Faceless Phantom 46 Chapter 40 - The Storm Is Coming 2

"Your Highness, it's probably the leader of lowly cult. More importantly, Ghaldaran will be ready to advance anytime soon. We need to prepare our army instead of handling trivial matter." Another n.o.ble answered and immediately told his opinion about the current situation with Ghaldaran.

Both of them were right. If there was another mad cultist, Alkronia would surely fall internally. However, they were also in a tight spot where Ghaldaran might attack them soon.

The Empress was deeply in thought. A few seconds later, she began to give orders.

"Princess Vanea. Go back to the capital city at once. Seek for help. Recruit as many heroes and mercenaries as possible."

"But Mo-" Princess Vanea cut her words and immediately kneeled down. "Your Highness, I cannot leave you here."

The Empress sighed. "Vanea."

"Y-yes, Your Majesty."

"It is a request from your Mother. Stay together with your sisters. I will be waiting for all of you here."

Princess Vanea looked up toward the Empress. Her gla.s.sy eyes met hers. "Yes, Mother..."

Then, the Empress moved her gaze toward one of the n.o.blemen.

The man was wearing round gla.s.ses and luxurious fas.h.i.+on. He had neat laid back brown hair, deep blue eyes, and wide shoulders.

As he realized it, he bowed with his right hand on his chest.

"Count Phillips, visit King Klaus and clear the rumor about us in Karmia. We cannot let false information spread over there and brainwash them. It will be troublesome if they are waging war against us as well."

"Consider it done, Your Majesty."

And then the Empress turned her gaze toward white-haired middle-aged man who was wearing full plated armor.

A sword with unique hilt and scabbard was strapped on his waist. On his cloak, beautiful patterns and Alkronia Crest were embroidered.

He was standing with charismatic manner, while keeping his awareness to the surrounding. As if he was ready to take action whenever there was an unexpected danger.

"Now, Commander Golberg. Prepare the army to march toward Tagran."

The Commander bowed. "It shall be done, My Queen."

・・・

After I met Mirage within our connected minds, my consciousness still embraced by the darkness.

I saw another being. A familiar tall shadowy figure without a face. But this time, eyeb.a.l.l.s slowly popped out. And below them, the face also ripped to form a mouth.

The lidless eyeb.a.l.l.s looked at me as the ripped mouth was smiling eerily, and deep voice was coming out from it.

"You won't be able to bear it. You'll go insane." The phantom said. "Want me to do the work?"

Where did he come from? Was it from my mind which materialized the phantom I saw in real life? Or perhaps from the corrupted core within the cubic?

Regardless, I had no reason to hand over my body to him.

I still remembered how the phantom was torturing the PK party mercilessly. It was probably a good thing to make them learn. However, the mission I was about to do is a distraction, not a torturing fest.

Moreover, if I had no other choice, it would be better to kill them immediately than wasting time by torturing them.

"No. You will torture them. Just like what you did in Orbania." I answered.

"Khukhuhahahaha..." The phantom was laughing out loud. "You are really amusing, and a bit hypocritical. Please, don't accuse me for something that I didn't do. All I did was just pus.h.i.+ng and supporting you to do what you desired. You were the one who tortured them."

"I definitely wasn't myself."

"Of course! You clearly remember what you were doing."

Then the phantom circled me while he was speaking. He occasionally put his hand on my shoulder. And sometimes, he also spoke right on my ears.

"Let me remind you again about what was on your mind that day: They are all criminals. They are torturing innocents. They even **** them as well. Isn't it better to incite fear within their mind so they won't do the sinful deeds anymore? Someone needs to stop them. And I won't be able to-"

I immediately cut him. "I'm not gonna give my body to you."

The phantom stopped in front of me, facing my left side. Then he turned his head toward me. "I told you. I won't. I just wanna help you because you won't be able to bear it. The negative energy within this area is a bit strong. Moreover, are you sure you can handle the killing? You even trembled after you had done your killing spree in the desert."

I ignored him and just looked at him straight in the eye. It was indeed true that I still could feel the unpleasant sensation after killing those group in the desert. However, I couldn't forgive myself if I didn't free the slaves. Sometimes, you need to act cruel to save someone.

"Fine. I'm not gonna talk anymore." He eventually gave up. "You can take my form. And maybe you're right. But... Keep in mind that I might be going take over whenever you can't handle it."

I scoffed toward his words. "Your form? You don't even have one."

"Khuhuhahahaha...." The phantom laughed.

His laugh faded as I regained my consciousness from Soul Connect. And I saw Mirage looked at me anxiously.

"Zeroth?"

"Yeah." I answered.

"Are you alright?"

"I'm fine..." I smiled. "Let's shapes.h.i.+ft."

"Unh..." She nodded.

As I was shape-s.h.i.+fting into the phantom, my mind slowly became foggy. I focused myself to stay awake. However, it was then something unnatural happened.

