Chương 74: Chapter 73: Velite

Ophila watched as William sat in intense concentration, his brows furrowed tightly as he focused all his attention into his rune. Then, with a steady hand, he reached out with his scratched knife, cutting deep lines into the dirt floor to map out the terrain ahead.

"The entire cavern is shaped like a giant bowl," William explained as he sketched a wide, circular outline.

"The entire cavern slopes downward, straight toward the center. That's the lowest point." Ophila knelt closer, her analytical mind running at maximum output.

"And the Akkorok is there, right?"

"Exactly," William said, tapping the center of the bowl.

"That's why the shape of the cavern is a real problem. Because it's a perfect bowl, any noise made along the upper ridges will echo and bounce right down to the center. It's a natural amplifier." Ophila's eyes narrowed. That's annoying. If the Akkoroks truly relied entirely on sound to hunt in the dark, the very shape of the cavern gave the monster a massive advantage. Sneaking in normally would be impossible. Unless…

"If it hunts by sound, we don't exactly have to be quiet," Ophila reasoned.

"What do you mean—" She looked up from the map.

"We just need a diversion." William's mouth fell open.

"A diversion? Ophila, are you out of your mind? I just barely escaped that thing, and now you want one of us to be bait? That's pure bullshit." Ophila didn't flinch at his outburst. Instead, her lips curled into an amused grin.

"I never said one of us would be the bait," Ophila said. She gently grabbed Senna's shoulder—who'd been sitting to the side, nursing her wounds—and shoved her forward.

"We have an asset you're forgetting about." William raised an eyebrow.

"Even if you say that she's strong, Ophila, she's injured."

"Even still," Ophila replied, her grin spreading wider.

"Senna, show him." Senna nodded, pulling down her neckline to reveal the rune inscribed on her collarbone.

"I can summon entities," she explained.

"Like the spirit, but also ones with special affinities to aspects like combat or scouting." William squinted at the mark.

"But what's the catch? Overpowered runes like that always have some sort of terrible catch." Senna pursed her lips.

"It… demands different things from me, based on what kind of entity I summon. Like pain, or… other stuff." William crossed his arms, frowning.

"Can you handle that strain right now? You're already bruised up."

"I have enough left for one good manifestation," Senna said. Her previously timid face was now blazing with determination.

"We have to rescue those kids." Nodding, Ophila turned her focus to the next challenge in their plan.

"But even if we pull off the distraction, we still have the biggest hurdle ahead of us. How are we actually going to get the children out of there?"

"I could sprint down into the center while the monster is looking the other way, and grab them," William offered. Ophila gave him an unimpressed look.

"That's just stupid. If the Akkorok turns around, you're dead, the children are dead, and the plan fails. We are not improvising a rescue with manual labor." William scowled, throwing his hands up.

"Fine, then what's your brilliant solution, huh?" Ophila opened her mouth to counter him, but nothing came to mind. She stared down at the dirt map. What could they do to get the kids out? Well, Ophila could probably make her way down using her marbles, but then what? She could only transport herself.

"I don't..." she trailed off, feeling frustrated.

"I don't know." William groaned.

"Then what should we—""Um... excuse me," Senna interrupted meekly. Both Ophila and William snapped their heads toward her. Senna shrank back under their intense gazes, twiddling her thumbs nervously.

"I... I think I might have a solution," Senna stammered.

"Though... I've never actually tried it before, so I'm really not sure if it's going to work." Ophila leaned forward, softening her intensity.

"It's okay. Just tell us."

"Well, there's a… secret ability to my rune," Senna said, staring at the floor, avoiding eye contact.

"It's something I've never told anyone about. The only person who knows is Lio, because... well, because I trust him." Ophila's eyes narrowed. There it was again. That wholehearted trust. Senna continued, taking a shaky breath.

"But he trusts you guys, so I'll trust you all too. My rune has something like a proxy function." The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation. William's brows furrowed.

"A proxy? What does that mean?" Senna pointed a finger directly to the center of the dirt bowl where the children were located.

"If someone goes there, and draws a couple of specific symbols—one for each child—I'll be able to summon some low level Velites without having to pay the rune." Ophila's eyes widened.

"And since those Velites are lightweight, they can each carry a child out of there."

"Y-yes," Senna nodded nervously.

"They could scoop up the kids and carry them up to the ledge in seconds. But… that's assuming someone can get in there and draw the symbols."

"I'll do it," Ophila volunteered. William glanced at her, cocking his head.

"Are you sure? You'll have to be completely silent while drawing those marks right under the thing's nose."

"I can swap in with my marbles," Ophila replied.

"It's a big risk, but I have the highest chance of success." Senna looked up, her eyes wide with anxiety.

"The symbols aren't incredibly complex, but they have to be precise and clean." She reached out, using the tip of her finger to carefully trace the pattern into a clear patch of dirt next to William's map.

"It looks like this. Three interlocking triangles." Ophila memorized the shape—it's simplicity made it easy.

"Got it. So five children, five symbols." William sighed, running a hand through his messy hair.

