With the hammer raised, I cast Transcendence and Eye of the Storm, dragging Daggers towards me.
¡Shaaaaaa!
Surprised by the ambush, he couldn't escape my clutches as I lifted him with one hand, the soft flesh of his neck crushing under my fingers.
At that moment, Amelia called me. «Yandel». His voice was full of concern. Did you think I was going to kill him? That hurt my feelings a little. There was no way I would open his skull for something like that. I wasn't a real barbarian after all.
Aprieta.
I was just putting on a show in which some of my true emotions were woven together.
«Sir. They're almost here.»
As expected, the moment I grabbed this guy's throat, more adventurers suddenly appeared in the distance. It didn't take long for them to arrive at our location.
«...What do you think you are doing, Baron Yandel?!»
They already knew who I was. That wasn't so surprising. They must have been listening to our conversation through a message stone or something.
Daggers drowned and began to stir more desperately when I tightened my grip.
«¡Suéltalo ahora mismo!»
«And why should I?»
«Even if you are a noble, this is crossing the line! Do you think it is acceptable to harm an innocent adventurer for no reason?»
The question left me dumbfounded. First of all, I found it difficult to see as an «innocent adventurer» someone who could have deliberately invoked the Lord of the Ground without permission.
«How can he be innocent?» I spoke clearly so everyone could hear me. Now came the second reason: «This man is a traitor. He blatantly attempted an unforgivable act: to intimidate and humiliate me, a nobleman of Rafdonia! Do you think that's acceptable?!»
«What are you talking about? When did you do...?»
«That? Are you belittling me too?»
«No. I didn't mean that...»
Throughout our conversation, Daggers was still trapped in my clutches, flailing like a fish. «Grk! Ergh...!»
He was more accommodating than I expected. I was sure he would have unsheathed the dagger he was carrying around his waist by now and stabbed me in the hand.
He had to realize that would only make the situation worse.
«So can I ask you to please let him go so we can talk about this? I'm sure there's been a misunderstanding here, so...»
It didn't seem like these guys intended to attack me, so I decided to throw Daggers at their companions.
«Vice Captain! You're OK?»
Huh... so he was the vice captain. He had to be James Calla's replacement.
...No wonder he didn't try to defend himself at all.
His sense of duty and loyalty towards his clan was impressive, but that didn't mean there was anything good about him or the Sawtooth Clan either.
«Now, tell me what the misunderstanding was», I said.
The man who had yelled at me before to let go of his vice-captain tried to respond, but Dagas quickly stood up and covered his mouth with one hand before he could do so.
«I would like to sincerely apologize, Baron Yandel. Please forgive me for the offense I have committed against you», he said without offering any excuse. «Clearly I made a mistake in mentioning Count Alminus».
It was certainly sharp. With this quick and simple response, he managed to de-escalate the situation without stepping on more landmines.
«If you think I deserve to be punished, I will willingly submit to your judgment when we return to the city.».
Now that I had said all that, I would look like the bad guy in the movie if I kept complaining. It wasn't like he had cursed or threatened me. Even if he personally asked Mozlan to execute him, the request would not be granted.
And once we returned to the city, this would also reach Count Alminus' ears.
In fact, there was a good chance that people would interpret this situation as me having strangled an innocent adventurer for no justifiable reason.
«Is your answer still the same?» I asked once more, refusing to accept his apology yet. After all, what I expected was neither an apology nor a punishment. «As an adventure companion, I want this situation to be resolved as soon as possible, which is why I want to contribute to this battle».
«...Ya veo.»
«So you still plan to stop me?».
Daggers took a moment to put his thoughts in order, and then said, «With all due respect, what are your plans for after this incident is resolved?».
Translation: how would we distribute the loot?
«Aren't we all adventurers? We will roll the dice, cleanly».
«...I see». Daggers let out a heavy sigh and then delivered his verdict. «Then we will not take part in this battle».
"...¿Which?"
«They say that a known enemy is less dangerous than an unknown ally. Still, we have no way of convincing you not to interfere. I am sure that fighting at your side will only complicate the situation and cause greater losses for my clan.»
«So you're backing down?»
«Yeah. You are a renowned hero, after all. I am sure I can put all my faith in you, Baron Yandel.»
Hah, obstacle punk.
«Instead, we'll focus on helping low-ranking adventurers who are also stuck on the third floor right now.»
In other words, instead of giving us a piece of the cake, they prefer to throw it all on the floor.
What a big head.
The problem was that I couldn't do anything. If word got out of what had happened here, some people might assume that I forced them to leave out of my own greed, which could lead to the unnecessary deaths of countless adventurers.
No, they'll definitely make sure that's what people think.
«So, have you come to a decision?»
In the end, there was only one decision I could make. «We'll leave Riakis to you.»
