Behind The Mask

Chapter 29: Barrierly There

"Alright, you know what? I think today's gonna be a good day! The sun is shining, everything's set and we're going to a tropical island. And for once, there's nothing stopping us from just flying straight, pulling the Needle and getting straight out of there." says the Colonel.

"Indeed, it would appear that way. Nevertheless, I expect everyone to stay attentive in case of any disturbances."

The ship flies above the sea, rapidly heading to our destination. With any luck, we should be there in ten minutes.

The fifth Needle was discovered by scouts to be on Tanetane Island, the Needle itself apparently being easily visible at the top. With that being the case, this should theoretically be a simple mission as the Colonel states. We land directly where the Needle is, I pull it, and then we leave with no hassle. Unlike Snowcap Mountain, there's no environmental restrictions preventing us from doing that.

So this should be simple. And with the villagers trapped in Saturn Valley, they shouldn't be able to stop us. Besides, how would they get here? They can't fly, and they certainly can't swim across the sea.

Though the mission shouldn't require us to interact much with the place, I've heard dangerous things about Tanetane Island. It's one of few places Master Porky wouldn't let me visit on my vacation years back.

Some preliminary research indicated why — the wildlife here are very dangerous and there's a number of swamps. But even then... that's not the primary danger. The primary threat is something far worse, and it's something I decide to remind everyone about.

"Do not forgot what the scouts reported. If what they said is true, and Fassad's information is accurate..."

There's no need for me to finish that sentence. They all know what it is.

When the scouts reported the presence of the fifth Needle, they also reported seeing three purple entities surrounding it. A guardian for the Needle, much like the Frost Devil.

However, according to Fassad, said guardian was far more powerful than the demon of snow. The Barrier Trio, a group of statues that could collectively pool their psychic power together, thus unleashing attacks at three times the strength.

They have a skill with PSI that is only surpassed by Fassad — coming from him, that's high praise. In fact, I've never seen the full extent of Fassad's PSI, so there's more to fear.

And most uniquely, they have the ability to use poses to affect the environment, neutralising certain elements. Truly, they sound like a formidable foe if Fassad has painted them correctly.

Come to think of it, Fassad's been very knowledgable about this sort of information. The Needles, the Magypsies and now the Barrier Trio... he's always been the one to inform us about these things.

Now, experience has taught me his information is usually valid, but how does he know these things in the first place? Another question to file in the back of my mind.

"So, how exactly do we do this then, sir?"

"The Barrier Trio will be a threat. They will not allow me to pull the Needle without a fight."

"And you can't just like, slip past them and pull the Needle?"

"I require a great deal of concentration to pull the Needles. I doubt the Barrier Trio will allow me that. So, we must neutralise them. 20 of us will descend in four Porkships, and with our combined effort, we should be able to defeat them."

With the plan understood, we continue the journey and soon, the island comes into view. Forests and swamps dot the land, with a cliff on the north of the island overseeing the ocean. At the highest point of the cliff, the Needle shines brightly and beside it... there they are. The Barrier Trio.