Her smiled dropped. “We don’t have the time right now. The hay will soon be taken out of here. We can’t waste any time.”
I’d hardly call this a waste of time.
Valentine picked up bundles of hay from the pile we had fallen onto and threw it over the cart, covering the elf and the vampire that lay in there. She added a little extra and then jumped on herself. “Come,” she said.
I nodded and jumped. I pulled myself atop the cart and laid myself on the edge. We pulled the extra hay over our bodies and hid ourselves inside. Soon my vision was dominated by strands of beige, and I could only see small specks of the outside world.
Just what is her angle? I wondered. No matter how hard I thought, I couldn’t understand why the princess had saved me. I didn’t know her, and she didn’t know me. She’d just saved a stranger, who was also a criminal, and was helping him run away.
Just why is she doing this?
A door thudded open.
“Ahhh,” a man groaned. “Come on, you horses. Time to do the stupid route again.”
He’s here. My muscles tightened and I stayed as still as I could.
Horses neighed, and the sounds of hooves came closer. For the next five minutes, footsteps sounded, as did unintelligible mumbling. Then wood cracked, and the cart jerked forward.
He’s harnessed the horses.
“Hup!” The front of the cart dipped forward. The cartman had gotten on. He yelled out and the horses moved, pulling us along.
I breathed slowly as we rolled out of the stables and onto the streets within the kingdom. At least, that’s what I assumed was happening. I couldn’t see anything from my position.
A minute later, the horses stopped. Chatter came from the outside, with bouts of laughter in between the words.
“You can pass.” A voice spoke, and the horses moved again.
We must be going through the palace gate.
Faint chatter sounded around us now, and stayed that way, as though it were background noise. The horses picked up pace, and another ten minutes later, the sounds faded away. Silence filled the air right after.
What’s going on? I wondered. Why are things suddenly silent?
Time ticked away, and the sounds didn’t return. Or I just don’t hear them.
Desperation clawed at me from within. I shifted inside the hay, and then froze, listening for the sounds of someone noticing my movement. Nothing happened.
Maybe I can move a little. I was already on the edge of the cart as is, and when I pushed out a little more of the hay, I opened up a proper gap to look through to the outside.
We were on the streets closer to my home, and they were all completely empty. The afternoon sun shone intensely onto the pathways, and I saw maybe one person walk across my side of the street.
That’s why it was so quiet, I realized.
A hand grabbed my wrist. "It'll only take a few more minutes," Valentine whispered, with her face a breath away from mine.
I wasn’t sure how to respond back to that, and so I just stayed silent. I pulled out more hay and covered a part of the gap that I had opened up within it.
“All you Ryder folk are the same!” a voice screeched. “Pathetic and useless.”
I froze. No. My eyes widened. Hell no.
My chest tightened. I didn’t give a damn about hiding now. I lifted myself out of the top of the hay and peeked out. The streets were still empty, other than the two women ten yards ahead of us.
Helen lay fallen on the ground, with her back against the stone, and Lady Henway stood next to her with a thick stick in her hand. Helen’s had bruises under her eyes, and a streak of blood painted the side of her head. My fists clenched, and heat surged the back of my neck.
“Apologize to my sons!” Lady Henway screeched.
Helen stared at her. “No.”
The cart slowed down, and I lowered myself a little into the hay. “Ma’am,” the cartman spoke. “This is a public space. It is probably not clever to do such a thing where other people can see you.”
“I will do what I want, when I want to.” Lady Henway swung down and hit Helen on the arm. The old woman yelped out, and my chest tightened.
You freaking monster. Heat surged through my blood, as though fire was coursing through my veins. An icy tinge spread from my heart and through my chest. My arms shook, and my fingers trembled.
Helen did nothing to you. I gripped strands of hay in my hands. She was nice to everyone else. She put up with all your stupid arrogance. And this is what she gets in return?
“Come along, you witch!” Another smack sounded; from far behind us. Helen yelped out again, louder than before.
That’s it.
I leapt out of the cart, with strands of hay in my hand. The feelings of fire and ice exploded within me, and my sensations turned numb. The two women stood twenty yards behind, and I rushed to them. Lady Henway glanced at my form, and her eyes widened. She stumbled back, pointing to me, and I jumped onto her.
I wound the strands of hay around her neck and tugged hard. She dropped to the floor, gasping, and her hands desperately pried at her neck. The hay cut into her skin; drops of blood spilled out her living flesh.
Her hand thrashed out and caught the side of my waist. The simple hit struck me hard, and I saw 10% of my health go down. Damn it. My muscles tightened. An idiot like this is stronger than me. All because her levels are higher.
The flames and the ice powered even harder. I put all my strength into my hands and tugged on the hay. Lady Henway gasped out, and her hands slapped the side of her neck.
“Die, you lowlife,” I whispered into her ear, and pulled with all my might. The hay cut deep into her neck, and blood flowed down her dress. Her eyes rolled up in her head, and her mouth frothed, blocking her croaking voice. Her head fell to the side a second later, and her breaths of air stopped.
A voice cackled in my mind, sounding just like my own. How wonderful.
Helen stood before me. “Levi.” Her voice trembled.