"Don't mess this up, Ophila. We're counting on you." Ophila smirked.

"You got it." Turning to Senna, Ophila placed a reassuring hand on the girl's shoulder.

"Get ready to summon the diversion the moment I reach the ridge. Once the Akkorok moves towards it, I'll instantly swap with my marbles."

"Good luck," Senna whispered, the rune on her collarbone already starting to glow. And so, with the plan finalized, the trio moved out of the dark and cramped corridor and crept toward the edge of the massive cavern. They quickly took their positions. Ophila laid down on her belly, settling into her vantage point at the rim of the bowl, keeping her eyes locked on Senna. The young summoner tensed her body, and began to activate her summoning ability. The rune flashed violently with light.

Then, the space behind Senna cracked and darkened, until translucent, ghostly hands materialized. They hovered for a second, before reaching out and cupping Senna's cheeks with an alien grace. Ophila watched. The entity seemed to whisper something to Senna, but Ophila was too far away to catch the words. Senna gave a pained nod. Immediately, the spectral hands plunged themselves directly into Senna's chest.

Senna let out a choked gasp as dark blood began to well instantly from her ears, mouth, and eyes, dripping down her pale skin. Beneath her feet, a large, intricate pentagram burned into life, illuminating the ridge with brilliant light. And from the center of the magic circle, the arcane entity emerged. Its form was unstable, constructed entirely of swirling, wispy fog. But the overall silhouette was that of a jester. The creature gave a faint, ghostly giggle, then dove headfirst into the cavern.

As it dropped down the slope, the jester began its chaotic performance. It blew thick plumes of illusionary smoke, letting out wispy giggles, and vanished only to reappear yards away. In its spectral hands, it brandished two massive, ghostly drums, slamming them together with deafening booms that filled the cave immediately. Down in the basin, the Akkorok flinched in surprise. Then, the apex predator let out a deafening roar, its massive form violently pulsating as it reached out with its tentacles.

But every time a tentacle looked like it was about to lash the summoned creature, the jester simply vanished into mist, reappearing elsewhere to bang its drums again. The diversion was perfect. The Akkorok's ears were completely overwhelmed. Ophila didn't waste the opportunity. Seizing the window, she threw a rough marble over the ledge with all her strength. The moment it reached the place where the children were, she activated her rune. [Ad Valorem] Instantly, she swapped places with the sphere.

The foul stench of rotten flesh and chemical fumes slammed into Ophila's senses as her boots touched down on the slick stone floor. Forcing down the urge to gag, she turned towards the five missing children huddled together just a few feet away. The children stared back at her, completely wide-eyed and shocked. Then, as their mouths opened, Ophila's eyes widened.

"Shh!" Ophila hissed, slamming a finger against her lips. But panic had driven the kids far past the point of reason. Breaking into frantic sobs, the closest kids lunged forward, throwing themselves at her as they whimpered to be rescued. The sudden movement was too loud. A hundred yards away, the Akkorok's massive form suddenly stiffened, two of its giant tentacles shivering. No, Ophila couldn't allow that to happen.

Dropping to her knees, she firmly grabbed the two closest children by their shoulders, forcing them to look directly into her eyes.

"Look at me," she whispered, trying to subdue their panic.

"If you make another sound, that thing will kill us all right now. Do you want to go home? Then be quiet." The threat of death worked, cutting past their hysteria. The children gasped, their small bodies trembling as they pressed their hands over their own mouths to stifle their sounds. The Akkorok hesitated, before the jester slammed its ghostly drums together again, drawing the apex predator's attention back to the distraction. Ophila didn't waste another second. She picked up a shard of rock.

Working carefully, so as to not mess up a single shape, she scraped the stone into the dirt right at the feet of the first child. One. She scrambled to the next. Two. Three. By the time she reached the fifth child, cold sweat was dripping down the back of her neck. She carved the final line into the earth, completing all five symbols. Immediately, the symbols flared with white-hot light. From the illuminated dirt, five Velites materialized.

Without uttering their usual speech, they moved silently and quickly, scooping up the children into their arms. The kids let out shocked snivels, but kept their hands over their mouths as the lightweight entities turned and began sprinting up the steep incline toward the ledge. Ophila let out a breath of relief. Almost clear. She reached into her pouch, drawing up another marble. It was time to get out of— Ophila frowned. Why was it so silent? The deafening booms of the jester's drums had vanished.

Ophila snapped her head toward where the arcane entity had been. And right there, the fog jester had stopped dead in its tracks. Its wispy form began to distort, twitching violently. Her eyes widened. The image of the dead giant exploding flashed through her mind. Down on the steep incline, the five Velites had also all suddenly locked up. Their fluid movements had stopped, replaced by rigid stillness. They began to shudder violently, their featureless faces contorting.

Then, without warning, the Velite closest to the top unceremoniously dropped the child it had been holding. The young boy hit the ground, rolling helplessly backward down the slope. Ophila stared in horror as the entity didn't move to pick him back up. Instead, it brandished its spear. The entity raised the weapon high into the air, aiming directly down at the terrified child's chest. And then, it drove the weapon downward.