The elf scanned him with scrutiny. He observed Kizo’s shoes, despite its dirty appearance, there were no signs of heavy wear and tear; his hidden tight suit under the torn, yet largely pristine clothing; his athletic body, an obvious result of a rigorous military training; and finally, his helmet, which the elf guessed to be more than just a simple headgear. He arrived at the conclusion that the man standing in front of him was not just another ordinary traveller, and does potentially carry beneficial information.
“I trust that you are not lying, traveller. Please head down to the living room then. I will be with you shortly.” He bowed slightly before returning to his room and closed the door. The duo descended the stairs and sat on the springy couch. Kizo pulled out his smartphone and began to record everything he saw in the town so far.
“You have a working smartphone? Amazing! How do you manage to get one working?” The broker exclaimed as he stepped down the stairs, both of his hands carrying a stack of files. He approached Kizo and stared at the device with great interest.
“It has been modified to run on mana instead of electricity.“ The broker set down the files on the table.
“Oh? How long did it take for you to modify it?” He ambled towards the cupboard, “Tea?”
“Sure, and I didn’t modify the phone. Someone else did.” Fen removed three cups and a teapot from the cupboard and placed them on the dining table.
“That’s a shame. We would have benefited greatly from that knowledge. Although, I suppose the geniuses that helped us convert our petrol-fueled vehicles into mana ones could achieve what you have in your hand in time.” He went into the kitchen and came out with a transparent tea leaf container and a kettle of hot water. He uncovered the container and put a few leaves into the teapot.
“Carl mentioned that to us. We didn’t think anyone else had done the same with far fewer resources.” Fen was, yet again, surprised by the travellers, but he kept his hands steady as he poured the hot water into the teapot.
“My, my! The community you came from is astounding! I am now convinced you do perhaps possess valuable information that could rival my entire collection.” With the cups and teapots on a tray, he lifted it up, brought it to the table, and place it down beside the files. He cautiously poured the tea into the cups, its aroma slowly filling up the floor.
“Now, before we start, would you kindly share your name and age? If you don’t mind, of course.” The elf opened up a notebook and readied his pen.
“My name’s Kizo. 35 years old.”
“You can call me Emily! As for age, you’ll have to guess from my appearance~”
“Of course,” he grinned humorously, “And...Kizo. That’s not your real name, I assume?” He stopped scribbling.
“No.”
“I see.” He nodded slightly, then took a sip.
“So, what kind of information do you have?” The human straightened his posture.
“All my information are filed into three categories. Information about resources, such as supply cache and whatnot. This is what most travellers seek when they came to me. Next is the information about various dangerous locations, creatures, plants, and many other things that can pose a threat to anyone’s or everyone’s safety. The third is everything else that does not fit into the previous categories. There’s technically a fourth category, but it won’t be of interest to you as it concerns only the town’s residents’ affairs.”
“How do you manage the payment?”
“Normally, the price of the information on sale depends on two major factors,” He lifted up his forefinger, “First, the difficulty of obtaining the information. If I have to ask a lot of people to confirm what someone is true, or if I have to pay someone to acquire the information,” He raised up his middle finger, “Second, the value of the information. I determine the second factor, but, I assure you, I do not bloat my prices just to fill my pocket with money. For example, a supply cache location would have a higher price than a secure safehouse, which will be higher than a monster’s nest location.”
“Carl said you hand in any information you possessed to the town council? Won’t it essentially compromised the value of the information itself? Using your example, won’t the supply cache be immediately visited by the town’s authority?” She gulped down the exquisite tea.
“Oh, don’t worry about it, miss Emily. It is true that I give the town council information for free, but Carl had misled you. I don’t give away every information I have, only those that I deemed could greatly benefit the town as a whole at that moment. Should they act upon the information, I will remove that information from my catalogue. If they didn’t, then anyone could still buy the information, unless the council forbids me from selling it.”
“Your town council trust you this much?”
“Yes. I don’t know if Carl told you this, but all of us have a strong bond with each other. I’m not saying there is absolute trust between all of us, but after all that we’ve been through together, we won’t hurt our own community that we built.”
