CHAPTER 39: THIRD-RATE PLAY

Cecilia woke up in an unfamiliar place. It was dark like pitch. Cecilia unconsciously switched her sight to the infrared spectrum, and what she saw took her breath away.

She was in what looked like a warehouse underground, maybe a basement. Around her, several of the villagers were tied up, some even with signs of physical violence.

She was tied up as well. Her hands were firmly chained to an iron shaft on her back, and even the fingers were tied up in a way that made it almost impossible to move them.

Her staff was nowhere to be seen. She couldn’t check the way she was, but she assumed that others, like the rings and tiara, would’ve been taken as well.

"Miss Cecilia! You woke up!"

The voice came from behind her. She couldn’t see the person, but she recognized the voice.

"Marya?"

It’s what she tried to ask. But she was gagged, so the sound was more like "ughwawa."

"I was caught by the bandits. Everyone here was..."

Before she could finish the phrase, another person groaned in pain.

((Okay, I think that I get what happened. Some bandits roused the Calamity on purpose to get rid of the villagers before plundering. They caught some of the people while they were being evacuated... And got me because I fainted.))

She noticed that it was weird that Marya was able to see her, but that was less important.

"But I think that you’re the only one they gagged. They probably saw your spells and did it as a precaution. I’m sorry, the only spell I know is that one you taught me..."

Cecilia chuckled. As if some makeshift bonds were enough to stop her.

((Liberation.))

She sent a mental command to activate a technique. There were several spells and techniques designed to pin people in place during fights, and Cecilia hated them all.

There was nothing worse, for her, than to be reduced to immobility, as it brought her the same feelings she had when outside the game. So it goes without saying that she had several techniques tailored to escaping any form of restriction.

’Liberation’ was the most powerful of the branch of techniques that dealt with physical bonds. It had a reasonable area of effect. Not too big, but big enough to unlock and untie everything inside that basement, including the only door and some things upstairs.

"Ugh, so much better... When I get my hands on whoever’s behind all this, I will tie HIM down. Upside down. Over a pool filled with piranhas, so close to the water that it wets his hair. Bonus points if he’s bald."

"Miss Cecilia?"

She suddenly noticed that she thought out loud, venting her anger in front of an innocent child.

"Hee... I’m sorry. I didn’t say anything serious, ok? I was just joking. But it’s bad to joke about that, so don’t do it. Just forget everything."

If the others could see her, they would see that her face was so red one would think she wasn’t a dark elf at all. But, right now, the only one seeing it was Marya. Not the red, of course, but the increased heat on her face.

"It’s okay, Miss Cecilia. You didn’t say anything, and I didn’t hear anything. But you are so amazing, Miss! The way you freed everyone!!"

She didn’t think even for an instant that it could’ve been anyone else doing it. For her, it was Cecilia, period.

The others began to also stand up, and soon the room was filled with chatter, but Cecilia ’shhh’ed them.

"If we make too much noise, they might come in to check. You can thank me AFTER everyone is safe, not now."

Being free to move around, she saw that Marya was unharmed, which eased her heart.

"Marya, could you heal the wounded, please? I’ll go outside and deal with those bandits."

"Yes, Miss. Sadly, we don’t have piranhas in the rivers around here..."

"What did you say?"

"Nothing, nothing. I was thinking about the healing spell."

Cecilia sighed. It was her own fault and responsibility, but she had to focus on freeing everyone completely first. Only after that would she have a good chat with Marya about making those jokes.

((A bit hypocritical of me, as I liked to say those things since... maybe even since before my accident. But I don’t want her to follow the same path as old depressed me.))

She reached the door and opened it. There was a staircase up. After reaching the upper floor, she knew that it was really a warehouse. It was day, but all doors and windows were closed. Some sunlight filtered through the gaps of the windows’ boards.

The building was inside the village, of that she was sure. She knew it because the building followed the design of the standard warehouse building they used in Drakestadt.

The only difference being the windows. She was sure those were glass windows, not wooden. Well, glass isn’t very resistant, so it might have shattered during those long centuries.

The building had a main double door and two side entrances. The front door was locked with a chain and a padlock, but it had been unlocked by her technique earlier.

Players were truly walking cheats.

There was a commotion going on. It was from the direction of the plaza. It was like a party of drunkards, but some were really rowdy. She hurried in that direction, and suddenly all the chatter stopped for a moment.

She thought that she was spotted and hesitated, but then she heard some more shouts.

((There’s something going on in the bandits’ party. Well, all the better for me. I’ll strike while they are focused in their internal problems.))

:::

"Chief Raund, I did what you told me to. I executed my part of the plan, and I even handed you the spellcaster on a silver tray. Now it’s your time to fulfill your side of the agreement."

Dorfik was fuming, shouting at the chief. Everyone else became silent, watching the scene with interest. Nobody thought even for a second that Dorfik had a chance against Raund, but they just wanted to see blood. It didn’t matter whose.

The bandits had brought chairs and tables from the houses around to the plaza as they feasted on whatever they managed to find. Raund had taken the biggest and most impressive one from the mayor’s house and was sitting in it like it was a throne.

At his feet, chained to the chair, was Lyska, weeping as she watched the scene unfold. She didn’t dare to hope that Dorfik would rescue her. She wanted to tell him to leave her, to save his own life, but never managed to form the words in her mouth.

Raund grabbed her by her orange hair, pulling her towards him.

"Okay. I am a man of my word. I promised that I would consider handing her back to you. I just considered it this very moment, and the answer is no. Now, please, return to the festivities. You are souring the mood here."

Dorfik shouted and ran towards him, unsheathing his sword and striking with a side slash.

Raund took his own sword, which was resting at the side of his ’throne,’ and parried the blade without even unsheathing it or standing up. Then he raised his right foot, kicking Dorfik in the groin.

"No, Dorfik!"

The guy reeled back in pain as she cried his name. Before he could even recompose himself, Raund had already stood up and unsheathed his sword by swinging it, throwing the sheath, which hit Dorfik’s chest.

He was about to deliver the killing strike with the sword when it suddenly rusted and crumbled to dust.

"Huh?"

"Well, well... What do we have here? Is this a third-rate romantic play or something?"

A woman in priestly robes had just appeared at the side of his makeshift throne.