Chapter 437: Stealth Mode |
Chapter 437 - Stealth Mode
“What kind of security will I encounter while inside?”
Niziver moved to where Gudarno was while Max asked that question, rolling her onto her back.
“Where is it?” he asked, straddling her.
“Go hump a ogolao!”
Sighing, the gnome shook his head and bent down, holding his hand near her chin.
“I’m going to warn you… if you don’t tell me, I’ll use these fingers and do something we both know you hate.”
Max could see the woman’s eyes widen, her mouth open for a moment before she clamped it down tight.
“Sorry for what you’re going to have to endure.”
Wondering what was going to take place, he was about to respond when the gnome curled both fingers under Gudarno’s chin and began wiggling them around, tickling her while saying gullie gullie gullie .
A sharp scream came from the tied-up gnome before laughter burst forth, her whole body squirming and spasming.
What in the gods…
These gnomes are some weird people. I thought for sure he was going to hit her.
Having thought the same thing, Max was torn, unable to look away as Niziver continued to tickle the woman for almost a solid minute, cries for him to stop occasionally making it through the laughter, tears rolling down Gudarno’s cheeks as she bucked beneath him.
“You ready to tell me?!”
Panting and crying the woman sniffed and shook her head.
“You’re a monster! You know–”
A squeal came as he stuck a few fingers under her chin again and started wiggling them.
“Stop! Stop! My bosom! In my bosom!”
Not removing the fingers wedged under her sharp chin, Niziver used his other hand, working it around the rope, and began to search the area she had just mentioned.
Smiling, he pulled both hands free and held a purple card with the same family crest on it that had been plastered all over their home.
“Next time I tell you I will do it, perhaps you’ll listen.”
Large sniffles and deep breaths came from Gudarno as she glared at him.
“You’re… a bastard! Why I married you in the first place–”
“Because you needed what I had. Now shut it, or I’ll take off my shirt and stuff it in your mouth!”
Once more, the gnome quickly closed her mouth. After a satisfied nod, he walked to where Max was waiting outside of the door from the dimensional area. Niziver moved like he had just conquered a mighty beast.
“You’re going to need this,” he stated as he held it out. “When you get inside, a few areas won’t unlock with the card. I’ve never been to all the floors below the building so I can’t tell you what all is under there.”
“Just how big is this place going to be?” Max asked, taking the card and storing it.
“At least ten floors, perhaps even more. Some will be at least thirty feet tall. Others might be bigger. All I know is their family has been in the business of crafting things that require a lot of space and have safeguards in place to prevent potential explosions or fires.”
A memory popped up of something from long ago.
“Do they craft barrels of liquid that burn and won’t go out with water?”
“Boom boom juice?” Niziver asked, cocking his head. “I… I’d like to know how you might know about that but no, that’s something the dwarves and goblins often work together on. It’s very dangerous, and gnomes have a particular dislike for burning to death.”
Giving a quick nod, Max motioned to the ground.
“I’m going to go ahead and go in. Take this, and I’ll open the door again when I’m somewhere that I can.”
Handing a light stone to Niziver, he watched as the gnome admired it and took a step back.
“Be safe, and please find a way to stop her from doing what I think she is attempting. Too many people would die on all sides if she accomplishes that.”
Willing the dimensional storage to shut, Max looked at the city below and tried to devise the best strategy for this next step.
With the card I guess we can enter from the street entrance and then try to find a way down. Anything else we need to figure out?
Odds are, eventually, our presence will be known. We’re in the capital, which means there will be a faster response from guards and, I’m guessing, people from the council.
You may not be able to get the revenge you want if we’re going to have to retrieve Rakonath’s core and get out of here.
Are you worried we’ll be too weak against what comes after us?
No, it’s not that. You are you and seeing how you gave Niziver a chance to redeem himself, I know there is still a part of you that regrets the loss of innocent lives. I could feel the pain you hid when the knowledge that every gnome in that building was killed, even though it wasn’t by your hand.
You don’t want to rampage this city, but we both know you will if that is what it takes to get the core. If you can manage to accomplish that task without doing so, we both know you’ll be better in the end.
Max felt a twinge of pain at the words Bob spoke, knowing that there had been a moment of regret and sorrow, knowing that what he had promised to do would cause the death of many who didn’t deserve it.
A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.
You know me too well. Still… if I must, I’ll raze this city and world.
But at the same time paint a different target on your back. Still, no matter what is required, I will always be here to help as needed.
Done with having a discussion that needed to be resolved, Max felt himself moving in the direction that they needed to go, ready to finish up this headache he hadn’t planned on and get back to his friends.
***
Max slipped the purple card into the slot inside the lift as one of the gnomes on the lowest floor of the building had called it.
