[Melas] Chapter 100: Problems after Problems (Patreon)

Explosions resounded around me; the sound of crossbow bolts hitting brick and wood was lost amidst the chaos. I found myself lying prone, hiding behind the barrier of earth raised by magic as dozens of angry Dwarves closed in on us.

Narrowing my eyes, I turned to Jack, having heard the things they were saying. “Are these friends of yours?” I called out, preparing a spell circle in my hand.

The former smuggler— and the criminal who had originally come from Taw— turned to me with a scowl on his face. He had both his blades drawn and he was protectively hovering over Lisa behind a concrete wall. “Friends? I don’t know this lot. But if you must know, they are attacking us. Maybe do something with your fancy magic so I can get close and slice them up.”

“Right,” I murmured and raised my hand. There was no hiding it now. I would normally have preferred to keep my magic on a down low, but these Dwarves charging at us— they weren’t strangers to magic.

I watched as one of them with a long, red beard brought his hands together, mouthing words inaudible from this distance and creating a red sphere of fire. A Fireball. Or a rather weak spell.

The Fireball shot out and disappeared in an instant. I lowered my left hand that had just cast Dispel Magic, and brought my right up and pointed it at the Dwarf spellcaster.

His eyes widened and he was torn apart in an instant. My Burst Cyclone was too powerful for him to even defend against. He had tried to put up a barrier— a fire aura— but it stood no chance. Quickly ducking back into cover, I narrowly managed to avoid a flurry of mana bolts to the face.

“Alright, now that their spellcaster is taken out, all I can give you is some covering fire!”

“That’s more than enough,” Jack grunted, standing up.

Focusing my mana into the air around me, I created dozens of Fire Arrows at once. Mixed in them were Stone Spears and Frost Javelins. A hail of projectiles landed in a wide spread around the area— however I wasn’t entirely sure if I hit anyone.

And I would have rather not known.

The first volley had been a show of force. What came after were mere Fire Arrows, just enough to keep whatever Dwarf crossbowmen or rifler from firing at Jack as he charged down the courtyard to them.

They hide behind piles of bricks and construction work, trying to avoid my Fire Arrows. And that let the man reach them in an instant, without much resistance. There was a shout as I heard Jack’s footfalls slowly echo in the distance, and the sound of sword slicing flesh.

Thudding sounds filled the background and more crossbow bolts were loosed— the fast release of air from the strings twanging as they fired at Jack in a panic. Mana bolts too came at him. But it didn’t matter.

I stepped out of cover once the sound of fighting ceased. There was no longer any Dwarf left standing. Only Jack stood triumphant there. And he had his foot on a squirming Dwarf, blade drawn and pointed at his neck.

I glanced over at Lisa who was peering over her cover, eyes wide. I gestured at her to stay back before walking forward to meet Jack.

The man had already begun his interrogation of the Dwarf, his face twisted into an even meaner scowl than usual.

“Who sent you?” he growled.

“A-as if I’ll tell you!” the Dwarf squeak, his voice betraying his words.

Jack slowly lowered a blade, digging slightly into the neck of his captive. Blood came out, dipping the tip of the sword in the red liquid. I flinched slightly. That’s got to hurt.

“Tell me who sent you and why they did it,” Jack said, eyes mad with anger. “If you do, I’ll give you a quick and painless death.”

The Dwarf opened his mouth but I spoke up first, frowning. “Wait, you’re going to kill him either way?” I asked in astonishment.

Jack grunted, casting a quick glance over at me. “They tried to kill us, Aria. It was a botched attempt. They clearly had been following us since we left that den— look. He’s the same Dwarf who had pretended to be passed out drunk on the floor when we left.”

That was true. I was wondering why the Dwarf looked familiar. Shaking my head, I put a foot down. “We’ve already dealt with the immediate threat. We can’t just execute everyone who has ever tried to kill us. And I don't think that's fair to him either, right Mr…?”

“Z-Zhanat,” the Dwarf gulped as the blade was pressed even harder onto his neck.

I took a step forward and glared at Jack. “So that’s enough.”

The man stared at me for a moment, gritting his teeth. He obviously did not want to listen to me; out of all the people I had met since Laxis, he had been the one who liked me the least. However, he eventually acquiesced.