“Hmph, if only our community is nice as yours.” Kizo emptied the cup, “We should start with the resource information.”
“Before we begin, could I ask you a question?” The elf stood up and poured his client another cup.
“Go ahead.”
“Do you pledge your allegiance to a specific organization? Is that why you wish to buy all the information that I have?”
“One of my missions is to collect as much information as I could. That is all I am willing to share for now.”
“Understood. I will start with the cheapest info, all the way up to the most expensive. I will first list out the price, then a summary of the information. After that, you can decide if you wish to purchase it, just in case it is too expensive and you changed your mind. I trust you, so don’t try to cheat me after I give you everything.”
“We won’t. You have my word.”
In the hours that followed, the duo sat and bought every piece of information Fen has to offer, even those with prices that boggled their mind. Kizo logged everything he listened neatly into his smartphone. Emily, on the other hand, wandered around the room, sat back down, then stood up again and repeated the process over and over to kill her boredom. Sometimes she stared at the drawing on the wall, sometimes her attention was on the plants.
“.....as for rumors, I’ll give it to you for free. Consider it as a special offer for a generous customer.” The elf smiled softly.
“Thank you, Fen.” Kizo’s neck started to feel a little stiff.
“You’re welcome. Now, let’s see here...” He opened up a thin file, “First, someone reported that they met the Norse god of war, Tyr. The source claimed that he covered himself in a robe, not allowing anyone to glimpse at his face, and was searching for a girl somewhere in the southern part of the country.” Kizo’s ear perked up.
“Maybe it’s his internet date from before the End? And he’s trying to get laid? Now that’s some dedication” Emily sarcastically remarked as she sat back down again.
“That is quite an interesting thought.” He stared at the second half of the paper, “Next, a few wanderers came from a faraway land was spreading their story where they saw a band of travelling circus traversing the lands. They insisted that it’s the House of The Devil, as no souls will ever be fortunate enough to return to the land of the living after their entry to the tents.”
“Sounds far-fetched, but it could be true, with all the things happening around us.” Kizo kept typing away as his tulpa replied.
“Speaking of the devil, two survivors from an unknown attack were discovered repeating that they saw a demon, not the ones you see walking down the streets mind you, but a truly powerful being of darkness, wiping out a city from the face of the planet and that they barely escaped. They were horribly wounded when one of the towns found them. The two died soon after they were brought into the emergency room, and so no one could confirm if what they said actually happened..”
“Sounds like Aterna would know something about it...” Kizo nodded slightly in agreement.
“Pardon?”
“Nothing. Please, continue.”
“Alright. There’s a sighting of a ghost woman singing to herself whilst occasionally spouting something along the line of ‘Where are you,’ followed by a name. The source said she couldn’t remember the name the ghost was muttering other than it was obviously a boy’s name. But, she commented that the ghost sounded incredibly hollow and sad, and that the song resembled a nursery rhyme. She suspects it could be the ghost of a woman who died searching for her son during the apocalypse.”
“That sounds….really tragic.”
“It is.” He paused, “The source of the next rumor supposedly originated from a person that claimed they came from the far edge of the country, saying that they saw the tower of Un was standing beside a military base near a seaport.”
“Wait, you’re saying that the main communication tower moved hundreds of kilometers away from its original location to beside the sea?” Kizo finally peeled his eyes away from the screen and was facing the broker.
“I couldn’t believe it either. The rumor also mentioned that the entire place was completely overrun by monsters and people who lost their minds during their transformation. This would mean all the equipment used by the military may very well still be sitting in that base, gathering dust.”
The tulpa and host stared at each other, before turning to the elf.
“Is there something wrong?”
“Did the rumor include the location of the base?” Kizo got up and launched the map app before showing it to the elf.
“I wouldn’t get my hopes up if I were you, Kizo. I heard this rumor came from the mouth of a crazy old man in another town. This could just be one of his delusions.”
“Did the rumor include the location of the base?”
“In a way, yes, but--”
“Show me.”
