"Is everyone ready?"
"Yep!"
"Yes, master."
"Mhm!" The king brought the party into his castle and explained the situation, detailing their dire situation in the war, and the reason for the princess's kidnapping. To put it simply, the entire war was because Eloise, who was twelve at the time, refused to marry Babylonia's prince, who was about four times her age. To them, it was no wonder she refused. But to the Babylonians, her refusal was a declaration of war.
All the four had to do was infiltrate the Empire, slay the heads, and rescue Eloise, then since the nation would've been without a leader, the war would be put to an end.
It was simple enough. Except they knew nothing of the Empire's strength, that was what made both the boy and Alvara uneasy.
"You know how to use that sword, Christopher?" Alvara noticed a sword at his back. It was an iron broadsword which was given to him by the king.
Christopher shook his head in a pitiful denial, which made her sigh in disappointment.
"No…not really…I've never even used one before."
"Figures…you have your strings after all. I guess you've just gotta rely on the programming Alastor gave you then. Don't die out there."
"I won't." He assured her, "You know your abilities? You did change patrons."
"Well…sort of. I'm just hoping Alastor gave me the same programming you received so I didn't have to learn from scratch. Ahaha…" Alvara gave a nervous laugh.
He took note of her words…and quickly, his blood ran a little cold. S-same programming…? Clearly she underwent a different kind of programming, compared to what Christopher had…
"Trust me, Var. You do not wish for that."
"Huh?"
"In my programming, Alastor tied me up and sent the strings flying through me over and over again. Trust me, you do not wish for programming identical to mine."
"W-what the hell??! Really?!"
"Yep…Trust me…it was not pretty." Remembering the torture he was given by his Goddess…he was just happy to be alive.
Alvara was speechless at first, but soon only sighed.
"Well, just be glad she gave you the blessing then…she is a nice Goddess though, isn't she?"
"Yeah. Last time I visited her, she treated me to some ginger tea and said to come back any time." He mouthed, smiling.
"Wow…she sounds nicer than Achlys by far. Achlys would never do that for any of her disciples....have to say, I'm a little jealous, Christopher."
"Don't be, you'll get to meet her eventually. In the meantime…" Following, by only a few inches, he leaned in closer to her face, then whispered quietly into her ears, "...You've got me to play with."
Upon hearing that, Alvara's cheeks lit up as red as a tomato, but instead of feeling a sense of embarrassment, she was in stitches.
"Bwhahahahahahahahahahahahaha! Oh my Gods, Christopher! Hahahahahahahahahha! You've seriously got to work on your pick up lines! Hahahaha! You'll never attract a girl with that!"
"Well it was worth a shot…since you're technically the only girl I can try it on…"
"Hahahahahahaha! Well you are right in that way…Quth'll never fall for you since she's devoted to me…and Est's a psycho…hmph. I really am the only normal girl around here."
"See?" Christopher said. He shrugged at her, then looked at Est, who was listening the entire time.
"Yeah…no way Est would fall for me either…"
Est immediately responded by simply staring at him and telling the boy what she'd always told him.
"Master, it doesn't matter whether or not I fall for you. As I've said before, you may use me any way you'd like. Be it for romance, pleasure, a battle partner, or as a companion, I do not mind."
"But that's what the problem is, Est!"
"I do not see any problems, master."
"You may not see any problems, but I do! If I wanted to have you as a romantic partner, I'd want you to fall in love with me first! I can't just use you for it! It's just…immoral!"
"Y-yeah…I agree with that…" Alvara backed him up. She strutted over to Est, and went down to her height, which was only a few inches from hers.
"...Do you really mean that, Est?"
"Yes. I do. It is my role as a familiar to serve my master in any way he pleases."
"Ahaha…" She found Est to be…quite unique, given her lack of natural emotions…and willingness to do absolutely anything Christopher pleased.
"...A-Anyway…isn't it about time we left now?"
"Oh, yeah…"
They thought it would've been good to see the king before they departed…so they waited for him just outside the castle. He left his coat's hoodie on to hide his demon horns from the public…since that would've caused panic if he caught the public's eye.
After viewing how desperate he was for their help, he just couldn't refuse.
Not long after, King Aznozian finally arrived.
"Well, I see that you all are ready."
"Yes your majesty. But are you sure we only need to eliminate the heads and rescue the princess? What about the army?"
"You don't necessarily need to eliminate them as well. But it would indeed be helpful if you do, in the case of an independent attack on our nation." The king replied to Christopher. That did make sense, the Babylonian army was known for those after all.
"Okay. We'll keep that in mind then. Farewell, we'll be back as soon as we can." Christopher said.
King Aznozian nodded to them. Part of him was reluctant to allow them to go since they all looked like children, though he sensed that it was alright to entrust the task to them…after all, they were Marionette Disciples.
"Farewell, and good luck, Marionette Disciples. May the blessing of Alastor guide your path." He eventually told them, "Do ensure that you apologise to my daughter for me for the situation as well."
"We shall." Quth said, "Good bye, your majesty, and take care."
The king of the Aznozian nation watched as the four left the castle. There was a heavy feeling of guilt overflowing his system. Guilt, because he knew that it was likely they would not return alive.
"Heavens…I know we humans are not deserving of a God…but please, I beg of you, allow these children to return safely…"
***
The Babylonian Empire wasn't far from the Aznozian Kingdom, it only took them a mere two hours by carriage to arrive. At the gates were two guards, each holding a single pointed spear.
Upon catching sight of the party, they smirked.
"Nice girls ya got there, you gonna sell'em off or something? Cause I'd happily buy them."
