Previously, Atlas and the group were now on their way to Tisrey Port...
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[Atlas Pov]
"Brother Atlas... Lady Lilith told me that we'd be at least two days away from where we need to be, she said its so that we can avoid any Behtman Angel soldiers that're already camping near ports or coastlines to prevent the escape of any runaway soldiers." We'd just entered the portal and we were inside some old castle ruins, I guess Lady Lilith must've scouted out a good area to teleport us to.
"The sun will be setting soon... I think it'd be better to move around during the night when its hard for other's to see." I wanted us to also try to get used to our new equipment, the more proficient we are in using them... the lesser the chance we'll be overpowered by others.
"Let's try to keep low for now and get used to our new equipment-" As I looked around, there was some chests and sacks... were these left by Lady Lilith or was it extra stuff sent by Master Savien? I should throw something at it to see if its safe to touch-
"Ah! These were left by Lady Lilith, there's a note that says... To use whatever here!" Uwah! Archer and Diana... Do they really have no hesitation? They just walked up to it- Maybe I was being too cautious, no... I need to be overly cautious or else we'll end up in trouble.
"There's a lot of weapons here! Swords, Maces, Hammers, Spears, Bows!" Archer and Diana were looking around on what weapons they wanted to take while Faith and I discussed our plan as Hanako slowly rocked Atelie back and forth using telekinesis... I'd like Atelie to sleep as much as possible, It'd be troublesome if she started to make noise while we move.
"It'll be tough since we don't know when exactly Ciara's Master, Slade, will arrive at Tisrey Port... we'd have to go in to check and hide somewhere safe until he comes..." I told Ciara to get her Master to get here as soon as possible but we could be too early, we'll adapt and make sure to avoid any Behtman Soldiers.
"Brother Atlas! Sister Faith come here! Look at all the weapons here!" Diana and Archer couldn't hold their excitement and it obviously piqued my interest as to what kind of weapons Lady Lilith had left us with... I do realize that I need to find a weapon that suits me ever since I always tend to fall back to my blade arm, I thought a sword would be good but it just doesn't feel right.
"I guess we can test out these equipment but softly alright? We don't want to make too much noise-" As I reminded them, Faith had built a giant barrier that surrounded us... I guess with her new Magic Catalyst she can use more precise techniques.
"This will prevent any noise that we make from being heard... We just need to stay within this barrier." How convenient, I guess I can relax a bit now.
"Alright! Archer! Test out your new bow on my gauntlets!" Archer and Diana went on to have a friendly spar with a set of their preferred weapons, Diana had a shiny pair of silver gauntlets while Archer had a bow that was crafted with Elven wood that was native to the respective continent.
"I guess I'll just look around then..." Faith already had what she needed in terms of boosting her magical output so I was left with the rest of the sacks and chests.
As I looked around, the more my requirements for my perfect weapon increased... I wanted to avoid killing people since I still technically have human emotions and my own morals, as much as I want to... I'll make sure not to kill people if I can avoid it. I want to keep people at bay when in close-combat... I'm fine with using bows and magic due to my own training and help from Fable and Ms Vera.
This'll all change when I'm forced into close-combat, I need something easier to wield and easy to adapt... something with long reach? I might need it to cut things if necessary- Ah! If that's the case, then a spear would be perfect! I'll choose a spear made with a sturdy and flexible material.
I don't have any experience using weapons so I guess spears are the safest option right now... I guess this can do? I picked up multiple spears to test the weight and how comfortable the grip was, I didn't skip on strengthening my senses using the 'Magic String Theory' I could accurately sense the weight differences of each spear.
I wanted something not too light nor heavy, I was going to tell the others not to get flashy weapons that would attract weapons but I guess I'll let them have some fun testing out some of them... As for me, I wanted something more normal-looking... more average but actually quite durable.
"Ahh- This one it seems... almost perfect." I picked up a spear which its handle was black and its tip was a sort of shiny dark metal, its weight and grip was what I was looking for but now all I needed to do was test it... I wasn't sure of how to use a spear properly- There possibly could be Masters of the Sword, Spears, or any other weapon and I could find people who actually have that kind of mastery.
I guess the basic move for a spear is a thrust! As I thought along with the moves, my body followed.
"Humph!" Uwah! I forgot that this body was miles stronger now compared to my human body back on earth, though I've only been here for a bit but I'm definitely stronger than a trained athlete.
