Chapter 24: The Die Is Cast

"Well, fuck..." I looked outside the window of the company building and saw that we were surrounded by about 100 Galahad men-at-arms. Judging by the cohesion and gear, they were probably the A-team. Whatever they wanted from us, they were serious about getting it.

Either way, this much was certain: we had a major rat problem. They knew too much too quickly for it to be a spontaneous discovery. This show of force was them basically telling us, "Yeah, we have somebody on the inside. What're you gonna do about it?"

"Forge-Master Rummy, please join me outside? It appears my brother and Ser Gaius want to talk."

"Sure thing." I turned to Loki and Emma. "Look after the supplies and the passengers. I believe the rats will make a move soon enough."

I put on my cloak, hiding Severance Pay. I took a regular bow and a quiver with a few arrows and followed Skera and Natalia outside. After we arrived at the already-barricaded gate (a practice we've started every night after business hours ever since the ambush), Natalia touched a Beginner-level force elemental mana crystal and activated <<Strength>>, amplifying her voice 10-fold.

"What do you want, Valerian? We were just going to answer your summon" Natalia demanded, eyes full of contempt.

A booming voice answered back. "Lies! I am here to fix your egregious mistake, sister. You have made a mess of things through your ignorance and arrogance. And as one of the men in your family, it is my duty to clean this up. Now cease this foolishness and open the gate. You will return to the family mansion and live there until you marry Ser Gaius. Your forge-smith will be punished for breaking guild law."

"Thank you for your concern. But I don't recall asking my mediocre little brother for help. So I will have to kindly ask you to leave."

Another booming voice (this one sounds older) joined in. "Lady Natalia, as the Chief Knight of the family, I beg of you to relent. We know what you're trying to do, and we have surrounded the whole compound in response. There is no chance of escaping. It is over. So please let us settle this matter peacefully."

Natalia's eyes widen in shock. I gave her a weird look.

She whispered to me. "Chief Knight Gerard is a stickler for protocols. He used to call me 'Young Lady' before and my brother 'Young Lord' since we are children of the current lord. But he called me 'Lady Natalia' just now, so this would mean that… my father has passed." Crap, guessed the brother wanted to throw her out of the family ASAP so he could consolidate his wealth and power as the heir apparent.

Well, as cold as it was, that made perfect sense. This was especially true in the case of a family with the daughter notably more capable than the son. That son would marry that daughter off so that she couldn't challenge him for the leadership of the family (plus, he'd be able to collect on the sweet sweet dowry $$$). Even though they were family on paper, at the end of the day, it was all just good business.

Another booming voice joined in. "Lady Natalia, this is Ser Gaius of House Mordred. I understand that you have some reservations about our impending marriage. However, if you let us in and negotiate, I'm sure we can arrive at a satisfactory arrangement for all parties involved. I have big plans for the future- our future!"

"Ser Gaius. I've never consented to this match, and based on what I've heard about you in Clarent, I never will. If the great Count Galahad couldn't get me to consent to this, what makes you think his painfully average heir can? I beg of you to give up on this engagement and leave in peace."

Her brother immediately retorted in barely-suppressed fury. "Natalia, listen to me! Your shameful disobedience has shamed our family. This really has gone too far! Do you have any idea how many members of the family are shocked and disappointed in you? You've hurt our family!"

"A family that treats me like a piece of property is no family at all!" Natalia fiercely shouted back with hatred and hurt in her eyes. I could see her trying her very best to suppress the tears welling up in her eyes.

The old Chief Knight responded. "Lady Natalia, the Artorian Faith teaches us to be humble. Humility makes a virtuous woman. I beseech you to put aside your pride. Your pride will tell you to resist to the end, but that doesn't prove anything! Nobody would applaud you for being this foolish- they would mock you for getting all these people killed when nobody had to die. Open the gates and I swear on my honor as a Knight that nobody will be killed."

"Ser Gerard, don't make promises you can't keep. It's unbecoming of a Knight." She flatly rejected his plea.

"My foolish sister, there is nowhere for you to go! You can whine all you want, but you will be wedded to Ser Gaius by the next moon. That I can guarantee. The only thing that is yet to be determined is how many followers of yours will survive your pointless hysteria. If you anger me too much, I might even marry off Lady Skera to one of the fine fellows of the Royal Restoration Society. I'm certain she'll look wonderful in yellow!" Valerian menacingly threatened.

Suddenly, I heard a series of loud crashes from within the building. After the commotion ended, 2 figures emerged from the door. It was Cornelius and another male former employee of the company. The lackey, who was taller and stronger, walked out carrying an unconscious Emma on his shoulders. Oh hell no! I swear on my future children's soul that I'd torture him in the worst way possible when I get my hands on that bitch-boy!.

