Chapter 237 – Eminence in the Shadows

Chapter 237 – Eminence in the Shadows

While Sirgia figures out the proper way to tie our furry friend to the carriage, I’m left with the task of waking up our dear client. It would be bad to leave Mevana sprawled on the ground like that so my first choice is to get her up onto something more comfortable. And I know you shouldn’t ever say this about a lady, but man, she certainly isn’t light.

I plop the Dwarf woman on a comfy cushion and rest her back against the wagon’s wheel. We shouldn’t stay behind for too long lest the guards decide to find fault with us again, so I pat her plump cheek a few times to try and bring her back. It partially succeeds as her eyelashes flutter a few times and she mumbles something about ten more minutes while nuzzling her face into my palm with a silly smile.

When her eyes finally open and she realises what’s been doing much quicker than expected, she sports a fair blush and jumps to her feet. “The hell are you doing? What happened?”

It’s obvious her slight anger is fake, a mask to hide her embarrassment behind, but the confusion in her voice is legit. I gesture with my thumb to the side and she turns her head just to face against Diana’s fierce snout as my animal companion stares at her curiously. Mevana squeaks and steps back, but fortunately retains her consciousness this time.

“What’s with this monster?!” she shouts in slight panic.

“Not a monster. A friend.” I chuckle lightly and start scratching behind Diana’s long ear. “One that might be willing to help with your beast of burden situation if you manage to ask nicely enough.”

Mevana gapes at the wolf in disbelief for a little while, noticing my petite lover hopping over the front beams of the cart and fixing them to the harness. That seems to allow her to snap out of her startled state and she glances between me and Diana. Swallowing heavily, she comes closer, reaching her previous spot still a tad hesitantly. But there’s no doubt she’s caught up on the current development.

“I apologise...” The curvy lady skips her head politely. “I don’t have much to offer for such a majestic creature, but I would owe you a favour if you would be willing to aid my troubles, Great Wolf.”

Diana lets out a soft snort and bops the girl on the forehead with her big nose, making Mevana tense and close her eyes. But, as she understands what has happened, our new Dwarf friend manages an awkward yet somewhat fascinated smile.

“That was a yes,” I translate what my familiar feels deep down. “Though, I’m fairly sure she will try to pass that favour onto me when the time to pay up comes. Are you going to be alright with that?”

“Well, it’s not like I have much of a choice.” Mevana lets out a deep sigh. “If I want to get anything done, I’ll need to trust you guys.”

Sirgia chooses that moment to drop to the ground next to me. “You won’t be disappointed. Master is the most trustworthy Human you can find. He won’t abuse your faith.”

“Master?” The merchant raises a brow at her and my petite lover’s palms flick to her lips.

Shaking my head, I pat my clumsy mate gently. “I’ve been teaching her a thing or two about mercenary tactics and such during our travels. Sirgia seems like a very respectful person so she’s been calling me that in private. She must feel quite comfortable around you to let it slip. As you can imagine, we wouldn’t want others to overhear her address a Human like that.”

“Ah. Understandable. You don’t need to worry about me. I won’t say a thing. It would do me no good to tarnish whatever hints of a positive relationship we might be starting to develop here.” Mevana smirks softly. “Okay, let’s talk business if we are almost ready to go. Are you sure you are alright with what you proposed earlier?”

“Absolutely.” I nod kindly. “Unless that’s still too much under current circumstances?”

“No, no, no!” The woman waves her hands at me. “I would feel like a total bitch going even lower when you are willing to do so much for me. Having to offer delayed payment is already bad enough, not to mention the risky investment. I don’t know how much help you will actually be on the road, but it’s always better than going alone.”

I notice Sirgia opening her mouth to sing me more praises so I tickle her cheek a little to beat her to it. “I’ll do my best to protect everyone. Sirgia has a strong Class too. It would be better if we didn’t have to show what we are capable of, but we will gladly step up when necessary, and hopefully show that you are getting your money’s worth.”

“And if you might feel like you underpaid a lot, I’m sure we will be able to find a satisfactory way to even the scales, like including some of your services, perhaps,” my lover still chimes in afterwards. “Coming from the family of Shaftmillers, I bet you are confident in your skills of handling all kinds of shafts.”