It was a shame I couldn't get a piece of the pie, but it couldn't be helped. It was more important to defeat the boss as soon as possible before he killed someone else.
«Then we'll get on our way».
Daggers tried to run away as soon as our conversation came to an end, but I left him one last warning. «But remember this. If you happen to fail, your entire clan will be held accountable. After all, you were the ones who refused my help».
After a brief pause, he responded. «...I'll keep that in mind».
He clearly had no intention of taking my warning seriously.
***
After agreeing who would fight the Soil Lord, we left Thorn Reed's camp without hesitation. What was the point of staying watching them for longer?
[Chaos Lord Riakis is attracting the Power of Origin.]
If Riakis managed to eat all the marbles, things could take an extremely difficult turn, since the moment that happened, one of us could end up being designated as Prey.
And if that happens, even if they fail, they can blame us.
At this point, however, there was no point in worrying about hypotheses. All we could do was move on.
«Bjorn! Where are we going now?»
«Where there are other people.»
"... ¿Which? ⁇
«No matter how you look at it, Sawtooth is planning a long, drawn-out battle.».
My statement piqued Amelia's curiosity and she got into the conversation. «What makes you say that? What makes you say that?».
«The first reason is the date».
«The date?»
«Yeah. If they thought they could defeat him quickly, they would not have summoned him on the thirteenth day».
They were putting their entire clan's existence on the line with this unauthorized raid. Since that was the case, the ideal strategy would be to quickly summon and defeat the boss just before the maze closed to minimize the loss of innocent lives. But instead, they had been forced to summon him ahead of time, telling me that they couldn't defeat him in the ideal way. Instead, they were betting on a battle of attrition.
«...What is your second reason?»
«They had Purification Torches on their waists.»
«Purification Torches... Are you talking about that Object Numbered in 8000?»
It was No. 8645, to be exact, but that wasn't the point. If everyone in his assault squad had one, they could skip the second phase of Riakis for free.
«But why is that a problem?»
«Because using that object forces you to lengthen the combat. Decreases the overall difficulty level, but if your goal is to defeat the boss as soon as possible, it's one of the worst items you can use...» Since I felt like I was revealing too much, I quickly added: «At least that's what I read in a book».
«Ohhh! Incredible!» Fortunately, Ainar didn't seem to notice anything. I was always alert around him, but in his mind, he probably had no reason to suspect me.
«Ahem... Anyway! Things will likely continue like this until the day the maze closes. So let's focus on getting as many people together as possible».
«Of course!»
«Even so... Let you know that many people will die here. I'm sure of it. This is one of the most dangerous Floor Lords, after all. Even parties working together in groups must be struggling to hold on...»
«It's impossible to go up to another floor anyway, so I don't care either way... Why are you asking our permission if you've already made the decision to be our leader?».
«It's the usual procedure!»
«...That's fine with me too!»
Alright, it seemed like we all agreed.
As soon as we began to search the ground, the fellow barbarians began to recognize me and ask me for help. Luckily, all the barbarian adventurers we encountered could wield Chaos Spirits on their own.
The same couldn't be said for other adventurers.
«B-Baron Yandel!»
«It really is Baron Yandel...!»
«Let's live!»
Everyone probably knew Riakis was hanging around the third floor, so they must have been terrified.
«M-thank you very much for hosting us...!»
«Ohhh! Chieftain! The chief has come to save us!»
Since there were not enough members of my team to protect the entire camp we had set up, I was forced to assign other barbarians to guard the outskirts. However, something unexpected happened.
«Baron Yandel! We would like to help you too! Is there anything we can do?»
«Me too! I would like to help too!»
Other adventurers suddenly began to approach and volunteer. It didn't take us long to put together a solid defense system in which we only had to work in shifts.
...I don't think we can do anything else.
I decided to send Erwen and Amelia to search the perimeter since we already had enough people in our camp to defend ourselves unless Riakis himself showed up. «Erwen, Amelia. Can I ask you to do something?»
«Yes of course!»
«...Every time you ask me it ends up being a pain».
These two had a mission: run out of our camp, find any isolated or lost adventurers, and get them to safety.
«Bjorn! What about me? What should I do?»
Unfortunately, Ainar couldn't find her way back alone. Instead, I gave him the position of security commander of our camp.
[Your Reputation has increased by +1.]
[Your Reputation has increased by +1.]
[Your reputation has increased by +1.]
[Your reputation has...]
[Your reputation has...]
Day thirteen. Day fourteen...
Time flew by, until finally, the day came when the labyrinth would close.
***
«Lord, I'm back!»
When I woke up, the first thing I saw were Erwen's amber eyes right in front of my face.
«Good job. How many did you bring back this time?»
«Thirty-nine. I searched quite far, but it seems that there are no more adventurers left in the surrounding area».
«I see. Go ahead, rest».
«Okay.»
«...Did I tell you to rest?»
