A Long Night

"Gah!" Nate came to and lifted his head up to look at his captives. He tried to move his hands but they were bound by a mixture of metal and rope. He was inwardly impressed with how they managed to bend metal like it was a piece of rope. Surging his mana through his body, he was met with pain. It felt like his insides were trying to claw their way out of his pores. "GAAAHH!" He screamed louder at the newfound stimulus.

Leo spoke first. "Don't bother to escape or use your mana. I've tampered with it and we've taken measures to increase your pain perception every time you do so."

"Was it that fucker's idea?"

"If by 'fucker' you mean Sebastian, then yes. He's standing behind you."

Sebastian stepped out of the shadows and stood beside the chair-bound figure. He had a stern face and glowing eyes that appeared to pierce the world in front of him. He moved his hands in the air - it seemed that he was grasping something in the shadows.

Nate felt a tingling sensation from his extremities before the stimuli suddenly shot up his spine. "GAAAAAHHH!!" His muscles bulged as he convulsed in his chair, trying to break free. He bore down with his teeth and held his breath, trying to endure the pain. The sharp sensation lasted for a few minutes before he collapsed helplessly.

"You've done it now Sebastian. We told you not to overdo it. We actually need to question him first. You can't overwhelm him until he passes out." With a sigh, Jin checked if the captive was breathing. With a reassuring nod, he then looked towards the other members gathered in the small shack's basement. "We need to keep him awake next time. Let's try to wake him up."

Aima and Zes took a bucket of cold water they prepared beforehand for this specific scenario. With a heave, they managed to pour it over Nate.

Gasping, Nate woke up again from the cold water. He belatedly realised that he was only wearing his underwear. His winter overcoat and pyjamas were missing. The coldness shook his core and sharply brought back his senses.

"Where are the magick weapons?" Leo stood in front of him with an icy stare. It felt colder than the cold water permeating through his bones.

"I don't know. You can ask Yokkun."

"That will be a problem now. Do you not know where it is? You are his employer after all."

"I told you that I don't know. Are you even listening? You piece of shit." Nate was now brandishing a smirk.

Sebastian stepped out of the shadows once more. He had the same look and the same piercing eyes as before. "He was just asking you out of formality. The guards found a different body, it wasn't Yokkun's. He's cooperating with us." Sebastian looked at Leo and the others before nodding briefly. He didn't want anyone to react and giveaway his bluff.

Nate tensed his muscles and attempted once more to break the bindings. "You fuckers!"

BAM! Sebastian responded by kicking his chest.

"Now. What we really want to know is what is your plan with the guns and the mass-produced mana stones? We've liberated the captives in your basement. We know that you are making mana stones." Once again, it was a bluff he blew out of proportion after hearing a bit from the female beastkin they met while infiltrating.

"Ahahahaha!"

The rogue Forgotten One's laughter echoed throughout the basement. Everyone else in the room waited in silence.

"You fuckers don't understand anything at all then? Did he tell you anything? I was a weapons dealer from before. Do you know what we do?" Nate stared at Sebastian with anger in his eyes. Sebastian resisted the temptation to knock him out again.

Bam! Bam! Bam! Sebastian instead replied with punches to his face and body. Jin and Leo stepped forward to stop him from doing any further damage.

With heaving breaths, Sebastian finally answered his question. "You make a need for weapons. You fund wars and cause suffering. Is that what you were trying to do here?"

"Ptew." Nate cleared his mouth from the blood before answering. "Give the man a fucking prize. Now can you guess what the mana stones were for?"

Sebastian stood in silence before he stepped forward. He raised his hand to strike Nate before the latter smiled. "No need for that. I'll tell you. Have you wondered what would happen when somebody eats a mana stone?"

This time Leo answered. "They die. People tried before and they couldn't handle the unstable mana. They thought it would make them stronger but they died horribly instead."

"Ahaha. That applies to stupid people. Have you seen animals eat the mana stones?"

At this unexpected reply, Leo stood in silence once more.

"Figures. No one realises the true value of these mana stones. I'll tell you fuckers. The animals are forcefully mutated into mana beasts. Now if we add this onto the weapons mix, what do we get Sebastian?"

Everyone in the room looked at Sebastian in anticipation. After a few minutes of thinking, he finally responded.

"You create mana beast invasions to overwhelm villages and cities. They can't cope and end up relying on your guns. That's why you became a noble?"

"That's true. I would then use my authority to supply these and sell them. I would monopolize the weapons market with these guns. You have no idea how rich I would be. Speaking of which? What's the penalty for laying your hand on a noble? I think this won't go unpunished? Huh? Fuckers?" Nate's smirk returned and raised his chin as he now threatened his captors. He was relying on the fact that he was a noble. Commoners had infiltrated his mansion, kidnapped him, and even tortured him. Anyone with a reasonable understanding of politics would know what kind of punishment would await the assailants.

However, Sebastian still kept his smile and responded. "Don't you think that we thought about that as well? Let me ask you. Do you think we would allow you to return and report us? There isn't any form of forensics in this world. Nobody will be able to trace you. Your mangled carcass could be found weeks later at a mutated beast's den right?"

"You motherfuckers!" Nate hissed out curses when he realised his noble identity didn't matter much in this scenario. He tensed his muscles before he realised it was a futile effort. He relaxed and suddenly smiled. "That's why I always emphasised to Yokkun that there should be some sort of insurance for fucked up cases like this." He opened his mouth and tried to clamp down on his teeth hard but Sebastian was quicker. He rushed in and placed his fingers in Nate's mouth, keeping them open.