“Fine,” Jack said. “But if he refuses to tell us who sent him, I’ll give him a slow and painful death and you can’t stop me.”

I nodded. “That’s… acceptable.” I didn’t think it was.

Slowly, I turned my attention to Zhanat who was still wriggling at Jack’s feet. Sighing, I lowered myself to meet his gaze as he gave me a defiant look— or tried to, at least.

“Zhanat. I don’t know what you and your… buddies… were thinking when they attacked us. Clearly you knew you were out of your depth with the Dark Crusaders since you waited for them to leave before ambushing us. And you even had a spellcaster in your group too. But as you can see,”— I raised a hand and instantly created a Fireball— “I’m quite competent in magic too. I’ve done my best to secure your life, so please work with me and tell us why you did this.”

The Dwarf stared at me— or rather, at the mask I wore— then at the magic I had created. It was a Tier 3 spell according to Gennady, and I had conjured it in an instant. That might not have seemed like much to anyone who knew nothing about magic beyond its heretical nature, but to anyone who knew more than that, it was impressive.

And it was a threat.

Zhanat swallowed hard, and after a minute of rumination, he made the logical decision.

“D-Didar sent us,” the Dwarf finally sputtered. He looked over at Jack and spoke hurriedly. “He heard that you had returned to Jahar’taw even after he threatened you never to come back. So he sent us to take care of you.”

“Didar?” I raised a brow and turned to the former smuggler.

“That bastard.” Jack kicked Zhanat and I flinched at the sudden violence. I raised my voice with a warning.

“Hey, that’s enough.”

He groused and faced me with a furrowed face. “Didar did not threaten me to leave. I spared his life and this is how he pays me back?”

“Focus,” I said, facing him. “Who is Didar?”

Jack’s scowl deepened, the creases on his face only growing longer and rougher. Folding his arms, he opened his mouth—

And Lisa spoke out from behind me.

“Didar… that was your partner back when you were here in Jahar’taw, wasn’t he?”

I blinked and turned back to face the young woman. She approached us with an apprehensive smile, casting quick glances to the curled up Zhanat on the floor. I lifted an eyebrow.

“His partner?”

“Yes,” Lisa said with a nod. “Back when he had connections to the Shadow’s Evangelium.”

I stared at her. “...what?”

Jack was older than Lisa— I had known that since I met them. It was pretty tellable from just how they looked. But I never expected Jack to old enough to have been around for the Shadow’s Evangelium. And in fact…

“Why didn’t you tell me this?” I bit my lower lip, suppressing a shout. I was barely holding myself back from snapping at him.

I had told him of my true identity. Back when we were in Laxis, I admitted the truth about my origins to everyone. Yet, despite knowing that I had every reason to know that, he kept it a secret from me.

And Lisa too.

Feeling my hands tense themselves into balled fists, I stared at the two criminals. I felt almost… betrayed. But Lisa being Lisa, she tried to give me a placating smile and raised both her hands.

“I didn’t know this until recently— Jack only just told me about it a few months ago!” she said, casting a quick glance at her companion. Instead of throwing him under the bus, however, she defended him. “But that’s the reason why he decided to help you after finding out about your past. And he thought it was best to keep it from you in case you wanted to… pry for information.”

“And she never would have found out about it if you didn’t say anything,” Jack growled at her.

“I just think it’s best that she knows.” The young woman turned back to me, trying to speak reasonably. “M— Aria, this isn’t something we should discuss for now. Let’s go back first— before any city guard gets called here and we get into trouble. Gang fights aren’t too uncommon in this part of Jahar’taw, but ones involving magic are usually far rarer and clamped down on harder.”

Clenching my jaw and grinding my teeth together like I was trying to sharpen a dull rock, I glanced up at Lisa once more. Something bubbled up inside of me— a hot feeling wanting to burst out. However, I didn’t want to burn any more bridges. I was tired of that version of myself.

So, I felt my shoulders sag, freeing myself from the tension that was gripping my body with an ironclad fist.

“Alright,” I said, stepping past the two. “We’ll… talk about it later. Let’s go back for now.”

I heard Lisa sigh in relief and Jack make a grunting noise. We were just about to leave when a small voice piped up from the side. Zhanat stared up at us, wide eyed and with a nervous expression.

