Chapter 157
Momentary Rest
The next morning, everybody woke up in refreshed spirits. While the loss of Julianna and Silvia were still obviously weighing down on the group, the fact that the killer had been punished and the two sisters had been laid to rest allowed them to move on. Each of them had seen their fair share of death as it was, too, which helped them move forward.
However, the one who seemed like they were doing the best out of all of them was easily Zeldana, as the elf seemed to have a strange glow to herself. Even if she tried to hide it, the others easily noticed a look of satisfaction on her face. While most of them didn’t know what was the cause of this, Durge had a good idea what had Zeldana in such a good mood.
“...Okay, I have to ask, what is with you now?” Erin asked the elf, having grown tired of wondering what was up with her. “I know you well enough to tell that something really special must have happened to have you in such high spirits!”
“Whatever might you be talking about?” Zeldana asked, feigning innocence in an obvious manner. “Maybe it’s just that our breakfast is so good that I can’t help but be happy!”
“It’s the breakfast my ass! I know a psychopath like you isn’t going to beaming the way you are, unless there’s a real good reason for it!” Ryle said. “Now, would you mind and tell us exactly what it is or-!”
“NO! You don’t want to know!” Durge suddenly shouted, surprising everyone. “Trust me. None of you want to know…”
“Do you really have to be like that?” Zeldana asked playfully. “I was just beginning to contemplate whether I should actually do it. Don’t you want to hear it again?”
“Please, I’m trying to eat here,” the orc said in a desperate tone. “I don’t want to lose my appetite.”
“...Just what the hell happened for it to affect you of all people that badly?” Lexton asked.
“Believe me when I say that it’s better you don’t know,” Durge replied. “I made the mistake of asking for details and had trouble sleeping last night.”
With the orc so adamant about the others not wanting to know more, they decided to let it be. Durge was not someone who could be easily shaken, as he had experienced a lot of terrifying things in his life. To see him so shaken about whatever Zeldana’s secret was, it became obvious that some things were better left unknown.
Once the group had finished their breakfast, Erin decided to go to the town in order to find something to place on the graves of Julianna and Silvia. Arkay decided to join her, hoping to help her find something nice for the elf sisters. Zeldana also decided to come along, mostly just for fun, as she didn’t have much to do at their current residence.
Once the three of them had left, the remaining half of the group settled in to just relax the best they could. Lexton was going through some blueprints he had for future inventions and Durge was reading a book he had found in the house. Ryle, on the other hand, tried to just lay down and take it easy, which was proving to be more difficult than she had imagined.
“Bleh… This is too dull for me,” the blonde muttered as she laid on a couch. “I don’t understand how you guys can do this for hours. This is way too boring for me!”
“Well, you see, most of us don’t have the attention span of an overly energetic toddler, which is why we can stay still for more than five seconds!” Lexton said angrily, upset that his peaceful work time was being interrupted. “It’s a sign of maturity that obviously you lack!”
“Hey! I’m mature! Very mature!” Ryle argued. “You just refuse to see it!”
“Sure you are. Buying a big bag of donuts that you then proceed to devour without any sign of control is such a great sign of maturity. Not to mention, shouting you're mature like some kid,” the kobold said sarcastically. “What are you going to do next? Go swim in the ball pit at a burger restaurant?”
“Bite me!” the blonde shouted angrily. “You’re just jealous of me, because I’m-!”
Ryle suddenly stopped herself, as all signs of anger washed away from her face. Instead, she began to look around, like she had just heard something.
“Something wrong?” Durge asked.
“I think so… I heard some noises from outside, like there were people moving about and talking with each other,” the blonde explained.
“Could it be just the others returning?” Lexton asked. “I know it hasn’t been long since they left, but maybe one of them forgot something.”
“...Nah. This doesn’t sound like them. And I hear the sounds come from the back of the house,” Ryle explained before sniffing the air. “And there’s something else. I smell paint.”
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Outside the house that Erin and her friends were using, a couple of people from the town had decided to come over in order to give “punishment” to Julianna and Silvia for their supposed crimes against the community. Just like when Erin and Zeldana had seen when they first came there, these people were trying to paint graffiti all over the house. They assumed that the older sister had most likely already left for work, leaving only the sick younger sister home. Even if the older one was still around, they were sure that they could handle her, if she tried to do anything.
However, their assumptions would be proven wrong in more ways than one.
As the group of townsfolk started spraying their paint, they were so focused on their work that they failed to hear the sound of someone coming out of the house, walking to the back where they were and getting behind them. It wasn’t until one of them was tapped on the shoulder did they realize that there was someone behind them.
