"Any treasures or anything else of value down here?" Came a voice, and one of the two intruders walked in.
"No, uh...there's just a kid," Came the response, as he met my gaze.
He looks like he's in his mid or late twenties, was tall and well built, with side-burns, a short chin beard and a mustache. He had light brown hair and dark grey eyes, and was wearing a dark brown overcoat over a baggy sweater.
The other guy was a lot shorter, and looked like he was around the same age as his partner. He was wearing a similar outfit, with dark red hair under a beanie, no facial hair, and piercing black eyes.
"Hey, kid, what are you doing down here?" Frowned the short one suspiciously, narrowing his eyes at me.
It's no surprise that he's wary...the door was unlocked, and I'm not chained up or anything.
"What does it look like?" I responded, as I raised my head slightly and pointed at the collar around my neck.
"That's...that's an Enslavement Collar," The tall guy's eyes widened.
"Tch, these disgusting Nobles...enslaving a child like this, it's just terrible," Growled the shorter guy in disgust.
"How long have you been down here, little guy?" The tall one asked me gently.
I feel kinda patronized, but I can't complain, I'd probably say something similar if our roles were reversed.
"About three years now," I replied with a grimace.
"Huh? That long? You seem...surprisingly not subservient and meek," Mused the shorter one, narrowing his eyes slightly.
He seems to be a pretty cautious and suspicious guy, which is understandable. These two must be involved in the recent incidents where Nobles have been killed in their homes, with only slaves and young children being spared.
"There's no way I'll let myself become a puppet to these vile pieces of shit. I resolved to kill them right from day one, a little torture isn't gonna be enough to break through that resolve," I stated bluntly.
"Hey, this kid could prove to be a force to be reckoned with in the long run...he's clearly got a strong will," The tall guy whispered to the shorter one.
Good thing I have Super Hearing already active, I can clearly hear him even while he's whispering.
"Yeah, I was thinking the same thing...but it almost seems too good to be true. He might be a trap placed by that rotten Duke," Added the short guy, before glancing at me and adding, "Alright, kid...I'll just come out and say it, I'm what people call a Heretic. That's right, I'm one of those scary people who shouldn't exist. Tell me, what do you think of that?"
Not a very subtle test, but it's probably an effective one on most people. But I'm not most people.
"What do I think, huh? Well, I think that makes two of us," I smirked, as I held up my hand and formed a ball of light.
Through visualization, I've managed to figure out some simple Light Spells, as well as Water and Wind Spells, though only at a very basic level, certainly not strong enough to be reliable attack Spells.
"Oh, he's one too," Remarked the tall one in surprise.
"I'm surprised...Nobles usually kill Heretics, and as far as I know, none of the Nobles here in Dianus have a Heretic as their slave," Said the shorter one.
"Well, that's because everyone thinks I have the Dark Attribute," I shrugged in response.
"But that doesn't make sense...how did you get through the appraisal? I just assumed you got enslaved as a result of the appraisal," Frowned the tall one in confusion.
"Oh, I suppose it does make sense that you'd assume that, but see, I can switch out which Attribute is active at will. It was Dark by default, but I can switch to either Light or both at the same time whenever I want," I informed them.
"Huh? I've never heard of such a thing," Responded the short guy.
"See for yourself, if you want. I'd rather not bring up my Status Bar myself, since that'll reveal my Skills," I replied, as I held out my hand.
"Hm, then, I will. Try anything and I will kill you," He warned me, as he cautiously walked over and took hold of my hand, before running Mana into it.
As my Status Bar appeared, it had 'Both' displayed by Attribute. I then focused on switching it to Light, and as it changed, I switched it again to Dark.
"Woah, it's for real! I've never seen this before, he really can switch his Attribute," Remarked the tall guy, wide-eyed.
"This has been nice and all, but I've got a question...can you guys free me?" I inquired, deciding to get straight to the point, "I've heard about the recent incidents where Nobles have been killed, are you two responsible for that?"
"Maybe. I suppose we could free you, but what's in it for us?" Countered the short guy, narrowing his eyes at me.
"Huh? You mean we're just gonna leave him? A kid who hasn't been broken yet, and we're just abandoning him?" Frowned the tall guy.
