part0043

Sam flinched and closed his eyes when he heard the twang of the bowstring, expecting at any moment to feel the agonizing pain of a shaft embedding itself in his body, followed the blank void of death. He held his breath, waiting, but when the expected pain didn’t come, he slowly cracked his eyes open.

Gordon was standing before him, arrow shaft caught in his jaws and growling at the green-skinned man.

“Gordon?” Sam asked, mind clouded with pain and not quite understanding what was going on. “What the fuck are you doing here?”

Gordon half-turned to look at him, allowing the arrow shaft to drop from his jaws.

“Even on the brink of death, you cannot curb your bad habits. We will need to discuss this at length once this fight is over with.”

“I thought you were guarding the Princess,” Sam replied. His brain finally snapping back into gear.

“I was, but now Baron Von Tweet is keeping her company.”

This confused Sam even further, until he heard Sirus’ panicked voice.

“What are you doing with her? Let her go now!”

Turning his head, it took Sam a few moments to understand what was going on. Emma stood just a few yards from the crime boss. Her hand was tangled in Aoife’s hair and she held her sword to the woman’s throat.

“I’ll let her go, as soon as you lower your bow,” Emma replied.

Her voice was hard and she glared at the man, daring him to test her.

Sam was shocked when the man actually did as she said, dropping his bow and holding his hands up in the air. For some reason, he’d expected Sirus to do something villainous, like shooting his own sister through the heart to damage Emma or something like that. Apparently, Sirus cared about his family though, because he looked genuinely afraid.

“I’ve done as you said, now let her go,” Sirus said, taking a step forward.

“Stop right there! One more step and she gets it!” Emma yelled, pulling the dwarf’s hair until she whimpered in pain.

Sam was then distracted by the massive amount of pain caused by Gordon, as he tore the arrow shaft free of his leg.

Then a glowing green leaf landed on his lap, and Sam eagerly shoved it into his mouth. He watched in relief as his HP refilled, and the pain in his leg receded to a dull throbbing. Then the arrows from his shoulder and stomach were torn free, causing his HP to begin dropping again. This time, he didn’t even bother cursing the dog, merely picking up the Healing Herb that had appeared from thin air and chewing it to restore his health.

“Sam, are you okay?” He heard Emma’s worried voice as he staggered painfully to his feet.

“Aside from the crippling pain, I’m doing great!” Sam replied with a grimace.

He tried to put more weight on his bad leg, but pain flared up as soon as he did and he was forced to lean on Gordon for support. Oddly enough, the dog didn’t seem to mind, even going so far as to move a bit closer, so Sam could lean more heavily on him.

“At least he didn’t shoot you in the ass. That would have been a tragedy of epic proportions,” Emma said with a grin.

Sam’s eyes flicked to Sirus then, who had been attempting to inch closer to Emma while she’d been talking. He held up a hand and shot him in the face with his Mana Burn. It wasn’t enough to kill him, but it definitely stopped him from making any further attempts to make a move against Emma.

“Here’s how it’s going to go down,” Sam said, slowly limping forward.

“You, are going to leave this city and never come back. You’re going to take your little criminal organization with you, and you’re also going to return all of my stolen goods.”

“I can leave, but I can’t meet any of your other demands,” he replied, eyes flicking between him and his sister.

“What do you mean, you can’t?!” Sam exclaimed. “You’re the one in charge of this little gang! You’re the one who’s controlling the guild! You’re the piece of shit who used Milly to con me out of all my stuff. Not to mention all the times you tried to have me killed!”

By the time he was done venting, Sam was breathing hard. His eyes were blazing with anger, and his fists were clenching and unclenching as he tried to control his temper.

Sirus tried to take a step towards him, but Emma pulled her sword a little closer to Aoife’s throat and he stopped.

“I might have been the one who conned you out of that Legendary gear, but I swear that’s all I did. Yes, I run an organization in the city, but I’m not the one giving the orders.”

“Yeah. Like I’d believe that for even a second. Aren’t you the boss?” Sam asked, cocking an eyebrow.

“Well, technically I am, but…”

“Then who else could have given the orders?”

“That honor would be mine.”