Cornelius approached us with determined eyes. "Lady Natalia, I am truly sorry to do this to you, but I cannot in good conscience allow you to endanger us with this insanity. Moving to the Wilds is an insanity that cannot be tolerated anymore. I beg of you to come back to your senses!"

Natalia looked surprised momentarily, but her stone mask quickly set back in. "Is that all of you? Is that all the rats we have in the building?" She glared at him as she asked him in a flat and neutral tone that doesn't sound all that neutral.

"Call us what you want, but we just saved everybody's lives from the maws of some mana-beast. Now, we have knocked out the guards loyal to you, set your supplies on fire, and taken the children hostage. It is over. Please negotiate with your brother and end this farce."

A brief expression of shock flashed in Natalia's face. "I don't understand, Cornelius. If you felt that way all along, why not just take the severance pay I offered and walk out that door? Why backstab me along the way? Why repay my kindness with treachery?"

"Because your insanity has infected my dear Emma! I will not leave the woman I love in the hands of a lunatic who has no idea what she's doing!!!" He screamed aloud as his androgenous voice cracked and quivered, as if it was struggling to contain his pent-up rage.

Wait, did I just overestimate people's rationality again? Or was he really naive enough to believe that Emma wouldn't suffer what happened to her before because some noble asshole made a promise? Well, not that it mattered now. I noticed that there are wet spots on the ground right below Emma's head. Hmm...tears.

Judging by the fact that there were no claw marks around their necks, they hadn't met Loki yet. And Sapphire was conspicuously absent (good thing the place was surrounded and she had nowhere to go). Emma may have dropped her guard against her childhood BFF, but a former Witch and a mana-beast would never do that. I guessed my job now was to distract the stupid simp. Alright, let's channel my inner actor...

I dramatically pointed my finger at him and tried my darndest to look outraged. "You naive fool! What do you think will happen to Emma the moment those filthy animals come through the gate? Are you naive enough to believe the words of those shameless scoundrels?" I shouted in thespian anger. If there ever was a category for cringiest scene in the Oscars, I'd be nominated on the spot.

Cornelius looked at me in fury. "What the hell do you know, outsider! I've known and loved Emma ever since we were children! Even after that incident, my love for her never waivered! I will be perfectly content with whatever happens as long as we're together. That's something a harem-seeking philanderer like you would never underst-"

"AHH!" The lackey behind him screamed in agony as Emma plunged the mythril dagger I gave her into his back. Way to use your engagement present, boo-boo!

She then placed her hands on his eyes and cast <<Torch>>. The lackey screamed in agony until he passed out from the pain. Cornelius looked on in horror as his childhood BFF walked over to him and viciously clocked him right in the nose. The traitor dropped to the floor like a sack of potatoes with a bloodied nose.

Right around that time, Sapphire walked out with Loki, whose usually pristine white fur was coated with blood. I didn't hear any blood curdling screams, so Loki must've successfully assassinated those men. What a good stealthy boi~

Sapphire gave me the damage report. "All traitors found and exterminated, Master. We'd only lost one box of rations and some blankets. Sadly, one of the guards got hit too hard on the head and died."

Trying her best to contain her boiling anger, Natalia politely thanked her. "Thank you, Archmage Sapphire, for your timely assistance. Now, please return with Emma and make sure everything is ready for a rushed departure." Sapphire and Emma nodded and dragged Cornelius's unconscious body back inside.

Natalia then amplified her voice once more. "Any more underhanded tricks to pull, little brother? Or will you finally man up and charge in here? Do you dare to be above average?" Natalia mercilessly taunted.

"You have foolishly sealed the fate of everybody in that building, you arrogant girl! Men, break down that gate! The first one through gets to pick which woman he takes home tonight!"

"""YES SER!""" The guards excitedly cheered as they began to hack at the wooden gate.

Gaius chimed in. "Very well, Lady Natalia. As your betrothed, I will show you my superiority in combat. Please don't blame us for the carnage that will follow."

A loud cacophony of slashing and hacking gradually wore down the gate. As that happened, the 6 armored carts pulled up at the gate. A procession of women and children gathered alongside the carts.

Natalia addressed the crowd. "Everyone, I apologize for failing to sneak out under their noses. Now we will have to break through by force. Fortunately, I am blessed with capable subordinates, so I am not concerned at all. For the past few winters, I have gathered enough strength to fight our oppressors. And that day has come! We will overcome the shackles that bind our destiny and be truly free!"

The people seemed a bit less nervous. If it were anybody else but Tali saying this, the crowd would've trampled each other to surrender first. But these people had been with Tali for years- most of the men that remained were boys when Tali took them in. They simply believed in her more than they fear the men outside.

