The morning sun rises over the horizon bringing with it the gift of warmth and light. Yet even the sun can't penetrate Fang Forest. It doesn't matter if it's the depths of a thicket, under the canopy of the scattered trees, or a clearing that's open to the sky; no light reaches the ground inside the forest.
Darkness looms over the forest leaving it bleak and uninviting. The monsters that call the forest home act like antibodies, eliminating any foreign beings that dare to enter their domain.
In a cave hidden in the outer edge of the forest a group of so called foreign beings are going about their daily routine as if they're oblivious to the changes that have taken place in the forest.
After letting his subordinates out of their cells Jellal heads to the cave entrance. Using earth magic he opens up holes in the walls he made to prevent outsiders from breaking in. Reaching the outside of the cave he inspects the condition of the spikes and the outer wall.
Dozens of victims are scattered around the spikes. Among the victims he notices some that are odd. A few monsters somehow managed to get stabbed through the back with the immobile spikes. Examining the ground around the spikes he finds a set of tracks leading around the spikes and divots all the way to the outer wall. Three identical sets of claw marks descend down wall as if something had tried multiple times to jump through the bars only to fail and slide down the wall.
'How interesting, and here I thought the monsters in the forest all succumbed to the effects of the miasma. For something to notice the gap at the top before trying to jump in is a bit unexpected. Coupled with the monsters that look like they were knocked back into the spikes it appears we have a guest with decent intelligence nearby. I'll have to drop by to check on the defenses more often to see if it's hanging around or if it was just passing by.'
Jellal easily repaired the damage done to the spikes and wall. Since there had been a break in attempt he added a slight slope to the top of the solid part of the wall angling it outward so it would be more difficult to climb. He also lowered the ground level around the wall making it even more insurmountable than it already was.
Satisfied with his modifications and patch job he starts walking back inside, fixing holes he had made along the way. Arriving at the dining hall he gave his men a nod to reaffirm their confidence in the security measures before continuing on to where the captives are held.
Walking into the middle of the room he looks around at the captives. There's a sullen atmosphere amongst them that wasn't present earlier. From the uniform mood amongst them he can infer why they're so down. He could infer that his subordinates most likely told them about the effect the miasma is having on the forest making them lose the last bit of hope they had of being rescued.
[You've probably already heard about what's going on in the forest right now so I'll spare you the long winded explanations. Recently we've managed to collect a large number of monster corpses. For those of you who are interested in finding something to do other than rotting away I have good news. I'm looking for volunteers to process these monsters since I'm a little short on man power right now. I'd also like some people that are good with their hands, preferably with sewing experience. Volunteers will also get a real meal instead of the gruel Kira has been so painstakingly making for you.]
To his surprise the majority of them decided to volunteer. In his mind he started questioning whether it was due to boredom or Kira's cooking.
Selecting a dozen workers he unlocks their shackles and lets them out of their cells. While leading them to the dining hall he made a quick stop at the treasure room to pick up some knives and daggers he was gifted by the bandits. When they reach the dining hall he gathers everyone together to issue orders.
[Sia and Beth will be in charge of the group the will be processing the monsters. Your job is simple: gather the parts of the bodies that have value. Once you've stripped everything you can move what remains to a separate room so it can be dealt with later.
The other pair of new workers will be cutting the furs into rectangles. The excess that's cut off will then be cut into strips which will be used to sew the furs together into rugs and blankets. The coarse, bristly boar furs will be used for rugs while the softer wolf furs will be made into blankets. Since we have enough material, you should try to match shades as much as possible for aesthetic purposes.
Vincent and Meredith will be running errands for the teams and collecting the materials. If you need anything you're to ask them, not try to get things for yourself. That should be everything so I'll be leaving you to it.]
Breaking the new recruits into two groups he passed out knives for them to use during their work. The pair charged with sewing the furs together were also given some wolf teeth. Whether they used the tools available or not was up to them so he didn't mind their confused looks.
After sending everyone off to work he was left alone with Kira and Evangeline. Kira was obviously going to be in charge of incinerating the remains when they've piled. Evangeline, on the other hand, he didn't trust not to slack off if she was given a task. It's more likely she would use the furs as a pillow and hide somewhere to take a nap than actually work so he didn't bother with her.
Looking at Evangeline he suddenly felt like he had forgotten something important. He started searching his brain for anything he could remember pertaining to her. After a minute of standing there staring at her blankly with his hand holding his chin things finally clicked into place.
