'What am I going to do?' Bronya's head was filled with this thought; it danced endlessly, going from one part of her skull to the next. She stared at the ceiling of her room, a small cheap room rented from an inexpensive tavern. Her hands clenched, she had no way of answering this.
Thran's words suddenly entered her skull. Her lips quivered, and deepened her frown. 'I messed up, badly.' As the lively chatter just outside her room ceased, she covered her eyes with her arm. She boggled her head, excuse after excuse entered her mind. None were satisfactory, as long as she had known Thran. He'd judge these as lies, nothing short of the worst of the worst.
One may ask, "What if he's just doing an empty threat?" Bronya shook her head violently. He would. Just recently she was fined due to her actions. His serious look burned into her mind, he was dead serious.
'What if he can help me? Can he? I don't know… Would he help me?' She thought. It seemed feasible to her for a moment. He has helped her many times when she was stuck in precarious situations. 'But… I don't know if he would…'Her hands tightened to the point of her fingers hurting.
'I could only come up with that idea, as the quickest. A week is too short for an investigation of this magnitude… Everyone knows Rothie and me, even the people of this land. Fei and Lucian are somewhat popular. Fei- Many watch her when they enter the guild, it's because of her being a demi-human.'
'I just… Thought it would be the quickest and easiest solution. The others I can't- They could be anywhere.'
Bronya rolled onto her side, a dim light from under the door frolicked through the room. This kept her gaze, for an unknown amount of time. Its show slowly, trickled into darkness. As its last spark was snuffed out, her eyelids drooped. Her mind's race, slowly dialed down. Until it came to a halt, and she drifted off.
Many moments after she fell asleep, she rolled around. Not long after that, she mumbled in her sleep; what am I going to do? There's nothing I can do.
As morning light shone through the window, she slowly stirred. When her mind cleared, she dressed herself. Stepping outside, she walked to a certain room. Knuckles ready to knock on the door, she stopped. Wordlessly, she mumbled.
'I'm sorry, Rothie.' She apologized internally. Thus, she left the tavern with heavy steps. Barely managing to stare at the long road ahead, she strode to the adventurer's guild.
Per usual, inside it was ever so busy. She could hear countless whispers increase once she entered.
"Ah, welcome Lady Bronya! How can I help you this fine morning??" A cheerful woman welcomed her. Her voice void of awareness. Her grin beamed at Bronya, who returned it with a small- forced smile.
"Can I talk to Thran, please?"
The woman bowed along with, "Sure thing! Give me just a moment, I'll get him." After a nod from Bronya she meandered into the back.
"I'll just find a job around here… I know I can give use to whomever." Bronya muttered as she tapped her foot. A couple of minutes later, she heard the sounds of soft footsteps nearing the counter. As if it was an alarm, she pulled out her id and gripped it tightly.
"Hm? Oh, good morning Miss Bronya. How may I help you?" Thran asked instantly when he entered her view. He held a soft smile on his face, and his hands were occupied with documents. Unlike his appearance yesterday, he was neat and clean.
"... Good morning, Thran…"
"What is with the hesitance? Did you get enough sleep last night?"
Deep bags laid under her eyes, and unusually her hair was frizzy. Bronya forced a laugh and her head whipped side to side.
"I… Slept fine. Thank you for your concern."
"Of course, it is my job."
"Yeah… Yeah. Here…" Bronya sighed, and stuck her license out. With his eyebrows raised, Thran softly set the papers down and took the license.
"What is this for?"
"Did… You forget? I couldn't come up with an excuse for what I came up with yesterday…"
"'Excuse'...? I do not have– Oh… That is what you mean."
"Mhm…" Bronya slowly nodded her head and kept her gaze down. Thran looked at her id, up to her a few times.
Once more he did it, then slid it back to her. "Here, keep it."
"H-Huh, why? I said I couldn't make an excuse for what I said! I can't give you a proper answ-"
"Keep your adventuring license."
"Are you going senile, or are you going insane?! I couldn't give you an excuse, a proper one… I could only come up with half-right answers!"
"Calm down Miss Bronya. Just go apologize to them. Then, consider that as recompense." Thran mumbled and shrugged at her. "Seeing you all downtrodden aches my poor, soft and cold heart." He mocked with a slight smile.
"Ha.. You really are going senile. I can't apologize to them. I can't, I probably made them quit adventuring as a whole…"
"Nope. Turn around, and take this back." He pointed behind Bronya and did a little circle with that finger. With his other hand he tapped her id roughly.
