The townspeople cheered. Children watched with amazement as the chained up bandits dragged themselves across the town. Dall, accompanied by Joseph, Simon, and the other Garrison soldiers, led them to the Jail.
“Praise Lupin’s land!” someone cheered. More people began chanting it, and by the time they knew it, it felt like a spontaneous festival. Flowers were being thrown left and right.
Dall nodded with an awkward smile. “Has Fora always been this big?” he asked Joseph.
“Nothing’s different Dall,” Joseph snickered. “And why’re you so grumpy?” he said, turning to Simon.
“Again… You guys fight off another threat…” Simon sulked.
Joseph rolled his eyes. “Why don’t you stop complaining and do something about it already?”
Simon shook his head then slapped his cheeks. “Aagh, you’re right.” He pumped his fist. “Y’know what, lemme at these bastards’ hideout. I’ll mess ‘em up good.” A couple of the bandits eyed Simon worriedly. The way that Bantor glared at Simon especially caught Dall’s eyes. The glare wasn’t one of hatred. It was something more - something sadder.
“Looking forward to it then,” Dall said.
Once they had arrived at the Jail, Dall approached Sion. With a simple nod, he placed his hands on the floor and a larger stairway than before was created before them. With the bandits in tow, Dall led them down towards the Cell Chamber. He stepped out into the open area, and the inmates all glared at him.
Avice stood still in her cell, her arms crossed and her brows furrowed.
His gaze locked with hers, and she narrowed her eyes. She pointed at her mouth and lipped, “Let’s talk.”
What does she want?
Once everyone was in the room, one of the inmates yelled loudly, “Hey look it’s Bantor!” The bandits in line looked at each other nervously, while the prisoners started whistling and jeering. “What happened, Bantor?! What’d you do?”
The young boy stayed quiet and kept his eyes on the ground.
Dall looked to Sion and said, “If I remember from Father’s plans, this Jail should have Lower Areas too. Can you open it up?”
“Lower Areas?” Simon asked.
Sion pondered for a moment, then nodded and put his hands against the ground.
With a subtle rumble and a flash of green, the dirt morphed and sunk lower.
Another set of stairs appeared in front of them in the center of the chamber. They wordlessly continued downward, their footsteps filling the silence.
Some of the bandits started whispering to each other. The Garrison soldiers threatened them with their blades and told them to shut up.
Dall breathed in and out slowly, resting his heartbeat.
I think a little more Bloodlust should keep them in check.
Just like before on the bridge, he loosened his grip, and his mind blanked.
Their heartbeats, their sweat, their shivering bodies… he could feel them all. And then he tightened his fist. The bandits collectively gasped and began freaking out.
“Ah, oops,” Dall apologized. Released too much. “But I guess all of them felt it this time,” he said.
But Bantor still kept his head down.
He took it and he's still quiet… this kid’s special.
They came upon another, larger chamber.
Dall held his breath at the sheer size of the room. It was at least three times bigger than the one above. The cells were smaller and much more compact, and there were approximately one hundred lining the bricked walls. The ground was solid stone, and the only light source was an extremely bright rock hanging from the concave ceiling.
“What is this place?” Joseph asked.
“I’ve never seen it myself,” Dall said. “But I’ve heard Father has used up the sixth floor back in the Capital," he said, turning to the soldiers behind him. "How could you guys’ve not needed this before?”
“No reason to when the first level was enough…” Joseph said listlessly.
“It doesn’t matter. Let’s get ‘em in the cells,” Simon said.
Joseph agreed and ordered his soldiers to fill them up as quickly as possible. Surin was the first one on the left, and then one by one they filed into their cells. The bandits all entered begrudgingly, but some of them were calm and composed. One even smiled.
A soldier held Bantor by his hands and was about to throw him in his cell when Dall interjected and said, “No, let’s take him up.” The soldier stared at him. “He’s their leader. If he’s down here with the others, then something might go wrong.” Bantor looked at Dall with wide eyes.