I could feel the wind pressure from my spear thrusts, when I swung it in a down-to-up motion... I felt the air move with my spear. Let's see what else I could do... maybe I'll spin it with my hand and create a sort of block? To deflect attacks or maybe I could use it as a continuous and flowing attack.
Maybe I'll stick to using slashing and thrusting attacks, its more simpler that way until I get more proficient with the spear. The spear's handle isn't made out of wood so it wont break from any normal attacks, its flexible too so I'll be able to keep enemies at a distance!
"Let's spar and test out our weapons, I wanna go against one of you..." Its been a while since I last sparred with Diana, I wonder how much she's improved these past few days.
"Alright! Let's do this Brother Atlas!" Heh... Diana seems pretty pumped up to spar with me, I guess I should still be careful since we don't want to-
"HAH!" Fast- even with those heavy gauntlets she's wearing... she can still move that quick.
"Hm..." I guess I shouldn't do a head-to-head battle but rather... Ah no- Heh~ I know what to do now. When she comes to attack me again, I'll just have to force her to dodge!
"Fu~ Brother Atlas!" Here she comes! As I expected she's quick, I can still track her movements with my eyes so- let's do this then... spear thrust!
"Eh!" When I was testing the spear just now, I wasn't using my full strength so there was definitely a clear difference of how fast the spearhead went forward... if the enemy didn't judge the distance carefully- Their head would've been impaled. Luckily... this wasn't the case.
"Brother Atlas wins again!~" Archer came in between us as the tip of my spear was a centimeter shy from Diana's skull... I guess she couldn't see how fast my thrust was.
"YOU WERE SO SCARY BROTHER ATLAS! Your attack was like- Whoosh and the spear head disappeared for a split-second and it reappeared in front of me!" Uwah- Diana's totally shaking, I can hear her bones rattle... I guess that's how strong I've gotten.
"Alright alright... let's stop here for now, if this is all we need let's find a good spot to rest..." We found a good section of the ruins where it was covered and we had a vantage point to see incoming enemies, Faith had brought a crystal that glowed a dim orange light... it was warm with it around. We didn't want Atelie catching a cold, it'd be the worst-case scenario since we wouldn't be able to find a doctor in time.
"I'll double-check the chests and I'll send it back via magic circle." Lady Lilith had written in the note to just take what we needed and send it back chanting a few magic words, I want to see if there's still any other useful things that we would need.
"Be careful Brother Atlas..." I let Faith take in charge in the meantime, I also made sure to tell Hanako to stay with them.
"I wish they'd send some other magic items..." I took out all the things insides the chests and laid them out, I wanted to be sure before sending it back by the magic-circle.
Now that I think about it, our team's synergy is a bit off... If I put this into a game rpg-type of terms, Faith would be our supporting Mage, Archer would be our ranger, Diana would be on offensive and what's missing is a tank-type of build which can face the brunt of heavy attacks from big tough enemies.
I'm the leader but I'm more of an all-rounder since I don't particularly specialize in any category in offense, defense, range and magic. I guess its considered good since I'll be able to fulfil a certain role if needed, I just want to be able to find a sort of weapon befitting of a future 'tank'.
A mace should do, right now we technically have Diana's gauntlets as a blunt weapon to deal with heavily-armored enemies but it'd be best if we get something even more specialized for that.
As I looked at the variety of weapons, one immediately stood out of the rest... a sort of long metal stick with edges that could penetrate armor with right amount of force.
What Atlas saw resembled something of a spiked kanabo
[https://i.pinimg.com/564x/a8/18/fc/a818fc1b921bdf570e000357b20bf51b.jpg]
"Perfect!... I'll keep it in the magic bag for the meantime, I'll send the rest back now." I quickly put everything back into the chests and onto the stone platform where the magic-circle was, maybe next time I'll ask Lady Lilith how to use teleporting magic.
"Hmm... Alright! Waf Ovris!" As I said those words aloud, the magic circle flashed brightly and the stuff on the platform were now gone.
"Let's head back then." Ah- Now that I remember! The book that Zanos gave me about the Skeleton God! I can learn about their beliefs then maybe I'll be able to talk the Skeleton God since he seems to have a reason to have sent Zanos to save me.
"Faith... I'll be reading something for a bit so you guys just take turns to rest and guard Lady Atelie." I want to have some privacy while reading this book, I don't think I should be showing this to anyone yet. Faith responded back via telepathy and did as I said.