Bronya paused for a moment. With slightly shivering hands, she grasped her license then turned around. Just in her horizon, Fei and Lucian are standing to the right of the front door. Lucian had his arms crossed whilst leaning back. As for Fei, she nervously stood close to him, both of her hands glued to her staff.
'What am I going to say…?' She questioned herself. She etched forward, when she got half way she stuck her id in her pocket. 'Is there anything I could say?' She could say, sorry and that's it. That was too insincere, for his reaction yesterday.
When she was just a few feet away from him, she scratched the back of her head. "Uhm… Hey…" She mumbled. "I'm really-" She tried to apologize, but stopped when Lucian's eyelids opened and he glared at her intensely.
An awkward air grew around them. Their staring contest went on for a few moments, only stopped when Lucian grumbled then facepalmed.
"We'll talk outside, come on."
"Okay…"
He held the door, and followed when both of the girls went through. They made distance from the entrance, and stayed silent.
"Like I was going to say… I'm really sorry for what I said yesterday. Look, I know… Yes I know that it sounds insincere, I can't come up with anything better…"
"...At least it's something, I was expecting you to not say anything like that."
"That's… Mean… But fair."
"It's the truth. That's the only way to put it." Lucian crossed his arms once again. He continued, "I'm against using Fei as a decoy. I can't tell what you're thinking and I don't even know what you'll do."
"That's the only plan I could come up with… All the other ones will take too long, we don't have the information necessary to finish it in a week- Well, six days now."
"But… Why her? You can be used as a decoy, or me."
Bronya set her fingers on her chin, and a few seconds later she clapped her hands. "If I recall correctly, the kidnappers target others who appear weak or frail. Little Fei fits that perfectly." When she mentioned Fei, she gestured to her with her palm facing the sky. "A demi-human, weaker than most humans. What more could be perfect?"
Fei lowered her head and clutched her staff tighter. I really am the perfect… Decoy. She thought. A resolute expression replaced her nervous frown. Although her head pounded into her ears, she felt the nervousness die down.
Witnessing her quick change in mood, Lucian sighed and touched his temple. Grit teeth and a frustrated frown he managed to stammer out. "Fei, do you really want to be the decoy?"
"Wait, wait… Wait-"
"Fei, what do you want to do?"
Fei breathed in and out. "I-I-I want to, to…" She stuttered, but her voice was clear. Bronya's jaw dropped for a moment, alongside her eyes being as wide as a plate. She could only stammer out, why?
"That's what she wants to do…" Lucian said. His hands were visibly clenched, in his heart he disagreed wholly. "What…? You heard her. We agree to her being the decoy."
Bronya's mouth acted as a door being blown open and shut. Why did he act like that if he was going to have a sudden change in heart? She wanted to inquire, but stayed quiet. She felt a jolt in her heart when she attempted to.
"The earlier the better, we have around six days left. Is that right?" Lucian questioned, resulting in Bronya nodding. "Tonight…" He went silent for a moment, then smacked his forehead. "The King set a curfew for everyone in this kingdom. I forgot."
'Crap- What are we going to do? All the taverns, and stands will close at sundown. We can't afford the fine… It's too much for everyone in this district…' Lucian's thoughts rattled around. Every citizen of the kingdom were met with a note on their door. A curfew had been set, official orders. When night falls, all individuals must lock their door. If they were caught breaking this, they were sentenced to prison and were fined twenty silver coins. 'It foils their plans and ours…'
His train of thought was derailed by laughter resounding in his ears. The laughter became stiffened when Lucian lowered his hand. Bronya, who covered her mouth slightly, was watching him.
"Hehe, are you really worried about that curfew? That's pretty naive of you, Little Lucian…" She mocked in amusement. "They're definitely not going to stop, they'll just find a new strategy to kidnap poor souls." With her hands on her hips and leaning forward, she continued. "We're going to have to follow them with that… There's that nameless tavern nearby, I think you two might know it. There was a recent case just over a week ago. Oh? It looks like you two know it. We'll start there, when the sun reaches just past the castle, meet up there." Just as she finished her last sentence, she straightened herself.
Both of them nodded in understanding, satisfying Bronya. After she turned to leave, a sudden thought entered her mind; did Thranie play a role in this? She turned her head around to look back at them. "Uhm… I have one question for the both of you…"
"What is it?"
"Did Thranie… Do anything to influence you two into working with us…?"
Unbeknownst to them, Thran leaned forward onto the front desk. Quill in hand, and a mysterious smile, he whistled a joyous tune. Filling the hearts of those near him with bewilderment and shock.
