The sight of dilapidated buildings and the rotting smell of burning bodies filled the air as we approached the center of the village. This was a complete and utter disaster. People were dying and now there was going to be some kind of “selection” that I had no idea what was for.

 

The only thought that was on my mind was slaughtering them. The Midnight Raiders didn’t deserve to live; not after all of the heinous things they’ve done and continue to do. 

 

The carriage finally stops when we approach the center, where all of the villagers that were still alive, including the adventurers and the guild workers, were all sitting down on their knees as if they were bowing down to a greater power. I couldn’t bear to see the sight. 

 

There were a lot of people, but I noticed Bella and Leif among the crowd. Even they completely submitted, knowing that there wasn’t much that they could do about the situation. God, help us.

 

The pathway that was leading to the entrance of the village was completely blocked by a large carriage and raiders and their horses. The number of them that weren’t slaughtered by Corrina Village were all standing with their horses, their curved swords on their backs. They looked just like I remember. All were wearing bandanas that covered their faces and they all wore leather clothing and armor. 

 

All of the villagers look back at me and the captain as we join them, getting down on our knees. I saw many giving me weird looks, as if they were terrified of me, but I don’t even know if that was the case anymore. No one said a word. We were all on our knees. Completely still. Waiting. 

 

At last, someone steps out of the carriage before all of us, which was pulled by two horses whose coats were a shade of onyx black.

 

My eyes widened when I saw the figure walking towards the crowd of people. Was this the one the captain was talking about? The high-ranking member he mentioned? The same individual who possessed one of the Six Sacred Weapons?

 

I didn’t want to believe that this person was one of them. And the main reason for that was because the person that was looking us over was a woman. 

 

That’s right; a woman. How could this be so? I thought that the Midnight Raiders were only men, considering the fact that they constantly kidnapped women to sell into slaves. So, then, why would a woman ever be one of them? This didn’t make any sense.

 

She wore a bandana around her mouth like the rest of them, and her skin was the same shade of tan as the other raiders. She possessed a rather slim physique, although her breasts were fairly large, and it looked as if her muscles were extremely well-toned at the same time. This woman was also rather voluptuous around the waist. She was definitely beautiful, to say the least.

 

She had long silver hair that went down well past her shoulders. It looked silky and soft. The way that she dressed was way different than the other raiders as well. She wore no leather; she wore a dress made of silk. Silk was a rather expensive material, and this dress was many different colors: Blue, yellow, green, all of that. It was as if she was trying to show off to everyone. Her eyes were of an emerald green, and I could feel her piercing gaze as she looked out among the crowd.  The dress definitely made her look like she was some kind of royal princess or something. She hasn’t said but one word, but I already felt completely powerless.

 

Without warning, the woman quickly snaps her finger gently, and two tall raiders join her by her side. They answer to her? Well, in that case, there was no doubt about it– this woman was in fact the high-ranking individual.

 

“Captain, this man is the very last individual left in the village, correct? Everyone is here now?” the woman asks as she points directly at me.

 

The captain, who was kneeling right beside me, raises his head and answers: “Yes, ma’am. This is the very last one.” 

 

I couldn’t tell what the woman was thinking due to her mouth being covered, but I could tell that she was satisfied upon hearing this.

 

“Very good, captain. Now that everyone is here, we can now begin the selection process.” the woman continues.

 

“Gentlemen, would you be so kind as to help me?” the woman asks. 

 

The two raiders beside her nod together. “Of course, my lady!” 

 

The two raiders approached the crowd and grabbed one woman each and then stood back beside their leader.

 

“Now, here is how the selection is going to work,” the woman began. “Those of you who we deem worthy of being slaves, particularly the women, will be coming with us. Unfortunately, those that we deem unworthy…” 

 

She didn’t finish her sentence. We all knew what that meant. There were audible gasps among the villagers, and I could even start to hear some starting to cry. 

 

“Silence!” the woman roars. “If anyone does anything, if anyone says anything… this will go much, much worse than it has to be. Now then, let us begin."

 

The woman ordered the raiders to strip down the two women completely. The raiders did so. I couldn’t see their faces, but I could tell by their eyes alone that they were completely filled with lust. The women were starting to cry as the woman began examining every nook and cranny of their bodies. 

 

“Hmm… excellent skin, very decent breasts on both of them. You know what? You two are lucky. You’ll make excellent slaves and will certainly fetch a high price. Men, take them to the prisoner carriage!” 

