Chapter 162 - 158 : The Pigolo Tribe (2/2)
Obviously, such actions were seen by the two captain, who turned to look at Arthur since the second his chains started making very loud noises. When they saw that the hostage was acting strangely then suddenly spit a mouthful of blood, captain Reek shook his head in disappointment and continued walking, as for Gutcha, he was really surprised by the fact that Arthur, a person who he could not fathom his strength, was spitting a mouthful of blood out of nowhere.
Such thing was not mentioned when the plan was explained, nonetheless, he remained silent and followed captain Reek.
”With such weak hostages, they'll surely die in a matter of days. To think that a captain died just to bring them here....”
Captain Reek kept complaining about how fragile and weak the hostages Gutcha brought. The turned a deaf ear to him and marched toward a yellow tower made mud with a cave entrance next to him. It was the prison of his tribe and it can be considered a desolated place.
”Are you okay?”
Taliya stared at Arthur with a strange face, since she met him, he would always say or do weird things but this topped them all. Who in their right mind would spit such a big mouthful of blood out of nowhere, even if it was acting, it would be too exaggerated so she couldn't help but feel a bit anxious as if he is injured then the probability of escaping if they are discovered lessened by a huge margin.
All her planned actions to take care of Reek fell and she could only glare at Arthur, who gave her no explanation and continued walking with his eyes closed.
'Hmpf! I just need to ascertain that Alina is in that prison then I'll figure a way out of here!'
****
*shiii* *shiii*
The long chains were dragged in the sound as they entered the cave, which was supposed to be the prison of the tribe. Arthur's sense had already spread underground and he was able to notice a considerable amount of living beings. One was in a corner quite a distance away from the rest and from the looks of it, he is the one Gutcha described as weird.
”Now that we guided your prisoners as you wanted, let's head to the Major and hear your detailed explanation, there's no time to waste.”
Reek still insisted on hearing Gutcha's explanation about the ambush. It was unknown whether he wanted to learn the truth or find a mistake and blame it on his comrade to earn more merit or perhaps earn the rewards in his place.
After glancing at Arthur and obtaining the confirmation from him, he nodded to Reek and handed the rope binding Lissandra and Taliya to a guard stationed at the entrance of the prison.
”Yes sir, you can rest assured!”
The guard took the rope and pulled the two woman to the inside of the cave followed by Arthur who was ignored due to the visible chains restraining him.
....
The prison, which was practically a cave with a few rooms dug inside of it, was not big at all, however, that is to be expected as they usually kill and don't take prisoners. This was only a special case where they needed to extract pieces of information from the captured prisoners. Gutcha said that they rarely resorted to torture as the prisoners are always scared senseless when they just see their appearance and they would spill everything they knew. As for the uncooperative types, they are, of course, tortured but they would give up after a few rounds too, with the exception of the weird young man.
”Come on! I don't have all day, I have to guard the entrance!”
The guard's attitude changed 180 degrees when they walked away from the two captains. Violently, he pulled the rope binding the two women, almost making them fall which resulted in receiving a piercing glare from the maid. It didn't seem like he was looking at living beings but just inferior livestock which is normal as Humans are an alien race in their territory. However, what seems a bit off is that from Gutcha's mouth, Arthur heard that the strong beings who came from beyond the wall of flames looked similar to Humans, so what lingers in the guard's mouth should not be contempt but fear as these prisoners are of the same Race as these strong experts, or so thought Arthur.
Since the prison was not big, it only took a few minutes to reach a large room which had thick iron bars blocking its entrance, inside the room was a large crowd of people, each minding their own business and divided into several little groups.
The guard used some kind of cylindric device to make the iron bars open up a small hole, enough to fit both ladies, who were pushed by him.
As for Arthur, who was expecting to be thrown there too, he surprisingly wasn't put in the same place. The guard gestured for Arthur to follow him without coming close to him and when they descended a few stairs, an extremely small cold room laid before his eyes, only a figure was silently sitting on what seemed to be a rough bed and when the two of them entered, the young man opened his eyes and lifted his head whilst happily smiling.
'I guess I should have expected this.'
Seeing that he was dumped next to the strange young man, Arthur shook his head and remained silent. With an appearance like his, he wouldn't look that shady but if we add those long thick chains all over his body, it's perfectly normal for the guard to think of him as a dangerous fellow. He wasn't even tossed like the two ladies, the guard just opened the gate and waited for him to enter without uttering a single word then he darted out of the cold room in a split second.
”Oh! A new roommate, pleased to meet you!”