She then gave a look at Skera and me. I fastened the doggles onto Loki, fed him a big piece of jerky, and wrapped his entire snout in a wet towel. "Remember Loki, silence is golden. Just kill 'em quietly in one strike, okay?"

I placed a finger on my lips, signaling that I wanted silence. Loki nuzzled my face as I gave him a head pat and a hug. I've only tried this once with Loki, so I was honestly not sure how it'd go down. Not that it mattered. Loki was really there to ease Skera's kill load. At the end of the day, I'd imagine she'd still get 80% of the kills.

I handed the other pair of goggles to Skera. "Sorry, Skera, you are about to become a notorious Knight responsible for killing over 100 men today."

She casually took the goggles and fastened them on her tightly. "Think nothing of it. My liege has ordered it, so I must do it. It is that simple." Skera then headed towards the gate, which was on the verge of getting broken through.

"The die is cast." I whispered the famous Caesarean quote to myself as I began to cast the first offensive spell of this violent exodus. I gave Skera a nod, signaling her to get ready. Well, since stealth was not an option in this mission, I might as well do it loud and do it proud. After she nodded back, I screamed out my attack like a braindead protagonist. "<<Air Blast>>!"

*BOOM!*

An overcharged <<Air Blast>> violently tore through the gate and blasted out the pieces of the gate like a shotgun. The eager men at the gate were eager no more, as wooden splinters mercilessly stabbed their unexposed bodies in the blink of an eye. After the dust settled, a dozen men lay on the ground, groaning and screaming.

Having done my part, I prepared for the next phase of the breakout. I took out the Expert-level earth elemental mana crystal I captured from Sapphire out from my storage. Sigh… I didn't want to reveal this card to the general public, but I'd rather show them that than my pet wolf mana-beast or my MG-42.

Skera slowly walked toward one of the wounded men and took out her sword. As she hatefully glared at Valerian, she plunged her sword into the man's helpless neck, ending him.

"WHO ELSE IS TIRED OF LIVING?!?" She bellowed, almost scaring Valerian off his horse.

"That's enough, Skera! As the patriarch of your host family, I or-order you to stand down!" Valerian shouted back in response.

Killing intent oozed out of her as she took a fighting stance with her sword and shield. "Make me."

A Knight about 50 years old stepped up to her. "Skera, as your uncle and former instructor, I beg you to please come to your senses. Take a good look at yourself! Your goggles are ridiculous. Your leather armor is embarrassing. She is not your liege and you are not a Knight! Stand down this instant!"

"To answer your question, Ser Gerard, these goggles are to make sure your filthy blood doesn't stain my eyes when I take your head." Instead of waiting for a response, Skera charged forward in an overhead strike, almost surprising her uncle.

"Impudent!" He easily parried the strike even though he was caught flat-footed. A veteran Knight wouldn't go down that easily. Gerard then counter-attacked with a horizontal swing from the left. With <<Slow>>, she easily avoided the swing by backstepping at the perfect moment. After the swing barely went past her, she immediately charged forward with her shield at full <<Strength>>, knocking down a very shocked Gerard (after all, only the best Knights could perfectly time their opponent's strikes and counter-attack without magical help).

Before he could recover and get into a stance, Skera followed-up with another overhead strike at him. This time, despite being able to parry the strike, Gerard was driven back because he was off-balanced from the previous strike. For the first time in this duel, I could see Gerard realizing he could very well lose. Smelling blood in the water, she relentlessly attacked with her superior <<Strength>> until Gerard's <<Dispersal>> was overwhelmed and his prized sword got smashed in two. Once she broke his guard, Skera buried her sword right between his left shoulder and neck. Skera then power-kicked Gerard right in the chest and brutally knocked him down on the ground.

*cough* *cough*

Gerard coughed up blood as he desperately tried to get up, but he failed nonetheless. As he remained lying on his lower back with his right elbow weakly holding him up, regret and shame filled his eyes.

"If only… you… were... born a man…" Gerard earnestly confessed as he grimly realized he was about to savor the sweet embrace of death.

Skera emotionlessly raised her sword. "No, if only I was accepted as a woman." She savagely swung down and to the left, instantly severing her uncle's head. Unflinching and undaunted, she showed neither hesitation nor remorse for killing the Chief Knight of House Galahad.

A stunned silence dominated the battlefield for a brief moment. It must've been shocking to see Skera, an untrained woman, handily defeating one of the most accomplished Knights in this city. Granted, had he taken her seriously from the outset and utilized spells like <<Reinforce>> or <<Updraft>>, he might have stood more of a chance against her magically enhanced brute strength. But her raw talent could no longer be denied.

"Don't think you've won yet, girl!" Valerian snarled in disgust. "I've already called for reinforcements. On top of that, 80 riders of House Mordred left days ago and are expected to be here soon. I don't care how talented you are, you will eventually be ground to dust. And once that happens, I will punish you in the cruelest way imaginable!"

