6th Muriel, 1093.
Syèl watched Lunette's complexion ashen when her brother revealed he had told Syèl everything about themselves. He was sure he would never again witness so much fear from the proud songstress. But now, it took all she had to lessen the shaking in her hands.
Even the usually stoic Shadow's voice shook with fear and shame. He had exposed the one thing he was never supposed to. His weakness had once again put his sister in jeopardy, and he knew it. Even if Lunette never reprimanded him, he knew deep in his heart that he had failed her.
Lunette noticed the way her brother's voice trembled. The way he averted his gaze at any opportunity. This from one of the most confident people she had ever known. She pushed aside her distress and pulled her brother in. Her warm smile comforted Shadow's shaking frame as his grip tightened around her. "It's alright, brother. You had no choice. You didn't do anything wrong."
Standing off to the side, Syèl was more than shocked to see the coldest member of their little party freely shedding tears like a newborn. But even more than that, the tightness of these siblings' familial bonds made him slightly uncomfortable. It had always crept him out how close these two were, but now he understood the reason for their closeness. It would not be an exaggeration to say the siblings could only rely on themselves in this world.
Syèl sighed. Understanding something and getting used to it were mutually exclusive. Hence why though he understood them, he still felt uncomfortable around their overbearing displays of affection.
Though Syèl's face was wrapped with bandages, Lunette could sense the shifting muscles when he twitched. "I'm sorry," she said softly.
Syèl rose a brow (well, he tried. Sadly, corpses sometimes lacked brows.) "Oi oi, if you go apologizing now, then I look like an asshole." Syèl chuckled.
Lunette nodded with understanding. "Then, at least allow me to express my gratitude. My brother might never have found me without your help." Her lips slightly trembled as she added, "And you do not seem to have revealed our secret." Her eyes searched Syèl's beseechingly. "May I ask why?"
"Cuz, it's none of my business," Syèl shrugged. His eyes flashed as he added heartily, "Plus, I want to see Kashi's reaction when he does find out. That's something I'd pay for."
Lunette's eyes clouded over. "I do not want him to find out." Syèl's expression made her bite her lip. "But he will eventually, won't he?"
"If I found out, he definitely will. It's only a matter of time."
Lunette's grip tightened slightly around her brother. "Will you tell him?"
"Nope," replied the halben with a nonchalant shrug. "Like I said, it's not my business."
Overcome with relief, a lone tear streaked down Lunette's face. "Thank you. Then can I ask that you do not treat us any differently in the future?"
This brought a decayed smirk to the corpse's lips. "How have I been treating you?"
Lunette stared blankly at a loss for words. Now that she thought about it, this brief dialogue was probably more than they had said to each other since they met. "I... I'm not entirely sure."
"Heh, don't worry. Nothing'll change," Syèl reassured her. "I might not look it, but I'm a treasure trove of secrets." That was right. Where he grew up, if one didn't know how to keep relationships stable just because they found out something they shouldn't have, most likely, their body would be found in a ditch somewhere.
Shadow suddenly pulled away from Lunette's embrace. Surprisingly, his eyes had regained their cold luster. "Someone's coming." His eyes apologetically warmed as he got to his feet. He then turned to Syèl and wordlessly nodded.
A few seconds later, the dungeon's rusted door burst open. Five soldiers dressed in the red and black leather armor of the Chaos Order marched in, malicious intent reflected in lascivious eyes and cold sneers.
At the lead was a middle-aged wisben with morbid, horrible eyes. Battle and blood had made his face hard and taut. The black sash that dropped from his shoulders added an air of authority. He seemed to be higher ranked than the soldiers that followed respectfully behind. The wisben stopped in front of the cell that held the newest resident of their dungeon.
He glanced coldly at the two ghouls that guarded the entrance, then snorted. These mindless things once again forgot they were supposed to bow in his presence. Tch, he would have to send them for reprogramming. Before that, however, "Open the gate!"
The ghoul to his right had small tufts of white hair sticking out his headwrap. The wisben paid no heed to that, however. It was quite common when they reanimated a corpse before it began to decay. He watched as the corpse took a key that hung on its pocket and opened the cage door.
