Mau, who knew well Dallen's temperament—always having a plan for the scheduled time, the original plan, and even backups if things went awry—found it strange that Dallen hadn't returned to the lodging long past the appointed hour. That strangeness soon prompted Mau to set out in search of him.
Thus, in pursuit of Dallen, who hadn't shown up at the Raven Tower Tavern by the planned time, Mau followed Nia's nose from Lokaga's shop, through the deep, shadowy alleys of Latulle Cave, all the way to the Street of Silence, leading to this current spot.
Mau and Nia were surrounded by mercenaries hired by Arina. Even in the brief standoff, their hostile intent was unmistakable. Some had already drawn their weapons, while others watched the pair with smug expressions.
"Is Dallen over there? Nia."
Mau spoke, clenching both fists tightly. His voice, laced with a low rumble, betrayed an effort to suppress anger, yet it seemed ready to erupt in fury at any moment.
Nia, sniffing the air at Mau's side, pointed toward the sailing ship.
"That's right, over there! Dallen's scent is coming from that big ship."
"Then these bastards are blocking the way for an obvious reason."
Mau's eyes narrowed.
"Hahaha!"
One of the mercenaries blocking them stepped forward. He let out a laugh while tapping Mau's shoulder with his scabbard.
"The reason we're blocking the path? Simple. Our employer, the queen of this Street of Silence, Lady Arina, hired us, and we're not supposed to let worthless scum like you get near our master's ship."
Another mercenary behind the one who stepped forward shouted at Mau.
"That's right! We don't know any 'Dallen' or whatever!"
"Heard that? And that should be explanation enough, right? Now scram."
He said this while shoving Mau's arm with his scabbard.
-Crack!-
Mau's fist slammed into the man's side, sending his body flying into the air. He crashed to the ground without even time to scream.
"Calling Dallen an owl, huh. These scum have definitely seen Dallen!"
Since Mau had never mentioned to this blocking mob that Dallen was a Muwa, his near-certain suspicion turned into an undeniable fact. After unleashing a punch laden with pent-up rage, Mau glared at the remaining mercenaries and took a step forward.
"Hey! Grab these bastards!"
Someone shouted from the rear, and the mercenaries surged toward Mau and Nia in unison.
The sounds of footsteps mingled with clashing armor as the mercenaries rushed at Mau.
"There's a lot! Too many to handle all at once!"
Nia crouched low with agility, drawing the half spear and quickly scanning the surroundings while speaking.
At Nia's words, Mau snorted and swung his thick arms broadly through the air a few times.
"So what if there's a lot? You think numbers can stop me?"
Mau stepped forward, channeling the boiling rage from deep within his chest into a massive roar.
"Graaaargh!"
Mau's bellow was no mere shout. It was a powerful vibration that echoed through the entire cave, riding the air like waves. The resonance tore at the mercenaries' ears, pounded their hearts, and instilled terror.
Several mercenaries in the front row staggered from the roar's impact. Some collapsed to their knees as their legs gave out, while others dropped their weapons and clutched their ears.
"Aaaargh! What... what is that sound!"
Even the archers aiming from the rear had trembling hands, firing arrows wildly without proper aim. Some of them were already backpedaling, trying to break from the formation.
When Mau's roar ceased, the surroundings fell into a hushed silence, as if holding its breath. But as his gaze swept over the mercenaries with a fierce glint, that quiet shifted back to tension.
"Scared already from just that? We haven't even started!"
As he advanced another step, the mercenaries instinctively retreated. Their faces were pale, and the weapons in their hands trembled faintly.
"We've got numbers! Don't be afraid!"
Someone among the mercenaries shouted from behind, but even that voice was clearly wavering.
Yet Mau grinned, clenching his fists tightly.
"Come on. I'll crush every last one of you!"
At his words, the mercenaries raised their weapons with shaking hands once more, but their movements lacked the earlier confidence. Their assurance had shattered like broken glass.
Squeezing out courage, the first mercenary to approach Mau swung his sword. Mau twisted his body with surprising agility for his massive frame, grabbing the man's arm.
-Snap!-
The arm caught in the enormous Dawi's grip twisted with a crack. As the screaming mercenary was shoved aside, two more followed, thrusting spears at Mau.
But Mau lightly spun to dodge one spear tip, then lifted the other spear with his right hand—owner and all—hurling it away. With his left hand, he seized the head of the remaining one.
"You're all too weak!"
"Aaaargh!"
As Mau squeezed, the spear-wielding mercenary screamed and collapsed.
To Nia's eyes, Mau looked utterly unfamiliar. Usually, Mau appeared as a laid-back figure driving the wagon, with a nonchalant merchant-like demeanor. But now, his form was entirely different.
His heavy arms swung with raw power, yet the speed and precision embedded within were astonishing. He wasn't just overpowering charging foes with brute strength; he exploited gaps in their attacks with sharp judgment and a flexibility uncharacteristic of a Dawi.
'How... with that bulk... fighting like that...?'
Nia involuntarily gaped. It was immediately clear that his combat style stemmed not merely from reliance on power, but from years of honed experience.
In an instant, Mau's heavy hand swung, sending another foe tumbling through the air.
'Mau... wasn't just a merchant?'
Nia watched the Mau before those eyes with a moment of admiration.
'Thought it was all size, but way more impressive than expected...'
Before that brief thought could conclude, an arrow streaking overhead drew Nia's attention.