"What's your price for the little purple haired bitch?"
Huhhh? Was the first thing which came to the boy's mind. The knights didn't even give them a proper greeting, they just assumed the girls were either slaves or prostitues just waiting to be sold off.
"Uhh…" He glanced at the girls, then back to the knights, "...The hell are you talking about?"
"I'm talking 'bout prostitutes. You know, girls you pay to fuck around with."
"Yeah, ya sellin' or what?" The two soldiers came closer to the carriage, "Hrmph, ya don't look like a pimp…and you got horns too…"
They continued to survey the carriage, Quth and Alvara both appeared to be uncomfortable around them. They both swiftly looked toward Christopher, who gave them an equally uneasy expression.
"Christopherr! Do something!!" Alvara exclaimed quietly.
"..."
"Nhh…" He watched as the knight moved toward Est, who kept a close eye on them both, "...Hnn…this one mustn't be worth much…just look at that face. And those tiny breasts…disgusting." He proceeded to spit on Est's shoulder, which angered her even more. Without saying a word, she growled, then wiped it off and glared toward her master.
"Master. They have defiled me. Shall I eliminate?" She whispered in his ear.
"Not now, Est…" He replied.
Christopher signalled the knights in a stammer while putting on the nicest face he could muster.
"U-Um…Kn-knights…?" He asked them.
"What? Ya got a price yet?" They both neared the boy instead, "Well what is it?"
"These girls…they…they're actually my party members. And no, they're not prostitutes, nor are they my slaves. They're my friends, and we've come to see the rulers of this kingdom. So would you be so kind as to let us through the gates?"
The two soldiers were stunned to hear his words. Subsequently scowling at the boy, they aggressively approached his spot in the carriage.
"Huhhhhhhh? The hell'd you spout?!"
"I said they're not yours to purchase, nor are they anybody's. Now…" To maintain his strict demeanour, Christopher stood up, and eyed the two straight in the eyes. He knew there was a chance he'd be faced with battle, so he swiftly drew his blade against the two.
"...Step aside, or face the consequences." He had his blade at his side, and readied himself for an attack…but the knights ended up just laughing at him.
"Ooohhh? You tryna act all cool in fronta your little bitches, eh kid???" The knight to his left mockingly pushed him backwards by surprise. Just barely did he maintain his balance.
"Guess we'll have to teach you some respect! Rrrraagh!"
Bang.
Christopher saw the attack coming, and briskly countered with his strings. He summoned them at his fingertips, and shot them through and around the soldier's right arm.
"W-what the fuck?!" Before they knew it, the boy balled his hand into a fist, and the entire arm was split into pieces. The body part was split into seven different sections, all of which fell to the ground.
The man staggered backwards while grabbing at his wound in a panic.
"A–AAHHH-AAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH! YOU-YOU SON OF A-"
"You were saying?" Christopher was not bothered by the sight at all. He threw his arm outwards, and wrapped the strings around the individual's body with a menacing grin. He didn't want either of them reporting back to the heads, otherwise the plan would've been a failure.
"You know what comes next, don't you?" He asked them both. He peered at the second one, then at Est, who instinctively nodded, "Est, take care of the second one."
"Yes master. I shall." Est suddenly stood up. The moment she did, the second knight collapsed to the dirt floor with his hands behind his head.
"N-no! P-please! I-it was just a joke-w-we weren't actually going to kill you-we-AAARRHHHHH-!" Cutting him off mind statement, Est shot a string through his head, puncturing his brain. The poor knight was dead before he even knew it.
The first viewed all this with fear written all over his face. It was obvious to him that they both made a dreadful mistake, and were then suffering the consequences.
Christopher grinned at the knight, taking pride in his pathetic state.
"You really thought a kid like me would sell off these girls to you, didn't you? You stinking perv. All you people do is think about sex, sex, and more sex. Just like that fucking prince of yours. Wanting to marry that poor twelve year old Aznozian princess…he just wanted her because of her body, didn't he?"
"I-I don't know! P-please…I-I DON'T KNOW! Look, I'll let you into the kingdom, just let me live, okay?!" He pleaded. That wasn't going to happen.
"You really think I would after hearing what you called my party members? That wouldn't be very good, wouldn't it?" He exited the carriage, and walked up to the man. From there, he manoeuvred his weapon so that his opponent knelt before him on his knees.
"And you call yourself a knight…you're pathetic, you know that?"
What he should've done is searched for information out of the guy. If I tricked him into spilling the beans about the prince, princess, and rulers of the kingdom…that would make our job here a helluva lot easier for us…
Christopher quickly came up with a lie for the knight. It wouldn't be the first time he lied, after all, he previously spoke an untruth to Quth upon their first meeting. Despite her forgiveness, the boy was still partially guilt-ridden.
"Say…you work under the king, don't you?"
"Y-yes…I-Aah…I do…"
"If you tell us how to get into the castle without getting caught or being seen," He pointed toward the remains of his right arm on the ground, "I'll fix your arm for you using my marionette strings, and reattach it to your body. I'll even spare your life."
"R-REALLY?!"
"Don't get ahead of yourself now! If you don't, I'll ask my familiar here to give you the most agonising death she could muster. You'll be having nightmares for the rest of eternity."
"Hhhrng!"
There were two options-commit treason against the Babylonian Empire and live, or stay loyal, and face incredible torment. If he committed treason, he would be forced to flee the nation, else face execution via the heads. Though the second option…after viewing how easily Christopher removed his arm, he didn't even want to know what else they could've done. So he chose the first.
"C-can you really f-fix my arm?!"
"Yeah. By willing my strings to stitch them back together and reattaching it."
