by V. A. Lewis
My gaze swept across the room, and I saw Shang slash a guard across the chest. He sidestepped a man charging at him with a spear, and kicked him to the ground.
The Dog Beastkin was about to finish off the downed man, when a spray of bullets interrupted him. A guard holding a rifle unloaded shot after shot at Shang, who deflected each bolt.
Shang slowly made his way to the rifler, blocking and dodging the bolt of energy that came every second. Shang just came in range of the rifler, when someone grabbed him from behind.
It was the spearman from before.
He jumped on the back of the standing Dog Beastkin, wrapping his arms around his neck. They grappled for a second, with Shang trying to pull the man off his back.
The rifler saw his chance, and shot at Shang’s head. I watched my friend’s head snap back as the bullet came for his head. My heart dropped. But Shang just grinned.
The Dog Beastkin’s head slowly turned to the rifler, a savage grin spread across his face. He bared his fangs at the man. It was sizzling. Residual smoke was coming out from in between his canines.
The rifler panicked when he saw the Dog Beastkin standing and smiling at him. He fired more bullets, to which Shang simply turned his back to.
The blue bolts impacted the man grappling at Shang’s back, killing him and dropping him to the ground. With him gone, Shang dashed forward, closing the remaining distance between him and the rifler.
The rifler tried to step back, but he was too slow. Shang swung his sword up vertically, slicing both the man and his rifle in two. Blood splattered everywhere, and a pistol skidded across the floor at me.
I had to stop myself from gagging, but I quickly picked up the weapon and continued my search. Where are you? I paused briefly at Feri, who was taking part in the fighting.
The young man had found a rifle and was taking cover behind a wooden crate. He occasionally stuck his head out to shoot a few bolts, before ducking down from the returning fire. I shook my head and continued my search. Not him, I thought.
I saw fighting everywhere I looked; the sounds of metal clashing and screams echoing reverberated in my ears. But not everyone was fighting. Not all of the slaves had weapons, and those that didn’t were simply taking cover behind crates and boxes.
I glanced past Theodore. He was one of the non-combatants; the middle aged man was sitting next to me and clasping my hand tightly before I shrugged him off. I finally found the person I was looking for. There you are.
Across and to the right of the main hall, a Rabbit Beastkin hopped down from the catwalk on the second floor. He crashed down onto a group of guards, smashing the face of a man into the concrete.
A swordsman came up from behind him, swinging at the Rabbit Beastkin. He back flipped over the attacker, and leapt forward in a flying kick. The Rabbit Beastkin impacted the swordsman from behind, sending him flying back over ten feet.
He continued fighting the group of guards, and I stood up. I’ve... got this. I took a step forward, ignoring the cry from Theodore.
"Melas, what are you—"
I ran.
I dashed across the room through the battlefield, ducking under the stray bullets flying overhead, and jumping over the bodies that littered the floor. My right leg ached, but I could still move without much of an impediment. At one point, I slipped on a pool of blood, and fell face first into it. But I simply picked myself back up, and continued on my way.
By the time I made it to the Rabbit Beastkin, he was down to the last guard. I waited for him to dispose of his opponent, then called out to him.
"Hey! Hey you—" It was at this point I realized I never got his name.
I remembered speaking to him only a handful of times, the most recent of which was when we were clearing out the hallways after we just escaped. He told me that Rabbit Beastkin like him had nothing special, just that they could jump well; one look at the caved in skulls and dented metal told me that that was a lie.
But I already knew that; I had seen him in action down in the basement. I watched him lead the charge with Shang, and later on leap around the battlefield. I remembered that, and that was what gave me the idea.
"Need something?" the man asked as he hopped and landed next to me.
I stared at him, taking a good look of him for the first time. He had hazel eyes, and long blue hair that went down to his shoulders. His long bunny ears were not the floppy kind, but stood up straight at the top of his head.
