Mad Dog Barnes (1)
Mad Dog Barnes (1)
"Barnes..."
His nickname was Mad Dog.
A former prison guard like Terry, he had a vicious hobby of ripping out hearts and crushing them.
His skills are somewhere between intermediate and expert.
He can move up to a higher level if he gets through the wall.
That's all the information Redin has on him. Barnes is Terry's right-hand man, but he was never a big part of the game.
Not surprisingly.
The war between Burning Hell and Magnes.
Barnes is captured by the Special Task Force in the Operation Herden Dawn that precedes it.
After that, he's only mentioned a few times in Terry's dialogue.
-One day he pulled out his heart because he didn't like the way the staff looked at him, and that's when I knew.
-He's the same kind of person as me.
-It's such a shame. If only Barnes hadn't gotten captured then, we could have blown Burning Hell to pieces.
"It's hard to decide."
The unexpected appearance of a character.
Redin has never expected to see him at this time.
He blankly stared at the red sky.
To summarize the situation briefly, Barnes had taken control of Smaneg and was planning something underground in the Labyrinth.
His target appears to be the Queen level Dungeon.
The reason they'd pulled out and handed the dungeons over to other guilds was so that they could maintain their condition to take on a Queen-level dungeon.
It was moving in quite a systematic direction.
"If I look at the situation, it's perfect...."
The only two people Terry trusted.
This was his chance to catch one of them.
If he caught Barnes at this moment.
Terry would lose one of his arms, and at the same time, his position in the Magnes would be severely diminished.
There's also the rice cakes he's scattered.¹
Those who followed Terry out of Burning Hell will be ready to turn their backs on him. Once he realizes that, he'll be scrambling to keep his position.
His impatience will make it hard for him to think clearly.
If he throws him a bone about the Imperial Laboratory, he'll jump on it without question.
"Huuu..."
The problem is his skill level.
Expert Intermediate.
He hasn't even touched the peak yet.
Capturing Barnes will require some coordination, and he may not be able to get the Hidden Piece in the process.
Three boss monsters that appear in Queen-level dungeons.
A Fairy Queen, a High Elf, and a Spirit King.
He has no idea what Barnes is after, but if he calls for reinforcements, he'll have to give up on seeing the Fairy Queen.
Time will be limited to catch Barnes.
Conversely, if he abandons Barnes, he can meet the Fairy Queen and get the Hidden Piece, but he'll miss his chance to catch Barnes.
"Huuuuu......"
Hidden Piece or Barnes?
He needs to think about it a bit more.
The Fallen World Tree has collapsed.
The dungeon has begun to collapse, and he needs to get out. Grabbing the Monster Soul left behind by the Fairy Knight, he exits the dungeon.
Swwiiiiirrrlll!!
Redin exited the labyrinth and stepped outside.
Hedun, who was carrying his backpack, approached.
"I've been waiting for you."
"Is something wrong?"
"The Smaneg Guild has announced that they will be raiding the Queen level dungeon in a week."
A week later.
"What's the reaction from the other guilds?"
"Mostly negative."
Not surprising.
Guilds exist because of the dungeons in the Labyrinth, and if they take away the source of their existence, the Queen level dungeon, then guilds will lose their very existence.
They'll want the Smaneg Guild to fail.
"The problem is that the Smaneg Guild has started accepting applicants, and their numbers are significant."
"Accepting applicants?"
Something was off.
The main body of the Smaneg Guild is Magnes. It shouldn't be hard for them to take on a Queen-level dungeon if they set their minds to it.
Applicants?
"Yes. They're organizing a party for the raid in exactly one week, so they mentioned to take care of ourselves and not to enter any dungeons."
"Has the Roswen Guild decided to participate?"
"I asked those who wanted to participate, so I have to ask, will you be joining us, Sir Bahad?"
"Uh, I don't think I'll be participating."
"That's too bad, then we'll have to organize an all-volunteer raiding party."
