It wasn't a good feeling to be watched, to be unsure of who it might be. Friend or foe? I leaned toward the other, though. If the Castiana City Guards were watching me, I would have this feeling from the very beginning. Ever since I left the smoldering barracks buildings, and I didn't.
The feeling itself was strange. I've never had it before, not even on Earth. It was not some innate intuition. Skills may explain it, but even though I've gone through the descriptions of skills I had several times, none of them mentioned anything like that. So the last option remained.
Mutations.
Which one, though? There were so many changes in my body that I had no idea what might be the cause. It could have been one particular mutation or a combination of more. In the end, it didn't matter. It didn't change the fact that someone was interested in me and had been watching me since I came out of the Fallens Cry.
It made me anxious, worried. I didn't like it. If the person had good intentions, they would approach me as Mr. Daniel Fernbough did. They would not hide in the shadows. Not that luring an injured girl in need of help into a company was so honest.
Whoever it was, I dared to say he had plans with me. Plans that certainly did not correspond to mine and were not in my best interest. Even though it was only a tiny chance, I was afraid that I would see Roe, who came to finish the job, if I met the person watching me. This female assassin left in my heart a scar deeper than she knew.
Thinking of Roe and remembering the night I met her, I looked around the square, searching for guards. It was pretty funny when I thought about it. In my mind [Slaves], refugees and the guards didn't go very well together. Yet, I knew a lot of them personally.
Where were they now, though?
Finding the guards in a sea of citizens, merchants, and seekers turned out to be difficult. In fact, it seemed impossible to me.
I wasn't even sure if they patrolled Labyrinth Square at all.
Trying not to panic and not run to the main street leading to the City Guards Barracks and City Hall, I headed for it while pretending to be still browsing through the stalls in the square. I did that to not alert those who followed me, trying to look natural. Not sure if it was even possible with my body language, though.
Not believing that I would run away from the person with my injuries, I took a cautious approach. However, I did not leave my safety to chance. While I tried to pretend to look at the stalls and their goods, I was actually looking for the guards.
They found me first.
I mean the city guards. I was just considering climbing on crates stacked at a mineral trade stall to get a better view when they approached me from behind.
"Korra Gray?" the woman asked.
They were out of reach of my domain, keeping their distance, so I have to admit that I squealed a little in fright when she addressed me unexpectedly. But unlike their arrival, the smirk on her colleague's face did not escape my attention.
It was quite rude of him, but I couldn't care less given the situation I was in. Being watched was not good for my nerves. It made me too tense. I knew that but couldn't help myself. I was probably too paranoid too, and the feeling on the back of my neck was just a cold east wind or something, nothing more.
I really wished it was just the wind, and I'd probably consider it that, if the old jeweler hadn't warned me.
I looked at the two of them.
[Guardswoman: lvl ??]
[Bruiser: lvl ??]
These two were strong, which surprised me. Their level indicated that they were master guards, part of the A-team, which according to Vara did not patrol the city and trained in the labyrinth most of the time.
On the other hand, it was no wonder that someone like them was patrolling the square. Guards at level one hundred wouldn't be able to do much here if there were any trouble.
"Yes, it's me," I nodded, a little calmer now in their presence.
Bruiser just grinned and let the woman speak. He was huge and could easily match in size the bear man and his wife, who were willing to buy my labyrinth catches from me. His arms were thicker than my thighs, pectoral muscles bigger than my boobs, and I wasn't sure he had a neck at all. Unlike him, the guardswoman looked like a stick. Even so, she was taller than me, holding a staff in her hand.
"Great. You're coming with us. The Captain wants to see you," she said dryly.
I paused, stunned. "O...okay, did something happen?"
Perhaps Lord Delamere had arrived earlier, though according to what they had told me, he would not arrive until the day after tomorrow. "We only have orders to take you to the barracks, that's all," she explained.
I couldn't help sighing in frustration and relief.
It was pretty vexing that I had no idea why I was being summoned to the barracks, and it wasn't the first time either, but it was one of the places I wanted to get to. More guards, more safety, were my thoughts. Just being in the presence of these two master guards was reassuring. I was hoping it would discourage the person who was watching me from trying anything.
"Shall we?" the bruiser growled, beckoning to follow him. The man did not wait for my answer as he headed for the main street leading to the barracks. I hesitated but then followed him. The guardswoman was just a few steps behind me.
What bothered me was that even as we approached the exit of the square, I still had that weird feeling on the back of my neck. Someone was still watching me, not discouraged by their presence as I hoped.
Thanks to that, doubts crept into my mind about whether it was a good idea to follow them blindly. So I shifted my attention to the two guards and where are we going, from focusing on my neck. With that, I noticed the bruiser wasn't heading straight for the main street but for a group of people standing a little further away. Unfortunately, I could only guess who it was. As limited by the system, I could only identify their class at a distance of a few meters.
