Once again my dear readers before we get into this chapter , I must apologize for the lateness of this chapter. College has been kicking my ass and its only been two weeks since it started and I already feel like dying.
:P
Jokes aside, I will warn that we will likely still be doing these two-week updates for a good while. I'll try and update as soon as I possibly can but with me having to balance updating this story with other ATLA story ...its going to be difficult to keep up with them both. But I will promise to at least try to keep both stories updated as frequently as I can.
Now getting into this chapter , we finally get to see how Malty interacts with the underbelly of Melromarc goes...hope you are all excited.
Big thanks to Qinlongfei for beta reading this chapter ! And providing important feedback and critic.
With that said ,let's get this chapter started !
Chapter 14 : Desperate Epiphany
The air around them grows thick after Mein's first 'greeting' to the woman.
In hindsight ,maybe calling herself a hunter wasn't the best choice of words...
Then again she is in the slums , looking for two demi-human brats to make sure they don't come back to their party to ruin whatever chances she might still have with Naofumi . And is now currently facing off against her only lead at finding the two brats and getting to them...
The dog woman was very obviously shook up by her sudden unannounced visit but stood firm " I'm sorry I think you have the wrong place , please lea-"
She was about to close the door were not for Mein holding her hand against it and wedging her boot against the door to keep it from closing. The woman tried to push it , but Mein's superior strength kept it open.
" I'm not with the manhunters or knights..."
That sudden declaration seemed to have stopped the woman from slamming the door on her foot. Looking her directly in the eyes , Mein shows her that she is telling the truth...
Or at least her truth.
" You know it looks very suspicious to just be standing out here right ? Unless you want a knight patrol to see us then-"
" Alright , alright , come in ...fuck..." The woman cursed but opened the door for Mein as she stepped inside.
Upon entering Mein finds that the interior is just as bad as the exterior made it out to be. The outside of the house had looked downtrodden, almost abandoned looking with the exterior material looking heavily degraded and worn out , with the windows broken adding to that atmosphere. The inside certainly lived up to her expectations...which weren't very high with the wood rotting out of the floorboards , all the furniture and chairs are run down and look like they are ready to snap if someone slightly heavier sat on it. And the only lighting the house had were the few candles that were lit about around the house.
But the Mein is hardly concerned about the decoration of the shitty hideout , her eyes are glanced at the other two beasts who were with them.
" Who the hell is this bitch ?" The first and most notable of which is a bear beastman. The big fur covered oaf was almost as tall as the ceiling and would likely hit his head on it if he were but a few inches taller. He seems to be wearing some kind of leather armor...and she took notice of the battleaxe that leaned against the wall right next to its owner.
" Relax Fred , she's fine ..." The dog woman holds up a hand to stop the beastman from doing anything.
" Still don't see why you had to let her in..." The other voice speaks up and Mein turns to another middle aged demi-human ...who has raccoon ears similar to that of the damn brat she's looking for. He has a simple sword at his side and he appears to be eyeing her lecherously " ...Though I can see why you would with a pair of tits and a body like that ..."
Mein resisted the urge to throw her dagger into the smug raccoon's face.
" Can it , Mylo..." The woman snapped at him as she took a seat and glanced at Mein " Name's Mila by the way ... you got a name too ? "
" Just call me Sofia for now ..." Mein quickly comes up with a fake name as she took a seat and assessed the situation.
3 potential enemies , 2 armed , the last one very likely ...if this goes bad , I can't kill Mila.
" So ...what's a fine piece of ass such as yourself doing in a place like this ? " Mylo said with a smirk as he makes another comment at her " Its not safe for girls to be wandering out at night you know..."
" Please ignore him Sofia ... and allow me to get straight to the point ...why the hell are you so interested in a bunch of runaway slaves ? " Mila leaned back as she crossed her legs.
" And how did you find us anyway ? We're supposed to be a secret ..." Fred gives an accusing look at the raccoon thug . No doubt accusing him of potentially leaking the information.
" You are not nearly as well hidden as you thought...and I have my sources , rest assured that they are no one who will bother you " Mein gives some assurance to them.
" Aww... won't even share your secrets with us ? I'm hurt..." Mylo chuckled.
" You still haven't answered my question yet ...why are you on the lookout for runaway slaves if you're not with the manhunters ? "Mila asked giving her a look as she leaned back in her chair. Mein fixed the group with an observational gaze.
This Mila doesn't seem like your everyday saint. She looks way too gruff and grizzled for your standard good kind hearted stranger. And the two grunts look more akin to thugs than regular former slaves who want to repay a debt...there's something off here.
I need to play my cards right and gather as much info on the brats as I can without giving away who I am.
" The two children I am looking for are children of an old family friend . They are from Port Harp and I am desperate to find them..." Mein said in a fake plea of worry " Can you please help me find them ? "
The trio looked at each other... before turning to glare at her collectively.
" If your going to give a fake sob story about wanting to find former slaves , than at least use one that hasn't already been said around here " Mila said with a unimpressed glare.
Wait what ?
" Excuse me ? " Mein said shocked.
