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Return of the Fallen Volume 2 Chapter 10

Author: Blue_Rat

ch10

“Are you insane? This all relies on your theory that those birds can’t see here. What if you’re wrong, We’ll end up as a 7-course meal.”

A few people nodded in agreement with Shin’s statement and looked at Danny doubtfully. They’ll admit that he’s quite clever but to put their lives on the line simply because of his guess, to be asked to believe in that alone was a bit of a stretch.

“Hmph, believe me or don’t, I don’t really care. You all asked me to explain, and I did. If you doubt my words, that’s fine. I think what I’m saying makes absolute sense and with or without help I intend to prove my thoughts correct.”

Danny had gotten a bit fired up. The danger that hovered over them all had left a while ago and he was certain that his theory was right. Some though felt he was going overboard in his assessments but he held little doubt that he was right. If no one trusted his judgment, then why ask him for his thoughts in the first place.

Danny headed for the door and looked back.

“Does anyone want to give me a hand?”

The room was a bit quiet. Everyone had just gotten out of danger and now they were to go outside where it could be unsafe and for what, to see who was right and who was wrong.

*Tsk*

Danny clicked his tongue in annoyance.

“Suit yourselves.”

Danny wasn’t one for courage but not being believed felt terrible and his fear was replaced with anger.

(Hmph, I’ll show them.)

Danny was just about to head out the door when Sam stood up and called out.

“I’ll join you.”

“Sam, wait, don’t leave me. What if those things come back? It could be dangerous, especially for you.”

Sam held Kimi’s hands and shook his head.

“If Danny is right then things might actually turn out in our favor. Besides what’s the alternative, wait around all day for those things to return. At least Danny’s trying to do something.”

Kazuki got up and walked over to Danny.

“Count me in. But if there is some crazy power source or magic tool then I call dibs. I’m gonna be the first to reach the second Mage rank from our group and then you all will have to call me big bro, hahaha.”

“WHAT!”

Shin jumped up anxiously and shouted for some reason.

“You know what, if Ryuta is going, then I’ll go as well. No way am I gonna let you get ahead of me and there’s no way in hell I’m calling you big bro, you got that?”

Kazuki shrugged and soon everyone ended up joining. Asuna followed Kazuki and Kimi followed Sam. Nunully didn’t want to be alone in such a creepy place so, in the end, Danny led everyone to explore the village.

Kazuki wasn’t kidding about the power source or the magic tool. If there truly was such a power, Kazuki might find a way to help him reforge his Mage core by substituting an ingredient or two.

Shin wanted to lead the group or go off on his own because he figured with his speed he could search the entire village faster by himself then if he were to go along with everyone else. Everyone, though, quickly vetoed that thought and Danny even started to yell at him.

“You want to go off on your own, are you an idiot? Have you not seen every horror movie ever? What happens 99.99999999% of the time when a group of teens separate, hmm? They get killed off one by one. And don’t give me that bullshit of how this is not a movie but real life. Every day we see shit that tells us real life and fantasy are blurred lines. Did you ever dream that magic was real or teleportation? How about a human that can fly or the literal bird monster that nearly ate Sam. No matter what, we don’t separate from each other, got it?”

Everyone nodded along to every word of Danny’s. He was absolutely right. This was a world where the impossible became possible and wasn’t just a rarity but an everyday occurrence. To ignore such things was just asking for death. In this unfamiliar world where they only knew each other, there was no excuse to run around like a chicken without its head.

“Jeez, I got it, I got it. I won’t go in it alone, so can you get off my ass?”

One by one they searched the nearby buildings. First, they went for the other two buildings made from stone. Danny figured if they were made from better materials there was a high chance the buildings held more significance.

That thinking was correct and they found items that were of much better quality in said stone buildings such as fine furnishings and several books, but besides that, they came up with a bust. Expanding their search they checked the wooden houses and found them in quite the poor state. Some had scorch marks upon them and had been partially burned. Others were completely knocked down and broken.

Some were merely rubble and debris. Looking around, the village had clearly suffered some sort of attack but by the looks of it, it wasn’t done by the birds but rather human ones instead.

At the back end of the village, there were 3 stables and a few pins and coups but not an animal to be seen in sight. The more the group checked the more things didn’t sit well with them.