“Oh for the love of… Piss off, Julianna!” the vandal that was tapped on the shoulder said angrily, thinking it was the older elf sister. “You know good and well that you’re getting what you deserve, so don’t even try to make things worse for yourself!”
Thinking that her threat had gone to the right person, the vandal resumed her work in painting graffiti on the wall. She soon received another tap on the shoulder, though.
“Didn’t you hear what I said!?” the vandal asked angrily as she started to turn around. “I told you to-!”
The rest of her words died in her throat upon seeing who it was that was standing behind her. Instead of either of the elf sisters, there was a tall blonde woman and an even taller orc. Both looked like they were some sort of criminals and they were glaring at the group of vandals.
image [https://i.ibb.co/H2wYZC8/Ch-157-Pic-1.jpg]
“Yeah, I heard you the first time, but you got my name wrong,” Ryle said. “I don’t take orders from people who can’t even get that much right.”
“What the-!? Who are you guys!?” another member of the group asked in shock. “What the hell are you doing here!?”
“You do know that we’re the ones that should be asking that from you, right?” the blonde said. “Anyways, to answer your question, the people living here invited us over, so we’re staying here for the time being. I doubt any of you received your invitations.”
“...So you’re just a bunch of outsiders then?” the vandal that was tapped on the shoulder asked, as she glared at Ryle and Durge. She was most likely the leader of the group. “Makes sense. The traitors living here wouldn’t associate with anyone else other than those who would come here to exploit us.”
“Wow. You know the stereotype about small villages and towns being very unfriendly towards outsiders? These people are pretty much the embodiment of that,” Durge said as he looked over to Ryle. “You’d think that these guys would be smart enough to try and not live up to it.”
“I know, right!? It’s almost hilarious, if these guys weren’t pissing me off!” the blonde said. “Also, with how hostile these people are towards anyone that isn’t from the town, do you think there’s some level of inbreeding going on?”
“Just take a look at these guys. I’m pretty sure the answer is right in front of you,” the orc replied.
“Hey! You better watch your mouth, assholes!” one of the vandals shouted angrily. “If you piss us off, we might just-!”
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The threats were stopped by Durge throwing a quick punch at the vandal. The orc didn’t put any real effort into the strike, but it was still powerful enough to send the target flying to the wall and knock him out cold. This terrified the other vandals, as they saw how easily one of their members was taken out.
“See that? That’s just the start of what’s going to happen to you guys, if you don’t clean the crap you put on the wall, apologize and leave,” Ryle said as she cracked her knuckles. “Now, what will it be? Think carefully before you give us an answer.”
“D-Don’t you try to threaten us!” the leader of the group of vandals said in a terrified tone. “Do you think we’re the only ones who hate the people living here!? The whole town is on our side! All we need to do is go there, ask for help and we’ll be back with an army of people before you know it! So how about YOU apologize to us!? If you do, we might show you some mercy!”
“I wouldn’t go around making such threats, if I were you,” the voice of Lexton suddenly called out as he arrived at the scene. “Have you ever heard of memorial site preservation act?”
“What the hell is that supposed to be!?” the group leader asked in a voice that was a mix of anger, confusion and fear.
“It’s rather simple, actually. You see, due to vandalism performed against the graves of high-profile individuals, a law was put into place that prevents such things from being done,” the kobold explained. “In short, graves and the immediate areas surrounding them are now protected by law, meaning that any acts of vandalism performed on them can lead to very severe legal punishments. These include hefty fines and even prison sentences.”
“What the hell does that have to do with us!?” the leader of the vandals asked. “We’re at least miles away from the town’s cemetery! I don’t see why we should be worried about any laws like that!”
Without saying a word, Ryle and Durge stepped to the side, allowing the vandals to see the graves of Julianna and Silvia. All of them went wide-eyed upon realizing what they were looking at.
“Are… Are those-?”
“I see you’re starting to realize what you’ve done,” Lexton said. “Indeed. Those are the graves of the residents of this home, Julianna and Silvia. They sadly lost their lives not too long ago and were buried here, which in turn has made this place into a memorial site.”
“...S-So what!? It doesn’t change the fact that those two betrayed our town!” the leader of the vandals said, trying to put on a brave front. “Even if what you’re saying about the law is true, it doesn’t mean that anybody here is going to enforce it for the it for their sake!”
“That would be a very bad idea from them, as we could simply make a complaint in the next town,” the kobold said. “I doubt they are as stupid as your hive of inbred imbeciles here, which means they will take over the case and handle it properly. This would lead to your local law enforcement officers ending up in jail and your charges becoming even heavier.”
The vandals were looking at each other nervously, wondering what they could do in their current predicament. However, it seemed like none of them had any ideas, as no one spoke up.
