Dungeon Sniper

Alstair led the way, and just around the corner, there was the slum. Scattered Humans in rags, and some half-n.a.k.e.d, lay b.a.r.e on the street carelessly—no, lifelessly. They all looked sickly, and thin to the bones.

The whole scene, along with the smell, reminded me of the Farm under the Goblin Lair. I looked away, trying to shake away the trauma.

"Everyone outside the city of Deltaris itself calls this place a 'colony.' Only the former North Deltans see their new home as a lawful republic. Do you know why?"

"I don't know. You tell me what's wrong with your people," I muttered, extremely displeased and uncomfortable by the sight in front of me.

A little child, filthy and evidently unhealthy, lifted his head weakly to stare at the four strangers dressed uniformly in gray light armors. I met his blank, lethargic eyes. I did not look away this time.

"Like I told you, the War of Deltas was hardly a war. More of a deceptive backstab on behalf of the Elves. But that was the decision by the city council, not the average Elven residents. As a result, almost every Elf in this city believes that the two Deltas came together through annexation. As far as they're concerned, the Humans requested to be a part of the greater Delta, in exchange for protection and... 'sophistication,' as most of our kind smugly believe."

"Right. Look at those Human hobos lying on the street. Totally unsophisticated," I exhaled, irked beyond words.

"Do you feel angry now, Beta?" asked Ramsis quietly at my side. I resisted the urge to nod right away.

"All right. Obviously, this is depressing. But I still don't have a legitimate reason to get involved."

"Sometimes, you don't need to be given a reason to do something. You do it because you feel it's the right thing to do," said Alstair with his clear, conscientious eyes.

I stared at the pathetic scene of the ghoulish ghetto in front of me once more. Even the temperature felt different here from the brighter, cleaner streets of the main road. I felt a sudden chill and shuddered involuntarily.

Alstair and Ramsis were eyeing me expectantly. Even Elysia looked at me with not the usual contempt, but something resembling a hope.

I let out a grunt that ended up coming off as a defeated sigh.

"What's your plan?" I asked reluctantly.

.

.

.

We walked deeper into the slum, under the smelly, damp aqueduct.

"There is an underground movement for a revolt, led by an individual named Mosez," said Alstair, leading us through the narrow, dark corridors next to the dirty water runway.

"Sure. He sounds tough."

"She also happens to be Ramsis's relative. A distant cousin."

"Another relative? Just how many relatives do you have, Ramsis? Talk about busy ancestors, am I right?"

I was trying to lighten up the mood.

"Well, I had a lot more two years ago," said Ramsis gloomily.

Right. The war. Epic fail on my part.

"Shit. My bad."

"That's okay. I'm finally getting used to your jokes, Beta. Too bad I won't get to hear them much longer."

I stopped and stared at Ramsis.

"What do you mean you won't get to hear them anymore?"

Ramsis blinked and then smiled awkwardly.

"Once we free the Humans, we'll be too busy reconstructing the society to share any jokes. I feel like I'm going to miss them, despite the short time we had between us."

"Look at Ramsis being so hopeful already. Planning way ahead of us," smiled Alstair encouragingly.

"No more guilt-tripped nightmares for you by then," said Elysia, gently stroking her lover's arm.

"Yeah, because cleaning things up after a revolution sounds like a fun project that I'll be sticking around for a long time," I laughed along, for now.

"Sarcasm?" asked Alstair.

"You bet it is," I answered with a scoff, despite feeling eerily uneasy.

To be completely honest, something was off. It had been off for quite some time actually. At least that was what my Survival Guts told me at the moment. But then I was involved in some seriously complicated war of independence after all. Maybe I was getting a little jumpy, especially after witnessing how miserable the Humans outside at the slum looked.

There was light ahead, and we came to a spacious enough area filled with a dozen of Humans, apparently waiting for us with raised weapons and tense bodies. They loosened a little and seemed less hostile at the sight of Ramsis, however.

