Soul Knight - Chapter 36 (Patreon)

Rebecca was not prepared for the details that they would learn. They questioned the priests and the bandits one by one in a room alone.

At first, she was somewhat skeptical of the ability. However, as he quickly revealed their lies and they narrowed things down, she saw the outrage of the person they were questioning. Rebecca quickly understood that Nick was capable of at least something, even if it was just luck.

Together, they managed to get many details. Nick would start with trying to get in the right ballpark by asking questions that would narrow the location.

Then, he used Rebecca’s knowledge of the city and people of Zura to his advantage. He would ask if people were in a certain area, and Rebecca would force them to answer yes or no. Obtaining a positive or negative, they narrowed it down by making good guesses of possible things within a certain area.

Nick quickly learned both the orc hostages, and the slaves being trafficked were being held underground, just like at this location. They were only able to force about five to ten questions per person before Rebecca’s odd spiritual orders stopped working, and some didn’t know everything they needed.

Nick still pushed them to answer questions the best he could, without Rebecca forcing them by trying to keep them talking.

The first, was that they now knew approximately where the hostages were being held. Odds were, Kaya and Eirwen were not far off from discovering them. They were being held underneath the church.

The two assassins knew about the bandits from Havendale, but didn’t know anything about the goal they set off to accomplish. He was surprised that they didn’t even know who was in charge–they just followed orders given within the church, almost like a blind drop.

Nick was a little worried, but knew Lothar and Agatha could handle themselves–and that they would be able to be revived if Nick hurried back.

For now, the criminals would be held by the town guard.

Then, they learned of one other location similar to this one, with at least as many if not more captives of various races. It appeared the rogues and slavers were using the peaceful people of Zura to hide their slave trade.

The unassuming, peaceful people got people’s guards down, and the faction involved with twisting their beliefs and creating rogues were gathering wealth and power.

One of the priests had freely confessed when Nick’s questioning was so on-point. Nick pressed him that he was lying, and that he knew it, and it was like they cracked under the Rebecca’s stern gaze and gave them nearly all the details he was aware of.

The man wasn’t sure who was in charge at the church of this faction either, but someone was leading them from the shadows, twisting Seraphara’s doctrine to their needs. He indicated there were various books in the library, that helped spread these tainted ideals.

Nick was close to letting Rebecca know her father was a part of this, since they were a hundred percent certain he was at least partially involved or complicit.

Rebecca looked like she wanted to cry. “I…cannot believe this is happening here, in Zura. Seraphara’s teachings are for love and compassion, focusing on purity, wisdom, and enlightenment as a path of strength. This faction appeared a few years ago, and they have really twisted those teachings into something terrible. I have fought this, but I really can only have time alone with the priestesses.”

Nick raised his brow at that detail. He supposed the monks might operate separately from the nuns, often keeping them apart. “To tell you the truth, this was not my first visit to the city of Zura. Torvus believed you had hostages–when he failed to capture me and my allies, he threatened to have them killed if I didn’t let him go free.”

Rebecca’s face went white. “T-Torvus did? He had gone missing, we thought he fell to the dangers of the Trial, along with several others. Where is he?”

“We had come in peace, meeting in a field not far from here for parlay. I’m afraid my allies and I had to defend ourselves–they intended to place slave collars on us. They are now dead, and we were forced to flee from the riders that came on horseback. Surely, you knew of when they charged out of Zura, about a week ago?”

She was bewildered. “H-He’s dead? A week ago? I was busy with the many spawned creatures in the plaza when they gathered that group. But, I was told that was a monster attack. We were already assaulted by monsters within Zura… We lost several horses in the attack, and numerous soldiers. They attacked you?”

“They did, and we as Trial Takers were forced to flee, killing the horses as we escaped to the forest.”

Rebecca sighed. “I’m so sorry this happened. It seems Torvus must have been a co-conspirator. If it wasn’t for today, I would not even believe you. Torvus was the leader of the city guard, and a Paladin of Seraphara. Just how and why would he attack you, an armed warrior? Our people follow the Ideal of nonviolence.”

“He tried to disarm me with his prayer to Seraphara–while several rogues moved in to knock us out. As you saw, they seem to be employed by this other faction here. Their goal was to place slave collars on us, and force us to attempt to assassinate Lothar.”

