by V. A. Lewis
We continued down the winding corridor, making a few turns as we went; I was pretty sure we were descending just a little bit, but not enough to be completely underground. We avoided a few more small traps— none too big or dangerous— before we finally reached the end of the long hallway.
We stepped out into a large cavernous room, with clusters of stalagmites scattered throughout the uneven floor; there were also stalactites hanging off the ceiling, but they were almost 50 feet off the ground, and barely within my peripheral vision.
A small breeze brushed past my hair as I felt a slight chill go through me from the damp environment; mold grew on the rocks and the walls around us, giving of a slightly eerie glow that illuminated the room. The cave chamber was expansive, spreading out into a slight decline far before me. And down at the bottom, in the center of it all, was an encampment.
Tents were strewn about with torches lighting up the small settlement. A small wooden fence surrounded the camp, and I saw figures moving around in the distance. It was an outpost
Now this is what I had in mind when I imagined an outpost.
I was about to take a step forward when I heard a sound. It sounded like… string? I turned my head just in time to see something whizzing through the air straight at me.
By the time I realized what it was, I was already too late; I tried to react, but all I could do was blink. The arrow flew straight at me—
And a hand grabbed me and pulled me out of the way. The light spell disappeared as Victor raised and spun his staff in the air, deflecting another three arrows that came for us. Then he called out.
"That’s enough! We’re allies. Sent by the Infernalis."
The Dark Crusader raised his staff, and a magic circle began to form in the air. But instead of dissipating or forming a spell, magical symbols began to take shape within the perimeter of the circle; the usual complex patterns that overlapped on top of each other gave way to a… pentagram. And it was flipped.
The inverted pentagram shone red inside of the magic circle. Surrounding it were four small images of a black flame that glowed with the intensity of a real fire.
It was the symbol of the Dark Crusaders; their logo, made in homage to the home of the Demons who discovered magic. And with that very same magic, Victor formed the upside down star out of nothing.
The arrows stopped coming, and there was a moment of silence. The symbol vanished, and the young man lowered his staff. We waited.
Then slowly, out of the darkness a figure stepped into view: they wore a hood over their face, but even in the shadows, I could still faintly see their eyes. Two yellow glowing orbs stared right at me. And the figure spoke.
"Name yourself."
The figure raised their bow slightly. The arrow was nocked, but not fully pulled back on the string.
"Victorianius Valens. A Dark Acolyte, here to provide my assistance. I’m certain you should have been informed of my coming arrival," Victor replied, raising an eyebrow..
The hooded person relaxed slightly at the mention of his name. But they did not lower their weapon.
"We were told to expect you, yes. But we were also told to expect you a day from now, and to expect you to come alone."
The figure turned to me warily. I took a step back, but Victor spoke up quickly.
"The girl is with me. Who she is none of your concern. Now if you would be so kind as to lead us to Gerritt— your Commander— and lower your weapons, it would be very much appreciated." Victor then raised an arm and pointed past the figure. "And the same goes for your five… friends," he added.
The figure tensed. But only for a moment. They carefully lowered their weapon, then called out behind them. "Lower your weapons."
I looked up and blinked as more figures came out from the shadows behind the first figure. They were all carrying bows or crossbows, except for one of them who had a rifle instead. They all began to apprehensively lower their hoods, and I saw—
Glowing yellow eyes that showed barely a trace of the sclera; gray rocky skin that looked rough to touch; completely bald heads with thin eyebrows that had little hair in them; and long pointed troll-like noses. They were small too, and around my height at most. Or in other words: Goblins.
Truth be told, I knew that they were Goblins even before they revealed themselves and lowered their hoods. That was because most of this camp was made up of Goblins— Victor told me as much yesterday.
Of course he’d tell me such an important detail. He wasn’t going to wait until the last moment, only for it later to be too late. He wouldn’t do that. Who would do that?
People in movies, that’s who!
But even knowing that they were Goblins— even knowing what they would look like— I nearly recoiled. Because they were… ugly (I tried not to judge people based on their appearance, but they really weren’t good looking).
They weren’t horribly disfigured: they didn’t have a crooked face, nor were they covered with warts. But they had unnaturally large eyes— like a fish— and an unusually round head. Their proportions just seemed… off. However, I already knew what they were supposed to look like based on descriptions from Mr Walden and my mom, but it was still shocking to see them for myself to say the least. Luckily, I caught myself, and managed to not react.
The Goblins all exchanged a look, and their leader— the first one to come out— walked up to us and nodded. "Follow me," he said.
The Goblin turned around and began to walk towards the camp. Victor followed after him, and I was next, just a step behind the young man. The rest of the Goblins spread out around us— not exactly circling us completely out of fear— but in a way that still showed caution.
We made our way to the campsite, descending slightly as we went. Upon reaching the entrance, heads turned to face us— strangers arriving at the camp for the first— appraisingly. People came out of their tents to look at us as we passed by them, and they stared.
I shifted my feet uncomfortably as I continued walking past all the staring faces; it was not because they were looking at me I felt nervous. It was because they were all Goblins, and I just felt a little bit out of place.
