Mirth and
Vicious
Why are there so many missing kids? Kids shouldn't have to worry about stuff! It doesn't seem right. And I heard one of them was found dead! This many kids don't go missing in a town for no reason! I think someone is behind it! Or well, that's what Malice thinks, and if Malice thinks so, it's probably true. This doesn't really make me happy. So, I'll let Malice take over again.
Too many missing. It's not right. This town may be near the wild, but the gates are well watched. Children can't vanish into the wild easily. As for reasons they may vanish in the town, they could run away, but children who do that would likely return quite quickly. There aren't many places a normal child can survive on their own. If children are going missing and not returning, there's a reason.
According to this
quest report, a child was found dead, holding an animal? Strange. The quest report is quite hard to interpret. Was it a toy? I find it unlikely a real animal would be held by a dying child, even as someone finds the child. I decided to ask the parents for more information.
They were understandably... distressed by my inquiry, but when I said it was for the sake of saving more children they did their best to help. According to them, their child simply vanished one day as they were shopping together in the market. They looked away for a moment, and the next thing they noticed she was gone. It's quite possible the child might have gotten separated in the market, but according to the parents they walk to the market quite often, and the child should have had no trouble finding her way back home. The only conclusion is that something prevented her from returning; but then why was she found? Did they no longer need her? It doesn't really make sense. Why are so many children still missing?
Ah.. someone came in with another related
quest report. This one... demons? Then... I guess it does makes sense.
Sacrifices, huh? How cruel. Then the one that was found, must have been a failure?
A group with a unique emblem? If they were found in the sewer, they have likely made their base there.
I don't want to let this continue any longer than necessary.
Considering the previous report mentioned movable walls in the sewer, it's unlikely I will find anything following the normal routes. As such, the most efficient method will likely be to take advantage of my own appearance. But, I will need help to ensure my safety. As such, I chose to ask the adventurer who has previously encountered them.
It took a bit of time to contact her, but when I did she was surprisingly willing to help. She didn't speak very much, and was quite blunt when she did, which honestly I appreciated more than someone who wasted time on idle chatter.
I stated my plan, and we acted immediately.
I roughened my clothes, rolling around on the ground to get myself appropriately dirty and scratched, and began to wander the less populated streets, maintaining a pitiful appearance, a little slouched, with a scared expression on my face. It took some time, but eventually I noticed someone approaching me. It was difficult to ignore the instinct to resist, as the cloaked man approached, but I restrained myself. He grabbed my head, and I felt a strange dark energy which stole away my consciousness. I cannot describe what occurred next as I was... disabled. As such, I shall leave it to Vicious.
* * * * *
From the roof she was watching from, Vicious noted the exchange.
Cloaked. Of course. Well, I'd better get moving.
Keeping track of what was going on on the ground, Vicious took the shortcut across the rooftops, watching as the cloaked stranger kidnapped her new friend---come to think of it, she didn't exactly introduce herself either. So they were technically both strangers.
You know, if I was part of this mysterious organisation, that girl might have been in a bit of trouble. Thank the heavens rituals don't interest me.
Musing dryly, Vicious took note of the prolonged journey the man took, turning several corners and making a huge detour in the maze-like alleyways of the slums. He was attempting to mask his movements.
A pity the girl watching him had friends of her own. As said girl lifted a piece of paper --- a copied version of the map she had uncovered from the previous sewer visit --- she realised she could just drop the man now and interrogate him. But then again, if he was fanatic enough he might just switch himself off to keep the secret. And then there was the girl.
Guess I better go with the reliable route.
*
The good news---she found the hideout the cloaked man was using. Trailing behind him, nice and easy, she had shadowed him the whole way without being noticed. Of course, it probably helped that the man was preoccupied with the captive over his shoulder. He led her right into the hidden section of the sewer.
The bad news---he had company. As the door swiveled about it's axis, she spotted a few more people inside. There was also a reddish hue which did not give her the best of impressions, which vanished as soon as the door slid back into place.
Now for the rescue effort. Just go in, fight a bunch of cloaked freaks while trying to ensure the captive doesn't get harmed. Easy peasy. Except for just about everything.
Vicious stared at the torches mounted on the walls every now and then.
I wonder if she's immune to fire...