Seeing how he had backed his opponents into a corner, Lexton decided to finish the whole issue.
“I should also mention, that the law has a section dedicated to the defense of memorial sites,” the kobold said, getting the group’s attention. “It states that due to the heavy emotional tolls that vandalism concerning the resting places of their loved ones takes on them, family and friends are to be allowed to defend their memorial sites to the best of their abilities. This means that even if my associates were to beat you up so hard that you’d need months of surgery, it would be very likely that they wouldn’t be charged with any sort of crimes at all.”
The eyes of the vandals went wide as they looked over to Ryle and Durge, who were both staring down at them with menacing grins. Both sides knew that if they were to fight it would only be a one-sided massacre.
“Isn’t it fun when laws dedicated to protect the elites of our society can be used for our own good? Makes the world a bit more fair,” Lexton said with a smug grin on his face as he walked up to the group’s leader. He then grabbed her by the front of her shirt and pulled her down so they were face to face. “Now, how about you and your group clean up your mess and get the hell out of our sights, while we are still willing to act civilized?”
The leader simply nodded, prompting the kobold to release her with a satisfied smile on his face.
Once they had accepted their defeat, the vandals proceeded to clean up all the graffiti they had put on the wall. After they were done, they apologized and ran away as fast as they could.
“Well, that took care of that. Good thing we didn’t have to resort to violence,” Durge said. “Things could have gotten ugly.”
“Isn’t that kind of the point of using violence?” Ryle asked. “Besides, while I’m happy to teach those punks a lesson and see the scatter like a bunch of cockroaches, I’m kind of mad that we didn’t get to beat them up!”
“I understand your feelings on that, but you have to look at the bigger picture. If we had done that, as satisfying as it might have been, it most likely would have caused us bigger problems with the town itself,” the orc explained. “A group of punks like this might not be an issue, but I’d rather not have to fight a lynch mob.”
“I… see your point,” the blonde said, imagining a group of angry townsfolk coming after them. “That would have totally sucked…”
“Indeed it would have. Good thing we had someone on our side that could use logic and words to drive away the problem,” Durge said with a smile as he looked over to Lexton. “That was a good idea from you, Lex.”
“It was nothing. I’ve just studied laws in order to conduct my business. There are tons of convenient loopholes that you can use to justify pretty much anything,” the kobold said with a shrug. “This one, though, was a bit special, as I made up a lot of it.”
“Wait… You mean to tell me that you just lied through that whole thing!?” Ryle asked with wide eyes.
“Not all of it, if we’re perfectly honest,” Lexton said thoughtfully. “It is true that there are laws that protect graves and other memorial sites, even allowing people to use force in order to protect such places. However, it’s a law that only applies to specific places, so it isn’t something that can be used by regular citizens like us.”
“B-But you sounded so confident!” the blonde said. “The way you spoke made me believe it was the truth! And I do my best to not believe anything you say!”
“First rule of con artists, always show confidence no matter what you’re selling,” the kobold explained with a smirk. “People find confidence in your confidence, which makes it easier to fool them. If it looks like you don’t believe your own words, why should anybody else? You need to at least be able to sell the image of someone that truly believes they’ve got something good.”
“...I can’t believe I got fooled by you,” Ryle said in disbelief. “I feel so dirty.”
“There’s no shame in losing to someone better than you,” Lexton said in a mock comforting tone. “It’s just that in your case it must be a daily thing.”
“Why you little-!”
“Alright, let’s calm down a bit!” Durge said, stepping between the two in order to stop them from getting into a fight. “We managed to drive those punks away for now. Do you think they’ll stay away from this place from now on or will they be back again?”
“As much as I’d like to say that we managed to scare them away for good, I’m afraid I know way better than that,” Lexton said with a sigh. “People like them never learn from one time and often have to suffer serious consequences before they truly learn their lesson. I wouldn’t be shocked if they’ll be on the lookout for us leaving, so they can come burn this place to the ground.”
“But if it was all for nothing, why did you bother helping us?” Ryle asked. “I thought you were always a more logical guy who doesn’t want to waste his time and energy on things that don’t matter in the long run.”
“Even if I am like that, I still have a heart!” the kobold said angrily before calming himself. “I suppose the reason I decided to step in was the same as you two. I just couldn’t bear the thought of our dear hosts’ home being vandalized right before me. While it might have been ultimately pointless, I still felt like doing something for them.”
“I agree. Not to mention, thanks to your intervention, we managed to avoid fully angering the rest of the townsfolk. I don’t know if those guys were bluffing, but the chance of the entire town going against us was still a possibility,” Durge said. “Even if ultimately pointless, the way I see it, this was the best outcome we could have hoped for.”
