The Void Monarch - Chapter 23

 

Ira and Harper walked through the streets of the capital, he took it upon himself to give her “guidance”.

“Harper, I’m taking you to work with me, so to speak.”

Ira spoke in a leader-like tone.

Harper nodded her head and watched him with impressionable eyes.

“We have to go find a guy named ‘Romelyn’ also known as ‘Snakes Fang’.”

Ira explained while Harper continued to nod.

“With a name as telling as that, I bet he has a dagger and uses…poison.”

He spoke strangely when poison was mentioned.

“Oh yeah, what type of weapon do you use?”

Ira asked curiously.

“I…don’t know how to use one.”

Harper spoke meekly.

“It’s fine, I’m sure Romelyn will have some.”

Ira stopped outside of a four-story building. The Kingdoms banner hung outside of it, above the doorway, it read “City Guard Headquarters”.

Ira walked in and could see people and two separate stairways, above one that led downwards, it read “Holding Cells”. A large squad was standing in the center of the room. The Captain of the guards came down the stairs. He was a middle-aged man with a bald head and a long goatee, he had a large build and a deep voice.

“Get out there and show the civilians were doing more than our best! We have to restore the faith of the public!”

He ordered loudly.

“””””””SIR!”””””””

The guards saluted and made their way out of the building.

Ira and Harper moved out of the way and let the crowd of guards pass them.

Ira approached the Captain.

“I’m here to for the Romelyn job.”

He explained.

“You’re gonna take down Romelyn?”

The Captain asked skeptically.

“Yeah.”

Ira replied confidently as he showed his mercenary card.

“Well me and my…sister…here.”

He pointed at Harper.

“Yeah.”

She said as she imitated Ira’s confident manner. The oversized shirt made her look incredibly comical, especially seeing how she tried to give off the impression of confidence.

“Well, don’t get the little girl killed.”

The Captain said sternly as he grabbed some papers and handed them to Ira. He thought Ira, was joking about bringing her along on the job, but he warned him just in case.

“Lately we don’t have time to launch an operation against Romelyn, his headquarters is deep within the slums, so by the time a squad gets deep enough to capture him, he’s already gone. Hopefully, you have better luck. This is his last known location, he shouldn’t have moved, seeing as we’re too busy to stop him.”

The Captain explained.

Ira chuckled as he checked the papers.

“Let’s go, Harper.”

He smiled as he left the Guard building.

……………

Inside the third floor of a building that looked decrepit,

a thin man wearing a maroon coat, with dark brown, slicked back hair, sat in a big leather chair, with a stained glass window to his back. In front of him, a dark wooden table, and on the table there was a serpent, a human skull, and a bottle of whiskey. Clearly, the man wanted to look villainous

The man touched his fingertips together as he stared into space. This man was referred to as Snake’s Fang, also known as Romelyn.

Knock. Knock.

“Enter.”

Romelyn spoke with a faint hiss.

“Boss. The old man is here to pay his debt off.”

A man with a plain face said.

“Bring him in.”

Romelyn hissed.

A fragile looking old man, carrying a large brown duffle bag, was escorted in by two burly men.

“Boss R-Romelyn…I have the money.”

The old man said as he shook. One of the burly men snatched the bag from the old man and checked it.

“Boss, it’s Ten thousand Gre.”

The burly man said.

“Good. With that, your debt is squared away-”

Crash!

Romelyn was interrupted as the stained glass behind him shatter, a projectile flew through the window and hit the old man.

Thwack!

The fragile old man fell backward, a small indention could be seen on his skull.

Romelyn quickly turned around to see a teenage boy and a little girl standing on a rooftop adjacent from the decrepit building. A few rocks were stacked at their feet.

“Harper!”

The boy yelled.

“You killed the old man!”

…….

A few minutes ago.

Ira and Harper walked through the slums, collecting small stones on the way, eventually, they found the building that was written on the reports.

