The rain seemed heavy as Alac, Doug, Mast, Cyril, and a few of the other thieves gathered up, regrouping for their next move.
"That was a fucking slaughter. What type of fucking sorcery was that? How could that dark elf summon so many exploding golems?" Doug cursed as he tried to catch his breath.
"I thought I've seen everything that a mage could do, but I never knew a mage could make suicide golem bombs. Those were not ordinary golems either," Mast said, wiping the sweat off his forehead, "We are lucky to be alive."
"Where the fuck is Remy? He was supposed to watch the convoy and report if anything happened. Damn it, now we lost a good fighter because of this shit," Alac complained.
"I don't know what he's doing. He knows where to meet up, if things went sideways. But he hasn't shown up," Mast answered.
"What should we do?" Cyril asked.
"We need to get out of here and report back to—"
"AAAHHH!" one of the thieves screamed as he was pulled into brush and bushes.
"Shit! Get the torches! They're in the bushes!" shouted another thief.
"FUCKING HELL!" screamed another one.
Alac quickly grabbed a torch and held it up, "Don't move! Show yourself, whoever you are! If you are one of ours, speak up now!"
Silence filled the air while the rain kept pouring. No one moved or spoke until they saw blood streaming out from the bushes.
"I-Is he dead?" Cyril stuttered.
"I don't know. Maybe," Alac replied.
"This isn't normal. I've never heard or seen anything like this before. It feels like the shadows are alive," Mast said, "Maybe we should split up and—"
They heard footsteps approaching them from behind and heard someone running towards them. They turned to witness a beautiful Dark Elf, wearing what looked like a bikini, running towards them. Normally this would have been an arousing sight, but this was a nightmare because it was one of Rya's golems.
"Oh fuck, it's her! RUN!" screamed one of the thieves.
"Fuck, Fuck, FUCK!" Alac shouted, "We need to get out of here!"
They tried to run, but one of the other thieves got grabbed by the golem and was pulled into the darkness.
"AAAHHH!" the man screamed while being grabbed.
"We don't stand a chance against her golems! Split up and regroup at the meeting place!" Alac ordered.
The group split up into different directions and ran. Alac tried to find a way out of the woods but he found himself lost and running around in circles. He couldn't tell where he was going or how far he had run.
He didn't know if anyone else made it out, or if the golems had gotten them already. He could hear three more screams in the distance, but he didn't know who was screaming.
Suddenly, he bumped into someone who knocked him down on the ground. He quickly looked up and saw that it was Mast, who was lying on the ground after colliding with Alac.
"Ow, dammit, I think I sprained my ankle," Mast said while holding onto his leg.
"Mast! What the fuck, man? You scared the shit out of me!" Alac said, getting up.
"Sorry, Sir. I didn't mean to. I just got caught off guard when I bumped into you," Mast apologized, "I'm having trouble walking."
"Shit. Can you walk at all?" Alac asked, helping his subordinate up.
"I think so, but it's a bit difficult," Mast replied.
Alac then heard something moving around nearby, and it sounded like something big was heading towards them.
Both of them stayed quiet as they prayed that whatever was coming towards them wouldn't notice them. But their prayers were not answered as a bloodied hand of the Rya clone grabbed Mast's shoulder and pulled him away.
"AAAHHH!" Mast screamed as he disappeared.
"Shit! MAST!" Alac yelled he wanted to go after him but he knew he would probably get killed.
"AAAHHH! AAAAAH!" Mast screamed as he was dragged away.
Alac didn't wait to be grabbed next so he decided to run in the opposite direction. After running for a while, he heard another scream and then silence.
He was getting tired and exhausted. His heart was pounding rapidly as he ran through the rain-soaked forest.
'Did I finally lose her? Or is she following me?' Alac wondered while staying still hoping the dark elf wasn't following him.
'I can't keep running forever,' he thought as his vision started to blur and his breathing became heavy.
'I have to hide somewhere, anywhere,' Alac decided as he found a hollow tree trunk and quickly crawled into it. The tree trunk was big enough for him to fit inside. He climbed into it, closing the opening behind him, and waited.
He listened intently, trying to hear anything coming his way but all he heard was the falling rain hitting the tree trunk.
He let out a sigh and then.
*Pow!*
A female fist punched through the tree trunk and grabbed him by his neck. He was then pulled out of the tree trunk.
