Chapter 84

    Matt quickly scooped up his bond and the abused bunny. It took more than a little gentle coaxing to get her to let go of the fluffy whitetail. Once he did get the bunny free, it jumped from his arms, to rush towards what it expected was freedom from its tormentor.

    Instead, it jumped up and kicked his bond in the head before bounding away twice, then turning and wiggling its nose at her.

    Aster flew from his arms and raced towards the disappearing bunny.

    Allowing the two to play, he turned back to following Lizs AI marker. He found her talking to another group of delvers, and was waved over once she noticed his approach.

    Matt, this is Amy, Gerald, Franklyn, and Dee. They got screwed over as well.

    As she spoke, Liz entwined their fingers, a little firmer than their usual hand holding. He squeezed her back. While he had been assured that she was fine through their AI, it was still good to see her up and moving about. He assumed from her hard grip that she felt the same way.

    Amy was closest to him, and proffered her hand to Matt, which started a round of handshakes all around.

    Amy had an odd accent that Matt couldnt place, but he sympathized with her words. We got a mission. They told us to take the fort if possible, and our reinforcements just went poof. Never arrived. It was fucking bullshit.

    Dee leaned in and added, But guess who we found here?

    Matt just raised an eyebrow along with a shoulder to show he had no clue. He would have expected her to say one of the people they fought, but his short walk through the relaxation area showed him that it was only filled with Kingdom personnel. Separating people was a good idea when they had nearly killed each other, after all.

    Gerald fell back and punched at the air. A friend of mine, Jen. Dead like us. She was a part of a cobbled together relief team, and their commander forced them to hold back and wait until the team they were supposed to relieve had died. That way, they could earn the points for capturing the fort themselves.

    Matt gaped towards the still standing members of the team and said, No fucking way... They just threw you to the wolves?

    Yeah, fucking pricks. I...

    Matt missed what Dee said after that, as his thoughts slipped to their own team''s situation. Heat seeped into his veins like molten metal. A glance at Liz was returned with a nod. She believed that they had been screwed the same way.

    Wanting to see the full extent of the damage, Matt brought up his AI messages.

    Team Merits.

    Seventy two Alliance of Allied Queens Tier 5s killed. 1 point each.

    One hundred and nineteen Alliance of Allied Queens Tier 6s killed. 5 points each.

    Seven Alliance of Allied Queens Tier 7s killed. 25 points.

    Eleven Alliance of Allied Queens Tier 6 Pathers killed. 50 points each.

    Medium fort defended. First wave: six vs one hundred. 2,500 points. Five times normal points are awarded for difference in numbers. 12,500 points.

    Medium fort defended. Second wave: six vs two hundred. 2,500 points. Ten times normal points are awarded for differences in numbers. 25,000 points. Failed.

    Items and equipment looted but returned. 2834 points.

    Personal Merits.

    Thirteen Alliance of Allied Queens Tier 5s killed. 1 point each.

    Fifty three Alliance of Allied Queens Tier 6s killed. 5 points each.

    Two Alliance of Allied Queens Tier 7s killed. 25 points.

    Five Alliance of Allied Queens Tier 6 Pathers killed. 50 points each.

    Medium fort defended. 2,500 points.

    19,254 points lost. No, Matt corrected himself. They had also lost the 16,298 points from taking the fort in the first place. 35,552 points vanished into thin air, as if they had never existed. That was without the 25,000 they could have received if they had been able to hold onto the fort.

    The heat that rippled through Matt cycled with his mana. He wanted to break someone, and the leader of their reinforcements had a lot of explaining to do. He doubted that they could explain their decision to his satisfaction, but hed give them the opportunity. Then he would do some breaking.

    Matt wondered how many times he could challenge them to duels before the army would force him away.

    Liz pulled him from revenge fantasies when she excused them from the group. It didn''t take long to realize why. Annie, Emily, and Conor were at the door and glancing around at the colorful, animal-filled area in something between wonder and bewilderment.