He looked exhausted; he was covered in grime and gore, and he was breathing heavily. I felt bad asking for his help, but I forced myself knowing Rin was locked in a neverending chase right now.
"The head guard— Marcus— Rin is trying to get him."
The Rabbit Beastkin nodded his head. "You want me to help her?" he asked.
"No—" I panted out, tired from the short sprint I just did. "Just— distract him."
"Isn’t that the same thing?" The Rabbit Beastkin stared blankly at me.
I shook my head, and stood up straight. I pointed at the distant figures— at the occasional red blasts in the distance.
"His gun. It has a recharge time or something. That’s why he doesn’t just fire it constantly! If you just take away his attention for a couple seconds, Rin can reach him!"
The Rabbit Beastkin turned his head in the direction I was pointing; the fighting had spread to a courtyard just outside the warehouse, and that was where Marcus was. The Rabbit Beastkin turned back to me, hesitant—
But he resolved himself. He nodded at me, and spoke over the battlefield.
"Got it."
And then he jumped.
He leapt past all the fighting, out the entrance of the warehouse. I aimed my pistol, and fired at all the guards trying to shoot him. I was afraid of killing them— almost hesitant to shoot— but I pulled the trigger anyway. My trembling hands made me miss most of my shots, but I struck a man on the shoulders, causing him to drop his weapon.
The Rabbit Beastkin landed next to Rin, stopping only to give her a smirk, and bounded for the head guard. Marcus stared wide eyed at the flying figure coming at him. He rolled out of the way from the Rabbit Beastkin, as he landed and cracked the concrete with a flying axe kick.
The head guard whipped out his pistol, and sent a red bolt of energy to the Rabbit Beastkin. He saw it coming, and hopped over the large red light. But Marcus was not done.
Marcus dashed at the Beastkin, stabbing as he went. The Rabbit Beastkin sidestepped the attack. He circled around the head guard, sweeping at his feet.
But the head guard nimbly jumped over it. The Rabbit Beastkin saw this as an opportunity to follow up with an attack. Marcus was still midair when he threw another kick—
The Rabbit Beastkin had just extended his legs when glowing red chains engulfed him.
I watched in shock as Julian aimed his cane at the man, and bindings made of red energy shot out of it. It wrapped around the Rabbit Beastkin, ensnaring him, preventing him from moving.
No. I had a worried feeling in the pit of my stomach for a second. I lifted my pistol and tried to shoot, but I was too slow. In the next moment, my heart nearly jumped out of my chest: in one quick motion, Marcus decapitated the Rabbit Beastkin, instantly killing the man.
I wanted to scream. No, no—
I thought I was going to help Rin. I thought he’d only have to distract them! But I killed him. Nonononono—
I killed him. And I didn't even get his name.
I felt my knees give in to the weight of my body; I felt my mind go numb. I watched blankly as Rin reached the head guard of the Mancis Company.
No. Please no.
The Cat Beastkin swiped continuously at Marcus with her claws. He parried with a flourish of his blade. One. Two. Three—
Rin slipped inside of the man’s guard, and head butted him. Marcus’ armor flashed once again, but the aura of protection shattered under the weight of the blow.
The head guard stumbled back, the mana crystals on his armor brok
en. Falling to the ground in pieces. His face was bloody from the hit, but he still steadied himself and swung at Rin.
The Cat Beastkin sidestepped the attack, and ducked under the glowing red chains flying at her. She got back up, but was met with a punch to the face from Marcus. She reeled back back from the hit.
The head guard swung his scimitar at the staggered woman. But he was slower. Not enough to make a difference if he was attacking me, however enough of a difference for Rin to easily block the attack.
She parried hard, knocking the man’s hand to behind his back. With the other, Marcus tried to draw his pistol. But he was too slow.
His left shoulder had been injured by Rin earlier. And he was hurting from the head butt and constant fighting. All of this accumulated and took a toll on the man.
Marcus had just drawn his pistol, when Rin smacked it away with a clawed hand. His eyes widened as Rin swung for his head.