Hmph. This was one of the advantages of using corpses instead of people. Once bound to a ruler, they would only listen to his commands. No other person in the entire Kingdom, aside from Lord Froy himself, could force these things to go against his order. After opening the cage, the white-haired corpse stepped out the way.
The wisben snorted, then stepped into the cell, an arrogant swagger evident in his steps. And why not? He was the supreme jailer. His word spelled the difference between life and death in these cells. A prisoner's status or identity meant squat as long as they were down here. Whether Resident or Summoned, they were his slaves as long as they were down here.
The wisben's lecherous gaze swept over the female who was slumped against the wall, hands behind her back. Damn, his heart trembled like it had been assaulted by blood magic. Try as he might, he could not tear his eyes off the beauty in front of him.
Aqua blue hair like a curtain of oceans spilled haphazardly around a petite oval head but did nothing to hide a pair of flaming eyes, which seemed to dance between green and blue as the lanterns flickered. A pair of thin luscious lips were pressed into a thin, seductive line, which served to inflame further the wisben's desire to see her break.
This soft, subtle beauty was not like the explosive rapture that could cause countries to lose their minds and fight over her. No, her magnificence was hidden behind a modest exterior that might be passed over on the first glance. But the more one fixated on her, the stronger they were drawn in, with no hope of escape. Indeed, a master painting. One could not help but be attracted the more they examined, but even more so, was the sense of ethereal frailty. Like she would disappear if she were touched.
In all the years of this wisben's life, he had never experienced such a force of natural splendor. It took all he had to keep his mental faculties in check. Of course, how was he to know that aside from Lunette's natural beauty, her extremely high Charm stat made most people putty in her hands?
Especially weak-willed Residents.
Watching this foul excuse for a man leer at his sister caused every bone in Shadow's body to scream in protest. Outside, his exterior was as calm as ever, empty even. But within lurched a storm that threatened to consume him if he did not find a way to quiet it. And right now, the only thing he could think of was to destroy this asshole till there was nothing left. However, his sister would not even permit this. His eyes briefly met hers, but they conveyed all she wanted to say.
Shadow could only grit his teeth and watch. But, if this pervert so much as laid a finger on her...
Lunette glared at the high-ranking wisben. How much so, she wasn't entirely clear, but she would see how much she could get out from him without giving away her plans. To do this, she would have to take a playbook from the most despicable person she knew. Gritting her teeth, her brows knitted together in a show of repressed fury. "Who are you?" Her voice was confident, but not too sure.
It sounded like false bravado.
Lunette's seemingly futile struggle brought a smile to the wisben. His smile significantly widened when Lunette drew her legs tight to her body as if trying to set up a shield. Smooth skin, white as snow drew him in, even as he traced the outline down to her skirt, where his view was so cruelly cut off. He didn't even try to hide his perversion as he said, "My my, where are my manners. I am called Zafree." He half-bowed, a mocking grin on his face. He was trying to rub in who was superior here.
"What do you want, Zafree-san?" Lunette's voice still held the same tone. Though she had pressed against the wall and flickers of vulnerability crossed her eyes.
Seeing this scene before him, the man called Zafree swallowed hard, then coughed. He was trying to assert dominance, but this girl was making it too easy. Her dangerous posture utterly shattered his concentration.
"Zafree-san?" Lunette's voice held a bit of fear and reverence. Warm, vulnerable eyes implored the older man's assistance.
Outside the cage, Syèl shivered in fright. He made a mental note to find a way to counter the charm stat. Even though she was not speaking to him, he could feel small tugs on his heart. Forget singing. Just talking to this girl was enough to get a man dead!
Zafree, oblivious to the truth of the events, was bathing in Lunette's gaze. Screw the Brotherhood! This woman would be his by week's end.
"Zafree-san?"
The second call successfully returned some of the shattered pieces of Zafree's frail mind. He hurriedly blinked twice as he tried to recollect his thoughts. "Y-yes." He frantically cleared his throat. "I am here on the High Priest's orders. You are to come with me."
"Where are you taking me?"
The weakness in her voice sent a jolt down the jailer's spine. Sweet Mera, this couldn't go on much longer. As if in a trance, Zafree answered, "The Prime has come for an inspection. The High Priest wishes for you to entertain him.
