Chương 14: The Ugliest Mountain on Ring

Veronika released her grip on the vines and plopped down on a rock at the base of the smoking mountain. It was unnaturally barren compared to its surroundings. Streaks of red trickled down from the ledge above, now dry at the beginning of the path leading up. The blood of failed intruders, or maybe witch hunters trying to find their pack. It'd be easier to keep the role count below five if the hunter is killed while climbing the mountain.

No one had been in contact with any of the stranded hunters, so they wouldn't understand that Veronika's mission was more important than their lives. Finding the mountain was half the battle! Now I'm feeling nice today so I'll hand you your first objective on a silver platter: reach the top of the mountain. Doesn't matter how you do it; fabulous prizes await you at the finish line!

"Halt, s-soldier!" a broken feminine voice called from behind.

"I-I-Identify yours-s-self." Veronika turned around and saw a speaker wedged in one of the mountain's crevices. She gently pulled it out and examined it in her hand. There were no wires connecting it to anything. It must have operated on a bluetooth connection, and not a very strong one. Their military technologist worked wonders, but stretching the height of a mountain was cutting it close. Veronika held the device up to her mouth where she thought the microphone was.

"Officer Pajiri-Li reporting in. I was sent to the island by General Pajiri of the Northeast Asian region."

"Pa-Pajiri? Hold on a second." She started speaking in a hushed whisper that Veronika couldn't understand. Several voices joined the conversation. Now that her name was out in the open, Veronika was never going to hear the end of it. They'd either admonish her position as nepotism or ask how she could introduce them all to her mother. The conversation got louder as the hunters became more curious.

"I mean, she does kind of look like General Pajiri…" one whispered.

"Kalani, you're from that region. Is she telling the truth?"

"Hmm," the familiar snake said.

"General Pajiri never mentioned having a child. Even if she did, why would she allow its last name to be hyphenated?" It was true that Veronika's mother kept her existence quiet. She didn't broadcast it to the global witch hunting force, but it was impossible to keep Veronika away from the other hunters in her base. Kalani was one of the people that gossiped about whether or not Veronika actually earned her place with them. She knew all too well who Veronika's mother was.

And why did she take issue with the hyphenated last name? Veronika never met her father. Her mother always said she kept his last name attached to honor him after a great sacrifice in battle. Some witch hunters were too dismissive of their male coworkers. They were rare, but Veronika never had an issue with one. Then again, she never really worked with one… But, if her mother found one honorable enough to fight with, that was good enough for her.

"My mother was married to Captain Li. I'm their daughter."

"Oh, I've heard of that guy!" another hunter chirped.

"Yeah, they were definitely married. They probably kept this one hidden from you, Kalani. I doubt the general would let her child train with just anybody." Kalani scoffed, but the rest of the background voices quieted down. The original speaker returned and hushed Kalani.

"Officer Pajiri-Li, you said you were sent here on purpose. Can you confirm that the mainland knows our whereabouts?"

"They don't have an exact location, but they know the waters dragged everyone to an island. They found abnormal energy readings coming from this area."

"That's an understatement," she murmured.

"So, does that mean you've come with a rescue crew?"

"No. It's just me and a robotic escort. I'm here on a classified mission. The hunters may know how to get to this island now, but we still don't know how to leave. It'd be irresponsible to send so many hunters with no guarantee that they'd get home."

"Oh…so instead of being rescued, one of us is going to die in five days."

"Two of you. The island is counting my robot as a witch hunter."

"I've heard enough," Kalani said.

"Let the viper out. It'll take care of them for us."

"Kalani! We can't just kill a general's daughter. If the role-limit gets her, that's the Rose's will, but I won't let it happen on purpose." The woman cleared her throat.

"Forgive the disruption, Officer Pajiri-Li. I'll activate the elevator and get you up here in no time."

"Come on, I'm telling you General Pajiri doesn't have a kid! She's just trying to make herself look too important to kill." Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.

"We can discuss that when she's up here. I'm not going to sic the viper on someone based on suspicion alone." Kalani groaned.

"Then at least let her climb the mountain herself. Surely a General Pajiri's child would have no issue managing that."

"We don't have time-""I can climb it," Veronika said, looking up at the height of the mountain.

"It shouldn't take more than a day and a half." Taking the elevator would've been great, but she couldn't have her squad questioning her abilities. Climbing the death mountain was the fastest way to shut them up. She might even get a bit of XP for it depending on how generous the demon woman was. Besides, fighting two witch hunters who had been on the island for months or years at level one with half of her max resistance probably wasn't the best idea.

