Authors Note: I divided this chapter into two parts, due to length, but it was written with the intent to be just one. Four self-contained stories, the so-called "montage chapter" I was planning way back in December. One of them gets dark and violent, so if that's not your thing...heads up. Won't spoil which part and where though, for those whose thing it is ;)
Though at its heart, this story will always be a parody, just know that the dark, violent and serious moments will come up as the story goes on. Honestly though, considering the shows (except Kona suba) crossed over in here…I don't think it's too surprising.
Also, for future reference, though I honestly do plan to try and stick to a schedule of two weeks after I post a chapter (I say this after almost four weeks working on this chapter lol)…I will post updates on my profile if I'm ever lagging beyond that deadline too far. We'll see, since I'll be working on other projects to help spread my name as a writer.
And finally, one of the self-contained stories has heavy OC emphasis...but after this, they're just minor side characters. Their story does serve a purpose to the overall narrative, but none-the-less, I do hope you enjoy! Cuz I don't plan on writing a chapter this looooong again (50 ms pages total. For reference, ch20 was 20 pages.)
Chapter 21
Part 1
20 Days until the Wave
A tiered city poked up from a valley, in front of a mountainous range. Three levels of defensive walls, guarding towns populated by classes proportionate to their level, towered up as if competing with the mountains. A castle proudly perched atop the peak of it all, poking up at a murky grey sky. This was the city of Siltvelt.
Its entrances were well guarded, with access points restricted to specific spots that made possible invasions easy to defend against. The demi-human guards at one of the gate booths were playing cards, passing time on an otherwise normal day. Four of them sat at a round oak table with stacks of coins indicating which of them was winning, each hiding a deck from one another.
One of them was a dogman, tapping his foot hurriedly in frustration, desperate to earn back what he'd lost to the lizardman across from him. With his nerves wound tight, heightened in his state of intense concentration, three loud smashes against the iron-barred window scared the hell out of him. His tapping foot jerked the table up, spilling coins all over the floor.
"NOOOO!" The lizardman screamed, watching his hard won money scatter across the ground…along with a stash of cheat cards falling out of his sleeve. He looked up at the other three with a smile too sheepish for a lizard. Their scornful glares caused him to recoil. Eager to throw the attention off of him, he flew over the table and the angry dogman in a panicked leap, pressing his face against the bar's to see who was knocking so loudly.
It was a man in grimy armor and a cheap helmet. He had a small shield fastened to one arm, and a sword of strange length at the opposite hip. Behind him stood 3 demi-human children, bordering on emaciated and dressed in torn rags. Though the site was alarming, the truth was, they had looked much worse prior to having been taken in by the strangely dressed man. The other guards left the booth to surround this newcomer. "Ow! Ow! OW!" Each of them smacking the lizardman in the back of the head as they passed.
"These demi-human children are orphans." His voice was brusque and monotone. "I was informed that your country acts as a haven for their kind. Can you open up the gate for us and give them sanctuary?" Goblin Slayer was as blunt as always.
"Wait!" Keel squeezed his way in front of him. "I can't stay here! I need help finding my friend back in Melromarc! Goblin Hunter said he'll pay for adventurers to take on the job! I just need someone to help me! Please!"
"Goblin hunter?" The dogman questioned, raising an eyebrow, eyeing the grimy adventurer suspiciously.
Though his silver tag had lost its worth in this world, he had quickly found another way to confirm his identity. Goblin Slayer pulled the sword out its scabbard and transformed it in front of everyone. He then tapped the matrix gem embedded in its hilt. "I was summoned here as a hero."
"THE…THE SWORD HERO?!" The guards yelled in unison.
"Wait, wait!" The lizardman shook his head, pressing his hand to his face. "Why'd the kid call him Goblin Hunter?"
Keel put his hands on his hips. "Because he used to slay goblins back in his old world, and he's still worried about them here." He cocked his thumb back at him. "So he's Goblin Hunter now." Then he nodded as if his reasoning was worth a pat on the back.
"So, he was a monster slayer, huh?" The dogman rubbed his chin with an interested smirk.
"Sword Hero-sama…" The lizardman glanced at the other guards, looking to see if he wasn't the only one nervous about his arrival. "You coming here is a complicated thing…" 'Why is he rescuing demi-humans anyway? He was summoned in Melromarc, wasn't he? He should be worshipped there…' "I'm afraid we can't just let you in as a regular guest. Come with us, and we'll escort you to the castle so you can speak with one of our representatives. The children can come along as well. We will need their testimony too, but after that, I have no doubt they'll be provided the highest level of sanctuary and care."
At this, the two demi-human children alongside Keel hugged each other in relief and gratitude. They bowed to the guards. "Thank you!" In return, the guards each gave a warm smile to the poor children. Then, they both took one of Goblin Slayers hands in both of theirs, clasping his gloved fingers tightly. "THANK YOU, GOBLIN HUNTER!"
"Mm." He nodded, responding bluntly to their shining eyes. He then looked at Keel, who had a nervous wrinkle to his forehead. "Do not worry. I will make sure that a thorough search for your friend is performed." At this, Keel's eyes glazed over in appreciation too.
Their genuine gratitude was not lost on the guards, though neither was the constant reference to a fourth child. "This girl…your friend…do you know where in Melromarc she is?" One guard asked.
Keel shook his head, dropping his chin to his chest, averting his gaze. He knew he was requesting something big, and the fact he didn't know where to help them start made him feel ashamed. "I'm sorry…"
The dogman knelt eye-level to him. "Hey, don't you worry, kiddo!" He pat him on the head. "We'll figure something out!"
He stood back up and whipped a finger at the lizardman. "You! Escort them up!"
"Yeah, you cheatin' cheapskate!" Another guard slapped him on the back, lunging him forward.
"Alright, alright! Geez!" He stretched his back. "It was your guys' fault for getting tricked in the first place!"
The guards yelled as he trotted over with a smile to a dragon-drawn carriage. "Kids! Sword Hero-sama! This way, if you will!"
Once they were pulled through the open gate, the dogman went back in and activated a crystal orb on the round oak table. He came face to face with a rabbitman palace guard. "Hey Bram!"
"Yo!" Bram answered. "You lose money again?"
"Ngh!" His head jerked back, the other two guards laughing at him. "Shut up! But yes…" The dogman shook his head. "Anyway, you'll never guess who just showed up…"
"Who?" His eyes widened with excitement.
The dogman's expression remained stern. "The Sword Hero."
Bram looked surprised…then his face became as stern as his.
"Yeah, that was my reaction…" The dogman said, with a peculiar edge to certain words. The other guards didn't notice. "Which faction is holding the seats today? The Shusaku? Or are the Genmu still at it?"
"Still the Genmu. The Shusaku representative was still in Faubley until two days ago, after they declared war on Melromarc. Since he's still on his way back here, the Genmu are using his absence as an opportunity to push things."
"That's what I figured…" The dogman furrowed his brows, concerned. 'Of course it's them! If that's the case, we need to get the message back to Shieldfreeden ASAP!' "Keep an ear on how things unfold! I'm looking forward to it!"
Bram's long ears twitched. "Of course, I'll be sure to keep everyone informed." He winked at the other palace guards surrounding him. They smiled, expecting some juicy gossip to spread soon. He intended for that to be their reaction. It was the duty of a spy. 'Kundal should still be hiding around Siltvelt. I'll try to contact her later.'
[The Siltvelt Palace]
"Sword Hero-sama. Children." A rabbitman guard bowed to them. "My name is Bram. I'll be your escort for today. If you'll follow me this way, Sword Hero-sama, we'll need to confiscate and search your belongings. Safety measures, you see."
"I see." Goblin Slayer nodded, following Bram into the sentry post just outside the palace entrance.
The room was much more lavish than the mere booth at the bottom of the city. It was large enough to host a party of a dozen. A white onyx center table sprout up with two ceramic flagons and several wooden mugs atop it. The guards cleared it for Goblin Slayer to lay his rucksack and satchel upon.
He opened the rucksack, gripped the fabric knot at the top, and slipped out a blanket with its corners tied, holding everything inside together. He meticulously unraveled it across the table. He was careful not to disturb the more fragile items inside, while keeping everything in place as he'd organized it. He repeated the process with the satchel. He pointed at several strange objects spread upon the sheets.
"Be careful with these. They may cause injury if carelessly handled." He turned to Bram. "Unfortunately, I cannot give you my sword. It will return to my scabbard once I let it go."
Bram nodded. "Legends of the Shield Hero make mention of his holy weapon being irremovable. It's only sensible that the same would apply to the other heroes as well." He noticed the children standing eye-level with the table. They were just as baffled and interested by the assortment of Goblin Slayers equipment as the guards were. Even Bram had to admit there were some strange things he couldn't recognize at an immediate glance. But now wasn't the time for inquisitive indulgence. "If you'll come with me, I shall bring you to the highest ranked duke that is present today."
The children looked around, curious yet anxious, while Goblin Slayer hiked with his typical bold and confident stride. With Bram in front, Goblin Slayer following, and the three kids huddled up close behind him, they walked to the castles atrium. Subdued mumbles beyond the walls suppressed the total silence, but just barely, as even their footsteps drummed louder against the ground. It was empty, but ostentatiously spacious.
The hall was wide, enough for a parade to march through, and the ceiling stretched so high that three ladders would need to be stacked to reach it. Keel dropped his head back, pulling his mouth open, gaping at its height until his shoulders hurt. Colored tapestries hung below high windows, spaced by pillars set against the walls every ten steps or so. Everything was immaculately clean. Polished white onyx floors, bright marble slabs coating the brick-stone walls, and patches of bright grey through airy windows divided by pillars supporting a vaulted ceiling.
'This must be what ruins look like, long ago before goblins take them over.' Goblin Slayer mused silently as they walked. He then thought of Idol's mansion. 'That man's property was kept clean too…that's no good. It is beyond a level of education I've witnessed in goblins.' He thought of the king that summoned him, Montcrey the carriage driver, the blacksmiths he had forge his weapons, and the various towns people he'd met. The niggling worry, stuck to his heart like a curse since he'd been summoned, spiked at these thoughts. Like he'd encountered something unusual in a goblins nest. 'How many other people have I met here that hide a nature dangerously akin to goblins?'
Something caught his attention at the end of the hall. It was a short young man only a head taller than Keel. A shell encapsulated his torso and a white snake, seemingly with a mind of its own, stretched out behind him as a tail.
He tilted his head at the sight. '…that is not a goblin.'
"Whoa!
"Ah-ha ha!"
Keel and the other two kids pointed and smiled at the snake tail. Bram's shoulders tightened and knees locked, dreading the outcome of this meeting.
"Sword Hero-sama…" The strange man crossed his stomach with his arm and bowed. "Welcome to the city of Siltvelt. I am Orlend the Duke, nephew of the former head representative of the Genmu. Ah!" He shook his head, admonishing himself. "That would be the turtle subspecies of demi-humans. My apologies."
"There is no need to apologize, I did not know that." 'So turtles have two heads? That is interesting…'
"Hoh? Straightforward, are we?" Orlend smiled.
"Yes. It is imperative that I resume my original goal as fast as possible."
"Hmm? And what might that be?" Orlend then furrowed his brows, worried that the answer might mean trouble for Siltvelt.
"I am confirming if there are goblins in your world." Orlends worry broke into confusion.
"Oi, Goblin Hunter…" Keel tugged on his arm. "I keep telling you, goblins don't exist here."
He turned down to him. "It is possible that they were brought here by means similar to what brought me. We had discovered the book which summoned me here inside a goblins nest, after all."
Keel raised a brow. "We?"
"Anyway-" Goblin Slayer turned back to Orlend, ignoring Keel. "Have there been any instances of crops being stolen, women being kidnapped, or small unidentifiable footprints appearing on property on frontier lands?"
Orlend tilted his head with a puzzled look. "I can't say that anything of the sort has been reported. However, with the exception of women being kidnapped, these sound to be relatively minor cases. But we've had no such things come to light anytime recently."
