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In the previous chapter, the mage guild attempted to abduct Violet while she was drugged.
Lorely swiftly took them down and jumped through the window with Violet.
Chapter 12
Underground Mugging
During Lorely’s descent, feathers sprouted along her thighs, and her feet transformed into sharp talons. She landed on the face of an apprentice mage, sending him crashing to the ground.
Underground Street
Bellowing a shrill cry, Lorely unleashed a distress call that reverberated through the Underground tunnels, alerting her harpy friends. The powerful sound caused nearby people to flinch and cover their ears.
Without missing a beat, she bolted away before the pursuers could react, carrying her temporarily deafened mistress with her.
Back in the previous inn room, a mage peeked out of the window and shouted to his comrades.
Mage Guild Student
Apprentice Warlock
“What are you waiting for? Capture her! She took the target!”
Although it was the obvious course of action, the mage students lacked both reflexes and athleticism to intercept the harpy hag. Instead they dispatched their pawns and thuglike guides to give chase.
While Lorely and Violet fled through the busy street, the pursuers bumped into the passers-by or shoved them with their dangerous weapons. The locals raised yells of complaint and fright.
The commotion attracted the curious gaze of the locals, such as the beholder bartender, who stepped outside just in time to witness Lorely and Violet rushing past, closely followed by the mages’ minions.
Bartender
Beholder
“Customer!” The beholder exclaimed at the sight of Violet’s peril.
Her pursuers had managed to surround her, eagerly awaiting the arrival of the mages who were jogging towards their location.
Lorely gently lowered Violet to the ground, torn between protecting her and breaking through the encirclement. But there was no room for dawdling, so she threw herself at the enemies in front of her, leaving Violet to fend for herself.
There was not an ounce of finesse and expertise in her strikes. All the maid could do was swing with desperation and savagery, backed up by unnatural speed.
Meanwhile, Violet struggled to even sit upright.
With a firm grip, a thug grabbed Violet’s arm, lifting her off the ground in an attempt to drag her away.
Lorely desperately fought her way back to Violet, but the coordinated attacks of the pawns effectively pinned her down, impeding her progress.
Destitute Sovereign
Violet
“Ugh! Don’t touch me!” Violet screamed, slapping her kidnapper’s arm in vain.
Amidst her struggles, a small box slipped from her pocket, tumbling to the ground. As it opened, an angry stag beetle burst forth, ramming into the assailant’s stomach and knocking the wind out of him.
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Filled with gratitude towards her pet, she seized the opportunity to crawl away, aware that the mages could arrive at any moment.
Unforeseen helpers emerged. The beggar rabbitfolk remembered Violet’s past generosity and seized the chance to repay her kindness. He threw himself at the waist of another thug. His fellow homeless beggars followed suit.
Beggar
Rabbitfolk
“Kind sir, could you spare a coin?”
Mage’s Guides
Thug
“Fuck off! Let go if you don’t want to die!” The thug pushed the forehead of the beggar.
Other meddlers disrupted the mage guild’s operation. The beholder bartender positioned itself in the path of the breathless mages.
Bartender
Beholder
“Who are you? I’ve never seen you around.” The beholder stood on the tip of its tentacles, raising its height in intimidation.
Mage Guild Student
Apprentice Warlock
“We’re the mage guild, we came for-”
Bartender
Beholder
“Did you think you could show up and brandish your weapons in the middle of our street? Do you believe you can do as you please here because you view us as ignorant, lowly trash?”
Mage Guild Student
Apprentice Warlock
“What? I never said-”
Bartender
Beholder
“You mess with the business here! Your minions have shoved everyone aside, yet you offer no apologies, huh? You’re looking down upon us because we appear weak to you, huh?”
Disgruntled passers-by and enraged customers joined forces with the beholder to settle the score.
Even for the mage guild, venturing into the lawless Underground and provoking the locals was risky.
This was all the time needed for Lorely’s friends to join the battle. They swooped down, mauling the back of the pawns and thugs who threatened Lorely.
