"I'LL KILL YOU! I SWEAR I'LL KILL YOU ALL!" Chloe yelled in my face. "When I get out of this, you're dead! You hear me?! Dead!"
The Half-Elf was angry, understandably so. Her Queen had been taken, and she was left helpless down here in the dungeon, so I couldn't say she had no reason to be upset.
While she yelled all those curses and promises of death at her hands, I found myself far away for a moment. My entire plan had gone to shit, and I'm almost entirely stumped at how to fix it. I had a single course of action, and that was my biggest mistake: I had no backup plan in case this happened.
"How long ago did they take her?" I asked in an even a voice as I could to disguise my fear and worry. I thought I had more time… and I expected they would have taken Chloe first.
This was not how the animation went, and that thought sent a spike of fear down my spine. If even my own knowledge of this series is flawed, then what else don't I know?
It was almost laughable. If I was a bigger pervert, I might have had a better idea of what would be happening and what I could have expected to happen.
This…. This complicates things.
Chloe growled at me. "A while ago, why does it matter?" the Dark Queen's Knight asked. I internally groaned as I realized that was a dumb question; it wasn't like they could tell time down here. I nodded and reached into my satchel, quickly grabbing the jail key and opening the door.
"Are you going to take me too?" she asked in a bitter and angry tone. "Is it my 'turn'?"
I simply ignored her question and grabbed her by the arm. She yelled something at me, but I wasn't paying attention. Instead, I was studying the locking mechanism on her wrists and neck. It seemed like a simple key would be needed. Thankfully, the keyring for the jail had more than one, and I doubted it was for different doors.
"Hold on, I'll have those off in a minute," I said, earning a confused expression from the Half-Elf.
"What?" she asked. It was clear she didn't understand what I was doing. I tried a few keys, but none of them worked. I let a frustrated sigh escape my lips.
"What are you doing?"
As I changed the key again, I smiled as the manacle on her wrist opened with an audible *click*.
"I'm letting you out," I answered simply. "My original plan is in shambles, so I gotta improvise." I reached for her other arm, and to my surprise, she didn't resist as much as I initially expected.
"If I am going to get you both out of here, I'll need your help and cooperation. Are you okay with working with a Human?" I asked as her other hand was released from its restraint.
Her hands reached for the one around her neck. "How do I know I can trust you?" she asked with some venom. "The other human who was down here said you were going to violate Lady Olga!"
"What?" I gave her a confused look, and then a groan of frustration, as the same key that unlocked her hands failed to unlock her neck.
Chloe stared at me hatefully. "That man that took Lady Olga, he said you would have her."
She then began telling me what all had happened while I was gone.
Olga and Chloe sat in silence, patiently waiting for whatever fate had in store for them. Chloe had sworn to her Queen that no matter what happened, she would always be loyal to her savior. Olga merely nodded at her retainer and resumed her contemplation of the events that had transpired, and the recent and unexpected visit from the one who had defeated them.
Neither said a word. Olga was too deep in her own thoughts and Chloe did not want to disturb her from them. Still, the Dark Queen's loyal Knight couldn't help but steal a glance at her master every so often. Internally, Chloe remarked how Olga's expression was the exact one she often wore when she sat on her throne at the top of the tower.
'She truly is like a Queen, no matter where she is…' the Half-Elf thought to herself. 'And though she may be losing her power, and imprisoned in this cell, that does not change the fact that she is my Master…' She frowned. This was not a fate that her queen deserved, no matter what the Humans believed.
'I will forever serve you, my Queen, until my body withers away.'
Chloe had made that same promise so many times before, and knew she would continue to do so many times again. However, a small, traitorous part of her mind whispered terrible things in the back of her head.
'But to serve you best, I had to betray your wishes…' she thought bitterly to herself. 'Even if there is the smallest chance that he's being honest, as unlikely as it is, I cannot allow the chance to free you to pass…'
She cast her eyes down. She felt horrible for doing it, but she reasoned with herself that if it freed her Queen from this prison, there was no cost too great.
She must have zoned out, as the sound of the door unlocking caught her by surprise. She raised her head near instantly. Her eyes met with several men, and she silently chastised herself for even allowing herself to hope for that Human that put them down here in the first place.
Although she couldn't do much, given the secure bindings on her arms and around her neck, she could at least glare menacingly (or as menacing as she could manage) at the men who entered. One of them stepped forward, wearing a green open vest, and carrying two short swords, or daggers, on his belt.
"The boss is calling for you." Her body stiffened up. She wasn't sure if he was calling for herself or the Queen. Not that it mattered, as Chloe would gladly sacrifice herself in the Queen's place.
"Today's your lucky day, Your Majesty. You get to be part of our wonderful initiation ceremony," he said with a sleazy grin on his face.
Chloe struggled to her feet between the two as if she would shield her Queen from harm. Her expression was stern with determination.
The mercenary however, appeared almost puzzled. "What? Ain't no one called for you yet." His expression changed, however, from confused to a teasing one. "Or are you simply that starved for cock?" he asked half-joking, half-serious…
"Kh… How absurd…!" The contemptuous taunt caused her face to flush red with indignation, the man laughed at her expression.
"Ha, no need to rush. You'll get your chance soon enough, just wait your turn," he told her, before turning to face the Dark Queen.
"Now, let's get going, your Majesty." The man began reaching for Olga as if to grab her.
Chloe's eyes flashed with rage. "Don't touch her with those filthy hands!" the Half-Elf barked out.
Much to her surprise and relief, the man did indeed stop.
"Huh?" he asked. "The hell are you saying?" Chloe only stared at him in defiance, and he gazed back at her, incredulously. His face changed from one of disbelief to one of seriousness.
"Don't get in my way," the man warned. "I won't hold back only 'cause you're a girl. You do understand the situation you are in, right?"
"I know! I'm well aware…!" The Half Elf's voice suddenly got low and faint.
"But… please… take me instead," Chloe offered quietly. She already had some inkling of what would happen if they took her queen… but she had already suffered that fate long ago. If she had to sacrifice herself to spare her master from it, she would do so without hesitation.
The Mercenary, however, seemed to have no desire to listen to her.
"And I've been telling you, no one's called for you yet. Quit being such a hassle!"
In a movement far too quick for her to avoid, the man delivered a swift and powerful kick in the stomach, and Chloe's small frame crumpled to the ground. The pain in her stomach was too vast, too deep for her to stand up again right away.
The Dark Queen looked down upon her quietly, their eyes meeting for a moment. Her countenance remained unchanged and unreadable, even though her last loyal follower had just tried to shield her from harm with her own body. However, much to Chloe's dismay, Olga stood and took a step forward.
"P-Please stop… Your Majesty…" Chloe begged out from her spot on the floor.
Although her expression did not change, the Dark Queen's voice was soft and regal. "Fear not, Chloe. You need not bring pain upon yourself any longer," Olga told her. "It is the unshakeable truth that I have brought misery to the Humans for centuries upon centuries, reigning here from this Black Citadel as the Dark Queen."
Chloe wanted so badly to protest. She wasn't responsible for the crimes those beasts did, even if they called her Queen.
"As a queen, it is my duty to accept my fate in these final moments." Olga's gaze shifted to the mercenaries. "Take me wherever, I will not run nor hide."
The group let out a small chorus of laughter. "Hehe, she actually gets it! Can't say I hate a girl who knows her place," he laughed out, earning a glance from Olga. Her eyes lacked any scorn or disgust, but it was filled with absolute disdain, as if he and his compatriots were nothing more than insects or worms.
"Alrighty then, right this way! Man, James is one lucky son of a bitch to get you!" he said as he reached for her, only to have his hand slapped away. The man's smile evaporated.
"HEY!" he angrily exclaimed. For a moment, it seemed as if he would lash out at her. However, pressured by Olga's unyielding expression, he instead chose to back down.
"W-well, whatever. Saves me the trouble if you're gonna walk on your own two legs."
Olga paid him no mind and stepped out of the cell of her own accord.
Was she surprised James would be involved in whatever they were planning with her? No, and the reason was simple: Humans are bastards.
Ever since she came to the surface hundreds of years ago, all she could ever see was the lengths they would go to induce suffering upon everyone and everything they could find. What made the human that beat her so different?
"Lady… Olga…"
Chloe, still recovering from the man's kick, groaned out. She could do nothing but watch her master leave her behind. Even if her master's power was in decline, that didn't explain why she felt so weak.
The half-elf glowered at the manacles binding her, for they did more than simply restrain her limbs with chains; they actively dulled her reflexes and sapped her strength. Had they been plain iron manacles, she could have easily dodged that bastard's attack.
It was a small consolation though, she still scolded herself for not being able to do anything, that she was unable to protect the one she'd sworn to defend… that fact tortured her worse than anything she had to endure in her past life as a slave.
It hurt. It was painful. It was agonizing…
What was her loyalty worth if she couldn't even defend her Queen?
"Damnit!" She cursed her powerlessness and weak will. Tears of regret welled in her eyes as the reality of the situation took hold.
"Lady... Olga..." Chloe sobbed.
"LADY OLGAAAAAAAA!"
"So tell me, Human. Why should I believe even a word you say?" the Half-Elf asked me with a hateful gaze.
"My name is James Hind," I informed her, but I could already tell she wasn't going to use my name as I glanced at her face for a moment. Her expression told me I was just another human in her eyes.
"Is the fact that I am unlocking your restraints and leaving the door open not enough?" I asked rhetorically as I stuck another key into the lock and turned. With a click, the collar unlocked and fell free off her neck, falling onto the ground with a loud crash.
Chloe stepped away from me now that she was free. "It's the reason I am even giving you the chance to convince me at all," she told me as she took a few steps away, balling her hands into fists. "I won't ask you again; why should I believe you?!"
Given what I know about her, I guess distrust shouldn't be too surprising. "Listen, you and I both know there is nothing I can tell you that can make you believe I want to help," I told her, watching her face carefully. "So let me prove it with actions, instead."
I opened my satchel's flap and reached inside, only to stop when I heard the sound of footsteps approaching. From the sounds of it, there was more than one. "Damn it, that was good eatin'," I heard one of them say from down the hall. "And boy, I can't wait for dessert."
"Yeah, James may be getting the Dark Elf Queen all to himself, but her servant is all ours!" The instant me and Chloe heard that, I quickly reached into my satchel and began pulling out Chloe's sword. Unfortunately, before I could give it to her, she had already bolted out of the cell.
"What the-!" *Crack!*
"She's-!" *Snap!*
Seeing Chloe run out so rapidly had surprised me. By the time I had managed to fully draw her sword and follow her out, the battle was over… if one could even call it that. I beheld Chloe standing over two bodies, and with her boot on the neck of a third man.
"Damn…" I blinked slowly as she turned her gaze back towards me. "I guess you didn't actually need this, huh?" I tried to laugh, but it was hollow.
The man under Chloe's boot squirmed. "J-James! Help me!" he called to me, but I found myself… surprisingly uncaring about him and his plea. Did that make me a bad person?