"I see. Even in this world, it would still be an overlooked matter." Goblin Slayer's helmet faced Orlend. "If you could, I would appreciate a map that marks all the deserted coal mines, unexplored caves, abandoned ruins, and any other location that could be used by creature's best described as nomadic bandits."
Orlend looked at him, perplexed. "And what are you going to do at such places?"
"Map them out and inspect them thoroughly until every corner has been overturned."
Orlend tilted his head slightly, emphasizing the eye under the brow he raised. "…and you are searching for goblins?"
"Or creatures similar to them." He answered without hesitation.
Orlend's eyes flattened. 'Is this really one of the Legendary Heroes? Could it be this man came across this sword by mistake, somehow?'
"Orlend-dono!" The palace guards ran up to them. "The items he had on him…you should come see them!"
"Hmm?" He saw excitement on their faces.
Keel clicked his tongue. "Do we really have to walk all the way back there? I didn't want to say anything…but I'm really hungry!" He grabbed his stomach, growling on cue.
Orlend chuckled, then waved towards the children. "Please take the kids to our healers. I'm sure after such a long journey, they can use a warm meal, a bath and new clothes."
Two of the children teared up at the prospect of being pampered in the safety of Siltvelt's capital. They skipped up to the Bram's side. Keel was about to join them until he saw Goblin Slayer turn the other way. He sprinted to him.
"I want to stay with Goblin Hunter!" He grabbed his arm, unwilling to let go. 'I have a feeling he'll leave without saying bye, but I can't let him go yet…not until I tell him!'
Goblin Slayer turned to him. "You do not want to eat? You have been asking me repeatedly to get you food. I've noted your courtesy has decreased blatantly by the hour as well…"
Keel's stomach growled, ending an argument before it started. "Grrr…fine! I'll go eat!" He sprinted back to the other two kids, each holding one of Bram's hands. "But don't go anywhere until I come back!" He pointed and yelled.
"OK." Goblin Slayer nodded, causing Keel to smile. They then went their separate ways.
Orlend followed behind the three guards as Goblin Slayer marched in formation with them. His gait was indistinguishable to theirs. Strong, purposeful, confident, and disciplined. 'He moves like a well-trained soldier, yet exercises such astounding apathy towards the world apart from goblins? Such a strange fellow, he is.'
They entered the sentry post, circling the onyx center table. Orlend raised his brows as he studied the various objects. The first ones catching his eyes, he'd seen innumerably with other adventurers. There was a hand-held grinding stone, rope, grappling hook, torch sticks and flint. However, as his eyes continued grazing, more unexpected tools came into sight, such as a one-handed sledge hammer, shepherds sling, thermos, a mortar and pestle. After that, the remaining items were strange and unlike anything he's seen.
"What is this?" Orlend picked up a small aluminum sphere with a wick spooling out a tiny hole, its tip tied in a knot.
"It clouds an area with smoke when lit. It is good for hindering sight."
"Hmm, clever. It's made of a malleable metal." He inspected it, impressed, then picked up a small aluminum cylinder, bound tight to a stone, with a wick that had two knots tied at its tip. 'I wonder if these knots are so he can differentiate them in his satchel without looking. Makes sense if he's exploring dark, underground areas.' "I take it this is not quite the same thing?"
Goblin Slayer shook his head. "That is for incapacitating ones hearing. When lit, it emits a deafening whistle." He turned his helmet down in thought. "It was necessary during one of the caves I was exploring. There was a creature inside that was sensitive to sound."
"Oh?" Orlend studied the firework whistle, turning it in his hand. "Was the legendary sword not enough to take it down?"
"No, it was. Once it was deafened, the sword killed it quite easily." He looked to the weapon at his hip. "The hair around the creature's neck also gave my sword power like lightning. It's been useful."
Orlend smirked, returned the whistler and picked up a protective glass case filled with egg shells. "And what makes these so special?"
"They contain grinded peppers and limestone. If you throw them at an opponent, they will easily shatter and cause your target to tear up and choke."
"Hoh?" Orlend raised his brows. "What a nasty concoction, but I'm impressed!" His suspicion of the hero gave way to a curious admiration. "And what of this thing?" He held up a small bottle with oily liquids sloshing inside and a thick rag tied to the top, smothering its neck. Orlend could feel a flat-head screw stuck into a cork, presumably to make for easy pulling under the rag.
"It's gasoline. I've drilled a nail into the cork so you can pull it out and have it soak the rag tied on top. You can throw it to cause an immediate spread of fire."
Orlends eyes went wide as its odd design suddenly made sense. "Fascinating!" He gently placed it down, picking up a pouch of black powder. "Is this-" He sniffed it. "-Grinded charcoal?"
"Yes. It can filter out poison-" Goblin Slayer paused, staring at the pouch of charcoal. That niggling worry had spiked again, higher this time. He was sucked out of the moment, thrust against his will into an unpleasant memory. Wooden doors creaking before an ominous slam. A canary's panicked chirping. Goblins seeping poisonous gas through the cracks in a concrete wall. He remembered handing out charcoal then as well, making sure everyone bound it to their face with a mask. The images fizzled out, refocusing his vision on the pouch of charcoal. 'They must have a supply with them too. They should. They've been learning…but what if-'
"Ah, you mean airborne poisons!" Orlend had accepted that Goblin Slayer was an odd individual, and so, he didn't question his sudden silence too deeply. Instead, he deduced the rest of his unfinished sentence. "You filter it through a mask, I presume? I've heard of such being done before."
Goblin Slayer steeled his will, pushing everything out of mind until his focus was rooted, absolutely, without distraction, in the here and now. "Yes. It is a technique I had learned from coal miners."
"Yes, myself as well, I had picked up on such trivia from them!" He then picked up the last strange object he couldn't quite get an idea for. It was a wooden pipe, with metal shrapnel nailed into it. This, too, had a wick coming out the top. "Am I to assume this releases another chemical as well?"
"No." Goblin Slayer shook his head. "It is tightly packed with a volatile substance that ignites. After all my requests, the blacksmiths I worked with seemed excited to experiment with new weapons they could create. This was their product. They say if you light it, it will explode, sending the shrapnel outward through the vicinity."
"INGENIOUS!" Orlend clapped his hands. The guards behind them were impressed as well, their feelings slowly shifting from mockery to curiosity. "I must ask though, Sword Hero-sama, why do you use these makeshift items on your explorations? They seem more fitting for mercenaries who must make do with crude weaponry during a siege with limited resources. Wouldn't your legendary sword and fellow adventurers be able to handle what these things do, but better?
"Why should I leave the chances that arise during these explorations outside of my control?" Orlend and the guards were surprised at his answer. "The matter between life and death can be decided by ones preparation, and that preparation is limited only by one's mind. Imagination is a weapon, and those who lack it are first to die."
An elation spread through Orlend's chest. 'THIS MAN IS A WARRIOR! THROUGH AND THROUGH!'
"If we are done here, I would like to see that the children are taken care of before I leave." His steeled will couldn't hold down that niggling worry forever.
"Ah wait, wait, wait! About that!" Orlend waved his hands. "This is a serious matter you've brought to us!"
"Goblins?"
"N-no…You were summoned to Melromarc, right?"
"I don't know."
"You…don't know? The name of the kingdom you were summoned to?"
"It is unimportant. I remember landmarks easier." He tilted his head down. "But there was a large castle atop a rocky bluff where I was first summoned."
'Oh yea, that's Melromarc alright.' "And these children you've brought with you…were they from that country?"
"Yes."
Orlend narrowed his gaze. "…and what condition did you find them in?"
"Horrendous. Their conditions bordered upon the cruelty of that of goblins. It was inexcusable."
Orlend smiled. "Sword Hero-sama, if you will come this way please, I must document your findings as an official report."
"I understand." Having filed hundreds of reports after guild quests, Goblin Slayer knew the deal all too well.
Over the next hour, Orlend interviewed Goblin Slayer, focusing particularly on his time with Idol Rabier. He was especially pleased to hear about his murder. When it came time to get the children's testimony, they each had a nurse aid by their side, providing comfort. Bram and his guard squad stood behind Orlend and Goblin Slayer, so the kids could see that they were safe to spill their hearts out. They cried as they recounted the torture they endured. Though angered by it, it gave Orlend the full picture he was hoping it would turn out to be; the catalyst for a long-awaited agenda.
"But that's why we have to find my friend!" Keel yelled, making sure he made his point clear. "Idol sold her away, but she might still be suffering just the same! PLEASE!" He yanked himself out from the comforting grasp of the nurse consoling him, dropped to his knees and clasped his hands before Orlend. The guards stepped forward, but didn't do anything more. "I beg you! Can you do something? I'll help in any way I can!"
Orlend stood from his chair and pat Keel's head, reassuring him. "You are brave, young child. Fret not, though. Something will most definitely be done."
Keel turned his head up to Orlend, watery eyes crumpling at his smile. Orlend then turned to Goblin Slayer. "Now, Sword Hero-sama, I'm sure you're unaware of this, having been summoned to our rival country, but your presence in Siltvelt could not have come at a more opportune time."
"Is that so?"
"Most certainly! You see, here in Siltvelt, we are in a state of fluctuating power. Particularly, we have the Shusaku, the bird demi-humans if you will, who exalt the Shield Hero as a holy prophet of sorts. In fact, one of their representatives as we speak should be returning from the kingdom of Faubley."
"Shield Hero…" At this, Goblin Slayer thought of the young boy with white hair and blue eyes. His only impression of him was that he was a young boy with white hair and blue eyes, and a shield his arm. "Why is he exalted?"
"Hmph." Orlend coughed out a snide laugh. "Tradition, mostly. At this point, it borders on mere superstition. You see, Sword Hero-sama, many of the Genmu reject the blind worship of the Shield Hero. We tend to take a more moderate stance on this matter, allowing us to judge with sober reasoning, and to be open to other heroes should they show themselves as worthy allies." He smiled. Bram smirked with a gentle huff, causing similar reactions from the other guards.
"Is that so?"
"Definitely." Orlend sat back down. "Now, I must say, based on my short impression of you, you seem to dismiss much information that you deem irrelevant to your goals."
"Of course. I must remain focused."
"I understand, and that is commendable. However, allow me to explain some things that make this situation quite dire. First thing is first…although enslaving demi-humans is legal in Melromarc…torturing them is against their law. Thus, to find that not only a prominent noble, but a war hero none-the-less, is guilty of such atrocious acts is not a matter to overlook." The two children cringed and stiffened as he mentioned this. Keel balled his hands into fists and grit his teeth. Goblin Slayer noticed it.
"I see."
Orlend grinned. "We've also received word…that Faubley has declared war on Melromarc. This comes after their king, the Cane Hero, had been killed. I'll spare you our history, Sword Hero-sama, but that king was the reason we lost a war decades ago. He was a brilliant strategist, and I speak with respect when I refer to him as the backbone of Melromarc." Some of the guards rolled their eyes. "However…" Orlends eyes darkened. "Now that he's gone…and now that terrible crimes these children were victims of have come to light…"
The nurses grew tense. The children felt their hands on their shoulders squeeze just a tad harder, spreading their concern through them as well.
"I am afraid that avoiding action would be improper, in light of this revelation. Not that Faubley needs our help, but I would prefer the demi-human slaves be brought here instead. So, Sword Hero-sama…" Orlend hid his smile under a stern face. "Can I ask for your assistance in this? I plan to dispatch elite military units through Melromarc in covert operations to rescue slaves." He looked at Keel specifically. "I will prioritize your friend, Raphtalia-chan, with special care. Be certain, Keel, that we will do all in our power to make sure we find her!"
Tears streamed Keels cheeks as he pulled his hands to his chest, giving a big nod to Orlend. Bram's arms tensed, doing his best to withhold a fist from being curled. Goblin Slayer…knew he should feel relieved. Yet, something felt amiss, birthing an uneasy numbness in his stomach.