I looked at her, forcing myself to not pull away. My chest tightened, and the sensation of fire and ice faded from my body. “Helen, I—”
My legs gave out and I slammed to the floor. The world darkened, as spots of black filled my vision.
I heard my own voice mumble, “I’m sorry.”
***
I had a dream.
I was standing atop a cliffside, looking over the edge. Dark lands stretched for as far as the eye could see and the black skies met with them at the horizon. Countless bodies lay all over the ground, and their blood streaked the surface in red.
Laughter echoed through the air, and I jerked around, looking for the source. My eyes scanned the darkness, from horizon to sky, searching for who it was. Yet, it was all a big joke.
Why?
Because I was the one laughing.
My eyes shot open, and I gasped. What the hell? I gripped the sides of the blanket over me.
“I see you’re awake.”
Helen was cooking in the kitchen. She had a bandage over one eye, and a cut on her cheek. I looked at myself and noticed that I was on her cot. Another dream? I rubbed my eyes. And then I froze.
I sat up, and looked at her. Images of what I had done surged into me. I didn’t mind that I’d ended Lady Henway’s life. Rather, I felt happy. But Helen had seen me. She’d seen me choke that woman to death.
“I’m leaving.” I threw the blanket off me and stood up. “You should think twice before you harbor a traitor in your home again.”
“Maybe.” She glanced at me and then smiled. “The Knights already came in here before dawn. It’s already evening now. They’re not coming by another time today.”
My eyes narrowed. Helen seemed to be cooking, but the stove didn’t have a fire, and there weren’t any vegetables on the counter either. “Helen, are you okay?”
The woman stood still, and stared at the pot. “Her body is still out there.”
My chest tightened. “Oh.”
My voice was soft.
“It was hard for me to miss what you did, considering it happened a foot in front of me."
“Helen, I did that because—”
She held her hand up. "You saved me." Her words trembled. "I want you to know that. Whether you did it in a moral way or not … that's up to you to decide."
“Helen….”
She didn’t meet my eyes. “You should leave Zevalon for a while.” She pointed to the staircase, at a hooded black jacket that had been cleaned and neatly folded before being placed on the lowest step. Beside it was a kitchen knife, the very same one I’d used before.
My chest clenched, but I picked up the items and transferred them into my Inventories.
“What about you?” I turned to her. “What'll you do if people come after you?"
“They can’t pin anything on me. I did nothing. I was just a witness.”
Witness. That word hurt. It made me feel like Helen thought I was a criminal. I killed a woman with strands of hay. I probably am.
“From everything with the Henway twins, to that scroll that you carried around, to the elf and everything else….” Helen’s tone changed. “I knew from the very beginning you were different, Levi. This world of ours is too small for what you want to do.” Sobs filled her voice now. “You need to leave. I’ll be fine on my own, don’t worry.”
I stood still. There was no second side to this conversation. She wasn’t asking me to argue. She was asking me to listen.
I nodded. “I’ll … check my Ga’em messages from time to time. If something happens, let me know.”
“Each message costs quite a few Sol,” she said. “You know we can’t afford that kind of a luxury.”
I opened the door. She was right, but I said nothing.
"Just promise me one thing, Levi.” Helen stood still, staring at the pot before her. Tears dropped down to the floor, and her voice shook. "Trust people again, the way you trust me."
I smiled.
And then I left.
***
CHAPTER ELEVEN
Auron hurled a book at the Knight before him.
"You not only didn't get me the information, but you let him escape!” the Sage roared, and his voice echoed through his chamber. “And for some reason, the princess is missing now as well. How will you answer to the king now?!"
Joseph trembled. “Sir, it wasn’t my fault. The boy—”
"Get out!" Auron hurled another book at him.
The Knight threw his hands over his head and ran out the chamber. Snickering came from the guards outside, and the doors shut close.
“By the gods.” The Sage slumped into his chair. He looked at the scroll on his table. The half torn one lay on the right, while a stitched version of the torn pieces sat to his left. They were the same scroll, but they were missing vital pieces.
If only he knew where these scrolls had come from.
“Damn that boy.”
He turned to the letter on the desk. If it wasn’t bad enough that he had to deal with his own problems, he also had to deal with other people’s as well. He snatched the letter up between his fingers. It was probably another plea from some nobleman or merchant asking for him to talk to the king about some issue. He read the name on the letterhead.
Albion.
He scratched his beard. He didn’t recall communicating with such a man before. In fact, the name didn’t seem like one he had heard spoken in the city before, either.
“A joke?” His eyes narrowed, but curiosity got the better of his cautious side. He tore the envelope open and overturned it. A crisp piece of paper dropped out from inside.
He folded it out, and scrolled through the text, his feet tapping the floor impatiently the more he read. The moment he glanced at the last line, his chest clenched. His hands trembled, and he clutched to the sheet, reading through it once again.
Was this a joke?
He read through it a third time, and the trembling increased. He was certain the contents were all valid. After all, everything but the ending of the text talked about things he had been studying himself over the past few hours. However, the very last line was what caused him to shiver and shake.
He read it carefully once more, letter by letter, and a smirk curled onto his lips.
