I'm happy that I was able to get this chapter out earlier than expected ! And since I have the whole next week off , you all can expect the next chapter to come out pretty soon as well , so I hope you all are hyped for that !
:)
Now some quicks notes before I get into this chapter , I actually realized a few days ago I f*cked up on the last chapter since I had all the characters act as though they are unfamiliar with Lute Village...when they literally visited the place in chapter 6 so I had to go back and fix a few lines here and there. Kudos if you can find the changes that I made in the chapter !
:P
My own incompetence aside...I hope you all are prepared for this chapter. You all saw this one coming in some form or another ...but let's just say that its not going to go down the way you all think it will.
Big thanks to Qinlongfei for beta reading this chapter and providing important feedback and critic !
That being said , let's get this chapter started...
Chapter 15: Hound of Death
The First Princess of Melromarc had always prided herself on not just her ability to efficiently and accurately read people , but also to tell a good lie and keep people believing in it...that said , she was no stranger to being caught in her lies at times. Back when she was still developing her skills...
And even she can't lie her way out of everything.
Hence why she knows that she's doomed the second Naofumi asked that question to the raccoon.
Its almost as if time slowed down for Mein and her brain already started to desperately think of whatever it could to save herself from the catastrophe she's about to be enveloped in by Naofumi once he learns the truth. That she was the reason the two brats had ran away and they had wasted a week on a wild goose chase searching for them.
Should she prepare a tear dropping excuse that appeals to the Shield Hero's sympathy...or should she try to come up with a defense to justify herself for yelling at the two brats to make her actions look not so terrible in his eyes.
She realizes that she's too late as the raccoon's already started to move her mouth to answer Naofumi's question.
Damn my luck.
" W-W-We ran away ...because...because..." The raccoon struggles to answer and Mein feels her heart tighten in barely suppressed dread.
" We ran away ...because Keel said that we had to..." The raccoon finally said.
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It took Mein a full 20 seconds to comprehend what the raccoon just said...
What ?
That's the reason they ran away ? No it can't be ...
Mein starts to think about why the raccoon would say something like that.
The only logical explanation I can think of is that the raccoon was merely coaxed into it by the dog ...so she must have not agreed with the idea of running away in the first place.
Mein thought as she looked at the raccoon who was fidgeting in her seat.
Not surprising considering the girl is a bag of nerves and the dog seems to be the reckless idiot and the raccoon is too spineless to stand up for herself...
It would appear that she's in the clear ...for now.
" Why would Keel do that ? " Naofumi asked.
" Keel said that... we had to get away ...that you were bad people and couldn't be trusted..."Raphtalia shook her head " But I know that isn't true now Master Naofumi ! I'm sorry we ran away !"
" Its okay Raphtalia... you're safe now..." Naofumi said as he patted her head to calm her down.
" Getting back to the matter at hand ...we need to get Keel back " Ake said with his arms crossed " Though I'm not too sure how cooperative those slave liberators will be since I have no doubts that Keel has already told them that he was a slave and they might not be too happy about us showing up unannounced..."
" That's true...they'll probably think we're just slavers trying to get our slave back..." Naofumi nodded.
It would no doubt be much worse than Naofumi is thinking...they don't know that those 'slave liberators' are actually just bandits in disguise who are running a bandit recruitment ring under the guise of it being a slave liberation operation.
And I can't tell them about it... or they'll know that I paid a nice visit to Mila last night...
Mein forces herself to keep quiet as Naofumi and Ake talk it out.
" On the other hand..." Ake glances at Naofumi's shield " I'm willing to bet that those slave liberators are demi-humans so they might listen to you on the grounds of you being the Shield Hero..."
" Oh yeah , the demi-humans and beastmen see me as a god or something right ? " Naofumi reminded himself " So ...they might be willing to listen to us if we just explain ..."
A parchment thin plan at best , one that has been soaked in oil and ready to burn.
While it is no secret that many beastmen and demi-humans worship the Shield as their god... to say that they all hold loyalty to him is a large misconception. Even in Siltvelt who has the largest and influential Church of the Shield in the world , the Shield is only the official and rightful 'king' in name only , the real power is from the Siltvelt High Council who use the Shield as a mere face to control the unenlightened masses.
And she doubts that bandits have any loyalty to the Shield or would even be bothered to ask before trying to kill them.
" Well what are we waiting for ? Let's go..." Ake said as they got up from their table and exited the tavern. After Naofumi paid for their meal and Ake started leading the way to Lute village.
They are walking into unknown territory. Straight to a threat that they are not aware of. About to fight bandits they aren't even aware are bandits in the first place...
By adventurer standards , this would be the worse circumstances possible for them.
Mein should tell them and help prepare them for the threat they are about to face...but she keeps her mouth shut because she knows that if she tells Naofumi about her night activities... it will do just as much as damage as Raphtalia telling him that she was the cause of them running away.