The young man walked to Arthur and stretched his hand in greeting, however, the latter ignored him and didn't even spare him a glance. He may have fooled the others with such a friendly attitude but one appraise was enough for Arthur to know who he is and how strong he is.
Vyncent (Race: Human): Realm: Immortal 6th Grade.
'No wonder he was not broken by all that torture, must've been an act from the very beginning. But what are his motives for all of this?'
It was indeed intriguing but Arthur does not have the time to ponder about that or waste it on this young man. Vyncent looked like any normal teenage boy, a blonde hair and hazy green eyes, it could not be denied that he was handsome and except his poor attitude from the current circumstances, anyone from Astria would mistake him for a Noble or a wealthy figure.
Arthur's goals are to first locate and rescue Sonia and Mary if they are here then he'll need to either find if this world is isolated like Astria or not, if it is not then he needs to go to Earth and if that doesn't work then he'll need to find a good Spatial Master and possess him, in that way, he'll create a Spatial Tunnel himself, however, the chances of finding a Master in Spatial Laws is extremely meager, even in high-Realm World or Planet.
”Oh! I didn't notice the chains in your hands, excuse me!”
After seeing that Arthur was not going to talk to him, Vyncent said that and bowed his head in apology whilst keeping the usual friendly smile.
This kind of character reminded Arthur of good old Kilan, the leader of the Monster Race in the Underworld, however, Kilan had a unique cold aura around him which made him less friendly than Vyncent, who really looked like a friendly guy. Arthur would have greeted him back, if not for the appraisal result and the things he heard from Gutcha.
The room they were in only had one bed and nothing else, although the coldness didn't affect Arthur, he could still feel it and there was even a small layer of steam on the roof, which had many water holes.
It was an unusual place to build a prison, especially with the presence of water, which should not be here when the surface is a literal desert. They are not that far underground for water to exist, barely ten or so meters.
----
Despite being totally ignored by the other party, Vyncent still kept his smile and sat on his bed while throwing a couple of glances to newcomer every now and then.
It has already been an hour since he arrived yet this grey-haired man sat cross-legged in a coin with his eyes closed and did nothing. Vyncent started to contemplate the chance that his new roommate is a mute or an eccentric person. He tried probing him but wasn't able to perceive anything which meant that either the other party's Realm is higher than his or it is covered by some kind of treasure or technique.
It's been a while since he got a roommate and Vyncent was feeling talkative yet this black-robed man was just sitting there, completely silent. Vyncent tried beginning a conversation more than one time in the course of the last hour but he felt as if he was talking to a wall, heck! At least the wall will stare at him but Arthur just didn't pay him any heed whatsoever.
'Maybe I should give him a gift before he can talk?.... but they took my ring so I have naught but two dry pieces of bread and if he is Spirit Realm or above, going hungry is the least of his worries.... *sigh* what to do....'
As Vyncent stretched his hand from under a torn cloth to grab a piece of bread to enjoy it, the figure at the corner of the room finally made a move.
Vyncent's hand froze as he stared at Arthur, waiting for him to do something or strike a conversation to relieve the boredom of the last long hour, yet what the young man expected never happened.
All he saw was a black nebula forming in front of the grey-haired man, then the nebula contracted until it took the same exact appearance of the grey-haired man.
'What just hap-ppened!'
At the middle of his surprise, another astonishing thing occurred, the grey-haired man before Vyncent's eyes transformed into black flames which quickly dispersed into the air and vanished in a matter of seconds.
Curious and flabbergasted, Vyncent stood up and approached the grey-haired man who was formed from the black nebula. He looked exactly similar, even the chains were present. The man sat cross-legged with his eyes closed, just like the previous posture.
”E-emmm, friend...”
--------
ONE HOUR EARLIER
When Taliya and Lissandra entered the big cell full of people. The head maid looked around in a rush and dragged the silent Lissandra with her, almost making her fall again.
Her head turned left and right, searching for her missing niece. The usually calm Taliya looked distressed with flushed face and fastly beating heart if Alina is not here then it only means that something happened to her. Gutcha described the famous girl with silver-hair and from his descriptions, Taliya was sure that he was talking about Alina, the Princess of the Royal Demon Family.
”Alina!”
Once Taliya saw the figure of a silver-haired girl come out from a small group of people, she immediately dashed toward the girl and hugged her before the latter or anyone around could react.
As they were both new prisoners, many people gathered around them due to their curiosity, Alina was one of them and since she was famous and helpful, all of the prisoners present respected here and followed her instructions.
