The Chimera Summoner – ch 41 (part 1/2) – sneaking around with bad intentions, and other ways to make new friends

Ch 41 -

We didn’t have any weapons, which was a huge problem for Hera. And I didn’t have access to my Familiars, which was a huge problem for me. Breaking the solid metal pipes was therefore off the table.

What we did have was a can-do attitude, and near infinite motivation.

I was still getting steadily more pissed that my long-time hero, Professor Carmine, had betrayed us and the whole school. It was still sinking in, and I was about twelve kinds of bitter.

The desire for revenge – not just to fool or defeat but to humiliate her – was tantamount in my considerations.

Also surviving and escaping.

I wasn't sure what they had planned for Hera and I, whether death or conversion or what. But their holding of the Netherim rang extremely fishy to me. I had a really, really bad feeling about their intentions there.

In the corridors near the room we’d found Seela and company in, we located a promising looking metal box on the wall, amid the endless piping.

It was locked, of course. But we had Hera’s rapidly dwindling supply of priceless skeleton wire.

It clicked open and Hera stowed the last of her wire back in her hair.

“Looks important.” Hera said, eying the lattice of faintly glowing runic lines and gears.

“Looks delicate.” I agreed.

“Sure would be a shame if…?” Hera experimentally poked a rune. A loud rumble responded in the hall.

“A tragedy befell these innocent settings.” I nodded.

Neither of us had the ritual magic expertise to understand what any of the control panel was doing. It was the kind of thing that Lorna would have been extremely helpful with.

But we could identify some runic dials set on gears that seemed to control some settings of some kind. They were all in suspiciously specific positions in the middle of their ranges.

We happily cracked them all up as high as they would go.

We closed the lid, and as hoped, it locked itself automatically.

For a long moment there was no reaction from the crawling castle around us. But then a slow creaking, higher and more urgent than the sounds we had become accustomed to, started rattling through the hall.

We dashed around a convenient corner into a shady dead end, and waited.

Over the next few minutes, the creaking intensified and the temperature in the hall rose steadily as the pipes grew hotter.

A few minutes later, the telltale sounds of a pair of boots came tromping down the hall.

We tensed, getting serious for what would probably be a life or death confrontation, possibly for both us and the Netherim.

As we had hoped, it was a single pair. Meaning they had sent an engineer of some kind, not an engineer and a group of goons to check for sabotage.

Even better, as the steps got closer we could make out some loud grumbling.

“--ways think it’s our damn fault, and never ‘oh, we live in a gods forsaken fucking relic that was never designed to run this long. No, no, just ‘ohhhhh Bayla, go fix this! Go fix that, Bayla! Where’s my coffee, Bayla?? Why can’t you keep this place running smoothly for one FUGHHHHH!”

A huge sigh and the engineer, Bayla presumably, passed our hiding spot without so much as a sideways glance.

She was a medium build fem looking person in a sturdy blue jumpsuit and a work belt, brown hair in a messy ponytail.

We crept to the corner, and waited.

The sound of the metal control box being opened again acted as our starting pistol.

We shot around the corner.

I wound up the biggest [Tempest strike] that I could muster. It was reckless to expend so much mana. But it would’ve been even more so to hold back even an ounce against an unknown enemy. Especially since she might very well be able to easily signal for backup.

Bayla was standing with her hands on her hips, looking at the box in utter horror. “Well that’s ba–”

My [Tempest strike] slammed into the back of her head. The concussive thump sent dust whooshing from every nook and cranny in the hall.

Her head slammed forward like she’d been hit by a train and smacked face-first into the control panel.

Hera tackled her as she collapsed, somehow rolling her into a headlock before she even hit the ground.

But it wasn’t necessary.

“Damn, girl!” Hera whistled.

I nodded, staring at the insensate woman in her arms.

“Is she…?” I asked. I started to feel a little sick, looking at her broken face.

Hera gave her neck a questioning choke with her arm. “Alive.” She announced. “Must have a few Levels.”

I nodded.

I hadn’t really questioned the necessity of potentially lethal force until after. But the feeling of wondering if I had just killed a person…. I did not like it.

Hera untangled herself and started rummaging around her person.

“Toolbelt.” She muttered, unbuckling it, and handing it back to me. “Cigarettes. Nice cigarettes, damnnnn Bayla. Little pocket knife. Could’ve been a huge pocket knife. Or a pocket Javelin. But no. Bayla sucks. Keystone! Wonder if she has access to the cells. Probably not. Lint. Could be useful. Start a campfire. No. That’s stupid.”

“Got a hammer. Feels enchanted, but I have no idea how.” I noted. “It’s pretty big though.”

I handed it to Hera and she straightened.

“We should have some time before they realize that Bayla here was not successful. Let’s regroup and make a plan.” Hera said, giving the hammer a few test swings. “Yup. No idea what this hammer does.”

We dumped Bayla onto her back in the holding cells. Seela and the Netherim looked on, wide eyed.

It was getting quite hot in the cell room, but the Netherim did not seem remotely uncomfortable.

“First things first.” I said, and tried Bayla’s keystone on the cages.

To my shock, there was a crisp click, and the door swung open.

“Now why would you have access…?” I muttered. “Actually. No. I’m not questioning it, we deserve some fucking luck.”

“Luck.” Seela nodded.

She regarded Bayla with adorable malice. Several Netherim gathered around her, and there was some discussion I couldn’t understand, but absolutely understood.

“We aren’t executing her.” I said, sternly.

Blinking coal black eyes turned on me.

Hera watched me curiously.

Ok. No problem. I will now announce a reasonable, alternate plan to killing this person.

Go.

Go, Eir.

Go, now, Eir.

The very tall people are looking at you, Eir–

“We are going to recruit her to our cause.” I said firmly.

Conversation broke out as Seela translated. She confirmed with me multiple times, like she was sure she had misunderstood.

Hera also confirmed multiple times. More in a you-understand-what-you-have-said-is-madness kind of way.

But I stood my ground.

“We know that she got recruited by these assholes. We know she hates working for them. We know she knows how the crawling castle works.” I listed.

Hera snorted. “We know she is one of the bad guys. We know we busted her face in from behind before stealing her stuff, including these very tasty cigarettes that no one should smoke. WHY would she possibly be recruitable?!”

“I’m gunna heal her.” I said.

“Don’t you have a limited pool of healing?” Hera asked.

“Mmmm, yes. About that.” I said, shifting from foot to foot. “Remember how you mentioned uhh kissing. Us. You and me kissing. In the future.”

Hera tilted her head suspiciously. “Not really the time in front of all of these nice people, and what with the whole hostage situation.”

“Mmmhmm, mmhmm. True. But. Hear me out.” I clutched my elbow awkwardly.