On the outside, it looked like another decrepit building, but the inside was well furnished and decorated. Ten people stood in close proximity to the building, it was clear they were guarding it, no matter how casual they tried to look.

“Come on.”

Ira ducked into an alley, and started scaling the wall, he easily climbed the wall and got on the rooftop. Harper watched on, amazed.

“Now you.”

Ira said as he peeked over the ledge to look at Harper.

“Ok.”

Harper said.

She slowly climbed the wall, it took her a few minutes to reach the top.

“Nice.”

Ira praised as he waved his left hand and dropped stones onto the ground. He started stacking the rocks on top of one another.

“Alright.”

He nodded his head in a satisfactory manner, as he signaled for Harper to get closer.

“Harper, you see that glass window?”

Ira asked.

“Yeah.”

Harper nodded her head.

“Right, try to aim at the center of it.”

He said casually as he handed Harper a stone.

Harper grabbed a stone and stood up. She tried to picture the center of the window as she threw the stone as hard as she could.

Whoosh.

The stone sailed through the air.

Crash!

It broke the window and hit an old man, causing him to fall backward.

“Harper!”

Ira yelled, causing Harper to flinch.

“You killed the old man!”

He said as he looked at the old man’s lifeless body, a shocked expression on his face.

“I-I didn’t mean…I’m sorry…I didn’t-”

Harper was on the verge of crying as she looked distressed. Ira interrupted her abruptly.

“A score of five out of ten, Harper.”

Ira chuckled as he picked up a stone.

“Wha…What?”

Harper asked in a confused manner.

“Like this.”

Ira picked up a stone and clutched it tightly. He took a few steps back and then threw the stone with all his might.

WHOOSH!

The stone flew faster than an arrow and made a faint noise as it moved through the air. It passed the window before it hit a plain faced man who was still shocked from the first stone throw.

BOOM!

Ira laughed wildly.

BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!

Ira threw the rocks like a madman, he didn’t even aim instead he chose to just bombard the building altogether.

……….

“Shit!”

Romelyn hurriedly flipped the table and took cover as he panicked. He even forgot to add his usual hiss.

“Boss-”

Splik!

The plain face man tried to run over but was hit in the head with a stone, as his skull split open, sending brain matter and blood onto the walls.

Thwack!

The remaining burly man tried to run to the exit but was hit in his spine by a small stone, which lodged itself inside of him, sending blood spraying out of his back.

The men on the lower floors and the men outside the building all rushed upstairs.

“Get down you idiots-”

BOOM!

A stone flew through one man’s throat, passing through it slowed its momentum, but still hit another man in the eye.

“Fuck!”

One of the men cursed.

They all retreated back into the hallway.

BOOM!

A stone tore through the wooden wall but luckily didn’t hit anyone.

“Shit! I’m out of stones!”

A boy yelled from the adjacent rooftop, as the stones stopped being thrown.

A guard cautiously peeked his head out.

Splack!

A stone came flying, destroying his skull instantly.

“Hahaha! Ok! Ok! Now I’m really out!

The boy cackled in an unrestrained manner.

The men became terrified and regretted rushing up to check on their boss.

…………..

“Alright. Come here.”

Vssshing!

Ira called Harper over as he unsheathed his sword.

Harper timidly walked over.

“Hold this.”

He placed the sword in her hands, and lifted her up by her abdomen, holding her above his head.

“Brace yourself, Harper.”

Ira chuckled.

“Ok!”

Harper put away her fear and nodded. Right now she resembled a human dart. Her body was in a flat position as Ira held her in the air, and she held the sword stretched in front of her.

Ira threw Harper forward.

Whoosh!

……….

A brave man peeked out when he didn’t hear a stone being thrown. He stepped into the room.

“I think it’s clear-”

The man just started to talk when he saw something flying towards him.

BOOOM!

A little girl holding a sword impaled the man through his chest, the force carried his body into the hallway, as he crashed through a wooden wall. Dust slowly emerged from the hole in the wall.

