The men looked strong enough to protect her. They had bulky bodies, despite their nasty expressions. In the lessons from the Estelan temple, virtue and morality are taught strongly as if it was a matter between life and death. In one of those lessons, they taught about the appearance of the devotees.
Their appearance would not matter, because their 'contribution' could make up for their unfortunate circumstance. Which is their face.
But these are not devotees. If their appearance is like this, does that mean they're evil? If so...
Lumi's eyes met that of the person who took a step forward. He didn't look like he was any better than the others, but Lumi could notice the difference that distinguished him from the ones behind. He carried himself with his chin held high and hairy, bulky arms crossed against his chest.
He looked pompous.
"Heh. Hiring without showing your face? How do we know if this isn't a scam?" One of the men said, approaching Lumi.
Lumi then pulled her hood down, revealing her face.
"Ooh," the men then shared taunting whistles. "You need assistance, little lady?"
Lumi crossed her arms. "That's right. How much?"
The men then looked at each other before the one in front of Lumi showed a rather displeasing grin.
"8 gold coins."
Gold!
"What?"
But she only had several silvers and coppers. How can she even afford 8 gold coins?
Lumi clenched her fist. The road is filled with monsters to Hescurg; though she is confident she can fight—the knights hunting her down is what she considers the problem.
The men then whispered to each other before facing Lumi once more.
"We can give you an offer if you'd like," the man proposed.
"Offer?"
"You can pay us what you have right now, then if you can help us hunt down some monsters and give us all the scraps, we will accept the offer."
Lumi's expression brightened. "Alright. I only have seven silvers for you."
The man in front of her smiled wickedly. "Pleasure doing business. So, when do we leave?"
Though she was suspicious of his intentions, the priestess knew she had no other option. Thus, with arms crossed, she raised her brow to match the man's nasty personality.
"As soon as possible," Lumi exclaimed. "This night, I have to leave, no matter what."
**
Later that evening, Lumi set out to leave Aclaria. The adventurers she hired told her that the legal process may take longer, so they're taking an alternative route considering she needs to leave as soon as possible. Besides, she cannot really do this 'legal' thing, especially with her circumstances.
As they were walking in the alleyways, leading to who knows where -- the priestess followed silently until the time they reached a certain building. The structure looked similar to a warehouse but is most definitely abandoned given the marred wood and eroded furnishings.
As they entered the building, Lumi looked around. She scanned the place for any signs of life, but what welcomed her were merely dust and cobwebs bordering the place. The large area looked like what one would see in an old storehouse...
But what does this have to do with her leaving the country?
"Excuse me—"
"Boss will like this one."
Lumi lifted her gaze slowly to the man in front of her. He slowly turned towards her, and as their eyes met, Lumi knew something was wrong. The man was tall, almost as tall as Siegren. The difference between him and this man was that he had a nasty look on his face as he looked at Lumi.
She considered them both 'evil' based on what the temple taught her, but this person just made her stomach churn.
"'Boss'?" Lumi repeated, narrowing her eyes.
"Yes," the man then pulled a knife and slashed the knot on Lumi's cloak, letting it fall to the ground. Lumi's white dress being revealed made the men whistle provocatively.
She was too stunned to react.
"Lock her up."
The remaining men then circled around Lumi. "Can we have fun with her before the boss arrives?"
"Well, clients won't know anyway. Go on,"
Lumi closed her eyes.
Ah.
So that was it.
One of the men's hands held her shoulders with his thumb encircling her shoulder blade.
And in an instant…
His hand burst.
Blood, tendons, and ligaments, spluttered into Lumi's cheeks and onto her white dress.
"AAHH!!!!"
Lumi sighed. "Now my dress is ruined."
The man backed away as his entire hand spontaneously burst.
"W-wh-what happened?!" The man who lost his arm screamed in terror as he dropped to the ground.
"What did you do, you wench!" The 'leader' said.
"Hm. You're the guy who said the boss will like me." Lumi said as she walked towards the man in front of her, "Also, you're calling me wench... strange. Nobody called me that word before."
Lumi's smile disappeared, "I don't like it."
"What're you stalling for?! Kill her!"
The men from behind then attacked Lumi one by one. Each of them lunging towards her, their physique twice as large as her frame.
Light flashed in an instant, then white noise followed.
"Aargh!"
"W-what's happening?!"
"The light…! It's… it's making me blind!"
"No!"
The men then fell to their knees and quivered in shock; their eyes being blinded by the light.
Except for the man in front of Lumi.
"What light? Are you all insane?! Get up this instant!"
Lumi approached the man and then drew her dagger.
"Words from travelers said that there is a priestess from Estela who's kidnapped by a terrorist…" The man exclaimed.
Blue eyes, serene and calm like the cloudless sky stared back at the man.
"You're that priestess… aren't you?"
"What if I am?"
"Ha…" The man looked down and then stared at the roofless building in a swift motion. "HAHAHAHAHA!"
He laughed hysterically, which caused Lumi to frown.
"This is way better than I thought!"
Lumi's eyes widened as the man drew his axe, but instead of aiming for her, he threw the axe at his side, which was then followed by a 'clicking' sound.
A net fashioned by heavy ropes then fell to Lumi from the 'roofless' sky, making her lie to her stomach from the impact. It was a trap—the net had round metal boulders weighing them down on all four sides. This trap rendered her immobilized.
Before Lumi could even think of using divine power, the man knelt quickly and aimed for her vital. Lumi heard a crack in her neck—and the next thing she knew—her vision darkened, followed by the sounds of the men talking blurring into the background.
Until finally, there was silence.