23

The rest of the dinner proceeded smoothly, the exchange between Aziva and Ruminar the patriarch caused the rest of the people to relax. Even the butler wasn't as stiff and formal as he had been before. Jace smiled at the gathering of people, meeting all these new interesting individuals made the transfer to wherever this was more than worth it. The food was good some kind of large bird egg based recipe. It was nice, he had always been a bit of a foodie. The magic and strange creatures that lived in this world made the food that much more tasty. As he was enjoying the food the patriarch turned his gaze towards him. Jace raised an eyebrow as he stuffed his mouth with egg.

The man put his knife and fork on the plate. "How would you like to become a knight?"

Jace raised an eyebrow and scratched at his beard. "As interesting and fun as that sounds I have responsibilities towards my team. Although to be honest the dungeon diving has started to bore me. It's so repetitive."

Weira raised an eyebrow and shrugged, "You were the same back in the village, a year orso of staying in the same area and you became bored."

Jace blinked in surprise to hear her speak, he still had to get used to that. He shrugged, "I like to see and do new things. I get bored of things fast, the army was different, somehow. I felt I fit in, being a knight would be something like a soldier would it not?"

The patriarch stroked his goatee, "There might be an issue if you were a soldier of another country. Should we ever go to war with said country there would be a conflict of interest. Generally we do not accept people who were not born here."

Jace shrugged, "There is absolutely zero chance of war with my former country."

Ruminar raised an eyebrow, "Do explain."

Jace glanced at Weira who shrugged, "Well technically I'm not from this world."

Sarai and Aziva stared at him, the knights and the butler were slackjawed. Jisarila merely looked slightly surprised and the patriarch didn't even twitch. The man simply nodded knowingly, "That would indeed take care of my concerns, so you will think on my offer?"

Jace nodded, "Gonna have to run it by my team first regardless. The kids can take care of themselves now a days, but i'd still feel like I abandoned them."

The patriarch accepted his answer, and the rest of the dinner was uneventful. The Vin To Shurka family left and Jace waved goodbye as he reëntered the house. Sarai looked at him with her arms folded beneath her ample bosom. She glared at him, he stopped in his tracks, "What'd I do this time?"

"You never told me you're from another world! That's something big, I mean I've never even heard of such a thing!" She stomped to him and grabbed his collar.

He smiled and kissed her, she grumbled and pushed him off. Jace sighed, "What difference does it make, it doesn't change who I am."

"Yea knowing you were the adopted grandson of one of the most dangerous people on the continent would have been nice to know as well. You're such a strange man, so many secrets surround you." She sagged slightly and looked worried.

He wrapped her in his arms. "I never really kept anything a secret, It's just not that important to me. Jace will be Jace, regardless of where he is from."

Sarai hugged him back and mumbled something he didn't understand. He felt arms wrap around his leg. He looked down at Aziva who grinned up at him, "Aziva doesn't care! You're my dad, and dads do cool stuff like come from other worlds and have army destroying grandma's and bake eggs and become knights and stuff!"

Jace shook his head and looked down at her, "I swear to god you talk like a teenager sometimes."

She cocked her head, "What's a teenager."

"You'll be one in a few years! It's when you're not a kid anymore but not an adult yet."

She made an o shape with her mouth and nodded knowingly. He ruffled her hair and turned to Weira. "What do you think by the way, about the knight thing."

"I can see you as a knight, you got the chivalry thing down. I can take care of the kids till you're done."

Jace chuckled, "That whole I can take care of the kids thing makes you sound like my wife."

Weira rolled her eyes. "I am your wife in everything other than romantic stuff."

Sarai laughed, "She has a point, she takes care of your money, she looks after the kids. The banter between the both of you is very couple-like."

Jace raised an eyebrow, "Aren't you supposed to be jealous of such comments?"

Sarai looked at him exasperated, "Please, why should I feel jealous towards a woman who's only interested in other women."

Jace blinked and turned to Weira, "Wait you're lesbian?"