"For our soldiers to have a legendary hero along their side would be of immense help!" Orlend continued, Goblin Slayers thoughts still scrambling to find the most logical answer for the odd feeling. "Plus…" 'If I can keep him out of Siltvelt, we won't run the risk of him finding human slaves here.' "You may come across others much like that man you've slain. Though he was not a goblin, I'm sure he was vile enough to remind you of them!"
Goblin Slayer shook his head, speaking aloud an answer for Orlend as well as himself. "The terrain of your land differs greatly from the other country. It is imperative I begin my search immediately to learn of its ecology and assess its habitability for goblins. If you are sending in elite soldiers, they should have training superior to my own in such operations. My presence may also disrupt a preexisting coordination they've developed amongst each other. It would be better if we go our own ways." Something about Orlends last sentence had caused that feeling in his stomach to ache even heavier. 'This feeling…it is like an obligation compelling me to find any possible goblins. It has to be. I don't care if it's just one.'
"Ugh…I…I see." Orlend stuttered with a troubled face. 'Well…so be it, I should have seen this coming. I'll tell the adventurers I assign him to lead him away from areas that use human slaves in the open.' "Well then, Sword Hero-sama, I do have a simpler favor to ask, in lieu of my request."
"What is it?"
"The weapons you've made are brilliant, in more ways than one. They are economic and resourceful, capable of being made en masse for cheap, and some even can be assembled on the spot. This is most advantageous against skilled mages who require time to recite their chants. What I request is that you design one of each of your unique items for our weapon-smiths to emulate, or at least give them a thorough explanation on how to make them.
"In return, I can assign you a group of the best adventurers in our country to help you explore the areas you've requested. I think you may find the help of demi-humans in this regard superior to that of aid from humans. Although, I must say again, I do doubt the existence of goblins in our world…there are plenty other monsters to deal with in caves. It would be a service to both our people, and the growth of our adventurers, to embark on your intended journey. What do you say?"
Goblin Slayer felt a wave of comfort pulsate in his chest. 'It would be extremely helpful to have adventurers from this land exploring its caves.' "All I have to do is teach you how to make these?"
"Yes! It would be of vast benefit to teach our soldiers how to forge weapons out of accessible items. We can pay you as well, to compensate for your time."
"Then yes, we have a deal." Goblin Slayer nodded, feeling relaxed. "You can decide how much you want to pay me and how many adventurers you wish to grant."
Orlend tilted his head down, smiling. "Thank you, Sword Hero-sama." 'And just like that, at long last, we can finally begin our return to rule!' Orlend turned to the nurses and guards. "I want everyone in the army to know the name of Raphtalia. Keel, we will need you to give us as detailed of a description of her, lest a fake or an orphan lookalike should be brought to us."
Keel jumped up. "Let me come along with you!"
Everyone in the room stared at him. Orlend, Bram, the nurses, the remaining guards, the children and Goblin Slayer all turned to him, unable to say a word.
"My dear!" One of the nurses reached out to him. "You are just a child! You have no place on the battlefield!"
"If you're worried about fakes and imposters, then having me will help! I'll know if it's the real Raphtalia or not! Plus…" His shoulders heaved. "Plus…" His voice cracked. "I need to get stronger. So that I'll never be in a situation like that ever again." He looked up at Goblin Slayer, as if his opinion was the one that mattered.
Goblin Slayer nodded. "That is good." It reminded him of himself, after the tragedy with his sister, leading him to his master. He decided to impart upon him the same words that have defined him since. "The moment you make the decision to do something and act on it, you win."
Keel's mouth dropped for a moment, then his eyes shined under a big smile. The nurses were still concerned and the guards were conflicted too, but one thing was obvious, and it was that nothing was going to change Keel's mind now.
Orlend sighed. "Ok, but we will keep you amongst the rear units. They hardly engage in combat on the field. '…we need this kid and that Raphtalia girl alive at all costs. We might not be able to use him to attack Melromarc now, but I want the Sword Hero on our side for the following years to come! ' He then turned to Bram.
"Please take the Sword Hero to the weapon-smiths of our military. If we can start this process immediately, we can dispatch Rengir's unit by the end of the week."
"Yes Sir!" Bram saluted. "Sword Hero-sama, this way!" He waited by the door. 'That shelled bastard…he's not telling the whole truth. That wasn't just some war that Siltvelt lost, they were trying to take over the world! He isn't just trying to help the slaves…he wants to indoctrinate them into demi-human supremacy! If it's Rengir's unit, that means Jaralis will be joining them, and he'll train the slaves to be angry soldiers who slaughter anyone that doesn't believe demi-humans are superior…including other demi-humans.' He turned his eyes to Goblin Slayer walking to him. 'I'll have to pay extra attention to the details he shares, and relay them to Kundal's team.' However, before Bram could exit the room.
"WAIT!" Keel ran between them. "Goblin Hunter…uh, are you…um…" He tilted his head down, shuffling his feet. "Are you really going to stay here?"
"Yes."
His shoulders slumped. "…To hunt for goblins?"
"Yes."
Keel bit his lip. "Well…then…" His eyes watered slightly. "When I find my friend Raphtalia…we'll come back here then. And…" He clenched his fists. "And…" He squeezed his eyes shut, squeezing a dot of water out their corners. "WE'LL HELP LOOK FOR GOBLINS WITH YOU!" Bram was surprised, but moved.
Keel lifted his head, determined eyes piercing the darkness of Goblin Slayer's visor, feeling the eye contact. "You saved my life! I'll never forget that! Raphtalia and I…we have nowhere to go now…so if you will, Goblin Hunter…" He sniffled, stood straight, and with an energized feeling of conviction, faced Goblin Slayer with an intense expression. "PLEASE LET US JOIN YOU IN YOUR HUNT FOR GOBLINS!"
Even Goblin Slayer himself was taken back by the declaration. Silence passed in the room, no one knowing how to respond. However, for Keel, the world around had dissolved, leaving just him and the mysterious armored man alone, awaiting his answer.
Keel's declaration reminded Goblin Slayer of Priestess when she had first agreed to join him. He thought of the first discussion they had. The one she chastised him for, telling him it wasn't much of a conversation at all. "I'm going with you. I can't leave you alone." An unexplainable pain speared his heart, almost bringing him to his knees. The image of her in his mind; just that mere thought. But he ignored it. Denied that feeling, forcing it down while focusing on the little demi-human child before him.
'This feeling…' His mind drew back to the memory of poison spreading in a locked room. He turned his helmet to the side, breaking the eye contact with Keel and giving him control over his own thoughts again. "Do as you wish." Only Cow Girl and Priestess would have picked up the lack of enthusiasm, almost restlessness, in his tone. It was subtle enough to go unnoticed even by a demi-humans ears. So thus, to Keel, Goblin Slayer had sounded the same way he always did. He couldn't have been happier.
"Thank You!" He bowed. "You'll like Raphtalia-chan! She's brave and strong-willed and inspiring!" With enthusiasm and resolve punching his feet against the floor, Keel ran to the palace guards. He turned around, threw his arm high in the air for a final wave, and then disappeared with them. Goblin Slayer could feel his stomach sinking as he left his sight, ruining the relaxation that graced him moments earlier.
Bram led him out a set of doors, walking along the curtain walls of the castle. The sky was still bleak with grey clouds, slightly darker than when they first arrived. The walk from the atrium to the soldiers training grounds served to bring Goblin Slayer through many of the castles more defensive elements.
They passed arrow slits, crenellations, battlements; all sorts of features designed to hide in, attack from, and utilize strictly for combat and warfare. The potential danger that goblins could pose in these was hardly fathomable. Yet, despite that, Goblin Slayer didn't pay it any attention. The feeling in his chest, now spread to his stomach, had never quite left.
"How will they take care of Keel during your infiltration mission?"
"Personally, I'd prefer they don't take the child along." Bram said. "But I can see he's going to persist, and if we do want to find this girl, having someone who can trace their trail and give details would be helpful."
As they went to take a turn through a conical tower, two demi-humans waiting there had forced Bram to pause his answer. One was a lionman, with a thick burgundy mane framing fiery orange eyes. The other was a tigerman, to whom smiling seemed incapable. A line of gnarled skin cut into the fur across his face, diagonally between mean eyes. His nose crinkled while taking in the scent of Goblin Slayer.
"So this is the Sword Hero, huh?" The tigerman's voice was raspy and displeased.
Bram closed his eyes. "In case the matrix gem in his sword didn't give it away, Rengir…yes. Yes it is."
Rengir snorted, letting Goblin Slayer and Bram pass. "Of course, a fucking human. A rotten smell to him, too." Bram's ears twitched, picking up on Rengir's hushed voice. He then started following behind, joined at his side by Jaralis the lionman.
Bram knew they were observing Goblin Slayer, but paid their presence little mind. "Anyway, Sword Hero-sama, I believe what they'll do is place Keel in a back-up unit at the rear. The chances of them engaging in combat is the lowest of all units. Not to mention, their missions are repatriation and reconnaissance. Fighting at all will be kept ultimately low."
"Ultimately low?" Jaralis scoffed. "Yeah, whatever you say, hopper."
Goblin Slayer stopped walking, turning around. "Do you expect difficulty in avoiding combat?"
Jaralis greeted him with a mischievous smirk. "No, you misunderstand, it's not that! Don't you worry about it, Sword Hero-sama, the kid isn't coming with our squad anyway. It's just…" His eyes narrowed. "Let's just say, some of us have bones to pick with a certain species." 'And if human flesh just happens to be in the way of those bones…' He walked past them, rubbing his hands together.
"Or piece of face to pick off…" Rengir whispered to himself, following Jaralis. Bram's rabbit ears caught the words easily. As a mere palace guard though, he couldn't speak back to a mercenary leader without repercussions to endure. Even more seriously, as a spy of Shieldfreeden, drawing unnecessary attention was pure foolishness.
"My point was, Sword Hero-sama, since Keel insists on joining, we have other units that can keep him safe during their mission."
They continued walking. Despite his bold and confident stride, Goblin Slayers nerves focused his attention elsewhere. The slight pain in his chest, the ache in his gut, just couldn't be willed away. 'What is worrying me so deeply?' He had been aware of the feeling, even managing to suppress for a time he hadn't kept track of, whilst he escorted Keel and the children.
Now, however, it kept wriggling against the inners of his chest, tightening his abdomen, tingling in his fingers if he didn't get it under control. He looked to Bram at his side, contemplating his explanation. It was the most logical source of his bottled anxiety. 'Will Keel really be safe?' In fact, with that in mind, he couldn't help but feel his concern grow stronger. It climaxed to a short sting that assaulted the center of his chest. The thought of Keel being so far away, outside of where he could protect him, after such a passionate declaration…
How could he not worry? He doesn't ever let anyone roll the dice.
14 Days until the Wave
A kitsune's fox-tail hung low, held stiff to keep from swaying as she walked. Her shame in its existence was evident with every step. If she could press her fox-ears down against her head, hiding them too, she would have done so every waking moment. She walked through a lavish corridor, rich with gold-framed portraits, silver lanterns to give light at night and exquisite ornaments decorating every which way the eye could flit.
Yet, the beauty surrounding her was meaningless. Artificial covers that made flashy illusions of the chains that bound her. What point was there, to be surrounded by riches, if one were just as much of property as the ornate possessions, perched inanimately, around them? A young fox demi-human by the name of Lyrsia was just one of tens of thousands for whom this question concerned. The answer, unfortunately, was that there was no point. Unless one considered a future of unwilling servitude to be a point in any respect of the word. Lyrsia did not. The mansion she served in, within which she knew every room and how many steps to reach them, was no mere mansion.
It was a prison. And her sentence was slavery.
