Chapter 25:

- The Great Chase -

My Life As A Dungeon Lord's Assistant


Aoi and Akari both nod to Taro’s orders. The pair climbs to the roof of the carriage. Boarding carts pull up to the side of the wagon. The oni attempts to toss grappling hooks onto the cart.

Akari deflects the one on her side while Aoi simply allows them to get close so she can get good swings on them. They do their best to repel the attackers.

“Oh gods! Let us live through this!” The driver prays. Taro climbs into the driver seat.

“Let me drive!” he orders,

“W-What are you planning?!” he protests,

“There’s too many of them!” Taro explains “For all of us trapped in this carriage, we’ve got no chance! Be ready!”

“UUh ok?!...” The driver grabs a crossbow and climbs to the rear.

“Aoi! Elaine!” he shouts “We’re boarding the one to your left!”

“Ok!” they respond in unison,

With that Taro turns into the left carriage. The enemy driver, seeing what they’re doing, pulls out his own makeshift crossbow and aims it at Taro.

He fires it, but it’s deftly deflected by Elaine who sits besides him. She then leaps to the attacking driver and pulls him off his seat. Aoi also makes the leap and dispatches the passengers of the cart. Taro then orders two justiciars with crossbows to the other cart as well.

Akari at this moment hangs off the side of the carriage and makes a grand kick at the carriage to the right of them. This sets the attacker’s centrifugal force out of balance and the pull cart swerves out of control leading to its high speed tumble.

The two carts then stay close together against the multitude of growing pursuers. Taro started to think that the grand attack from Lyla caused more problems than it solved…

Up ahead a large orc stands in the way to intercept the party. They would have great difficulty circumventing the green roadblock.

Thinking Taro comes up with a solution! He asks one of the knights to pass up a dinner plate from the carriage.

“Akari!” he shouts to his oni above her. “You know what to do?!”

Taro flashes the plate with his scrawlings on it.

“Mh!” she energetically agrees.

Taro tosses the plate up to her which she bats swiftly to the orc!

*Kaboom!

Taro had inscribed the trap runes that explode on contact on the plate. The resulting explosion blows the orc away from their path.

With this Taro creates more and distributes the makeshift landmines to each cart. They toss them behind them as they move. Creating what in effect is essentially explosive caltrops.

The chasing armies were being thinned out as time passed by.

Soon Taro spots Aurelion’s skyline approaching on the horizon.

“We’re close!” Taro shouts to his friends,

“Good!” Aoi responds, “I don’t know how much longer we can hold out!”

But just then he remembers what the orcs and oni in the basement said; Aurelion was under siege.

Just over the hill they could see a massive army outside of the city’s gates. A good thousand would be a stingy estimation.

The carts were sandwiched between chasing parties and a whole siege force.

*Boom!

One of the plate landmines blew up one of the chasing carts.

The rear lines of the siege armies notice the explosions behind our heroes' carriages . The orcs and oni stress to counter the supposed ambush from the rear.

“Taro!” Elaine shouts from the driver seat of the neighboring cart “What do we do?!”

“(Think! Think!)” Taro stresses over this military checkmate.”(Their siege towers aren’t pointed towards us, is there anything we can do? Anything at all-!)”

“Ah. Scawwy!”

“Ah.” Taro had his train of thought interrupted,

It was Lyla, she came out of her self induced coma.

“FIRE!” the siege commander shouts to his men. A hail of arrows were loosed unto the carts. There was no escaping this barrage.

“Don’t worry Taro~” Lyla assures the boy, “It’s showtime!”

She climbs to the driver seat standing up.

“INFERNO!!”

*FWWOOOOOOOMMMMMM

The cart reels back into a wheelie from the explosion.

When their ears stop ringing they see the damage. A great swath of the armies were completely wiped out in the middle of their formation. The remaining armies panic with their leader and chain of command disrupted. Not knowing if a follow up attack was coming, most opted to retreat.

The pursuers also chose to abandon their chase. Somehow… The party made it to Aurelion safely.

The carts make an approach towards the city gates. Aoi and Akari both re-entered the cabin. When they reach it, the justiciars call out to the guards perched high up on the gates.

“You’ve dispelled the siege?! How?! ” the guard barks,

“With the aid of our Captain! Lyla!” the knight shouts back,

“I see! That layabout! Where is she now?!”

The knight looks at the passed out knights as well as Taro and his friends. He had the most problems with demons as Taro remembered.

For a moment harsh tensions fill the air. Akari gripped her weapon.

“Well?!” The guard starts to get suspicious.

“... She’s passed out from the attack!... Let us in!” he finally concludes,

The party breathes a sigh of relief.

The massive gates raise to allow the carts within. They meekly make their way to the inside market. Scores of cheering crowds welcome the heroes into their city.

“Wow…” Aoi says under her breath.

“Feels good, does it?” Taro jeers at her,

“S-Shut up.” she indignantly turns and folds her arms,

They make it to the market square where the high chancellor himself presents himself to the party. The carriages make their stop.

Taro was about to get up but the knight stops them.

“Wait…” he says solemnly, Taro abides.

The knight and two others carrying Lyla comes out from the carriage.

“Well done my knights!” The chancellor proudly beams! “This is the power of Saint Justina!”

The crowd cheers.

“See how she rewards the faithful!” he continues! “Even the small and meek!”

“T-Thank you, Grand chancellor!” the knight kneels to his lord. “We are all tired, we must rest!”

“In due time, in due time!” he cries, “Ah!”

The religious zealot spots movement still in the cart.

“I see there are still people in your cart!” he shouts, “Bring them out as well! They must be celebrated!”

“M-My lord!” the nervous knight protests, “They are wounded and need medical attention!”

“Nonsense!” he barks back, “It is time for celebration! Saint Justina will cure all their wounds to be celebrated!”

“But-!”

“Enough! Bring them out!” he was no longer asking,

Without another word the guards rush to the cart and drag out Taro, Aoi ,Elaine, and Akari.

*Gasp!

The crowd cries in confusion and fear.

“D-Demons?! In the city walls?!” one cries,

“I-Isn’t that the traitor Elaine?!” another screams,

“G-Guards! Seize them” the flustered magistrate orders,

The knight looks at Taro with a sad expression.

“Sorry this is all I can do…”

The guards close in on the errant party.

Mike Psellos
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Asephy
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