As evening approached, the sun poured its last ember rays upon this accursed earth. And Keyaruga, now masked as Murta once again, made his way toward Jester's Gold, the pub where he agreed to meet "his" friend Molrett, as the city restlessly buzzed with rumors about the successful raid on the slave market and the underground district.
That day was everything but boring, and even though the healer had to tend to at least a hundred of the released slaves, he never felt ill or overwhelmed by demi-humans' feelings, although sustaining his personality was indeed difficult with all those tattered memories. But at the end of the day, the man reached the level of thirty-nine and greatly helped the community. Just not the local one. But even though meeting two gods in a single day was quite an experience, most of all, the lad was pleasantly surprised by Freia.
To think she would put herself at risk just to save a child? Liberate the slaves? Damn me, if I expected something similar from that witch, Keyaruga pondered, recalling what the Hero of Magic told him about her little journey. First, she encountered the slave market, met Lorenzo, and then she blew old crime lord Ransel, after he revealed Reeharoze to be a "whore." Of course, something was missing, like him revealing to the girl who she really was, but at that point, the healer didn't even care. All he saw was the result of Freia's choices and actions. And they pleased him. Even with that crowd following Takemikazuchi on his quest to the Tourage ridges, he and the hex hero remained formidable figures, even if not hostile... for the time being. Keyaruga needed to catch up with their powers, and preferably, fast. I wonder, what did he mean by "If Laws of Deimos still persist"…
Oh, it seems like I've made it. Well, I'll have more time for thoughts later.
Even with his goal being right before him, the masked hero wouldn't enter right away. Instead, he inspected the area, searching for any traps or ambushes. Only when confirming the absence of any threats, did the "deserter" enter the pub. After all, even if Murta's memories made Molrett appear trustworthy, Keyaruga knew better than to rely on the limited perspective of a single drunk grunt.
"He-ey! Ma' man! Have you waited long?" "Jioral's soldier" saluted his old friend and slumped in the chair before him. Unlike at Quinta's inn, there were plenty of visitors, and the mistress of that enterprise could barely keep up with serving everyone. Good thing Freia found that piece of shit with the slaves. The bastard got what he deserved, and now I can exploit him once again.
"Don't fret, buddy. I've just come here. Hey, babe! My pal has come! Bring him the best booze and snacks here!" Molrett exclaimed to the stocky female bartender. He himself had already drunk the ale with roasted chicken wings. And if anything, the sentry was absolutely happy about it. "M-m, I needed that! You know, after you left, I came to the captain. Oh, you're lucky you haven't heard it. That Cryleth babe was yelling for half a damn hour, seriously!" Having said that, the man handed the bowl of chicken to his "buddy". "Here, I bet you're hungry."
"Damn, thanks a lot." Even though Keyaruga merely acted, he hadn't eaten anything after the raid, so the gratitude was genuine. "You said something about Cryleth, babe? Who's dis?"
"Meh, the strongest man fucked his cousin, and now we have this overpowered little shit named Kureha. Innocent this, innocent that! Seriously, why the fuck does half of our country adore her that much?" Because she has a sense of justice? And the power, which she earned through hellish training and countless battles? "So glad our cap'n sent her the fuck away!"
This was the first time when Keyaruga questioned Molrett's being a "good guy". And even having delivered two mugs of fine beer and a large beef steak didn't help much against it. Even if the meeting was going good.
"Fuck, I missed a good meal!" To mimic Murta properly, the hero grabbed the dish with his hand and started loudly munching, as grease sprinkled on all the sides.
"Come on, man, you're not being chased. Eat properly." Although that grunt wasn't of the best opinion about Kureha's righteousness claims, it still wasn't reason enough to murder him. "So, how's your life been, pal?"
"Mn… Ma' life's full o' shit. Fucking court paid shitting nothin', Silvia, ma' shitty wife, fucking ma' shitty neighbor, now this god-fucker almost croaked me!"
"I told you, kick the bitch away. But "nah, ma' have a good hole!" Molrett chuckled, finishing his ale.
"Shut da' fuck up!" The "deserter" snarled, chugging beer. "Oh, did'ja know some friggin' clowns raided a slave shop?"