This was it. This was what he’d needed all along. That damn boy could go to hell for all he cared. He had something better now.
He looked at the letterhead again. “Just who the hell is Albion?”
A knock sounded on the doors before they opened. Elya walked in, but was glancing at the corridor behind him. He wore tough, silver armor, and had a sword at his side.
“I just saw Joseph storm off,” he said. “Tough chat?”
“Don’t get me started.” Auron smiled. “What brings you here?”
“I wanted to tell you we're all heading out now. You said you wanted to come, so I thought I’d let you know.”
“Ah, of course,” he said. “I will come. How can I not be part of the squadron searching for the princess?”
Elya smiled. “Indeed.”
Auron stood up. “Let us get moving, then.” He pocketed the scrolls—both half-torn and stitched—and walked to the Knight.
"What is that?" Elya looked to the Auron’s pockets, eyebrows furrowed.
The Sage smiled. "Do you ever wonder if the world is truly fair?"
***
A scream echoed into the skies.
I stepped into the alleyway. I guess someone found the body. I ran to the corner and peeked out. A small figure stood a hundred yards to my right. People crowded around her, and gasps sounded from the crowd.
Time to leave, then. I looked the other way. It was empty, but I wasn’t sure I should take it. Either way, I can’t get past the Knights at the outpost. I’d already broken my hook, which meant I now had no way to get over the wall.
It would have been easy to get out of here if I still had the cart, but obviously, those three idiots had just left without me. Not sure what I expected from them. I sighed. I thought about what Helen had said, and smiled again. Trusting people gets you killed.
The crowd grew larger and noisy chatter sifted through the air. I needed to get out of here. I headed through the other side of the alley, towards the crates from before.
A Knight passed through the alley-opening on the other side. I ducked down and hid behind the crates. Great. They’re already here. I gritted my teeth.
The voices faded away, and I peeked out. The streets weren’t safe anymore. My gaze lifted from the alleyway and to the roofs.
Perfect. I flexed my arms and lifted a crate. I stacked it onto another one, gasping as I did. I picked up a third and piled it on as well. There was one more left, but it was the broken one I’d gotten the rope from. Probably not stable enough.
I glanced at the stack of crates. I climbed up the structure, and stood at the top. Our house’s rooftop was a mere three feet above me, and I leapt toward it. My hand caught the tiled surface, and I grabbed on for all I was worth. The rough edges cut into my skin, but I gripped tight and pulled myself up.
My heavy breaths echoed in my ears, and I stood on the roof with my hands on my knees, looking down at the crowd. The people were slowly moving away, and a squad of men and women in silver armor showed up at the site.
More Knights. I turned around. I didn’t have much time to think.
The roof of the next house was just four feet away. I stepped back, and then charged down the one I was on. I leapt high off the last tile and landed hard onto the adjacent roof. I kept my momentum and ran across the rooftop. I leapt to the next house, and kept running in a straight line.
The wall around the city bobbed up and down as I ran through the odd pathways. I kept an eye on the streets, and caught sight of maybe three people walking deeper into Zevalon. The Knights and the rest of the crowd were still far behind me.
Hopefully they stay there. I leapt up onto another roof and ran over it.
The wall
was getting closer now. I had to find a way to get across it though. Could I jump it? I glanced at the other houses from the top of the roof I was on. Too short, I thought. Unless I could jump ten feet into the air.
Which I couldn’t.
There were only three houses left before the wall, now. I glanced at the outpost, and my eyes widened.
The Knights guarding the outpost sat in chairs, or lay on the floor with their backs resting against the edges of the wall and their heads tilted back.
They’re all asleep! A wide grin curled onto my face. I didn’t jump to the next rooftop. Instead, I hung down from the edge and dropped into the alleyway. A murky smell flowed through the air, but I didn’t mind it as much now. I equipped my hooded jacket, and made sure to cover my face completely.
I shuffled through the streets. No one came to the rural parts of town around this time of day, and the residents didn’t head out much either. I ran to the outpost. There were three Knights at the entrance, and they were all still sleeping.
Loud snoring filled the air as I approached. My eyebrows furrowed. This is so odd, I thought. Did they get drugged or something?
I froze. Maybe it’s a trap? I looked to my side and picked out a small pebble. I stepped into the next closest alleyway and hurled the small stone at the outpost. It hit the ground right before a fallen Knight, but he stayed how he was and continued snoring.
Maybe not? I walked out the alleyway and looked around. There was certainly no one hiding on the rooftops. I knew that much. And I couldn’t see anyone on the other side of the street, either.
I’m doing it. I ran to the outpost, and kept my steps soft and light. The Knights didn’t flinch when I passed through them and I continued out the enclosure.
Idiots. I grinned. I charged from the walls, and toward the Ymir Forest. The sun shone high above me, and the winds picked up their pace as I entered the first line of trees. A deep breath left my lips, and I looked around.
“Now what?” I mumbled.
I needed the scroll, but both copies were with the Zevalon Knights. The elf is my only way out of this, I realized. I needed to find her.
A twig snapped behind me.
Ascend: A World of Ga'em LitRPG (The Chaos Emperor Book 1) Page 11
