“No, Petra, I’m telling you– there’s no way King Arthur could’ve been a woman.”
Quickly eating down her breakfast, Petra hardly finished swallowing before replying. “But think about it! You said yourself there’s no surviving records of what he looked like, all we have are paintings that, as you said, likely don’t depict him accurately!”
“Well, yeah, sure, but when all of our sources from those times call him a man, I doubt so many people were mistaken about it.”
“I read those sources too, though! They were required reading in our voyaging classes! They all describe him as beautiful, graceful, and– and, they even mentioned he was mistaken for a girl when he was younger, just after he pulled out Caliburn!”
“Sure, okay, maybe he was just that pretty, but those sources were sure to correct themselves right after! If he actually was a girl, then we wouldn’t even see mention of him being mistaken for a one when he was younger.”
“But you said it yourself! Our sources about his early life are secondhand at best! He was a farm boy, then he pulled out Caliburn, then he went off to Avalon and came back like, ten years later a king! They could’ve made up accounts of his early life!”
“Petra, that’s the story they tell in Camelot, but you know that people are still debating whether Avalon is even real or not.” The halfling sighed, pausing for a moment to take another bite of his food before continuing. “And besides, what reason would they have to lie about his gender?”
“That… I can’t answer.” Petra said matter of factly. “But! I do know that something fishy is going on with Arthur’s history, I mean, we know next to nothing about his life, we hardly even know what his rule was like even though it was so important, something is going on there! Is it really the biggest stretch that he could’ve been a woman?”
From the other side of the table, Dedrick’s voice interjected. “I am aware there is a great deal of scholarly debate about King Arthur’s life, some people even propose the idea that he never existed, which is quite the radical interpretation, I must say.”
“Everyone thinks they’re a historian when they get crazy ideas in their head like that.” Milo jabbed at the notion.
“I cannot say I agree with the idea, either, but all of the discourse surrounding him allows for very interesting insights into the history of Camelot itself. After all, we only really know about how it was ruled by the Unseelie Court before the settlers arrived thanks to much of our efforts to uncover Arthur’s origins.”
“The Unseelie?” Minoru interjected curiously.
“Ah, I suppose you wouldn’t have heard of them. Essentially, the fae in Villesia are largely split between two factions, the Seelie and Unseelie. Honestly, I’d elaborate more, but going further into detail about them would take all day. They have a longer history together than even the aboriginal peoples of Villesia. It’s a very ancient conflict.” He explained. “Haucordia doesn’t have that conflict though, do they? I hear the fae that live there are very different from the fae here.” Dedrick rattled off, making Minoru’s body give a cold sweat.
“A-Ah… w-well, yeah, I’m not very familiar with Villesian fae, b-but where I’m from they largely stay separate from humans, y-yeah…” Minoru rattled off, making something up on the spot.
“You know, in the past humans and fae were largely separate here as well, ancient Villesians didn’t dare intrude on fae territory. Although that’s completely changed now, as you can no doubt see just walking around town.” He chuckled. “Still, that ancient conflict between the Seelie and Unseelie? That’s still alive and well, even if it’s cooled off somewhat.”
“I-I see… Should I worry much about that?”
“Oh no, no, it’s no big deal, really. At the worst it’s like… they can’t really ever see eye-to-eye. Just, something fundamental that they can never agree on, really. There’s always going to be some people you simply can’t deal with, right? Your personalities clash too much, or you have too different of perspectives on life, it’s something like that.”
“Seems like a strange reason to hate one another… I can understand not seeing eye-to-eye, but that’s no reason to hold grudges, especially if they’ve been around for so long… I can’t imagine hating someone for that long, you know?”
“Well, sometimes these things are too deeply-rooted to feel anything else. Fae are quite long lived, and even then it’s been hundreds of generations since whatever started their conflict. That’s hundreds of generations for their anger and distaste towards each other to be passed down and continue growing. It isn’t something that can simply be weeded out just by being a bit introspective.”
“I guess you’re right…” Minoru trailed off, before letting out an amused huff. “You really can’t help but go into some philosophical topics like that, huh?”
“I don’t see what’s so philosophical about it, myself.” Dedrick replied with a small chuckle. “It’s just my observations on how we work.”
“Wouldn’t that still be considered philosophy, though? Sure, most people might be content with contemplating the world itself, but focusing on the human experience is just as important to it, isn’t it?”
“Too true! I take it you have an interest in these thoughts as well?”
“Oh, uh… Not to the extent that I think about it very often. I just picked up a few things here and there during my history classes in school, we had to do a report on Aristotle and his beliefs, one thing led to another, I ended up reading quite a few of his writings.”
“Really now? Is this ‘Aristotle’ a philosopher from Haucordia?”
“A-Ah– I mean, n-not exactly…?” Minoru replied nervously.
“Hm. Well, regardless of his origins, if he was able to inspire an interest in philosophy in students, he must have been quite the great mind. I think I’d like to read some of his works if I’m able to find them.”
“Well, I might be able to get my hands on some sometime in the future… If I can, I’d be happy to share them with you.”
“Really now? I thank you, truly! I’ll be looking forward to it.”
“Yeah, ahah…” Minoru trailed off sheepishly. Clearing his throat with a cough, he continued. “Unrelated, but you said you had an idea on where to start with the investigation, right?”
“Oh, yes! I do. With what you three told me, I was thinking that we might be able to dig up something if we were to inquire about it with certain establishments. The caravan’s company is an obvious starting point, as they make sure to document whoever uses their services. Fingerprints, photos, they go the whole nine yards– but we might also get somewhere by asking around the various hostels, inns, taverns, wherever could possibly house anyone traveling through Draetan.”
Petra spoke up. “But aren’t those kinds of documents supposed to be kept private? I doubt we could get permission to see those out of nowhere. Only way we could really do that is if there was some kind of official case or investigation on the police’s part.” She asked. “That’s the only way to really legally get access to those kinds of things.”
“Come now, why do you think I offered my help? As a member of the nobility I just have to tell them my name, give them some proof of identification if they’re really that suspicious, and say I’m there on official business, it’s quite an easy way to get full access to what’s supposed to be private.”
“Wait, is– is that safe for you to do? I mean… Doesn’t seem very legal.” Petra interjected.
“It isn’t illegal to conduct your own investigation, we just might run into some snags with gathering evidence and linking things together where simply flashing my status as a noble and stretching the truth just a little bit can get us what we want. Besides, when one of the people conducting a private investigation is a noble, can it really be considered unofficial business?”
“Well… I suppose that’s true…” Petra commented, tentatively.
“If I may ask, Dedrick…” Milo began. “While I agree this is a good course of action to take, what of the rest of the nobility? Or especially your father, wherever he is… Dedrick von Orleans, traveling with three complete foreigners to Draetan, asking for official transport documents, fingerprints, photos, etcetera– It’s all incredibly suspicious from the outside looking in, don’t you agree? Word travels faster than people, and I have no doubt that the nobility will find out about this before we can make major progress.”
“Let them talk if they wish to, is what I say.” Dedrick said bluntly. “I believe I said it before, but I care little for the beliefs and words of other nobles, even my father. This goes doubly so if they’re trying to obstruct justice.”
“But you said yourself that it appears as though the nobility are purposefully ignoring these cases. If that’s the case, surely there’s more than simple negligence going on here? You don’t think they’d want to keep these cases closed?”
