The fight itself was as anticlimactic as it could get.
Cale gazed at the bruised figures – bruised in both body and ego – on the floor. Choi Han and Ron threw them in a heap onto the floor, the broken limbs painfully connecting with other bodies and the wooden ground. Their swollen faces contorted in anguish and – probably – regret.
Ron and Vicross quickly tied them up and took their places near Cale, who did not move during the scuffle. He just watched with a stoic gaze like this was a common occurrence. In no time, four bundles of squirming bodies were placed in front of Cale.
"Want to talk now?", Cale asked.
One of the men, the presumed leader, spit on the floor in front of Cale. A sword guard connected with the back of his head with a painfully loud cracking sound. The man fell to the floor with a steaming Choi Han behind him.
Vicross moved in to see if he could save the man, but the cracked skull and all the other injuries killed the leader before he could beg for mercy.
Two of the three men became ghostly pale. Their wide eyes stared at the dead body of their leader. Choi Han's looming figure and uncaring disposition scared them.
Cale rested his arm on the side of his chair and supported his chin with his hand. A thoughtful look crossed his face. The leader was dead, which was unfortunate as they didn't get anywhere with the interrogation. However, here a small smile formed on his face, maybe not everything was lost just yet.
The two shivering men seemed useless, but that was just what Cale needed. He didn't want to know their whole backstory nor did Cale care about listening to their plights and plans. All he wanted to know was who was responsible for the planned assassination.
Cale had a suspicion.
A wide smile formed on his face, appearing menacing and devil-like to the tied-up would-be-assassins.
"You really don't want to talk?", his voice was soft, contrary to the sharp smile on his lips and the looming figures in the background. Choi Han, menacingly, lifted his sword out of its guard and let the handle click loudly. To the men, it sounded like a funeral march.
"We-"
"Shut up!", the third and calmest one snapped at his companion. The scared man snapped his jaw shut and gritted his teeth together in his haste. The three of them stayed quiet. One with anger but calmness, while the other two were scared out of their minds.
Cale could work with that.
Vicross and Ron, obviously, gathered the weak links as well and started to move the tied-up semi-leader of the group to a convenient closet. He just had the time to shout an astonished, "Wha-" before a cloth was stuffed in his mouth and he was unceremoniously shoved into the closet. The door closed with a soft click. It sometimes moved but nobody paid it any mind.
"Now there are only two small animals left.", Ron pointed out, more for the sake of the bound men, in case they couldn't count.
Cale didn't say anything as he continued staring at the two shivering men. He played the waiting game with them, waiting till they crack and then descending upon them like vultures.
It didn't take five minutes of oppressing silence till the one on the left broke first.
"Please, I don't know anything.", he whimpered.
Vicross moved into his line of sight. The white gloves adorning his hands glinted dangerously, although, Cale doubted the men noticed the gloves. Not when a really shiny mace dangled precariously between his fingers. Its spikes reflected the candlelight with precision and the smooth finish of the weapon gleamed like it has not been used even once. Cale knew better.
Ron didn't stay idle either and made himself busy with juggling some knives, making sure that each one is as sharp as possible. The older butler even merrily hummed along while examining his blade collection.
Cale didn't know that it was humanly possible to reach that shade of pale white, but he was impressed, nonetheless.
"I'll talk."
"Thank you. See it is much easier when we can talk like the civilized people that we all know we are. Violence is overrated.", Cale started the conversation. His gentle appearance tricked no one, except Raon, who quietly complained to his siblings about how his human is too nice.
"Who do you work for?" Cale went directly to the most important part for two reasons. One, he wanted it to be done as fast as possible, and two, he wanted to know if his suspicions were right.
"A bandit group hired our assassin's guild. We-" He was interrupted when a knife went flying, nicking his cheek and embedding itself into the wooden wall behind the man. A drop of blood hit his hands.
"We both know that this is far from the truth. How about you try again?", Cale pointed out.