He tapped his foot rhythmically, as if it was a drum keeping the beats per minute in track. His little concert ended when an "ahem" paused it.
"Elven idiot, what has gotten you into a joyful mood? Did something good happen?"
"Hmm? Oh, good morning Lady Kazusa. And yes, something did happen. You seem joyous yourself."
"Well, I'm finally getting out of this poorly run dump. That's one thing to be happy about."
"That is pretty mean to say, and judging by your tone, something else happened."
Kazusa searched through her sleeve, and yanked out a vial with dark blood swirling inside. A curious and excited smile occupied her normal irritated expression. "I gathered this sample from a subject around here. It may look insignificant, or rather boring to you. I don't doubt it with your lack of intelligence."
'Why must she always insult everyone?!' Thran yelled inside his mind. Every day since she visited every guild worker has been insulted an insurmountable amount of times.
They chatted for a few moments, then parted ways. Thran's happy air disappeared. A dark cloud hung over his head.
"There's the usual Thran…" A random adventurer pointed out.
As the sun peered over the runic top of the castle Lucian and Fei journeyed through the empty streets. No sounds shook their eardrums, only the soft sensations of the crunches of dirt underfoot.
Nearing the adventurers' guild area, a few people walked by. Just short from there, they stood in front of Ela's tavern. Inside they were greeted by a disheartened, forceful welcoming woman.
"Fei! Lucian! Over here!" Bronya shouted, waving like a madwoman towards them.
Exchanging greetings with the woman, Lucian waved towards Ela and walked towards Bronya. Once seated, she slid a small plate that had cookies to them. "Go ahead, have some." Her eyes gleamed. Her usual smile returned.
'She seems way more energetic now, and more awake.' Lucian noted.
"Go ahead, have as much as you want. Rothie ordered them, but look at him- He obviously doesn't need them."
"What's that supposed to mean…?" Roth said, he scowled at her with a raised eyebrow.
"I mean, you eat too many sweets… You're going to get fat if you eat too much…" Bronya teased. She rested her chin on her palms, giving him a flashy smile. "I'm not being mean~ Little Lucian and Little Fei; tell him I'm not b- Ow~ What was that for?!"
"Shut it, your intentions are too obvious."
"You- Meanie…"
"I have said so, many, times. Calling me names won't work." Roth grumbled, he retracted his hand just after. "Why don't you, instead of just messing around give them a chance to know what we're doing tonight."
"Give me a moment… I think you gave me a concussion with your big oaf of a hand."
"And I'll do it again if you try to insult me." Roth pointed towards his skull. "I don't think you have anything in there anyways."
"Of course my brain won't be in your skull! Geez… You really should learn to hold back…"
"No idea what 'hold back' means."
"And who really has a brain here?"
"Neither of us." Roth sad along with a shrug
'What's with them… They bicker like an old married couple.' Fei and Lucian thought, watching them with curiosity. They went on for a few more minutes, only stopping when Roth smacked her forehead.
Concerned laughter vibrated the air; onlookers watched as Bronya shrunk back into her seat and held tightly to the spot she got smacked. Roth crossed his arms and proceeded to grab his mug and took a sip.
"Let's get back to what we were going to talk about… Geez… That stings."
"Good."
"Huh? What does that mean? Nevermind, who cares."
"Err… What's the plan?"
"Just to get in motion, I'll go over it fast." Bronya stated, she pointed towards Fei. "We'll leave you to yourself. As this tavern closes for the night, we'll leave before you." Her eyes rolled to monitor Lucian's reactions. "We'll be watching from afar, Lucian, how good are you at climbing?"
He merely shrugged. That was all Bronya needed, she tapped the table once. She shifted her body to look over her shoulder.
"Looks like there's some people here, we need to leave early." She muttered before turning back to the rest. "Lucian, she'll be fine here as Miss Ela is watching over here. Get your butt up and follow us outside."
Lucian paused, turned to look at Fei. She held her head down and her palm slightly gripped his sleeve.
"Lucian. Now, we don't have much time. The sky will turn to night and we won't be given much of a chance." Bronya said in a hushed tone. "Fei, we will make sure you're okay. No one will touch you, we'll make sure of it okay?"
Hesitantly, Fei released her grip and nodded slowly.
"Good, now … Let's go."
***********
Where am I? Why is everything so… Blurry? I can't move, it's so cold… Where am I? Where am I? Where am I? What happened to me?!
I can't see, everything's so blurry… I can't remember what happened,
Wait… What's that… Is that light?