“You underestimate the negligence that the decadence of nobility can bring, Milo.” He commented solemnly, almost as if the truth of his own words pained him. “Regardless, if that does happen, we always have the option of laying this investigation bare to the public. The people of Draetan… I believe I have a certain connection with them that the other nobles sorely lack. If they seek to oppose me, to quash my investigation, to obstruct justice further, I will lay it all bare to the people.”
“Turning the people of Draetan against the nobility…? Is that a smart idea?” Minoru commented apprehensively.
“The spirit of justice can’t be obstructed for long. The people of the kingdom have been integral in massive societal changes and upheaval in the past, allowing a case like this– one that concerns the lives of all Villesians– to progress unobstructed would not be a problem for them.” He declared confidently. “We will see the truth uncovered and realized, and we will see these monsters brought to justice, no matter what happens. This, I swear to you all, and to all the people of Villesia.”
Apprehension was clear on the trio’s faces, but eventually they acquiesced.
As they all finished their food, the various handmaids around the dining room taking their plates, Petra stood up and stretched. “Now that breakfast is done with, I’m feeling full of energy! Should we get started on this investigation now? It'd be best if we could get this done quick so all that talk of the other nobles finding out doesn't come to pass."
"Yes, I think that'd be best as well." Dedrick replied. "I shall go and get ready to head out. I'll meet you all in the foyer." He bid them farewell, thanking the maids for their work, before heading off.
"Guess that's our cue to gather our things as well." Milo commented, as the trio collectively left for their rooms.
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"Yo, Minoru, you ready yet?" Petra called, knocking on the door to his room before realizing it was somewhat ajar, pushing it open.
On the other side, looking intently into a mirror on the wall, Minoru was adjusting his hair. Naturally wavy and somewhat unkempt, his hair was regularly getting in his own face and he had a difficult time keeping it from doing so.
"Hm? Oh, yeah, just a second."
"Y'know, your hair gets in your eyes a lot, doesn't it? You ever consider just cutting it?"
That gave Minoru some pause. "Ah… Well, I've considered it before, I guess. Just… Not a fan of the idea."
"Why's that?"
A sigh, one with audible heft, left him. "It’s a whole thing. Uhm… basically, you know how I'm from Japan, right?" He asked, getting a nod. "My dad, he's from this group of people called the Ainu. They’re basically the original natives of Japan. They keep their hair at about the length I have it at now, it’s just something they do, really. Dad always raised me with those kinds of traditions, so… I’ve just never really considered changing how long it is.”
“Does it not bother you?”
“Mmh… No, not really. My hair’s always been like this, so I’ve gotten used to it getting in my eyes sometimes. Besides, I think I look kinda nice with one of ‘em covered.” He smiled. “Not the best idea if I’m gonna be fighting, though.” He added, finishing up tying his hair back into a short, fluffy ponytail.
“True enough. My hair’s about as good as I can get it, damn stuff never cooperates, so I just brush it back in the morning and that’s about as far as I go. Long as I don’t have bedhead, it’s fine by me.”
“I can imagine needing to style hair as long as yours would get pretty annoying. My dad’s beard goes all the way down to here.” He explained, gesturing with his hand over the bottom of his sternum. “I don’t know how he manages to keep that thing looking as clean as it does. Not to mention his hair’s starting to go white for a long time now, but it still looks shockingly good.”
“I’m just as impressed as you are, damn. My dad never bothered with his beard, he’d always chop his facial hair right off as soon as it got too long. Gave him a pretty badass looking stubble, though.” She thought for a moment, before breaking into a small giggle. “I remember, I wanted to be like my dad so much as a kid, I took a paintbrush my mom used– to paint the weapons we forged– and got a bunch of paint all over my face, to try and replicate the stubble he had, y’know?”
Minoru couldn’t help but let out an amused snort, a smile creeping up onto his face as she recounted the story. “Somehow, I can picture that way too clearly.” He turned back to the mirror, studying his own appearance. “Hmmm…”
“Somethin’ else on your mind?”
“Oh, nothing really. Just thinking what people back home would think if they saw me dressed like this, swinging around a real sword and using magic and all that.” He commented, turning around, looking over his gambeson coat. “Nobody wears clothes like this at all in Japan, or really anywhere in the world.” He paused for a second, adding “Except maybe at renaissance fairs.” with a bemused look.
“Yeah, you said they all dressed in those weird clothes you were summoned in, right? I can see how you’d stand out like that.”
“Would probably give my teachers an aneurysm.” He joked under his breath before he moved away from the mirror, grabbing his sword and shield, the blade sheathed at his side, and approaching the door. “You ready to go?”
Standing up straight, she bounded to his side, walking right along with him. “Yup!” She uttered as they headed to the foyer.
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The wind blew hard atop the buildings of the capital. Although it laid at the bottom of a valley, and as such the ground was usually without many strong winds, higher up the ferocity of the air was on full display. A hooded figure– cloaked in dark blue– watched intently like a hawk, as four figures emerged from the Orleans estate, taking their leave. One was familiar, and the other three were new. Eyeing them, the figure slinked around the roof of the tall building they were sat upon, watching their every movement, they shadowed their path through the city from above. As they watched them approach the office of the caravan company, a gnarled smile appeared across their visage.
“Dedrick von Orleans… you will never grasp the truth…” They mumbled out to themselves as they quickly shot from one rooftop to another. Their prey was walking right into their perfectly set trap.
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“Thank you very much, sir.” Dedrick bowed respectfully to the man behind the door– having emerged from a hall that led deeper into the office building– before walking back over to the trio, who were sitting alongside the entrance room of the office, having waited for sometime. “What’d I tell you all? As easy as can be.” He declared confidently.
“You really got the documents, just like that?” Petra asked and she and the others stood up.
“Mhm, and I was already able to pick out some peculiarities among them. I grabbed the ones most related to what we’re looking for. Why don’t we look at these once we get back to the estate? Until then, we should hit up the inns and taverns in the area, see if we can’t find anything else there.”
“Sounds good to me!”
“Milo, would you keep these safe for me?” He asked, handing the small stack of papers over to the halfling at his side.
“Hm? Yeah, sure thing.” Milo answered, quickly stowing the papers away in his bag as the group exited the office.
“The closest tavern should be Tammy’s, just through that street.” Dedrick directed them, pointing through a crowded street. “Let’s start there first.”
As the four made their way through the street, Milo looked around himself as he held his bag close to his person. He wanted to make sure he kept the documents safe, especially in an unfamiliar city, stuck in a crowd full of people. Something about the surroundings put him on edge. His ears twitched as his eyes darted from side to side.
It took a moment for him to realize that he couldn’t see the others anymore.
“Huh–? Petr– Hmgh!?” He uttered, as in a quick, almost imperceptible moment, a sharp, taloned hand was clasped over his mouth and he was lifted off the ground, his assailant darting into a nearby alley.
Held up by the hand gripping his face, his neck was strained as he suddenly felt a cold, sharp metal of a knife pressed up against it, its blade jagged and zig-zagging. He grunted as he felt the hand’s talons digging into his face, drawing crimson blood that flowed down his features. He wanted to speak, but his words and grunts were muffled.
“You know, kid– kid, I don’t know why Dedrick entrusted you to carry them, but it just makes this whole thing easier… A real turn of bad luck– luck for you, though, kehehee!” Croaked the raspy voice behind him. “So– So… Here’s a bit of a proposal to you… Let go of the bag, give me the documents, and we can both pretend like this never happened… Tell your friends, tell Dedrick to stop looking into this, and we can all be happy– happy little campers… Sounds like a good deal– deal to me, kehehee!”