Violet’s Rook
Lorely
“Thank the sky! You’ve all arrived!” Lorely hugged her harpy comrades, overcome with relief and gratitude.
Her attitude made a 180° turn when she sicced the harpies on the pursuers.
Violet’s Rook
Lorely
“It’s the mage guild! Those bad guys want to kidnap Violet!” She pointed her finger at the despicable mages. Before she finished her words, the harpies flew off to beat up the remaining robed figures.
The outraged onlookers refused to lose to the harpies’ aggressivity and joined the fray. What would the foreign intruders even do after losing their escorts and pawns?
After mugging the mages, they tossed them into the pits of piss.
After a quick farewell to the locals, Violet’s party fled to the wilderness of dark tunnels where neutral monsters lurked.
Underground Wilderness
Once they found a secure spot to rest, Lorely crumpled listlessly, her mind crashed dull from the after effects of the drugs. She could bear with it since it was only her first use.
Destitute Sovereign
Violet
“Lorely, are you okay? You did great, thank you.” Violet, who regained clarity of mind, tended to her friend.
Violet’s Rook
Lorely
“My wing was damaged. I can’t fly for a while.”
Destitute Sovereign
Violet
“Oh no… Is it serious?”
Violet’s Rook
Lorely
“No, a harpy hag’s magical wing can regrow within a month. For a harpy, it would take years, though.”
Although it wasn’t a serious injury, it cast a bad outlook over their future escape attempt.
During their rest, they discussed their next course of action.
Violet’s Rook
Lorely
“What do we do next? Hide or make a run for it?”
Destitute Sovereign
Violet
“We can’t hide here for long. Food is scarce in the wilderness of the Underground, and anyone can be a spy in the settlements. We don’t even have enough wax for the light to last a couple of days.”
Only the powerful could survive in the unforgiving wilderness. Lorely couldn’t fly, Violet was unathletic, and the harpies inexperienced. An encounter with an abyss crawler would end their adventure.
Destitute Sovereign
Violet
“Wait! Hear me out. What if I blast a hole into the ceiling to escape to the Surface?”
Violet’s Rook
Lorely
“We’ll die under the rubbles…”
Destitute Sovereign
Violet
“Right…” Blowing the ceiling would be catastrophic in the Underground, possibly killing hundreds of thousands lives by mistake.
Destitute Sovereign
Violet
“We’re dancing in the palm of the mages. They want me to give up and comply with the Ersatz Warlock experiment again.”
Destitute Sovereign
Violet
“They know we can’t survive in the Underground’s wilderness. The mage guild can either catch us in settlements with minimal casualties or trap us at the gateways.” Violet channeled all her creativity to find other options to no avail.
Violet’s Rook
Lorely
“At least, we avoided the worst scenario. The mages could have gotten us if they had trusted the dark elf’s anesthetic and brought more people.”
Destitute Sovereign
Violet
“On the contrary, maybe they did trust her and believed that a couple of men could easily abduct a drugged woman. Either way, I doubt she put you in her report, which proves the futility of trusting a dark elf. They always pull out tricks.”
Violet’s Rook
Lorely
“We shouldn’t have stayed to buy her potions. That wench, if I catch her…” Lorely mumbled.
Destitute Sovereign
Violet
“The discount was that good. She actually invested herself in this masquerade for years just to betray us, that’s messed up.”
No one could walk away from a dark elf without developing trust issues. Convoluted trickery was like fine wine for this deceitful species.
Destitute Sovereign
Violet
“Alright, let’s escape as early as possible. If we linger here too long, the wilderness will wear us down to death.”
Destitute Sovereign
Violet
“Even if the guild guards the gateways, we have no intel on how the manpower might fluctuate in the future, so we might as well just go right away,” Violet concluded.
In face of uncertainty, Violet and Lorely agreed to bet on a brash escape.
After a much-needed rest, they trailed a caravan towards the Surface without encountering any enemy or food.
Finally, the faint glow of sunlight pierced through the gateway to the Surface, as they stood before the final trial to reclaim their freedom.