“Ehek…Ehek…”

A little girl climbed out and coughed. Her hair was covered in dust and blood, though it wasn’t her own, she pulled the sword out of the man’s chest and ran into the room, filled with blood and viscera.

The men in the hallway watched blankly. Before they slowly began backing away.

“Nice, Harper!”

Ira appeared from thin air as he stood in the bloody room, smiling brightly.

“I got the sword.”

Harper said in a low voice, she felt a little sick upon seeing and smelling the mangled bodies, but a strange sense of pride welled up when Ira praised her. She scanned the room and looked at the body of the old man.

Ira grabbed the sword and sheathed it. He placed a hand on Harper’s head and wiped the dust off. He stopped after a while and turned around to see a man sitting on the floor, his back pressed to a table. A green snake slithered over his legs.

“Romelyn right? So is it dead or alive?”

Ira asked Romelyn.

“Fuck you!”

Romelyn shouted with a hiss as he slowly moved his arm.

He grabbed the serpent and tossed it at Ira, who snatched it out of the air and squeezed its neck, causing it to hang limply.

Romelyn drew two hidden daggers from his coat and swung wildly.

“Quick Stab!”

He thrust both daggers forward as they increased in speed. Ira easily grabbed his hands and stopped his stabbing motion. He slowly applied pressure.

“Argh!”

Romelyn groaned as he dropped the daggers.

“I bet those are poisoned. With a name like ‘Snake’s Fang,’ those have to be poisoned right? Who came up with that name anyway? You?”

Ira spoke nonchalantly as he swung Romelyn by the arms towards the open window, where the stained glass formerly stood, sending him falling from the third floor.

“Fuck!”

Romelyn shouted as he fell with his back facing the ground.

Thump!

He landed directly on his back and felt a sharp pain all over his body. His men were already fleeing the building when they were stopped by his falling body.

Ira chuckled as he turned to Harper.

“Can you find some rope?”

Ira asked as he picked up the brown bag on the floor. When he looked up, Harper was still staring at the old man’s lifeless body.

Ira grabbed the dagger Romelyn dropped and walked over to Harper.

“I…I killed him.”

She said fearfully as she thought of Glen Marbot.

“…Am I a bad person?”

She asked as she looked up towards Ira for guidance.

“Listen, that old man probably had a family, friends, people that really cared about him and…”

Ira smiled.

Shlik!

He stabbed the dagger inside of the old man’s head, where the impact of the rock was.

“…Romelyn, Killed him.”

Ira gave a purposely exaggerated wink.

“Who killed him?”

He asked.

“R-Romelyn.”

Harper repeated.

“Good. Now see if you can find some rope, and maybe some weapons, then put them in this bag.”

Ira said to her, as he opened the large duffle bag and waved his left hand over the money inside, emptying it.

“Ok!”

Harper nodded determinedly as she scurried off.

Ira smiled. He then turned to look out the window to see Romelyn surrounded by his men, he jumped down from the window and landed on the ground, kicking up some dust.

“Right…”

Ira scanned the men as the dust settled down.

“…No one move or I’ll have to kill you. You’re only worth 500 Gre a piece, so I don’t want to waste time killing you-”

Ira disappeared as he saw a man trying to edge away. He gripped his skull tightly and squeezed.

“Anyone else?”

Ira asked he returned to his original position.

The men grew scared, this boy could appear in the blink of an eye and kill them instantly, all hopes of fleeing were put to rest.

Harper hobbled out of the building, doing her best to carry a brown bag filled with weapons. Ira walked over and examined each one, clubs, batons, knives, a few daggers, two swords, a metal staff, and a small crossbow. Mixed in with the weapons was a rope.

“Do you like anything?”

Ira asked Harper.

“…”

Harper shook her head.

“Well, we can ask Avery to train you.”

Ira shrugged his shoulders and pulled out the rope, and waved his left hand over the bag making it vanish, leaving faint traces of black mist.