Weira cocked her head, "Assuming lesbian means into women and not men then yes."

Jace blanched, "Why is this not a thing I know!"

Weira stared at him as if he was an idiot, "What do you think me and Qyra did in that room together all the time?!"

Jace's jaw dropped, "I thought you slept! As normal people! Since when have you two even been an item!"

Weira facepalmed, "Sometimes you truly are oblivious."

Jace grumbled and then grinned at Sarai. "I can't help it that all my romantic thinking has been used up on Sarai."

Both women groaned and threw their hands up in the air. They left the room together grumbling about men and idiocy.

Jace stared down at Aziva who put a hand on her hip and tutted at him. She wagged her finger and walked of self-importantly. Jace watched them leave and muttered to himself, "I really need more men in this household, I'm outnumbered.

The rest of the day passed in peace, the next day they headed to the inn to meet up with the team and contrary to his expectations they congratulated him on the offer of becoming a knight. They looked truly happy for him, he put a hand on his neck and chuckled awkwardly. He ate a late dinner with the rest of the team discussing what they would do in the future. It was well past dark when he heard a commotion from further up the street. Jace frowned and headed outside to see people gathering further up the street. That was where his house was!

The blood drained from his face as he sprinted down the street, easily overtaking others. There was a crowd, he pushed his way through and froze when he saw them gathered around his house. His breath heaved as stepped towards the house. The door, open and dangling of a single hinge, shattered. He pushed his way past the remains, his heart stopped when he saw the blood in the hallway leading up the stairs. He sprinted, taking several steps at a time. Furniture, destroyed. Walls, stained with blood.. He crashed into the bedroom and stared down. A form,unmoving, hair in a still bouquet framing her bloody face. She was still, so still. He fell to his knees and gently picked her up, he choked on his breath as he stared down at her. Sarai lay there, her beautiful brown eyes covered in blood, her chest wasn't moving. It wasn't moving! She was cooling down he could feel it!

"No.. nononono. NO! NOOO!" He screamed and held her to his chest, he feverishly glared around the room and spotted a corpse. A man in dirty leather lay there, knife in his chest. She'd fought back. She'd been tough. He stifled a cry of pain. His team burst into the room and froze upon entry, they stumbled over and looked at him in shock. Limbs slack, eyes wide. Jace froze, he felt the rush of emotions. He looked at Floris, his voice lost all its emotion."Take care of her."

Aziva was missing. He had to act. He grabbed the throat of the dead man and dragged him through the doorway. Weira followed behind him, silent. He focused his wrath, his despair, he forged them into a singular purpose. Finding his daughter. He smashed through what was left of the front door and stared at the crowd around his house with an icy gaze. He threw the corpse forward. "Who is this?"

His voice was eerily calm, the crowd avoided eye contact. A woman stepped forward hesitantly, vague recognition, laundry, he couldn't recall the details.

"That l-looks like one of the R-Red Ears, check his s-shoulder." The woman stuttered as she forced herself to answer, Jace ripped the leather off off the corpse and checked the shoulder, a tattoo of a bloody ear.

"Where is their base?"

He waited for the woman to answer but she just shrugged nervously, another man stepped forward. The baker they bought bread from. "They have a smaller place not far from here, it's a marked house two streets to the west. They are a dangerous gang though, they have connections to slavers and the Rthul Cult."

Jace stared the man down, "I care not, point me in their direction."

The man swallowed and pointed, he saw Floris carefully carry Sarai out of the house. His gaze flickered to Jace before he sprinted off towards the nearest hospital. Jerard and Qyra hot on his heel, the girl glowing with magic as she sent spell after spell into Sarai. Plip stumbled out of the house face pale, his bow was gripped tightly his teeth clenched, eyes hard.

"Slaughter?" He hissed.