As if the world was becoming too silent and my hearing felt compressed by the surrounding. I tried to breathe and calm down. Then, step by step, I tried to walk toward the two-story building.

The silent empty road felt crowded for some reason. Of course, I knew it wasn't empty in the first place. There were astral beings wandering around.

I saw two dimensions at once, the collision of physical and astral planes.

It was the same feeling as a few people had. The so-called 'Indigo' who had strong supernatural ability. However, it was too strong and the astrals were very vivid. I could even b.u.mp into them physically.

I was about to go crazy, but then Mirage's voice pulled me back from the insanity.

'Zeroth... Are you really okay?' She said through my mind. She sounded really worried.

'Yeah. Don't worry.' I sent my thought. 'Let's go...'

'Okay. I'm right behind you.'

I commanded Misty to cover our surrounding with mist. Then, we went straight to the building as I ignored all the shadowy figures.

I saw the building's guards in the distance. They looked anxious after seeing the mist, and their eyes widened when they saw my figure got closer to the building.

I stopped and stood motionlessly. I still felt uncomfortable and were struggling with the form. Somehow, all over my body was aching. It's the same feeling when you wake up but you still feel very tired. Instead of getting up, you want to sleep again. It was really exhausting as the pain got more intense.

Thus, I fell on my knees.

'Zeroth...' Mirage sent her thought from afar, but I ignored her.

I didn't know why, but I wanted to bent my body, every parts of them. My back, my legs, my arms, and my head. My mind slowly turned upside down, so I tried my best to stay sane and get up. But then I fell again as my right knee bent to the opposite way. I was surprised when I could do the same with my arms. The more I tried to get up, the more my body bent unnaturally.

I felt strange. I felt an ecstasy. I felt...good.

'Zer........roth...' Mirage's thoughts became faint.

I tried to tell my insanity to her. But instead of sending my thought,  I wanted to scream out loud. However, I didn't have a mouth. So I struggled and shook my head. But still, my voice couldn't come out at all.

Then I saw the guards slowly approached me. I also noticed several nearby astral beings got closer. They grinned at me with eyes wide open, and they spoke terrible things to me.

'Oh you wanna kill them?' A man with a sword asked as he was smirking. His neck were bleeding.

'Yes... Please help us, poor souls.' Said several children with blood on their torso.

'Kill them... Kill those b.a.s.t.a.r.ds...' Ranted a woman with bleeding head.

'Do what they did to my family!' Exclaimed a man with his dead family members on the ground.

'Torture them! Show no mercy!' Said a woman with severed left arm.

'Hehahahaha... KILL THEM!' Said a man with creepy face. Several arrows were stuck on his chest.

'They've done unforgivable immorality to the innocents!' Said multiple women with tattered clothes.

'Yes... They deserve punishments.' Said an old man with guts cut open with hanging intestines.

'Help us...' Said several skinny men and women.

'KILL THEM ALL!!!' Said a fat man with eyes wide open. His mouth was bleeding, down to his neck.

Their voices kept ringing my ears. Their figures were haunting me. Not long, I eventually snapped.

'Zeroth... Ple-'

'SHUT UP!' I screamed inside my mind.

However, their voices didn't stop.

'Yes... Release that wrath upon them!'

'They're the ones who torture, ****, and kill.'

'Yess... PUNISH THEM!'

Furious, I rushed toward one of them and swung my sword.

Slas.h.!.+ Chop!

In an instant, I realized I cut one of the guards. I saw his head fell on the ground and rolled.

The other guards looked at me, frozen in fear. Frightened, one screamed and bolted inside.

"GAAAAHHHH... HELP! EVERYONE! THERE'S A MONSTER OUTSIDE!!!"

The other guards stood still while holding their weapon, pointing toward me. As their hands trembled, their shaking weapon made a voice.

'Hahahaha...' I laughed inside my mind.

Then I heard a ringing bell from inside the building. Not long, more people showed up. It was a sign that my distraction plan was a success. Unfortunately, my sanity was elsewhere and I couldn't think straight anymore.

'Time to ma.s.sacre these evil-doers... Khehehehe...'

With the influence of the astral beings around me, I began to do what they wanted.

・・・

Meanwhile, the five beastkin were waiting for a sign.

"Do you think they'll succeed?" Tutoll asked.

"Let's just wait for five minutes, if there's no sign, then we will go with Plan B." Murakkal answered.

Suddenly, a short scream could be heard followed by a faint ringing of bell within the building. And then it became noisy in an instant. Slowly, the sound faded away as it went toward the front.

Clearly, it was a cue they were waiting for. A green light to enter the building.

"Well, it seems the distraction is a success." Murakkal said. "Let's go!"

The five immediately bolted toward the back door and went inside by lock-picking it.

Stealthily, they explored the building. The first floor had a dormitory with several bunkbeds for the workers, and they were all empty. They also found storage room, restroom, and a wide lounge which seemed to be common room. However, they didn't find any slaves at all. Even in the upstairs as well. They could only find several rooms with desks full of papers.