Dall knew that what he’d said wasn’t one hundred percent true.
He’d seen the influence of the one who first charged him - the man named Surin.
As of the moment, he was still knocked out. But his ability to rally his comrades to his side and attack Dall in a group was commendable. To be able to drive your allies to follow you in that drastic of a situation was impressive. However, Surin merely led them. He had no strategy. And he failed at recognizing something that Dall found extremely important:
Bloodlust.
Bloodlust was a skill he’d learned from his father, and a skill he was forced to master in the midst of war. And Dall knew that Bantor, a seemingly normal, fifteen-year-old kid, had felt it. He ordered his men to stay behind and watch out. He was smart.
Not smart enough to know not to raid a town in midday, though.
Leaving behind the soldiers to ensure that everything was set, Dall nodded and turned around. “Follow me,” he said.
The two of them walked up the stairs and entered the First Chamber.
Avice watched as Dall pulled along a young kid.
She figured him to be a pretty big deal because her fellow inmates were all jeering and laughing at him. They called him ‘trash’ and someone that ‘deserves to die’.
A horrible sensation gnawed at her gut. Her fists instinctively clenched.
I wanna beat them up.
It was a feeling she knew all too well. So she couldn’t help but feel empathy for this kid.
No one should be talked to like that.
“Alright, just get in here,” Dall said as he softly pushed the kid’s back into the cell to her left.
“I messed up,” the kid murmured. “Our tribe’s done for. We’re going to be eaten up by the others...”
“So all the reports were correct, then,” Dall said. “The Bandits across the Empire have united.” The room went quiet. Her heart drummed in her chest. “I’ll take your silence as confirmation.”
“What’ll you do with us?”
“Interrogate all of you, find your base of operations, and shut it down,” Dall said coldly.
“Dammit. Dammit…” the kid growled.
Dall looked down at him softly. He got closer and whispered, “You’re special, though, Bantor. You have talent.”
Bantor grit his teeth.
“I can personally take you to Central. I’m sure the Guard’s Captain Roland would be happy to have someone as strong as you under his wing.”
Bantor was quiet.
“It’s an offer. Just think about it,” Dall said as he backed away.
He sighed and put his hands on his hips. He glanced over at Avice and she nodded. “So what happened up there?” she asked. “Got something to do with him?” She indicated towards Bantor’s cell.
“It was a bandit raid,” he said. “Thankfully, no casualties, and we’ve captured all of the bandits.” He raised an eyebrow. “Why do you want to know?”
“Just curious,” she said. She got closer to him and pressed herself against the iron bars. She lifted her finger and asked him to get closer. Dall did so, and they were directly in front of each other. “I am going to help you,” she said. “These guys are planning an escape.”
“An escape…?” Dall whispered. He paused for a moment. He eyed the other prisoners, and all of them were glaring in their direction. Especially the one to his left. If this man was released right now, he’d tear through Avice’s cell and kill her. “You realize you telling me like this paints a target on your back, right?”
“The second I don’t have a target on my back will be when I’m dead,” she said casually. “Something’s going to happen in the town. Make sure everything’s all good up there, okay?”
Dall narrowed his eyes. “I will,” he said slowly. She looked up at him and smiled. “Mind telling me why you’re doing this?”
“Like I’ve said. I want out,” she said. “I want to get out of this cell and walk around. I need to know… I need to know where I am before I figure out what to do. And helping you should clear my name at least a little bit.”
He stared into her eyes, and she stared back.
His emerald green eyes were strong and unwavering. She’d never met anyone who’s looked at her so seriously before.
Despite their mere two times of speaking, she knew he was different.
The way he spoke with her was so… equal.
He didn’t talk down on her, he didn’t berate her, he didn’t shout at her.
It was all so different than how it normally was.
I like this a lot more than how those bastards back home treat me…
She wanted to believe that this man was being completely serious and looked at her as a normal person. That he was being nice.
But things are always too good to be true.
