บท 11: Curiosity Killed The Cat...
The most important thing I had to do now, was to separate my feelings from my logic.
I already made a miscalculation once, which lead to my current state.
I had to recall, that this was not a safe world.
This was not a world, where I could recover from mistakes.
What I needed now, more than anything, was to calmly judge my situation.
To adjust my mind, I breathed in and I breathed out. Haa. Just like that. For the last time, I observed my surroundings, only to realize that it was still dark.
I closed my eyes, and listened to wind entering the cave. I listened to the rustling leaves, and I listened to the cries of the night animals.
Haa. The sounds soon began drowning out, as I stored my concentration only onto the the tears dripping from Estella's face.
Drip.
Drip.
And slowly, that sound disappeared too.
My mind entangled itself with the cave, and connected with the void. A whetstone carved my consciousness, and honed it into a spear. Just like the clouds clearing after a storm, and a wave washing away the dirt, I cleansed myself from any emotions.
The moment I opened my eyes, the guards had already freed themselves from any ropes.
That previous endeavor was really unlike me. It really was unlike me. I said it twice because it's important, as never in my whole two lives did a I make such a blunder. I could only blame that on still being half asleep.
But now I remembered, that things such as emotions and feelings, were factors of distractions, which I had long sealed away.
It was a fluke, a fluke, I said, caused by the fact that I was overwhelmed with bizarre thoughts, which lead to a simple misjudgement.
At that time, I honestly couldn't believe that I would ever feel a protective urge for another human being, so I did not even realize that I had instinctively based my plans on Estella's well-being.
It still felt surreal to me, to say the truth.
Several shadows started moving around. I could vaguely differentiate between the silhouettes of the bandits and of the guards, by how they were positioned. Those holding us hostage, stood a few meters away from us, While occasionally watching our moves.
"Miss, let me free you," Lidra spoke.
I vacantly looked towards where the voice came from, and said "no, take care of those bandits first."
Lidra nodded, and the trio began to move out. Stealth was an important factor, when it came to assassination, but there was not much of a surprise that we could prepare, as the were closely eyeing us.
However, it didn't matter, because before the bandits could react, the guards had already appeared next to them.
It was a fast procedure, and before I knew it, they were already engaged in combat.
The first to reach its target was Lidra, as expected of the captain. He hit one bandit with a hard fist, and before the bandit could recover, the bandit was slammed on the ground. As he fell, I heard a light cracking sound reverberating through the cave walls.
"Kuagh," the bandit cried out and shook his body.
"Andre, what happened?"
The bandits' shout had attracted the gaze of its partners causing them to be distracted for a second.
Still that second was crucial, allowing Robert to sneak up on his target and with a precise punch, he hit the throat of his opponent. As the bandit gagged, Robert made use of the chance to grab him by his head, and repeatedly kneed his face.
Once, twice, thrice, he continued bashing his head in, while the bandit groaned in pain.
Only after Roberts breath grew ragged and the bandits body went limp, did he stop his assault.
In a swift manner he pulled his pocket sized dagger and marked it down the bandits throat. A light, but deep stab, and blood spurted out.
Even though, I wasn't able to ascertain the color in the darkness, I was able to tell by the smell alone that it was a lot of blood.
I silently watched as Robert held the bandit by his head and let him bleed out. Yikes.
The whole process took less than a minute.
And with this, I had witnessed the first death in a new world. However, there was no time to celebrate this milestone, as it was not long before Lidra had also completed his deed.
The bandit who fell down was grabbed by Lidra and held in a chokehold. While Robert was still kicking the bandit, I saw another lose its consciousness from his respiratory system being blocked. In the end his throat was also slit.
Of course this was the outcome.
Ordinary people would never fend off against actual trained combatants. Rather, if it didn't end up like that, I might question why we paid these guards in the first place.
If that was their way of redeeming themselves, then they were doing quite a job. Should we keep going like this, we might be able to escape this predicament after all.
Two bandits were now incapacitated, leaving only another two guarding the cave. We were five people, of whom three are able to fight. Objectively speaking, the odds are on our side.
"Kuaah!"
Before I knew it, I heard another scream.
I looked towards the source, only to find my hope betrayed by the sight which laid before me.
Let's say, what I expected was a dead body. Even though I most certainly did get the dead part, but that wasn't what exactly I had in mind.
I rubbed my eyes, to ascertain what I see was correct.
