Once they arrived to the camping site of the bandits, they separated into two groups, Emelyn and Merlin stayed at the limit of the camping site, while the hooded men placed themselves next to the entrance of the cave (that way, once the attack started, they could run into the cave without being seen by the bandits). While Emelyn and Merlin were waiting for the others to get in position, Emelyn moved a step backwards and stepped on a fallen branch and stayed still, she didn’t know if they had heard the cracking sound from the branch braking, but she cursed inwardly when she saw movement in the camping site.
???: Hey, Kaleb! Did you hear something just now?
Kaleb: No, I didn’t hear anything. Alden, you should stop drinking ale! If Hazim catches you drinking while being on night watch, he’ll kill you!
Alden: Oh, C’mon! Kaleb, don’t tell me you are gonna rat me out to him, are you?
Kaleb: That’s not what I meant, Alden! I couldn’t care any less if you get caught, the problem is that if there is any problem at all during our watch and it is discovered that you drank, my head is gonna roll too!
Alden: Blablabla! Stop your yapping! I’ve heard it again, I’m going to the forest to check it out!
Kaleb: Stop it, Alden! You’re drunk, and for your information, what you just heard is the crackling of the campfire!
Alden: Oh, was that it?
Kaleb: Yes, that was it! Now sit down and stop making things difficult for me!
After Emelyn and Merlin confirmed they hooded men were in position beside the cave, they started the attack to provide a distraction, but they got a little too excited and, in less than a minute, they annihilated all the bandits in the camping site. Only three remained, inside the cave, and they were giving trouble to the hooded men.
Merlin: Mother, I can hear the sound of swords clashing! The others must have met trouble!
Emelyn: You’re right, we should hurry and join them! The head of the bandit group didn’t seem to be within the group earlier, so he probably is inside the cave… If that’s the case, I’m not sure the others will be able to handle him!
Emelyn and Merlin had heard the sounds of clashing metal and cries of pain coming from the cave and rushed inside, but what they saw was a scene that would be forever engraved in their memories: half of the missing children were caged like animals, while the other half were dead, they had been chopped down to tiny pieces and then scattered around the base of a blood altar. After seeing that, Merlin had to go to the side to puke. When he returned to the side of his mother, Emelyn looked at him and saw that his face was a little green.
Emelyn: Merlin, are you ok? Do you think you can handle this? If you can’t, just say it. You don’t have to force yourself!
Merlin: Mother, I’m fine, don’t worry! It just shocked me, that’s all! I can deal with it!
Emelyn: Ok, I understand. I won’t bring it again.
Emelyn understood that Merlin was trying to come to terms with what he had seen, and also, that he didn’t want to show any weakness in front of her, so she didn’t insist. The kids had been sacrificed to an avernal god, which meant that not only had the children been killed, their very souls had been consumed, without any hope of reincarnation. There were two bandits remaining, but of the seven hooded men who originally entered the cave, only one was still alive.
Emelyn couldn’t care less about the hooded men who had fallen during the rescue attempt, but the children were a different matter. They were innocent souls who had a whole life of opportunities before them, and whose lives had been severed by unscrupulous men who only were trying to satisfy their own greed. Emelyn’s rage soared up and all the mana around her started running wild to the point that there was a crackling sound in the air. In her whole life, only in one occasion had she been as upset as she was right now, it had been when a greedy merchant had had her parents killed, many years before. Merlin understood what was going on and knew that unless he managed to calm his mother down, she’d kill the two remaining bandits before they could even interrogate them.
Merlin: Mother?
Emelyn: …
Merlin: Mother, you should calm down…
Emelyn: …
Merlin: Mother, please! Calm down! If you kill them we won’t be able to know why they did what they did!
Emelyn: Merlin, don’t stop me! Those sorry excuses for humans must be exterminated!
Merlin: I know, mother, but we should get answer first!
After talking with her, Emelyn’s face was beet red from the embarrassment: she had lost her cool and made a fool out of herself in front of her own son, not only that, her 6-year-old son had lectured her, and to make it worse, he had been right in doing so! She was so embarrassed that she felt like dying.
They freed the surviving children and gave them a quick meal. Then, Emelyn burned to ashes the scattered remains of the sacrificed children so that wild beasts and animals wouldn’t feed on them, and accompanied by Merlin, she went to interrogate the two captives. As soon as they saw her coming, their pale faces turned even paler. After hearing Merlin appealing to her mother so that she wouldn’t kill them, they thought they were going to be let of the hook, but seeing her coming again, made them realize that their execution had just temporarily been put on hold.