An arched doorway, framed with two glass doors opened wide, led into an office. A heated discussion was engaged, and she didn't want to redirect their irritation unto herself by making her presence known. The stress forced the muscles in her arms to stiffen. This kept the tea tray she held exceptionally still, pinched tightly in her grip, and thus the tea cups upon it made no sound. Lyrsia hesitated in the hall, still out of sight. She stood in the shadow of the window sill, letting the sun paint the wooden floor in front of her. She made sure her reflection wasn't visible in the polished steel of the doorway.
"-impossible to start riots now, since so many of them fear the Spear Hero. The remaining members are going to flee and regroup in Zeltobe." A man's voice paused, presumably to puff from a pipe, if Lyrsia's nose didn't deceive her. "For us staying here, we are to act as if we've always been atheists. Like we've never had ties to the church!"
"Bah! They couldn't have killed the damned bitch instead!" A woman, unforgiving in her heartless opinion, spat curses. "Why did it have to be King Aultcray who died?"
"Hm. A missed opportunity, a shame indeed." The man's voice was more composed. "After all the gold we Nobles spent to keep slavery going…if she had died, we could have persuaded the King to remove the restrictions she continues placing on it."
'Church? Dead King?' Lyrsia kept still, steadying her breath so not even her fox ears caught a whiff of sound from her.
"In my opinion…" The man took another puff. "If it wasn't for him, it's possible that the Queen may have outlawed slavery long ago. The self-righteous whore, has she no concern for how it would ruin our economy?"
"A whore indeed!" The woman laughed. "She only married him because he was the Cane Hero. She used him to enforce her will across the country, daring to place a sanctuary of demi's on our soil! Hmph!"
Lyrsia's face fell. 'I…never even had a chance to see that sanctuary…I just changed slave owners instead…' Hurt by the eavesdropped conversation, she tip-toed silently back down the hall.
"Regardless, this is the reality of our situation. I know it will be hard, but we should liquidate any remains of our relics from the Three Heroes Church. Denounce any affiliation, feign indifference towards their destruction. Perhaps we should pay those false heroes' establishment a visit. I've heard it's filled with machines that can make you instantaneously rich at the pull of a lever, should luck be in your favor. It sounds too good to be true, but seeing as how we've lost a few members to it-"
Lyrsia walked back up the hall but with louder footsteps to give them the chance to change topic. The man cleared his voice.
"I must say, I'm excited for our daughter's date tonight!" A convincing enthusiasm colored his voice.
"Oh yes, all the sons of the Traymar family are upstanding young gentleman!" With creepy ease, the snide sound of a bitch was replaced by the casual voice of a happy mother. "Though, I'm more than certain that this son in particular is something rather special!"
'Traymar's… They're that family with a dozen sons, aren't they?' Lyrsia just caught the man rolling his eyes as she walked in. Around the corner of a bookshelf, a husband and a wife sat in rocking chairs, facing each other, separated by a tea table. It smelt of burning tobacco mingling with scented oils, attempting to mask the smoke. "Master Thaniel, Mistress Kassine."
"Ah, it's you. Set it down there." Thaniel nodded at the table.
Lyrsia could feel Kassine glaring at her as she set the tea down. She did her best to ignore the feeling of it boring into her soul.
"Fox, dear…" She spoke in a sweet voice, the deceitful kind that raised goosebumps.
"Yes, Mistress Kassine?" Reluctantly, Lyrsia made eye contact with her. It felt as if her life was being chipped away, every second their eyes remained locked.
Kassine gave her a warm smile. "Would it be such an inconvenience for you to wear a bonnet over those horrendous ears?" She spoke with that sweet, sweet voice. "Why, if you hadn't learned how to tuck that tail of yours away, I'd have had it chopped off long ago." Lyrsia's elbows and knees trembled, her ears and tail feeling like filthy stains stuck to her. "Oh, I do wonder though…if I force her to do it herself through her Slave Crest, and force her to deny I gave the order, do you think that counts as slave torture?"
"I don't think that's wise, my love." Thaniel suggested softly, careful to not displease the Matriarch of their house. "Why carve up a demi to mimic the image of a human? Before you know it, she'll think she's one of us!"
'I would NEVER think such a thing!' Lyrsia had mastered the skill of hiding her true feelings under a mask of unperturbed obedience.
Kassine shot a glare at Lyrsia then leaned back with a scoff, turning away from her at last. Thaniel picked up the tea and sipped it slowly, checking to see if it was to his liking. The lack of change in his expression meant that Lyrsia had done well brewing it.
"Fox, go check on Kara and see to it if she needs any help preparing for her date tonight." Thaniel waved her away.
Lyrsia cringed on the inside, but bowed anyway. "Yes, Master Thaniel." Careful not to let her eagerness to leave show in her step, she turned away from them and walked with forced timidity. She could feel Kassine's hateful stare piercing into her back, particularly at her tail.
A slow, calculated walk down the staircase gave her a small break between dealing with family members. She breathed deep and exhaled slowly, looking out a window. The front lawn was large, but didn't stretch so far that its end was out of sight. A cabin stood at the end of their property, with a total of six guards patrolling the edges. It was a poor distraction. 'I hate this girl, I hate this girl, I hate this girl…' She tried to wipe her emotional slate clean before interacting with the first daughter, but it seemed impossible.
Kara was 15, only a few years younger than herself, yet had a personality that proved beyond doubt she was Kassine's daughter. Out of the two daughters, she was the one Lyrsia hated more. Not that she liked the other one, Kora, but she was, at least, easier to interact with…in a twisted sort of way.
Lyrsia stood before a set of Maplewood doors. She lifted a trembling hand before it. "Mistress Kara?" Cold fingers knocked against it. "Your parents had asked me to provide assistance you may need before tonight."
"Need!?" The snide, bitchy voice only a few octaves lighter than Kassine's hissed from the other side. Lyrsia's heart raced when angry feet stomped their way to the door. It tore open, forcing her face-to-face with the spiteful glare of a girl just her size. "I don't need anything from an animal on hindlegs!"
Lyrsia grimaced. A demi-slave being near Kara automatically upset her, and utmost precaution had to be taken just to get on her slightly good side. "My apologies, Mistress Kara! Your parents must have figured that if there was a mundane task you would like completed as you get prepared, then you take priority for my service over them!" She tilted her head down, hunching her shoulders and hiding behind her hands, making her look smaller than her.
"Hmph!" Kara tilted her nose up, further accentuating the forced height difference. "Come in, then. I'll have you brush my hair while I do my make up."
Lyrsia's nose crinkled when she walked in. The smell of perfume was suffocating. Kara sat in an oak throne chair, facing a large vanity mirror framed by porcelain ridges molded into a repeating pantheon of the three hero's weapons. 'Is this mirror a relic they have to get rid of, too?' Her lips stiffened. 'I don't look forward to being around Kara when they do that…' Lyrsia pulled the comb through her hair, gently tugging against any knots she encountered until they gave way.
"I'm going on a date tonight with a boy from the Traymar's family." She stated flatly, leaving Lyrsia unsure if it was a taunt, a brag, or just words to fill the silence of honest boredom.
"I've heard." Either way, Lyrsia didn't want to overstep her boundaries. Especially since those boundaries with Kara are as tight as a noose.
"Have you been on a date before, Fox?"
Lyrsia tensed. "No. I've never had the chance." 'I don't think I'll ever have the freedom to.'
"Just wondering." Kara grinned, intending to taunt. "You suck at combing hair, by the way." She spoke with a shrill tone, fully knowing its sound made people want to strike her. "Must be because those ugly beast ears get in the way when you comb that overflowing fur on your scalp."
Her fox ears twitched, then drooped. 'I...I thought my hair looked just fine…'
"I like her ears, though!" Another girl's voice sung.
"Tch!" Kara clicked her tongue. "Kora! Get out of my room, I'm getting ready for my date!"
Lyrsia felt a small relief bud inside her, easing off the edge of her nerves.
"Eehhh?" The younger girl pouted. "But in two years, I'll be your age! Shouldn't I see how to get ready?"
"NO!" Kara stood, knocking the comb off her head as Lyrsia fumbled to catch it. "This is MY room! You have your own, so go lock yourself in it!"
"Well then!" Kora grabbed Lyrsia by the arm. "If all you're gonna do is make fun of Foxy's ears, then I'm gonna play with her in my locked room!" She stuck her tongue out at Kara.
Though her grip wasn't all that tight, it was the perfect excuse for Lyrsia to leave.
"H-HEY!" Kara screamed, but Kora just laughed it off as she ran down the hall, through her doors and slammed them shut.
"Phew!" She skipped to the bed and hopped on, feet dangling off the side. Lyrsia knelt on the floor before her. "Good girl!" Kora reached out and pat her. "Mommy doesn't like it when you're on the bed." She smiled and put a finger to her lips. "I don't care that much…but mommy has ways of finding these things out. Hee hee hee!"
"Well, it is best to listen to your mother." 'It will spare me getting punished, that's for sure.' She had sat on Kora's bed with her once, at the insistence that Kassine would never find out. Until Kassine burst through the doors, caught her in the act, and punished her with shocks from her Slave Crest. Lesson learned.
"Yeah, I don't want you to get in trouble because of me again. That was my fault…" Her expression fell, then she hopped up reinvigorated. "Oh! Here, try this on! I made it as a sorry!" She lifted an amateurish patchwork of her favorite-colored fabrics sewn together. "It's a costume! Isn't it nice?"
Lyrsia nodded. "Yes, it's beautiful, Mistress Kora!"
"Yayyy!" She clasped it around Lyrsia's neck and pulled the cowl up. There were little holes for her fox ears to stick through. Kora handled them delicately when she pulled them through, careful not to hurt Lyrsia. "Okay!" She sat back on the bed, admiring her handiwork.
'Well…it's kind of comfortable, I'll give it that.' Lyrsia thought, making her fake smile that much easier to pull off.
"Alright Foxy, now…open wide!" She pulled out a little beige ball from a drawstring pouch.
Lyrsia winced. "Mistress Kora?"
"Yes?" She tilted her head curiously.
"Do you, by any chance, have any other treats?" She stiffened her face to hide her disgust.
"Hmm…let me see." Kora ruffled further into the pouch.
'That's not what I mean!' The cringe almost broke through.
"Ah!" She pulled out a little sand-colored cube. "Here we go! Now, say aaaahhhh."
Lyrsia pulled her head back, her throat and stomach clenching in refusal. She forced her mouth open anyway. "Ahhhh."
Kora threw the cube and Lyrsia jerked her head to the right to catch it.
"Yaaayyyy! Foxy, you're so talented!"
Lyrsia bit down on the cube. The taste may have been awful, but it was doable. It was the fact that she was eating snacks meant for farm animals that humiliated her more than anything. 'She thinks I'm a pet.'
"This is why the kitsune is my favorite kind of animal, they're so smart!" She fished out another treat. "Again, again!" Lyrsia gulped the barn feed with as little chews she could get away with. She managed to keep a straight face as she did, then swallowed continuously to get the taste out her mouth. A literal wash, rinse and repeat as Kora cocked her arm back for another one.
Hours dragged by at the pace of an old snail. Lyrsia was helping Kora sew more features onto her costume, when a metal peek-hole in the door open with a clank. Kassine's vicious eyes stared through it. She had it installed after she found Lyrsia on Kora's bed, and whenever she was in her room, she would peek through without warning.
"Fox!" Her voice was bitter, as always. "Go prepare dinner! Kara's date will be here in the next hour, and I want you busy while the Traymar boy is here."
Lyrsia stood and bowed. "Right away, Mistress Kassine."
She heard her impatiently march away from the door. After bidding farewell to a busy Kora, she made a quick stop at the bathroom. She washed her mouth out, hawking up any remains of the barn feed she'd eaten. Then, despite her willing herself to stay composed, she cried. The tension of the day had cracked her, earlier than usual. It wasn't until she was alone in her sleeping quarters that she would normally cry. The tears came out without control, the sound of her sobs masked by the running water of the sink.
