Chapter 6:

The aftermath of sadness

Waking up in a new world without any memories


Tsuyoshi, Taiki and Chizu were in front of three graves in the ground, where the deceased were already put inside. Taiki and Tsuyoshi couldn't stop to cry bitterly. Chizu had no choice but to feel guilty for the two. "I'm so sorry for you...If I had come earlier, no one would have died now!" The half-demon apologized as she clenched her fists tightly. "No....It's not your fault. If only we had paid better attention and if we were prepared better, none of this would have happened! I also curse myself for being so miserably weak. You have also helped me against Yukio and his bandits, which is why I am very grateful to you. And now you have saved me from this situation too!" Asserted Taiki to the half-demon. 

"I shouldn't have let you gone out on your own back then if I had only known that you would end up here! I should have accompanied you. I should have supported you more, especially because you lost your memories," Chizu said with a regretting voice. "Don't blame yourself. I was all fine, until.....you know," Taiki replied. "But I wonder why you were here? We have accepted this task." The young boy wanted to know from the half-demon. "It was right that you accepted this assignment. When I floated around on this meadow to enjoy the sun on my skin, suddenly this ruin appeared in front of me and my curiosity was just a bit too strong, which is why I then crossed the ruin alone and destroyed some monsters on my way in there. At the entrance there were a lot of Gargoils, which I transformed into a real statue with a certain skill. I was also able to destroy countless of these angels in the ruins. I fought against Orax for a short time. But he fled and he was able to trap me. Later, I was able to free myself with a lot of strength and take up the persecution. When I heard the screams of your friends, I hurried. Sadly, I was too far away to save your three friends," Explained Chizu. 

"What are you going to do now?" The half-demon wanted to ask. "I will definitely go looking for Rosalie and Aimi's sister. I have to apologize to them because I was too weak to save them. I was useless," Taiki explained. But Tsuyoshi put his hand on the young boy's shoulder. Then he pressed him closer to him. He could feel the inner pain that Tsuyoshi was struggling with. "May I accompany you! I want to help you! I want to help you become stronger and find these people you are looking for!" Said Chizu sternly. "All right! Come with us! I can need your help! I want to decipher all the secrets of this world! I want to know if this God, that was mentioned by Orax, really exists! I want justice! I want to know for what my friends truly died for! And what it has to do with this aura that I keep in myself all the time!" Taiki spoke confidently and with a serious face. 

Shortly after, they made their way back to Kaishi. It wasn't long before they reached the town and then entered the guild house. The woman at the reception greeted the Group: "You're back. And what did you find in the ruins?" Immediately the mood of the young boy and Tsuyoshi changed. "Where are Gloin, Aimi and Ronin gone?" Anja wondered.Taiki summed up his courage and said in a slightly broken voice: "They died...We were ambushed in the ruins! Me and Tsuyoshi could only get out of this situation safely because of Chizu!" "What?! That is terrible! I'm so sorry!" She expressed her condolences to them. "We were able to explore the ruin at least partially........ But that's not important, because one question occupies me quite a bit and I hope that you can answer that question for me, Anja!", The young boy said to the woman. "And what's your question?" She asked.

"On our first quest with my group against the undead, as well as with the attack against the goblins and now also this tasks, we met opponents who already knew about our arrival! They didn't even say adventurers, they called us by our names! My question is therefore whether you betrayed! Each time we were almost killed because these monsters already knew that we were coming! Gloin, Ronin and Aimi were not just killed, but poisoned with a certain poison, causing them to suffer unbearable pain before they died! Tsuyoshi also had to endure this torment, although he could only survive because of his high ressistance. They did all this just to honor some stupid god! I just had to watch the torment of my friends! The purpose of this was to torment me with this because i couldn`t do anything! They did this because there's something about me that these guys need!" Anja didn't know what to answer after the boys outburst. She was also not angry about the loud words Taiki delivered. She understood the pain because she herself had lost many comrades when she herself was still an adventurer.