"Alright... Let's start now." For some reason, I felt anxious... I shouldn't be so why am I-
"Ah he's here, how should I do this..." Huh- Where am I... That's a skeleton right?
"Are you-"
"Yes I'm the Skeleton God."
"I see..." So I must be either in a dream-state in the real world while my mind's been transferred here, or I could've been teleported here all together.
"You weren't teleported here... physically I mean." Huh- Wait he could hear my thoughts?!
"Yes..." I- Hm... Then I guess its no use to think and consider what I want to say.
"Just speak freely, I don't mean any harm."
"Alright then... Why did you bring here." As far as I could tell, it looked like my Vel Core Realm-
"Its hard for me to communicate with a non-believer... so I needed to use a medium which was the book that my dear Zanos gave you." The Skeleton God spoke in a calm and polite tone, he reminds me of my grandfather back on earth.
"How nice of you to perceive me that way, Atlas." Ah I forgot- He could hear my thoughts.
"I recall that you wanted to be part of my belief from Zanos, though I know what you're going to say... it's nice to hear from the person himself."
"Yeah I might want to join since you saved me but its more of to meet you... before that, I'd like to know why you sent Zanos to save me."
"You are someone who holds the power of a Black Vel Core but maintains a sane-mind, I've been waiting for someone like you." Someone like me?
"I see... so you want me to help you concerning the Ancient Lichs?" Well it seems to connect now since Midas said I was sent by 'him' which could be the Skeleton God... There's a lot to learn about them, it'll take some time for me to gather all the intel about them.
"That is correct... though I am not forcing you to help me, it'd be a good outcome if you were to aid me in my battle against them." So there's definitely some history between the Ancient Lichs and the Skeleton God, I hope I can hear it from the Skeleton God.
"Unfortunately... We don't have that much time left, there's a limit of how long I can talk to a non-believer even with a medium... We shall discuss about the Ancient Lichs another time." Wait- Damn it... I'm back to where I was, So I definitely wasn't teleported to that place.
"Brother Atlas, are you alright?" Oh its Faith, she must've gotten worried.
"Yeah... I'm fine, I just have something to talk to you guys about." Faith and I went back to our temporary camp, I wasn't sure whether to tell the rest about this but I can't be making the decisions by myself.
"Ah! Brother Atlas look! Lady Atelie's going to show you something!" Eh! When I arrived back at camp with Faith, Diana and Archer were watching Atelie crawling around with Hanako who was guiding her.
"Hehe~ Fawith! Archew! Dianu! Hanako! Atlash!" Atelie started to point at each one of us and called us by our names, we were wearing almost identical cloaks and our skulls aren't that easy to distinguish... Atelie's been only been able to say my name with a bit of inaccuracy up until now.
"So cute-" I could see Faith absolutely 'melting' at the sight of Atelie, Faith doesn't normally show her emotions too bluntly but I guess even she couldn't resist Atelie's charm. I'm a bit jealous though... why is Hanako the only name she's able to pronounce properly... Urk... I sound like a spoiled child whining about something.
"Alright alright... I need to tell you guys about something important." I don't want to ruin the good mood but I really need to tell them about Skeleton God and Zanos.
"Hm... Didn't think I'd find a castle ruin here huh..." What the- I quickly grabbed the crystal that was projecting our warmth and light, I told Faith via telepathy to decrease the radius of her magic that was supposed to prevent any noise we make.
I don't who's there but I know we shouldn't be making any moves first... they could be adventurers or Behtman soldiers or even worse one of those prophets. Right now we should try to escape-
"I swear I could've felt someone's presence here... must've left the vicinity." Judging by the voice, its definitely a guy... he must've went here because of me. Next time, I'll need to be more careful. I need Atelie to fall asleep so she doesn't make any noise if we need to move around, the last thing we want is to attract attention and I've already made a blunder.
"I guess I'll move onto the next section, Lady Maho seemed pretty upset when she came back to camp..." Its the Maho person... the Prophet of Truth, is he a direct underling of hers? Anyways... let's wait for a bit more to make sure he's gone. I also just realized that there's no clocks in this world? Specifically the ones that I'm not used to from earth, they don't seem to have analog clocks nor pocket watches, maybe they use 'sun clocks'?
