Our New World - Chapter 2 Part 8

I haven't abandon this story yet, I just... lazy and busy…
Ah, and yes, geographical term and people name was deliberately concealed from reader for this chapter…

Oh and I am very sorry if I make you uncomfortable… Because that is what I am trying to do, making you uncomfortable… Once again very sorry… Also for the people who find it interesting… You sir/madam, has a strange interest… Then again, à chacun son goût.

Author note: WARNING! HORRIBLE GRAMMAR

Chapter 2: The Heaven Lords in the New World

Part 8: Shattered Dream

When she was small, she dreamed about living a happy peaceful life surrounded by his beloved family. With her parents and siblings sat at the marble table at their pleasant garden inside their mansion, she would show them the new song she just learned from her teacher with the jiolna. Then everyone would smile at how clumsy she played while they drink the sweet chatea and enjoyed their afternoon baked snack. She imagined this long lost scene almost every day for the last 6 years.

But her father made a mistake by supporting the wrong side and then got himself killed in the battlefield by his rivals that had long vied his territory… Together with her brothers. The last time she saw her mother was when her mother entrusted her to the household’s loyal maid and a cadre of loyal servants to escort her towards a safe place, while her mother and older sisters stayed behind to rally their acquaintances support to ask for retribution against her father rivals. The last time she heard about them was how they swivel from the gallows together with the rest of her clan and not buried from months before they given to the corpse eating Wild Beasts to be devoured.

Her childish dream shattered… replaced by the bleak unchanging reality.

6 years had passed since then.

Until now She was now disguised as a common farmer daughter, the family of her family loyal maid, it was all to deceive her father’s enemy incessant spies network that was searching for the last remnant of her clan, while she herself become the figurehead of the resistance by the mostly loyal populace and the small remnant of her father’s retainer. Even so the prospect to win was almost nil. Except for an intervention from outside party it would be hard to win the conflict. But she didn’t care about avenging her family anymore. She was already given up on it. What important to her was her current dream, the dream of spending peaceful time with her ‘new’ family.

Spending time together with the old maid’s grandchildren that she thought as real siblings, the old maid’s sons and daughters that she thought as parents, uncles and aunts, and the old maid herself as her grandmother. She already had almost forgotten her nobility origin and just enjoying her second life as a common farmer daughter on a faraway village.

However she found that once again, her dreams of peaceful life, shattered violently again.

✿❀✿❀✿❀

Her head was still hurting; even so she forced her eyes to open.

The room was quite dark, only a candle lamp lazily illuminating the room. The floor and the wall were from stone, reminding her of a fortress or a castle. However from the number of dust settled on the stone cracks, it was clear that the occupant didn’t think much on the cleaning. The last memory that he could remember was how she and the youngster from the village were thrown to inside a cage and then being put to sleep with magic. This means that the location where she was right now was the marauder headquarters or facility.

She tried to move, but she found that her hand and feet were tied up and connected to by knots to a thick chain that stretched in the middle of the room. Maybe hearing her rustling sound, someone called her from behind in low voice.

“Miss, are you awake?” (Young Girl Voice)

She turned her body to look towards the voice owner. Although the light is dim, she quickly recognized the voice owner. Her longtime servant even from the day 6 years ago, that continued to accompanying her until now. She then also replied with low voice.

“I am alright Sefi. How about you?” (Girl – Miss)

“I am still fine Miss. A little bruised when they threw me here but mostly still intact.” (Sefi)

She felt relieved hearing this. Then she remembered about her ‘siblings’.

“How the other?” (Girl – Miss)

“Chiri and Launa are near us. Zira is over there together with the other girls. They put the boys on separate room I think.” (Sefi)

 “Are they alright?” (Girl – Miss)

“Don’t worry miss. They didn’t hurt any of us. After all, defective commodities sell for less…… Chiri and Launa awaken earlier than you and they had just cried themselves to sleep.” (Sefi)

Yeah… It’s a given… Their father just… in front of them…… If only they could hide just one minute faster…… If only…

She stopped thinking about this… No matter how much she thought about “if”s, it wouldn’t change anything.

She held up the tears from felling down to her cheek, and then started thinking ways to escape from this predicament. First she tried to cast magic to brighten the room, however even when she succeed in assembling a spell, she couldn’t properly concentrate her mana and so her magic failed to activate.

“They know that you can use attack magic Miss, that’s why they put Mana Sealing Bracelet on you.” (Sefi)

She looked at her tied up hand, behind the thick rope there was a dark metal bracelet. It was the aforementioned Mana Sealing Bracelet that was commonly used to restrain magicians.