The man looked at him like he was the devil. Cale, meanwhile, mentally complained about the uncooperativeness of the enemy. The ancient powers sharing his headspace didn't stay quiet either and loudly shared their ideas.
- Cale, set him on fire! They'll talk after that.
-Drowning him may also work.
- How about taking all of their belongings first? Make them despair and then set them on fire.
Cale sighed.
He was just glad that the super rock didn't start his "Are you trying to sacrifice yourself?"-spiel. With the expertise of a man already well-accustomed to their nonsense, Cale ignored them equally and went back to staring at the prisoners.
"We were hired-", once again, Cale watched as another knife made a similar mark on the man's other cheek, matching the previous one.
"Next time, I'll aim for the middle.", Ron promised with a smile.
"How about I share what I know about you and you will stop trying to lie, otherwise, I will not stop my subordinate from removing your nose."
The closet in the back shook frantically.
Choi Han cleaned up the place a bit to make the atmosphere a bit more friendly. The leader's body was lifted up and unceremoniously dropped behind a barrel.
Out of sight, out of mind.
"You are not assassins." was Cale's first point. The men didn't even have time to protest when Cale explained his reasoning.
"You have no skills in that area, actually you are an utter failure as assassins. Not to mention that the calluses on your hands speak about larger weapon experiences. Something like a sword and shield. Your bodies are trained in strength and not stealth. In short, you are probably soldiers, aren't you?", he asked even though he knew the answer.
The flabbergasted looks on the prisoners' faces confirmed Cale's guess.
"Now, who would send soldiers after a count? Another noble? Or-", he drawled the words, carefully glancing at their reactions, "-the emperor himself?"
"How dare you?!", the one on the right screamed.
Bingo.
"So, your dear rulers sent you, some knights or soldiers, to do the dirty job of assassins? That must be a bitter experience. However, why wouldn't he send his actual assassin squad after the count?", Cale mused loudly. It was fake, of course, as the reason why the assassins were busy was more than obvious.
"Hm, such busy times."
The soldier hung his head low, biting his lip in anger and helplessness. His companion wasn't far behind.
Choi Han made a noise when he realized what Cale was hinting at.
"They are hunting for the dark elves.", he gasped. His pure eyes narrowed in anger at the audacity of the Torten Empire. Not only did they declare them as theirs, they are actively searching for them.
Both soldiers looked at Choi Han with wide eyes.
"You know about our dark elves?", one asked while the other scoffed.
"They are our empire's resources and should return to our side." Just after he finished his words, a blade anchored itself into his right thigh. It sank deep with only the hilt being visible. The man screamed in pain, howling like he was getting killed, which wasn't far off from the truth.
"Your dark elves, huh?"
The man snarled at Ron's words.
"Yes! Ours!"
Ron looked at Cale, asking for permission. With a wave of his hand, Cale agreed. They had no use to him anymore and leaving them alive was never an option to begin with. The count was safer than expected if the emperor only sent out a group of this level in skill. All his competent resources were hunting the dark elves.
It annoyed Cale tremendously.
How dare the Torten Empire claim their Rowoon's citizens are theirs?
Cale calmed himself. This wasn't the time for escalation, at least, yet.
Ron nodded and dragged the two struggling men at the scruff of their necks out of the area to finish them off. Vicross did the same with one in the closet. Only Eruhaben, Choi Han, and Cale – as well as the kids – remained behind.
"Will this hinder us?", Choi Han asked, hesitantly.
"No. We just need to look out for them, now that we know that we aren't the only ones after them. However, they already left this country and went to Anqua. Will we will leave tomorrow morning."
They wasted enough time on this continent. The last few days only proved that Cale's previous assessment was spot on. Their continents and this one aren't compatible – yet at least – and would only cause more war if they ever met.
Ron and Vicross came back. The chef had noticeably removed his gloves, a fact that sent shivers down Cale's spine.
Only then did Cale realize that the kittens were there as well.
"What about the princess?", he asked. Ohn and Hong were tasked with looking after her so that she won't interrupt their mission.