Rebecca frowned in thought. “Slave collars that could do something like that are prohibitively expensive, and have high requirements, thankfully. Still, father was willing to duel Lothar, just why would these children be kidnapped, and just how could this happen that so many of our people have fallen away from the path of Seraphara?”

Nick gave her a determined look. “I realize this might be hard for you to accept, but you have to know. The Bishop is at a minimum complicit with the taking of the hostages, and I know it for a fact.”

“W-What? A fact? How?”

“Of course, Lothar and the orcs would not just sit idly in their village while their children were held captive until now, right? Just how do you think you could stop a hundred angry orcs from coming after their children, without any assurance that they were safe, knowing precisely where they were? Or how about, how would you keep them away from an honorable duel?”

Rebecca was quick on the uptake. She paled. “N-No. It can’t be.”

“The orc children are held as hostages. The Bishop gave an Oath to Lothar that if he stayed in Nagduros, and the orcs of Nagduros stayed away from Zura, then they would be kept safe. Lothar was forced to hope for the Trial to provide a resolution. In this case, the Trial sent me.”

“B-But wait. The orcs are here. That means the children…”

Nick smiled. “They are orcs of Nagduros no longer. They are orcs of Noblefrost. I defeated Lothar in an honorable duel, to help them with this. I think your father, or whoever was in charge, wasn’t prepared for this situation. But I think we need to move quickly because they likely have a backup plan.”

Rebecca appeared to be shocked that Nick had defeated Lothar, but overall, she was devastated. “I… suppose I should have seen it coming. He hasn’t been the same for a long time. Since…mother died. He’s been so distant, but he has run the church normally, from what I can tell.”

Nick raised his brow. “Well, he fooled many, somehow, and not just you, so I wouldn’t be hard on yourself. Do you think he’ll duel Lothar? Because otherwise, I won’t be able to settle the Conflict easily. If we rescue the kids, I can bring Lothar here. That’s the peaceful way of settling things for the Trial.”

“Before, I thought he was willing to face Lothar, and it was just the circumstances that lead to this. I don’t know anymore. He says he’s injured, but–”

The door to the room burst open, a nun with panic in her voice. “Archpriestess! There’s a problem with the orcs. Come quickly!”

“Shit!”

Nick ran out of the room, Rebecca moving a lot faster than he thought her capable of and keeping up quite well.

As they arrived outside, Nick saw food raining down on the orcs from all directions, a mob of angry people surrounding them.

But it wasn’t just food–even rocks were being thrown by the villagers. The orc warriors surrounded the women and the few wolflings, and Nick could tell they were using essence to absorb the blows with their thick skins or heavier armor.

Words of hate were being shouted by the mob of people, and Nick wasn’t sure exactly how he’d get so many to stop without throwing a few punches.

Andross looked over at Nick, smiling at him even as a rock struck him in the face. “How’s it going, boss? Going for another maiden, is it? Take your time. We got this.”

Nick looked at him incredulously, before he took a deep breath, pulling on his center where his monster essence was stored, and shouted his battle cry.

A wave of energy stirred in the orcs, and Nick got to see first hand how his new ability would help them out. Their essence was enhanced, and the energy seemed to become thicker around their skins or strengthen their muscles.

For a moment, the mob stopped their attacks, as a shocking gust of wind burst through the crowd in the boulevard.

Someone else shouted again within the crowd, and the throwing started once more.

Rebecca arrived right behind him, and she sent out a wave of spiritual energy and shouted.

“Stop this at once!”

The garbage and rocks immediately stopped being thrown, the villagers and people freezing. Nick could see these were all people of Zura, and even some of the priests of Seraphara had joined in the abuse of his orcs.

Andross looked impressed, whistling. “She got you beat, Chief. She got some bluster on her.”

Rebecca worked to break up the mob along with her priestesses that had previously come along inside, and Nick caught something in the crowd. A tainted soul was moving using Sneak, so Nick followed him into an alley during the commotion.

The man seemed to pick up on Nick following him, and he turned. To Nick, he was just a floating tainted soul, until the man swung a weapon at him. Using Harden Skin, Nick easily turned away the blade with his bracer and punched the man in the gut.

“Stirring up trouble, was it? Let’s have a little chat.”

He quickly called for Rebecca to join him for their quick questioning in the alley.

Rebecca looked a bit tired, her breaths heavy as she looked over the sketchy person Nick held.  Nick asked, “You alright there, Becca?”