"Aaah!" he screamed as he grabbed his dagger.
Alac saw a glow coming from the golem's eyes as she held him like a rag doll. He didn't hesitate to stab her.
The golem ignored the wound and lifted him up. She then pulled him over her head and slammed him down onto the ground.
*Crack*
"Aahh!" Alac screamed in pain. He was slammed down so hard that he felt a few ribs break.
He tried to get up, but the golem kicked him in the stomach, sending him flying backward and landing face-first in a puddle of mud.
'T-This can't be the end! I-I can't die like this! I still have so much I want to do!' he thought, 'I haven't even seen my kid yet! I have to live!'
His body hurt and was covered in mud. He was barely able to breathe, and his vision was blurry. He could feel blood coming from his nose and mouth.
'Please... Please, someone help me!' he pleaded silently as his eyes began to close. Soon he felt his hair getting grabbed as the golem picked him up and threw him on her shoulder.
Alac didn't fight back. He was too weak to fight. Instead, he passed out and hung limply on the golem's shoulder.
***
Everything seemed dark and painful. A golem was dragging Alac through a forest, his hands and feet tied. The golem's grip was strong, and her speed was incredible as she swiftly ran through the dark. It took about ten minutes before she stopped and Alac was dropped onto the wet mud.
"Ugh..."
"My my my? What do we have here," said a beautiful woman's voice.
Alac opened his eyes and saw the Dark Elf. She was sitting on a rock throne that she created. Also, the prince was there with his Royal Knights all standing next to her underneath a stone canopy as they were getting dried by her Flame Familiars.
Alac gritted his teeth and stared at her. He was angry, and his body was in pain. He was tired, cold, hungry, and dirty.
"Y-You... bitch! You will pay for this!" he growled.
Rya ignored him and smiled as she waved her hand commanding her golem to grab him by the back of his collar and brought him up to his knees in front of her.
"So you must be the leader of these pathetic thieves," she said.
"Fuck you!" Alac cursed.
"What's your name?" she asked.
"Go to hell, you evil witch!"
"It's funny... Early you had the look of fear in your eyes before 2E caught you. And now you're all high and mighty," Rya said with an amused tone.
"Fuck you, you evil bitch!"
Quinus and the rest of the knights stood quietly as they watched Rya and the captured thief talk. She told them she had a plan to make the thieves talk and she only needed them to stand there menacingly.
"You call me evil when it was you who sent over, one hundred fifty men to their deaths, and for what?... To kill Johan Dule? Who was it that ordered the Young Lord's death?" Rya asked.
Alac panicked inside. He was wondering how the Dark Elf knew that.
'She must have interrogated the rest of the crew,' he thought, 'Damn it!'
"You're a monster! Don't any of you see it!? She's a dark elf and she's manipulating you!"
The knights just smirked while Douglas couldn't help but feel ashamed. He couldn't help but feel like a fool after everything Rya did for him after he accused her similarly, just like this thief.
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"Manipulating? How exactly am I manipulating them? By showing them kindness and treating them with respect?" Rya asked.
"You're a dark elf!"
"And you're a human, so what?"
Alac hoped to divide them, but his words didn't affect them.
"Well... if you won't talk... Then perhaps one of them will?" Rya said as she looked past Alac which caused him to turn around to see three of his crew tied up and gagged behind him.
'No!... Doug. Mast. Cyril... No one escaped,' he thought.
His surviving crew wasn't in good shape. Their bodies were covered in bruises and cuts. Their clothes were torn and dirty.
She stood up from her throne and started walking towards Alac. With each step she took, the stone canopy grew and followed her, allowing her to stay dry as she approached.
Alac turned towards her and tried to act bravely in front of the approaching Dark Elf.
"Y-You!"
"Yes?" Rya responded with a raised brow.
"You won't get away with this," Alac threatened with a shaky voice.
"That's rich coming from a pawn. Now... We can do this the easy way... Or?..."
Alac was lifted to his feet as another golem grabbed his right hand.
"We can do this the hard way," Rya said in a cold voice and stared at him unamused.
"You won't break me! I've been trained to withstand torture! I will not talk!"
"We'll see about that."
*Snap*
Alac screamed in pain as his index finger was snapped backward.
"Ahhh! Ah ha! Ha ha! Is that all you got, bitch!"
*Snap*
"Ahhh! AH Ha Ha Ha!"