"Hey, keep quiet, of course we're gonna-...arghhhh, why are such an idiot!? Can't I test someone without you messing it up!?" Snapped the short guy in exasperation.
Uh...?
"So, should I play along, or...?" I trailed off uncertainly.
"Forget it. I'll free you," He sighed, as he took out a device.
It was shaped like a large key, with ten round crystals around the handle. Three of the crystals were glowing, while the rest were dull.
He then tapped it against the Enslavement Collar around my neck, and as one of the three remaining crystals lost its light, the collar suddenly loosened and fell off, hitting the floor with a thud.
For a moment, I was silent. My mind was blank, as I slowly glanced down, to see the collar laying on the ground by my feet. Is...is this real? I'm...I'm not dreaming, am I?
It's...it's really gone. I touched my neck in disbelief and with bated breath, unable to process that it was really gone after all this time. I...I can feel my skin, the part that had been covered by the collar for the last three years.
Huh? Oh, wow, I think I'm gonna cry...I could feel emotions welling up inside me, my vision getting watery as I felt a lump in my throat, feeling like a tremendous weight had been lifted off of my shoulders.
"N-no way, it's...it's really off, it's not on me anymore...," I muttered, as tears began streaming down my face.
Please...please don't let this be a dream. This is for real, right? I-it's really happening, right?
"It's okay now, kid...you're free, you're no one's slave anymore," Smiled the tall guy, as he leaned down and patted my shoulder.
"I...I don't know what to say, I just-...thank you! Thank you so much...," I cried, unable to stop the tears from pouring out as I collapsed onto my knees with a sense of immense relief.
"Hm, we were planning on hiding out in the mansion and killing the Duke and his family once they got back. I suppose we should get you out first and maybe try another day or someth-...," Began the short guy.
"No. There's no need for that. In fact, you guys don't need to do a thing. I'll kill them myself, I decided that I would a long time ago," I cut him off, as I stood up and wiped away my tears, steeling my resolve.
"What? We can't let you do that, you'll end up right back down here, or dead," Pointed out that tall guy.
"No, I won't," I responded, as I blasted out a powerful lightning Spell at the Enslavement Collar, destroying it, "I'll kill them, I owe them a lifetime's worth of payback. You guys can go free the slaves or search the place for valuables or whatever else, but don't touch the Duke or his family...they're mine to kill."
"The Duke is a Knight Commander, and some of his older children are high ranking Knights in their own right. Do you really think you stand a chance against them on your own? And besides, do you plan to kill the young children too?" The short guy stepped in front of me.
"Hm? Oh, I haven't thought about that...I honestly don't know. I will kill the Duke and everyone else who tortured me...as for the rest, I'll decide afterwards."
"We won't just let you-...!" He began indignantly.
"Hold on a sec. How about this, kid? You can try to kill them, but the two of us will hide somewhere nearby and watch. If it looks like you're in trouble, we'll step in and take over. And if you try to kill any of the young children, we'll stop you. How's that for a compromise?" Suggested the tall guy.
Hm, that might not be too bad. After all, while I do want to be the one who kills Duralles and his family, a right which I think I've very much earned after everything I've put up with, I don't want to end up dying in the process.
"Alright, fine, that works for me."
"We should go tie up the other slaves. Some of them might try intervening if their regain consciousness while you're attacking the Duke," Pointed out the tall guy, before adding, "Oh, and we should introduce ourselves too! I'm Phyurio Slymaster Bhaytes."
"Hmph, I'm Gior King Ohph," The short guy introduced himself with a nod.
Wonder why they included their middle names? Weird. Guess I should do the same...
"Oh, uh, I'm Larrk Rex Stryker," I replied kinda awkwardly.
"Hm? Stryker? You wouldn't happen to know a Lycia Elle Stryker, would you?" Inquired Phyurio curiously.
Huh?
"Come on, it's a pretty common last name, he probably doesn't-...," Began Gior with a shake of his head.
I don't know what her middle name is, but somehow, I have a strong feeling that they're not talking about someone else with the same name...
"I do know her...she's my mother."
"Wait, what!?" They both exclaimed at the same time in disbelief...
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