by Ennki Hakari
“Shaddap, or that’ll be the end of ’em. Now, drop yer weapons and kick ’em over here!”
Next to the shouting, musclebound man, several of the other men turned their leering gazes toward Ariane.
“Heh. What do have here? A dark elf?”
Ariane narrowed her thin eyebrows. “Using the weak as a shield is standard practice for humans, I see.”
Chiyome and Ariane set their weapons on the ground and kicked them over. The men seemed oblivious to their hateful glares and laughed in response. Now that we were unarmed, they seemed to decide that we were no longer a threat and lowered their own weapons.
They couldn’t have been more wrong.
Several of the men approached me. When they were still about a foot or so away, the large man called out to them. “Only kill the masked man! We’ll take the other two home as prizes.”
The men let out howls of laughter. Right as they were about to swing their weapons, I used Dimensional Step to teleport behind the large man.
The men’s weapons cut uselessly through the air.
The large man shouted, shock evident in his voice. “Wha?! He’s gone!”
I grabbed the man’s head in both hands and twisted, turning it nearly completely around with a loud snap. For a moment, the man’s eyes were wide in fear, then his whole body went slack. The two girls fell to the floor with a thud. Something began dripping from the man’s pant leg. I tossed the body over to a nearby wall where it collapsed in a heap.
The two girls clutched their throats, gasping for breath. As their breathing started to normalize, they looked up at me in fear. I brushed my hands through their soft hair. They couldn’t have been more than five or six. Their expressions relaxed as they noticed Ponta’s head peeking out from among the feathers adorning my mask.
“Just close your eyes. The scary stuff will all be over in a moment.”
“Kyiii…”
They both nodded and buried their faces in their hands.
“Dammit! What the hell did you do?!”
All traces of confidence had vanished from the men. They could barely conceal their horror at seeing their companion dispatched so brutally. I took advantage of their momentary lapse and rushed them, closing the distance between us in an instant.
Despite my best efforts to hold back, the men’s faces and chests were torn open as I pummeled them, the sounds of shattering bones and gurgling screams filling the garden. Ariane and Chiyome retrieved their weapons and joined the fray. The whole thing was over in a matter of seconds, the garden now filled with the men’s deformed bodies.
I returned to the little girls and spoke to them gently, trying not to alarm them. “You can open your eyes now. The scary old men are all gone now.”
Even as the words left my mouth, I knew they sounded odd. I was hardly one to talk, considering the creepy mask I was wearing.
Ariane called out from behind me. “We’re done here, Arc. Let’s go farther inside.” She made for the door at the far end of the garden. “As soon as we take care of the others, we can teleport out of here.”
Just then, Chiyome’s cat ears started twitching wildly.
“I can hear people beyond this door.” She pushed it open.
The room on the other side looked like a well-decorated manor, sporting all manner of knick-knacks and a large table surrounded by chairs. If I had to guess, I’d say this was where the sales negotiations took place.
While I was looking around the room, the two girls jogged past me and darted through one of the doors running along the wall. Chiyome took off after them, followed closely by Ariane and me.
Beyond that door was a short hall leading to another door. As soon as we opened it, a horrible stench washed over us, like damp, rotting grass.
The room was full of mountain people, men and women, chained together. Most of them were nude, or close to it. Many of the women appeared to be pregnant. As soon as they caught sight of me, they grew afraid, trembling.
The young girls from the garden ran up to two women, hugging the enlarged bellies that protruded from their tattered clothes, sobbing quietly in their mothers’ arms.
I suppressed the urge to retch. Someone was breeding mountain people like farm animals, probably selling the children as slaves. I wasn’t sure how profitable a scheme like this could actually be, but judging by the small size of the room compared to the rest of the building, it seemed like they were still just experimenting with the idea. At least, I hoped they were.
In any case, it was an awful sight to behold.
“Miss Ariane, please look around for something these people can wear.”
“G-got it.”
My voice broke Ariane out of her temporary paralysis and she hurried out of the room in search of clothes.
Chiyome closed her eyes and furrowed her brow. After she’d gotten her emotions in check, she turned to me and spoke in her usual monotone voice.
“I’ll take care of the locks, and then we can get everyone out of here.”
“Roger.”
Chiyome knelt next to one of the women and pulled a small metal pick from her pocket. She fitted it into the keyhole and rattled it around until the clasp opened and the woman’s ankle was free.
I followed suit, kneeling down next to a dog-eared man. I grabbed the chain connected to his ankle cuff in both hands and ripped it apart. The man’s eyes went wide at my feat of strength.
A few moments later, Ariane returned to find everyone in the room free of their restraints.
“There wasn’t much in the way of clothes, so they’ll have to make do with these.”
She showed us a stack of linens.
I couldn’t tell if they were bedsheets or curtains, but they would at least give the mountain people some dignity.
With Ariane’s help, we passed the linens out to everyone in the room.
“Arc, we should get these people out of the city first.”
“Right. Let’s bring them all to the main hall.”