"..."
The statement was something he made up off the top of his head, but the man somewhat believed him.
"Alright…" He said, "...I'll tell you…"
"You made the right choice."
The next few minutes were spent listening to what the soldier had to say.
When they finished, Christopher thanked the man, and stood to his feet.
"Thank you, knight. You just made our job to assassinate the heads a whole lot easier."
"You're welcome…do I get fixed now?" The pain in his arm started to get to his head, but he endured it in hopes they'd fix him…but it all came crashing down.
"Unfortunately…I cannot have you out there in case you rat us out. Est, kill him."
"Yes master."
"W-WHAT?! B-BUT YOU SAID-GRRAAAHHHH-" In a second, Est killed him the same way she killed the other knight, a string through the brain.
After seeing the mess they made, Christopher felt as though he would vomit. For he was still getting used to killing. He then had three kills tallied. The first was Alvara who was resurrected, and the other two…were Babylonian knights.
He sat back down into the carriage, and told the driver to continue. Quth looked at him with a distraught face, one which he easily read.
"Quth…" He murmured, "...I-"
"You…you didn't have to lie to him, you know…" Her eyes showed signs of pity and grief toward the knight, "...That knight…he had hopes that you or Est would heal him…but instead, you just lied to him and killed him instead!"
"..." Quth… Clearly, she still had trauma from their first meeting…otherwise she wouldn't have been disturbed by his actions.
"...I get where you're coming from, Quth, but can we deal with this after the mission? What's important is that we stop the war against Aznozian Kingdom right now."
Quth stared at him, still bothered, but ultimately decided to drop it.
With a sigh, she mouthed to him,
"Fine…but I'm still disappointed!"
"Ahaha…"
***
The Babylonian Empire was mainly a human nation, which was founded around three hundred years ago.Throughout its history, the humans presiding within the walls made money by capturing non-humans, specifically ones too young to defend themselves, and sold them off as slaves to the highest bidders.
From there, the person was shackled up and brought into the master's carriage, and if they ever disobeyed orders, they were beaten, raped and sometimes even tortured.
Other than slavery, petty crimes, murders and thievery was high within the nation. Due to the Babylonian Empire being so closed off from the world after the many nations rallied together to stop all trade with it, the people who lived there were severely overtaxed and mistreated by the heads, which made surviving a complete struggle.
The prince, king's shield and nobility especially were feared. Due to their status, anyone who refused to cooperate with them were immediately executed. They both regularly scouted the area, looking at anyone outside their homes. If they found any of the women attractive, they would quickly restrain, and carry them over to their quarters, where they forcefully made love to them regardless of their marital status or choice.
That, coupled with the high levels of crime, was what forced people to stay indoors and only go out if necessary.
These were the reasons why when the party entered through the gates, nobody was around.
The houses in the Babylonian Empire were mostly wooden, with cracked, mossy walls, and had the height of a smaller than usual cabin. The only homes that looked visually appealing were that of Lords and nobility, and the king's castle which was made entirely of polished limestone and dark oak wood for the drawbridge. Around the castle was a moult, about two metres in width, and five metres in depth. Unlike the Aznozian castle, that one was almost never open for the public.
Christopher looked around-desperately searching for anyone he could see. But nothing came up. It was like a ghost town. A dilapidated, corrupt ghost town.
"Nobody's here."
"Yeah…it's kind of creepy…" Alvara responded to his words, then looked toward the castle, "...The drawbridge is up. Think what the knight said is true?"
"Has to be…otherwise our only option would be to bust in through the bridge…"
"Mm…"
"That in itself is a risk though, since we don't yet know just what we're dealing with. For all we know there could very well be another disciple within the castle walls just waiting for us to barge in."
"Th-that'd be scary though…especially if it's a Creation Disciple." Quth added, "They're the strongest after all."
"I can slay him for you." Est interjected into the conversation. Christopher believed her of course, but he wasn't willing to put her in any sort of danger.
"I know you can, but let's try to avoid fighting at all costs." He remarked, "Let's just slay the royalties and knights quietly, rescue the princess, and get the hell outta here."
"Right." Alvara agreed with him. So did Quth, Est just went with whatever her master said.
Upon leaving the carriage, Christopher suggested they all be ready for an attack at any moment. They were all in the midst of the Empire, with their target a ways ahead of them.
"Hrmph…" He remembered what the knight told him, and chose to head straight for the castle.
"...From what he told me, there should be an emergency escape route to the side of the castle…but the problem is…how do we get over the moult?"
"Oh! We can help with that!"
"Mm?" Quth suddenly raised her hand, and glanced at Est.
"Est and I are familiars, so we can just fly you both across. Since we're both high ranking familiars, we're much stronger physically than a mortal so your weight wouldn't be a problem for us."
"Oh yeah! Wait, Est can fly to?!"
"Yes master." Est acknowledged him with a slow nod, "But I prefer walking."
"Oh…that makes sense."
With that decided, the party started approaching the castle. The height of the castle overwhelmed them. The creeks of windows opening and small sounds of speech told them all that someone was home.
"Hrm…" It'll be difficult to avoid detection, won't it? The sudden realisation sent a chill down his back. None of them wished for any confrontation, but considering where they'd be entering, it was practically unavoidable.
Luckily, the secret entrance the fallen knight mentioned was real after all. The area was a small trap door located to the side of the castle. No one guarded it, which made it the best way to go.
"Alright. Let's go in."
"Hold it." Abruptly, Alvara stopped him. She wore a grim expression, as if she knew the horrors awaiting them.
"Once we enter, there'll be no turning back. Are you sure you are ready, Christopher?"