The elf sighed, “Even if it’s true, it is impossible to break into the base without getting torn apart.” He zoomed out the map and dragged the border of the land to the center of the screen. He then zoomed in, searching roughly where the base was before zooming in for the final time and pointed to its location.
“Thank you.” The soldier marked down the base location on the map and typed in his mental notes.
“Any more rumors?”
“There’s one more. Multiple people had told me that there have been an organization attempting to take control of multiple settlements, forcing them to do their bidding. They are trying to build an empire on top the ruins of this broken world. Nobody knows where their base of operation is, but groups of people with the insignia of a bloody crown can be seen killing and robbing people. I, for one, hope this is not true. But if it is, someone needs to stop them.”
“A bloody crown? I bet someone was feeling edgy after the end of the world.”
Kizo groaned at Emily’s incessant amount of commenting on every single information Fen gave them for the past few hours. He only hoped that the broker is as enduring as he is.
“Kizo, my gauge is almost empty. I’ll be drawing out mana from you.” Her host mentally nodded.
“Kizo, it is time for you to fulfill your end of the deal.”
“Of course. Allow me to properly introduce myself. I am an agent of Osiris, an organization with the sole goal to rebuild the world. I was sent out to the Unknown Zone to collect any and all information I could get my hands on and report it back to my, let’s just say, ‘superiors’. However, that is not my main goal for travelling the world, it is merely a responsibility that I have to uphold. I cannot disclose my main goal as it is not something I am willing to share.”
“Wait a second. You’re telling me that there’s an organization out there trying to rebuild society? How large is this organization of yours are we talking about?”
“After 10 years? I would say we have somewhere between 1 to 1.5 million active staff in our entire organization.”
The elf just gawked. His expression remained unchanged for a whole 5 seconds before barely holding himself together at the shocking revelation, “Are you...are you serious? How is that even possible?”
“Our founder, Bane, was the CEO of a major weapons development and manufacturing company. Do you still remember Sage River?”
“Of course! One of the world’s most famous city and a major contributor to the global technological advancement! That’s where your organization was founded?”
“Yes. Bane was the first to gather the remaining survivors in the city and provided everything we need. It seemed he had access to a hidden doomsday bunker buried underneath the city. We would all be dead if it wasn’t for him. So, when he proposed to build an organization to help more people, and asked us to join him in his quest, we did not hesitate. A lot of things happened after that, like recruiting survived veterans to train us, establishing two major settlements, expanding the organization exponentially that lead to the birth of the three main branches, and many, many more.”
Fen slumped back on to the couch and stared at Kizo in disbelief, “Wow...To think all this happened without none of us knowing. Granted, we could not have known given it is halfway across the country, but...” He stayed silent before scoffing lightly, “If only there was someone to save us when we needed help.”
Kizo painfully understands how the broker felt. He was once there himself, but luck was not cruel to him, not as much as the man in front of him.
The elf took a deep breath, “But, I’m relieved. And for the first time in forever,” He chuckled, with a dash of bitterness, “I feel hopeful, knowing that there are a million people out there, fighting, trying to restore the world back to what it once was.” He stayed silent, again, for a long while. Then, he quickly rubbed away his tears and raised his head up.
“You mentioned ‘Unknown Zone’. What does that mean?”
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“Simply put, Unknown Zone refers to the rest of the world that lies beyond the area of Osiris’s control. There are only a handful of agents, such as me, that roams the Unknown Zone, collecting information that can aid Osiris. All of us are considered dead unless we report back to the organization.”
“That is...disturbingly grim.”
“Not an unreasonable expectation to have. Save the people who knew us the sorrow when we could never report back again.”
“Why did you leave then?”
“I have my personal reasons, none of which I will tell you.”
“...I see. Is there anything else you like to add? As much as I am delighted to know about your organization, that still doesn’t balance out the cost value of my information.” The broker scribbling down everything he just heard on his notebook.
