Chapter 82: Completing the Mission

Lus walked slowly through the hallway, but not too slowly. He didn't want to get to the office too soon so Vlqtrn had enough time to handle his side of things, but he also didn't want to look suspicious, especially given how fresh the assassin attack was in everyone's minds.

It'd been only a week since that fateful day with Shelbs, and the manor had returned to its usual routine, though everyone still seemed a bit on edge. His bunkmates had been especially bad, all three of them constantly worrying since they had to share a room with the guy they considered the assassin's number two target if she ever returned.

Luckily, things were getting better each day, even if it was only by a little bit.

However, Lusac and Vlqtrn were about to make things a lot worse. Like a lot worse.

They'd come up with a plan to get the artifact out easily enough, but finding the right time to execute it–an especially difficult challenge given the extra security after Shelbs–had taken several days of waiting and discussion.

It was finally decided that things were relaxed enough for them to pull it off. They'd been away from the Argo for well over a month, and both were eager to return to their ship and regular jobs. Lus missed Avil and Becky and Yrqw and even maybe the Fsylan tubes with all their crampedness.

Today was the day he got to leave behind being an ordinary line cook to return to being head chef of the Argo.

Assuming he made it out of this in one piece that was.

He shook his head. He couldn't afford to start worrying now. That would do him no good.

His steps slowed even more as he approached the door since he had yet to get Vlqtrn's signal. The Kremel was to disable security in the whole wing in a single go, and then Lus would use [Dash] to break into the room, get the artifact, and meet up with his friend in time for their escape from the manor.

Lusac stopped and pretended to study one of the paintings just before the turn to the office. He didn't want to be seen by the guard until it was time.

The lights flickered and then turned off. The sun had gone down outside already, plunging the hallway into darkness.

[Activating Night Sight]

Thanks to his newly purchased [Night Sight], Lus saw everything in grayscale instead of being mostly blind. He got [500 XP] from his recently completed [Quest], but even that coupled with all the cooking wasn't enough to put him at the next level, though he was finally getting close.

He also still had enough [XP] to buy another [Skill] after this if he ever needed it, but for now [Night Sight] was all he spent his [XP] on since it was immediately useful for this mission.

Activate [Dash], Lus thought to himself, and another notification popped up over his vision.

[Activating Dash for 50 seconds]

Lus took off at a sprint, turning the corner to be in the corridor with the door to the office. The guard was there, but he was basically frozen as Lus ran past with his [Dash]. Thanks to Vlqtrn, all the security was down so Lus easily opened the door and entered the office.

Grwtln was there in his chair, just starting to rise from it as Lus jogged to the cabinet. He didn't waste time with finding a key and opted to just shatter the glass instead. Reaching carefully inside, Lus removed his prize and tucked it safely in the small bag he wore over his shoulder before leaving the room behind. The guards were beginning to react to his intrusion, but he was far faster than them so he easily dodged past and outran them, taking the stairs two at a time as he rushed to get to the main hall where Vlqtrn would be waiting.

Sometime during his run, his [Skill] ran out.

[Dash deactivating]

[Cooldown: 5 minutes]

"Blast me," Lus muttered to himself as the world resumed its usual speed. Hopefully he had enough of a headstart to keep ahead of the security guards until he reached Vlqtrn.

Sirens blared through the mansion, and the lights were on, giving Lusac a clear view of all the staff members hugging the walls and looking around in fear.

He kept running, praying that no one realized he was the criminal. Maybe they all believed he was running out of terror or something.

On the second floor, just before the stairs that would take him down to Vlqtrn so they could enact the rest of their escape plan, Lus ran into trouble.

There were three security officers waiting, and he managed to stop himself just in time to duck behind an end table before they saw him. He barely peaked over so he could watch their movements, and they spread out enough that they would easily see him if he stood up.

"Find the Human. He stole something valuable from the Senator," one of the guards called out to the others. They all held blasters, and Lusac was weaponless. He didn't have long until they came across his terrible hiding spot.

Lus silently cursed as he looked for a way out. His eyes ran across another hunched form just across the hall…

Fresa-Ersht. She looked back at him, and he saw the realization in her eyes. She knew it was him they were looking for. All she had to do was call out, and he was as good as dead.

But that's not what happened. After the realization passed in her eyes, a wave of understanding and agreement crossed her face. She nodded to him and pointed down the hallway. Fresa was going to let him get away, and by doing so, that would settle the debt between them she'd been so worried about.

He dipped his head in understanding and then bolted in the direction she pointed once the guards' backs were all to him. He slid around the corner, and to his relief there was no yelling from the guards meaning he'd gotten away without being caught this time.

Lusac got back to his feet and continued to run, wishing he had more [Stamina] or even just a ]Power Burger] to beef up his stats temporarily. His side ached, but he refused to give up and kept pushing himself. It was a slight detour to the other set of stairs and then down to the main floor, but after a few minutes Lus reached Vlqtrn, running into no other resistance.

The problem was his friend had had worse luck, and he had his hands on his head as he knelt before half a dozen security officers who were all armed. Vlqtrn was caught.

Luckily they'd accounted for this situation happening, and Lus wasted no time pulling out the next trick for aiding their escape. He put all his focus on a single thought, and a rush of relief rushed through him as the notification popped up.