"Ramsis," said a tough-looking woman with cropped hair coming forward.

"Mosez," replied Ramsis, shaking her hand.

"Good to see you again, Mosez," greeted Alstair cheerfully.

Mosez ignored Alstair and nodded curtly to Elysia, and finally laid her eyes on me.

"So this is the one?"

I was the one, apparently.

"Beta, this is Mosez, the leader of the underground movement."

"We are called the 'Reflux.' Welcome to our humble home, Beta."

I shook Mosez's strong hand.

"Yeah, humble is actually an 'overstatement' in this case," I said absent-mindedly, my eyes fixed on the remains of what I was certain to be sewer rats, cooked and eaten.

Mosez blinked and looked at Ramsis, who shrugged apologetically in my place.

"Sorry. Not a fan of the underground," I said quickly, realizing my mistake.

"So I heard. What you did with those red-skinned devils down south? Call me impressive."

"Yeah, you know, the Goblins. Couldn't pass them by without some good old carnage."

"And you have my thanks. I'm curious, by the way. How did you find yourself down there in the first place?"

"Huh?"

"Ramsis told me you did the job from the inside, from what it looked like, at least. I wanted to know how you could infiltrate the lair so deep, hit them from within, you know?"

"Oh, that."

I paused and looked around at everyone's curious eyes looking back at me.

"I... let them capture me. I was confined in a cell, broke out, wreaked havoc, happy ending."

"Except for the damned Goblins," Mosez squinted her eyes incredulously, sensing my awkwardness.

"Right. Bad ending, in that case, for them. But I was happy, so," I added hastily. What could I say? I was a bad liar.

"I just want to say that was mighty brave of you," nodded one of the Reflux, a bulky bald man with a mustache.

I was not going to tell anyone I got knocked down by a Goblin and was carried inside unconscious to be bred as a farm animal. That one, I was going to keep to myself to the grave.

"That's just perfect. You're exactly the missing piece we've been looking for," said Mosez.

"Funny how the word 'perfect' could sound so... ominous?" I laughed weakly. I did not like the vibe down here, at all.

Mosez did not smile back. I was wondering if she smiled, like ever, when she turned to the bald man and nodded at him authoritatively.

"Gart, the blueprint."

Gart nodded back and rubbed his bald head excitedly as he went to the corner and came up with a rolled paper in his hand. Meanwhile, the rest of the Reflux brought a crude wooden table to the center of the room.

Mosez took the paper from Gart and spread it on the table.

It was the floor plan of what seemed to be a four-storied castle.

"Did the big-mouthed Elf inform you of our plan?" asked Mosez, not even looking at Alstair's direction.

"I figured I'd wait until we met you. You made adjustments from the last plan, I'm sure?" asked Alstair, not at all looking hurt by Mosez's cold attitude.

"Thanks to the lazy Elf, I now have the privilege to fill you in, Beta. Have a seat, and mind the bump on the ground."

A Reflux member brought me a wobbly stool, smiling at me friendly as he did so.

I sat down awkwardly as I saw Ramsis and Elysia got seated as well.

Alstair was left standing behind me, not that he seemed to mind at all.

"Mosez hates the Elves. Male Elves, especially," Ramsis commented in a murmur.

"Yeah, I can tell," I nodded briskly.

Mosez, also seated, sighed and pointed to the castle drawing with her middle finger. I had the prudence to keep my mouth shut and not point out that she was missing an index finger to her right hand.

"Castle Deltaris. It's located in the dead center of this despicable city. Above a 'man-made' island in the middle of the Divis River. The island is called the Deltaris Complex, the hub of the city business and whatnot. And the castle isn't exactly a castle, more like a gaudy, trophy-architecture of the Elf snobs who think they can rule over us forever. Needless to say, both the island complex and the castle were built by us, through the Human labor, right after they took over South Delta."

