Manuke FPS Chapter 196

Published at 31st of May 2022 06:59:06 AM

As I approached the guardian room on the 10th floor of the Mine Labyrinth, which should’ve been used as the phantom thief Nekoyanagi’s hideout, the sound sensor picked up the sounds of battle. What I could hear were the sounds of swords, magic, screams, and heavy footsteps. 

My map began to cover the gatekeeper’s room. The gates that resembled something out of hell were opened, and my radar showed dots inside. It couldn’t be anything good. 

Who were they…?

I moved quickly and hid behind the pearly white gate. By the time I got there and peeked inside, the situation was almost over. There was no pillar inside the room. It was a spacious room with many spacious tents and tables similar to a refugee camp, but most of it was broken and burned. A number of corpses were strewn around. The sizes were not limited to adults, but… Smaller ones… They all looked worn… 

And, among all this, there were many armed dead that looked to be explorers. 

It seemed that those who served were arrested. They were all tied together with ropes, and placed in the corner of the room. Apparently, the losing side belonged to Nekoyanagi… 

“Are those all of them?”

“That’s right. 10 remaining fugitive slaves and 5 surrendering Nekoyanagi members.” 

“Good. Not to mention we have one princess here as well. What a catch — What a catch right?” 

“Ha, ha –” 

Standing near the transfer circle were knight-like men dressed in unified brown light armor. Rather, more like warriors than knights. The number of people was nine – and as many …. Was that a dinosaur? 

Here were small dinosaur-like creatures with brown skin with black stripes similar to a velociraptor seen in that classic dinosaur park movie. Perhaps they were small tamed dragons from Drak – the Hiryu? There were 8 of them and one that was bigger than the rest, more likely belonging to the commander of the group. 

Nine in total – currently eating at the moment. No wonder they won. 

“So, Princess. What on earth were you doing in this labyrinth?” 

“That has nothing to do with you-nya! And I’m no longer a princess-nya!” 

“Ah – right, right. Now, it’s the phantom thief ‘Nekoyanagi’, isn’t it? Princess Cortine.” 

“Don’t call me by that name-nya.” 

“No matter where you go, you will still be Princess Cortine. No, I should probably say ‘Dirty Beastkin Slave Made Princess’ instead.” 

The conversation between the man who seemed to be the leader of the dragon rider group and a catgirl kneeling next — Isn’t that Koti? I didn’t think she was dressed like a princess, nor did she act like one before… Even looking closely, she was just a regular beastkin girl in the same attire as the others the riders referred to as fugitive slaves. 

I didn’t understand the situation. This was definitely Nekoyanagi’s hideout, but why were there so many fugitive slaves hiding here? Moreover, how come Koti was referred to as both Princess Corti and a slave? I knew that kingdom allowed slavery, but the situation was a bit sketchy!? 

Supposed that Sansaqua and Ophelia were to encounter either the thieves or the dragon riders here, they would end up arresting the thieves along with the princess in the buffer zone… It could probably be considered kidnapping a member of the royal family. On the other hand, fighting their dragon riders could be problematic as well. If it became known that a bunch of adventurers defeated a group of Drak Kingdom dragon riders, Drak may end up sending the army in – most likely triggering a war. 

“No, no really – nobody would’ve thought that we’d find you in this kind of place. In this labyrinth of all places! That’s great! Really great!” 

While saying that,  the slender-bodied commander in his late thirties fanned his arms out and laughed. 

“Not only did I discover the lost 17th Princess, if I can manage this labyrinth and raise funds from the mined magic ore, I could probably quit being the borderline division commander and still live a good life!” 

While the Commander and Koti spoke, the other riders carried and piled the ores into wooden crates. I grabbed one of the ores, then looked at it under the light where no one could see me. 

“You guys stay here and watch the slaves continue mining. As soon as I return to the fort, I will send reinforcements. The troops blocking the entrance will remain. You guys make a base here – the rest, find a good mining spot.” 

“Yessir!” 

The commander turned his eyes to the captives who knelt in the corner. Then, of the nine, the Commander, his adjutant, Koti, who was still tied up, and three Hiryus transferred together. 

