“You bastards, how dare you enslave my aunty!!”, the young girl howled, flying right past Ghislaine, “I will tear all of you to pieces!!”
“Wait a moment!!”, Ghislaine shouted, quickly regaining her senses, “I am not a slave, and they are not enemies!!”
Whether she did not believe Ghislaine or just did not hear her, Linia continued charging toward us. Choosing to attack Sauros first, since he was dressed like a Nobleman, she whipped the blade around and swung it down at him. Moving in front of him instantly, I seized her wrists with my left hand and delivered a powerful blow to her stomach with my right hand. Knocking the wind out of her, she released the dagger and fell to the ground in a heap.
“Fuck!!”, Linia wheezed, as she struggled to breathe in, “Damn it!! It hurts!!”
Watching her niece writhing around on the ground in pain, Ghislaine was happy she asked us not to kill anyone. Letting out a sigh, she walked back over to us and delivered a heavy smack to Linia’s back causing the girl to inhale a large amount of air at once. Coughing loudly for the next few minutes, once she had settled down, Linia began spouting nonsense again.
“I will not go willingly, just kill me and be done with it!!”, Linia spat, glaring at us, “I am sorry Aunty Ghislaine, I tried my best but they are too strong!!”
“What are you talking about?”, Ghislaine asked, trying to understand why her niece thought she was a slave.
“We heard all about it, you were tricked by shady humans and became a slave for some pervert noblemen!! I have been trying to get Dad to form a rescue party, but he has refused every time I ask!!”, Linia insisted, “I do not understand why, family is supposed to be the most important thing to us!!”
“I work as a bodyguard for the Greyrat Family of the Asura Kingdom, I have never been a slave.”, Ghislaine corrected her, “Where did you get this information?”
“Wait what!? But Grandpa said you were forced to become a slave when you lost all your money!!”, Linia argued, “Did that not happen!?”
“No…I have lost all money several times…”, Ghislaine acknowledged, with a wince, “I was never forced to be a slave though. I would rather die of starvation on the side of the road than become a slave.”
Staring at Ghislaine for a few moments, Linia realized that she was not lying or being manipulated in any way. Realizing what she had almost done, her face went pale with fright.
“Damn it Linia, I told you to wait in your room!”, Gyes shouted, storming out of the home, “Do you have any idea what you could have done!? We have enough problems as it is, I do not need you starting a bloody war with a Human Nation!”
“But Dad I-”, Linia tried to argue.
“But nothing, I am your father and I told you to wait in your room!”, Gyes stated, shutting her down immediately, “Now, who told you Ghislaine was a slave to a pervert nobleman?!”
“That would be me…”, Gustav admitted, standing in the front doorway, “A Traveling Merchant mentioned to me that Ghislaine was taken in by a powerful noble family in the Asura Kingdom after she lost all her money. I took that to mean she became a Debt Slave, but it appears I was mistaken.”
Understanding how he could make that mistake, Gyes could only sigh in frustration. Rubbing his forehead for a moment, he looked back at us with an apologetic frown.
“Please forgive my daughter, she does not yet understand what trouble she would cause us if she killed a nobleman or anyone in their family.”, Gyes said, lowering his head in hopes it would de-escalate the situation.
“There was no harm done and I cannot blame her for wanting to rescue Ghislaine. Having been around many Beastman, I know how important family is for all of you it is the same way for us Greyrats.”, Sauros stated, with a loud laugh.
“Thank you for your understanding and generosity.”, Gyes sighed, relieved that nothing bad would come of this.
While her father was happy to leave things as is, I was not. The Boreas Greyrats had a fetish for Beastman so it was easy for Sauros to forgive her. If it had been Paul and his family or my group, things would have gone very differently. Picking Linia’s knife up off the ground, I handed it back but held on firmly to the blade as she attempted to take the blade from me.
“Listen carefully, do not brandish a weapon at anyone unless you are ready to suffer the consequences.”, I warned her, “The next person you try that on might kill you, or capture you and force you into slavery. It is better to wait, observe, and calculate your next move in all situations.”
“I will keep that in mind.”, Linia said, in a halfhearted tone.
Seeing that she was not getting the point, I hit her with a small fraction of my bloodlust and killing intent. Instantly sensing them, all the hair on her body stood straight up as she let out a silent scream.
“Do I look like I am joking kid? I am giving you this advice to prevent you from ending up dead on the side of the road, or in some pervert's bed as their plaything.”, I scolded her, “While your family will sugarcoat it, I will not. If you had pulled that on almost any other nobleman, they would have left and ordered this village burned to the ground. After everything was gone, you would either be torn limb from limb or forced to be their toy for the rest of your life.”
“I understand!! It will never happen again!!”, Linia shrieked.
Letting go of the blade, I severed my bloodlust and killing intent causing her to collapse onto her backside. Shaking violently from that experience, Linia quickly picked herself up and bolted back into the house. Watching his daughter run away with her tail between her legs, Gyes turned to look at me with a grateful smile.