The invasion of an enemy castle to rescue a princess, and eliminate as many royalties as possible…the thought of it made Christopher's blood run cold. Regardless of his status as an Elder Goddess's disciple, he was overall just a boy. He had no skills or training in the arts of mediaeval warfare, nor did he really know how to fight against someone. He only survived that long because of Est, and the programming Alastor gave him.
He glanced over to his familiar, who responded with only a nod of the head. He trusted her to look after him.
"Yeah. We're ready." In the end, he was able to confidently acknowledge Alvara's remark.
"Alright then. Let's enter."
Opening the trap door, the four entered the castle.
***
The route they took was to the castle dungeon. They exited the passageway via a gap in a stone brick wall just ahead of them.
"Mmm…so this is the dungeon…"
The dungeon was a circular chamber of fifty by fifty feet in diameter and thirty high, separated in two floors. Large torches lit up the entire area. Above, Christopher saw a bridge extending from the upper floor from his left to right side, held up by multiple stone pillars. The scent of both fresh and stale blood overflowed his nostrils as bone-chilling screams echoed in the hallways from the second floor.
Ahead of him at the end of the chamber, there was a large closed iron door, and past it were stairs leading upward. In the midst of the first floor was a deep hole which was filled with dirtied cold water, it resembled an underground pool, and was enclosed by small wooden walls which went all around it.
Different types of small algae and plants sprouted out from the floor. The area was cold, the party's bodies started to shiver as they saw breath vapours coming out of their mouths.
"Brr…it's so…cold…" Alvara uttered, she wrapped both her arms around her shoulders, and huddled closer to Christopher's side.
"You said it…so this is the castle dungeon…" Christopher surveyed his surroundings. There were two floors, princess Eloise was supposed to be in one of the cells. Through the iron door was their exit…but it needed a key. Basically, unless they found a way through that door, they were stuck there.
He neared the pool of water in the middle of the room, and looked down into it. The water was tinted green with multiple species of algae growing inside. He wondered if that was the prisoners' only source of drink.
"Gross…" Slowly, he stuck his hand inside. The water was an uncomfortable, slimy mess. No way it was drinkable in the slightest, "...Think they drink this stuff?"
"Hell no, drinking it would be suicide." Alvara, Quth and Est came to his side.
"I agree. They probably use it to bathe." Quth suggested…though not even her believed that.
"Mm. Now, where's our exit?"
They all gaped toward the iron door.
"There." Alvara said, "But it needs a key…"
"Hrm…" A key…where would we find a key? He thought back to the passage way, as well as the knight. The knight didn't say anything about needing a key, neither did Christopher notice any on his way there.
He thought about asking Est to bash the door open, but that would just draw unnecessary attention…
However, before he had the chance to try anything, a rustling noise came from behind the door. He immediately sensed that someone was coming in.
"Quick, everybody, scatter!!" In a blink of an eye, each one of the party members split up, Est with Christopher at the far end of the dungeon, Quth with Alvara at the opposite side.
As they anticipated their arrival, the heavy iron door was opened, and out came a singular girl. She was shorter than Est by only a few inches, which made him think it might've either been a child, or someone's familiar. In her little hands was a bottle of water, and a silver plate which consisted of sliced whole wheat bread and steamed fish.
Christopher turned over to Est, who appeared to be on edge behind him.
"What's the matter?" He questioned quietly.
"Master, take great caution in approaching that girl. She is a familiar who serves Elder God Amaterasu, who is the God of Creation, and the strongest deity." Est answered him. Christopher nearly shrieked at her words.
"S-Seriously?!" He aggressively murmured, "D-does that mean-"
"Yes. This nation is home to one or more Disciples of Amaterasu, also known as Creation Disciples. We must practise extreme caution and not take any unnecessary risks."
"..." He noticed that. The boy looked once more at the familiar, who appeared to be locking the iron door.
"Shit…this just got a whole lot harder…Est, gimme her profile."
"Yes master." Est nodded. She moved ahead of the boy, and stared at her, as if she was reading something.
"Her name is Ofira Amaterasu, born approximately four thousand three hundred and fifty five years ago. She's a rank four familiar who specialises in defensive magic, black magic, and summoning magic. Her weapons consist of a Celestial broadsword, and a Celestial Shield. I cannot get a read on who her master is, but from what I see, she is not particularly powerful." Est looked back at him with a provocative face, "Should I eliminate her?"
"No, not yet. Let's see what she does." Christopher said.
"Yes master."
Both of them watched as the Creation familiar tucked the keys into her pockets, and looked around. Seeing that no soldiers were there, she heaved a sigh.
"Great. Nobody's here…Now…she should be on the second floor…" Afterwards, she walked off in the direction of the second floor.
There was a single thought on his mind, it was to follow her while maintaining utmost secrecy. He sent a look toward Alvara and her familiar, and they both gave him a stern nod, telling him to go for it.
"Let's follow her, Est."
"That would be a wise choice, master." Est responded.
The two together tailed her to the second floor. When he was close enough, he at last received a good look.
Ofira's body was slimmer than Est's by a hair's breadth . Her soft, squishy, gorgeous skin was unnaturally pale in colour, and the long smooth hair on her small oval-shaped head was silvery grey, partially resembling Quth's silvery white. Both her beady eyes were coloured a shiny pure green, and glimmered in the darkness.
Her face constantly wore a cute, friendly smile which brought comfort into the hearts of those who needed it. She took pride in doing good deeds for those abused by the Babylonian Empire, and despite the mockery she received by the government, she never ceased to continue.