Chloe glanced over her shoulder at me, as if expecting me to say or do something to stop her. "What are you waiting for?!" he cried out to me again.
"Are you gonna finish him or should I?" I asked. The man under her appeared almost horrified at what I said. He opened his mouth to say something, only to promptly silence as Chloe sharply twisted her boot and applied more force.
The mercenary's body went limp and dead, as it should be. I held out her sword for her to take. "I reckon you're gonna need this if we're going to get outta here," I offered.
Chloe approached me slowly, her eyes studying me as I did the same. She slowly reached for the offered weapon and said quietly, "I'll save you, Lady Olga… no matter what." Once she had it in hand, she turned to leave. I followed her as quickly as I could, trying to keep pace.
"Where are you going?" I asked. However, she only seemed to ignore me.
"Hey! I'm talking to you," I tried, but she pressed forward, almost marching down the hall. I raised my hand to try and grab her before she ran out and got herself captured, only for her to swivel on her heel to turn to me, her blade at my throat in less than an instant.
"Do not misunderstand me, Human." She pressed the edge of the weapon into my neck. "We are not friends, nor are we allies. I'm letting you live because you have released me, and armed me," she told me, leaning closer towards me.
"But make no mistake, I will not hesitate to kill you if you try to stop me."
I met her glare with one of my own. "I'm not trying to stop you," I replied, keeping my eyes focused on her. "I want to help you, but neither of us will make it far on our own," I stated. It was an undeniable fact about the situation that neither she nor I had any chance of getting Olga away from Vault.
At least separately… Together, though… Well, the odds can't be any worse than what they already were, right?
"What's your plan anyways? You run out of here, fight all the way to the top and back down again, all while carrying your Queen in one arm?"
"And what would you have me do then? Leave her to whatever cruel fate you humans have in store for her?! Or maybe you just want to use this as a way to get more fame among the others of your ilk that trespass here?!" she angrily shouted at me. "You say you want to help, but of all the creatures I have ever met in my life, Humans are the only ones that lie. Why should I believe you're being truthful with me now, hm?"
"You can't trust me. I get that." I kept staring at her, "But like it or not, you can't save her alone. Vault has more men, and even more monsters under his command than you would believe possible. I am your best chance… and you know that."
Chloe stared at me intensely and for a moment, looking like she was about to try and kill me out of spite, but I could see her mind slowly start to consider what I had said before she finally lowered her weapon. I was hoping that meant she saw reason.
"Argh… Damnit!" she cursed as she backed off.
She turned away from me and began speaking softly to herself for a few moments. She was too quiet for me to hear much of what she was saying, but I managed to pick up some of what she was saying near the end of her mutterings.
"But… If I cannot save her… I don't know if I will be able to live with myself..."
She looked down and collected a deep breath before turning back towards me. Her expression appeared remarkably close to resignation or perhaps shame, her head dipped toward the ground, and her eyes even lower than that.
"Although it makes me want to vomit just saying it… I will accept your aid if it means saving Lady Olga."
Well, at least we are on the same page.
"Alright… I can work with that." I put a hand to my chin. "We're going to need a plan for when we get up there…" Although my track record for plans is a bit questionable at the moment, I don't see us getting so far without any idea of what we will do when we confront Vault at the top.
"Simple. We go in, grab Her Majesty and kill anyone in the way," Chloe said. To answer that, I gave her a raised eyebrow and a quizzical gaze.
"What are you looking at me like that for?"
I gave her a deadpan stare. "I doubt it will be as simple as that," I said dryly. "Vault's got at least a few dozen guys with him, monsters are on their way here, and we somehow have got to get through all that on our way down with damn near thousands of people surrounding us."
"Tch." Chloe made a sound of frustration. "Of course you Humans would align yourself with those damn creatures." She frowned before her eyes widened for a moment. "Wait… you said they were on their way here? Now?!"
I nodded. "Yeah, that's why we need to go as soon as possible. I don't want to stick around for their arrival." I decided not to point out that she and Olga were aligned with monsters not too long ago. I'd rather avoid an unnecessary argument, especially when Olga is on the line right now.
Chloe cursed in some other language before kicking a corpse in frustration. "Damn it all!" she growled out angrily. "I won't fail Lady Olga again! I refuse!"
"You won't, we'll figure this out," I tried calming her. "Maybe… maybe I can lure her away from Vault and his goons?" I suggested. "If I understand the situation correctly, she's meant to be my initiation into the Black Dogs." Chloe glared menacingly at me for mentioning that, so I threw my hands up in surrender.
"Relax, I'm going to see if I can have her alone, and then I can meet up with you somewhere on the upper level. Sounds good?"
The internal debate Chloe was going through was obvious to me, like she was arguing with herself and losing.
"Very well," she said in bitter resignation. "But I will be watching you from outside the Throne Room. If you betray your word, don't believe for a moment that you are safe from me!" the Half-Elf warned.
I gave a nod of understanding. "Got it. First of all, we need to find you a way up that doesn't get you discovered. This Citadel is crawling with mercenaries. The instant any one of them sees you, they'll raise the alarm and you won't get so much as within ten feet of your Queen."
Chloe's eyes widened a fraction as she realized that same fact before she narrowed them back at me. "If you think that will dissuade me from trying to save my Queen, then you are severely mistaken!" she said, her eyes dagger-like.
Again, I raised my hands in a calming gesture. "It's for her sake that I am bringing it up, what do you think will happen to her if you get caught?" I asked pointedly and watched as Chloe slowly deflated.
"Are there any less obvious ways up to the top?" This was an enormous place, so there should be something like… I don't know, secret passageways or something that would let you bypass the main areas of the Citadel?
The Half Elf's remained downcast. "No, we never expected to be forced into this type of situation. Why would we..." She began trailing off as her head slowly rose. "Wait a moment… the servant passages!"
I watched as the Dark Queen's vassal began approaching the stairwell, and began searching the wall for something. "When I was younger, Her Majesty had me use these passageways to avoid the less loyal creatures that inhabited the Tower." Her palm found a small, almost invisible button, and a part of the wall began to swing open like a door.
I adopted a small smile. "Can those get you to the top?" I asked. As Chloe began to look down the dark corridor, I took a torch and lit it for her with a single burst of the Flames spell.
The Half-Elf readily took the torch and nodded. "Yes. It will take some time, however, since these are ancient and arduous to navigate to those who do not know their paths." She took a breath, maybe trying to calm her nerves.
"And you do… right?" I inquired. I didn't want her getting lost in the walls and not arriving to help me at all.
Chloe nodded. "It has been a long time, but I memorized the way to the top from every entrance I could find… but it's been decades since I last used these." She raised her hand to push a button on the inside of the dark path.
"But just so we are clear, if I discover anything has happened to Her Majesty, I will not hesitate to kill you. Do you understand?" Her red eyes were full of promises of pain and death, so I did the only sensible thing.
"I won't let that happen, I promise," I swore. Chloe's gaze however did not falter even as the door shut. I was left alone in the dungeon's stairwell.
... You know, if I was going to go head to head with a bunch of rapists, maybe I ought to use one of these Spell Books I took from the library.
I considered my options for a few moments before settling on Fire Rune. An explosive trap may come in handy, especially if things go south and I needed to run. I opened the book and felt the wave of magic come and download itself directly into my head.
And I gotta say, that still doesn't feel normal, even though I've done it a few times now.
Well, no more delays. I gotta go and get to Olga before Vault decides he doesn't want to wait anymore. I left the dungeon and began making my way up. All the way, I heard people tell me that Vault wanted me in the Throne Room; they were glad I was going to become one of them.
It almost made me feel guilty that I was going to betray them….
...
Aw, who am I kidding? I'll be glad to finally start killing these bastards.
I momentarily stopped in my tracks as I left the dungeon, as I saw a creature so impossibly huge and fat that I felt disgusted simply by looking at it.
"What the fuck is that thing?" I asked before I pinched my nose shut as the horrid smell finally made itself known. The creature, whatever it was, was so impossibly bulky and grotesque that it had to be carried around like it was some sort of king.
The mercenaries surrounding it had what looked like clothespins over their noses. "Ah, James," one greeted. "This big old fatass is one of the Tribe Leaders for the Ogres we got under our command."
The… Ogre made a sound, one I couldn't identify the meaning of, but the man seemed to understand. "And he ain't too happy with you calling him a thing," the Black Dog soldier laughed. "Anyways, he's supposed to have dibs on one of the Dark Elves after we're finished with them."
"Why is it… I mean he, so fat?" I asked, staring at the creature with nothing but disgust clear in my eyes. It looked revolting, like somebody took an Ogre, said they weren't obese enough, and made them six-thousand pounds.
The Tribe Leader made another gurgling sound, and the man translated. "Something about Ogre Culture. Their leaders are the longest-living and most successful of their kind. Our friend here loans out his guys in return for safety, and whatever sloppy seconds Vault and his tribe give him." The mercenary shrugged. "So long as he's around keeping the Ogres in line, this big bastard is free to gorge himself on whatever he wants. Sounds like a good deal to me."
It wasn't, but I couldn't exactly say that just yet. If this was a tribe leader, then odds are they were here for a reason. If I can kill it on my way out, then I may be able to sabotage Vault in a way.
"Well, good luck with moving this thing." I ignored the angered gurgling sound it emitted in favor of beginning my ascent up the Citadel. I heard the Mercenaries bid me farewell, but I didn't pay them any attention. My mind was focused on other things, like, for example, what awaited me at the top of the tower, and what I could do to save Olga.
First things first though, I needed a way to get the Dark Queen out of immediate danger, and that meant away from Vault and the other Black Dogs. Assuming she's my 'initiation', maybe I can ask if I can take her somewhere private?
… No… Well, maybe actually?
Vault and they probably want to see me do it, and do her as soon as possible, but Vault has been giving me preferential treatment, so who knows?
Maybe I can distract them somehow? Throw a fire rune at their feet, and in the chaos grab her and go? Maybe I can delay them enough for Chloe to get her and run like hell.
I groaned internally; this would be so much simpler if I could think of anything else, but the stress is getting to me. After all, I am about to look at Vault, call him a bitch to his face, grab Olga and run like the wind, hoping they somehow don't catch any of us. And that's assuming everything goes well!
Slowing to a stop, I briefly entertained the thought of running away. Olga and Chloe obviously hate humanity, me included, and not without good reason… but is it worth saving them if they will be forever ungrateful; or hell, maybe even hostile towards me, regardless of what I do?
….
No. No, I can't do that. It is my fault they are even still in this mess. I came here to get them away from Vault, and I fucked that up badly. If I abandon them now, then coming here was pointless. I'll have done nothing and left two women to their mercy… and I cannot allow that. I cannot allow myself to get cold feet now, not when someone needs me. If I do, it will haunt me forever, and I will deserve it.
I resumed my journey to the top. It was time to change the future.
As I reached the top of the tower, I couldn't shake the foreboding and oppressive atmosphere as I climbed the last few floors. Was this how the rest of the world felt under his rule? I wasn't sure, and I have no desire to find out. I marched up the last few floors, ignoring the jeers and cheers from the mercenaries around me. My feet came to a halt at the final stairs leading up to the Throne Room doors.