"Oh?" Something flashed in Lunette's eyes. She got to her feet, then snaked her right arm around Zafree's neck. Her warm smile tore at his insides as she said, "Is it alright if I bring a few friends?"
Zafree forgot to ask himself how it was this woman was free. He should have known for a fact her hands were bound when she was brought in. Sadly, the only thought currently in his head was to please this woman. Of course, as a high ranking jailer, it was not possible to completely hypnotize him. His brows knotted in confusion at her request. "Friends? What friends?"
Lunette noticed the hesitation in his voice and quickly soothed. "Oh, just a few nobodies. We want the High Priest to be highly impressed, do we not?"
Sweat pooled on Zafree's forehead as his subconscious tried to struggle against the compulsion. But just when some sense of reason seemed to return to the surface, he felt something soft caress his coarse cheek. All logic burned in the heat that exploded from that small contact.
Zafree frantically nodded. "Y-yes, a few friends should increase the performance. The more, the merrier."
Outside, Syèl shivered at the young girl's bewitching smile as she lightly tapped Zafree's cheek to erase any inhibitions he had left. Dangerous! Too dangerous! What the hell was up with this girl? He had always thought of her as frail and weak, but upon discovering their secret, he now realized how frightening she must have been for them to survive this long. He glanced at Shadow, whose eyes burned with biased fury. If it wasn't for Lunette herself, Syèl was sure Shadow would have torn that man to shreds.
Syèl shook his head. This brother-sister duo was too weird. He almost wished he didn't know their secret now. But then again, he tried to picture the look on Kashi/Suzuki's faces when they found out. Immediately his unease vanished. Yes, no matter the troubles involved, that was something he would never miss.
Syèl blinked to reorganize his thoughts as Lunette walked up to them.
"Let's go meet the others," Lunette prompted with a small smile.
Shadow glanced at the zombified men behind her. Zafree was better off. At least he had a semblance of reason. The other guards had utterly lost it, even without Lunette talking to them directly. Some even drooled as they gazed lovingly at their goddess. "How long will this last."
Lunette glanced at the men. "I used [Bewitch]. It's my strongest non-combat charm skill. Should last up to three hours on the lesser ones." She glanced at Zafree. "This guy, on the other hand, an hour if I'm optimistic."
Shadow narrowed his eyes. Second Under was huge. From their position to the exit and back would take more than an hour. "Can you use it on him again when the time runs out?"
"Unfortunately, no," Lunette let out a dry laugh. "The producers like balance, after all. I cannot use this skill on the same person twice within twenty-four hours."
"We'll just have to risk it then," Shadow mused. "Worst case scenario, we'll flee."
Syèl raised his hand before Lunette could reply. "You guys completely forgot about me, didn't you? Shadow, look at yourself for a second."
Shadow frowned in confusion, then looked at his bandaged arms. It took all of three seconds before his eyes widened in shock, and he slapped his forehead. He grumbled in a low voice, "I cannot believe I was this stupid." He turned to Lunette. "Syèl can just turn into Zafree if the effects of Bewitch begin to wear off."
Lunette turned to Syèl, surprise, shock, and embarrassment apparent in her wide eyes and red cheeks. "Then I'll have to trouble you to help us, Syèl-san."
Syèl grinned at her. In ghoul form, the decayed teeth were terrifying. "Don't worry. I happen to like trouble. So c'mon, every second we waste is another your voodoo wears off."
"It most certainly is not voodoo," Lunette argued as she tapped Zafree's shoulder. The contact prompted the jailer to walk ahead of them, like he usually would, with the 'prisoner' following behind.
Syèl's raised brow and the cocky smirk were in direct contrast to his reply, "Yeah, sure. It most certainly isn't."
Shadow shook his head as he followed the squabbling duo. However, once they exited the dungeon, none of them spoke another word as they headed towards a prearranged spot. Shadow's muscles tensed whenever they passed another patrolling unit, but it seemed this Zafree guy really did hold a high position. Except for a few questioning glances, no one dared to stop and actively question them.
Elsewhere, in the throne room of the Dwarves, several highly respected individuals had their mouths wide open in shock as an absurd scene played out in front of them.