“Everyone get into a line.”

He ordered.

The men, albeit reluctantly, shuffled into a line. Meanwhile, Romelyn laid on the ground, occasionally groaning.

………….

“Hey…Look at that! It’s Snake’s Fang!”

A woman shouted.

Occupants of the slums all turned to look, and we’re all stopped in their tracks.

A rope was tied to Romelyn’s ankle, as he laid on his back. Ira held the rope and slowly dragged Romelyn away. Next to him was Harper, who clutched a rope in her small hands that were attached to the wrists of Romelyn’s men. Although they could easily snatch the rope away, they knew Ira would kill them if they did.

People looked at the man who lorded over them and terrorized them, and they began to feel relief. A person began clapping, then it slowly spread until everyone on the streets began clapping. Ira smiled cheerfully and Harper held her chin up, trying to copy Ira’s confident manner. Although they didn’t know his name, they heard rumors of a boy with bright yellow eyes who killed the creatures that caused terror, what he did today would be sure to spread more rumors.

Eventually, they left the slums, and reached the City Guards Headquarters, under the strange gazes of pedestrians.

Ira picked up Romelyn by his jacket collar and carried him in.

A few city guards were present.

“I’m back with Romelyn.”

Ira said loudly as he walked in. The guards stood up watched Ira walk in with Romelyn and about a dozen other men, all tied in ropes.

“Go get the Captain.”

One of the men turned to his colleagues and said. His colleague ran upstairs and shortly after came down with the Captain of the guards.

“Hohoho! Who would’ve guessed you’d get him in just one day.”

The Captain laughed heartily as he looked at Romelyn.

“Get these men processed and thrown in cells.”

The Captain ordered.

“””””Sir!”””””

The men took hold of the ropes from Ira and Harper and led the men downstairs to the holding cells.

“I’ll inform the Mercenaries Union of the job completion, they should have your money by tomorrow.”

The Captain said.

“There’s are a few bodies left in his hideout. Please don’t forget to add those up.”

Ira sported a friendly smile as he left with Harper trailing behind him.

As they left the Guard headquarters, an old woman and her son walked over to Ira.

“My husband, did you see my husband? He went to pay back the money he borrowed from Romelyn.”

The old woman clutched Ira’s shoulders desperately, her son stood beside her with a worried look.

“Romelyn killed him before I arrived.”

Ira said plainly.

“Nooo!”

The old woman shouted hysterically as her son went to hold her. Ira stepped around them and continued walking, Harper looked at them with guilty eyes as she followed behind Ira.

“Harper.”

Ira called her while walking.

“…Yes?”

She answered obediently.

Ira turned to her and gave her a playful wink.

“Let’s get some food.”

He said as he stretched.

“Ok.”

She nodded her head smilingly.

……….

To the far west, a meeting was being held.

“Are the rumors true?”

A pale humanoid with pointed ears and a small circular metal-like structure protruding from his forehead spoke. People of his race were called the Diavol, and currently, he was in a room surrounded by numerous men who looked similar to him.

“We can’t confirm it, but there is a way to find out. We’ll siege that accursed fortress to the east and find out.”

Another Diavol spoke.

“You mean to attack the Human fortress? I thought we ceased our patrols eastwards because of the pointless battles! You mean to use our men as bait?”

An older looking Diavol slammed his fist on the table.

“No! We send a large force, we take the fortress completely, the humans overstep their boundaries as they creep closer and closer towards us. With the rumor spreading, that their capital was attacked from within means we must act now. I believe we ceased our patrols a little too early.”

The Diavol from before stated. The others in the room stirred and whispered.

“All in agreement for taking the human fortress raise your hands.”

A Diavol spoke up.

75% of the room raised their hands, causing the older Diavol to make a bitter expression.

“Then mobilize our troops with discretion, soon we will attack swiftly before the humans can react properly.”

The Diavol who suggested taking the fortress smiled.