Osamaru Ta
patreon
(AS) B3 - Lesson 7: "Setting the Board."
🕑 Added 2025-03-26 01:07:54 +0000 UTCBoarslayer leaned back in the stiff clinic chair, arms crossed, feet propped atop one of the three occupied medical pods. She let out a long yawn, eyelids drooping.
“Why the hell am I stuck on guard duty?” she muttered, her voice heavy with boredom.
“Because the good doctor ordered you to rest,” came a voice from her shoulder.
She shot a glare at the small [Wasp] drone perched there, rolling her eyes.
“I’m fine,” she grumbled. “We’ve got bandits knocking on our door, and Maria actually expects me to sit around for two weeks without using any spirit energy?!”
The drone’s tiny head shook in exaggerated disapproval. “Girl, let me tell you something. The Federation has a saying. ‘The only one who outranks your general is your doctor.’ You might feel fine, but Dr. Maria knows what she’s doing better than either of us. So quit whining.”
Boarslayer yawned again, waving him off. “Yeah, yeah, whatever. What are they even—”
Her words died in her throat as the drone suddenly went rigid. Its usual idle hum fell silent.
“What’s wrong?” she asked, all drowsiness gone in an instant.
“Well, now… that’s interesting,” Alpha mused.
Before Boarslayer could demand an explanation, the medical pod under her feet hissed open.
“WOAH—” she yelped, tumbling backward as the lid swung upward.
Righting herself, she barely had time to react before a high-pitched voice tore through the clinic.
“What kind of bullshit was that?! I call foul! FOUL!”
“Yes… That entire event was… vexing, to say the least,” added a calmer, more composed voice.
Boarslayer looked up to see Maggy and Dr. Maria climbing out of their pods.
Both wore identical frowns, though where Dr. Maria looked only mildly perturbed, Maggy seemed fit to explode.
“You’re back already?” Boarslayer asked, blinking. “What happened? The plan was to track them until they reached the village. No way they’re here already, right?”
Maggy whirled, eyes blazing. “I’ll tell you what happened!” she seethed. “Some shadow-sneaking, inbred-looking clan dog MOTHERFU—”
She froze mid-rant, slum slang she hadn’t used in years, hovering on her tongue. Dr. Maria and Boarslayer stared at her, wide-eyed.
Maggy flushed, clearing her throat and turning away.
Dr. Maria smirked before shifting her attention back to Boarslayer. “There was a slight… complication.”
As if to punctuate her words, the third pod hissed open, followed by a frustrated groan.
“That bastard!”
“RIGHT?!” Maggy snapped, whirling back around.
Garrelt pulled himself from the pod, rubbing his head.
“So he got you too, then?” Dr. Maria asked.
Garrelt sighed. “Not that I was in control for most of it. The Dungeon Core took over as soon as your ants were destroyed. We held out a little longer, but that bastard is slippery.”
Dr. Maria’s brow arched. She turned to the drone still perched on Boarslayer’s shoulder. “Really, sir? He even beat you?”
Alpha shrugged, mechanical wings twitching. “What can I say? The Alphantonso models aren’t built for combat, and we may have… slightly underestimated our opponents.”
“Is this going to be a problem?” Boarslayer asked, eyes narrowing.
Alpha shook his head. “No. We did what we set out to. I’m more concerned with how targeted this attack was.”
“You think they singled out the antborgs?” Dr. Maria asked, frowning.
“That’s what it feels like,” Alpha replied. “Even with their intelligence network crippled, they’re not as shaken as they seem. Hopefully, now that they’ve dealt with the ‘threat,’ they should start to lower their guard.”
Garrelt exhaled sharply. “Maybe. But I wouldn’t count on it. We’re calling them ‘bandits’ and ‘gangsters,’ but there’s a reason Icefinger’s gang has survived all these years — even with the clans trying to wipe them out.”
Alpha chuckled. “So, hope for the best, plan for the worst?”
Garrelt grinned. “Exactly.”