This was it. I'll either save Olga… or die trying.
With a deep and calming breath, I slowly began ascending the steps. Once I opened those doors, there were no do-overs. I had to do this right, or this will be the shortest resistance in the history of resistances. I briefly scanned the area and frowned. Chloe was nowhere to be seen…
I couldn't help but frown at that. Maybe she'll arrive before shit hits the fan… I can only hope anyway. I stood before the doors and took a few moments to collect myself, before finally pushing them open.
Vault was sitting on the Throne as I expected, and the few dozen of his men all turned to face me, as did Queen Olga Discordia herself. I slowly strode into the room, surveying the number of guys he had in here. It looked like a bit over two dozen, which was shitty for me because that was more than I could handle in such an open space.
"About time you showed up, James," Vault addressed from his throne, looking down at all of us with a venomous smile.
Alright, acting skills, let's put you to the test. "What can I say, the wait builds anticipation," I said as I strode into the room, noting that Kin, Hicks, Morgan, and Shamuhaza were not present. I was curious why that was, but I considered it a small blessing. Vault was bad enough by himself, I didn't need to fight him and his inner circle at the same time.
"Care to explain to me what's going on?" I asked. I needed to get him talking, see if I can buy Chloe time to show up.
Vault's smile grew. "Simple. It's time to welcome you into the pack." Vault slowly began standing up from his seat. "I've had a close eye on you since the moment you entered my company, and I have to say, James, you would be a fine addition to our ranks."
At this point though, Vault stopped smiling. "However, there is one final test before we can fully accept you as one of us." He stared down at me in an almost condescending manner, "You see, I am aware of your little morals, James." The King of Rape began pacing on the platform. "I know you're still young and naive to the way the world is."
"What are you getting at?" I asked. I knew what he was leading up to, but for the sake of buying Chloe time to get here, I had to play dumb.
Vault glanced at Olga. "I am saying this war, this entire bloody conflict is no single party's fault, but everyone's." The Mercenary King pointed at Olga. "She started this war, created this fortress, and the miasma that empowered the Aberrants. The Alliance has been fighting her armies for centuries without even a small fraction of progress to show for it. They have failed this kingdom, and failed its people."
"So what? Things will get better now that the war is over, won't it?" Again, I asked a dumb question to stall for time. The Mercenary King looked back to me.
"No," he replied simply, "It won't."
He resumed his pacing. "Do you believe that once her enchantments finally vanish and the sky returns to its normal blue, everything will be fine? No, the Aberrants control the lands beyond the fortresses. What villages there are grow only so much before they are burned to the ground and their inhabitants taken or killed. And even with her out of the way, they will still control the kingdom's lands."
Olga made an annoyed sound. "So you would blame me for the hardships you have no control over?" she asked. "The arrogance of Humans truly knows no limits," she said with disdain.
Vault chuckled darkly. "Not only you. Unlike many, I understand what it takes for true peace to come to this kingdom. To all kingdoms!" he announced. "For so long have we allowed women to dictate this Kingdom. Well, no more. From now on, starting today, the Kingdom of Eostia will be a Nation of Service; where women will serve men in any and every way!" He pointed down at Olga again with a sinister smile.
"Starting with you."
Olga's eyes widened at that declaration, which I couldn't help but find odd. I would have figured Vault would have already spilled the beans about the entire situation to her before I arrived, but I guess he didn't want to repeat it.
"Wait, for real Boss?!" one of the Mercenaries in the room asked. "We get to fuck her all we want?!"
"You're the best, man!"
"I've been waiting for this ever since I saw her!"
Olga failed to hide her disgust at their words, and I couldn't blame her.
Vault raised a hand. "Not yet. After all, I believe I said there was one final test for James before he would be welcomed into our ranks, didn't I?" He looked at me with that sickening smile of his. "Well, James, go ahead. Prove you're one of us!"
Well, if I was gonna try and get her alone, might as well ask now. "Can I have her by myself?" I asked, looking at the other men in the room. "I'm not exactly fond of the idea of doing the dirty in front of an audience."
A few of the men in the room let out a few complaints, except for Vault himself, who, for the first time since I've met him, appeared surprised. But that surprised face turned into one of sinister glee.
"I'm glad you chose the winning side," he said with a smile. The King of Rape put a hand on his chin, considering my request. "Hmm… I suppose I can allow that, it being your first time and all."
Vault waved his hand in a shooting motion. "Alright, fine. Just this once, but bring her back as soon as you are done with her! Me and the boys want a piece of the action too."
I blinked a few times. Did… did that really work? I'm not complaining, just surprised.
"Come on, Your Highness. Let's get somewhere private for our fun," I slowed my voice and directed a wink at the Dark Queen.
Hopefully, she'd understand that this was… sort of the plan? I wasn't sure how else to tell her to go along with this.
The Dark Queen's expression was unkind, and I had a solid idea as to why she was staring at me with nothing but scorn. "I knew you would betray Chloe's misplaced faith," Olga stated as I made my way over to her. My eyes widened slightly as she continued talking.
"I knew all your talk of freeing me and my vassal was all one grand lie. So tell me, what were you truly after when you came to us down in the dungeon?"
'Fuck, fuck, Shut up! SHUT UP!' I screamed in my head as Vault gave me a more inquisitive gaze.
"What was that?"
"Nothing!" I said all too quickly before putting my arm around Olga as soon as I got close, and began trying to rush her out the door. Needless to say, Olga wasn't happy about my attempt to leave the room faster. She tried to slap my arm away, but I made sure my grip on her was too tight for her to break off.
"No, I do believe it is something." Vault stood up and gazed at me with pitiless eyes. "What's this about trying to free them?" I could tell by his face and tone that he was quite angry about what he had just heard Olga say.
I glanced down at her, and gave her my most accusatory stare, trying to silently convey the message 'You fucked us'.
"She'll say anything to try and make us fight, ignore it. I'll be back in a few… maybe longer!" I tried to wave off what Olga had said. Although I hated the words that came out of my mouth, so long as I get Olga out of here, I'll say and do anything that I need to.
The Dark Elf Queen, though, began to draw more attention to it. "If I wanted to watch two insects battle, there are far easier ways for me to do so," Olga replied, much to my frustration. "I am many things, Human, but a liar is not one of them."
The man turned his gaze towards me, expecting an explanation I bet. I let out a sigh as I looked towards the doors. "So close, and yet so far," I muttered quietly to myself before turning back to Vault.
"So. I suppose the cat's out of the bag now, isn't it?" I asked rhetorically. "Well, Vault, I guess it's time for me to come clean." I crossed my arms over my chest.
"I've been aware of your true nature from the very beginning. When we first met in the War Room, I was this close to trying to gouge your eyes out for all the shit you've done in the past," I confessed. "When I told you I didn't want to join your little sausage fest, I was being one hundred percent honest. Even merely sharing a camp with you was a fucking nightmare."
The other mercenaries in the room all began exchanging glances and looks. Some were surprised, others were disappointed, and some seemed even hurt at the idea that someone hated camping with them.
"But I had to stick it all out because my job wasn't only to help you defeat the Dark Queen." I glanced back at Olga for a second, before looking back at Vault. "But also investigating you and your Black Dogs, making sure you're not a threat to the kingdom." I chuckled at that. "And from the looks of things, you most definitely are."
I took a more defensive stance as Vault began making his way to the front of the group.
"You know James, if you were anyone else, I would have killed you without a second thought. But I like you, so I'm gonna give you a chance to change your mind about this," he said, putting a hand on his greatsword, threateningly. "Let me break down the situation for you: You're at the top of MY citadel, and as we speak, my men are still coming in, as well as the creatures loyal to me. The Shield Alliance sent you here without proper training, without support. Did you expect you'd just be able to walk out of here?"
I glanced back at Olga. While her expression hadn't changed, that didn't hide the surprise I saw in her eyes. Unfortunately, I couldn't even begin to guess what she was thinking, so I focused back on Vault.
"Well, when you put it like that, it sounds like I don't have a chance in hell to get out of here," I stated. "But I won't change my stance on this. You and your men aren't even human at this point. No, you're nothing but monsters in men's skins. We are meant to kill monsters, wipe them out; not break bread with them, or invite them into our homes. We are meant to kill them, NOT FUCKING BECOME THEM!"
My words were accompanied by a strange tremor. It was minor but noticeable, managing to shake the dust from the roof and upper portions of the pillars. The Dark Elf looked at me with a surprised, yet confused expression, probably wondering if I knew what had caused her castle to shake.
"What was that?" She asked, but no one had an answer for her, not even me.
I had a suspicion, but if that's what I think it was, then it was a remarkably underwhelming explosion.
Vault took note of the dust falling, taking his eyes off me for a moment to glance up at the ceiling. But as I was wondering what that was, I was forced to push that thought to the back of my head when Vault refocused his attention back on me with a nonchalant shrug.
"Well, that's unfortunate…" Vault stated, pulling his massive blade off his back. "For you at least. I'm looking forward to taking the Queen's virginity though, if you're not."
With that, he and his men charged at me, and I foolishly prepared to meet them head-on.
*KA-BOOM*
And I would have, were it not for the sudden explosion that made every one of them face-plant while me and Olga, while shaken in a literal sense, managed to stay upright. I was tempted for a moment to try to kill Vault while he was down, but unlike his men, he was already getting up. So I wisely chose to run instead.
So, I guess the trap went off. Does that mean I took out Hicks? God, I hope so, but I don't think I'm THAT lucky.
I grabbed Olga's arm and ran, ignoring her sound of surprise at the sudden action as we burst out of the Throne Room. With my free hand, I began throwing Fire Runes onto the stairs behind me, hoping it would delay Vault and his men long enough for me and Olga to get some distance away from him.
"Unhand me!" Olga cried in protest of my action, but I ignored her; simply because I knew she couldn't run as fast as I could in her heels. I would have to practically drag her if we were gonna get out of here. Soon after we left the floor, I heard the sounds of distant explosions.
"No can do, Your Majesty!" I refused. "I said I was getting you outta here, and I meant it!" I informed her as we sprinted past other mercenaries. Each one was too surprised by the sight to try and stop us, or were recovering from the quake that the explosion caused.
... Fuck, where was Chloe?!
As if on cue, I heard the angry voice that belonged to the Half-Elf in question.
"Let me go! I need to go and find Lady Olga!" She cried out as she struggled in the grip of a rather large Ogre. It held her off her feet, its massive hands binding her arms, and she kicked the air helplessly.
Of course, she was out in the open. I should have expected this to be honest, but at least that saves me from having to search for her, even if I would have preferred she actually knew how to stay hidden.
"Chloe!" I called out to get her attention, I saw her eyes peer over her shoulder as myself and Olga began crossing the bridge she was on. Those red eyes widened at the sight of me dragging her Queen behind me. I let go of Olga briefly, unsheathing my sword, and with a quick motion, gutted the Ogre.