It was.
I felt like going crazy. No, I already was, but still.
In front of me was a body shrouded in darkness.
The body lied in a puddle of blood, which dyed the surroundings red.
The body made twists and turns, resembling a macabre art, of a morbid individual.
Like a broken doll that fell from a high place. That's what it looked like.
Decorated with several bracelets and a breastplate covered with scratches, it didn't take long for me to figure out, who it was.
"Ah, is he dead? He is dead right?"
"I told you not to go too far, but you wouldn't listen."
"What, would you rather have died? You should be thankful that I saved you."
Suddenly, two voices resounded in the cave.
One was a deep and raspy voice, while another was vibrant and full of energy.
Those voices also caught Lidra and Robert off guard, who then focused their gaze towards its origin.
What actually had occurred?
"How would I know that they were actually brave enough to ambush us?"
"Well, whatever, let's take care of them first."
"Give'em hell."
My vision was still locked onto the two bandits who conversed as if they had an afternoon chat.
It was not long, before one of them began stretching his left hand out. It was a simple movement, but it felt heavier than gold.
I squinted my eyes and concentrated upon his hand, and I saw something unbelievable.
A small area around his hand started distorting, as if a force, invisible to the naked eye, was gathering on his palm, and solidifying into a ball. It resembled an undetectable hurricane, and was not bigger than a head. Still, it held an incredible amount of density and many different layers. It was as if not just the air, but space itself was growing wild around the area.
With just a simple snap, it flew towards Robert like a projectile, in a straight line, not affected by gravity at all.
Even though he tried to block the sphere with his dagger, it was of no use. The second it touched him, I saw him twisting and churning, just like the ball itself. His limbs turned into directions not possible according to its anatomy. Just like a puppet who had his strings cut, Robert went limb. The dagger he had in his hand fell towards the ground and the sound of iron hitting stone echoed in my ears.
However, that was the only thing that I had heard.
Roberts body was still warping and contorting, changing different directions and deforming into something that looked just like William currently did.
It felt like an eternity until everything had stopped. In the end, he could only leave one last cry out, before dropping dead.
"Woah, beautiful."
"Obviously, who do you think I am?"
Only after the two bandits started talking again, did I realize what had happened.
Lidra gripped his dagger, and his wariness grew exponentially.
Estella lost all color in her face and stared towards Roberts corpse in a trance.
But the most surprised one here, was me.
That had to be a joke.
No, really. That had to be a joke.
The first thing on my mind was to run away, but that thought immediately perished. Where was I supposed to escape from this?
Absolute dominance. There was neither the option of retreat or the option to fight.
I now finally understood, why they would attack us with only six people. They were allowed to have this confidence.
I now also understood, why the guards in the palace would look weak, why there was an abundance of meat, why we had different names for the countries and why there was already a potato.
The answer, no matter how dumb it appeared to be, was magic.
The reason for having frail guards was because they have magic that can overpower strength.
The reason for the abundance of meat was because there were some who are able to use magic to hunt.
The reason for the different names was because those with magic held more importance than those without, and rulership was discerned by magic.
The reason for the potato was also because magic enabled better circulation methods and faster globalization.
Even though it made no sense, everything began to make sense.
And with that, I also realized another crucial thing—our plan has failed.
I bit my lips and the fresh wound which had already began to heal, opened up again.
I was an absolute idiot.
Why would I assume that there was no magic, even though being transported through different worlds was a miracle close to magic. No, maybe it already was magic.
Even though I spoke about common sense and how it was limiting the critical mind, I myself got caught in the very thing I denounced. I was the worst kind of hypocrite.
I let out a dry laugh. I wondered when I had grown so cocky to act so prideful. I felt like I stood at the top of this world, when in fact I hadn't even played the tutorial.
I must have forgotten, what turned me into a swindler in the first place.
Was it not to change my own fate? While walking on the thin thread of life, I discovered how unfair it really is.
Who did I think I was, giving a lecture when I myself had so much to learn.
I was but just a normal person. I was but just a normal person. I was but just a normal person.
I felt pain, I felt pleasure. I felt sympathy and I felt disgust.
I made plans, which sometimes succeeded and sometimes failed. That's just life.
I was not a psychopath and I was not a sociopath either. There was no bad day which made me into the person I was, because I never changed.
I was but just a normal person.
And that's what made me the best swindler.