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"Let's stay here and rest while we can... that person just now might be tricking us to go out. We'll go at sunrise, I'll take the first shift and watch... all of you get cover Lady Atelie and make sure she's warm." I took initiative and took the first shift... Skeleton's don't really need rest to recover but its more of to let our minds rest since we're still prone to mental exhaustion.
While they rest, I should revise my plans for the future. Once we get to Tisrey Port, we need to cross the ocean to get to the Dwarven Continent with the help of Ciara's master, Slade. After that we'll establish a sort of 'business' which in reality will help us find a way to get back to earth, I mean Ciara wants to go back but I'm not sure about myself since I've technically died already.
Before that though... I need to find a safe and quiet location for Atelie rather than the bustling Capital Dwarven City of Milam, I'll do my job as Head Caretaker and raise Atelie until Master Savien comes back hopefully. If I succeed, I'll send her off and I'll be able to put my full effort to get Ciara back to Earth... Maybe I'd like to explore the place more and find out all its mysteries. The thought of it is enticing and making me giddy, I can't wait.
There's still plenty of things to think about even after I finish my responsibility of Head Caretaker like the Skeleton God and the Ancient Lichs... If I were to not join the Skeleton God, would he make Zanos chase me? He seems to know about my whereabouts so it'll be troublesome if I were to make him my enemy.
The Ancient Lichs seem to be I guess... somewhat able to negotiate? It'd be a terrible decision to make them my enemy, I really want to maintain neutrality between these two groups... I've already got my hands full with the Divine Demon Faction and Behtman Angel Faction. Grr... My head's spinning from all this thinking, I'll stop here for now about that topic.
"Brother Atlas... its your turn to rest..." Ah did that much time pass already? Faith had shook my arm as she woke up, it signaled the end of my shift and I went to the comfy spot where Hanako, Diana, Archer and Atelie were.
"Rest well... You've been working hard..." I should say... the same thing... to you... Faith- Ah- I fell asleep before I could finish my sentence, was I actually that tired? Oh yeah I did do a lot of things the past few days and I haven't fully recovered from my severe mana exhaustion, I guess I can take my time to rest.
"Br... Brot... Brothe... Brother Atlas! Its time to wake up." Ah- Is it my turn to watch?
"Eh- Its morning..." These guys... They must've let me sleep in so I could recover properly.
"You needed that rest Brother Atlas, you weren't able to catch a proper break for a while... we can't have our Head Caretaker collapsing on us due to mental exhaustion!" Haha... With a situation like this, Faith should be the Head Caretaker. My mind still feels tired... do I still have some mental fatigue left?
"Have you guys scouted the place yet or..." It'd be bad if that guy from yesterday was still lurking around the castle ruins, we need to be careful on how we move and where we take shelter.
"Archer did the scouting, there's no sign of the person we heard yesterday." Alright... We should start making our way to Tisrey Port- We suddenly heard a rumble near us, we looked as Atelie held her tummy... I guess we should get some breakfast first.
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[Savien Pov]
"Hah~ I really hope my daughter can be kept safe..." We've entered the portal and ended up in our Capital of the Demon Continent, Korisak.
"Hah!? I thought you had faith within your caretakers?" Lilith who was beside me put a really nasty face, could she ever be less blunt.
"I do have faith but its about the people who might come after them, Maho, the prophet of truth... Atlas was able to escape from her thanks to Lord Zanos... She must've already reported to her superiors by now." I didn't think that Lord Zanos would've came to help Atlas specifically.
"Ah~ Well... everything turned out just fine so no need to worry for now~" Well its no use thinking about it now, I believe in Atlas and the rest.
"It seems you guys ran into trouble again..." Azoth! He must've been waiting for our arrival.
"And you! Damn brat! You got careless again and let the enemy ambush you!" Ah- here we go again... It's been a while since I've heard them bicker but its kind of nice... that is an argument between Jozo and Azoth commenced... Those two brother's are always at each other's necks but they protect each other no matter the cost.
"Gah! I let them ambush me! I wanted to see if those many soldiers would shit their pants at the sight of me!" So loud... I guess I should go arrange the stuff from the carriages first.
"Heh~ how lively! Its been a while since we met Savien..." My king! 'He' came to greet us, I should put down everything and bow!
"Be at ease everyone, you know its fine to act normally around me." As always... our demon king is relaxed as always, its a blessing that he's normally like this.