"Is this her, sir?" the bruiser asked aloud the man surrounded by four others as soon as he approached the group with a few quick steps. The moment he said that, I knew something was wrong.
The man smiled and took a step toward me. This one step was enough for me to see his class, and I was shocked by what I saw.
[Slave Trader: lvl ?]
The man I saw for the first time in my life nodded. "That's the bitch."
"What...!" I shouted but didn't finish my question when I noticed a staff approaching the back of my head in my domain.
Without thinking, I ducked down and jumped aside. I didn't have to look to know that it was the guardswoman who attacked me. I did not hesitate, and I ran towards the center of the labyrinth.
Why there? There was a group of slavers and the huge bruiser between the main street and me, behind me only one woman. I didn't have a chance to reach the barracks or the City Hall even if I slipped between them, not with them on my tail. But if I could reach the platform that was much closer, I could disappear into the labyrinth.
The tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.
I was aware that it was not a brilliant plan, but I didn't have time to come up with a well-thought-out plan. What next, I could solve in the peace and safety of the first floor of the labyrinth.
The problem was getting there. Just after taking a few running steps, I had to stop as the guardswoman appeared in front of me.
"You should have let me knock you out!" she hissed at me while striking the butt of her staff against my head again.
It wasn't the double speed, but I was fast enough to avoid it. But doing so, I had to take a step back. Which, as I realized, was probably what she wanted me to do, as the others had surrounded me.
Think Korra! Think! I urged my brain.
Poison was not an option. It wasn't because I was afraid to use it and poison them, but its creation took the time I didn't have. So I did the only thing that came to my mind. The thing that I was still getting under control. I let [Beast] do the trick and roar.
Staying to see what effect my scream had had, whether the slavers were in shock, whether the two guards were frightened for even a moment, or whether it didn't affect them at all, would not be wise.
So, concentrating on [Swift as a Whip], I transferred energy to my legs and sprang forward at double speed, hoping that my barely healed knee would last at least a few steps.
I managed fifty meters before I had to slow down.
It was a necessity if I didn't want to cripple myself. Under the circumstances, it wouldn't be very smart to lose the ability to run.
Taking a deep breath, I shouted again, this time not to intimidate my enemies but to call for help. In vain, though. Despite being surrounded by people, most of them seekers, the answers to my pleas were just smirks on their faces.
My heart sank, filled with helplessness and disbelief. I didn't understand how these people could just stand there and watch such injustice take place right before their eyes.
But if I didn't want to end up with a collar around my neck, I couldn't give in to these feelings. So I ran. Seekers didn't try to stop me and instead got out of my way.
Unfortunately for me, the same was true for my pursuers.
I did not know how strong the slave trader's henchmen were, but the two guards were able to keep up with me. I glanced to the right just in time to see a bruiser rushing at me. He was like a horned rabbit, trying to ram me. He just used his shoulders to do it instead of the horns on his head. The barrier I had created between us only slowed him down a little before he crashed into me from the side and sent me flying.
Despite the pain reduction [Painless Agony] gave me, I cried out in pain as the impact shattered the bone in my right arm. Being my old self, I would be shocked, unable to think. It didn't happen with [Indomitable Will] among my skills. In flight, I slowed and leveled myself using my wings, keeping the balance with my tail. When I landed on the square's pavement, I landed in a crouch on my feet, touching the pavement with my uninjured arm. Immediately rushing forward into the gap between the stalls, I headed for the center of the square.
"What the fuck ...!" I heard the bruiser curse behind me. Apparently, I didn't fall the way he imagined. It was a small victory, and I would smirk if I wasn't in pain and did not run for my freedom.
"Runaway slave! Out of the way!!" the guardswoman shouted, trying to make room for herself and the slavers.
Honestly, I was bewildered by the guards' behavior, considering whether the two were guards at all. But a woman's class...baffled me.
This was not the best time to ponder, though.
I was busy dealing with something resembling a bola, which suddenly appeared in my domain from behind. Instead of dodging which would only slow me down, I put Sage in the way of the thrown bola aimed at my feet. Less than a second later, leather straps with balls wrapped around him.
Another curse came from behind me.
It was yet too early to celebrate, as I still had a few meters to go to the stairs leading to the platform. The guardswoman caught up with me before I could reach it, swinging the staff at my feet. I dove forward, jumping over it, ending my jump in the roll. When I looked in front of me again, I found myself at the edge of the stairs.
Just a few steps down, and I could escape them. If only I had noticed a piece of rope heading for my feet a little earlier. Before I could dodge it, it wrapped around my right ankle.
"No!" I shouted in panic as the rope owner tugged at it and yanked me to the ground. I immediately rolled onto my back, wanting to sit up and take the rope off my leg, but instead had to avoid the staff aimed at my face. The woman only hit the pavement right next to my head.