It'll be okay...our level is pretty good so we should be able to handle those bandits easily.
Mein calms herself as she remembers that their party is stronger than whatever level those pathetic bandits are ... even though they have wasted the past week searching for the two brats instead of raising their levels and stats ...they should be able to handle them easily enough even if they do end up attacking them.
Hopefully.
The walk to the mine near Lute Village wasn't especially long...but it would be a lie to say that it was short either. It took around an hour of walking before they could see the village start to come into sight. It wasn't as if Mein was tired per say from the walk , her high agility made the distance feel like a breeze but it did make her think they should start considering getting a carriage and some filorial's to pull it around . Once they reach the higher levels , pass the common range of level 40 , they won't be able to level themselves effectively if they stay within walking distance of the capital.
Porcupines and the occasional wolf pack can only level one up so much before it feels as though they are just slashing away without making any big gains in EXP to level up effectively.
That's a thought for another time though , she has more pressing matters to deal with.
Naofumi's intentions of saving the dog could be problematic for her...
If she didn't have the knowledge of the high probability that the dog has already been transported out to this Hound Lord...but even still that's only an educated and hopeful guess at best.
And what will she do if the dog hasn't been transported out yet ? Will she be able to keep him quiet before he spills the reason for why they ran away ?
All Mein can do is hope that the bandits are smart enough to transport the dog out by now...
The princess let outs a quiet snort at her own thoughts...never did she think she would be relying on the actions of others.
"The mine is located in Harvest Valley , we can just go around the village..." Ake said as he started walking in the direction that allows them to go around Lute Village.
" Are you sure Ake ? Shouldn't we maybe go into the village and resupply or something ? " Naofumi suggested as he looks back at the village of Lute.
" We're about to enter a mine that has been abandoned since the first wave and a monster infestation , that we now know house a slave liberation ring and you want to tell people about it ? " Ake says dryly " As if my presence alone isn't enough to attract a lot of attention...they don't need to know that the Shield is around and we can't have people tying us to this 'illegal' slave freeing operation"
" Right...sorry stupid thing to say..." Naofumi scratches the back of his head.
" Its alright Naofumi..." Mein gently pats him on the shoulder as they begun to make their way to the mine.
It took another ten or so minutes of walking , but they finally reached the entrance to the mine. Mein can see the entrance to the mine in plain view as well as a rundown foreman's shed at the side of the entrance , the metal and wood of the rails look old and rotten while the support beams around the entrance look like they might collapse at any moment.
" Well...this sure looks like the place..." Naofumi says " Why do a lot of places in this world have to look like they are something straight out of an asian horror movie ? "
" I ...don't know what an 'asean' or 'moovee' is Shield Hero...but we should take a look at the foreman's shed to see if there are any maps of the mine that could help us " Ake suggested, ignoring Naofumi's weird otherworld knowledge.
" Good idea. Don't want to get lost in there..." Naofumi says as he steps up to the foreman's shed and gently opening the door...
And they are suddenly greeted by a terrible smell.
" Oh god what the hell is that smell..." Mein complained as she covered her face with her veil and pulled up her hood. Naofumi and the knight covered their faces with their hands , while the raccoon looked a little green.
" Stay outside Raphtalia...we'll be just a second..." Naofumi said as Raphtalia took a step back and they entered the shed...
To find absolutely nothing. There was nothing of real notice within the shed, in fact there was barely anything in there. Aside from a few chairs and a small table , there was nothing of real value in the shed.
Which only proves that this is in fact the spot of a bandit recruitment ring. They would have ransacked the place of anything useful.
" Well...this is odd " Ake picks up Mein's train of thought " There should be pickaxes, rope and some maps but ...there's nothing here "
" Could it be possible that the slave liberators took them ? " Naofumi suggested.
" Seems likely ...though I don't think we need to worry about getting lost in there. As long as we stay together we should be fine" Ake reassured as they stepped outside of the shed to a waiting Raphtalia.
" Alright , let's light up our torches and head inside " Naofumi takes out three torches from his shield and kneels down , tying a cloth onto them before handing them over to Mein. Didn't even need to ask as Mein already found it to be routine at this point.
She focuses her mana to her hands and in an instant , she feels the heat and light start to illuminate in her hand , a small ball of fire is created to light up their torches. She hands two of the torches to Naofumi and the knight and keeps one for herself.
They stand in front of the mine's entrance , the inside of the mine is covered in darkness and shadows. Its almost the same as that undead cave they went into...but only she knows of the real threat they are facing.
" Ake , can you take care of Raphtalia and hang by the rear ? I'd rather it be me and Mein at the front and that's not exactly safe for Raphtalia ..." Naofumi gives instructions to the knight who glances at Raphtalia.
" Of course , Sir Naofumi ... " Ake nods his head as he stands next to the little raccoon.
Mein is glad that she's not on babysitting duty anymore...
" Well let's go say hi to these slave liberators..." Naofumi says bravely as he took the first step into the mine.
