Aetherios System [Slow Build OP MC, Isekai LitRPG/Cultivation] Chapter 217: Book 3: Chapter 68: Rambo / Viktor

Read chapter 217 of Aetherios System [Slow Build OP MC, Isekai LitRPG/Cultivation] by TTReynolds on NovelPedia.

Book 3: Chapter 68: Rambo / Viktor Chapter 68: Rambo / Viktor Spells streaked through the air like tiny comets, combining with bursts of light as weapons clashed. Cries and shouts of pain echoed across the forest, mixed with the hiss and crack of aether energy. Kate and Eric’s team had caught a squad of Urhara hunters by surprise by using Earth-born tactics refined on the battlefields of Terraxum. With a collection of old school feints, traps, and coordinated maneuvers only Earth-trained soldiers seemed to understand, they tore through their opponents with ruthless efficiency. Soldiers fell, each knocked out or disarmed. The Worldstriders moved like shadows in the trees. Within seconds, the fighting was over. The remaining Urhara soldiers were stripped of armor and uniforms, their gear added to the growing pile of scavenged resources. Myrae moved quickly in examining each item for tracking glyphs or magical seals, destroying any that might betray them. With practiced hands, she cleaned the area of signs of battle such as the broken branches, scorch marks from spells, and scuffed dirt; all were erased. The forest around them fell silent again, the cacophony of battle replaced by the low hum of adrenaline. “How are we looking?” Eric asked, wiping sweat from his brow, as Kate settled against the wall of the cave to catch her breath. “We should have enough now,” she replied. They looked over the pile of salvaged armor and uniforms. “At least for everyone but Tom-Tom. There doesn’t seem to be any Urhara Kobolds around, thankfully.” And it truly was a blessing, having an enemy with Tom-Tom’s keen nose would be troublesome. Eric nodded, a grim satisfaction in his expression. He motioned Kate over to the rough map he had drawn along the cave wall. Lines crisscrossed the mountainside, marking the dungeon gate, the village, and the floating ship that had captured Alex and the others. Circles, arrows, and careful observation had left their marks on the map, forming a web of connections that told a story of movement and strategy. “This,” Eric said, pointing to the network of lines, “is what we’ve got for an entry plan. I think we finally have something that works.” Kate crouched beside him, tracing the lines with her finger. “It’s risky,” she said. “But it might just get us on that ship without alerting the others. If we move fast, we can avoid the other patrols.” “Exactly,” Eric interrupted. “Fast, and coordinated is the only way. We’ve got the gear, and we’ve got the element of surprise. If we do this right, we can get our friends back without a full-scale war breaking out.” Myrae glanced at them from across the cave, her hands still lightly glowing from cleaning the last of the magical trackers off the collected items. “And we have to move tonight. Every hour we wait, the Urhara are likely reinforcing their patrols, or planning on moving the others further away. We don’t get a second chance here.” The team shared quiet, determined looks, each understanding the stakes. Outside the cave, the wind rustled through the trees, carrying with it the distant thrum of the Andreia’s engines and the faint crackle of residual aether from Alex’s Heaven Tribulation. Everyone leaned in now, peering at Eric’s hastily drawn wall-map. Kate rubbed a hand over her face, still catching her breath, then leaned closer to Eric. “This is a hell of a long shot, but I agree, its what we have to do. We have to at least try. But the moment we get recognized, we will be on a frantic countdown timer towards failure.” “Exactly. That’s why we needed this gear. We can blend in, and hopefully avoid drawing too much attention until we reach the brig of the ship.” Eric said. Garret paced behind them with Tom-Tom clinging nervously to his shoulders. He stopped his nervous movements and let out a low whistle. “You really think we can pull this off? That ship’s huge, its gotta have like four levels to it… it’s like some damn moving fortress.” Myrae shook her head. “We don’t h