Fortress (VI)

『Byzan Fortress, (Fourth Floor — Caves)』

".....My body is on the second floor, fortified by thick walls and a number of guards....." (Undine)

Archibald responded, "Yes, we know that much. We had to study the map before coming here."

Undine smiled, happy to see that Archibald was living up to her expectations.

She expected such from a Pendragon.

Lamperogue interjected, "We need to be realistic about the situation."

Undine asked what he meant.

"We have about three hours or less until daybreak, and that's when Rolo and the coalition forces will storm the Fortress," he explained.

Archibald remained silent.

"If we can't save you by then, we won't have the chance to because the level of security around you will increase." (Lamperogue)

"Agreed," Archibald said. "But it's not entirely impossible."

Undine approached them closely.

"You have two choices: save me or steal the Aquos Chronicles from Vorkalth's chambers, which is also on the second floor." (Undine)

Archibald weighed the pros against the cons and finally made a decision.

"If we can free you from where you're being held, how much help will you be to us?" he asked.

"I'll gain about 30% of my power back, which is more than enough to wipe out the entire Fortress." (Undine)

Archibald was shocked. "That's incredible," he exclaimed.

Lamperogue remained indifferent, as usual.

Archibald balled his fist and grinned. "We'll save you first, then," he said. "You'll be able to use your power to help us escape."

Lamperogue nodded in agreement.

"We don't have much time left, we have to be quick," he said.

Archibald nodded, he was determined.

Prepared to move, they used the hilt of their swords to break open the iron cuffs that still bound their wrists.

Archibald winced as he moved his shoulder, still feeling the pain from the fiery attack of the magus in red armor.

Lamperogue gave him an ambivalent look and asked, "Are you alright?"

Archibald flashed him a smile. "I'll be fine," he said.

Watching them converse, Undine smiled warmly.

"How about you? That cut on your side looks pretty nasty." (Archibald)

Lamperogue shrugged and replied, "It'll heal soon."

Undine spoke up, curious about their tattered attire. "Why are you both wearing those clothes? You should change into something better before making any moves," she said.

Archibald explained, "They put us in these clothes before throwing us into the cell."

Undine nodded, understanding.

"You should stop by the third floor. There might be some armor and clothes you could use," she suggested.

Lamperogue, ever stoic, disagreed. "Changing clothes won't be of any use," he said. "It will only waste more time."

Archibald considered his point, but remembered the fiery attack of the magus in red armor.

"But what about armor? We might need it if we run into him again," he argued.

Lamperogue shrugged and relented. "Fine, we'll look for armor," he said.

Undine's body faded away slowly, and she spoke to them before she vanished, "Take care of yourselves, okay?"

Her soulful eyes were looking straight at them as she smiled warmly.

Archibald couldn't help but stare at her beautiful smile and fascinated by her eyes.

"(Sometimes I forget how hot spirit beings are... it's too bad I can't just get more of her, do spirits wear panties? I wonder if they do, hehez! I guess I'll have to find out later.)" (Archibald)

He was still standing there, lost in thought, even after Lamperogue called out his name twice.

Lamperogue grumbled and said, "Archibald, we need to go."

But Archibald was still under the spell of Undine's smile.

Lamperogue had to grab Archibald by the collar and drag him into the portal.

"Snap out of it, Archibald! The portal is about to close," he said, somewhat annoyed.

As they jumped into the portal, Archibald fell in and knocked his head against the ground, making Lamperogue sigh.

He rubbed his head as he grumbled, "Ow, that hurt."

Lamperogue, still disappointed, said, "You're hopeless, Archibald. You need to focus on the mission, not girls."

Archibald blushed and retorted, "Hey, give me a break. It's not everyday that a beautiful girl opens a portal for us."

Lamperogue just shook his head and sighed.

"Let's just find the armor and get out of here," (Lamperogue)

They were on the [Third Floor].

The third floor was strictly for the storage of weapons and supplies. Rows and rows of weapons and armors were stacked up neatly, while sacks of provisions and other goods filled the corners of the room.

As Archibald scanned the rows of weapons, his eyes widened, and he let out a low whistle, "Whoa, look at all this stuff. It's like a treasure trove!"

Lamperogue, however, was not as awed as his partner.

"Hurry up, Archibald. We need clothing and armor before we can get moving," he reminded him, his eyes flitting worriedly around the room.

