Rescuing Damsels

Sek Si led him further into the maze of warehouses until they reached a decrepit building at the center. Jody remembered seeing images of it as one of the old foundries that had closed down years ago due to some massive battle. Once they approached, Jody could hear the sound of voices coming from inside. They were muffled, but he could tell several people spoke in low tones.

"Stay here," Sek Si whispered, pressing a hand to his arm. "I'll go check it out and ensure it's safe."

Jody nodded, having unnatural faith in his shadow familiar.

Several minutes ticked by before Sek Si returned. Her face was grave as she spoke in hushed tones. "It's them, but…there are others with them. They look like members of the Black Lotus cult."

Jody's blood ran cold at the mention of this infamous cult of the West Ward. He had heard stories about their ruthless methods and twisted beliefs. He knew he had to act fast if they had his fifth mother and sister.

"Take me in," he said, his voice steady. "Stay in the shadows. I need to assess their strength."

"You have to be careful. One of them almost discovered my shadow sense. There must be a master among them," reported Sek.

"Noted."

Was Jody's stoic reply.

Sek couldn't help but be impressed with her charge's composure in this nightmarish environment. She only now realized she had misunderstood his bravery for recklessness. She could feel his palpitating heart. She could sense his emotions through their shadow bond. His cold face may as well have been transparent. He was afraid. But did he cower? She knew he was scared, terrified, anxious, and uncertain.

Yet none of that was reflected in his actions.

He didn't want to hesitate or wait like she would.

He was ready for action just like he had been back in the wilds.

Sek's eyes gleamed mysteriously as she looked into those blue eyes. With her shadow sense, she could see a lot more of the situation than others. And right now, she saw the dozens of desolate wolves rushing through the lower city and ripping apart any fiends they encountered. So many people had been saved in such a short time. Some may never recover from the trauma of physical injuries, but they were alive. Their nightmare had some reprieve thanks to this young alpha.

Sek already knew that these same trillwolves were calmly casting their dreadful gazes over the city before the youths arrived. They had no intent to move without being ordered. Then, Jody's mere presence changed their conduct entirely. This was no coincidence, and she knew.

'So, he's not just a spoiled bug that's hard to crush...he's a daring and heroic bug that's hard to crush,' Grimm whispered to her soul.

But the response of the avatar's master caught it off guard.

'Do not insult him. Ever.' Sek thought coldly as she grabbed Jody's hand and dragged him into the shadows.

Jody's heart raced as Sek pulled him deeper into the shadows. They crept silently through the darkness, their footsteps barely audible against the damp cobblestones.

As they approached the cultists' hiding place, Jody could feel his blood pounding in his ears and his palms growing slick with sweat. He tried to push down the fear that threatened to overwhelm him, focusing instead on the task at hand. Finally, they reached a small alleyway that opened up into a small courtyard. In the center of the courtyard stood a group of men and women, all dressed in black robes adorned with the symbol of the Black Lotus.

Jody counted at least ten cultists in total, but he could sense more lurking in the shadows, watching and waiting for their next move. They navigated past the first few guards and approached a room in the rear.

He motioned for Sek to stop and surveyed the area from the safety of the shadows. Six cult members were outside the door, each armed with weapons and wearing the Black Lotus emblems. They stood in a circle around this room, inside of which his family members were bound and gagged on the ground.

He turned to Sek, his eyes locking onto hers.

"Stay here," he whispered. "I'll lead them away from you, and then you can make your move."

Sek shook her head, her expression serious.

"I'll be the bait. You should be the one to save them. But we have to be careful," she said softly. "They're dangerous."

As they crept closer to the cult members, Jody's mind raced with plans. He had to get his family out of there but couldn't do it alone. He needed Sek's help. While Sek used the shadows to rescue his family, he felt he could distract them, but the lass had other considerations? Then, Jody remembered he was the only one the current Sek could shadow-step with. He had overlooked this point.

"Fine. I need you to create a distraction," he whispered to her. "Give me enough time to get my family out."

Sek nodded, understanding the gravity of the situation.

She closed her eyes and focused her energy, summoning the shadows to do her bidding. The darkness around them swirled and danced, coalescing into a shadowy figure that darted out of their hiding spot and towards the cult members. The sudden movement caught the cultists off guard, and they turned to face the shadowy figure. It was just enough of a distraction for Jody to slip past them and find his family.

Slipping into the back hallway, Jody followed his nose to a room near the end of the hall. He felt the scent here was similar to Lylian but different. He entered the room carefully and quickly saw his family. They were tied up, gagged, sobbing, and tattered but still alive. Relief flooded through him as he quickly untied them.

