Somerset

by Aaron Oster

  There was a soft crunching of leaves, and a moment later, Emma came into view. Sam really wasn’t in the mood of dealing with her at the moment, but it looked like she wasn’t going to give him a choice. She sat down next to him, leaning her back against the same tree and pushing her shoulder into his. Sam debated getting up and leaving, but decided that it would be childish to do so.

  Emma was silent, and for a few moments, the only sounds he could hear were the leaves rustling in the wind. He could feel the light breeze wafting through the clearing and tickling his cheek. Sam took a long, deep breath, and allowed the tension to ease from his shoulders.

  It’s peaceful here, even though this place is completely fucked up. He could admit that much to himself.

  “I’m sorry for the way I reacted,” Emma said, her soft voice breaking through the quiet of the small clearing.

  “Just so you know, I don’t think there’s anything wrong with that. Waiting for the right person, I mean. It has a certain romantic quality, I guess.”

  She was silent for a few more moments, letting her words sink in before continuing.

  “I know that I’m a little strange and act very forward around you, but I only do it because I feel comfortable acting that way around you. I don’t know why, but this place really messed me up. I was getting close to the end of my rope on the day we met. The stress of knowing that I could die at any moment. The fear that I would. And all this happening without my family ever knowing what happened to me.

  “But then I met you. A person from back home. Someone who knew what I was going through and understood the situation I was in. It made it easier to bear somehow, knowing that I wasn’t alone. When the day was over, I was so afraid that you’d just leave and I’d be all alone again, but you didn’t. You agreed to meet with me the next day and gave me hope for the future. I don’t know what will happen next, but I know one thing for sure. I don’t want you to leave. So if you want me to stop acting the way I do, I will.”

  Emma went silent, leaving Sam time to make his decision.

  In all honesty, he was touched. More than that, he knew she was being completely sincere, due to his skill. She really would stop acting the way she had been, if that was what he wanted. Sam threw that thought out as soon as it entered his mind.

  He really didn’t care about the way she acted with him. If anything, it made him feel good about himself. Emma was beautiful, and to have someone like that constantly complimenting him, really helped with the way he saw himself. Out of everyone he’d met here so far, with the exception of Gordon, Emma had been the most reliable and the most trustworthy. After the shit that had happened with Milly, Sam didn’t think he’d trust anyone from this world again, least of all the people who seemed interested in him.

  Sam turned to Emma, who had an uncharacteristically somber expression on her face. It was so unlike the usual playful look she had, that it almost pained him. He could see the tension in her shoulders and the fear in her eyes.

  She wasn’t just afraid of him telling her to change the way she acted. She was afraid that he would leave her.

  “You can be a little much at times, I admit,” Sam began, seeing her shoulders stiffen. “But I wouldn’t have you act any other way. You are the only person I can trust right now. You agreed to help me, even when you didn’t have to. You make me feel good about myself, and always cheer me up when I’m feeling down. I guess what I’m trying to say is that I don’t want you to leave, and I don’t plan on leaving you.”

  Emma’s eyes had grown slightly misty by the time he was done talking, but Sam decided not to mention it. He was terrible with words, so he really hoped that what he’d said was the right thing.

  Emma smiled at him and leaned in, opening her arms for a hug. Sam smiled back and leaned in as well. Slowly, Emma kissed him. It was nothing like the kiss he’d shared with Milly. While Milly’s had felt hungry and needy, this kiss felt sweet. It wasn’t a long one, just lasting a couple of seconds before Emma pulled back with a crooked grin on her lips.

  “You set the mood so well that I had to take my chance,” she said, patting him lightly on the cheek. “Now come on. We have an ambush to plan.”

  38

  SKILL RANK UP!

  Congratulations! Your Mental Manipulation skill has advanced from Beginner to Intermediate!

  Mental Manipulation: If you know what to say, you can turn anyone to your way of thinking Level: Intermediate 21 (9%) Effect: +30% Chance to sway uncertain parties in your favor, +10% Chance to sway hostile parties in your favor

  Sam ground his teeth together when he saw that.