Already, Milo’s face was flared with anger, more than fear. How stupid was this guy? Thinking that he’d fall for anything like this? Blood rushed to Milo’s head as his heart pumped like crazy, struggling to wrench his assailant’s arm away from him and turn to face them, only for their arm to wrench his head to the side, dangerously close to snapping Milo’s neck.
“Ah ah ahhh… No peeking– peeking! My face isn’t for the eyes of you Villesians! Miscreants and rats and traitors that you are! Now hurry, rat! Give me the bag– the bag! Skwark!”
Heavy breaths ran against Milo’s neck. This guy was starting to get on his nerves, and his hand gripped his staff tightly, the hardened, reinforced wood shaking in his hand.
“Do you have cotton in your head– head, knifeear!? I said give me the fucking bag!!” They croaked out, nudging their zig-zagging blade further against Milo’s throat for a moment, until a loud cracking sound was heard. “Eh? What was that– that? Ehh?” They muttered out over and over. “Khh–” They hissed out, before readjusting their knife, priming it to plunge into Milo’s chest, suddenly yelling. “DID YOU MAKE– MAKE THAT NOISE? THE FUCK DO YOU THINK YOU ARE– ARE!?”
“Are you some kind of idiot? Look down!” Milo grunted out.
“HAH??” They snarled out, their head whipping down, only to see that Milo’s staff had been slammed directly into their foot, and quite hard too, as the extremity, thin and almost like stone, had been cracked from the impact, blood gushing from the cracks. Recoiling, Milo finally fell from their grasp as they screamed from the sharp pain of their foot almost crumbling, bits of their stony flesh hanging on loosely. “SKWARK– GWAK!! SHIT– SHIT, YOU FUCKING KNIFEEAR. I’LL KILL YOU– KILL YOU!!” They screamed, slamming their clawed hand against the wall of the alley. Almost immediately, the bricks upon the building cracked, an eldritch purple light shining out from said cracks, a light of magic that Milo hadn’t seen before.
Quickly, the cracks spread, booming through the building to Milo’s right until they got closer. In a flash, something shot out towards him, with Milo just barely managing to dodge, stumbling backwards as a fleshy appendage jabbed right for his head, piercing right through the side of the other building. Purple and lined with green circular markings, the appendage looked like that of a cephalopod, only much, much larger.
“Shit! I don’t know what freaky shit this guy is pulling, but I gotta get some distance!” Milo quickly turned, running away to the other end of the alley.
“OH NO YOU DON’T– DON’T!!” They called back at him, more cracks spreading across the walls and pavement.
Milo grunted, slamming his heel into the ground and spinning around, before swiping his hand to the side.
“BINDING ICE!” He yelled out. Fanning out from his arm as it swung was a rapidly moving cloud of frost, immediately spreading to the walls and ground of the alley, masses of ice spreading across them from the cloud, overtaking the cracks and purple lights, seemingly stopping them in their tracks, allowing Milo to continue running.
Quickly breaking out from the alley into the crowded street on the other end, Milo whipped around, watching the dark depths of the alley for anything, as he began calling to the passersby.
“Everyone, get out of here, run! There’s a rogue mage here, you’re in danger– Khh!” His eyes darted to the alley once more as a bright glint could be seen from the other end. Pushing his hands outwards, bright blades of magic wind coalesced in front of him, forming a shield of air in front of him, just as a purple spear of lightning was flung right into it, crashing into the shield of wind with a resounding THUNK, the attack causing many of the civilians near Milo to recoil and shriek, quickly scrambling away from the scene.
With a grunt, Milo whipped the shield of his magic upwards, sending the spear careening into the air, where it dissipated soon after. Looking into the alley once more, his eyes scanned the scene for the hooded figure, only to find nothing. Whipping his gaze around the nearly-deserted street, Milo desperately tried to find where they had gone.
“THOSE EYES NOT WORKING FOR YOU– YOU, KNIFEEAR!?” Came the gravelly voice above him. Looking upwards, he found the figure diving right for him through the air from the top of a nearby building, yet another spear of purple lightning in his hands, aimed right for him.
Jumping desperately out of the way, Milo landed on his behind as the spear was driven into the ground, the pavement cracking and almost bursting right off the earth in response to the impact.
Scrambling to his feet, Milo stood up, ready to cast a spell at any moment, only for his assailant to swipe his knife to the side in his direction. In a flash of purple light, a massive tentacle rose from the ground right in front of the halfling. Before Milo could react, it curled around before swiping right at him in the same movement, the end of the tendril slashing across his front side, leaving a large, diagonal gash across his body, a large spray of blood spurting out from his front.
“Gghhh–! Agh! Fuck!!” He cursed in response.
“Kehe! Kehehee! Feel– Feel that!? I’ll kill you! Break my foot, will you!? I’ll stab your fucking dick off with those shitty knife ears and make you choke on it! You shitty fucking Villesian! Knifeear! Gutter rat! Dirty fucking midget! Carne the Scavenger’s gonna fucking rip you to shreds!”
“This guy’s fucking nuts, he’s actually going to kill me!” Milo felt a cold sweat go down his head as he watched his foe’s display, gritting his teeth as he held one hand over the deep gash across his front, using his staff to slowly stand back up.
“I’ll pry those fucking documents off your corpse, and burn them right alongside you!”
In another quick movement, the figure swiped their knife once more, and the tentacle reared up for another strike. With a silver wind gathering around his feet, Milo kicked off the ground, leaving behind a strong gust of wind in his place as he was launched from the ground high up into the air, high enough to scale the surrounding houses, before launching another blast of wind magic to his side, launching him away from the scene with the huge gust of wind.
“This guy’s too dangerous to take on alone, I need to find the others and regroup.” He winced from the sharp, radiating pain across his chest, clutching his bloodstained clothes tightly. “I hope Minoru still has a healing catalyzer, I won’t be able to do anything if I use up my mana to heal myself in this state…”
Hearing a strange sound behind him, Milo’s ears twitched, prompting him to whip his head back, only to see yet another glint of purple light in the sky behind him.
“Oh shit–!” He cried out, before blasting another gust of wind to the side, redirecting him as yet another purple lightning spear rocketed past him, piercing into the side of a small tower in the distance.
Looking back at the source, he saw his assailant– his hood now flipped right off of his head, revealing the wrinkly, avian visage, heavily reminiscent of a vulture– as he was flung through the air in his direction, another tentacle appearing on a building nearby to catch him and fling him once more, repeating this in sequence, and he was closing the gap on Milo, who quickly fled with more forceful gusts of wind.
“Run! RUN!! I’ll hunt you down– down to the ends of Gaia!” Carne shrieked.
“This fucking midget has no idea what he’s in for. Thinking he can run from ME!” He thought to himself. “I might not be a bird of prey, but a shitty rat who lives in the ground can’t possibly think he has a chance in the air! Millions of years for us avians to adapt to the skies– our wings, hollow bones, air sacs– all leading to the moment where I pluck out this knifeear’s liver and cave his skull in with it!” The vulture smiled as much as he could with his rigid beak as he continued soaring, flung through the air by the tentacles again and again.
