Return of the Fallen Volume 1 Chapter 58
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Author: Blue_Rat
ch58
The short old man who had helped prove Garn’s innocence, the Information Officer, slowly descended to the ground.
With eyes glowing with golden light and his magic staff pointed at Kazuki brimming with power, the old man spoke calmly.
“To think you did not see this coming. Did you already forget what was said in the Throne Room today or did you just not pay attention?”
Kazuki had no clue what the old man was talking about and remained quiet.
“Hmm, did you really forget? Do you not recall that Master Garn had ordered me to keep watch of a few people. Besides Rust, you were one of our main interests.”
Kazuki laughed.
“Hahaha, what is this about exactly? You were watching me but so what. It’s not like I’ve done anything wrong.”
Nunully spoke up this time.
“You are the one they call Itsu correct. I am from the Dancing Gazelle, I’m sure there is something we can do to resolve this situation. What is it exactly that you want?”
The Information Officer called Itsu was curious as to how the bronze masked woman knew his name but right now it didn’t matter. Waving his hand forward he ordered the surrounding soldiers.
“Arrest the both of them.”
“Wait, what have we done wrong?”
“You’re buying a beast core which is illegal in the lands of Treia. The danger these goods present if placed in the wrong hands, only a disaster awaits. Do I really need to go on or will you submit and come quietly?”
Nunully and Kazuki exchanged a look with one another.
“Run!”
Nunully spread out both of her hands and a ring on her hand lit up. The fog that had started to dissipate suddenly condensed, becoming thick and muddled, blocking everyone’s vision.
“Hmph, petty tricks.”
Itsu waved his staff and a rush of wind swept forth and blew the fog away.
Nunully had only made it a few feet, while Kazuki was already more than a hundred away. With his speed, Kazuki was sure he could outrun everyone there and planned to do so but Itsu snapped his fingers.
*Snap*
A wall of air formed in front of Kazuki and it extended out in a large perimeter encircling and trapping everyone inside.
“Your speed surprised me but you can’t escape past my barri…”
Kazuki turned on a dime and launched himself toward Itsu.
(If I can’t break past the barrier then I’ll just have to take this old man down.)
Kazuki appeared in front of Itsu and threw a punch.
“Kyaa!”
Kazuki’s punch halted in midair as he was distracted by Nunully’s scream. A soldier had pinned her to the ground and held a sword against her neck.
“It seems your ally has been captured. You’re still a hero, right? Cooperate and we won’t kill this criminal but if you refuse…”
Before Itsu finished his words, Kazuki appeared behind him and placed a hand around his neck, gripping it tightly.
*Guh*
Itsu struggled to speak as he choked on his words.
“What are you doing? Let me go!”
“No, it is you who will order them to release her. Once she’s gone, I’ll follow you back wherever, otherwise.”
Kazuki gripped tighter.
Itsu’s face twisted in pain.
“What kind of hero are you? You make threats against a man just trying to uphold the law and you align yourself with criminal elements. So should I take this as you being Treia’s enemy?”
Kazuki’s grip loosened a bit.
“I have nothing against Treia or any of its people. I simply wish to go about my business peacefully, nothing more.”
Itsu stamped his staff into the ground.
“You have nothing against Treia yet you try to buy something that can directly lead to its destruction. How can I believe the words of someone with their hand around my throat? If you truly wish for me to believe a word you say, you will release me right now and follow me back into the city.”
Kazuki was stuck. His mind operated quickly as he formulated a plan.
(Should I just kill this man and make my escape. But what if they take revenge and kill Nunully in anger. Can I allow an innocent person to die just so I can escape? If I kill him then I’ll have to kill the soldiers as well, should I do it… No, Master did not teach me that way. I can’t kill this innocent man but at the same time, he stands against me.)
Kazuki began to think about his past, about those that died, about the one who betrayed him and his heart started to burn with fury.
(Who is this old fool to stop me. These soldiers as well, why should I put limits on myself. Murder, I’ve done it before and in the end, what’s another body or two.)
Kazuki’s grip began to tighten which caused Itsu to feel pain as well as disappointment.
“I knew you couldn’t be trusted.”
Itsu said nothing else but in his mind, he roared a single word.
(LIGHTNING!)
The sky boomed like a mighty drum for a moment. Before Kazuki could even react to the noise above, the sky lit up and a bolt of lightning struck down like the hammer of god.
*TZzzzzt*
Kazuki and Itsu were both struck but while Itsu suffered nothing from such a terrifying attack, Kazuki fell to the ground and convulsed and spasmed violently. As his vision began to fade, the last thing he saw was Itsu shaking his head in disappointment.
—————————————————————————
Slowly opening his eyes, Kazuki was greeted with a dimly lit cell. With both his arms and legs in chains, attached to a stone wall behind him, Kazuki didn’t have to guess where he was. Turning his head gingerly a jolt of pain snaked its way from the base of his skull down to the very tips of his toes.
*Guh*
Cold sweat poured from his forehead.
(Damn, so that’s what it feels like to be struck by lightning. It was like everything went into slow motion and my entire body was lit aflame…No that’s not right. Like a blazing numbness…No, that isn’t quite it either.)
Kazuki was having trouble trying to explain what he felt as it was an oddity he had never come across. It was one of the most painful yet not painful feelings he had ever felt but even that didn’t make much sense to him. Shaking the thought away, Kazuki circulated his ki throughout his body and began to feel a gentle warmth spread throughout. The pain in his body was slowly fading away, giving Kazuki a sense of relief.
