The Siege (4)

"Ma!" Luna rejoiced as she hugged her mother. Seeing her mother and father still alive almost made her forget where they were.

"Are you hurt anywhere? Let me see" Diana felt overwhelmed in Luna's embrace. She could hardly remember a time before she gave birth to Luna.

"I'm not hurt, Ma. But...I want to go back home." Luna was smart enough to know what that meant, but for her, anything was better than her family ending up like her father's swordbrothers.

"We can't, my love.."

"I'm sorry, but what happened in there?" Elandriel asked. He looked on their reunion with soft eyes that went cold a moment later.

"Yes, how did you get free?"

"The man in black fur beat up the guy who hurt us, Ma. And he didn't even fight. I couldn't tell how he did it."

Luna's voice had a hint of enthusiasm as she spoke, but Diana was too busy going over the details to mind it.

"It's him again. Was he really a Chosen?"

"Chosen or not, the moment he rescued us, we had no choice but to rely on him. I think we should do so again. Even if he's not Chosen, he didn't mistreat us." said Diana.

"It's more likely he saved us so we could be bait for those creatures." said Ely.

Diana considered his reasoning. From what she knew of powerful men, it made more sense that he sacrificed the prisoners.

"But my daughter is safe. He didn't have to free her."

"I think he's a good guy, Ma." said Luna, looking up at her mother for the first time.

Diana didn't know what to think about her daughter's reaction, but she knew she needed the man in black fur if she wanted Luna to be safe from this point on.

"Get behind me, sweetie."

"Yes, Ma."

"You're going?"

"Can we survive til Kupis without him?"

"...."

"No matter what, I have to keep Luna safe. I didn't need your help after all, but thank you for coming with me. I won't ask you to accompany me any further." Diana said with a smile. She performed a small bow and walked towards the main chamber while Ely stood there watching the small family.

"What's my best move?" he said to himself.

***

In the main chamber, Jack was still standing over Mike who once reigned supreme here.

The pain Mike felt had been attacking him for a while now and the rising intensity almost made him lose control over his motor skills.

Jack was confused and deliberating with Ana.

"Sandfish venom is this effective?" he asked.

"No. Your Devi seems to be attacking his Devi..."

"Does that mean you didn't do anything?"

"I didn't. It's like your Devi is a virus. It's suppressing and blocking his Zodian from his Devi. The good news is he's thoroughly suppressed. The bad news is he won't be lucid enough to answer any of your questions.." said Ana as she observed the chaotic Devi in Mike's body.

"How long will he stay like this?"

"I don't know. But even if he manages to force out your Devi, he'll be too exhausted to fight."

"Good." Jack kneeled in front of him.

"What would you be charged for? First degree? Trafficking? I'm sure your rap sheet alone would be long enough to fill this room, let alone the victims and everyone else affect by your.." Jack unbuckled his pocket knife and stabbed Mike's hand into the floor in one swift motion.

Mike forced out an audible whimper.

"Does that feel good asshole?" he said as the knife twisted. "This doesn't even amount to a little of the pain you've caused. What, were you going to sell them off? Sell each one to the highest bidder for a bullshit title? Make you feel like a big man?" Jack removed the knife, leaving behind a butchered hand. "The consequence of your actions is irreversible. This world doesn't judge those with power. That changes today."

Ana felt uncomfortable. She came across many candidates that had a penchant for cruelty, but she knew this was different. She couldn't get a sense that he enjoyed anything that just occurred. What made her feel uneasy was that he didn't feel any fear either. From walking into enemy territory, to baiting the weasels and freeing the prisoners and even approaching a Noble, his adrenaline didn't spike, his muscles never tensed. His heart didn't even skip a beat; it was as if he were taking an afternoon stroll. From what she knew, he really did want to go back to his planet but he didn't act like it. He acted like his life didn't matter. That coming here and doing all of this and even this accomplishment were just a matter of course. For the first time in her life, Ana started to doubt Karma. Did it summon a candidate or another monster?

As Ana mulled over Jack's circumstances in a daze, he slit Mike's throat from ear to ear and let him bleed out. In that moment, Jack lost his sense of time. He looked onto the body's spasms with an almost perfect stillness. He wasn't aware of how much time had passed, but it wasn't until the body's pain induced spasms ebbed, until his body mimicked the same stillness Jack abided that with a seasoned hand, Jack wiped all traces of Mike off of his blade.

Unbeknown to both Ana and himself, Jack's eyes flashed a shade of blue for a moment.

***

As she stepped into the main chamber the first thing Diana saw was the black cloak of her purported savior, his back facing her. A metallic, but familiar smell turned her attention towards Mike's corpse. He laid there motionless behind the cloaked man. A stark contrast to the black red ichor that slowly dampened the cracked, cave floor. And when Diana looked back at her savior, she came to a realization. This man was no hero. He was a void and she had, in her desperation filled him with "savior."