Vivian's appearance was ragged, but she was still ravishing. Perhaps even more so, as she didn't appear to have any major injuries on her figure. Next to her was a five-year-old little girl who resembled Jody by around 45%, in his opinion. His fifth mother's eyes widened as she saw Josiah rush into the room they were being held in and undo their bindings.

"Little third?" she whispered, her voice a bit raspy, making Jody frown. "What the hell are you doing here? Go, we have to go! They can't capture you, too!"

"No one's going to capture me, Aunt Viv," replied Jody, his voice low. "I'm getting you out of here even if it kills me."

Vivian was completely blown away by the conviction in little Josiah's tone. Was this still her cute little third?

Meanwhile, the hazel eyed little cutie he just untied stared at this elder brother she hadn't met in a daze. She had only awakened from her rebirth last month and so far had only met her fourth brother, Jumoke, and second sister, Kamila. The latter of the two had actually still been having her destiny dream, so they hadn't technically met.

Gyllian was utterly unimpressed and unattached to her arrogant fourth brother, but she was cordial since the latter was nice to her. Her second sister seemed to have this magnificent presence that made Gyllian want to hug her forever. She often visited Kamilla to talk to her sleeping sister. But she had always been told her exceptional eldest and third brothers were outside the city for some reason.

Then, out of nowhere, hell descended today. As soon as her aunt, mother, and she had reached the underground bunker, they were attacked by what her mother called dark elves. Aunt Lylian stayed behind to fight while her mother took her and ran, but they didn't get far when these cultists captured them.

Gyllian knew her mother wasn't very strong as she wasn't a sage. She herself, had only just awakened recently and barely had 5 BP. What could she do against such villains? Just when she was so scared she felt she might pass out, a beautiful creature with blue eyes that shined like priceless gems appeared before them and undid their bindings. If she wasn't losing her mind, her mother referred to this boy as 'little third.' So wasn't this boy her fabled third brother, a medjay of death and the family's most prodigal son?

Josiah Trillwolf, better known as Medjay Trill by the commoners. Jumoke was nowhere to be seen this entire night, but Josiah rushed to their rescue out of nowhere. How did he even find them? How did he even know to find them?

Jody gritted his teeth and clenched his fists. He knew they wouldn't let them take his family without a fight. He whispered a plan to Sek, and she nodded in agreement.

They made sure the cult members were distracted before making their move. Jody emerged from the shadows and charged at the nearest cult member, taking him by surprise. The man stumbled backward and fell to the ground, dropping his weapon.

The other cult members quickly realized what was happening and turned their attention to Jody. Sek emerged from the shadows behind them, using her shadow sense to dodge their attacks and strike them from behind.

Jody fought with all his strength, fueled by his love for his family and his anger toward the Black Lotus. He dodged their attacks and landed fierce blows, determined to protect his family at any cost. He didn't hold back, awakening all nine astralis and unleashing his rage force with astral light. He immediately operated his Fists of Light arcana.

Second fist, the Fist of Truth!

Slaughter Fist!

Jody didn't stop there, sacrificing two dawn stars and circulating their force through his twilight veins. When his rage-fueled fist of truth landed, it added the weight and force of his nascent calamity law.

Relentless Frenzy, the Big Bang!

Jody's atmosphere erupted as a force phenomenon resembling a sudden explosion of starlight appeared. This first punch contained the overwhelming might of 150 BP!

BAM!

[Imp: [Imp: Enemy Slain! Loot captured!]

[Imp: You have slain the Top Rookie-level Human.]

[Imp: Loot - 1,500 death crystals, 850 slaughter crystals, 2,000 fire crystals, 750 life crystals.]

[Imp: Esoteric knowledge of stealth walking enters your.....]

The dreadful force crashed into a cultist, and his chest burst from his back with seemingly no resistance! The erupting flesh was melting rapidly as if the man had been hit in the chest by a shooting star. A bit shocked, Jody immediately came up with a new name for this slaughter fist infused with calamity laws.

Meteorite Fist!

[Imp: Congratulations Host! You have created a new arcane skill!]

[Imp: Rewarding 333 Twilight Stars!]

Jody didn't have any time to pay attention to the twilight prompts. After taking out two more cultists, he quickly put his thoughts aside and led his family up the stairs toward freedom. They were almost there until they heard a thunderous roar from behind them. A horde of cultists were coming straight for them, seeking revenge. Concerned for his family's safety, Jody swiftly told them to run while he stayed to buy them some time until he could join up with them later.

Little Gyllian felt a warmth in her heart as her elder brother freed them and ushered them out of the darkness of the underground bunker. She wanted to thank him but couldn't find the courage. She was too afraid he would think she was just some weak little girl who had no business being in battle.

His left arm shined as he withdrew the fallen hero's infinity sword and prepared himself for battle.

Seven ravenous cultists rushed forth with weapons gleaming in their hands like fireflies under a starry night sky.