[Say, Eva. Unless I'm mistaken you said you sent a message to your family after you were kidnapped, right? I'm curious, how exactly did you send a message when you were locked in cell and gagged?]
[Fufufu, that's a vampire trade secret. I suppose if you give me permanent access to your bed I could accidentally have a slip of the tongue. Wait, why not? It's a good proposal. I get to use the bed and you get to know what you wanted to know, everybody wins.]
After her proposal is instantly shot down by Jellal she becomes confused and starts appealing her case while flailing her about wildly leaving Jellal dumbfounded.
'Is she doing this on purpose or is she just an idiot? I can't tell. Does this world even have lawyers who specialize in abusing the language used in contracts? If it does I think she's missed her true calling. What kind of normal person is capable of so easily coming up with such a dubious proposition that sounds perfectly normal when you first hear them?'
[There are a lot of things wrong with it. First, giving you permanent access would mean you would never have to go back to your cell since that would be limiting your access. I have no intention of letting someone run around freely while I'm sleeping so that's a no go. Second, saying it's access to my bed is dubious at best. What if I switch beds? Wouldn't the bed you're allowed to use change since the bed that would be considered as my bed would have changed? And last of all, everything in this cave is mine including the beds. If all the beds are mine do I need to give you the keys to the cells so you have access to those beds as well?]
Hearing Jellal's long winded rebuttal Evangeline started sulking. Dark clouds hung over her head as she squats and started drawing circles in the dirt.
[But, I just wanted to use to comfortable bed to sleep during the daytime.]
[How about I let you use the good bed during the middle of the day when you don't have any work to do? In exchange you have to tell me how you sent out the message. Deal?]
[Isn't that what I said? Did you turn me down because you wanted to be the one to propose the deal? You're so immature, fufufu. Alright I'll tell you, but you can't tell anyone.]
As she's about to tell him how she did it she looks around to see if anyone's listening in on them. Pulling Jellal close to her she whispers in his ear while acting all secretive.
[You see vampires that are directly related and two or less generations apart can communicate telepathically. Well to tell you the truth I'm not very good at it so I haven't been able to reach them since then.]
Just as she's about to pull away and run off to her new part time bed her shoulders were caught in Jellal's iron grip, his eyes sparkling brightly.
[You said your family should be on their way right? When they get here you have to convince one of them to let me observe them when they use telepathy. It would be a shame if I suddenly decided to carry the blankets and pillows from my bed around with me.]
[How evil! That wasn't part of the deal!]
[I said you could use the bed. I never said anything about the pillows or blankets, kekeke.]
[Grr, fine. Why do you have to be such a bully?]
Having gotten what he wanted Jellal released his grip on her shoulders. Free from his evil clutches Evangeline speeds off, escaping as fast as lightning to the safest place she can possibly escape to: beneath the covers.
With all of his subordinates taking care of the leg work Jellal was left to his own devices. Moving to the living quarters he starts practicing the same way he usually does when he has free time. After an hour he started walking back to check on how his subordinates were coming along.
Walking into the grunt living quarters he scanned over the work area with his eyes. The workers had split into pairs with each pair having their own area. Walking next to each pair he would stop and observe them for a few seconds before moving on.
Satisfied with their work ethic so far he turned around to make his way back. As he steps past the last pair they jump up and lunge at him from behind. Spinning around he uses his arm to smack the closest ones wrist deflecting his thrust and changing his body's trajectory. The pair collide with each other, falling to the ground in a tangle mess.
As they untangle themselves he leisurely pulls out four throwing knives, holding three of them in his left hand. One of them pushes off the ground with his hand to stand up but before he has a chance a throwing knife nails his hand to the ground.
A guttural scream roars from his mouth as he clutches the throwing knife with his other hand. With a yank he rips it out of his hand before rolling around on the ground in pain. He lifts his head to glare at the one responsible but the back of his head is hammered with a force he's unable to resist.
He grits his teeth as his face is pressed into the dirt. He swings the knife in his hand intent on slashing whatever's holding him down but his hand is met with another throwing knife. The knife slams down from above cutting off the fingers that were holding his weapon.
Jellal glances at the rest of the workers as he starts to increase the pressure he's exerting. The poor fools head is slowly squished between his foot and the ground as if it was put into a vice. Blood starts leaking from the victim's orifices as his skull starts emitting brutal crunching noises.