“Great minds and all that!” Alpha chirped, the drone raising its front legs in a mock salute, its wings giving an amused buzz. “Now that we’ve cleared that up and put that whole mess behind us, what do you say we get this show on the road?”
“Finally!” Boarslayer whooped, springing to her feet and bolting for the door.
“Hold.”
Dr. Maria’s voice cracked through the air like a whip.
Boarslayer skidded to a halt, stiff as a board.
“My order still stands,” Maria continued, arms crossed. “I might not be able to keep you from the action, but you’re sure as the nine hells staying on the wall, young lady.”
Boarslayer’s shoulders slumped. She exhaled a long, suffering sigh.
Garrelt openly laughed as he walked past the sulking woman twice his size, while Maggy gave her a symptomatic look. Alpha simply patted the girl’s shoulder with the drone.
——————————————————
The group arrived at the village wall before long.
The entire area buzzed with activity as every goblin and adventurer worked together to prepare for the coming attack. Under different circumstances, Maggy might have taken a moment to admire how the two groups had learned to cooperate in just a few short weeks.
She wasn’t the most seasoned adventurer, but even she had felt the tension when the expedition first arrived. Back then, the goblins and adventurers had regarded one another with suspicion, their differences stark and unyielding. Now, most of that unease had faded. Whether it was their shared struggle against the Kigendoro or simply the natural passage of time, she couldn’t say. But whatever the reason, it was a welcome change.
As they climbed the wall, their eyes landed on Robert, engaged in a tense discussion with a group of adventurers. The adventurers snapped to attention at their approach before Robert dismissed them with a wave. He turned toward them, and Maggy felt a ripple of unease tighten in her gut.
The overall morale may have improved among the expedition over the last few weeks, but Robert seemed worse off. No… more than that. Leading this expedition had clearly worn him thin, the weight of responsibility grinding him down like a whetstone against steel. His posture remained rigid, his voice still carried its usual authority, but his face — his eyes — had changed. Once sharp and steely, they now looked hollow, the dark rings beneath them turning their usual piercing grey into the color of storm-laden skies.
“About time you lot showed up,” he said, voice clipped. “If you’re done wasting my time, then—”
“No one was wasting your time, Robert. You were informed we would be late,” Garrelt cut in, his glare sharp.
Robert’s frown deepened. “Right… Your ‘treatment,’ was it?” His gaze shifted to Dr. Maria. “If you brought them here, I assume they’re fit for duty? I’m not about to waste resources babysitting invalids.”
Dr. Maria met his stare with practiced calm, though Maggy caught the subtle flicker of disapproval in her eyes. “They’re not at full strength, but they’re more than capable of defending the wall,” she said smoothly.
Boarslayer, on the other hand, made no effort to hide her scowl. The goblin woman had never been shy about her dislike for the expedition leader. Whether it stemmed from her general disdain for surface authority or Robert himself, Maggy had never quite figured out.
Robert held the doctor’s gaze for a long, silent moment before nodding stiffly. “Fine. Thank you for your services, doctor.”
Dr. Maria returned the nod, her expression unreadable.
Robert then turned to Garrelt. “As for you two… We have much to discuss and little time to do so.”
Garrelt scoffed. “Less than you think. Icefinger’s men are already on the move.”
Robert froze, his eyes narrowing to slits.
“And how exactly do you know that?” His voice was low, dangerously measured. “I remember explicitly ordering you to remain in the village. If you—”
Another voice cut him off, this time from above.
“Because I told him so,” Alpha interjected, his [Wasp] drone launching off Boarslayer’s shoulder and hovering between the two men.
Robert’s glare snapped to the drone. “Mr. Alpha. How… fortunate that you could join us. Tell me, then; if you had this information, why wasn’t I informed first?”
The drone’s small mechanical body tilted slightly, as if appraising him. “I would watch your tone, human,” Alpha replied. “I don’t recall ever being under your command. What information I share is at my discretion, not by your orders.”
A long silence stretched between them before Robert exhaled sharply, waving the issue away with a flick of his hand.
