Do. You. Understand?”
Gallant finally broke off eye contact with Rob to turn around and look down at Erika. His gaze was patronizing as he shook his head. “You’re the one who doesn’t understand. All these waves are designed for combat. The more kills we get here, the higher result. Higher result… the more rewards.”
He pushed his index finger against Erika’s forehead and tapped it a few times. “Get it into your stupid little skull that you’re not the boss here. I dance to your tune when it benefits me and I can earn points for playing the perfect Offense, but you’re not necessary anymore.” He gestured behind him to the doorway. “I can get more points from killing demons than I can from listening to you.”
Rochelle looked up from Ioseph, her eyes still shining green. “Don’t be an asshole, Brophy. We need you here.” Despite their friendship, she looked to be genuinely annoyed with him.
Gallant exhaled slowly as he looked over at her. “You know, I respected you more before you put on the coat. You’re just moonlighting as a Hero because of a few pieces of gear. Don’t talk to me like your opinion should matter.”
Erika stepped away from Gallant with a resigned expression. “You really are a piece of work.” She lifted her hand to touch the restraining amulet around her neck. “Either you stay here willingly, or I make you stay.”
Gallant laughed as he tilted his head. “Are you seriously thinking you’re the only one who can make threats?” He lifted his hand to the restraining amulet on his own neck. “You’ll have less than a second to take control. That’s all I’d need to bring this entire tower to the ground. I’d be fine. Would you?”
Erika’s eyes bore into Gallant’s before her hand dropped away from her own neck. “You’re not worth the punishment. I don’t give you permission to go down to the demons, so if you do it, it’s against the orders of your Controller.”
“Looks like you’re about to get your wish,” Rob said with a friendly wave from his perch above the doorway.
Sal could barely believe what he was seeing. The mass of essence that had been dispelled earlier was completely overtaken by a surge of new demons, all of them moving faster than before. Rather than them being constrained to just the stairwell, they came up from all sides.
“Rochelle, how fast can you finish healing Ioseph?” Sal called urgently as he watched the lights get closer and closer.
Rochelle cursed as she closed her eyes. “Another three minutes?” She looked annoyed. “It’s not just healing. His body is fine, but his mind is all over the place. He’s dizzy as hell right now.”
Ioseph lumbered up to his feet and staggered to one side with a hand to his head. “I’m… I can…”
Rochelle tried to pull him back to a seated position, but he fell forward onto the ground, both of his hands outstretched in front of him. Just as Rochelle was going to use the hooks to reposition him, Ioseph withdrew an etching tool with a shaky hand and started to draw runes on the ground in front of him. It was painful to watch as the giant of a man struggled desperately to make the shapes in front of him work.
Sal frowned as he raised his gun and aimed it at the doorway. Erika was right. No matter how stupid Gallant was behaving, there was no way he’d fire his revolver and risk hurting him. Explaining to Prestige that he had accidentally murdered her son wouldn’t be an ideal scenario.
Sal’s eyes fell to Ioseph drawing on the ground with his etching tool. Rochelle had her right palm on his back, and she looked furious that he had been pushed into this situation. Erika looked as if she were completely done with the scenario and was content to seethe silently around the engineers as she pressed them for more updates.
Rob was the only person who looked to be enjoying themselves. He hopped down from the perch over the doorway and looked into the dark abyss with a frown. “Looks like it’s coming soon. What will you do, team?”
“Don’t suppose we could just ask you to go down and take care of it?” Sal shouted over at Rob with a laugh, trying to defuse some of the tension.
Rob looked at him seriously as he raised a finger. “I could. But it will cost you in terms of the reward you get after this is over.”
Gallant whirled around to look at Sal, pointing his finger at him threateningly. “No. We’re doing this ourselves, without their help. I can’t risk a reduction in reward.”
Sal’s expression darkened. “You’re willing to risk Ioseph’s safety for Q-Cred?” He looked around at the group of people on the roof and laughed humorlessly. “I know this is an exercise, and maybe it’s one you’re really familiar with… but it’s real for us. We’re doing this as a team, so we can do the real thing in the future.”
Gallant groaned. “Shut up.”
Sal tilted his head. “Seriously? He’s offering to help us. You’re injured and Ioseph is injured. We’re going to be surrounded soon, and all you’re thinking of is Q-Cred?”
Gallant turned on his heel and roared at Sal. “I said, shut the fuck up!” He brought his palm up to his face and pressed it over his eyes as he started to shake his head. “The solution is already created. I have everything I need from you.” He pulled his hand away from his eyes and smiled at Sal. “So, you can just shut the fuck up and let me do my job. Okay?”
Before Sal could say another word, Gallant turned around and burst into a run toward the door. His eyes were wild and his breathing was frantic.
Just as it looked like he was about to enter, Rob’s arm darted out and blocked the path, causing Gallant to buckle himself around the Hunter’s arm.
Rob looked at Erika. “Counterproposal. I’ll replace a member of your team, and the reward will remain consistent. Do you accept?”
Erika’s eyes locked onto Gallant before she shook her head sadly. “I accept. But could you please take the place of Ioseph and act as our Defense?”
Rob’s face broke into a smile. “An excellent choice. Let’s get him to safety first, shall we?”
With a click of his fingers, Ioseph disappeared in a puff of black smoke, causing Rochelle to yank her hand back in fright.
Rob kept his hand on Gallant’s chest as he looked around the roof thoughtfully. “We’re preparing for a last stand, I take it?”