Chiyome led the way. The people murmured among themselves, unsure what was about to happen to them. I made my way to the center of the group and shepherded everyone together. Then I focused my mind.
“Transport Gate!”
A large pillar of light, far larger than anything I’d created thus far, rose up from the floor, illuminating the dim room.
The people tensed as the light began to envelop them, their animal ears at stiff attention.
The world blinked out for an instant. A mere second later, we found ourselves standing in a moonlit field. A gentle wind rippled through the grass in waves, carrying with it the sounds of insects. Off to the south, the outline of Olav stood stark against the sky.
I found this spot after purchasing my mask earlier. I couldn’t see the capital as clearly now as I could under the afternoon sun, but it was still far brighter than any other towns I’d seen.
Once they realized where they were, the people began cheering, crying, and asking Chiyome for an explanation. Those closest to me, however, took a few steps away. Not a single person tried to ask me anything.
After a few moments, the rabbit-eared mother of one of the girls I’d saved approached me and bowed her head, her eyes filled with tears. In between sobs, she expressed her gratitude.
“Th-thank you for saving my…”
As I nodded my masked head solemnly, more and more people began making their way toward me.
Under the dim light of the moon, I could barely make out another cat person, dressed in the same ninja attire as Chiyome.
Chiyome approached the figure and waved me over. She addressed the crowd in her usual monotone. “These people here will lead you to a safe place. Please, do what they say!”
After exchanging glances among each other, the crowd began to form up and follow the cat ninja.
“We’ll leave the rest to them while we head back for the others.”
“All right then, let’s go!”
I called up Transport Gate agai
n and teleported us back to the main hall of the Etzat Market.
A small pillar formed at our feet. A moment later, we were back in the center of the hall…and right in the middle of a group of armed animal men.
“Wha…who’s there?!”
The men let out howls of surprise at our sudden appearance, though the concern on their faces faded as soon as they recognized us as the ones who’d broken them out of their cells.
A middle-aged man with drooping dog ears stepped forward from the group. “Apologies! We didn’t realize it was you. We’ve been looking for our comrades who were locked away in here. Have you seen them?”
Chiyome pulled the mask away from her mouth and filled them in on the situation. “We’ve rescued them and taken them out of the capital. My fellow clan members are bringing them somewhere safe as we speak.”
The other men looked comforted to hear this, but the dog-eared man narrowed his eyes. “Are you daft?! How could you get them out in such a short time?”
Rather than respond to the question, Chiyome glared at the man. “We don’t have time for an explanation right now. How are the escape preparations and defense efforts going?”
The dog-eared man’s eyes remained narrowed, but he provided a simple update on the situation. “All of the people are out of their cells, and about half are unchained. Soldiers are only coming into the building sporadically, but they’ve solidified their lines outside.”
Chiyome nodded, then turned her gaze back to me.
I used Transport Gate to teleport us to the field.
Chiyome and I left the confused beastmen to her allies and teleported back to the manor, this time heading through the large door and back into the cell-lined room.
A large group of mountain people stood outside their cells, some still busy trying to break the chains from their ankles, while others fought off an attack from incoming soldiers.
It didn’t look like we had a lot of time left before the main force entered the building, so I started ferrying people to the grassy field. After several trips back and forth, all of the hundred or so slaves had been transported away from the Etzat Market.
Given how much time we’d wasted trying to explain things to the confused, surprised, and grateful people who came rushing up to us, I couldn’t help but wonder if it would have been faster to simply teleport them, cells and all, to begin with.
I’d been hesitant to do that, though, since sooner or later, someone would have discovered the missing cells.
While I was thinking about how we might have done things differently, Ariane spoke up.
“All that’s left is the final step of the plan.”
I gave a quick nod and called up an image of the building in my mind. “I’ll be right back.”
In a flash, I was back in the Etzat Market, alone.
The building was now empty of all life, filled with an eerie silence.
Well, not entirely empty. One figure stood alone in the darkness, the outline of his massive, well-toned body and cat ears dark against the darker shadows. It was Goemon.
He stood dead still, almost like a statue, only moving his eyes to look over in my direction as I teleported in. His cat ears remained focused on the door.
“We have company.”
A moment later, heavy footfalls filled the air, sounding almost like an avalanche rolling in. The damaged building creaked, and dust shook loose from the ceiling. Moments later, the entire entrance was filled with soldiers carrying massive shields, and lanterns to light the way.
They’d come to crush us alive.
They must not have realized that we were able to use magic. It’d be rather trivial to wipe out their forces in such a confined space.
Actually, that wasn’t entirely true. It would normally be a terrible idea to use such powerful magic indoors. The caster risked destroying the building while they were still inside.
Next to me, Goemon raised both arms straight up into the air. Then he lowered them slowly, the veins on his pectoral muscles bulging as he did. His usual blank expression changed ever so slightly as his eyes narrowed. I could tell he was grinning wildly beneath his wrappings.
“How about an encore of our previous performance, Arc?”
I was pretty sure I knew what he meant by that, but I didn’t have time to clarify. “If you’re sure, Goemon. Let’s make this a big one, yeah?”
