Chapter 11: Cleaning Filth

My surroundings were whizzing by in an indistinct blur of colors. The trip through the portal felt as If I was moving at rapid speed yet not moving whatsoever. The strange sensation enveloped me for a few moments before I suddenly felt myself falling onto the ground lightly with a plop. 

It seems the teleportation worked...

Sylvia had treated me and Arthur very well, so her soon-to-be death had made me quite downcast. However, she had left me with some words, words that I'll definitely try my best to stick by.

After my senses have returned to normal, I first examined the stone that I was given by Sylvia for me and Arthur to protect. It was currently being covered by the feather, hiding the aura it emits. The stone was quite big, however my pocket had just enough room for it to fit.

Speaking of Arthur, where was he?

I surveyed my surroundings. I seemed to be surrounded by a dense fog and a myriad of trees.

"Tori! Over here!" I heard a familiar voice call out.

I turned my head to see my brother standing a few meters next to a tall tree.

I walked over to him before asking, "Art, do you know where we are?"

We both decided it was best not to talk about Sylvia or else we would be both too depressed to do anything. 

"With all these trees and the thick fog, I'm pretty sure we are in the forest of Elshire right now." He replied.

"Hm, I see." I contemplated a little before speaking, "I think we should find our way back home now. We've been away from our parents for a while, they must be worried sick..."

"Yeah..." Arthur uttered, worried about our parents mental health.

After thinking a little about what our next course of action is, Arthur spoke, "Reinforce your eyes with mana and let's climb these trees, it would be much easier to navigate." Arthur explained.

"Mm." I agreed.

-

After about ten minutes of searching for humans, jumping from tree to tree, we managed to find what we were looking for. Well, to be precise, we found humans but not good ones...

I just gestured for Arthur–who was standing next to me on the branch–to be quiet as I examined the men below us. We were currently hidden by the thick trunk of the tree, so we were barely visible.

I first imbued my ears with mana to try and listen in on them.

"NOOO! HELP! SOMEONE PLEASE HELP! MOMMY! DADDY! NOOO I'M SCARED!!!"

"Someone shut her up! She's going to attract attention!"

*THUD*

"Quick. Put her in the back of the carriage. We're only a few days away from the mountain range. We'll be safer then. Don't relax and keep moving."

"Hey, Boss? How much do ya reckon she'll sell for? Elf girls go for a lot, don't they? Hehe, she's a child too, so a virgin at that! I bet she'll fetch us a lot of money, huh!"

...

Slave traders... How distasteful...

I carefully took a peek to spot the small-sized carriage, enough to tightly cram in about five or six adults. I turned back around just in time to see a middle-aged man hauling a little girl–around the age of 6–into the back of the carriage.

After a short moment of contemplation, I already decided to save the girl and eliminate those men. 

"Art, go further back and hide yourself, I'm going to deal with those people." I spoke, my voice barely audible. Arthur, who was currently reinforcing his ears with mana, heard me before frowning.

"Fat chance. Like hell I'll let you fight those slave traders by yourself!" Irritated, he also spoke with an impossibly low voice.

"Arthur, listen to m—" I was interrupted.

"Nope! I also think it would be good idea if we deal with those men as they got those forest hounds we can use. We'd be able to navigate this forest much easier with them, however, we are going to have to deal with those men and save that girl." He spoke, emphasising the word 'we'.

Breathing a helpless sigh, I just nodded. My brother really treasures his family, after those bandits, and now Sylvia... He probably feels a sense of responsibility over the people he holds dear.

"Fine... But let's wait first and organise a plan." I whispered. I initially just intended to quickly dispose of them, however, with my brother in the picture, I'm definitely going to play this a lot more safe.

-

After hours of observation, we had learned enough about them to make a move. We waited until nightfall before we put our plan into action.

The plan was; one of us would distract the hounds and deal with the two that would be awake whilst the other would assassinate the other two slave traders who would be asleep before regrouping. Most of the danger came from dealing with the ones who are awake so me and Arthur had another small quarell.

"I'll deal with the awake ones and I'll leave the ones that are asleep to you." I explained.

"No, you go deal with the ones that are asleep, it's safer." Arthur argued, his face stern.

"I know, that's why I'm leaving them to you." I retorted, getting slightly Irritated at my brother's stubbornness.

"Okay, okay, we're not gonna get anywhere with this." Arthur whispered before continuing, "I'll hold my right hand behind my back and either hold one or two fingers. If you chose the correct number that I'm holding up, I'll go for the sleeping ones. If you guess wrong, you go, kay?"

"This seems kinda unfa—"

"Just pick." Arthur interrupted.