" Some other bitch came by a little while back saying the exact same thing " Fred said angrily " Are you with that lady ? "
" I'm ...afraid that I don't know who you are talking about ..." Mein said nervously , quickly sensing that this was going to hell in a handbasket.
" Yeah right , how stupid do you think we are ?" Fred said glaring at her.
Quite a lot actually , but we would be here all day talking about that.
" Look...I'm not asking for any trouble , I'm just looking for those two slaves and I need to find them quickly..." Mein leaned forward a little as gestured towards her coin pouch " And I'm willing to make it worth your while if you help me..."
Mila didn't even hesitate as her glare grew more intense " No deal . You furless apes really do think we'd give each other up as soon as you flash a few shiny coins our way ? "
Yes pretty much...
Mein thought mockingly but didn't say it out loud. The situation was deteriorating quickly...and she could feel a fight coming on.
" Then it would seem we are at an impasse..." Mein said as she felt the tension in the room reached its tipping point.
Time seemed to slow down for a second... as the trio of beasts looked between each other and Mein reaching for her sword.
At least she can say she tried to be diplomatic.
Mila was the first to make a move , taking out a knife and leaping out of her chair charging straight at Mein with murderous intent.
Sloppy , unfocused , undisciplined.
Mein thought as her reflexes kicked in and she quickly stood up and sidestepped the attack- grabbing Mila's wrist holding the knife before twisting it with her other arm ... right before she delivers a hard downward blow to her elbow.
CRACK !
She heard the telltale sound of the bone being broken followed by the scream of Mila. Mein didn't let up though as she kneed Mila in the gut before throwing her across the room and into the wall, effectively knocking her out of the fight.
" Holy shit ! Mila ! " Mylo screamed out before turning to her " You bitch ! "
Mein didn't even respond to that dig at her. She needed to make sure none of them escaped.
Which meant she was free to use the full extent of her powers.
Fred and Mylo charged at her at the same time , she could use Blink to get behind them but ...
She unlocked a new skill a while ago from those runes and she's been meaning to try it out.
" Windblast !" Mein shouted and she sent a powerful gust of wind at the two beasts.
Mylo got slammed into the wall , while Fred on the other hand managed to power through the blast of wind and only got knocked back a few meters. The blast of wind also knocked the candles out , which meant the only light they got was coming from the moon that shined through the broken windows.
" You daughter of a whore ! "Fred yelled as he charged at her again with his axe.
Can't argue with that.
The princess in disguise didn't even flinch ,she had faced bigger enemies before ...
Mein ran at him quickly closing the gap between them with her high agility.
Right foot first , move sword back , left foot. Shift your weight to the left side of your body.
" [Horizontal] " Her sword glowed with blue energy as she slashed it across the chest of the bearman. The basic weapon art easily tearing through the beastman's weak leather armor.
" AAHH ! You ...you bitch ! " The bearman cried out , clutching the wound on his chest " DIE ! "
Mein calmly and easily sidestepped and dodged all of the beastman's pathetic attacks. Swinging his battle axe with the grace of a simpleton who had never been properly trained in his life.
On his next strike , Mein once again closed the distance between them to go in for another weapon art but before she could , the beastman swung his fist at her. Narrowly dodging it and forcing her back.
" Do you really think the same trick would work twice !? " The beast taunted " You're going to have to do better than that ! "
Looks like this might be tougher than I thought it would be... now I just need to break through his defense-
" Fast Wind Blade !"
Mein heard the sound of an incantation being shouted , followed by the sound of wind tearing through the air. Her instincts flared up and she barely jumped out of the way in time before a wind attack could hit her straight in the back. She turned to see that the pathetic raccoon she knocked down had already recovered and was back on his feet.
" Mylo ! You okay ? "
" Forget about me , let's kill this bitch ! " Mylo said , directing his angered glare over to her.
So now I have two of them to deal with ...perfect.
" Fast Gust !"
Mein jumped out of the way of the gust of wind that tore through the weak furniture and made the whole building shake. She was briefly concerned over the building collapsing before she was interrupted by the bearman leading up with an assault , with him swinging his axe wildly at her.
A moment too slow and I would be spilling my guts out...
" Fast Wind Blade ! Fast Gust ! "
The raccoon man sent weak wind magic at her which she was barely able to dodge , that along with the bearman's constant attempts to disembowel her ...she knew it was only a matter of time before one of them got lucky.
She needed to take out the mage first. Always take out the support first.
She switched her skill to Blink and aimed her spot right in front of the mage-
And before the pathetic raccoon could even react she was suddenly standing right in front of him.
"WHAT THE-"
He didn't even have time to finish his sentence as Mein stabbed him straight through the heart. A critical and fatal hit . She lets his body fall to the ground and the blood starts to flow out of him.
" Mylo !" The bearman shouts " YOU BITCH ! YOU WON'T GET AWAY WITH THIS !"
Mein didn't react as the beastman charged at her again , and she moved to meet him halfway . Grabbing the discarded knife that Mila had dropped , she threw it at the bearman who held up his forearm to block it-
Which gave her all the cover she needed to close the gap between them again.
