Mistrunner 4 - Chapter 32 - The First Dig Site (Patreon)

No planet can make it alone. There are too many forces out there that are hellbent on exploitation and oppression. We need allies. The problem is that alliances rarely come cheaply, and usually, they’re just as exploitive as any occupation.

Patrick Ward

“We don’t need him,” I muttered, more to myself than to Patrick. “He can run off to whatever corner of the universe he came from. And he can take his ridiculous eyebrows with him.”

“Mira, you said that out loud,” Patrick said, cutting his eyes toward the pair of gnomes sitting in the cockpit’s other two chairs. There were five more in the cargo hold, and each one was supposed to be a capable fighter.

“I’m aware,” I stated. I didn’t care if they heard me. I’d have said the same thing to Alistaris if he was there. As far as I was concerned, Earth didn’t need anyone who didn’t want to be there. Humanity was more than capable of defending our planet, and we could do without opportunistic gnomes who wanted to cut and run at the first sign of trouble.

Patrick disagreed.

And if I was willing to look past my anger, I probably would have changed my tune. The reality was that the planet was up against the wall, and the only way to fight our way free was to use any and all resources at our disposal. That included the Dingyts, as much as I wished it didn’t.

He glanced back at the two passengers, saying, “She doesn’t mean it, guys.”

“I meant it,” I stated without bothering to look back. I preferred to seethe instead. Besides, I wanted to focus on the mission in front of us. From the briefing, I knew that the dig sites would be heavily defended, and by more than just a few bots and a Mist shield. There would be Adjudicators and mystics there, too.

Patrick chose to change the subject. “It’s encouraging that Freddy was able to mobilize Earth’s Templars,” he said, piloting the Leviathan through the clouds. We were moving at top speed, courtesy of a few crates of high-quality Rift shards Alistaris had given us. At least he hadn’t hesitated to commit his wealth to the cause. “Do you think they’ll be successful?”

“I don’t know. Maybe,” I said. “There are a lot less of them than I expected.”

Apparently, the process of creating a Templar was a brutal one, and as such, barely any had survived to achieve the rank. At present, there were only thirty or so true Templars on Earth. There were quite a bit more acolytes and apprentices, but according to Freddy, they weren’t much more capable than run-of-the-mill soldiers.

Still, if there were thirty people with Freddy’s power out there, it was a huge boon for our prospects of defending Earth. I only had to remember the battle against the enemy mystics to recognize that much.

The plan to utilize those assets was simple. After gathering the Templars, he would lead them on an assault against one of the dig sites. Meanwhile, Patrick and I would do the same. When one fell, we’d move on to the next. And the next after that. We were up against the clock, and I knew that if we were going to achieve our goals, we couldn’t waste any time. So, my personal strategy reflected that.

I could only hope that it would be effective enough to save Earth.

“Every journey starts with one step,” said Patrick.

“Huh?”

“You had that look.”

“What look?” I asked, cutting my eyes at him.

“Your anxious look. You’re worried about whether or not we can do this thing, right?” he guessed. “Well, that’s what I was talking about. Every journey starts with a single step. That’s what Remy used to tell me, and I think it applies here.”

I gave him a small smile. “My uncle used to say something similar,” I replied. “I guess old men like to speak in cliches, huh?”

“Are you implying that I’m getting old?” he asked with mock affront.

I laughed. “Never that,” I responded. “You’re still young at heart.”

“I’m not even thirty.”

“Right. We’ve got long, full lives ahead of us,” I said. “So long as the planet doesn’t get exploded by greedy aliens.”

“Or exploited.”

“Ha. I see what you did there.”

“I try,” he said with a smirk as he guided the Leviathan into a banking turn. We descended from the clouds, and I saw the landscape stretched out below us. The desert was different than the one outside of New Cairo. Instead, it was all rocks and ravines, with oddly shaped formations throughout. It was only a few hundred miles away from what was left of Fortune to the north, though there was little reason to visit the ruins of another town. A few people remained in that city, but most had fled after most of the city had been destroyed by the detonating Pacificians.

“How far is it from here?” I asked as Patrick set the ship down in the shadow of a huge pillar of red rock.

“Seventeen miles,” he answered. Then, he pointed to the east. “That way. What’s the plan?”

“You and the gnomes take out the auxiliary shield generator. I’ll hit the base hard and fast, explode whatever I can find, and kill any aliens who’re there,” I said.

“Mira, that’s dumb. You don’t have to do everything yourself.”

“No. I don’t have to. I get to. Seriously, Pick. I can’t be in two places at once. That shield generator needs to come down. Otherwise, you know good and well that I can take this whole fortification out on my own.”

“Our intelligence suggests that this dig site is protected by a mystic by the name of Kalar Syphos,” said one of the gnomes.

“I read the report,” I said. “Believe me – I can take care of that tentacles bastard.”