Sam felt his blood run cold when he heard that voice, and he turned slowly to see Milly emerging from the woods behind Emma. She was dressed the same way she had been the day before, in a tight-fitting server’s uniform with a plunging neckline and a short skirt. She looked just a beautiful as always, but the warm smile that he was used to seeing was cold and hard. Sam had known that she had been the one responsible for conning him out of his items, but deep down, he’d still been hoping he was wrong. Now though, with the woman standing right before him, he could no longer deny the truth.

“Why?” Sam asked, his eyes locking onto the woman, whose entrance had grabbed everyone’s attention.

Gordon eyed her with distrust, Emma with hatred, and Sirus, with fear.

Milly ignored the question and slowly walked forward, her hips swaying suggestively as she approached the small group. She stopped not five feet from Emma, who held her sword just a little tighter.

She ran her large eyes over both of them, taking note of Aoife’s barely conscious form before turning her attention to Sirus.

“You’ve failed me, Sirus. I warned you about what would happen if you did.”

Her voice was cold. So cold in fact, that it made a shiver run down Sam’s spine. Sirus’ face paled and Sam had to wonder just how dangerous the elf before him really was. Using his Inspect skill, he saw the same information he had last time, which baffled him.

If Milly was only level 6, why was Sirus so afraid of her?

“Please, Millicent! I didn’t say anything! Nobody knows anything! Your operation is still intact! All we have to do is kill these people and things can go back to the way they were!”

Milly stared at him for a long moment, not saying a thing. Then, in a blur of motion, she appeared before Emma, hand flashing out in a line of silver light. Emma staggered back with a muffled scream as Aoife’s body hit the ground in two pieces. First her body, then her head.

“No. I don’t think it can,” Milly said, turning her cold eyes on Sirus, whose green face had gone completely white. “You failed me, and I told you what would happen if you did. Unlike you, Sirus, I keep my promises.”

Sirus collapsed onto his knees as Milly licked the blood coating her fingers, then turned her cold eyes on Sam.

“Why the cold look Sam? I thought you liked me.”

Sam shivered. Her voice sounded the same as always, but her eyes were so cold and lifeless, that he just couldn’t help himself. Emma took a step forward, raising her sword. Then, a wave of red light exploded out from Milly’s body, and Emma dropped to the ground with a scream. A moment later, Sam understood why, as a wave of terror, the likes of which he’d never felt before, washed over him.

“I don’t understand!” he said again, trying to pull together a few coherent thoughts through the overwhelming fear.

Gordon seemed to be unaffected by the whole thing, and Sam could feel his fur bristling under his palm as Milly stepped over Emma’s prone form and slowly walked towards him.

“Why, you ask? Why did I do this to you? Why did I single you out? Why bring you here to rob you over and over? Why make you think I liked you, only to order you killed?”

She stopped before him, eyes blazing with hatred.

“The answer is quite simple really. You killed my sister,” she said, her voice hissing out in a low whisper.

“What?! I never killed any elves!” Sam exclaimed, feeling his knees trembling under the force of the psychic attack. He knew that the only reason he wasn’t on the ground like Emma was because of his skill, but even at the advanced stage, he was still finding it hard just to stay upright.

Milly’s eyes narrowed for a moment, then her form began to rapidly shift. As she changed, things finally began clicking into place.

Of course! Now it all made sense!

Milly’s transformation came to an end and Sam now stared at the blue siren standing before him. She looked strikingly similar to Greta, and he could easily see the family resemblance. What he didn’t understand was how she’d been disguising herself. As soon as he used his Inspect skill, he understood.

Millicent’s cold smile grew, revealing a mouth full of razor-sharp teeth.

“So, you finally see me for who I am. I’m sure that you’ve tried inspecting me before, but fooling such a paltry skill is child’s play for someone of my power.”

Sam felt dread wash over him, as the reality of his situation really began to sink in.

He was about to die, and there was nothing he could do to stop it.

“What were you really doing in the city? And why didn’t you just kill me outright back in Farmer’s Rest ?” Sam didn’t really care why, but maybe it would buy him a few seconds to think up some way out of his predicament.

Millicent tapped one clawed finger against her chin, before shrugging.

“Why not? I’m going to kill you anyway, so I may as well tell you. My sister and I set up in that small town one year ago. That was to be her training before she went out on her own. We set her up on a farm on the outskirts of town, while I took up work at the inn. During my first week there, I caught wind of a great treasure that the guild in the nearby city of Shtut was keeping hidden. Naturally, I wanted this great treasure, so I set out to the city. My sister was strong and could take care of herself well enough.