I suppose there were three fewer people there now, but judging from what I heard, there were probably more outside the labyrinth. What do I do now —? 

I couldn’t let the sasanquas and Ophelia encounter the riders on their way back here. Neither could I afford to let these people manage the labyrinth as it would hinder me from getting to the next circle… And –

I recalled that I was still in the form of the undead pirate Jonah. 

Surely both Kurtmerga and Dragrange could deny their involvement, as these soldiers were decimated by an undead. Drak could not justify a war. Moreover, considering the Commander’s plan to manage the labyrinth privately, he would need to keep it a secret from his higher-ups. But eventually, more people would know of this labyrinth. 

Before that could happen… 

I checked the situation inside once more – six Hiryus were resting in one corner. Two dragon riders stood guard beside them. Two more stood by the circle while another two watched over their captives. 

The first order of business was to get rid of… the Hiryus. I’ve never seen them fight before and their riders might prove troublesome once mounted. They needed to be eliminated as soon as possible.

I took out two M84 Flashbangs from my pouch, pulled the pin, and tossed one center of the Hiryu pack. Another flew towards the guards around them. 

“Guruu?”

“What is thi–”

The beasts and riders looked at the grenades with curiosity – a dazzling flash and bang engulfed them momentarily. 

“Uaah!” 

“Gyaa!” 

The targets were stunned – convinced of such, I immediately stormed in. The explosion and the appearance of an intruder attracted the eyes of the other guards further away, along with the captives. But my targets were the stunned enemies. 

I readied the Phase rifle, aimed through its dedicated optic, and pulled the trigger once the reticle locked on the head of a Hiryu. It fell to the ground limp. I saw a red laser followed by a vibrating sound, then confirmed my target – its head – vanished, and the belly of another Hiryu in the trajectory had also been pierced. 

“What was that just now!” 

“What the hell is that?!” 

“An undead is attacking!” 

The other riders began to shout after seeing what happened, though I ignored them momentarily. Not waiting for it to charge up, I shouldered the rifle and took out the grenade ax. I brought it up into a firing position. 

“Prepare for battle! We will prepare the system while the undead is distracted by Al! Millar and Al, put up a magic barrier! It might not be a dark knight, be careful of that red magic!” 

“Oy, it’s doing something again!” 

The moment the grenade was launched. I let go of the grenade ax and switched back to the rifle. This time, for a fully charged shot. The two stunned riders were blown apart in the explosion while two more Hiryus fell from the phase rifle. 

“Fuck, our precious Hiryus – Loyrd, go rescue the Hiryus!” 

The remaining warriors began to move. The difference in their roles could not be distinguished from their armor, but the two standing beside the captives muttered something and the air around them distorted. Did they just conjure up a magic barrier…? But that meant little against VMB firearms. 

The other two dragon riders took out some sort of whistle made out of bone and blew it. I couldn’t hear it despite seeing they were blowing with all their might. Could it have been some sort of magic whistle? In response to the inaudible sound, the remaining Hiryus, who was just recovering, jumped back up and took some distance from their fallen comrades. 

They were faster than I expected. I kept the rifle trained on them but didn’t fire yet to observe. It was impossible to take them all out just from the first strike. So, I was not gauging their physical capabilities. 

The two Hiryus darted across the room to the riders, letting them mount. At this point, I’d seen enough. I fired on one monster’s head that was mounted by the man called Lloyd. The red beam evaporated the target as well as punching through the rider’s belly. 

“Oy! What happened to the barrier!?” 

“It’s already been deployed, but it didn’t work.”

The two dragon riders standing guard by the circle were shocked by the fact their comrade had been hit. The same went for the other rider who was conjuring the barrier next to my latest victim. 

“I-Impossible! Just what the hell are you!” 

Their expressions changed. The one given command after their leader left turned to me and pointed a trembling sword. Following the cry, everyone’s eyes gathered on me. 

“Monster– demihuman– undead, call me what you like. Just know my name is Jonah.” 

“An undead who can talk? Don’t tell me it’s a first class monster like that those who guard each of the ten floors…” 

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“No way! I heard the gatekeeper was already defeated?!” 

“I-I had no idea… I never heard of that kind of undead before either.” 

“What.. could it be, could it be the master of this labyrinth?”

