Embrace the Ether 30 Thinking of the Future

"Move up!" Elias roared out as he and his squad charged through the battlefield, explosions casting down shrapnel all around them. "Atra, move to my left, hold off any attack that comes our way!"

Atra nodded in acknowledgment as he shuffled over to Elias' side, spear in hand.

"That Deus…" Elias murmured out as he scanned the area. "Nirox, keep moving up, and move that damn shield!"

As instructed, one of the clansmen who held the front lines began to move, grabbing out a small electrical box as a field of energy shuffled around it, casting a barrier. The man was large in stature, and featured thick horns on his head, similarly to a minotaur.

"Hmph," Nirox coughed out as his legs slammed firmly against a slab of metal, breaking it down. "Boss! I've cleared the way, we should hurry before our position is overrun!"

Elias turned to look as if to examine the path ahead. He gave a quick nod as they began to move as one cohesive unit.

Watching all of this unfold from atop his vantage point, Deus simply lurked there. "Hm, it seems they've got things well under control down there…" Deus turned to face the tower, which seemed to impose itself overhead.

"Now, how to deal with that monumental problem…"

Deus thought for a moment, ignoring the chaos that was occurring just next to him.

He didn't have the time to plan ahead, nor did he have the tools necessary to strike directly. After the Nijaden had been taken down so abruptly, he found himself lost without a paddle. 'Hold on…' He paused for a moment, a question struck him.

'How did we get shot down, anyway? What the hell happened while we were below deck?'

It was an honest question. From the information Elias had received, this should've been a simple job overall. The centipede was believed to be the most dangerous component, but after dealing with it everything else should've gone smoothly, with only small hiccups here and there.

Truth be told, he had started this mission believing they'd use explosives to handle the centipede, but since Elias withheld information, and he didn't fully grasp how frightening the beasts were, he found himself unprepared.

So how had all of this happened? Was the information Elias had not up to snuff or was there something else in play?

'I'll find my answer eventually… in the meantime, I should work on not getting myself killed, at least.' He lifted his palm up to his chin as he thought. 'Maybe I should leave the heavy lifting to Elias, and sit back and wait for a better opportunity.' A brief smile appeared on his face as he continued to contemplate.

As he was thinking, an explosion occurred, kicking both shrapnel and sand wildly through the air. He ducked beneath some broken metal in order to avoid being hit by it.

'This entire place is a war zone…' Deus removed his supply pack and pulled out the old Archive device. 'I still have this hand to play… maybe it's for the best…'

He hesitated. He knew that the moment he used the Archive to send out a distress beacon, the operation would end up being swarmed by soldiers. Now that he was neck-deep in this battle, he may not have an easy job convincing them that he held value. It was always supposed to be a last-ditch plan from the very start.

Not only that, but this mission and his last-resort plan were created when he believed this would be a simple heist job. He doubted that Roch would find it personally offensive if he had killed a small handful of nameless soldiers, but he knew that to destroy a centipede was far more high-risk.

Not only would he be a danger to Direfell, but his very existence was also proof that they could be provoked without fear. If Roch or the Territory Lord permitted his survival and even allowed him to be rescued by them, it would be a mockery.

The moment Elias withheld information, he had stranded Deus, forcing him to cast away his last-resort and think of a new one.

'At least it looks like Droh isn't caught in this hell.' That was his one saving grace, he thought. Since Droh was stranded atop the ridge, he had the best chance of both survival and support, and so Deus didn't have to worry about immediately rescuing him, and could instead concentrate on his own salvation.

He activated the Archive, allowing the device to boot up. An electronic voice spoke, "Archive Device activated. Awaiting instructions. Alert; battery charge minimal, please be cautious."

"Archive…" Deus sighed, "Activate emergency protoc—" He suddenly paused as a thought came to him. "Wait, hold command."

'That's maddening…' He internally monologued, 'No… it might just work. I've come this far, why not take an extra risk.'

After a brief moment, he spoke again, "Archive, can you check something for me real quick?"

The device replied with a firm beep as if to show a confirmation. "I'll take that as a yes," with a smile, Deus ordered, "Archive. Check system for open broadcasts… anything related to clans."

The Archive beeped again, "Command received, scanning for long-range broadcast relays." Several seconds passed, "Return. Found information related to clans."

"Good… now, search for a name. Roland."

"Searching." The Archive flashed several times as Deus waited for a reply.

"Located, name 'Roland' has been discovered." Hearing this, Deus smiled, "Good… now, send a message through every channel you managed to find. Just three words, that's all it'll take most likely. Oh, and activate the beacon while you're at it."

The Archive accepted his orders happily as it began to broadcast a wide-range open message which contained only those three words. To anyone else these words would mean very little, but to a man like Roland… those words would easily be enough to warrant intervening directly, which is exactly what Deus needs right now. He needs someone with a firm grasp to come and pull him out of the fire.

The Archive gave out a single beep as it responded, "Message sent, battery charge has been depleted. Archive device nonfunctional, deactivated to preserve remaining life." As it went on, it's tone slowly decayed until it was nothing but a low buzz. The lights that covered the Archive faded.

"Now I wait…" Deus smiled, "Maybe with this move, Elias will trust me, and bring me closer to the truth. Shit, I still got Droh to worry about though."

It was a dangerous and risky move, but it was also the most logical one at the moment. If he had called Roch under these circumstances, he was unsure if he could even convince them he was worth letting live, let alone rescuing.

But to call for help from within the clan which Elias belongs to, the clan that serves Roland's will... that could benefit him, as long as he keeps close to Elias from here on out.

Not only that but with this, he'd have an 'in' with the clan, even if he didn't technically want to join as of now. It never hurts to have options available for later, this was Deus's way of thinking about his future.

"Sorry, little buddy…" He murmured apologetically, "But it was the only way… if I called Direfell I'm sure they'd very much not appreciate me shooting their people."

Chapter end