Looking himself over, he noticed that his magic ring had been taken from him. The only thing Kazuki had left was his clothes. A few feet away from him was a small wooden table. On said table was his ring, his bag with a few Zeni in it and a small bag that held the beast core and the Stazar Void Rock.
Right next to his bag was his compass and another small bag he hadn’t seen before and next to that was a small bronze mask.
(My compass and Nunully’s mask.)
Kazuki’s eyes went wide and he looked past the table. On the opposite wall, a thin figure wrapped in shadow and bound by metal chains could be seen. With Kazuki’s eyes enhanced with both ki and the magic blood orb he had absorbed, Kazuki could see through this dimly lit cell as though it were day. Looking at the lady chained up on the other side of the wall, Kazuki was surprised.
The woman… or rather the young woman, appeared to be in her late teens or early twenties. She had long blonde hair with lines of tinted blue running through it. With dark blue eyes, full lips and a petite nose, the young lady was a natural beauty. The thing though that surprised Kazuki was her ears. Each ear was pointy at the end.
(An elf. Weren’t they all supposed to have been eradicated by the human race?)
Even when Kazuki was growing up he had heard about elves, plenty in fables and bedtime stories but even he didn’t know whether they were real or not. Yet right before his eyes, there she was.
Kazuki called out to be sure it was actually Nunully.
“Nunully, is that you?”
Nunully weakly lifted her head.
“Ryu…ta.”
“So it is you. Are you ok? What happened and where are we?”
*Creeeeek*
The door to the cell opened and Itsu entered alone.
With a torch in one hand, he lit up a small area wherever he walked. Stopping in front of Nunully, Itsu grabbed her face.
“To think, you were not only doing business with a criminal but a disgusting half breed as well. You really are a traitor but you are far more gone than I thought you would be. Well, mutt, what do you have to say about all of this?”
Nunully spit in Itsu’s face and shouted.
“I am not a mutt!”
Itsu’s face twisted in anger before he punched Nunully directly in the face.
*Crack*
Her nose broke on impact and tears and blood flooded from her face.
“You nasty half breed bitch actually dared to spit on me. I thought maybe to keep you alive and find out about your organization but I think instead I’ll simply kill you and use a Mind Frey on your fresh corpse.”
Itsu snapped his fingers and two large men entered.
“Take this fucking pig to death row, she’ll be executed tomorrow.”
The guards unlocked Nunully’s shackles and dragged her away kicking and screaming.
“Wait, let her go! Why do you need to kill her?”
Itsu pulled a small handkerchief from his pocket and wiped the spit from his face and then threw it in Kazuki’s face.
“She’s part elf, of course she has to die. Any species that has the potential to grow stronger then humans must be exterminated to ensure the survival of the human race. I’m sure Garn has said something similar but let me guess you either forgot or weren’t paying attention, right?”
Kazuki went silent for a moment before he asked.
“What are you going to do with me?”
“Oh, you wish to know your fate?”
Itsu began to speak and Kazuki, in turn, began to think of a way out of here. This was the reason he asked him. If he could keep Itsu talking then maybe he could buy some time and come up with a plan to escape.
(He has a ring on his finger but not his staff. Though his staff could be in his ring as well. That shouldn’t matter though if I catch him off guard I’ll be able to snap his neck in the blink of an eye. I have to get loose from these chains first.)
“First I’ll report this to Master Garn and then I’ll ask for his permission to use a Mind Frey upon you then we’ll get the real truth from you.”
“What about my disappearance? If I’m gone too long do you think my friends won’t suspect this Kingdom? You think they’ll work here. Stay here?”
“That’s why I keep telling you to cooperate with me. If you just do as I say, I wouldn’t mind sending you back to them but first I have to confirm what your true intentions are. So just tell me the truth, what is it your trying to do? Today you found out about Beast cores and the destruction they can cause while we were in the Throne Room and not even a few hours later I catch you in the midst of collecting such an item and from a half breed as well. Tell me, what were you planning. Aren’t you a hero? Why are you so different from the other earthlings. Even the way you speak has changed since I confronted you at the crossroads. There’s no more playfulness in your voice, only coldness. No one does a complete 180 like that without having some type of past. Just who were you on Earth and how did you end up being summoned? There’s no way Master Garn would have made such a mistake and brought you to my world. What are you hiding?”
Kazuki remained quiet.
(Even if I told you, there’s no doubt you wouldn’t believe me.)
The air remained silent and Itsu sighed heavily.
*Haaaa*
“Fine, you won’t tell me and I’m not willing to torture you. I’m going to Report everything I know to Master Garn and then we’ll use a Mind Frey.”
Itsu turned to leave.
“Wait!”
Turning back he asked.
“What?”
Kazuki contemplated something for a moment before he spoke.
“I’ll speak but only to Garn. Bring me to him and I’ll tell him everything and then you’ll see that I’m not your enemy.”
Itsu shook his head.
“If I were to release you from here, there’s no doubt in my mind you would snap my neck instantly. This whole time you’ve been staring at me with eyes filled with death. Yes, you may fool your stupid friends but I’ve seen those same eyes a million times over in killers coming off the battlefield. No matter how much you try to hide it, I can still see through you and I don’t wish to die just yet. No, I’ll stick with my original plan. You relax here, I’ll be back in a bit.”
Once more Itsu turned to leave but stopped and grabbed all of Kazuki’s things from the table. Well, everything except his compass. To Itsu it appeared to just be a regular old compass and found nothing odd about it.
“Master Garn will be interested in these things, I have no doubt.”
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