"Fine... two?"

He took out his right hand to reveal him holding up one finger.

"Nope! Now go for the sleeping ones." He spoke, his expression slightly smug.

One of my veins nearly popped on my forehead before I composed myself.

"Fine, but stay safe. If you're getting overwhelmed, just run away." I spoke.

"Yep, you don't have to worry." Arthur reassured me with a smile.

I should just finish it as swiftly as possible then go help Arthur.

With that, our little mission had begun.

After stirring up the forest hounds with a carefully thrown rock, Arthur made his move as soon as one of the two, who were on guard, went around to the other side of the carriage to quiet them.

That was the que as I quietly dropped down on the floor with a subtle thud before using the foliage to hide myself.

After I first made sure the person sitting on the log wasn't paying attention, I reinforced my legs with mana before leaping into the tent that the two slave traders were sleeping in. My movements to the eyes of regular people would have simply been a blur or a shadow, so I was undetected.

I examined the interior of the tent. It was rather dark, however, as I examined it with my eyes that were reinforced with mana, I could make out two silhouettes who were sleeping on straw mats. This tent was simply made for short rest before they continue on their journey, so it didn't look too comfortable.

I nimbly took out my knife that was stored in my left pocket before quietly maneuvering to the man closest to me.

Hovering over my first target, I reinforced my knife with mana before I plunged the blade into the unsuspecting man's chest, the tip of my blade had pierced into the man's right lung, sneaking its way past the ribcage. I held the man's mouth close before taking out the blade and stabbing it into his jugular.

The man snapped his eyes open after the first stab, however he couldn't even make a scream as his lungs had been punctured. After the second stab to the jugular, he had died within moments.

"Whew." I exhaled.

One down.

I regulated my breathing before carefully taking out the knife from his jugular. After that, I slowly walked to the next victim.

As I headed towards the other sleeping man to dispose of, a shrill cry ruined my plans.

"HELLLLP! MOMMY! SOMEONE! ANYONE! PLEASEE!!"

"Tch."

I need to be quick!

I swiftly changed my plan of sneaking to a full on dash at the still half asleep enemy.

I quickly flipped my knife to reverse grip before I aimed the dagger at the man's jugular.

*Schlick*

I felt my dagger pierce into something, however, my pupils constricted as the man had blocked my blade with his bare hands.

"ARGH! YOU LITTLE SHIT!" The man grunted in pain before attempting to punch me off of him, his hands imbued with mana. However, I wasn't going to let go of my initiative.

I nimbly dodged the punch with a sidestep before I swiftly mounted him, somehow pinning his adult body down from the force of my jump. I then began to inflict a flurry of stabs at the man. I infused my knife with mana and aimed for all of his vitals.

The man had reinforced himself with mana and used his forearms to protect his face and neck, but I simply stabbed at his torso. When he moved one of his arm to his torso, I would go for his face, then his neck.

After a few moments, the man had turned into a bloody pile of mess with many of his fingers chopped off. One of his ears is missing and even one of his eyes had been gouged out. However, the man still seemed to have a lot of vitality left despite his numerous stab wounds, some even dangerously close to his heart. It seems he has quite a lot of experience.

I decided to end it. I lifted my knife up, higher then normal, allowing the man to see me attempt to plunge it into his heart. My two hands plummeted down threatening to give the man a quick death.

He had moved both his arms to shield against it.

Great, it worked!

Before my knife met its target, I suddenly stopped the entirety of my hands momentum before I plunged it into the man's neck.

*STAB*

The knife had met its target as it pierced deeply into the man's jugular. The slave trader wore a stupefied expression as his mouth was agape and his pupils shrunk into needles. Blood flowed out of his mouth, adding on to the puddle of blood formed just below him–from all of his previous wounds.

With a twist of the knife, I rotated the blade to finish him off as blood spurted onto my face. 

...

I breathed out heavily. This child body was not fit to do such strenuous activities in, especially killing a man that was resisting for his life. I'll need to increase my physical training.

"Tori! You okay!?" I heard a worried voice outside the tent.

Arthur had quickly arrived inside the tent as he stared at me. His face looked kinda startled? 

Well, I can't blame him. A few feet away from me, there's a dead man that's has a river of blood flowing out his neck whilst the man I'm currently mounted on was nearly unrecognisable.

Guessing from the fact that there isn't any noise outside, apart from the faint sounds of the hounds feasting on something, Art must have dealt with the two. 

"I've dealt with them..." I uttered, wiping the blood on my face with my left hand.

"U–uh, yeah, I can see that..." Arthur mumbled.