It was an instinct when I retaliated with a swipe of claws. I didn't even think I'd hit her. It was more of a defensive attack to deter the woman from another blow. So it surprised me I left a cut on the guardswoman's hand.
"Bitch!" she hissed at me.
It certainly didn't make her happy, going for another swing in anger. Second tug on the rope got me out of her reach, making me avoid her strike again. It also pulled me further from the stairs, though.
"You idiot, what are you doing?" she snapped at the owner of the rope when she missed, her spear hitting only the pavement again.
I took advantage of their quarrel and reached for my ankle, unwinding what I had just discovered was not a rope but a whip. As soon as my ankle was free, I sprang forward.
I only managed to take two steps before the bruiser landed on me, pinning me down. He landed on me so hard he broke a few of my ribs and pushed all the air out of my lungs in one agonizing scream. I couldn't move, I couldn't breathe, I couldn't scream or call for help. All I could do as they tried to gag me was form a barrier around my head. It was the only way I could think of to hinder them from doing so.
"Shit, she's using magic!" the guardswoman cursed, making me wonder why it mattered. But the bruiser unmistakably understood what she was thinking, why she panicked. I underestimated him when I thought his options were limited. He was pinning me down, his hands busy holding me. So he used his head, literally. He hit my barrier with it, shattering my protection.
To the displeasure of all present, I immediately re-formed it.
"Stop her, Vik," she barked at the bruiser. He grunted, shattering the barrier again with his head and twisting my arm, which he had hit before.
That moment when unbelievable agony ran through my body, clouding my mind for a moment, I faltered. It was a momentary hesitation, which cost me a lot. The slaver immediately used this chance and put a gag on me. In return, I tried to bite him, but failed. This was obviously not his first time gagging people, though. He knew he should watch his fingers.
I re-formed the barrier in the last desperate attempt, hoping it could cut off his hands, but unfortunately, the skill didn't work that way.
(ding) You were poisoned
What the heck! I didn't poison myself. Then who? When? I couldn't remember when someone might poison me. Was it the bola I still had wrapped around my tail? Was I poisoned through my poisonous tail? Was it even possible?
But then, as I panicked over my poisoning, they came out with something much worse than that, a slave collar.
My guts clenched in terror as the disgusting object appeared in my domain in the hands of one of the slaver's henchmen.
I intensified my resistance, trying my best to wriggle out of the grip of the bruiser, but in vain. He held me too tight, and the difference in strength and weight was too much for me.
My brain was running at full speed, trying to figure out how not to end up with a collar around my neck. Double speed was useless when I couldn't move. So did [Beast] when I had a gag. Thinking that none of my skills were useful, I felt helpless. All I could think of was to dump as much mana as possible into the barrier, which the bruiser was constantly destroying and hoped for the best.
Fatigue washed over me. It was so sudden that I almost fell asleep on the spot. Just the pain the bruiser caused me kept me awake.
When I came out of the labyrinth, I was not in the best condition. This chase was not something I had planned for, and now I felt tired, so tired. I'd rather close my eyes and let this cruel world disappear, hoping I would never wake up again.
That wouldn't happen, though. I knew that.
To fall asleep would be a huge mistake. So I forced myself to stay awake using [Indomitable Will]. And since I didn't come up with anything else, I dump as much mana as my skill allowed into the barrier.
I hoped it gave the bruiser at least a headache.
"For fuck's sake, shouldn't the gag put her to sleep?! She's using more powerful magic than before. At this rate ..." the guardswoman swore and gritted her teeth, but the slave trader stopped her.
"That's enough...you, hurry and put the collar on her," he growled, pointing at his henchman, which held the slave collar.
Panic in the guardswoman's voice made me wonder why magic was such a problem. But if it meant trouble for them, I couldn't just let it be. She was afraid of powerful magic, which I don't think I had. I didn't learn to use it and was just self-taught in mana control. My barier used mana, though.
So I figured mana was the problem and which of my skills consumed the most mana? [Tail of the Poison Empress].
Using it without hesitation, I fed Sage a third of my mana. If the skill didn't have a cooldown, I would use it a second time. Little did I know what I had done.
The swears of the slaver around me were overshadowed by how the Labyrinth Square below me came to life. I felt the energy under the pavement activating the runes that were hidden from view, their purpose unknown to me only for a moment.
In horror, I watched the magical shackles binding me, depriving me of control over my mana and with it the only protection against the fate of a slave I had.
“No!” I screamed into the gag, stopping for a moment the slaver, who was only centimeters away from putting the hateful object on my unprotected neck. His hesitation only delayed the inevitable.
I continued screaming, trying to free myself from the bruiser's grip while looking at Traiana and her suffering in the distance. I had no idea if I was crying because of her or because one of my nightmares had come true when the man snapped the collar around my neck.