We need things like this that move people up and down.
As the card slid in, a panel appeared next to a bunch of numbered buttons, this time revealing the key B1 .
Pushing it, he felt the metal box begin to move downward.
Over a dozen seconds passed, and the movement stopped. The metallic gray doors pulled apart, revealing a long corridor with lots of lights and a desk with a pair of gnomes sitting behind it.
Still stealthed he moved into the area and saw one of the gnomes look up quizically, waiting to see who might step out of where he was.
“Are the lifts messed up? No one’s coming.”
“Nope,” replied the gnome who was reading something. “But if no one is coming out, I’d guess someone changed their mind. If you want, contact the boss and tell them about it.”
“Oh hells no, I’m not buggin' her. She’d chew my chin off for pestering her.”
Both gnomes chuckled and turned their attention back to the papers before them.
Max had skirted around them, glad that no alarm had gone off as he focused on a door at the end of the hallway, past the guard area.
Another spot for a card was present, and he put it in. The door unlocked, and he slipped inside, noticing that neither gnome at the desk seemed to notice.
He found himself in another hallway with glass windows and gnomes inside areas that reminded him of Tang Mu’s alchemist shop. Each gnome wore ugly purple outfits but had masks covering their faces.
Dozens of different ones were working on apparent projects and experiments.
Max stealthily passed all of them to the lift he found at the end of the hall. He entered it and saw a B2, B3, and B4 button.
All the way to the bottom?
That would be my choice.
Selecting the option that they both felt was right, Max found his mind wandering as the lift moved downward.
Just how powerful is a dragon core? I mean if it can create that kind of weapon what else can it do?
The real question is how powerful a fully mature dragon core could be?
And you’re wondering the same thing I am thinking. What if Kuneoss had one.
Neither of us knew they existed, and it wasn’t something we could sense. All we took were certain organs we knew had value, as well as the scales and teeth. Then again if he was in a place where nothing had come for hundreds of years, was it providing him strength and nourishment?
A light over the doors lit up, illuminating the B4 . Both doors pulled apart, revealing a place like Niziver had described.
The ceilings here were at least forty feet tall and were cut from solid stone, and a circular quarter-mile section was filled with easily a hundred automatons and gnomes all working and moving on different objects.
Two large bay doors that had to lead somewhere were on one end, a craft that Max figured had to be an airship as it had no wheels was hoisted up on some blocks, getting pieces of metal attached to it.
Everywhere sound was present and people moved at a slow and steady pace.
Along the outer walls were different smaller doors, and, not wanting to hang around the lift any longer, Max took off for the stone wall and looked for another way down.
Conversations about food, drink, clothes and more were common topics as he passed different pairs of gnomes. Some items had to be mechanical things, such as names like Spanner-72 for a Jizhork bolt, which made no sense to him.
Up ahead, where those two gnomes are.
Max saw the guards standing by doors, which resembled all of the other lifts.
Each had a gun in their hand and armor that looked thin yet gave off an aura of power.
Seems like a good thing to have if you don’t want just anyone going in there. I can either kill them, knock them out or create a distraction as I doubt they’re just going to leave on their own.
Bob chuckled as Max scanned the area near the lift and the guards and saw some kind of mechanical cart and horse being worked on. Pistons, tubes, and a power core were exposed. A gnome in purple garments would do something and then move to a bench, studying some blueprints and then going off elsewhere.
We can hide in that cart, start the commotion, then restealth and see if we can’t draw them away.
With the worker gone, Max did just that, climbing into the long storage area and breaking stealth, letting Bob summon a small bit of lightning when his skill was ready to be activated again.
The lightning ball touched the exposed power core, and the mechanical horse lept to life, dashing across the open area. Max quickly activated stealth, getting out of the cart it was pulling.
Chaos ensued as the mechanical beast rammed into other areas near it, always moving in a circle. It ran over a few gnomes who tried to get in its way. The pair of guards Max moved by finally reacted, leaving their post, weapons drawn.
The second he felt it was safe, he pushed the button and waited.
Neither door opened, and with each passing second, the chance to be unnoticed vanishing quickly.
Two shots rang out and an explosion came, a wave of heat washing over them as Max sensed the guards had removed the threat to everyone else.
When will this get here?
I have no idea.
Frustrated, Max watched as one guard shouted and gave orders to the gnomes who were attempting to put out a small fire and the other began to move back to where he was invisible.
If the door opens now, he’ll see it…
Unless you have a better idea of how to stop that, we’ll need to make a decision.
Frustrated, Max’s eyes scanned the room, knowing his options were diminishing by the second.
The moment came when he realized that there was no way to hide where he was.
With the guard just four steps from returning to his post the sound of the lift door opening behind him set the stage for what would come next.