A Direwolf nearly two meters tall, dark as night, with eyes like burning lava was enough to make the toughest of warriors suck in a cold breath. But what truly left them speechless was the little daeben straddled on this wolf's back, tiny fists latched onto tufts of fur, as she laughed with abundant joy while the wolf tried in vain to buck her off.
For the first time in Kashi's life—and a moment, he would make sure she never forget—he saw Kira give up.
Panting like she had just finished running a desperate marathon, Kira glared at Kashi. "Get her off me!"
Kashi shook his head with an amused smile. "Why would I do that? You two are bonding very closely."
Brexio was the first to collect himself. Clamping his mouth shut, he turned to Kashi in bewilderment. "Is it your—"
Kira's sharp bark cut him off. She turned to glare at the dwarf who not only deigned to call her an 'it,' but then implied she was some sort of possession. Ignoring the little monster on her back, she took slow steps towards Brexio, baring her teeth in rage. Evidently, she was about to take out her anger on him.
Brexio's face first darkened when the direwolf cut him off. But then, when it turned around to glare at him with rage, he realized his error. Frightful Aygor, this was a beast with intelligence. It—no, she, the daeben said 'her' when she first appeared. Before Kira could approach him, he took the initiative to clasp his hands together. "I apologize. This was my error."
Kira paused, then frowned. Now what? Since he apologized, she had no excuse to attack him. What was she supposed to do now? Right when she was wondering what to do next, she felt the little monster's grip relax somewhat. At first, Kira took it as an opportunity to fling her off her back, but then all of the little monster's weight pressed down on her back, her head resting close to Kira's neck.
Kira's eyes widened in shock as she looked over her shoulder. Sure enough, the little beast had fallen asleep on her back. Kira's eyes blazed with fury, and she was about to toss the little monster off her back. But the little monster murmured something in her sleep, then smiled with content as she relaxed in Kira's soft fur.
The direwolf hesitated. Surprisingly, Kira's gaze softened as she decided to ignore the little monster. She looked at Kashi's knowing smile and scoffed. "What's her name?"
"Zuri."
"Zuri, huh?" Kira looked at the peaceful girl on her back. "She's a pest."
Kashi raised a brow but said nothing in reply. He turned to the dwarves who were just returning to their seats, though all of them could not help but stare at the giant wolf by the daeben's side. Kashi cleared his throat to draw their attention. "I apologize for that. This is my friend and partner, Kira. She's 'supposed' to be some sort of god, but don't worry. Right now, she's just an oversized wolf."
Veins popped on Kira's forehead. She had half a mind to beat this daeben into the ground. But even more, she was afraid of waking up that little monster. So she chose to endure. There was always ample time for revenge in the future.
Kashi pretended not to see Kira's apparent bloodlust as he continued. "If she's here, my guildmates are not too far away. With your help, we can infiltrate the caverns and destroy the Order here from the inside out."
Kira blinked, suddenly recalling crucial information she had forgotten because of Zuri. "There are some complications you should know about."
Kashi's brows knotted together. Experience told him that whatever followed would not be good news. "What happened?"
Kira went on to explain the tale of events since he left. The crafty daeben's lips curled upwards when she explained Asha's willingness to help them, which soon turned to a frown when she reached the part about Shadow's outburst and Lunette's capture.
A dangerous glint flashed through Kashi's eyes as his heartbeat momentarily quickened. "Lunette's been captured?" At Kira's nod, that glint sparked into smoldering flames. It was with great effort that Kashi finally calmed down. "How did you find us?"
"Tracking you was difficult. These humans are quite careful. They made sure to mask your scent and removed all trace of their footprints while traveling. I had to use our bond to roughly guess your location. Lunette, however, was much simpler. The ghouls that captured her had my blood and their blood all over their bodies. Using that, and Lunette's smell, it was very easy to track their movements."
"So, where is everyone now?"
"Shadow and Syèl used an illusion spell to look for and save Lunette while I came here. The rest are in hiding near one of the entrances."
Kashi glanced at the dwarves, then back at Kira. He had to make a decision fast. Should he abandon everything and look for Lunette? But Kira said Shadow and Syèl had gone already. He had ample faith in their abilities. Then...