It dropped the Dark Queen's retainer in favor of struggling to keep its guts from painting the ground a dark red. With Chloe freed, she wasted no time in finishing it off herself, a slash quicker than it could have stopped right across the top of its skull, exposing the soft smooth brain the creature had. She didn't pay any attention to its death throes as it slowly backed up and stumbled off the bridge we were standing on.
"Lady Olga!" Chloe's voice was full of relief as she rushed forward and knelt in front of her Master. "I have come to liberate you, Your Majesty."
Olga gazed at her servant with fond eyes. "So it seems," she said in a soft voice, before turning to look at me in a less friendly tone.
"However, I must point out to you that escape is nigh impossible." Her voice was stern and regal, but strangely resigned. "How do you plan on escaping when there are more than a thousand guards between us and the bottom?"
My mouth opened to respond, only for the dreaded voice of Vault to speak before me.
"How indeed?" he asked as I swiveled around on my heel to face the bastard himself, who stood at one end of the bridge. "Come on James, surely you aren't so stupid that you can't realize you've got no way outta here," Vault said smugly, before chuckling darkly at his statement.
"Or maybe you are. You're attempting to free two elves that hate humanity's guts, from the top of a Citadel filled to the brim with my men, after all." His chuckle morphed into a guffaw. "I mean honestly, what did you expect? That you would just waltz right out of here with them following you? That we wouldn't try to stop you?!"
His laughter began spreading to his men, making me realize just how many had gathered around us. There were a lot on either side of the bridge we were on, and many more on the surrounding floors staring out at us.
"You know, you might have a point… Some might even call me crazy..." I easily admitted. After all, when you laid everything out like that, it was easy to call what I was doing crazy, insane even.
"But… I believe you're missing one key piece of information," I noted as I gazed off the side of the bridge, and spotted our escape route… Or at least, a soft enough landing pad.
Vault looked at me, almost amused. "Oh? And what might that be?" he asked curiously, almost as if he was humoring a child. He raised an eyebrow as I put my sword back in its sheath. Maybe he thought I was planning on surrendering. The thought almost made me laugh; I would rather die than surrender to this son of a bitch.
I made sure to grab onto Chloe and Olga's wrists and hold them as tightly as I could manage without hurting them.
"It's that crazy is the hardest thing to stop." I said easily before leaping off the side of the bridge. I could tell by the cries and screams of alarm as I did this that no one expected me to take a suicide jump off the side, rather than be captured or killed.
Only, it wasn't the suicide jump they all thought it was.
When I glanced over the side of the bridge a moment ago, I noticed something that would be able to break our fall easily. It was the fat monster from before, as vast and bloated as it was when I saw it earlier, taking up most of the bridge it was being carried on. I figured it would be an excellent landing pad for someone falling at high speed, and was a big enough target that I was like ninety percent sure we would land on it.
"DON'T LOOK UP!" I called out. My voice made the creature do the exact opposite, and it looked up just in time to receive two iron boots landing directly on its face, caving it in with a sickening squelching sound as Chloe and Olga landed on its fat, blubbery body.
As we landed on it, the sudden impact was enough to knock off the guards holding the barbaric-looking throne up. The mercenaries around it all jumped back, and some even fell off the bridge to their deaths at the crash landing that me and the Dark Elves were just involved in.
I dismounted in a less than graceful fashion as I sort of fell forward and onto the ground, while the two dark elves sort of just slid off either side of its huge belly. Chloe quickly recovered from the jump, and immediately went to check on her Queen, whose mask broke for a few moments to display an almost undeniable fear on her face.
I was thankful the bridge was wide enough that we could all slide off the corpse without falling off ourselves, and I was even more thankful that these boots managed to keep my feet dry despite what I just did.
"ARE YOU INSANE?!"
I was less thankful that the two Dark Elves I had jumped with were not exactly pleased with what I had done.
"YOU COULD HAVE KILLED US!" Chloe yelled at me as she began checking on a very shaken-looking Olga.
"I could have," I answered, pulling myself free from the two foot-shaped holes that were now in the Chief Ogre's face. "But compared to what Vault would have done to us, I'd rather jump any day."
I tried my hardest to shake the blood and viscera off my boot. From the look Chloe gave me, I could tell she agreed even if she refused to admit it.
"Are you two alright?" I asked as I was trying to shake off the gore stuck to the bottom of my boots. The last thing I needed was to be slipping in the middle of a fight. "Neither of you are hurt right?" I asked, holding out a glowing gold light in my hand.
"No, we're not alright! If I had known you were suicidal, I would have never let you lay one of your filthy hands on Lady Olga!" Chloe continued to yell, but after receiving a glance from Olga, managed to school her features and replied, "We are both unharmed if shaken from the experience." The Half-Elf's eyes narrowed in warning. "If you value your life, you won't do that again."
I wanted to laugh. If I had to jump like that again, I would do so without hesitation.
"No promises." With a single nod, I pulled the spell back in. "Well, if you're both alright, we need to get moving, everyone up there should be on their way down by now."
We needed to hurry; we may have gotten some distance between us and Vault, but that didn't mean we were in any less danger. I turned away from the two dark elves and stared at the now shocked faces of the mercenaries who were escorting Jabba the Fat up to the top.
"But it looks like we've got some company," I pointed out. From the looks of things, these men were practically pissing themselves. Kinda explains why they let me talk to the other two in the first place.
"J-James?" one of the ones on the ground asked in fearful alarm. "What are you doing?! Those bitches are the cause of the war!" he cried out, pointing his finger at Olga.
Chloe growled at the fearful, shaken mercenary. "How dare you insult Lady Olga!" The Half-Elf's voice was low with rage, as she quickly began her assault on the Mercenaries.
I watched in half amazement as she seemed to flow between enemies. It was strange to watch; she appeared quick enough to weave through the mercenaries, almost as if she was as strong as she said she was. At the same time, however, she had little in the way of actual defense. No wonder that Ogre managed to catch her before; anything that can endure her initial hit is bound to catch her at her weakest.
"I believe they would be dispatched faster if you provided some manner of aid, Human," Olga commented from my side, and she had a point.
I unsheathed my sword and entered the fray as well. Chloe did a fine job on her own against the mostly bare mercenaries, since her sword had a terrible bite if you didn't have anything to protect yourself with. So, while she focused on the weaker enemies, I got to deal with the harder and more protected ones.
I considered us lucky that many of Vault's men had foregone armor once victory had been achieved, and they began moving into their new home. As such, I wasn't too worried about any real tough guys stopping us.
… Unless Vault or his inner circle showed up, or we got overwhelmed. As my mind realized this, I heard a cry from behind us that made my heart skip a beat.
"Unhand me!"
Me and Chloe both turned quickly and found that a few mercenaries had managed to get down to us from the upper levels. Thankfully, Chloe was one fast lady, managing to reach Olga before I could take three steps in their direction.
"Thank you, Chloe," Olga thanked her as she readopted her stern and regal mask.
"We need to get out of this main area, more are definitely on their way here," I informed. And sure enough, a glimpse over the railing of the floor we were on, and I could see Black Dogs stampeding their way up and down to reach us.
I took a look at the floor around me and pointed at the doors on this floor. "Do you know where this leads?" I asked quickly.
The Dark Queen gave a simple, calm answer. "It leads to a residential wing of the tower."
If I remember right, it's practically a maze in there; that might buy us some time to think of a new way down. Better than getting swarmed here and now, at least in my opinion.
"Alright, Chloe, I'm going to need you to show us those servant passages," I told her. "We're about to get swarmed. We need to get outta here and fast!"
The Half-Elf looked at me with an incredulous expression. "I don't take orders from you!" she protested.
"Chloe," Olga addressed in that same serious and calm voice. "We do not have time to argue this. Take us there," she ordered simply. Chloe looked at Olga with shock, before an expression of resignation took over her face.
"Yes, Lady Olga," the Dark Queen's retainer obeyed dutifully, approaching the door and leading us into the confusing residential area. While she led though, I made sure to place down a couple of fire traps around the entrance to the wing of the tower, leaving a nice little surprise to the first people that followed us.
The Half-Elf took us to a far-off room, a pretty good distance away from the entrance, and there we had a moment to catch our breath.
"Thanks Chloe, I had a feeling you wouldn't let us down," I praised, before taking a look around. The room was like any other, with nothing making it stand out from the rest. Was this an entrance?
"So, how do we get in?" I asked.
Chloe looked down. "I remember the paths well, not the entrances," she confessed, ashamed. "I had thought I remembered where we could get in, but it's not on this floor."
I couldn't help but nod slowly, the realization that we were trapped like rats slowly settling in.
"I'll figure something out."
It was a half-lie at best, but I wasn't about to admit defeat here.
The Half-Elf made a 'Tch' sound and began to check on her Master. "Are you alright, my Queen?" she asked Olga, seemingly ignoring me.
The Dark Queen gave a single small nod. "As well as can be expected, given the situation we have found ourselves in," she answered coolly. I was somewhat thankful she was being at least less hostile towards me than Chloe is. Then again, I think that was more because her sense of pride keeps her from being outright rude. "Now tell me, Human, what exactly is your plan now?" she questioned as she barely turned to glare at me with her single visible eye.
I began blocking the door with the furniture in the room. "Well, my plan fell apart the instant you got taken up to Vault," I told her as I pushed a dresser in front of the door. "I could have saved it if you just came with me, but no, you had to tell Vault I was going to smuggle you out."
The bitterness in my voice wasn't exactly intentional, it just sort of slipped out. Olga was not amused, and her face told me as such.
"Do you take me for some sort of mind reader?" she questioned pointedly. "My understanding of the situation was that you were going to use me for some… 'initiation' ritual. I had believed your talk was just that, talk. You got what you desired from us, and would have left us to whatever fate they decided for us."
With a few deep breaths, I forced myself to relax. I guess I can't really fault her for that, even if I am upset about it. "Sorry," I apologized. "Just… Things haven't gone the way I wanted them to. I shouldn't take that out on either of you."
For the second time today, I saw her adopt a strange expression as I apologized. "Yes… well, I am sure you will think twice about what you say next time," she accepted, but didn't exactly forgive. "You haven't answered me, however. What is your plan now?"
I put a hand on my chin and began to ponder. "Not sure yet. After all, I've been forced to improvise now that the main plan was ruined," I answered. "I was thinking we could use the servant passages Chloe told me about to try and sneak away from most of the Mercenaries, but from the looks of things, we're going to need a new solution." I just needed a bit of time to think.
"The goal remains the same though: Get to the bottom and run like hell." Olga didn't show any signs that she acknowledged what I said, and instead returned her attention to Chloe, who had begun pacing in thought. I figured now might as well be as good a time as any to shove another spell in my head. I decided on something that had a bit more range, and took out the Ice Spike spell.
While I held the book and looked at it, I couldn't help but have a bad feeling, like I was about to stick my hand into an open flame; but I fought it down, and-
"AAUGH!" I screamed out in pain, clutching my head as I fell to my knees.
Chloe and Olga glanced in my direction, but made no move to assist. Not that they could do much, as I felt the world's worst migraine take a drill to my skull.