Mein following by his side while the knight and raccoon followed behind them. Their footsteps echoing as they walked down the path of the dark mine, the only light coming from their torches.
Mein took a deep breath as she kept her hand on her sword in anticipation as they walked through the dark mine, she briefly wondered whether the bandits purposefully kept the mine dark to help provide a cover for their operation...or perhaps they have demi-humans who can see in the dark ? She doesn't know and she hates not knowing what she's walking into. Much more than the fact that neither do the rest of the party.
Mein can hear the little raccoon behind her whimper in fear , at the shadows and the potential idea that some scary monster is inhabiting this mine . She honestly can't blame the raccoon , she feels the same way ... though not quite for the same reasons.
She wonders if they can see them now ...approaching with their obvious torches...
If they do ...then its likely they are either planning an ambush on the other side.
Mein shakes her head trying to calm her nerves and keep her instincts about her. The mine is eerily quiet, the only notable noise she can hear is the crackling that comes off of their torches , the unsteady and steady breathing that comes from Naofumi and the raccoon along with her own and the knight's. And the smell of blood in the air-
Wait, blood ? I can...smell it in the air.
Mein instinctively stops as she realizes that her own instincts picked up on the smell of blood in the air...and it was fresh.
" Naofumi wait ..." Mein quickly said as the whole party stopped " Do you smell that ? "
" What is it Mein ? Smell what ? " Naofumi asked , confused at their sudden stop.
" ...The fresh smell of blood..." Mein said as she looked around ...and quickly found where the source of the smell was coming from.
She looked to the ground and held her torch closer to it...for everyone to see a large dried blood stain on the ground ...and more blood tracks and pools following after it.
" There's ... so much blood ..." Naofumi says in shock.
" More over here too...and there's a bloody handprint here..." Ake says as he points to a bloody handprint on the ground " Looks like somebody was trying to flee and got dragged back into the mine..."
" Dragged ...by what though ? " Naofumi asked in thought.
" I don't know..." Ake says as Mein moves a little bit ahead.
She could see in front of them something that was reflecting off the light that came from her torch...
And as she got closer ...she could see that the item in question was a bloodied short sword.
" Mein , what do you got ? " Naofumi asked coming up behind her with the others.
" A bloody short sword..." Mein says as she picks the item up " There was a fight here...something attacked the people inside the mine ..." Mein says as she looks at the wall " Look , there are claw marks ..."
" Claw marks ..." Ake said as he ran his hand across the dent made into the stone " What could have done this ? "
The little raccoon was shaking like a leaf and was whimpering even more now.
" I don't know...but we need to find Keel now !" Naofumi said as he started hurrying down the path and Mein followed quickly behind him with the others.
Suddenly the bandits were the least of her worries.
Their small group continued down the path , finding even more bloodstains and dropped weapons along the way.
There was plenty of blood...but no bodies.
So either they were disposed of ...or eaten.
" I think I can see light ahead of us " Ake calls out to everybody in the party snaps her out of her thoughts , as she refocuses her attention to the matter at hand. They can all see a light ahead of them at the end of the path...
Stepping into the light , they come out of the dark mine's rail path and enter what looks to be some kind of underground cavern with lighting shining in from cracks in the cavern , with beautiful green light metal ores lining the walls shining at the light and a small waterfall...
The beauty of the cavern however was not what caught Mein's attention right away however...
But rather...it was the carnage that laid not but a few feet away from them.
Not far from where they had just come out of...there was what appeared to be several large tents that have been torn up and teared down...along with several dead and torn apart bodies that were missing limbs while others had been completely ripped in half. Many of them appeared to be holding onto weapons that were bloodied up...
" Chief God above..." Ake muttered in shock.
" Oh god ..." Naofumi said in similar shock.
Mein didn't say anything as she was too busy watching the scene in front of her.
" AAAAAAAAAHHHHH! " They are all interrupted by the sound of shrill scream and they all turn to Raphtalia who has crumpled to the ground at the sight of the bodies " No please ! Not again ! "
" Raphtalia its okay ! Its okay..." Naofumi repeated as he held the raccoon close as he turned his head to Mein and Ake " Search them ...see if there are any survivors ..."
Even Naofumi's order sounds desperate...
Because surely even he realizes that whatever did this left no survivors.
Still ...Mein and the knight approached the carnage and she used Dark Vision to confirm that there were no survivors in the immediate area.
Not a single soul survived. As if they were all torn apart and killed by some demonic monster.
Maybe they were.
Mein walked around the area...and quickly found that whatever slaves and recruits the bandits had brought here...were not spared either.
She noticed a bunnyman who appeared to have lost his head... a pig woman who was missing her lower half... a demi-human batman who had his insides torn out and were left on display ...
And the children were no exception either...
Many of them were losing entire chunks of their bodies... one demi-human mouse girl appeared to missing a large chunk of her lower half...a bunny boy who appeared to have been decapitated as if his head had been bitten off in a single bite...