"Wait—" he barely got the words out.
But Rin did not care for what he had to say. He just killed one of her friends. So as the head guard of the Mancis Company cried out for mercy— as Marcus tried to plead for his life, where he had so easily taken many others— Rin simply stuck two clawed fingers into the man’s neck, and he froze.
Slowly, the Cat Beastkin withdrew her hand. Blood poured out of the holes in the man’s neck, and he collapsed. He was choking on his own blood. Gasping for air.
Marcus clutched at his neck, as though he was trying to force the blood back in. It did not work. He opened his mouth in a silent scream, but nothing came out. He fell.
Dead.
And perhaps in his last moments, he finally understood the fate of those he condemned to slavery; maybe, he knew what it was like to suffer and be helpless about it.
I watched it happen, and I realized I was walking forwards. I was in a trance as I made my way to Rin. And it was not just me.
I stared around the battlefield; the fighting had mostly subsided. Most of the guards were dead or fleeing. Running, now that their leader was dead.
We had won.
Yet, when I saw the price we had to pay; when I saw only Shang and two other Beastkin emerging from the warehouse; when I saw Theodore, Feri, and only a dozen other slaves behind them; when I saw all this, I did not feel elated.
I wanted to puke. That’s all.
I stared at Rin, and watched her lick the blood off her claws.
"Nn, serves you right…" the Cat Beastkin muttered to herself.
Then, a red light flew at her, wrapping around the young woman.
No! I stared in horror as the chains caught Rin off guard. The catgirl struggled as she fell to the ground.
"What—"
Julian Mancis. The owner of the Mancis Company and boss of Marcus. The man behind our slavery and suffering, stood behind Rin and lowered his cane.
"Well, it certainly seems like you’ve earned your freedom." he attempted to speak casually, but I could hear a hint of fear in his voice.
Shang saw this, and a guttural growl left his mouth. He took a step forward—
"Don’t," the old man warned, raising a gun.
It was a pistol. It looked similar to a flintlock pistol in my world. It was Marcus’ pistol. And he was aiming it at Rin.
"If you come any closer— if any of you comes closer— I will kill her. I might not be a good shot, but this is a good weapon. One of the best money can buy. Even if I miss by a foot, she’ll be dead."
Shang froze. So did everyone else. The old man saw this and nodded to himself.
"It really was expensive. I gifted it to Marcus for his loyalty throughout the years. Such a shame he’s dead now."
"Hrn, what do you want? You have already lost. We are not your slaves anymore." Shang spat at the old man.
Julian turned to the Dog Beastkin and met his stare.
"Yes," his voice trembling as he spoke the words. "Yes you are."
The old man slowly walked up to the Cat Beastkin lying on the ground, his gun trained at her head the entire time. He began to lament to himself.
"It’s just as I said. You’ve earned your freedom. You broke free from your cages, and killed every single one of my guards or sent them running. That is truly a feat that I’ve never witnessed before." he whispered quietly. His words, yearning. "That’s exactly what you did. You—"
The owner of the Mancis Company paused. He caught himself from lashing out, and took a deep breath. Then he lashed out.
"You took everything from me!"
I flinched at the unbridled fury directed at me. His voice boomed into the night, and each step he took sent a shiver up my spine.
"Everything I’ve worked for— everything I’ve built! You took it all from me! You… you... you filthy animals!"
No! the thought crossed my mind; I did not know why it did. It was a natural reflex. A response to something.
I watched as he finally reached his quarry. The old man picked Rin off the ground, as she struggled in the bindings that he caught her with.
"You’ve taken it all, so you can keep it!" Julian spat acidically.
No! No, no, no—
Venom rolled off of the old slaver’s tongue as he continued.
"But I’ll just take her instead."
I felt my heart stop moving. The world around me froze; darkness encroached on me, and I felt the entire world looming over me. At that moment, everything seemed so fragile.
But he was not finished.