“Regardless,” he said, his tone forcibly even, “that only reinforces my point. We need to finalize our defense strategy before they arrive.” He cast his gaze around the area, frowning. “Now, where the hell did Bert wander off to? Figures; the moment you all show up, he vanishes. Will you lot ever stop making my life difficult?”
A nearby adventurer straightened. “I think I saw him climb the watchtower, sir!”
Robert sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose. “Will someone fetch him already?”
“I’ll do it!” Maggy blurted, perhaps a little too eagerly. A few heads turned toward her, but she ignored the questioning looks.
Right now, she just wanted to get away from the strange, simmering tension.
Robert stared at her for a beat before shaking his head. “Fine. But be quick about it. We don’t have all day.”
Maggy nodded and turned toward the watchtower door without another word.
——————————————————
As the door clicked shut behind her, Maggy exhaled and leaned against it, pressing her forehead lightly against the wood.
Halirosa’s Mage Academy might not have been as grand or prestigious as the legendary institutions across the eastern sea on the Gaia continent, but it still had its fair share of scheming and social maneuvering. That was precisely why she had fought so hard for an apprenticeship under her teacher — a rare chance to escape the endless politics and expectations. And yet… here she was.
Celestials above, I miss my library…
Shaking off the thought, Maggy straightened and turned her gaze toward the wooden staircase spiraling upward. The narrow steps led to a hatch at the top of the small tower, where she assumed Bert would be. With another sigh, she started her ascent.
She was halfway up when she hesitated.
Voices.
No… just one voice. Bert’s.
“Yes, everything is proceeding like you said,” he murmured, his words muffled by the thick wood yet still clear enough to reach her ears. “Call me impressed.”
A pause. “No. I don’t think they suspect anything.”
Another pause. “Remember, I’ve worked with many of them for years.”
Silence. Then, a quiet, grim, “True. But what other choice do we have?”
Maggy’s brow furrowed. Who was he talking to?
She barely had time to process before the old wood betrayed her. A single step forward, and—,
Creak.
Bert’s voice stopped.
Her pulse spiked.
Before she could retreat or steady herself, the hatch above swung open, flooding the stairwell with light and momentarily blinding her.
When her vision adjusted, Bert loomed over the opening, looking down at her with his usual easygoing grin.
“Oh, it’s just you, Mags,” he said, his tone light. “What are you doing here? Thought the doc was still poking at you.”
“Yeah… she was,” Maggy answered, her voice softer, flatter than usual. “We just finished up…”
“Good! Glad to hear you’re healing well,” Bert said. Then, before she could react, he reached down and grabbed the back of her robe, hoisting her through the hatch like she weighed nothing.
She let out an undignified eek! as he plopped her onto the watchtower platform.
“Yeah… me too,” she muttered, brushing herself off before glancing around. The tower was empty, save for the two of them. She frowned. “Hey, Bert… who were you talking to? There’s no one else here.”
Bert let out a low chuckle and waved a dismissive hand. “Don’t you be worrying about that, lass. More importantly, what brings you up here?”
Maggy hesitated, watching him closely. “Robert sent me to get you. The bandits are on their way. He wants to go over the plan before they get here.”
Bert’s grin faltered. His entire posture shifted. The warmth drained from his face, leaving something cold and unreadable in its place.
Maggy’s stomach clenched.
“Seems like it’s too late for that,” he muttered.
She took an instinctive step back, the unfamiliar hardness in Bert’s expression setting off every warning bell in her head.
Her fingers twitched, magic tingling at her fingertips, but then she noticed — he wasn’t looking at her.
He was looking past her.
Maggy turned.
Her breath caught in her throat.
Beyond the treeline, barely visible through the shifting branches, a lone figure stood in the distance.
It was too far to make out any defining features, yet somehow, deep in her bones, she knew who it was. And she knew they were smiling.
Comments
Szarekh Östwind
and here I thought that uploads are thrice a week 😭 but its only once per week