But the most terrifying part...was the looks on some of their faces ...for the ones that still had faces...their expressions and last emotions before they died spoke of nothing but true terror and despair...as they knew they were going to die.
Whatever did this was truly a monster...
" Hey ! I got something over here..." Ake called out to her and she approached him slowly...
As she saw that Ake was knelled down next to a torn down cloth of a tent...and as he pulled it away she could see it.
The dog boy...or what was left of him.
She could see his little dog tail...but she couldn't see his face.
On the count that he was missing his entire upper body...
...His new clothes that he no doubt got from the bandits were completely torn ..and she could see scratch marks all along his lower body too.
" Gods ...I think this is Keel..." Ake muttered as he stepped away " Son of a bitch..."
Mein didn't say anything but rather she just stood there quietly...looking at the torn apart body of the dog boy.
He did not go peacefully. It was not quick or swift or merciful or painless.
It must have been slow, agonizing and painful to endure ... and absolutely horrifying too.
Knowing death was coming for you and you were about to die. At such a young age too...
She should be happy that the dog boy was dead. He was the loose end that could have ruined whatever relationship she could have with Naofumi. And he was nothing short of a disrespectful and ungrateful brat the entire time she knew him.
And yet...she cannot bring herself to smirk under her veil at the death of a child.
She turns on her heel and walks back to Naofumi...but halfway her knees give out and she falls to the stone floor.
" Mein ! Are you okay ? " Naofumi was quick to her side and helped her stand up.
" I'm ...fine Naofumi..." Mein says as she feels sick to her stomach.
Don't throw up. Don't throw up. Don't throw up. Don't throw up.
She repeats in her head to stop the bile from coming up her throat and spewing it all over the ground.
Ake came up from behind her with a somber look on his face" We checked the bodies and..."
" Are there any survivors ? Is Keel okay ? " Naofumi interrupts with a desperate hopeful look.
The two of them looked at each other before giving Naofumi a somber look with Mein shaking her head slightly.
" No ...oh god no..." Naofumi looks like he's about to collapse himself if Mein and Ake weren't helping him stand.
" Is ...is Keel okay ? "
Another voice cuts into their conversation and they all turn to the raccoon who is looking at them with hopeful eyes.
Oh that's right..they all forgot that she is the survivor of this carnage...because she chose to run away.
Mein stares at those hopeful eyes of her...and feels her body go numb once again.
" Is...Keel injured ? " Raphtalia says fearfully. Not knowing that its far worse than that.
They all look at each other , none of them wanting to be the one to break the news to the kid that her friend had died. How could they ? When she had already lost her parents and home to the wave. And she had just lost one of her few remaining friends too...
Naofumi looked liked he wanted to say something but no words came out of his mouth ...while Ake seemed to be conflicted over the situation of what to say exactly...
So that just left Mein to the task.
Of course it did. Why wouldn't it ?
Mein steps forward before either the Shield Hero or knight could say anything and looks down at the little girl before her. Who was looking up at her with hopeful eyes.
Don't. Don't look at me with those hopeful eyes when I'm about to crush it.
" Raphtalia..." Mein begins and it takes all her willpower to say the next part " ...I'm sorry..."
The hope drains from her eyes in moments...and even Raphtalia can see the somber look in Mein's eyes and knows what that means.
" No no ...NOOOOOOOOO !"
Raphtalia screams as tears flood her eyes ...and she attempts to go over to where the bodies are.
Mein instincts kick in and she grabs the girl to prevent her from going over to see the carnage of the remains of her dead friend.
" Keel ! Please ! Not Keel !" Raphtalia shouts as she struggled against Mein " No ...please...why did this happen..."
" I ...don't know Raphtalia..."Mein says as she looks at Naofumi who moves to take Raphtalia out of her hands and into his.
" I'm so sorry Raphtalia..."
The little raccoon's sobs echo throughout the cavern.
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For a time , the only noise that echoed through the cavern was the sound of the little raccoon's sobbing and crying. But after a few minutes the sobs eventually died to quiet crying by the raccoon.
"We should... cover their bodies at the very least" Ake said after a moment.
" ...Yeah ...can you and Mein take care of it ? " Naofumi quietly asks to which the both of them simply nod before getting to work.
Probably better them than Naofumi or Raphtalia.
They don't need to see the bodies.
Mein just pulled the torn and destroyed remnants of the tents to use as makeshift blankets for them. Ake did the same.
Mein lingered a little when it came to covering the lower half of the dog boy's body...
"...Rest in peace..."
She said as she laid the blanket over him and took a deep breath as she stood up.
She turned to Naofumi who approached them with a sad look on his face.
" We should...bury them..." Naofumi says after a moment.
" There's barely enough of any of them to make for a respectful burial...we'd be much better off just burning them " Ake says somberly.