Veronika could outclass any hunter of equal rank off of the island, but the armless man she shot in the box proved things were more complicated here. The more reasonable woman sighed.

"Ok, I won't lower the elevator. But I'm not activating any traps either, Kalani!"

"Fine, fine. If she can claw her way up here like the rest of us I'll give her the benefit of the doubt. For now." Veronika wondered if anyone would care if she challenged Kalani. She'd need to learn more about what skills the liar had, first. Unless her coworkers were so sick of the bullshit that they'd just take her out themselves once a more suitable hunter arrived to take her place. Convincing them to kill another for LOA's survival would be much more difficult.

"Do you want me to put this speaker back before I start?" she asked.

"Yes, please. We need it to monitor the entrance. Don't worry, there's several more on the way up if you need to talk to us." Veronika slid the device back into its crevice, taking care not to accidentally crush it under her palm. She considered removing her jacket, but something felt wrong about it. Everyone was watching her. They didn't need to see her shed the witch hunter's immaculate uniform.

"LOA, are you ready?" She nodded.

"Do you want me to go ahead in case there's anything dangerous on the path?"

"No." Veronika wanted to hit herself. Sending LOA ahead was the logical choice, the right choice. She didn't know enough about the island to be sure that she could tear through any danger before her. But using LOA as a shield made her seem more like a babysitter than an escort. Veronika had to delude herself into thinking the respect of the other witch hunters was worth the risk. Mother would be so disappointed in her. How cute. The little puppy is lost without her master. Kalani is right about you, in a way.

Sure, your combat abilities are extraordinary, but that's about it. A good military officer isn't just a good shot; they need to be able to command respect. And you certainly don't. Don't worry about disappointing mommy. Clearly she wanted you like this. You're not her successor, you're her pawn! That woman is trying her hand at immortality. She doesn't need a legacy.

"I know I'm not her legacy. I'm her sword. Once I've slain you and your master, my life doesn't matter anymore," Veronika whispered. It's not too late to consider switching sides, puppy. I treat my pawns better than General Pajiri ever did. I'm more about the carrot than the stick;)"Nothing honorable is supposed to be easy. Mother did what she had to so I was ready for this mission." If she's so honorable, why didn't she do the harder thing and deal with me herself?

"She needs to lead the Northeast Asian region… I'm not a suitable replacement." Do you even hear yourself? Whose fault is it that you suck at everything that doesn't involve a gun or your fists? You don't even care about things like honor, you've just been groomed to talk about it like it's your guiding light. I know the truth. I know that you only care about doing what mommy tells you to. The sad thing is, I know she would love to gut me herself.

Stick her knife right into my chest and twist it around a few times while I cough blood into her pretty face. Make me beg for mercy.

"What are you talking about?" I've met your dear mother before. She sent you in her stead because I scare her. Not because of my power, but because I rejected her. I didn't want her as my pawn, my lover, or even my friend. Now she can't bear to look at my face.

"You're lying."

"Madame, are you alright?" Veronika snapped back to reality. She was trudging along the inner edge of the path in a fugue state. She blinked and looked down at her feet. They had gone numb and were slowly waking up.

"The system dragged my mind elsewhere. I need to ignore her until we reach the top." She put her hand on her forehead.

"Forgive me if I'm overstepping, Madame, but I think you need to be kinder to yourself here. We knew the island would mess with us. It's not helpful to beat yourself up over every little trick." Everything LOA just said made sense. So why did it make Veronika want to punch her?

"I'll… keep that in mind." The path started thinning out by the third mile. LOA was forced to start walking behind Veronika, and they had to keep an eye out to avoid slipping off the edge. They had reached the point where climbing with their hands would be necessary. The path looped around the mountain, and Veronika could see a point where it bent back towards them and became walkable again. They just had to scale about six meters of an almost vertical mountain wall without any climbing equipment. Easy enough.

Unless the system wanted to intervene again. A rough climb could become a death trap if that woman coaxed Veronika into another distraction. I won't make a peep! Remember, I always play fair. Promise! That didn't mean much to Veronika, but it would have to do. She sighed and gripped the rocks at the bottom. Her gloves shielded her hands from any damage as she found her footing in the crevices of the mountain. LOA was following directly below Veronika as if she intended to catch her when she fell.

Her little escort was worried sick about her. God forbid LOA ends up saving her life after Veronika almost executed her. She could hear her mother's disappointed whispers circle the air. Pathetic. Do better. You were never worth it.