“Hey, wake up.”
Huh?
Everything around him was too bright, he blinked over and over till his eyes adjusted to his surroundings. It was a complete change of scenery, from the dull back streets of a town to a small clearing in what appeared to be a densely packed forest.
Swizze was looking right at him with a sly smile.
Oh shit, what the hell is he doing here? Was he with those guys after all? Why is he looking at me like that…? Don't tell me…
“Would you look at that, a present all wrapped up just for me.”
Kichirou’s jaw dropped.
“Just kidding.”
...
“So what happened to you, all tied up in the middle of nowhere?”
“What?” Kichirou tried to stand up, but he couldn't. He looked down and saw that his legs were tied up. He couldn't move his arms either, meaning they must have been bound as well.
“Here I'll give you a hand,” Swizze winked, pulling out a dagger and cutting away at the binds. It was the same dagger that one of the merchant’s goons had pulled on him earlier. There was a faint smell emanating from it.
“Are you okay?”
“Yea I’m fine.” Kichirou rubbed his wrists to get his blood flowing again.
“How did you end up out here?”
“I could ask you the same.”
Something about Swizze being out here after their brief meeting didn't sit right with him. If this was the middle of nowhere like he said, why would he be here now of all times?
“Me? I was taking a stroll in the woods.”
…
“Well... we were running from these guys, then… Schnee. They must’ve taken her!”
“They kidnapped Schnee?”
“Shit.”
“So what are you gonna do?”
The logical choice would be to go back to the inn and let Zakin know what just happened, but that meant he would pretty much admit that he couldn't even handle watching over a little girl and that Zakin made a mistake in trusting him.
Mistake?
ba-dum, ba-dum
“You were just a mistake.”
Mistake? Mistake!? Me?!
No… no.
I can't go back to the inn like this, I have to bring her back on my own.
“I'm gonna find her of course.”
“If you can't even handle someone of his level, there's no way you’re gonna get her back.”
“Who’s level?”
“Him.”
Only about a few feet away to his right, a man was lying face down on the ground. That was probably the man that had brought Kichirou out here and tied him up.
Maybe Swizze wasn't with them after all.
“We were running and they caught me off guard.”
“Really now?”
As much as he hated to admit it, Swizze was right. Maybe Kichirou could take someone on one on one, but they sent out six people just to catch a little girl. And if they had already brought her back to their stronghold there's bound to be much more of their men. Not to mention the fact that most of them would be armed.
There wasn't much choice here.
“Can you help me rescue her?”
“Hmmm.” Swizze pondered the idea as he rubbed his chin. “Why not. There's always time for a friend’s favor.”
“Then let's go now!”
“No, take a minute to rest. Chances are she's still safe, she is the hostage after all. They won't hurt her.”
That should be the case, but could they just be after money? It certainly wasn't impossible. Zakin did seem to be an extremely wealthy merchant. But the ones who took her were backed by that noble’s house, who were probably very rich in their own right. And it's very unlikely that the underlings could be acting on their own…
“Do you know where they might have taken her?”
“Someone mentioned something about taking her back to the house, it's probably the Debouf manor.”
“The Debouf manor…” Swizze paused and brushed his hair before continuing: “In that case, we do have to make this quick after all, let's go.”
His light and carefree attitude did not waver, but he sure changed his tune in a heart beat after hearing the Debouf name.
He's hiding something after all.
Could he be a competitor after the same target? No, if someone like him wanted to snatch Schnee away he would have done it already... so what's he really after?
Whatever it may be, it’s still better to have Swizze on his side for the time being.
“Yea, let's go.”
“The town is this way, we don't have much time, try to keep up.”
Swizze led the entire way back to town. Even with the heavy shrubbery and many other natural obstacles he didn't slow down a single beat, it was as if his body was like water flowing down a stream. Even if Kichirou had been sprinting on a clear track he would have a hard time keeping up.
Kichirou attempted to mimic Swizze's movements to be not left behind, but to no avail. In fact, it only slowed him down more. Without the proper training, his movements only strained his own nonexistent muscles.
He tried not to slow down any more than he had to, but after just a few minutes, every step he took caused pain in his legs. He was out of breath. He couldn't even remember the last time he had done anything this exhausting. Swizze would stop ever so often to let Kichirou catch up, but those pauses were getting more and more frequent with each passing minute.
With Kichirou slowing them down, it took them quite a while just to reach the edge of the forest, but soon the road to town was in sight.
“Gi-give me a second...” Kichirou panted loudly.
Fucking hell.