I glare at the naughty Dwarf as she tries to innocently ignore me, both of us knowing what she is trying to get at here.

Thankfully, Mevana doesn’t and glances me over a bit perplexedly. “I don’t see any weapons on him, though.”

“The Hero’s Holy Sword doesn’t emerge from its sheath unless it faces a worthy enemy.” Sirgia giggles at her own joke and I strongly consider giving that pert ass of hers a good smack. “I can assure you, however, that it hasn’t yet met an opponent it was unable to slay in just a few moves.”

Okay, she is laying it way too thick right now.

She’s clearly caught me ogling the stout female.

Pressing harder on Sirgia’s hair, I clear my throat to capture their attention. “I’m not the only one in this company and we are training our newest recruits right at this moment. They could use some quality woodwork for sure.”

“And I’m considering helping out with more magical aspects as a developing journeyman artificer,” my genius smith lady adds. “Perhaps we should consider joining hands after we reach our destination. Good allies are the basis of a budding business. I’m going to need a lot of quality materials in the future.”

“You for real?” Mevana’s eyes widen to the brim. “Even knowing that others might mess with you because of our cooperation?”

“We will just need to hire Alastair’s girls to keep us safe. Or to solve that issue at its root,” Sirgia states nonchalantly.

The crimson-haired lady has a hard time believing in the latter suggestion but then frowns at something else. “Girls?”

“Our current troops are majorly... female,” I reveal with a wry smile.

Our client snorts to the side. “Of course it does. Men.”

“Don’t misunderstand!” Sirgia protests in my defence. “It wasn’t his idea or demand!”

“Whose then?” Mevana crosses her arms under her significant chest, clearly not convinced.

“It’s a long story, one we might revisit on the road,” I interrupt them before this spirals out of control. “If there are no other things to take care of, we should go. Diana’s arrival might have caused a bit of a scene, and I’m afraid the local wardens would be more than happy to find a reason to mess with us.”

“Tch. Those bastards. I know what you mean. They gave me so much shit too. I’m almost sure someone paid them to harass me.” She spits to the side. “Aren’t we going to write a contract?”

“Are you going to shirk from paying?” I raise a challenging brow at her.

“Not in this life,” the Dwarf merchant insists confidently.

“Then we can draft the necessary documents at your home.” I hoist Sirgia onto Diana’s back and extend a hand to Mevana. “May I?”

She glares at it briefly before sliding her sizable palm into mine. “Be careful not to strain your back—”

A feminine yelp escapes her lips, interrupting her warning, as I easily throw the bodily woman onto the driver’s bench, her considerable posterior smacking the wood with a rather pleasant fleshy thunk. She blinks at me in shock and her cheeks colour a bit at my cheeky grin.

She might be weighing quite a bit, but it’s still of no issue to the current me.

I join my wife right after, hugging Sirgia from behind and letting her snuggle into my chest affectionately. There are no reins that Mevana can use on Diana, but they aren’t necessary. Our frightening lupine steed shares a mental connection with me and starts her trek when I politely ask her to, beginning our next journey together.

We ride through the streets without much of an issue. It’s quite the opposite. Seeing a massive wolf parading the town, all the Dwarves escape to the sides, making space for us. Diana holds herself like an imposing queen but does nothing to actually scare the other animals or even the people. She keeps her head forward with a thoughtful, collected expression.

Many whisper amongst themselves and point at the Dwarf woman riding the coach, making Mevana a bit self-conscious. It seems she’s not used to this kind of attention. She’s been bullied and abused by most likely a good portion of the population here. With Dwarves being even more profit oriented than Humans, it’s of no surprise her enemies could easily buy their way into harassing her.

Everything is great until we reach the main gate. I don’t think over a dozen guards are necessary to keep an eye on it at all times, not to mention twice or more as many. Plus, Acheron is there too, clearly not happy about something. I’m fairly sure I can guess what exactly.

“Halt,” he commands us to stop before we pass.

“Is there a problem, Protector?” I ask.