“D-does this mean I can go too?”

I gave him a blank look, not even hesitating to respond.

“No.”

Once we returned to the warehouse, we handed Zhanat over to Elda to deal with. She would have him tied up and kept somewhere safe for now— as a former pirate, she was unsurprisingly skilled at doing that. I avoided talking to Lisa and Jack until Gennady returned. He had been with Ginah and Erzhan in a parliamentary session at the House of Or’taq. However, he decided to return early as the meeting ran long.

When he came back, I told him about the events of the day. Not about the faux sense of betrayal I felt— that did not matter to anyone but me. What mattered was the possible threat of a criminal organization going after us.

“Didar?” Gennady sputtered, turning to Jack who was sitting across the table. “Are you saying Didar is after you?!”

“Yes,” I said and leaned over to meet the Dwarf’s gaze. “Do you know who that is?”

“Absolutely not. I just came back to this city, lass.”

“Oh.” I receded into my seat, embarrassed by how I fell for his snark.

Gennady shook his head and crossed his arms. “So, who is this Didar?”

Jack looked like he was mulling over whether to snap at Gennady for being a Dwarf or snap at Gennady for making a joke at a serious discussion like this. Eventually, he settled for neither and explained.

“Didar was a Dwarf I worked with back when I had lived in Jahar’taw. I had been a petty thief then, but he introduced me to the greater underworld that went beyond just stealing and surviving, as well as beyond the city itself.”

“So he was some kind of crime lord back then too?” I asked with a frown.

“No. He was a thief just like me. And I had caught him robbing from me.” Jack sank back into his seat, speaking almost nostalgically. “He was never a good thief, never good at even being much of a criminal. But he had goals. Aspirations. A larger vision for everything. And I followed him for that.

“This was over 30 years ago. We were young then. And we challenged every other gang or criminal group we could find. We never won, but we always somehow survived. And sometime during this period, the Shadow’s Evangelium came to the Taw Kingdom.”

I felt my brows slowly arch over my face, casting a dark shadow over my gaze. Mom… I wanted to ask questions. But I said nothing.

“This was before the change. When the Shadow’s Evangelium was still a minor faction, when their goal was to protect every spellcaster or heretic out there. They were trying to find a way to help any oppressed Goblin in Jahar’taw, especially those who performed magic. And they reached out to any group in the city to help them. They all refused, not trusting these outsiders. Everyone except for Didar and I.”

“You reached out to the Shadow’s Evangelium?” I gave him a dubious look. “To the ‘evil spellcasters’ trying to kill everyone not affiliated with them?”

“We were desperate,” he said simply. “And as I said, this was before they earned that reputation. Before Xantioch.”

Nodding slowly, I sat back down into my seat. “So, what happened then?”

“It was simple work. We just had to help them locate anyone in Jahar’taw who practiced magic. Or Goblins who were unhappy with their circumstances in Taw. Those who left their homes in the Sharan Enclave to the Dwarven country, hearing it was good for work— full of opportunities— but finding none.

“And as the Shadow’s Evangelium grew in notoriety, so did we. We became a powerful faction here in Jahar’taw. Supported by spellcasters of great strength. We were well known in the underworld then, achieving everything we wanted when we were younger. Until Didar betrayed me.”

I rolled my eyes. Of course. I had known this was going there from the very beginning, but I was curious to hear how this betrayal happened.

Jack took a deep breath, placing his hand on the table’s edge and gripping it tightly. “Because of our actions— of the growing influence of the Shadow’s Evangelium— the House of Or’taq began clamping down on spellcasters hard. Before, magic had never been a prevalent part of underworld activities. But after we came about and drew out all the Goblin spellcasters to our side, other gangs and groups had to adapt.”

From the side, I watched Gennady nearly spit out his drink as he had been about to swallow a mouthful of ale. He wiped his bearded mouth and faced Jack.

“You don’t mean—”

“Yes,” Jack said as his grip turned iron. He splintered the wood and I flinched back. “The Taw Kingdom decided to suppress this rise of spellcasting with spellcasters themselves. They started a program— something they deemed to be rehabilitory in nature— and used captured spellcasters to combat those still out in the streets. They had a large bounty on every spellcaster out there— a hundred gold coins for everyone who was even capable of casting magic to be turned into them.”

