Arknights, But the Family Has Fallen Again and Again and Again — Section 12

"Let her go. It'll be good for her mental health."

Even Skadi's icy face showed surprise. Is land-dweller psychotherapy this rough too?

She paused, then asked, "There may be many enemies ahead. Without Specter protecting the two of you..."

What if someone broke through their defenses and entered the blue door? That would be bad, wouldn't it?

Oute found this rather strange.

In the outside world, a world derived from tower defense games, he played wargames and even grand strategy. Yet here, in this Interstice between the mindscape and another world, he was playing tower defense instead.

Rebellious to the core.

Oute shook his head and smiled. "For warriors like you, such a rabble could never break through!"

In truth, he had a clearer understanding of the enemies ahead.

At most, there would be a few small fry. They would not even last a single exchange against Miss Orca Rider.

Skadi nodded, a nearly imperceptible flicker of pride passing through her eyes.

"That's true."

Specter, meanwhile, raised her circular saw in place of an answer.

Skadi gave a slight nod. "Let us dance together, Shark."

Specter looked helplessly at Oute, unsure how to respond.

Compared to Laurentina's original personality, which had at least some mischievous amusement to it, Specter's current nun persona was far more withdrawn. If anyone else spoke to her, she likely would not react at all.

But... the Abyssal Hunters were "bound by blood." So long as Oute had not been harmed and driven her mad, Specter naturally treated Skadi differently from "other" people like Alina.

Oute encouraged her, "Specter, do you want to dance with Miss Skadi?"

Specter gave a slight nod.

"Then go."

The corners of Miss Orca's lips rose and fell almost imperceptibly.

Then Oute said, "Though I don't think it's necessary, please accept my support, you two."

Two trinkets were equipped on the two Abyssal Hunters respectively.

A mental link far stronger than anything possible in the outside world was established between Oute and Specter, as well as between Oute and Skadi.

Feeling the abundant strength filling her body, Skadi tugged on her strap and gripped her greatsword, saying without looking back, "Thank you."

Specter, on the other hand, wore an intoxicated expression. "Ah... my Lord... entered... so full..."

Isn't that phrasing way too awful!?

Oute's mouth twitched.

He vaguely sensed that if a hero equipped with a trinket was willing, Oute could "fight in their place."

The exact effects would need further testing.

Not far away, the dim remnants of the setting sun shone through a gap in the dense forest. There, a burly hooded bandit noticed the group.

This was undoubtedly a good opportunity to experiment.

May I?

Specter, may I use your body?

Sensing Oute's mental tendrils, Specter immediately launched a DDOS attack composed chiefly of agreement and hymns of praise.

Oute rubbed his temples.

After considering what the nun persona might actually listen to, Oute sent a thought her way: I prefer clear actions to a thousand words.

Sure enough, Specter stopped bombarding him with hymns.

But... she preferred actions over words, did she? Then she could not blame the nun for taking some overly intimate actions in public...

With Specter's unmistakable consent, Oute immediately gained two perspectives and could control two bodies at once.

Then this technique could tentatively be named... the Proxy Protocol.

Experiencing it firsthand, the power within an Abyssal Hunter truly was terrifying!

Specter's head swayed slightly.

The large bandit grinned without knowing his place. "Fat sheep! Attack—"

A gust from a blade swept past.

With a dancing grace, Miss Orca descended behind him. Her massive greatsword, forged with Aegir technology, sent him reeling with a blow from its flat.

That also drew the attention of all the nearby bandits.

Oute's main body and Alina hid in the bushes, while a frenzied urge to destroy surged through Specter's body.

As Oute soothed the nun on one side, he activated the circular saw on the other.

The hunt began.

Alina's Lucky Hands

"Ha! There's only one man! He must be one of those little crows!" A dual-blade bandit pointed at the only male and cursed, "He should've been sewn alive into a camel's belly!"

The "lucky fellow" who had just been struck by the greatsword seemed to be the leader of this bandit gang.

He staggered to his feet and snarled viciously, "An ambush? To hell with robbery! Skin these little crows' lackeys and tear them apart, bone by bone!"

"Boys! Crow stew tonight!"

That stuff probably did not taste very good...

The "crow" these bandits spoke of was the shield emblem depicting something between an eagle and a crow. In Darkest Dungeon 1, there was an aristocratic family bearing this emblem, and the player took the role of its bloodline's final "Heir."

Because of the ancestors' countless wicked deeds, including digging up an ancient god, many such Heirs received a letter from home and returned to this ravaged land, only to clean up after their ancestors.

Generally speaking, the bird on such a crest ought to have been an eagle. Yet this family's emblem carried an indescribable chill to it. Oute felt it resembled an ominous crow instead. The bandits might not have realized it, but the words and actions of these projections had been unconsciously influenced by Oute.

Specter swung her circular saw and leaped forward like she was dancing.

Oute thought to himself, Specter's center of gravity is rather different from mine.

Along with that thought, a surge of pride came from Specter at the other end of the mental link.

Oute was speechless.

That wasn't praise!

Well, well, perhaps it could be.

When Laurentina's nun persona faced the one she deemed the "Master of All Things," she had a peculiar sort of charm.

The bandit who had cursed Oute was strongly recommended by Specter as the first target, and Oute let her have her way.

The circular saw buzzed, her long boots struck the ground. Two steps, three steps, then she leaped high!

Sparks flew.

The dual-blade bandit was at a loss before the circular saw's howl. He missed his best chance to dodge and had no choice but to raise his blades to block.

"Useless."

The battered dual blades snapped amid the flying sparks almost instantly. The circular saw's cutting edge cleaved both weapons and wielder in two!

"Our side has lost!"

A defeatist strategist's voice rang out from among the shadowy bandits who had not yet formally entered the battlefield.

"Retreat!"

Having witnessed the scene firsthand, the bandit leader immediately gave the order.

At the same time, he turned to flee.

Skadi's earlier attack had also been powerful enough, but it had not been as gruesome as Specter's current display.

Having witnessed that bloody sight with their own eyes, the bandits' morale instantly collapsed, and they scattered in all directions.

Skadi had originally held no opinion on whether these bandits lived or died.

Watching them flee, Miss Orca intended to withdraw her greatsword as well.

But Oute realized this was a good chance to test something.

These bandits were not real people. Though they could run, jump, piss, and shit, they were merely projections.

An almost imperceptible thought traveled through the mental link created by the trinket and reached Skadi's heart.

Kill him.

Following that vague impulse instinctively, she swung her greatsword and beat the bandit leader to death with its flat.

The flat?

Oute saw the scene through Specter's eyes.

Why the flat?

Right. She did not truly want to wipe out this gang of bandits, so she had used the flat of her sword earlier as well.

I lowered the strength of the mental link, so unless I make it explicit, she would likely think it was her own idea.

But precisely because of that, this method blurred the instructions and lost its value as a command tool... I should set it aside as a special tool for now. It might come in handy someday.

Then, for the sake of consistency, this method of "communication" could tentatively be named the Whisper Protocol.

Though compared to the Proxy Protocol, this one was entirely one-sided and not much of a "protocol" at all.