But then, within the most front building in second floor, they found a room with fancy-clothed man who was looking outside the window. When he heard the door opened, the man immediately turned around.

"W-who are you!?" He was surprised.

The five didn't answer, and they just looked at him carefully.

A middle-aged man with laid back hair, thick mustache, and a burn scar on his right cheek. The description fit with what Zeroth explained to them. He was definitely the leader.

Suddenly, Jakka pounced him and raised his right hand overhead. As he readied his claws, Murakkal shouted.

"Stop it, Jakka!"

Jakka immediately stopped his hand right in front of the man's face. Scared to death, his eyes shook and his mouth was wide open.

Then, Murakkal walked toward them.

"If you don't wanna die. Tell us where you hide the slaves..."

"Hah! Hahaha..." The man laughed anxiously. "What slaves...? This must be a misunderstanding."

"Don't act dumb. We know what you do." Murakkal glared at him. "Tell us everything, or you will have the same fate as Carl."

"Who's carl? I don't know any Carls in my life."

"Strange, because this Carl said that he was really close to you... Giorno."

The man called Giorno then deeply sighed.

"I see... You lowly animals have already killed him. Thanks for that I guess. I was getting tired of his blabbering mouth anyway."

"You don't even really care about your lackey's life, eh?"

"Nah. Why should I? He could be replaced." He grinned. "Just like slaves."

"YOU b.a.s.t.a.r.d!" Jakka grabbed his collar, and banged his head against the wall.

"Hahahaha... f.u.c.k!" He cursed as his head ached. "d.a.m.n you brainless creatures!"

"Break his leg." Murakkal ordered.

Then Jakka immediately kicked his left knee.

Crack!

"Aaaarrrghhh!! f.u.c.king s.h.i.+t! Gahhh..." Giorno screamed and he was panting afterwards. "f.u.c.king animals! Just you wait! You'll pay for this!"

"Tell us WHERE THEY ARE!" Murakkal began to raise his tone.

Instead of answering, Giorno smiled. And then he laughed.

"Hehahaha... Do you know what I did to the slaves?"

Jakka's eyes widened and he ground his teeth. Murakkal then warned him.

"Don't listen to him Jakka!"

"They are so delicate. Each one of them..."

Jakka growled. He breathed heavily and it also became faster.

"Jakka. Calm down."

"Especially the beast girls... Hahaha... They are so... Tasty..."

Jakka turned his head, and he looked straight at Murakkal over his shoulder. He saw it within Jakka's eyes, and he immediately understand what would be going to happen.

Then Jakka turned his gaze back to Giorno. And he could see the uncontrollable wrath inside Jakka's glaring eyes.

Murakkal gritted his teeth. He knew interrogating him was useless. Perhaps, it was better this way because he had no reason to waste any more time.

In a minute, Giorno was lifeless on the floor. His blood was splattered around, and his face was unrecognizable anymore.

While Jakka released his anger, Murakkal checked the man's desk. However, there was only fake legal papers to cover what they did.

"Well, it seems we have to find the slaves ourselves." Murakkal sighed. "Any idea where they could have been?"

"There must be a secret path." Kirk gave his opinion.

"Right!" Murakkal immediately turned his gaze toward Kirk. "Downstairs. There should be a way to underground."

Everyone nodded and immediately left the room. Before Murakkal followed them, he took a glance outside the window. His eyes widened as he saw a faceless being was murdering the bandits within the mist.

Once they were downstairs, they checked everything that seemed suspicious. Not long, Kirk found something with his sharp instinct and sensitive nose.

"Over here!" He shouted. "Help me move this cupboard!"

As expected, there was a hidden stairs. And it led them to a damp place, a wide hallway with locked doors.

One by one, they lock-picked the doors. And inside the rooms, they found slaves with tattered clothes. Some were naked.

All the rooms also reeked. It was a mixed odor which really unpleasant to their sensitive nose. They immediately knew what it was when they saw several stains, which were white, dark red and brown, all over the place. They were on the bed, floor, wall, and even on the tattered clothes.

Jakka's anger was clearly showed on his face, while the others closed their eyes as their heart sank. Still, the five tried their best to ignore those details and focused to help them.

Eventually, they were all successfully escape through the back door without problem.

・・・

There were about 20 bandits and 14 players in front of me. They were ready to attack anytime soon.

With my Eavesdropping skill, I could hear the players from afar.

"What the f.u.c.k is that? A monster?" Said a sleethar mage.

"A raid inside a town, huh? This is interesting." Said a human warrior.

"Can anyone look at his status? I can't even inspect his name." Said an elven rogue.

"Me too. How about the mages?" Said a human rogue.

"It's only question marks." Said a human mage.

"All I can see is question marks as well." Said the sleethar mage.

"d.a.m.n. This guy must be strong." Said another elven rogue.

"He might be strong. But he's alone." Said another human warrior.

