The noise echoed through the hallway through the walls, just outside the room. Mira turned her head towards the door, but I dismissed it as something insignificant and laid back on the bed to rest.
But then, another noise followed, sharper this time. It was the sound of metal clashing against metal, followed by a scream that was cut short abruptly.
I froze, not panicked yet still feeling my body respond to the obvious danger lurking just outside the room. I glanced at Mira, who had gotten up from her seat, grabbing the stool and holding it in front of her like some kind of shield. It truly seemed like it was no mere accident going on outside.
The door shuddered under the weight of something slamming into it repeatedly. On the third strike, the wood splintered, and the hinges broke into pieces. We were met by a sight that made my blood run cold, the same man who was supposed to be detained.
Shackles were still bound to his wrists, broken chains wrapped around them, with blood and dirt smeared across his bare chest. His eyes were sharp, not the madness as before, but with purpose. He held a bloodied sword in his hand, dripping onto the ground.
I didn't move at all, knowing that any escape attempt would most likely fail miserably. I simply stared wide-eyed at him, accepting my fate.
Mira, however, raised her stool, only to hesitate when her gaze landed on the man's face. Something flickered in her gaze, something akin to…recognition? No, perhaps confusion?
The man, however, froze when his eyes landed on her, his breath hitching. His eyes widened, then narrowed into a cold look.
When he finally spoke, his voice was smoother than expected. It wasn't gentle, but tamer than the beast I took him for. He spoke words in a tongue I couldn't understand, unfamiliar syllables cutting through the silence.
Mira tilted her head, then shook it slowly, answering back in that same language. Her hands moved, gesturing toward me.
Whatever she said, he didn't like it. His grip on the sword tightened, his tone rising in anger. They argued back and forth, Mira's expression flat as always, even as she cut him down with short, steady responses.
And then his attention snapped to me. His whole body turned, his sword lifting. My body stiffened, flinching at the hostile movement.
Before I could even think of how to react, Mira moved. She climbed onto the bed and pressed herself in front of me, arms spread protectively, her small frame a weak shield against a monster like him.
Her voice came calm and even. "As Master's servant, you'll have to go through me first."
The man staggered back, his face contorting into disbelief. He shouted, pointing to her broken horn, spitting words thick with rage. Mira didn't even flinch. She turned her head slightly toward me instead.
"Master, what do we do? He's dangerous. And he talks a lot."
"I-I don't know!" the words slipped out before I could stop them. I wanted to slap her for being so carefree and possibly even enraging him further, putting us in more danger.
The man then raised his sword, and I braced myself for the inevitable strike. Then, just as he was about to swing, an arrow soared through the open window, cutting between us. It buried itself in the stone wall an inch from the man's head. A hiss followed, before the room was filled with a thick plume of smoke.
Shadows moved through it, and before I could resist, hands grabbed me. I could hear the enraged voice of the man, swinging his sword blindly.
"W-wha--!" my words died in my throat as I was lifted like I weighed nothing. The person holding me then darted towards the window, before leaping off it. Surprisingly, the landing was smoother than I had expected, now on a rooftop almost 10 meters below.
By the time my feet touched the ground, I fought back my gag reflex, fighting both dizziness and the urge to not puke.
When I looked up to see who my inelegant savior was, I was met by the sight of a towering man with skin as dark as the night sky and eyes like lavender. His dark hair was tied into a ponytail, his four arms bulging with muscles.
Beside him landed a shorter woman with brown skin, her face covered in red markings similar to Mira's. She wore a leather headband, beast-teeth choker, sleeveless hide top, and a fur-lined skirt. A curved blade rested at her hip, attached neatly to her skirt.
Her sandals tapped against the rooftop as she put down Mira, whom she had carried under her arm effortlessly. The woman then turned to me and stepped closer, her sharp eyes locked on me.
From the faint marks on her face, as well as the stubby horns peeking out beneath her messy white ponytail, I guessed she was a tenebrim.
However, I had no idea what the man was. While his size might've been intimidating, there was something about him that made it hard for me to be truly afraid. In fact, I felt safe in his vicinity, even a little awestruck.
I cleared my throat, trying to find my voice again. "What's going on? Are you guys… here to save us?"
The woman's stare bore into me, so sharp it felt like she was examining my very soul. Whatever words I wanted to add died in my throat.
"Staring at them like that'll only scare 'em, Guthethya. This's not the time to waste," the man rumbled. His speech had a faint lisp, his tone oddly casual for someone his build.
He tilted his head down slightly, addressing us directly with a warm smile. "Ah, I apologize for the fright. We're adventurers, hired by the queen herself. Complicated times, you see. She only just took the throne, and she's been careful about choosin' her fighters."