" [Horizontal Square] " She delivers the first strike to his chest , another to his back , the third to his leg ... and the final one goes to his neck. The blade easily slicing through the bone and meat , decapitating the bearman. The square of light expanded forward , finishing the weapon art.
Mein let out a breath , it was over...
" Ugh ..." She heard the sound of someone groaning and turned to see Mila starting to wake .
Now it was time to put her interrogation skills to the test.
Mein put her sword away and took out her dagger , as she approached the fallen demi-human.
" Get up " Mein said coldly as she roughly grabbed the demi by her broken arm and lifted her up , holding her against the wall while pressing the blade to her throat.
" Get off me you bi-AAAAHHH!"
Mila screamed when Mein stabbed the knife into her leg before throwing her to the floor.
" I suggest you watch what you say because I can make this as painful as I want it to be..." Mein said before she kicked the bitch over and held her down by her throat " Now I suggest you start talking before I actually start hurting you..."
" Fuck you- AAAHH!"
Mein twisted the knife that was still stuck in her leg, making sure to be as slow and agonizing as possible.
" I'm running out of patience... start talking about what the hell happened to those two kids ...and maybe I won't start gutting you like a pig " Mein threatened and she could see the bitch whimper in fear.
Good. Be afraid.
" I-I-I... sent them away . To the village of Samphor alright ! Their one of the few villages that accept demi's , so I sent them to live with a friend there alright !" Mila pleaded , the cowardice in her eyes betraying the falseness in her words.
Liar...
Mein pulled the knife out making Mila shout in pain. As she flipped around and grabbed her arm.
" Do you want me to break all your limbs ? Cause its starting to sound like it ..." Mein said darkly as she started to twist the woman's arm.
" STOP ! We work for the Hound Lord ! Alright !? The Hound Lord !"
...
...
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...
...
...
...
...
...
...
Mein stopped in her movement , letting the woman let out a breath of relief before she flipped her back towards her so Mein could look into her eyes.
" The Hound Lord huh ? " Mein asked. She had heard in passing of a new demi-human bandit lord causing the northern lords trouble but she hadn't paid too much attention to it. But Mein could tell this woman was telling the truth ...
So there appears to be more to this story.
" I-I work as a recruiter for him , okay ? I was sent here to recruit any demi-humans or beastman that wanted to fight against the tyranny of you furless ape bastards !" Mila shouted in a show of bravery but quickly crumbled under Mein's terrifying glare " P-Part of that also means that I help out any runaway slaves that I can and ...send them on their way to join our group... "
A bandit recruitment operation hiding right under our noses ...and disguised as a slave liberation ring no less . This just keeps getting better and better...
" Cut to the chase. What happened to the two brats I was asking for ? Are they already on their way to this Hound Lord ? " Mein asked as she slowly sunk her dagger back into her leg make her point.
" Aaahh ! Stop ! " Mila cried out " This isn't even where the main operation is ! We're just the guys who transport recruits out of the capital to the real place they get recruited and taken to the main group okay !" Mila shouted as Mein eased in her grip a little " We got their seals off and planned to have them both transported out of the capital but..."
" But what ? " Mein asked.
" T-That raccoon girl , Raphtilia or something ...after her friend went ahead to the main operation , she ran off for no reason !" Mila shouted " We tried looking for her but the kid had just vanished !"
" You didn't transport them together ? Why ? "
" We planned to do it separately to not draw any suspicion you bitch ...those guards just love to inspect demi-humans just walking outside of the capital " Mila said with spite " We were supposed to send that raccoon girl to the main operation a day after that dog boy left but she ran off the day before and we haven't seen her since !"
So ...Keel went ahead to the main operation of this bandit recruitment ring while Raphtalia ran off...
More importantly this isn't even where the main operation is located ...It makes sense though . It would be downright idiotic for the main operation to be in the city itself , slums or not. But the real question is , where is the main operation located ?
" Where is the main operation of this 'slave liberation' ring taking place then ?"
Mila went stiff and she could tell there was hesitation in her next words " ...The Hound Lord will kill me ..."
Mein grit her teeth as she pressed the dagger to her throat once again, making sure to oh so gently cut into the skin a little to draw blood.
" I can assure you that the Hound Lord is the least of your problems at the moment..." Mein said darkly , as she pressed the blade against the cowardly bandit's throat.
Mila's eyes went through hesitation , fear and dread all in the span of a few seconds. It was almost interesting to see.
" ...There's a village not too far from here okay ? By the name of Lute...fuck ..." Mila said as her head fell back in shame.
The place that we visited to collect equipment for that undead infestation ? What are the odds...
" That's where the main operation is ? "
" No you bitch , the main operation is in the mines near that village. Its the best spot we could find when we got set up here " Mila said as she glared at Mein.
" When was that dog boy sent there ? " Mein asked.
" Two days ago !" Mila shouted " That's all I know I swear ! "
Mein stilled in her movements for a second as the dagger in her hand eased up.
" I believe you Mila ..."
The woman let out a breath of relief.