Not long, three were coming toward me. Two of them got closer and they swung their sword vertically. I moved left and right to evade their attack. Once they pa.s.sed me, they suddenly fell. And blood was gus.h.i.+ng out from their neck.

Seeing the two dropped dead, the third one hesitated. But then, more were rus.h.i.+ng toward me. The one who stopped got his courage back and joined his comrades.

They surrounded me and attacked me from every direction. Therefore, I gladly danced with them.

Thanks to Hagwim, I could clearly see each of their movement. Sparring with him definitely improved my capability to use my stats to the fullest. It also made my sight got used to his agility and dexterity, extending awareness of my surrounding. Thus, compared to him, they were really slow.

Unfortunately, they were too many. Once the mages threw their spells toward me, it was becoming hard for me to keep track of their movements.

They slowly increased their combination from two to four attacks. Let alone counter attack, I barely evaded three attacks at once, so I parried the one that I couldn't avoid.

'I can't evade all the time. I need something to slow them down.'

I ordered Misty to thicken the mist. It purred and I could see its mana was released. Slowly, my sight range shortened to only about three meters. Therefore, I used my Astral Eyes to track their aura.

However, their attack was only stopped for a few seconds. Strangely, they still knew my location. And they still could attack me consecutively.

I heard some of them yelled at the others about my position. It seemed they were players with some kind of detection skill.

Their attack was slower but they eventually surrounded me again in three to five meters radius.

Suddenly, a loud high-pitched voice was heard.

[Mirage used Requiem of Madness]

The bandits and players were all covering their ears. They got stunned and their health also gradually decreased by a lot.

Mirage gave me an opportunity. Thus, I began to kill as many as I could in ten seconds. Especially the ones with detection skill.

I slit fourteen throats and I cut off seven heads. Even though ten seconds had pa.s.sed, I didn't stop and kept going.

I slit another five throats. And then, the rest realized the voice was gone, so some of them parried my attack.

Still, their movement was stiff. It seemed their ears were still ringing. Hence, I could easily stab them in seconds, five people on the necks and three on their guts.

The remained five were right in front of the building. They seemed unable to see what was happening, so I looked around to make sure the ones on the ground were all dead.

However, I saw several people survived. And they tried to drink a potion. I walked toward them and stomped their hand. They screamed as I broke their bones.

The five could only hear screams within the thick mist. One Warrior, one rogue and three mages. Terrified, the three mages ran away toward different directions. And the rogue followed one of them afterwards.

Well, they tried. I chased the rogue first and used Back Slash to end him. Then I did the same to the three mages.

・・・

More than half an hour had pa.s.sed. Around me, lifeless bodies and severed heads were lying on the street.

Strangely, my body didn't tremble like before, and I could feel something calmed my mind. It got clearer as I realized the astral beings were gone. However, deep inside, I was still wavering and my heart was beating really fast.

'He's the last one...'

Only one person left. The highest stats player was standing in front of the building.

He seemed cautious, so I took my time by opening his status window again.

///////

Bandit

a.s.sWooper Jack

Race: Human

Job (Cla.s.s): Warrior

Hobby: None

Guild: Vandalion

[Stats]

HP: 9875/9875

MP: 2410/2940

STR 300 VIT 244

DEX 215 AGI 192

INT 181 WIS 158

///////

He had 'Bandit' as his t.i.tle. When I opened the window, there was a list of several crime-related t.i.tles which made me feel disgusted.

My heart didn't waver anymore. And suddenly, I felt an unstoppable desire within me. It was the same feeling like before.

My mind slowly became foggy.

'No... Not again...'

I struggled to control it as best as I could. However, their voices were still inside my head.

'Oh, are you sure? You wanna beat him right? Slowly torturing him will be really satisfying...'

'Shut up...'

'Khuhahaha... I'll give you an idea. How about...skinning him alive?'

'No...'

'Skinning him alive isn't enough for a b.a.s.t.a.r.d like him. You have to break all his bones!'

'Go away!'

I felt really annoyed, so I grabbed my head with both of my hands.

Then suddenly, I noticed a.s.sWooper using the opportunity to rush toward me.

I was a bit surprised. 'He can see me within the thick mist, huh?'

As he got closer, he swung his long sword horizontally, aiming for my gut.

Swoos.h.!.+

I leaned my body backward and parried the attack with my sword.

Clank!

Somehow, his attack was...weak. I was about to anchor my feet, ready to embrace the impact. However, it seemed it wasn't necessary. And I was surprised by my own capability.

'His STR is 300! How did I block his attack? Am I really that strong?'

Still, I didn't want to underestimate him. Perhaps, he didn't really swing with his full power.

'No. I'm not gonna let my guard down.'

I tightly gripped my sword and pushed him back. Then he jumped three meters backward.

He landed safely and looked at me while grinning.

"I don't know what you are. But I'm gonna beat your a.s.s and loot you."

He made a stance as if he was ready to leap toward me anytime soon.