  Leave it to Overlord Asshole to make a touching moment feel so fucking creepy.

  Swiping the notification away, Sam took Emma’s proffered hand and she hauled him effortlessly to his feet.

  “Where are Gordon and Barry, by the way?” he asked, not feeling at all awkward about the moment they’d just shared.

  It had felt nice. Really nice, actually.

  “I left them to continue watching the gate. They should still be hiding in those bushes near the road.”

  “Right,” he said, rubbing at his temples. “We still need to figure out how to defeat a completely unknown number of enemies, without knowing their strengths or levels of power.”

  “Sounds like fun,” Emma said, patting him on the arm. “I say, whoever kills the most cronies has to do what the other person says for an entire day!”

  “Nice try, but that’s not gonna happen,” Sam replied, heading back in the direction of the road.

  “Aww! Don’t be like that,” Emma said, jogging to catch up with him. “Come on, it’ll be fun!”

  Sam shook his head, but declined to respond.

  “How about this, then? Whoever kills the most cronies had to do one thing that the other person asks, and it can’t be anything sexual. Does that sound better?”

  Sam thought about it for a few seconds, before reluctantly nodding.

  “Fine, you’ve got a deal.”

  Emma practically beamed and Sam had a feeling that she’d just gotten exactly what she wanted. He resisted the urge to groan.

  She probably already had something in mind.

  They bent down low as the trees thinned, and crawled the last few feet into the clump of bushes, where Gordon and Baron Von Tweet were still standing watch.

  Sam was completely shocked that the two of them had been so well behaved together. Gordon, he could understand, but not the psychotic bird. He had to wonder just what Emma had either threatened or promised the bird, to gain his obedience.

  Peering out at the entrance, Sam noticed that it was now a lot less crowded than it had been just an hour ago.

  “What’s been going on while we were gone?” Sam asked.

  “Apparently, that was the afternoon rush we saw,” Gordon replied. “As it grows later in the day, traffic around this gate slows considerably. I cannot be sure as to why that is, but it will make things easier for us if there are fewer people around.”

  Sam nodded his understanding and turned his attention back to the gates. As his eyes ran over the heavy wood and iron grate that would come down over the entrance at night, a plan began to form in his mind.

  Gordon opened his mouth to say something, but Sam held up a finger to silence him. He didn’t want to lose his train of thought. Thankfully, Gordon didn’t seem insulted by this, and accepted the gesture with grace. A moment later, Sam heard the sound of crunching wood and knew that the dog had pulled his favorite stick from his inventory.

  Emma sidled up next to him, but thankfully, stayed quiet and let him think. It took him nearly forty-five minutes to finalize his plans and by the time he was done, he was grinning from ear to ear. With this plan, numbers wouldn’t matter. The quest had been very specific. All they had to do was drive Sirus from the city. It hadn’t said anything about killing him or anyone else.

  “Alright,” Sam spoke up, instantly grabbing everyone’s attention. “I’ve got an idea that I
think will work. The best part is that we can set all our traps right here!”

  ***

  A loud squeaking and rattling sound announced the arrival of the shipment they’d been waiting for. Sam and Gordon crouched in the same bush they’d been in since that morning. Emma and Barry were on the other side of the road, watching from a similar distance as the wagon approached.

  It was dark out and Sam could make out a dozen or so figures moving around near the open gate. Among them, he spotted Sirus and Aoife, but not Milly. Sam bit his bottom lip as the wagon came to a halt outside the gates and Sirus moved forward to inspect what was inside. He wasn’t sure what kind of cargo would warrant the big boss coming out himself, but whatever it was, it had to be valuable.

  If there was one thing Sam owed the man, it was payback. He’d stolen a lot of money from him, so the least Sam could do was repay the favor. Sirus moved away from the wagon and nodded his head, motioning them onward. That was what Sam had been waiting for. With a quick hand gesture, Gordon exploded out of the bushes, running silently towards the city gates.