'Not now!' She couldn't let herself be discovered like this. She pinched her cheek, hard, feeling as if she deserved the pain. She managed to get herself under control then. When she turned the sink off, she found herself surrounded by complete silence. She was alone; every member of her masters family busy elsewhere. The corridor she walked down now was dim, the hall lanterns only spreading hushed yellow light too weak to cast shadows. The outside world had a white glow to it from the moon above. The torchlights of the guards were also visible in the distance. As she neared the kitchen, the sounds of a little boy at play became clearer. In the dining room, with more lanterns and candles to brighten the area, was a child of 6 years. He was swinging a toy sword at an enemy only his imagination could see.
"Har! Har Har!" He jabbed his toy sword in the air. "Stay back, monster! I'm the mighty Sword Hero!" A thin wooden helmet kept sliding down his round head, catching on his plump cheeks, forcing him to push it up after a few jabs. His stubby arms fumbled to readjust it as his short legs stood awkwardly with the sword dangling against them, under a well-fed belly. His big, bright eyes shined when he got it to fit his head just the way he liked it.
It was the first time, since being bought by this family, she had been able to see him without the company of a relative. In spite of everything, she found the boy adorable. His playfulness sucked her in, transfixing her on the innocence of a little boy lost in his childish world. There was a slight envy as she watched him, since she'd never had a childhood like his, but she allowed herself to enjoy the sight regardless. She needed a moment of respite from her stress. He fixed his helmet and nodded with a triumphant huff.
"Now, where did that monster go…Huh?" He noticed Lyrsia standing in the dining room with him. "It's a demi! Haaaarrrrrr!" He charged towards Lyrsia. "Die, you evil demi!" The toy sword poked her in the stomach. The boy was extra careful not to hurt her. He looked up at her with a toothy smile. "I gotcha, I gotcha!"
"Evil?" Her moment of respite shattered, crumbling around the image of the adorable child thrusting a toy sword at her, declaring her to be a monster worth slaying. "Why…?" Her voice was the barest of sounds. "What makes me…evil?" She sniffled as tears welled, against her will again, flowing over until they streaked her downturned nose, falling onto the little boys face.
"Hehhhh?" Korbin, the young boy of only 6, scrunched his face with genuine concern. "Wait! I'm sorry, Fox lady! You're a human evil!" He hugged her legs, rubbing her calves in an attempt to console her the best he could.
'Stop touching me, just leave me alone!' She shook her head, trying to make sense of his incomprehensible statement. "A human evil? What does that even mean?" She held back her urge to yell at the child.
He patted her knees excitedly. "Mommy and Daddy and Church says that demi's are evil and humans are good. And since you're good, that means you're a human evil!"
"What?" She scrunched her face with a slight headshake. "Master Korbin…do you know what evil means?"
"It means demi!" He replied proudly, as if he was showing off he knew the meaning of a difficult word.
"No…" She frowned. "Evil means bad, Master Korbin. Bad. Like monsters, and the Waves."
"Ohhhhh!" His big, inquisitive eyes glistened with the magic of young intelligence at work. "So that means they think that all demi's are bad too!"
"Yes, exactly…" Lyrsia sighed. 'Can you get out of here, kid? I can't deal with this right now.'
"But then… I'm confused, Fox Lady." He tugged at her wrist.
Lyrsia exhaled slowly."Confused about what, Master Korbin?"
He hopped a few times, yet frowned. Like he had been holding onto this question for a long time, finally finding someone to answer him. "How are demi's evil when they're not all bad?"
She blinked rapidly. "What?!"
"Like you! You're not bad or evil!" He smiled again, flashing his toothy grin. "You're just a people with a fluffy tail and furry ears!"
She inspected his face, looking into his childish eyes, dazzling with innocence and wonder. 'No way…' "Master Korbin…" She whispered, urging him to follow suit. "Can you tell me…what you really think of demi's?" Her eyes held strong contact with his, body holding still in hopeful expectation.
"Ohhh! It's secret time?" He whispered too, then looked side to side, and waved for her to come closer. She brought her ear next to his mouth. "I don't like the way mommy and daddy treat demi's."
Lyrsia was unable to reply. A sadness too real for a child to feign crumpled up his face. "I watched demi children like me while playing up in my room, and they're so sad! I want to invite them to play, but mommy gets super angry when I say that, and daddy says that I'm not ready to have a pet! But they're not pets! Dogs are pets! I think about if I would want that to happen to me, and I don't Fox Lady, I don't!" Korbin gripped the hem of Lyrsia's rag-of-a-dress. "Why does the church say you're evil?"
For a moment, she was stuck stunned. Silent. Her puffy eyes were wide, staring intently at the little boy who had showed her more humanity than anyone she'd met. "I..I, I-I…don't know…" She stuttered, shaking her head, paranoid that he was lying to her. "Why do you…feel bad for demi's?"
"Why do I feel bad?" Korbin cocked his little head curiously. "Because they're sad! And they look hurt! That's why, every night when I pray to the three heroes, I pray that they will help the demi's become happier!"
Lyrsia brought her hand to her chest, feeling moist in her eyes. It was like she'd just uncovered a diamond amongst the depths of mud and manure. 'This boy…I'm in shock!'
She took hold of his shoulders. "Mas…" She thought hard about dropping his honorific. "…Korbin, listen. Don't ever forget the way you feel about demi-humans now. You can be a hero for us! Just like the one you were imagining!"
Korbin gasped. "I can really be a hero?"
"Of course! And the people you can save, will be demi-humans! Like the kids you saw and felt bad for!" She chuckled, a warmth caressing her emotional wounds. "I am surprised to meet a human who understands that we just want to live our lives like you." She glowed with hope, seeping tenderly into her thoughts, putting images of a better future in her mind's eye. 'This can be the start of something great!'
Korbin jumped happily, drawing in a deep breath through an open smile. "Fox Lady, does that mean I can talk to you about this? Everybody else gets angry and says I'm wrong, but I'm not, right?" He grabbed her sleeves, hopping excitedly. "I'm not, right?!" His eyes conveyed his desperation to be confirmed, to be reassured that the prejudice he was being forced to accept was wrong. A spirit of true nobility, beyond the falsely applied title, shining in a one-in-a-million chance, finally finding its outlet.
'Out of all the slave owners in Melromarc…how lucky could I be to find someone like this in the very house I serve?' Lyrsia's smile reached her shimmering eyes. Her insides felt like they were vibrating. It took willpower to withhold herself from hugging Korbin tightly. "Of course! You are not wrong!"
"Yaaayyyyy!" He raised his arms and screamed.
"Shhh, SHUSH!" Though she was frantic to keep him quiet, she still smiled as she pressed her fingers to her lips. She turned around, making sure no one was there. The dim lights outside the dining room may have cast no shadows, but not a sound was heard either. She blew out an uneasy breath. "Remember, this is a secret, right?"
"Right!" He whisper-shouted. "Sorry, Fox Lady…"
She rubbed his head, smothering the helmet into his hair. 'I should hold off on telling him my real name. Since he's just a kid, he might accidentally blurt it out in front of his family, and that'd be bad if he's not calling me Fox…however, I'm not letting this opportunity go to waste.'
"You are very right, Korbin! In fact, you know who is wrong? The church! Your parents! It is they who are wrong!" Though it was inevitable, she had to be careful not to let her spite bleed too deeply into her voice. They were his family, after all. "But don't let them know that you think that, or else they will keep getting angry. They just don't understand. Many humans don't. But, Master Korbin…" She resumed the honorific, realizing that she would have to keep up the image too. "If you can keep this secret between us, then you-"
"MOM! DAD!" Kara's voice screamed from around the corner, out of sight. "THE FOX IS PREACHING HERESY TO KORBIN!" She showed herself, smiling with a sadistic grin, then bolted up the stairs. "MOM! DAD! I CAUGHT THE FOX PREACHING HERESY! SHE'S TRYING TO CONVINCE KORBIN THAT DEMI'S ARE HUMAN!"
Lyrsia's jaw dropped. 'NO!' She shuddered and felt her body become cold. 'Oh my god, NO! PLEASE!' A terror like she'd been sentenced to death gripped her by the throat. She pinched her cheek again, tighter this time, leaving a mark bound to bruise. This was no nightmare…this was real life. 'I fucked up. I FUCKED UP!'
Korbin had ran to the bottom of the stairs. "Kara, stop! You heard wrong!" He wanted to run up the stairs and try to trick his sister, but the sight of Lyrsia curling up on the floor, grabbing her head and yanking her fox ears down was of greater concern to him. "Fox Lady, are you OK?"
She hardly noticed him. "I'M SORRY! I'M SORRY! I'M SORRY!" She aimlessly heaved out desperate apologies, all out of options, not knowing what else to do. "I MADE A MISTAKE! I'LL NEVER DO IT AGAIN! PLEASE, I'M SORRY!" Her body trembled in fetal position, voice shaking and tears leaking in a steady stream.
Korbin crumpled his brows. "Fox Lady…" He tried patting her hands, clutching her ears to her head.
Then he was ripped away from her by a forceful thrust at his arm. "What the HELL is going on here!" Thaniel snarled.
Korbin was quick on the uptake. "Daddy, she didn't do anything, I swair!" He turned his eyes up at Thaniel but kept his chin tilted down, an unconscious quirk he committed when lying. The little boy was too honest for his own good.
Thaniel glared at Korbin, letting him know with a single look that he was to expect punishment. He turned to Lyrsia with an even nastier glare. "How DARE you!" His tone grinded like a jagged sword against dry whetstone. "We let you sleep inside our house, rather than a stable, out of the kindness of our hearts, and you repay us by corrupting our most impressionable child with BLASPHEMY?!"
"NO! That's not it! I was…I was…" She whimpered, not knowing how to explain herself. "He was just talking to me-"
Kara strut arrogantly before her with a smug grin. "Fox said that Korbin should lie to us while she teaches him about demi-human supremacy!"
Lyrisa's heart stopped beating as she stared at Kara, then resumed with a rapid vengeance against her ribs. "N-NO! I NEVER SAID THAT!"
"Bad Foxy, bad!" Lyrsia looked behind her, finding Kora pointing at her with a displeased expression. "No more treats for you!"
Lyrsia sobbed, feeling betrayed by Kora's words. Sickened and ashamed at her own desperation, she crawled in front of her, on hands and knees, and lowered her head…hoping to elicit her urge to pet her. To appeal to her as the pet she thought she was, in hopes that having one family member on her side would help persuade the others. She hated herself for it, but was too scared to care. Then Kassine stomped in behind Kora, face twisted with bitter fury.
"You filthy, treacherous cunt!" The sound of her slap was sharp enough to sting everyone else's ears. It struck the same cheek that she already pinched.
"AH!" Lyrsia's body turned with the force of it. She fell over and curled up, trying to make herself seem small and harmless, fearful that the slap was hardly the start.
"I fucking swear, if that whore hadn't made torturing slaves illegal…" Kassine's face was ragged, ironically with an animalistic rage. "Get her out the house!" Her voice was piercing and grating, like two knives cutting into each other. "Tie her by the neck to a tree! Don't let her inside unless a guard has her on a leash! Keep her away from Korbin! NEVER LET HER NEAR HIM!...In fact…"
Kassine tore the collar of Lyrsia's rag-dress, exposing her Slave Crest. "Let's hire a court magician to set this thing so that if you EVER say another word to Korbin…it will kill you."
She saw the hurt in Korbin's eyes at this order. Lyrsia accidentally let slip an uncontrollable wail, tears pouring through eyes squeezed shut. A golden chance to create a positive change for the future had just been severed from her hands. Not just her own future, but for all demi-humans. To have a Noble care for them was a blessing in its own right. To have that Noble live with a demi-human, to learn from and work with, until he had the power to fight for them, was an unbelievable opportunity that rivaled something short of a miracle.
