The wagon ride was slow and bumpy, but it gave me plenty of time to think about what I was taking myself into.
Here I was; approaching danger at a borderline breakneck speed, and all for what?
I know it's the right thing to do, but I can't help but think I may have made an error in judgment by agreeing to this. After all, I could easily end up dead if this goes poorly. And then, how am I gonna help anyone?
On the other hand, I will be doing things like this regardless. What's the difference between throwing myself into danger now or later, besides time and place? Maybe I'll be alive a little bit longer, but that doesn't actually mean anything when I am doing nothing with my time.
Maybe it's just the nerves. After all, I am diving headfirst into what could end up be my end, and I am only trying to look for excuses... Maybe talking will help me calm down and clear my head. I took a calming breath and turned to my driver.
"So, what's your name?" I asked.
His head almost snapped as he turned to look at me. "What?... Oh, sorry..." he apologized as he refocused on the road. "My name is Adrian."
Slowly nodding, I gave mine. "James," I said as I offered my hand.
The now named Adrian took it and gave a quick shake. His grip wasn't awfully strong, or at least not strong enough to hurt. Unsurprising, given how skinny he is.
"So… are you planning on going into a Monster Den all by yourself?"
Although the real gravity of the situation was hitting me, I put on my bravest face. "Yeah, I guess I am." My voice only carried about a fraction of the confidence that I wanted. Regardless of that, Adrian openly gaped at me.
"But… that's suicide!" he raised his voice as he spoke. "No one ever goes in without at least a battalion or band of mercenaries at their back. Anything less than fifty men is simply asking to die horribly!"
I chuckled nervously. "Well, I guess I'm worth fifty men, then..."
He gave me a critical eye. "I'd say you look more like you are with one and a half," he told me. "You want to start convincing me you're at least worth half as much as you say? Then, for the Goddess' sake, grow a pair and stop sounding like you're trying to cover it up."
"I don't sound that bad, do I?"
Adrian rolled his eyes. "I hate to tell you, kid, but yeah, you do." He turned the wagon down a fork in the road. "Don't get me wrong, I am glad you agree to doing this. But whatever girl you're trying to impress is not going to swoon over a corpse."
With a sigh, I knew he had a point. "You're right," I conceded. "But I'm already in this deep. What would be the point of turning back now?"
"Life?" Adrian suggested.
I couldn't help but give a dry laugh. "My old life is over," I said as I thought back on it.
Odds are I'll never go back, and even if I could, would I even want to? To return to my shabby, boring life before all this, where my most looked forward to thing was the weekend just to play an RPG?
My old life was mundane, comparing it to this. First day here, I get my leg gnawed on by a huge dog and kill it in a minute later. As terrifying as that experience was... It felt good. I saved someone, I killed a monster. In a few hours here, I already did more than I could ever say I did back home.
This place… It's almost like a dream come true. The only problem is the pests that inhabit the country, and the coming 'war'. Thankfully though, those problems overlap each other, to a degree. As such, I can knock out 2 birds with one stone, which is fantastic for me.
Adrian looked at me with pity in his eyes. "Oh..." he whispered to himself. "I'm sorry."
With a wave of my hand, I dismissed it. "It's alright," I said as I leaned back and gazed at the sky. Something about doing so was strangely peaceful to me, for a reason I can't rightly say. I closed my eyes and began trying to savor this moment of peace while I could. I tried to clear my mind, but I didn't get much time before Adrian tapped me on the shoulder.
"What is it?"
He pointed at a fallen tree and said, "We're close, I recognize that tree." He began bringing the wagon to a stop at the side of the road. I watched him dismount before doing the same. "Alright, I'll lead you the rest of the way," he told me as he entered the surrounding forest.
I breathed out. "Time to get to work," I told myself as I let Adrian lead me into the trees. I watched as he continued deeper in, and once more I took another breath, trying to remain calm.
"No turning back now," I muttered to myself before following his footsteps. I just hoped whatever god or goddess that brought me here was watching over me right now.
Adrian led me through at a decent pace. I'd say this cave was a lot deeper in than I was initially expecting. But then again, it'd be weirder if it was just off the road.
"So, do you know what I should expect to face?" I asked as I vaulted over a fallen log.
My guide shook his head. "Nothing beyond Orcs, maybe some Ghouls." His voice was quiet, I guess he didn't want to be heard. Which was understandable, all things considered.
"What about… Goblins, Gargoyles, or Werewolves?" I asked quietly, only to receive a flat stare from Adrian. "What?"