We eventually reached the center of the encampment, and found ourselves in front of a large tent. The lead Goblin turned back around to face us. "Wait here a moment, I’ll get the Commander," he said, then turned around and entered the tent.
It was only a moment before I heard a noise coming from behind the white canvas; it sounded like stomping footsteps, as if they were rushing to get out—
The flap of the tent flew open, and a man came bursting out. A large man stood in front of me. He stood at over eight foot tall, and had the physique of a bodybuilder scaled up to his size. That meant his arms were huge, his traps were huge, his chest was huge— he was huge! An absolute unit!
Also, he was red.
The mass of pale red skin spread his arms wide as he opened his oversized jaw. "Disciple Victorianius Valens! You’ve finally arrived! And a day early, as well," he bellowed.
I flinched as his loud voice reverberated throughout my body. Victor on the other hand, did not seem bothered by it.
"Commander Gerritt, I presume," the young man stated, rather than asking. "And please, just call me Victor," he added.
"Of course." The large man nodded, then turned to face me. "And I see you brought a guest too. A little one. A… Human child?" he asked.
"Yes, she is," Victor replied in my stead.
"Hrmph, that is tremendous! I’ve seen Human children before, but I’ve never actually spoken to one. Tell me, little one, what is your name?"
I hesitated for a moment. But I managed to look up at the large man— Commander Gerritt— and met his black eyes.
"Melas," I answered.
"Melas," he uttered the words as if he were savoring it. "What a wonderful name!"
"Indeed," Victor concurred, stepping between us. "But speaking of her, there's something we need to discuss, and I would like to do so in private." H
e eyed the tent impatiently
"Hrmph, of course." The Orc took a step back and nodded quickly. He turned to the Goblin waiting at his back, and spoke to him. "Karna, get us some drinks and food please. And ensure no one bothers us while we speak."
The Goblin that led us here— Karna— bowed his head. "Yes Commander," he said, then took off.
Commander Gerritt opened the flap to the tent, and held an arm out. "Please, come in."
Victor bowed his head slightly as he passed by the Orc, and I followed behind uttering a thank you. We entered the large tent with Commander Gerritt, and I looked around the room. It was big.
There were different sections to the room, one being a war room complete with a long table covered in maps and other documents; we walked around it, and passed by a desk that held some sort of device. It almost looked like… a radio transmitter?
I blinked as we walked past the machine. It was definitely some sort of radio. But only powered with mana crystals instead of electricity.
We continued to some seats, and I sat down on a chair next to Victor. Across the table from us, the Orc knelt on both knees, in a sort of seiza style of sitting. Except, not on some cushion or even tatami floorboards, but the hard rock ground.
Commander Gerritt bowed his head slightly. "Apologies, Disciple— hrmph, Victor. And thank you, once again for coming. When we requested for reinforcements from the Infernalis, we were not expecting them to send a Dark Acolyte. When we got the news that you were coming, we were excited to say the least. And now you’re here a day earlier than anticipated, with a curious little one too. Suffice to say, I was a bit too eager to remember my manners."
"Ah, of course. Punctuality is one of my best traits, after all." The young man smirked to himself. Then he leaned back on his chair as he continued. "Unfortunately, my companion came as much a surprise to me as it was to you. But it was a fortuitous meeting— if I hadn’t intervened, she would likely be chained up on a podium, up for sale right now. And by my intervention, I’ve found a potential future ally."
The Orc looked at me, and stroked his gigantic maw thoughtfully. "Hrmph, I see. So that mark on her face is a slave emblem. Is it… the Mancis Company? Apologies, but I’m not too familiar with Human society."
"Yes. She was a product of the now-defunct Mancis Company—"
Victor ignored the glare I gave him for his choice of words, and continued. "But she is something much more than that, of course: she is the Fiend’s daughter."
The huge man paused and blinked. He turned to look at me carefully, inspecting me as he leaned over the table. "Hrmph, yes. I have never seen the Fiend myself, but from what I’ve heard, I am starting to see the resemblance."
Victor sighed, then took a deep breath. And spoke up, but this time sullenly.
"Yes. And tragically, it seems that the Fiend’s time had finally come to an end."
Commander Gerritt continued nodding for a moment, then froze as the words registered in his head. He turned back to the young man— the Dark Acolyte— and their eyes met. And his next words were soft; no longer the loud powerful voice it was before.
"...how?" that was all he said.
"She was in hiding, but was found out by the Church. It was a team of Inquisitors and a Saint. From what Melas told me, I believe it had to have been Saint Theron," Victor said the name with venom in his mouth.
And I would too. I could already feel my blood boiling just at the mention of that name. Saint Theron. Victor told me that was probably who it was; some arrogant young man who discovered he had the power of miracles when he was 18 years old— one of the youngest in history.
And yet I could find no respect for him. Because he was a murderer. He killed my mom, my wonderful mother, all because she did magic. I hated him. I—
I was about to cry. But then I felt a hand gently touch my shoulder, and I looked up at a red face. Something so completely alien to me. And yet, the words Gerritt spoke gave me comfort.