Damn, she cursed in her mind. Since normal villagers hardly ever receive enough education to be able to use attack magic, normally the marauder wouldn’t know that she can use attack magic. However since she used attack magic to fend off several of the marauder before, then…… Well, if she didn’t do that, they would found the younger children hiding location and the number of the captives here would increase several fold.

“Should I cast magic to cut you free Miss? They didn’t put a bracelet on me?” (Sefi)

“No, don’t do that yet… Just cast a magic to brighten the room.” (Girl – Miss)

She still hadn’t known the situation clearly, so if she couldn’t find a way out from this room and they found out that she was free. The story wouldn’t end pretty.

“Gusni Jmaji Ca’u Mi. Fagytergu'i!” (Sefi)

From Sefi’s hand, a small torch like light appeared. The light didn’t that bright but it was better than the weak candle. The room was relatively small, maybe a side room or some sort in a castle or a fort. There was a robust wood door that had small slotted window where someone from outside could take a look at inside. There weren’t any windows in the wall, but there were small holes in the ceiling that connected to ventilation channel, too small for any human to crawl of. On one side of the corner, there were Zira and the other girls. It looks like they haven’t awakened yet. Before long the light vanished as Sefi’s mana depleted.

Based on what she saw, the only way out would be from the door. Even if she confident that she could broke open the door, it would be impossible for them to take the whole marauders group head on. Their current chance for their escape looked very slim. But if they wait for too long, then they would turn into slaves… And their chance would even be slimmer. What to do?

✿❀✿❀✿❀

In front of the door to the captives’ room, four guards were playing cards while betting the small money they possessed. It was still noon but they already half drunk from the cheap grain alcohol they drank.

“Knight, Mage, Archer. Whole army… I won again… Huahuahua” (Guard A)

“Curse you…” (Guard B)

“Spirits be damned… Are you sure you didn’t cheat?” (Guard C)

“No joke… and that the last of my coins…” (Guard D)

“No use whining, I won fair… Now as the loser, go check the captives.” (Guard A)

“Fine… fine… “ (Guard D)

One of the guards stood up from the table and went to the door where they put the captured boys and slid open the observational window in the door. In the faint candle light, it seemed that the boys had awakened but with their hand and feet tied up, they could do nothing. After all, the knot of the rope wasn’t something that could be easily undone. He slid close the window and moved towards the room where they put the girls and slid open the observation window.

“All look alright, but they got some fine women here… Would they mind if I do one of them?” (Guard D)

The other guards started to laugh at him.

“In your dream, maybe…” (Guard A)

“New guy want to get intimate…” (Guard B)

“Well… I won’t mind sharing, you know.” (Guard D)

“Since you new, you must not know the rule. In our group, the Boss called the first dip, then after that he will share some with us.” (Guard C)

“No lie? So that’s why we couldn’t rape them when we attack the village?” (Guard D)

“Yeah… Boss prefers the women raw…” (Guard C)

“Nah don’t worry… You get your turn after us that is…” (Guard A)

“Just don’t leave any bruise… The merchant hate when there a bruise in the body.” (Guard B)

“Just be careful though. There a mage girl there.” (Guard C)

“Yeah I heard she toast one of the boys real good…” (Guard B)

“Careful with your dick… You don’t want her to turn it into grilled stick.” (Guard A)

The other guards began to laugh at him and made some crude jokes about burned genitalia. The guard looked annoyed and then he closed the window before returning to the table.

“I wonder if I could do all the girls there….” (Guard D)

“Yeah… if you can last more than one round that is…” (Guard A)

“*laughter*” (Guards)

While they were talking idly like this, one of the guards noticed a large muscled man walked in the corridor. He then alerted the other guard.

“Hey it’s Boss.” (Guard C)

“Boss, howdy!” (Guard A)

The guards began to greet the large man while still sitting on the table.

“How it going lads?” (Boss)

The large man put his feet on the table and began to ask.

“Captives are still there. We keep it raw for you.” (Guard B)

“How the meeting with the merchants Boss?” (Guard A)

“They will bring the transport tomorrow and they will pay hefty sums for it…” (Boss)

“That’s quick…” (Guard C)

“Harharhar, well the business is going well. So sorry lads, you will only have fun for just one night.” (Boss)

“No kidding……” (Guard A)

“So that’s why you come to test the merchandise even when it still noon?” (Guard B)

“I would run out of time if I didn’t right?” (Boss)

“Can we watch Boss?” (Guard A)

“No hell you can. But you can hear the women weal, harharhar.  ” (Boss)

The boss laughed at one of the jokes from the guard. He then took off his feet from the table and walked towards the door.