As much as she wanted it to be, he was most likely using her as well. There wasn't a single person that had treated her so kindly that had done so just for the sake of it. There was always something more - and there was always something that could hurt her.
But it didn’t matter. If he tried to stab her in the back after she helped him, she’d be out of town before any harm could get to her.
“What happened? For you to be here?” Dall asked.
She sighed but answered his question nonetheless. Omitting the fact that she’s from another world, she started off telling him about the three guys in the cave, and how she got branded. Then about how they got big white wolves to track her down and kill her. And then finally how she tried to sneak into the city and accidentally attacked it’s de facto leader.
She was completely honest.
She had to be.
But after recounting her entire story, Dall’s face was pale. Now that she thought about it, the other inmates were all quiet and watching her. The ones that she could see slit their throats with their fingers and pointed at her.
I-It’s okay. I’ll just dodge them as usual and get to safety when the time comes.
“Eldred soldiers in a cave in the Demon Forest…? White Wolf in chains…?” She saw the thoughts in his head come together. He grasped the bars and said seriously, “How do I know you’re not lying?”
“You don’t,” she said truthfully. “That’s why I’ll prove myself to you.”
Dall smiled, and her breath was taken away. “Understood, then, Ava. I’ll be waiting for the opportunity then.” He turned around and put a finger to his chin. “Eldreds and Despairities so close to each other. What does this mean?”
Then the ground violently shook. The fountain bell rang again.
A young child dashed down the Jail’s stairway and ran up to Dall. “Julian?”
“Dall!” Julian’s face dripped with sweat, his cheeks flushed. “M-Monsters!”
They ran back up the stairs, Joseph, Simon, and the Garrison soldiers following behind him. The townspeople fled to the Shelter beneath the Lupin Fountain. “Where are they coming from, Julian?!”
“I-I saw them from the wall. From the South. Dad told me to get all of you to the south wall,” Julian said, breathing heavily.
The soldiers sprinted across the town towards their destination, the ground still rumbling beneath their feet. How many are there? They ran up to the wall and looked out over the hills. When they saw what was coming, they all gasped. Joseph stood towards the front and unsheathed his blade.
“That’s the Nucen Kingdom over there,” he said. “Where did these monsters come from?”
Marching over the horizon in a mess of blackened and discolored flesh surrounded by an oozing, malicious mist was a group of grotesque, unworldly monsters. Some of them included three-legged, one-eyed hairy beasts, towering, terrifying skulls with black tendrils swinging beneath their hovering heads, and a looming, jet black bird with a huge skull for its face hovering over them.
“Oarsors, Culvara, a Skulrid…” Simon whispered. He chuckled and cackled boisterously. He raised his sword and bellowed, “Finally a fight!” he turned around and smiled widely. To his surprise, the soldiers were stock still, all drained of color. “Come on, now! You’re soldiers for Lupin Greatsword!” Simon yelled. They turned their attention to him. “If we don’t take these things on now, everyone’s dead,” he said. “And besides, we can’t let Dall take all the glory! Where’s your pride?! You aren’t gonna let a single man upstage every soldier here are you?!”
With a powerful battle cry, the soldiers raised their weapons. Simon jumped down from the wall first, and everyone else followed afterward.
Dall thought to sit back and wait, silently laughing to himself about Simon’s speech. Once he sat down, he threw his legs over the wall. Garnell slowly approached and stood next to him. "Your soldiers seem more adept at fighting monsters than humans, Garnell," Dall said.
He nodded. "That's what they're here for in the first place, Sir," he said. "Humans aren't meant to fight one another. We must be united if we are to survive in this world after all."
"Shame that other people can't get that through their heads," Dall said. The soldiers out in the field slaughtered the beasts one by one, black ooze pouring out of their corpses. Simon dashed around with his Warhammer, happily crushing the skulls of whatever came his way. Joseph carefully raised his kill count, his sword dancing around his enemies. "Those guys are really amazing," Dall said with a smile.
"I wouldn't expect any less than those close to you, Sir," Garnell said.