 Nevertheless, she was also concerned with the question that Taiki mentioned, whereupon Anja asserted: "I don't know about anything! I swear by my life that I have nothing to do with it! However, I want to do my own research! I want to find out for myself what all this means!" "Thank you... Thank you!" Taiki said, snorting heavily as grief again embraced him and some tears ran down his cheeks. Tsuyoshi felt the same way. However, the death of his friends was the least evil. Something in Taiki is rising. The High Priest managed to plant the sow to smash chaos into the world. "I hope to receive answers soon. I'm not going to accept any more quest at the moment," Said Taiki, who then exited of the guild building with Tsuyoshi and Chizu. Anja looked at Taiki pitifully. She saw that he was completely broken. But now she was bothered with something completely different. She thought about it earlier. Things happened in concern of Taikis` status values that normally shouldn't happen.

 "Something is not right here. I hope we realise it before something bad happens," Anja thought. Once outside, the young boy and Tsuyoshi had a gentle breeze blowing in their faces. The two breathed in the fresh wind. Suddenly, three elves approached the guild building. It was Leiko and Leika who had another elf with them. This elf had a severe look all times. His almond-shaped eyes shone in a sky blue. His pointed nose protruded from his face. The elven's ears listened carefully for every danger imaginable. His smooth, long and blond hair floated in the wind. His robe made it seem as if he were a knight or some other kind of warrior. At all times, the elf held his hand by the handle of his blade so that he could always pull it when things got dicey. 

"Look! Who do we have here, sister! Weak maggots who don't know their place!" Leiko instantly blasphemed after seeing Tsuyoshi and Taiki. However, when the elf looked more closely, he noticed that something was wrong, which is why he asked: "What's going on? Haven't you got a tongue in your head?" "Where are your friends? I don't see them," Leika inquired. "Oh! Don't say now that they died! It was only a matter of time before they scrape off anyway and apparently today was that day! It's truly amazing how long they were able to survive, considering they're from a lower level!" Quipped Leiko. Taiki and Tsuyoshi had to pull themselves up. They clenched their fists. An incomprehensible anger accumulated in them. "Did we upset you? Oh! We're so sorry for that! I have to correct myself! These miserable idiots don't deserve their lives! This dwarf, who wanted to have a own mine with his wife, who is certainly very sad now, was so pathetic! Just like this Ronin, who gave his life and love only to this elf who wanted to steal the property of a nobleman, was so pathetic! She would never have the right to bring her sister back! Her sister belongs to the nobility and no one else! They are allowed to do whatever they want with her! Hahaha!" Laughed Leika with a crazy look.

All of a sudden, Taiki drew his sword. Taiki suddenly freaked out full of hatred: "Enough is enough! It is not only enough that I have lost good friends, but now you are insulting and dishonoring them after their death! You are truly the worst! You are scum! You are garbage! You deserve death! Thou shalt die you miserable piece of shit!" The anger was so strong that few shadows came out of his body. The third elf next to the siblings darkly contorted his face. "You dare to insult us nobles and of higher birth, you worthless element!" Enraged Leiko. "Admeus! Show him who is higher here!" Leika ordered, whereupon the third elf, who until now had been quiet next to the siblings, stepped forward and drew his weapon. Tsuyoshi wanted to stop his friend, but Taiki rejected. Chizu also wanted to intervene: "You don't have to fight! You're not quite with your senses!" But Taiki ignored the half-demon. So both opponents faced each other. Suddenly, Admeus sprinted forward and crossed his blade with Taiki, which allowed him to push the young boy back. Taiki withstood with all his might, even if the elf was actually stronger than him. Suddenly, Admeus kicked the young boy backwards, where he landed on the hard ground. However, he did not give up.

His hatred was too great. With every second, more shadows came out of him. Anyone who can feel auras saw that the nature of Taiki changed. It was as if he had been exchanged with a monster. Admeus looked confident. He was sure of his victory. "This is my bodyguard! He was hired by my father, the king of the elves, to protect his children from fiends and unworthy ones like you! Show them the power of a true elven warrior, Admeus!" Commanded Leiko with a grin. Once again, their swords crashed into each other. When the elf wanted to stab Taiki, he swerved and fended off a subsequent blow. "I really have to admit that you can last longer than I thought," Praised the elf warrior. Out of the blue, Taiki leaped up into the air and shreded his sword at Admeus, who narrowly blocked the attack. Suddenly, Taiki kicked the elf in the face, causing him to stagger backwards. The young boy did not give him any time off, which is why he carried out another attack, which pushed Admeus further back. Chizu and Tsuyoshi watched the fight intently. They knew they couldn't stop him, especially because of his anger.