"Savien... later see me in the throne room at sunset." Ah- His immense aura really shows when he's being serious... I'm still unable to get used to it despite being faced with it multiple times.
"As you wish..." Our king left and we went back to do what we needed to do, the city's as lively as ever... not a shred of fear of war, thanks to our king. He gives the people motivation and doesn't do empty promises, he's always proved to us that we can get through even the most difficult of situations.
"Savien..." I knew she was still living here but I didn't think I'd bump into her this soon, the person in speaking, my late-wife's younger sister, Carma...
"Its been a while Carma... I'm glad to see you in good health." She doesn't seem that glad to see me though, its fine if she acts cold to me... I was a factor playing into Aerilyn's death after all.
"If you're here... that means Atelie is also here." Carma looked around for any escorts I had or if I had brought Atelie along by my side, Carma always seemed uncomfortable when being with me but she loves my daughter since Atelie's face is almost like her mother's.
"Unfortunately not..." I can't disclose my escape plan for Atelie but I guess I could just use some 'words' to avoid the subject.
"She's being kept safe right now so-" Before I could finish my sentence, Carma cut me off and walked past right me.
"If that's all then I will be off!" She's rude despite the years, I guess she won't be forgiving me anytime soon.
"I still have some time before sunset so I guess I could go visit some old friends." Its been a while since I got to roam around the capital city so I'll make the best of it, I wonder if they still sell any delicious food at the vendors?
"Young Savien... I see that you're enjoying yourself..." While I was chowing down on some food, 'Mother' along with Vera came.
"Oh! 'Mother'! Vera! What brings you here?" I guess they must've finished arranging all the stuff in the carriages, it'll be a while until we can get a good break so Its good they're out now.
"Vera dear... Get these ingredients for me will you? I'll just have a little chat with Young Savien." Ah- They were on errands... hopefully once this long war is over... I'll get them a good place to stay and relax.
"So would you like some tea 'Mother'?" Vera had bowed and left us with a long list of what to buy, I should've asked her to buy some personal things that I wanted to get.
"That'd be delightful..." Such a calming atmosphere, its hardly believable that a war's been raging for so long.
"Are you thinking of your daughter?..." I guess 'Mother' could tell that I was still clearly worried about Atelie, her sharp intuition really is... helpful?
"Yes... I fear for her safety despite having assigned strong caretakers to raise her well." There is more to it but I don't want to really think about it.
"It was Aerilyn's wish to have you do this, if she wanted this to happen... she knows Lady Atelie would be safe with this method." 'Mother' was right... Aerilyn wished for this and as her husband, I did my best to do it perfectly as she requested.
"I guess I'll throw that needless thinking, I'll focus on what matters right now." Yes... Right now I'll attend to what's in front of me and end this war, so that Atelie... can live in a world without war.
"Master Savien... I've returned, I've obtained the ingredients that 'Mother' requested." Vera came back faster than expected, I guess we'll all go back together.
"Let's take our time and get back to the castle~"
"Lord Azoth told me that you have an audience with his Majesty soon... He said you should be in the castle at least 20 minutes prior." Eh... I guess there's no choice then, I'll have to rush back.
"Take care Master Savien..." I went ahead and started to rush to the castle, Vera and 'Mother' bowed as I left.
"You're on time Savien... how great..." I arrived at the Divine Demon's Castle as the sun set, Azoth gave me some sarcastic remarks... he seemed to be in a good mood even though he always had a face that could make children cry at the sight of it.
"Is his Majesty waiting for me inside?" It was an obvious question but it was courtesy to ask before entering the throne room.
"Of course... you may enter now." Azoth was the Head-Commander of the Divine Demon Faction's army, he's also in charge of keeping people out of the throne room unless his Majesty allows them to do so.
"I've been waiting Savien! Its hard to keep up that appearance in front of others! Well... at least you're here now, let's discuss about something." As I kneeled before his majesty, his form started to warp and finally revealed a little girl... This is only a secret that only few know of who is which is Azoth, Lilith, Jozo and myself.
"Discuss?..." Is this about the Behtman Angel's ambush on us? Well it is a concern since we miscalculated the amount of terrain they've covered after taking the border, we might need to discuss a plan for that.
"Yes, I think you already of know it... Zanos's appearance when you got ambushed, he personally saved your Head caretaker... Atlas. Zanos doesn't normally get involved with people even if its a skeleton like himself."