 

The men nod and take the women, who were struggling hard. Their screams filled throughout the air, and it struck fear in the hearts of everyone who was sitting in the crowd. 

 

The woman snaps her fingers again, motioning for the men to grab two more women from the crowd. What the hell was she going to do to the men after he was done with all the women? Was she going to have us all slaughtered? Fuck! I can’t just sit here and watch this; I have to do something! 

 

But why the hell can’t I move? Why am I so fucking scared right now?

 

“This one is fine,” the woman smiles, “but this one is much too old. Kill her.” 

 

One woman is taken to the carriage while the older woman’s throat is instantly cut by a raider. I could tell that the crowd was trying hard to hold in their screams, because they knew that if they did, things were going to be worse than they already were. 

 

The blood of the woman began to fill up on the cobblestone as the raider tossed her aside like a ragdoll near the many other bodies. Jesus Christ, this was more of a massacre than I thought. Exactly how many people died here while I was locked up in that cell? 

 

“Keep them coming. Bring up the next two.” the woman commands. 

 

Struggling screams are let out, and there’s no mistaking who it was. One of them was Madeline. She was struggling so hard that she dropped her staff onto the ground. She was no match for the strength of the raiders, though.

 

My eyes widened as I watched my ally desperately trying to fight back but to no avail. 

 

“This one's a fighter, my lady,” the raider smirks as he holds Madeline back.

 

“Hmm, and she’s fairly young too. I’m sure she’ll have some sort of value. Now, men, go on and strip both of them down!” the woman shouts.

 

“No!” I yell loudly as I stand up. 

 

“What the hell are you doing?!” the captain whispers to me, “You’re going to get us killed!” 

 

I didn’t care. I wasn’t going to let anything else happen, and I definitely wasn’t going to let them do this to someone that I cared about.

 

The woman puts her hand out, signaling the men to stop their actions. Her eyes were focused on me now, and she was staring daggers.

 

“You dare interrupt the selection process? Didn’t I tell you that things were going to get worse if anyone said or did anything?”

 

Everyone’s eyes were on me now. My initial plan was to fight, but that’s completely off the table right now. I have to think of something else. Come on, what can I do to save these people? Wait, I think I know…

 

“Hold on, there is no need to do that anymore!”

 

“Don’t worry my lady, I’ll shut this guy up for you!” one of the raiders says.

 

The woman raises her hand. “No, stand down. You, there. You were the prisoner they told us about, yes?” 

 

 “Yeah, that’s right. What’s it to you?” I say venomously.

 

“Oh, nothing at all. I’m more interested in what you just told me. What do you mean that there is no need to do this anymore?” 

 

I clench my fists and stare directly into her eyes. 

 

“What if I told you that I could offer you much more than just slaves and this village's valuables? The Midnight Raiders will become much more powerful if you hear me out.” 

 

I notice the woman’s eyebrow raise. She was definitely intrigued by my words. She probably never expected me to say something like this, and honestly, neither did I. But this is the only way. I have to make some sort of deal, even if it’ll cost me everything.

 

“And what exactly are you offering?” the woman asks.

 

“I’m offering myself.”  I answer.

 

The crowd looks at each other and I notice Leif and Bella exchanging surprised looks. They all probably thought I was insane, and I guess I was. I can’t believe I’m actually doing this right now. 

 

The woman chuckles softly. “You offer yourself? Why is that? You believe you have more value than anyone or anything here?" 

 

“Yeah, that’s right; I do think that. I think that we can come to a deal here, if you’re willing to listen to my terms.” 

 

“Go on. I’m listening.” 

 

“So, I was told that one of you possesses one of the Six Sacred Weapons. Am I correct?” 

 

The woman nods. “Yes, that is correct. And you are looking right at her.” 

 

Just as I thought.

 

“Well, how would you feel about having a second wielder join your ranks?” I ask.

 

“Hm? Are you saying that you’re a wielder of a Sacred Weapon? Are you offering your allegiance to us?” the woman replies.

 

“Yes, that is exactly what I’m offering here, ma’am.” 

 

“Before anything, I have to be sure that you are not lying. Please, draw your Sacred Weapon and present it to us all. Then I will know that you are serious about this.” 

 

I nod as I hold out my arm. Whoever didn’t know I was a wielder was going to know now. But I didn’t care anymore. 

 

After about three seconds, the blood-red sword appears in my hand. After showing it off, I stick my arm out once more, and it disappears. 