Jellal turns his head and stares right into the eyes of the other attacker. While maintaining eye contact he increases the pressure yet again. This time it's too much to handle as the skull collapses in on itself spraying blood everywhere. He uses the same foot that was previously stepping on the head to kick the body off to the side before slowly walking towards his next victim.
[I'm sorry! Pl-please forgive me. Show mercy to my foolish self. I'm begging you don't-]
The remaining attacker scoots backwards on her butt while begging for mercy. Her pleas are interrupted when she backs into a wall. Tears start gliding down her terror filled face as death slowly walks toward her. She loses control of her bladder as her whole body trembles in fear.
[Mercy? Sorry but I'm fresh out of mercy. I believe I was very clear that I used the last of it in the prison area the other day was I not?]
Ignoring the pleas he continued walking closer. He uses wind magic to create a sharp invisible blade of wind extending out from the knife. Leaning close to her he looks her in the eye as he slashes past her throat with blinding quickness. Her eyes dim as a red line appears around her neck. Her body falls over and her head rolls away on contact with the ground.
Jellal picks up her severed head and tosses it into the pile of remains that are set aside to be incinerated later. Next he picks up the pairs bodies. Each hand holds the shirt of one of the victims as he drags them to the pile of unprocessed monsters. He glances around the room before giving them a friendly smile.
[How unfortunate. Now the rest of you have to do more work with less people. Regardless your job doesn't change: strip anything worth keeping and put what remains in the discard pile.]
He brings Sia and Beth with him as he makes his way to the entrance to check on the defenses and see whether the monster that failed to invade previously has come back. He makes holes for easily coming and going the same way he did before.
Walking out he takes a look around. From what he can see there are no obvious signs of any new enemies showing up. He scans the surroundings extra carefully with all his senses as the corner of his mouth curls upward. He has the girls start dragging the corpses inside so they can be processed along with the others while he carefully watches over them. They drag the bodies one by one inside the walls unsure what the smirk on his face represents.
In the grunt living quarters the workers are restless. The pair that attacked weren't the only ones to have nefarious plans. Many had contemplated making some kind of move but didn't have the guts to see it through which saved their lives in the end.
Unlike the captives from the other cells the pair of former adventurers that came along remained calm throughout the entire ordeal. The first time he showed up in front of them Jellal showcased how ruthless he was toward aggressors so they could see this coming a mile away.
Even though they had planned to attack as well they didn't make a move because their sixth sense told them it wouldn't end well. No matter how wide open he was the feeling never went away leading them to the realization that he was perfectly ready to deal with any attackers he may face.
For the first time they started reconsidering their plans. They were now certain they wouldn't make it out alive if they attacked him so they could only hope for an opportunity to make a run for it. Unfortunately the miasma is enough to make their chances of surviving in the forest close to zero since they don't know the way back to the city.
Before they had a chance to rework their plan a male merchant stood up and started looking around suspiciously. Seeing the coast clear he started sneaking toward the entrance. When he noticed the bodies and open hole to the outside he made a break for it.
Sprinting at full speed he burst out of the entrance. Not expecting the divots he tripped and rolled across the ground. He looked back to see if the goblin was going to chase him, but to his surprise it leaning casually against the wall with its arms crossed and a smirk plastered all over its face.
Sia rushes out of the entrance, looking around with a sharp gaze. She glances at Jellal questioning whether she should pursue or not. He simply shakes his head before looking back to the newest rebel.
Jellal releases trace amounts of killing intent, but doesn't move from his spot. The escapee rushes into the bushes while glancing back at him, hope clearly present in his eyes. Less than a second later his piercing wails drift over along with the sound of rustling bushes.
The screams fall silent yet the rustling remains. The bushes the escapee ran through start shaking as the lifeless corpse of the former merchant flops out. Following behind the body is a light gray wolf. It stares at Jellal, intelligence clearly present in its deep, sky blue eyes.
Sia holds her blade ready to attack once she's given the order. Jellal waves her off telling her to continue what she was doing. Keeping her sword ready, she cautiously walks out while keeping an eye on the wolf. Grabbing a body with her off hand she starts dragging it back to the entrance. Eventually Beth joins her and the two continue their work as if everything were normal.
When all the bodies are inside they start moving them to the work area to be processed. Jellal finally ends his staring match with the wolf as he turns and starts heading in through the hole. Partway through the outer wall with his back to the wolf he calls out casually.
[Let's go Sif.]