" But unfortunately I can't leave witnesses . Sorry " Mein said as she pressed the blade to her throat.
" NO WAIT-"
Mila didn't even have time to beg as Mein slit her throat and let her writhe on the floor clutching her bleeding throat in agony for a few minutes before finally keeling over dead.
Mein wiped the blood of her knife before putting it away to think of the new information she has received.
So the main operation is located in the mines near Lute Village and on top of that it is also a bandit recruitment operation...interesting.
If those bandits had any sense at all , than the dog brat would have already been transported out to this Hound Lord by now...but I would rather not leave that up to luck.
And what about that raccoon brat ? She ran away and its likely she's still in the capital somewhere...and there's still the chance we could run into her somewhere.
I would like to go up to that mine now but...
Mein looked up at the clock at the top right corner of her HUD , showing her that it was almost 2 in the morning. And she was already starting to feel fatigue wear on her eyelids and she was worn out from all the fighting she had to do just now.
And there's no guarantee she would be able to make it back before morning and Naofumi wakes up.
Mein decides to call it a night for now and continue her search for the two brats tomorrow.
Before she left though she turned to the bodies of her fallen enemies and knew she couldn't just leave them to rot...
The rotting and smell would attract the guards or someone else...and she'd rather take care of the evidence than have it lead back to her.
Mein thought it would be simpler to just burn them but there isn't exactly a convenient furnace nearby to do that...
Then a bright idea came to mind ...and it came in the form of a skill.
" Devouring Swarm " Mein lifted her hand in an upward motion and as if pouring out from the Void itself , an entire swarm of rats appeared and began eating the bodies of her enemies . Quite nicely taking care of the evidence.
Excellent , I can use this to get rid of bodies much more easily..
Before she left Mein quickly ransacked the place of anything useful , particularly a pouch filled with silver coins that added up to at least a 150 coins. And like that she fled into the night like a shadow.
It didn't take her too long to get back to the inn , with her taking the expressway of the rooftops. Reentering her room from the window she had left open , after getting her armor off and falling face first onto her bed.
She was out like a light.
Naofumi's POV
Naofumi once thought he knew what pure frustration mixed in with worry and dread was like. Having to study and constantly fail to remember math formulas , history lessons and the like ...and then proceeding to struggle and pine over his lacking of memory or understanding of the subjects during the exam.
That was until he got summoned to a literal sword and magic world , almost got framed for rape and was now tasked with defending the world from a potential world-ending catastrophe like you would find in all those isekai light novels. Oh ! And he was also hated by the country that summoned him , the people want to kill him and one of his party members is a heretic and might not be working in his best interests.
Yeah , Naofumi almost wishes he was back in his simple and easy life as an otaku. Once again only now realizing how easy he had it back then...
And now the new cause of his frustration mixed with worry was brought on by the lack of progress for finding the two children that Naofumi had pathetically lost on their first day together. They had been searching since after breakfast and its almost the afternoon now ... and their progress isn't any better than it was five days ago when they had started looking for the two lost kids.
Naofumi knew what happened to kids who were out alone on the streets , with no parents and no money or support to help feed themselves... he could only imagine how much worse that experience would be in a medieval society like this...
It made him sick to his stomach just thinking about it.
They were walking the streets of castletown again...basically just hoping at this point that they would find the two kids. Naofumi almost snorted at that , as if they were in some badly written fanfiction where something so plot convenient like that would happen...stupid.
He was walking beside Mein and Ake , the two of them flanking his sides and keeping an eye out on the people around them. The street they were on didn't have too many people on it so it wasn't crowded and they could easily see everyone who passed them. But they still found nothing...
" Naofumi ? " Mein's soft voice breaks through his train of thought and he looks at his redheaded companion in surprise " Are you ...okay ? "
He wanted to give a vague answer...because he could tell from tone alone that Mein was being genuine in her concern...but he figured that Mein at least deserved the truth.
" ...No I'm not Mein..." Naofumi admits and Mein doesn't pursue , only presses a gentle hand on his shoulder in comfort.
They had already run out of clues. Possible leads and talked to every possible person or place of interest...so what was there left to do really ?
Naofumi thought as they passed by an alley ...and he caught a brief glimpse of a few small figures standing there.
His heart stopped briefly as he thought he had finally found them...before he got a closer look and saw that the figures standing there were just other demi-human children. None of which were the two kids they are looking for specifically.
The demi-human kids all had mixed expressions on their faces ...some seemed to be scared of the streets, afraid to step into the light and walk among the regular humans ...while others seemed to be eyeing the streets with an opportunistic look in their eyes.
Like a ...pickpocket ...eyeing their next mark.
" Sir Naofumi ? Is everything alright ? " Ake asks , noticing the Shield Hero's sudden stop in movement.
An idea hit Naofumi like a brick and he realized they had been going about their search all wrong.
" No Ake ...I just realized we've been doing everything wrong " Naofumi said as he felt like an idiot for the idea not coming to him sooner.
" What do you mean Naofumi ? " Mein fixed him with a confused look.