Adrian facepalmed. "I'm trusting my daughter's life in the hands of an idiot," he muttered more to himself than to me. "Monsters rarely live communally," he told me. "Goblins live separately, Werewolves live separately. Gargoyles are known to haunt ruins, or far north, in the Dark Queen's territory."
"Well, why would Ghouls be with Orcs, then?"
Speaking of, I wonder what a Ghoul looks like? Orcs I already think I've got an idea on, I've seen Goblins, I've seen Werewolves, I've seen a Gargoyle… I wonder what they look like?
Adrian turned away from me and continued walking. "Ghouls are weak creatures, and rely on Orcs for the muscle that they lack. On the flip side, Ghouls are smarter than Orcs, capable of thinking and learning like a Human."
"Ah. So the Ghouls are the brains, Orcs are the brawn, got it." I nodded in understanding. "Anything else I should be worried about?"
My guide nodded grimly. "A Troll, if we are unlucky," he said. "Trolls sometimes take over creatures weaker than them. It is roughly twice the size of an orc, with the strength to match, and much smarter than other monsters."
Great, as if there weren't enough things trying to kill us.
"What's the likelihood that they have one?"
Adrian shrugged. "I can't say for certain. Just… Watch out, you know? If you notice something roughly three times your size, stay away," he told me, before suddenly putting his hand out in a halting gesture.
"Wait!" he said in a hushed tone, before crouching and moving closer to another fallen tree. Following his lead, I got low, and approached the log, slowly peeking over it and observing the opening to a cave.
"That's it?" I asked as I looked around for anything acting like a guard.
With a nod, Adrian looked over too. "Yep, that's the den," he said, gazing around as well. "You see anything?"
"Nothing, it appears unguarded," I stated. It was odd, I expected at least something to be keeping watch, but maybe they were all… preoccupied by something I would rather not think about right now.
"Good. You know the way back to the wagon?" he asked, and I only nodded in response, still scanning for anything that might be lurking around the mouth of the cave.
"Right. I'll be waiting for you and whoever you find by the road. If you're not back out by nightfall, I'll just assume you're dead and go tell Her Holiness."
I gave him a deadpan expression. "Your confidence in me is inspiring," I stated as he walked away, leaving me alone in front of the den.
After making sure the coast was clear, I approached the mouth of the cave and peered inside. It didn't seem like there was anything waiting for me, and I didn't hear anything coming from inside, so I took a few steadying breaths and began venturing inside.
Looking around the dark interior, I began thinking about making a torch, only to remember that I had nothing with me to make one. A part of me debated leaving the cave to rectify this, but while I was reflecting, I began to realize that my eyes had begun adjusting to the surrounding darkness.
My vision wasn't perfect by any means, but I could see down the tunnel and at least make out where I was going. I moved as slowly and quietly as I could manage, and as I got deeper into the cave, I began to hear something.
It kinda sounded like a wet, slapping noise, but for the life of me I couldn't piece together what it was. Or maybe I just didn't want to.
I followed it as it echoed down the tunnel. Every few steps, I heard a grunt of some sort. I tried not to think about what I was listening to, what I could hear, but that was hard to do considering there was no other source of sound in this godforsaken cave.
Following the noise brought me to a crossroads, where I discovered more sounds that gave me the wrong kinds of chills. There was a tunnel to the left, where I could see the orange glow of a fire, and there was a path to the right, that had more and more sounds echoing down from further in.
The hairs on the back of my neck stood on end as I took the left path. I hoped that this was a small detour, and that I had saved myself from getting ambushed from both sides.
I rounded the corner, peeking into the chamber, and I felt my body go stiff and my stomach heave at the sight.
There, in a small chamber lit by a tiny camp fire, were about a dozen small and hairless creatures, all surrounding two girls. I could hear muffled sounds from them, cries of pain and sorrow that would haunt me for the rest of my life. I felt my lungs lock up, and couldn't breathe for a few moments, before I heard one final grunt of effort and then…
I was going to vomit.
There was no way around that fact, I threw up on the floor, the sound of my retching covered up by those demons and their own maniacal and malicious laughter. I hid behind the wall, just out of sight, and attempted to recuperate, spitting stray globs of bile onto the ground every few moments.
While I tried to recover my senses, I heard a soft and fragile voice.
"Please… No more…" was all one of the girls could get out, as weak as it was. "I can't take it anymore…"
My heart went to her as she begged for mercy. I drew my sword, gripping it as tightly as I could.
I needed to get in there, I needed to do something!