But what was the reality? Looking closer, it seemed as if even the light of the cave steered clear of that black mantle as it filled her view like the night sky. As if in this moment was her final chance to really escape. Since they entered the Wastelands she met predators, one stronger than the next. Consuming them, consuming one another, and in her stupor of finding Luna she had forgotten. That he was, in all likelihood, the largest predator around.

But Diana didn't move. Her daughter's safety was paramount. Even if she had to step over the body of a lord in order to get it.

When Jack turned around, Diana instinctively took a few steps back.

"Why are you here?" he asked.

"I wanted to thank you for saving my daughter.." she said, trembling. The steely woman that not even a chief could ignore was nowhere to be seen.

"No need."

"And ask for a favor." she quickly added. Upon grasping Luna's hand, she found her resolve again and took a step forward. "I..we need your help to get to Kupis safely. I don't know if you know the way, but even if you don't we'd like to accompany you until the next town. Please."

"And why would I do that?" Jack crossed his arms.

"I.."

"And what about your friend?" he added.

"We're not friends and I speak for myself. If it pleases you, you may call me Ely." he said as he walked into the chamber. "I propose a deal." Ely swallowed. "If you agree to take them with you, I'll be responsible for their protection. We can be couriers. You'll be able to take more spoils with you, in exchange we ask for protection until the next town."

Diana and Elandriel waited for his response with bated breath.

"Give me your opinion." whispered Jack.

"They think you're a Noble, just like Mike did. It's because of your cloak. It's an artefact that can conceal Devi, when it's working. I would urge power in numbers, but if they find out you're not stronger than they are, their attitudes might change at any time. That's the way the world is right now." Ana sighed.

"Agreed." said Jack.

"T-thank you. Once again, my name is Ely." he stuttered as the tension bled out of him.

"I'm Diana and this is my daughter Luna, and my husband Haen. We appreciate your charity." she smiled weakly.

"I'm Jack. And this isn't charity. We have a deal and I hope you don't forget it." he retorted.

"Yes." said Diana, resolutely. She watched as Jack went about his business before leaning Haen against a wall and embracing Luna for what felt like forever.

Jack walked over and took Mike's scepter. He felt a feeling wash over him similar to the time he infused Devi into the sandfish. This time it felt distant, as if he existed in a far away place. He felt those feelings drifting further away.

"This alone is a great find. With this, you'll be able to conceal the fact that you can make pacts with creatures. Based on the Devi emission, there are 6 weasels and they're all running away from the cave. Once they get too far away, the signal will cut off and you'll lose control over them until the scepter picks up their Devi again." said Ana.

Jack nodded since he didn't want to be seen talking to himself.

"We have two goals." he said to the group. "Free any other prisoners and collect anything valuable. Keep yourself alive first. I don't need to tell you that not everyone will feel grateful to the people rescuing them." This was an opportunity for him to test whether or not these people were capable, distract any of Mike's reinforcements, and gain resources.

Jack walked over to the scout and sat him up against the wall. The scout gave a breath of relief and broke into a smile.

"I didn't think I'd get to die in comfort." he said. Jack rummaged through his sack, taking out a healing potion, but the scout lifted his hand in refusal. "We both know you're gonna need all you can to get out this. You've done enough." he said.

"Then for the pain. I'll trade for some answers." said Jack. The scout opened one eye for the first time, staring at Jack for a few seconds. "Yes." he said.

Jack pulled out a glass vial filled with a clear solution this time with Ana's instruction and helped the scout down a mouthful.

"I've no idea what kind of answers you're looking for, but you have my gratitude. Didn't think I'd get to see with my own eyes that bastard's death." The scout let out a raspy chuckled and coughed a few times. "The way you handled that, I would've pegged you for a brother of the moon."

"You flatter me." said Jack.

"You use strange words."

"..."

"Don't worry, a dead man won't pry into one's secrets. Ask your questions."

"Do you know anything about what happened here?"

"That noble was a Dorn and this here is an underground slave depot. What more do want to know?" said the scout, coughing. Realizing there must be some common knowledge at play, Jack decided to move his line of questioning.

"An escape route."

"The second left after you pass the prisons that woman came from, you'll come upon a storage area. On the back left corner are Devi symbols that open the wall to an outer passage. You can use that to escape. If we're talking about the reinforcements you'll run into in a few days, I have nothing. This is the only complex for days so you have your pick between wandering the Wastelands blindly or going to the Tumult. From the way I see it, you're gonna need luck either way."

"Why do you know so much about this place?"

"Can't tell you that, sorry."

"Fair enough."

"What you did here was impressive, but you're just one guy." the scout looked over at Diana and Luna. "My contract was to deliver them to Kupis, I hope you can do that for me. In return, the Umbra sect will owe you a favor and I can also give you some advice."

"Didn't you say my chances of dying were already great?"

"But the rewards will be greater. Listen, I have a seal for you." the scout adjusted his position a little. "There were rumors that the taxes in Kupis spiked recently. It's nothing unusual around this time, but the tax this time was too high for many of the unsponsored merchants."

"He's right" said Ely. "I came to the Wastelands following a rumor because there's no work in Kupis."

"The rumor of treasure?" Jack asked. He came to a realization.