The princess was just in the middle of talking about something with her group when she heard from nearby that two new prisoners had been thrown inside the cell so she wanted to welcome them and assure them as mostly every prisoner who is thrown here is either scared stiff or had been tortured then thrown here.
She is known for her miraculous healing skills, so very few did dislike here if not none.
”A-aunt Taliya?”
Unable to believe who was hugging her, Alina stood in total disbelief, she couldn't comprehend why her aunt is here. You have to know that this is not Astria and simply getting here is extremely hard. She was kidnapped more than a year ago so she managed to accumulate quite a bit of knowledge, and the method to come and go between this place and Astria was also known by her.
”Yes! It is me, your aunt. I have come to get you back!”
With a relieved smile on her usually cold face, Taliya stroked her niece's head lovingly and checked the condition of her body, ascertaining that there were no injuries.
”Alina, who is he?”
A white-haired demon with a half-grown horn and an eye-patch on his left eye walked near the duo and looked warily at Taliya. A well-hidden short ten-inch blade was under the cloth on his back, his hand was touching it as he walked near Taliya. From the looks of it, he was not that trustful of her, especially on how she suddenly appeared and hugged their leader. He just needs one word or signs from Alina to attack.
It is quite unfortunate for this young man that Taliya was an expert compared to him, their Level difference was just too big and such a movement was easily perceived by the maid, who pulled Alina behind her and stared at the eye-patched young man while coldly saying
”To even think about raising a blade against me, you must be reckless, boy.”
She may not match Arthur or even his Death Knight, however, these prisoners are not experts either and amongst them, very few are high-leveled and fewer are of the same level as her. A cold killing intent emanated from Taliya's eyes, suffocating the young man and forcing him to take a step back, nonetheless, he didn't back down and was about to take out his short blade when the silent Alina interrupted him and got between the two.
With a panicked face, she motioned for him to stop and hastily said
”Lucas stop! She is my aunt! The one I've talked to you about!”
Alina may be their leader, and he has blind trust towards her, furthermore, she is liked by quite a lot of people from the Pigolo Tribe who go as far as giving them extra meals thanks to her healing hands and friendly attitude, however, there are still some who wants to get rid of her due to an internal conflict, and for a tribe with such a prowess, it shouldn't be too hard to capture her aunt and use a strange technique to make a clone or an illusion that would fool Alina, or so thought Lucas.
****
Somehow, Alina managed to calm down the young man and make her aunt refrain from literally cutting him down. Taliya may be gentle to her family members but except for them, she is a ruthless warrior and if not for Arthur being strong enough, he would have been tortured by her at several occasions with the first one being when they just accidentally crossed each other's road.
”A-aunt Taliya, how did you come here?”
This was the question that was bothering Alina the most. She knew how difficult it is to come here from Astria with her aunt's ability, although she's decently strong, she shouldn't be able to come here without any external help. Gaining the trust of most of the prisoners and making some tribe members like her, the demon princess was easily able to deduce such a conclusion.
Her line of sight changed as she stared behind her aunt, specifically at the silent Lissandra, who hasn't spoken or moved an inch since they got here.
Even Alina was able to notice her due to the rope tying the two ladies. Taliya didn't give a detailed or honest reply to Alina, she slashed the thick rope wrapped around her waist and instantly cut it, freeing herself from this useless binding. She then surveyed the crowd around them and casually replied
”How I got here does not matter, we have to go back immediately, this place is dangerous.”
Taliya looked to ascertain if the two friends of Arthur, Mary and Sonia are here or not. He did help her a lot but for now, her highest priority is to get Alina out of here, it's no place to live and if she finds Arthur's friends, she'll bring them along too repay the favor.
By no means did she think of breaking her promise but she'll only be willing to follow Arthur if Alina is back safe and sound.
As her eyes looked around and inspected every person, her sight fell on a laying figure not too far from her position.
From the description that Arthur gave her, the figure laying on some torn clothes appeared to be Sonia, the younger sister of the woman managing his sect. She looked a bit similar to Anastassia but only a bit, her hair was different and her facial complexions were a bit pale.
A bit annoyed that her aunt ignored her and gave her a half-assed reply, Alina didn't fret about it albeit her inner annoyance and frowned when she saw her aunt focus on the female human laying a couple of meters away from her.
The demon princess only knew that the female is called Sonia and she had another friend who kept taking care of her. She tried giving her a helping hand but her friend and even her strongly objected, saying that they did not need a help from a demon, a royal one at that.