"HA!" I heard one of the monsters laugh. "You're gonna take more, you're gonna take all our cum! And once our turn with you is finished, we're going to trade you to those orcs for some of their old fuck toys," it said in a voice that sounded way too cheerful.
"They… trade them?" I said to myself in barely a whisper. Passing captives between the two types down here, like they are some commodity to be shared...?
"KYAA!" I heard the other woman scream, and before I even realized it, my feet were moving.
The first kill happened so swiftly that I was surprised by the amount of power I put into that swing. All it took was one clean cleave, and before I knew it, I was watching the head of one of these creatures flying, its dumb grin slowly morphing into one of horror as it spun through the air.
The others looked at me with surprise. "A HUMAN?!" one shouted, but I already swung my sword and cut open its throat before it could say anything else. While I did that, the two girls crawled away from me, and hid in the corner of the chamber while I began fighting. All the Ghouls got away themselves, forming a semicircle in front of me.
"Well, well, well," the largest one began. "Look at this, we got ourselves free food, boys!" it called out, earning cheers from its fellows. "You know what to do. Maul him, beat him, tenderize him, eat him!" it shouted as they all began rushing towards me with a speed that surprised me.
The third one to die leaped and stabbed itself on my sword. I was surprised by this, and before he even finished sliding off of my sword, another leaped onto my chest and two onto my legs. I dropped the weapon and focused on pulling the one currently clawing my at my face off of me.
Its grip on me was stronger than the Goblins, but not strong enough that I couldn't pull it off, and with a quick movement, I slammed it onto the ground, breaking its neck as it collided with the hard stone.
I barely had a moment to breathe before I felt a biting pain in my legs. Sure enough, the two on my legs were biting them, and if the pain was any indication they were actually ripping flesh. I grabbed my sword from the dead one and stabbed downwards into the head one of the Ghouls'.
That was number five dead. Once its body went limp and its grip was slack, I used the pommel to bash the other one off, smacking it in the head over and over again before it finally relented and retreated. I didn't even get a moment to breathe before another tried jumping on me.
This time however, I was prepared for it, and caught the little bastard mid leap. It squirmed and writhed in my grip, but that quickly stopped when I stabbed my sword through its body, from one hip to the other. I withdrew my weapon and tossed the body away, letting it lay and die in a puddle of its own blood.
They each stared at me with expressions of slowly dawning horror as they watched their companion drop dead in my grip. The ones that remained looked at the others I attacked and stabbed, realizing they weren't getting up.
"You...you killed them," said the leader, his smile now gone. And with good reason, since half of its little pack was now gone.
"Don't worry," I said as I held the sword out to the side, letting them observe the blood that now painted the iron. "You'll be joining them soon."
Rather than letting them get the initiative this time, I took a few quick strides and closed the distance in barely a moment. They looked at me with faces that were both terrified and in disbelief, not that I paid them too much mind as I raised my sword and sliced the closest one in half with a single swing.
Its body fell to the ground, reaching for its now missing legs, trying its damnedest to feel for them. But it was fruitless, I knew it was going to be dead in moments, if not already two feet into the grave. The next one took a swing at me. Panicked and frightened as it was, it managed to leave a light scratch on my thigh. I made sure I bashed its head open with the pommel of the sword for that.
It screamed and screamed, and I couldn't help but wonder if that was a lovely melody, or an annoying noise. I silenced it with a boot to the fucker's neck, and felt its windpipe cave underneath my heel. Those final gargles were actually music to my ears. I noticed that they were starting to cower now, and began laughing.
"Ah... Not as fun when the shoe is on the other foot, is it?" I asked rhetorically as I approached. "How's it feel, huh? To know that this is the end of the line, your final destination, your last moments in this world before you are welcomed into the waiting arms of death?"
The Ghouls were staring at me with terrified faces. "You… You son of a bitch!" one cried out, as he began to back into the cave wall. "What are you?! How can you do this?!" It never got an answer as I raised my sword again, and began to slaughter them like the animals they are.
They were too terrified of me to move, and that made me feel good to be capable of doing that to monsters that had nothing to fear.
After I was finished, I took a moment to catch my breath. I put my hands on my knees and carefully examined the wounds they left on my legs, and yeah, they didn't look pretty. Thankfully, I have those potions in my satchel, and was about to take one out before my eyes locked with the two women who have been stuck down here for… God knows how long.
"Are… Are you two alright?" I internally winced at my own question, of course they weren't. "My name is James, and I'm here to get you out," I explained as I took a few steps towards them, but recoiled when they began retreating. "Hey…" I said softly, "You're alright… you're safe now."