“Hey new guy, give Boss a lantern and open the door for him will ya.” (Guard A)

Prompted by the others, one of the guards light up the oil lantern and opened the large wood that blocked the door before he opened it and hand over the lantern to the boss.

✿❀✿❀✿❀

Guffatar was of a commoner background from the Central Plains. When he was young he was famous as the strongest kid in his village and ruled over the other kids like a small warlord. After all, the harsh reality of his surroundings taught that might make right, and powerful people rule over the weak. His older sister taken by the village’s strongman as the nth concubine, his older brother crippled just because he happened to bump into some noble’s son, and his family was burdened by so many tax that they barely had grains to eat. He hate this.

Since he hated succeeding his parents’ farmer occupation as he considered it as the occupation for the weak, so when he reached adulthood, he left the village to cast his fortune as a local noble’s private soldier. Soon, his swordsmanship and ruthlessness earned him promotion and recruited by the King’s army. But commoner could only advance that much since only nobles could fill the higher position in the army. The injustice of this world still haunting him.

Guffatar felt that his talent should bring him more fortune and glory, so he create a mercenary troupe with some of his buddies and went east towards Eastern Principalities and sell his band as sellswords for local quarrelling nobles. His ruthlessness and talent in leading his man earned him some renown that finally he was employed by one of the many Dukes in Eastern Principalities. Large amount of gold entered his pocket, and with it women and materials pleasures followed, although Guffatar didn’t care that his pay came from squeezing the peasantry dry. At the height of his career, he was in command of a company with 500 men. His future looks bright and the business was booming, if this kept going, he could retire while submerged in wealth. What could be wrong?

However this dream was shattered when the Duchy where he served was conquered by a loose coalition of Counts and Barons that rebelled against the highhandedness of the Duke. Guffatar as the leader of the mercenary troupe that enforced Duke’s oppressive regime was marked for death for the many ‘crime’ he conducted. Reading the writing on the wall before the back of hand appeared, Guffatar took his loyal men and as much as wealth as he could bring and fled to the many hills and forests that dotted Eastern Principalities.

He spent the next 5 years terrorizing the surrounding region. Raiding villages and capturing its young inhabitant to be sold as slaves or to quench his and his men sexual thirst. Little by little his band of men grew larger, reinforced by local criminal elements, deserter, or escapee from defeated army. Having taste banditry and enjoyed the sense of superiority over the locals, Guffatar was subsumed by the ‘bully mindset’ like once he had when he ruled the other kid back in the village. He didn’t need to listen to anyone order and he could do whatever he likes. Changing his base of operation at times, he eluded anti-bandits operation conducted by local ruler or organized vigilante group. However recent consolidation of power happened in Eastern Principalities, where from dozens small to medium political entity it got reduced to only 4 major political entities ushered a rare period of stability in this balkanized region. The local ruler started strengthening their grip in their own region and as a side effect local public order increased. This limited the area where Guffatar and his band of men could move and their number kept diminishing from skirmishes with vigilante groups or soldiers patrol.

Luckily, who know that the Nameless State would suddenly open their gate and sent the region into panic. Sudden mass mobilization happened as each local region conducted conscription and centralization of military power due to the expected Nameless State retaliation or military action. Some nations or groups do the same mobilization, thinking that it was just a pretext for military build-up. So the region plunged in a state of panicked military race as each country not only wary for Nameless State but also for each others.

Eastern Principalities was not an exception. Each policies in Eastern Principalities withdrew their soldiers from outlying region and mobilized them to what their perceived as important place of interest. As a side effect, fringe regions started to stir again and once again the region was at threat with separatist movements, peasant rebellions and self-serving despots declaring secession.

In this situation, a certain Duke from a certain kingdom contacted Guffatar and his band. The Duke was worried about a certain northeastern part of his territory where a certain group of scoundrels repeatedly attacked his men and openly oppose to his rule. Since most of the Duke’s troops were “requisitioned” by the King to reinforce the western border, the number of his available soldiers greatly diminished especially for the northeastern part. Then the Duke devilishly concocted a plan… Rather than leaving the region seceded in impunity, better ransacked it using a proxy: band of marauders. By generous share to profit ratio with the marauder band, not only he could increase his own coffer without needing to dirty his hand, after the situation stabilized he could “eliminate” the bandit and so obtained the region citizen’s recognition. Although the Duke would still use the marauder now and then to terrorize and to make the region citizen depending on him. A splendid though nefarious plan.