«Is being by your side resting?»
I didn't know how to answer that, so I just looked at the time.
[04:01]
We had about eighteen hours left before the maze closed. The lower-ranking adventurers, once idiots, seemed to have slowly regained their composure. Seeing almost a thousand adventurers gathered, supporting and protecting each other, must have reassured them. I, on the other hand, was beginning to get more and more anxious.
They weren't done with him yet...
The source of my anxiety was the Lord of the Soil. I expected a protracted battle, but I never expected that by now they wouldn't have defeated the boss.
The Spirits of Chaos disappeared a few hours ago, so they must have finally passed the second phase, which is the longest...
But how would things develop from now on? They were annoying bastards, no doubt, but he really hoped nothing would go wrong during his raid. His failure would be a worst-case scenario, especially if Riakis was now wandering the ground in his third phase.
A sigh escaped me. I was dying to know what was happening.
Frustrated, I walked through our refugee camp, as if on the lookout for anything suspicious, although in reality I just needed some fresh air. Indeed, there was nothing out of the ordinary. After all, the Spirits of Chaos no longer appeared.
After the patrol drill, I gathered my group for lunch for the first time in a long time. By then, it was already 6:30 in the morning.
Tremble!
The vibrations under our feet turned our expressions into stone.
«Bjorn, what was that from a moment ago...?»
«¡ Vamoooos!»
Shit.
«He is the Lord of the Soil...»
«Is here...»
«I-I heard that last time, hundreds of people died in a single day...»
Fear and confusion began to instantly spread throughout the camp.
I stood up, taking a deep breath before shouting at the top of my lungs: «Everyone still!».
Ugh, it was better that way.
I used gigantization so that those in the back could also see me. Feeling the thousands of eyes watching me, waiting to hear what I had to say, the first thing I did was gather information. «Erwen, are you heading towards us?»
«…No.»
Oh really? Well, that's a relief.
Looking around, I then shouted the name of the first familiar face I saw. «Lewis Seyur!»
He was the magician I had met in the Orca Colony a few days ago.
«...Yes? Why did you call me?»
«As of now, you are in charge of this place».
"... ¿Q-Que? ⁇
We had met again by chance after the appearance of the Lord of the Soil. After talking to him for a while, I realized that he was a pretty intelligent and rational guy. «You will lead the people here and flee as far as you can».
«Then what are you going to do, Baron?!»
Wasn't it obvious? «I'm going to stop him.»
«That? B-but Mrs. Tersia just said she's not even coming towards us...»
«So you're suggesting we leave him alone?»
There was no way this camp of ours would contain all the low-ranking adventurers trapped on the third floor. There had to be hundreds more still hiding out there, and now that the second phase was over, Riakis' rampage would begin in earnest. Even more people would become innocent victims.
«S-Your Honor...»
«If you have something to say, say it quickly.»
«You really are... exactly as I heard...»
¿What?
«I'll take that as a compliment, then.» With that, I grabbed my hammer and ran in the direction Erwen pointed, my group members following me closely.
Stomp, stomp.
I moved quickly. As it advanced, the adventurers who stood in our way rushed to clear it so as not to block us.
«May the blessings of Rafdonia be with you...»
They lowered their heads in silence. Why were they acting like we were going to die?
«Lewis! What are you doing?! Grab these guys and get out of here, quick!» I yelled at the magician one last time, but he didn't respond. He must have been too far away to hear me.
Feeling uncomfortable about all that, I began to speed up. Amelia laughed and asked me if I was embarrassed. Come to think of it, it was strange. Why did he feel so much pressure to save them? Would other higher-ranking adventurers go that far for lower-ranking adventurers? Not only that, I was even a nobleman.
Well, I can say that I did it to earn your respect. It's not that it cost me money to do the right thing.
Thinking like that made me feel a little better.
Stomp, stomp.
As we left the camp, we continued advancing at full speed. At this point, regret began to gnaw at me.
If he had known things were going to turn out like this, he would have forced his hand from the beginning.
I was confident that I could, first, contain the Soil Lord by myself while I was in the first phase and, second, run all over the ground non-stop until the maze closed if I ended up marked as prey. However, it was in the third phase when my confidence disappeared.
And here I thought this month's expedition would be more relaxing.
This situation was nothing compared to Ice Rock, but it wasn't great either.
Are you in the third or fourth phase?
If it was the third, I was going to have to run like a meat shield non-stop.
I really hope it's the fourth phase.
If by chance they didn't give him the final blow in the last phase...
¡ Vamooooos!
The lone figure of Riakis appeared in the distance, and I quickly stopped with a wide smile on my face.
I'm starting to feel butterflies in my stomach.
Yes, it was worth a try.
«We all prepare».
«...You said we would just try to stop him, but now you want to defeat him?»
Well yes. How could I resist delivering the final blow?