NOVEL NEXT Chapter 29 – Family Meeting 2.0
The chalkboard in the Core Chamber usually held Maira's cleaning schedules or Grika's blueprints for "The Shark-Roomba."
Today, it held a map.
It was a crude map, drawn by Riva based on her aerial reconnaissance. It showed the green hills of the Teasing Tomb, and to the north, the grey, blighted scar of the Necropolis.
Reed stood before it. His face was grim.
The entire family was assembled. And for once, no one was joking.
Seraphine was fully armored, her thermal suit glowing with a low, dangerous heat. Grika was sharpening a combat knife that looked more like a short sword. Luma was in her solid Siren form, but her usual bright blue color had deepened to a dark, stormy indigo. Terra stood in the back, a silent mountain of stone, her eye-lights burning red. Maira sat at the desk, cleaning a serrated blade with a silk cloth.
"We have a problem," Reed began.
"A rival," Seraphine hissed.
"A slaver," Reed corrected.
He tapped the location of the Necropolis.
"Malakor isn't just digging up bones. He's enslaving souls. I saw a Banshee there. She was… bound. Tortured. He's using her pain to fuel his mana."
Luma gasped, covering her mouth. "That's… mean. That's really mean."
"It is inefficient," Maira stated coldly. "Torture yields diminishing returns. A happy workforce produces 30% more mana. He is a bad manager."
"He's a monster," Grika spat. "And not the cool kind like us."
Reed looked at his hands.
"When we started this," he said, "I made a rule. Farmers, Not Butchers. We don't kill adventurers. We tease them. We scare them. We take their gold and their XP, and we send them home."
He looked up, meeting Seraphine's amber eyes.
"But Malakor isn't a customer. He's not an adventurer."
Reed grabbed the chalk. He drew a thick red line through the Necropolis.
"Rule Amendment:" Reed announced. his voice echoing in the chamber. "Lethal Force is authorized for Non-Human Hostiles."
The room seemed to drop in temperature.
Seraphine smiled. It wasn't her usual sultry smirk. It was a baring of fangs.
"Finally," she whispered. "I can squeeze until they pop."
"Smash?" Terra rumbled hopefully.
"Smash," Reed confirmed. "Burn. Dissolve. Explode. Whatever it takes. We are not just defending the dungeon tonight. We are launching a raid."
The Plan: Operation Jailbreak
"Okay," Reed said, pointing to the map. "Here's the plan. Malakor is expecting a siege. He thinks we're going to turtle up behind Terra's walls and wait for him to attack."
"That's what I would do," Grika admitted. "We have home field advantage. Why leave?"
"Because he has the Banshee," Reed said. "And I want her. She's powerful, and she hates him. If we free her, we turn his greatest asset against him."
"Also," Riva chirped from Reed's shoulder, "she is pretty. Ghost-Waifu."
"Focus, Riva," Reed sighed. "The plan is a diversion."
He looked at Terra.
"Terra. You are the distraction. You, Seraphine, and Maira are going to march to the front gate of the Necropolis. You are going to make noise. You are going to look big, scary, and threatening."
"I am good at big," Terra nodded.
"I will draw their gaze," Seraphine promised, running a hand down her scales. "They will not be able to look away."
"While they are focused on the front," Reed continued, "The Infiltration Team goes in the back."
He pointed to Grika, Riva, and Luma.
"Riva flies. Grika breaches the walls. Luma… you're the wildcard."
Luma blinked. "Me?"
"You can liquefy," Reed said. "You can fit through bars. You can absorb magical locks. You are the key."
Luma puffed out her chest. "I am the Key!"
"And me?" Grika asked. "What do I do?"
"You blow things up," Reed said. "You create chaos. And you extract the target."
"And you, Boss?" Grika asked.
Reed tapped his chest.
"I stay here. I defend the Core. If Malakor sends assassins while you're gone… I'll be waiting."
The Armory
Preparation began immediately.
Reed opened the System.
[DM: 65.0] [Spending Mana…]
He didn't build rooms. He built gear.
"Grika," Reed called. "Upgrade your grenades. I want fire. I want holy water. I want sticky bombs."
"You got it, Boss," Grika grinned.
Reed spent 10 DM on Alchemical Components.
"Seraphine," Reed said. "You're going to be tanking an army. You need better plating."
He spent 15 DM on Enchanted Bronze. The gold plates on Seraphine's thermal suit shimmered, growing thicker and engraved with protective runes.
"Heavy," Seraphine purred, flexing. "I like it."
"Luma," Reed said. "You need volume."