"Rus.h.i.+ng Slas.h.!.+"

As expected, he rushed toward me with a storm of dust swirling behind him.

When he got closer and began to swing his sword, I evaded by moving left. The world became slow while a.s.sWhooper Jack was pa.s.sing me. And I could see his back, covered with his armor. Unfortunately, at that moment, I couldn't find where my sword could penetrate his defense. So he began his continuous attack.

We were waltzing for a few minutes. I barely evaded his attack while I kept moving my gaze all over his body, trying to look for his weak spot.

He launched his Rus.h.i.+ng Slash again and I dodged it. Then suddenly, he turned right whilst swinging his sword again toward me. I ducked and it was then I saw an opening.

I waited until his turning body made me behind him. Then I immediately thrust my sword right on the back of his right knee.

Stab!

[You landed a critical hit!]

[You have inflicted 2108 damage on a.s.sWhooper]

"Aaarrrrghhhh!" He jumped away after he screamed.

As he was far enough, I saw his hand pulled a vial of potion from his bag. So I immediately rushed toward him.

"d.a.m.n it!" He cursed as he put the potion back inside. Then he readied his stance to defend.

But I suddenly stopped.

He moved away and tried to pull the potion again. I rushed toward him again.

As he put the potion back, I stopped again.

"You b.a.s.t.a.r.d!"

Annoyed, he ignored his injury and leaped toward me. He raised his sword overhead and swung it downward.

"Mighty Slas.h.!.+"

Boom! Crack!

The ground in front of him cracked about three meters long. As the mist around him was cleared, it showed one of the body was sliced in half.

He turned toward where I jumped to evade his attack. However, I was nowhere to be seen.

I was surprised as well when I saw a shadow jumped to where he looked at. Nonetheless, I used the opportunity to do a stealth attack.

As I swung my sword toward his legs, he quickly did a panic little jump once he saw my presence. I expected that, so I immediately swung my sword again before his feet touched the ground.

Slas.h.!.+

Once both of his feet landed, my sword cut his left leg. However, his thick bone made it stuck halfway.

[You have inflicted 1342 damage to a.s.sWhooper Jack]

"Fuuuuuck!!!!" He screamed.

Then he swung his sword in anger. I pulled my sword and jumped backward to evade, but his sword cut my gut.

Slas.h.!.+

[You have received 2035 damage from a.s.sWhooper Jack]

He lost his balance and fell. But then he thrust his sword down in reflex, trying to support his footing.

Seeing that, I rushed and swung my sword to the same exact place. I swung with all my strength and cut off his left leg.

[You have inflicted 1574 damage to a.s.sWhooper Jack]

"GAAAAHHHHH!!!!" He screamed louder this time. "Ahhhh... NO... f.u.c.k!"

He pulled his sword and immediately swung it around as he fell.

"f.u.c.k YOU b.a.s.t.a.r.d!"

He cursed and kept swinging his sword angrily.

"COME HERE MOTHERf.u.c.kER!!!"

He eventually got tired and stopped. He was panting as he was sitting down.

"f.u.c.k!"

He looked around, trying to find me.

"COME!" He pointed his long sword to several directions. "I DARE YOU!"

A shadow showed up and rushed toward him. He immediately swung his sword and cut it in half.

"Gahahahaha! Serve you right!"
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He laughed. However, his expression became sour as the shadow turned into mist. And once he realized it, his right hand was already gone. It fell on the ground with his long sword.

"d.a.m.n YOOUUU b.a.s.t.a.r.d!!!"

His voice cracked as he screamed.

He then grabbed his sword with his left hand and struggled to crawl away.

I stood a few meters in front of him. Once he saw my feet, he stopped and slowly looked up.

In an instant, he got up with his right leg. He thrust his sword with his left hand, and it penetrated through my chest.

STAB!

[You have nullified damage from a.s.sWhooper Jack]

His eyes widened. He might read his system message.

Disbelieved of what just happened, he pulled his sword and stabbed me again, but this time he pushed it deep through my stomach.

[You have nullified damage from a.s.sWhooper Jack]

Too bad, my Ignore Death skill was still active. Even though it just lasted for a few seconds, it was enough to put fear within his mind.

His eyes shook, and he fell on his back.

"P-please..." He begged. "Just kill me."

I pulled his sword which was still stuck on my stomach and threw it away. And then I approached him.

I stretched his left hand and chopped it with my sword. Within three swings, I eventually cut it off.

"Aaaaaaaaarrrghhhhhh....."

He screamed in distress, but I ignored it. Then, I cut off his right leg in five swings.

"Pleeaasee.... Gaaahhh.... Fuuuuckkk!!!!" He was panting heavily, cursed and growling in pain. "Please... Grrr... Just kill me..."

I stood and raised my sword, ready to kill him. However, I hesitated. Right when I was about to end him, my hand stopped. And the sharp point of my sword was right in front of his neck.

There was a feeling, as if I wanted to torture him more. But I was holding the desire and frozen in place.