“There’s also this organization working along with Osiris that deals with the new mystical side of the world, Aterna. Where Osiris deal with the people and the world in general, Aterna is responsible for everything related to magic. It is not as big as Osiris, but their contribution has been substantial to the progress of rebuilding the world.”
“Do you mean...they are wizards? Witches? Do they use spells and stuff? That’s...” The broker made a weird face before looking defeated, “Why did I think that sounded ridiculous. I turned into an elf for god’s sake. Nevermind me. Please, continue.”
“Their origins can be quite suspicious. They claimed to be a once-secretive group that descended from the most powerful mage families during the time when gods still roamed our mortal plane. They had preserved their knowledge of magic, which has been passed down from generation to generation, knowing that one day those knowledge will serve them well when the world was set aflame.
“Some say they had a prophecy that foretold the end of the world but did nothing to stop it just so they could use their ancestor’s powers. Others don’t care what their goal is as long as they are helping people and not abusing their power. The organization’s current leaders are Lily and Aster.”
“I...I think I need some time to process all of this.” He stood up and shakily ambled into the kitchen. Emily poured the last drop of tea into her cup and drank it. A few minutes later, Fen returned to the couch, his face slightly wet.
“I’m sorry to say this, but.that information is still not enough. I need something that is more valuable, more beneficial. I’m sorry.”
“Don’t be. There are a lot more I can tell you, but it would be better if you visit our information center after Osiris establish a gateway here.”
Fen stared up at him, “....what?”
“It is our protocol to install a teleporter that connects to either one of our major settlements. Haven or Sanctuary, at a settlement with at least 200 residents. Normally, my ‘superiors’ doesn’t like to deal with more settlements than they can currently handle. But, considering--”
“You have a fucking teleporter?!” Fen rose up to this feet, his voice slightly broken.
“Yes. Osiris managed to perfect the teleporter prototype that was in Sage River. Although, they could not mass produce it due to a lack of materials.”
Fen weakly crashed down on the couch, almost whispering, “....continue.”
“As I was saying, we don’t usually take in more settlements than we could handle. However, since this town has established a trade route with other towns and that there is also a mana crystal mine not too far away, they would most likely be willing to provide support to all of you. I know I made Osiris sound selfish, but ignoring the reality of things would not benefit anyone.”
“Carl told us about the mana crystal mine by the way.”
What followed Emily’s sentence was silence. Both of them could see many emotions passed through the elf’s face. Joy, anger, conflicting, sorrow, and eventually, regret.
“Do you need a moment?” Emily asked in a tiny voice.
A single tear dropped down. Then another, then he started sobbing.
“I need--I need a hug.”
“Of course.” Emily stood up, walked towards Fen, and sat down before gently hugging the crying elf. He bawled uncontrollably, hugging the tulpa as he did.
“To think....sniffs….to think....there are still so many people alive, helping....trying to rebuild this world...I thought... all hope was lost after that day...sobs...That nightmare haunted me every night....I could still hear those screams....and I...I kept blaming myself for not able to save them...”
Both of them remained muted, letting him weep as long as he did.
“.....I apologize, miss Emily. Sniffs. I am usually not this emotional.” He wiped away his tears, letting go of Emily. He gestured her to return to her companion, which she reluctantly did.
“It’s alright. We all need to let out our emotions from time to time.” The elf solemnly nodded. Kizo waited until he was emotionally stable again before speaking.
“I could make an arrangement with my ‘superiors’ right now and discuss the future of--” Kizo’s loud stomach growl cut off his sentence. Emily just laughed, whilst the elf barely failed to contain his. He embarrassingly turned his head away.
That lifted Fen’s spirit up. He glanced at his watch, “My, it’s already time for dinner. This is the first time I have a meeting that took up the entire afternoon. I feel the arrangement can be made later, after we have a filling dinner together. What do you say, Kizo? Emily?”
“Of course.” A smiling emote appeared.
“Yes please!”
He stood up, “There’s a restaurant at the edge of town. Many had praised their food, saying that it could rival that of a Michelin five-star dish, but with a significantly lower price. We will go there once I bring these to the kitchen.” He lifted the tray, swiftly entered and exited the kitchen with empty hands.
