Chapter 133 – Acting Drunk.

“Hold on, my dear Rusty. You’re just going to waltz in there with no idea how many enemies are inside? You must be joking.”

Aburdon’s voice was sharp with irritation. Rusty glanced at the darkened doorway of the decrepit structure. He stood before it, concealed in the shadows in case someone decided to step outside. Gleam was pressed against his backplate, out of sight, and his eyes glowed as his two guides argued.

“If he waits too long, the children could be—”

“So what? Those brats are probably fine. Rusty’s life is more important!”

Rusty remained still, eyes fixed on the building as his guides continued their argument. He understood both perspectives. Alexander was right as they had to act before it was too late. He still wanted to save the children as otherwise this whole little mission would be a waste of time. But Aburdon wasn’t wrong either. Rushing in blindly could cost him his life, and then none of this would matter. Gleam shifted slightly on his back, her antennae twitching. She, too, knew that they needed a plan.

“Gleam.”

“ ( ╹ -╹)? “

Rusty murmured, keeping his voice low.

“Can you slip inside and scout?”

“ ( •̀ ᴗ •́ )و “

The ant chirped softly, understanding the task. Her small form made her ideal for infiltration. Rusty’s life detection skill was imperfect, so he needed Gleam to provide more precise information. It was even possible that the children were not here or that they were already dead. If that were the case, he could only avenge them, but killing people in this unknown settlement was probably unwise. It would be best to resolve the issue another way, but he was not sure how.

“Be careful Gleam, if there are any signs of trouble, just run.”

Gleam hesitated for only a moment before skittering toward the side of the building, her nimble legs making no sound against the cold ground. Rusty watched her disappear into the darkness, her small form blending seamlessly with the shadows. His glowing eyes flickered as he leaned against the rough brick wall, waiting.

“She’ll be fine… right?”

Rusty was a bit worried because the people inside did not seem like the type to ignore a monster ant wandering around. While she could use a silencing spell, her body was still shiny and silvery. She did not have any stealth spells to conceal herself yet, but her small size allowed her to hide behind cover quite well. He gripped his sword tightly, preparing for the possibility that she might be captured or followed outside if she was seen.

Inside the building, Gleam moved swiftly and silently, pressing herself flat against the ground when needed. She scaled the outer wall with ease, slipping through a crack in one of the rotting wooden panels that made up the structure. The interior was dimly lit by flickering lanterns, their glow barely penetrating the layers of dust and grime that covered every surface. She moved carefully along the edges of the room, her antennae twitching as she picked up various scents: sweat, alcohol, and something more distinct, like old blood.

She paused behind a broken crate, taking in the scene before her. The room was large, a former warehouse or storage area, now repurposed into a hideout. Several rough-looking men sat around a table, drinking and laughing. They bore the marks of mercenaries: scarred faces, mismatched armor, and the casual posture of those accustomed to violence. They had weapons strapped to their sides, though none seemed particularly alert.

“( •̀ – •́ ) “

Gleam moved closer, creeping along the underside of another crate. From this position, she could see most of the area, but there was no sign of the children. Her tracking skill revealed a trail leading further inside, but she would have to slip past a few loud mercenaries to reach the path leading into what seemed to be a basement.

For a moment, she hesitated before following the scent deeper into the hideout. She kept to the shadows, scurrying under tables and behind discarded barrels. The men at the table continued their drinking, their conversation growing more animated. One of them slammed a fist against the wood, causing a tankard to spill over.

“Damn boss is late. He said he’d be back before sundown!”

One of them grumbled.

“Relax.”

Another replied, leaning back.

“He’s probably just finalizing the deal. That merchant looked ready to pay top coin!”

“He better be, those girls don’t come cheap!”

“Hah, do you think they will let you back into the pink rose after that thing you pulled?”

The man laughed loudly as they discussed their next payment, but soon the conversation shifted.

“But what do we do about those brats?”

“What about them? We’ll just set them straight, and if they’re unwilling, there are always ways of getting rid of them… Just don’t tell the boss and we’ll handle that armored bastard ourselves, later…”

The men started laughing again. Gleam did not truly understand what they were talking about since her knowledge of human language was still somewhat limited, but she knew it was not anything good. One thing she did realize was that the man who was speaking was someone from before. He had previously tried to capture the four children who hid at their lair, and the smell of the children was still on him.

“ ( ｡ •̀ ᴖ •́ ｡) “

Gleam was annoyed and wanted to instantly blast him with a well placed mana bolt but held herself back. She needed to stay focused on the mission. The children were her priority, and attacking now would only expose her presence. After making sure the men weren’t looking, she pressed forward, slipping further into the shadows.

The basement entrance was guarded by a lone thug leaning lazily against the doorframe, arms crossed. He looked bored, his weapon, a chipped sword was resting against the wall beside him. The smell of stale alcohol clung to his clothes and he seemed rather bored, even ready to sleep.

Gleam hesitated. If she tried to sneak past him, there was a chance he would spot her. To make matters worse, the door seemed closed. A bunch of keys was attached to the man’s hip, but getting to them without being caught would probably be difficult. Even if she had them, she was still an ant so opening the door without Rusty’s help would be difficult.

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She skittered around, searching for any openings to crawl through, but the only thing she found was an eye-sized hole. Peering through it, she saw the children, all alive but trapped in a rusty cage. Her antennae twitched as she analyzed the situation. The children were unharmed, which was good, but they were locked up, and the only visible way inside was through the locked door.

There were no windows to crawl through from the outside. The basement was completely underground. The only entrance was the same door they would need to use to escape. Getting them out without alerting the mercenaries would be tricky. She skittered back to the crack she had entered through and slipped outside to report to Rusty. Reaching him, she tapped urgently on his leg, her antennae twitching in rapid succession.

“( •̀ – •́ ) “

Rusty crouched down, allowing her to climb onto his shoulder.

“You found them?”

Gleam nodded vigorously, then tapped his helmet with her antennae before drawing a small pattern on his shoulder with her front leg.

“They’re locked up but alive? That’s good. How does it look inside? Any guards?”