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The shrieks of townsfolk and loud rumblings from one street over caught the attention of Minoru, Petra, and Dedrick, all of them stopping in their tracks and turning to face the direction of the noise.
“What was that…?” Petra muttered out, before the group saw the crowds of people, panicked and almost tripping over themselves, pouring out from just one road over.
Quickly, Dedrick reached out and grabbed one, stopping the man in his tracks. “Good sir, please tell me, what is going on!?”
“S-Sir Dedrick!? Th-Thank the stars you’re here, th-there’s some mages fighting right over there, they’re slinging magic at each other like mad, y-you gotta stop them!”
“Mages? Here…?” Dedrick spoke, contemplating his words, before he let out a noise. “Milo!?” He called out, letting the man go as he turned around, Minoru and Petra doing the same, the trio soon realizing that the halfling had disappeared.
“Shit– Milo, hang on!!” Petra cried out, immediately breaking out into a run right towards the road in question, sword already drawn.
“Petra, wait!” Minoru called out to her, him and Dedrick quickly following, as a massive boom shook the ground.
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Whipping around, Milo primed a spectral bow of green mana, before firing an enormous arrow towards his attacker, the force of the shot sending him hurtling through the air once more, buildings whipping past him.
A tentacle grasped Carne, pulling him to the side out of the arrow’s path, which curved past him, slamming into the side of a building. Running along the wall with the tendril wrapped around his waist, he was catching up quick, especially as the tentacle once more chucked him towards Milo.
“How the hell is he so fast!?” Milo thought. “I could go faster, but I can’t waste too much of my mana on these air blasts– just one is no big deal, but chaining these together is going to strain my mana streams sooner than later!” He looked down towards the streets of the city below him, crowds of people who weren’t aware at all of the commotion. “Damn bird…! I’m going to die if I stay in the air, I need to try and get the drop on him if I want to get out of this alive…” He cursed, before aiming another, weaker blast of wind up and away from him, launching him down towards the roof of a building nearby, which he ran across, hopping down from the edge and onto various, small balconies below as he made his way closer to the ground, covering up his wound with his robes as he pulled his hood up and merged into the crowds around him.
“That fucking– fucking knifeear! Where did he go!?” Carne cursed to himself as he landed on the same building Milo had, looking over the edge frantically. Yet, with such a small figure disappearing into the crowds, Carne couldn’t make out Milo’s location, his fist slamming into the edge of the building he was leaning over, causing it to crack and dent. “Fucking coward midget, running from me!” He yelled before letting out a heavy, foul breath, a grin appearing on his face. “I’ll catch him soon enough, I’ll have him skewered like– like a little fish! After all… He’s still– still breathing… and we can’t have– have that…” He cackled, a purple light escaping his finger and flowing into the building below his hand.
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Darting through the crowds around him, Milo quickly ducked into a dead-ended alley, leaning up against a wall as he caught his breath, panting heavily as he clutched his chest.
“Ssshit–! I knew I should’ve bought a healing tonic… This guy’s going to hunt me down, I just know it, I have to finish him off somehow… and I took a good chunk of my mana out while trying to get away from him… I can’t rely on the others right now, I gotta finish this on my own, and quick…!” Milo thought to himself as he nudged closer to the opening of the alley.
Suddenly, a rustling sound was heard behind him, making his ears twitch, causing him to whip his head around.
A shambling figure– obviously not Carne as they were just a simple human– was walking towards his general direction from the end of the alley. Stumbling with every few steps and slurring out small noises that sounded almost like words, Milo could tell the man before him was drunk, prompting a heavy sigh from the halfling.
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“Heeeeyyyy fellaaaa– What’re you up to here? Y’don’t look like a bum like me, heheh…”
“I’m not, and sorry, but I’m in the middle of something here, so I’d like for you to leave me alone, please.”
“Keh– Whatever ya’ say Mr. Stuck-Up mage, juss’ tryna’ make conversation but I guess y’wizards are too good for us normal folk…”
Milo couldn’t contain his utter confusion at the comment, looking at the man with a quizzical, but mostly baffled, expression. “What…?”
“Whuh? Y’r ears clogged or sumthin’? Khh– I swear, every time with you mages, sticks up y’r asses, the lotta ya’... How d’you think we feel, huh? Gettin’ looked down upon??”
Milo simply rolled his eyes, pulling himself up with his staff and beginning to walk away. It’d be better to die to that vulture than sit through this.
But it seemed this only angered the man. “HEY! Lissen when sumone’s talkin’ to ya’, midget!” He barked as he reached forward and spun Milo around, picking him up by the collar of his robes, getting an angry glare from the halfling as the man smashed the bottle in his hand against a nearby wall, pointing the broken, jagged glass right at the halfling, who had had it up to here with sharpened weapons being pointed at him for today. “Y’know, I alreddy wasn’ in the best mood, but runnin’ into an asshole like yew’s really pissed me off, n’I need more booze. Gimme all yer shit er’else this thing’s goin’ RIGHT in yer fuckin’ face!” The man threatened, the foul odor of booze on his breath making Milo cringe, causing him to shut his mouth and hold his nose closed for a moment.
Milo, thoroughly fed up with the terrible direction his day had taken, was about to whack the man's head with his staff, when his eyes drifted off to the side, something peculiar along the wall.
He squinted, trying to get a better look at whatever was on there, some sort of light, shimmering strangely as if it was wobbling.
"HEY!! Fuckin' lissen ta me, ya' little shit! Gimme yer fuckin' cash or I–" The man continued, to which Milo was just about to strike his head, only for the strange light along the wall to crack, almost like it was in response to the man's yelling. Out of nowhere, purple light spilled out, and the bricks of the building were smashed as a huge, fleshy tentacle shot out, its tip curled up on itself.
At one moment, the man was standing there, shouting, and in the next, the tentacle had slammed into the side of his face, his features distorting from the force of the strike that flew as if spring-loaded, before he was sent barrelling directly into the side of the building on the other side of the alley, completely smashing through the brick wall.
Milo fell to the ground, landing on his behind as he gaped in awe at the man’s state, before looking up at the tentacle that still stood out of the wall. It seemed to turn towards him.
“That wasn’t– wasn’t a midget knifeeeeaaaarrr–! Look at you, using innocent people to shield yourself from me!” It spoke in Carne’s voice, his words somehow projected all the way to it.
Milo scrambled to his feet, running out of the alley, the tentacle quickly following.
The halfling panted with every labored step, as the purple light raced across ground after him. “That piece of shit!! How did he find me!? And now he’s pushing me into a crowd where I can’t use magic without hurting someone…! This is bad, this is bad, this is BAD!” Milo panicked in his head as he pushed past crowds of people. The strain on his body was starting to wear him out with how much mana he had used, not to mention all of this running on top of the huge wound on his front, and yet it was almost like he was numb in the moment, pushing forwards to get to safety.
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“Kehehee! Does this fucking retard really– really think he can get away? Even in a crowd, I can find– find his ass anywhere! Kheh– Kehehee! I bet this fucking brainless rat– rat doesn’t even know about persistence hunting… the most natural course of hunting for anyone with half– half a brain… He doesn’t realize he’s playing right– right into my hands! I’ll run you ragged like a deer– deer until you drop dead, or maybe I’ll chase you into the river and drown you like the sewer rat you– you are!!” Carne cackled to himself.
Closer, ever closer, the tendril continued chasing Milo, closing in on Carne’s prey.