“Let’s go.” Fen promptly switched off the lights and the fan before opening the door for the duo.
“Oh! Hey, Fen! And the travellers too! Did you three just concluded your business?” Carl ambled closer to them from the street.
“Hi, Carl. And yes, we did just wrap up our discussions. Kizo and Emily have brought us much delightful news. I am more than eager to share it with all the others in town once everything has been settled.” He smiled gleefully like a child.
“Heh, now you got me curious. Where are you guys heading anyway? Dinner?”
“Yes. I am planning to take our travellers to Jacob’s. Do you want to come along?”
“What a coincidence! I was planning to ask if you three want to go to Jacob’s. Let’s go then!”
The group sauntered through streets bathe in the light of the setting sun, heading to the famous restaurant. Along the way, Fen told Carl all the good news the duo has brought. Osiris, Aterna, and how they would no longer need to worry about the safety of the town. Kizo noticed that everyone they passed by would greet them, and Carl and Fen would do the same.
They arrived in front of a structure larger than the regular houses. There’s the main stone building, which is two-story high, with a sign hanging on the front wall with the words, “Jacob’s restaurant”. The smaller, one-story building was attached to the right side of the main building. Carl later explained that it was where the kitchen is.
“Wow...” Emily exclaimed in a small volume. It was as if they entered a magical place exist within the tales of fairies. The interior of the first floor resembled that of a medieval tavern despite the lack of wood. As the day gradually turned dark, many of the town’s residents found themselves right where they want to be, creating a rowdy yet welcoming atmosphere in the restaurant.
The duo followed Fen and Carl, whilst they greeted anyone they came across as old friends, and entered the second floor. Unlike the first floor, the atmosphere here was much softer and relaxing. It was comfortable for those who seek to enjoy their dinner in peace. It would’ve been a perfect place for dining if not for the fact that it lacked music to enhance the ambience.
“Hey, Tammy. What’s today special?” Fen asked a waitress not too far away after they’ve chosen their table, next to the window facing the front road. The blonde demoness approached them and laid down 4 pieces of paper menu, “The Mushroom Meat.”
“Oh ho ho! Boy, do I miss that dish. Do you two like mushroom and meat? If you do, I highly recommend you to get this. It is simply superb!”
“Ooo~ That sounds delicious. What else do they have here?” Emily inquired.
“Let’s see here, they have the...”
As Carl introduced the dishes to Emily and Kizo, the waitress whispered to Fen.
“Are those two the travellers Liz mentioned in her announcement a few hours ago? They helped Carl and killed those hounds?”
“Yeah, and they just bought all the information I have on sale.” He whispered back.
“What?! They can’t possibly afford all that information even if they’re dragging a bag of gold!”
“They didn’t pay me with money; they traded my information with their own.”
“Really? What did they tell you?”
“I can’t say much for now, but it is something that will forever change our lives. All the lives in all the towns. Just wait for Liz’s announcement in a few days. You won’t be disappointed.”
“Tammy, is it?” Kizo abruptly ended their whispering conversation.
“Y-yes?” She stared at the helmet with a bit of daze.
“I would like to have the ‘Mushroom Meat’, please. And the Berry Mix drink. Thank you.” The waitress quickly penciled down his order on her notepad.
“I’ll have King of the Mountain, please! And the tea with the highest price on the menu as I don’t know how to spell the name.”
“Are you sure you want to have King of the Mountain, miss? The portion is incredibly large.”
“Don’t worry about me, I have a large stomach.” The waitress nodded.
“Carl?”
“Mushroom Meat with lemonade.”
“I’ll have the usual then, Tammy.”
She scribbled all their orders, took the menu back and away she went to the kitchen.
As they waited for their meals, Fen and Carl chatted away about what was going on in all the towns, including this one. Emily inserted herself into the conversation a few times, but the duo mostly acted as listeners. Kizo quietly recorded everything he heard into his phone.
When their meal finally arrived, it was then the duo knew why the restaurant was famous.