“Yes, there is. You are hereby forbidden from leaving the town until all allegations are cleared,” the captain responds. “You were reported disrupting public order for the second time, which includes smuggling unsanctioned wild beasts into our streets. I’m afraid we need to confiscate the creature until the investigation into these matters is concluded. Additionally, that woman is to be taken for questioning for physical assault.”

“Excuse me?!” Mevana gapes at him with pure bewilderment.

I’m not really in the mood for more mind games, especially knowing that they are intent on fucking with us even under false charges.

“And I’m afraid I have promised you to leave at dawn, Captain,” I answer, levelling the short man with a glare. “This unsanctioned wild beast doesn’t like big crowds and small spaces, so I would advise you to order your men to stand aside. Since it’s unsanctioned and wild, I’m not exactly in a position to control its savage instincts. Do you follow?”

As I finish, Diana lets out a deep growl, her muzzle twisting ferociously to show off her sharp canines and acidic purple jaws, violet saliva dripping onto the stone path. The soldiers shudder and exchange worried glances as her ominous eyes rove over each of them as if she’s deciding who is going to be the first snack.

Before the idiot has time to talk back, I ask her to move forward and she complies. After just one step, the guards blocking the gate scatter to the sides, dropping their gear in a hurry. Tipping my nonexistent hat at the captain, I bring us outside and Diana picks up the pace, entering a light trot.

“That’s not going to end well...” Mevana sighs heavily.

“Is this town a regular stop for you?” I glance over my shoulder.

“No, but they will definitely spread rumours.” She shakes her head.

“You were in a losing position no matter what,” Sirgia wisely points out. “At least we got you out safely and with your merchandise intact. If you are afraid of the consequences of your actions, grow your business and name into something formidable enough to stop anyone from even thinking of messing with you. The level of your enemy would be a good first step.”

“Easy to say. My family isn’t a prominent one. There are plenty of people who are good with wood,” the thick Dwarf girl replies, evoking a quiet giggle from my unruly mate. “I know our goods are more than good, but no one in big cities considers no-names. Towns like these are our only hope, but after the last two weeks, even that might be out of the picture now.”

“Are you going to just give up, then?” I ask.

She looks to the side for a good while before moving her gaze onto me. “No. I don’t want to throw away everything my family worked for. I’d rather die trying. However, I don’t know what to do. I’m quickly running out of options. You say I should grow my brand and influence, but there is no way a single person can fight against tens if not hundreds of companies. I see no future.”

“Then try asking for help,” Sirgia offers a piece of advice, peering past my side.

“Who would I even...” Mevana begins but pauses as her eyes wander over our faces. “Right. We talked about doing business together after we reached the capital. I’m not sure if I’ll be able to offer much.”

“Damn. He packs a punch.” A female snickers on the right.

“Feels like a waste to get rid of such a good log.” Another laughs next to her. “No one says we can’t have some fun first, right?”

“Target first,” a man rebukes them angrily. “The client doesn’t care what happens to the rest. I heard the guy is a fresh merc. Failing one of his first jobs will be a decent lesson not to fuck with the wrong people.”

From my observation, there are six guys and three girls. All wearing leather armour and covering their faces. Diana doesn’t recognize their scents so they aren’t dressed up guards, which is good. That means I can get rid of them without worrying about anything. They are most certainly paid assassins or unlawful mercenaries.

“Boy!” The leader raises his sword at me. “Stand aside and you will keep your life! We have no fault with you yet!”

“Listen to him!” The first woman brandishes her dual daggers. “You might even be lucky enough to taste some fine Dwarf pussy if you behave nicely! I’ve always been curious how far Human dicks can reach.”

Some men snarl in the direction of the speaker and her colleague, the third female seemingly uninterested in their debauchery. Ignoring their blabbering, I look to the night sky, wondering about what to do. I can kill them all in a second using Voidal Bondage and anything else. Though, I should leave one to question.

Yet, I don’t feel like ending this quickly.

They are not only after my friend, but they have even dared to disrupt my beloved’s sleep. Who knows what kind of atrocities they might have come up with when left alone with the girls? If even the females are this rotten, the males are bound to be even worse.

