SS1 8.3 – Smooth Start
With a tense heart I waited Ariel to reach the spot to launch and land Orbiter 69. It was a small opening in a hillside about 2 km away from the cave. Ariel would reach it in matter of minutes, but every minute felt like forever. I couldn’t help but kept checking my watch. Then, Ariel finally sent me a radio call.
[Berg, do you copy?]
I instantly took a deep breath full of relief before pressing PTT button. “Loud and clear, how is your situation?”
[Clear, and the drone is ready to go.]
“Copy that. I will launch the drone in a moment.”
Without delay I turned the control console on. With ease I got connected to Orbiter 69 and immediately sent it to the sky. A few minutes later, I already saw the first tree where I should hang the tear gas.
The area around it was pretty much empty. Other than a wild hog happily snacking on acorn that scattered on the ground, I saw nothing else. Wasting no time, I lowered Orbiter 69 and hung the timed-tear gas it carried on the designated tree. I did it without alerting the hog in the slightest. It was a clear proof of how silent Orbiter 69.
While having a big smile, I then sent Orbiter 69 back to Ariel. She would load the second timed-tear gas and I would send it to second tree. The third phase was very easy to carry, but it would take considerable time to finish it.
At some point, it would also become boring as hell. However, I had to preserve and didn’t screw it, or we would lose our only chance to leave Kubran Valley alive.
---
It took two nights to place all timed-tear gases we had made. In the second night, I also made visual contact with a pack of warg that patrolling the area. They were capable of spotting Orbiter 69 when it flew at 600 meter above the ground.
The wargs tried to follow it, so I led them to move away from Ariel’s location before sending Orbiter 69 into higher altitude and came back to Ariel in roundabout way. Overall we managed to complete phase three with ease.
However, several hundreds of tear gas wouldn’t fully cover the exfil route. Unfortunately, we didn’t have much time left. On the third day, we had to carry the exfil or we would have to face a pack of warg at night.
As for some uncovered spots along the exfil route, we would cover it with tear gas as we move. I had buy 900 pieces of additional tear gas and divided with Ariel and Kara. Even without counting the cost to build Orbiter 69, the exfil plan had burnt lot of money I got from killing Old Jack, but I had no regret.
Most of all, I managed to save a kid from becoming Old Jack Dinner. It eased up my guilty for failing to save the sibling pair, even though I didn’t truly save her unless I managed to get her out of Kubran Valley alive.
It’s just that, since I woke up this morning, I couldn’t shake off my nervousness. I could also see Ariel was nervous as hell like me. Only Kara had a very calm expression. She happily enjoyed her breakfast. Kid from Patrician Family was really something.
After giving my tea a sip I then said, “Let’s review our exfil plan.”
“Mhm.”
Ariel gave me a light nod, while Kara said nothing but focusing her gaze on me.
“The tear gas in first area will go off at 07:00,” I said as I put a map with our exfil on the table. “After that, we will follow Ariel’s lead.”
“As we have agreed on, I will be in the lead. Kara will be in the middle, and Berg is in the rear,” Ariel firmly said before turning her gaze to the map. “The woods and shrubs distribution in our route is not too dense. The surface is not fully flat, but it doesn’t have steep slope. The ground is also dry and solid. A fit adult male in light set up will be able to cover it at 9 km/h.
As for us, we will cover the entire route in 55-60 minutes as long as we don’t make any stop.”
“How we will handle the threat along the route?” Kara asked.
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“Neutralize threat only that stands exactly in our way,” Ariel firmly replied. “Tear gas will paralyze low-rank monster so badly. The scene will trigger a huge urge to harvest some kills, but we have to ignore this urge and keep moving.”
Kara suddenly turned her gaze to me and said, “Berg, no matter what happen, don’t be a greedy fools. Lots of hunter meets with their end because they can’t control their greed.”
“I know,” I sulkily replied.
For some reason, I felt like a kid who got reprimanded by an adult.
‘This kid is not ordinary kid,’ I muttered while taking a deep breath. Then, I said, “Well, let’s make final check before initiating the exfil.”
Wasting no time, I took out my Flux Raider P320 and prepared 50 spares magazine loaded with subsonic AP in my inventory. I also wore tactical belt with drag rim to house a P320, a Ka-bar, and individual radio.
As for Ariel and Kara, they took out their double-curve bow and prepared several hundred arrows in their inventory. Other than that, they strapped a short sword in their back. After that, we packed our things and started the exfil right away. If everything went according to the plan, we would reach the edge of Kubran Valley in one hour.