The smell alone made their mouths water, and the display of the dish itself was fascinating. Even the mountain of fried rice, mixed with various ingredients, appeared fabulous on Emily’s plate. The meat and the large mushrooms of Carl’s and Kizo’s were sprinkled with spices and gravy that brought their tongue to dance in joy. And though Fen’s pasta seemed plain, it was, in every aspect, magical.
The four of them chatted as they thoroughly enjoyed their dinner. They reminisce about the things that happened before the world collapsed. The movies they watched, the hobbies they had, the silly stuff they did.
This was the first time in months since Emily saw her host genuinely enjoying himself, free of the weight on his shoulders.
After all the talking, the laughing, and the drinking, it was time to leave. Carl insisted to pay for all of them, and despite Fen’s and Kizo’s decline, he out-stubborn them and paid for their meals anyway. They then took a long, relaxing stroll through the town’s scenic route back to Carl’s house. Floating balls of light instead light poles illuminated the streets, casting long stretches of shadows under the moonless night.
“....After we return to Carl’s house, I will contact a few people and make arrangements for a meeting tomorrow. I am unsure of the procedures required to bring this and the other towns under the protection of Osiris, but you can assure your town council that they won’t take advantage of you. I will leave this town once they arrived here through my teleporter.”
“Alright. I will inform the council of this arrangement tonight.” All of them halted their steps as they reached the trader’s house.
“Well then, goodnight Fen. The council will definitely be ecstatic to hear the news.”
“I’m sure they will. Goodnight, you three.”
“Goodnight.” “Goodnight~”
The elf turned and left, while the trio entered the house and up the staircase.
“If you two need anything, just knock on my door. I’ll be up until two or three in the morning.”
“Got it.” “Thanks!”
Just as Carl was about to enter his room, their attention was turned to the sudden shouting at the streets. They couldn’t make out the words shouted by the frantic female voice, so they had to sprint down the flight of stairs and burst into the streets.
“PLEASE! SOMEBODY HELP! MY DAUGHTER HAS BEEN KIDNAPPED! HELP!” A woman could be seen running frenziedly down the street at a distance. One of the guards standing in their post caught her before she fell down, still pleading for help. They saw Fen dashed past the house, and they followed behind his trails.
“May? My god, May, what happened?” Carl recognized the wounded human female once they got close enough and immediately went to her side, supporting her weak body.
“It was the raiders, Carl! They, they took Amy! They ambushed us a-and they took over the truck! W-w-we tried to run, but they were fast Carl! They were fast a-and I wasn’t and they just snatched Amy! Th-they threw me to the ground and just, and they just left! With my truck and my daughter! Please! Send someone to save her! Please!” She sobbed loudly on Carl chest as he holds her.
“Dammit! I knew we should’ve killed them when Sal reported their presence! And now...” The elf curled up his fists in anger.
“Fen, you need to report this to the council right now. It’s very likely they won’t be at their base anymore after tonight. I’ll call the others to meet at the hall.” The elf guard who was at the woman’s side stood up and was stopped by Kizo before he could run to round up his companions.
“Where is their base?”
“This is--Wait, you’re the one that helped us kill the hounds.”
“Yes, I am, now tell me where is their base. I will go there and save this lady’s daughter.” His voice deepened.
“Y-you will?” The woman grabbed his leg, “You will save my daughter, traveller?”
Kizo kneeled down, “I will save her, ma’am. Rest assure. She will be back in no time.”
“Thank you, traveller! Thank you!” She hugged him tight, “I’ll give you anything you want if you bring my baby back here safely.” Kizo patted her back as comfort before letting go.
“I will take you to their base, traveller. Those sons of bitches made a home for themselves at an abandoned apartment not far from here.”
“Good. Before I go and get my weapons, I need you to find 3 other people that can move fast and stay quiet.”
“There are at least ten raiders there, traveller. Even if you and your partner manage to defeat the hounds all by yourselves, this is suicide!”
Kizo grabbed the guard’s shoulder and stared right at his eyes, “I don’t need four extra people to help me take them down, I need four extra people to help me tied them up when I beat their ass senseless.”