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Swinging his head to the side, Milo narrowly dodged his skull being skewered by the tentacle as it sprung right at him once again before retracting.
“How is he following me among all of these people!? It’s like he’s watching me, but…” He thought, darting his eyes around the rooftops, there was no sign of Carne anywhere.
In a moment of desperation to find his opponent’s location, Milo channeled wind around him, jumping high into the air once more above the buildings, blowing a few people around him off their feet as he did so.
Whipping around, he could just barely make out the figure of his assailant, peeking out over the edge of another roof. Readying another gust of wind to launch himself towards him, Milo stalled in the air without warning. Looking down, he found his leg was being squeezed by the tendril, having burst from the ground and grappled onto him.
In the very next moment, he was suddenly whipped around through the air incredibly fast to where everything around became a blur, before he was unceremoniously thrown, barreling through the air away from Carne and slamming right into the side of a tall bell tower, the stone wall cracking and bending inwards as a result of his impact. The many pedestrians surrounding the scene fled quickly after.
His vision blurring, Milo hacked up blood the very second he was able to breathe again after the impact, sputtering it out all over himself as his body rested in the crater made in the tower’s side. Shakily, he pulled himself up, hanging onto the edge of the small crater as best he could.
“S-Shit… I need to find a way to get closer to him so I can properly fight him, but how can I do that with him tracking me…? Think, Milo, think!!”
He thought back to where the tentacle first attacked him, when he was being assailed by that drunkard in the alley. It wound its way across the wall towards them, like it was purposefully following him, and yet it attacked the man instead of him.
“Why…? If he can tell where I am, why did it not attack me? He can’t see me, but he can track where I’m going, and yet it’s almost like he couldn’t tell that it wasn’t me until he actually struck… There has to be something going on with how he’s finding me, I just need to find out what…”
His goal set, he attempted to pull himself up from the wreckage, bloodied and hurt as he was, letting himself fall from the small crater before suspending himself in the air with wind, pushing himself through the air as quickly as he could manage, he quickly realized the building he had crashed into, as he saw a pair of voyagers carrying in the corpses of various small monsters in with them.
“The city’s guildhouse!” He exclaimed, lowering himself down to the ground, he stumbled a little, going lightheaded from the exertion on his body. “S-Shit…” He muttered out, before holding a hand to his chest and trying to steady his breathing, taking in slow, deep breaths despite the pain it made flare up as he hobbled over, using his staff as support.
One of the voyagers outside the guildhouse set down his bounty, beginning to wipe sweat from his brow before letting out a deep breath, panting a little as he did so. “Man, these things don’t look it–” Another breath. “But they’re damn heavy!”
“C’mon” His friend began. “They’re not that bad. Maybe you should start trying to put on some muscle. Maybe start doing lifting?”
“Not a bad idea. Guess I must be out of practice.” He panted a bit more. “Seriously though, carrying these back right after fighting them like we did… I’m fuckin’ tired, man, I need to go lie down after we get this job done.”
“I could take yours in. You can head back to your room.”
“Really, dude? Thanks brother, I owe you one.” He smiled, bumping his fist with his companion’s. “I’ll take a sec to cool off out here then head back inside, my legs are killin’ me.”
“Yeah no worries.” His friend remarked, before slinging the man’s bounty over his other shoulder and walking inside the building.
Milo watched the scene as he steadied his breathing, staying in the shadows of the building so as to not attract too much attention to himself. He didn’t want to involve anyone else in this fight if he could, at least until he could rendezvous with Petra and the others again.
“Hm…? The hell’s that?” The man wondered aloud, prompting Milo to absentmindedly turn his head in his direction again, finding the man hunched over slightly, looking at something on the ground.
Following the man’s eyes, Milo’s heart nearly lept out of his throat as his eyes locked on the all-too familiar eldritch purple glowing on the ground before the man, a line of cracks trailing behind it along the ground.
As the man attempted to lean closer, the light intensified, and in a flash the same tendril shot out, striking like a spike right into the chestplate of the man before it, causing him to fly back from the force, his armor cracking, apparently being knocked right out by the attack.
Then, the tendril stood up, and Carne’s voice could be heard once more being projected through it.
“That wasn’t a shitty little rat eitheeerrrrrr, where could you have gone– gone, knifeear?” His voice rattled out deviously, malice dripping from every word.
A realization hit Milo, and quickly he clapped his hand over his mouth and nose, slowing his breathing down as much as possible. The tendril approached him, slowly, ever so slowly slinking across the ground closer and closer, and yet Milo held firm.
Inching up closer, the tendril was almost right in his face, as though it was inspecting him. Planting his feet on the ground, he readied the staff in his other hand, preparing to retaliate if need be, until…
“Hm… Guess he got away– way from here… Oh, he’ll turn up again soon… Kehehee–!” Carne’s voice laughed gleefully, the tentacle then beginning to slink away from him.
“It’s breath…! He’s tracking my breath!” Milo thought. “I don’t get how, but he must be looking for whoever in the area is breathing the hardest, with how hurt I am… I was slowing my breath, and then that guy came around, so it latched onto him! So now… I just need to get closer to him while suppressing my breathing…” He wracked his brain as he disengaged from the situation, running past the tentacle as it harmlessly searched around the area.
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Carne’s eyes squinted as he looked around the scene immediately below him. “Where did that fucking knifeear go…? He’s beaten nearly to a pulp, so I should have no problem finding him…” He thought to himself before a moment of realization hit him. "Did he… Did he figure out how– how I'm tracking him? Shit! If that's true then, then he's hiding his breath somehow! Fuck! He'll have to breathe normally eventually, and when he does, I'm gonna skewer his pompous midget ass like a kebab!" He declared, the light of the tendril immediately racing towards his location.
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As well as covering his mouth and nostrils worked for a time, his battered state, especially with the strain he was putting on it now, required Milo to pause and breathe normally, ducking into a small alleyway as he did so. He gasped slightly, already going lightheaded, the edges of his vision blurring as his heart pounded in his head. He knew he was pushing himself way too far, given his current state, but he also knew for a fact he wasn’t going to make it out of this alive if he didn’t do so.
Although his small stature allowed him to move around undetected somewhat, the sight of him bloodied and beaten, panting heavily in the alley, was enough to attract the attention of a young man, who quickly hurried over to him.
“S-Sir! Are you okay?”
Milo sighed, taking a few more breaths to ensure he wouldn’t pass out. “Y-Yes. I’m fine.”
“B-But, you’re hurt all over! Come with me, please, we need to get you to a doctor!”
But Milo shook his head. “N-No, you don’t understand. I’m being attacked, you need to get away from me, or else you’ll be dragged into this too–” He almost choked on his own spit as he saw the purple light of Carne’s attack spreading across the wall to his right, right by the man.
“Sir? Please, you need help, let’s–”
Channeling mana as the light shone brighter, Milo unleashed a forceful gust of wind from his hand. “Get away from me!” He called as he let the gust loose, the sudden burst of air sending him and the man hurtling away from each other, just as the tentacle shot out, caving in the wall on the other side of the alley as it struck, the impact and the man being sent flying getting the attention of the crowd of people right outside the alley, looking over as the tendril pulled itself back and faced towards the gasping, panting Milo who had fallen onto his back.
Scrambling to his feet, he prepared to fight back against it, when something caught his eye.
To his side, in a branch of the alleyway that led to a different exit, was a dog– brown in coloration and wagging its tail eagerly as it looked at him curiously.