Hong puffed up his head in pride.
"I knocked her out with some harmless poisons."
Ron praised the kitten while Cale just looked at the wall. Why was everyone so vicious? In the end, he patted Hong's head for a job well done.
They returned to the inn with the moon shining ominously above them. Cale trusted Ron to dispose of the assassins' bodies which ended the whole 'save the count'- operation.
The prone body of the princess scared Cale for a second until he saw her rhythmically moving chest. Still alive. That's good. They woke her up with another bucket of water, Vicross took great joy in her affronted expression.
Cale and the others shared the story, naturally leaving out the family-friendly interrogation at the end.
"The count is now aware of the dangers and will prepare accordingly. Our deal is done."
Lorelei gaped at them for a bit.
"How did you get in? No, you told me, but faking an invite is morally wrong!"
The deadpan expressions she received from the rest of the rooms startled her a bit.
"Does it matter? The count is safe and knows about it. Your job is done and you can leave.", Cale not so subtly dismissed her. They'll leave in the early morning. She needed to be gone before that.
"What will we do now?", Lorelei asked, curiously. This brought Cale to a halt. We? What we?
He gazed at her strangely.
"We-", he dramatically pointed at himself and his group, "-will leave tomorrow. What you will do is up to you. I'd advise you to leave the city. Even better would be leaving the country completely." With that, he ignored her and waved at Ron and Vicross to come over.
"Stock up on goods for travel. I don't know how long it will take us to get to them."
Both nodded. Luckily, the early morning wasn't far off and markets opened as soon as the first rays of the sun hit the roofs of the city. Ron went to rent a carriage, while Vicross prepared to buy food. Eruhaben left with them, no doubt creating more forged money for the group.
The ex-princess was visually more at ease now that the number of people got smaller.
"But what about me?", her voice was small, hesitant even.
It was Choi Han who answered her. The swordmaster carefully walked over with his typical stoic expression on his face.
"Don't you have anything you want to do? You are free now.", he pointed out, more softly than Cale would have expected. Lorelei just looked at him confused and lost.
"I was raised to be married off. That had always been my purpose in life. Now that I am a criminal, I don't know what to do. I am scared. Can't you take me with you? I promise that I won't get in your way.", she begged at the end.
Choi Han winced.
They really couldn't. The ex-princess is a liability, no even more that they know that Torten has sent a squad after the dark elves. They will undoubtedly meet somewhere in the future if the group is at least partially competent. They leave after getting their companions back as well and Lorelei would be left alone after that anyways.
"Is there really nothing you want to do? Don't you want to see the world?", he asked even softer than before.
His time in the forest was bleak, always imagining that this was not just the place he has to survive in but it was also the area where his grave will one day be. The concept of a whole different world being out there only graced his thoughts when he met the inhabitants of Harris Village. Suddenly, the dreary forest became bearable.
Meeting Cale and the rest opened up his eyes even further. They traveled through various countries, met many races, and engaged in conflicts while also finding friendships along the way. Their whole journey became so much more than just traveling.
Choi Han learned more than he could ever summarize and changed from a scared young boy to a hardened executor only to find his true self by embracing kindness as well as hope.
Lorelei is naïve in the way of how the world works. She grew up sheltered and wasn't prepared to face every facet of society. But this didn't mean that she was stupid. She needed time to learn. A journey would maybe help her.
(It was fifty-fifty, really.
Either she grows as a person and finds her place in the world or she gets eaten by something bigger and scarier.)
"Travel? But where?"
The thought of just leaving never really crossed her mind. Yet, when the young swordsman pointed this out, a desire formed inside her.
Cale chimed in from the side.
"There is an adventures guild in Velvet. You could join it and travel with a group." Lorelei hung her head, finally getting that traveling with Cale and the rest will never be an option.
"But what about my appearance? If you haven't noticed, I am currently a criminal.", she couldn't help but snark at Cale. The unimpressed stare from the disguised redhead made her grimace sheepishly.