X
It took 45 minutes for Kizo to strap his weapons and equipment to himself, wait for the elven guard to get 3 of his colleagues, and sprint full speed to the raiders’ hideout.
When they arrived, the guards could barely catch their breath while the duo was barely fatigued. They crouched, slowly approaching a car and hid behind it. They could saw two raiders, with flashlights in their hands, guarding the entrance. The stolen truck was right beside the building.
It was difficult for the town guards to perceive anything in the darkness, so they had to depend on the duo, who was unaffected by the lack of light, to navigate their movement.
“See that window over there? The only one with light inside? That’s their main room. They probably kept May’s daughter there.” The elf guard whispered, pointing at the illuminated window on the fifth floor.
“Acknowledged. Emily, how many enemies are in there?” A line in her floating grimoire shone. The guard’s eyes’ grew big when a large tome suddenly appeared out of thin air.
“13....no, 15. There are 16 people in the entire building, but only one was bound by something, probably a rope, and is lying down.” She deactivated the spell and transferred what she saw with the spell to her host’s mind.
“How--” “Sush.” The guard leader silenced his partner, knowing that this is not the time to indulge in their curiosity.
“When I give you my signal, run to my location and tie up all the raiders I took down as fast as you could. Understand?” All the guards nodded.
Kizo raised up his rifle, with a literal suppressor attached, and aimed slightly upwards as he faced towards his right. Once he crouched down in a stable position, with a twist of his left hand, he fired a stun bullet right at the raider’s face, and hold his body before it reached the ground and make a sound.
When he turned back to see his previous hiding position, Emily had knocked the second raider unconscious. He could see the guards froze after watching what just went down, but his tulpa urged them to quickly get their job done.
The two raider guards had been bound. They proceeded into the building, discreetly navigated their way through the hallway. They saw one of the doors was opened, shadows cast on the hallway walls by candlelight. Kizo stealthily approached the room, thinking how to take down the raider inside. However, the humanoid shadow stood up and walked out towards the doorway unexpectedly. Just as Kizo was about to get spotted, Emily slinked through the hallway and shocked the raider with her hand until he fainted. The light on her grimoire dissipated. The body was quietly let down onto the ground and bounded.
There were two raiders standing against the wall when they reached the second floor. The first is right beside the entrance to the floor, and the second in front the other staircase, at the opposite end of the hallway. Kizo pulled out a small pebble stuck to his shoes and threw it to distract the raider. When the raider went to check what caused the small noise, Kizo snuck up to him, covered his mouth with his right palm and elbow lock his neck. The raider passed out after a few seconds of suppressed struggle.
Emily, on the other hand, silently treaded her way to the ajar door, near the middle of the hallway. She could hear the raiders inside talking as she cast a spell that released an invisible, odorless sleeping gas through the crack. It drained her mana gauge significantly, but it was the easiest way to knock them unconscious. When the others arrived after securing the previous raider, all three inside the room was already deep into their dreams.
Kizo shot the last raider at the floor on the head, and Emily levitated his falling body for one second before the raider kissed the ground. Once that raider was tied up, they ascended the staircase. The third and fourth floor only have two raiders guarding the two staircase entrances, which made it relatively easier to take them down and bound them in ropes.
The fifth floor was the hardest. There were two more raiders in the hallway guarding the room where the kidnapped girl was. However, it was barely a challenge to the duo. First, Kizo switched places with the raider closest to them, letting the town guards choked her until she fainted. Emily then crouched beside Kizo. In three seconds, Kizo consecutively knocked out the three raiders by shooting them in the head, switched places with their falling body, and repeating the process twice. Emily telekinetically levitated the unconscious body towards her and be tied up.
The tulpa used her spell and saw one raider was lying down on a couch and the other circling around the girl. Kizo checked his gauge and revealed he still has 60% mana left in his body. He patiently waited for the circling raider to stop at the perfect position. It took awhile, but that raider finally stood behind the girl, facing the other raider.