[Activating Summon Avil]

A blob of black fur appeared in his arms.

"No time to explain how I'm in this mess, Avil. Get big and take those guys out while Vlqtrn and I run away. Once we're safe, I'll summon you to us, and we'll all escape together." Lus tossed the cyclops cat to the ground and motioned to the enemies.

The cat remained motionless, staring up at Lus with his one yellow eye.

"Go on, buddy. I need you."

Avil screeched in protest as Lus used his foot to shove him forward, but once he was past the safety of the corridor and in the open, he curled in on himself and transformed into the bubbling mass that came before the real monster.

The security guards had taken notice of the change, and a few were coming towards Lusac, but he stepped back farther in the hallway, keeping Avil between him and the enemies.

Just as they reached the black mass, cyclops-Avil rose up with a roar, stretching to be well over ten feet tall with rippling muscles underneath his coarse, black fur.

The security officers backed away in surprise, but they weren't fast enough as Avil swept one arm outwards and knocked all three of them to the ground. The others realized that this was a much bigger threat and all turned their attention to it. Blaster bolts bounced harmlessly off Avil as Lus slinked around the corner and motioned Vlqtrn to him.

The Kremel stood up and punched the single guard who remained by him. The two tousled briefly before Vlqtrn got the upper hand and threw the officer to the ground. He then dashed to Lus.

"I can't believe your cat can do that," he said as Lus fell into a run next to him.

"It's surprisingly handly. Saved me back when Shaquine took over the Argo too." Lusac's legs burned as he attempted to keep up with the long strides of his Kremel companion. They just had to make it out of the mansion and to the hangar where their ride off the planet waited. Easy peasy, assuming Avil continued to distract the guards.

They reached the main doors of the manor, but two guards stood there at the ready, undeterred by the shouts coming from the rest of the security officers who faced off against the monstrous cyclops.

"Blast it," Vlqtrn said when he noticed them. "We should have grabbed blasters."

"Too late now." Lus glanced around, looking for any other opening, and he caught sight of the large windows all along the hallway "Let's go through a window. You go first since your skin is less fragile than mine."

"They're reinforced glass. I'm not so sure it'll work."

"Choose. Blasters or glass."

Vlqtrn muttered a vulgar Kremel curse and changed his trajectory so he was instead charging to the nearest window. It cracked as he rammed against it, but it remained in one piece.

Roaring, Vlqtrn threw his weight against it again while Lus chucked whatever he could at the incoming guards in distraction.

The third try from the Kremel worked, and he went tumbling out the window. Lusac wasted no time jumping after him. They both got to their feet and continued their sprint away from the chaos of the manor.

Lus looked back to see the guards starting to follow but being stopped by one of Avil's meaty arms. The whole system companion thing was insanely powerful now that he knew how to use it properly.

They didn't have to run far to reach one of the hovercars parked on the street. Lusac had never been in such a nice vehicle, but there was no time to admire the finer details as he climbed into the passenger seat and Vlqtrn into the driver's side.

Luckily the Kremel's tech expertise encompassed more than just computers, and he easily hotwired the vehicle. In less than a minute the car was zooming along the road, leaving the disaster they'd just created behind.

Unfortunately word about their escapade had made it out of the manor, and three hovercars pulled up behind with flashing lights.

"COPS, or something," Lus warned the driver.

"I see them. Hang on. I'll try to lose them." Vlqtrn grit his teeth and yanked on the steering wheel, sending them into a sharp turn at the intersection. The engines roared, and several alarms went off warning them against such reckless use, but the Kremel paid them no mind.

The COPS remained on their tail, but Vlqtrn was already executing another extreme turn by the time they rounded the first corner. Lus held on to whatever he could, sweat beading across his forehead as he tried not to imagine dying in a fiery crash. At least Vlqtrn's driving skills matched his ego in the matter.

They took more turns and even a few shortcuts through well manicured lawns before Vlqtrn was satisfied they'd lost the COPS. He then took them to one of the few businesses in the suburban area and brought the hovercar to a halt.

Lusac exited with his hands on his stomach. As grateful as he was to be safely away from the mansion, the escape had proven rather nauseating.

"Come on," Vlqtrn shouted, grabbing his arm and dragging him to the hovercar repair shop.

They passed by the onlooking mechanics and the few patrons into the back closed off area where the shop kept spare parts, and in this case, an illegal shuttle.

In a strange turn of events, Lusac was the designated pilot for this mission. Vlqtrn might be good with a hovercar, but the Kremel was adamant he couldn't handle a shuttle and that his skills were better used in weapons.

Lus took a breath and powered up the ship.

"Forgetting something?" Vlqtrn asked.

"Oh, right." He closed his eyes and focused on activating his [Companion Skill] again. As far as he knew it didn't have a cooldown, and he really hoped he wasn't about to find out the hard way it did.

[Activating Summon Avil]

A familiar black lump popped into his lap.

"Good job, Avil." Lusac pushed the cat off him. "Go to Vlqtrn. I have to pilot."

Avil screeched in reply and climbed into the Kremel's lap instead. Lus calmed his nerves and activated the appropriate controls for liftoff. They were getting out of here.