*Snap*
"ARG! Arrggg! Fuck! Arghhhh! Grrr! I only have so many fingers! Ha ha ha!"
*Snap*
"AAAARRRRGGGHH!"
*Snap*
"Grr! ARGh! Grrrraaa!"
*Snap*
"GRA! GRAAA! Ahhh! AHA! HA! HA!"
Alac's right hand was mangled and bloodied. All his fingers were broken, and his wrist was dislocated.
"Hahaha! Looks like you can't break any more bones," Alac taunted her with a cocky smile, "You have no power over me!"
Rya just shook her head as her azure eyes started to glow. Soon Alac felt all of his injuries beginning to heal, and his hand was being reset.
'F-Fuck!' Alac thought as a sense of dread filled him.
"Oh... I'm not done with you yet... I was just getting warmed up," Rya said with a smile.
*Snap*
"ARrrggggrrraaaahhh! Ah ah hahahaha! Aaaaahhhh!"
Alac's screams of agony echoed through the forest, but nobody came to save him.
*Snap*
"ARRRAAGGGGHHHAHAAA!"
He gritted his teeth. He never thought the day would come when he needed to use his suicide pill, but here it was.
"I-I'll tell you nothing!"
"Hmm? Really?"
"Fuck y-"
*Snap*
"AAAAAAAAHHHHHA!"
The pain was getting unbearable and his resolve to use the suicide pill was beginning to strengthen.
'I-It's now or never,' he thought, 'If I can get my jaw open, I can crush the pill and bite it. This will poison me, and I'll die.'
The pill was in his necklace. If he bit down on it, it release a deadly toxin into his body that would kill him in under a minute. He had to make sure she didn't stop him from doing it.
*Snap*
Alac screamed once more as he was left shaking and convulsing.
"Tell me, what is your name?"
"Ala-Alac," he answered.
"Alac? That's it? What a simple name. Not even a surname? Or is that fake as well?"
"No."
"Alright, so, tell me, what are your orders?"
"My orders were—"
Alac tried to move as quickly as he could and bite the poison pill. Rya just looked at him with amusement.
'At least I will die on my own terms,' Alac thought as the pill broke open and the poison was released.
He felt the most excruciating pain in his jaw and head, and just as everything was about to go black. He felt a warmth flowing through him as his body was healed again.
"N-No! NO! WHY CAN'T I DIE?!" he cried as he stared at the Dark Elf in terror.
"Hehehe, did you really think I'd let you off that easy?... Not after I learned your name... Now?"
Rya pulled out a small bag from behind her.
Alac didn't know what was going on, but he was afraid of the contents inside the bag.
Rya held up the bag and then she pulled out two little wood nubs. They had an elegant pattern carved into them. She took one in each hand then she put them in her ears.
"W-What are those?"
"Ear plugs. Nieren hasn't been using them so I thought they would be useful."
"W-Why are you putting them in your ears?"
"Because I don't want to be deaf after 4R peels your fingernails."
"What?! No! Nonononono!"
*Rip!*
Everyone including Rya grimaced as Alac's fingernails were slowly torn off and discarded.
"GRA! Aaaah! Gaaaaaahhhh!"
*Rip!*
"Ahhh! Gra! Arrrrrghh! Ahhhhh!"
*Rip!*
"Argh! Argh! Aaaaahhhh! Stop! STOP!"
*Rip!*
"AAaaarrrghhh! Grrrraaaaa!"
4R was about to rip off Alac's thumbnail.
"Stop! I-I'll tell you! Just stop! Please!"
Rya raised her hand and 4R stopped but she still had his thumbnail in its grip.
"Well... I'm waiting."
"W-We were hired to capture or kill Johan Dule! His uncle is eyeing to become the new Baron of Eder Hills! And he would become an ally to the Duke!" Alac confessed.
Rya looked like she didn't believe him.
"Really? With one hundred and fifty men?" Rya said as she tilted her head. Causing 4R to slightly pull on Alac's thumbnail.
"Araghhh! W-We witnessed your battle with the Black Roses! We needed cannon fodder for a distraction! And they were the perfect bait! We had no idea if they were capable of killing you or the prince! Argh! H-Hold on!... But we knew it was a long shot if either one of you died! Our focus was on the Young Lord! By the goddess's name, I swear it's the truth!"
"Is that all?" Rya asked again looking into the pain-filled eyes of the spy.
