The Moonlight Swordsman



After several hours, the three abducted followers stirred and regained consciousness.

They opened their eyes slowly, taking in the cave's gloomy surroundings.

"Oh, so you are finally up; we were waiting for you guys to wake up," Raven greeted them.

"Where are we…"

"What did you do to others…"

"Fuck my leg…"

Soren strolled toward the awakening trio, his steps deliberate and gaze steady.

He bent down until he was at eye level with them, and his intense stare met their confused faces.

"Now listen closely, you fucking fishes and you lowly pest. You will only talk when we ask you to."

"Who the fuck are you calling fis…"

Soren's hand shot out and grabbed the seafolk person firmly by the face.

He made a rapid motion, slamming the poor guy's head hard onto the rough cave floor.

After the severe blow to the head, a little stream of blood began to drip down the victim's forehead.

The two remaining captives now looked at Soren with fear and anxiety in their wide, terrified eyes.

"Do you want me to repeat?"

Both of them shook their heads in fear.

"Good, Zareena you can take it from here," Soren said, then walked away.

"So now tell me where are the cursed magi?" Zareena asked, coming straight to the point.

"W-We don't know." A Seafolk member replied.

"I know you are a low-level follower just blindly following them. But you should have some information worth saving your lives, right?" She asked with a sly smile.

The defeated seafolk showed a look of despair, shaking his head in silence as if to accept his fate.

There was no trace of defiance or pleading in his eyes, as if he had already given up.

On the other hand, the human captive was frozen with terror, sweat dripping from his brow.

His gaze darted anxiously in every direction, searching for an escape or a glimmer of hope amid the dire circumstances.

"If you think you can escape from here, you are gravely mistaken," Zareena said noticing him.

"W-Will you really let me live if I give you the information?"

"Oye you human, what are you say…"

*Slap*

"Shut the fuck up," Zareena slapped the seafolk face hard.

"It will depend," she continued

"Please, I have a wife and a small kid. In the first place, I didn't even want to join them.

"But they threatened me that if I did not meet their demands, they would kill my wife and my child. My wife is already with them, and I don't know what they are even doing with her...

"Oh, poor you; don't worry." Zareena slowly caressed his hair. 

"I will make sure to save your wife and child if you just give us some information about them.

"I Promise," she said.

"Th..thank you. I don't know where they are right now, but I do know that one of them is soon going to appear."

"Where?"

"In three days, he is going towards Lucednia Town"

"For what?"

"I-I really don't know why, but that town is famous for lust and pleasure. And that guy is one horny guy," he replied.

"How can you be sure?" Zareena asked.

"Because one of my friends is a guard in his group. Yesterday he informed me that their group is going to have some fun in Lucednia.

Zareena retrieved the crystal ball from her belongings, her fingers delicately caressing its smooth surface. With a focused gaze, she directed the magical orb towards the trembling human captive, seeking confirmation of his honesty.

As the crystal remained dim and devoid of any radiant glow, it served as an undeniable affirmation that the person before them was indeed speaking the truth.

Aizel's footsteps echoed through the cavern as he approached the apprehensive human captive.

"Where is your wife and child?" he asked.

"Huh?"

"I asked, where are they holding your wife and your child?"

"In Triton's Town,"

"What are you doing?" Zareena asked, crossing her arms as she stared at Aizel.

"You guys go and catch that guy.

"In the meantime, I will head towards Triton's town. I might as well create some distraction for you," Aizel replied.

"And who said you could go and save them? Let them rot there," Zareena replied.

"I didn't ask for your permission.

"You come with me."

Aizel's reached out to untie the bindings that held the captive's hands. The ropes fell away, freeing the individual from their restraints.

"Are you really going to help me?"

"Don't take this the wrong way. I am helping your wife and kid," he replied.

  Isn't that the same thing?" the captive thought.

"Are you really that dumb?" Zareena raised her voice a little.

Daisy's face was furrowed with worry as the tension in the cave grew.

Raven, moving silently, positioned herself behind Princess, her gaze now filled with unmistakable hostility directed toward Aizel.

"You should think twice, Aizel. We should stick together as a group. We came here to catch the cursed magi.

"Not to save someone or help them," Edumont said.

"I don't want to think twice. MOVE,"

"Then you leave me no choice," With that said, Edumont also went and stood beside the princess.

Aizel extended his hand, calling forth the power of Sekki. The blade responded, morphing swiftly into a gleaming katana.

[hihihehehhahahaha, finally I can kill that bitch. Get ready you fuckers; bathe me with blood]

Soren walked slowly over to Aizel and surprised everyone by standing by his side.

The others, including Aizel himself, became tense as a result of this unexpected gesture.

"Let him go. Why are you guys worrying about him?

"I am alone enough to catch that guy," Soren said.

"What are you doing, Soren?" Zareena asked.

"For what reason are you not letting him go? Didn't you promise a second before you would save his wife and kid?

"That was a false promise to get the information from him. Why should I care about him or his wife?"

Soren's blade materialized from thin air with a flash of mystical power. His gaze turned piercing and resolute, sending a shiver down the spines of Raven, Zareena, and Edumont.

"If you can't keep a promise, then don't make one."

*tsh*

"Fine, but I won't go to rescue you if something happens to you there."

With that, she turned away from the group and made her way toward her camp.