Chapter 117: Stealing a Mecha (1/2)
After the speech by General Ro, they were guided toward the storage rooms where each squad made another line waiting. As words circulated, they heard that The Runes Association had provided artificial artifacts to combat the Calamity Spider.
Arthur had no plans to take any, and it wasn't mandatory. So, he left his squad after the leader reminded him that he needs to be at the gate in three hours. Although there was a lot of time left, they were afraid some would desert at the last seconds.
Too bad that it was Mistletoe's plan all along. That's why he wanted to meet with Ivy and the rest to see how their plan would unfold. As he walking through the fortress, a hand grabbed him from the shadows and pulled him into a corner hidden from view.
It was Ivy, a few inches away from him, holding his mouth so he wouldn't scream. Seeing he wasn't startled; she removed her hand and grinned.
”You're getting less-newbie-like, Newbie.” Ivy, with her long curly hair that Arthur wasn't used to, dragged him away from view to another storage room where Zas and Li were waiting. It seems they have sneaked away already and were waiting for Arthur to arrive.
”Aren't you scared we might be found out if we meet like this?” Arthur asked after he unsnarled his wrist from Ivy's grip.
”Relax, even if we are, it's not that uncommon for guild members to meet before the battle. The only reason they separate people is to avoid emotional attachment in deadly situations.” Zas waved his hand.
It seems that if guild members joined the same squad, they would either risk the whole squad's formation collapsing or just disobey orders if things turned worse to help their friends.
”When are we leaving?” Arthur asked after nodding to Zas.
”Well, we thought we should do it now. However, Ivy says she has a better idea than wasting our energy.” Zas glanced at Ivy who smirked. ”I think it's better if we just use my ability to teleport us a distance away from the Calamity Spider, but Ivy says…”
”That wouldn't be fun!” Ivy interrupted. ”I heard something while the Vetus-ranks meeting. There's underground storage that has pathways leading outside the forest into the woods.”
”And?” Arthur didn't understand, and he saw the others sigh.
”Hehe, they have a secret weapon to fight against the Calamity Spider. It's Mechas!” Ivy's eyes were glowing with excitement.
”They're the first line of defense against the spider. As normal awakeners would just die if they're sent out there, the mechas and mana-guns would be used first to slow it down. The squads would spread in the surrounding and on top of the walls to attack the spider if it gets close.”
”How is that related to stealing a mecha?” Arthur asked with genuine curiosity. He always wanted to see an actual mecha since the first time he learned about them. They were mechanical artifacts, as they used both machinery and runes to achieve optimum mobility and firepower.
”If we wanted to get close to the Calamity Spider, we need to steal a mecha!” Ivy tsked and waved her finger as if Arthur didn't understand. ”They're better than waiting in ambush amid danger.”
”You're scared of wild monsters with Li with us?” Zas asked with an 'I know your game' scowl. Ivy glared at him with Li nodding with their squared face.
When Arthur asked Ivy before, she said that none of them saw Li's face before. They also didn't know Li's gender since they couldn't talk and never revealed it. However, she assured him that Li was quite the amiable character once you befriended him.
As Arthur looked at him nodding his head with his slits-like eyes and square face, receiving Zas's praise with a pleased expression, he thought it might be true.
”Fine, I just really want to ride a mecha!” Ivy pouted.
”Well, this is just extra work for us. They're usually encrypted and stealing them would send the whole army after us. It might be easier to use, but it would be hard to acquire.”
”Well, I think the reason Ivy thought about it is because of me.” Arthur laughed as he looked at Ivy with a side-look.