"This's just how things are done in this cursed town. You either buy your love, or just pretend to save it. Either way, you get to fuck a cute furry." Yeah, especially when you're a rotten mummy, or… Wait… "You better tell me about that ice mutts' village raid."
"Raid? That was a fucking massacre! One dickhead with da' sword offed at least a third of us! And did'ja know da' prick used Cryleth's style? Awesome, but not when ya' get your neck all bloody!" Keyaruga deadpanned somewhat pretentiously. He didn't risk anything, since if Kureha knew it, all the court did as well.
"Fuck… Heard it also rained fire there."
"Wow, ya' serious? He-he! Good thing I did a runner! Damn, and here I thought I was good with da' swords." Seems like I too have some room for improvement. Otherwise, I'd have sliced your artery. You were right to flee, but taking my toys is a big no-no.
"Good thing you live then. Faran have mercy, so many good men have kicked a bucket. Dunno even, when will it end." When you and your country put a rest to your imperialistic ambitions, fool! "So, what's your plan?"
"Fuck me if I know. Make ma' bread by mugging suckers here. Got some silver now. Then… Well, maybe get back to da' service." "Murta" responded indifferently.
"Nah, don't push your luck. You better go west, to Gandirack. You could start a new life there, nobody'll point at you there. Sure, you can handle it."
"Haa… Why did ma' life go to shit?"
"Whose didn't, mate? I'll even pay for your meal. That's not much, but you can spare a coin or two for your way out of here."
"Thanks, man." Keyaruga shook his head before drinking the last drops of the beer. Why do they even drink it? It's not even that tasty. "So, ya' heard of dat' healer's podunk?"
"Heard? Pal, I was there when the fun began!" Fun? So this is all "fun" for you?
"And… how did'ja get there?" The masked healer wondered, trying to get more info about Bloodbringer.
"Well, first that masked prick, 'em, how was he?.. I fucking forgot... Well, he butchered thirteen furries before us, then their guts opened us a way. Hate that magic doors, but hearing those shits go all "save me, I don't want to die!" was amusing." Blood magic, obviously. Gods, I hate this school. It's not even that effective to begin with. "Then, we had one joyful hunt. You know, tailed babes are fine, but shit, do they like scratching! That's why humans are the best. Weak, docile, have some coins to take, no fucking barricades around their shitholes. Fuck, it's the best." As Molrett spoke, that jolly mirth never left his face. Good guy, my ass. This is what they are. Just how many of you, bastards, we must send to hell?
"But… man, they're ours, humans. Ya' don't pity them?"
"The fuck is wrong with you, man? Humans, demi-humans, they're all the same, losers to kill, rob, and fuck!" With that said, Keyaruga got positively angrier. He still upheld that fake smile of his, but he was surprised. First he blamed Faran's hateful preaching, and now he faced the truth — these brutes just wanted an excuse. If needed, they would raid their own settlements. And that made them even scarier than the undead demigod. Even the latter had more humanity than Jioral's hordes.
"Hey, aren't we supposed to guard them, ya' know? What if other villages rebel?" The hero mused, struggling to keep his "mask" on.
"Why? The archbishop Keziaz himself excommunicated those folks, so why bother? They're no longer under Faran's protection, so we can do whatever we fucking want!" Molrett smirked, giving Keyaruga one more reason to demolish that corrupted clergy. But who's paid for that? Clearly not Leonard. That idiot is too dumb for that. Then… Oh!.. Oh, Norn, why?..
"Heh, then… I'd missed all da' fun." The "deserter" grinned, barely hiding his disgust.
"Best part, though, was that one bitch. The best they had, our cap'n took her for himself. You know how it goes, he cums, then the boys pass her around." It… can't be… "Keyaru, stop! Keyaru, what're you doing? Do you know that little shit made cap'n look just like him? Well, that was fun to watch. What wasn't, though, was her hubby. I thought it was a troll. He's slain six of our men with a mere fucking axe! Goddamn peasant, can you imagine? So when we finally put him down, cap'n put his head near that babe. I think he called her Annie. Then, she bit her own tongue. Funniest shit I've ever seen! Too bad she offed, but hey, a dead pussy is still a pussy! I got her warm!"