In particular, Chizu observed Taiki. Admeus repelled another attack on the boy and then slapped him in the face, pushing Taiki away from him. Admeus gasped from exhaustion. He had misjudged this fight, but the elf saw that Taiki does not fight with a sword technique or tactics, but only with sheer hatred. This is exactly why Admeus still thinks he couldn't lose to him. Again, the elf parried another heavy blow from Taiki, which came from below. Admeus had no choice but to remain defensive, as his attacks were too arbitrary and too energetic. Taiki also became faster with each subsequent attack. Out of thin air, Leiko interfered and knocked the young boy away with a high kick. "Why did you interrupt!? Didn't you want to show how strong the elven warriors truly are? So why do you get involved!" Complained chizu, who considered the intervention of the elven prince as a fig. "And what do you want here? You unwort.......Wait! Chizu!...... The strongest... But why are you with them?!" Leiko was frightened. "I don't need any special reasons to join someone. I was able to hide my anger completely, but you still broke the camel's back when you interfered in this fight!" Shouted Chizu.

Before one of the elves could say anything, they were interrupted by someone else: "Leiko! Leika! What are you up to! I didn't send you this bodyguard for unnecessary fights or to show off! I should have known that you just wanted to provoke again!" "Father!" The elven siblings shrugged in terror. "Your majesty!" Recognized Admeus, who immediately pocketed his weapon and bowed. Suddenly, an elf appeared behind the elven siblings, one head taller than them. His eyes radiated the green of the forest. He put on an angry face. His pointed chin could not be overlooked and his brunned hair tied into a ponytail hung up to his shoulder. His clothing was of noble form, just as it should be for the ruler of the elves. "Please forgive this miserable behavior of my children and my subordinate! If I may first intruduce myself! My name is Shizen Shinrin and I am the king of the elves! Please forgive me and my children! Unfortunately, my children haven`t learned good manners!" Said the elven king as he bowed deeply to taiki, who was just getting up.

Leiko and Leika could not believe that their father, a king, bowed to a human being. "But Father... These are..." Leika began, before being interrupted by Shizen: "What are they? Are they not living beings? I thought that you learned in the elven school that every life is precious, no matter what status or race they are! Did you blur the good reputation of the elves into the dirt when you were here as an adventurer?" "No, Dad! Of course not...... We....we..." Leika tried to make excuses, where his father only became angrier: "Do you seriously believe that I have not watched you?! Today you have gone too far! Did you forget how you felt when your mother died? So don't hack at them who have lost their friends! I wish I had interfered earlier! I still had the hope that you would at least change your behaviour once, but you behaved so disgustingly all the time! It truly dismays me! I can't believe you are my children!" 

While Leika looked a bit sad, Leiko clenched his fists. However, when he wanted to say something, he was stopped by his father: "Don`t you dare open your mouth, Leiko! You've already done enough today! Not only your insults, but also your interference in this fight. You are just shame to me! I hope that you would soon change your behavior and not look down on others who are not as high up in the stand as you are." Leiko and Leika remained silent. "We're leaving now. I wish you, Taiki, a nice day and much success in your life." The elven king said goodbye before walking down the street with his children and Admeus until they were out of sight. "Is everything okay, Taiki?" Chizu inquired with concern. "Everything is fine. He didn't really hurt me. Through the assignments that i took with my friends, I was able to handle the sword a little better. I watched them fight. I was also able to learn from them when it comes to combat. Nevertheless, this will hardly be enough to stand up to more powerful opponents such as Yukio or Hebior, who is probably still alive," recounted the young boy.