For one of the few times in his life, he felt ashamed of his own fitness, for this was one of the only times it actually mattered. “I could do it if I wanted to,” that's what he always told himself. It was never necessary for his life. Between his day job and his gaming habit, all he needed to stay healthy was to eat properly.
He remembered what Hiro always used to tell him: “You should always keep yourself in shape, you never know what life can throw at you. Plus it's healthier anyways.”
“God damn it, why can't he be wrong for a change,” Kichirou muttered under his breath.
“I'll go on ahead, it’ll be too dangerous for you.”
If Swizze went alone, things would probably be a lot easier for both of them. He wouldn't have to endanger his own life, and Swizze wouldn't have someone slowing him down. But he was the one responsible for Schnee, there was no way he could just sit back and do nothing.
“No, I’ll be fine, let's go.”
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“If you insist.”
They made their way through the busy town, making sure to take a small detour once they reached the street where they met earlier to avoid that merchant—they didn't need any more trouble.
At the town square they saw guards keeping watch at the heart of the bustling area. Just as they were about to continue towards the manor, Kichirou noticed the same guard from the night before—the one that knew Schnee and seemed genuinely concerned for her safety.
Normally when a crime occurs you would just dial for the police, and these guards were their counterparts. How obvious of a solution, why didn't he just do that in the first place?
Kichirou made a turn for the guards but was interrupted by a hand that grabbed him by the shoulder.
“What are you doing?”
“I was just going to ask those guards for help.”
“No, you can't.”
“Why not?”
“Every one of those guards were personally employed by the Debouf family. Even if they wanted to help none of them would do anything against them.”
So it's one of these places.
Corrupt nobles do whatever they wish, and because they have everyone in their pockets, no one would ever stand against them. What else is new? But the way the townsfolk revered lady Ashel and her family name would mean that most of the family were outstanding nobles who were well received by the people.
Could it be that just one person in the family was abusing their power while keeping it a secret from the others? Or could those at the head of the house be the corrupt ones, using others like lady Ashel as the face of the family?
There were simply too many unknowns.
If by any chance he was wrong about the Debouf family and the real criminals were just borrowing their name, then if he and Swizze get caught breaking into the Debouf families home they might end up being labeled as the criminals themselves, and then the whole town might oust them. But since the same man from the night before was involved in Schnee's kidnapping the likelihood of that was not very high.
“Alright, let's just go then.”
The front gate of the estate was in view from the town square, with two men guarding its entrance. There was no way to sneak by them without scaling the walls, but with so many people walking around they would not go unnoticed.
“There is a large garden at the other end of this place, we should be able to sneak in from that side.”
It was just as Swizze had said, the other side was a lot quieter. Only a single stone wall sat between the manor and the hill Kichirou had visited last night, and there was not a guard in sight.
Kichirou touched the wall to examine it.
It was smooth with very little grip, meaning that climbing this wall would be almost impossible. Swizze must have come to the same conclusion.
"Come here, I’ll give you a boost.”
“Wait a second, what if we get spotted going over the walls?”
The wall was taller than the both of them, even if Swizze gave him a boost he would still need to pull himself over the wall, and during that time he would be spotted for sure.
“Well, that's why you are going to take a look.”
“But if I get spotted it's going to be too late.”
“Alright, then I’ll take a look first.”
With Swizze’s physical abilities he would be able to scale the wall much faster than Kichirou ever could, and there was a good chance that he would get a good look and not get spotted in the process. But before Kichirou even got into position for the boost, Swizze just flew into the air and grabbed the top of the wall, then proceeded to peak over.
“It's clear,” he called out, as he pulled himself to the top of the wall. Kichirou stood dumbfounded, in awe of the superhuman feat he had just witnessed. But for Swizze it was nothing, he turned around and leaned over, offering a hand for Kichirou.
“Let's go.”
…
“You know I can't jump that high, right…?”
…
“Just how exactly were you planning on saving that girl?
… His physical abilities were limited, while that may be true, he can't just walk away now without even trying, as it always goes, anything could seem impossible until it is done.
Kichirou took a few steps back then ran towards the wall. About a foot away from the wall he leaped, and as his feet made contact with the wall he pushed and gave himself a small boost of elevation, but even then Swizze’s hands were too far out of reach.
“One more time.”
Again the hand was far out of reach.
“If you can't even overcome this wall, it will be too dangerous for you, wait here for my return.”
“Wait! don't go, I can do it, I can do it.”
“It’s for the best.”
Then, just like that he vanished to the other side of the wall.