* * * * *
When I regained clarity, I was in a small cage, likely normally used to hold small monsters. There were many similar cages, holding children in a variety of conditions. I could feel Mirth's anger, and that's something rare. It seems my kidnappers had just tossed me into the cage without checking me, as I could feel that the metal wire I wrapped around my thigh was still there. The lock on the cage looked quite cheap, and I felt confident I could pick it. However, I chose to wait. I wasn't sure what Vicious would do, and the man who took me here (at least I assume it was the same person) was still in the room. I could hear him moving around from my position lying in the cage. Making preparations of some sort, I assumed. Considering the number of children in this room, it's unlikely they can perform whatever rituals they're doing quickly. That, or they need a large number for whatever they're attempting. I'm not sure which I prefer.
After some time, the man left the room, and I quickly sat up as soon as I couldn't hear him anymore. I unwrapped the wire from my leg and began quickly picking the lock. It didn't take long for some of the other children to notice, but they stayed strangely silent as they watched. It was... slightly disturbing.
It took a bit, but I managed to get the lock off. I whispered quietly, "I'll be back. I can't let you out right now, it's not safe." And I didn't say this part, but I also couldn't take the risk that some of them might be demons. My first priority was simple; try to find Vicious. I don't know her well, but from what I read on her quest reports she seems quite capable in the violence department. Considering that I had no idea both where I was or where Vicious might be, I decided the best solution was to make a nice commotion so that she can find me. So, I let Mirth have her turn.
I moved through the confusing halls carefully, searching for an opportunity. Luckily, one arrived, in the form a man. He had a recognizable dragon-claw emblem on his chest, so there was no mistaking him as an ally. Hidden in a small alcove, we waited for him to approach. And when he did, Mirth let out her anger.
I may call myself Malice, but honestly I find Mirth scarier than myself. I may act out of ill will, but I do it for a goal. Mirth acts for herself. And when she's angry, she really doesn't control herself. It's honestly quite surprising how much of a mess can be made from the body of a single human. You wouldn't expect the... material to be able to spread so far, but it really can. After she exhausted her emotions, I snuck away, carefully hiding any traces. Luckily, in the sewer, there's plenty of.. fluids.. to use.
It wasn't long before I heard shouts. Most of them seemed to believe one of their demons had gotten loose. An understandable conclusion, in my opinion. I stayed in the alcove where I had hidden. If this failed to attract Vicious's attention, I wasn't sure what it would take.
* * * *
"Hurry! Check on the captives!"
While she was still thinking of how best to break in, Vicious heard faint shouting from behind the door, and the scampering of feet could be heard as well.
They're moving. Nice opportunity.
Taking a deep breath, the girl unslung her method of extreme violence and kicked down the door. Barging into the room, the first she saw was a cloaked man rising from his seat.
*
Wham!*
The blow echoed quite deeply through the tunnels, and the man slumped to the floor unconscious.
What a wimp. It's just the shotgun's stock.
Snorting a bit, Vicious headed further in. She'd barely cleared the first room when someone popped out of the corridor, and ate a blow to the face for his troubles. The cloak behind was about to call for help, but Vicious tugged the knife free from her belt, flipped around, and flung it.
She was aiming for the throat, but it veered off mark and stabbed right into the chest. Sadly, this meant the man's dying scream was quite loud.
Well, my cover's blown. Time to find her.
Since she didn't have to worry about noise any longer, Vicious pocketed her shotgun, and pulled the knife out of the corpse. She also searched the two bodies and took another two knives.
Hmm...
Arching her head back, Vicious laughed; a sharp, loud bark that reverberated off the walls, and ran in the direction those footsteps seemed to be heading from earlier.
* * * * *
It didn't take long for the commotion to intensify with the distinct sound of combat echoing through the corridors, and a loud laugh. Choosing to trust in my partner's capabilities, I moved back to the room where I had been captured. Whether they had been turned into demons or not, I had to keep them from getting the children. As I ran, I encountered a few of them moving the same direction. I didn't have time to slow down, so I just punched them in the neck to take them out quickly. I couldn't risk extended combat when I was unaware of their abilities.
I reached the cage room relatively quickly. Checking inside, it was almost exactly as I left it. Hopefully this meant none of them were demons. I turned back to the entrance, hiding next to the entryway, waiting for whoever might come. Hopefully, it would be Vicious. I'd like to get out of here with the children as soon as possible.
* * * * *
A group of people were stationed in the corridor.