Indeed, Kalar Syphos was estimated to have power on par with the male mystic I’d fought back in the tiered Templar village. That meant I was more than capable of defeating him. I just need to take out the other defenders before he mustered a response, which meant that my plan involved quite a bit of stealth. If everything went well, I’d slip in, kill a bunch of defenders, then take out Kalar Syphos in a one-on-one battle.

“I think someone should go with you,” Patrick insisted. “I can just –”

“I need you to go with the gnomes –”

“We are not ‘gnomes’,” said one of the gnomes in the back. “We are Dingyts. Please refrain from using slurs to –”

“I need you to go with those mooks back there to keep them in line,” I rephrased, glaring at the Dingyt who’d interrupted me. “They don’t want to be here, remember? I wouldn’t put it past them to take one look at the defenses and pass out from fear. Or run away screaming. I don’t trust them, and I won’t expect anything from them until they actually prove they’re on our side.”

“Besides, Pick, having a bunch of people with me is just going to slow me down,” I said. “If I’m alone, I can get in, do what needs to be done, and then get out.”

“Fine.”

“That doesn’t sound very enthusiastic,” I said.

“Caught on to that, huh?”

“Don’t be grumpy.”

“I’m not grumpy, Mira. And don’t make a joke out of this. It’s serious business,” he pointed out.

“I’m well aware of how serious this is,” I pointed out icily. “Better than most, I know what’s at stake.”

He sighed, then ran his hand through his hair. “Look. I’m sorry. I don’t mean to –”

“Not in front of the children,” I said, giving an exaggerated nod at the Dingyts. Then, I said to them, “Don’t worry. Mommy and daddy aren’t fighting. We still love one another very much.”

“Stop teasing them. They’re terrified of you, Mira. At this point, it’s just bullying,” Patrick pointed out.

“Fine. Everyone understand the plan?” I asked.

They did, so with that, we engaged in our final preparations. I went back to the quarters I shared with Patrick and donned an appropriate outfit for sneaking into an enemy base and murdering everyone there. Black was the prevailing theme, which I thought fit the situation very well. After that, I checked that all of my weapons were loaded and ready, then made certain that I had enough provisions – including a couple of Mist boosters – to see me through whatever issues might arise. After all, I’d once accidentally ended up on the moon, so who knew where my latest adventure would take me?

In any case, I was as prepared as I could be, so I proceeded to leave the Leviathan behind. As usual, once everyone else was outside, I activated Bastion. “Alright, then. Keep ‘em in line, Pick,” I said, looking at the collection of Dingyts. They looked so small – like children – but I knew that each one of them was deadly in their own right. I could only hope that they would channel that into protecting Patrick and accomplishing the mission.

“Be careful. You’re not invincible,” he said.

“I’m very aware of that,” I responded with a shake of my head. “I’ll be fine, though. This is just another mission.”

We shared an embrace, then parted ways. I didn’t dare use the Cutter for fear that it would be detected, so I had no choice but to cover the ground on foot. Fortunately, with my high attributes and long training, running seventeen miles was simple enough, and I managed the feat in less than half an hour.

Soon enough, I saw my target.

Most of it was located within a deep ravine that extended for miles to the north and south. It was also hundreds of feet deep and at least half a mile wide. A river cut along the canyon’s floor, the current moving swift and sure. And stretching over that river was a facility unlike any other I’d ever seen before.

The main facility stretched across the ravine, suspended high above the river on what looked like an elegant bridge. At the center of that bridge was an enormous cylinder from which descended a massive drill that was at least two-hundred feet in diameter. The rest of the stronghold was built into the sides of the canyon, with each floor connected by a series of stairs. From the plans Alistaris had provided – and I had memorized – I knew there were also elevators and stairs inside.

More importantly, there was a ventilation tunnel nearby.

For most people, it would have been entirely invisible and completely undetectable. Not only was it camouflaged by a high-grade holographic display, but it was also protected by an incredibly durable Mist shield. The result was that it was well-hidden and nigh impenetrable.

But not for me.

Because I could see the Mist, stealth abilities were almost useless against me. And the same could be said for holographic displays. So, to me, the ventilation tunnel stood out like a great, flashing light.

“Are you in position?” I asked through the Secure Connection I shared with Patrick, having embraced Stealth the moment I’d come into range of the facility.

“Not yet. You run too fast.”

“It’s the gnomes slowing you down, right?”

“No.”

“Be honest.”

“Fine. But it’s not their fault. They have short, little legs,” he said. “You should cut them some slack. They’re here for us, remember? They could have left already.”

“They’re here because of Al. Most don’t care about Earth,” I stated.

“But they’re here. They’re helping. That has to count for something,” Patrick stated. “I’m just saying – accept that they stayed to help, and quit trying to make them regret sticking around.”

