Bab 34: The Enemy of My Enemy is Still My Enemy
A FEW MINUTES PRIOR
As Arvel was explaining to Zen the details of his plan, Zen realized there was a pretty large hole in Arvell's plan.
How do we bait the slave traders to come after us?
Arvell looked at Lykos.
If they needed to get them to come, what better was there than to piss them off?
Who among them was the best at pissing people off?
It was a no-brainer.
Lykos puffed out his ethereal chest, as he instructed Arvell on the best method to piss the slave traders off.
However, Lykos's words made even Arvell feel it was going too far.
'Don't worry! These bastards probably assaulted many poor girls. Think of it as comedic justice! I'm sure their departed souls would agree with me!'
Lykos's persuasions just solidified Arvell's beliefs that his benefactor was probably the most shameful man in the world.
If he had skin, its thickness would make him impervious to all manners of attacks .
Wait…
Technically, he couldn't harm his skin right now since it wasn't even technically there…
As Arvell started drifting off into his thoughts Zen tapped his shoulder to gain his attention.
"Don't just go off into a daze. We need to figure out what to do!"
'Yet your mind goes blank every time we we're in danger…'
However, Arvell kept that quip to himself.
It wouldn't help them whatsoever with their current predicament.
Arvell clenched his fists to overcome his shame and relayed Lykos's instructions to Zen.
Zen's mouth went agape and he looked at Arvell strangely.
"Are you the devil?"
"What?"
"What kind of person calls someone out on using pills to 'get it up'. That's just taking it too far."
Arvell sighed.
"Zen take a look at what they are doing right now."
Zen took a quick peek and saw a crying girl get ruthlessly punched in the gut.
The sight caused his blood to boil.
"I forgot due to the severity of the insult, but these people are living filth. I guess it's only fitting that they deserve the worst possible insults as well."
"See, there isn't any problem then. Even though I felt that it was going too far, these people have committed sins that even their heads wouldn't be able to absolve. After I finish going over the rest of the plan, make sure to do your part properly."
Zen inhaled deeply and nodded his head.
"I'll do it then."
***
PRESENT TIME
"Catch that brat!"
"Make him pay!"
Zen was speeding down the tunnel followed by a group of angry slave traders.
Arvell who was waiting for them saw the look of pure rage on the potbellied man's one remaining eye, as well as his flushed face, he began to re-evaluate Lykos.
'Maybe there is merit in learning how to piss off your enemies properly. It can throw off their rhythm and make them act far more brashly.'
Lykos smirked beside him.
'Want me to teach you?'
Arvell paused for a moment
'I honestly feel that it is a pain… but… knowing how to rile people up and manipulate their emotions… That would be a useful skill."
After delegating it, he nodded his head.
'I might just take you up on that offer.'
Lykos smiled eerily.
It seemed his 'son' would properly become his 'student'.
As soon as Zen got near him, Arvell popped out of the branching pathway he was hiding in and joined Zen.
[Time manipulation]
Arvell sped up time around him and Zen slightly.
It wasn't enough for Zen to realize he became faster for no apparent reason, but it was still enough to help them put a little distance in-between them and their pursuers.
As they got near another fork in the road, Arvell grabbed Zen by the scruff of his shirt and pulled him into one of the two paths.
He grabbed the last remaining stink bomb and tearfully threw it behind him.
Zen and Arvell both quickly plugged their noses to block out the smell.
(ROAR)
An angry roaring noise rang out behind them, and the two boys saw an angry lion desperately clawing the floor in pain.
Arvell pulled Zen to the wall of the pathway so that they wouldn't be visible to either party.
Since both of their pursuing groups looked equally pissed, the results of getting caught by either side were quite obvious.
A slow and painful death.
Something neither Zen nor Arvell planned to indulge themselves in.
The two parties quickly overcame the stench from the stinkbomb.
While it was effective, it didn't last for more than a few moments.
Looking around, they surveyed their surroundings looking for their targets.
Arvell used just Nord as bait again, luring the beast towards their current location.