I threaded my own path.
I did not begin as genius with an inborn ability, I was not a master-mind, and I was not a king. I could not draw excellent forgeries like my schoolmate, I was not a mad scientist like my partner, I was not a multi talent like my sister and I was not a serial killer like my friend.
I was only the common folk who fought its way to the top. That's what made me special.
I, who was not bound to anything was also someone who could be shaped into anything.
I, who was just average understood humans the best.
But after being transferred into this world, I somehow thought I must be a unique existence. With the freshest memory in my mind being that I was the best swindler, I forgot my core.
I was the lowest of human beings, I was a hypocrite.
"Oh, I went away for just a second and look what happened," a familiar voice rang through everybodies ears. It was the captain.
"What, Andre, Jack!"
Suddenly, I heard a second voice, and footsteps approaching us in a frantic manner.
"Haha, looks like they died," the magician said.
"You, what happened here," the voice asked.
The captain interjected and spoke,"well, I can kind of guess what has occurred. There is still one left though, why don't you finish the job?"
"Oh can I?"
"Yes, show them why we shouldn't be messed with."
It did not take long before the shadows started moving again, However, it was not the magician, but his partner whom he was talking to the whole time.
Even though Lidra stayed vigilant, his opponent was so fast, before anyone could see anything, a blade was rammed through his heart.
And with that all my guards had died in an unspectacular fashion.
Why were my guards so damn weak. We may not have hired the best ones, as we did not want to grab unnecessary attention, but they should still be pretty skilled.
No, rather it was those bandits who were strong. Well, some of them were at least. I'm not sure if we could still call them bandits to be honest.
"Agnes."
"Estella."
"Can I just tell you something?"
Just when I wondered what Estella wanted, she appeared with a sudden request. Normally, I would have rejected it, but oddly enough, I felt that I should hear her out.
"Sure, what is it."
"Did you know that I have a sister?"
"Yes, you told me briefly."
"See, my sister and I were always inseparable. Even though We were like fire and ice, we held an indestructible bond," she took a breath, "she would always be the serious one who protected us and I was the child who needed protection."
"That sounds like a great relationship."
"It was. We grew up in the slums, so as you can imagine, we did not have the best life. I know, it is probably incredibly common, but at that time, I felt why I was the only one who had to suffer. But thank goodness, my sister was always by my side. Even when we became servants and were ostracized by other maids, did my sister stand by me."
"I take it that your sister must have been what caused you to develop such a childish personality."
"Well, I guess you could say that. In the end, she was the only one who carried the responsibility of us both, and for that I am incredibly thankful. To me, she was the most important person I had in my life."
"I must thank her properly for raising you then."
"No you mustn't, because I now have a person who I hold even dearer than my sister, Agnes, I love you."
"Yes, I know, I love you too."
"No, that's not what I me-"
"Oh hey what are you talking about, let me join."
While I was engrossed in the conversation, I had not noticed how close the four bandits had gotten to us. The smile of the captain was as disgusting as ever. He held something in his hands, which resembled paper.
"Hey, look what I found in your luggage. It's your documents. It says here, that the Dukes granddaughter is named Agnes. If I'm correct, that should be. . . that should be you," he pointed at me.
Shit, there was that too. Estella did scream my name when I was assaulted.
"So we have no use for the other one."
"Wait, wait, wait, wait," I stuttered.
Still he did not wait. I tried protecting her, but the strength of my body was meager in comparison with the strength of a male. He violently shoved me away, and I felt the air flow out of my lungs.
I ran towards Estella again, and he shoved me away again. But I did not give up. I tried again and again, but I fell again and again.
"It was only the guards who attacked you, someone like her should do you no harm," I proposed, while gasping for air.
"You may be right, but I like to be thorough," he said and laughed.
"I can understand your behavior and I will forgive you even when everything is over, so why don't you let us off."
"I see, you'll forgive us you say?"
He grabbed me by my hair and hit me in the face.
"Will you forgive me even if I do this."
I tried grabbing his hands, but I couldn't muster any strength. All I could do was let him beat me up. In the end it was Estella, who stopped him.
"Enough," she shouted.
My eyes grew swollen and I gaze at Estella. My vision was blurry and all I could see was her faint smile, and her eyes that began tearing up.
Slowly my view descended into darkness and the last thing I saw was the grinning captain, an exaggerated swing, and a head separating from its neck.
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