Kichirou looked up and stared at the wall that stood before him: “Every fucking time…”
“Damn it, damn it, DAMN IT ALL!”
It really doesn't matter where I go, now does it?
This is it isnt it, the cruel fate of life, to watch everyone move on ahead, mocking me at every bloody turn. I should have just killed myself then, and I didn't even have the courage to do it.
“Haahaaahahhahaha.”
Absolutely pathetic, it's no wonder she left you. Yea, I guess so...
…
“Promise me, promise me that you will always try your best and be happy, ok?”
“Um sure.”
“Good, now I don't have to remind you what happens if you break a promise right?”
“Yes, yes, I know, I know. When have I broken a promise anyways?”
“It doesn't matter, you have to keep them all, that's the point of a promise.”
“Ok well I promise, no matter what I’ll always give it my best and try to be happy.”
…
But how can I, when you’re not by my side.
A promise is a promise nonetheless.
“That’s right.”
But this wall, it's not possible for him to scale it on his own.
There are bound to be multiple entrances to this place, this is a large manor after all, but all of them will most definitely be guarded.
Would it be possible for him to talk his way in? He could if he played his cards right.
No it's too risky, he doesn't have any information to bluff the guards.
Perhaps a sewer or vent that would lead him inside?
That wouldn't be any good either, Swizze might have already gotten the job done before he gets inside.
That would mean there's no other way, other than scaling this wall and joining up with Swizze.
I’m not running away, not today, not ever again! If Swizze can do it, so can I.
With his newly filled determination he ran at the wall over and over, with each and every time the top of the wall seemed that much closer in comparison to before.
Was it due to his imagination or was he actually getting closer to where Swizze could have pulled him up? No it wasn't, each time he was actually getting closer to the top of the wall.
He could see it now, Swizze’s hand reaching down for him, Kichirou closed his eyes.
I got it! See I did it, I really did it haha. I can wait for them now.
But rather than the free fall he was expecting, a hand was pulling him up instead.
He opened his eyes and saw that same nonchalant smile before him.
“Swizze?”
“I was waiting on the other side for you, I knew you had it in you.”
“Hah, you're right I did, but still needed your help though.”
“You’re never truly on your own, you know. There's always a friend there to help you.”
“Yea, thank you, thank you...”
“Don’t mention it. Now let's get back to business.”
Although Kichirou appeared to be rather skinny, contrary to what most people would believe he actually has a healthy weight for his height. But Swizze was able to pull him up with only one hand without any signs of effort or struggle, it seemed as natural as if he was lifting a bag of groceries. How did he have so much strength in those skinny arms?
The pair jumped and rolled into the garden below. Luckily, the section of the garden they had entered was surrounded by various large plants, with a gazebo in its center—clearly separated from the rest of the garden as a more private area.
If all things were to go well, this would even serve as a great exit point, to provide them some cover on the way out.
“How are we going to find her?”
“That won't be difficult, follow me and try to lay low.”
They were charging into the potential base of the enemy without any plans whatsoever and their only ace in the hole was Swizze’s monster-like strength.
He just needed to have faith in Swizze.
A path paved by stone led out of the area, surrounded by heavy tree lines on both sides, with a bright opening at the end of it. The fresh air, the sound of birds and flowing water—If it weren't for the fact that this was just someone’s backyard this would most certainly be a beautiful mountain path.
But this was no time to enjoy the scenery. They walked towards the exit with great care, weaving in and out of the trees for cover, for if anyone looked down this path they would be spotted instantly.
As they reached the exit, before them was a large pond separating this section of the garden from the rest of it, with a single bridge connecting to the other side.
The garden beyond had a rather open design which offered little to no cover at all. It was filled with flat grassy areas interconnected by small bridges and decorated with a few statues of religious nature and bench-like seating areas.
On the other end of the garden—nearest to the manor, there was plenty of vegetation that could be used as cover, as well as wooden frames that allowed the entire area to have plants growing overhead.
“What do we do now?”
Swizze’s eyes darted back and forth in rapid succession.
“We're too close to the manor at this point, and there are too many windows overlooking this area. There's no way we can get across like this without getting spotted.”
“So what the hell are we gonna do?”
If there was no longer a way to move on without being detected, Swizze alone could cause some major disturbance in the manor, hopefully causing enough of a distraction to allow Kichirou to sneak Schnee out amidst the chaos.
“Stay close to me, I’m going to activate a spell to shroud us from wandering eyes. In other words, I'm going to render us invisible to the world. It only covers those within the radius of the spell so if you leave my close proximity the effect will wear off immediately, and if anyone were to get too close to us the effect will also wear off. Just follow my lead at all times. Also, they might not be able to see us but they can still hear us, so keep it down.”