The others nodded in agreement, before going back inside the house to wait for Erin, Zeldana and Arkay to come back. What they didn’t know was that their friends were being followed by someone.
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In the town, Erin and her two companions were going through the town’s market, looking for supplies that they might need and things to put on the graves of Julianna and Silvia. As they had expected, the local townsfolk were giving them nasty looks, showing their hostility towards outsiders. Despite this, they were always willing to sell them whatever products they had, so it wasn’t too big of an issue, even if it made the trio feel uncomfortable.
“They don’t like us, but they sure like our money, don’t they?” Erin muttered as she took a bite out of a sandwich they had bought from a local stall. “Is it just me or are they being a bit hypocritical?”
“Kind of. They do have their reasons for disliking us, even if it isn’t unfair,” Zeldana said with a shrug. “However, they still need money in order to feed themselves and their families, so they simply swallow their anger and do their jobs in order to get their paychecks.”
“I get that, but isn’t it obvious that they’ve got no reason to hold a grudge towards us? That’s something even most children can understand!” the redhead argued. “All I’m saying is that if they’re struggling, driving away potential customers isn’t exactly going to help!”
“Hey, I don’t like it anymore than you do! I was just pointing out their logic!” the elf said. “I just know that there isn’t much we can do about it, so we might as well just ignore it altogether.”
Erin was about to say something back, when she noticed that Arkay was looking at a nearby stall that seemed to be selling some sort of clay and wooden dolls. All of them seemed to have similar designs and only varied in sizes or materials.
“What’s up, Arnie?” the redhead called out to the cat boy. “Are you interested in those dolls?”
“They aren’t dolls. They’re spiritual protectors,” Arkay said. “People place them on graves in order to drive away overflowing magical energies from the resting places of their loved ones.”
Upon hearing this, Erin was reminded of the lore of the game she used to play. Undead creatures, although rarely seen in the wild, were a thing within the world. Most of them were created through necromancy by magic users as servants. In a sense they were puppets made out of rotting flesh and bone.
Sometimes there were undead that appeared on their own without having anyone control them. These were known as dead born, as they were essentially new creatures that had been born from the dead. Most of the time they were nothing more than feral beasts, acting on pure impulses. These creatures were born from unnaturally large gatherings of magical energy appearing in the area that their bodies were located at. Much like nature itself, magical energy could be unpredictable and cause such things to happen. Even creatures born from things such as rocks and other inanimate objects might appear in a similar fashion.
However, in some rare cases, the magical energies would be so large and powerful that the animated object or corpse would end up developing a consciousness and a personality, thus becoming a new person altogether. This was essentially how the game had undead creatures as playable characters. This was still extremely rare, so most people would prefer not to see the remains of their loved ones walking again, especially since it would be a completely new being in the body anyways.
Realizing that her friend wanted to prevent such a fate from befalling Julianna or Silvia, Erin felt like investing on the dolls would be a good idea. Picking up a hefty sum of cash from her wallet, she handed it over to Arkay.
“Here. Go buy two of those,” the redhead said with a smile. “And make sure that they’re good quality.”
“R-Right!” the cat boy said with a smile, before walking over to the stall.
“...You mind going with him?” Erin asked from Zeldana. “I’d feel better if someone was watching over him.”
“Huh? I know he’s the youngest among us, but you’ve literally had him go on missions that could have easily gotten him killed!” the elf said. “Don’t you think he’s old enough to do his own shopping?”
“I know that! I just don’t like the idea of him being put at risk!” the redhead said. “You’ve seen just how hostile these people are. What if someone decides to do more than simply giving him mean looks? I’d like to avoid that as much as possible!”
“Okay, but why aren’t you going?” Zeldana asked. “If you’re so worried, why not go look after him yourself?”
“He’d see right through me,” Erin replied. “I want to show that we do trust him. Even if we are still worried…”
“Fine… I’ll pretend to be interested in the junk they’re selling over at the next stall,” the elf said with a sigh. “But you owe me for this!”’
The redhead simply rolled her eye as she watched her two companions leave. Once they were far enough, she turned around and walked into a nearby alley. There seemed to be no one there, except for her.
“Alright, I got separated from my two friends,” Erin called out like there was someone else there. “Is this good enough for you?”
“About time you got away from them,” the voice of the shadowy man said as he stepped out of a dark corner, like he materialized from thin air. “I was about to just drag you here myself.”
“...What is it you want now?” the redhead asked. “If it’s just to give me a “I told you so” speech regarding Stacey, I don’t need it.”
“Well, there is that, but I think you might need to hear a few other things, too,” the shadow said. “It regards your other friends. And Golorath himself.”