"Yes, the way you said 'man-made' was a giveaway," I slipped.

Everyone heard me, including the never-smiling Mosez.

"Really? What was this 'way' that I spoke with?" asked Mosez, frowning imposingly.

"Nothing. It's just that you sounded—"

"Sounded what?"

"Full of menace... but not because you couldn't say 'woman-made.' Get it? Because women are as strong as men, and with how your hair just screams equality, and no one's getting the joke because feminism is like a thousand years too early here. Great. I see that now."

"What are you even talking about?" asked Elysia, looking aghast as if she had just seen a madman talking—and to be fair, she was looking at one right now. Totally understandable.

"So you like to make jokes?" asked Mosez, crossing her thick, muscular arms.

"Occasionally," I gulped.

"And when I sounded 'full of menace,' as you said, did I also sound like I was someone who liked to hear jokes and quips between each and every sentence?"

"Nope. Please go on, ma'am," I cleared my throat meekly.

I felt a tap on the shoulder, and then Alstair whispered next to my ear.

"What's 'feminism?'"

"Let it go, Al," I hissed back.

Mosez eyed me suspiciously—whether I was the man for the job after all—but resumed anyway.

"Our original, and still favored, plan is a full-militant revolution. We arm up every Human and go against the Elves with all we've got."

"But I told them—" interrupted Alstair, only to be cut off by Mosez right away.

"But this prude of an Elf disagreed. So we made a few changes. Instead of a head-to-head conflict, we opted in for a subtler, but more difficult, approach."

At that moment, Alstair cleared his throat as if wanting to say something.

Mosez ignored the noise and was going to continue as Alstair cleared his throat more loudly, even raising his hand and waving it cheerfully this time.

"What, Elf?" growled Mosez eventually.

"May I take it from here, Mosez? I need Beta to understand the need for this subtler, and admittedly more difficult approach, instead of just 'informed.' He deserves a thorough understanding, given his crucial role in this plan."

"I really don't mind skipping another lecture from Alstair, for what it's worth," I pitched in feebly.

Mosez glared at Alstair with unbridled hatred for a few seconds, but she clicked her tongue grudgingly in the end.

"Make it quick."

"Oh, come on," I g.r.o.a.n.e.d.

"Thank you. Now, Beta, I told you that most of the Elves in this city have been told the incorrect version of the history regarding how the Humans have come to work for them."

"Slave for them. You can't call that 'work.' We serve the bastards against our will," growled Gart, who seemed to share the same sentiment towards the Elves—male Elves—just as his tough female boss.

"Pardon me, but I don't like to say or hear the term, under any context."

"You think we like it? And we are the context."

"And no word can solace our treachery against your people. But we're going to make everything right, once this plan succeeds."

"I said it a million times before and I'm saying it again: I just don't feel like this plan will work as smoothly as you tell us, Elf," spat Mosez.

"It will work. And it's the more sensible way to bring peace to not just Deltaris but the entire Delta Region."

"Thing is, I don't want peace. I want revenge," grimaced Mosez.

"As sweet as the word sounds, revenge has no place in this plan. This plan is for the living and for the future, not for the dead in the past."

"What bout the 'present?' We toil and suffer in the present, Elf!" erupted Mosez, slamming her fist on the wobbly table.

All right. I had seen enough.

"Just what is this plan? Stop stalling, bickering, lecturing—that was to you, Alstair—and just get on with it," I said exasperatedly.

"In essence, we are going to take out a few Elves at the top of the administration," said Alstair calmly.

"Not just a few, but the entire city council, led by a slimy Elf named Oren," added Mosez, with the unwavering disgust in her voice.

"Oren. He's the one who came up with the whole deception. From the start to this day," explained Alstair.

"So it's an assassination."

"Assassinations. Plural. I'd be pissed if no fewer than twenty Elves ended up dead at the end of the day," growled Mosez.