---
The first area in our exfil route was located right at the other side of Sachak River. As we reached the river bank, the tear gases in this area went off.
‘Just in time,’ I muttered while jumping out of the boat with Kara.
Then, we pulled a security perimeter by kneeling side by side. I held Flux Raider P320 with both hands, while Kara held a double-curved bow and three arrows in her left hand. A moment later, after storing the wooden boat in her Inventory, Ariel also kneeled next to us, with a double-curve bow and three arrows in her left hand.
“Ready?” Ariel asked while scanning the area in front of us.
“Ready,” I firmly replied.
“Let’s move then.”
After lowering our gas mask, we then jogged the slope to enter the first area. Ariel was in the lead. Kara was in middle, while I was in the rear. We moved steadily and vigilantly, and reached the first area in no time.
The filter we used on our gas mask would remain effective for 3 hours. It was more than enough to cover the whole trip. We also had back up gas mask and filter in our inventory. So, passing through the tear gas envelope would hardly be a problem. It’s just that, the tear gas had drawn monsters attention.
Roar! Roar! Roar! Roar!!!
The first Orc’s roars already echoed through the air when we covered only a fourth of first area. At first, it was only a few roars, but then it rapidly became series of constant roars. A moment later, a group of orcs and goblin appeared in the distance. They were moving fast straight to our direction.
“Inbound at ten o’clock,” Ariel warned us of the incoming hostiles, but she didn’t lower her speed.
I tried my best to trust her judgment, but I couldn’t fully shake my doubt. Before I was realizing it, I already readied myself to engage the inbound hostile. They were about 70 meters away. It was 30 meters before they entered tear gas envelope. Then, I firmly decided. I would take the leading orc down as soon as he entered tear gas envelope.
But then, I heard Kara shout out a warning, “Inbound at four o’clock.”
Kara’s warning instantly gave me a jolt and chill in my nape. Without delay, I turned around to check our second contact.
‘Fuck!’ I cursed as I found dozens of orcs and goblins at our four o’clock already entering tear gas envelope.
Fortunately, the tear gas truly affected them very badly. The orcs and goblin were coughing and crawling as they tried their best to leave tear gas envelope. When I checked the orcs and goblins at our ten o’clock, they also tried their best to leave tear gas envelope as soon as they entered it.
‘It works,’ I happily muttered. ‘We have a very good chance to leave Kubran Valley alive.’
“Berg,” Kara said while maintaining her jog. “Stay focus on your sector. Soon, those monsters will realize they can’t bring close quarter fight on us. They will switch to bow and arrow. Counter their archer by throwing tear gas on them.”
“Got it.”
As Kara said, arrows started to fly at our direction as soon as third group of orcs and goblins arrived at the edge of tear gas envelope. However, with ease Ariel used tear gas to counter them.
Soon, one by one, new group of orcs and goblin joint the fun. Without many words we welcomed them using tear gas. I couldn’t throw tear gas as far as Ariel and Kara, so I bought an HK M320 Grenade Launcher and a few hundred of tear gas rounds.
The opposing side’s number was massive and kept increasing, but we managed to overcome their threat without difficulty. Then, the second area in our exfil route started to appear in the distance, and it was full of orcs and goblins. They formed a rock solid blockade wall right in middle of our path.
After a quick count I estimated their number was no less than 2-3 hundreds. They already drew their weapon and stared at us with their murdered gaze. However, we didn’t lower our speed. With steady steps we jogged forward straight to them. A moment later, the timed-tear gas in second area went off.
Hisss! Hisss! Hisss! Hissss!!!
We were still about 40 meter before entering the second area, but with ease we could hear the ‘Hisss!’ from dozens of timed-tear gas as they went off at the same time. Then, chaos descended on orcs and goblins that formed the blockade.
It was easy to tell. Even in the wildest corner of their imagination, they had no idea they were standing right in the center of tear gas envelope they should avoid. Then, as the blockade crumble we penetrated it with determined steps.
Ariel and Kara replaced their bow and arrow with their short sword, and cut down every orc and goblin that stood in our way as they were painfully groaning, coughing, and lost their ability to fight. As for me, I lighten their workload by headshot some of the monsters.
Before long, we were already leaving behind the monster blockade and went back to the work to handle the opposing archers at the edge of tear gas envelope.
‘So far so good,’ I muttered before loading a tear gas round to my HK M320.
*****
