LIGHTNOVELWORLD Loop 254 - Part 107
“We’d rather hear it from our pledged lord,” Second Smasher said after Cal’s agreement to help. Once again, Cal was left amazed at just how strongly his father had gained Second’s loyalty just from Excalibur. He had to spend months traveling through caves and fighting monsters alongside Third to only go half as far.
“Of course. I pledge that before the end, we will free your people from their enslavement, and I thank you both for all your help now and in the future,” Stan answered. Both squirrels stood to attention as soon as he opened his mouth and saluted him once he finished speaking.
“Thank you, your majesty,” Second Smasher said. “Then I believe all that is left is how we want to accomplish this attack.”
“We kick down the front door. They are used to us sneaking everywhere or just hiding in the grove playing defensive. I saw we just lead a giant force straight through whatever their main entrance to the caves is, and then we fan out, hitting them everywhere at once. I’ve basically been making golems nonstop for a year now. We have the shock troops needed to do a frontal assault, plus I’m bored,” Ethel said. She was the first to speak up on the battle plans, and as far as the idea went, Cal was on board. It also meant it would be easier to keep track of each other in case of the shadow Gryalth.
“So, I know this comes as zero surprise, but I’m with Ethel here. That said, I have a feeling there will be a strong blowback to Pluto once we leave. Is that something you are okay with, Second?” Cal asked. He expected a counterattack by some of the stronger Gryalth forces once they showed their hand earlier than usual, even if it was a different planet.
“Yes,” was Second’s only answer. Cal smiled at the similarities between Second and Third.
“Well, I suppose if no one has any complaints, we go with the overwhelming frontal assault plan,” Stan looked around the room to see a group of nodding heads. “Alright then, it’s time to head home soon.”
“Good, thanks to Onelder, I have some golems ready for a special part of the assault,” Ethel added. Cal saw the Cyclopean visibly shutter when she said that. What the hell had she been doing to him? Not that he didn’t deserve a little torture, but Cal was curious.
“Then I guess it’s time for the details,” Stan said. Cal felt his eyes already glazing over. He had the details for his part, keep track of his friends and family, and smash everything else in his way.
***
“What’s this?” Cal asked. Jen had handed her stepson a small round object that was nearly humming with mana, interrupting his last breakfast before they started their march.
“Swallow it. I’ve been working on it with Onelder, Ethel, and Excalibur. It’s basically a suicide pill. If it detects any attempt to alter the knot that Excalibur found in your father, it will self-destruct, causing a big enough explosion to destroy your body completely. It’s less needed in your case as your death just restarts the loop, but I didn’t want to waste time on a custom one just for you. Everyone loop-aware should take one,” She explained.
‘Huh, not a bad idea. What about Excalibur, though?” Cal asked. He didn’t think the sword had a stomach, not that he had ever really asked.
“He doesn’t believe that the way he replicated loop-awareness in himself would be applicable to anyone else, as his core isn’t anything like a mortal core. He doubles the Gryalth could do anything with it. He also plans to remove the knowledge of how he did it from his memory if needed,” She answered.
“Andrew is going to be like a kid in a candy shop when he meets the sword. Remind me to make sure he doesn’t try to take it apart to see how it works. I really hope they are doing okay in the Under Library. He may be an ass, but for a very long time, it was just Andrew and me in this mess,” Cal said. He missed the others, friends and family alike. Thinking of Bug, he made a mental note to grab a few of the edible items they had cultivated and pack them safely away. She deserved a treat from Pluto.
“Same. We need a nice family dinner next loop,” Jen said, smiling at Cal.
“Yeah, if we can get the king to agree to a peasant’s meal,” Cal replied. He would never get tired of making fun of his father’s new royal position.
“I think I can talk him into it. Hopefully, once he’s away from the squirrels, we can get past his crown,” They both shared a laugh.
****
Cal watched in slight amazement as Second and Third Smasher assembled the squirrel force. Several hundred squirrels stood in lines. Each soldier carried a weapon and wore some sort of stone armor. Cal wasn’t sure exactly what it was made of or how it managed to bend and move with the squirrels, but he was impressed nonetheless. It made him wish he had more time this loop to talk to the smiths, but he supposed he could always do that again in a future one. He decided that wasn’t happening until he was strong enough to easily wipe out the Gryalth here alone.
In front of the squirrel ranks, massing near the entrance to the main tunnel, were several hundred more of the creatures Ethel called tree golems. Cal had asked her more about what exactly they were. He hadn’t been concerned about them being alive, as he knew she wouldn’t ever do something like that only to send them to their death, but he wanted to know how they worked. It turned out the reason Frank needed the regeneration abilities was that each one of them contained a splinter from his body that was used to grow them. They didn’t have any true intelligence and could only follow a few basic routines, but that was apparently good enough for what they needed.
He then saw his father give a signal, and the squirrels saluted as one. It was time to go. He took one last look around the grove and hoped that it would still be standing at the end of the final loop. It was a serenely beautiful place, a place of calm and cooperation in Pluto's harsh environments. Cal walked forward towards his father, joining the ranks of departing soldiers.