 "Really amazing! I would then like to help you and teach you the art of swords and fighting techniques!" Suddenly a foreign voice talked to him. Taiki immediately turned around and drew his gun, whereupon he saw a girl who had long deep blue hair. In addition, some scales grew in some places of her skin, as if she were somekind of a reptile. When Taiki looked closer, he recognized two turquoise wings sprouting from her back. Furthermore, the girl had a dragon's tail and horns that also grew out of her head. Her ears were as pointed as those of an elf. Her facial expression radiated kindness. "Calm down. I am not dangerous. I'm just offering you my help. I saw you fighting skills earlier and I was quite surprised that you were able to prove yourself against a warrior who could normally kill you quite easily. Moreover, I heard that you are looking for a way to become even stronger," Said the girl. "Why should I trust you? And who are you or what?" Asked Taiki suspiciously. "Oh that's right! My name is Rya Chiba! I think it's clear that I'm a dragon. You can't trust me, but you have no other choice if you want to get stronger. Apart from me and my master, no one here will really be able to help you," Talked the dragon girl. 

"Shall be right with me. I can always use help. I want you to tell me immediately if this is possible," Requested Taiki. "With pleasure! I have already taken two students under my wing. I would like you three to train together to become stronger. My Master want to see you, Taiki. Your two friends there can also come along if they want," Rya said with a happy grin. "Wait a minute! Is that Chizu! You have Chizu in your group!" Realized Rya. The half-demon then spoke up: "Yes, he did. I will also support him." "Then let's leave! We will follow you wherever you are leading us!" Said Taiki excitedly. Despite the deep grief and anger that was still ingrained in him, he felt a strong determination. He wanted to see this "Master" the dragon girl mentions. He wanted to know why he wanted to see him. He want to become stronger and never allow such a catastrophe again. He has also vowed to visit Gloin's wife to apologize to her and give her his axe and also to free Aimi's sister from slavery. Tsuyoshi also grunted contentedly. So they followed the dragon girl, whom will teach them in swordsmanship.

In the Village Fuun

There has been peace since the Goblin leader Ranak was defeated by a group of adventurers. The mayor marched his way with his beloved daughters, who were able to recover from the shock they had suffered after Ranak kidnapped them. Satisfied, he examined the reconstruction of the village, which was affected by the attack of the goblins. The quiet sounds of the forest were the sign of peace. The villagers helped each other to rebuild their homes. While some cut wooden boards and in turn cut down other trees for the necessary wood, some already repaired some house roofs. But peace would be disturbed when, out of the blue, a wild group of people entered the village. Each of them was armed to the teeth. "Yukio! Why is he here!" Complained the mayor inwardly. His daughters clinged tightly to their father, giving them a sense of security.

 "My old friend, Shicho! How are your lovely daughters, Hana and Daiko? But I don't want to bother you unnecessarily with your construction work, which is why I'll get straight to the point! Give me the same amount of money as last time and we'll forgive ourselves again." "You can't do that..." Shicho whispered. " How was that? I didn't hear you! I hope that you have said that you will give me the agreed money immediately. That was not a request, but an order! Or do you want me to burn down your village before it has been completely rebuilt, after Ranak raged here with his goblins!" Yukio threatened the mayor. "So you were in Cahoots together with the goblins! Did you bring them here and give them the order to attack us?" Shicho raised his voice. "No. I would never do that. The order came more from their commander," Yukio said as he approached the mayor, bent down and whispered in Shicho's ear: "The Child of Darkness." The mayor's eyes widened. He became nervous. "Why on earth is the third strongest being in this country sending a goblin pack to us? I don't understand it. Maybe it was because of the adventurers?" Puzzled Shicho.

 "But let's go back to business. Give us the money now and we'll leave without anyone being harmed," Yukio changed the subject to the real reason why he came here. "I would give it to you, but unfortunately we hardly have anything left because so much money has been used through the necessary tools building materials. For that we will give you twice as much next time. Then our debts would have been settled, wouldn't it?" The mayor discussed, hoping to get a non-violent way out of this situation. "That might be a way, but the problem is that I'm pretty impatient and can't wait until next time! And you know how hard it is to survive in the wilderness when you can't afford anything in the village, right? Me and my entire gang were raised by bears. We learned to survive and got our strength that way! That's why we try not to use swords or other blades when possible. However, sometimes you can't avoid this, especially if adventurers or other warriors have a skill with which you can neutralize our bear strength. If you don't give me the right amount of money right away, I'll have to kill everyone in this village and unfortunately burn it down as well. Only after that I can say that your money debts have been settled forever. Hahaha." Smiled Yukio, after which his men also fell into a quiet laughter.

