Netori: Stealing The Hero's Party!

Chapter 1002: Lutheria - City of Repentance - Part 2

Seraphim’s flames burned but cast no light. Consumed by the dark scale earring, the flames remained, but nobody but the sisters could see them in the darkness. The same held for the creatures of deep water; their eyes trained for the deepest depths and their ears sharper than anyone else, directed their tridents at the scurrying shadows trying to close in on their mistress.

"Riyanzah!"

"I’m working on it, elf!" One hand pressed to her forehead, Riyanzah sensed her environment through the senses of her summoned melfolk. Creating a map in her mind as the crowd scattered and scrambled all around them.

"GET OUT OF THERE, YOU BASTARD!" Meanwhile, storing a great deal of her necrotic power in her fist, Aria slammed it into the ground to strike the dark mage underneath. Punching a hole in it, however, she could no longer feel the mage’s presence underneath.

"Wrong move, let me show you how it’s done!" A manifestation of the mage appeared behind the elf, his knife already mid-swing when Aria noticed his presence. A sharp pain coursed through her flesh, and the edge of the blade was lodged within a bone deep within. "See? That’s the way to do it!"

"You stupid idiot." Swinging her fist at the mage’s face, Aria landed a teeth-rattling blow right at his jaw. And as the stars began to spin in front of him, the mage grunted and groaned while still being held by Aria’s other hand.

Pulling the knife out of her back, she growled at him as her wound closed.

"I can heal as long as I can hit your stupid ass face." While he was still dazzled, Aria scanned her surroundings as the light began to return to the dungeon. Spotting Mel up front with her numerous beastly summons, she had but one question. "HEY! DO I KILL THIS MORON OR ARE WE GONNA VOID THE DEAL WE HAVE WITH AURUM IF WE DO SO? JOSELIA ASKED US NOT TO KILL ANYONE, RIGHT?"

Defending herself from throwing knives with the help of her Treant’s thick hide, Mel pointed at the figures of shadows now clearly visible as the mage was knocked out, and so was the effect of the dark scale earrings. More and more enemies were pouring into their small corner of the dungeon, not particularly strong, but having been on the run for a while and exploring this place full of criminals had begun to tire the elves down.

"Fuck it, kill him! Holding back is just draining me even more than if we just got rid of these assholes!"

"You sure? Those guys seem like the sort to take this kind of thing seriously. To the letter and all." Still debating whether the lives of these so-called chosen were worth the backlash from the Aurum’s council.

Aria only heard Mel click her tongue from up front to know the answer, but instead of helping the fair elf, she decided to turn her attention to the wall. Throwing the mage at it headfirst, she watched as the lights were knocked out of his eyes. Then, with a deep breath and a collection of her barbarian clones emerging beside her, she mustered all of her strength into her right fist.

The clones followed her lead, and the moment Aria rushed towards the door, they all screamed in unison and swung their fists.

"ENOUGH HIDING, YOU COWARDS!!" Much like her voice, the sound of a metallic door being torn off its hinges echoed throughout the dungeonous city and beyond. Forcing the enemy, even Mel and the others, to cover their ears, but as the dust settled, the dark elf was standing in front of the entire force of the Lutherian army. Their weapons were drawn in her direction, but instead of looking at the legion, she stared into the distance at the sole guard tower that was in the very middle of the city.

From there, the guards controlled the lever and kept an eye on the prisoners underground. Once they gained control of it, the dungeon would become inoperable since a single person or even a handful could not keep an eye on the prisoners and control every door that needed to be kept shut. Thus, glancing down at the trembling shoulders, she did the one thing unheard of from a barbarian. Diplomacy.

"Stand down and you’re all going to live. I don’t plan on watching the criminals you have here, so just do as I say and keep on with your duties." Taking off her gauntlets, she stepped forward while Mel finally came out of the dungeon with her treants carrying the unconscious bodies of the chosen warriors.

The soldiers watched in horror and trembled at the sight of their strongest warriors being hauled like the corpses of goblins. The leader amongst them was especially struck by the sight of the dark mage still lying near the dungeon’s entrance.

"Y-you defeated him..." His face was familiar to him, and so were his abilities. "H-how? I thought he was as strong as the dark general."

"Him?" Aria turned to look at the young man; unable to help herself, she laughed. "Are you serious? This is your chosen Hamleth? The fucker could’ve been killed by a keeper, much less a demon general."

Gasps full of horror erupted throughout the legion of soldiers. They’d always been told what their enemies were but had never seen them themselves. The demon lord, the keepers, as well as the horrors and demon general- these were concepts to them–ones which they once thought were mere monsters in the face of their god’s chosen.

And so, when Aria turned around with her hand extended at the leader, it wasn’t long before everyone was pushing him forward to save their own skin. This opening in the very centre was the barracks, and while their families were scattered across the city in pockets of open area outside of the dungeon, it had made very clear to them that a handshake was all that was stopping them and their families from never seeing the light of day again.

"As if...I have a choice..." And with but one handshake, the man saved his soldiers but defied his god. What consequences that may bring, however, would only be seen by Raven at the capital–that is, once Amedith was done clearing up the route for him once and for all.