 

The woman’s eyes widened in surprise. “Oh, my– the Sacred Sword…” 

 

“So, what do you think?” I say, “I think this is enough for you to let me join you. I’ll be of good use to you.” 

 

“Steven, are you crazy?! What are you saying?!” Bella blurts out.

 

“Silence!” the woman snaps. “So, your name is Steven, is it? I must say, you are quite an interesting man. So, tell me, if you were to join us, what would you want in return?”

 

“That’s simple. In exchange for myself and the power of the Sacred Sword, the Midnight Raiders must never return to this village ever again, and you must never harm anyone who is sitting in this crowd ever again. That includes all the villagers, all the adventurers that are sitting before you.”

 

The woman shifts her gaze upon the crowd and then back onto me. She was contemplating my offer. I’m praying to God that this works.

 

“Hm. Very well. I am a woman of my word, if you can believe it. I think we can come to that arrangement…” 

 

I sigh heavily with relief. Thank God. 

 

“Men, let those two go. And you, come forth.” she orders, pointing at me.

 

The two raiders let Madeline and the other woman go and I started walking forward. I turn to Madeline, who is completely speechless at my actions. 

 

I stop walking once I’m right in front of the woman. She gave off this alluring yet intimidating presence. She scared the shit out of me. I didn’t want to know what she was capable of doing. Not at all. 

 

“I will ask you this once. Are you absolutely sure you wish to make this deal? Because once you do, there is no going back. We will form a contract, and once you sign your name upon the parchment, it is official.” the woman says.

 

“Alright, so let me just ask you something. What’s the catch here?” I ask.

 

“Catch? Oh, there’s no catch. You just have to agree to a few of our terms. By signing the contract, thereby pledging your allegiance to the Midnight Raiders, you are agreeing to follow all orders that you are given. Loyalty is one of the most important things to us, and we will not tolerate insubordination.” 

 

“What happens if I refuse to follow your orders?”  I ask out of curiosity.

 

“Breaching the agreement will render the contract broken, and the consequences will be dire.” the woman states coldly.

 

“What would you do if I happened to break the contract? Kill me? Because I wouldn’t care about that.”

 

“Oh, no, we wouldn’t kill you. We’d come back here for sure if you were to break the contract, and the bloodshed would be much worse than what had transpired today.” 

 

I clench my teeth. Fuck. My hands were completely tied in this situation.

 

“So, then, what is it going to be, my dear? Will you agree to these terms and sign the contract that we will prepare? Or will you refuse the deal, and we will continue our selection as we were already doing?” 

 

Two options to choose from. No matter what I pick, it wasn’t going to end well either way. If I refused, then Madeline, Bella, others– would be selected and sold off as slaves. But if I agreed to their terms, that meant I had to do everything they said. Even if it meant… fuck, I don’t even want to think about what they’d make me do.

 

I pause for a few seconds, contemplating my current choices. 

 

The woman crosses her arms. “I need an answer. Right now.”

 

I had to keep them all safe, no matter what. Even if it meant I had to join them. It was the only thing I could do. I can’t fight her. Not like this. Not when I realize what the situation is like right now. I’m still too weak to do anything. That’s why…

 

“Okay. You have a deal. I will agree to your terms, ma’am.” 

 

“Excellent. Someone, bring me a parchment.” the woman says.

 

One of the raiders returns with a quill, some ink, and a parchment. There were no words on the parchment, but I guess there was no need for it. We’d already discussed everything.

 

“Your signature on this parchment will make your place in our ranks official and solidify the deal.” she tells me as she hands me the quill.

 

I’m reluctant to sign, but I had no choice. I already agreed to the terms. I take it and write my name on the parchment. 

 

“There. All done, Mr. Steven Bale,” the woman grins underneath her bandana as she ganders at my signature. “We must get going now. You will be riding with me tonight inside of the carriage. Men, prepare your horses and free those women we had just taken. We will be heading out soon.” 

 

“Hold on, where are we going?” I ask.

 

“Don’t worry about that right now,” the woman smirks. “Just come with me.” 

 

She turns to the crowd that was completely dumbfounded by what just happened. 

 

“You are all now guaranteed your safety; at least, unless this man here decides otherwise. Go on now, then. Clean up this mess and go live your wretched lives.” 

 

The woman firmly grasps me by my left arm and starts pulling me away toward the carriage. I look back as I see the faces of Madeline, Leif and Bella, all looking at me in disbelief. What else could I have done? If I had tried to fight, I would have caused even more deaths. 

 

I saved all of these people, but at what cost?