" ...I see..." Naofumi said " We should...take their bodies out of the ca-"
" AAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHH !"
They are interrupted by a loud and terrified scream. And they all looked around to see the little raccoon on the ground , eyes widened in terror , not even daring to breath.
" Raphtalia ! What's wron-"
Naofumi didn't even get to finish his sentence ...as they all saw what caused the girl to scream...
They all see a two headed black dog emerge from the shadows of a side tunnel...along with several other smaller black dogs.
Mein focused on it as her HUD activated and read the two headed dogs level.
Two Headed Black Dog , Level 32
32 ?! That's 6 levels ahead of mine !
Mein quickly realized ...that this dog and its pack ... were the ones that slaughtered these people ...and the dog boy.
Which meant that it was likely that the smaller dogs level were higher than usual too...
Mein pulled out her sword as did Ake and Naofumi.
The two groups just staring at each other for a time...
" Air Strike Shield ! "
" Windblast !"
Both Naofumi and Mein wasted no time making the first move , both of them charging forward to meet with the dogs. Naofumi's shield impacted against one of the dogs while Mein's gust of wind ended up throwing several of the dogs back into the walls. But the two headed black dog stood firm and jumped out of the way.
Mein grit her teeth as she slashed at one of the dogs , killing it instantly while Naofumi led up with trapping another two in a Shield Prison.
" Fast Thunderbolt !" Ake shoot a bolt of lightning out of his hands at the two headed black but it was quicker and dodged it...
And Mein saw it turn its attention to the helpless raccoon who was still on the ground , cowering in fear.
The girl shrieks in terror causing the dog to charge at her , faster than an arrow firing from a crossbow...
And Mein can see the fear , panic and a sense of dread and terror in the girls eyes , as the dog charged at her .
It was the exact same emotions , she felt long ago ...
Before Mein could properly think it through , she uses Blink to teleport to Raphtalia grabbing her by the waist and accidentally diving onto the lower stone platform below them.
If there was ever time she wishes she could grow wings and fly , this would be one of those times .
As they fell through the air , Mein quick thinking allowed her to aim her blink closer to the ground so the impact wouldn't be so hard.
Thank the Outsider that Blink had virtually no cooldown on it.
Mein managed to blink to the ground...but she still ended up rolling on the stone ground which caused her some pain.
" Owww..."
Mein said as she still hung onto Raphtalia who still looks...relatively okay. She felt a soreness in her shoulder from the fall...and she realizes that if she hadn't used Blink just then , they would have likely fallen into the river down there and got swept away. She preferred the pain over the cold.
The princess let go of her to stand up and get the raccoon back on her feet when she heard somebody shout at them.
" Mein ! Raphtalia !" Mein turned her head upwards to see Naofumi peering over the edge of where they had fallen " Are you okay ?! Are you- Shit ! "
" We're fine ! Just take care of those dogs ! " Mein shouted as she was about to attend to the raccoon.
Unfortunately there was no reprieve for them as she saw the two headed black dog make its way down to them.
" You have got to be kidding me..." Mein said as she picked up her sword and got into a defensive stance. As she stared down the black dog straight in its red eyes.
Maybe I should start by decapitating it first ? Then I'll-
Before Mein could form a proper plan in her head the dog charged at her , readying its sharp fangs to dig into her flesh . She blocks its attack with her sword causing it to bit down on the metal , she quickly jumps back before its second head could take a bite of out her.
Windblast is still on cooldown so blasting it into the water isn't an option. I need to strike at this thing hard and fast.
I need a distraction.
" Devouring Swarm !" Mein summoned a swarm of rats where the black dog was , she knew that the rats wouldn't be able to flat out kill it.
But it did provide her with the distraction she needed at least.
She blinked in front of the dog and delivered a deep slash to chest of the beast , making it let out a howl as the rats nibbled and teared at its skin. She was about to deliver a slash that would decapitate its head-
But the second head grabbed her sword by its blade and stopped the attack.
" Shit !" Mein cursed as the first head tried to take a bite out of her shoulder forcing her to jump back.
The dog uses this opportunity to violently shake off the rats that were biting at its skin , throwing them over the ledge and into the freezing waters below.
This is going nowhere and fast...I need to break its defense and quick.
Mein turned back to the little raccoon...and knows what she has to do.
" Raphtalia I need your help ! " Mein turns to Raphtalia who is still on the floor ,cowering in fear " I need you to help me kill this thing ! I'll distract it while you stab it ! I'll finish it off !"
A desperate plan but its the best she's got.
Mein throws her dagger over to the little raccoon..yet the girl makes no move to pick it up.
" I-I can't ! " Raphtalia still looks too scared to even move to grab the dagger but instead grabs the side of her head in terror " M-Mother ! F-Father ! K-K-Keel please help-"
" KEEL IS DEAD !" Mein shouts with more force than she ever expected from herself but it seems to have been enough to shock the raccoon out of her panic attack.
