Raon floated in front of Silvio, comically covering the sword user with his small body.
His wings fluttered gently, contrary to the animalistic snarl on his face as he glared at the monstrosity that arrived in front of them, cutting off their escape routes with their large body. A ghastly sight that was made even more disgusting by that warped smile on the creature's face.
He never met a creature like that. Throwing his senses out, Raon scanned the magical signature of the monster in front of him. It was weird. He could feel some resident mana, yet it wouldn't be enough for such a big body.
Even Tunka had more mana in his body and that man was mana-deaf on the same level as Bud's tone-deaf state concerning music.
Normally, Raon would simply accept that the being had no mana or the ability to utilize it, just like many normal citizens had. However, the fake voices and terrifyingly accurate sounds couldn't be faked without magic.
Raon was confused. He was also scared.
His human wasn't there. If his human were here, the bad monster would have already started begging for mercy while they looted him dry, slapping his back, and saving his siblings as well as Stupid Silvio.
Raon wanted his human. He hated being separated.
"Roasted lizards are quite tasty during this time of the year," the creature cooed, using its real voice for the first time. Even while floating, Raon had to crane his head upward. His opponent was over two meters tall and probably just as wide.
"Dongsaeng," Hong happily cheered. His tail flickered to the side, showcasing his excitement. Ohn was calmer than her sibling, even so, she couldn't hide the happy flicker of her ears as Raon pushed himself in front of them.
Silvio was the only one who was still completely out of the loop and somehow feeling even more lost every second that passed.
"Hi?" he hesitantly offered, "but can we skip the pleasantries since, you know, big bad enemy right in front of us?"
The creature waved its hand. "Don't hurry for me. Dying now or in ten minutes, honestly, what is the difference?"
"Thanks?" Silvio spluttered.
Ohn narrowed her eyes.
A look crossed her face that many of their group knew all too well since Cale tended to have that exact look on his face as well before he started the next shitshow. Even the way her furry eyebrows were lifted mirrored her guardian perfectly.
The creature gave them more time. It leaned to the side with its body still blocking the majority of the hallway. Just dashing past it wouldn't be possible.
Raon could blast his way through, undoubtedly so. His paws were inching to scare the mean creature away from his family. As mana gathered in his paws, illuminating his beautiful dark scales in bright gold, Ohn interfered.
"Not yet," she shook her head. Raon listened to his sister, extinguishing the attack.
The creature tilted its head.
"Not yet? What not yet, little appetizer?" Its decidedly male voice sounded curious. Ohn didn't pay the monster any mind. Her intelligent eyes swept over her companions' forms.
"We don't know how close we are to the volcano. Cale could be directly over us as well. If you blow up the narrow tunnel, everything could collapse." Her explanation was solid and Raon winced at the thought of accidentally harming his human. Hong bristled angrily.
Silvio's eyes were blown wide.
They were in a tricky situation with no way out. Darnall and the others were nowhere to be seen, although Silvio couldn't think of a way Darnall could save them anyway.
His sword with its longer-than-usual blade was useless since it would just get caught in the walls. Darnall's scathing comment about varying daggers with him suddenly left a sour taste in his mouth. He laughed off the worry in his friend's voice, mentioning that there wouldn't be a time when he wouldn't have his sword.
'Who's the fool now?' Silvio bitterly thought.
Ohn jumped out from behind Silvio's legs. The man in question tried to stop her since her small frame could be easily crushed beneath the monster's foot.
"I want to bargain," she uttered the words with her head held high and no nervousness in her voice.
"Noona!" Both Hong and Raon shouted in shock. Silvio gasped.
Amused, the creature laughed.
In another area, Darnall, Cale, and his companions were wandering aimlessly.
The kids were nowhere to be seen and Silvio's chattering self left an awkward hole in their dynamic. Choi Han clung to Cale, looking around for any danger that could harm his liege. Eruhaben's face was set in a permanent scowl. His otherworldly beauty didn't lessen, instead a feeling of oppression and danger cloaked him.
Cale was the only normal one. His face was as impassive as ever.
"Did you have something to do with this?" Darnall accused.
Cale was close to rolling his eyes. With decidedly less patience, he stared the other man in the eyes, not saying anything. Cale got his point across when Darnall averted his eyes.