"I haven't been in contact with Zanos for a while... He seems to be following the orders of Skeleton God." Skeleton God? That name doesn't seem familiar, I scored full marks on history on the Demon Continent but Skeleton God... it doesn't ring a bell.
"What happened after Zanos saved Atlas? Did Zanos say anything?" Her Majesty seems to be very keen on Lord Zanos's whereabouts, does she need to relay an important message to him?
"He had disappeared as he broke into Maho's space... He must've teleported Atlas and himself to a safe location since he had sent multiple skeleton servants to help us in battle against the Behtman Angel's ambush."
"I see..." Her Majesty took a bit of time to think and stood up from her throne, today's been quite eventful so I really wish if I could take a long rest soon.
"You may go now Savien, you're insights have been helpful... get yourself some needed rest, I can't have you working while being exhausted." As expected of her Majesty... She noticed my fatigue and immediately told me to rest.
"As you wish... your Majesty." I left the throne room and headed to a section of the castle that'll serve as my home for now.
"I guess I can start on some administrative work now, I should tell Vera to help me..."
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[Atlas Pov]
"Archer! Do it now!" We had to get breakfast since we weren't given any food... I guess long-lasting foods haven't been invented yet, I hope we don't attract any attention while hunting this Diubok... It says on one of the books of animals that Fable gave me, its a relative of the Myaz but its much more agile and has excellent quality of meat... It reminds me of a pig but definitely much more aggressive
"Got it!" We were communicating through telepathy so that we could remain as quiet as possible, we'll have to go very soon after cooking this animal.
"Alright... Let's use fire magic to quickly cook it." I conjured a small flame from my fingertips and set slowly cooked the meat all around, I made sure to clean and check for any signs of defects in the meat... can't have Atelie getting sick on us.
"Faith... Have you sensed anyone coming towards our general area?" I always asked either Faith or Archer to check on our general surroundings, Diana was in charge of skinning the rest of the Diubok while I prepared the pot to boil some water to make a bit of stew.
"No one's been sensed... only animals. I'll alert you right away if anyone comes our way." Alright... It reassures me that we all work together so well... I want to get across to the Dwarven within the next week since travelling by boat might take quite a while.
"Stew should be done soon, all of you... let's get some food to eat too and replenish our mana. After that..." I gave a briefing about what we'll do for today, it went about like this.
We'd always stay together since if we got separated that'd be the worse situation as the enemy could corner us one by one, we'll also be heading to Tisrey port since I've had a gut feeling that Ciara's master, Slade, might arrive sooner or later. We won't be directly entering the port but we'll find a place to hide near the outer areas of the port since Behtman Soldiers might be stationed there.
"Brother Atlas... The stew..." Faith tapped my shoulder as I was deep in thought, the stew was boiling and if I didn't stop... it would've overcooked.
"Sorry about that... let's eat now." It felt somewhat nostalgic, I remember having camps in high-school... breakfast would be silent and everyone would be a bit groggy from waking up.
"I guess you guys know the plan..." We finished up the stew and covered our tracks as much as we could, we finally started to depart for Port Tisrey.
"Brother Atlas..." Its only been a few hours since we departed but we made sure to cover as much ground as we could, Faith had alerted me that a few people were up ahead in the direction we were heading.
"Its a few marauders harassing a Carriage.. They're harassing a woman and child." I could tell, Faith didn't seem that comfortable leaving the child alone but if we were to help the kid... it could attract attention and we'd be putting Atelie in danger.
"The woman... she looks like a normal person, the child as well." Faith's making it hard for me to ignore them now.
"I know we-" I knew what Faith was going to try and convince me, we'll deal with this quickly... I have a plan in mind anyways.
"Everyone, put your masks and cloaks on. Gloves too... we'll do this as efficiently as possible."
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[Meanwhile at the carriage...]
"Oi! Don't be shy~ I can make you feel better than that fatso over there!"
"Bastard! Don't touch me! You think I'll let you-"
"Hey Boss! We got a feisty one so I'll save her for ya!"
"Get it over with already, I want to sell this at the black market." One of the marauders took out a ring with a dark glistering red gem, he stared at it as it shone brightly before stashing it in his pocket.
"Urk! You bitch!" The woman fought back and escaped the grips of the marauder, she went for the crossbow in her carriage.
"Bastards!" One of them was shot in the arm, the rest came at the scream of their comrade. They quickly restrained her and took the crossbow away.