“Thank you, I think she will reflect upon what you said and be more cautious in the future.”, Gyes said, “It is hard to see her frightened like that, but I do not want to bury my daughter nor hear of someone violating her.”
“No father does.”, I stated, with a nod, “If it is all the same to you, may we come inside and talk? We came here today so Ghislaine can patch things up with the village, and ask for permission to have the Greyrats live nearby.”
“It sounds like you have a lot to talk about. Come inside, we can talk over some tea and dried meat.”, Gyes offered, motioning for all of us to come inside.
—An Hour Later—
Listening to what Ghislaine had to say from start to finish without interrupting her, both Gyes and Gustav gave her a sympathetic look. While they felt bad she went through so much suffering, they were also happy to see it shaped her into a better person.
“I am happy you came back to us alive, Ghislaine, your mother never stopped worrying about you.”, Gustav informed her, with a soft smile, “Every time Traveling Merchants came, the first words out of her mouth were always asking about you.”
“I…I see.”, Ghislaine said, shaken by this revelation, “How did Mom go? I hope she went out peacefully.”
“Well…”, Gustav replied, looking to his son, “We are not necessarily sure if she is alive or dead right now.”
“What..?”, Ghislaine responded, unable to understand how that was possible, “Did she die or is she in the village somewhere?”
“Neither…a few weeks ago a group of slavers attacked our village while most of the men were out hunting. We are not sure how they timed it so well, but they snatched up almost thirty people before running back toward Zanto Port.”, Gyes informed us, “According to one of the women, Mom fought several of the slavers to give several children a chance to flee into the forest. She held her own for a good while, but ultimately they overwhelmed her. I attempted to rally neighboring villages to help rescue them only to discover they had been attacked as well. Just like us, the slavers attacked while most of the men were away creating the situation we now find ourselves in.”
Everyone was on edge because they knew someone in each village had betrayed them. Unable to figure out who had done it, everyone was afraid to act because a rescue mission would leave them wide open again. Understanding their concerns, Yasaka turned to me and asked if we could help them.
“Can we help them, Cole?”, Yasaka inquired, “Having been helped by you, I want to pay it forward for others.”
“Of course, I presume that if we help you will allow us to move close by?”, I asked Gyes.
“Yes!”, Gyes agreed, “Help us get our people back, and you will be welcomed into our village with open arms.”
“Let us get to work then.”, Ghislaine said, holding her hilt with a white knuckle grip, ‘The traitor will pay dearly for helping those bastards!’
“You bastards, how dare you enslave my aunty!!”, the young girl howled, flying right past Ghislaine, “I will tear all of you to pieces!!”
“Wait a moment!!”, Ghislaine shouted, quickly regaining her senses, “I am not a slave, and they are not enemies!!”
Whether she did not believe Ghislaine or just did not hear her, Linia continued charging toward us. Choosing to attack Sauros first, since he was dressed like a Nobleman, she whipped the blade around and swung it down at him. Moving in front of him instantly, I seized her wrists with my left hand and delivered a powerful blow to her stomach with my right hand. Knocking the wind out of her, she released the dagger and fell to the ground in a heap.
“Fuck!!”, Linia wheezed, as she struggled to breathe in, “Damn it!! It hurts!!”
Watching her niece writhing around on the ground in pain, Ghislaine was happy she asked us not to kill anyone. Letting out a sigh, she walked back over to us and delivered a heavy smack to Linia’s back causing the girl to inhale a large amount of air at once. Coughing loudly for the next few minutes, once she had settled down, Linia began spouting nonsense again.
“I will not go willingly, just kill me and be done with it!!”, Linia spat, glaring at us, “I am sorry Aunty Ghislaine, I tried my best but they are too strong!!”
“What are you talking about?”, Ghislaine asked, trying to understand why her niece thought she was a slave.
“We heard all about it, you were tricked by shady humans and became a slave for some pervert noblemen!! I have been trying to get Dad to form a rescue party, but he has refused every time I ask!!”, Linia insisted, “I do not understand why, family is supposed to be the most important thing to us!!”
“I work as a bodyguard for the Greyrat Family of the Asura Kingdom, I have never been a slave.”, Ghislaine corrected her, “Where did you get this information?”
“Wait what!? But Grandpa said you were forced to become a slave when you lost all your money!!”, Linia argued, “Did that not happen!?”
“No…I have lost all money several times…”, Ghislaine acknowledged, with a wince, “I was never forced to be a slave though. I would rather die of starvation on the side of the road than become a slave.”
Staring at Ghislaine for a few moments, Linia realized that she was not lying or being manipulated in any way. Realizing what she had almost done, her face went pale with fright.
“Damn it Linia, I told you to wait in your room!”, Gyes shouted, storming out of the home, “Do you have any idea what you could have done!? We have enough problems as it is, I do not need you starting a bloody war with a Human Nation!”
“But Dad I-”, Linia tried to argue.