"Thanks," Dall replied. He turned his eyes back to the monsters.
Saul too was out there on the battlefield. The way he moved was stiff and slow, but he still performed well against his ghastly foes. Compared to their much deadlier comparison, the monsters prowling through the world were only dangerous in numbers. A trained soldier could easily take three monsters on by themselves.
"I'm proud of him," Garnell said. "If only his mother were here to see how he's grown."
"I'm sure he'll be able to complete his journey to Central and pass the Knighthood test," Dall said.
"Indeed," Garnell replied. He sat down next to Dall. "Tell me, Sir. What do you think of the girl in the Jail?"
"Ava?" Dall said. "I think she's... interesting. There's something about her that I can't put my finger on. The way she speaks and the way she holds herself in her situation... I think it's really-"
"Sir," Garnell interrupted. "Surely you must be joking."
Dall tilted his head. "What do you mean?"
"That girl's name. It surely mustn't be Ava," Garnell said. "She would have been stoned at birth for carrying a name such as that."
"What're you talking abou-"
A chill ran up Dall's spine. Garnell felt it as well because he shot up with his fists ready. They looked at each other and looked out around the horizon.
"There are more..." Dall whispered. "More monsters."
The fountain bell chimed again.
The soldiers were finishing up their fight with the monsters, and they were about to cheer for their victory when Garnell yelled loudly, "Head to the North! Another wave of monsters is coming!"
With confused and worried glances, the soldiers filed in line and ran through the town toward their new threat. Dall followed after them, cold sweat dripping down his back.
He couldn’t shake the feeling that the North wouldn’t be the last place they would appear.
And he was correct.
He inhaled through his gritted teeth. His chest rose and fell rapidly, and sweat poured over his eyes. The stench of blood filled his nose. The thick and black liquid trickled down his chipped blade. He stood straight and gazed at the mountain of monster corpses around him. All of them with discolored coats of fur, gnarly teeth, and nasty, deep black eyes.
He looked up at the orange sky.
“W-We did it!” A soldier nearby cheered.
Dall wasn’t the only one with an insane amount of bodies around him. The other Garrison soldiers staggered over the piles of monsters sizzling on the ground.
Simon had more corpses around him than the others.
He posed triumphantly on top of all of them with a broad and large smile.
Joseph stepped over a particularly larger beast, his once shiny armor drenched in blood. “Everyone return to the town,” he ordered them. “Spread out on the walls. Keep watch for any more incoming monsters.”
Ever since the first attack around noon, monsters came from all around the town, all prowling with the desire to feast. Wave after wave they came, coming from different directions. Their attacks were constant and felt as if they’d keep coming until they’d die. The monsters, despite the Garrison’s best efforts, had reached the city once, and nearly broken down its sturdy wall.
“What’re we going to do…?” a soldier quivered, asking another. “Bandits and monsters in the same day? That’s-that’s too much.”
“Should we call for a Knightblade to investigate?”
“Or maybe even Lord Greatsword? If this happens again tomorrow, we’d be done for.”
Dall clenched his fists. Despite their roles as soldiers, he knew they weren’t up to the task fighting against hordes of monsters on their own.
They were right to worry.
Dall himself couldn’t believe the number of monsters that had come to attack. He’d seen worse things, and the number of beasts here didn’t come close to the amount he’s fought before, but it was still strange.
Fora was a measly town sitting in the Southern third of the Empire. It served as a sort of “buffer city” between the Eldred and Greatsword Districts, the former to its west, and the latter to the east. To the south lied the safe trenches of the Nucen Kingdom as well. It could very well be called the Empire’s safest town.
So for it to be placed under such heavy fire… Something wasn’t right.
He followed behind the other soldiers into the town, his heart swirling with anxiety.
If what Ava suggests is true… then I’m afraid we can’t rest for tonight either.
He made his decision. Once they were in the town, he’d speak with Garnell.
Everything needed to be secured, else everyone here perishes.