With a gentle movement of his arm, he pushed Gallant back to the point that he was left panting on the ground, clutching at his chest and struggling to breathe.
“Rochelle, your responsibility has been taken care of. Ioseph is safe and with Prestige right now. I want you to show me everything you’ve got in this battle.” Rob clicked his fingers again, causing the edges of the roof to suddenly darken as though a wall of smog had suddenly sprouted up from them.
Walking to the center of the roof, Rob chuckled as he glanced at the engineers. “Take your time, lads. I want to see them go all-out.”
Sal stared at the ground and saw that the same smog-like mist had covered the entire area. His visor was telling him that despite the appearance, it was an incredibly powerful barrier that even it had trouble piercing. The only area around him that wasn’t covered in a smog-like barrier was the entrance to the rooftop. Rob had created a funnel for them to wage their last stand.
Glancing at Gallant still writhing on the floor, Sal frowned. “Is he going to be okay? What did you do to him?”
Rob gestured at Rochelle. “Your Healer likely doesn’t know how to cure a battle frenzy. It’s a bitch of a condition, and typically requires some tough love.” He pointed at Gallant on the ground. “Tough love.
“Rishi, you step in as Offense until our Super Rookie learns how to use his lungs again,” Rob said in an offhand tone to the other Hunter. “Remember, this is an exercise for the students, so don’t go stealing their fun.”
Sal gripped his revolver tighter as he looked at the swarm of barriers around him. “Are you sure Prestige is going to be okay with this? This is a lot more help than I thought it was going to be.”
Rob shrugged. “If she has a problem with it, she can take it up with me.” He looked at Erika with a smile. “I know you’re stressed and at your wit’s end, but I want to see a good showing from you, too.”
Erika frowned at the comment but merely nodded in response.
Rob looked over his shoulder at Sal. “Oh, and I think there might have been a point of confusion just now. Prestige is likely going to have a problem with my method, but not because I’ve made it too easy.”
An explosion erupted where the doorway once stood, revealing a massive hulker covered in green prowler blood. It shrugged off huge chunks of debris before lumbering forward with thunderous steps. A trio of prowlers managed to leap through the gap before the stairwell entrance collapsed.
Rob laughed. “She’d never let me test you guys for real like this.”
Chapter 78: Obsidian
The moment the hulker and prowlers appeared, Sal’s revolver snapped up and he started to fire. His muscle memory overwrote his fear. He knew instinctively that the prowlers posed a massive problem for the rest of the group, and he couldn’t let them blend into the surrounding darkness. Gravity Slam only managed to halt the group for a short moment, while Magnet Knot seemed to do more damage to the mass of rubble and debris.
The hulker wasn’t affected by either of the shots. Shock Lance and Soul Killer had followed directly after, the former punching a hole into the rightmost prowler and putting it down. Soul Killer, on the other hand, was blocked by the arm of the hulker and it only managed to produce a few pebbles’ worth of damage on the massive demon.
When the dust settled from the bombardment of attacks, Sal got a better look at their opponent. Black glass sprouted from every part of the hulker, giving it a jagged and glossy appearance. Molten-red eyes stared at them from the head—except there were six of them, all in a circle. Each of the limbs were obscured by a coating of glass layered in serrated spikes, like it was some form of armor.
Some of Sal’s efforts with the revolver had resulted in a few panes of glass dropping from the hulker and shattering on the ground.
“Are you kidding me?” Rochelle shouted as she leaped back toward the group of engineers. Her eyes were wide as she looked at Rob. “We didn’t cover hulker profiles in class!”
Rob shrugged. “Adapt to your environment. You won’t know your limits until you need to overcome them.” He stood off to one side with an easygoing smile on his face.
Rishi, the asshole Hunter, unsheathed his sword in a rapid movement, causing an arc of essence to slice across the battlefield in a straight line. It smashed into the hulker, but only managed to halt its movement. It was clear that he wasn’t trying to kill it, but rather, he was intent on stalling its approach. Another shattering of glass showed that the attack had still been somewhat effective.
Erika ran to the other side of the rooftop, dropping to the ground and sliding so she wasn’t obscuring Sal’s aim with the revolver. She stopped in a crouch and pointed at the remaining prowlers. “Take them out first, Sal. We can deal with the hulker afterward.”
Sal nodded as he removed the cartridge of special bullets and reverted to using the core of the scarlet moon revolver. Essence bullets had proved ineffective against the golem during the excursion, but they were more than enough to put down the prowlers. He fired a series of shots at them, managing to take one of them down permanently. It left them with just a single prowler and the hulker to contend with.
“Rochelle!” Erika shouted. “Take out the prowler and try to restrict the hulker with your chains.”
Whipping up her arms, Rochelle’s left grappling hook shot forward at a sickening speed and plunged into the side of the last prowler. It thrashed around for a moment, snarling and clawing at the chain until it finally dropped to the ground in a slump. The glowing chains siphoned the prowler essence and sent it back to Rochelle, who was sweating profusely.
“What’s wrong, Rochelle?” Sal shouted out, sparing her a quick glance while he kept firing the essence bullets at the hulker, trying to damage it in some way.
“Cores are full… and the coat essence is being pushed into me.” Rochelle grimaced as she recalled the chain from the dead prowler.
Erika looked at Sal. “What does that mean? Can she not use the chains?”
“The essence is forcibly breaking through her essence gates, and it hurts like a bitch. She’s not going to be able to concentrate on this fight,” Sal answered as he kept his visor trained on the hulker that just shrugged off a new attack from Rishi.
