Broken Fingers

The night sky sparkled with stunning stars in various colors green, red, blue, and yellow as the beautiful silver moon cast its radiant light upon Momonga, accentuating the elegance of his robe. He looked around, admiring the sky, trees, and unspoiled nature surrounding him.

'This world is enchanting, the scents, the scenery, it's all overwhelming. It makes me wonder how my world could have been and honestly makes me feel like I don't want to return. The only drawback is that my guildmates aren't here with me to revel in this world. But it makes me wonder, how would we have explored this world if we were all together?'

Momonga glanced to his right, where a vast pond stretched before him. The moon's reflection shimmered on the surface, and fish could be seen swimming just below the water. Suddenly, a surge of light flickered in Momonga's mind, as if memories were replaying—all his guildmates together, laughing, playing, and thoroughly enjoying themselves.

'How I miss those days... maybe, just maybe.'

Momonga reached out towards the glittering lake.

'Those days may return.'

He lowered his hand as the memories ceased. Gazing towards the citadel of Alessa perched on a nearby hill, he thought,

'Time to go; I don't want to keep Claire waiting forever. When I reach the city and meet up with her, I should check out the local market to see if anything catches my eye.'

Momonga strolled towards the citadel of Alessa, trees passing him as he slowly made his way through the forest. Though he couldn't fly due to the risk of being spotted by a player, he still arrived in mere minutes. The guards, who had stopped him earlier, let him through almost immediately, recognizing his adventurer's ID.

'Now, where is Claire?'

Momonga approached the fountain at the center of Alessa, scanning the area but finding no sign of Claire, which mildly irritated him.

'Ugh, she's not here, but that's mostly my fault. I did keep her waiting for a few extra hours. She must have retired to a local inn for the night.'

Momonga searched for a local and soon spotted one.

"Fairy Moon's Inn? That sounds like a place she would go." Momonga muttered as he walked towards the door. However, he was caught off guard by a peculiar detail, a distinctive blue beret lay crumpled on the ground near an alleyway.

"Claire?" Momonga called out loud, wasting no time. He strode towards the beret and picked it up.

'Why would she drop this? No, she wouldn't; something else must have happened.'

Momonga peered down the alleyway, where he saw three slavers. They looked rough and heavily armed, but they seemed to be cleaning up blood and body parts.

'It appears I've found my answer.'

Momonga sauntered down the alley, his robes billowing in the gentle breeze, the air suddenly turning cold as if death itself had drawn near.

The slavers turned to face Momonga, fear in their eyes as they saw his shadowy silhouette. They all drew their swords, but the trembling in their hands told one thing, they knew they were going to die here, and they could feel it.

"Don't come any closer!" one of the slavers shouted, his hand shaking as Momonga advanced. He eventually swung at Momonga with all his might, but his sword suddenly stopped mid-air. Looking up, he saw that Momonga had caught the sword, which shattered into pieces due to Momonga's overwhelming strength.

"WHAT?!" the slaver screamed as the fragments of steel clattered to the ground.

Momonga gazed at the three slavers, his red eyes piercing their very souls as they succumbed to terror.

"What happened to Claire?" Momonga demanded, his voice resonating with authority throughout the alleyway.

"W-who?!" one of the slavers stuttered, staring into the face of death.

"The elf, what happened to her!" Momonga's patience was wearing thin.

Two of the slavers tried to flee, as if attempting to keep a secret.

'So you think you can escape from this? Well, I have a surprise for you.'

"[Chain Dragon Lightning]." With a few words, Momonga summoned a dragon made of lightning that swiftly struck the two fleeing slavers. They screamed and writhed in agony as their bodies were seared from within.

Momonga then turned his attention to the last remaining slaver, whose legs quivered as he collapsed to the ground before Momonga.

"Please! Please, don't kill me! I have a family!" the slaver pleaded, nearly begging Momonga to spare his miserable life.

Momonga didn't even bother to kneel to make his point.

"I'll ask one more time, what did they do with her, and where is she?" Momonga inquired.

The slaver seemed even more frightened, as if he was afraid to reveal the truth due to his superiors.

"I don't know!" the slaver lied.

"You don't, do you... Alright then, I'll help you remember." Momonga grasped the man's hand and broke one finger at a time, slowly enough for the man to feel each bone snap. He then healed him by forcibly making him drink a health potion and then continued to break all his fingers all at once; the slaver screamed for help, but no one came.

"One... last... time! where did they take her?" Momonga asked.

"They took her underground! Go to the town center; there's a building with a red flag outside. Open the door, and you'll find a flight of stairs leading down!" the slaver divulged. Momonga released him and began to walk away. Relief washed over the slaver's face, but then his entire body burst into flames. His skin boiled, and his screams were muffled by magic as he slowly turned to ash. The red and orange flames cast an eerie glow on the surrounding walls and painted Momonga's silhouette in shades of orange and red as he strode towards the building.