And such, Keyaru… once again remained orphaned. The healer felt giddy, his gaze got dizzy. He wanted to cry, to sob, to vomit, to kill the fucker who dared to stomp on his dead mother… The only two people who truly cared about the lonely child were now killed by these monsters. I hate you! I'll slay every one of you, shitheads! I'll make you suffer! Make you beg!
"Ha-ha… HA-HA-HA-HA-HA-HA!!! FUCKING HILARIOUS!!!" Keyaruga burst into a wild laugh, no longer caring, no longer afraid. The worst that could happen happened.
"Told you, man!"
"Yeah… Yeah. So, listen. I know I fled from the battlefield, but… I might know where to look for that healer prick. Could you pass my word to Leonard?" The man no longer even tried to imitate Murta. The hero now had but one goal — brutal vengeance.
…
Only after Keyaruga returned to the inn did he allow himself to take off that despicable mask. The lad literally ripped away his entire face in a grotesque, savage way, and then he ate the slimy piece of bloody skin before returning to his own handsome visage. The man kicked the door to find Freia, Setsuna, and Kureha inside. The former was washing her clothes in what seemed like a floating bubble of conjured water. The she-wolf, on the other hand, was speaking with the Swordmaster about their adventures in the underground district. And there was him. A broken hunchback of a man barely cared about anything, let alone putting his rags into the wardrobe rather than throwing them on the floor.
"Master…" Setsuna tried approaching the lad, but he ignored her. "Kureha, what did you find out?" He asked, not even bothering to face the fencer.
"It is too late. Alban is no more." The silver-haired girl replied sorrowfully. "You… were right. They were excreted by the church of Faran under the excuse that they preached demonic heresy, and… they used that as a pretext to raid your village. I tried to argue, but… would you like me to quote Leonard?" Kureha spoke cautiously as the sorceress lowered her magical bubble into the wooden tube. The pink-haired girl couldn't ignore her beloved looking this way.
"Go ahead." Keyaruga responded apathetically, slouching on his chair. The fencer, in turn, made a long exhale first.
"Right. Quote: "As long as I have this order with the royal seal, you… You can go suck my dick. Now, get the fuck out, before I report too you for heresy." Unquote. Forgive me, Keyaruga, I… couldn't risk murdering him on the spot. And… I know, he just looks like you, but…"
"You made the right choice." Freia spoke, tapping Kureha on the shoulder. That wasn't a friendly gesture, though. "My lord, can we help you somehow?"
"No." The man replied without even facing his girls. "Just… leave me alone."
"Master, Sets…"
"Get! The fuck! Away! All of you!"
…
"FUCK!!! Why can't you find one poor cocksucker?! I need that healer here! NOW!" The voice of a youngster thundered through the room of the hotel in the upper town. All of the building was requisitioned for barrack compartments. Leonard, with half of his face bandaged, yelled at one of his soldiers.
"No, sir Leonard. We've been actively pursuing him with appraisal scrolls, but so far, we're unable to locate him."
"Useless FUCK!!!" The "boy" punched the grunt in the chin, making him fall to the floor. "That motherfucker is somewhere here! In Ranalitta! I feel them with my scars!" The Captain snarled, ripping away his gauze. "See? THIS IS WHAT HE'S DONE TO ME!!!"
Despite his statement, it was the knight himself who torched his flesh just to get rid of that accursed mug in the mirror. He felt like a victim of a vile creep who tossed the man into the dungeon and took everything from him. Even his face. Now, only hate drives him forward.
"Where, where's his ass? Where's he hiding? How do I lure that little shit out? Not even his ball-sacking villagers made him leave his stinking hole! Fuck, that brat told me I should've let his mommy live. Fucking… FUCK!!!" With a loud scream, the man brutally kicked the table, sending it flying. He was strong and violent, a captain of the royal guard for you. So the downed man had nothing to do but to crawl away. Fortunately, another one came to his place.