It didn’t take me long once I got there to find the biggest crime boss in the city. After that, we had a little chat with the most corruptible person in the guild, Pompayous. We arranged an accident for the current Guildmaster, and voila, the guild was ours. Naturally, keeping the guild in line and searching for the rare item took up a lot of my time, so I had little time to actually help my poor little sister. She became angry with me, which was understandable. After all, it was my job to look out for her while she learned to fend for herself. But I was greedy and wanted that item, so I ignored her words and continued searching. It was on one such day in the city when I suddenly felt the pang.

Blue sirens share a very close bond, especially with family. When you kill one, the rest of us will feel as though a portion of our souls had been ripped out. I rushed back to Farmer’s Rest as quickly as I could, hoping against hope that it was a false alarm. Alas, it was not. My poor sister Greta was dead, and it was all my fault. Then, I saw you going to the Mayor and demanding a reward for my sister’s death and that was when I knew. It wasn’t my fault that she was dead. It was yours!”

Millicent’s face twisted in rage when she said this, and Sam felt the fear intensify tenfold. Strangely enough, Gordon was still unaffected, standing straight and supporting him while she continued her tale.

“I could have killed you outright, but where would be the justice in that? No, I decided that you had to feel the pain of loss the way I did. You needed to suffer a thousand deaths for every day you stole from my sister, so I hatched a plan. Make you fall madly in love with me, then tear it away, breaking your heart into a thousand pieces, before ripping it from your chest.”

“It was a bit difficult to fit you into my plans. I, of course, needed to make sure you were miserable, even while I made you fall for me. That required a lot of planning and maneuvering on my part. I had to make Sirus and his gang torment you, stealing your hard-earned money and items. I had to make Pompayous and the rest of the guild treat you badly, all while staying close by your side. You didn’t make it easy, let me tell you. Constantly escaping all the traps set for you, and evading capture over and over again. I was actually afraid when you escaped from the city. I thought you might have run away, which would have been a big problem for me, but thankfully, you decided to stick around.”

“That’s a very interesting story,” Sam said as she finished telling her tale. “But you still haven’t explained how you got the King’s cooperation, not to mention what Sirus was doing here tonight with the King’s daughter.”

“How should I know what Sirus and his ilk do on their time off? My only interest was the treasure, an artifact so powerful that the guild tried to bury it, so that no one could ever find it.” Her expression soured at that, and Sam had a feeling that whatever treasure she was looking for had yet to be found.

“But enough of that,” she said, her emerald eyes locking onto him and glittering with malice. “Now, you will die for the pain you’ve caused me. You, and all of your friends!”

She raised her hands, and a red light shone all around her. Then, four tendrils of red energy shot from her hands. One of them wrapped itself around his waist and one around Gordon’s. There were several loud screeches, as Baron Von Tweet was suddenly dragged out from behind the shelter of the wagon and a fourth tendril wrapped itself around Emma.

Millicent flicked her wrist, and all of them were yanked towards her. Sam flew off his feet and landed face first before the siren. Emma landed before her as well, looking even worse off than him. Gordon struggled and growled as he was dragged forward, and Baron Von Tweet screeched his head off, cursing the siren for all he was worth. It was a pointless struggle, however, and soon, all of them were kneeling before the woman as the red tendrils wound themselves around their bodies, pinning them in place.

Sam could feel despair as he desperately tried to think of some way out of their situation, but nothing came to him. Emma seemed to be completely out of it, as the terror had continued pressing down on all of them the entire time the siren was telling her tale. As Millicent raised her hands again, red energy crackling between her fingers, Sam turned to face Gordon.

“It’s been nice getting to know you, pal, even if you are a massive pain in the ass.”

Gordon stopped growling at the siren and turned sad eyes on Sam.

“It has been a pleasure, Samuel. You have been a staunch ally despite our somewhat unusual pairing. From the start, you completed the tasks set before you, even when I made the ridiculous quest for that stick…”

“That’s it!” Sam yelled, cutting the dog off as an almost forgotten piece of information came to the forefront of his mind.

“I beg your pardon?” Gordon asked.

