Chapter 262: Comeuppance (1/2)
Sera awoke with a start, coming fully out of bed in an instant. She was already clawing at the air when she realized that she was back in the infirmary. ”Huh...how?”
”Mike rescued.” Came the unemotional reply from Tal. The elven woman was sitting in a nearby chair and calmly scratching under Audra's chin. The little dragon was comfortably curled up in her lap, doing her best impression of a sleeping cat.
”What? How did he find me? The Cabal shouldn't have left any traces...”
She listened patiently as Tal haltingly explained what happened, as well as the purpose of the strange glass orb that Mike had smeared her blood back during the siege. Once she had a grasp on the full story, she had only one thing to say.
”That asshole! How dare he treat me like some kind of summoned monster! When I get my hands on him...” She trailed off as her words began to fail her, so intense was her anger.
”Was effective.” Tal argued, seemingly unfazed by her friend's outburst.
”I know it was effective! That just makes it worse!” She collapsed back into bed, switching to melancholic tears in an instant. ”Ugh...I thought I was done for this time. I mean, a part of me knew he was going to come looking for me, but I was worried that he wouldn't...”
Tal patted her arm companionably.
Sera sighed. ”I know I should be grateful that I was saved at all, and I am, but...couldn't he have done it differently? It makes me feel...dirty. Like, am I so cheap that he can just summon me like...like some kind of animal?”
The elf nodded sagely. ”Mike foolish. But wise...sometimes.”
”You got that first part right. Not too sure on the second.” She buried her face in her hands. ”Ugh, I don't know what to say to him...hey, now that I think about it, where is he?”
”Cabal hunting.”
”Eh? Is it because of me...no, that's not important. Doesn't he know that's dangerous?! They have a wealth of powerful agents in their employ, and the one that's leading this particular group is really bad. I've heard rumors about him, and if half of them are true, Mike could be in serious trouble.”
Tal just gave her an even look. ”No problem. Not anymore.”
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”RAAAA!” The strange being known as Grim kicked the table over, sending the rotting rood on its surface spilling throughout the peasant's kitchen. Albrecht dimly noted pieces of maggot riddled chicken falling into the still open mouth of the house's original owner, something that would have amused him under different circumstances. The old farmer's corpse had been left where it had fallen a few days ago, and was beginning to add its own character to the omnipresent stench of the hovel they were using as a hideout.
Albrecht knew better than to get involved while his master was on a rampage. As one of the highest ranking members of the Cabal, Grim not only had the authority to do as it pleased, but also the power to ensure that no one could complain.
Add to that a tendency towards emotional instability, and the creature had all the hallmarks of being the kind of boss that killed his subordinates in fits of rage. As such, he thought it wiser to remain in his position near the door and wait patiently for the disturbing colony of worm-like monsters to calm its collective emotions. He'd been doing so for nearly a half hour, and honestly he was more impressed that there was much of house left.
While his master began punching holes in the wall, Albrecht took a moment to adjust the white mask which covered most of his face. The transformed skin of his left cheek was sticking to its ceramic surface, causing minor irritation every time he moved his head.
[I wonder if they will let me wear a cloth mask. Although, I suppose I'd have to worry about the pus soaking through. Maybe leather would work better?]
”HOW? HOW DID SHE DO IT?!” Grim roared again, smashing one of the kitchen's two remaining chairs against the floor and shattering it into pieces.
The senior Cabal member was referring to the Oracle they'd recently captured, who had somehow disappeared before their very eyes. She'd been lying on the ground, unconscious while Grim was gloating over the ease of the acquisition. Then, in a brief flash of light, she'd vanished completely.
[Clearly some kind of magic, imbecile. I'm not a mage, but even I can tell that much.] He thought to himself before coughing slightly. ”Perhaps her allies used some form of spell to rescue her, master?”
Grim rounded on him, and yelled, ”I took precautions against that exact sort of possibility, idiot! She was kept in a warded chest during the entire trip here, and this house, pathetic hovel that it may be, is still protected by the best shielding spells we have access to. It should have been impossible for them to locate her, let alone pull her out with some form of teleportation.”
”Could we have been followed, master?” He offered, hoping to direct the uncomfortable gaze elsewhere.