“Wait, why didn’t we just do that from the start then?”
Why would he keep such a useful spell hidden? If they had simply used it from the very beginning they would have avoided any chance of detection entirely.
“Its duration is limited. If I had used it earlier there would be no telling if we could have found her before its time ran out. But now there's no other choice.”
“Okay, so how long do we have?”
“Instead of asking that let's get going.”
[Shroud of Shadows]
A cloud of dust kicked up from seemingly nowhere with Swizze at its center, then in just a moment, it vanished. And as it did, Kichirou suddenly felt magical energy coating him from head to toe. But nothing appeared to have changed, not from his perspective at least.
“Now just follow me. When I walk you walk, and when I stop you stop, got it?”
“Yea let's go.”
There didn't appear to be anyone in the garden, but from time to time Kichirou looked up at the windows hoping that someone would be there. But to no avail, they didn't see a single soul as they made their way to the next section of the garden.
Swizze halted to a stop just before crossing the final bridge, presumably to observe the situation for a moment. Kichirou looked up to the windows and froze, someone on the third floor was staring right at him.
He didn’t get a good look at her yesterday, but behind that mask was a pair of golden eyes that shone just as brilliantly as her hair under the afternoon sun—it was lady Ashel.
Something wasn’t right. According to Swizze, he should have been completely invisible, and yet she didn’t appear to be looking blankly out of the window. Instead, her eyes were locked directly on his.
Did the effect of the spell wear off? Can she see us!?!
Perhaps it was out of fear or anxiety, but he just couldn’t look away. He took two steps forward, and her eyes were still locked with his. Perhaps it was the angle and distance that made it appear that way, but his gut told him that was not the case.
Swizze signaled with his hands to continue moving, but Kichirou didn’t seem to notice.
“What's the holdup? Let's go.”
Only with Swizze’s voice could he turn his attention elsewhere.
“Has the effects of that spell already worn off?”
“No, let's go before it does.” Swizze did not seem to have the slightest bit of worry on his face.
“Yea, okay.”
It must have been a coincidence then.
Kichirou looked back to the window for a quick glance, half expecting lady Ashel to have vanished just like they do in those horror films, but instead caught a glimpse of her slowly walking away.
“You said if people got close to us we would be seen, but are there any other ways that they would be able to see us?”
“There are a few. If someone were to say cast a dispel, we could be revealed.”
“No, not like that. I mean is there a way for a person to see us despite the effects of the spell.”
“Hmmm there are people who might be able to sense our presence, but I’ve never met anyone who was able to see through my skills directly. Stop worrying, I doubt there's anyone here who I can't handle.”
“Yea you're probably right.”
His words were reassuring enough. Even with limited knowledge, there was no doubt in Kichirou's mind that Swizze could probably handle everyone here by himself, but there was still something unsettling in the air.
The final section of the garden was the only section that could be associated with a normal garden. There were just a few walkways, all heavily surrounded by different forms of vegetation on both sides.
However, calling them something as simple as plain vegetation would be doing the designer of the garden a disservice as they were clearly well arranged and carefully picked out to create an elegant work of art. It was also evident that it was heavily maintained as there was not a single leaf or flower with any bruises or blemishes whatsoever.
The many statues that were of similar nature to the ones they had seen prior still had their immaculate marble shine despite being in the mix with the plants that were seemingly watered on a regular basis.
Odds were, everything was maintained with magic, and that was right. Lady Ashel hired many people to maintain the integrity and beauty of this manor. For the garden alone, she had hired many gardeners, craftsmen, as well as many spell casters to create and maintain the scene before them.
The vegetation extended all the way to the glass door of the manor, where a single man stood guard.
“Looks like we can't sneak past this area. Things are going to pick up from here on out, you stay here for a moment. I’ll take care of this quickly,” Swizze whispered.
Kichirou hid behind a statue as Swizze moved on ahead. He felt the magical energy leave him as Swizze made his way towards the guard, and just as it did, Swizze also vanished from view.
This is it. When Swizze takes out that guard, that would be the point of no return, a race against time sort to speak.
It would only be a matter of time before it's discovered that a guard was missing. Going any further beyond this point without the [Shroud of Shadows] meant that they would run into countless people within the manor, and that they needed to rescue Schnee before anyone could realize what was going on. And there was another issue, they still had no clue as to where she might be. But despite it all, as long as Swizze was on Kichirou's side, it was very much possible no matter how things turned out.
Let the show begin.