"You're right to be suspicious. It was shortly before the taxes spiked that rumors of treasure in the Wastelands began surfacing. I didn't think much of it before, but it's likely someone knew about the hike and thought to take advantage of the tax hike. It could be the mayor." said Ely.

"That's a dangerous speculation." said the scout. "Your reasoning makes sense though. The Umbra and Cloister sects are immune from taxes, but our regular clients can't afford contracts anymore, which is why I was sent to the Forlorn territories as a guide. I won't ask you to take my body back home, but please alert the sect of what's going on." The scout's eyes were firm.

"One more thing, this guy mentioned the name 'Dorn.' Does that mean anything to you?"

"Did he really say Dorn?" the scout asked.

"Yes. Who is Dorn?"

"Dorn is the family name of the current mayor of Kupis. Everyone who lives in the Eastern districts recognize the name. They're a famous military family with deep roots. But they're supposed to be rich, why are they kidnapping people like us?"

"It's suspicious. He might've just been bluffing, but either way.."

"It's safer if we assume this guy is in league with the mayor if we want to avoid getting blindsided, is that right." said Jack.

"Once again, I admire your insight. Yes, you're right. Assume the mayor is in on it and keep your head low or you'll end up like me"

"Grab his hand if you want the seal." said Ana.

Jack was grateful for Ana being able to read his emotions. Her timely input kept him from seeming ignorant of the basics. He took the scout's hand and immediately, a symbol of a black star emerged on the back of his hand. It hovered over Jack's hand for a few seconds before disappearing under his skin.

"Thank you, friend. The name's Klein, not that it matters now." said the scout as his heart stopped.

Jack stared at Klein's worn face. He had seen death many times before and even took part in quite a few. He had seen Justinia die and had been there when Ana cried. But watching and talking to this man dying in front of him, it felt like his first death in Avalon. He had come to a new world and gained these magic powers. He traveled a desert with physical prowess he wouldn't have been capable of on Earth and there was a voice in his head that constantly reminded him that this wasn't his home.

'Is this really a different world?' he thought. Galaxies away or even in another dimension, people are still murdering and enslaving one another. This was always his reality, but for some reason in that moment he felt even more depressed.

"We leave now." said Jack as he stood up.

"Wait" Ana spoke as Jack headed to the door. "Carve this sigil into the cavern wall. It'll keep any reinforcements tied up for a while." She used his Devi to draw a small, fuzzy image in front of him.

The group sped towards the cavern entrance, Jack with his dagger and pouch, Diana carrying Haen and closely followed by Luna and Ely burdened by a sack of mid-tier armor artefacts that Mike previously wore. Jack followed the scout's directions and came upon the storage vault.

***

Nairobi Republic, Kupis

Like many settlements across the desert, Kupis is just as active during the night as it was during the day. Devi wasn't only used as a means of survival, but allowed the common man to survive on but a few hours of sleep during each 24 hour cycle. Because of this, taverns and inns were almost always luxury comforts for those lucky enough to find success as a practitioner or merchant. The Channel, so named after one of the three wonders of Nairobi was the flagship inn of Kupis. Its guests were at least Noble class practitioners or merchants granted a family name. The mayor himself lived in the top most floor; a strategy used to attract all guests he would receive, as well as giving the Channel sanctioned financing in the name of public service. Often referred to as "The capital of Kupis" by the local denizens.

"Anything yet?" asked a man, absent-mindedly for the umpteenth time. He sat in a chair, facing a view of Kupis that only a handful of people ever experienced. Numina stones lined the outside of his wall window, allowing him to enjoy the bespectacled landscape of Kupis where torches kept the city alit. Two spires could be seen in the distance, home to the Cloisters practitioners against a backdrop infinite darkness. The horizon line where the distant stars abruptly stopped could barely be seen by his enhanced eyes. The eyes of a Noble.

Elmis Dorn often found an appreciation for this view more so when the desert was covered in darkness. It seemed as if it could tide over at any moment and swallow all of Kupis and not even living at the top of the world would save him if it did. But today, staring into that dark night made him feel an itching anxiety. It wasn't enough for him to call it "fear," but he believed if he kept staring, kept facing it like he faced everything else in his long life, he might find an answer.

"No, sir." said Norvael. He was one of the mayor's retainers and a knight of Bertrada.

Several hours ago, an injured weasel wandered into town and injured a few civilians before being put down. The mayor recognized the creature as the thing Mike brought over from the Western jungles and sent a scout to rendezvous with Mike and figure out what happened. He knew Mike was desperate to become a proper Noble and inherit the family name again, so he made plans to make the most of it. Noble candidates weren't usually so easy and cheap to deal with.

[This is what I get for relying on a bastard.] he thought.

Budi swiveled in his chair to face Norvael, his retainer for twenty years.

"Give down the command. I want guards patrolling the Wasteland borders. I don't care who they are, apprehend anyone coming from that direction." Budi thought a little more. "And make it discreet. I want to keep the Cloisters and Umbra sect out of it, this time."

"Yes, sir." Norvael saluted the mayor before stepping off.