I looked at him. I saw fear within his eyes, and his jaw was trembling. Without his limbs, he couldn't do anything.

I was thinking of two choices I had. I could just leave him to suffer, or finish him. But in the end, I wanted to make people like him learn about the consequences of their own actions.

I took a vial of potion on the ground, then I shoved it in his mouth. However, he gurgled and spit some out. Still, the potion effect healed his severed limbs and closed the exposed flesh and bones with skin. Therefore, I left him there disabled.

I walked away and vanished within the mist.

・・・

I saw Mirage was waiting for me. She immediately shapes.h.i.+fted back to normal as I got back, so did I.

"Zeroth..." She looked concerned. "Are you okay?"

I gave her a little smile. "Yeah..."

As we entered narrow alleyway, I felt nauseous. My feet suddenly gave up and I fell on my knees.

Surprised, Mirage grabbed my shoulders.

"Y-you clearly not okay! Hold on, I will heal you." She said as she also down on her knees.

"No... It's fine." I lied and shook my head. "I just mentally exhausted."

"..."

I looked at her concerned face for a moment. Then I averted my gaze.

"Sorry..."

I could hear her deeply sighed. Then I felt her hands on mine.

"It's okay. I'm here with you..."

Once my heart stopped racing and my mind was calmed down, we immediately went back to the inn. We promised to meet Murakkal's party back to their room.

Knock knock knock...

"It's me Zeroth."

A few seconds later, the door was opened and Jakka showed up behind it.

"Come in."

As I entered the room, I saw Murakkal and the others were sitting down with several slaves.

They were nine beastfolks, four elves, and two humans. They were wearing tattered clothes filled with some stains on it. And three of them were wearing mantle. I could guess they were naked when the party found them, so Murakkal, Jakka, and Garong gave their mantle to cover their body.

Mirage and I joined them sitting down on the floor as well. Then suddenly, Murakkal bowed toward us, followed by the others.

"Thank you very much." He said. "We really owe you. Please, if you have something to ask, we will gladly help you."

I felt really uncomfortable. I helped them because I wanted to, same goes with Mirage. We didn't want anything, so I tried to convince them.

"No, we just wanted to help you all. We don't want any rewards or anything."

"Exactly. We are glad that you are all successfully escape." Mirage added and smiled.

"Then, will you visit our kingdom?" Tutoll asked.

"We can visit your kingdom?" Mirage asked back.

I looked at her face, then I smiled as I scoffed lightly. It seemed I couldn't stop her curiosity of traveling to new places.

"Of course! King Feleon will surely be happy to welcome you two!" Tutoll exclaimed.

"Indeed. His Majesty always accepts anyone who helps us, Beastkin, in trouble." Kirk added.

Mirage looked at me with sparkling eyes full of curiosity. I sighed as she kept staring at me with her puppy eyes. Same with the other beastkin. So I had no choice but agreed.

"Fine. We will visit your Kingdom."

Once I said that, I could see a smile formed on Mirage's face. And not only her, the others were happy as well.

"But before we go, we need to take care about these guys first." I immediately gave a suggestion. "I mean...the Elves and Humans."

They had nowhere to go. Even if they went back to their hometown, they would get stereotyped. I knew very well the feeling of getting labeled as if I was a disgusting creature.

"Do you have a hometown you can comeback to?" I asked.

Instead of answering, they just looked down and kept silent. A few seconds later, they shook their head.

"Well, we can take care of the elves at least. But the two of them..." Jakka looked sad as he looked at the humans.

I folded my arms and thinking. Suddenly, an idea popped up.

"Excuse me for a moment."

I got up and went out the room. Then I called Hagwim.

Bzzzttt Bzzzttt Clack!

—Ahhh.. Zeroth laddie! What's up?

"I wanna ask you a favor."

—Oh... Sure...

"So, you know about the rescue, right?

—Yeah yeah. The beastkin?

"Yup. Thanks to you, we did it successfully."

—That's great to hear! So what's the problem?

"The problem is... They can't take the other races. And sadly, they have nowhere to go. So I want them to live in Dalgor."

—Umm... By other races... What are they?

"Four elves and two humans."

—...

He suddenly went silent. By that behavior, I could guess what happened.

'Seriously? Dwarf and Elf relations.h.i.+p is bad in this game as well, huh? Or maybe the human?' I sighed.

"Sir Hagwim...? Are you there?"

—Y-yes, my Lord... I'm still here.

"Listen. They've been through a lot as a slave. They have physical and mental scars. So, please treat them well okay."

—Y-yes, my Liege... I will...definitely treat them well. But... The condition of the residential area for now is still...far from being fixed...

"We can use the rooms within the castle, right?"

—Ummm... Yes... Right, of course... Ehehehe...

"Good. I will send them there tomorrow. And please stop calling me that way."

—I'm sorry, laddie. I'll be...waiting for their arrival...

Once I hung up, I went back inside the room.

I told them that I had a place for them to live. And so, they looked happy.