As the foes charged on, Jody's heart swelled with determination. He knew he had to protect his family and the world from the Black Lotus' dark forces. The calamity flames crackled with energy as he engaged in a fierce dance of swords and flame.

Excruciating screams echoed through the area as the cultists started burning and melting one by one. The calamity flames weren't very high level, but that wasn't the problem! These cursed flames seemed to spread endlessly if they managed to cut you once. It downright unfair. Jody lured the four remaining foes into a service tunnel, where they launched rookie-level fireballs, ice shards, and spikes of darkness.

Jody spun in a spiral with his infinity sword, summoning calamity flames from within. A whirlwind of calamity reduced all the attacks to ash. Jody stomped his foot and shot forward like a bullet, piercing the heart of one of his opponents, who screamed in anguish as sparkling white flames engulfed him in moments. Jody used his sword to sling the impaled flaming corpse into the other two, who desperately tried to dodge. One of them did. The other...

ARRRGHGH!!

He melted under the intense calamity fire. Jody felt his understanding of calamity deepening. Suddenly, a deafening roar echoed through the tunnel like a colossal beast had awakened from slumber. The ground shook, and the cultists hesitated, their eyes widening in terror. As the dust settled, a figure emerged from the chaos – a larger, more imposing figure than any man Jody had encountered before.

Tall and muscular, the cult leader stood before Jody, his eyes gleaming with malice. "You dare to challenge me?" he bellowed, his voice resonating throughout the tunnel. "Medjay Trill! You may be powerful, but you are not yet ready to face me! I, Xorvax, Medjay of Darkness, challenge you to a one-on-one battle. Win, and your family will be spared. Lose, and they will be sacrificed to my dark gods!"

Jody's heart was heavy with the load of this new challenge. Mainly because this lug recognized him so easily, to think he would one day be threatened by someone named Xorvax? This lame had to be shown his place. Jody's eyes narrowed as he glared at the cultists, their leader among them. The man was a giant of a figure, with his arms as thick as tree trunks and a scar running down the right side of his face. His eyes were cold and calculating, daring Jody to challenge him.

With a fierce cry, the leader charged at Jody, his weapon raised high above his head. But Jody, with his ninja-like reflexes, dodged the blow with a flick of his wrist and a leap into the air. He landed lightly on his feet, causing the ground to tremble beneath him, and unleashed a flurry of explosive punches that sent the behemoth cultist reeling back.

But the giant was not one to be easily defeated. With a bellowing laugh, he charged at Jody again, his spear slashing through the air in a blur. Jody's eyes widened with surprise at the intensity of the force, but not fear. He stood his ground and raised his infinity sword, a golden beam of dawnlight erupting from the blade as he connected with the cultist's weapon.

There was a deafening clash as the two weapons met, the force of the impact sending shockwaves through the air. The Black Lotus squad leader roared in pain, but more from the humiliation of his weapon being shattered and melted by Jody's sword than anything else. Seizing the moment, Jody darted past the dejected leader and lunged at the remaining cultists.

With a fierce determination etched on his face, Jody lunged forward, the infinity sword flashing like lightning in his hand. The cultists were momentarily taken aback by the power of the sword covered in peerless white flames, but they quickly regained their composure and rushed toward Jody in a frenzy.

The nutbag cultists charged at him, their eyes filled with hatred and fear. Jody, channeling all his forces, unleashed a flurry of sword strokes as he tapped into the infinite blade's power. Each strike sent the cultists flying backward, lacerating their flesh with searing calamity that spread ruthlessly through their force veins. Their weapons clattered to the ground as they crashed into the earth.

The battle was hard fought and lasted what seemed like an hour. Still, Jody eventually emerged victorious after slashing through all nine of them with agility and cunning that impressed even himself!

This was no time to ask questions, however. Jody already began slashing his way out of the underground bunker with a sword that glowed in a fiery white light. His attacks were precise, swift, and powerful. The calamity laws controlled by Scion of the Sun seemed to be bolstered by his nascent dawn force concept. As he and Sek fought against seemingly endless waves of cultists, Gyllian realized that this brother she had heard so much about from her aunt and mother was truly something else.

How was this an eight-year-old? He was a monster in negus' skin!

He fought back against the cultists as if he was one himself! Vicious, brutal, and deadly, Gyllian felt like her worldview was changing just watching her brother. It seemed like no matter how many times they attacked him, he would rise right back up again without any fatigue or hesitation. Bright lines that threatened to blind her shined on his arm and back. The little ninja by his side darted in and out of shadows, holding silver and black daggers that had the same feeling as her brother's power.

He spoke nothing but showed his determination through the emerald flames burning behind his gaze, and an aura of calamity surrounded his weapon.