While Zen used himself as a lure for the slave traders.
Now they simply had to watch the scene play out.
Fortunately, they got front-row seats!
A slave trader skull-shaped arm tattoo noticed the large beast standing menacing and pissed himself out of fear.
He dropped the torch in his hand, while his legs buckled causing him to fall to his knees.
"R-RANK FOUR BEAST! WE NEED TO RUN!"
Sadly the man's screams also seemed to alert the beast, as it noticed their small group.
It licked its lips hungrily and pounced on one of the men beside the man who pissed himself.
Unlike Sepis and Nord, this man was a bonafide second circle in power.
He was at least able to jump to the side to survive the sudden attack.
However, there was no way a second circle mage would be able to come out of a confrontation with a fourth rank beast completely unharmed.
"MY ARM! I ONLY HAD ONE LEFT DAMNIT!"
The man who had just a stump for his left arm now lost his right arm as well.
Unless he could somehow kick it or bite it to death, he was out of this fight.
The man looked at the beast with a gaze filled with both anger and fear, but there wasn't anything he could do.
This was a result of him being too weak.
The weak have no rights.
Even to live.
This is also why Arvell so desperately wanted strength. Only those with strength would be able to dictate the course of their lives.
However, the man had no time to worry about his other missing arm right now.
They were still in grave danger.
The beast greedily slurped down the arm and chewed on it, filling the room with ominous cracking noises.
Some of the men like the man with the tattoo all fell to the ground in fright, some even pissing themselves in fear as well.
The lion-like beast gave them a toothy smile, granting them a full view of its blood-soaked teeth.
This was the reaction it was looking for!
That look of helplessness in its prey's eyes!
The mind-numbing fear that causes them to fall to their knees in fear!
It finally found what it was looking for!
While these weren't those two kids, they would do for now.
However, those kids still had to pay…
That purple smoke they used caused the beast too much agony for it to let them off scot-free.
The lion quickly finished off the ones paralyzed by fear, and then chased after those that were still capable of running away.
After making sure that the coast was clear, Arvell and Zen popped out of the tunnel.
Due to there being no light left in the tunnel, Zen couldn't see anything, but they could light another one and risk being caught by the slave traders or the rank four beast.
While Zen was trying to not stumble over the maimed corpses, Arvell happily looted each of their bodies, finding a decent amount of money and other useful items.
It wasn't like they were going to use them in the afterlife if at all they were going to go there.
Might as well make a donation towards Arvell's tuition.
It was the job of adults to foster the growth of the next generation!
Arvell was simply cashing in on their kindness.
The bandits would have spit blood if they heard Arvell's thought process.
Even if he hadn't been intentionally trying to pick up on Lykos's shamelessness, a little of it seemed to rub off on him either way.
Lykos naturally saw this and smiled to himself.
He didn't need to start Arvell's new 'training' from square one, he already had something to work with!
Sadly the man himself was imperceptible to his changes.
He was so used to robbing bandits, that looting corpses felt almost natural to him now.
As if it were a universal truth.
Throwing away any chance to get stronger was simply stupid.
Furthermore, it wasn't like he respected any of them either.
They were all kidnapping rapists, who frequently murdered innocents.
After Arvell stripped them off everything but the clothes on their back (he debated stealing those too, but they were far too smelly to sell), he and Zen started towards their original hiding place.
Their best chance to escape would be by using this preciously bought time to escape.
While he felt bad about abandoning the captured girls, they would be nothing more than a liability.
They couldn't take care of their group, and they would be hunted down by almost every nearby beast.
Might as well paint a large target on their backs and hold up signs saying "eat us".
While beasts couldn't read, they would still attack them on sight either way.
Arvell valued his own life far too much to throw it away to save some people he never met before.
Saving them from being raped was the most he could do.
Any more was pure stupidity, as it would benefit neither party.
Zen seemed troubled by this information as he wanted to save them after empathizing with their plight, but he knew that they simply couldn't protect them.
If anything they would end up doing more harm than good.
***
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