" Keel ...isn't coming back. The dead never come back..." Mein says in anger " But this fucking thing is what killed Keel ...so are you going to help me get revenge for him or not !? "
The dog charged at her once more and she blocked its attack again with her sword but its second head bit into her shoulder as soon as it bit into her sword . Its sharp teeth ripping through her leather armor as if it were paper.
" AAAHH!" Mein screamed in pain but stood her ground , as the dog pushed against her .
What must have been seconds must have felt like hours , as she saw her HP bar drop down a bit and she felt a sliver of fear drip into her heart. Was this how she died ?
Hearing the sound of running from behind her , followed by what could only be described as a battle cry , Mein saw the raccoon jump up and slam her dagger into the side of the dog causing blood to spill out .
The dog recoiled in pain , pulling its head from Mein's shoulder and shoving Raphtalia off its body , causing her to slam into the hard floor .
Mein ignored the hellish pain she felt in her shoulder , enough to refocus on the battle . The dog picked itself back up and charged at Raphtalia who didn't have enough time to recover.
" Windblast ! " Without having time to think , Mein changed her skill to Windblast and unleashed a powerful gust of wind from her hand , causing the dogs body to slam into the cavern wall .
Not allowing it to pick itself back up , Mein changed to Blink and teleported in front of the dog , catching it off guard . She quickly decapitates one of its head , before slamming her blade into its second.
She smirked as the dog let out a cry of pain , before falling over and dying .
Mein received her EXP notification confirming the kill. She had finally reached level 30...
Mein panted gasping for breath, clutching her shoulder in pain to stop the bleeding " Good job Raphtalia ... " Mein congratulated the little raccoon as she picked herself up , blood staining her clothes as they did for Mein's .
Tears suddenly built up in Raphtalia's eyes before she ran to Mein and hugged her , crying profusely into her chest unexpectedly " Big sister Mein !" The raccoon called by her nickname , as she sobbed into her chest.
Mein was taken off guard by this...but eventually returned the hug.
Maybe you aren't so bad to have around after all...
Mein gently stroked Raphtalia's hair as she cried , fortunately the bleeding seemed to have stopped though it still hurt like hell ...
Mein hears the clanking of boots coming towards them . Turning her head , she smiles at the sight of Naofumi and the knight climbing down from the same path that the black dog took to get to them.
" Mein , Raphtalia ! Are you both- " Naofumi stopped himself when he saw the wound on her shoulder " You're bleeding ! Hang on Mein , I have some mid-level health potions here "
Naofumi quickly handed her a health potion which she drank without question , ignoring the extreme bitterness of the potion and forcing it down.
Mein saw her HP bar return to full , but that didn't stop the pain she felt in her shoulder " I think , I'm alright now ..."
The knight let out a whistle as he kicked the body of the dog " So you and Raphtalia took down this mutt all by yourselves ? Impressive ..."
" It wasn't easy I assure you ...Raphtalia helped a lot " Mein gave the little girl her due credit.
" We managed to take out those dogs up there...looks like they really were the ones who wiped out those people " Ake muses.
"We need to get you bandaged up and out of here " Naofumi urges as he presses a cloth to her shoulder to control the bleeding . He turned to the knight " Is there a village healer or something in Lute Ake ?"
" There should be people who would be willing to help us , let's get the hell out of here..." Ake nods.
" Alright then let's go..." Naofumi says as he helps her stand up.
" We can go after you and I absorb this monster's body ..." Mein doesn't move as she turns to the dead two headed dog.
" But Mein -"
" Its fine, Naofumi , I can last for a few minutes " Mein picked herself up and knelled down over one of the decapitated heads , holding her hand over it and allowing the whole head to start to turn to black dust and be absorbed into her Mark .
New Skill Unlocked !
Dash
Launch yourself in any direction forward quickly.
Mein shrugged her shoulders , not bad she supposes but she would have preferred to unlock some kind of offensive type skill ..
Beggars can't be choosers she supposes , fortunately she isn't a beggar.
Naofumi is quicker as he simply absorbs the whole corpse of the dead black dog and seems satisfied with what he unlocked.
They began climbing back up to the entrance with Mein using Blink to quickly get to the top with Raphtalia holding her hand while Naofumi and Ake were forced to climb up behind them.
It makes her appreciate the utility and usefulness of the Blink skill , she's not sure she would be able to climb up with her shoulder injury.
But as they are about to leave the mine however ...Mein stops in her tracks as she looks at the covered up bodies of the dead.
" Hang on a moment Naofumi..." Mein says still clutching her shoulder as she walks up to the corpses.
" Mein what are you-"
" We can't just leave them here to rot Naofumi...and even if we could gather men from the village to burn them they'll have already started rotting by then...so its more dignified to just burn them now..." Mein says somberly.
Neither Naofumi or the knight had any objections to that.
Raphtalia however had new hot tears in her eyes...as she stepped toward the bodies. No doubt to give a few final words to her friend.