She dabbed some sweat with a handkerchief off her face. “B-Becca? Sorry. That last shout took a lot out of me. Combined with the healing… Well, I think I can manage. But I do think I’ll need some rest soon.”

Nick nodded. He focused on the criminal and asked, “Who’s giving you your orders, the Bishop?”

The man scoffed and Rebecca paused for a moment–Nick thought because it was like she didn’t want to know the answer. He raised his brow at her, as she reluctantly sent her wave of spiritual energy. “Answer yes or no!”

“No.”

The man looked shocked that he had to answer, and Nick was surprised as well by the answer. “Huh, it’s really not the Bishop. Who could it be, then? There was a guy that led the group of horses that chased after me, a bald man with a scar on his face? Know anyone like that?”

“Brutus? He’s the head of the merchant’s association! He…shouldn’t be involved…” Rebecca had an odd expression on her face.

Nick asked the rogue, “Was it Brutus that gave the orders?”

Once again, Rebecca forced him to answer.

“No.”

The second time, he had lied. They finished questioning the criminal, where they learned that they did need to somewhat hurry. It seemed those involved with holding the orcs captive were aware of the orc’s search, and they were looking to increase their guard, rather than move them.

Nick looked at her dubiously. “You mean to tell me you got a guy with a scar on his face, his name is Brutus, and you didn’t think he was a bad guy? Really?”

Rebecca blushed. “He…seemed nice enough? A-And, Seraphara teaches us to not judge a person by their appearance, let alone their name! The world of Orion is vast, and people come in many shapes and sizes! Why, I wouldn’t have trusted you if I didn’t believe that.”

Nick snorted, as he gestured to himself. “Why not? What’s not to trust here?”

She hesitated. “You… Your eyes glow in a strange way, as if your gaze pierces me to my very soul. Then, you are always staring at my chest, as if there is something you want there–even though I am quite covered by my habit. There’s also a strange air about you, that feels… dangerous.”

“Huh, I suppose your face is pretty, but a covetous gaze on your chest, you say? Isn’t that normal for other guys? It shouldn’t just be me.”

She blushed. “I’m always covered with my habit. Since there’s nothing to see there, they are always… staring at my face.”

Nick chuckled and teased, “Well, what do you think? What am I looking at? Maybe I can see through your clothing, and like what I see? Or perhaps, I can see your pure, beautiful soul, and can’t stop looking at it. It’s one of those two things.”

She blushed, and covered her chest with her arms as she murmured. “S-See through? Beautiful?”

Nick ignored her. “Let’s get moving? We’ll make our move on the warehouse quickly.”

“W-What? You want to save the slaves first? Not the orc hostages?”

Nick smiled. “You heard the guy. They beefed up security there–where do you think they took the security from? They still can’t hurt the children. I do have to worry about them trying to escape, but that doesn’t appear to be the fear here–after all, we have orcs on horses outside the city, just where are they going to go? I have the opportunity to save some people. What would a hero do?”

Rebecca looked moved, her eyes growing big and a smile forming on her face. “You would help us? I…thank you, Nicholas.”

“My men can help too. They might be unarmed, but they don’t need to be in order to take down some slavers.”

They marched to the first warehouse, which was at the East end of the village, next to a smaller gate. The group of underground scouts was near, and appeared to be trying to make entry into the underground of the warehouse.

Nick wished he had some way of signaling them, but really could only do that if Jasper was with them.

As they stood out in front of the warehouse, Nick was able to tell how many people were inside. There were at least a dozen people guarding the slaves, and a few dozen slaves besides. It appeared there were some creatures above, left as some kind of guard animals.

It seemed he would need to find a hidden entrance once again.

“Huh, there are quite a few bad guys in there, Becca.”

“R-Really? How do you know?”

“That’s a secret–I just know. Still, it shouldn’t be a problem for my men and me. Are you going to join in the attack?”

She gave a firm nod, before shouting out some orders to her men and women. Nick gave his orders to his men, letting them know that while their children might not be inside, some honorable battle was.

Andross laughed. “Good! It sounds like we are getting some justice against those that kidnapped our children. I’d hate for us to rescue the children, only for these fellas to get away. We’re with you, Chief.”

The door was a double door large enough for a carriage to fit inside, and it was locked. It appeared to be designed as a door with a brace, to prevent it from opening from the outside.

There were some windows near the roof of the two-story building that let light inside, but they were nearly ten meters above them.