"Where did they go?" the mage muttered, hollowly. He bit his lips in worry, gnawing on his lower lip as they continued walking. It was uncharacteristic of him, just as it was unusual to have him seen walking around without Silvio.
In fact, he wasn't the only one who worried. Cale was worrying himself sick. The kids were strong, stronger than he could ever be, but they were curious. Curiosity killed the cat.
Oh, how he abhorred the earthly saying.
If one of his cats or his small dragon got a scratch on themselves, fuck the mystery. Cale will blow up the whole damn island.
A part of the wall opened up as soon as they searched the area where the quartet disappeared. A hidden door. Without a second thought, the group abandoned the mysterious runes, choosing to go the unknown route to find their companions.
Which brought them where they were now, wandering without any concrete destination through a labyrinth of hallways. Eruhaben tried locating Raon's unique magical signature, yet he failed since the halls were drenched in a weird mana. All his attempts led them in a circle. It was infuriating if Eruhaben wasn't close to bursting with worry, he would be impressed by the natural and man-made mana that drenched the area.
Some walls moved when they remained in one place too long. Choi Han instinctively smashed a wall when it sprung up between him and Cale. His fist met the stone material with a resonating bang, shattering the wall into hundreds of shards.
Cale's wide eyes stared at him as pieces of stone fell around him with Choi Han's outstretched hand a few centimeters away from Cale's face. Choi Han sheepishly smiled at him. Cale was close to fainting.
His eyes were still shaking as he gathered his scattered thoughts. Patting his left coat pocket, Cale hummed when he felt the comforting outline of a money check. His heart calmed down enough to not worry his anxious ancient power any further.
Cale waved off Choi Han's hastily muttered apology, instead thinking about the labyrinth. It was good to know that the changing walls couldn't separate them, making things easier in the long run.
The labyrinth was huge, yes, but another fact worried Cale.
The floors were spotless. No dust or stone fragments littered the ground. This shouldn't be possible if the place was as abandoned as they previously thought it was.
The area before the labyrinth was filled with corpses, Cale couldn't imagine that nobody got this far when the kids and Silvio accidentally stumbled into the labyrinth after five minutes of exploring. So why was the area before filled to the brim with corpses and dust while an underground labyrinth was as spotless as Vicross' kitchen?
The silence was oppressive as well.
Something was stalking these halls, Cale was sure of that.
The only noises that accompanied them were their shoes meeting the harsh floor. Choi Han sometimes flickered his sword out of its sheath, the metal clanking merrily. Touching the wall, some pieces of stone fell onto the floor, Choi Han kicked a rather large piece.
Cale took note of all that, cementing his guess that this wasn't your usual labyrinth.
"Who are you really?" Darnall chose that moment to ask Eruhaben a question. He didn't try with Cale since the other was too sly and stealthy with his answers. The brown-haired man, on the other hand, had his emotions displayed on his face. An easier prey.
Eruhaben glanced up, giving Darnall a fragment of his attention to answer with the driest tone of voice he could muster up, "An ancient dragon."
Darnall frowned, displeased at the audacity of Eruhaben to joke in a situation like theirs. Furrowing his brows, he switched the target.
"And you?" he asked Choi Han.
"Swordmaster and sworn knight," was Choi Han's short answer.
He sounded so proud while lying through his teeth, Darnall scoffed. As an ex-noble, he met many knights. All were either incompetent or pompous pricks. Choi Han moved with far too much ferocity and wildness, missing the years-long strict teachings of senior knights and instructors.
The sword user was wild, brisk, and the opposite of elegant, at least, as far as Darnall could see during the few encounters. A mercenary through and through. Why would he lie about his occupation?
Being a mercenary meant being free. Darnall was a mercenary as well. He left behind all those years of snide remarks, inhuman nobles who thought of themselves as gods, and the strict as well as cruel rules he had to religiously follow.
Sighing once more, Darnall gazed weirdly at Choi Han.
A swordmaster? That was at least more believable than being a sworn knight, an honor and prestige position. In a few decades, Darnall could imagine Choi Han reaching the pinnacle of sword art.
"If you don't want to answer, just say so. Playing tricks in such a dire situation is tasteless."
Choi Han just stared at him before sighing. Eruhaben didn't even deign him with an answer.
They continued wandering, listening with both magic and their ears for any hint of an exit or their missing companions. Time passed too fast and Cale's patience diminished.
"Choi Han," he spoke.