They thought they might had a chance at living if they talked, so they spilled everything out: their bandits group belonged to a community of worshippers of the avernal god Abaddollyon, and they were making blood sacrifices all thorough the continent. They believed the avernal god Abaddollyon was far stronger than all the gods from the different races combined, the only problem was that the avernal god Abaddollyon was sealed in the avernal realm, that’s why he needed the blood sacrifices, to free himself and come into this realm, so that he could become supreme god and sovereign of Nirvatarus, for they believed it his natural right.
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Emelyn and Merlin were speechless, they thought that dealing with the bandits would put an end to the problem, but it looked like there were a lot of bastards like them in the continent, people who would kidnap and sacrifice children for their selfish desires and the cult. After hearing that they didn’t know the locations of any other blood altars or groups belonging to the cult of Abaddollyon, Emelyn deemed them useless and, contrary to their expectations, she killed them on the spot. Merlin was surprised at his mother’s reaction, but thinking about it, if the plans of the hooded men had been accomplished, it would have been him and the girls the ones sacrificed on the altar, which meant her rage was more than justified. Merlin was also surprised at the fact that satanic cults also existed in Klantea.
After dispatching the two bandits, Emelyn and Merlin destroyed the blood altar inside the cave, they went back to the camping site to where the surviving hooded man and children were waiting for them, and they then accompanied the children and the man back to the village. When the people of the village saw them coming, all the parents whose children had been kidnapped went to check whether their missing child was among the survivors of the tragedy, but unfortunately for the people of the village, the world is cruel and not everyone is fated to have a happy ending.
When the villagers learnt about the fates of the other children from Emelyn and the hooded man, anger and regret appeared on their faces, but the parents of the deceased children fell to the ground in sorrow, while a feeling of helplessness invaded the villagers standing around them. They were their friends, their neighbors… but they didn’t know how to comfort them, for most of them knew that if it hadn’t been for Emelyn and Merlin’s assistance, they could very well be joining their friends in their sorrow. The village’s head asked invited them to his house once more, but they declined the invitation and went back to the inn. They arrived to the room and dispelled the double barrier. The very second they did, Lupa, Bastet and Adelle run towards Merlin, tripped and fell down. Watching that, Merlin couldn’t help but laugh.
Merlin: Hahaha! I know that you missed me, but you don’t have to prostrate before me, you know!?
Lupa and Bastet: …
Adelle: Th-that’s not it!
Merlin: Hahaha! I know, I know, I was just teasing you a little!
Lupa: You’re mean!
Adelle and Bastet: …
Emelyn: Merlin, I know that it’s been a hard night, but you shouldn’t take it out on the girls! They’re your future wives! You should love them and treat them with respect!
Merlin: I know, mother. I love them, but they’re so cute when they are embarrassed… I just couldn’t help myself. Sorry!
Emelyn: It’s not me to whom you should apologize!
Merlin: I’m sorry girls! I promise I’ll try not to tease you much!
Emelyn made a face of disbelief. Merlin had apologized to the girls for teasing them, but at the same time, he had admitted that he’d do it again! On the other hand, the girls didn’t seem to notice what Merlin’s words implied. They were just happy that because of the apology, they could ask for a little compensation from Merlin, and the three of them knew what they were gonna ask: a passionate kiss from him.
Merlin had expected as much, but Emelyn was dumbfounded when she heard their request, although what really left her speechless moments later, was that Merlin actually went through with it. Sure, he wasn’t as skilled as her husband, but still, seeing 5 and 6-year-old kids French-kissing was something she didn’t expect to see, even more so when the boy was her own son. Emelyn also realized that, for the way the girls were reacting, that wasn’t the first time they had kissed that way. When they finished, she asked Merlin.
Emelyn: Merlin, may I ask you a question?
Merlin: Sure, mother. What is it?
Emelyn: When did you start kissing them like that?
Merlin: Just a couple of months ago, mother. They saw father kissing you that way, and said that they wanted to try it out. The strange thing is, that despite how embarrassing it is, they liked it and continued to ask me to kiss them like that. But for me it’s really embarrassing, so I reserve that special kiss for when we have to make up.
Emelyn wanted to ask something else, but she didn’t dare. After thinking about it for a while, she dismissed the thought, it was biologically impossible, so in the end, she didn’t ask the question. Emelyn, Merlin and the girls rested for a few hours and woke up at dawn. They packed their luggage and put it into the carriage, then they went to the house of the village’s head and asked him for a full report regarding the situation of the families whose children had been taken by the cult, and also what kind of activities the families did in the region.
There wasn’t much to go on, so after receiving that report and sending a letter to the King, explaining in it the existence of the cult of Abaddollyon, and another one to Anthon, warning him about the activities of the cult and telling him to keep an eye out for any suspicious activity which may be related to them, Emelyn and the children got into the carriage and departed from Sameru.
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