"What did you do?" Olga asked, staring down at me from her seat.
I didn't reply for a good couple of minutes, holding my head and trying to ease the pain racing all over my brain.
"I…" I barely could speak, let alone think, as every voice seemed to echo through my head like thunder in a cave. "I can force a spell straight into my mind," I managed, "but it doesn't normally hurt like this."
Which begs the question: Why does it hurt now and not any other time?
Olga tilted her head, looking at me curiously, "That is an extraordinarily dangerous practice. You should consider yourself lucky that you are still alive," she informed me, but didn't feel the need to explain why. I wasn't sure if that was supposed to make me feel good or if she was simply stating a fact, but right now I didn't really care. My brain hurt, and I couldn't even soothe it with a healing spell.
Trust me, I was trying; it just wasn't coming out!
By the time most of the pain had passed, I felt like shit. Imagine a hangover, and while you're in that state, someone decided to start banging on your head like a drum. Thankfully though, a healing potion managed to dull that feeling enough for me to regain focus.
"Okay…" I said slowly. "I think I'm good now."
Chloe looked down, almost condescending. "You stole that book from Lady Olga's library, didn't you?" she asked as I brought myself up to my feet. I only nodded, as I didn't really like any sounds, not even my own voice, right now.
"I should have known you were a thief."
I would have rolled my eyes if I wasn't afraid of inducing nausea. "Are you always this bitchy or am I a special case?" I asked as I continued to try and nurse my throbbing headache… or was it a migraine? I am not sure of the right terminology right now, and I don't care; my head is hurting badly.
The Dark Queen's retainer, however, was none too pleased.
"I won't be insulted by a filthy Human!" she yelled at me. My head might be pounding worse than a war drum, but I still knew that we had to be quiet. So I put a finger to my lips and did the 'shush' gesture, which proved to be very counterproductive, as it only made her more upset.
"DON'T TRY TO SILENCE-!"
"THEY'RE IN HERE, BOYS!"
Aw, fuck me.
I glared at Chloe, who began looking somewhere between angry at me and disappointed in herself.
"I hate you," she said in a low voice. For now, that feeling was mutual. Because of her, we were discovered, but I couldn't be too mad at her. It was only a matter of time before we got found; and to be honest, I wasn't expecting to sneak out anymore.
*BANG**BANG**BANG*
The sound reverberated in the small room as the mercenaries on the other side tried to break the door down. Thankfully though, they were having a tough time with it due to the fact that the dresser was in the way. Not that I expected it to hold for long.
"So, this is the end of your little escape attempt, is it?" Olga asked.
I gave her a questioning look. "Why do you say that like you aren't involved?" I asked while I began inspecting the window; an idea forming in my head, if a crazy one.
"Simply put, I am not," she answered. "I had been defeated, and as I said earlier, I will not run or hide from that. Whatever that leader of those men wishes to do with me, and whatever you are attempting to accomplish, I am unfortunately caught in the middle of you two. I may have lost, but I still have my dignity and pride as a Dark Elf. I will not turn or flee from whatever lies for me, regardless of who wins."
Chloe's face was one of saddened resignation. She loved her master, that much was certain, but to hear that she wouldn't willingly run away herself? Even if it meant the worst fate imaginable for her race? I turned towards her, almost in shock.
"Is your pride worth getting raped for?" I asked. "'Cause if he gets his hands on you now, your pride isn't going to mean shit."
The Dark Queen's answer was simple, but weighted.
"I would not expect a Human to understand."
Well, she was right about that. I didn't understand.
*BANG**BANG**BANG*
The pounding on the door was getting louder and faster, so I had to think fast.
I turned back towards the window, and with a single strike from the pommel of my sword, shattered the glass. Olga and Chloe both jumped at the sudden shattering noise, both stepping away from the broken shards that weren't littering the floor. I was hoping to spot something like a balcony to jump to, or maybe some way to shimmy to another room.
When I peeked my head out the window and looked down, I was disappointed: There was nothing that we could use as a convenient way to escape. That isn't to say I didn't see anything, but I wasn't exactly in the mood to take another leap of faith so soon. I could see the window I broke when the gargoyle smashed into the side of the building, but that was a big risk to take.
Unfortunately, I couldn't see any better options to take that didn't end with their capture and my death.
"Okay, who's up for a crazy idea?" I asked sarcastically; they didn't have a choice.
Chloe glared at me and said in a flat voice, "No."
The Dark Queen, on the other hand, had a confused expression that morphed into an almost fearful one, as she must have realized what my intention was
"No," she answered in a stern voice.
*BANG**BANG**BANG**BANG**BANG*
"Sorry, but we don't have a choice," I told them. With a few quick steps, I drew nearer, and Chloe rushed forward to defend Olga.
She was shocked, however, when I grabbed her instead and dragged her over to the window.
"UNHAND ME, YOU DAMN HUMAN!" she cried out.
"Just look for a second!" I told her as I pointed down at the other broken window. It was farther down, and we could slide to it, but it was risky. "I need you to listen to me, okay?" I told her before pointing down there again. "I'll slide down there first, and catch you both when you follow me okay? This is for your, and your Queen's own good."
Chloe glared at me with menacing eyes. "You do realize that you're jumping out of the tower, That's suicide!" she felt the need to tell me.
"Only if I die," I said as I began climbing into the windowsill, and began mentally preparing myself for the sui-slide. I almost laughed at how Chloe's expression morphed into a flabbergasted and confused one.
"Yes… that's what suicide means…"
Okay, I had to laugh at how she said that, because if I didn't, I would be pissing myself scared.
As my laughter died off, I could only barely force myself to push off and slide down the side of the citadel. It was steep and smooth, surprisingly so, like I was on an actual slide. Only, I'll fall to my death in a second if I failed to grab onto the other windowsill.
Luck was on my side now though, as I managed to slide right into the broken window, and fall into the other room.
"WHAT THE FUCK?!" I heard as I landed. I glanced behind me and…
I didn't know if I ought to laugh at what I saw or recoil in revulsion as I saw a man just jerking his little wiener. If I had to compare it to something, it was like a Lil' Smokies sausage.
I sprang up as fast as I could while he struggled to get his pants on. The fight was quick and one-sided as I punched him in the face a few times before sending a knee into his exposed groin. When he doubled over in pain, I quickly grabbed him and dragged him over to the broken window.
With a good lift, I set him up into the windowsill. Despite his minor attempts at resisting, I managed to push him out, sending him screaming down the rest of the sui-slide.
"WHAAAaaaa!" he screamed as he fell. I peeked out the window and looked up and saw Chloe still at the other window.
"Ready?!" I called up to her. The look on her face as she stared down at me conveyed the silent message of 'you're insane'.
Which, in this case, I suppose she isn't exactly wrong. After all, I've nearly jumped to my death twice within the span of… I don't know, thirty minutes, maybe? Time is weird when you can't actually see the sky or look at a clock.
Anyways, I got myself ready to catch them. I hoped they trusted me enough to follow me, cause the expression on the Half-Elf's face did not fill me with confidence. I watched as she turned and gazed back into her and Olga's room, then back down to me, and back into the room again.
I sat there, half expecting their screams, but hoping they were simply preparing themselves mentally for this risky maneuver. I didn't wait that long though, as Olga was put in the window, and despite the terrified look on her face, she slid down, with a scream.
Thankfully though, catching her wasn't difficult. As I reached out and grabbed her arm, her grip on me was tighter than I had expected, but I suppose fear and panic will make you hold onto anything you can for dear life.
With little effort, I managed to pull her inside and set her down on the bed. I have to admit though, I'm worried I might have given her a fear of heights.
With her on the bed and safe, I got back up to the window, and called up, "Alright Chloe, your turn!"
The Dark Queen's Knight looked down at me with a tense expression, but she took a calming breath and steeled her features. With nothing more than a small nod, she pushed herself out and slid down faster than I expected.
Grabbing onto her was as easy as it was with Olga, but her grip was much stronger than her Master's. While Olga felt like she was holding onto dear life — which she was — Chloe felt more like she was trying to break my hand. Pulling her inside, I let her scramble towards Olga.
"My Queen, I'm so sorry!" Chloe apologized as she prostrated herself before the Pure Dark Elf. "I… I had to do what was best for you! I cannot allow those animals to defile you so long as I live!"
I had to admit, I had to respect her in a way; doing what needed to be done, even if her Master didn't appreciate it.
Thankfully though, Olga managed to calm herself, and regain that dignified and regal tone and expression. "It is alright," calmly dismissed Olga. "We have escaped the most immediate danger, and are no worse for wear. Although, next time, let us find a safer way down."
"Yeah, let's not do that again if we can avoid it. I know we are two for two on the whole 'Leap of Faith' thing, but I don't want to try for three," I said, and funnily enough, they agreed with me. "Now, let's get going. Can you find us a way to the servants' passages from here?"
Chloe nodded. "I might; can't promise anything, but I may find it if we have time to look for it." Good, I'd rather avoid fighting the rest of the way down.
"Alright, we'll follow you, let's see if we can avoid drawing any more unwanted attention." Once I said this, I watched as Chloe slowly opened the door and left the room, with me and Olga following close behind her.
The Half-Elf moved slowly and carefully. I was behind Olga and keeping an eye on the rear as Chloe searched for the entrance. If we were lucky, we could slip in and get to the bottom while they were searching for us up here. From there it would be a race to the finish, just grab one of their wagons and ride like hell to escape.
At least that was the plan anyway. I'm not gonna lie, it wasn't perfect, but at this point, I am fully expecting shit to go awry and have to fight for my life again to get out of it.
"I thought the boss said they were higher up?" We suddenly heard a Black Dog mercenary speak around a corner. When Chloe stopped at the corner, Olga and I did as well.
"Yeah, but did you see how many guys are up there? They don't need our help," the other one said. "Besides, I want to save my stamina for when I get my hands on that blonde one."
He let out a sickening little laugh. At the same time, I noticed Chloe's fists tighten at those words.
"Ha, I knew you'd say that. You've always been more of an ass man."
Well, as someone who has seen both, Olga still has a better-looking ass even if only by a little bit.
"But the rack on that Queen? Goddess, if I ever get that broad alone, I'm gonna stick my dick-"
Before I even realized it, Chloe had taken off and with a battle cry of, "AS IF I WOULD LET YOU!" and attacked the two mercenaries.
… The only issue was, there weren't only two. As I rounded the corner with Olga behind me, I was honestly surprised. There were like twenty people in the hall, and with such tight quarters, Chloe didn't last long before she got grabbed simply due to the sheer amount of men that swarmed her.
I rushed forward, drawing my sword out, and charged into the first man I could. He let out only a gasp of surprise as I managed to get him through the right side of his body; pretty sure I managed to give his lung a new hole to breathe out of too. He fell quickly, drowning in his own blood as his lungs began to fill up.
As he fell and slid off my blade, I watched Chloe do an axe kick at one of the men trying to get hold of her legs.
And I'm gonna be honest, that was kinda hot to see.