"Hina! Go to my house quickly and give him all the money we have!" The mayor ordered one of his daughters, who immediately rushed to a certain house. A few moments later, the girl sprinted back with a wooden box that made a metallic sound with every step she took. When Hina arrived to her father and wanted to hand over the box to him, Yukio simply grabbed the box. "I'm going to count how much is in there. After that you will see if this amount satisfied me. Until then, my men will take apart your houses and take all the valuable things you own! In addition, no one is allowed to leave this village during our eviction campaign! If you try anything, this village is doomed!" "If the money isn't enough and they can't compensate us otherwise, will I get these adorable daughters there?" Asked Juri, who had been rather quiet until now. "That`s fine with me.......But don't overdo it, understood! We must march into another village after this one! We can expect so much more valuable that we could get there!" Said Yukio with a greedy voice.

The bandit leader began to count the money and his men cleared every house. Shicho secretly turned to his daughters: "Attention! I want you to flee from the village! As I know Yukio, this will certainly be too little money. Quickly! Go to the village of Kaishi and look for the guild house! Inform the guild what is going on here and give them this money so that they will make an assignment on it, that adventurers can fulfill." He gave them a sack with some silver coins. "But father..." Hina wanted to interfere with her glassy eyes. She was about to cry. Out of thin air, Yukio enraged, "Do you want to screw me! That's not even half of what we normally arranged! You really wanted to let me know that next time you could pay twice our actual price?! Do you want to take me for a fool! Guys! Change of plan! Torch everything down! Kill the men! Capture the women and children!" "But Yukio! You can't just..." Shicho began to speak when he felt a cold iron in his stomach. "What can't we do?" Asked Yukio, who just stabbed the mayor with a dagger. Blood was dripping on the floor.

 The lifeblood swelled out of his mouth. Yukio violently pulled out his blade, which only squirted his red juice out of his body. His daughters looked with shock at their father, who had just been violently stabbed. The mayor went down on his knees. His village burned in the background. Part of the forest also began to catch fire. The cry of terror halls in the background: "No! Don't kill my husband! Please! Let go of my children! No! Help me!" "My village...... I just wanted to rebuild it. Was that really such a bad sin! Did I really have to die and leave my beloved daughters alone? Am I going to heaven or hell now? I don't really care! I just hope that my daughters will be saved by someone." Shicho thought, before he went to the ground. The light in his eyes was completely extinguished. "Father! No! What have you done!" Daiko howled. Even when Hina was dismayed by her father's death, she quickly took Daiko by the hand and ran as fast as they could towards Kaishi. 

"Well, well! They try to escape! Yuri! Stop them!" Ordered Yukio with a grin. Yuri then set out to catch up the two girls: "Cheetah Speed maximum!" Out of nowhere, Yuri rushed forward. "Run faster, Daiko!" Urged Hina as she noticed that Yuri was getting closer and closer. "We have to get faster! I want to fulfill the last will of our Father! It has to work!" Said Hina to herself. But no matter how fast they ran and how far they got, Yuri came closer with every elapsed second. Suddenly, Yuri leaped up into the heights and grabbed Daiko's hand. "No! Let go of me! Sister! Help me!" The girl yelled for help, but Hina knew she had no chance against the bandit. Daiko tried to fight back, but her attempts were in vain. "I'm sorry, Daiko, but otherwise none of us will be saved. I hope you can forgive me! Please hold on!" Apologized Hina inwardly.

"Apparently, your beloved sister is just letting you down! It doesn't matter! I will let her escape! She cannot do anything! Yukio cannot be defeated by an adventurer! Countless have already tried it and no one was even close in doing so! Maybe the five strongest and this dragon bride from Kaishi could defeat him, but they don't take assignments on silver or lower adventurer ranks, as it would yield less for them! That's how the world works! It's all about money! Because your sister escaped, I must be satisfied with you. We will have a lot of fun. These will be wonderful days, at least for me! Haha." Yuri said with full of energy.

Taylor Victoria
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