章 14: Chapter 14. The boss
Tensions were high in the parliament, a place uniquely made for the hunters. The four main guild leaders, who controlled all the hunters in Dis, sat around a table illuminated by a beam of light from the ceiling. Marcus, the leader of the Nest Guild, sighed.
"Listen, we can keep talking about this all week, and things will not change. This is not our fight. This is between this kingdom and the terrorists that attacked them."
"But this is our fight."
The leader of the Kelpy guild, Joshua, slammed his fist onto the table. His military clothes and hairstyle screamed that this man was in the army; his eyes were cold and ruthless. As the second strongest guild in the USA, he was prideful, not to mention his class, Tsunami Tempest; he was a man born to fight.
"In this surprise attack, 10 hunters have died, not to mention a still unknown number of guards and civilians! Those monster-lover rebels are an eyesore to us, threatening us!"
"Let's not speak about the hyumans as if they were one of us. They are monsters that look human."
A man in his thirties spoke, his arms crossed. He had long blond hair and closed eyes, wearing mages' clothes. The head of the third strongest guild in the USA, the "Thunderlord" Drake.
"But the Seahorse is right. If the monster gets through the gate, we might face a dungeon breach. Maybe even at the magnitude of the Break."
The Kelpie guild leader hit the solid marble table so hard cracks formed on it.
"Call a seahorse again, you electric rodent!"
The two guild leaders stared at each other with murderous intent, while Marcus cleared his throat.
"In any case, we need to provide help to these people. The hyumans are a source of workers in Dis, not to mention the amount of dungeon crystals we get from them without any cost is not negligible."
"Then we will relocate them."
All three of them turned to the last person at the table. The man was built like a tank, with full plate armor so bulky one could tell a piece of it weighed a ton. The man looking out from his helmet was in his sixties with scars all over his face and shining gray eyes.
He was a living legend. The man who fought during the first outbreak and reached the highest level in the world. The 'Ethereal Crusader' Henrik, the guild leader of Arthur's knight, the only guild that managed to reach the other side of the sea and make a name for itself.
Even his voice carried power, his words ringing in the hall, shutting these people up.
Markus spoke with sweat on his forehead.
"Relocate them?"
"Yes. Like we did with the Indians. We send them somewhere else."
"And where will you send them?"
The Thunderbolt guy opened his eyes which were glowing blue with power.
"We will start slow. We will move the undesirables to the lowest levels and will work up till it's only humans that live here."
"B-But hyumans are-"
The crusader put his hand on the table silencing everyone.
"We are humans. We suffered from the attacks of the monsters in this dungeon. It's time for them to suffer."
He slowly stood up.
"Dis will be the first hunter city in the dungeon. The first step for us humans taking over this accursed world."
*****
It has been about 2 hours since I put the bag over my head. The group dragged me by the armpits when they realized I had a bad leg, and from what I could hear, they put Duster into a cage and left my dog there. It didn't matter; I could always summon it to my side.
As I was pushed onto the chair, my hands were tied down, and after a while, the bag was off my head.
I blinked for a couple of seconds, getting used to the light.
I was put in a small room with a table in front of me and a door, a candle placed right before me.
I put some strength into my arms to be sure I could escape when I wanted.
The wood of the chair checked, letting me know that I could indeed do it. Not having anything else to do, I stayed still, waiting for the big boss to come to me. I didn't have to wait long; the door soon opened.
The guy who entered was not human.
He had gray skin, bulging muscles, white hair, and a single tooth sticking out from the left corner of his mouth like a vampire fang.
It took me a few seconds to remember the stories my mother told us.
This guy was a troll, a creature with insane regeneration powers and the physical strength of a bear.
"So, you wanted to talk to me."
I inhaled and spoke, trying to be polite.
"To be fair, I wasn't, but since things turned out like this, I thought we could talk things out-"
While I was speaking, I saw the shine of something metallic as a sharp pain hit my left leg.
"Don't waste my time."
I held back my scream as I looked at the knife he stabbed me with.