    He understood the oddity of the situation, but it didn''t stop him from running a hand through a sheep''s silky curls as it brushed up against his leg. He still didn''t know how he had gotten here before all of them. His fight had lasted longer, and he had died after them. His only guess was that their wounds were less severe, so they were a lower priority.

    Liz reached forward and grabbed their hands, pulling them forward. We need to talk, and we cant do it in the doorway.

    Annie seemed completely distracted as a butterfly larger than Matt''s head gently fluttered past. It took Emily forcefully dragging her with them to keep her from running off.

    They found a secluded grove, and all sat in a circle.

    Liz started them off. We got fucked. Hard.

    The three recent arrivals looked confused, but it quickly turned to anger as Liz explained what she found.

    The relief commanders were playing fucking games with us. They intentionally let us die so they could get more points for a capture of the fort. I talked to two other teams who died in the same way.

    Emily looked ready to spit fire, which matched Matt''s feelings. What fucking pricks! I lost thirty-five thousand points! If this is true, I''m out. I''m switching sides and killing that mother fucker as many times as I can.

    Matt was about to agree when Liz held up a tempering hand. I was thinking the same thing, but two things are keeping me from going through with it.

    Seeing all of their displeasure at that, she continued. Juni wanted to talk to us. His message was short, but he seemed just as mad as we are. Second, if we change sides, we lose the leverage we have over the Prince, and more importantly, Juni.

    Annie shrugged, unconcerned. I don''t think that anything they say can convince me to stay. If we stay, I won''t get the chance to kill whoever failed us.

    Conor surprisingly spoke up. Not necessarily true. I talked to my healer''s assistant. It''s what made me take so long to get here. Apparently, the army has a system for assassins, and they dont have any restrictions on who you kill as long as you give them a heads up. You just need to pass a practical test or something. They didn''t know much more, but I think haunting the leader for weeks then killing them could be worse.

    They all looked at Conor with blank stares. He hadnt yet shown such a dark side of himself.

    Annie looked like she had discovered a new facet of the man, and wanted to gobble him up after seeing how ready he was for her to do wetwork. So had Matt, for that matter. He had underestimated the quiet man.

    Im pissed as well. He answered all their unspoken questions with a shrug. He didn''t look pissed as he scratched a raccoon''s head.

    Matt wanted to sigh, but refrained from it. Those kinds of word games were exactly why he hated dealing with people in power. He would have completely missed the difference that Junis phrasing made.

    It was one of those things he just never wanted to deal with. But a smaller part of him whispered that he needed to at least try to learn some of Lizs interpersonal skills. If he read the book she bought, like she suggested, he would have known that they kept half their points upon dying.

    He had taken the army leader saying that they lost all their points at face value. He figured that they were permanently gone. Not half of them gone, and the other half put into what was essentially a savings account.

    The revelation also changed how he saw the overall strategy of the war. Dying still was something that should probably be avoided, if for no other reason than to not build bad habits. But it wasn''t so strong a detriment that it was to be avoided at all cost.

    Even if they had died and lost half their points, standing their ground had earned them quite a few as well. It mostly meant that teams with fewer points could make more desperate stands, as they had less to lose.

    Matt redirected his attention back to the conversation just as Liz finished her thought, and he missed it. His teammate was on a warpath, getting teams together and bargaining for support. He agreed that amassing their political power was a good move. At the very least, they could demand points being returned for unjust deaths going forward. But from the look in Lizs eyes, she had more planned.

    What do you need us to do? How can we help?

    Almost everyone she approached seemed interested. Even Annie had stopped pestering Conor to stay engaged. Emily was also locked in. They were all far more engrossed in Lizs appeals than Matt himself.