I now had a good chance to look at them. The first one had pink hair with brown eyes, while the other had brown hair and was still averting her eyes from me.
"Are… Are they truly gone?" she asked, her voice so fragile that my gut twisted inside my body. While I slept on a soft bed in the safety of a castle, they were down here, getting abused and raped.
The thought made me feel uneasy, but I did my best to ignore it and nodded once. "Everything from here to the entrance," I told them. "I'll come back and get you once I've saved everyone else."
As soon as I said that, her eyes widened in fear and alarm. With a movement so fast I barely had a chance to see it, she grabbed my hand and kept me from leaving.
"PLEASE NO!" she cried out. "Don't leave us here! Please!" There was a desperation in her plea that struck me like a fist. Dumbly, I stared down at her scared and pleading face… Did she truly believe I was just going to abandon her?
"I'm not going to abandon you." I gently put my hand over hers. "I promise, I'll be back with the others they have down here, and then we can all go outside together," I said reassuringly, only for her to shake her head.
"But… But you just said that you're going deeper in! That's suicide!"
I lowered myself down to her level. "Trust me, okay?" I asked as carefully as I could. "I would love to take you out of here right now, but there are more people down here that need me. Stay here, and I'll be back for you once I am done, alright?"
The girl gave a slow and hesitant nod. "Promise you'll be back?" I gave her a reassuring smile.
"I promise."
Once I said that, she let go of my hand and wrapped it around her knees. I couldn't help but gaze down at them with pity. I reached into my bag and grabbed two small red bottles. "Here," I offered. "I don't know how badly they hurt you, but this should help with any pain or wounds they left," I told them as I handed them the two red healing potions.
The silent girl looked up at me once again, and I swear that face would have broken me if I wasn't already.
"Thank you," she said in a voice so quiet, a part of me wondered if I was just imagining it. Without another word, I turned and left them there, but not before grabbing a small burning stick to use as a torch.
After getting back to the fork, I had to stop for a few moments and heal my deeper wounds, like the bite on my leg and the deeper cuts those despicable little creatures left on me.
Thankfully, using the healing spell was almost like muscle memory to me. I barely had to even think about it before my hands were glowing with that same radiant glow, just like last night. I ran the soft, golden light along my leg, and sighed in relief as the pain began to melt away. Thank God I'm not squeamish, otherwise I am not sure how I would have gotten this done.
Once the healing was done, I moved my leg a little bit to make sure there was no residual pain. Sure enough, there wasn't, although it did leave a mean looking scar, but it would fade in time. With that all done, I told myself that I was okay enough to move on, and started down the path that was untraveled.
While I walked, I kept thinking back on those two girls I had saved just minutes ago. It broke my heart to hear them crying like that, hearing them beg for mercy that would never be granted. It made me sick to my stomach thinking about it.
If I thought that this was terrible, then Vault's Nation of Service would be worse. I don't even want to imagine what that would be like due to what I saw down here. Worst still, they were lucky that I arrived when I did, because if I didn't, then no one would have.
If Vault gets his way, then no one is going to be safe. The thought chilled me to the core as I thought about the hentai again… and how everyone in the end gets raped. The idea of hearing those cries in person… It made me tremble with shame as a realization came to my mind. I swallowed thickly.
"I got off to that…" I said quietly to myself, horrified and disgusted by that fact. How can I even look any of those girls in the eye knowing that I did that? Hell, how can I even bring myself to look Celestine in the eye, knowing that even today I was thinking about her like… like every other man here, no differently from the people who want to rape her do each day?
How can I even begin to think that I am any better than them? I guess what I am doing here is a start, but that doesn't mean I can truly say I'm in the clear… No. I need to stop Vault, make sure he never conquers this kingdom. I cannot allow what is happening in this cave to happen anywhere else.
With my mind made up, I took a few steadying breaths and listened for those noises that would help me find the Orcs and where they were keeping the women. I stepped quietly, but moved with purpose, before finally hearing those grunts and muffled moans coming from a branching path.
I followed the noises and found a group of six Orcs, each spit-roasting a woman on their…
After forcing myself to calm down, I began to give the chamber a once over. There were only six of them, each a lot taller than me, but at least I had an advantage in that I could kill them just as easily as they could kill me.
One more breath and I charged in. With a leap, I stabbed one of them through the back of the head. The rest became alarmed and alert as their brother fell to the ground dead, and I quickly pulled out my weapon.
"Okay, who's next?" I taunted, before quickly attacking the closest one.