Goemon’s grin widened, his muscles bulging. He was pretty terrifying when he smiled, actually.
“Muscle to stone, rock spear strike!”
He clanged his gauntlets together, then smashed both of his fists into the ground. The floor beneath him tore open, and fang-shaped stone spikes began ripping down the hall toward the oncoming troops.
“Rock Fang!”
I summoned my area-of-effect spell right after Goemon unleashed his ninjutsu attack. The force of the fang-shaped stones tearing out of the floor knocked even more of the ceiling loose, the ninjutsu mingling with my magic as they both hurtled away from us. The soldiers crouched behind their massive shields for cover.
Just then, a loud bang erupted as the magic and ninjutsu came fully together, expanding in size. A large stone pillar ripped up out of the ground and straight through the ceiling, countless spikes launching out of it to tear through the walls, floor, and anything else that stood in their way.
The soldiers abandoned their defensive posture, scattering as the room began to fall apart around them. A massive crash reverberated through the small space, and the whole building shook violently.
The building groaned, as if it could no longer support its own weight. Slowly but surely, the Etzat Market began to collapse in on itself. I could sense that all of the buildings connected to it would also fall, one by one, like a line of dominos.
“Let’s get out of here, Goemon!”
Goemon nodded.
I summoned up Transport Gate and teleported us out into the field overlooking the capital.
My ears were still ringing from the horrendous din we’d just escaped, the sound all the more obvious in the middle of a quiet field. I shook my head, brushing the debris off of my body.
Chiyome called out to me. “I can’t thank you enough for all your help, Arc.”
I turned around to find the young ninja and several others dressed in similar attire. Goemon and Ariane stood among them.
Goemon silently extended a hand. I clasped it, and we shook. Then he stepped back and flexed one massive bicep. I wasn’t really sure what that meant, so I assumed the same pose and flexed mine back.
“Until next time.”
And that was all I got from the taciturn man before he stepped back into the group.
I reached up to remove my mask. As soon as I pulled it off, I heard a sad kyiii as Ponta dropped to the ground. I bowed my head in apology. “Sorry about that, Ponta.”
“Arc, you’re just awful.”
Ariane swooped in to pick up my furry companion, rubbing Ponta against her cheek and babbling to it. She probably didn’t realize that anyone could hear her, but the sound of her voice sent a warm, fuzzy feeling through my bones.
Chiyome interrupted my thoughts. “Thank you so much, Ariane and Arc, for everything. You were an immense help.”
It was the most cheerful I’d heard her sound yet.
Ariane smiled back brightly, Ponta still snuggled deep in her arms.
“Don’t worry about it. We had our reasons, after all.”
“That’s right,” I said. “We need your information. Anyway, where will you be going now?”
Chiyome looked over her shoulder and gestured toward the black outline of a mountain range.
“We’re headed for a village hidden in the Calcut Mountains.”
Ariane looked confused. “Don’t you have a large country all to yourselves on the southern continent?”
Chiyome’s face clouded over with sadness at the mere mention of it. “That’s true, but it’d be difficult to take such a large group of people across the ocean. B
esides, a lot of the people prefer the climate here.”
The group of newly freed slaves making their way toward the Calcut Mountains had grown to over two hundred strong. I wondered if the people rescued from the other attacks had all gathered here as well.
There were probably also a fair amount of people already living at their destination. A large-scale exodus of mountain people would be quite a challenge—finding safe routes to travel all while staying out of sight and dodging mercenaries and hunters,
Chiyome looked out across the mass of people and muttered to herself, a worried look on her face. “If only we knew where the shrine was…” She shook her head and turned her attention back to Ariane and me. “Anyway, don’t worry about it. Besides, I owe you two information. The person you’re looking for, Drassos du Barysimon, is a viscount in the Holy East Revlon Empire.”
The wind suddenly picked up, sending my cloak fluttering noisily in the wind.
It looked like our journey was going to take us beyond the borders of the Rhoden Kingdom.
Epilogue
The Grand Duchy of Limbult was located to the southeast of the Rhoden Kingdom.
Though originally a part of the Rhoden Kingdom itself, after the war six hundred years ago, Duke Ticient had sought to reconcile with the elves. He and several of his allies broke away from the Rhoden Kingdom to form the Grand Duchy of Limbult.
The Rhoden Kingdom wasn’t pleased with the formation of the Grand Duchy, but having just suffered a defeat at the hands of the elves, and already exhausted of resources, they could do little about the situation.
The Grand Duchy immediately went about making good on Duke Ticient’s promise and worked toward reconciliation. Today, they were the only human nation to have any form of trading relationship with the elves.
The humans were enamored of the high-quality magical items created by the elves, and they were always in high demand. Even in the Rhoden Kingdom, elven items and skills were highly prized. However, as a result of the massive victory the elves had managed against their aggressors despite their inferior numbers, the Great Canada Forest had kept itself closed off to the Rhoden Kingdom—then the second largest country on the continent, right behind the Revlon Empire.