"Kill a few to save a lot. History is filled with such accounts—"

"No. No history lesson this time."

"Some other time then," said Alstair eagerly.

I pretended not to have heard that.

"And you, all of you, want me to be that assassin."

"Yes," said Alstair and Mosez in unison, much to Mosez's disgust.

"More like 'yikes' for me," I grumbled.

"Scared already?" Elysia smirked at me.

"Try 'apathetic.' I just don't see why I'm the guy for the job in the first place."

And, yes, the job seemed a little daunting, to be perfectly frank.

Ramsis leaned forward eagerly, rocking the unstable table to everyone's annoyance.

"But you're our only option, Beta. Mosez and the others are not just runaways but wanted criminals. The guards know their faces and are pursuing them even as we speak," said Ramsis.

"As if they can," scoffed Mosez.

"And me, I've been seen in the company of Alstair and Elysia too many times. I can't risk being identified and associated with the Runnels. They know there's at least one Human member in the Runnels."

"What do you mean, 'at least one?' There's only one. You."

"There's another now. You."

"I mean, am I, though?" I could feel my face crumbling into an irritable frown, and everyone saw it too.

"You are. And we're glad that you're one of us," nodded Alstair encouragingly.

"Nnn.... nope. Still not feeling it."

The one thing I hated to see happening: losing control. And I was losing control on all ends here.

"You are not just an option, Beta. You are the option," urged Alstair once more.

"Look, I like being flattered as much as the next guy, but this—"

"Please put some perspective on it. A full-on clash of arms between the Elves and the Humans is the worst thing that can happen to both of them at the moment. Think of the innocent Elves who did not take any part in this sad, despicable act schemed by a few evil Elves in the council," pressed Alstair, riling Mosez more than me.

"Innocent? How could they be innocent when they knowingly own us, put chains around our necks, punish us for escaping labor, and do not even bother to look into the suspicious war that they won against helpless civilians made up of women, children, and the elderly?" barked Mosez heatedly.

"You know, Alstair, she has a point there," I admitted.

"You keep saying as if the Elves are the victims just as we Humans are. You're telling us that the Elves will come to their senses when they learn that the council has been lying to them, but who knows how many of the Elves have known from the beginning and just pretended to be innocently exploiting us? The Elves, the oh-so refined and cultured master race, fooled and made gullible by all too convenient lies made up by those who happened to take the blame for the crime that no one knows, or wants to know. You expect us to buy all that crap? We got into this mess because we bought your crap in the first place!"

"Yeah. What she said," I nodded fervently.

"I understand your apprehension, Mosez."

"Don't waste your breath, Elf. You understand nothing."

Alstair turned to me, with sincere, pleading eyes.

"Beta, you're an outsider. You're the only one here without prejudice and bias."

"Actually, I'm leaning more towards Mosez's—"

"Comfort and luxury may have blinded our kind for too long. But the truth, the truth will prevail."

Alstair stopped talking. No one talked for a while. It was then that I realized everyone was looking at me in silence, in anticipation.

"Wait. Are you all waiting for my take on this situation?" I gaped.

"If you have one, let's hear it," Mosez threw her hands frustratingly.

All right, then. Monologue time. So I thought for a while. Mosez's idea of starting a revolution sounded drastic, but not unjustifiable. The Humans had suffered. That was a fact. They had been deceived once already, and Alstair's alternative method to bring justice to the Elves responsible for the slavery and exploitation sounded too ideal for them. I could see that.

But, realistically, a full-on, arms-to-arms conflict between thousands of Elves and Humans seemed nightmarish. The city would be in ruins after who knew how many lives had been slain. The phony War of Deltas at least preserved the city intact, albeit at the expense of hundreds of Human soldiers who died by the hands of the Goblins outside the city wall.

This really was a sad situation. And those who were responsible for this prolonged catastrophe were living comfortably and haughtily in a fancy castle.