    Liz nearly glowed while she was the center of attention. We can''t talk to the Queendom side until were out of the rest area. Its a pretty reasonable restriction, considering we just killed each other. But, if you could all talk to the other Pather teams, that would be great. A word of caution, though. When I approached a team, I got a warning from my AI, but now I know that we can skip that step. Don''t approach anyone if they look to be in distress, or talking to a therapist. Honestly, I''m going to make one round here, then move into the rec rooms. This is meant to be a mental health recovery room. Actually, now that I think about it, we probably shouldnt talk to any more teams here. I kinda got ahead of myself with that one.

    She pulled herself back to the topic at hand. Anyway, my idea is, we get as many of the top teams together as we can. Then, we argue for better terms for ourselves, and harsher punishment for anyone who purposefully abandoned allies for points. Although, if the Prince is having a larger meeting, hes probably already planning something along those lines. It would be silly to gather everyone, and show leniency towards the people responsible. It would be like asking for a riot. Still, we can demand our own terms. I''m not certain on what exactly I want, but if we talk to the other teams, we can come up with something appropriate.

    The crowd appeared as if they were ready to leave, so Matt motioned for everyone to sit down.

    Before we go, I think it''s important that we all talk about how we did in the fight. We should address what went right, and what went wrong too.

    Annie snapped, We got fucked over. That''s one.

    Emily bumped her sister''s shoulder with her own. Yes, but we still weren''t perfect. Ill start. The timing was awful. I didn''t have time to fully absorb my new skills, and selfishly chose to continue absorbing the skill I was on, even though it would have doubled my damage output had I stopped. I prioritized getting it to my core spirit over the team as a whole. Sorry.

    She was looking down and pulling at the grass by the end of her critique. Matt didn''t hold her decision against her in the slightest.

    Conor spoke first, though. I doubt you would have chosen that if real lives were at risk. In the end, this is a game. I don''t blame you.

    Liz patted her knee. It wouldve taken months for you to fix that. Don''t feel bad. Anything else?

    The mage twirled a blade of grass around for another moment before she added, My synergies with Aster were good, but not perfect. Same with all of you. [Bolt] isn''t the perfect skill for aiming, but it''s my highest base damage skill. Im happy with how I handled the wall, though. I had never done anything like that, and I was able to hold my position when they were shooting at me.

    Annie went next without prompting. My lack of range fucked me over pretty well. I need to spend time at an archery range soon. We never really needed it before, since I usually protect Em. But now, I don''t need to block for her. I could do a lot more damage if I had a ranged weapon.

    As she paused, Matt offered, Feel free to keep the crossbow. I have a few more. Besides, the bolts are standard, and pretty cheap. I can offer a little training, but Im no expert.

    Thanks. She grinned at him and said, I think I might take you up on that, but we''ll see. For what went right... Hmm. Id like to think my killing of the healer and leader went really well. It would have been better if I got away, but I never expected that to happen.

    Conor, who was sitting in between Annie and Matt, took her finishing as his cue.

    My lack of range is always a problem, but same with my defense against range and magic. That was what finally got me. An arrow went through my thinner stomach armor. Speaking of that, does anyone know what happened to our gear?

    No one knew, so he continued. I was pretty happy with how I handled myself, since Matt and I held the entrances, even though we aren''t ideally matched. We made a good wall. Even when he went on the offensive, I was able to hold my own.

    Matt nodded. I could have mentioned my Concept earlier. Sorry, mana is basically money, and people get weird about it. If we had more mana at the start, we could have done a little better, I think.

    He paused to think, and Emily looked as if she wanted to say something, so he nodded towards her.

    I don''t want to nitpick, but you could have also flooded a room with ice, and Aster could have frozen it solid. If we thought of that, we could have just held up on the third floor with the second and fourth rooms solid. Then, we couldve been nearly impossible to attack, and wouldve been able to rest and attack at our leisure. Eventually, they would have blown the building apart or chopped through the ice, but it wouldve been a lot better for us.