Kashi swiped his hand, opening his menu screen. He checked his friend's list and was relieved to see Lunette's name there. Furthermore, it wasn't grayed out, which meant she wasn't in captivity.
Most major prisons and handcuffs had ancient runes carved onto them that not only restricted mana use but also prevented Summoned from contacting each other through the friend's list. The indication that someone was in such a predicament, or was in somewhere unreachable—like another dimension—was the Summoned's name grayed out on the Friends List.
This was different from the name being removed entirely from the Friends List. The latter indicated a person's death or choice to remove the player from his/her Friends List.
Kashi's finger hovered over the 'call' option, but then he thought better of it. He was well aware they probably tried to contact him several times in the past week and a half since he was captured, but of course, he had either been unconscious, in jail, or cuffed, so he missed all their calls. Sooner or later, they would call again. Once they did, he would be obligated to lend a hand.
Kashi had complete faith in Shadow and full respect for Syèl's strength. Between the two of them, he doubted anyone except for the High Priest, and Zeing could harm Lunette in this place. With that, he relaxed and turned to the more pressing issue: Allying with the dwarves. He removed the menu screen then turned to the dwarves.
Kashi let out an embarrassed smile as he lowered his head in apology. "Forgive me. It was rude of me to keep you waiting. I can only promise that the discussion I was having with my partner was of great importance."
"It has been a while since I have seen a beastmaster who can speak with his partner," Brexio exclaimed in surprise. "Haha, it seems there is still more to you than meets the eye."
"I hope to use this alliance to allow you all get to know me better," Kashi respectfully replied.
Anton nodded slowly, though his eyes kept traveling to Kira's massive frame. "You did say you were waiting for her. What is this plan of yours?"
Kashi nodded. "With my partner here, it is proof that my guild members are not too far from this location. With your help, we hope to have them infiltrate the core of the enemy's numbers. If that is successful, at the right time, we should be able to destroy the entire Order's presence from the inside out."
Paaie Nilson slightly frowned. "Why do we need your guild? Do you say we cannot handle this ourselves?"
Kashi sighed. It was always a tough time negotiating with dwarves. They snapped at the slightest provocation. "I do not say that. However, this is to your benefit." Kashi raised a finger. "First, my guild will shoulder all of the burden. Win or fail, the losses will be on our side. Also, in the chance we fail, you will not face excess punishment." Kashi raised a second finger. "Second, this will be the first time we cooperate. I'm hoping to show you how my guild operates."
Anton nodded. He glanced at Yngvar, who had stayed strangely silent this whole time. "Yngvar, is there something on your mind?"
The war chief snorted as he glared at the daeben. "I am a warrior of Second Under. To say that I should not participate in the liberation of my people is nothing but a slap to my face. Hence, I say nothing, lest I destroy this fragile alliance with my words."
Kashi raised a brow. 'For someone who didn't want to say anything, you sure cut to the heart of the matter.' Kashi thought for a bit, then relented. "How about this, full cooperation. We both have our men cooperate to liberate this place. After our success," Kashi glanced at the Chief craftsman. "I'll be relying on you, Knutsen-san."
Otto Knutsen barely glanced up from the plans in his hands. He cast Kashi a hasty nod, then impatiently returned to perusing the blueprints. His mind had already begun construction, estimating materials, time, and personnel costs. The more the read, the more invested he became. And the less interested he was in whatever the warrior types were discussing.
Kashi was not offended in the least by Otto's attitude. On the contrary, he even displayed a pleased, knowing smile. Suzuki was always as invested whenever he was designing these things in his room.
"As for the details..." Kashi and the chiefs buried themselves in strategies and counter-strategies as they planned out their attack method.
Meanwhile, off to the side, Kira, who lay on the ground, she watched the sleeping monster on her back. Somehow, it brought back memories—that peaceful grove with just her and her mother. Yeah, sometimes she too would sleep just as peacefully on her mother's back.
Kira cast Kashi a complicated gaze filled with swirling emotions. Shaking her head, she calmed her heart, then shut her eyes as she rested her head on her outstretched limbs.