The Four-Man Fireman Carry Method
At the heart of the cave, where several branching passages met, a hall-sized chamber opened up.
Keeping his body hidden against the wall, Shrakhim looked down into it. There, around the deepest stone pillar, lay the children.
He had been stunned at first by the unnatural way they all lay there, straight as if at attention, with strange wooden fragments set beside their heads. It had looked exactly like they had been prepared as a living sacrifice for the elves.
They’re moving!
Looking closer, he saw the children twitching now and then.
Are they asleep? Or drugged with something? They’re alive, at least. That’s a relief.
Relief, yes. But there was a problem.
How am I supposed to get them out? Damn it! If it were one or two, I could throw them over my shoulder or carry them in my arms somehow.
Even if they were children, there were twelve of them. Shrakhim couldn’t possibly carry them all out by himself. Even if he took two at a time, that meant six trips back and forth.
Should I wake them somehow and lead them out? But what if they don’t wake up even after I try?
Even if they did wake, there was another issue. If the children started crying, the noise would be a disaster.
For some reason, there aren’t any guards here right now. But if the pointy-ears hear them crying and come running...
After a moment’s thought, Shrakhim slipped away.
I need to find the relay station guards first and rescue them. Then I can bring all the children out, and even if I run into one or two pointy-ears, I should be able to buy some time.
For the situation as it stood, it was the most reasonable judgment.
The problem was that he didn’t know where the soldiers had been taken.
I don’t know exactly what’s going on, but it’s obvious the children were dragged into some kind of vile ritual. So what are they doing to the soldiers? Torture? Brainwashing? Or have they already killed them... no, no point thinking about that here. I should just keep looking.
With that, Shrakhim got moving at last, wandering through the dark, narrow passages with no clear destination.
“Uuugh...”
As if Heaven itself had intervened, a groan drifted from one corner.
Startled, Shrakhim ran toward it and stopped before a deep pit. There were definitely people down there, but the hole was so deep and the darkness so thick that he couldn’t make them out clearly.
Nothing for it. I’ll have to use the signal torch. Even if it gets me spotted, there’s no helping that. I need to see what’s down there before I can rescue them.
The rod Shrakhim took out was a magical tool that served both as a flare and a signal torch.
“Red light!”
He rubbed the handle made of burphium hard, and a mana stone glowed with red light.
When it illuminated the pit, he found all four members of the search party down there, far deeper than he’d expected.
Thank goodness. They’re all alive, at least!
He lay down to inspect them more closely, and nearly dropped the signal torch.
“H-Haria, my lord...”
Their condition was far beyond what could be called miserable.
The soldiers were crawling around with both arms and legs severed. And over them, strange crustacean-like insects were writhing, chewing into their flesh.
“Hrrrr...”
Sensing his presence, they let out wet, choking cries.
“Kill... me.”
“Elf... don’t torment us anymore. Just kill us!”
Seeing soldiers begging not to be saved, but to be killed, Shrakhim fell back onto his rear.
“G-guh!”
He forced down the urge to run screaming on the spot and desperately searched for a way to help them.
Could I even get back up if I climbed down there?
It was practically a cliff, so that would not be easy.
I don’t have many healing potions. Even if I heal them somewhat, climbing back up this sheer wall is impossible.
He needed some kind of tool.
Take pursuit seriously! It’s not just about riding a horse and chasing with a weapon in your hand. Both man and horse have limits to their stamina. Even while chasing, make sure you keep your supplies in order. (...) And if you ever have to search, then you especially must bring your equipment properly, because you never know what kind of terrain you’ll face, and you may need to give emergency aid or move the injured.
As the count of the border region’s advice came back to him, Shrakhim immediately regretted it in the literal sense.
I nearly made a fool of myself chasing that troll, and still I repeat the same mistake. I’m truly an idiot. No matter how urgent it was, I should have prepared properly, just as the count said...
He had rushed out after only hearing a rough direction and location from Knoll. It had been good enough that he brought signal torches and healing potions, but that was all.
I should have brought a rope ladder or a grappling hook.
At the very least, rope would have been useful now.
While he stood there unable to move either forward or back, the crustacean worms kept gnawing at the soldiers’ bodies.
“Aaaagh...”
“Uuugh!”
The soldiers screamed as the insects tore and rummaged through their flesh. Their skin was nearly stripped away, exposing muscle and bone.
At the echo of those desperate cries ringing through the cave walls, Shrakhim wanted to tear out his own ears.
Damn it! Can’t I do something about those worms at least? But there’s no way I can just jump down there...
Unable to contain his frustration any longer, Shrakhim slammed the ground with his fist.
“You worms! Come here if you can. I’ll crush every last one of you!”
At that instant, the crustacean worms stopped feeding and began climbing up the pit all at once.
“...Huh?”
Flustered, Shrakhim had unknowingly activated his active skill Taunt - Attack Redirection.
“Uu... aaaaah!”
The insects, their entire bodies covered in black shell, were no bigger than his thumb. Their heads looked like a terrible fusion of a stag beetle’s mandibles and a rhinoceros beetle’s horn. With centipede torsos and spider legs sprouting out of them, they were grotesque beyond words.