"Reporting, sir. We've got the letter from one of the men who took part in the liberation of the ice wolves' village. Apparently, a deserter. According to it, he spotted a… Well, not the man who protected those furries, but a magician. A… pink-haired magician, whose location he can pinpoint. Sir Leonard, our sources also tell us that this woman appeared in the underground district of the Golden Sun today during the criminal raid."
"YES! FINALLY!!!" The spitting image of Keyaru broadly grinned. After all, he did know about the flaming rain during the raid. This has to be her! Flare! My princess! I'll drop the faggot, and you'll be mine! My bitch! "Bring him to me!"
"Sorry, sir. But we only have a place and a demand for you to come with only four men at tomorrow's midday. Otherwise, he'll just leave."
"Fearful pussy… Now, where's that fucking place?" With that, Leonard had three leads: the raining inferno, Flare's participation in the raid, and the words of the deserter. "Oh, fuck it! You, leave! I'm gonna drink!"
The captain had time, but instead of utilizing it rationally, he just took a bottle of white wine from the shelf and drank it all in a single gulp.
…
The clock had long After what Molrett told him, Keyaruga felt sick. While he played a hero-lover, Norn targeted his family. And that felt horrible. The healer made a promise, and he failed to fulfill it. Now, the only thing that was left was to brew poisons and test them on himself. With what he got, the man made at least five venoms: death of paralysis, frenzy, loss of consciousness, prolonged one and something akin to his aphrodisiac, which the lad would never use on his companions. And then there were discarded samples, more than twenty phials, and every one of them Keyaruga drank. They wouldn't kill him or anything, but swallowing them felt painful, sore, frightening even. With no way to get drunk, the immunized man derived his deliverance of spiritual anguish from poisonous agony. Even if it lasted mere seconds.
You'll die slowly and painfully! I'll see you scream, I'll see you beg! And I really, really wish you'd come to the party, "friend" Molrett!
"Master, Setsuna brought food." The kind, concerned voice ripped the man from his bloodthirsty thoughts.
"I told you…" Having barely said this, Keyaruga's bare stomach loudly betrayed his hunger. "Thank you, Setsuna. I… really appreciate it." The red-eyed man said, allowing his willful slave to put a plate with chowder and duck chops before him. I suppose. I won't be needing anymore poisons. "Where's Freia and Kureha? Are they asleep?" The hero pondered, half-heartedly filling his empty belly.
"Came in restaurant. Freia wanted Setsuna to come, but master is sad." The-wolf replied, somehow hesitantly.
"Tell me the truth." Even with her success, it was highly unlikely for the sorceress to just leave her man in times of grief just for fun. And the suggestion was confirmed by a distant explosion. "Is that Freia?"
"U… Uh-huh. They come free Eniuas-ali. Said, she know, where find the yika-nanuko (the dead man)." The huntress confirmed this, as the man barely even ate his dinner.
"Yeah… I'm glad for them." The healer replied, grinning with his clenched teeth.
"You angry, master?"
"Am I angry? Am I angry that my village got rampaged, my foster father killed, and my mother raped, even when she bit her tongue off and died? NO, I'M SO FUCKING HAPPY!!!" Keyaruga yelled, revealing his face trembling with sorrow and grief. The answer was swift and simple — the gray-haired girl just hugged the man, warming his bare chest with her body heat.
"Better?" On this question, his arms had just fallen loose. That last bit of spiteful will that sustained him faded away. Now the men felt like a marionette without strings.
"I'm… sorry. I don't think I can… raise your level today." Even upon hearing this, Setsuna's hug never broke. If anything, it got tighter.
"We can no mate. Setsuna want master to calm down. You get better when you're feeling someone's warmth. But if you no longer want, just tell, and Setsuna will go."
"No… Don't leave me. I don't know what to do now… I want to go back. I want to save Anna and save Kurt. Fuck, I feel so cornered now! If… If I hadn't thought about the slavers, revenge, all of this… If only I had been more rational… Oh, curses, what have I done? What will I do?" Every word spoken, every breath taken, every shudder shared — they all were true, genuine cries of a tainted soul.