“What a terrible misunderstanding. But at least all of you are aware of where you are now.” 

The Dragon Riders and the slaves were stupefied by the appearance of an undead who could speak and understand. Even back on the southern sea, Noah was also referred to as a 1st class monster. Perhaps only 1st class monsters are capable of communication. Just maybe… they had something to do with the Trespasser. Perhaps they were just monsters with higher– 

“If you’re neither the master nor the gatekeeper… what the hell are you, where are you from?!”

“We’re inside the labyrinth. You lot should’ve watched the gate more closely, for an existence like mine could barge in at any moment.” 

“Uh…” 

The remaining three dragon riders, one of whom was already mounted, seemed to be aware that they were totally outmatched at the moment. Their eyes alternated between me and the transfer circle. Perhaps my existence was too mysterious to them to continue fighting.

“Whwha do we do?”

“… Miller, you go and join the others outside to report this. I’ll do something to hold that thing here—” 

“But… Can you really do it?” 

“Well, obviously not but I’ll try to buy enough time until the troops outside can march here. Given the strength of the creature, perhaps it’s impossible to escape here.”

The riders whispered to each other. Unfortunately for them, I could still hear them thanks to the sound sensor. If my – Jonah’s existence became known to the outside, the existence of the labyrinth would also leak. It was much better to leave that greedy commander clueless. 

With both sides’ strategies decided, we started to move at the same time.

“Go!” 

Following the shout from the only mounted dragon rider, Miller rushed to the circle. One last spell chant came. Since I couldn’t let any of them escape, I aimed at Miller, and fired a charged shot. I watched as he dropped with a large hole in his abdomen before I aimed at Al. The rifle began to charge once I pulled the trigger. I released it once it exceeded 30. His head shook as the round interrupted his chant. No different than a fully charged round. 

Since I didn’t know how many shots were needed to kill a human, I shot at his chest with another 30 charges. The headshot took a good chunk of his head, but he was still standing for a second until the second shot. He fell and no longer moved. 

“Jonaaaah!” 

The last rider charged on his mount with a scream. Perhaps furious I killed his comrades before he had the chance to act. His mount was agile as it moved side to side in order to avoid being hit. The rifle was not suited for close range anyway. Holding it in my left, I reached under my coat with my right. I pulled out the PSS rifle. I directed it at the Hiryu while I slid-jump to keep my distance and fired several shots. 

The 7.62×32 rounds bounced off its scales like it was just scratches. 

It was just a deterrence and distraction. The moment the rider and mount reached my last position, it lost its head from a fully charged shot. It lost its balance and collapsed. 

“Oo!”

Unable to control his mount any further, it fell on one of his legs, pinning it beneath its body. But he wasn’t out of the fight yet. I rushed in and kicked him straight to the noggin. It wasn’t enough to kill, but enough to knock him out. I had some things to ask him, that’s why I didn’t kill him. 

With this, all the hostiles were taken care of.

The rest were the captives, ten fugitives and 5 nekoyanagi members. All of which looked at me anxiously. I ignored it as I retrieved the grenade ax. I then reloaded all three weapons. 

“Now then…”

I activated the TSS and took out two empty GIFT BOXes. The captives remained silence as they turned to the pink box that appeared. From their point of view, they probably couldn’t understand why they hadn’t been killed or what I planned to do. 

It would be impossible to know anyway. 

With the grenade ax in one hand, I approached the bound captives. They trembled with wide teary eyes. Five beastkin men and 3 women. The remaining two were little girls. 

“Eh?” 

Did he think I would kill him from behind? A man who had closed his eyes slowly reopened them to check if he was still alive.

“Can you understand me?” 

“Ye..Yes..” 

“Go untie the other men. Before the labyrinth takes the bodies, help me stash the soldiers’ bodies in this box. Can their mounts be eaten?”

Uh, yes, parts of it at least.”

“Then it should be processed before being stored. Be care with that knife, will you?”

He didn’t catch my intentions but slowly understood as I released another person.

“B-But…”

“No question, do what I said quickly. If you try to run or misuse that knife I lent you, you understand what will happen, right?”

With that last part, work proceeded. 

Chapter end