Thankfully for me, they were just as ponderous as they were bulky, and after avoiding an almost lazy swing, I managed to slice open the fat gut of the second orc. Once it was dead, I noticed the others grabbing clubs and clenching their fists in rage, roaring with fury as they charged at me.
I managed to avoid their swings, and with some luck managed to land a few cuts on them. But that was before I was blindsided by a haymaker and thrown with enough force to bounce off the wall as I hit it.
Yep, that hurt like hell.
Only a few moments passed before I realized I wasn't dead, because I was grabbed by my head and brought face to face with one of the ugly bastard. I struggled as much as I could to get out of its hold, but with the second hand added parallel to the first, I began to panic. I felt the pressure on both sides of my skull as he began to squeeze my head, tighter and tighter.
He was going to crush my head!
I began struggling harder, kicking my legs and trying to pull his hands off. It wasn't until I managed to smack him in his most vulnerable spot that I succeeded in getting free from his grasp. With a few gasps and a quick scrabble to get my sword, I was able to protect myself as another ran up and tried to literally kick me while I was down.
Again, I hit them in the one place that it treasures the most on its body, thankful that I had enough time to stand back up before another one tried to take a cheap shot, and managed to maneuver myself out of the way, retaliating with a stab straight through the armpit and out the shoulder.
The orc groaned and fell to the ground. I wasn't entirely sure if what I did was fatal, but he was out of the fight, and that was good enough for me. I was breathing harder now, and I could feel blood running down my cheek from where the Orc hit me, but I couldn't even bring myself to care about it.
The next one ran at me, and like the animal it was, it managed to get stabbed through the neck when I raised my sword to defend myself. With most of the orcs down the last two, the one with the club included. They were a bit more hesitant about running at me. It was a fact that I was thankful for because I needed the breather. I could feel the dull and throbbing pain in my cheek, my back, and I knew that was just the start of it.
I couldn't even begin to imagine where else might be hurting right now that I am simply not aware of due to the adrenaline in my system.
We stared each other down, before they both rushed me. I dodged the one with the club and managed to leave a nasty cut along the torso of the one that is still unarmed, but as soon as I left that wound, I got a punch to the ribs as a reward, one that knocked the wind out of me.
Before I knew it, I got a club to the shin and landed face down onto the cave floor after a single flip through the air.
How my leg wasn't broken was anyone's guess, but goddamn did it hurt like hell. I only had a moment to react when I managed to catch a pair of orc feet coming at me with a speed that told me one thing: It was about to bring that giant club down onto me.
I managed to push myself into a roll, barely avoiding a strike powerful enough to crack the stone. Simultaneously, I heard a snapping sound, and managed to spare a glance at the orc, who was staring down at a broken club.
But with the good luck I had, came the bad one too. I didn't have a chance to be thankful before I got a nasty-feeling kick to the ribs. I couldn't help but gasp out in pain before I had my back stomped on, causing me to white out momentarily. In my throes of pain, they sought to grab me again, this time lifting me up by the shirt and snarling at me.
"Human die now!" it grunted out as it lifted me up and slammed me into the ground.
Now, I know I wasn't dead. I knew that for a fact, otherwise I don't think I would be feeling enough pain in my back that I felt like it was broken. I know it wasn't, I could still feel everything. But man, did it fucking hurt so bad that I kinda just laid there.
I wanted to get up again, to stand and fight more, but that pain was almost crippling. I needed to lay there for at least a bit until I felt well enough to stand back up, so I did the only thing I could do.
Play dead.
The orc spared me a glance, as did the girls, who were cowering in the corner just like the others in the chamber that had the Ghouls. I saw the Orcs huff, before one picked up my iron sword and looked it over. Was it going to stab me?
No, it looked at the sword in its hands, more like a dagger in its grasp, and began playing with it. Giving a few test swings before growling, disappointed.
"Too small," it said before breaking the sword in its grip and tossing the tip of the blade and the handle behind its shoulder, both halves landing right next to me.
The two orcs began talking about something, I wasn't exactly paying attention to their conversation, focusing instead on grabbing the handle of the broken sword. I stretched out for it with a slow and shaky hand, barely managing to reach it. Good, at least I could use this.
I knew getting up now would be equivalent to suicide, I needed them to separate and get distracted. So I waited, and waited, and finally got my chance when one decided to go for the women huddled in the corner. Once it was far enough away, I began pushing myself off the stone and onto my feet. I had to be quiet about this.
I took measured steps towards the orc distracted with its broken club, trying fruitlessly to put the two pieces together, and despite the distressed cries of the woman, didn't lose its focus on the broken stick in its hands.