Julian continued to back away with Rin in tow. He held a gun to her head, as he spoke his final words.
"After all, I need something to restart my life with. And she’s sure to fetch a good price—"
"NO!"
The words came out of my mouth as a shout. I had had enough of this; enough of feeling so useless; enough of seeing others suffer. I reached out with my hand—
And then, everything shattered.
Chapter 22: Deus Ex Machina
The world was vast. It always had been. But now, it loomed over me; so much more… full.
I stared at it all. Uncomprehending. I saw a lake lying before me. I saw my reflection on it; I stared at the me stuck inside the water. My mouth was moving, a word being uttered from my mouth.
"NO!"
I put a hand out, and reached. It was so calm. The water surface so... fragile. I had been afraid to reach out and touch it for so long, out of fear of being persecuted. But I had no other choice now.
A finger touched the image, and it broke.
The still water rippled; the lake finally distorted. The picture smashed into pieces. And nothing was ever the same. It just… shattered.
This illusion. The immersion. I broke out of it with the sounds of cracking. The echo of metal snapping. I was pointing. I didn’t even realize that I was pointing at something— that I was pointing at Rin.
The chains around the Cat Beastkin flickered. The red energy that kept it together was disrupted, then damaged.
There was a flash of light. Magic flowing through me, before the chains dispelled. The energy dispersed, sending a shockwave to everyone nearby. I only stumbled a little; I was standing a short distance away after all.
But Julian Mancis was not so fortunate. The owner of the Mancis Company was knocked off his feet; unharmed, but lying prone on the ground. The old man was dazed. He fumbled for his gun, but paused as he picked himself up. He was looking at me.
Julian’s eyes widened. His mouth held agape. He only managed to get a hold of himself for a second, and only managed to utter a single word, "You—"
Before a clawed hand smashed into his face. Rin bounded on top of the owner of the Mancis Company and began ripping the man apart. Julian screamed and yelled as the Cat Beastkin clawed her way into him. She tore at his face, his chest, his groin— every part of the man— as she ravaged the slaver.
Shouts of pure agony slowly dwindled into the occasional cry for help, before being reduced into the even more quiet, more subdued whimperings of a broke
n man— both mentally and physically.
Finally, when Rin was finished she grinned triumphantly to herself and turned around, standing over the dead Julian Mancis. She looked around confused for a second, when her eyes settled on me. Then she stopped moving.
That was when I realized nobody else was moving either; everybody had ignored the bloody murder of Julian. And they were all looking at me.
An explosion tumbled in the background, then the realization sunk in, and I felt my hands begin to tremble; my gaze caught on my outstretched hand, and my throat tightened.
"N-no."
A magic circle, about ten inches in length, dimly shone red on the tip of my hand. Well, it was less of a circle and more of a triangle, but it still had the complex patterns glowing within it. And everyone could see it.
The magic slowly faded, but the silence did not. A bead of sweat rolled off my head, and I slowly met everyone’s gazes.
They all just had a blank look on their faces. My eyes glazed over the other slaves, and I found my friends. Shang’s eyes were wide in shock, Feri confused, and Rin blinking. But then I saw Theodore.
I saw… fear.
The look of mortal terror— as if he were face to face with some sort of Monster. My heart was racing now. My breathing was short and rapid. My chest hurt, and my stomach ached. I was overwhelmed.
It was all too much for me.
The illusion had been shattered. They knew the truth now. That I was not just some random child. That I was actually a—
"Heretic."
The words came from somewhere. From someone. I did not know where. But like some sort of trigger, it spurred me to move.
No.
I… ran.
I did not know why I ran. My mind was a mess, and everything just screamed at me to go. I felt a sense of mortal peril and dread just from being there. But...
Would they have killed me there and then? Or would they have been understanding and kind?
I remembered Rin’s face. The Cat Beastkin was always so nice. So sweet. She never took anything seriously— even when she tried to be serious, she was always relaxed.