Sometimes the wind would blow through the village but halfway through the sound would suddenly cease. The feeling this gave off was similar to the birds menacing screech. Still, they continued their search.

Behind the stables, there was a fairly large well but looking in they discovered only water and a wooden bucket. At the furthest end of the village, a hundred or so feet from the well was actually a wide flowing stream.

Danny couldn’t help but be puzzled.

“Hmm, that’s odd.”

Asuna asked.

“What’s odd?”

Danny rubbed his chin in thought before he pointed to the well and the stream.

“For some reason, they have a well right here but there’s a nice flowing stream right over there.”

Danny walked back over to the well and leaned over the side looking down. Because it was night time the water appeared dull and lackluster. Nothing could be seen from the surface of the water.

“Why is that odd?”

Danny thought some more.

“Why do you need two water sources and why so close? This village isn’t very big but let’s say it was. At that point, you would need a well in the middle of the village, that way no one has to travel too far in any particular direction to get it. With it positioned here though, those further away when coming here, they would see the well and the stream, and would obviously choose the water from the stream because of its freshness. Yet this well is here. Not only that there’s no hand crank making this well even more inconvenient. I just don’t see what possible reason there could be for it to be right here.”

This piqued everyone’s interest and they all leaned over and looked down inside the well.

“Maybe we should have a look, who wants to go first?”

Everyone avoided Danny’s question, well everyone except Sam. Sam took off his shirt and his leather boots and prepared to jump in when a shrill cry rang out in the distance.

“NOooooo! get away from me!”

Everyone exchanged a look before Asuna grabbed up Nunully and Kimi with her floating orb in hand, led the way.

The scream had come from just beyond the village over a large hill. Diggin their toes into the hill the speed at which they climbed it accelerated two-fold. The time it took them to exit the village and ascend to the very top of the hill, took only a mere 4 or 5 seconds.

As soon as they reached a certain height and looked down, they spotted a terrified small girl, hugging the body of a woman lying on the ground covered in blood. Next to the small girl and the woman were 5 men of wildly varying ages. The youngest seemed to be in his twenties while the oldest looked well into his sixties.

One man held a fist-sized rock that was dripping with fresh blood while two other men held some rope.

The oldest man yelled at the two with the rope.

“Hurry up and tie her, who knows how much time we have left.”

The little girl who seemed to be around 7-8 while crying tears of sorrow, repeatedly called out for her mother.

“Mama wake up, please wake up. Mama, mama.”

Kazuki and the others didn’t have to see much else to know what was going on and he and the others leaped from the top of the hill.

*Bang bang bang bang bang bang*

Kazuki and the others landed from on high and split the ground beneath them, shocking the men and the small girl.

The old man called out in terror.

“W…who are you people, what are you doing here?”

Kazuki and the others walked over, grabbing the rope from one of the men’s hands, Kazuki tore it apart like it was paper.

The man fell down on his ass in fear and shook uncontrollably.

The old man, although terrified beyond belief at these sudden intruders, gathered his courage and spoke with haste.

“Please wait, young ones. I don’t know who you ar, but you must not interfere, we don’t have much time left.”

Asuna pulled her daggers from her waist.

“You’re right, you don’t have much time left.”

“Mama, mama please wake up, please, please.”

The little girl cried painfully, which tore at everyone’s hearts.

The old man was about to speak once more when Shin walked over and delivered a fist right into the old man’s face. The old man collapsed to the ground with a bloody and broken nose. This was like a go signal and everyone kicked the shit out of these men until they were unconscious.

Nunully knelt down next to the woman and examined her. She had received a heavy blow to the back of her head with a blunt object. Nunully removed her mask and smiled gently at the small child.

“It’s OK, little one, I will help your mother.”

Nunully coated her hand in a glove of water and started to heal the woman. The small child’s loud cry became a soft sob when she saw Nunully’s beautiful appearance and as she watched Nunully heal her mother, she finally calmed down a bit.

“Please save mama. These bad men wanted to take me but mama…mama stood in front of them and they hurt her.”

The old man at Shin’s feet had regained consciousness and in a panic, he grabbed his leg and spoke desperately.

“Lies, this girl will be our doom. Please, she must…”

*Thwack*

Shin could stand it no more and with a solid kick to the man’s head, the old man slipped back into darkness, he was out.