Gonna be a chapter about nobles hiring Fatui and Treasure Hoarders that just wanted money. Fairly high in the air, I check on the surroundings while maneuvering the wind glider.
Thankfully, all seems well, with almost no hilichurls or aggressive animals in the area. Floating down slowly, my feet reach the ground, barely making a sound, and Cifera is already lying down on the soft grass while my mom is still asleep.
I find the ground is fairly flat, thankfully. With this, I start picking up and moving the few stones and branches on the ground to make a clear area for the tent.
Next, I make sure to use a shovel to change the terrain a bit since there is still a noticeable slope when lying down.
The soil is a bit difficult to deal with, as it is a mix of small shale, granite, and dirt. This unusual combination makes the soil hard to dig.
It seems I will need to buy a new shovel after this, since while my strength is enough, the shovel's durability is not.
The sun is soon to rise. I hope that we can stay at the camp for a day or so, but who knows—especially since Treasure Hoarders might come across us.
I pull the tent out of the inventory space and, after reading through the instructions, it is up and done in 30 minutes. It takes another five minutes to set up the air mattress and five more minutes to unroll the sleeping bags.
Right before sunrise, I have Cifera slowly lower my mom onto the mattress, after which she shrinks and goes to sleep.
I also lie down, but request Laika—who's been sleeping on my head—to guard against intruders in the meantime.
Falling onto the mattress, I realize just how tired I am—body and mind. It doesn't even take a minute for me to fall unconscious.
I groan. I feel myself being shaken as I come to my senses. My eyes are glued shut, and "tired" is an understatement for how I feel.
The shaking continues. One minute. Three minutes. Five minutes.
Finally, I open my eyes only to find my mom slightly irritated.
"Get up. It is already 10 am! You shouldn't ruin your sleep schedule so badly!"
I look at her blankly, but then my eye starts twitching. My blood boils and I am about to see red. I take a deep breath to calm down and speak.
"To make sure we got a good head start, I walked until somewhere around 7 am and then spent another 30 or so minutes setting up the tent just so we could sleep. You fell asleep around midnight!"
"So can I please sleep? I really didn't have time to sleep before. Cifera, in fact, also only fell asleep around the same time as me."
Saying this, I lie back down onto the mattress and—
"Sane! SANE!"
Holy shit—what?!
I jump off the mattress only to see Laika fighting off several bandits.
She isn't doing too well and has several wounds. She really can't use her full power, can she?
I see my mom to the side, also being cornered by several of the thugs, even with her bow in her hands. I see several arrows, but none of them are in vital spots.
It looks like she can't justify killing another…
No matter. I have to do something.
My first target is, of course, the people after my mom. I summon my longsword, Lost Companion.
Back in my hand, it feels comforting. The blade itself almost vibrates at the idea of battle. My left hand feels empty, sadly. Truly, it is a blade meant to be in a pair.
Ignoring the feeling of wrongness from only one sword, I charge.
One step. Four leaps. Three heads rolling.
Events flash by and my thoughts are only on keeping those who are important to me safe. The way is clear, and the four bandits on Arye shift their focus onto me.
Although I am in nothing but pajama shorts, they begin to back off in fear. I am confused, for there isn't even blood on me…
That might be why they're so scared.
Too bad for them. One turns, trying to run. He takes two steps and I am already in front of him, my sword piercing his heart.
I turn my head. My eyes follow the others. One tries to target my mom to take a hostage, but I take the dead bandit's knife and stick it in the other man's spine.
The last two kneel and beg for their lives, but unfortunately they targeted the wrong people.
I look at my mom. She is shaking. She looks at me as if she can't recognize me, but I… I smile.
I smile because even if she chooses to avoid me, then she will avoid me while being alive and safe.
…
Arye POV
Moments ago I was scared for my life. Four men were going after me. I shout for my son and, thankfully, he wakes.
I don't get the chance to call for him as one of the men charges me and I have to hit him with the bow.
Four steps.Three steps.Two steps.Missing his head.One step.
The bandit's body falls one step away from me.
In front of me now stands my son, Sane, a bloodied longsword in his hand.
There is another body that falls—one from the group that was coming after me.
Another joins that group, but within ten seconds all of them are dead.
I am left staring at my son—the one that just killed five people without so much as a reaction.
No… wait. His hand is trembling and he refuses to look me in the eyes.
Good. He is still himself.
Then I hear a cry. Laika's cry. She has her tail caught by a rope and is being pulled down by several men.
Sane POV
"What's the problem?" I ask while looking up at her, seven new corpses on the previously clean grass beside me.
Unknown to me and Arye, there were ten more men hiding within the tree line. Fortunately—or unfortunately—they were far too scared to even breathe, let alone move.
Looking down, I find my legs and feet stained by mud and blood. Yet horror is not what crosses my face—only sadness.
"If not for attacking my mom, then I would rather not have slaughtered them… Capture would have been a far kinder fate."
Maybe not, though. If they weren't rescued, it is likely they would have been killed either by wild animals, other bandits, or hilichurls.
So maybe there is a world where this was a kinder end for them. Likely not here, though.
sigh
Talk about troublesome—
I look at my watch. 2:30 pm. Midday.
I look up. My mom on the left has sat down on the grass, terrified that I just killed other people. I don't blame her.
I am admittedly sick. I want to throw up. But right now I can't.
I don't know who or what might be attracted by the smell of blood or the noise of battle.
"Cifera."
My cat, serene and graceful, walks up, though she keeps her distance, unwilling to get tainted by the smell of blood.
"Go to Arye," I pause and look up at Laika, who is injured but still airborne. "You as well. I'll treat your wounds once we get some distance from here."
Words are pointless as she looks at me, her eyes saying more than ever needed.
I walk into the tent, my feet still bloody. All I take are the phones and the internet box that were inside.
No time to pack and no way I'm letting this get found.It's far too unique to pass as a random adventurer's gear.
After that, I step out and, after scanning the inside one last time, I use a lighter to set it ablaze.
I watch the tent burn, the air mattress explode, but my mom and I are already 100 meters away, scaling down a steep path in the direction of Dawn Winery, as it is the closest place to the road that leads outside the "Wind Country", at least that is what a translation would call it.
It takes another three hours to reach Dawn, mainly because I had to stop and clean off the blood from my feet. The blood had already dried and was clinging to my skin like a dead man's grip.
Suddenly my head spins and my stomach twists. My mind goes back to the faces of those I've killed.
I stagger, fall to my knees, my hands barely finding the ground to hold me up. My body feels weak and my mind replays the scenes of blood.
The silent screams of falling faces. The squelch of blood in the grass. The pure ease and disinterest I had while killing them.
Blrgh—
I vomit. I cough. I vomit again and cough again. I can't seem to accept the fact that I was able to kill people without batting an eye.
I feel a warm pair of arms wrap around my shoulders. I hear a faint voice, one that tries to reach me.
A second pair of warm hands wraps around me, but I am dizzy. My consciousness is fading.
I still hear the voices of the ones I killed.
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A/N:
Thank you for reading! If you enjoyed the chapter, a rating or comment is always appreciated — it helps the story reach more readers and lets me know what's working. Hope you're enjoying the ride so far.
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