Nia turned to swiftly scan the area. Immediately crouching low, reading the direction of the incoming arrow, gripping the half spear firmly, and bursting forward.
"Archers shooting from over there!"
As Nia spoke and pulled back, archers from afar continued loosing arrows.
-Whoosh-
Hearing the arrows' flight, Nia ducked low instantly, deflecting them with the half spear for defense.
"I'll handle the archers, Mau!"
"Yeah! Thanks, Nia!"
Shouting loudly to Nia leaping toward the distant archers, Mau advanced while blocking most of the oncoming mercenaries' attacks. Shields and bludgeons struck his thick hide, but he paid them no mind. When a bludgeon hammered his shoulder, he burst into laughter instead.
"Grahaha! This won't stop an enraged Dawi."
Mau grabbed the head of the mercenary swinging the club with his right hand and slammed it straight into the ground.
-Boom!-
His powerful fist resonated even through the floor, filling the surrounding mercenaries with dread. Some halted before him, their eyes betraying a desperate urge to flee.
Before long, Nia, having dealt with the archers, followed behind Mau and said.
"The horde rushing in is done. But be careful. Some tough-looking ones are coming."
No sooner had Nia's words ended than five mercenaries emerged from behind the fallen bodies. Their armor wasn't flashy, but it appeared sturdier than that of the others sprawled about. The glances they exchanged, the two warriors charging in an instant, and the archers scattering to take positions all revealed they had coordinated as a team for a long time.
The two warriors pressed Mau and Nia from the front with shields raised. In the rear, two archers drew their bowstrings, while between them, a mage leaped back to widen the distance and quietly chanted a spell.
"It's been a while since something fun."
Mau said, fists clenched.
"Ready here!"
Nia gripped the half spear, raising the buckler in the left hand, assuming a combat stance.
The two warriors thrust their shields at Mau simultaneously.
-Bang!-
The weight of the colliding shields was immense as they charged, but Mau was stronger. He seized one shield with his hand and smashed it straight into the ground. The warrior holding it screamed, forced to release his grip. Yet immediately after, the other warrior's sword flew toward Mau's chest.
Mau stepped back one foot, dodging the incoming blade sideways, then grabbed the man's wrist.
"Grah! Is that all?"
Mau lifted the warrior entirely and hurled him with full force. The warrior's body arced through the air in a parabola, crashing directly onto the rough, jagged rocks.
-Thud-
The dull impact of an armored body hitting rock echoed off the cave walls, scattering dust and fragmented debris from the crevices.
The thrown warrior had no time to scream before slumping weakly beneath the rocks. He twitched faintly as if trying to move, but soon collapsed motionless.
As Mau turned to confirm the fallen warrior's state, a magic circle flared brightly from afar behind, and in that instant, the ground surged upward, encasing Mau's feet like a trap.
-Crash!-
"Hmm?"
Mau paused briefly but shattered the rock binding his ankles and stepped forward. Mau bared his white fangs in a grin, then his fist flew toward the remaining warrior.
-Crack!-
The shield splintered into pieces, shards scattering as the warrior was flung far, raising a cloud of dirt upon impact.
Nia twirled the half spear in hand while keeping the archer at bay.
"Going in!"
Nia crouched low in a flash, dodging an arrow and closing in swiftly. The spear blade traced a line as it swung. The strike aimed at the foe's wrist seemed blocked by a quickly drawn dagger, but immediately the spear's haft end struck the knee, crumbling the balance. As the archer toppled off-balance, Nia's half spear slashed through wrist and shoulder in a final blow.
Nia spun immediately to charge the other archer. But the archer's and the mage's coordinated assault behind was sharp. The archer loosed an arrow to create an opening, while the mage hurled a small fireball at Nia.
-Whoosh-
As the fireball flew in, Nia twisted direction swiftly to let it pass. The fireball veered aside, igniting a nearby tree. Using that gap, Nia rushed forward, batting away the archer's weapon and striking the wrist with the buckler to disarm.
Having felled the two warriors, Mau charged toward the mage. But the mage had already unfolded a magic circle before himself, casting ice spear..
-Whooosh-
The ice spear hurtled toward Mau, but he blocked it with his massive arm. Ice shards scattered, wounding his arm, yet he ignored the blood soaking his fur and pressed on.
"That won't stop this Mau!"
Mau charged straight at the mage, ramming with his shoulder. The mage toppled from the impact, staggering to rise from the fallen spot. In that moment, the shadow of Mau's fist loomed over the mage's face.
-Boom!-
The next instant, the world spun before darkness swallowed it. After the mage's head hit the floor, he lay there in utter stillness, without a twitch.
"Mau, we won! The path is clear now!"
"...Nothing left now."
Mau scanned the surroundings while breathing heavily. His enormous frame bore clear marks of battle, but the fallen mercenaries lacked any remaining will or strength to block him. Some dragged their exhausted bodies in retreat, while others leaned against walls, unable to join the fight anymore.
Nia lowered the half spear and exhaled in relief.
"Can go to that ship nowr."
Mau nodded and strode toward the large sailing ship. The pair advanced slowly in its direction. The vessel was firmly anchored in deep waters, with an eerie carving at the prow seeming to gaze at Nia and Mau.
Nia sniffed the air and said.
"Dallen's scent is definitely there. Stronger."
Mau looked up at the ship, clenching his fist solidly.
"Wait for us, Dallen. We're coming to get you soon."
In the dark atmosphere of the Street of Silence, another wave of hostility and tension awaited the pair.