I sighed, then told him that I would try to follow his advice. After that, I settled in to wait for him and the Dingyts to get into position. After a few more minutes, Patrick announced that they had arrived. So, I said, “Hit it hard and fast. I’ll take care of things here.”

The plan wasn’t complex. When they destroyed the auxiliary shield generator, it would create a vulnerability in the main facility’s defenses. My job was to exploit that weakness and infiltrate the dig site before making my way to the drill. I would have preferred to simply assault it from afar with the BMAP, but with there were two things preventing that from being a viable possibility.

First, they had an active defense system that would destroy any incoming projectiles. Or ships. Or people. And that included the shells from the BMAP or any grenades I might throw. So, that necessitated that I plant charges from the inside. The second issue was the nature of its shield, which, because of the auxiliary power source, was largely unassailable. Even Mist Authority was useless to take it down, largely because the nanites continuously replenished.

But once that system was cut, I would have a few moments to infiltrate the base and get on with the business of tearing the whole thing down. So, I waited until Patrick announced, “Alright. Get ready for it. Three…two…one…go!”

I saw the flicker of Mist, then used Mist Authority to rip the much flimsier local shield apart. It fell quickly and easily, and I dove at the grate covering the ventilation shaft. Without skipping a beat, I drew my Interdiction Blade from the sheath on my back, injected some Mist through the weapon, and slashed.

Once.

Then again, my blade fell, severing the grate. I reached out with inhuman quickness, catching it before it fell. By then, two seconds had passed, and I knew I was already on borrowed time. So, I leaped into the shaft, thrusting my hands and feet out to arrest my momentum. I managed to get inside just before the Mist shield flickered back into being as one of the alternative Mist sources came online.

But it was too late.

I was already inside. Now, I just needed to do what I’d come to do.

I waited for a few minutes, during which Patrick said that they were moving to the secondary location so that they would be in position if I needed help. I knew I wouldn’t, but I chose not to point that out. The last thing I needed was for him to feel useless.

Once I was sure there would be no response, I slowly inched my way down the ventilation shaft until I reached another grate. Once there, I cast my senses out, using Observation and Mist Authority to search for any potential enemies. At first, I didn’t sense anyone, but then, I felt something brush against that thin tendril of Mist I’d extended into the corridor below.

I reacted immediately, launching myself downward through the grate and raising my sword to block an oncoming attack. My blade clanged against another, and I was thrown backwards almost ten feet. The plastisteel on the nearby walls cracked as a shockwave tore down the hall, and I nearly dropped my Interdiction Blade as my hands went temporarily numb.

I didn’t need to look at my attacker standing at the other end of the hall to know who it was. Still, I glared across the space between us, taking in the details I had only seen in a packet given to me by Alistaris.

“I assume you are the one who killed my colleagues,” said Kalar Syphos. They were slim, with androgynous features that were apparently typical of their agender species. Sprouting from the mystic’s head were a series of red tentacles that put me in mind of a sea anemone. Alistaris had told me that that was not normal, and that the mystic was known to manipulate Mist for the effect.

Vanity, I supposed, was not limited to humans.

“That’s me,” I said.

“But you are no Templar,” they said, cocking their amphibious head to the side. It looked like it belonged to an axolotl, though without the inherent cuteness of the little salamanders. They were dressed in a pitch-black robe and carried a truly obnoxious weapon.

“Is that a scythe? Seriously? You couldn’t have picked something more practical?”

“This is the traditional weapon of my people, you disrespectful child,” Syphos snarled. “You would do well to tread lightly, lest you invoke my ire.”

“Or what? You’re already here to kill me, right? Are you going to kill me harder?” I asked. “Come on. You’re better than that. I think. Honestly, I don’t know. You might just be that stupid.”

I saw Syphos’ shoulders tense just before they attacked, so I was ready when they charged down the hall. What I wasn’t ready for was the blade of Mist that came slashing my way well before they came within range. However, because of my long practice with Mist Authority – as well as Split Mind – I reacted quickly enough to rip that expression of Mist control apart before it sliced into me. The nanites that comprised the Mist fell apart in glittery motes, washing harmlessly past me.

I was just patting myself on the back when Syphos fell upon me, their scythe lashing out with inevitable force. I blocked with the Interdiction Blade, but the blow was so powerful that the impact drove me to one knee. Even as the plastisteel floor cracked beneath me, I kicked out, slipping past the mystic and rolling to safety a second later. Then, I used Teleport to push me even further down the hall.

I twisted to see Syphos standing precisely where I’d left them.

“How? You are no Templar!” they screamed.

“Oh, schucks. You got me. Was it the lack of a white robe that gave it away?” I asked flippantly.

“What are you?” they hissed.

“Just Mira,” I answered.

Then, without further conversation, I ripped the ADS from my arsenal implant and fired. Even as the pellets flew across the hall, I launched myself in their wake, hoping to take the mystic by surprise.