EFB Chapter 77: Boss Rush
Chapter 77: Boss Rush
Chapter 77: Boss Rush
DISCLAIMER: This story is NOT MINE IN ANY WAY. That honor has gone to the beautiful bastard Ryugii. This has been pulled from his Spacebattle publishment. Anyway on with the show...errr read.
Boss Rush
The was no time to waste, not even waiting to see if a mask would form or if I'd get some type of loot from Carmine's death. Even with my Elementals preoccupied and my attention divided, I could sense what was happeningI didn't have time to wait around and concern myself with what might have dropped.
I did, however, appreciate the levels I gained.
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Level fifty at last, I thought as I ran. That gave me fifty-nine points to spend, which gave me more than enough to bring either Intelligence or Wisdom over a hundred and fifty, boost two of my physicals over a hundred, or increase a physical and raise Luck over fifty. It gave me options.
It did not, however, give me a whole lot of time to consider them. There was a chance that raising Intelligence or Wisdom would allow me to reach another benchmark at a hundred and fifty, but it was also possible that the next checkpoint was all the way at two hundred. I knew for sure that I'd get more skills at a hundredthree different skills evenso that was the safer bet. Luckwell, a little bit of Luck might come in handy right about now, too, but on the other hand, I'd only get one skill out of it.
With only moments to decide, I had to choose quicklyand whatever I picked, we'd all have to live with. Each option had benefits and drawbacks and at a time like this
Intelligence and Wisdom were my highest stats, perhaps even my most useful. Objectively speaking, another point in either was the best choice in terms of time and effort; it would take me far, far longer to gain another point of Intelligence then it would to improve any of my physical stats or Luckand I wasn't sure I could meaningfully improve Wisdom at all anymore. From that point of view, I got more for each point spent in either of those then I did in anything else.
But at a time like this, there was more to consider than efficiency. Right now, I needed to think about what would keep people alive and what would get us all through this mess. That I might be able to improve Dexterity or Luck with a little more training in peaceful conditions meant nothing when people were dying now. I had to consider what I needed and that meant my other stats were worth considering, too.
Right now, I could use some good luck. But at the same time, could I afford to rely on Luck now? To place my faith wholly inwhat? Fate? Destiny? Some Higher Power? Just put my faith in it and believe that despite everything that was happening, despite how, well, grim this all seemed, that it would see me through safely? That it would do the same for everyone around me, protect us all, even help me save my mother and father? Could I believe that faith would see me through this?
Because that's what that choice was, really. I had no idea what might happen, what could happen, what to expect. A few ideas, maybe, some of them even comedic, butcould I close my eyes and just believe this would turn out well? Because that's what putting my points in Luck was basically doing, wasn't it? It was praying for good fortune. Maybe not completely the same since I could be sure something would happen, but it wasit was a matter of believing, not knowing.
Could I do that? You hear about people sometimes whose faith is that strong, but could I do it? Would that be bravebecause the idea was frightening enough that I felt doing had to be pretty brave. Or would it be reckless and irresponsible, casting off responsibility for dealing with this situation? Both? Neither? Something else entirely? OrI
No. I couldn't do that, not at a time like this. I wasn't sure if that made me weak, too frightened to believe, or if it made me responsible because I accepted that I needed to do this myself, but II couldn't rely on luck now. Not with my mother and father on the line.
Then what? My physical abilities? I had enough points to raise two over a hundred and I'd get three skills for each. A total of six different skills and considering what I'd gotten from raising Intelligence and Wisdom above that point, I could be sure each skill would be good. Beyond that, the bonuses I'd get from improving each skill couldn't be underestimated, eitherI would be faster, stronger, tougher with each point I spent, and the skills I gained would probably increase that even more so.
But
That would help me in a fight. But what would I do after I'd won? What if, say, such a boost was enough to allow me to defeat my fatherbut what then? What if I still had no way to cure him after I'd beaten him? Would I do to him what I'd done to Carmine?
I could chose two out of threeStrength, Vitality, and Dexterity. But I didn't really need Vitality, did I? Conquest wasn't trying to kill me and I could restore my HP without difficulty. And could already hit pretty damn hard after all my boosts and various skills. Speedreally, I relied on speed more than anything nowadays, layering on dozens, hundreds, even thousands of hits. But did I need to be faster?
Maybe. Carmine's attacks had been beyond even methirty points would go a long way in fixing that, especially after the multiplication all worked out. I didn't know what else I might be facing, but an increase like that would go a long way if I had to might my father or Tenne or whoever else.
Especially if I have to kill them all, I couldn't help but note. It was true, after all.
I took a deep breath. It was an optionI could increase Dexterity and Luck and get four skills out of the deal, or dump all the points into Dexterity and be truly, absurdly fast. Both of those could help, if I chose to go that route.