He spent 10 DM on Mana-Water Infusion. Luma drank it. She glowed brighter. She grew three inches taller. Her [Hydro-Kinesis] became visibly stronger, water orbiting her hands like satellites.
"I feel… splashy!" Luma cheered.
"And Terra," Reed said, looking at the giant.
"I am stone," Terra said. "I am sufficient."
"You need a weapon," Reed said.
He looked at the pile of scrap metal from the failed submarine.
"Grika. Weld that into a hammer."
Grika's eyes went wide. "A Rocket-Hammer?"
"Yes."
An hour later, Terra was holding a massive iron maul with a thruster engine welded to the back.
"Designation: The Peacekeeper," Terra rumbled, testing the weight.
The Send-Off
It was nearly midnight. The Blood Moon was rising, casting a crimson light over the dungeon entrance.
The Away Team stood ready.
Reed walked down the line. He felt like a general sending troops to the front. But more than that, he felt like a father sending his kids into a storm.
He stopped in front of Maira.
"Keep them safe," Reed ordered. "You're the adult in the room."
Maira adjusted her glasses. She was wearing a tactical vest over her maid uniform, filled with knives and bleach vials.
"I will return them in pristine condition, Master," Maira promised. "Or at least, with minimal staining."
She leaned in and kissed his cheek. It was a chaste, cold, professional kiss.
"Do not die while we are gone. It would be… inconvenient."
Reed moved to Seraphine.
The lamia wrapped him in a quick, fierce hug. Her armor was hard against his chest.
"I will bring you his skull," she whispered into his ear.
"Just bring the Banshee," Reed said. "And yourself."
"Both," she agreed. She squeezed his hand. "Keep the bed warm."
He moved to Grika.
The goblin was vibrating with adrenaline. She bounced on her toes.
"Don't get mushy, Boss," she grinned. "I'm gonna go blow up a castle. It's a dream date."
Reed laughed and ruffled her hair. "Just don't blow yourself up."
"No promises!"
He looked at Luma. The Siren was nervous. She was shifting between solid and liquid.
"Reed," she whispered. "What if… what if I'm not scary enough?"
Reed took her face in his hands.
"You don't have to be scary," he told her. "You just have to be slippery. Be the water, Luma. Flow where they can't stop you."
She smiled, turning solid under his touch.
"Okay. I'll be a tsunami."
Finally, he looked at Riva and Terra.
"Riva. Eyes open. Terra. Keep them behind you."
"Affirmative," Terra boomed.
"Shiny Boss stay safe!" Riva chirped, landing for a split second to peck him on the nose.
Reed stepped back.
"Go," he commanded. "Show them what the Teasing Tomb is made of."
The Launch
"Terra!" Grika yelled. "Fastball Special!"
"Initiating Launch Sequence."
Terra grabbed a large, hollowed-out boulder Reed had prepared. Inside sat Grika and Luma.
Terra spun. Her stone gears whirred. The rocket-hammer on her back flared for counterbalance.
She threw.
WHOOSH.
The boulder shot into the sky, arcing high over the forest toward the Necropolis.
Riva shot after it, a streak of feathers and silver ribbons.
Then, Terra turned to Maira and Seraphine.
"We walk," the Golem stated. "Loudly."
They marched into the night.
Alone
Reed stood alone in the entrance corridor. The silence was deafening.
He walked back to the Core Chamber. It felt empty. No Grika banging on metal. No Luma bubbling. No Seraphine hissing.
Just the hum of the Core.
"System," Reed said. "Defense Mode."
[DEFENSE PROTOCOLS ENGAGED]
Blast Doors: Sealed.
Turrets: Active.
Core Shield: Primed.
He sat on the dais, his back against the crystal. He pulled up the map.
He watched the green dots of his family moving north. He watched the mass of red dots at the Necropolis.
He felt the Rival's mind brush against his again.
"…Fool…" Malakor whispered. "…You send your pets to die…"
Reed closed his eyes. He reached out through the ley lines. He pushed back with all his mana.
"They aren't pets," Reed thought, his mental voice cold and hard. "And they aren't alone."
He focused on his [Astral Drone] ability.
He didn't possess a doll this time. He reached out to the mana crystals embedded in Seraphine's armor, in Grika's gun, in Luma's suit.
[CORE LINK: REMOTE SUPPORT] Connection: Established.
Reed allows Mana Sharing.
"I'm with them," Reed whispered.
He poured his mana into the link.
At the Necropolis, Seraphine's thermal suit flared brighter. Grika's gun hummed with extra power. Luma's water glowed.
The war had begun. And Reed was going to micro-manage the hell out of it.