He did the gesture, and gave the targeted raider a headshot. Unfortunately, that raider was tougher than expected as he was only dazed. So, Kizo immediately grabbed something and threw it towards the raider’s head before they could react, and dashed to their position. He leapt and pushed the raider down to the ground as the kidnapped girl screamed. The raider managed to fire their gun in confusion, but three bone-shattering punches to the face ensured there won’t be any more shots.
It was over. All the raiders were defeated, and the kidnapped girl, now in Kizo’s consoling embrace, was saved.
X
“Good job finding such a thriving community, Kizo. I’m positive Klein wouldn’t be complaining the next time you request for backup.” The hawk Demi smirked as he shook Kizo’s hand.
“Like I give a rat ass about what Klein thinks.” The snickering emote appeared.
“Until next time.” Both of them hugged.
“You too.” They let go of each other. The Demi then went into the town council hall with his other two colleagues and Fen. The elf waved goodbye before he left.
“We’re leaving now?” The tulpa and host headed back to Carl’s house.
“We could grab a couple more of those meat skewers~”
“Yesh! Let’s go!” She grabbed his hand and ran towards the market.
The area seemed more lively than yesterday when they arrived. As they headed towards the stall, all the people they passed by greeted them cheerfully, some even loudly thanking them.
“Ah, my favourite customers! How many skewers would you two have?” The wolf Demi asked as the previous customer he served ambled away in satisfaction.
“!0 for each of us, please.”
“You got it!” The vendor skillfully prepared twenty skewers, put ten on two plates, and drench the meat in his appetizing sauce before serving the duo.
Emily balanced the plate on her hands and ate her first skewer, “Delishhhh~”
Kizo started eating too.
“I wish I could do more for you two, travellers. First, you killed the pack of hounds which allowed Carl to come back, then you beat, what, twenty raiders all by yourselves and saved May’s daughter. Then, you bring your organization’s people to help us! You two have done more than anyone in this town for all of us. I, sincerely, thank you two.” The Demi took a step back and bowed.
“You’re welcome~”
“It’s nothing, really. It is our duty to aid those who are in need. If we could just make one person smile, well, it’s worth it. After all, this world needs more hope than ever before.”
“That is true. If only there are more people like you, traveller.”
Both of them eventually finished all their meat and bid goodbye to the vendor. They sauntered back to Carl’s house, planning what should be their next move.
“Mister Kizo! Miss Emily! Look what May got for the both of you!” They heard Carl and saw him standing in front of his house, an older and a young woman beside him, and a shining motorcycle in front of them. The duo dialed up their pace.
“This is a muscle bike. Where do you get a functioning muscle bike?” Kizo placed his hand to feel the surface.
“I stumbled upon it when passing through a motorcycle shop. It was the only one left inside, so I figured I could get those geniuses to convert this to run on mana and sell it to travellers at a high price. Guess I won’t be making a fortune with this...” Her dried voice turned melancholic.
“We talked about this, Ma. No traveller can afford this, which is why it is the perfect gift for these two that saved my life and the truck!”
“I know, I know, but I still feel attached to this bike. I paid good money to the geniuses, you know?”
“Ma. Come on. You know how we do things. Equivalent exchange.”
“Alright. Alright. Just...take care of my baby, okay, traveller? And thank you, for saving my daughter and my truck.”
“You are welcome. And I promise to take good care of it.”
“Thank you for saving my life travellers! I’ll never forget it.” She smiled brightly.
“You’re welcome!” Emily replied.
After that, both of them went back to their room and grabbed all their stuff. They came down and said their goodbyes to Carl, May, and Amy.
“Stay safe, Mister Kizo, Miss Emily. May the gods protect you on your journey.”
“We will.”
Kizo spent a few minutes trying to attach all his levitating containers securely to the bike. It was quite embarrassing for Kizo when May and Carl helped him to do that.
Finally, Kizo fired up the engine, with Emily sitting at his back, hugging him, and left the town. They rode past the root tunnel and into the street, resuming their adventure, now with new goals to reach along their journey.