No. They will understand their mistake before receiving the mercy of death.

“Oi! Are you deaf?” The main guy growls at me. “You have three more seconds! I ain’t staring at your pathetic junk any moment longer!”

Taking a deep breath, I pick my path. The understanding of the Shadow Stalker flows into my mind, courtesy of a certain deadly spidergirl. It’s more than enough, especially when paired with my Void affinity further enhanced by Diana.

“That’s too bad.” I crack an amused smile at him. “Because it’s going to be the last thing you see before death.”

Taking a step to the side, I shape a vicious dagger with my artefact hilt. As my foot touches the shadow cast by the nearby tree, my body disappears like a black mist dispersed by the wind. The Dwarves flinch and assume battle stances. I spot two crossbows, one longbow, two swords, double daggers, two hammers with shields, and one spear. They take a decent formation, one tank front and back, the rest more or less in the middle.

“Where did the fucker go?” One shortsword spins around in search of me.

“Don’t know! Light torches! He can’t hide forever!” the leader replies.

Smart.

But too slow.

Spotting a nice fluffy cloud sailing through the sky, I hop into its shadow and follow its path towards the group, watching them struggle to take out their torches. They can’t see me with the level of their abilities and I gracefully step between them. Aiming for the archer who is about to light the fire, I sink my knife into his kidneys from behind and twist it, evoking a howl of pain.

Everyone turns to him immediately, but they catch only the squirting blood, their eyes sliding off me like I don’t exist. As the cloud quickly moves away, I drive my dagger into the stomach of one of the females, cutting it wide. She screams in agony, trying to grab her fleeing entrails, while I squeeze out of their formation and continue with my fluffy friend until I’m behind a tree.

Two down. It doesn’t look like they have a dedicated healer.

“Fuck! What is this fucking...!” Some guy curses repeatedly, managing to get his torch up.

Four of them are busy checking on the critically wounded, so I don’t waste my time and prepare for another strike.

“He is in the shadows!” The dagger girl manages to figure out my approach. “Pull that fire up!”

Decent thinking, but she forgets about one thing.

Dwarves cast shadows too.

Picking the longest one, I casually stroll back to them and arrive behind the bitch. The light licks at my naked body, dispelling part of the concealment ability, and she spots the flicker. Before she opens her mouth to shout, I grab her chin and squeeze, hearing it crunch. A quick slice later and her throat is open. Pushing her into the torch guy’s back, I throw him off balance and she falls onto the flame, screaming in pain.

As the group scrambles around, I move into a crouch and weave between them, abusing their shadows. It’s kind of comical, really. I’m crouched but that puts me more or less equal with them in terms of height now. That thought brings a snicker out of me and the closest guy spins my way.

Seeing an awkwardly squatting naked human with his junk hanging out pierce your heart while he stares into your frightened eyes must be horrifying. Maybe I should write a book about it later. Might sell amongst female nobles as a horror and drama. I’ll have to discuss it with Sirgia and my talented ladies.

Nevertheless, I finish off the torch guy on my way out, just as two more people bring out their own sources of light, finally illuminating my figure properly. The assassins gasp and jump back, their panicked eyes locked on my bloody frame. None of that blood is mine, of course.

Five down, four more to go.

“So, about that Dwarf pussy.” I smirk at the remaining females. “A few more cuts and I might start getting excited enough to consider the offer. Do you think you can survive until then?”

Surprisingly, they find a new well of courage and group up to launch a mob attack on me.

From what I can see, we have the leader with a sword, two tankers, and one crossbow left. Two guys and two girls. Perfect equality.

The shielders come at the same time, one of them holding onto a torch to prevent me from running away. But, I don’t intend to, anyway. As they reach me and swing their weapons, I simply jump over them, careful not to catch my dangly bits against anything sharp or hot. As they turn around, I stab one in the throat and swipe to the side, pretty much beheading the poor woman.

A twang of the crossbow reaches my ears and I spin around, watching it whizz right above my little friend.

Damn. That was a close one.