" I mean , we've been going about this search all wrong from the beginning !" Naofumi said loudly , which caught the weirded looks of some of the pedestrians around them , but he ignored them " We've searching for Raphtalia and Keel at all the wrong places , with all the wrong people , at all the most obvious places...but we never considered one other kind of person to ask for help in finding them "
" And who would that be Naofumi ? " Mein asked with a raised eyebrow.
Naofumi smirked as he turned to the knight of the party " Ake...you wouldn't happen to know where we can find a bunch of pickpocket demi-humans would you ? Particularly the children kind ? "
Ake seems to think for a moment before answering " ...I do know of a few spots where civilians have reported getting robbed by demi-human children...but why would that correlate to Raphtalia and Keel Sir Naofumi ? "
" Because those kids might know where they are ..." Naofumi explained " I mean , just think about it who else would those kids be able to go to for help when they are on their own ? Those pickpockets might be able to tell us "
They all looked at each other briefly , all getting the same idea.
" Well what are we waiting for ? Let's head to market , that's the best place to look for pickpockets as anyplace " Ake said as he led the way.
Mein's POV
The princess in disguise kept her head low and pulled up her hood as they followed Ake to the market, where they usually went to sell off any loot they had collected during their adventures.
She could not deny that Naofumi's sudden revelation and idea today had worried her slightly...but she remained perfectly calm . As if those urchins care enough about each other to recall seeing anyone resembling the two brats description. She will go to the mine tonight and make sure that dog brat is either gone for good ...or make sure he won't be talking.
Ake directs them to the street that leads to the market and Mein finds it to be not particularly busy with only a few or so people walking around. Easy to pick someone off from the few people around.
" Keep an eye out for any demi-humans kids you can find " Naofumi instructs as they walk down the street.
" Should I climb up to the rooftops to get a better look ?" Mein suggested.
" No that's fine , just keep an eye out for..." Naofumi trails off as he ends up looking in a specific direction. Mein follows his gaze down an alleyway where she can see a lone demi-human child standing there. Mein can make out the whiskers on his face , indicating that he is of the mouse animals. The mouse boy catches sight of them and stares at them in surprise.
The two make eye contact and Ake as well joins in on the staring contest.
" Pickpocket kids..." Naofumi finishes.
They both stare at each other...
Right before the mouse brat turns and makes a run for it.
" No wait ! Hang on ! We just wanna talk !" Naofumi shouted " Mein stop him !"
Mein nodded as she took off for the brat who was running out the otherside of the alley.
It took her only 5 seconds to catch up to the brat and grab him by the arms, effectively stopping him in his escape. No need to go for a full body tackle and possibly injure herself.
Mein turns to Naofumi and Ake who approaches them , as she holds the boy by his arm to stop him from running.
" Get off you lousy hag !" The boy struggled and cursed at her.
Mein twitched at that " The fuck did you sa-"
" Mein let him go ! He didn't mean it !" Naofumi quickly calmed her down as he separated the boy from her and looked at the boy " Just relax you're not in any trouble..."
" What the hell do you guys want again ? " The mouse glares at them.
" Again ? " Mein noticed that " You two know this kid ? "
" He was that pickpocket we told you robbed us that one time " Ake quickly explains "Now relax kid , we just got a few questions to ask ..."
The mouse calmed down a little and crossed his arms " About what ? "
" We're wondering if you maybe heard about some runaway demi-human children , a dog boy and a raccoon girl that may have found their way to the streets recently... " Naofumi asked " Can you help us ? "
"... Why do you want to know ?" The mouse raised an eyebrow at them.
" Because one of them is the sister of a friend of mine and its very important that we find her " Ake stepped up " So can you help us or not ? "
The mouse went silent , leaned up against the wall and crossing his arms. Mein couldn't help but roll her eyes , the mouse clan are known to be both cowardly but at the same time greedy. Its clear that this brat isn't going to sell out the information they want willingly , so they should just either threaten to turn him into the knights or bribe him.
" ...You know... despite what you guys may think about us mouse folk we ain't rats ..." The mouse boy said after a time " But I do at least pay my debts...so follow me "
That was all the mouse boy said before he walked off , the group hesitating for a moment before following.
Naofumi tried to make conversation with the boy , but the mouse brat kept dialogue between all of them to a minimum. Mein preferred it that way , they didn't need to play nice or make friends with this brat... since the kid was only helping them since he felt he had a debt to pay to Naofumi and the knight.
Mein didn't need to be an inspector to figure that Naofumi and the knight let the kid off , probably gave him some money or something. That sounds exactly like the sorta thing the Shield Hero would do.
What would she have done in that scenario ? Would she have let the kid go ?
It doesn't take her long to answer that no , she probably wouldn't have...
She's not sure how to feel about that.
The mouse boy ends up taking them to another district altogether , a poorer district , not quite the slums but not that much more well-off. The moment they step into a street that had what looked to be a few dozen people sitting down by the walls with a small pot or something else near them. She immediately knew where they were...
The Beggar District...lovely.
A fitting moniker given to the unofficial section of castletown that is said to house the most number of homeless right after the slums. Even the red lantern district is nicer than this place...