Hedun disappeared.
He turned and stared at the Labyrinth.
It seemed like they were going to do something right away.
He had a week to spare. Enough time to dig up information on the Smaneg Guild and find out what they were up to.
If he does it right.
Perhaps he can get the Hidden Piece and catch Barnes.
"I'll shake things up with the Smanegs first."
* * *
*Pooh-pooh!* Pooh-pooh!
The ship docked with the sound of a horn.
Riena, the Special 7th Division vice-captain, stepped off the ship and onto the land, and exhaled heavily.
"Huuuu....."
After calming down her chest.
She walked briskly into Burning Hell. A few months ago, Burning Hell had been rebuilt from the destruction wrought by the jailbreak.
A newly constructed Burning Hell.
She walked through the Bridge of Hell, admiring its cleanliness, and made her way to the Warden's office on the ground floor.
"May I help you?"
Reina answered the secretary's question.
"The warden has summoned me."
"Just a moment."
The secretary opened the door for a brief moment and whispered something, before turning back to Riena and motioning for her to step inside.
"Whoo."
She breathed out once more.
She pushed open the door to the warden's office and stepped inside.
Looking at Warden Rukel, she straightened her back and raised her hands.
"Salute!"
"Come, sit."
Riena sat down on the couch Rukel indicated. She had only been here once or twice before, and the thought of the report in her hand made her heart pound.
Rukel sat down across from her.
"So. What's the urgent matter?"
"This is an urgent report from Redin, a member of the 7th Division."
Riena handed over the small file.
Rukel took it and read the contents.
-The activities of Mad Dog Barnes, Terry the Poison Toad's right-hand man, in Labyrinth City.
-Has been capturing fairies in the dungeons of the Labyrinth to produce drugs.......
-Currently shutting down all operations and moving to take a queen-level dungeon deep in the Labyrinth's subterranean levels.
-Their goal is to corrupt the spirit king in the Queen level dungeon and send him to Burning Hell, and they have begun preliminary work to do so.
It was all so outrageous.
No matter the size of their organization, it's just a criminal organization. That distributes drugs, kidnaps people, and sells them for profit.
It was hard to believe that they would take their main business, the drug business, and start messing with a spirit king.
If anyone else had seen it, they would have asked who the fuck brought this information in. And if they heard it was someone new.
They wouldn't have even looked at it.
But Rukel was serious.
He read the report in detail one more time, then looked at Riena and asked.
"A spirit king. How could such a being be sent to Burning Hell?"
To travel to Burning Hell, one had to use a ship. Even if they were traveling on another ship.
As long as they're monitoring from the Clock Tower.²
Magnes would never set foot on Burning Hell's soil, and would be taken out to sea.
"I think they'll use the prisoners."
"Prisoners?"
"Members of the organization who have magic circles inscribed in their bodies are captured and brought into Burning Hell, where they will activate the magic circles at a set time."
"Ho..."
Rukel stroked his chin with his right hand at how shocked he was.
It was a plausible enough plan.
"How do you plan to find the prisoners?"
"From the time I was briefed by Redin, I've been examining the prisoners that have come through the ship, and I've narrowed down those with ties to Magnes."
"And you've shortlisted them because of possible spies?"
"That's right. We estimate that the magic circle will be triggered in six days, so we intend to arrest them before then."
It was a neat job done by the Special Task Force.
"So Burning Hell should be fine, and what about Barnes, who's in the Labyrinth City?"
"I'm planning to have five special 7th Division personnel, including the leader of the 7th Division, infiltrate the Roswen Guild and enter the dungeon."
"Will that be enough?"
"Yes. It's possible."
Rukel thought for a moment.
The 7th Task Force was an organization that would soon be disbanded.
Its members would become instructors, and new recruits would be trained and sent into special organizations for training.
A situation that could potentially cost lives.
"I'm confident."