…
That's a fire, I can hear it! I have to escape this cold… Come on Aiko… Move your body… Move… Move. Move. Move! I can almost feel it!
"Aww~ The little grey kitty is awake! Goood morning Kitty, how did'ya sleep? You don't seem well rested… Was the floor too cold, warm, hard?"
Who's that…? They don't sound like anyone I know…?
"What's with that look you're giving me, Kitty? It's scaring me… Nah, I'm joking. You look confused~"
"W-What's going on?"
I could barely let out, my throat feels like I was stabbed many times… It hurts, what happened to me? Everyone must be so worried, could this be a dream?
"Hm~?"
Where did the light go? Why did it disappear?!
"Oh… You poor little thing~" The shadow that swallowed the light fake cried out, its voice made me feel like it was unserious. "Those little jerks really did a lot to you~ Lemme see…" It reached out, I tried to back up but felt something hit my back…
"Don't be so scared…. I don't bite~ As long as I can remember, I don't butttt… If you keep avoiding me I might~ So ya better listen, or your eyesight might not be the only thing you'll worry about~ Good kitty, now lemme…"
What is this person?- Why do they sound so sweet, but their voice sends shivers down my sp- What are- What are they doing-
"Stop! That- That- That hurts please stop!" I screamed, their fingernails dug so deep into my eyelid, it stings… Please stop- It hurts so bad-
"Stop yer squirming you dumb dumb. The more you fight it, the worse the pain will be."
"YOU'RE DIGGING YOUR FINGERNAILS INTO MY EYE- LET ME GO-"
"I told you~ Look at you now, rolling on the ground… That must have hurt pre-tt-y badly, huh? Heh…"
"WHAT ARE YOU LAUGHING ABOUT?! OF COURSE IT HURT-" I can't open my eyes… What did she do… Why did she do that? They hurt so bad. Did she do this to me? Did she? Did she??
"Hehehe… You poor Kitty…"
"What did you do to me…? Did you do this?"
"Hm… You can blame me for this~ Well- Of course you can. Hehe… They always do, you will be the same…" Her voice disappeared. I can hear her walking around. She stopped in front of me. I can't see her, I don't know where she is… "They always… Blame me…" She- She's right over me… Her voice is so… Loud.
"Don't be so scarred, you're safe for now~ It must be scarier… With your eyes and all."
"What do you mean…" She must have done something to me…
"Use your thinker… Thinker, thinker… Yeah, that's what it might be called. I like it- Thinker, thinker… What do you think of it? Oh, right. Why should I ask you? You might die today, the next day- or any time. ANYWAYS!"
What is she going on about? Is she insane? Why does she- She's not making any sense… What's with her? Seriously, what is with her-
"Hmmm? I'll spell it out for you~ Although, I can't spell but I'll explain it to you."
The same cold feeling touched my cheeks, and in an airy breath she mumbled…
"You… Lost… Your… Eye.. Sight… Little Kitty… What a bad, bad, bad thing… You poor little soul~ You must be sooo afraid right now."
My eyesight… Did I go blind?-
"Mm, don't blame me for this… Two of those little jerks did this to you. They took a little swipe… And caused a redness in your eyes~ One Little Swipe, that's all it took and bang… Poof, your eyesight goes away. If they took you to me sooner~ I might have been able to save it… Save it, yes I could have… However, they were just… Too late, too too late for you."
Two… Wait- WAIt- WAIT WAIT DID I GET KIDNAPPED- DID I-?! NO, NO NO They- They did this to me?! Why did they go after me?!- I thought those rumors WERE FAKE- A RUMOR- I have to go, I have to leave, I have to. Lucian, Miss Ela and Fei must be worried. I have to leave, I Have to. I mu-
"That loook. We'll only see how long that lasts~ It's only a matter of time before they feed off of it… Chew, devour that little hope you have left. It's allll the same, indeed it is. One comes in, they fight. Oh so, so they fight… A fight that never stops… Until they break, or they die."
"What are you-"
"Oh me- I am the one that heals other slaves- I make sure they don't die too early~ Their owners want them as healthy as can be- But as well as obedient and quiet~ I make sure that they don't die, that's it… You are one of those… So please, don't die too early~ That'll just spoil the fun for everyone… You can call me… What everyone else does~"
Is she- Is she crazy?! Why does she sound so cheery! I'll get out of here, I will. Even if I did lose my sight, I will. I have to, I have to be there for them. They must be-
"I am the Devil Of Life. It's nice to meet you, little Kitty. And, welcome… To your Hell."