The buildings around them all looked crooked and run down, with the windows smashed and the paint itself starting to fade. The state of the buildings in the Beggars District isn't quite on the same level as the slums per say but it was pretty close. With many of them looking abandoned and turned into a den for the homeless looking for a warm place to spend the night. Even if it is in a broken down home... it is better than nothing she supposes.
And all the beggars who sit off to the sides hoping for a good saint to pass by...many of them have cloth that looked torn and wear down. Some of them don't even have a shirt allowing Mein to see the state of their bodies while others only seem to be covering themselves with a simple blanket.
Practically all of them looked starved , pale, frail , skinny and thinner than she ever thought a person could look like. For those who didn't wear shirts...she could see their ribs through the skin , due to their starved state. And some of whom were holding their hands out for a donation... their hands look like they are shivering ...but she could tell that it was due to starvation that they couldn't even hold out their hands properly.
She spots a few children sitting with their parents...while others don't even seem to have parents and are quietly sitting there in a curled up position. While other children are huddling together , most likely trying to stave off the feeling of loneliness that radiates from this place.
Mein can practically smell the despair and suffering in the air ...it disgusts her.
Mein decidedly ignores the sound of a baby crying as she passes a demi-human mother trying to lull her baby to sleep and comfort. No doubt trying to make it forget the hunger that is growing inside both of them.
" God ...what is this place ?" Naofumi couldn't help but ask as he looked at the people.
" The unofficial beggar District...home to the homeless , beggars and pickpockets alike. Not that much off better than the slums... but this is where the beggars tend to gather together..." The mouse boy says simply.
Naofumi looks at the demi-human mother with her baby crying from before and stops " Hang on a second guys... we can't just leave..."
Mein narrowed her eyes sympathetically at Naofumi as he approached the mother and took out a small pouch of silvers.
" Here ...get yourself and your baby something to eat " Naofumi kindly said as he dropped the pouch in the mother's lap much to her surprise.
The mother looks up to Naofumi with a flash of surprise, before it fades to hopefulness " T-Thank so much ! Kind sir... thank you..." The mother's voice sounds weak as she turns to her baby as tears of joy start to fall " We're going to be okay... I promise"
That is all the mother says before she weakly stands up, taking the money and walks away while carrying her baby.
Naofumi looks at the mother longingly and Mein walks up to him and gives him a pat on the shoulder " You did the right thing Naofumi..."
" Hang on , I want to give some more to a few more people ..." Naofumi suddenly says and before Mein could say anything he's already walked off to the next beggar.
It was just one beggar , then two and then the third one came ...
Then in the span of the next few minutes Naofumi wasn't just passing out a few silvers here and there , he was giving spare food he kept in his shield to the people. The beggars who got said handouts were of course overjoyed and gave a thousand thanks to the Shield Hero...
But Mein started noticing some of the beggars were starting to get up and walk towards them after uncomfortably staring at them. Mein at first thought they were going to attempt to shiv them , but then realized that they were coming to try and get a handout too...and Mein saw that many others were getting up as well.
Mein turned to the Shield Hero , she had to stop this now.
" Naofumi I think that's enough " Mein said as she put her hand on his shoulder.
Naofumi brushed her off " Hold on Mein , I just need to-"
" I think we have bigger problems Sir Naofumi " Ake said as Mein saw that they were practically surrounded by beggars who all had a desperate but hopeful look in their eye.
" Please help us..."
" Good sir ...please "
" I just need a little to feed my kids..."
" I ...haven't eaten in days"
Those were some of the things she managed to catch from the chorus of pleas that came from the beggars around them as they approached and the princess in disguise could see Naofumi look at all these people with the same realization...
That he couldn't help all of them.
The beggars got closer and closer , coming close to swarming them and Mein reached for her sword to-
" ALRIGHT YOU DIRTY BUMS BACK OFF ! " Mein was cut off by the yell that came from Ake , which seemed to cause the beggars surrounding them to be startled and move back "Now get the hell out of here before I call the knights down on you all for loitering !"
That seemed to frighten all of the beggars , who got the message and started moving away quickly from the street. All disappearing into the alleyways and dark spaces between the buildings.
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A silence washed over them at what Ake just did. And as Mein glances over at Naofumi ...
She can see anger in his eyes. As he walks up to Ake with that same energy.
" Why did you do that Ake !? " Naofumi yelled " Those people were starving ! They needed help ! And and ...you just sent them away like-"
" NAOFUMI !" Mein shouts this time and its enough to make him turn to her. She places both hands on his shoulder as she looks into his eyes , true sympathy in them this time.
As she can quite literally see the desperation in his eyes. Along with the sadness that he can't help them all.
" Naofumi...we can't help them all "
Mein said it as a fact...and Naofumi's head drops and looks at the cobblestone street. Ake who had been stony faced the entire time crossed his arms as he looks away from the scene.
"...I know ..." Naofumi says , unclear whether he acknowledges it or truly knows it.
They turn back to the mouse kid who was eyeing the scene with a sad expression as well.