"I see. Then I'll let the 7th Division handle this one."
The report and the plan that came out of Riena's mouth were so neat. It was enough to ensure that there would be no mistakes.
The title of instructor who captured a Magnes officer. That would go a long way toward boosting the morale of the trainees.
"Thank you!"
Riena sprang to her feet and gave a respectful salute.
"Salute!"
As Riena saluted, Rukel asked a question he'd been wondering.
"Did Redin draw the overall picture of this incident?"
"Yes, That's right."
A newcomer, only half a year in. And yet Redin would create an opportunity to take down a Magnes executive himself.
Leaving everything behind.
It's amazing, he thought.
"When this mission is over. tell him to think of something he'd like as a reward and stop by the Warden's office."
* * *
It's a dark, moonless night.
Redin slipped out of the Smaneg Guild, hooded and silent. Once he was completely out of the vicinity, he removed his hood and returned to his normal appearance.
For three days, he worked.
He discovered the entirety of Magnes' plan. He reported his findings on the first day, so by now, the Special 7th Division should be making preparations.
"Now, I need to head to the dungeon."
He left the alleyway and made his way to his hotel.
After arriving at the hotel, he showered and cleaned himself up.
A parcel laid on the bed.
He cut the string with his sword and checked the contents. It contained the spellbooks he had ordered from the magic shop.
Placing them in the subspace pouch.
He looked around his room for a moment to make sure he hadn't forgotten anything, then slipped out of the hotel and lurked along the path to the Labyrinth.
A few moments later.
A bunch of people appeared.
A group of people organized to bring supplies for Smaneg.
He followed behind with ghost walk.
As long as he walked steadily, there was no chance of being spotted.
Thus, they entered the labyrinth.
The group moved in silence, without much conversation. After a while, the path narrowed, and the group turned into a single file.
The guild members moved slowly.
The last guild member in line was gagged and quickly taken out. Redin gathered his belongings and dumped his body in a nearby dungeon.
No one turned to look back.
Transforming into the face of the guild member he'd just killed, he followed the group and reached the end of the labyrinth.
A gray-hued dungeon in a vast space.
Using Veronica's statue, which was filled with divine power, they were able to temporarily lower the difficulty of the dungeon.
From what information he had gathered over the past three days.
Magnes will enter the lowered difficulty Queen level dungeon, subdue the relatively weakened Spirit King, and sacrifice the volunteers to the Spirit King.
Corrupted by the slaughter, the Spirit King would be transformed into a special being, and Magnes' plan was to send it to Burning Hell.
"Enter."
One by one, the members of the Smaneg guild entered the dungeon, carrying bags of supplies.
Following behind them, he entered the dungeon.
Whoosh!
Ten seconds later, he opened his eyes and saw the inside of the dungeon.
There was a blackened tree trunk.
This must be the inside of the Corrupted World Tree.
For now, he followed the group.
Memorizing the maze like paths, Redin arrived at the place where the members of the Magnes organization had already entered.
Their faces gaunt with fatigue.
Wounds visible through torn armor.
One of the requirements for corrupting a Spirit King is a sane mind, which requires a purification device around the back of the neck.
It seemed to drain the Spirit King of his power, presumably by rotating shifts.
"Put all your stuff here, and we'll move back outside."
Setting the bags down, he scanned the surroundings.
There was only one reason he had snuck in here. To meet the Fairy Queen and get the Fairy Heart in the next four days.
"We're going back."
With that, he moved to follow the group again.
And when they came to a fork in the road.
Using Ghost Walk, Redin slipped quietly out of the group.
** ** **
TL/N:
1. Rice Cakes was used instead of breadcrumbs - metaphorical expression that means leaving a trail or clues for someone to follow.
2. Small Recap, Burning Hell Prison has 12 Watch Towers situated around the Island they are called as Clock Towers and are being manned by the Six Kingdoms each in charge of 2 Towers.