Panting all the while.
Eyes watching the tendril as it slithered slowly forwards, he brought his staff down slightly so the dog could see it, beginning to speak to it, glancing towards the dog every so often.
“See the stick, boy? You want the stick?” He asked encouragingly, the dog getting a glint of excitement in its eye as it crouched down slightly. Smiling, Milo jumped in the air and blasted another gust of wind in the direction opposite of the dog, just as the tendril tensed up.
Sailing through the air, right over the dog, Milo spoke.
“Come on, boy! Get the stick!”
Barking excitedly, the dog followed Milo, the tentacle slamming uselessly into a wall of the alley without regard.
“Think you can run, knifeear?” Carne’s voice croaked, before the light continued snaking across the ground, following Milo’s path.
Ducking and running as fast as his legs could take him, Milo– followed by the dog– ran through multiple groups of people, the canine following behind incredibly quickly. Over his shoulder, he could see the purple light following him quickly. Picking up the pace, he summoned a few more gusts of wind, launching himself through the air, the dog somehow being able to keep pace with him.
Perfect.
Rounding a corner, the dog followed, as did the purple light into yet another alleyway. Landing and skidding across the ground, the dog joined him soon after, happily taking Milo’s staff into its mouth as he handed it over, panting through the gaps as it held onto it before dropping it back into Milo’s hand, expecting another chase as it wagged its tail.
The tentacle sprouted up soon after, preparing to strike as it bared down on him.
“This’ll be the one to end it, midget!” Carne’s projected voice called out, before the tendril struck, sailing through the air rapidly.
Jumping out of the way, rounding another corner, Milo dodged the strike, the dog following quickly behind him.
“It won’t be that easy to hide, knifeear!” Carne called out as the tentacle retracted, the light following around the corner.
One reading, and it wasn’t moving.
It was an easy shot.
Rearing up, Carne struck, and the tendril slammed into a wall, not striking anything.
“WHAT–!?”
What Carne couldn’t see, was that the tendril had struck a shield of condensed air, attacking nothing. Sitting behind the shield, unharmed, was the dog, simply panting as its tail wagged.
“Wait– Wait, where’d the fucking midget go!?”
“Right here.” Came Milo’s voice from above.
A small barrier of wind formed around his face, acting almost like a mask, Milo had launched himself right over the tentacle, bringing down his staff in a heavy strike, causing it to recoil.
As he landed, Milo pointed the staff right at it, pressing its blunt end and pushing the recoiling tendril to the ground.
“Chromatic Orb: Acid.” He called coldly, a condensed sphere of acidic liquid forming right on top of the tendril, immediately beginning to eat away as its flesh. Wriggling and writhing, it spasmed as it was eaten right through by the acid, turning into a puddle of inert, steaming goop on the ground.
Finally, Milo took a relieved breath, having put the damned thing down. The mask of wind dispersed, having done its job of hiding his breathing for the instant he needed it to.
The dog trotted on over, sniffing the remains, only for Milo to ward it away. “Oh, no no, boy, don’t eat that, don’t know what it could do to you.” He warned, only for the dog to tilt its head quizzically at him, prompting a small chuckle as Milo petted it, its tail wagging.
“You did a great job, boy.”
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Fist slamming into the building, Carne shouted in frustration. “HE FUCKING KILLED IT!? HOW!?” He cursed. “Damn that shitheel…! Fucking rat! FUCK!!” Letting out a heavy breath, he leaned forwards. “He must be– be going after me now. He thinks that he can just– just waltz right up to me and put me down like a sick dog…" He mused to himself, before pulling out his jagged knife once more. “That shitty brat… I’m going to– to rip him apart…” He growled out as he began hopping down the building he was perched on, landing in an alleyway nearby, throwing his cloak back over himself.
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The dog staying behind by Milo’s orders, Milo began retracing his steps, soon ending up near the building he last saw Carne upon, hiding among the crowds of people, only letting small, weak breaths escape him, as much as it pained him given his current battered state.
“He’s not perched there anymore… I need to be careful. I’ll only get one chance at sneaking up and taking him out, I can’t afford to waste it…” He thought, psyching himself up before making his way into the crowds before him, concealing himself and his wounds best he could.
Stepping through the crowd, he made his way slowly closer to the building. Out of the corner of his eye, he spotted a hooded figure slinking out of a nearby alley, walking in Milo’s direction, joining along with the large crowd of people.
Milo’s eyes narrowed. In his free hand, he formed a small ball of water, before condensing it into a sharp, bladed knife of ice as he approached the hooded Carne.
One shot, it was all he’d need.
The two approached, steps bringing them closer and closer, closing in on one another as they each stepped through the crowd.
As they closed in on one another, Milo gripped his weapon tightly, his ears twitching as he strained his hearing for any irregularity. With none coming to him, he nudged just a bit closer…
As they crossed paths, Milo’s eyes burned with a fiery intensity as he suddenly jumped at the hooded figure, brandishing his improvised weapon.
Just as he did, Carne’s cloak flung open, revealing his jagged knife, crackling with purple electricity that cracked and popped.
Their weapons clashed, and a small burst of magical energy clashing caused the crowd around them to recoil.
“Kehehee! There you were– were, you shitty little rat!” Carne cawed as their knives shook against each other, locked together. “Bold of you to come right at– at me, knifeear, with how I’ve beaten your puny ass down– down so hard already!”
Milo grit his teeth, before letting a smirk overtake his expression. “Hah! All those chances to kill me, all those hits you got in, and you still haven’t put me down? I’d imagine a scavenger like your wrinkly ass would only play with his food after it's dead, but I guess all that brain’s good for is stuttering out curses at me! What’s that say about you, Carne?”
“It says that I’m going to rip– rip your FUCKING head right off your shoulders and beat you with it until you’re a stain on the ground!” He croaked out, forming a spear of purple lightning in his hand once more, about to slam it into the halfling, who quickly jumped out of the way with a blast of wind, the ground rupturing where the stake of lightning struck.
Raising his hand up, blue energy suddenly sprouted from Milo’s hand. Pointing his palm towards Carne, the energy suddenly rocketed forth, crackling and zigging through the air towards him.
“Witch Bolt!” Milo called as Carne attempted to slash at the incoming bolt with his knife, only for the line of crackling light to curve around the blade, striking at Carne’s body, his entire figure jittering and shaking violently as he was shocked.
“Ghhkkzzzhhttt–!!” He sputtered out, gasping and panting as he finally regained control of his muscles as the shocking subsided. “F-FUCK! YOU FUCKING RAT, I’LL FUCKING KILL YOU!!” He yelled out.
“Quit saying it and do it already, shitheel!” Milo called, before swiping his staff, spawning three blue darts of energy around him. “Magic Missile!” He called out, causing the darts to speed through the air, homing in on the avian before him.
Kicking off the ground, Carne swiped his knife at the darts, deflecting them as they honed in on him, before spawning another purple, crackling spear in his other hand as he jumped up after Milo, slashing at him with both of his weapons in a cross-shaped formation.
A blast of air appearing under him, Milo quickly launched higher into the air, deftly dodging the attack, before causing another blast above him, rocketing him down towards Carne, slamming his foot into the vulture’s back, kicking off of him with another gust of wind that sent Carne hurtling right into the ground below, kicking up a massive cloud of dust as he crashed into the pavement.