Archibald nodded, and they began searching for suitable attire.

"What about these greaves with poleyn and a pauldron?" he suggested, holding up a set.

Next to him was a row full of it.

"These should do the trick." (Archibald)

Lamperogue inspected the armor carefully, frowning. "I've never fought in armor before. It might slow me down," he confessed, his voice tense.

Archibald nodded slowly, understanding the gravity of their situation.

"Me neither, but we need to protect ourselves. Let's just stick to the vital parts and not cover every inch. We're built for speed, and we can't afford to be slowed down." (Archibald)

Lamperogue nodded in agreement, and they quickly changed into new attires.

As soon as they were ready, they made their way out of the storage room, weapons in hand.

But their hearts were racing; they had no idea if the coast was clear or not.

Cautiously, they peeked out of the door, checking for guards.

So far, everything seemed quiet, but with every passing moment, their anxiety only grew.

...

As they made their way down the spiral staircase, Archibald was becoming increasingly frustrated by the never-ending descent.

"These stairs are starting to get tiresome," he grumbled.

Lamperogue nodded in agreement.

"We should be almost at the half mark of the third floor. At this rate, we should reach the second floor in about two minutes." (Lamperogue)

"Should we barge in and take out the guards before we save Undine?" Lamperogue asked, his voice laced with concern.

"That's a good question," Archibald responded thoughtfully. "We should think on it."

He stopped walking and sat down on one of the steps, taking a moment to catch his breath.

Lamperogue looked at him, uncertain.

"Shouldn't we be in a hurry to save Undine?" he asked.

"We are, but resting is important too. We won't be able to do much fighting if we're exhausted. Plus, we don't know how many guards we'll face on the second floor. We need to rest while we can." (Archibald)

Lamperogue nodded in agreement, taking a seat beside him and adjusting his shortswords on his back.

"I suppose you're right," he conceded.

They sat there in silence for a few moments, catching their breath.

The air was thick with tension and uncertainty.

But for the first time since they began their mission, Archibald and Lamperogue had a moment to rest and prepare themselves mentally and physically for whatever lay ahead.

"(Okay, so we have less than two hours to secure Undine. This would be easy if that loli goddess just lent me that weapon again. Still, I'm sure it'd go against one or two rules. In the lightnovels I've read, gods aren't usually allowed to intervene in any situation unless it's some world ending apocalyptic crap. Well, that sucks)" (Archibald)

...

Archibald and Lamperogue sat down, leaning against the cold stonewall of the stairwell, their heavy swords beside them.

Archibald's breath was heavy as he took a moment to rest.

Lamperogue sat beside him, frowning in concern.

"What's on your mind, Archibald?" he asked, tilting his head slightly.

Archibald exhaled deeply and turned to face him.

"I was just thinking...what do you plan on doing after we rescue Undine?" he said, his voice laced with worry. "We haven't really had the chance to talk about it with everything that's been happening."

Lamperogue considered his question before responding.

"Honestly, I don't have much going on in my life," he admitted, his voice monotone. "I'd be fine with joining your party if you'll have me."

Archibald felt relieved by his response.

"That's great to hear. You're a skilled swordsman and your company is appreciated," he said, smiling.

"..." (Lamperogue)

"You don't always have to act so cool, you know." (Archibald)

Lamperogue's face remained unchanged.

Still, Archibald could tell he was grateful by the small nod he received.

He then changed the subject. "Speaking of parties, what about you and Rumia?" Lamperogue asked, his eyes shifting to meet Archibald's.

Archibald's smile faltered slightly.

He'd forgotten that he and Rumia were in a temporary partnership for this mission.

"I'm not sure," he admitted.

"Is that so?" (Lamperogue)

"Our partnership was only meant to last for this mission. There's a great chance she may not want to be in a party with me after this." (Archibald)

Lamperogue placed a hand on Archibald's shoulder in an attempt to console him.

"Don't worry about it," he said, his voice soothing.

Those words were somewhat reassuring to Archibald.

"We'll get through this mission together, and then we'll see what the next step is." (Lamperogue)

Archibald felt a warmth in his chest at the gesture and kind words from his companion.

"You're right," he said, his mood improving. "Let's knock down ten or twenty Byzan soldiers and then we'll figure out our next steps."

Lamperogue stood up, his shortswords on his back. "Fine," he commented, standing up lazily.