  It was dark out and Gordon’s coloring helped him blend in with their surroundings. No one saw the approaching dog until it was too late. No one but Emma, that was. She had been watching out for their signal and when she saw Gordon moving in to attack, she moved in as well. Quiet and deadly, she dashed for the pulleys holding up the massive grate. There was a shout as someone inevitably spotted her, but by then, Gordon was already there. He pounced on the man, tearing his throat out with a vicious twist of his head and a spray of blood.

  The man went down with a gurgle, but his shout had already gotten the attention of all the others there. They all turned, first spotting the dog, then the girl.

  “Stop her!” Sirus yelled as Emma came to halt before the heavy ropes and began slashing at them with her sword.

  Two men rushed her, but they were intercepted by a flash of green and yellow suddenly appearing before them. The screams reached Sam just a few seconds later and he nodded to himself in satisfaction.

  So far, so good.

  Sam watched as the wagon came to halt just feet from the gate, when one of the men’s bodies collapsed before the horse and panicked it. The horse reared up, and Sirus had to sheathe his weapon, as he and Aoife attempted to calm the beast. Gordon and Barry were darting from target to target, popping in and out of shadows as they attacked. They didn’t kill many of them, but caused so much confusion that none of them knew what was happening.

  Holding his breath, Sam watched as Emma frantically hacked away at the ropes, seeing the grate inching slowly down as the strain became too much for them to hold. Then, there was a shout from inside the city, and Sam felt his heart leap as another twenty men came running down the street to reinforce their comrades.

  “Come on, come on!” Sam hissed, his eyes flicking between Emma and the approaching men.

  If the men managed to make it out of the gates before Emma cut the ropes, then their plan would be garbage and they may as well give up on completing the quest. Not to mention that they would probably all die. He could, of course, leave if things didn’t work out, but abandoning his friends didn’t even cross his mind for an instant.

  He watched with bated breath as the men drew nearer and nearer, then, with a loud twang and the crack of splintering wood, the massive grate came crashing down. Sam let out the breath he’d been holding when he saw that only two men had made it through, while four others had been caught under it. The rest were trapped inside, yelling and banging on the steel-reinforced wood, as if it would do them any good.

  Sam then watched as Emma began the second phase of their plan. Whirling on the spot, she darted quickly toward the still rearing horse. Then, she lashed out with the flat of her blade and shouted, forcing the animal to turn in Sam’s direction. Sirus and Aoife, who’d been standing right next to the animal, were sent stumbling back at its sudden shift in direction.

  Gordon then darted in, barking loudly near the horse and panicked it further. Emma shouted one last time and the horse took off toward the woods, with Emma, Gordon, and Barry trailing closely behind the wagon. Sirus, now recovered from his momentary shock, began yelling at his men to follow them.

  Sam smiled to himself as he saw that, and prepared the next part of the plan. He slowly backed away from the clump of bushes, making sure to keep an eye on the patch of disturbed ground off to his right. It had taken the three of them over four hours to set that one trap, something which had gotten Sam very annoyed. He’d seen them doing it countless times before in the movies, but the movies never truly captured the hours of backbreaking work spent digging, cutting down branches, and then sharpening them. Not to mention the time spent covering it up.

  This better fucking work!

  Sam waited until the horse was nearly by his hiding spot and he jumped out, yelling as loudly as he could. The horse pulled sharply to the side, and the strain on the wagon was finally too much. The horse broke free of its tether with a terrified whinny, and the wagon tipped onto its side, sliding forward a good ten yards before coming to a stop. He felt kind of bad for terrifying the animal so much, but it had to be done.

  A second later, Emma and Gordon came sprinting around the wagon, followed closely by a group of seven men.

  “Hey, fuckers! Over here!” Sam yelled as soon as they came into view.