But that chance was ripped from her desperate clutches, and now her life was to become much, much worse. Moments ago, she had thought herself lucky. Now, however, misery and suffering awaited her like punishment for such a foolish thought. Maybe the god of the Three Heroes Church was real after all, and it had teased her hopes as high as it could rise, only to make her plunge into despair that much harder. She would most likely die a slow and withering death that bordered on the edge of legality. Her life was all but over.
Though, has it ever been anything else? She had no family, no friends, and the one ray of hope she happened to find was crushed before her eyes like a sadistic joke. It was hopeless. There was nothing she could do. The worst part was, in the end, this was no isolated case; she was just one out of tens of thousands. She was just a slave.
At her lowest point, the word 'suicide' flashed in her mind.
Suddenly…every window around them shattered, stones crinkling to stops over glass shards. The angry shouts all climaxed into a unified scream. Then it was silent; except for a hissing sound. They noticed the rocks had small cylinders tied to them, and wicks shrinking under sparks.
"Cover your ears!" A tiny voice whispered at a volume only her fox hearing could pick up. "Run upstairs while they go off!"
"Huh?" Lyrsia turned to the nearest broken window. Hanging upside down on the sill, a bat watched her with intelligent eyes.
She did as told, pressing down on her ears. Through the flesh of her palms, she could hear a whistling screech so piercing that pressing harder still didn't stop it needling her eardrum. She could only imagine what it did to the family who plugged their ears a second too late.
She lurched forward and sprinted up the stairs, passing the family. All the lanterns were out, submerging most of the floor in darkness. Only by the windows did the glow of moonlight provide a gentle luminescence. When the screeching downstairs stopped, she released her ears. Outside, she heard the sounds of the families guard engaged in a fight. She ran to the window. A single glance was all that she needed to see that they were losing. An ambush of strangers in black garb, triple the amount of guards, were taking them out in coordinated groups.
She hyperventilated, whimpering in fear, when a terrifying thought had struck her. 'We're being attacked by rivals!' In her panicked state, she became hyperaware of every sound and movement around. She heard the family running from the dining area toward the stairs. She noticed the bat beat them up the stairs and fly into the darkness. She heard the losing battle of the guards outside. She noticedseveral cherry-sized metal balls with lit wicks roll across the ground, from the dark in which the bat had hid. 'It's…it's not fair! I had NOTHING to do with whatever they've done!'
The family made it upstairs, led by Thaniel. As soon as they saw Lyrsia, smoke blew out from the little spheres, wafting into the patches of moonlight. The family huddled together, terrified and helpless. Only a faint trace of their hazy silhouettes were visible through the moonlit smoke.
"Mommy!" Kara shouted. "Mommy! What's happening? I bet it was Fox! Right?" Her silhouette pointed an accusing finger at Lyrsia. "She's planning to take over our-ARGH!"
An egg shell smashed against her face, exploding in a cloud of thick putrid powder.
"GAAAAAHHHHHH!" She screamed hysterically. She choked on the foul dust, hacking up gobs of phlegm, spewing it ungracefully all over herself while desperately rubbing her burning eyes to no avail.
"Kara? KARA! WHAT HAPPENED?" Kassine screamed at her daughter. The dust dispersed into the smoke, spreading up to her face as well as Thaniel's. A slight breath in and they realized they had to cover their mouth and nose, shielding their eyes when they felt stinging at the contact of it.
The bat flew into a patch of moonlight, blowing away a bit of smoke. Then, its outline became amorphous, the shape of a bat blowing up with heaps of writhing masses bulging into a larger figure. When it finished, a caped man with pointed ears stood before them like a specter of the dark.
Thaniel pulled out a dagger, standing in front of his wife. Kassine raised her hands before herself, chanting an incantation to activate a fire spell. Removing their hands from their mouths and eyes allowed the rancid dust to assault their faces without cover. Their stances wavered, diminishing their potential attack power. The caped man moved with the finesse of a monk martial artist. In a swift motion, he disarmed Thaniel and struck Kassine in the solar plexus, knocking her breath out and cutting off her incantation. The remaining tear gas did the rest.
In her panicked state, Lyrsia thought she might be next, so she darted towards the stairs while the caped man was distracted with them. She froze at the top, unable to move. At the bottom, camouflaged in the darkness, was a masked figure. Its eyes caught a trace of light just right, two dots shining between the slit of the mask.
"Wow!" The masked figure said, staring at her. She felt a chill run up her spine. She sprinted away from the stairs, down the hall and into the room she served tea in earlier. There was a window there. Unfortunately, she was three stories high off the ground, making a jumping escape impossible.
The masked figure ran after her, stopping right in the doorway. 'Don't tell me that he plans to…force himself onto me!' As if her situation could get any worse. She backed away until the wall pressed up behind her. She grabbed a candle holder with quivering arms. "ST-STAY BACK!" Her voice shook.
"Hold on, ay!" The masked figure held his hands out. "Don't worry! We're from Shieldfreeden!" He pulled his mask off.
Lyrsia's eyes went wide. Her jaw dropped too. Standing before her…was another Kitsune. A fox demi-human. His ears stood proudly atop his head, pierced with glittering earrings to show them off with pride. So unlike how she loathed hers, constantly trying to hide them. A sharp face colored with the confident bravery of a warrior helped accentuate his handsome fox features. He was unlike any kitsune she'd ever seen before. While entranced by the sight of him, he closed the distance with a confident strut.
"Eh?!" She held her hand before herself defensively, not knowing what to expect.
"The names Gellen!" He introduced himself with a killer smile. "And, though I wish it was under better circumstances…" He took her shaking hand into his own, calming her with a firm but gentle touch. Then, without force, pulled it smoothly to his lips, planting a soft kiss on the back of her hand, never breaking eye contact. "Pleasure to meet'cha, Beautiful!" The kiss sent an exciting jolt up her arm.
She shook her head, still staring. 'Me? Beautiful?' A lifetime of self-esteem beat down and abused made his compliment hard to believe. 'This must be just how other kitsune greet each other…right?'
"Oi, Gellen!" The bat demi-human stood at the doorway. "Stop flirting. I need your help getting these people outside."
"Got it, Wayne!" Gellen's ears twitched, his earrings making a tingling sound as they did. "Sounds like the guards have given up out there." He turned to Lyrsia. "Should be safe for ya to head out now, ay!"
Lyrsia was paralyzed on the spot. The fear was slowly fading, but disbelief had kept her rooted. "Wait…" He stopped in the doorway, turning around at her. "Did you say…you're from Shieldfreeden?"
"Sure are!" He smirked, whipping a lock of hair from his face. "And I…never caught your name, beautiful?"
"Huh? My name?" She stared at him. He stared back with that smirk, the one that pulled up only one side of his mouth, yet touched both his eyes. She felt a warmth in her chest. "…it's Lyrsia."
"Leer-see-ya…" He pronounced it slowly, rolling the vowels around in his mouth. "I love the sound of it!"
She had never put much thought into her name. Especially since she's constantly referred to as Fox. But now, with her attention drawn to it, she couldn't help but repeat = the sound of it in her mind. 'I guess it…does sound nice!' Like mother, like daughter, since it was she who named her. A light blush graced her cheeks as she realized just how much she liked the sound too.
One of the lanterns had been lit in the hall, so Gellen and Wayne could properly bind each family member. Their wrists were cuffed by magic-negating shackles, all behind their backs, except for Korbin who posed the least threat.
"Well I'd say we were pretty lucky, ay?" Gellen nudged Wayne's shoulder, who was thoroughly inspecting the parent's shackles. "Finding everyone together in one room like this…The last family was scattered all throughout that big ass place 'o theirs!"
"The last family had 14 members total as well." Wayne answered without pausing his duties. "After having dealt with that, I'd agree that finding a mere five conveniently gathered in a single room was a blessing."
Lyrsia stood there, watching them, listening to their conversation. 'The worst moment of my life…was a stroke of luck for them?' It boggled her mind how different their sides of the same situation just were. Gellen noticed her standing there.
"Lyrsia!" He flashed his teeth in a big smile. "It's alright, they can't do anything to you now!" He knocked a knuckle on each family members head. "Slip on past us and head outside. Our captain'll help you from there!"
Lyrsia slipped past them, avoiding the family's eyes, and rushed down the stairs. When she opened the door, it was as if she had found the exit of a prison. The whole world had unfurled into existence before her. A sense of freedom, almost foreign in its novelty, struck her without warning. She stopped breathing for a moment.
The moon shined a silvery white against a dark blue sky, shading the world beneath in a unique hue. Her lips parted as she looked around. She stepped outside, feeling weak in the legs. Her wobbly gait carried her unsteadily for a few steps, her breathing growing deeper the further outside she walked. The mansion no longer bound her, trapping her in a life of servitude. The feeling overwhelmed her, and knees gave out. She almost collapsed to the ground.
"Whoa there!" A woman's strong, confident voice yelled in her ear as an equally strong, confident arm caught her. "I got you, honey. You're safe now!" Lyrsia turned to the woman and was taken back with surprise. She was tall and muscular, both in stature as well as the thick brawny tail coiled behind her. Black horns protruded from her forehead, above her lilac eyes cut down the center with white slit-pupils. A dragonwoman.
"I need you to wait over there, hun!" The area she pointed to was a group of demi-humans dressed as poorly as her, ranging from fit but dirty to outright malnourished. Beyond them was an iron-caged wagon, holding 12 young men of pre-teen to young adults, and an elderly couple cuffed against the bars.
'The Traymar family? But then…those are their slaves too…' All around them were almost 20 troops, dressed indistinguishably in black garb. At least two of the family guards were dead, the rest were being dragged to the caged wagon. 'So they're rescuing slaves around Melromarc?'
Lyrsia's eyes began to tear all over again. She pinched her cheek for a third time today, damned if she was to find this all a dream. The pinch brought back the sting of the slap she'd been given earlier, and her own self-inflicted pinch before that. This was no figment of her imagination. She fell to her knees, giving herself a chance to savor the overwhelming relief. At her most desperate moment, her life as a slave had ended.
Gellen and Wayne followed with the family soon after, forcing each of them to kneel. Kara was the most cooperative. She could breathe now, but not without a whooping cough every few seconds. Her face was red, crusted with dry snot and makeup smeared like an ugly clown, with swollen, puffy eyes she could hardly see through. The sight satisfied Lyrsia. Kora was trembling from head to toe. She looked between the Shieldfreeden unit, making eye contact with Lyrsia.
"FOXY, FOXY! WE'RE SORRY!" She yelled, eyes shaking. "WE DIDN'T MEAN TO SCARE YOU! PLEASE! WE JUST HAD TO TEACH YOU NOT TO BE BAD AROUND KORBIN! YOU'RE A GOOD FOX, I KNOW IT!"
Lyrsia narrowed her eyes at her. As "nice" as she may have been…she felt the most dehumanized when in her presence.
"Shut it, girl." The dragonwoman spoke with a cold voice, applying that strength of hers like a verbal weapon. "What the hell are you apologizing for, anyway? Have you just realized your family's wrongdoings? What great timing, I must say!" Sarcasm dripped off every word. "Why, maybe if we had waited 10 more seconds, you would have come to this majestic revelation you were so close to realizing…and then the poor girl would have been freed from slavery without our intervention! Is that why you're apologizing?"
Kora could only cry in response.
"You grimy, feculent beasts think you can do this to me?" Kassine spit on the dragonwomans legs. "DO YOU KNOW WHO I AM!?" Her scream was more of a roar, more fitting for an animal than a person. Its pitch was especially unnerving to the sensitive instincts of demi-humans, causing some to flinch just at its sound.
The dragonwoman was not one of them. She grabbed Kassine by her hair, lifted her head so she was looking at her…then thrust the spit-wet knee into her face.
"GAH!" It shattered her nose and threw out a few teeth.
"HA!" Lyrsia coughed out a satisfied laugh.
"You're a vile bitch. I care not for the name the vile bitch your mother must have been, had given you." Her strong voice boomed without effort.
"HEY!" Thaniel growled. "Don't you DARE hit my wife!"