"You don't need to tell them more than necessary. They never asked," Guthethya cut in, her voice flat as her hand rested on her hip. "Either way, we can't linger. Shill won't hold him off forever."
"There's always enough time to introduce oneself!" the man declared cheerfully, reaching out one of his massive, calloused hands. "Name's Torren. A pleasure to meet you, hero."
My gaze flickered back to the window we'd leapt from, feeling uneasy about the whole situation.
"Hold 'him' back? You mean someone's fighting that tenebrim right now?" Mira asked, stepping close to my side. Her tone was calm, but clearly suspicious. "And how do we know we can trust you? The timing of your intervention was… convenient."
Torren glanced at Guthethya, who let out a deep sigh. "You don't have much of a choice. Our companion can't stall forever, and standing here debating won't help anyone."
She was right, and I was willing to trust them for now. No matter their true intention, the fact that they saved our life was undeniable.
Mira turned to me, her expression unreadable as she waited for my judgement.
I gave her a small nod. "She's right, we have no choice but to trust them. They did save us, after all."
She lowered her eyes briefly, before straightening. "If you say so, Master."
Torren's grin widened as soon as I agreed, his four arms folding in an oddly relaxed manner for someone who looked like he could wrestle a dragon.
"Excellent! I knew you'd be the sensible type," he said, sounding far too cheerful considering smoke and screams coming from the window above.
Guthethya didn't share his enthusiasm. She adjusted the collar at her neck, nodding towards the narrow stretch along the palace wall, half-hidden in the shadow. "Less talking, more moving."
Strong hands suddenly scooped me up, and before I could protest, Torren was carrying me princess-style like I weighed nothing to him.
"Apologies, hero! Brace yourself!" he boomed, leaping from the edge with ease.
My stomach jolted as the ground came closer by the second, but Torren landed smoothly and with great control. Meanwhile, my heart was beating in my ears.
Mira had refused to be carried by the woman without hesitation, stepping up to the ledge herself. For a moment, I thought she was bluffing, but then she jumped.
The ground quaked as her feet slammed into the ground, cracks spiderwebbing out beneath her, like an elephant had been dropped down from the rooftop. Dust swayed around her feet as she straightened, completely unbothered.
Torren blinked. "By the Queen's bones…"
Even Guthenthya's sharp eyes widened slightly before narrowing again, her composure quickly returning. "...Perhaps they didn't need us after all."
Mira tilted her head at them, as if she didn't understand what the fuss was about, before calmly stepping to my side.
Meanwhile, I wondered if that truly made her capable in terms of fighting. Just because she could leap from a building and land without stumbling?
She hadn't shown a single hint of superhuman strength until now, but then again… she was a tenebrim. Maybe this was just normal for her.
Before I could dwell on it much longer, Guthethya made a gesture ahead. We'd landed along the shadowed stretch of the palace wall, where two armored figures stood waiting. They were guards.
For a moment, I had thought that they were here to arrest us. Then I realized that it would be illogical, unless these 'adventurers' were lying about their identity.
One of them stepped forward, saluting Torren and Guthethya quickly before turning to me. "Hero. This way."
The second guard took out a torch, tapping it twice against the stone wall. With a quiet click, a hidden seam opened, revealing a narrow stairway leading into complete darkness.
"Quickly," the first guard urged. "This passage will take you beyond the palace grounds. We don't have long before the enemy realizes what's happened."
Mira positioned herself between me and the staircase, scanning it as if expecting the berserker man to attack them at any moment.
It was just one guy, and yet they were taking such drastic measures. I had seen many capable people so far, so was it truly necessary for this level of safety? Gux, Ren, Mernel, and even these adventurers seemed more than capable of taking him down if they worked together.
So why? Was my safety really that important? More important than the place the Queen is residing in? Shouldn't they be taking other precautions, such as tightening her defenses instead of babysitting me?
"What are you waiting for? Quickly, inside!" the second guard barked, his voice filled with urgency. "We don't know if he has accomplices. You'll be safe here while we deal with the threat."
Mira glanced back at me, calm as ever. "Shall we, Master?"
I let out a sigh, dragging my feet toward the steps. "Yeah, let's go."
The guards didn't follow. Instead, the first pressed a fist against his chestplate with grim resolve. "We'll hold this passage, even at the cost of our lives. Place your trust in us, Hero!"
"We'll make sure no one enters this room, even if it costs us our lives. Place your trust in us, sir hero!" he exclaimed with determination, slamming a hand to his chestplate.
He passed his torch to Guthethya, who accepted it without a word, the flickering light throwing shadows across her face.