"You were planning on breaking your molars? I felt it when I punched your jaw. It seems to be reinforced, I thought it was merely metal wiring or something like that. You actually hid something inside it. Is it something like cyanide? How old-fashioned." Sebastian still kept his fingers inside. He positioned his left hand to try and remove the aforementioned molars forcefully.

"Ooor ol hashoon." (You're old-fashioned) Nate kept staring into Sebastian's eyes while focusing on something. His forehead veins popped out and beads of sweat formed.

Sebastian's mana-rich eyes could see the turbulent mana being stirred within Nate's bruised and naked body. He knew that Leo's mana poison was still within, making any mana movement awkward and painful. He kept trying to think why their captive was still struggling to use mana even though it caused physical harm to him.

When he finally understood what Nate was trying to do, he snapped to Leo. "Leo! Stop his mana!" He turned to Zes, whom he knew would never oppose him. "Zes! Knock him out!" Sebastian's hands were still struggling to pluck out Nate's molar which he understood was the target for his mana. Something was in his false tooth that would activate once mana would pass through it. It was indeed an adaptation from the poison or explosives in the tooth trick.

"[Oakskin]!" Aima responded first by casting a protective spell on Sebastian. Even though she didn't know what would happen, she felt that he needed immediate protection since he was the closest to Nate.

Leo and Zes quickly acted and stopped Nate. However, his mana movement was almost instantaneous and already achieved its goal before he lost consciousness.

Pluck! In the confusion, Sebastian managed to remove the tooth. The party waited tensely for a few moments. When there were no violent changes within their vicinity, they let out deep breaths of relief.

Sebastian held up the bloody tooth under the light and studied it. "There's no explosion. However, it seems to be a mana stone. Do you know what this is Leo? Aima?" Sebastian turned to the mages in the party for their opinion in the stone's purpose.

Leo looked at the bloody stone in Sebastian's hand. "I can feel a certain amount of magic seeping through it. If I'm not mistaken, this is similar to a mana trap. What do you think Aima?"

"I agree. There seems to be a spell attached to it. However, I am unable to ascertain what it was. It's not meant to be used on this stone. The spell might have taken effect on the other end. It's a very peculiar way to use magick traps."

Confusion settled in the adventurers in the basement. They kept trying to work out what the mysterious mana stone was. They also debated fiercely whether it was the right time to execute the noble in front of them.

***

"Here, have some warm tea." An adventurer passed a steaming cup to his companion beside him.

He picked it up before sniffing it. "Is this another ruse to smuggle alcohol? You know we're on guard duty. We can't drink alcohol to warm ourselves up. We don't need more trouble."

The first adventurer who was sporting bandages on his chest under his armour shook his head violently. "Gomauss. I know that I almost caused our expulsion last time here. However, this is really herbal tea. It might be due to my chest injury, but it feels really cold today so I prepared this herbal tea beforehand. The flask I recently bought works well in keeping heat."

Gomauss looked at the cup before sipping it. Once he was satisfied that it was indeed herbal tea and not the intoxicating kind, he looked at the chest injury on his fellow adventurer. "Speaking of which, how is your chest injury, Fred? I know that you've been receiving daily [Heal]s from the monastery after Sebastian tended it. That wolfbear really did a number on it. Is it still sore?"

"No, not as before. The daily [Heal] is mainly used to alleviate the pain. It's definitely sensitive to the cold weather. I'm really grateful though that Sebastian was there. Even though I'm maimed, I can still work as a guard of sorts for this new noble. How about you Gom? You're stuck here working with me. I told you, you can still continue with escort quests without me, I won't mind."

Gom shook his head. "The rest of the party have agreed that we're taking a rest for the entire winter season. It's almost finished anyway. This job actually pays well. We're only tasked to stand here to protect this gate."

Gom pointed towards the gate behind the two adventurers. It was a thick wooden door which bore an intricate design. There were various precious stones and mana stones interwoven in the design, giving off a luxurious vibe. If this was the gate, how exquisite would the contents be? Although he found it strange that only two adventurers were required for this part, the quest posting specified multiple other locations in the city. Thinking that it was a form of saving expenses, he agreed to guard the door with only one other adventurer. They were within the city anyway so there would be some protection from the city guards if they couldn't handle anything. Considering that this was also a noble's warehouse, that fact alone would deter petty thieves.

"I know right? Considering that it's owned by a new noble, it might be too luxurious to be placed within the commercial district. Anyway, it's his private warehouse. The space inside would definitely be bigger and it might even contain expensive things. We're just here to make sure nobody breaks in."

No sooner had Fred completed his declaration when the stones on the door started glowing brightly. Both experienced adventurers jumped up and brandished their weapons.

"Gom! Take arms! Someone's activated something!"

Even though they didn't understand what the reason for the activity was, they prepared their skills and weapons. The door glowed brighter and brighter before the whiteness enveloped the world.

BOOOOOMMMM!!!

The ensuing explosion rocked the commercial district. It wouldn't be a surprise if the entire Klance City felt the vibrations of the explosion. Instead of the warehouse door, it was now replaced with a smouldering ruin. The surrounding buildings were also obliterated in the blast. The two adventurers that acted as guards disappeared without a trace. From the warehouse opening, a growling sound could be heard.

Gggrrrrr. The wolfbear sniffed its surroundings first before it slowly walked out. Behind it was an army of mutated beasts of various forms. Instead of the usual ugly veins bulging from their skin, it was covered with a black sheen. Their sizes were also twice the usual mutated beasts. With steps that shook the ground, the mutated beast army exposed themselves to the cold night. It would be the longest night in Klance City's history. It would also go down in history as the night that Klance City fell.