Rebecca looked at the door with a frown. “I guess I can ask the guard to get a battering ram–”

Nick snorted. “I got the key right here on my shoulder. Just free me from my Oath, and I’ll have this door open in just a second.” Nick was really only allowed to draw his blade in self-defense. And, he was more or less prompted that as soon as he was done defending himself, he should sheath it once more.

She hesitated, and Nick did his best to look hurt. “Really? After all we’ve been through, Becca, you don’t trust me?”

“I… I’m sorry. You’re right, but I had trusted many, until today. It seems all my trust given is being punished. I had trusted Torvus to protect our city, our people, and–”

“Say no more. That’s fine, trust isn’t given, it’s earned, right? I’ll just get this door open without my blade then. I will just probably have to take on the creatures inside.”

“H-Huh? What creatures?”

Nick looked back at the floating souls he could see through the walls. “There are some kind of… something in there. I’ll try to get the door open quickly if I can, but I may have to kill them all first.”

Nick stirred his essence, using his expert body enhancement and sending the energy into his legs as he crouched. Jumping nearly straight up from just in front of the door, he triggered Double Jump at the top of his jump.

Jumping up once more, he grabbed onto the inside of the window frame, and pulled himself up and inside the window well,

Nick was surprised to see numerous wraith-like creatures floating around. He broke the window and jumped down as they charged him, rolling when he hit the ground. Sending out his Frost Aura, then ten creatures immediately slowed in their movements.

He gave a quick glance at the inside. It was a large warehouse filled with crates in different piles, dozens of piles with tens of crates.

Drawing his soul blade, he smiled. If only he could just slay room after room of enemies, and accomplish his goals.

Something about Nick hated that he was being duplicitous with Rebecca. Nick was a very straightforward person, and even in his past life, he was not someone that would lie–about anything.

Perhaps it was something related to Archaens, but it was like something was building inside him with Rebecca.

The longer he kept her in the dark, the more it felt like he was betraying her–something that he absolutely despised. It was for the good of the children, but even that was feeling more and more disingenuous by the moment.

Perhaps he would let her know, after this, that he had allies in the sewers.

The strange wraiths were not all that different from the shadows he had faced on the second floor of his Ordeal, the Test of Reflection. They were a lot more like shadow Davon, and took him more than one swing to dispel them.

He felt them pushing against his mind, and he wondered if this was the Test of Faith they were referring to. They swung their shadowy claws at him, but he weaved through them easily, with them slowed.

As he killed them, their bodies didn’t disperse, but solidified around a ghostly core–which was a bit frozen, from his aura. Essence was rewarded with each one slain, and it was a fair amount–but he could tell less than when Eirwen looted them based on their strength.

His soul blade was charged part of the way, and he was happy that he had gotten this opportunity. Thanks to his Soul Blade Connection trait, he could hold on to the essence in his blade for much longer.

Sheathing his soul blade and deactivating his aura, he opened the barred door, letting them inside.

Rebecca looked left and right, worry on her expression. “What happened? You fought all the enemies? Do you require healing?”

“Oh, they were a bunch of those lame shadow things. I just took them out.”

Rebecca looked at the cores on the ground, then back to him, looking impressed. “They are… covered in ice? These were one of the creatures we had difficulty dealing with, their presence shaking our minds and our faiths. You killed ten by yourself, and are unharmed–not even winded?”

Nick shrugged. “Those were easy. I’d rather face a few hundred of those than one Lothar. How did they control them, anyway?”

She frowned, and pointed at the walls, where there were several plaques with mysterious glyphs. “It’s more like they trapped them here, it looks like. They can be weakened by the light, but it is strange. Maybe there is some kind of shadow caster capable of controlling them?”

There didn’t appear to be an obvious way leading down.

Rebecca noted, “It seems the path down is hidden. This place could be trapped, so it could take some time to search.”

That was something Nick hadn’t thought of. “Maybe. But I have an idea.”

He had the wolflings go inside, and told them to search for the secret entrance. The four of them went around sniffing the ground, until they eventually pushed a crate to the side, revealing the entrance.

It was like a cellar door that opened to stairs. He went down with Andross and another orc warrior just behind him, and the slavers fired crossbows at Nick just as he reached the bottom stairs.

There were nearly a dozen inside ready to fight, and Nick supposed that this crew of people likely believed their enemies would be just a few guardsmen at best if they came under attack.

Nick and the armored orcs had no trouble with the crossbows. Nick’s armor likely didn’t even need Harden Skin, but it helped protect the armor from needing repairs and helped him practice using the skill.