We descended into the darkness below, lit up by the glow of Guthethya's torch as she and Torren accompanied us. Mira walked by my side, with Guthethya taking up the lead and Torren in the rear.
"So, how come I've got a group of adventurers guarding me instead of, you know… actual palace guards?" I asked Mira, though the words were aimed more at the other two. "I get that I'm supposed to be this 'hero' and all, but can I really trust them?"
Guthethya halted mid-step, and I almost walked straight into her before catching myself. She turned to face me, her gaze as piercing as always.
"I believe it is time we introduced ourselves properly," she said, voice sharp and clear.
Facing me fully, she continued. "I am Guthethya of the Alabastrine Order. As a Platinum-Class adventurer, you are not in unsafe hands. Protecting you is well within our power."
Torren came to a stop behind us, his lower arms folding across his stomach in a strangely polite gesture. His grin returned, wide and disarming.
"And I'm Torren, also of the Alabastrine Order! Platinum-Class, same as Guthethya." His voice boomed with cheerful pride. "Ah, and just so you know, that's the highest rank an adventurer can get!"
Both of them looked at me then, waiting. It took me an embarrassingly long second to realize what they wanted.
"Oh, uh, right. My name's Erdan Kernt. It's… nice to meet you both, Torren and Guthe… thya?"
"A pleasure to meet you as well, Hero Erdan!" Torren said, grabbing my hand and shaking it vigorously.
Noticing my stumble over her name, Guthethya finally spoke again, turning to continue down the stairs. "You may call me Guya, if you find my name difficult. I don't mind."
First Gux, and now Guya? Is there something popular about names that are difficult to pronounce, or are the languages just that different?
The stairs went on longer than I had expected, the steps cracked and worn. Soon enough, the passage finally leveled out, opening into a narrow tunnel that stretched out in both directions. The ceiling was low enough that Torren had to duck slightly, but he didn't seem to mind, his upper arm brushing against the vine-covered cobblestone.
"This place was built long before the current palace," Guthethya explained, her tone sharp, raising the torch higher. "Hidden tunnels to move supplies, messages… and in times of siege, people. At least that's what I've been told."
I nodded along, only remembering half of what she said since I wasn't paying full attention. There wasn't anything interesting about this place, other than the fact that it was old.
Mira glanced back at me, her expression unreadable as always. "Do not worry, Master. I will protect you."
"Ah, thanks?" I muttered in response, wondering if I would truly need protection down here.
Suddenly, the sound of something fragile and glass-like breaking echoed down one of the paths, causing Guthethya to stop dead in her tracks. The rest of us froze as she raised a hand, tilted the torchlight toward the branching tunnel ahead.
We held our breaths, waiting for something, or someone, to appear. My gaze flicked between Guya and the shadows, waiting for her sign. I then saw her shift her stance slightly, her eyes narrowing.
"Torren, contact."
"Aye, got it," he murmured, his voice lower than usual. His lower arms curled behind his back while one of his upper arm extended protectively in front of us.
Guthethya took a step forward, torch held high, her voice sharp and commanding. "We know you're there. Show yourself."
Her words echoed across the stone, then silence pressed in heavy once more. Then, the sound of boots echoed faintly, a figure slowly emerging from the darkness ahead with their hands up in surrender.
When the light from the torch finally reached them, a cloaked figure was revealed. A hood was draped over their head, almost hiding the unmistakable sight of purple skin. Dark, piercing eyes locked onto us, and a mask of metal bars hid the lower half of their face.
The mask was designed like a cage, the flickering torchlight catching on the golden metal, while the cloth was patterned ceremoniously.
Guya's hand came to rest on the sheath of her blade, her eyes locked onto the stranger's.
Guya's hand rested on the hilt of her blade, her stare locked onto the stranger. "Now answer me. Who are you, and what is your business here?" Her sharp tone left no room for argument.
The figure's eyes flicked briefly to Mira and me, before settling on me. Slowly, deliberately, he lowered his hands, slipping them into his pockets. His voice was gravel dragged across metal, muffled by the cage-mask.
"I will keep it brief. Hand over the hero."
The air around us changed immediately, cold wind whipping down the tunnel despite the fact we were underground.
Guthethya didn't hesitate either, drawing her blade in a fluid motion, leveling the tip at his throat. "Who sent you?"
Oi, shouldn't they be more worried about how he put his hands in his pockets? That always means he got something inside them!
The man slowly extracted his left hand, holding up a golden chain with a red sun emblem attached. Guthethya tensed up momentarily, but the moment her eyes laid upon the necklace, her posture became more relaxed.
The figure put on the necklace, before turning on his heels, walking back into the darkness where he came from. "Follow me. It'll be worthwhile."