That aside, I raised my free arm and tried to shoot an Ice Spike into the head of one of the men restraining her, only to look down in my hand in alarm: The spell wasn't working!
I only barely managed to focus my attention back on the battle in time to dodge a sudden war axe that had been thrown at me.
Shit, was this because I learned one spell so soon after another? Damn it, I hope I didn't just break my magic, otherwise this war is gonna be a lot harder.
I refocused on the enemies in front of me and reached around to grab the shield off my back. I got it out just in time too, as I raised it to block a sword that had been swung my way.
As it struck, I aimed a retaliatory thrust straight at my attacker. It was met with no resistance besides his soft flesh, and I couldn't help but feel a bit smug.
That's what you stupid assholes get for not wearing armor.
My stab wasn't as high as the first man I ran through, but I did know one thing: Gut stabs were painful, and the worst way to die. All the more fitting for a rape and murderer, I'd say.
Through the symphony of clashing metal, I was vaguely aware of the fact Olga was just watching us from the back, and aimed to keep any Black Dog from getting past me, which was easier said than done. While they were dipshits that tried to sprint past me, I had to juggle keeping them back, while also keeping myself safe from the ones trying to actively kill me, and making sure the ones trying to take away Chloe didn't get too far.
All in all, it was a challenging task without magic. I could have just shot an ice spike and freed Chloe, but no, my magic decided it'd take a sick day to recover from what I had done. Thankfully though, this was a narrow hallway, big enough that I could swing my sword at its full length, but no more than that.
It also meant the ones attempting to cart off the Dark Queen's vassal were also having a difficult time pushing past their comrades while trying to keep the Half-Elf from escaping their grip. With how much she was kicking and struggling, I was surprised she hadn't broken out already.
Regardless, I pushed forward, fighting and killing as fast as I could manage.
It wasn't long before I managed to catch a break when Chloe actually managed to pull off another axe kick on the guy just in front of me. When her heel came crashing down on his head, I took that opportunity to rush forward and bash one of her captors in the head with the shield's rim. I wasn't expecting him to die right away, that would have been stupid.
But the sequence of events that followed that action?
That was stupid.
The man I hit with my shield released Chloe and fell backwards. As he fell, one of the mercenaries rushing towards the fight tripped on him and fell face-first down with his weapon up. When he landed, his war axe got pushed through the first guy's groin. The one who got the botched circumcision cried out and flailed on the ground, which resulted in the man holding Chloe's other arm getting distracted, and to get a better hold of her, accidentally side stepping into the way of another man swinging a war axe at me.
As Chloe got free of her captors, she wasted no time getting back into action. I wasn't even sure how she got her sword back, or where it was during this little fight, but she made sure I knew she had it.
Fighting next to her was a shitty experience, contrary to what one might imagine, as she is a very agile and acrobatic fighter. As such, while she was jumping between her targets, I was constantly trying to make sure I wasn't going to accidentally hit her or get her hit.
It was a frustrating experience, to say the least, but at least she knew how to make her kills quick and efficient.
With her contributing to the fight, we managed to kill the rest of the mercenaries fairly quickly. I wasn't sure if any of them had left to go and sound the alarm, but I didn't want to stick around long enough to find out.
"If you're done charging into a fight like an idiot, could you find the way out? Please?" I asked, as politely as I could manage.
Yeah, I was a bit upset she ran headfirst into a group of enemies with no regards for anything other than defending her master's honor, but could you blame me? If I wasn't here, she might have been taken, and Olga would have been captured. If she wants to act like a headstrong fool, then she can do it when I get them out of here, not before.
Chloe turned her head to glare at me. "I won't tolerate anyone speaking ill of Lady Olga. You would do well to keep that in mind, Human," she warned, but it didn't carry the same amount of weight she had intended. Probably because regardless of what she wanted to do to me, she needed me to help her.
The Half-Elf continued her search for the secret route, and Olga followed behind her silently. I stood back a little, observing them, watching as Olga somehow managed to retain her Queenly posture and expression despite everything.
There were times when her mask broke, and she couldn't hide her emotions, but that didn't change the fact that she seemed to maintain that regal air despite that. The way she walked and held herself spoke of pride, dignity, and composure.
Chloe, on the other hand, lacked that same grace, and instead moved with agile efficiency. Her gait wasn't as refined or regal as Olga's was, but more focused, faster, and with purpose. Her eyes moved and scanned the surrounding environment with a practiced ease that only came from years of training.
I couldn't help but wonder: What were they doing here? Surrounded by monsters, wastelands, and poisoned swamps? The way Olga held herself was like a Queen, of that there was no doubt.
But where had she come from? And why was she here in the first place?
And for that matter, where did Chloe train? It's not like I can imagine an Ogre training her on how to move that quickly, or Olga teaching her how to move and kill with a killer's efficiency.
Maybe once we are out, I'll ask them.
"I've found it," Chloe informed as she pressed an almost inconspicuous part of the wall. The button made a soft clicking sound as part of the wall began moving to unveil the secret pathways of the Tower.
As we moved through this complex series of secret passageways, I couldn't help but get curious.
"Why do you have these?" I asked. "I haven't seen any servants here to use them." My question was mainly to understand why this place was so enormous in the first place. Olga didn't even look at me when she replied.
"The plans for this Citadel were not of my making, but one of my predecessors, from before I took my first steps in this world. I did not care for the specifics; so long as it gave me as much distance as possible from the vile creatures that inhabit the surface, that was enough for me," she told me as we entered the secret passage. Chloe was able to light the torch on her own this time.
"Well, why did you need a place so big if it was just you two living out here?"
Olga glanced back at me. "I do not believe you are entitled to such information," she said flatly. "We may be in your custody for the time being, but that does not mean I am willing to indulge you in every little question."
Well, that doesn't help my curiosity one bit.
We walked slowly and in silence for a time. Like Chloe said, this was a much slower route; but thankfully, since we weren't rushing to escape the mercenaries, we had time to take it slow, let them get confused and such. We might be able to slip out so long as we don't draw any unwanted attention to ourselves. Chloe was the one who broke the silence in the end.
"What will happen if we're taken to the human kingdom?"
Her voice was steady, but I reckon the thought of what was going to happen to them once we get out was making her nervous.
"Well, we'll have to get out of the wilderness and to someplace safe, which would be the closest fortress, Feoh. From there, I'll get you both to Geofu, and you'll probably be put on trial for your crimes," I informed them. "I know it isn't much, but if it makes you feel any better, Celestine is probably the fairest person you could ask for to judge you," I tried to reassure them, emphasis on the word tried.
"Celestine…" Olga said slowly. "You refer to the leader of the human Alliance, yes?"
I nodded in the dimly lit passageway. "Yeah, I've met her, and she is one of the kindest people I've ever met. If she's going to be your judge, then you couldn't ask for someone fairer." Merciful maybe, but fair all the same.
Olga didn't respond, and we continued walking for a few minutes before Chloe sent me another question.
"So… We're exchanging one prison for another?"
I… couldn't really say no, could I?
"Maybe. I can't say what the punishment will be if you're found guilty, but Celestine doesn't strike me as the person to willingly execute people."
I wasn't sure if that made the Half-Elf feel any better, but I wasn't going to lie to them about this.
Chloe didn't ask anything else after that, and unfortunately for me, both she and her master were being remarkably silent for most of the way down. I guess they had some things to think about after all; like what will happen to them in case we did make it out; or if we didn't, what they would do.
I didn't envy them: They were caught between a rock and a hard place. None of their options were desirable to the pair of Dark Elves, and they knew it. Unfortunately, to them, I was the lesser of two evils. Better than Vault for sure, but they were still doomed to a life of imprisonment or execution, depending on how their trial goes. I doubt exile is even an option for the crimes they'll be charged with.
It's an unfortunate reality that no matter what happens, they won't get out of this free.
"We're close now," Chloe said. "Only a little longer before we reach the lowest floor."
Almost home free, but we still have some work to do. First things first though.
"Do either of you know how to drive a wagon?" I asked. I had no idea how, but I was hoping at least one of them did, otherwise we would have to run on foot. With how many guys will be after us, I doubt we'd want to attempt that.
The Dark Queen's Servant nodded. "I know how to drive a carriage, a wagon shouldn't be difficult."
I stared at Chloe with a confused expression. "Not that I am complaining, but when did you learn that? I didn't notice any carriages on the way in," I asked.
Granted, I came in through a window, but the land outside doesn't seem carriage friendly.
"Lady Olga has many books in her library," Chloe said, as if it was an acceptable explanation. Unfortunately, I didn't have any choice but to accept it, because I really didn't want to run all the way to Feoh.
Alright, next thing. "We should probably sabotage their other wagons, cutting their horses free should buy us enough time to get away from most of them," I suggested. If they can't follow us, then the odds of us escaping are all but assured.
Chloe nodded. "I will do it for Lady Olga's sake."
Well, at least she'll do it, so I can't complain about it. The blonde Half-Elf stopped at the end of the path, and pressed a more visible button on the wall, causing the door to open, and…
"Wait a minute, this is the dungeon staircase," I pointed out, confused. Weren't we supposed to come out on the ground floor?
Chloe glanced back at me. "It is safer to come out here, where no one is likely to be, than where a great many may be," she pointed out. With some sound logic, I had to admit. If they were searching upstairs for us, why would they be looking down here?
The three of us began sneaking out. Thankfully, the entrance to the dungeon was actually unguarded; there weren't many people down here at all. Most of them were probably looking upstairs for us, and since they were swarming the upper levels, they didn't know that we had managed to get down here.
Carefully, we began sneaking around the men still down here. Thankfully, many of them were busy, too busy to notice that we were quietly making our way to the door. I dared to hope for a moment that maybe we'd make it away without a hitch.
Then we got outside, and I damned myself for even humoring that idea.
Standing there alone, waiting with his sword planted in the ground and a bottle of alcohol in his hand, was Vault.
"I've got to say, James," he began before he downed his drink and tossed the bottle to the side, "I never imagined you would actually get this far."
He sounded amused, and that made me uneasy.
"I don't know if that's because you're better than I gave you credit for, or my men's training is severely lacking." He chuckled to himself as he rubbed his chin in thought. "I'll give you one more chance James. Hand over the girls and join me, then we can forget about this whole thing," he offered.
"I'm pretty sure you already know my answer," I replied, before glancing back at Olga and Chloe. "Go and cut those horses loose, I'll try and buy you guys some time," I told them, and for once they followed my instruction without question.
Vault watched as they left me alone to face him. "Hm, so? What's your plan? Let me guess, you sabotage my wagons and run away on the last one?" he asked, with a sly smile.
I couldn't help but tense. How did he know that was what I was going to do?
"Don't look so surprised, it's merely what I'd do if I were trying to get away."
With a frown, I got ready to fight. "So, I take it you're gonna try and stop us, that right? Or are you gonna send another hundred of your guys to try and dog pile me?" I asked as I began pacing around him. Vault imitated the action, yanking his sword out of the ground and resting it on his shoulder. I made sure to pace in the direction Olga and Chloe went, trying to keep myself between him and them.