To Nick’s surprise, Rebecca was just behind the two orcs, followed by several shamans. The two shamans immediately began casting spells, cursing the slavers in the rear of their formation.

Nick had charged some slavers, and they had drawn their blades. But it was all too easy for Nick to quickly overpower them with his expert body enhancement, not wanting to draw his soul blade in front of the people of Zura.

It was like they were moving in slow motion as he blurred into their lines, striking one in the gut, and snapping another punch to their chin.

He noticed that two of the slavers actually tried to escape, exiting a rear doorway that led into the sewers–directly into Nick’s scouts.

He wondered just how he was going to explain the scout’s presence, when it seemed they immediately understood what was happening, and backed off–likely after knocking out those escaping.

Rebecca shocked Nick by charging the group on the other side with her fists. She joined Andross as the man laughed, the bandits providing little challenge for the thick-skinned, armored orcs.

More orcs, priests, and priestesses joined in on the battle, the few slavers being captured quickly. Guardsmen roped up the bandits and slavers, and the rescue operation proceeded rapidly.

Rebecca was quick to join Nick at the rear of the basement. “Two ran out the back, didn’t they? Should we chase them?”

Nick didn’t know how he could explain what he was likely about to see when he opened the door.

The two men had already been knocked out, and he nearly sighed in relief. They were nearly dead but still breathing, knife wounds all over their bodies. But there was also a bag of coins scattered on the ground, one clutching it to their dying body.

“Huh, looks like they fought over some money, took each other out. If you wanna save them–”

Rebecca immediately called for more healers, and she rushed to make them stable. The guardsmen tied them up, and they moved on to help the slaves.

Nick was a little shocked by the fervor in which she moved to save them, immediately casting spells, sending warm white light into them.

“These guys did horrible things, but you rush to save them?”

Rebecca nodded. “I don’t know that! They might have had a reason for doing what they did. It is not up to me to judge them for their actions, but for the court and the goddess.”

Nick raised his brow at that. “Your village is kinda small, you really have a judge and all this? Then Seraphara helps judge folks here?”

“It’s more of a judicial council, the mayor and a few of our older clergy. It’s rare, but every so often… Then, Seraphara mainly helps protect against injustice. We pray to her, and she will nudge the scales of justice when she shows a major imbalance. Often, we re-evaluate the case and try to dig up new evidence, or come at things from another angle, modifying the sentence and the charges before trying again.”

“Huh, that’s kinda neat. What if you knew, though? What if you knew a person’s sins and their weight against their reasons, would it be okay to put them to death?”

“D-Death? We’ve never had to put anyone to death–but I can see how that might be a possibility, here. I… I don’t know.” She looked over at the slaves being freed from their cages, the people receiving relief.

None were being tortured in a grotesque way here, and it appeared that this was a location meant for sending them out in their trading business. However, it was certain they were not treated well, even here.

Rebecca looked thoughtful. “I… do think they should be punished for what they did. I suppose if we knew for certain their wickedness… death might just be too simple. They likely ruined countless lives, and those people’s suffering may continue on even now, all for their own greed. I would rather they didn’t die, so they can pay back those they hurt, instead. What do you think, how would one know for certain?”

Nick smiled. “I think you have some good ideas, and I was just wondering what you thought. You mean sell them off, then use that money for helping those they harmed? I suppose that’s not a bad cause. Eye for an eye in a sense. I’m not a fan of slavery, but servitude for righting their wrongs is something I can get behind.”

She blushed. “I… am glad you think highly of my thoughts. Seraphara teaches us to be forgiving, but justice is important for a healthy civilization. Society requires order and law, and those that break them must be punished to protect people and deter them from further chaos.”

Nick walked over to the tied up criminals. “What are you doing with all these men? Is there even enough room in your jail? How do we know someone won’t break them all out? Six at the other location wasn’t a big deal, but there’s a dozen more here. I am a bit worried about the co-conspirators, too. I suppose Tarvus and his men were likely a part of these, and I just so happened to have taken them out.”

Rebecca looked thoughtful, then she gave a determined nod. “We can bring them with us in one of the wagons, keeping watch as we go.”

She gave orders to one of the guardsmen, who ran out to go get it. Rebecca turned to Nick. “Let us move forward quickly, so we can rescue the orc children.”

“Hang on. Before we go, there’s one more thing that you should know.”