“What the hell...!”
He stabbed the floor with his sword sheath and stomped on them with all his might. The worms burst under his boots, but he couldn’t kill all the ones swarming upward.
“Tch.”
Shrakhim planted the signal torch on the ground and ran.
“Huff, huff.”
Dodging the crustacean worms that kept coming after him, he fled up the slope and stopped at a narrow passage barely wide enough for two people to pass through.
What a disgrace, being chased by worms like this. Can I even call myself a knight now?
He decided he would not run anymore and would stand his ground. Besides, after sprinting up the incline, he barely had any strength left.
Is there no stone I can roll down on them?
Remembering how Ho-yeong had done goblin bowling with the Bakgyeokpo on Stage 1, Shrakhim hurriedly scanned his surroundings. But there wasn’t a single suitable rock to be seen.
Damn it!
Then, in that moment of crisis, he remembered a conversation he’d had with the count in Rainpa.
“By the way, what are ye planning to fire as the projectile?”
(...)
“You can make the missiles as you go. We’ve got a mage, don’t we?”
Shrakhim struck the wall hard with his sword sheath.
“Right, if it doesn’t exist, I’ll just make it—”
- Clang.
But the wall was far too hard.
“Gah... huh?!
He lost his footing and tumbled straight back down the slope. Yet that unintended roll became a stroke of genius.
- Crunchcrack.
Every time he went rolling, the worms burst apart beneath him. With his heavy frame and his armor on top of it, he was practically a human cannonball.
“Ugh...”
Only after he slammed into the wall at the fork in the path did he get back to his feet, brushing worm remains off his body with a sigh of relief.
“Haa... Since the count used himself as a cannonball too, I’ll count this as me following his example.”
In any case, he had gotten rid of the annoying worms, so he returned to the pit where the soldiers had been.
“What now... hmm.”
Shrakhim stood at the cliff’s edge, looking down in helpless uncertainty.
What is this?
Scratching at his shoulder, he discovered a bundle of papers tucked under his left shoulder strap.
Scrolls?!
They were the blink spell scrolls he had packed when luring the Hogrifon in at Tamer Territory.
“Look at this jerk, hoarding a whole pile of Blink scrolls. Since it ain’t his own money, he’s just grabbing the expensive stuff left and right.”
Despite Ho-yeong’s nagging, he had stubbornly packed four of them. One had been given to Lilian, leaving three.
Lilian? That’s it. That was the answer!
Even while retreating on the mandragora, he had noticed Lilian’s performance.
That time, it was unbelievable. Right, I can do that too!
He had found a method, but one problem remained.
How do I get down there? If I just jump and break my legs... ah, forget it.
In a hurry, he rolled down into the pit. Perhaps rolling was his true skill after all.
“Ugh. They’re all in awful shape. I’ll have to use the potions carefully.”
Shrakhim gave the healing potion first to the one in the worst condition.
He succeeded in restoring the limbs, but it consumed far more than expected.
Oh no. There’s no way I can regenerate everyone’s injuries like this. Even if I give each of the others a little, it won’t help if they’re left in that awkward middle state where they still can’t move on their own.
After some thought, Shrakhim fed one of the others eight-tenths of a potion and applied small amounts of the remainder to the severed limbs of the other two. The tiny doses only brought new flesh partway back, but at least the bleeding stopped and the wounds began to heal. That reduced the risk of infection and massive blood loss.
“Can you hear me?”
“Uuugh... who, who are you?!”
The two recovered soldiers jumped in shock. A huge man had climbed into the dark pit and filled the space completely.
“Everyone, calm down. I’m the one who came to save you.”
“To save us...?”
Seeing that he was human and not an elf, the soldiers relaxed somewhat.
“Oh, oh... are you sent by the count? As expected of the count. He sent a hero to rescue us.”
“No, I was captured too.”
“...Pardon?”
“A-anyway, I’m here to rescue you. Let’s get out of here.”
There was, however, one problem.
“Wait, aren’t you Shrakhim?”
“Shrakhim?! That trash Associate Knight?!”
These soldiers had not seen what Shrakhim had done in Darckovo.
“...Yes, I’m the same trash you remember.”
“Hold on... what happened to those worms here? Don’t tell me you got rid of them all, Shrakhim?”
When they saw Shrakhim nod awkwardly, the soldiers were astonished.
“I know you probably have a lot to say. But right now, could you please just follow my lead? To get out of here, we need everyone working together. I know where the children are, but I can’t take them all out by myself. I absolutely need your help!”
“Grr... understood.”
Because he had risked his life to rescue them, the effect of Influence / Edification Level took hold well.
“But how exactly do you plan to get us out of here?”
“Austin and Eritz still haven’t woken up...”
The soldiers looked worriedly at their two comrades, who still had not regained consciousness.
“I’ve got a way. It may sound ridiculous, but just do as I say.”
“...What?! That’s possible?”
A moment later.
“Grrrghhh...”
Shrakhim had one healthy soldier slung over each shoulder and was carrying the two unconscious ones in his arms as though they were princesses.