Ofira stood in front of a prison cell, and unlocked the barred gate.
"Psst, Eloise. I'm here." She uttered in her classic high pitched, timid feminine voice.
"O…Ofira…?" The girl she spoke to quickly took note of Ofira's presence, "Oh…you're here…" Eloise's body was weak from malnutrition. Barely any meals were given to the prisoners of the kingdom, so Ofira took it upon herself to provide them with some.
She entered the cell, and crouched beside the twelve year old girl.
"Does it hurt?" She asked. She looked toward Eloise's face, there was a bloodied scar on her right cheek.
"Y-yes…it..it does…"
"Poor girl…I can't believe the prince would do this to you…and my master even allowed it…I can't help but feel like this was all my fault. I'm his familiar so I should've been there to stop him from hitting you."
"N-no i-it…it's not…" A quick sniffle came from Eloise's nose as she looked toward her, "...Thank you for looking out for me. Can you heal it?"
"Y-yeah…just gimme a minute."
"Okay."
Ofira placed her hand upon the wound, then channelled healing magick into her palm. The sensation stung a little, but it was worth it. Before she knew it, Eloise's wound closed up.
"Thank you…*sniffle* Thank you, Ofira…"
"You're…you're welcome…" Tears rolled down Eloise's cheeks shortly following, and the familiar comforted her.
Ofira handed Eloise the supplies by placing them onto her lap.
"Eat up." She said, "Don't worry, no one saw me this time."
"It's…fish, and slices of bread…"
"I apologise if it's not what you're used to since you're a princess, I searched for only the best items for your meal…and that was all I could find…"
Eloise was used to the more extravagant meals she previously received back at her home in the Aznozian Kingdom, so being forced to eat such a…minute meal was new to her.
Given the state of the kingdom, she gladly accepted it though. Taking a slice of bread in one hand, and the fish in the other, she greedily munched down. Each meal Ofira gave her, she savoured it like it was her last, for she didn't know when next she'd be able to eat or drink.
After her small meal, she opened the bottled water and drank a sip.
"Haah…haah…haah…" She raised it once more, and drank another, then half the container.
"You could drink it all, you know? We aren't low on water like we are on food."
"I-I know! B-but I…I wanna save it…I…I can't drink the water here after all…"
"__" Ofira perceived that. The water the Babylonian Empire provided its prisoners with was undrinkable…the moss would've poisoned them worse than most moderate poison curses. If you thought about it, it was like the empire actually wished for its prisoners to die.
"I understand." Ofira told her, "Let me refill it with my magic then."
"Y-yes…" Eloise handed Ofira the half-empty bottle, then a water spell was used. The prison cell glowed a deep blue, and right before the princess's eyes, the bottle was completely refilled.
"Here. Put it somewhere the guards won't see it, alright? And not within your clothes…you know how the prince is by now, don't you?"
"..." She knew, but she didn't want to talk about it.
"...The prince…he…he forces me to remove my clothing and then he touches me when I do…It hurts my body so much…why does he do it?"
"..."
The prince… The prince was the one who initiated the kidnapping of Eloise from her home and waged a one-sided war against the Aznozian Kingdom. It was all done because she refused to marry a guy like him. He was forty-eight years of age, and she was only twelve, so to Christopher, the Creation familiar, and everyone else who didn't have much of an association with the kingdom, it was understandable.
But the son of the king was used to getting his way. He was furious upon hearing the news. Finally, he took matters into his own hands, and gave the order for Eloise's abduction and Aznozian Kingdom's destruction.
"Eloise…" Ofira muttered to the mentally exhausted girl, "...I'll try to figure out a way to get you out of here and back to your parents, I promise. Just…try to hold out for a bit longer."
"You told me that ages ago though…if…if there really is no way out, you don't have to hide it from me…"
It was true. Ofira had been working on a way to break Eloise out ever since she was brought there. The problem was…if she were to actually do it, then she would practically be rebelling against her master. She had no problem with it, but she was frightened too.
"I know. There is a way out though…just…it'll involve me rebelling against my master to aid you. By giving you food and water, I'm already being rebellious. The other way is for me to set you free within the kingdom through the emergency exit within the dungeon…but I won't be able to be with you if I do so."
Eloise noted that. A small sigh escaped her lips as she helplessly hugged her knees to her chest.
"I see…I wouldn't force you to do these…you're already helping me so much by bringing me food and water each day…and I appreciate that…" She leaned toward the familiar, and gently hugged her. Ofira returned the embrace, and snuggled close to her side, "...You're also the reason being locked up here isn't too bad for me…so thank you for that as well."
"You're welcome, Eloise."
***
"I'm heading back now, don't tell anyone I was here, alright? This is a secret between the two of us only."
"I know. Goodbye, Ofira. Thank you for the meal."
"Take care, Eloise. Don't do anything you'll regret while locked up here. Though if anything really horrible happens, I'll be the one to guard you against the prince and my master. Farewell."
Following one final exchange, Ofira locked Eloise's cell, and walked away with the platter.
From what Christopher gathered, Ofira was not an enemy, she was the one taking care of the kidnapped princess throughout her stay in the Babylonian dungeon, even though it meant going against her master's wishes.
She was, in other words, a saint among the twisted population of the Babylonian castle.
He gazed toward his familiar, who stood behind him the whole time.
"The Creation familiar has the keys, see if you could restrain her for us, but don't kill her."
"Yes master. I shall not eliminate her."
Est went ahead of the boy, and locked her eyes upon Ofira's back. She was just about to unlock the iron door when the Marionette disciple's familiar's strings shot around her body.