"I’m sorry for your loss. You’re very strong to have managed to come this far."
I froze.
"You must have been through a lot since then. Your mother’s death, and becoming a slave? You fought through it all, and yet you’re still here," he said, lowering his face to meet mine, and smiling. "You are so young, and so strong. So… brave— more so than I’ll ever be."
It did not mean much; they were only words. It was not even life-changing advice— just simple words. They should not have meant anything, for they were merely words.
But still, I found comfort in them.
"Thank you, sir," I said, as a single teardrop ran down my cheek.
"Please, little one, my name is Gerritt," the Orc kindly interjected.
I nodded, and smiled. "And my name is Melas, Gerritt."
He laughed, and I giggled a little bit too. Victor gave us both a sidelong look that totally wasn’t judging us in any way, and he sighed.
"Commander Gerritt, Melas will be with us for the foreseeable future. And being Lady Valeria’s daughter, I’ve found that she has a talent in magic too. But she is still young, so she is undecided on whether she wants to be a Dark Crusader— which is understandable— but she is also a marked slave. As such, I’ve decided we shall offer her our protection until we can find a way to remove the brand upon her face."
"Hrmph, of course! That is only reasonable."
"Ah, and there are two additional things: firstly, if you could transmit my decision back to headquarters, that would be very much appreciated. Secondly, we left a horse, just outside of the cave entrance— you may do with it as you will," the young man added.
"I will do both of that. I’m sure the Infernalis would be pleased to hear about Melas. Although I will also inform them of… the other news you’ve brought me. And the two of us too, have many things to discuss. But— later. Come, let us talk of something less dour. Karna has returned with food and drinks." The large man pointed behind me.
Sure enough, the Goblin from earlier was returning with baskets of bread and fruits. Following behind him were two other Goblins carrying a jar of water and an amphora of wine respectively.
My mouth immediately began to water at the sight of food. The moment Karna came within reaching distance, I started stuffing my mouth.
The Goblin stared at me in disbelief as I devoured everything in the basket. Gerritt guffawed and poured some wine for himself and Victor, while offering me some water; I graciously accepted the cup as he handed it over to me.
"Hungry, are you?" Gerritt chuckled as I took a swig of water. "You look like you haven’t eaten in days."
I shook my head, and gestured at Victor. "He’s been sharing his travel supplies with me. But it’s only a little— we’ve had to ration it," I said.
"Of course. I only brought food for myself on this journey. I wasn’t expecting someone else to join me. Let alone a child that eats as much as you," the young man snorted.
I took a bite out of a loaf of bread as the Orc chortled.
"Well there’s no need to hold back here, Melas. Eat to your heart’s delight."
I brightened as I looked at all the food on the table. I reached for a piece of fruit, and paused.
Wait, did Victor just call me fat?!
Chapter 27: Starved and Stronger
I exited the small bathtub after cleaning myself off for over half an hour. Most of that time had been spent untangling my matted hair, running my fingers through each small knot for five minutes at a time. I wish I had a brush, I thought wistfully.
But that was a longing that did not last; it was simply a recollection of a different place where basic amenities that increased the quality of life were ubiquitous. I had lived as a slave for two months, and lived in the backwater village of Villamcreek for all of my current life. I could very easily make do without dwelling on the absence of such luxuries.
I donned the change of clothes that had been prepared for me: I stepped out of the tent wearing a black cowl hanging behind my neck, and
a brown leather tunic stretched down below my waist, slightly obscuring the darker shade of pants that reached near my ankles. A belt held the outfit together, and the look was completed with the arm braces on both my hands.
I didn’t need to wear all that; I could’ve just worn the shirt and pants and been done with it. In fact, I was not even planning on dressing up in all this, and only brought it into the bath because Gerritt insisted I was adequately armored. But when I saw my reflection in the water— when I saw how dreadful my appearance was— I immediately changed my mind. I wanted to look good.
It was such a meaningless thing. A superficial desire that I could— and I did— forgo for more important things. But now that my survival was guaranteed (at least, for the foreseeable future), I could at least enjoy these mundane joys of life— such as fashion.
Of course, there was no makeup here. This was a camp, inside a cave, and deep within a forest. So I had to settle with what I had… which was the typical Goblin wear in this camp. Their clothes fitted me perfectly since I was about the same size as most of them.
I paused and stared at the encampment around me. At all the Goblins milling about and talking to each other. At the way they were dressed.
At least I fit in, right?
I started for the center of the camp; we had arrived here a day ago, and this morning Victor had sent me off to do whatever I wanted for a bit, to only meet him and Gerritt when I was ready. Or in other words: ‘Go away, the adults are talking’.
After all, everyone knew that when there was something important needed to be talked about, you told your kids to go play somewhere else. But I wasn’t a kid, so I knew what adults meant when they said that.
I wasn’t offended by it or anything; I had been a kid for 11 years now, so I was pretty used to being treated like one. However, I would never force myself to pretend to be a kid if it was not necessary, so I was not going to play any childish games. It had been almost an hour, and I was done bathing, so I was going to go back. I walked past some tents, turned a corner, and—