" Its this way ...come on " The mouse kid said before walking off. Naofumi following behind with a somber silence along with Ake and Mein who looked at the Shield Hero with concern.
" ...Let's just follow Mouse and then get out of here okay ? "Mein says and Naofumi merely nods.
Clearly still broken up about what happened earlier with the beggars.
The mouse leads them into an alleyway where they pass by more homeless and demi-humans , both adults and kids who eye them suspiciously and some with fear in their eyes.
Eventually the mouse brats stops to face one lone demi-human child around his age.
" Hey ... you know where raccoon gang is ? "
" ...Not too far from here. To the west "
" Thanks " The mouse said slipping the kid a few coppers before walking off with the Shield party in tow.
"... Raccoon gang ? " Naofumi couldn't help but ask.
" A demi-human child pickpocket group. Composed entirely of raccoon kids ...they are pretty good at stealing I hear " The mouse boy shrugs. As they followed the mouse boy through the different paths of the beggars district " They are about your best bet at finding that raccoon girl..."
The boy is clearly not so knowledgeable about the speciality of the different races of beastmen. If the raccoon dogs of Shee Kok mountain are anything to go by , the raccoons are master tricksters with a natural affinity for illusion magic. What they lack in military and combat they make for by being good merchants...and by that , it usually means ripping off as many poor fools as they can to make as much money as they can before they have to leave.
Mein found it ironic that the girl who likely grew up as a simple villager is now thrust into the underbelly of Melromarc. But more importantly she's growing increasingly worried ...this lead might actually work out and she needs to do something before that happens.
" Naofumi " Mein whispers to him.
" What is it Mein ? " Naofumi said slow on the response. Clearly not expecting to be talked to
" Its nothing its just ...are you sure we can trust this kid ? He might just be lying to us for all we know " Mein comes up with an excuse that sounds weak even for her. But its something at least...
" ...I don't think the kid is as cutthroat as that , plus its not like we have many othe-"
" N-No don't ! "
Naofumi is interrupted by a loud scream.
They hear it.
" S-Stop it please ! I'-I'm sorry !"
They all hear it.
The sound of a single young girl's voice.
And they recognize it.
Before anybody could react , Naofumi broke off into a run knowingly running towards the source of the cries. Mein didn't waste any time running after him with the knight and mouse following close behind.
As they rounded a corner and saw the source of the cries-
Mein stopped in her tracks.
She saw a group of demi-human children...all grouped together and appeared to be tormenting a single target that was laid up against a wall and curled up in the fetal position protecting her head from whatever the kids threw at her.
Mein could tell even from this distance...that it was Raphtalia.
The group of demi-human children were all of the raccoon clan , they all looked be ranging from ages 11 to 13 , mix of boys and girls . They all wore worn down clothing and their faces looked much harder and rougher than any normal child you would find. And all of them seemed to be sporting hardened glares of anger and frustration at the single target in front of their eyes.
As for Raphtalia...the girl looked beat up , her clothes were torn and dirty , she had some light bruising on her face , along with the fact that her dagger was missing...
And it may have just been a trick of her eyes , but was Raphtalia always that thin ? She could have sworn the girl was bigger than that ... that her cheek bones were a bit bigger when she saw her last.
Raphtalia looked like she had been through hell.
" Stupid moron ! You messed up that last mark ! How stupid do you have to be fail at being a distraction ?!" The leader shouted , looking the oldest among the group " Why did we even take you in if you're just gonna drag the rest of us down with you !"
" Yeah !"
"Kick her out !"
" She's dead weight !"
Those were some of the things that were yelled by the group.
" N-No ! Please ! I'm so-" Raphtalia tried to beg only to be kicked back down.
" Shut up ! Nobody wants to hear your excuses !" The leader shouted " God how did someone like you-"
" Air Strike Shield ! "
Naofumi shouted and the green shield appeared as a barrier between Raphtalia and the leader raccoon. With the Shield Hero now running full force to the raccoon girl.
" HEY ! Leave her alone !" Naofumi shouted as he charged at them.
"Shit ! Scram !"
The raccoon gang quickly ran off , leaving Raphtalia crumpled on the floor behind them.
Naofumi approaches the little raccoon and kneels down beside her " Raphtalia ! Are you okay ?! I'm so sorry I ..."
The raccoon slowly , very slowly rises her head and sees the Shield Hero standing there. As if a savior in the light.
" Shield ...Hero ...?" Raphtalia says as if she was dreaming.
" Raphtalia ...I'm here..."
The raccoon girl's eyes go through shock for a brief moment in disbelief ...before they well up with tears and she embraces the Shield Hero.
" I-I-I... I was so scared !"
"I know Raphtalia... I know..." Naofumi said as he comforted her.
Mein didn't know why ... but as she watched the scene in front her...she felt her resolve weaken slightly.
If only a little.
The next hour passed by rather quickly with the group bidding farewell to the mouse brat and the knight giving a few silvers to compensate for his time.
Naofumi had gotten the girl all patched up with some of the potions and bandages they had. The girl certainly looked worse for wear ...
It was clear that the girl had a pretty rough few days with her friend.