"E-Ehh? W-Who-AAHHHHH! L-Let me go!! N-NOO! AAH-" The strings tightened, restricting her movement. Seeing their chance at approaching, Christopher and Est showed themselves.
"That's as far as you'd go, Creation familiar Ofira. My familiar, Est, has restrained you. If you try to attack us, I'll give the order to kill you."
"W-What-? A-A Marionette Disciple?!" Ofira swiftly turned around, and the sight caused her to drop the platter to the floor, it shattered on impact.
"E-Est Marionette?! W-What're you doing here?!" Luckily, no explanation was needed about Est, for she recognized her upon sight.
Alvara and Quth saw that it was safe to come out. Both of them emerged from their hiding spaces, and neared the duo.
"We're here. Is this the Creation familiar? She doesn't look very strong." Alvara questioned.
"Yes. She's Ofira Amaterasu, ranked four among us familiars." Quth mouthed, "She's about as strong as I am so Est shouldn't have a problem with her. You are going to kill her, right?"
"K-kill?! B-but I have people to take care of here! You can't seriously be-"
"No, no, of course not." Christopher subsequently said, "Ofira. Tell us, you were speaking to a girl named Eloise back on the second floor of the dungeon. Could the person you were speaking to be the princess of the Aznozian Kingdom, the one the four of us are tasked with rescuing?"
"Eh?" Hearing those words, she fell silent, staring at them with an awestriken face, "What did you say?"
"We were also tasked with killing each and every person responsible for the war between our two kingdoms. Given what you said to Eloise, I trust you are comfortable with giving us your keys?"
"U-Um…C-could you please release me first? Th-the strings are hurting me…"
"..."
Christopher thought about releasing her. If it were him alone, then it was a flat out no. Because despite how she sounded and looked, she could very well attack him afterwards. However, since he was a full-blooded demon, he was able to see the girl's true intentions. For better or for worse, she possessed no malice toward him at all. She was frightened though…terrified of his familiar, Est Marionette.
"Should I release her, master?" Est questioned.
"Go ahead. If she tries anything, you know what to do."
"Yes master." Est released her from the strings' grasp, and she collapsed onto the cold, rocky ground.
"Ow…nnrng…" Small pieces of gravel fell off her skin as she got back up.
Looking at the party, she asked them,
"Are there more of you?"
"No, it's just us." He replied.
"I see." Ofira crouched down to collect the fragments of her platter, and conjured fire magic to melt the object, "You said you're here to rescue princess Eloise and eliminate my master and the heads?"
"Yes. That's what we were all tasked with doing." After melting the shards, Ofira once again stood up, and met their gazes.
"I see. And what is your reward for its completion?"
"Our reward is a home in the Aznozian Kingdom, along with servants, and a high status. King Aznozian offered me Eloise's hand in marriage as well, but I refused."
"You refused? Why is that?" Ofira was particularly surprised to hear that. She knew Eloise was a beautiful girl. Any boy would love to take her as their bride.
Christopher smirked at her, slightly irritated by her interrogation.
"You really love asking questions, don't you, Creation familiar?" He stated in a half-threatening manner.
"Just curious, that is all." Ofira snickered, then her gaze turned into a glare, "You aren't going to abuse her though, are you?"
"No. We were tasked with rescuing her, and that's it."
"Are you certain that is all you're going to do to her? Not force her to marry you or rape her the moment you get the oppourtunity?"
He understood why Ofira made that assumption of him. Looking back onto the knights they killed at the front of the nation, the Babylonian Empire was filled with rapists, murderers, thieves, muggers, and possibly druggies. All kinds of evil could've been found there. Her distrust was justified.
"No. None of us are like the people within this nation's walls. They're ugly, dishonourable, barbarians. I saw that after encountering two of this nation's knights earlier today."
"Yeah, they were seriously disgusting! They even called us all by these…foul names! I can't stand them!" Alvara shouted out, backing him up.
"Yes. One even had the nerve to spit on me." Est added, "Thankfully, my master allowed us to kill them both."
Ofira listened to them, and was pleasantly surprised. She was even more relieved to see the positive nature of the party.
"I see. So you really are not like the other men. Eloise will be in good hands then." The girl uttered, "Here." She took the keys out of her pocket, and threw them over to Christopher, who caught them just before they hit the ground, "Use this to unlock Eloise's cell as well as any other door within the castle walls. Take care of princess Eloise, okay? And please, carry her to her home safely…"
"Thank you, Ofira." The boy said. There were seven different keys, each labelled with the room they're for. One key for the prison cells, another for the iron door, and five more for rooms ahead of them.
"I'll make sure she does."
"Good." She happily bobbed her head, "Unfortunately, I am unable to go with you since my master is probably searching for me…but I wish you the best of luck in your endeavours."
"Huh?"
One thing was off with what she said. Christopher blatantly told her that he'd be killing both her master, the prince, king, as well as anybody involved with the war. Yet, despite hearing him, she cheered them on, and gave them the keys to the castle. He started to wonder if Ofira truly wanted them to succeed.
"Yes, Marionette Disciple?" Ofria noticed his confusion, and acknowledged it.
"Ofira, you do know that the four of us together shall be killing off your master, the king, prince, and everyone else involved in this foolish war, right?"
"Yes, I do. You told me."
"Do you want your master to be faced with death? Why are you helping us so much? You gave us the keys to the entire castle, even though we only asked for the keys for Eloise's cell, and the iron door."
"..."
Ofira stopped to think about it. She averted her gaze from Christopher's, to the ground beneath them with a solemn expression. By her reaction, he sensed that the topic was sensitive.