"Don't know. But Setsuna will be with you as long as she can. Then… No, Setsuna will never leave Keyaruga." The girl spoke, patting the lad's hair.
"Even… if I ordered you to leave?"
"You can't. Even if Setsuna — slave, Setsuna would not do it."
"No." The man slightly shook his head. "You're not my slave, Nayuta. But thanks. I think…" Now, his weakened arms revived to press the petite girl right to the hero's torso, against the azure amulet. "I think I'm fine now. Thank you."
"Uh-huh. Master Keyaruga saved tribe. Helped Setsuna get strong. Now it's Setsuna's turn to save you. Do all you want." The girl spoke, leading the man to the bed. With absent appetite, the meat and chowder could be finished later.
"You're a good girl, Nayuta. So very lovely." Each time he spoke her true name, Setsuna pleasantly quivered. Her compassion, with which she accepted the lad's inner fears and anxiety — it restored the fire of life to his soul. "I changed my mind, by the way. I will fuck you now, Nayuta."
"Uh-huh, fine." The she-wolf replied with a warm smile.
"And I won't be gentle." Otherwise, I feel like this last straw will finally break my spine.
"Uh-huh, Nayuta belongs to you anyway." Not only didn't her smile fade, but the girl accepted the broken man with open arms. So cute, so gorgeous, so… weak! Keyaruga tossed his slave onto the bed. With a single swift move, he ripped away all of her clothes. The underwear followed soon, and so, the girl remained naked and defenseless. She didn't even try to cover herself. Instead, her sharp nails gently scratched the man's naked chest. And then…
"A-ah!.." The healer rammed her little hole with two fingers. Setsuna quivered, her back relentlessly arched, as the hero scratched her insides until they were wet enough to accept him. And when Keyaruga dropped his trousers, leaving nothing but that girl's dowry on him, Setsuna was ready to get impaled. Although still trembling, her tender hand groped the penis and rubbed it a bit, while the other fingered the moist labia. The lad just stood on his knees; his mind was in a haze. So when he finally made a move, he no longer heard anything. Not the wet creaking of their flesh, nor her gasps. The man didn't comprehend the touch, nor the pleasure. He had rough sex with one of the most charming girls in the world, and yet, all he felt was pain. Unlike physical, it couldn't be shrugged off, nor ignored. But it could be released. And so, the man grabbed his toy and threw her on the belly.
"A-A-AH!" She screamed, as Keyaruga's grasp undid her hair. The lad now pulled her gray curls, pounding upon the deepest parts of the girl's insides. He cared neither for himself nor for his ally. All the man wanted was peace. At least for now, in this fog of sweet oblivion. His body moved in rage, while his mind remained cool, too cool, actually.
Once, twice, thrice — no matter how much the girl came, no matter how many times the healer ejaculated, he felt nothing except for the harrowing agony of the heart. At first it was a doggy-pose, then the healer held his toy in the air, and now he rammed his phallus under the leg, raised upwards. Setsuna drowned in pleasure, but Keyaru couldn't care less. His glans hurt, but the healer wouldn't be bothered either. Time after time, he left his testicles empty, but the pleasure of doing so just distracted him from focusing on the hatred toward his torturers and Leonard. These people hurt the lad, and they will pay dearly.
And then, it was over. Somehow, the healer only regained his sense of self after everything was finished, when Setsuna was lying next to him and the white, thick sperm poured from under her legs. But what's even more surprising…
"Master, are you crying?" Nayuta asked, once again hugging Keyaruga's naked body, while the healer's face had been buried in the pair of small, petite breasts.
"A… am I?.." And then, he realized. The hate, the grief, the bitterness — they receded, although they were still there, still sensible. Now, sadness has taken the throne. But… even more so, it was loneliness. Freia loved Keyaruga, so did Setsuna, and now Kureha. And even if the man could love them in return, that never solved his own problem — a deep and all-devouring self-hatred.
"UA-A-A-A-A!!! Keyaruga yelled, as his now fully red eyes shed heavy tears. He cried and sobbed like a little boy he was supposed to be. After all, that was the last time the lad would ever allow himself to grieve in this way.