Chương 36: Chapter 34: Ironing Out the Kinks

After Joe and Pete slipped out into the darkness, I turned back to Denise. The living room was quiet now, the heavy tactical mapping replaced by the heavy reality of what we were actually about to do.

"Are you okay with this?" I asked softly.

"I mean... I know you're really not, but are you going to be able to handle it?"

"No, I'm not okay with it," she replied instantly, her voice tight but steady.

"But do I really have a choice? I'm terrified of you heading out there and doing this, Derrick, but I recognize it has to be done. And I know the kids need to get stronger under this new system. I just... I worry so much about them. And about you."

"I know, baby," I said, pulling her into my arms and holding her close.

"I'm not going to be arrogant and tell you everything is perfectly fine, or promise that absolutely no one will get hurt. We're basically planning to attack someone's stronghold. But what I can promise you is that we are going to be as smart and as safe as humanly possible. Between the four of us on the assault team, we have decades of tactical experience and collectively survived at least seven tours in actual war zones.

Not to mention we're planning to bring a firestorm of Hell down on anyone who tries to hurt us." She rested her forehead against my chest, taking a long breath.

"I know. That's exactly what I'm focusing on right now. I know you and your friends can handle yourselves. And besides... you have literal magic on your side now, right?"

"That's the spirit, honey. Now you're thinking like a gamer," I chuckled, a broad grin breaking across my face. She gave my arm a sharp pop, pushing herself away with a small, reluctant smile.

"Time to get to work." I planted a quick kiss on her cheek, my grin widening.

"Yes, Dear." I immediately took off down the hallway, laughing as I went, knowing full well another swat was coming. She absolutely hates being called dear. I retreated to the spare room, laid out the tactical vest I'd liberated from TJ, and started transferring my gear. This new rig was a massive upgrade. The fabric was heavy-duty, military-grade nylon, and instead of the rigid, permanently sewn-in pockets of my old surplus vest, this one featured a fully modular design.

I could detach, relocate, and adjust the heavy pouches anywhere on the frame—including the sides and lower back. My old setup only allowed me to carry gear on the front in fixed, predetermined spots. You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version. As I rigged the new vest, I consciously decided to leave behind the department-issued pepper spray, the expandable baton, and my handcuffs. I was heading into a possible battle tomorrow, not going on patrol to make arrests.

The extra weight just wasn't worth it, and I certainly didn't need more non-lethal force options. Between my HK, my sword, my bow, a handful of tactical knives, and my hammer, I figured my combat options were pretty well covered. While adjusting the shoulder straps, a sudden thought struck me—I had completely forgotten about my second spell, [Spike Growth]. I hadn't even attempted to practice casting it yet, let alone test it out in active combat.

Annoyed with my own oversight, I pulled up my HUD to reread the exact spell parameters: [Spike Growth — Beginner Level 2] Description: Summon a dense patch of barbed spikes in a 23-foot radius from a center point designated by the caster anywhere within a 150-foot line of sight. Damage: Deals 20 points of piercing damage to any hostile unit entering the zone. Debuff: Affected targets suffer the [Rooted] status effect (immobilized). Passive Effect: Blended Environment.

The spikes naturally camouflage themselves to mimic the surrounding terrain. Camouflage can be detected or nullified by enemy [Detect Traps] skills or higher perception attributes. Duration: 10 minutes. Cost: 100 Mana. Cast Time: 10 seconds. Cooldown: 1 hour. I shook my head. I had seriously overlooked this utility, falling into classic newbie gaming mistakes by hyper-focusing only on my direct damage spells.

This crowd-control spell was going to be an absolute game-changer for securing perimeters or blocking off escape routes at the high school. I resolved right then and there to test the spell out during my neighborhood patrol tonight to start grinding its proficiency levels. To maximize the night's productivity, I also planned to keep my [Sneak] ability actively toggled on for the entire duration of the watch.

Every point of experience I could squeeze into my stealth and vision attributes before tomorrow night would directly translate to a better chance of keeping everyone alive. With my new modular vest fully customized and secured, I strapped on my primary weapons. I walked back out to give Denise one last tight hug and a proper kiss, grabbed the heavy duffel bag containing the extra rifle magazines from the garage, and slipped out through the side yard gate into the cool night air.

With Dog tracking silently at my flank, I kept low in the shadows, moving steadily toward Joe's house to collect one of those new combat helmets.