*
Boom*
The one nearest to the entrance was taken out of commission by a thrown knife. Seconds later, someone kneed him in the face, and down he went.
"Wha---"
His buddy reacted decently, but half a word was all he got out before the stock of a firearm clobbered him right across the face. Then the rest of the cloaked men reacted, and rushed at the lone girl who had entered. Vicious shrugged as she pocketed the shotgun and brought out two knives.
"Big mistake."
*
Leaving the pile of unconscious (or dead) cultists on the floor, Vicious continued along, and soon reached a door on the side. She could hear noises inside.
*
Bam!*
She saw the interior contents of the room instantly. Cages of all kinds.
"Good heavens."
* * * * *
Fortunately, it wasn't too long of a wait before I heard the sounds of people getting beat up, and before long, Vicious entered.
"We need to take them and leave, as quickly as possible. We don't know how many of them might be here, or if they have help, so it's best to just get out. Do you have any way of making sure they're all.. still them?"
"Thought that might have been a concern. Here you go."
Vicious pulled out six vials from her pockets, handing over three of them.
"Demons don't get along well with holy water. There isn't enough to drench each of them in it, which would be the ideal telling method, but there should be just enough to splash each of them with a handful or two. I'll work on the left side, you do the right side."
Quickly taking the vials, I quickly splashed a bit on the children on my side. I was hoping there wouldn't be any, but.. it seems I wouldn't be so lucky. As the liquid splashed onto one of them, those in the cages next to them recoiled as the demon's flesh melted, and it screamed in agony. I quickly threw what was left of the holy water at it, then turned to Vicious to see how her side had gone as the demon slowly died.
On her end, Vicious had gone through about two vials and most of the children, and was left with a few more cages to work on. She splashed a handful on a little boy that looked around nine, and there was no visible reaction.
"......"
Why did she feel such unease?
The little boy did nothing but stare at her silently, not saying a word. She beckoned at him, but nothing happened.
"......"
The same thing happened to the next cage; no reaction, no movement. The nine year old girl stared at her just as quietly.
The last cage, however, ended differently. The ten-year old girl didn't react to the holy water, but sobbed and crawled closer to Vicious, holding out both hands. Just as she was about to unlock the cage, however, she stopped.
Why did she feel such unease? Her instincts were screaming, warning of danger---but what kind?
Vicious stared at the girl, stepping just out of her grasping range, and for a brief moment, she saw resentment on the child's face.
"What's your name?"
The child shut up instantly.
...
Huh.
"What is your name, little one? Surely you can tell me. I'll let you out of the cage if you tell me."
The child crawled forward to stare at her, eyes not leaving her face.
"...You swear? On your life?"
"Of course. On my life it is."
Instantly the child changed; her body lengthened, turning a bright shade of pink. Bat-like wings unfurled from the waist, and horns grew out of her forehead; the irises took on a translucent hue and the demon hissed, speaking in a voice that sounded like several people talking at the same time.
"My name," declared it.
"Is Dzfir, Lord of the Pit. Remember it as the name of one who will be your future master---now, I have fulfilled my bargain, so it is your turn. Free me from this unpleasant cage."
*
Click*
"Sure."
"
What are you doing, worthless human? You agreed to let me out of the cage---"
*
BOOM!*
"And so I did. Didn't remember promising to let you out alive though, lizard. Trickery 101. Go back and fill the pit in your head where your brains should be, dumbass."
Vicious yanked open the cage door, sending the smoldering remains of demon onto the floor, before crushing it into dust with her boot. At the same time, the previous two cages shimmered and finally revealed their contents; two partially rotted skeletons.
"A shame. Well, that happens."
I stared for a moment, impressed, before realizing that we didn't have time to waste.
"With that taken care of, I think it's time to get out of here."
It was difficult to move quickly through the tunnels with a large group of children, but the motivating power of fear made them do their best to keep up with us. Or was it something else? I still felt a bit uncomfortable. The few cultists we ran into were dispatched relatively easily by a fist or the blunt trauma of a gun. Luckily, the cage room wasn't too far from the entrance, likely for convenience. I couldn't help but wonder though, how deep did this maze go?
A question to be answered later. For now, these children have homes to return to.
We brought them here to the guild as we decided it would be easier for you to figure out where they live, than for us to wander around. This concludes our report.
Though, having arrived and read
this report, I might have more concerns, and perhaps a clue as to why they were kidnapping children. They must have some way of inducing this process.