Vault shook his head negatively. "No, for this I believe it requires a more… personal touch." He rolled one of his shoulders. "You see, I plan on showing you just how badly you fucked up by rejecting my offer. Don't worry, I'll make it nice and slow," he told me as if it were a matter of fact.
"And what about the Dark Elves, huh? What's your plan with them?" I asked. If he knew we'd be down here, then I bet he has something in store for them. "I doubt you simply decided to let them go and do whatever they want."
The King of Rape chuckled. "You'd be half right," he stated. "I fully intend on dealing with them once I am done with you, but I promised my men that whoever can get them has first go. And I'm willing to give them a fair shot to get down here. But, I'm not exactly going to call them down here and take first place from me."
That… didn't make any sense.
"So, you'd be willing to give them the chance to escape, just so you can have the first shot at them?"
"That depends on you," he told me, pointing his massive blade at me. "If you can survive long enough for your little plan to work, maybe they'll get away, although tracking them will be a piece of cake; since they can't get far, even with your little sabotage."
"What do you mean?" I asked.
With a finger, he tapped his own nose. "Some aberrants have a keen sense of smell. All they need to do is get their scent, and we'll be on their asses in less than a day," he explained before he pulled his greatsword off his shoulder and held it with both hands.
"But that's enough talk. Come at me James, I'll even give you the honor of the first strike."
This was a trap, I could tell that already. The instant I went in, he would be on me with a counterattack faster than I could react to. And so neither of us moved for a few moments. I refused to spring his trap, and he refused to come out of it, resulting in a strange stare down.
... Maybe I could bait him into attacking first?
"I'm disappointed Vault," I began. "For all that talk of getting women, fame, and fortune, I gotta admit, a nation of Rape? It's sad, truly."
Vault raised an eyebrow at me while I continued talking.
"And kinda gay to be honest. There are like a couple hundred, maybe even a thousand guys here now, and you're all okay with fucking the same two girls over and over, getting all in another guy's jizz…" I made a disgusted shiver at the idea.
"I can't think of anything else that gets me any more flaccid than the idea of getting my dick covered in another guy's stuff."
Vault's flat face almost made me laugh. "We'll get more," he lamely retorted.
"Oh, and that makes it so much better, does it? Not to mention, you're sharing with monsters. Those disgusting, repulsive STD spreaders. Ugh, the thought makes me want to vomit." I made a gagging sound. "Ough, now that's fucking disgusting."
Before I could make another comment, I had only just realized Vault had charged me. For a man as bulky as he was, he's deceptively quick. He crossed the gap between us in moments, and I barely had time to dodge the initial downward swing, just managing to get out of the way of his follow-up. The third swing though, I made a foolish decision.
I tried blocking.
Now, I thought Vault was holding back during our training sessions. In fact, I know he was.
But once he stopped holding back?
I had seriously underestimated just how much raw power was behind that man.
When his blade slammed into my shield, I found myself off of my feet and soaring through the air as if I was about to be a home run baseball. Or at least that's what it felt like.
I slammed into the ground hard enough to bounce off of it, I barely managed to keep a hold on my sword as I landed. I'm not sure if you are aware, but even if you are protected by a shield, that doesn't necessarily mean it doesn't hurt. I was almost fifty percent certain, my arm was fractured, but I didn't even have a moment to examine it, let alone try and drink a healing potion or use a healing spell, because Vault was already trying to split me in two before I even had the chance to get up.
With a series of war cries, Vault attempted to cleave me in half, and he would have if my instincts hadn't screamed at me to roll like hell. He chopped down at me over and over again, before getting tired of doing so, and instead aimed to stomp the life out of me.
One might view that as a relief, since he wasn't constantly trying to bisect me with a sword as long as I am tall and half as wide. However, the Mercenary King could stomp with the best of them, and his boots could raise one right after the other, rather than pulling back up all the way to wind up another cleave downward.
Unfortunately for me, I couldn't roll swiftly enough and ended up getting my chest stomped on so violently it forced the air out of my lungs.
"Come on now James, I expected better," Vault taunted, raising his boot to stomp on me again. When he lifted his leg, I made a slash at his thighs, but that didn't even make him flinch. "Oh, good try, but you've got to do better than that," he said smugly, easily grabbing my sword by the blade and tossing it away from me.
He brought his boot down on top of my chest again, and despite the iron chest plate, that didn't stop him from putting a large indent into the metal. I was thankful for the fact that I was wearing it, but if I wasn't? I'm certain he would have easily stomped my chest in. He raised his leg again, and I expected another stomp, but instead of that, I received a brutal kick that flipped me twice.
With strength like that, no wonder he managed to subjugate the entire kingdom and its monsters into following him. As much as I hate to compliment him, the guy is a beast in his own class, and of course, I just had to go and pick a fight with him. Unlike the cave where the monsters inside were dumb enough to exploit, Vault had strength, speed, and the intelligence to use it well.
I tried my best to get back up, to stand up and try to fight back, only to receive a punch whose purpose wasn't to kill, but to simply cause pain. I was sent back to the ground with a busted lip and bleeding nose, but Vault wasn't done with me quite yet, hauling me up by the chest plate and delivering another haymaker that drew more blood from me. This time though, he didn't let me go.
Vault kept hitting me in the face, over and over again, like my head was a pinata, and my brain matter the candy. I could barely muster up the energy to try and stop his fist, but the thing about getting your ass beat is, you tend to lose the ability to fight back after enough pain is caused. The moment I caught his fist, I realized I couldn't actually stop it, and ended up cushioning his punch with the back of my own hand.
"Pathetic!" Vault called me, before tossing me away like trash. "Do you understand now, James? You never stood a chance against me," he stated, as I weakly tried to get to my feet again, gathering fistfuls of dirt and dust in my hands.
The fight hadn't even lasted that long, and I already feel as beaten as I did when I was fighting the Orcs in the cave. Vault was so much stronger than they were, I understand that now.
He's not human, he can't be.
But I needed to buy time for Chloe and Olga to finish, or at least leave. Fighting Vault here and now… I'm not so sure I'll be able to get away from him.
"Maybe," I weakly groaned as I wiped the blood from my chin. "But, the funny thing about that is that I'm still standing. What's the matter? Can't kill someone so weak?"
Vault laughed at that as he sauntered towards me, raising a fist to strike another blow. "No, it just feels like forever since I had such a good punching bag."
When he raised his arm and pulled it back, I threw my hand forward, throwing the dirt I had gathered right into his face. His eyes closed in response, and I managed to weave past his blind punch and raised a hand to his head. If I was gonna die, I was at least going to put an Ice Spike through his head.
I felt the magic solidify in my palm and fired straight at his opening eyes.
…
And the only thing that came out was a tiny hailstone, no sharper than a frozen raindrop. I looked at my hand in slowly dawning horror, before I felt his other hand wrap around my neck and raise me off my feet.
For a moment, I thought he was going to strangle me to death, but was unpleasantly surprised when he instead slammed me repeatedly into the ground before he let go and stood over me.
"You know, I think that's destiny telling me that I ain't going down just yet," Vault said before sitting down on my torso. "You had a good try, and I'll admit, that little trick is probably the closest anyone has ever gotten to taking me down. But you'll need more than a frozen drop to kill me." Vault delivered a heavy punch to my cheek, forcing my head to its side.
"If you want to die for these ungrateful bbitches, then fine."
He punched me again.
"I'll kill you like everyone else who has ever opposed me."
He punched me two more times.
"So die, just like all the rest!"
Vault began relentlessly beating my face with his fists.
He kept hitting me. I could barely feel my face anymore, and I was starting to black out. I figured this was going to be the end, and prayed that maybe, since Olga and Chloe had that chance to get away, they may be able to do something for the Alliance, since I might not. It's unlikely, but any thought is comforting in the face of certain doom.
I was going to die here.
The thought was not a new one, but dying like this? Being beaten to death by the Lord of Bastards himself? This isn't how I wanted to go down.
No.
I can't go out like this.
I refuse to go out without at least taking this son of a bitch with me!
As he wound up another punch, I collected another fistful of dirt and quickly chucked it into his eyes. He closed his eyes tightly to avoid the temporary blindness he would have gotten, but in that short moment, I threw a punch to the only place I could, punching his family jewels with every ounce of strength I could manage.
"FUCK!" He cried out as he rolled off of me. I didn't think that would work so well, but I took the time to get up, while he did the same.
I went for my sword, hoping to arm myself before he returned to the offensive, but Vault was too quick. I barely had the time to raise my shield to block his heavy strikes. He bashed his greatsword against it over and over. Each time he struck, the metal made this horrible scratching sound, and I was terrified to see that he was starting to cut into the shield.
That rage and anger in his eyes was a terrible sight to behold. This was a man whose fury did not come easy, but whoever angered him had best pick a god and pray. His last strike was more powerful than the others, easily breaking the shield and getting a shard of it stuck in my left arm.
"ARGH!" I couldn't help but roar in pain as the jagged shard stabbed deep into my forearm.
Vault smiled at my pain. "Serves you right," he said, the amusement in his voice no longer there. "Only a coward strikes another man's testicles," he chastised, taking a moment to watch as I had to drop the now broken shield on the ground. It was useless, and won't be of help anymore.
I slowly reached for the ground and took my fallen sword up again, glancing over in the direction of Olga and Chloe. They needed more time to sabotage the other wagons. Fuck me, how many wagons do these guys have?!
"Hurry up…" I whispered.
I couldn't keep this up. Eventually, he'll get tired of knocking me around, and when that happens, we're all fucked.
Vault charged me again, and I had no choice but to dodge. That massive blade came down hard, and if I hadn't sidestepped it, it would have cut me in half. This time, I aimed to retaliate. I tried to stay on the defensive, and that didn't work. Maybe pressing the attack would yield better results?
As the King of Rape angled his sword for another swing, I had to close in, so he couldn't rely on the superior reach and his prodigious strength to hit me. And to my fortune, Vault actually seemed surprised, doubly so when I actually managed to deliver a quick and clean swipe on his torso.
It was then I realized something I had never actually considered: Vault wore armor UNDER his clothes.
As I cut the fabric of his black shirt, I noticed the dark and tough plate well hidden underneath the fabric of his shirt. And as I slashed from one side to the other, I noticed that by his arms, just under the plate, there was chain-mail too.
I managed to avoid his retaliatory swing, but not the second, leaving a deep cut in my right leg. I resisted the urge to buckle under the pain, and continued fighting as best I could; not like I had much choice in that regard.
Vault was a relentless enemy, his onslaught of attacks a difficult thing to avoid. From what I could observe, he had an offensive-heavy strategy. No one could attack him because he was always on the attack. His greatsword gave him excellent reach, and he had the strength and skill to use it easier than most.
Finding chances to get in close, past his offensive defense, was no easy task. Every time I got close, I had to aim for his unprotected arms, but doing any decent damage was impossible. He always moved away just enough that I left only a shallow cut on his skin, nothing serious. But before I could fully retreat outside his attack zone, he swung.
During his swing, I realized I was about to be bisected by that giant blade, and was forced to do the one thing I had been advised not to do: Block with my sword.