"Well…" She murmured, "...Nothing would make me happier than the end of this idiotic war the prince has waged against your kingdom…but…my master…"
"...!" Even though most of her face was hidden, he was able to discern the wateriness in her eyes which were her tears.
"...When Amaterasu told me I was going to be a familiar again, I hoped for a master who would love and care for me the way I wanted to be loved and cared for, like how a mother cares for her child…but…the kind of master I was given…he…he…" Ofira stopped. A tear rolled down her cheek and onto the floor.
"...Ugh…" She struggled to regain composure, soon being forced to cover her beautiful face which was defiled by the oncoming teardrops.
"S-sorry you…you don't have to explain it…"
"I-I'm fine! I'm fine…" She exclaimed. Nobody believed her, but nobody brought it up. By how she acted, everyone read that her master must've been a dreadful person.
"Ahem…" Finally, after about a minute or so, she calmed down. Looking at them straight in the eyes, she cleared her throat, and continued speaking,
"...Just…just eliminate him for me, okay?"
"We shall. Thanks for the help, Ofira."
"It was no problem…but…a-after you do…as payment for me helping you…I…I have but a single request…"
"Request?"
"Yes…a r-request…" Ofira fumbled her words slightly. She was oblivious as to how willing the party would be to accept it, but considering that she did help them a lot…she was hopeful.
"Well what is it? Spit it out already."
"W-well…"
Inwardly, Ofira was reluctant to make her request, as she would truly be rebelling against her master…but seeing how sensible Christopher was and how he carried himself about…she couldn't help but wonder…If he were to become my master…would I have a better life?
Ultimately, she decided to suck it up and spit the request out to him.
"Make me your familiar, Christopher. And make sure you give my master a lesson he shall never forget."
"Eh?"
"You saw the state of the nation, didn't you? And you saw how those knights acted at the entrance? I don't want to serve someone as horrendous as him any longer! Please, just make me your familiar as payment for me helping you!" She pleaded. The desperate expression on her face showed it all.
Christopher glanced toward Alvara, Quth and Est, who were all listening.
"What do you girls think?"
"I-I think you should do it, Christopher…she seems so…downcast. It's probably best to accept her request rather than reject it." Alvara suggested, "She's also really cute so, I think you'll like her."
"Y-yeah! I agree! She's also a Creation familiar, so she'll be a great asset to our team!" Quth followed.
He waited for Est's response. Since she was his familiar, he valued her opinion the most out of all the girls.
"Est?"
"Hm. I shall not mind her being your familiar, master. But you must ensure that she isn't lying to you, and is just saying this to lower your guard."
"I-I'm not! I promise, I'm not! I truly wish to be with you, master!" She blurted out. Her referring to Christopher as her master caught him off guard, "You don't have to tell me your answer right now, but I beg of you, please, consider it. I have to go now, before my master finds out I'm here."
Ofira neared the boy, and placed a hand onto his right cheek. Her soft and squishy hand touching his cheek send a shock throughout his body.
"Farewell, Christopher and party, may your patrons watch over you all."
After one more twinkle, the iron door was unlocked, and they were left alone.
Christopher looked at the keys Ofira handed him, then at the second floor of the dungeon.
"Var, Quth."
"Yeah Christopher?" Alvara responded to his call almost immediately.
"You two rescue the princess, and take her back home. Est and I'll take care of the rest."
"Huh? But it'll be dangerous! Are you sure?"
"Yeah." He nodded. For Eloise's safety to be guaranteed, they couldn't risk bringing her into the castle. If they did and they were spotted…that would possibly compromise the mission at hand. First, the Creation Disciple could appear out of nowhere and kill her out of anger and possibly sadism. And second, given that she isn't a disciple of a deity, she would only slow them down.
"It'll be best if you two take her home, since Est and I'd be fighting the Creation Disciple, prince, and the king. She'd only slow us down if she's with us."
"Oh…" Both girls saw this, and read Christopher's resolve.
"...I see."
Out of the blue, Alvara swiftly neared him, and hugged him tightly around his chest. He returned the embrace, and closely pressed his face into her neck.
"Don't you dare die during this, okay? Quth and I are counting on you both to finish this mission."
"I won't. You two stay safe. If anyone bothers you, don't be afraid to eliminate them, especially if they're a knight." The two retracted with blushing faces.
"Don't worryyyy, we already know that! Now go on, go kill those royalties for us!!"
Christopher guessed the two would be fine on their own, after all, they had combat experience, and were both part of Alastor's faction, just like he was. He had his worries, but those were all blown away after catching Quth's confident smile.
He gave them both the key to the dungeon, and before long, him and Est were officially on their own.
***
Through the large iron door was a wide opened room, completely illuminated by both sunlight from sizable, square shaped windows, and a chandelier in the midst of the room.
The ceramic flooring was made of orange-brown transparent tiles, none of which had any sort of cracks or malformations. The walls were painted orangy-yellow, and upon them were multiple paintings of the royal family.
The party walked up to one of the portraits, and eyed the people shown.
"That must be the prince, judging by the appearances." Christopher pointed out. The assumed prince's white face looked mature with no wrinkles whatsoever. As for his body, it was as large as a watermelon in terms of width.
"Yuck…look at how fat he is…" It was his first time seeing someone as wide as him, so his first reaction was one of disgust.
He eyed Est, who wore an indifferent look throughout.
"Can you believe a guy like him wanted to marry princess Eloise? The nerve of some people…"
"Yes master, I can. This has happened many times before in this world's history. Most situations like these always end badly for both the hero and the princess."
"B-badly?"
"Yes." She replied, "But do not worry. Since I'm with you, this mission shall not fail."