Then we bought them some clothes to change from the innkeeper while renting more rooms.

Once the slaves were all wearing new clothes, Jakka collected the tattered ones and rushed outside. We watched him by the windowsill that he set the clothes on fire inside a small alleyway in front of the inn. Murakkal and the other facepalmed to his behavior. Meanwhile the slaves were laughing.

Seeing the joy at the moment, Murakkal's party smiled toward the slaves good mood. Thus, we ended the night with warm atmosphere.

The next day, I told Murakkal's party to wait for us at the western gate. I lied to them that I would find a wagon for the slaves to go to the east.

I led the four elves and two humans to a quiet alleway where no one pa.s.sed by.

They began to look concerned. But soon after, they were surprised when they saw me created a portal on the wall.

"W-what is that!?" The human male asked in shock.

"I-it's a portal!" Answered one of the male elves.

"Yeah. It's a portal to underground city named Dalgor." I explained. "You will meet some dwarven undead there. But don't worry, they are my acquaintances. They will treat you well."

The humans looked excited, while the elves seemed anxious as they glanced at each other. So I took something out from my bag to rea.s.sure their safety.

"Here." I stretched my hand toward them. "You can use these escape scrolls to Eldan if you dislike the place. It is the safest place I can think of other than the dwarven city."

The elves became confused and they glanced at each other again. But then they began to smile and nodded.

"We trust you. We will go to Dalgor without the scrolls."

I was glad they finally trust me. So I smiled toward them.

"I will visit later and see how you're all doing."

"Thank you very much!"

They bowed and stepped through the portal one by one.

・・・

"It can't be helped. We need to be fully prepared before we go." Nel'Thas said. "Make sure to stay vigilant. Nightalons might be watching somewhere."

A town next to the Capital City of Alkronia. Though the town had a population over ten thousand people, it seemed lacking in security. Still, the streets were peaceful. Even if they were crowded with people and players.

While they were walking, they heard the citizens chattering about Ghaldaran betrayed them because they thought Alkronia was the one creating the Dark Army.

"Those Ghaldarian b.a.s.t.a.r.ds had brought a war upon us." A grumpy old man ranted.

"Yeah. It's ridiculous. They even accuse us creating the Dark Army." A middle aged man agreed.

"We know very well how kind the Empress is toward her people, toward us. Her Highness wouldn't and won't do such thing to unite Heallance." Said another old man.

"Well, but we don't know what the n.o.blemen are doing secretly." Said a young man boldly.

"Ssshh... Keep your voice down." The middle aged man shushed him.

"Your son is right though. I heard that Baron Damian betrayed our country and already been executed. Perhaps, there is still a traitor within the n.o.bles." One of the old men agreed.

They were all sighed.

"This country is doomed."

Surprised, the three thought human would fall if there was no help from other kins. They looked around but they didn't see any other races except human. They didn't even see a guard patrolling. The only guards they saw were stationed on the gates.

"Now that they mentioned it, the security is lacking here and there. And I don't see any other races as well." Vallas said.

"Right. The situation seems pretty dire." Nel'Thas agreed.

"I have a bad feeling about this..." Ylvaark sighed.

"s.h.i.+t!" Suddenly, Nel'Thas cursed.

"What?" The two immediately turned their head toward him.

"Nightalons." Nel'Thas answered. "I can feel several of them behind us."

"Those guys never give up, huh? " Vallas let out a deep sigh.

"They won't show up unless we are separated, or let our guard down." (Nel'Thas)

"Let's split and beat them up." (Vallas)

"Good idea..." (Ylvaark)

Nel'Thas sighed as there was no other choices. "Alright then."

They nodded at each other and walked part ways.

Leisurely, Vallas went inside narrow alleyway. As he saw the one who followed him, he bolted away. He kept running within narrow s.p.a.ce while the nightalon's a.s.sa.s.sin was right behind him. As he was closer to 3-way intersection, he jumped toward the wall and walked up. After he went up about two meters, he kicked the wall, jumped backward and landed behind the a.s.sa.s.sin. Then he threw a punch at the a.s.sa.s.sin. However, the man turned whilst swinging his dagger behind him.

Swoos.h.!.+

It didn't hit.

Vallas was ducking and immediately hit him right on the chest.

Pow!

"Guaaarrrghh!!"

The a.s.sa.s.sin flew and hit the stone wall. Then he dropped on the ground like a ragdoll. However, three more a.s.sa.s.sins came from each narrow alleyways.

Vallas smiled and stayed still, waiting for them to come.

The right one leaped first and thrust his dagger. Vallas spun once whilst parrying the attack by hitting lightly the back of the a.s.sa.s.sin's hand. As he pa.s.sed Vallas, the second one from the front came.

The second a.s.sa.s.sin swung his dagger downward, but Vallas evaded it by leaning his body to the left. Alas, the third a.s.sa.s.sin who was on the left was right behind him, thrusting his dagger toward his back.