“And Didar decided to go for it, didn’t he?” I predicted.

Jack stood up and angrily knocked over the table, spilling the drinks and food laid out. “That bastard did more than that! He turned them all in, then told the Shadow’s Evangelium it was me who betrayed them. And this was after the change. They thought I did it, and they were going to kill me. The Reaper nearly had my head— the Nuckelavee ordered her to. But only the Fiend stopped them and saved my life.”

“My… mother did?” I blinked, standing up, not even bothering to wipe myself down from the ale splashed over my clothing.

“Yes,” he said, turning to face me. “She did.”

I stared at him for a moment as Gennady grumbled about his furniture and mugs being turned over. Rubbing his temples, the Dwarf shook his head.

“And that’s when the magic division of the Taw military was formed, huh? When we suddenly got hundreds of spellcasters gifted to us overnight. Back when it was still a thing.”

“It was,” Jack said and left it at that.

I had a feeling there was a story to it— something that I probably should have asked about. But judging from the grim looks between the two, I did not want to hear about it.

I glanced between Jack, Gennady, and Lisa, who was also in the room but mostly silent. Feeling my face twist into a scowl, I found myself tapping a foot on the ground in thought. “So this Didar— he’s a jerk, obviously.”

“More than that. He’s a psychopath who’s willing to only do things for his own gain. And now he’s coming after me.” Jack spoke through clenched teeth. I nodded.

“And he’s a big shot now, isn’t he?”

“Yes. I briefly looked into him when we arrived. He’s the leader of a large gang that controls most of the western underworld of Jahar’taw. He has connections in the House of Ol’taq too. After what he did back then.”

“Of course,” Gennady snorted. “Damned politicians. This is why I hate politics!”

Tapping a finger on my chin, I walked past the three people in the room towards a window. I stopped right by it and turned around, face defiant.

“Well, we have a big shot too with connections with the King himself.” I gestured over at Gennady then pointed to myself. “And whatever spellcaster he has with him— they probably can’t be better than me. This seems like a hassle. And I absolutely hate hassles. So, I say we nip the problem in the bud.”

“You don’t mean—” Frowning, Jack looked at me with a wrinkled forehead.

“Yes,” I said and stepped forward. I spread my arms wide, letting magic flow through both my hands. No particular spell cast, but power emanating there. “We should pay this Didar a visit and make it clear that we don’t want him coming anywhere near us.”

The three people in the room stared at me. For a moment, no one said a thing. Then finally, Lisas laughed.

“Honestly, Melas. You must’ve really been through a lot in the Free Lands if you’re wanting to take such bold actions at your age. But I agree. We can’t just sit around and let this asshole push us around.”

Gennady scoffed and crossed his arms. “Maybe if we take care of this lad, Jack would stop having his panties tied in a twist over the existence of Dwarves. I don’t get what his issue is.”

Jack looked around the room, working his jaw slowly. I smiled and spoke before he could say a word.

“That’s settled then. We’ll talk to Elda and the others. But I’m sure they’d be willing to help you out too.”

Finally, the former smuggler found his voice. “What do you get out of this? We can’t pay you, Melas.”

I shrugged. “We get rid of an annoying jerk who’s hurting a lot of people in the city and coming after us. I don’t see how we have anything to lose.”

He hesitated, but I swept through the room and halted right by him. Placing a hand on his shoulder, I spoke reassuringly.

“You helped me deal with Lilith back when she was coming after me. I owe you one too. We’re not just going to abandon you in a city where people are hunting you down just because it’s a hassle.”

I paused and tilted my head up.

“Besides. You may come off as a jerk at times, but you’re not really one, are you? At least, my mother didn’t seem to think so.”

Jack met my gaze, his eyes growing wider. Then slowly, he nodded. “Right. Thank you.” That was all he said.

I had felt betrayed at first. Unhappy about the secret being kept from me; it still bothered me, in fact. However, both Lisa and Jack had helped me out a lot. I’d be a terrible person if I left them out in the snow now that they were in trouble.

Besides, I thought as my lips curled up, hearing about my mother was all the payment I needed.