" Keel...I'm so sorry I let this happen to you...I should have stopped you ...or stayed with you..." Raphtalia fell to her knees " I'M SO SORRY !"
Those were the final words that the raccoon said ...before she fell to the floor sobbing.
Mein closed her eyes as she took a deep breath as she channeled the mana within her " Fast Fireball ..."
A simple fire spell that hit all of the bodies that were covered by the cloth , enough to burn them to ashes.
Mein wordlessly went to the raccoon and picked her up in her arms...
As they left this mine of death behind them...
The walk back to Lute took a little longer than expected. With Naofumi helping Mein walk with her injuries and upon their arrival to the gate Ake yelling at the gate guard to 'open the fucking gate'.
And as they walked past the familiar gate and into the village they were greeted a middle aged man who turned to Ake with a bewildered expression.
" Ake you're back ! Kaleb told us you stopped by a while ba-"
"Save the catching up for later Georg, help me get this lady to the healer's hut now !"Ake shouted as the middle aged man took the hint.
" Got it !" Georg got the hint and grabbed her other arm and started to help carry her to the healer's hut Ake spoke of.
It took only a few minutes of walking and agonizing pain for Mein to see that the hut Ake spoke of was really just a small building in the middle of town that was close to the size of a regular sized church.
Better than nothing she supposes...
They enter and are greeted by an elderly woman who was dressed in the garments of a healer...
" Ake ? What in Medea are you-"
"Save the questions for later Tilla ,just please help my party member before she bleeds all over the floor " Ake did the same thing he said to Georg earlier.
Tilla looked like she was about to argue but quickly realized the severity of the situation as she saw Mein " Got it dear , just sit down and let me see the wound..."
Mein sat down on a nearby bed , feeling her shoulder wound sting and she bit her lip to keep from flinching.
" Just move the cloth dear..." Tilla approached and gently moved the cloth that Mein had been holding against her shoulder " Heavens ! What happened to you young lady ?"
" Got bit by a very pissed off dog..." Mein says bluntly.
" Well its nothing a little healing magic won't fix ..." Tilla smiled gently as she held her hand close to Mein's shoulder " I need to clean the wound first though , Georg fetch me some clean water and a rag "
"Got it..." Georg didn't argue as he ran off to get the items Tilla requested.
It wasn't even a minute before he returned and handed the items over to Tilla.
" Hold still dear..." Tilla warned as she began cleaning the wound ,wiping away the blood and making sure there was none. Mein clenched her teeth as she refused to flinch or show weakness.
"Alright...almost done dear. You're being so brave..." Tilla encouraged.
Mein resisted the urge to roll her eyes , she wasn't a child that needed to be told how brave she was being.
Tilla held her hand close to Mein's shoulder as she started the incantation " As source of thy power , I order thee , heal my target. Fast Heal !"
Mein's entire body was covered in a golden glow ...and she could feel the pain from her shoulder disappear and her wound close up.
Tilla inspected the wound to show that it was fully healed " There you go ! Not even a scar..."
" Thank you so much..." Mein nodded in gratitude.
" That was some pretty impressive healing magic..." Naofumi complimented.
" Oh it was nothing special, just the most basic of the basic of healing spells that I picked up. Only spell I know actually !"Tilla laughed.
" Well if we're done here I best be getting back to my station "Georg said as he walked out.
"No problem, thanks Georg !"Ake gave a wave to which Georg gave one back.
Mein turned to Naofumi who gave her a proud look " You did a good job protecting Raphtalia Mein..." His expression turned to one of sadness though at the mention of the mine " But ...Keel..."
"Naofumi..."Mein looked at him with sympathy.
He was still hung up on Keel's death...she thinks they all were.
"Tilla can you step outside for a second ? I think we need a minute here..."Ake spoke kindly and gave a knowing look to Tilla.
Tilla despite not fully understanding the situation was able to read the room and gave a sympathetic smile " Of course Ake , I was looking to take a break anyway..."
As soon as Tilla stepped out of the hospital ,Mein stood up and gave Naofumi a big hug. Over the death of their child party member. Naofumi went still as a statue but after a moment he wrapped his arms around her , returning the hug.
"K-keel..." Mein saw that the little raccoon looked downcast as well at the mention of her dead friend.
"Oh Raphtalia...come here " Mein invited the little raccoon and the girl was pulled into their group hug.
"I'm not joining that group hug..."Ake said as he stood off to the side.
Mein rolled her eyes at him , she could see how he also looked particularly somber at the mention of Keel.
The group hug lasted for another minute before the two separated with Mein giving the girl a gentle pat on the head.
"Do you feel better now ?"Mein asked Naofumi.
" ...Not really...still feel like shit..." Naofumi admitted bluntly " We should have protected Keel better...we should have been there-"
"We can go mad thinking about the should haves and would haves...but the most important thing we can do right now is focus on the now " Mein said calmly as she glanced at Raphtalia.