"You damn bitch! Boss! Can I kill her!?" The boss stood up and smacked his own underling.
"Dumbass, your the one that was careless so make this a lesson for yourself." Whilst saying that to him, the boss grabbed the woman and smacked her repeatedly.
"You'll be a good slave along with your child." One of the marauders had tied the woman's child, she was knocked out for the time being.
"Don't touch her!" The woman's eyes were bloodshot red, the boss could only cackle and fool around with the woman's child.
"HAHA!-" The boss's laugh stopped, the underlings who were gathering the stuff stopped to see what happened.
"Boss!!!" The Boss's head was ripped right off by a spear!
"Good to know I can throw it well, that was too overboard but this'll do." A skeleton stood over the boss's lifeless corpse, he freed the woman of her restraints and picked up his spear.
"Bastard!"
"Diana! Archer! Faith!" A trail of magic, an arrow and another skeleton with gauntlets flashed by and took out the remaining marauders.
"Make sure they're tied up..." So that's finally over... it took a while to think of a proper plan since I wanted to be cautious, its great that it turned out like this anyways.
"Hanako... you can come out now." Hanako carrying Atelie came out of hiding using Archer's cloak, its reassures me that Hanako can protect Atelie if we aren't able to.
"Thanks..." The woman that I saved from those marauders... she came up too me to show her gratitude.
She didn't seem to notice Hanako but I guess for the meantime I'll let her rest in the Vel Core Realm.
"Are you headed to Port Tisrey?" I'll get straight to it, it'd be good if she was a merchant or at least a shopkeeper... that'd be best since we'd have a way to get in Tisrey port without arousing suspicion.
"Yes... I'm guessing you need a ride?" Judging from her answer, we're definitely getting a ride.
"If you could... that'd be appreciated. As you can see, we have a child to cater to and we are very much exhausted." I should prepare for an alibi if she were to ask me answer where we come from, it'd be good if she isn't curious.
"Sure! Come on in, you saved us after all!" She seems like an easy-going person, I thought she'd be more hesitant or at least weary... It seems demon folk are pretty kind.
"Faith... Did you bury the boss?" We made sure to have a procedure if we were to kill someone, we'd leave no traces like how we did if we stayed outside.
"Yeah... I used earth magic so and some fire magic to turn the body into ash first, finally using air magic to disperse the smell." I didn't even think of using air magic to disperse the smell, Faith's pretty good.
"And the rest?..." I don't really know what to do with them nor did I want any unnecessary deaths, I guess tying them up and putting them until they wake up would be good.
"They're all tied up, I put them buried in leaves and their legs buried in earth so when they do gain consciousness... it won't be exactly easy to get out."
"Alright then let's get on, I'll be on the coach box." I want to learn about Port Tisrey, I also need to remove any suspicions that this woman might have of us.
"Make yourselves comfortable... We'll probably reach there by late evening!" I realized that it wasn't a 'horse carriage' but something like a slime with legs, I guess its not really an animal that can protect its owner.
"I guess ya the leader of this group aren't cha?" I got up to the coach box and sat beside the woman, she seemed pretty happy to be able to resume her journey.
"Yes..." Urk, I hope I don't say anything off.
"Ah! How rude of me, I never introduced myself! My name's Gila Keturah, thank you again for saving my daughter and I's life..." A short pause came after, I guess I should introduce myself now.
"I'm Atlas... The other three were Faith, Diana and Archer." The woman laid back as she thought of something.
"Well nice to meet ya, Atlas! I'm Enya, my child that you saved is called Mare."
"What Demon Race are you?" As I faced the woman, her pupils turned from a round shape to a slit... her sclera turned red. Though I had no muscles, I felt myself instinctively tense up.
"I am a skeleton... our master had asked us to take his child to a location overseas." I really didn't want to reveal everything but at least this amount of information should suffice, I pulled my cloak's sleeve to reveal my bones so that she could verify.
"Hoh!~ Its been a while since I last saw a skeleton! I remember there was a really kind necromancer who would use his skeleton servants to help the people of my town occasionally! Even a demon such as myself thought Necromancers were pretty scary! HAHA!" Such a wholesome story but not really making me feel as good since... all that happened recently.
"Ya skellys seem like good people so I'll make sure I'll get you to Port Tisrey safely! I'll even find ya a good inn to stay while you stay there!" I guess that's the end of the conversation, I'm glad it worked out well.