As rapidly as I could manage, I rammed the sword handle into its neck, twisted it and ripped it out. It turned around and tried to scream, but it only came out as wet gargles and gurgles before it began falling over. I managed to grab it just before it fell all the way through and lowered it to the ground as quietly as I could.
Once it was dead and silenced, I began creeping towards the other one. It was struggling with the woman in its grasp, she was kicking and fighting as best as she could, but was pinned down by the orc. I watched it begin trying to align its disgusting phallus with her slit, but I wasn't going to let him put it in.
I got behind it, stabbing it right in the family jewels with a quick motion, and as it screamed out, I ripped it backwards towards me, cutting open its taint in the process. It only had a moment to see me before I rammed the sword handle right into its eye as far as I could shove it.
The blinded orc began thrashing out in pain and panic, and after smacking me away, ended up running straight into a wall, pushing the sword handle in far enough to kill it. I rolled onto my back and took a breath of relief.
"That could have gone better…" I said, and I couldn't help but laugh dryly at myself before wincing from the pain in my ribs. "Oh, I shouldn't do that right now," I muttered to myself, before forcing myself back onto my feet.
"Are any of you hurt?" I asked as I took a glance at the women, promptly shutting my mouth.
They looked horrid. Large, angry red marks were everywhere on their bodies, together with painful and mean looking bruises. Their faces were stained with hundreds of tears, and I could see in their eyes that they were terrified, even now.
I lowered myself in front of them, "Who… Who are you?" asked one with a serious bruise on her cheek, gazing at me with odd pink eyes.
"My name is James." I offered my hand, only to realize it was covered in blood now. I slowly lowered it and said, "I'm here to bring you all home."
She repeated the word, almost as if it were foreign on her tongue. "H... Home?" she asked in a shaky voice, and I gave her a single nod. "Is... Is this a dream?"
I shook my head. "No, it's not a dream. I just want to clear out the rest of the cave before I take you all home. Alright?"
"Watch out…" warned another girl, this one with black hair and a mean black eye. "The big one is sleeping at the end of the tunnel," she told me, and I just nodded before taking out three more healing potions and offering them to the girls, who uncorked the bottles and drank them slowly. Savoring the taste of something besides semen, I bet. As I was walking away, I heard the last one call out.
"Wait," she said quietly, getting my attention. I turned around and limped back, and a girl with brown hair and a nasty bruised chin handed me a book with a burning hand on the cover. "It hates fire… this might help," she told me before huddling back with the others.
With that taken care of, I limped my way out of the chamber. I only needed to get some space to heal myself. I barely managed to reach the main tunnel before I had to collapse against a wall to begin using the healing spell I learned. It was now that I realized I was hurting pretty much all over, and while the spell did help with the pain, it didn't take it away completely.
Closing my eyes, I began reflecting on the situation. I ought to consider myself lucky. If I were anyone else, these things probably would have killed me and been no worse for wear for the effort. Hell, they might have been eating my body by now if I was a normal person…
But I'm not. For some reason, that only God or whoever else out there knows, I am not normal anymore. I can kill monsters just as easily as they can kill me. I can use magic when other people in this world can't.
It's only thanks to me that these girls can actually go home tonight, that they can return to their lives. But how many are still stuck in places like this? Living a hell that no one can rescue them from?
It makes me sick to think that people are fine with this… And it makes me sick, that I ever took pleasure from this.
With most of my body healed now, but still feeling the lingering pain, I decided to open that book, although the title was worn off. I managed to open it, and...
F̸̩͂̋̀̄l̶̨̟͍̝̬̒ȃ̶̞̠̦m̵͉͈̞̀̇͋͝ë̸͖͖́̇͒͋͜͠s̶̠̈
You know, I don't think I'll ever get used to that.
I experimented with my hands a bit. Healing was simple, fire was a bit tougher, but after figuring out that it responded to anger, I managed to create a small flame in my hand… And since my sword was busted, I am going to be needing this if I am going to survive.
With that done, I pressed onward down the main tunnel, and continued and continued until I reached the last chamber. It was only when I entered that I realized there was a quiet and muffled noise echoing off the cave walls. I looked around the room and...
…
Oh God.
Once again, I beheld a sight that would haunt me for the rest of my life.
There, sitting in the corner of the room was a huge creature, larger than anything I had seen before. Under it was a girl, somewhere in her teens, and she was moaning lightly as that thing…
I clenched my fists, and felt the fires in my hands grow hotter. I unleashed a torrent of flames from my hands, and in an instant, the creature, the Troll, was off the girl and trying to protect itself. She remained on the ground unmoving, despite the flames above her.