    It only took him a minute to agree with her. She was completely right. Youre right. I need to think like a mage, and that''s new to me. I''ve been blade only for a while, and when fighting monsters, I mostly use [Hail] to give Aster free ice. I should be treating it as the full skill it is. Any chance I can do some mage training with you?

    She looked surprised, so Matt explained. Liz is more of a mid-range hybrid, and she relies a lot on her manipulation skill. That''s not the kind of fighting style I need to work on.

    Emily looked pleased at his asking for her help. Matt really could have asked Liz, but he knew that she wanted to push her plans of creating a Path union forward. I''d be happy to help. I''d also like to buy a crossbow and do some training. It would be good to see if my Talent works with enchanted bolts. Even if it doesn''t, I could still save some mana with it.

    Liz was last up. My blood spells were useful, and I was able to set up quite the trap downstairs on the first floor.

    Annie interjected, Yeah, I meant to ask. What did you do? Even the ceiling was covered in blood. Shit, girl.

    Liz flushed slightly. I left pools of blood and waited for them to come to the floor, and then I just started spinning it as fast as I could, with my Concept strengthening the blood. I made it sharp. But it could have been a lot better by using skills instead of [Blood Manipulation]. Its expensive, and I''m not used to having skills to take up some of the burden. So, I fell back to what I was used to instead of what I could do.

    The five of them talked for a while, but when they exhausted their suggestions for each other, they all got up and followed Matt and found Aster half asleep in a pile of bunnies.

    When he asked her what she thought she could have done better, he only got, "No mistakes. Good kills."

    He debated grabbing his bond for a better answer, but in the end, left her in her pile of fluff. She was having fun, and could always find him when she wanted. He also knew that with this being a hospital, no one would harm her or be mad at her for foxing out. For all her increased mental intelligence, she was still a child.

    Matt half expected to find more hospital beds on the other side of the relaxation room, but there they had a temporary suite for teams to bunk in. They were small rooms with three tall bunk beds, but they would work for a single night of sleep. He dreaded sleeping in them later that night. He doubted that hed be able to roll over with how narrow they were.

    No one was allowed to leave the hospital until they were examined the following morning.

    This dorm area contained a distinct mix of vassal teams. There were even a few people that he remembered from their fighting. It was mostly eyes, chins, or body shapes, but he was ignored for the most part, due to his lack of armor.

    Liz was not. It seemed that she had made quite the impression, as more than one person flinched from her gaze as they passed by.

    Meanwhile, the gym was calling Matt. He wanted to work his body and make sure that nothing was amiss, but he put his urge aside and held Lizs hand. He wasn''t sure how she would respond to the attention. She did have a particularly visceral combat style. Getting sliced apart was one thing, but being eviscerated with your buddy''s blood was another.

    You ok?

    Liz thankfully didn''t play dumb. Eh. This hurts a bit, but nothing I wasn''t prepared for. She patted his arm with her free hand. I''ll be fine. Really.

    They had a light dinner together. Neither of them really wanted to separate, so Matt hung out with her as she started to talk to the other teams. He tried to ingratiate himself with them as well, but it took effort, and he wasn''t half as good as her.

    Liz walked up to nearly any group, and after a little introduction, was chatting as if she had grown up with them. Once she did that, it was easy for him to talk to them as well. But when a second group sat next to the one they were talking to, Matts attempts to do the same yielded lukewarm results. Where Liz got a firm yes to her proposal, he got maybes.

    When he asked her, Liz said, You needed to look at them, and their body language. I''m avoiding the unapproachable teams. They either don''t like us, or they don''t agree with our ideas. The worst thing we could do is get into an argument with someone. We don''t need everyone''s support, just a decent amount of them. So, I''m going for the low-hanging fruit first.

    She surveyed the room, and as she pulled him forward, said, Youll pick it up as we go. Don''t worry.

    I hope not. This political shits exhausting. When can I sneak away?