“Gordon, you’re a fucking genius!” Sam exclaimed, turning his attention back to the siren, who had just about finished charging whatever attack she was planning to use.

“Stop!” he yelled at her. “You can’t kill us! You still owe me for the quest I completed for you!”

Millicent allowed her attack to die down, and a sneer crossed her lips.

“Do you really believe, that I would stoop so low as to have relations with you before I kill you? You are quite the dirty minded freak, aren’t you, Samuel?”

“So you’re refusing to honor our bargain?” he asked, staring her in the eye.

“Of course! Now shut up! It’s hard to savor the moment with your blabbering!”

Sam felt his heart soar when she said that.

Now, what were the exact words again?

“I demand an inquiry in the name of the Supreme Overlord!”

As soon as Sam completed that phrase, the world around him froze. Everything from the leaves blowing in the wind, to the people around him, went utterly still. There was a loud clap of displaced air, and a man appeared out of nowhere, standing in the center of the road, with his arms clasped behind his back. He was tall, well over seven feet, with pitch black skin that glowed with swirling purple tattoos. His entire body was covered in rippling muscle, and the only garments he wore were a pair of sandals and a leopard pelt around his waist.

Millicent’s spell shattered as soon as the man appeared, and the terror she’d been exuding vanished along with it, leaving Sam clear-headed and able to function once more. The man then waved his hand, and everything within a ten-yard radius unfroze. Sam let out a relieved sigh as he was able to move again, but looked to the side with interest as Sirus remained frozen just a few feet away.

He heard a light gasp from next to him and saw that Gordon and Baron Von Tweet were practically quivering in terror. Emma just looked confused, but the siren seemed to have the worst of it. Her face had gone a deathly white and she was trembling from head to toe. As soon as the man spoke, Sam understood why.

“You have called an inquiry in the name of our Overlord! Name your grievance, and know that if your inquiry proves to be false, you will be destroyed!”

The man’s voice boomed out in the still night air, shaking everyone to their cores, and making Sam’s heart rate spike in fear and a cold sweat break out on his back.

“Yes,” Sam said, hearing his voice crack in fear. He quickly cleared his throat and when he spoke again, was happy to hear that it only quivered a little. “This siren promised me a reward upon the completion of a quest, but has refused to deliver on her promise.”

The man turned glowing blue eyes on him, and Sam suddenly felt a heavy weight settle onto his mind. He winced as the pressure increased, and Sam thought the man was going to split his head open. After a few seconds, the pressure receded and the man turned his glowing eyes on the siren, who looked absolutely terrified. He was silent for a few more moments, then he spoke, his voice echoing out in the open night air.

“After examining both of your minds, I have made my verdict! Millicent Claudette, you have failed to deliver on a promise made and I find you guilty of breaking an oath, sworn in the Overlord’s name!”

“Wait! I never swore anything in the Overlord’s name!” the siren yelled, eyes widening to the size of saucers as her face went pale.

“Offering a quest reward is making a promise in the Overlord’s name!” the man replied. “A quest giver does not only stake their reputation when offering a reward, but that of the Overlord’s as well! How are people to trust that a reward will be delivered otherwise?”

The man’s voice boomed out, each word falling with the force of a hammer blow.

“Therefore, you will be punished most severely! For the crime of making a false promise, and the crime of never intending to keep said promise, I sentence you to death!”

Millicent only had time for one final scream of rage, before her body erupted in a configuration of black and gold fire. Within seconds, her body was consumed, not even leaving so much as a speck of ash in its place.

Sam gaped at the empty space that had just a second ago, contained a living, breathing being.

Sam tried to use Inspect on the man, but all he got were a bunch of question marks. As though feeling what he was trying to do, the man immediately turned to face him. Sam felt his heart skip a beat when those glowing blue orbs landed on him, and he became very aware of how weak he truly was before a being with power like his.

If he could obliterate Millicent, who was Level 43, in an instant, he could probably kill him just by breathing on him.

“Your inquiry has been noted, Samuel Edward Silvers the Third. Since we cannot repay what was promised, we have granted you a boon. Do not forget why you are here and do not forget who holds the power in this world. You are no longer on Earth, so you would do well to remember that. Have a pleasant evening.”

The man took one more look around, then vanished into thin air. A window popped up in Sam’s vision with a soft chime, as soon as he was gone.