Chapter 134 – Explosive Exit.

Rusty watched as Theo sauntered away, his smug grin making Rusty’s metal fingers itch to crush his throat. But there was no time for that. He had what he needed: the keys to the basement.

There was no need to keep up the drunken act anymore. He inserted the keys into the heavy door, which groaned as he pushed it open. The noise was noticeable, but just like before, no one seemed interested in his actions. This infiltration mission was turning out to be a lot easier than he had assumed.

He took one last glance around the outer room, where the mercenaries were still drinking and chatting, then stepped inside and closed the door behind him. The air grew mustier as he descended the stairs into what looked like an old basement. This place had not been designed as a holding cell. There were no windows, and air only seeped in through a few cracked holes in the ceiling, making it stuffy and uncomfortable for anyone who actually needed to breathe.

Rolo, the oldest boy, was already on his feet, eyes narrowed at Rusty as he approached. The twins, Ria and Isan, huddled behind him, their small frames barely visible in the dim light. Rusty did not speak immediately. He knew he did not look like the person these children were used to seeing. It was natural for them to be afraid, to wonder what he was here to do. There was no time to explain. He simply reached for the cage lock, inserted one of the keys, and soon a sharp click echoed through the basement.

“Who are you? W-what do you want?”

Rolo asked as he shielded the smaller children with his body. His lip was cut, and several bruises marked his skin, clear signs that he had been beaten recently. One of his eyes was swollen, the skin around it dark and bruised. His left arm was wrapped in a crude bandage, but Rusty could tell it had not been treated properly, likely just a piece of cloth tied around the wound to stop the bleeding. His stance was defensive, though exhaustion weighed down his limbs. He was the only one hurt, which meant he had probably taken the punishment meant for the younger two.

“I’m here to get you out”

Rusty said simply. His tone was firm but somewhat monotone due to the possession skill working on a person who was still alive. Rolo did not move immediately. His wary eyes darted to the open door of the cage, then back to Rusty.

“You’re lying!”

Rusty was not sure what to do. He had expected some resistance, but this was the first time he had found himself in such a situation. For a moment, he considered just grabbing Rolo and yanking him out, but if the children started screaming and resisting, it would only complicate his plan. As he hesitated, he heard a scratching sound coming from somewhere.

“ ( •̀ ω •́ ) ”

It was Gleam, struggling to squeeze through the same hole she had used to see the kids earlier. An idea struck him immediately. While he was possessing this body and had no way to explain that he was the person they had met at the decrepit house, the children still knew who Gleam was. They had seen her there before, and perhaps her presence would help diffuse the situation.

The hole was too small for her to squeeze through, but she was doing her best to widen the opening. A few small pebbles crumbled down, but there was no time for digging. He decided to help. Pulling out his sword, he startled the children, who trembled in fear and retreated. To their surprise, he did not use it on them. Instead, he pushed it into the narrow hole Gleam was trying to enlarge, using it to wedge some of the rocks out of the way. With his increased strength, the rocks gave way, and Gleam finally managed to slip inside.

“ ( •̀ ᴗ •́ )و “

She skittered across the room toward the children. Just as she had with their youngest, Natia, she performed her usual little dance to get their attention. At the end, she skittered back to Rusty, climbing onto his shoulder in an attempt to show that he could be trusted. Rolo took a step forward, and the twins followed as they recognized the silvery ant-like creature.

“It’s that ant from before… But you… are you that mister? But…”

Rusty let out a small sigh of relief as the children recognized Gleam. Rolo seemed to relax slightly, but he was still skeptical. Rusty’s current form was different from when they had first met with his voice included. He couldn’t reveal his true form, so he had to either come up with a lie or convince them to ignore it for now.

“We need to move. While they’re distracted, you can get out!”

It was time to put the plan into motion. The children still needed to escape through the main exit since they would not fit through the hole Gleam had used unless Rusty did something drastic. Instead, he motioned them toward the door. Even with Gleam there, they still did not fully trust him. Fear was evident in their eyes.

“Natia is waiting for you. Do you not want to see her?”

“N-Natia is? She is safe?”

“Yes, she is at my la… I mean, she is at that home, waiting for you to go back, now be quiet and come.”

At the mention of their youngest sibling’s name, the three children seemed to respond positively. Rolo’s hesitation wavered at the mention of Natia, his bruised face tightening as emotions warred within him. The twins clutched at his sides, their wide eyes filled with hope and uncertainty.

“If you hurt her…”

Rolo started, his fists clenched and shaking.

“I didn’t. Now stop talking. When I give you the signal, you will run. Just follow Gleam; she will guide you to the exit.”

On his way here, Rusty had made some preparations. He had replaced parts of the man’s armor with his own twilight steel body. Without doing so, he would not have been able to use his skills and ensure the children’s escape. His words seemed to be enough. Rolo and the others looked at Gleam and nodded. They quickly moved behind him as he stepped forward to open the door to the outside. Once there, he was ready to create a diversion with his darkness elemental skill.

You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story.

In a way, he was excited. He had come here not only to rescue these young humanoids but also to get revenge. These people had intruded on his lair, so he would do the same. He would destroy their lair and escape without them ever knowing it was him. All the blame would fall on the body he was possessing. However, just as he was about to put his plan into action, something unexpected happened.

‘Wait, what’s that?’

His life detection skill picked up three more signals approaching. One in particular stood out, far stronger than the others. Its presence was many times stronger than of these E rank mercenaries, it was a life signal which was probably a D or C rank, something that he probably didn’t stand a chance against.

This was no ordinary thug. This was someone experienced, likely the leader of the Black Hound mercenaries. His plan had already been risky, but now it was downright dangerous. If this man had any skill or ability to see through disguises, Rusty’s infiltration would fail instantly.