In a flash, a purple glint of light shone through the dust, only for a massive tentacle to shoot out from the cloud, punching Milo straight in the gut, the force launching and sending him hurtling through the air. With a loud pop, another purple spear was shot out from the cloud, dispersing the dust around Carne as the lance rocketed through the air.
Swinging his staff as he righted himself as best he could, Milo shot out a spray of water towards the lance, which quickly dispersed through the shower of liquid, causing it to steam and evaporate in moments, though leaving the spear destroyed in the process.
Swinging his knife down, the tentacle from before shot up from the ground, reaching high into the air, grappling onto Milo’s leg, beginning to whip him around the air. Gritting his teeth, he pointed towards the tendril, his finger shooting out a small, bright green arrow right into it.
“Morgan’s Acid Arrow!” He called, a shower of green, sizzling liquid bursting forth, coating the tendril which began seizing up and immediately let go of Milo’s leg as its flesh was eaten away.
“Not much mana left now…”
Turning his head back towards Carne as he fell, a silvery mist sprung forth from Milo’s staff, enveloping him as he spoke softly. “Misty Step…”
In almost an instant, Milo disappeared, reappearing on the ground right in front of Carne, catching the vulture off guard as he recoiled back, before Milo reared his arm back and jabbed it forwards, driving the end of his staff into Carne’s chest, causing him to keel over in sharp pain, as the firm strike caused a loud ‘crack!’ as his ribs snapped apart.
Grabbing his staff with his other hand, Milo reared back once more, before swinging it like a club right into Carne’s face, cracking his assailant’s beak as he stumbled back from the pain, blood gushing out forcefully.
Stumbling back, Carne fell to the ground. Milo followed quickly, raising up his staff in preparation for bringing it down upon his face once again–
KSHUNK!
Milo was forced back as his abdomen was suddenly stabbed with a purple spear, crackling and making his entire body spasm and seize up, the magic weapon piercing right through his side and out his back. Falling to his knees as his body’s muscles turned almost useless from the crackling electricity running through them, his form jittering and spasming about as his mouth sputtered uselessly, trying to get words out.
Shambling back up, Carne stood over Milo, his pupils contracted in anger as he brandished his knife.
“Fuck it… This whole assassination thing– thing isn’t my style… Now, you shitty little knifeeared cunt, I’m going to peel– peel you apart, limb from limb… I’ll cut and pull every single inch of skin right off of you– you with my own hands!! I’ll beat the shit out of you until your eyes are pulp and your teeth are ground into DUST! SKWARK!! I’m gonna shove my knife right up your ass and drive it– it right up to your mouth!!” Carne almost screamed as he approached.
Milo attempted to swing at him as he approached, only for Carne to grab hold of his hand, immediately driving his knife right towards Milo’s face, the blade digging under the skin of his cheek, getting dangerously close to puncturing his eye.
“Any last– last words before I pry your eye from its fucking socket?”
Sputtering and coughing up blood, Milo barely muttered something out.
“...diot…”
“The fuck was that? Speak up– up, you retarded fucking midget!!”
“I said…” Milo spat out. “You’re a fucking idiot… I told you to quit playing with your food.”
“Huh–?” Carne barely spat out, until Milo’s free hand suddenly grabbed his shoulder.
“Frost Fingers.”
In an instant, a freezing cold surged forth from Milo’s hand, instantly coating Carne’s shoulder. In seconds, ice spread out rapidly like a mold, engulfing his shoulder.
“SKWARK!!” Carne choked out, almost throwing Milo down to the ground, the ice slowly stopping as contact was lost. After being held onto for so long, though, Carne’s right shoulder and arm were frozen solid, encased in ice, the same frost creeping across his chest and part way up his neck. “Y-You… Shitty little–!!” He cursed out.
Running up, Milo once again swung his staff, hitting Carne’s shoulder squarely with the blunt end of it, the force of the strike instantly shattering Carne’s frozen arm, the appendage cracking and breaking into hundreds of pieces, completely and utterly destroying the limb in a second.
“M-MY ARM–! SKWARK! MY FUCKING ARM!! YOU… YOOUUUU–!!” He called out, enraged, swinging his knife.
A massive tendril sprung up from the ground right next to Milo, quickly grabbing onto him and forcefully flinging him right past Carne and the crowd who had distanced themselves from the altercation, many of them still watching. The halfling went barreling right into a nearby man who stood alongside his children, both of them crashing and destroying a food stand right behind them, the various pedestrians around them quickly backing off with panicked screams.
Spying a red colored barrel, resting right next to a nearby gunsmith’s stand, the tendril whipped towards it, grabbing it as well, launching it right at Milo, the barrel bursting into splintered wood and a cloud of black gunpowder that coated Milo, the father, and the man’s panicked children.
Dropping his knife, Carne spawned forth another crackling, popping spear of purple lightning in his hand, slowly approaching Milo, who was barely pulling himself up, the various pedestrians around him having scattered in a panic.
“Just… a bit… more… work with me, mana streams!” Milo thought as he raised up his hand, pointing it towards Carne, flickers of green light surrounding it as turquoise lines appeared across his body, paining him as they were strained to their limits.
“You want me to stop– stop playing with my food!? Fine…! I’ll blow you and this– this whole fucking city to kingdom come! I’ll engulf the entire valley in brimstone to make sure you’re fucking dead!” Carne screeched as he reared back and swung his arm forwards, launching the spear right into the pile of gunpowder.
In a split second, the entire plaza was engulfed in flames and a deafening, earthshaking explosion.
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The ground shook slightly below the trio, as an enormous, blazing cloud of smoke suddenly burst into the sky, stopping them in their tracks as they looked up at it, multiple denizens of the town stopping as well.
“What in the world…?” Dedrick uttered out in a terrified tone.
“Y-You don’t think…?” Minoru uttered in a chilled awe.
Tears in her eyes and running down her face, Petra cried out, her voice hoarse and on the verge of breaking entirely as she ran towards the explosion.
“MILOOO–!”
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Shambling to his feet, almost falling down all the while, Carne lifted himself off the ground. Gazing into the blazing inferno before him, he almost tumbled. Despite his injuries, however, he grinned, his hoarse croaking turning into a laugh.
“Kehee… Kehehee–! Keheheehahahahaaaah–!!” His laugh croaked out of him, filling the almost silent plaza with his horrid voice. “There!” He spat. “I finally stopped playing with– with my food! You happy down in– in hell, knifeear!? I’m sure Angra Mainyu is gonna be– be real happy with a new little rat to play with! Keheheehaahahaaah–! Don’t even bother trying to– to claw your way out!” He called out, spitting on the ground. Stumbling a bit, he turned, looking down at the ground. “Now… where’d that– that fucking knife go–”
The fire bulged and surged like a torrent, before it parted as a bright green, ephemeral arrow broke through it, flying forwards like a bullet before piercing into Carne’s body. In one singular moment, Carne’s left leg and half of his hips were completely carved right from his body, the arrow piercing through and ripping the massive chunk of his body right out, blood spraying out like a misty cloud of red.
Falling right to the ground, Carne coughed and sputtered, the pain making him writhe on the ground. “F-FUCK! FUCK!! Augh– Ugh– M-My fucking– Heugh, agh–!!” He gagged, the pain turning his stomach and making his vision blur. His entire body seemed to be thrown off balance, as he listed and almost fell unconscious from shock, retching with his mouth wide open, almost whimpering as he looked back behind him. “W-What the–?”
