LIGHTNOVELWORLD Loop 254 - Part 109
“Squad seventeen down that hall! Squad two, follow me,” Third Smashed called the moment he was inside the doors with the squirrels. Cal only caught the briefest sight of him before he vanished through an archway with the squirrels he had ordered hot on his heels.
“Special squad, stay with your king, and everyone else fan out in your groups. Remember, we are not taking Gryalth prisoners. If you find something that looks like it would be a good idea to break it, break it. If it looks like it might explode, send someone back to inform one of us. Now go!” Second Smasher barked out his own orders before striding up to join Cal, who was currently occupied surveying the room.
“This is going better than I expected, that leaves me worried,” Second Smasher said.
“Eh, honestly, I think we just managed something they didn’t at all expect. We will have to keep up the momentum, though once they start calling for reinforcements, we won’t be able to stand against them for very long. We’ve never managed to stay alive in a direct confrontation with their true invasion force for a meaningful amount of time on Earth,” Cal replied.
“Really, even with all your powers and the amazing things I’ve seen you do?” Second Smasher had a look of astonishment on his face. Apparently, their feats of power had made quite the impression on their one-time foe.
“Yep, why else do you think we are here? We have a bare-bones plan to get stronger, and hopefully, eventually, we can save the planet and, by extension, your home, too,” Cal answered. He smiled cheerfully at the squirrel general, trying his best to instill a sense of confidence he didn’t fully share that they would one day win this.
“For whatever it is worth to you, Cal, son of Stan, wielder of the blade of Pluto, I do believe that one day you will succeed, and I pledge my strength to you on that day. We will stand together, even should I not remember this moment,” Second Smasher had needed any pep talk from Cal after all. The squirrel was entirely committed to the cause, and Cal found his words mildly infectious. He liked the squirrels. It was too bad they didn’t have the resources to bring them along. Well, just yet, he reminded himself. He really needed a long talk with Andrew about some of his wilder fermenting plans.
“Alright, who told the squirrels to surround me?!” Stan’s voice echoed in the room. He was clearly not happy about his royal retinue.
“It is important for the army to see you safe until this mission is over. I am not stopping you from fighting; I am just making sure you do not do it alone,” Second answered.
“Fine, what’s the next plan for us? Anyone find anything we need to see yet?” Stan asked. The annoyance had not diminished in his voice in the slightest.
“Yes, actually, good timing. I was just coming to find you. Before Frank smashes his way through a room we found, I’d like Cal to take a look,” Ethel’s voice was heard from a nearby passageway shortly before her form came into view.
“What is it?” Cal asked as he looked over to the approaching woman. She had a small cut on her forehead, but it was no longer bleeding. Beyond that, she looked as ready as she had ever been to fight an army.
“If I knew that I wouldn’t be coming to get you, now would I? Get your ass in gear and follow me!” Ethel snapped back.
“Okay, okay I’m coming. You guys good without me?” Cal said to his father, moving to follow Ethel before any answer had come.
“Yeah, we will be fine,” His father said.
Cal followed after Ethel, keeping his mouth shut to avoid annoying her any further. He didn’t need Bug angry at him for pissing off her favorite teacher. Luckily for him, the trip proved short, as keeping his mouth shut was still one of his biggest challenges.
“...Okay, I see why you came and got me now, but it’s not like I’m an Andy or Andrew. I have no idea clue what this is,” He said, looking over the room. On one wall, there was something that could be a computer, though it looked more like a prop from a sci-fi pulp film. The other side of the room had what he at first thought was a large mirror until he realized the images in it were not a true reflection. The backgrounds were similar, but none of the figures were.
“Yes, but we thought it was best to have your opinion anyway,” Albert spoke up. He was riding a small mushroom near Frank.
“Shit, Frank, smash the mirror thing now!” Cal yelled suddenly. He had spotted several Gryalth walking into the scene in the mirror and start pressing the buttons on the computer-like device on their side.
Frank didn’t wait for any further explanation. He launched himself from one side of the room across it, shattering the mirror with the force of his own body. As he did that, Albert leaped off his mushroom and detonated it. The force tore apart the strange machine on that wall.
“Huh, was that one of the things they use to get to our universe?” Ethel asked.
“I don’t know, but it sure seemed like it, and I didn’t want to take any chances,” Cal answered. Cal slipped some of the broken material into his pack. He may not know, but he had a feeling one of the geniuses could come up with something as long as he brought them a sample.
“If you can hear my voice, I need you all back at the room we initially came in at,” The sound of Stan’s voice seemed to come from all around them.
“Well, he didn’t sound panicked at least, though, since when can he do that anyway? More weird Excalibur powers, I’m guessing?” Cal asked to the blank faces of the other three in the room.
“Just once, have you considered doing what you were asked before questioning it?” Ethel’s blank face had turned into a glare as she spoke. She turned her back to Cal, not waiting for any snarky reply, and exited the room. Cal sighed. Bug was going to yell at him now; there was no way around that.