Chapter 18 - A Beast Too Pitiful

Arthur's body froze as his eyes landed on the Agelians. The once quiet room filled with shouting again as the prisoners cried out for help in a frenzy.

"How did a kid get out?" One of the men asked.

"He's not wearing a collar." Another pointed out.

"Enough!" The man in crimson robes shouted. "Ponn, grab the kid and bring him here. If that explosion was the imperial forces, then we don't have any time to waste. We'll have to forego the third rite and settle for the second."

Ponn nodded before sauntering over to Arthur. "Hey, kid! Come here."

Arthur backed away, matching the man's pace.

"Damn it, don't make me chase you, kid!" Ponn shouted, picking up his pace until he reached a sprint.

"Ponn! Stop screwing around and grab the damn kid!" The man in crimson yelled in a panic before turning toward the still idle man. "Gorra, go find out what that explosion was, but stay hidden. I'll begin the second rite just in case."

Gorra nodded before dashing past Arthur toward the tunnel that led to The Cat's Cradle.

Arthur silently cheered as his odds of victory increased by a third. Now facing two men instead of three, Arthur allowed himself to fall before pretending to struggle with getting back to his feet.

"Got ya!" Ponn laughed as he grabbed Arthur and effortlessly threw his slim sword over to the altar.

"Let me go! You're a bad man!" Arthur cried out as he carefully maneuvered his arms so Ponn wouldn't be able to feel the blades hidden within his sleeves.

In a rage, Ponn grabbed Arthur's face, squeezing it as he brought it before his. "It's you and your kind that's bad, kid. You're vermin in human skin that needs to be eradicated from this world."

Ponn increased the strength of his grip, digging his fingernails into Arthur's cheeks. "You should feel grateful that our god is merciful enough to take you despite the sin of your birth."

"We don't have time for this!" The man in crimson roared. "Bring him! We still need another sacrifice to complete the second rite."

Ponn stared into his eyes for a moment with a level of disgust that he hadn't witnessed in two lifetimes. It was as if just breathing the same air as Arthur brought the man severe discomfort—As if Arthur were a beast so pitiful that the mere sight of it induced a rage against its very existence.

Ponn released Arthur's face and carried him over to the man in crimson robes, who began to chant. Arthur thrashed around frantically but was easily overpowered by the strength of a grown man and placed on the altar.

When he felt the time was right, he glanced at the man in crimson before lifting his right forearm and lining it up with Ponn's chin.

Ponn's brow crumpled. "What are you—"

—The blade shot out from its sheath before Ponn could finish his question, entering his skull from beneath his chin before exiting his crown.

Arthur didn't have time to return the blade to its sheath. Instead, he immediately aimed his left arm at the man in crimson as gravity forced the first blade to hit the ground beside the altar.

However, he didn't account for Ponn's weight. His body collapsed on top of Arthur when it went limp, knocking the wind from his lungs right as he fired the second blade.

After recovering, Arthur glanced toward the target of his second attack as he hastily freed himself from beneath Ponn's corpse. The man in crimson stood a few feet away, lightly clutching his chest with a muddled expression.

"...How?" The man in crimson asked as he looked toward the bright red blood pouring from his chest.

Arthur didn't bother responding. He wasn't some comic book villain that explained his dastardly plans before a dying enemy. Instead, he quickly glanced over at the first blade resting near the altar and willed it into the air before sending it flying through the man's heart.

As the man's body folded and fell, Arthur breathed a sigh of relief and attempted to calm his nerves.

"Kid! The blood!" Kyren shouted, finally breaking the grumpy silent treatment he had been giving Arthur until now.

Arthur turned around to see what Kyren was yelling about and when he did, he watched as the pool of blood beneath Ponn's corpse slithered toward the crimson portal as if it were alive.

"Oh, come on!" Arthur screamed as he discretely recalled his blades and quickly grabbed his slim sword from where Ponn had thrown it beside the altar.

After reacquiring his gear, he dashed toward Ponn's body, frantically searching for the prison keys. Once found, he seized them and scanned the cells, but the hysterical people inside made it impossible to spot Foster or Harkon.

"Find Foster." Arthur announced aloud as if he were reminding himself, but in actuality, he was speaking to Kyren.

There were still a hundred or so pairs of eyes within the cages, so he didn't want to be seen talking to Kyren, just in case. Arthur's useless spirit friend was his greatest secret, and he had no intention of telling a soul about it.

Kyren nodded and flew off to the other side of the chamber as Arthur clenched his fists in frustration. He didn't bother searching the cells for his guards.

Too many people were in each cell, frantically reaching through the cell bars and shouting for help, making it difficult to see any one face or voice within the dimly lit chamber. Time was running out, so he made a mad dash to the nearest cell instead of wasting more time.