I remembered the face of the child who was robbed of a normal life, of a family, of a hope. Anger rose naturally. And now the anger had found its target.

After a long, patient pause, I opened my mouth tentatively.

"We can all agree that the city council Elves sound like the real bad guys here."

"They are," nodded Alstair.

"But I don't think that the rest of the Elves are totally free from blame. Like Mosez said, who knows if they have known all along but are just acting innocently. I mean, you guys have the perfect faces to pull any act off."

"All Elves are two-faced. I'll never be deceived by their false smiles and meaningless platitudes," hissed Mosez.

Mosez definitely had some issues with the pretty-faced Elves, and all Elves were good-looking, so, technically she had beef with every Elf. But whatever her deal was, I did not want to touch on the subject. Now or ever. Mostly because I was cool like that, minding my own business, and partly because Mosez, well, she scared me a little.

"Right. Here goes. You wanna hear what I really think?"

I paused and looked around the dark, crowded room of a dozen Humans and two Elves looking back at me expectantly.

"I say, deaths to the city council."

"You have made the right decision, Beta," smiled Alstair.

I shook my head slowly, and Alstair's smile hung in the air confusedly.

"First. Let's kill them 'first.' That's the first part. After the council's been taken care of, and 'if' the other Elves are still in denial of what happened, not repenting for their deeds at all and wishing to live on as slave owners—"

"Then we crush their perfect little noggins inwards, down to every last living one of the males. Just males though, I have no problem with the Elfinas. We can also 'castrate' those who wish to live. Then we'll burn the limp sausages in a giant bonfire, victory-dancing around it, breathing in the ashes of the race on its way to extinction," grinned Mosez with a savage satisfaction in her voice.

"—Or something less visual, but yeah, then we'll have no choice but to," I gulped uncomfortably.

"Let's hope that we never come to that," said Elysia quietly, looking pale and apologetic at the same time.

Alstair did not say anything for a while. He looked despaired at the latter alternative/contingency plan.

But really, it was as simple as that. No plan had to be a one-and-done deal. It could and should always have contingent, fail-safe follow-ups. Alstair wanted a perspective, and I came up with one. Objective and foolproof. Efficient and logical.

Or was I missing something here? Either part of the plan sounded reckless and improbable. But that could work to our advantage too. A plan that seemed so daring and imprudent also meant that no one was expecting it.

Unless—

I felt a stare on my face. The members of the Reflux were talking amongst themselves excitedly, having long moved away from the table. It was Alstair, who was looking at me both disapprovingly and dejectedly. I stared back at him silently, until he broke out a sigh.

"Like Elysia said, let us hope dearly that we never come to the second part of the plan, because we can and will avoid it, right, friends?" said Alstair finally, with a sad smile.

"You're no friend of mine," snarled Mosez, naturally.

"It's settled then. When do we start with this plan anyway?" I said loudly before the atmosphere in this small, filthy room could get any danker.

"Is anyone hungry? I'm hungry. You hungry, Elysia?"

"Don't talk to me."

"Cranky. Hunger does that to everyone, you see."

I felt like I could use some food, but not the rat-cuisine these sewer-dwellers had been having. That was the last thing I expected, along with having to stay another minute in this cramped, suffocating scheming room.

Mosez heard me from the circle of discussion she was having with the other Humans and turned her head to speak at me.

"You wanted to know when we start with the plan?"

"No, actually, I wanted to know if you've got some food—"

"We can start right away. Tonight."

Right. No. That was the second last thing I was expecting there.

"Really? So soon?" I asked with a grimace.

"The sooner we liberate our kind from this tyranny, the better," said Gart.

"That's true, but I feel like I'm a little unprepared."

And hungry. Not rat-eating-level hungry yet. But who knew for how long.

There was something else too. Inside my hollow stomach, I felt a sick, nervous feeling. If I might borrow the trite expression, I felt as if bugs were crawling and fluttering on the inside. Not butterflies though. They were the uglier, grimier kind.