Jace nodded, turned and left in the direction the man pointed. Plip and Weira close behind. He rushed through the alley, after a brief sprint he found the building the baker mentioned. A bloody ear painted on the side. He raised his shield and smashed through the door, turning the piece of wood into splinters. Thugs in leather twisted around in surprise as they stared at the intruder. Jace cared not, he stepped forward and shoved his sword right through the throat of the nearest. Blood splashed across his face and armour,it was ignored. He moved to the next. The thug desperately raised an arm to protect himself. Jace cut the offending limb off and smashed his forehead into the thug's nose. Knocking him to the floor, he put his boot on the man's head and crushed it.

He stepped over the corpse and tore into the remaining thugs. Arrows whistled past his ears. He disregarded everything other than his next target, he cut his way through half a dozen bodies before he reached the man that had been shouting panicked orders. The man raised his sword in a desperate slash, Jace grabbed the man by the wrist, put his foot against the thug and ripped his arm off. He curled his fingers around the man's neck.

The man stared up at him and Jace saw his pants darken as he wet himself. "Where is my daughter."

The man struggled to speak, Jace reluctantly loosened the grip on his throat. The man desperately called out. "I don't know what you are talking about!"

Jace narrowed his brows, causing the man to attempt to shrink back, without success. "Then tell me where your main base is."

The thug desperately nodded and gave him directions. Jace listened and then grabbed the man by the face, the man clawed at his arm. Jace raised the man of the ground and then swung his arm forwards, smashing his skull into the wall.

He turned and stalked towards his next destination. An inn, the thug had told him about a hatch that led into the cellar and a extensive underground network. Jace stepped into the inn, heads turned towards him and people froze. They gazed at his blood covered appearance and swallowed.

Jace ignored them and headed towards the hatch, he tore it out of the ground and stepped into the dark tunnel. He activated his net and started jogging through the tunnels. He came across a patrol of leather armoured thugs and tore through them. The blood dripped from his blade and armour. He ignored it and went deeper. He heard angry shouts further down the tunnels, he headed down towards them. He saw some magic glyphs activate as he rushed past them, Weira worked quickly to deactivate them and he pressed ever on.

He stepped into a cavern, a dining hall of sorts. Thugs stood up as they stared in alarm at his trespassing. There must be over fifty of the scum in here. Jace pointed his blade towards them, "Give me back my daughter."

----- Rimm the Thug Pov-----

Rimm was eating his dinner, peacefully as usual, when all of the sudden a man armored in half-plate, covered with blood, smashed down the door. Quite literally SMASHED through it, the splinters exploded into the dining room, one even landed in his ale! His heart lept into his throat as the man swept his gaze over the crowd. His eyes caused Rimm to shiver, there was a deep, frigid, intense wrath in the man's eyes. His face was splattered with blood, some of it fresh. He was entirely covered in the crimson splatters. The demon opened its mouth, "Give me back my daughter." Rimm shivered in dread, the slaver team must have kidnapped this man's daughter. This was bad!

He clumsily tried to draw his blade, he stared down for a second and when he looked back up blood exploded into the air, there were already three corpses surrounding the demon. He shook and raised his blade, he was at the far end of the hall. He was frozen in horror, the armour clad monster was tearing through his gang-mates with ease. Limbs dissapeared with simple swings, cries of terror, fear and rage created a cacophony of soundl. Rimm tried to move but his body refused, another demon stepped out of the tunnel. Glyphs surrounded this one, blond hair swirling around her, blood dripping from her halberd. The angry red glow of the glyphs, made her skin seem red. Her eyes smoldered. She swung her halberd and two thugs fell apart in four pieces. Another one stepped out of the tunnel, smaller than the other two. Covered in blood splattered leather and chain. A hood made its face invisible to the naked eye. Its arms blurred as it sent fletched message of death from one thug to the next.

That's when the blood started floating up from where it was gathering on the floor, it floated towards the armoured demon. It gathered around him like a pet wanting attention. The monster turned its eyes to him, a ravenous gaze. He shivered but his body refused to move as it stepped towards him.