"Y-Yes! That is all we were tasked with! I promise!"
"Hmm... So if the Young Lord didn't join us on our trip. What would you have done?"
"W-We were ordered to observe you all! I-I can tell you what the Duke knows! Please! Show mercy!"
"Fine. What does the Duke know?"
"The Duke knows about you being engaged with the prince! He knows that you're a Mage and a Healer! He knows that his son is dead! And he's planning on undermining the Prime Minister's peace plan with the Holy Alliance by sabotaging the arranged engagement with Princess Hilda! He's also planning a coup d'état!"
General Douglas and his knights couldn't believe their ears. While Quinus, Percy, and Sir George didn't seem fazed.
"Well... I wouldn't mind seeing Duval getting his comeuppance," Sir George muttered to the prince.
"Yeah... But he's one of the few people putting up a fight against my uncle and his Noble Faction," Quinus answered.
Back to Rya who was deciding whether to let Alac live or die, was processing everything she was told.
'He did say a lot of useful information. But I can't let him go or he will report back to the Duke... Unless he would be willing to become a double agent? Hmmm.' Rya thought to herself.
It took a moment for her to come up with an idea to turn him to her side. Hopefully, he will play along with her. But if not, she'd have to kill him even if she didn't want to.
"4R... Continue," She orders with a straight face.
The golem nodded and grabbed Alac's thumbnail. It started to pull the thumbnail slowly.
"Whoa! Whoa! Hold on! I told you everything! I did! Stop! SToOOOoooop!"
4R slowly peeled Alac's nail and stopped to let her creator decide his fate.
"What?! Why?! Stop! STopstopstopstop! Why are you doing this!?"
Rya walked over to Alac's right ear and leaned in.
"Because I think you're lying about everything... All you've done is use your words but your actions have said otherwise."
"N-No! I'm not lying! I-I have no reason to lie anymore! Please!"
Rya stepped back and looked at the miserable spy.
"Then what can you do to prove that you aren't lying to me."
"I-I'll do anything! I can go away, I can stop my job!..."
4R started pulling his thumbnail again.
"Stop! AAAAH! STOP! PLEASE!"
"That isn't helping your case," Rya said with a smile.
"I'll be a double agent! I'll sign a damn blood contract! I'll even order my men to sign it! Just please! I don't wanna die! Not like this!"
Rya was surprised that he offered to sign a blood contract. She had totally forgotten about them after she read up about how they worked back at the Mage's Giuld's library.
Blood contracts sounded way more foreboding than they actually are. In short, it is a magically binding agreement. If the user breaks the contract, then the penalty is usually weakening a mana vein and the other thing was they weren't permanent. Over time the effects of the Blood Contract would disappear and the person could return to normal. Plus it was hard to inflict those who had a strong mana vein with a standard or uncommon blood contract. From what she's read, only the legendary Blood Contract can do any lasting damage to the recipient. But few people in the world have seen such a document.
A rare and powerful contract could also force the victim's mana vein to shrivel up to nothing and kill them. It was a horrible death. And it was called a legendary Blood Contract because not many were ever made and it was the rarest and most powerful contract. Frankly, it was simpler to collar somebody with a slave collar than to get them to sign a piece of parchment with their own blood.
'That reminds me. I wonder what Blood Contract Quinus used on Marko Aitken, back in the village of Kishin. If we ever visit him again, I would like to use the Seer Stone on him and see if the Contract is still active or not. Maybe I could learn a thing or two. Gah! Focus Rya!' She thought.
Rya stared at Alac for a while before she pulled out her earplugs.
"Quin? Do you have any more of your Blood Contracts on you?"
Quinus looked over to his retainer, "George take this key and open my case in the dwarves' carriage. I have two of the contracts inside."
"As you wish," the Knight answered.
'Huh... So, Quin does have more of them. I wonder why he has them in the first place?' Rya thought as she looked over to see Quinus walking towards her.
George left and was back in no time.
"Here, my Lord," George said as he held out the case to the Prince.
Quinus took the case and unlocked it. Inside were some scrolls, a book, and the two Blood Contracts. He used to have three but he used one when he first met Marko, who was the new Mayor of Kishin.
Quinus poked his finger with the tip of his dagger and let some of his blood drip onto the contract. He signed the contract first and then brought it over to Alac who poked his finger. Alac signed his name underneath the prince's name. After that, one by one of Alac's crew was forced to sign the contract.