Alternatively, I had my initial choices of Intelligence and Wisdom. Both would help me in a fight, certainly, but more than that, they had great use outside a fight, as well. If I was smarter, if I was wiser, perhaps I'd be able to see a way through all of this, a way to protect everyone, and way to save people.
And maybe I wouldn't. Really, wasn't this the same as rely on Luck? Trusting that I'd be wise enough or smart enough to save the day when I couldn't see a way out now? That my power would be able to show me the answers?
But then, why did trusting luck here seem more acceptable? Was it because it was an educated guess? Because it was something I wanted to believe? Or was it simply that the thought of investing in Intelligence and Wisdom meant I didn't need to admit how powerless I was? That it gave me at least the illusion that I was doing something?
I don't know. Maybe. If trusting in Luck alone was like praying to God, maybe there wasn't that big a difference here. But I'd always heard that God helped those who helped themselves and maybe that was true, too. This might be the waythe way in, out, or through, I wasn't sure, but the way.
And right now, I'd guess I'd take what I could get.
Fifty-nine points, then. I'd split it between INT and WIS, fifty in one and nine in the other. That'd give me a hundred fifty-one in one of them and a hundred ten in the other; I'd just have to pray that was enough. The only question remaining was which would be which.
Not that being able to mess with gravity again wasn't cool as all hell, of course. It's just that this wasn't the time to get careless. Like any other skill, it would need to be used carefully. I gathered power more carefully as Keppel twitched and began to roll another step towards us, but I just watched him steadily with a pair of eyes, the other set looking elsewhere.
Only once all my immediate concerns were addressed did I turn my attention to the words Conquest was using to try to hurt me and consider them. It was a good question, actually. I'd never been all that close to Keppel or Carmine, since they were really more my parent's friends, but I'd played with Harley before she went off to Signal abouttwo years ago now? It seemed like longer than that, but we'd been friends once, even if we'd gone our separate ways when I'd proven unable to keep up with the others. And thinking about it, her tiny brother Lincoln was probably somewhat less tiny nowwould he be nine now? Or ten? I'd never really paid attention to my old friend's younger sibling's birthdays, to be honest.
I'd given some thought to meeting up with the old gang, though. I mean, logically we'd meet eventually, right? We were going into the same career path. I'd been one of the oldest of the youngest groupthat is, the group of kids our parents had play with me instead of one of my sistersso they might actually lag a little bit behind if I went to school, but still, we'd meet eventually.
Never really thought I'd have killed any of their parents by that point, though. One of the many things I didn't see coming.
I exhaled.
Even so, I'd meant what I'd said to CarmineI'd known everything she said. Time was of the essence and the situation was extreme. At a time like this, fighting against three different Hunters, with civilians trapped down below and Ren and Nora up here, I knew the risks and the stakes. I knew people could die and that every second wasted meant more people could die. There was so much to do and I had so little idea on how I was going to handle any of it. Whatever I did, I knew there wasn't a perfect solution; if I'd fought Carmine long enough to slowly wear her down and somehow subdue her safely, Nora would have died and probably Ren as well. Maybe Kappel and Hui would have ganged up on me, maybe they'd have gotten to the civilians or even Onyx, maybe they'd have just left. I don't know, but it didn't matter, whatever the case, I couldn't let that happen. Could I?
I knew time was short and I knew the risk was great and I knew many other things. I knew that my mother and father were counting on me, that whatever I learned here could be invaluable, that I couldn't let any infected Hunters escape, and that leaving them both uncured and unsupervised was foolish. I couldn't waste any more time than absolutely necessary here and nowtoo much was riding on me.
But then, why was I here at all? I knew that Conquest wouldn't kill me. Objectively speaking, I even knew that learning everything I could about Conquest and the Grimm as a whole was probably more valuable than the lives of everyone in this village. That sounded awfuland it wasbut this was a threat that endangered the lives of every man, woman, and child on the face of Remnant. Perhaps even more than that, I knew that rather than dividing my attention constantly between four or five different goals, I was more likely to succeed if I focused on one. Beyond making sure everything that might escape attempts to quarantine the virus was stopped, like I had with Onyx, I would most likely see results if I captured a single, weak Infected like Jeremy and experimented on them extensively to try and find a cure or at least work towards learning more about the disease.
It was likely that most of the village would die if I did that and quite possible I wouldn't find a cure until after the Infected turned into Pandora Shells themselves, but in the long run, dealing with this threat and learning all I could about the Grimm could save countless lives. Things weren't quite that cut and dry, as I'd still need to do what I could to keep things contained and keep certain targets uninfected, and in the long term I could always find another Pandora Shell, but objectively speak, dealing with this issue as soon as possible was probably the best plan to save lives. And if I actually found a cure
And from a personal standpoint, it also gave me the best odds of success if I truly wanted the best chance for my father. Either way, the odds probably weren't great, but that course of action probably gave me the best chance. And, though again it sounded awful, wasn't saving him what mattered most to me? This wasn't my village. Even Keppel and Carmine, my parent's teammates and friendthey weren't my teammates and friends. They weren't my parents. My parents were back there, in danger. While I could always find another Pandora Shell and examine it further in more controlled conditions later, this was the only time I'd ever be able to save the people I loved. And then there was the long term good my parents would do if they survived, two of the strongest Hunters around.