She turned her cold, no-bullshit glare on him. "Fuck your wife, and fuck you too." His head turned with a vicious slap. He tasted blood, realizing his inner cheek cut itself on his teeth. Lyrsia grinned at that. "Make no mistake, I care not for matriarchies nor patriarchies, but I will not overlook the arrogance that such assign to their catered genders."
"Damn, Kundal, freakin' savage!" Gellen snickered, causing Wayne to shake his head in disapproval.
"Why must your tone betray the seriousness of a moment, Gellen?" Wayne's voice was deep and unemotional.
"Why must your tone make everything serious, ay?" Gellen's voice starkly contrasted it with playfulness. "I bet you sing the most depressing Happy Birthdays! Why you so serious, Wayne?"
"One of us has to be." Wayne tilted his face down. His cloak was closed, shrouding him in pitch black. If the night was actually dark, he'd look like a floating head.
"Oi, Gellen!" Kundal's voice resonated with authority. "If you still have that much energy, go scout the area and make sure knights aren't on the way."
"Got it, Cap!" With an unprofessional salute, Gellen bolted into the dark, rustling tree branches from afar, until his silhouette cut into the moon at the tip of a spruce tree.
'A kitsune, a dragonwoman and a bat demi-human?' Lyrsia was astonished at the sight of them. It had been a long time since she'd seen demi-humans of such vigor. Though technically there were plenty more around, they were the only three to show their faces. 'So they must be their leaders, or something.' She knew nothing of their rankings, and thus couldn't quite put together how their order of command worked. All she could infer was that the dragonwoman, Kundal, was the highest ranked of them all. 'I want to know more about them!'
Kundal stood above Korbin as he looked up at her, scared yet curious. "You better behave yourself too, boy."
He nodded timidly. "Okay." He kneeled in a proper form and put his shackled hands square in his lap without fuss.
'Well-mannered and respectful of authority.' Kundal narrowed her eyes. 'A shame he grew up in this culture, he's a cute little thing too.' She shook her head slightly with an inaudible sigh, then walked toward Lyrsia.
She stiffened when Kundal got closer. 'She gives off a very hard aura…' She jumped up from the ground before she reached her.
"Thank goodness, you remained unharmed." The hard edge to her tone was still there, but softened by a genuine care. "What is your name, honey?
"Uh?" The shift in personality took her by surprise.
"Lyrsia!" Gellen said, startling her from behind. "Oh, and were A-OK! Still no soldiers coming."
"I didn't think they would be, but it is wise to check." Kundal acknowledged, then refocused her gaze off Gellen. "Hm, Lyrsia." She smirked. "What a pretty name."
Lyrsia blushed harder than when Gellen had said the same. "Th-thank you." Her voice cracked.
"I'm going to be honest…" Wayne said, the hem of his closed mantle dragging on the ground, fooling the eye into seeing him glide like levitation. "I think the Queen has abandoned Melromarc citizens that own slaves. We've confirmed through scout reports that she's traveling slowly to the capital, gathering families to relocate there…yet, with how easy we've captured this family, the Traymar's, and others that own slaves…I can't help but think it's intentional. She's leaving them to suffer Faubley's soldiers without warning."
"I'm thinking the same thing." Kundal agreed. "It's making our job unbelievably easy, so I'm not in complaint of it."
"Same." Wayne nodded. "And Faubley tends not to discriminate against Demi-Humans, so this situation seems most favorable for us."
"Tends to…" She emphasized. "I'd feel more comfortable helping as many as we can flee to Shieldfreeden."
"As would I."
They conversed with such dry professionalism, it made Lyrsia wonder if Gellen was usually teamed up with them, or if this was a special case. Either way, she was glad that he was with them. His lively attitude was contagious, and she couldn't help but feel curious about the fellow kitsune. She felt a tap on her shoulder.
"So, as you can hear…" Gellen leaned in to her ear, yet whispering loud enough to be heard. "These two are no fun at parties."
Kundal and Wayne shot him an annoyed look. Lyrsia averted her eyes downward, but a smile too wide to hide curved her lips. Their expressions relaxed, until they noticed the Slave Crest on her. All their faces hardened.
Kundal raised her hand. "Wayne-"
"Already on it." He opened his cloak, removing a vial latched onto his hip. "Lyrsia, if you'll expose your Slave Crest for me."
Lyrsia blinked, but did as told, pulling apart the torn fabric above her breasts. Wayne poured the solution onto her Slave Crest. It glowed, then floated off her skin up into the air as a transparent sigil. It faded into nothingness, leaving behind bare flesh. In Lyrsia's vision, a translucent sentence stamped over her sight. It read "Slave pact with Kassine terminated."
By the way Kassine flinched and groaned, it seemed she saw a similar message. A feeling of deep liberation sloughed through her. She drew her arms in, shaking, feeling like she was about to explode in a roar of cheers. However, Kundal's arm extended into view, her fingers gently but firmly squeezing her shoulder.
"Lyrsia…" Her eyes were serious. "I have a very important question to ask you. I need you to be honest with me, OK?"
She looked up at her nervously, but nodded anyway.
Something in Kundal's eyes grew dark. "Has this family ever tortured you?"
She noticed Gellen and Wayne become rigid at the question.
"No." Fortunately, the question was rather easy to answer. "I've been threatened with it, but Mistress Kas…" She shook her head. "The mother always feared being caught doing so. So she's never breached the contract of slave conduct."
"Ah, thank goodness!" Gellen sighed loudly with relief, making a dramatic pose to praise Lyrsia's unharmed body.
"Gellen!" Wayne turned to him, his eyes tightened. "Is now really the time to be flirting!?"
"EH?!" His response was genuine. "Wait, wait, wait! That time wasn't flirting!" He shook his hands in front of himself. "Although…" Then rolled his eyes from Wayne to Lyrsia. "I will admit that I am beyond relieved that not a single hair on your ears or tail have been harmed by those wretched assholes…" He smiled at her, wriggling his brows. Wayne's mantle opened, when he raised his hand to whack Gellen. "BUT!" Gellen jumped out of the way. "What were our orders again?" He pointed at Wayne with finger guns. "The three R's…four if you count R for Remember what our orders were, ay?"
Wayne returned his hand inside his cloak, closing it. "To repatriate all freed slaves to their homelands, or offer citizenship in Shieldfreeden, to round up all families engaged in slavery…" He drew his brows together. "And retaliate any acts of torture upon slaves with the torturers execution."
"And it's THAT last one right there!" Gellen pressed a finger against Wayne's forehead. "Idunno about you guys, but I'm not exactly fond of killing defenseless people. I'm a warrior, not a murderer!"
"Fine!" Wayne rubbed his forehead, like something dirty touched it. "The next execution we perform, how about you hand them one of your weapons, and you two can fight each other to the death. Does that satisfy your whimsical needs?"
"Actually…" Gellen sunk deep into thought. "Yea. I like it."
"The next execution we perform…" Kundal stepped in. "Be sure to keep Gellen and all his weapons as far away as possible." She shot him a hard look, telling him to knock the idea out his head. "Let's get them onto the wagon."
"They will be punished severely." Wayne told Lyrsia.
She felt a satisfying vindication as the family she suffered under was led onto the caged wagon. Then she saw Korbin. An uneasy sickness punched her in the gut. He was a rarity that she deemed worthy of fostering, but if he was subjected to the vengeful scorn of demi-humans, that truly noble spirit of his may be crushed under an undeserving prejudice.
"Wai-" Her voice trailed off. The rest of the family, however, she didn't want off the hook. They deserved what was coming. And if Korbin was to be removed from his family, he may not understand the complexities of the why. In other words, that route may not have the intended effect either. This trapped Lyrsia in a dichotomy. Should she speak up? Or allow Korbin to suffer the same fate as his family. After all, how many innocent demi-humans suffered under slavers, despite their potential nobility?
The answer that Lyrsia found…
"WAIT!"
…was enough.
Something noble within herself, which never had the chance to bloom before, had won out. Gellen, Wayne and Kundal stopped, looking at her a bit confused. With their attention on her, she found her feet growing cold. But it took more than that to stop her now. "What are you going to do to the boy?"
"The boy?" Wayne raised a brow. Though he was spying on the family prior to the attack, he was focused on the parents first and foremost. It wasn't until they all gathered around Lyrsia in the dining hall that he met her eyes outside the window. Thus, he missed the conversation between her and Korbin. He did, however, see that Thaniel was keeping him away from Lyrsia. He hadn't put much thought into it until now. "Why do you care?"
Lyrsia gulped. "I believe…that there is hope for him!"
Kundal just stared at her, no change to her expression. "What do you base your opinion on? If it is merely the fact that he is a child, bear in mind that children do not stay cute and innocent forever."
"I-it's not that!" Lyrsia pressed her lips together, struggling to find the right words to convince her. "He told me himself that he doesn't understand the prejudice against demi-humans!" She made a fist to try and stop the shaking of her arms. She wasn't used to standing up for herself, but if she couldn't do it for people willing to hear her out…when will she ever? "I believe that if he is taught the error of his family's ways now, he will grow into a valuable ally for our kind in the future!"
The three of them looked shocked and surprised. Gellen knelt down before Korbin. "Yo kid, what'dya think 'o someone like me, ay?" He flashed his teeth, twitching his ear, tingling the glittering earrings in them.
Korbin jumped to his feet, eyes shining. "I think you look cool!"
"THE KID SAYS I'M COOL!" Gellen jumped to his feet too, raising his hands up. "I'M SOLD!"
The long-awaited whack that Wayne had been withholding finally found Gellen's head. As he rubbed the back of his skull, Wayne observed the families reaction to the little boys declaration. They each were scowling at him, with the exception of Kora, who studied him curiously, turning nervously to watch Gellen, as if she was afraid to voice a reevaluated opinion. "Hmm." He turned to Kundal. "I believe Lyrsia's judgement may hold out as accurate."
Kundal was scrutinizing them, remaining silent. Gellen stood straight, awaiting her reaction, as did Lyrsia. She drew in a breath, holding it, anticipating denial but hoping for validation. After a few more moments of silence, spent with her pondering deeply, Kundal raised her head and looked at back at Lyrsia. Her heart pounded as those strong, serious eyes studied her.
"Lyrsia, do you put your faith in the potential this child has?"
She swallowed, trying to moisten her drying throat. 'Meaning, will I take responsibility if I turn out to be wrong about him?' She was certain in her opinion though. "Yes." She replied with conviction.
"Very well, then." Kundal nodded. "Wayne, come over here. I need you to paint Slave Crests on each of them, except for the child. Establish the pact with Lyrsia. Give them the highest setting of punishment."
"Of course, Captain." Wayne seemingly floated over to them.
"Wait, what am I doing?" Lyrsia asked.
"You have nothing to worry about." Kundal smirked. "We are merely reversing their roles. Though they are still going to be put on trial in Shieldfreeden, this will lessen the severity of their sentence. However, in return…" Her smirk vanished. "What we will do, is set the Slave Crest to kill them…" She emphasized the word, looking at the family, making sure they were listening. "If they ever bring or encourage harm on another demi-human out of malicious intent."
Thaniel froze, face horrified. Kassine stared at them, eyes burning with vengeance. Kara wiped her grimacing face, strands of snot sticking to her hands, as she tried to bargain.
"Don't put a Slave-" She coughed. "-Crest on me, ple-" She coughed again. "Please! I'll do-" The more she talked. "-anything! I-" The more she coughed. "-promise I'll never hurt-" She coughed uncontrollably, unable to continue speaking.
Kora just sat with her head against her knees, sobbing, accepting her fate.
Once the Slave Pacts were created, they were then ushered into the caged wagon. Only Korbin was granted the privilege of riding in the carriage portion, where he could be kept safe from retaliation of the others inside.
Lyrsia walked up to the family, enjoying the sight of them chained, beaten and miserable. The satisfying image replaced years of awful memories. A gift to herself, before she never has to look at them again. She stood tall and held her head high, refusing to shrink back like she used to. She drew in big breaths, proudly expanding her chest outward.