Despite only nine occupied cells, there were sixteen keys on the keyring, so after reaching the cell, Arthur fumbled around trying different keys until one finally worked.

"Go..." Arthur suddenly paused when he realized he didn't know where to send these people.

The rest tunnels most likely led to other buildings like The Cat's Cradle that the Agelians used to abduct people. They were probably guarding whatever lay at the end of each tunnel, much the same as the tavern. So if the people fled through them, they'd likely die to the guards.

"Lord Arthur?" A voice that sounded like a barbarian war hero called out from behind.

Arthur turned, and at that moment, he had never been happier to see a used car salesman in all the years of his two lives.

Fenric was taking in the scene within the chamber as his eyes fell upon the corpse of the man in crimson. "Did you do this?"

"Hey kid, I found the pretty boy." Kyren called out from the far side of the room.

Arthur glanced at Kyren, acknowledging his discovery before replying to Fenric. "There's no time to explain! Any second now, abyssals will come pouring out of that portal. Two of my guards are among the prisoners, and I need to get them out. I hate to ask, but can you handle the portal on your own?"

Fenric glanced at countless bodies surrounding the portal. "Did you hear what type of ritual they performed? Was it a first, second, or third rite?"

"They attempted a third rite but got interrupted and settled for a second rite." Arthur shouted back as he ran to the cell where Kyren stood.

Fenric nodded before pointing toward the same cell that Foster occupied. "Lord, if it's not too much trouble, would you please unlock that cell next? My lieutenants are inside, and their aid would be most helpful."

"Sure!" Arthur replied, amazed at the man's ability to spot his people so quickly.

"Young master!" Foster whined and cried dry tears as he approached the cell. "I knew you wouldn't let me die!"

"Which of you are Fenric's lieutenants?" Arthur hurriedly asked as he opened the cell door.

After realizing Arthur had ignored him, Foster pointed to himself. "Young master, it's me, Foster. Have I been in here so long that you don't recognize me anymore?"

"I am~" A young woman with short red hair replied.

Arthur searched the crowd for the voice's owner, and once he found her, his gaze turned into one of suspicion. She looked to be in her late teens, far too young to occupy a high-ranking position within a mercenary company.

"Hey! What's with that look? Just because you're a noble doesn't mean you can be rude to people!" The young woman crossed her arms with a harrumph.

Foster glanced around, having been ignored by everyone. "Am I a ghost?"

"Now now, Mara, don't harass our savior because you're a pipsqueak who can't be taken seriously." A young man with short grey hair cut in with a laugh.

"Mara, Alan, you guys can see me, right?" Foster asked sheepishly.

Mara angrily punched Alan in the arm. "Ow! Mara, what did the captain say about your violent tendencies!"

Mara sang her words as she skipped away from him. "Don't be rude, and you won't get hit~"

"Wait! Guys!" Foster panicked and waved his hands around. "Am I really a ghost?"

"You'd know it if you were a ghost, pretty boy." Kyren grumbled, still sulking from earlier.

Arthur froze and went wide-eyed. He had to turn around and ensure the portal was still there. Otherwise, he would've actually started believing they were safe based solely on the trio's sheer lack of urgency.

"Mara! Alan! Get those collars off and get over here, now!" Fenric's voice boomed through the chamber, causing Mara and Alan to stiffen.

Arthur rubbed his face before looking at the metal collars on their necks. "Do any of you know how to remove those?"

Alan scratched his head awkwardly. "We were drugged while drinking, and the collars were already on us when we woke up."

"That explains how Foster and two mercenary lieutenants got captured without a fight." Arthur muttered before finally acknowledging Foster. "Come here and let me see the thing on your neck."

"Ah! Young master, you can see me?!" Foster asked, dumbfounded.

"Foster, we're all gonna die unless you hurry up and let me see that collar." Arthur took a deep breath. "So please hurry up."

Foster knelt before him, mumbling about how it wasn't his fault that no one would respond to him and how it wasn't strange to believe he had become a ghost.

Arthur ignored him as he scanned the thin metal collar for a keyhole or anything that would indicate a method to remove it when he suddenly thought of something.

"Where's Harkon?" Arthur asked as he scanned the collar.

"Harkon?" Foster looked up, confused. "Why would Harkon be here?"

Arthur glanced toward Kyren and shot his eyes to the side to silently tell him to look for Harkon.

"Got it." Kyren replied bluntly.

Arthur looked back to Foster. "Forget it. He must be in one of the other cells. I think I found the keyhole too."

There was a smaller key on the keyring he took from Ponn's body, and it appeared to be the perfect size for the small hole on the back of the collar. Arthur inserted it, and the collar fell off after it made a clicking noise.

He called over Mara and Alan before telling the rest of the people to go through the tunnel to The Cat's Cradle, but as he unlocked Mara's collar, the portal of blood shimmered as something stepped through.

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