After that was done, the contract glowed a blood red and the four men glowed as well. The parchment vanished into thin air, while the men felt something attaching to their mana veins.
As this was going on, Rya pulled out her Seer Stone and saw the magic working its way into the men's mana veins.
Her eyes widened as he noticed a similar seal that was on Nieren's veins before she healed it. Then the seals broke apart and floated around their veins with similar brown particles that were in Johan's veins.
'What the fuck? Did Nieren and Johan sign blood contracts or something? N-No, Nieren was similar, but hers was worse than what happened to Johan. This just raises more questions!... I need to get a look at that last Blood Contract. Maybe I can tell how potent it is.' Rya thought as she put away the Seer Stone.
She walked up next to Quinus and looked down at the four men.
Alac and his men soon felt their wounds healing up as the ground beneath their feet showed Rya's healing rune. The prince and his knights watched as Rya was healing the enemy.
'This girl is full of surprises. But I'm glad she's on our side,' Douglas thought.
Sir George and the rest of the knights started gathering their things as they were getting ready to move out.
Quinus and Rya stared down at the men.
"Now... I will contact you with a raven if need be until then keep my uncle occupied," Quinus commanded.
"But... What should we tell Duke Alaric, my lord?" Alac asked.
Quinus sighed and looked at Rya. If there was one thing he knew about his uncle, it was failure was not an option. And he knew that his uncle was not a forgiving enough man to let them walk away unscathed. He might kill all of them if he didn't get what he wanted.
Rya was thinking the same thing and smiled.
"Simple... Tell him about my Trojan Horses."
Alac looked at her confused, "You're what?"
"My earth horses... Just make sure you leave out the part about them exploding. We want him to feel a false sense of security. Right, Quin?" Rya said.
Quinus couldn't help but smile and nodded his head, "Yes... That's a good half-truth... I will let you come up with the best way to keep my uncle off your trail. Now, step aside... We've been delayed long enough."
Alac nodded, got up, and went to the horses. His men soon followed him. They took their time, as they waited for the Prince's convoy to leave.
Rya and Quinus were walking toward their carriage and once they entered, Douglas came up to the window and knocked.
Quinus answered, "What is it, Douglas?"
"My Prince, I just wanted to say we are just about ready to depart," the general said.
"Good... Do you want my fiancee to summon up some Flame Familiars? Or will you be fine by yourself?"
"If it's not too much trouble, I would like her help," Douglas said.
Rya popped her head out the window, "No problem. Just give me a minute."
Soon twenty-four flame familiars were summoned and were floating along with the convoy.
"Thank you, Milady... And if I may ask you one last question?"
Rya was confused, "Uh... Sure."
"Are you sure you aren't evil? That was pretty brutal what you did to that spy..." Douglas asked in a sarcastic tone.
Rya cracked a smile and shook her head.
"Only if someone targets me and my friends. Otherwise, I'm as innocent as a little elf," Rya replied.
Douglas chuckled and shook his head.
"Somehow, I doubt that... But I can't argue with the results."
Douglas tipped his hat to Rya and walked away.
"Well, looks like you made an impression," Quinus said with a smile.
Rya rolled her eyes then she went back into the carriage and sat down next to the prince.
Tanya was snuggling with Johan, while Dalia was resting her head on Percy's shoulder. Percy felt Dalia's tail tickling his leg but didn't complain.
Nieren and Yuliana just shook their heads.
"Did you really have to torture the pathetic human?" Nieren asked.
"Yes, yes I did... Because he was trying to kill me and my friends. They could have killed Tayna... He's lucky that I didn't kill him and the rest of the crew," Rya answered with a pout.
Nieren had never heard Rya talk like this, but she could understand where she was coming from. She would have done the same if her mother had been a target.
"Well, I wish I had those earplugs," Nieren said.
"You never used them. And I made them for you," Yuliana stated.
"That's because they're not useful for nighttime, Mother," Nieren argued.
Yuliana just rolled her eyes.
"Lady Rya... I'm glad you are getting some use out of my earplugs. Some people just don't know how to appreciate good craftsmanship," Yuliana said.
Rya smirked.
"Well, thank you... I'll put them to good use."
Rya smiled and then she pulled out the last Blood Contract that was in Quinus' case. She was examining it as the carriage started pulling away.