The fire curled, whipped, and– almost like smoke clearing, dispersed as a strong gust of wind pushed it away, revealing Milo, the unconscious man, and two terrified children behind him, almost completely unscathed by the explosion as they were protected by a semicircular barrier of condensed, whirling wind.
As Carne’s eyes opened wide in shock, Milo simply turned to the children and the man who was just recovering and sitting up.
“Are you all okay?” He asked, to which the children nodded. “Good… Go on, get out of here… I’ll deal with him.” He uttered coldly, prompting the children to pull their father up, rushing out as Milo created a clear gap in the barrier for them to escape through, exiting out soon after, the barrier dispersing and the inferno continuing to rage behind him.
Stepping slowly towards Carne, limping all the while, Milo’s face remained unmoving as he closed the distance, with the vulture scrambling along the ground, spawning another spear and preparing to throw it desperately at Milo, to which the small mage thrust out his hand, a spectral palm emerging from it and rushing right at Carne, grabbing and squeezing his throat, pinning him to the ground.
As Milo stood over Carne, he took a deep breath. Looking at the assassin more closely, he could make out an oddity: On the top of his head were two tiny, yellow, underdeveloped eyes.
His gaze narrowing, Milo spoke. “Before I kill you, tell me just one thing… Who do you work for? Why did you want the papers destroyed?”
“G-Ggghhkk–!” Carne choked out, gasping. “Go… fuck yourself… knifeear…” He croaked, to which Milo simply closed his eyes, letting a sigh go through his nose.
Raising up his staff, ice gathered around its tip, forming larger and larger into the shape of a hammer, cold and blunt on both ends.
“S-Stop… Stop it!! I can’t– can’t die here!!”
“You should’ve thought of that before you attacked me and went rampant on this city, shithead! You’ve got a debt to be paid, and you’re taking my seat in hell to pay it!”
“STOP! STOP! Y-You fucking midget, if you kill me now, you’re going to experience hell on Gaia itself! The true gods of humankind will never rest until you're dead!!
“Quit with the threats. I don’t spare pieces of shit like you, who put innocent lives and families in danger for their own gain… Accept your fate with some dignity, at least.” Milo commented solemnly, before swinging his staff down.
“NO! NOOO!! I DON’T WANT TO DIE! STOOOO–!!”
Blood splattered across the pavement as Carne’s head was crushed underneath the hammer.
The green lights across Milo’s body, strained as they were, sputtered and worked, as hard as they could, before–
SNAP!
Pulling back, Milo let go of his staff, clattering against the ground, before he let his breath go, falling down onto his back, his vision going black.
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Gasping, the halfling shot up in a creaking bed, caked in sweat, he tried to raise up his hand, only to find that it was trembling like mad.
Attempting to look around, soreness hit him like a truck. Looking down, he found almost his entire torso to be bare, wrapped up in bandages. Bringing a hand to them, just the touch stung like fire.
And yet, he was alive.
Clutching his head, he let a heavy sigh go.
“Fuck… Damn that vulture, pushing me like this…” He gasped out.
Suddenly, the knob to the door jiggled slightly, before opening. His eyes strained a bit in response to the light flushing in, and he only caught a brief glimpse of a silhouette moving his way, before he was quickly enveloped in a tight hug.
“Milo! Milo, thank the stars you’re okay!!” Petra almost cried as she held her friend close.
“H-Hey, go easy on him, Petra, he’s still recovering!” Minoru called to her, to which she perked up, letting go of the halfling.
“S-Sorry! Sorry, I-I just…” She trailed off remorsefully.
“N-No… It’s okay…” Milo managed to choke out, his voice hoarse from not being used in a while. “How… How long was I out for?”
“It’s been a few days now, actually.” Dedrick replied. “Thankfully there wasn’t any danger of you dying once we got you healed up, but your recovery was a different matter entirely.”
“M-Milo, your mana streams were snapped when we found you. What happened?” Petra asked, her voice full of concern.
“That vulture…” He breathed out. It hurt to just speak right now, but he was able to at least. “He suddenly grabbed me while we were on our way to Tammy’s, and threatened to kill me if I didn’t hand over those transport documents. I was able to save my own skin, but I couldn’t get any answers out of him." He sighed. “Fuck, I’m sorry… He was probably our best lead into whatever’s going on with the monsters, but now he’s dead…” He said remorsefully, cursing his own hastiness.
“Don’t worry, Milo! None of us blame you, he ran you ragged all over town trying to kill you, you needed to save yourself first!” Petra told him quickly. “I-I’m just happy you’re okay…” She admitted, tearing up somewhat.
“Petra…” He breathed out. She was too good of a friend.
“And besides.” Minoru began. “He still had a clue on him, one so big, we might not even need those transport documents anymore.”
“Indeed.” Dedrick added, reaching into his pocket and producing a silver necklace. At the end was a circular ornament, in the shape of a serpent biting its own tail as it was coiled around a four-pointed star. “We were able to find this on his body. And what do you know– It’s the symbol of the Harnewentian church.”
“Then…!” Milo breathed out, to which Dedrick nodded.
“We have our next destination on our investigation.”
Letting a heavy sigh go, Milo smiled in contentment. “Thank the stars… None of that was in vain.”
“We’ll wait a few more days for you to recover, then once you’re feeling ready we’ll set out again. Does that sound good?” Dedrick asked, to which the halfling nodded.
“Yeah… Just a bit longer here, and I’ll be ready to fight again, don’t you all worry.” He confirmed, to which the three of them nodded confidently.
“Hey, incidentally…” Minoru started, looking over his shoulder at the door. “Someone’s been wanting to visit you.” He added, to which Milo furrowed his brow quizzically.
From the hall, a few light steps could be heard, before the shape of an unmistakable brown dog appeared in the doorway. Perking up when it saw Milo awake in the bed, it whimpered and wagged its tail out of excitement, bounding over to him quickly.
Leaning up against the bed, the dog craned its head and began licking Milo affectionately, to which the halfling couldn’t help but laugh as he pet it. “H-Hey, calm down, boy…”
“This lil’ guy showed up one night clawing at your door. He’s been trying to get in ever since you were brought here.” Minoru explained. “You know him?”
“Yeah… He actually helped me take that vulture down…” Milo explained, getting a befuddled expression from each of his friends. “Geez, so he was waiting for me all this time? Now I feel a bit bad about taking so long to wake up.”
“You gonna keep him?” Petra asked, her tail wagging slightly as she also reached in and pet the dog as well.
“...Maybe. It’s all a bit much, not to mention we’re gonna be heading out soon, but… At least until we leave, it wouldn’t hurt to have him around.” He commented with a smile.
Smiling fondly at the situation, Minoru seemed to realize something soon after. “Oh, right. Dedrick and I were gonna go get some food, you want anything?”
“Just pick out whatever you think I’d like. Petra can help with that, I think.” Milo said calmly. “Oh, but make sure to try and get as much luna flower garnish as you can, that’ll help my mana streams.”
Minoru gave him a thumbs up. “You got it. We’ll leave you to get some more rest while we’re out, then. We’ll be back in a bit.” He assured him, the three of them taking their leave, Petra looking back at her friend for a moment before going along with them.
Petting the dog at his side, Milo let a simple smile fall on his face.
“We’ll get this done in no time…” He said to nobody in particular, as he laid back down, resting his head once more.