"MISTAKE!" Roared the King of Rape roared as our swords locked against each other, and he began pushing against mine. I did my absolute damnedest to stand my ground, resulting in this tank of a human being to start pushing me across the ground.
I understood what he was doing, he was seeking to either push me over or break my guard through sheer strength. To make matters worse, he was, without a doubt, going to break through. I didn't know how to get out of this. I had screwed myself, because even though I could hold him back for a minute, that didn't at all mean I could escape this situation.
"Is this what you wanted, James?" Vault asked, leaning close. "Was betraying me worth dying for?"
With his head so close to mine, I saw a way out of this unwinnable situation and leaned back for a moment. I sent my head crashing forward, slamming my forehead directly into his nose. Vault reeled back for a moment, and I aimed a slash right for his head.
Unfortunately, my sword didn't have the reach to do anything more than cut his cheek.
Vault stood still as a statue after my retaliation, his free hand slowly reaching up to touch the blood now streaming down his face. He examined it between his gloved fingers, rubbing them together and spreading the crimson fluid.
"James," he said, his voice quiet, lacking any true discernible emotion. "It appears I have either gotten careless or underestimated you." His eyes focused on me after a moment, looking less than pleased with this new turn of events. "You're the first person in the last few decades to draw more than a drop of blood from me."
I don't know what was more worrying, the fact that he hasn't tried to move yet, or the fact that he is speaking so… calmly.
There was no smugness to his voice, no amusement, no rage, no anger, just a strange calm, almost as if he had gone numb to the world.
Vault turned his head fully towards me, his stance shifting to one I did not recognize as his normal one. "I believe I'm done," he calmly told me. "As fun as this has been, it is clear to me that this game is at an end."
Before I could even ask what he meant, he rushed towards me. Only this time, rather than his normal slashing attacks, he did something I was not expecting him to do.
His feet seemed to almost glide across the floor as he aimed a stab at my heart. I barely could dodge, and even then, he still cut deep into my right arm. But before I could even regain my footing, he immediately spun and batted my sword away from me. I expected to be bifurcated when that massive sword came back around, but he missed.
Or at least, I thought he did.
No, he intentionally missed me with his sword, instead slamming his hand around my throat and lifting me into the air, slowly crushing my windpipe.
"Don't worry James, I'll make sure Celestine knows you died trying to fight me." He applied more pressure, and I found myself wondering if he was going to strangle me to death or crush my throat. "I'll deliver your head to her myself!"
His grip tightened even more, and despite kicking and struggling, I couldn't get him to loosen his hold. I had only one option, and I prayed it would work. I aimed my hand down at his feet, and tried to cast another spell.
Ice Spike didn't work, but maybe something else will? I tried my best to throw a Fire Rune right underneath him, making horrible gurgling noises as I tried desperately to get air. I needed to get him off and I needed to stay conscious to do it!
"What's wrong? Nothing to say? No insults to the future ruler of this land?" I gurgled some more. "What was that?"
"Don't...look...down."
Vault's eyes narrowed for a brief moment, and did as I expected, taking his gaze off of me to glance at the ground underneath him. There, just beneath his feet, was a Fire Rune, glowing brightly and pulsing violently. He looked back up at me just in time for me to deliver a sucker punch right into his nose.
When I punched him, his feet shifted slightly and triggered the trap spell. I was blown away by the force, crashing and rolling on the floor a distance away from the explosion.
Unfortunately, it had gotten the attention of the men inside, who I could faintly hear calling out to their fellow mercenaries to get down here. I managed to stand up, coughing all the while, and greedily inhaled all the oxygen my lungs could take.
"That… was a dirty trick," I heard Vault say through the dust and dirt. He came out of that cloud, standing tall, even though one of his legs was burned and bleeding heavily.
Damn it, this guy isn't going down, and I am in no condition to fight anymore. I can barely stand let alone fight. I gathered my sword and tried to flee. I wasn't going to win, not with his goons and minions on their way.
"We need to go! Are the other wagons broken?!" I called out to the two Dark Elves.
Chloe nodded. "There are a few wagons that aren't sabotaged, but I don't believe we have the time to linger," she said, helping her Queen into the back of a wagon full of supplies and taking the driver's seat herself. I reached the wagon just before Chloe began moving it, and barely had the strength to pull myself inside.
As she drove, I carefully removed the shard of broken iron from my arm, downing a healing potion immediately after. I could feel it dull the pain, but not erase it.
"So, you've survived," stated Olga. "And it seems we have made a clean getaway," she noted, gazing out at the Dark Citadel that was once her home.
I sat up on my elbows, gazing out at the shrinking forms of the Vault and his mercenaries. He was leveling an evil glare at me all the way, eventually smiling darkly, before turning and limping back towards the Tower.
Holy shit, I actually did it.
I felt relieved, excited, and terrified all at once. I've just made an enemy of damn near the strongest man in the kingdom; but I got away, and did so with his prizes. I'd say this was an absolute win, but… I am in too much pain to consider it a win.
"I guess," I lied back down and gazed up at Olga. If the situation were different, this wouldn't be half bad of a view. "You guys aren't going to kill me now, right?" I asked half-jokingly, half-seriously.
Olga shook her head. "No, as I stated, I am in your custody. I do not betray my word as easily as you humans betray yours," she assured me.
I took that and laid back to stare up at that red sky. Holy shit…
Unfortunately, the ecstasy of accomplishing such an impossible task wore off quickly. Vault showed me just how far I would need to go if I was ever going to challenge him again. That man is a monster, and to take him on without resorting to cheap tricks, I need to get better, faster, stronger.
But for now, I need to rest and heal while I can. I tried using a healing spell, but I couldn't actually produce it, since I spent everything I could to make that Fire Rune.
I closed my eyes slowly and took the reward of a well-earned nap for my struggle and trials.
Vault limped back inside the Citadel, and sat at the stairs, allowing Kin to apply what limited healing he could.
"How long until I can walk right?" Vault asked as the bespectacled man ran his hands over the most damaged area. The soon-to-be King had been careless, severely underestimating James and toying with him too long.
The mage adjusted his glasses and shook his head. "I'm not sure. If we had access to Celestine's healing milk, or even a few of the Church's higher-level healing spells, then I would have you moving around in less than a day."
He looked down at the wound. The mage was impressed: The amount of power James put into that rune means he must have been saving his magic for it to do this much damage.
"But?"
Kin sighed. "But we don't. We're limited to the small healing supplies we have for emergencies. For now, you can't overexert yourself. I'll have the men begin searching for herbs and ingredients, and maybe I can reduce the pain and damage. But to treat a wound as bad as this... it'll take time. Weeks, maybe even months."
Vault let out a low growl. "Fine, I'll stay back. But I will not have my plans delayed. As soon as the Aberrants are here, I want them mobilized against Feoh," he ordered, but Hicks gave a hissing sound, one that attracted his attention. "What is it?"
"Yeah… that might be a bit harder than expected," the Scout Commander informed, reporting to the Black Dogs' leader that James may have killed the Ogre Leader on his way out.
To his credit, King Bastard didn't show any outward rage. "I see," he said calmly, "Figure out who's next in line for leadership, and tell them to come here, so we can negotiate terms of alliance… again." Vault ordered, sending Hicks off to go do his new task.
Morgan, who had been listening to the entire time finally spoke up. "I'll organize a raiding party. The men are rather disappointed they can't taste pure-blooded Dark Elf pussy, so I reckon getting a few new whores might cheer them up a bit."
"Do it," allowed Vault.
Kin watched as the Scout Captain departed. "I'll see if I can't get some men to try and steal some healing supplies from the Church. Maybe we can speed up your recovery."
The King of Rape nodded. "Go then. I must prepare our declaration of war anyways," Vault ordered the mage off, before limping up the stairs.
His mind however was focused on James.
It was insulting that a man so weak and pathetic would side with those bitches over him; who trained him, brought him into his fold, and was ready to accept him as a member of this fine company. And to make matters worse, he stole his prize and his biggest trophy yet right out from under him.
To add insult to injury, it was he who let them get away. He toyed with James, relishing the thrill of bearing another man to death. Doing so cost him both his prizes, and he couldn't even finish off the pathetic bastard.
He not only stole from Vault, but lived to tell the tale.
The next time he encountered that man, he would be sure to kill him for this shame he brought on the Mercenary King. He could not allow such a transgression against him and the future of his nation to go unpunished.
But despite his anger at being denied, the Service Nation's future ruler couldn't help but feel something remarkably unfamiliar: disappointment.
James had proven to be a resourceful and talented fighter, resorting to whatever tactics he needed to gain an advantage in their fight, even traveling from the top of the Citadel to the bottom, all the while leading two ungrateful whores to safety.
He should have been dead to rights with those kinds of odds, but he managed to get through despite everything. It was truly a shame; he would have made a fine Black Dog, maybe even had the potential to rule over one of the Fortresses if he had proven loyal enough.
A damn shame his precious morals led him to join a failing nation. He could have lived an easy life: pleasure whenever he desired, all the riches he could ever want, and battles he could ever desire.
Vault briefly entertained the idea of capturing him. Maybe letting him have a taste of the empire he wanted to create would change his tune…?
No, best to kill him. No one could get away with stealing what rightfully belonged to the leader of the Black Dogs.
Special thanks to LittleWhiteMouse for being a swell guy.
First things first, I want to apologize for taking so long. You all deserve better from me. I know I've said it a lot, but I am truly sorry for the wait.
Secondly:... Holy shit, this was a long one. I never meant for it to get this long.
I wanted the escape from the Fortress to be one single chapter, not two wearing a long coat. Sorry, it took so long, I am not done with this story, just late. I wanted to avoid the overused "secret tunnels" thing that many stories in the Kuroinu stories use. However, halfway through, I realized that if I kept going as I was then their escape would seem impossible. I envision Olga's tower as a very straightforward thing: The main spire scratches all the way to the top where the throne room is, with many floors leading to side rooms and wings that are mainly there for yet to be explained reasons. But considering that the idea that James, Olga, and Chloe manage to fight through all that and not get captured tends to be a very hard thing to sell.
As for the Dark Elves, I wanted to try and make sure they do not think highly of James. They don't even really consider him an ally, only another warden by another name. Chloe hates James, she sees him as the cause of most of her issues, but also her only way to save Olga. So she must reluctantly work with him. I wasn't sure if that was 100% obvious enough, so I just thought I would make it clear down here.
Olga, though, doesn't hate James, she is a Proud Dark Elf, and doesn't consider humans even worthy of her hate, let alone anger. I tried my best to try and give her a "You're not worthy of my presence" feel to her, but at the same time, she knows that she can't really/doesn't want to fight James. She understands her options, would rather face death than a lifetime of rape.
Now I would like you, my readers, to tell me if I am doing a good job of conveying that. Okay?
Anyways, leave a review, follow and favorite, all that jazz.
And again, I would like to apologize for taking so long. I was tempted to divide this chapter into two halves because of the length, but I felt you guys earned a meaty chapter.