“But nothing, I am your father and I told you to wait in your room!”, Gyes stated, shutting her down immediately, “Now, who told you Ghislaine was a slave to a pervert nobleman?!”
“That would be me…”, Gustav admitted, standing in the front doorway, “A Traveling Merchant mentioned to me that Ghislaine was taken in by a powerful noble family in the Asura Kingdom after she lost all her money. I took that to mean she became a Debt Slave, but it appears I was mistaken.”
Understanding how he could make that mistake, Gyes could only sigh in frustration. Rubbing his forehead for a moment, he looked back at us with an apologetic frown.
“Please forgive my daughter, she does not yet understand what trouble she would cause us if she killed a nobleman or anyone in their family.”, Gyes said, lowering his head in hopes it would de-escalate the situation.
“There was no harm done and I cannot blame her for wanting to rescue Ghislaine. Having been around many Beastman, I know how important family is for all of you it is the same way for us Greyrats.”, Sauros stated, with a loud laugh.
“Thank you for your understanding and generosity.”, Gyes sighed, relieved that nothing bad would come of this.
While her father was happy to leave things as is, I was not. The Boreas Greyrats had a fetish for Beastman so it was easy for Sauros to forgive her. If it had been Paul and his family or my group, things would have gone very differently. Picking Linia’s knife up off the ground, I handed it back but held on firmly to the blade as she attempted to take the blade from me.
“Listen carefully, do not brandish a weapon at anyone unless you are ready to suffer the consequences.”, I warned her, “The next person you try that on might kill you, or capture you and force you into slavery. It is better to wait, observe, and calculate your next move in all situations.”
“I will keep that in mind.”, Linia said, in a halfhearted tone.
Seeing that she was not getting the point, I hit her with a small fraction of my bloodlust and killing intent. Instantly sensing them, all the hair on her body stood straight up as she let out a silent scream.
“Do I look like I am joking kid? I am giving you this advice to prevent you from ending up dead on the side of the road, or in some pervert's bed as their plaything.”, I scolded her, “While your family will sugarcoat it, I will not. If you had pulled that on almost any other nobleman, they would have left and ordered this village burned to the ground. After everything was gone, you would either be torn limb from limb or forced to be their toy for the rest of your life.”
“I understand!! It will never happen again!!”, Linia shrieked.
Letting go of the blade, I severed my bloodlust and killing intent causing her to collapse onto her backside. Shaking violently from that experience, Linia quickly picked herself up and bolted back into the house. Watching his daughter run away with her tail between her legs, Gyes turned to look at me with a grateful smile.
“Thank you, I think she will reflect upon what you said and be more cautious in the future.”, Gyes said, “It is hard to see her frightened like that, but I do not want to bury my daughter nor hear of someone violating her.”
“No father does.”, I stated, with a nod, “If it is all the same to you, may we come inside and talk? We came here today so Ghislaine can patch things up with the village, and ask for permission to have the Greyrats live nearby.”
“It sounds like you have a lot to talk about. Come inside, we can talk over some tea and dried meat.”, Gyes offered, motioning for all of us to come inside.
—An Hour Later—
Listening to what Ghislaine had to say from start to finish without interrupting her, both Gyes and Gustav gave her a sympathetic look. While they felt bad she went through so much suffering, they were also happy to see it shaped her into a better person.
“I am happy you came back to us alive, Ghislaine, your mother never stopped worrying about you.”, Gustav informed her, with a soft smile, “Every time Traveling Merchants came, the first words out of her mouth were always asking about you.”
“I…I see.”, Ghislaine said, shaken by this revelation, “How did Mom go? I hope she went out peacefully.”
“Well…”, Gustav replied, looking to his son, “We are not necessarily sure if she is alive or dead right now.”
“What..?”, Ghislaine responded, unable to understand how that was possible, “Did she die or is she in the village somewhere?”
“Neither…a few weeks ago a group of slavers attacked our village while most of the men were out hunting. We are not sure how they timed it so well, but they snatched up almost thirty people before running back toward Zanto Port.”, Gyes informed us, “According to one of the women, Mom fought several of the slavers to give several children a chance to flee into the forest. She held her own for a good while, but ultimately they overwhelmed her. I attempted to rally neighboring villages to help rescue them only to discover they had been attacked as well. Just like us, the slavers attacked while most of the men were away creating the situation we now find ourselves in.”
Everyone was on edge because they knew someone in each village had betrayed them. Unable to figure out who had done it, everyone was afraid to act because a rescue mission would leave them wide open again. Understanding their concerns, Yasaka turned to me and asked if we could help them.
“Can we help them, Cole?”, Yasaka inquired, “Having been helped by you, I want to pay it forward for others.”
“Of course, I presume that if we help you will allow us to move close by?”, I asked Gyes.
“Yes!”, Gyes agreed, “Help us get our people back, and you will be welcomed into our village with open arms.”
“Let us get to work then.”, Ghislaine said, holding her hilt with a white knuckle grip, ‘The traitor will pay dearly for helping those bastards!’