Through the bars, Kassine stared at her with an intense, unblinking gaze. Thaniel turned his chin up, as if warning her that she will regret this. Kora was huddled up in the corner, her face in her legs still. Kara was seething with visible rage, murderous intent dripping like her frothing saliva. Behind them, the Traymar family just looked at her with disgust. Lyrsia smiled the biggest grin she could shove back into her cheeks.
"Looks like your date is here!" She mimicked the sound of Kara's snide, bitchy tone. The kind that begged the speaker to be struck. "Enjoyyyy!"
Kara grabbed the bars and screamed incoherently like a rabid animal, shaking herself back and forth. Her rambled screams eventually gave way to simple, barely understandable words. "I'LL KILL YOU! I'LL KILL YOU!" She bared her teeth.
"NO YOU WON'T!" Lyrsia taunted back, helplessly shedding tears of joy as the girl she hated most hurled harmless death threats at her. This fact became obvious when Kara's Slave Crest began to glow. It forced her to her knees. Kara wailed out angry cries, tears further ruining her smudged make up.
"Geez, and they say we're not human, ay?" Gellen waltzed up next to her.
She smiled, genuinely, with an unforced ease she had almost forgotten.
"Hey, you know what the Traymar family does, right?" Gellen looked at her mischievously, obviously taunting the former slavers, eager to see her smile.
"Um, well…" She brought a playful finger to her moist cheek. "They suck as people, too?" Her voice cracked as she was still crying, but the indulgent vindication from which her tears came was too strong to ruin anything for her.
"HA!" Gellen laughed, egging her good mood on. "That's just the start!" He drew a horizontal arc with his finger, pointing at all 12 sons. "Y'see all these fine young men here? What the parents do is, they train each of their sons to specialize in profitable endeavors. Furniture sales, banking, slave trading, you name it. Then they whore their sons out to women of noble families that are of lesser financial status than them. By offering one of their sons to them, usually for marriage, they then reap the social value of a Melromarc woman, which immediately upgrades their business."
The elderly Traymar couple grew blatantly aggravated with Gellen. The dozen boys expressed different reactions. Some of them turned their noses up at him, some turned their faces down with shame, and some glared at him with killing intent. Gellen had seen it all before.
"However, once married, most of those profits are funneled back into the Traymar family, accruing both wealth and power. This makes them, a family of men, quite sought after by many lesser noble families with unwed daughters. Y'know, like families who can only afford six whole guards and a single slave. In other words…" Gellen cocked his thumb toward Kara. "She's a low ranking noble in a family so pathetic, they have to wed her off to a male whore-for-life!" He smiled, almost sadistically. "I bet that date of yours is just a testing period to see if the poor boy could stomach you!"
Lyrsia laughed. "Well, if I may say so myself, former-Mistress Kara…" She smiled through the fresh onset of tears, speaking with a risen pitch. "I'd say your well-combed hair might be your only saving grace!" Her ears perked up, twitching happily.
Kara cried harder, letting out a guttural roar, and pulled on her hair until it frayed out like a savages who knew nothing of showers. Lyrsia relished the moment. The driver had enough of her noise though and cracked his whip, eliciting grunts from the tyrella dragons harnessed to the wagon. It jolted forward, knocking everyone in the cage back.
"HOLD IT!" Wayne shouted. The former slavers jerked again as it halted once more. Wayne walked up next to Lyrsia. "I need you to order them to answer my question. The slave pact is forged with you. Do you mind?"
Lyrsia looked at Kassine and Thaniel. She shook her head, knowing they held no power over her any longer. "I don't mind." She dried off her tears and steeled her face. "Go ahead."
He cleared his throat. "Do you know the whereabouts of a slave named Raphtalia? She is a young tanuki demi-female about 10 years of age."
"Huh?" Lyrsia turned to Wayne, concerned, then gave him a curt nod. She turned back to her former masters, giving a hard look, despite her puffy eyes, above a set jaw. "Well?" She crossed her arms, eyes intensifying. "Answer his question. That's an order!"
Their Slave Crests began to glow, preparing to activate if the order was not met. It was the most satisfying experience Lyrsia ever had.
"N-NO! I DON'T KNOW ANYTHING!" Kassine screamed. The memories of how Lyrsia screamed, begged and writhed when she activated the Slave Crest on her…ironically had terrified Kassine, now under threat of a worse pain.
In contrast, Thaniel squinted eyes with a composed hatred. "I have never heard of this girl, nor have I come in contact with a young tanuki at any point I can recall." His eyes flashed with hatred.
Slave Crests stopped glowing, doing nothing. Wayne nodded.
"Take them away." With that, the wagon moved and didn't stop. Just outside of Melromarc, a temporary camp had been set for them to bring prisoners to, before marching back to Shieldfreeden. The wagon disappeared over the moonlit horizon.
Lyrsia turned to Gellen. "Who is Raphtalia?"
Gellen chuckled, rubbing the back of his head, flinching when he hit the spot Wayne smacked. "Ah, yeahhh….long story actually." He gave her an awkward grin. "Things are…kinda complicated right now."
"It's because you can't explain things without deviating into frivolous tangents." Kundal clomped up to them, thick tail swaying proudly behind her. "But yes, there is much to explain. It started when the Sword Hero had rescued three child slaves from Melromarc, who were victims of torture, and brought them to Siltvelt. In response, Siltvelt had decided to unleash mercenaries into this country, as a form of retaliation."
"Wait, the Sword Hero did this?" Lyrsia's head cocked back. "But…he's a prophet in Melromarc! Why would he incite their rivals so blatantly?"
"To my understanding, he is quite eccentric, but seems to prioritize what is right over what is convenient." Kundal seemed surprised with her own explanation.
"Mm." Wayne nodded. "I do hope to meet him, one day."
"Heck, it's cuz of him, we got these nifty new weapons!" Gellen showed off a satchel of odd contraptions, all with a homemade quality. "He gave detailed instructions to Siltvelt's soldiers how to make 'em, and we had someone relay 'em to us."
Lyrsia recognized one of them; they emitted the ear-piercing whistles when lit. She tilted her head, looking back to Kundal. "And he went to…Siltvelt? But I thought Siltvelt and Shieldfreeden are at odds with each other? I was told you're from Shieldfreeden?"
"We are…and we have spies in Siltvelt to monitor their activities. We are a covert paramilitary group of adventurers." Kundal explained. "As soon as their order was given, we were updated immediately to the situation. We were hiding in the outskirts of Siltvelt when this occurred. That is why we were able to get here as fast as we did. As we speak, there are soldiers from Shieldfreeden coming to meet us."
"More soldiers?" Lyrsia brought her hands to her chest, clutching at her shirt. "Are you going to war with Siltvelt? Or are you warring with Melromarc? But then…why are you both here if you're not working together?"
Kundal, Gellen and Wayne all looked at Lyrsia with pity.
"The poor girl has no clue what's coming to this country." Wayne said, eliciting a worried glance from Lyrsia.
"A big war is coming, that much is true…but it is Faubley that declared it on Melromarc." Kundal lowered her gaze, still intense with eyes locked on hers. "It's expected to leave this country destroyed and desolate. Siltvelt is merely taking advantage of the situation, to recruit demi-humans who are understandably angry, to their cause. They wish to foster the anger they have against Melromarc into a spite that encompasses all humans, supported by ideals of demi-human supremacy. As far as Shieldfreeden is concerned, their cause will do nothing but continue the same problem from the other side. This is no surprise, though. Siltvelt had once tried to conquer the world. Of course they'd seize any opportunity to strengthen their forces."
Lyrsia took a deep breath, taking in all the grim information. "And this girl…Raphtalia?"
Kundal nodded. "She is a friend of one of the child slaves the Sword Hero rescued. The child begged that she be found, and Siltvelt promised both him and the Sword Hero that it will be done." Her eyes tightened. "It is at that, we became most alarmed. If the Sword Hero joins the forces of Siltvelt, they surely will rise to great power. The worst case scenario is, if they manage to petition the Sword Hero, it might make it easier to convince the Shield Hero to join them, once Melromarc is destroyed. There is also rumor of a notable camaraderie between the Shield, the Bow and the Spear Heroes, and thus, if they get one…they may get them all."
"Wait, so…" Everything clicked in Lyrsia's head. "That means if Shieldfreeden happens to find Raphtalia first, then the Sword Hero will be swayed in your favor then!"
"Exactly!" Kundal smiled.
"Damn, pretty and smart, huh?" Gellen shook his head, smiling. "Dare I say it's a good thing I met you while you were still a slave!" Wayne and Kundal shot him a deathly glare, disapproving of whatever his joke may be. He didn't care. "Why, if we had met by the time those smarts of yours put some money in your pocket, I swear I'd have dropped to a knee and proposed to you on the spot! At least this way, I'll get to know you more while you're still as broke as I am, ay?"
"You'd have more money if you didn't gamble it all away so often…ay." Wayne ruined his moment.
"Ngh!" Gellens face scrunched. "Oi! Don't say that so loudly! My faults aren't nearly as charming if she doesn't get to know my good side first!"
As they argued, Kundal tried to quell the awkwardness. "Uh, Lyrsia, you'll have to excuse Gellen. His sense of humor is-"
"BWAHAHAHAHA!" Lyrsia broke into a hysterical fit of laughter. She laughed harder than she had in years, since she was a child who had yet to understand her lot in life. Her former lot in life. Tears pooled at the corner of her eyes yet again, streaking down as her joyous giggles poured forth like a burst dam. She was elated. Free from slavery, in the company of people who cared about her, and having stood her grounds to keep a potential ally for a greater cause safe…she was feeling pretty damn good. She took a pause to rein in her emotions, then bowed deeply in front of the three demi-humans that rescued her.
"Thank you…" Her voice shook, rich with emotion. She then threw her head up and jumped forward, embracing the three of them all at once in a big hug. "THANK YOU!"
Kundal and Gellen each put a hand on her shoulders, letting her know they accepted her gratitude. Wayne stood there with an expression that hardly changed.
"You're welcome." He replied in his deep, monotone voice.
"Aw, geez Wayne! You sound like you just solved a math problem!" Gellen snickered.
"HAHAHAHA!" Lyrsia released them to start laughing again as Wayne grunted, shooting a glare at Gellen. Even Kundal smiled to herself, finding humor in his lack of emotional range.
"Ah, I'm sorry, I'm sorry!" Lyrsia put her hands together, facing Wayne apologetically.
He shook his head. "You're OK. It's Gellen who's developed the unnecessary niche that allows him easy access beneath my skin."
She smiled at that, still giggling intermittently, realizing that they actually were all good friends. Then she thought of Raphtalia. Finally, her laughing subsided. She had no idea what this girl looked like, yet she worried for her like a close friend.
"Raphtalia-chan…" The wind blew against her face as she spoke. There was a chill to it, reminding her of nights she felt alone, scared and despaired in the basement of her slavers house. "That poor girl. We have no idea what condition she is in right now, how scared she might be, or what pain she may be suffering. All sorts of terrible things are possible, here as a slave in Melromarc." She lifted her head, facing the wind, looking toward the moonlit horizon. "And if she is OK, somehow, there is a chance she'll be rescued by a country that wishes to use her as a tool to inspire war."
Kundal put a hand on Lyrsia's shoulder, standing next to her, looking out at the moon over the same horizon. "All we can do is hope for the best."
"All the while, we do our best." Gellen walked up to her other side, drinking in the sight of the silver-blue grass basking in moonlight.
Wayne stood behind them, looking above the moon, thinking of the millions of stars being outshined by its gentle snowy light. "Though I believe in no god preached about in any of our churches…I do pray that the child is alright."
The four demi-humans stood together, gazing at but a fraction of the cosmic infinity above them. All they could do was hope; hold faith for a miracle somewhere in its boundless midst to bestow itself upon a helpless little girl, lost and alone in a hostile country.