STAB!

The third a.s.sa.s.sin's eyes widened. His dagger penetrated his friend's side instead. Since the dagger covered by paralysis poison, the second a.s.sa.s.sin fell on the ground. The two a.s.sa.s.sins turned their head around, looking for Vallas. And they found him standing in one of the alleyway, taunting them to come while smiling.

The two a.s.sa.s.sins rushed toward him and swung their dagger consecutively. Their hands were flexible and their aim was precise. Regardless, Vallas evaded them easily while dancing with them within the narrow pa.s.sage.

One swung low and the other swung high horizontally. Vallas evaded them by doing a little duck jump, and the daggers were pa.s.sing below and above him. Then he did a spinning low kick as he landed. The a.s.sa.s.sins saw the attack and jumped. However, once they landed, Vallas jumped and hit the two lightly on their guts as he stretched his arm and leg while still in the air. The two were knocked back and hit the wall, but then they began to attack Vallas again at the same time.

As they thrust their daggers, he flipped backwards to get away. Vallas stopped as he took some distance.

"Ah this is boring. Is that all you got?"

The two a.s.sa.s.sins got mad. So they pulled more daggers from their clothes, and then they were throwing them rapidly.

Swoosh swoosh swoosh

Swoosh swoosh swoosh

Multiple daggers were flying toward Vallas, however...

Ping ping ping ping ping!

He parried the daggers with his gauntlets and they were ricocheted. Some pierced the wall, and some even penetrated the a.s.sa.s.sins on the ground.

Once they were out of daggers, they looked at Vallas with eyes wide open.

"Are you two done?" Vallas smirked. "Playing with knife is dangerous, you know. You two need some spanking."

He leaped toward them and punched each one of them in the guts with both of his fists. He was really fast, the a.s.sa.s.sins couldn't even react. Thus, they flew five meters up. After a few seconds in the air, they fell down onto the ground.

It was then, one a.s.sa.s.sin who was hiding the whole time showed up behind Vallas. He thrust his dagger and back stabbed him.

STAB!

"Sneak attack, huh? Pfff..." Vallas scoffed.

Feeling insulted, the a.s.sa.s.sin pulled his dagger and stabbed him again.

STAB!

It was then he realized, that his dagger couldn't even penetrate Vallas. So he stabbed him again multiple times, even on the unprotected skin. Nonetheless, his dagger didn't leave a single scratch.

The a.s.sa.s.sin stepped back in shock as he dropped his dagger. When he turned around and was about to retreat, Vallas who supposed to be behind was now in front of him. Then he uppercut the a.s.sa.s.sin.

Bam!

Once Vallas made sure they were all down, he immediately went to see how Ylvaark and Nel'Thas were doing. But of course, they made it alive without sweat as well.

"You guys alright?" Vallas asked.

"Not a sweat." Nel'Thas answered.

"It seems years inside the arena really paid off my battle experience." Ylvaark smiled proudly. "Even if Nel'Thas put most of them sleep with a single spell. Ahemm..."

Hearing that, Vallas scoffed at him and smiled.

"Seriously. During this dire moment, these guys still tried to a.s.sa.s.sinate us." Vallas sighed.

"It is strange indeed. It cannot be a coincidence." Nel'Thas put his hand on his chin.

"You said you stumbled upon their business, right?" Ylvaark folded his arms on his chest. "What was it?"

"They performed some rituals." He knitted his eyebrows. "Now that I think about it. Perhaps, it is possible that they are serving... 'him'."

"Well d.a.m.n..." Ylvaark cursed.

"Anyway, we have to find reinforcement as soon as possible." Vallas gave a suggestion.

"You're right." Nel'Thas agreed. "We cannot let Human fall."

"We probably can't count on Beastkin and Fishmen." (Vallas)

"Yeah. They definitely won't help us." (Ylvaark)

"Why? How did you know?" (Nel'Thas)

Vallas and Ylvaark looked at each other as Nel'Thas asked. They knew the very reason why beastkin and fishmen didn't want to help.

"We just...know." (Vallas and Ylvaark)

"I see..." (Nel'Thas)

"Anyway, I plan to see my old man. I hope he can help us again." (Vallas)

"Well, let's go then." (Ylvaark)

Vallas turned and walked away, Ylvaark followed. Nel'Thas, however, didn't move an inch. The two noticed and turned around.

"Nel'Thas... What are you doing? Let's go." Vallas asked.

"I'm not going." Nel'Thas answered. "I'll go somewhere else."

The two looked at each other, confused at what Nel'Thas meant.

"What? Where?" Vallas asked.

"The Forest."

Hearing the answer, Vallas eyes widened. Then he looked serious and concerned.

"Are you sure? Do you think they'll help you?"

Nel'Thas was silent for a moment as if he was hesitant. But then he a.s.sured it would be going well.

"I will try to convince them."

Vallas took a deep breath.

"Alright, then. We'll regroup in the battlefield as soon as possible."