  The men hesitated, surprised by Sam’s outburst. Then Sam raised his middle finger and predictably, they all abandoned their chase of his friends and ran straight at him. Sam grinned, lifting his hand with the Silver Orb clutched between his fingers.

  It was all for show, of course, but these men wouldn’t know that.

  The lead man stumbled as Sam fired an attack at him, then tripped, plowing face first into the ground, inevitably tripping up everyone behind him. With a splintering crack, the thin lattice of wood gave way as the first man landed on it, and fell screaming to land on the sharpened stakes below. The others, who had been following too closely behind, could do nothing to stop themselves in time. One by one, they lost their footing and tumbled into the pit. Sam winced at every crunch and squelch that came from the pit, and did his best to keep his eyes fixed firmly ahead.

  Just because he’d killed people didn’t mean he had an iron stomach. He had a pretty good feeling that he’d lose what little still remained in his stomach from the previous day if he looked down there. The entire process from beginning to end took less than fifteen seconds to occur, but to Sam, it felt like ages. Only once the last man fell into the pit, did he let his shoulders relax.

  “Is that all of them?” Emma asked. She was panting for breath and reached into her bag to retrieve a Stamina Herb.

  As soon as she swallowed the yellow leaf, her breathing eased and she straightened to her full height. Gordon, who had been keeping his eyes firmly on the city walls, spoke up then.

  “Baron Von Tweet has just finished off the last man outside the gates. The only ones left alive are Sirus and Aoife.”

  Sam grinned and resisted the urge to rub his hands together and cackle maniacally.

  His plan had worked perfectly. Now all they had to do was drive Sirus off, and their quest would be complete.

  Then, there was a muffled bang from the carriage, and they all turned to stare at it.

  “What the fuck was that?” Emma asked, staring at the downed carriage and pointing the tip of her sword at it.

  “Don’t ask me,” Sam said, slowly inching towards it.

  They approached the wagon cautiously, as the banging grew more persistent. Stopping before the door, Sam and Emma shared a look. Then, with one smooth motion, Emma cut the lock. The door sprang open as soon as the lock was disengaged, and from the open door emerged a banged up and very disheveled-looking teenage girl.

  39

  “A fucking Princess! Of course! Now it all makes sense!” Sam exclaimed, throwing his hands up in the air, as though begging for divine intervention.

  “I beg your pardon?
” The Princess, because there was no doubt in Sam’s mind of who she was, asked.

  “Let me guess,” Sam said, as Emma went to help the girl down. “You were kidnapped by Sirus and his gang. Your father, the King, had no choice but to cave into Sirus’ demands. Otherwise, he would kill you. Tell me if I’m wrong.”

  “You’re wrong,” the Princess said. “My name is Princess Willow of the East Kingdom. I was sent here by my father, to marry Prince Geldon of the West. This city was just supposed to be a rest for the evening, when you brigands attacked me!”

  Oh shit. It looked like he’d jumped the gun again.

  “Can you tell me why you were traveling in a locked carriage, with no guards whatsoever?” Emma asked, saving Sam from his floundering thoughts.

  Thank you, Emma!

  The Princess’ face flushed slightly at this, but she turned her head away with a huff.

  “I might have run away,” she said in a quiet voice.

  “You ran away from your guards? Why?” Sam asked, with a raised eyebrow.

  “How about I tell you to go marry a stranger from another country, and then ask you the same question?” she yelled back, her fists clenching at her sides.

  Sam opened his mouth to retort, when a black-shafted arrow slammed into the wagon just a few inches from his face. He jumped back with a curse and turned to see that Sirus had pulled a massive longbow from somewhere and was aiming another arrow at them.

  “Down!” Sam yelled, feeling like a total moron for taking his attention off the enemy, just to have a chat.

  Grabbing the Princess, Sam pulled her to the ground, just as another arrow slammed into the wagon. He winced, glad that he’d ducked, when the arrow drilled straight through the wagon and out the other side.

  “What in the Overlord’s name is going on here?” Willow yelled, panic tinging her voice.