Naofumi followed her glance and knew what she was talking about "...You're right Mein " Naofumi walked toward and knelled in front of Raphtalia "Raphtalia...I'm so sorry that we weren't able to save Keel...but I promise that we will take care of you..."
" O-Okay..." Raphtalia nodded her head along " T-Thank you so much..."
" But that's another problem though...how are we going to protect her all the time ? " Ake asked that question " Demi-humans don't have any specific rights or laws protecting them...if at all ...so it would be difficult to protect her "
"You're right ...if people can just freely hunt demi-humans and beastmen , how are we going to protect her after the wave is over ? " Naofumi mused.
Mein thought long and hard...logically speaking there are no laws that protect demi-humans. Outside of the few communities and villages , she doesn't think there are any places that could shelter demi-humans and after Port Harp got destroyed...
Though ...there might be another way...
"There is ...possibly another solution that we are not looking at Naofumi " Mein suggested turning all eyes to her " What if we make Raphtalia a slave again ? "
Understandably Naofumi's eyes widened a little " How would that protect her Mein ?"
Mein let out a sigh " Its not a good solution I admit but... demi-humans and beastmen don't have any rights in Melromarc...slaves that are owned on the other hand count as property and attempting to damage them is against the law "
" So...you're saying that slaves are protected in a weird sorta way ? " Naofumi thought out loud with a hand to his chin.
" I suppose that's one way of putting it " Mein nodded.
" Ake is this true ?"Naofumi turned to the knight.
Ake looked in thought for a moment before speaking " ...It is true that damaging slaves owned by another owner would count as property damage and that does constitute some form of protection for slaves...from others at least but-"
" I-I'll do it ! I want it back !" Raphtalia interrupted with her loud voice making all eyes turn to her" I ...I never wanted to leave...I want to stay with you Master Naofumi ! Please take me back !" The raccoon bowed her head and fell to her knees as if to beg for her seal back.
" I-Its okay Raphtalia you don't need to bow..." Naofumi quickly said getting the raccoon to stand up straight again . Naofumi looked back to Ake and Mein " Though... in that case , you all know who we gotta see again..." Naofumi said with a sigh.
Mein already figured out who they were going to have to see again.
Oh joy...
" Well , well , well...and here I thought we'd never meet again " Beloukas smirked as they entered the tent " It seems fate has bind us together !"
" Go fall in a ditch and break your neck Beloukas , we didn't come here to play guest..."Ake crossed his arms at the slave trader "We came to do business..."
" Oh ? And what might you be in the need of ...?" Beloukas asked with a quirk of his eyebrow.
Naofumi stepped forward with Raphtalia hiding behind him " We...need to renew a slave seal..."
"Did the raccoon manage to escape ? If so then I can offer a much tougher seal for her-"
"We just want the normal seal thanks asshole..."Mein says glaring at the penguin.
"Very well...come right this way..."
Beloukas directed them to the same tent as before and got the same tools out.
Raphtalia stepped forward though she was trying to keep on a brave face , but she could tell from her hesitance that she was scared deep down.
Naofumi cut his finger into a bowl and the process was repeated as it did when they first got Raphtalia.
The slave seal smoking onto Raphtalia's chest and her name appearing in their party list once more.
" Here . Goodbye " Ake threw a silver at Beloukas who caught it as their party started to leave.
" Come again soon " Mein could practically feel the slave traders smirk behind her.
" Go fuck yourself..." Ake cursed as they walked out of the tent.
As they walked out onto the slums and slowly made their way back to the main street.
" Hey Mein ? Can you hold Raphtalia's hand ? I think she prefers you over mine..."Naofumi turned to her with a request like that.
She hadn't even realized that Raphtalia had in fact been staring at her the whole time.
"Of course Naofumi ,I'll take care of her as if she were my own little sister" Mein says with a smile as she took Raphtalia's hand and she felt the raccoon ease up a little.
They did the right thing today...didn't they ?
My dear readers ...allow me to make one thing clear in this fic ...I can and will kill off characters with no warning or build up to it. I will kill them off when you least expect it and I promise you all that it will hurt like hell. I am former fan of Danganronpa and do not test me when I say that killing off characters is staple of that series that I love so much.
Well that's enough morbidly cryptic stuff , let's answer some reviews shall we ?
To Matt Rogan :
In all fairness to Mein , she definitely could not have anticipated Naofumi's sudden epiphany in the last chapter and them actually being able to find Raphtalia so I think she deserves a little bit of slack here.
And you are correct and accurate with Naofumi's character, while he is naive he is definitely not stupid and is quite perceptive. I'd say he's on the same level as Naofumi from Qin's Ambition.
To Majisk :
Thanks ! I'm glad you enjoyed the chapter and the story so far.
More good sh*t is on the way.
:)
That's all I have to say for now and I will you see all in the next one.
Angel Out.