A part of me was thankful she wasn't foolishly standing up, but it also made me worried. Why wasn't she moving?!
Unfortunately, I didn't have long to ponder that thought, as the Troll charged through the flames and tried to hit me. I was thankfully able to duck under it, but only barely. I had to stop the stream for a moment because I could already feel myself wearing out from it.
The Troll spotted a chance to hit me, now that I wasn't setting it on fire, and began swinging its giant fists at me. Its first, second, third, fourth and fifth, all missed, but the last one found home in my chest.
The punch threw me backwards, and I landed on the ground with a loud thud. I felt my chest for a moment, feeling the pain present and the sensation of breathlessness as I struggled to gasp for air. It growled as it approached me, heavy, lumbering footsteps drawing closer and closer, while I tried my best to get away.
While I crawled backwards, I managed to grab something, a bottle of some sort that still had some liquid inside. I didn't know what it was, but I threw it, and watched as its contents splattered all across the Troll's face and chest.
It let out an inhuman roar, and I did the only thing I could do. I let out a small little trickle of fire out of my hand, the only thing I could manage, and watched as the troll was lit up like a goddamn Christmas tree.
It attempted to scrub the fire off, patting itself down, and even grabbed another bottle. But this time I could see what it was, and could only smirk as it poured more alcohol on its own head, increasing the flames. Its screams were exquisite as it flailed and burned alive, before finally dropping dead onto the ground. Its body was still cooking, even now that it was dead.
Despite everything, I think that fight went better than the one with the Orcs. Then again, they didn't kill themselves by pouring flammable liquids onto themselves.
After taking a moment to rest and get my breath back, I managed to push myself up off the stone and approached the still laying girl. She looked absolutely awful. Her eyes were unfocused and distant, but she was still breathing, which I was thankful for.
"Can you hear me?" I asked.
She didn't respond. I gave her a small shake, but still nothing. With a weary sigh, I pulled her up to me, and prepared to carry her out. I can only hope Celestine, or the people in Geofu, can help her.
As I turned to leave, my eyes saw movement in the corner of the room. I would have thought it was a rat if it weren't so bulky. I gently laid the girl back down and tracked the small movement to a rock. One that was flat enough to be used like a door, or to hide another room.
I moved it, and inside I saw them.
A couple dozen tiny red creatures, and larger, olive-colored ones. They were all huddled up against each other, staring up at me with fear and terror.
"Alright then," I muttered quietly to myself, as I grabbed a big rock from the ground and brought out a flame spell with the other. "No one leaves alive, this is an extermination just as much as it is a rescue," I recited what Leliana had told me before I took this quest.
After the deed was done, I dropped the rock onto the ground with a dull thud.
Did I feel guilty about slaughtering some children? Surprisingly, I didn't. After all, they were only monsters. With that done, I scooped up the little girl, and began leaving the cave.
On my way out, I collected the five girls that I had managed to find inside, and escorted them out. By the time we reached the surface, it was close to dusk.
"Watch your step," I warned the naked ladies following me. I didn't want them cutting their foot open or anything like that on a sharp rock or pointy stick. By the time I managed to get back to the wagon, Adrian saw us coming and jumped to meet us.
"You're back! Did you find…" he trailed off when he saw the body in my arms. "My... My baby girl." He hesitantly reached out for his daughter.
"I'm sorry," I said looking away in shame. "There was nothing I could do."
Adrian took his daughter from my hands and I could hear his quiet weeping. "Thank you," was all he could manage.
"P... Papa?"
I looked up from the ground, and saw that tiny girl in Adrian's arms.
"Sarah... My little girl... You'll be okay, I promise," Adrian said before gazing at the women behind me. "All of you in the cart, now!" He ordered, and without another word I was helping the victims into the back. Once everyone was onboard, the man cracked the reins and began driving us back to Geofu.
"Thank you sir," I heard him say. "I am sorry I doubted you."
I could only shrug. "You were right to. I mean, just look at me." I gestured to my body. "I lost my sword, this hide is ripped and torn in a bunch of places, I've got dried blood all over me, and most of it is mine. I was lucky that I made it out at all, let alone with their captives."
"But you still made it out, and that is all that matters to me."
I glanced back at the girls in the back. Adrian had thankfully thought ahead and had given them cloaks to cover them with when they arrived.
"Do you think they're going to be okay?" I asked, they all had dead eyes, staring off into the distance. There was no excitement in their expression, no relief or happiness, they were just... blank.