"I-damn it, that was my good leg. I want to work for you." The troll twisted the knife a little.
"Why." "Ugh! BECAUSE I NEED MONEY!"
He pulled the knife out.
"Money? You can make it easy; why would you join me?"
"I-I am on the bad side of everything. I lost my home, and my family, living on the streets for god's sake. When I saw the drugs, I knew it was my ticket to a better life."
He placed the knife to my neck, looking straight into my eyes.
"You killed one of my men. He was a dumb ass but still part of the group. I should kill you right here, right now."
I held back my breath, tensing up the muscles in my arms, ready to rip the binding off and break this guy's face.
"...But I will not."
He put the knife away.
"So I am in?"
"You are. But only because of this."
He whistled, and the door behind him opened, and two guys brought in a cage in which I saw my dog.
"We checked it. It's a magical familiar. You can use magic for a hyuman, making you extremely valuable."
"Ahhh, well that-"
"Naturally, you will have to sign this."
From his pocket, he pulled out a folded-up piece of paper. "What is that?"
"It's a holy knight's toll. It's called a binding contract. Basically, it makes it so you don't stab me in the back."
A binding contract? Sounds magical. Is it like a pact?
"Can you read it to me? I should know what I am signing up to."
"It says you will work for me without question, and I will not turn you into pig food."
"...Okay. But, I don't know how to write."
"Sigh, you really are from the streets. Just bite your finger, and the contract will be made."
Not knowing what else to do in this situation, I did as he told me, biting my left index finger and dripping a drop of blood on the paper. As the drop hit the parchment, the fabric quickly turned red before entirely turning into what I could only describe as blood, floating up into the air and surrounding my neck.
"What the hell is this?!"
"It's the process of the slave contract. It will end quickly."
"Slave?!"
The liquid gathered around my neck, and before I could even utter a word, it turned a heavy choker around my neck.
"Next time, learn to read before signing papers. Stand up!" Immediately, my body jumped on its feet as if someone pulled the strings of a marionette. Even the burning pain in my leg did not stop my body.
"Hey wh-"
"Shut up."
My mouth closed up as I tried to speak.
"You will stay quiet till talked to. Now follow me."
This was a very unsettling feeling, having my legs move on their own against my will, feeling like a puppet.
Is this what slaves feel? Damn, what a horrible existence.
The troll led me through a passageway that twisted and turned for no reason with several other passageways leading to God knows where.
Soon we arrived at a door that seemed to be made from solid metal.
The troll opened it easily and shouted inside.
"We got a human slave that can use summoning magic. He is now yours."
The troll pointed at me.
"You. Go in."
As much as I tried to protest, my body moved as it was told, stepping through the door, which was immediately slapped behind me.
The room I was in was dimly lit with the smell of rot lingering in the air. Bookshelves lined up the wall, full of not-so-well-kept books. And a single table that had a flickering candle on it.
At the table, the cloaked figure of a woman could be seen reading with a drawing of a purple flower on it, which I immediately recognized.
It was a purple lily, the symbol of the group that had been fighting the kingdom and terrorizing people.
And I got mingled up with these people?! Fuck me, I have the worst luck!
The woman slowly stood up and looked me in the eyes. Most of her face was hidden behind her hood, but I still could see her piercing blue eyes that felt like she was looking into my soul, to my very being.
"You look like a human. Do you have holy knight blood in you?"
"I d-"
"No matter."
She walked to one of the shelves and forced a book into my hand.
"Since you have magical aptitude, it means you can learn magic. And looking at you, I can immediately tell you are a beginner. So we will start by looking for what type of magic you have aptitude for."
The book was unsettling to look at; it was bound in purple-colored leather with a small skull embedded in it.
The object was screaming dark magic.
"You will read and learn as many spells as you can. 5 minimum. If you are unable to do it in a week, your ass will be wiped and you will be forced into physical labor."
I opened the book. Its pages were full of texts and symbols that I could barely understand.
"...I don't know how to-"
The door slammed shut so hard that the walls slightly trembled.
"-nevermind."
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