From a selfish standpoint, from a objective standpoint, shouldn't I focus on saving them? And, if possible, all the Hunters. This villagewell, to be brutally honest, they were less important.
And yet here I was. Why? Morality? Ignoring the fact that any disgust I felt had become rather muted as of late, every nation on Remnant would applaud me if I found a cure to Conquest and learned more about the Grimm, regardless of the cost to this village. More importantly, the moral high ground alone wouldn't save lives. I suppose there was something to be said for defeating all the infected and gaining levelsthat would allow me personally to grow in power and intelligence, increasing the chance I had to cure this diseasebut that wasn't quite what I was doing, was it?
I'd always wanted to be a hero, I suppose, but I couldn't help but think that I'd feel pretty empty if I saved everyone in this village just to stand over my parent's graves. Everything I'd done for so long had been to live up to their example, to make them proud, but if I let them die to do thatwhat was the point? Even when I first found out about this situation, hadn't my first concerns had been my mother and then my father? Yet I'd left because
Because my mother had told me to. She's told me to protect the villageand though I'd know that what she was really doing was trying to protect me, I'd gone along to find a way to save my father. But even though that was truly why I was here and that was what I wanted more than anything else, I was here, even with the clock counting down, when I didn't need to be. Why?
Well, I couldn't let them die, the thought came immediately. But while that was all well and good, I suddenly couldn't help but wonder why I felt that wayif it had only been me at risk, there'd have been no question, but I was risking the things I loved the most in the world for this. I didn't wish anyone in this village ill, but my parent's lives were on the line here; why was I risking them to save people I didn't even know? If it was just my life, that would be one thing, even if Conquest was willing to kill me, but my parentsthey
They would risk their lives to save these people, I thought. Mom, Dad, Keppel, Carmine, Onyx, Tenne, all of them would put themselves on the line to help people. That's what my grandmother had saidand had called foolish, admittedly. Maybe she was even right, I still wasn't sure. Butif I let all these people die to save my father, how would he feel about it after? How would my mom or any of these Hunters feel if thousands were left to die for them? Or if I let them kill them themselves?
I took a deep breath. I'd hoped increasing my Wisdom would reveal grand truths, unveiling a solution I'd been too blind to see. But all it had done was make me understand my own decisions a bit more and the decisions and desires of those around me. But
A part of me honestly considered going back to find Jeremy again. I didn't need to leave Nora and RenI could probably bring them with me and leave these Hunters behindbut I still couldn't. What I wanted most right now was to be selfish, but I guess I couldn't just think about what I wanted. I loved my mom and dad to the point that I'd die to save them, but could I just ignore everything they stood for because I didn't want to lose them. If they were here, they'd stand where I was now. This was, foolish or not, something my parents would die for; if I loved them, I had to at least fight for it.
And perhaps I owed them this much, at leastKeppel, Carmine, and the others. Maybe there truly was nothing I could have done to save them or stop this, maybe there'd been something I hadn't been able to see, I don't knowbut none of that mattered. As one Hunter to another, as one of the living to one of the fallen, maybe I owed them this.
After my quick breath, Keppel finished taking his step only for me to blast him back through a house with a sudden rush of light and power.
"I don't know what I'll say yet," I admitted after a second of silence. "Because I'm pretty sure a fair bit of this is going to be confidential. Whatever I'm allowed to say, though, I'll tell your children myself."
I looked around slightly with one set of eyes, the other staying trained on him.
"If it comes to that, I'll attend you funerals, as well," I continued, stepping forward. "Because of your infection, I imagine we'll have to cremate your bodies, but that shouldn't be an issue. This incident was fairly quiet, relatively speaking, so there shouldn't be anything stopping you from being buried as heroes; I'll see that it's all taken care of however you outlined in your Wills, like you deserve."
Rubble stirred as the ice golem rose, shedding wood and plaster like rain. Most of it shattered in his massive hands, frozen solid after just a brief touch.
"Wow, are you cold or what?" Keppel sounded at once amused and pleased. "And coming from me, that's saying something."
"Make no mistake, Conquest," I said quietly. "I'll do everything I can for these people. There wasn't enough time to deal with Carmine and she was too dangerous to let out of my sight and maybe you are, toobut I'll try, even though I still don't have a lot of time and I still don't have an answer. But Keppelfor the sake of your wife and your children and for you if you're in there, I'll rip you to pieces before I let you hurt anyone."
Keppel's body chuckled but I was struck by that odd sensation again and this time I recognized it.
It felt almost like relief.