Skera let out a loud laugh. "What makes you think you'll live to see reinforcement?" She menacingly smiled at Valerian.

Valerian looked like he was going to piss himself. "Form ranks!" He shouted with an almost breaking voice.

Soon, the 100 or so men surrounding the building gather around the gate and form into a battle line 3 rows deep. All of them nervously drew their swords, very aware of the legend of the "Lady Vengeance" and the fact that the man who led them here became a little shorter than what he used to be.

That was my cue. I handed the Expert-level mana crystal, which was the size of a basketball, to Sapphire. I held Aurelia to her forehead. I stared right at her and sternly ordered her. "Cast it!"

Sapphire looked at me with feverish eyes and eagerly replied. "Yes, Master!"

After focusing and muttering for a minute, she cast the Expert-level earth spell, <<Sandstorm>> right as Skera charges toward the enemy.

Suddenly, a maelstrom of sand kicked up from out of nowhere, enveloping the entire city. Visibility dropped to just about zero throughout the city. The eye of the storm was set at the company building, leaving the group completely unscathed. Wow, what masterful control!

Unlike other spells, this spell was a channeling spell- meaning she had to continuously cast it to sustain it. She previously told me that she'd have to relent after 3 minutes, so we'd have to hurry.

I turned to Loki. "Kill!"

Like a white blur, he raced out of the gate. In the blistering sandstorm, I could only vaguely see shadowy outlines. Skera and Loki, equipped with goggles, sliced through the enemy line with impunity. The enemy could only helplessly close their eyes (while holding their breath) and wildly swing in front of them, hoping for a lucky hit.

Unfortunately for them, no such luck found them. Skera would knock them down from the right flank with a shield bash and finish them off with her sword. Loki would quietly sneak behind them and decapitate them from behind with a fierce swipe from his claws. The poor bastards never stood a chance. After a couple minutes of slaughter, I whistled and tapped Sapphire's shoulder.

Loki returned to me ragged and out of breath as the <<Sandstorm>> died down. I took down the wet towel to see that the sand that was on the towl suddenly evaporated like ice cream on a hot summer day. Wow, that was weird. I should investigate that later.

With the disappearance of the sand, we could finally see clearly, and what a gruesome sight it was! Corpses were scattered everywhere, most of them without their heads. The pungent smell of spilled blood permeated the scene. The street in front of the company building ran red with blood. Since Loki had retreated, only one figure remained standing in this field of massacre- the Lady Vengeance herself. To the few bystanders and the fewer survivors, her blood-soaked face with her fire-red hair must be one intimidating sight they'll remember for the rest of their lives.

I didn't see Gaius's or Valerian's body on the street, so I assumed they made it out. Looked like we'd have to fight them another time- probably with Knights on horseback now that they've witnessed Skera eating their infantry for lunch.

Meanwhile, Natalia allowed herself one brief moment to be in awe of the bloody results of this magic trick we just pulled before coming to her senses. "Thank you, Skera. That was masterful. Everyone, let us depart before they reorganize a pursuit force."

Field Inventory

Primary Weapon

M1D Garand v.2.0 [Christened Severance Pay]

MG-42 General-Purpose Machine Gun v.1.0 [Christened Lady Vengeance]

Secondary Weapon

Colt M1911A1 Semi-Automatic Pistol v.3.0 [Christened Aurelia]

1x mithril parrying dagger [Christened Swordbreaker]

Armor

Crystal-modified dragon leather body armor set {<<Reinforce>>, <<Sap>>, <<Minor Heal>>, <<Heal>>, <<Pocket Dimension>>, <<Slow>>}; Crystal-modified dragon Leather boots lined with wolf fur { <<Air Blast>>, <<Updraft>>, <<Blink>>}

Mana Crystals

1x Adept-level fire elemental mana crystal

1x Adept-level ice elemental mana crystal

1x Adept-level space elemental mana crystal

1x Expert-level earth elemental mana crystal

1x Expert-level space elemental mana crystal

Stash of various mana crystals

Misc.

1x storage bracelet, 2x goggles

Utility belt, grappling hook, rope, dark green cloak, field satchel, puppy backpack, waterskin, rations, boarskin map and steel knife

1x .45 ACP steel centerfire pistol suppressor

1x .30-06 Springfield steel centerfire rifle suppressor

1x crude telescopic sight

10x en bloc clips of .30-06 Springfield armor-piercing ammo

5x magazines of .45 ACP hollow-point ammo

6x belts of 150 .30-06 Springfield armor-piercing ammo

Spare ammo

3x mithril dagger

1x male mutated Champion wolf mana-beast [Christened Loki]