"Th-that's good to know…" The thought that most situations like his failed for the hero…definitely shook him. He was more relieved to have someone like Est on his side.
Looking around, he quickly spotted another passageway.
"E-Est, l-let's go-"
"WHERE THE HELL WERE YOU?! YOU STUPID LITTLE-"
"AAHH-!"
"----!" The sound of a man's voice and a woman's scream sounded from the passageway he pointed out.
"Th-That was Ofira's voice…!" Ofira's scream shocked him to the core, so badly that he was rendered unable to move. Est immediately noted this, and had to push him to bring him back.
"Master, if you do not wish to be seen, then we must hide, now!"
"O-oh, y-yes…s-sorry, E-Est…"
"OMPH-!" Watching from within the previous hallway, Ofira was seen stumbling backwards until she collapsed. It looked as if both her nose, and right eye were bleeding.
"Didn't I tell you to wait in the throne room?! The fuck you were?!"
"I-I'm sorry I-I was-"
"Ohhh I get it, you were in the dungeon again weren't you?! You stupid little shit!!"
"A-AAH-O-OMP-O-OWW!" The man ahead of her vigorously stomped close to her, then slammed his foot against Ofira's head, knocking her backwards once more. Blood spewed out from where he hit, and stained the ground beneath them.
"Do you really think you can just disobey me like that?! I AM YOUR MASTER, YOU MUST DO AS I COMMAND!! HHHRAAAH!"
"MMPH-A-AAHH-AAAAHHHHH-!" Next, he drew his blade, and sliced a piece of her flesh near her chest, then continued to cut across her shoulders. From there, he raised both his arms, and impaled the poor familiar through her right arm, simultaneously going straight through it as a blood-curdling screech escaped her lips
"AAAAHHHHHHHHHHHH-!"
"If you disobey me ONE MORE TIME…" The monster who was the Creation Disciple aggressively yanked the blade out of her, dragging her body upwards, then leaving it to fall, then crouched in front of her, "...ONE MORE FUCKING TIME…IT'LL BE THE LAST TIME YOU EVER LIVE TO SEE ANOTHER DAY. DO I MAKE MYSELF CLEAR?!"
"..."
He didn't take well to her silence. Even further harming her, he punched Ofira across the cheeks as hard as he could, which caused blood to leak out of her teeth. Then he did the next, then the other cheek again. He continued until her entire mouth was filled with her red ooze.
"I SAID. DO. I. MAKE. MYSELF. FUCKING. CLEAR!!!"
"Y-yes…"
"YES WHAT?!"
"...Y-yes…m-m-mas…ter…" Just barely, agonisingly utter.
"GOOD." He picked her up, and threw her body to the ground. Her blood spilled across the tiled floor as her body was splattered along the ground like a puppet being carelessly thrown away.
"Ah….ahhhh….*whimper**whimper*o…ow…."
"Meet me in the throne room in five minutes. Princess Eloise has gone missing."
"Yes…"
"And don't even think about being late!"
Once the horrible show came to a close, he walked off.
"O-Ofira…!" When the coast was clear, Christopher and Est both raced over to the girl, and placed her battered, bleeding body onto his lap. Just barely, was she even breathing.
"Ofira, Ofira! Est, use your healing magic!"
"Yes master." Est stood at the other side of her, and channelled recovery magick throughout her body. Soon enough, her wounds started to close, and she opened her eyes.
"Ch…chri…s…t…top…her…"
"I'm here, I'm here. W-what the fuck did he do to you?! W-why did he do this to you?!" Ofira raised a hand to touch him, and he instinctively held it. He clenched onto her tightly, refusing to let her free for even a second.
"It…it's al..alright…I…I'm used…to this…"
"U-Used to this?!"
"Y-yes…" Ofira's voice trailed off, she was still incredibly weak from the beating she received, "...he…he does this to me…if I disobey him…by entering the dungeon…and…*cough**cough* h-helping…Eloise…I…*cough**cough**cough* I-"
"Don't speak. You're too injured."
"-I disobeyed him…so he beat me up…*cough**cough**cough**cough**cough*."
Just because she disobeyed him…he did this to her…? Ofira's state was terrible, if she was any normal person, she would've died from her wounds. Seeing what he did to her…Christopher was furious. More than anything, did he wish to eliminate the Creation Disciple with his own two hands. He balled his free hand into a fist, and slammed it hard into the ground, cracking the tiles beneath him.
"DAMN IT! I'M GONNA KILL THAT SON OF A BITCH!!!" He barked under his breath as his teeth clenched together, "EST!!"
"Yes master?"
"Stay here with Ofira, I'm gonna give that fucker a piece of my mind."
"You're going alone, master?"
"Yes." He gave Est a provocative, blood-thirsty look, "I'll be fine. Just do as I say and stay here. Heal her up. I'll be back soon."
"Okay, master. I shall do as you command." Est trusted him, after all, he was her master. Her master, to her, was far from weak.
The moment he was about to get up, Ofira tugged on his coat. She gazed at him with tearfilled, pleading eyes, telling him not to go.
"Pl…please…don't…don't go…you…you'll die…!"
"No, I won't. You said you wanted to be my familiar, I'm gonna take you up on that offer. Right after I put your current master to death, you'll be one of my own. I promise you, I'll be back."
"B-but C…chris…topher…!! I…I don't want…don't want…you to…d-di-"
"Trust me. With Goddess Alastor's assistance, I'm going to cut down that bastard and make him pay for what he did to you."
"B-but-"
Immediately, he stood up, and left Ofira to his familiar.
"Christopher…"