" Raphtalia don't eat too fast " Ake advised as the girl hoarded more of the stew into her mouth.
Mein had initially been scared that the girl would reveal the true reason for why she and the dog brat had left...but it appears that she is more concerned with stuffing her face with food to think of such things.
Mein wasn't sure whether she should still be concerned or not honestly.
" S-S-Sorry just ... haven't eaten in ... a while..." Raphtalia says as she finishes her third bowl of stew.
Naofumi gives her a look of sympathy " Its alright Raphtalia just ...try not to eat too much alright ? "
" O-Okay..." Raphtalia says timidly.
They had stopped by the 'Hole in the Void' to get the raccoon something to eat since it was clear that she hadn't been eaten right since they had fled their party , a little early for lunch but close enough.
" Raphtalia ...can you please tell me what happened after you guys ran away ?" Naofumi asked gently and Raphtalia stiffened.
" W-We ...Keel said we needed to get away ...so we spent a few days just walking around... trying to find food and shelter wherever we could..." Raphtalia said sadly " We didn't find any ...it was only after we heard about this lady...that said she would help us "
Mila.
" Lady ? "
" S-S-She said she would help get our ... seals off ..." Raphtalia cried " B-But after they took Keel ... I heard some of them ...saying bad things about you Master Naofumi ...and I knew they weren't good people... so I ran away ...and met with those bullies ..."
Well , they were bandits after all.
" Wait took Keel ?" Ake noticed " What do you mean by that Raphtalia ? "
" Th-They took Keel away ...said it was better to take us separately...to the real place " Raphtalia struggled to explain.
" So some kind of slave liberation ring huh ?" Naofumi mused " Can you remember where this lady is Raphtalia ?"
" U-Um ...it was ...uh ..." Raphtalia struggled to remember but it was clear that she did not remember.
Probably for the best.
" Its okay if you don't remember Raphtalia..." Ake said.
" I'm sorry ! I-It was dark and..."
" Its alright Raphtalia just ...what happened to Keel ?" Naofumi asked gently.
" T-They took her somewhere ... I think they said ... something about a Lute ..."
" Lute Village ?" Ake interrupted suddenly looking at the raccoon intently " Is that where they took Keel ? "
" I-I-I think so ..." Raphtalia said.
" The place where we went to go get equipment for that undead infestation ? " Naofumi questioned " Is there really a slave liberation ring being run there ? "
Ake put his hand to his chin in thought " ...I don't think there would be any place people could conveniently run a slave liberation ring inside the village..." Ake thought hard and Mein could see him connecting the dots.
Oh god no please...
" ...The only place I could think of that could house an operation like that is the mines near Lute Village , its been abandoned since the first wave ...and its about a good a place as any where people can freely come and go without any eyes watching them " Ake explained.
Curses ! They found the location of that dog brat ...and I just know Naofumi will want to go there.
" P-P-Please help save Keel ! " Raphtalia begged " We're sorry for running away...but please help save Keel from those bad people !"
" Don't worry Raphtalia ...we'll get him back " Naofumi comforted as he patted her head " But ...one more question... "
" Why did you two run away in the first place ?"
Naofumi asks the question that makes Mein's heart stop.
And all she can do is watch as the little's girl's mouth move to answer.
Damn her luck.
Well, I said in the last chapter that Malty was going to be dropped straight into the wolves den...but what they didn't expect was that Malty herself was more than just a wolf.
:P
Okay full disclosure for a minute here, part of the reason this chapter came out so late was mainly because I hit a writer's block and didn't know where to go from the last chapter .Luckily Qin managed to give some good ideas on how to find Raphtalia along with Keel. So thank him instead for this chapter.
:)
One little side note before we get to answering reviews, some of you may have noticed Malty using Weapon Arts in my story. Originally speaking, I didn't plan to add weapon arts but after rereading some of Qin's chapters , I couldn't resist adding them to the story. Hope that adds a bit more chaos to the world I'm building.
Now let's get to those reviews:
To OechsnerC:
Glad you liked the chapter ! And I'm sorry to say that you're unfortunately gonna have to keep wondering when Malty is going to grow a pair and tell Naofumi her true identity.
:P
To Matt Rogan :
Glad you're enjoying the story so far ! And thank you for the compliment ! The idea of adding Dishonored powers was something of an idea I've had for a long while now and I'm glad to finally be able to do it.
I still have plenty of more surprised in store for Outsider...but let me just say that he's still the same trickster asshole he was in the original games.
Nice catch on Ake's personality too ! I don't want to say too much to spoil his character , but like I said before he's not going to be the same Naofumi fanboy he was in canon and has his own goals in mind.
To XBOY40:
Yeah... I kinda just decided to let them argue it out. I'm not getting in the middle of that.
XD
To Guest :
Once again , I don't want to spoil too much in regards to Malty's character. But rest assured that at this point , she's still totally looking out for number 1...
But she's definitely not evil for the lolz . I just hope I can show it in a believable way.
To Jogamira :
No problem pal ! I get ya.
:)
With that said , I'll see you all in the next one.
Angel Out.