His trusted friend and resident swordmaster was at his side before he finished speaking.
"Smash that wall," he instructed, pointing at an inconspicuous wall on his right. Choi Han obeyed without questioning. Pulling his arm back and clenching his fist tightly, he smashed down, shattering the wall like it was made out of thin wooden boards instead of the almost one-meter-thick solid stone.
Darnall gaped.
With his jaw dropped, all he could do was stare at the damage that Choi Han caused. The other didn't wince. He just pulled his hand out of the rubble and awaited Cale's next order.
"What?!" Darnall asked, his face contorted into disbelief.
Choi Han blinked innocently.
Eruhaben waved his hand. The stone fragments picked themselves up and flew toward a corner. Both actions happened directly after each other, seamlessly cleaning up the newly made archway. Cale walked through, not paying Darnall any mind.
An identical hallway greeted them.
They could go left or right if they followed the proper path. Naturally, Cale didn't feel like playing a game anymore. The kids were somewhere here alone and any second they wasted following the intended path could endanger them.
Choi Han and Eruhaben grasped Cale's intentions. Darnall walked behind them as they merrily smashed their way through the walls in a straight line.
Whilst the two groups were doing their best to reunite, Ron and Vicross had the job of finding the missing dark elves that were almost definitely in this city.
Verana was beautiful with its wide harbor area and gorgeous landscape. Anybody else would gasp at the beautiful scenery, sadly – for the scenery and the city – the two men in question were an assassin-torturer-duo that couldn't care less.
Vicross stalked across the city with a frown on his scary face. Pedestrians immediately avoided his path. Some seagulls eyed the bag of food he carried yet even they had enough intelligence to guess the outcome should they try their luck.
They'd end up as dinner if they just stared at Vicross wrong.
"Don't look like you'll commit murder," Ron scolded him, amused.
Vicross threw his father a scathing glare, too fed up with the situation as a third person, and the reason why he was so annoyed, chimed in the conversation.
"That sounds suspicious. People could think you'd actually commit murder soon," Darnall's grandma sounded as amused as Ron looked.
"Murdering people is easier if his face didn't spoil the surprise beforehand," Ron viciously commented in a falsely friendly voice. The grandma laughed and Vicross wanted to chuck her into the nearby harbor.
When the young master and his group left, the old lady was content to bake in the sun while eating and drinking at a nearby café, however, she got bored and started stalking Ron and Vicross. Ron was mostly amused and allowed the old lady to follow them which is why Vicross had to suffer through her presence as well.
"Who are you searching for?" she not so subtly asked.
"Amusing people," Ron replied.
The lady scoffed, "I am already here and bursting with fun. Tell me something better than a weak lie."
Ron eyed her with a benign smile on his face.
"I doubt our definition of fun is the same." He then continued, "We are searching for some people the young master wants to find."
Since they left behind their cover a while ago, Ron felt no need to hide Cale's status any longer. He took pride in following Cale, just like his son, and saw no wrong with not so covertly praising him.
The old lady took one look at Vicross' ruffian scowl and Ron's less-than-legal grin and came to the technically wrong but not that off-the-mark conclusion.
"He's a gang boss then?"
Vicross looked toward the heavens, silently demanding for the dark elves to just appear and end this stupid conversation. Ron blinked at her.
"Yes," the butler decided since their group acted less legally and more like a terror organization compared to the normal nobles.
The old lady nodded.
While they were talking, a group nearby was fishing. Three young men and one exasperated woman were bickering over who caught the biggest fish.
Darnall's grandmother noticed how they all wore some sort of jewelry, which was unlike normal fishermen. With a pointed finger, she rudely spoke loudly, "Well, if you are searching for ruffians, look at the group over there. They are acting like normal fishermen yet carry high-quality jewelry, who are they trying to trick?"
Her scoff attracted the attention of the fishing group.
Vicross blinked.
Incognito Dark Elf William blinked back.
Ron chuckled.
At least, they finally found them.
Whereas the dark elves were joyful for about ten seconds before Ron looked at them menacingly for not being able to keep up a disguise, Liam and Reia were still suffering through the presence of the Torten soldiers.
The duo decided to accompany the group, helpfully offering their resources to an ungrateful and arrogant group to gain information.
Reia turned the wild boar slowly over the fire, cooking it as basic as she could since her pettiness reached new heights. Liam returned with some scavenged wild vegetables that he cleaned near her for the stew.