"We have a few items that can help you disguise yourself."
It was quite painful for Cale to give away something without demanding anything in return. But there was simply no other way. He didn't want her anywhere near his group – or home continents – and just leaving her alone left a bad taste behind.
Eruhaben can create an amulet or ring that captures part of a disguise spell. Small changes like a different hair and eye color or a blurring effect may be all that she needed.
"Disguising items?", Lorelie muttered, thoughtful. Suddenly, her head snapped up.
"Who are you?", she asked that question once and got blinded by her own arrogance. This time, she looked closer. They dealt with the planned assassination of the count like it was a regular occurrence. This was the first red flag. The second one was how the group had a clear hierarchy with the most innocent and harmless one being the ultimate leader. This should have rung alarm bells a long time ago.
Cale gently lifted his hand and laid a finger on his lips.
I will tell no lies if you don't ask further.
His face was kind, yet an underlying threat remained. Lorelei decided to ask no more.
An hour later, Eruhaben returned alone. Cale informed him of the deal and the dragon got to work with a sigh. Lorelei stood by and watched with disbelief as the beautiful man in front of her cast magic that she never heard of and could also never have imagined. Golden light twirled around a plain iron ring while the man muttered words in a language she couldn't understand.
It hit her then that she was more lucky than skilled. Her face flamed red as she remembered her disrespectful demands and abrase manners. Yet they still helped her and honored the deal. Cale even helped her with hiding her identity. This was too much.
"Is there no way I can repay you?", Lorelei asked with trembling lips.
"Live freely and without regrets.", was all Cale demanded of her.
Not even forty minutes later, Lorelei bowed deeply in gratitude. A brown bag and cloak covered her frame while an unassuming iron ring glinted on her hand. Common brown hair and brown eyes peeked out beneath the hood of her cloak. She soon left for the adventures gild with a light skip in her steps.
Cale just hoped this was the last time they met.
Vicross and Ron returned just when the sun had been up for an hour or two with all of their provisions restocked and a carriage waited for them near the gates.
They left Velvet with high spirits, aiming for Anqua to finally meet the missing dark elves.
XXX
A few hours earlier.
Lorelei reached the guild after a calm walk through the city. In the beginning, she couldn't help but look over her shoulder all the time in search of some suspicious people watching her. Only when she met a pair of guards and they didn't react to her did she calm down.
This was her chance at a new life.
She will leave Princess Lorelei behind and only Reia will remain.
The heavy doors of the guild felt like a doorway into a new world. The streets outside were calm with almost nobody walking by, while the inside of the guild was the opposite. Many tables were filled with people having an early breakfast. Waitresses buzzed around with meals and drinks, while the counter with requests had a sizable crowd's attention.
Her steps became hesitant.
A waitress saw her and welcomed her with a beaming smile.
"Welcome to the Velvet Adventures Guild. Can I help you in any way or form?"
Reia quickly got overwhelmed and stuttered when she asked for breakfast. Cale had given her a small pouch with money to help her during the first few days when money would become tight.
The waitress led her to a sparsely occupied table. Only two men merrily drank beer even though it was still early. She ordered a small breakfast consisting of bread and soup, while she watched the crowd around her.
The chair next to her squeaked.
A man sat down and greeted her with a smile. She noticed his scruffy beard first and after he removed the cloak, Reia gazed at the strong muscles on his arms with a slight blush.
"Copper for your thoughts?", the man asked, teasingly.
"Just that?", she asked, partially affronted and teasing. The man laughed.
"That's all I've got at the moment. You know, I had the same discussion with a boy earlier this week." Reia raised a brow. Her sarcastic comment was held back when the waitress returned with a steaming plate and a mug filled with tea.
"Liam's my name. How about you?", the man introduced himself.
Reia smiled and shared her name with confidence.
"I am Reia. Nice to meet you."
XXX
Rather late than never, right? *sweats anxiously*
Anyway, I hope you enjoyed the chapter. (❁'◡'❁)
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