But I just could not quite place my finger on what it was.

"We have everything ready for you. The way into the castle, the weapon stash, the disguise—"

I cut off Mosez right there.

"Disguise? What disguise?"

Mosez nodded at Gart, who eagerly retreated and came back with a set of dirty garb, not unlike the ones I had worn before I was given the Runnels outfit.

I stared at it, not wanting to say out loud the obvious message behind it.

"You want me to infiltrate the castle while dressed like a slave."

Well, since no one was going to point that out for me, so I had to say it myself eventually.

"Classic, don't you think?" grinned Mosez.

"Yeah. Maybe too classic? As in cliché?"

I knew it, damn it. I had known it would have come down to this.

Perhaps this was the uneasiness I had been dreading the last few hours? If so, then it was not the worst thing that could happen.

Who was I kidding? It was exactly the very worst thing that could happen to me.

I grudgingly grabbed the ragged clothes, complete with a chain collar that seemed too functional to be called a fashionable choker.

"All right, if I'm wearing this, Elysia has to hold the leash this time. That's the final term."

"What, another joke?" frowned Mosez.

"Not this time, Mosez," I shook my head determinedly.

Elysia got up from the seat with a sigh and took out a dagger deftly from her waist.

"Forget the collars. I've got a better idea. I think he could use some scars and cuts, to make the whole look believable. What do you think?"

"That, the look in her eyes, I can tell she's not joking," Mosez wagged her good index finger before retreating back to join the discussion she had left earlier.

I backed away from Elysia marching up to me with a drawn dagger. As graceful as she looked in her steps, the dagger looked really sharp too.

"Now, that's too extreme, Ellie, even for me," I smiled warily, my back touching the grimy wall of the small room.

"I know. Does it turn you on too?" Elysia smiled back, so coldly. Hey, she was copying my words from the earlier. Clever.

I looked at the others for help. Mosez and Ramsis were not even looking at us, immersed in a heated discussion, while Alstair seemed to be indecisive.

"Seriously? Al!"

"Well, if it helps with the cause—"

"Good one, Al. Your first joke. I love it."

"I wasn't joking."

By then, Elysia's dagger pressed against my arm. I let out a helpless yelp.

"Swear you'll stop with the jokes, or some scratches in your arms are going to be the least of your worries," said Elysia as she stepped closer with her dagger.

"You're going to cut... my privates?"

"No, you pervert! I meant your tongue!"

"Oh. Well, in that case—Ouch!"

Elysia took a quick swing at my hand, leaving a small cut on the back of my hand. My Thick Skin Perk was on, but Elysia was just the better daggerist.

"That'll teach you to keep disgusting me," said Elysia as she pointed the dagger to my face.

"... Actually, you taught me a whole another level of kinkiness with that."

No, I was not proud. But I was being honest.

Elysia let out a disgusted grunt and withdrew the dagger.

"Is there any chance that he fails at his job and dies in the castle somehow?"

"Ha, classic Elysia. Anti-jinxing because that's exactly the opposite of what you want, right? You coy girl, you."

"Venerable Velonis, please fulfill my wish," Elysia closed her eyes and prayed. Looked very convincing and sincere too.

Alstair walked up to me, at the same time Mosez broke off the circle and came face-to-face with me.

"We're counting on you, Beta. We'll start in an hour when everything will be set by then," Mosez extended her strong, four-fingered hand. I took it and shook as solemnly as I could.

Mosez walked away. I turned to Alstair, who then placed his hand on my shoulder and squeezed it reassuringly.

"You're doing the right thing, Beta."

"I know," I shrugged.

Alstair hesitated a little before he looked away and let go of the hand on the shoulder.

"One more thing," said Alstair hesitantly.

"Anything but your history lesson, Al."

"... I'll be the one holding your collar to the castle."

And just like that, 'kinky' turned into 'kill me.'