He shook his head. "I don't know. I hope so, but the only ones I know from Geofu are my daughter and two of the girls... The others..." he trailed off. "Maybe her Holiness can help them recover. If she can't, then I am not sure they ever will."
My heart sank as I heard that. I wanted to them to recover, but knowing that they might not made my gut coil in a strange way. I felt for them, I wanted them to move forward from this, to live their lives without this... Event, hanging around their minds. But it won't leave them, just as what I witnessed in there won't leave me, no matter how much I wanted not to think about it.
What I saw in that cave was an atrocity, and what I saw in there - those monsters raping those women - will stay with me for the rest of my days. I tried my best to block out those lingering thoughts.
If I had charged in immediately and killed those Ghouls, then maybe I could have spared them from that suffering and myself from the guilt of letting it happen for just a few moments more.
If I hadn't been a fool and blindly rushed into a battle with Orcs, I wouldn't have been beaten half to death.
If I had been just a little bit faster, I might have been able to stop Adrian's little girl from suffering at the hands of that... thing.
I leaned back and tried to think of something else, gazing up at the night sky and trying to find beauty in the unpolluted heavens. There was an enormous, red, nebulous cloud that sat high above the sky. I almost mistook it for yellow in the evening light. But as pretty as it was to look at, I brought my gaze back down, and noticed something odd.
There was a strange shadow being cast through the trees. It was an oval-like shape with a large hole in the middle. Naturally, my curiosity got the better of me, and I decided to investigate the strange object.
"Hey, can you wait for a second? I want to go check something out," I told Adrian as I began to dismount the still moving cart.
"I'll slow down a bit, but I am not waiting for you. I need to get them back to Geofu soon, so whatever you're doing, do it fast," he responded as he pulled on the reins to slow the horses down, but not stopping them. I didn't plan on taking very long, and ran over to investigate.
"What the hell?" I mumbled as I found a peculiar stone monument sticking out of the ground. It reminded me of a Standing Stone from Skyrim, only something was… off, about it. I couldn't exactly explain what, only that it was.
I walked around it a few times, investigating it from every angle, but besides looking a little out of place, there didn't seem to be anything too special about it.
That is until the sun went down fully, and I saw this rock in the dark of night.
Something strange began happening, the instant darkness shrouded the stone. The empty space in the middle began glowing with a strange pale blue light, and the stone itself began to shimmer with a pattern that resembled the One Handed skill tree from Skyrim.
What was this thing?
I reached out with my hand, and the instant it touched the smooth, rocky surface, I felt something. An energy from it began flowing into me as the entire thing began to break apart. Orange cracks began racing up the Standing Stone, before finally converging at the top.
The energy that had grabbed onto my hand vanished, and I backed up a few paces in case it was going to explode or something, only to watch it crumble apart, the blue light it housed shooting up into the night sky, before exploding high above.
The flash was somewhat blinding, but when I looked back up, I noticed there was a new star in the sky. One that seemed to be shining brighter than those around it.
This... This wasn't a normal thing in Kuroinu, was it?
I looked around, and hoped no one noticed that. Before returning to the wagon, I found myself asking a singular question.
"What in the name of the Goddess was that?!" A highly confused Adrian shouted from past the trees.
Unfortunately, I was busy asking myself that same question.
Special thanks to LittleWhiteMouse for Proofreading this chapter.
Okay, Chapter done.
I'm still a little iffy on this chapter, some things I am still unsure I conveyed correctly, others I am wondering if I could have improved in a way that I am just not seeing. But I promised a chapter by the end of the month and here it is.
Now to clear up some things:
First of all I know how many of you want to see Olga and Chloe and get onto where the main "Plot" Starts in Kuroinu, but I am asking you to just bear with me a little while longer, we are closer than before and I don't want to ruin it by rushing it.
Secondly: The standing Stone James has interacted with at the end of the chapter is something called a "Perk Stone" These will serve as marks of progression and serve to build up his legend. The one he just activated was Armsman (Level 1) from the One Handed Skill Tree.
Thirdly: I have decided to temporarily close the poll on selecting the 'Main Girl'. The reason for this is because I have been informed that it is relatively unfair and biased starting before all members of the Harem are introduced.
Speaking of the Harem, I will be putting up a new poll for now until the end of December: Would you guys want the Sequel Characters to be brought into the Fic?
I am tempted to bring them in, but I want to see what you guys think about it.
Feedback is important to me and I want to know what you guys think before I commit to anything large like that.
Anyways, I promised 2 chapters in 2 months, so I'll see you guys on New Years…
You all take care, and stay safe now.