The bolt pierces into the other tanker’s shield and knocks it aside, just after he has brought it in position to defend against me. Smirking at the unfortunate bastard, I stab my dagger into his bulging belly and drag the blade up for a change, opening him vertically. Noticing footsteps behind me, I slip behind him and avoid a vicious stab from the leader, who snarls at me as he drives his sword into his dying comrade.

“Oof. Someone forgot there’s friendly fire?” I chuckle darkly. “I’ll be with you in a second. Let me just take care of the last annoying fly.”

“You will go nowhere!” He brings the torch he holds in offhand right in my face.

I raise a brow at it while leaning to the back and shaking my head. Reaching deep into my connection with Diana and her pack, my mental fingers wrap around something new, something that felt quite elusive before I accepted them all. Waving the man goodbye, I watch his expression shift into that of horror as I plunge into the corpse’s own shadow right at the spot where we are both standing.

“Watch ou—”

He tries to warn his colleague, but I’m already behind the shooter.

“Nothing personal, kiddo.”

With an accurate jab, my blade sinks into the side of the final grunt’s neck before he gets a chance to turn around. One step back and I’m gone.

“FUCK!” The boss throws his torch away. “COME HERE AND FIGHT LIKE A MAN! FUCKING HUMAN SCUM! ALL YOU CAN DO IS HIDE AND RUN!”

Reappearing at my starting position, I fully disable the cloaking and rest the hilt against my shoulder.

“Here I am. What now?” I tilt my head at him.

“No more tricks!” he shouts. “You and me! The better fighter wins!”

Wow. I have literally no reason to accept, already having shown him who is the better one by obliterating his unit. Are Dwarves so heavy on honour that someone would agree? I don’t remember anything mentioning this in the castle’s library.

But, anyway, it’s not like I can’t humour the bastard and show him what true despair means.

“As you wish.” I take a more serious stance, shaping my hilt into a violet longsword. “Make it worthwhile.”

With a wild shout, he launches himself at me. I have to admit, I don’t have much experience fighting much shorter opponents, but I do have quite a bit of general experience with weapons and stuff. Additionally, it’s quite enhanced now thanks to the ladies and my insane race. I’ve never stopped training with my women and Shino especially. I’m fairly confident in my abilities even without borrowing any external feats.

Therefore, I easily deflect his first three strikes, surprising my opponent greatly. He must have counted on his high strength, but unfortunately, I’m not a baseline Human. Taking advantage of his brief lapse in concentration, I bump his shortsword up and land two quick slices on his chest.

He sneers at me, rushing to the side. I recognize a mana-enhanced skill from the gentle glow and a quick stab flies forward after my hip. Stabbing my blade into the ground, I angle it lightly and intercept the path, our weapons colliding with a loud clang. The momentum puts him right before me while extended forward and I kick him in the stomach hard enough to send him tumbling.

Casually strolling to the idiot, I spin my longsword and throw a stab into his shoulder. At the last moment, he rolls away, waiting for this opportunity, and my blade only grazes the target, still slicing into quite a bit of his flesh. He growls in pain while rolling and swinging his weapon at my ankles.

It’s too slow.

I raise my foot and stomp on it, stopping it in its tracks. The man snarls as his wrist gets squeezed into the earth, but a moment later, he has bigger problems to worry about. One quick slice and that wrist is gone, leaving him disarmed, literally. Grabbing the stump, he starts wailing in misery.

“I don’t know what exactly I expected from unfriendly neighbourhood bandits.” I shake my head and give his forehead a good kick, knocking him out. “Ladies! It’s time to clean up. Keep this one alive. The Lilies should be able to use their toxins to make him sing. I need to get back before Sirgia wakes up and gets angry about leaving her out of this.”

The wolves step into the light and lower their heads in affirmation, accepting my orders. Earth swallows the leader as one of the Oreads transports the guy to a different place, most likely where my cute flowers are. They should be able to stop the bleeding, turn his brain into mush, and make him spill everything while believing they are the sexy gods of the universe.

“Alastair?”

I freeze with my hands on my hips, turning towards the pavilion. Mevana stands at the entrance, her head poking past the curtains, gazing right at my bloodied chest and all the other rather exposed bits.

Really? Again?