I should try to stay alert as possible... Shit, I relaxed for a second and I feel like passing out, I guess... sleeping for a bit would be alright.
"Don't fall asleep, Atlas... she's trying to do something to all of you." Hanako spoke to me, I don't know how- Suddenly I woke up, Enya had placed her arm on me... her arm was fusing into my bones like she was absorbing me.
"What the hell are you doing!" I quickly hacked off Enya's arm from my bones and kicked her off the carriage, I don't know what happened but she probably didn't expect me to wake up.
"How the fuck-" I quickly entered the carriage and saw the child fusing with the rest and almost getting to Atelie, these pieces of shits!
"GAH!" I stabbed the child with my spear and sent her flying out the carriage, I quickly summoned Hanako to take all of them out safely.
"Enya you bitch! How did he wake up already!" The pieces of Enya's arm that I failed to cut off were still wriggling on my bone, it seems like I need something else to take it off.
"Tch! Everyone go attack him!" The marauders from before!? How are they alive, their wounds from before and they should've been tied up. It'll be hard to dodge all of their attacks... Shit, I'm still drowsy from Enya's dream thing.
"HYAHAHAH!" Crazy bastards! No matter how many times I stab them... they keep moving! One's coming from the front and behind, I need to dodge! There's 12 of them in total, ten of them attacking and the other two are trying to recover. Wait... there's supposed to be 13 from what I counted before we saved the carriage, the so-called Head! That guy's not here since Faith turned him to ashes using Fire Magic, so technically.
"Bast-" One of the marauders tried swinging at me until I blasted his face with a concentrated fire blast, it instantly melted his face and he stopped moving.
"You damn marauders, all of you are dead!" I quickly and carefully burnt off the pieces of Enya's child off of Atelie and then the rest, I dispatched the rest of the marauders with fire magic and it only left Enya and her child.
"Yo- You- You monster!" Ironic that a demon's calling me that, they tried killing us first.
"If you'd have left us alone... I wouldn't have to do this." I hadn't realized but I was always forced to make a decision of kill or be killed, I don't want to make enemies that'll chase me down nor kill unnecessarily. I'm not trying to be righteous but I don't want to make a mistake and kill someone due to some misunderstanding.
"Wait! Wait! Please-" No mercy for those that try to harm me... I made sure to burn every part of their body and dispersed the ashes with air magic.
"Hmm..." My head hurts so damn much, too many things have been happening... I'm starting to get slightly pissed off. I'll just down here for a bit and rest, the carriage doesn't seem that damaged so I guess we can use it to sneak in Tisrey Port.
"Brother Atlas! What happened!? Where's Enya and Mare?" Ah- Faith and the rest must've woken up already, I guess we should start heading out soon. They don't seem to know what happened so I guess I'll give it to them bluntly, I don't want to stay here any longer... i feel like more trouble will come if we just stay put.
"Get on, I'll explain it while we get to Tisrey Port." I jumped onto the carriage and the rest got inside, i told Hanako to check on Atelie since we don't want any poison from Mare's bonding to get to her.
"Enya and Mare were trying to fuse or something like absorb us, the group of marauders were also part of the whole thing... it was just all an act. next time, we're not going to try and save anyone. We need to get across to the Dwarven Continent and get Atelie safely to a new home first, we can think of other things after that." Faith had a dispirited aura around her, she probably thought it was a nice thing to do to help those people.
"You guys haven't met other people of different diversity, you don't really have a good judgement of strangers so don't worry about it... I'll guide you guys so you can at least make some basic decisions and judgements on certain situations, you'll be able to respond appropriately." I don't want Faith to feel solely responsible and feel guilty since she wanted to help people.
"Brother Atlas... I'll make sure it won't happen again!" Its good that she's willing to improve herself, we need to be open-minded to change... especially to dangerous situations.
"Don't worry about it Sister Faith! Diana and I will make sure we protect everyone!" HAHA! Well this made me feel slightly me more energized, I should try to get some rest at the Inn... it'll be bad to make an important decision while mentally fatigued.
"Alright everyone, we'll be there within nine hours at this pace... let's see our options to how we get inside Port Tisrey." Faith took out a blank scroll from the magical bag that Master Savien gave me, if we write the plan out... it'll be easier to understand along with the map of Port Tisrey.
"Let's see here..."
[To be continued...]