Before Alina could ask again, her aunt walked near the laid Sonia to examine her only to be stopped by a tall female. It was Mary, who went missing way before Sonia, she didn't have the axe that Lucy gifted her and a scar could be seen on her neck despite covering all her face with a veil.
Back then, Mary had a sort of childish behavior, being easily enraged but that didn't stop her from being forgiven by Lucy and they even became close friends. Lucy would always tell Arthur how much she missed talking with Mary when they were in the Underworld.
The relationship between Lucy and Sonia is still a bit weird, as for Arthur, he stayed out of their way and rarely talked to them, even when Lucy persisted that he should socialize more, she was rejected by the pretext of having her is more than enough for him.
It was kind of true as Arthur only needed his wife and daughter, however, that didn't mean he doesn't have any friends, it's just that he does not have the necessary will to fully trust someone other than Lucy, perhaps his past played some part in this.
.....
”What do you think you're doing?”
quite some time have passed and Mary grew a bit stronger but she is still weak compared to an old expert like Taliya, despite that, she didn't back down and stood tall in front of the head maid, not letting her get close to Sonia.
It's been a short time since Sonia came here, she was captured in a very sinister way and since then, the poison that they used to immobilize her worn off but the after effects were not something the captains who captured her had expected.
It is slowly draining her of her Vitality stats, which was extremely weird, even after trying to inquire what type of poison was used, Mary was rejected and almost beaten up.
As per Sonia's words, her status window showed that her Vitality is slowly but surely decreasing and the speed is fastening every day. In just a month, she became unable to walk and a few days ago she fell unconscious with no signs of waking up.
”I'm just trying to help your friend.”
Taliya was not going to force her way, now that she confirmed the presence of both of Arthur's friends, then he certainly knows, as for when he'll act, that is not something she knew because for her, getting out of the prison must be done immediately.
The silver-haired maid took out a Healing Potion that Arthur handed to her and put it on the ground then she turned around and walked toward the prison's thick iron bars.
Mary ignored the bottle and continued taking care of the unconscious Sonia, stroking her cheeks and measuring her temperature. As for Taliya, she went to the prison bars to try something only to be stopped by Lucas who blocked her way and said
”There is no use trying to get out of here, you think that after all the time we passed here, we didn't try anything? You'll only make more noise and annoy the guard which will result in him not bringing any food for us today!”
This time, the eye-patched young man didn't hide the blade and instead, pointed it toward Taliya, trying to make her step down but all he got was piercing glare and a chill down his spines.
Alina also sided with Lucas this time and with a flustered expression, she hurriedly said
”Aunt, please calm down! These iron bars are not something that can be cut easily, it'll only bring trouble, please believe me!”
The head maid remained oblivious to the pleas of Alina and the panicking crowd.
She retrieved her two short blades and motioned for the people block her path to go to the side while seriously saying
”We won't know until we try.”
.....
AN HOUR LATER.
Arthur used his Dark Cloud to create a clone of himself that'll act as a decoy then with the use of [Faster Than Death], his Race ability and the Nature attribute and Plant Magic, he was able to freely leave the prison and inspect the territory of the tribe.
His sense had already found Mary and Sonia, with the latter being in a tricky situation but it wasn't death threatening so he didn't immediately act.
Now that the first stage of his goal has been achieved, all that was left is to send them back. It shouldn't be too hard to get them out of the prison and bring them to the big square. He had the Warp Device but he can't just lead them there with his real appearance, he needs to possess someone of high importance or else the whole tribe will gang up to kill him.
He teleported multiple times while he was possessing a body of an extremely small plant. He traveled through the Earth, barely visible to anyone. It was a small green plant appearing and vanishing in a split second, each time, it'll cross a distance of 150 meters.
The reason Arthur waited one whole hour is for Gutcha to finish his part of the plan and proceed to the next phase. First, he should speak with the Major as it is necessary then he is tasked to ask every possible person about any Spatial Master in this tribe or the other two. Arthur could not just go around and search every person by possessing them. Having someone do the hard work for him is way easier and more practical.
Arthur spent a couple of minutes to thoroughly investigate the surroundings of the prison but all he saw was desert, the soil was dry and unfertile, the weather was as hot as ever and apart from stationed guards, there was nothing amiss.
He followed Gutcha's description and headed straight to the living area of the high officials and experts of the tribe. Gutcha was a bit uncertain but he said that all the Majors and above lived in that place.
With the body of an extremely small plant, Arthur used the ground to teleport countless time and head straight to his destination, expecting to find a suitable prey to possess.