How the soldiers hadn't died yet from enemy poisoning was a mystery. The group didn't check their food even once and the desire to add some wild berries got stronger the longer Reia had to listen to them to boast about their non-existent goals.
"I don't want to cater to their useless asses any longer," she muttered loud enough for only Liam to hear her.
"Just long enough till we know what they want," he consoled her, "They act like they are too important for a random soldier group. While I doubt they are carrying out a truly important mission, gaining intel on their goal can only help us. Even if it's just to mess with them later on."
Reia concurred. Grumbling, she continued roasting the meat until a soldier walked over. His steps were uncoordinated since they passed a village a while ago, confiscating some of the alcohol in the name of their country or some other random bullshit. The group was drunk.
If the soldiers of her old country acted that way, her father and older brother would have thrown them into a ditch long ago. The level of arrogance and self-importance the empire bastards had was always surprising to her.
"Is the meat finally ready?" the soldier asked with a gruff voice, displaying his hunger and impatience. Reia bit back a sarcastic remark, instead silently nodding. She didn't trust herself to not insult him if she opened her mouth.
The man beamed, grabbing a leg from the still-hot tray. He yelped, however, the soldier didn't drop the meat. His companions soon swarmed her, ripping apart the carefully cooked boar.
"You are serving your country well," one of the soldiers praised them. Reia just smiled.
Liam bowed his head, thanking them for their benevolence.
"How could we not? Our proud soldiers are out here alone with just minimal support, my heart weeps at the thought of leaving you alone. My wife and I will gladly serve you, doing whatever it takes to make your lives easier. That's the least we could do for our glorious soldiers."
He was laying it on thickly. The soldiers puffed their chests out, proudly accepting the false praise.
"Of course, we are on an important mission."
"It's not much, but we are the best of the best."
"Hahahaha, more meat and booze!"
The replies were various. With a secretive grin, Liam and Reia grasped the chance. They continued filling up the cups of the soldiers with alcohol until their faces were as red as tomatoes. Their tongues loosened over time and soon the soldiers were talking without taking breaks.
"Our captain gave us the important job of finding the dark elves our empire lost a while ago. Intel said they were here. Did you see some dark-skinned individuals? They have remarkably pointed ears and are said to have the ability to control mana of all kinds."
Reia gasped quietly.
They were the people that saved her, she wouldn't dare to betray them. Especially since she didn't know they were here in the first place.
"Really?" she asked, exaggeratingly covering her mouth, "Our home still has dark elves?! Oh, how my heart is fluttering at the knowledge that our impressive history is as true as it was told!"
Reia covertly moved the pouch of poisonous berry juice in Liam's view, signaling to him that she planned on killing the soldiers. They previously agreed on keeping their options open, either fooling the soldiers into doing stuff for them or getting rid of them completely since the empire was their enemy.
Liam nodded, taking the pouch.
"Would the honorable sirs want another cup of wine?" he pointed at an unopened barrel. The soldiers agreed, unknowingly sealing their fates. While Liam opened and poisoned the wine, Reia distracted them with more praise.
"Oh, I can't believe it! Dark elves! You must be quick in finding them, honorable knights, our dazzling empire needs them to show the other savages how to rule with elegance." She covered her cheeks bashfully.
The soldiers laughed merrily.
Liam returned with freshly filled cups. Too drunk to question the wooden cups that replaced the silver ones they previously used, the soldiers drank enthusiastically. The night continued with Liam and Reia praising the soldiers and the empire while the wine barrel was completely being emptied.
The first thud announced their success. Soon, the bodies of the soldiers littered the floor. They looked like they were sleeping.
Liam and Reia quickly gathered their stuff and left under the protection of the night the crime scene.
"You did well in fooling them," Liam praised her.
Reia rolled her eyes, "Even a dwarf could have seduced them with the level of intelligence they collectively possessed."
"No, your beauty definitely helped." Liam disagreed vehemently. "If you asked me if I'd drink a glass with poison, I'd do it since I couldn't say no to you."
Reia blushed furiously.
The two merrily traveled to the meeting spot of Truth, never talking about the murders they committed or the dark elves.
XXX
We are getting somewhere. Now, how will the kids escape the monster? Will Cale find them in time? What do the dark elves have to tell?I hope you enjoyed the chapter, hopefully see you in the next one^^
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