I walked out of the room, resolved to deal with this issue as quickly as possible. Perhaps once this was resolved, I could deal with the problems I had at hand. Like Space Magic.

Just as long as nothing else that’s troublesome pops up… I mused, knowing full well I had just jinxed myself.

—--

In the House of Or’taq, there was a debate going on. It was a petty debate— about whether there should be a subsidy passed to help out the farmers in Jahar’taw. After all, a winter storm in the middle of the Spring was not a normal thing to happen. So they needed some help, right?

Ginah thought the answer was obvious. Yes! Please, just get this over with. Unfortunately, what should have been a five minute discussion was dragged out into a whole day’s worth of meeting, with a clash between the Miners Party and the Farmers Party.

She had never had the highest opinion of politics. The former pirate Captain, now head guard of Erzhan’s Company, thought of politics as a morally bankrupt, corrupt, and shady landscape that made the underworld look like child’s play in comparison. However, she now had another thing to attribute to it.

Boring.

Politics was abysmally dull. She just wanted to leave the room already. Get out of here with a slam of the door. But she was employed by Erzhan now. So she had to remain at his side as he snored his way through the meeting.

Sighing, Ginah tapped a finger on Erzhan’s shoulder. Her Dwarf boss was literally sleeping as Adileth shouted down an angry member of the Farmers Party. As Erzhan jerked back awake and the woman withdrew her hand, the door to the meeting room was thrown open.

She blinked. That’s never happened before. All heads turned to the cause of the interruption. A Dwarven woman rushed into the room and ran up to Adileth’s side. The King frowned as Kamshat bellowed from the side.

“What’s this interruption? Can’t you see we’re having an important meeting here?”

Adileth however, waved a hand, making her sit down. He cast his gaze towards the door, his face furrowed as he nodded. “Come in,” he said simply.

Ginah raised a brow, curious as to what was going on. She had been certain that the no-nonsense King would have instantly put an end to this interruption, but he was allowing it to continue. Maybe he’s bored of this discussion too?

Soon enough, she learned the reason why Adileth was being so docile. Strolling into the meeting room of the House of Or’tag were a dozen figures. A dozen figures, all dressed in plate armor adorned with protective enchantments. Brilliantly glowing mana crystals decorated every segmented part of their armor, giving their already gilded suits an even more fancy look.

Ginah’s eyes grew wide as she recognized the symbols they wore. The Holy Xan Empire? And they weren’t just regular diplomats. The other emblem they bore was famous. Everyone knew who they were.

“Holy Knights,” a voice whispered from more than one place in the room.

The former pirate Captain found herself shrinking behind Erzhan, despite the fact that the Dwarf was only three quarters her height. But she didn’t have too much difficulty hiding herself as multiple people in the room stood up in protest, erupting into an explosion of noise.

“Why is the Holy Xan Empire here?”

“This visit was not announced!”

“You can’t just interrupt a meeting of parliament to your own liking!”

Adileth sat on his elevated chair, the podium letting him see straight through the open door. Ginah watched his face contort as a final figure made its way into the room.

Ginah, too, found her face changing. But for different reasons. Fear.

Saintess Lilith strode into the room, making her way to the front of the group of Holy Knights. She stopped right at the front, not even bothering to look around the room.

A sinking feeling built up in Ginah’s chest, before swallowing up her heart as she saw the one armed woman come to a halt. Lilith gave Adileth an innocent smile as she bowed.

“King Adileth of the Taw Kingdom, the Holy Xan Empire has heard of your persistent issues with the Dark Crusaders, and now the situation you have with the Puer Kingdom. This delegation of Holy Knights and I, Saintess Lilith, have come to your kingdom to aid you in dealing with the terrorist threat.”

She slowly drew herself back up, meeting the King’s gaze. The smile on her face twisted, being replaced by an insane, maddened look.

“I do hope your Kingdom gives us the hospitality and the autonomy our generous delegation deserves and needs to perform our duties.”

Author's Note:

First 4,000 word chapter in a while. I feel like I'm slowly getting back into the groove of things? Maybe? I don't know. 

It's my birthday soon, and as much as I want to just write, I have to celebrate it. I am turning 21 y/o after all.

Regardless, thank you all for supporting this story! I am genuinely thankful to all of you who still read it despite the once a week schedule <3