Giving Guffatar additional men and giving him free reign to do what he like, Guffatar let loose like a rabid beast, pillaging several villages in short time of span, while destabilizing the region so hard that the local rebel movement hardly could make use of the available momentum.

However the region lacked solid wealth though, but no matter, if you know where to look, you can sell anything. So Guffatar need to contact some of his old friend that dealing with selling slaves, illegally acquired of course.

And thus, Guffatar once again reached his second career renaissance. In less than two weeks his number grew from dozen of men to more than one hundred men. He was the strongest He had enough wealth to arm all of his men in decent gear. He was the strongest group in the region for now.

Of course, as power intoxicating him and made him inebriated with megalomania, he even dreamed about double-crossing the Duke and just took the region for himself and installed himself as the lord. Lord Guffatar, sounds like a good music for his ear. He dreamed big. But like all big dream, it either become another sky in the sky, or the reality ruthlessly shattered it.

✿❀✿❀✿❀

With the door opened by his subordinate, Guffatar entered the room where the female captives were held. He placed the bright lantern on the wall hanger, the light beat the lethargic candle, and close the door, not forgetting to lock it from inside, after all he didn’t want someone from outside interfere with his happy hours.

He was lucky today. The last village only had wretched wenches long suffered by malnutrition to heavy tax robbing them from their grains. Truthfully Guffatar detest their skinny looking appearance, but rule is a rule, so he just violated them from obligation, however twisted it is. It is only give him little satisfaction, as the wenches had long lost their fighting spirit and just resigned to whatever they suffered. This was not fun, not fun at all.

However the girls from today village were in a condition that could be said a bit pristine for his taste. Sure they were a little bit skinny, but it still acceptable. Also the fear that they give when they saw him enter was a long-awaited sight he wished to see. That hopeless expression, that pleading despairing expression in their face… Oh he couldn’t be more alive! 

He scanned the room, get close to one of the girls, and lick the taste of fear emitted from their face. The eyes that dreaded him, their ineffectual escaping gesture, and their desperate rejection yelling, he could felt lust creeping in his soul, pumping blood to the mass of erectile tissue between his thighs, disregarding that he was old enough to become a father for all the girls in the room.

But this was just the opening act as his first main dish that he would consume was the mage girl who had done one of his man really good. Burnt crispy. Who can imagine such tiny village had a mage this strong… She must have some nobles blood flew in her vein… Maybe an illegitimate one… She could be sold for high money for interested gentlemen, especially with a pretty face like her.

And her defying eyes that looked at him detestingly were like a visual aphrodisiac for him. How he was longing to crush that kind of eyes and make her weeping brokenly. All to satisfy his fantasy of power, control and omnipotence over helpless group of women.

He put his hand on her face. But she spat on him and curse him with horrible flowery words that you can’t imagine came from a girl’s mouth. Good, this defiance is good! Guffatar became more enthusiastic. He slapped hard at the girl’s face. Blood dripping from the corner of her lips. The juxtaposition of white and red on her cheek was marvelous. Some of the other girls yelled and some began to cry… A real music for a real man.

Oh shit! He just ruined precious merchandise. Damn… He would be yelled by the merchant… Whatever, he could just ask one of his underlings to put some salves or something…

He brought his face closer to seal her lips but the girl thrashed really hard, and she headbutted him. Sadly for her, her attack was too weak to do him any harm. This fierce resistance only made him more aroused. He threw her to the ground, pinned her, and started to rip her clothes open to expose her au naturel. One of his hand toyed with her bosom while his hand working its way under the remnant of her skirt. Even in this situation, the girl keep resisting, Guffatar wanted to know how long she could resist. What kind of face will she make when she had been broken? The other girls beside her tried to interfere; however, their binding rope prevented them to do anything effectual. An older girl desperately tried to use her body to push Guffatar away, but it lack any momentum to shift the huge bulky muscular Guffatar.

Guffatar swat the older girl away with his large hand, and the older girl hit the ground hard. Her head started to bleed as the skin was cut by the jagged stone floor. Seeing the older girl’s blood Guffatar couldn’t hold back his excitement anymore. He pulled down his pants and started to rip off the girl’s skirt, and ready to perform the deed.

✿❀✿❀✿❀

Sefira’s tale is a sad one, like most people in this war torn land. Her mother is a high-class “entertainer”, for lack of better word, famous at the coastal region of Soipora. So it was a given that eventually, she was impregnated when her contraception method failed. After all you can only do so much with herbs concoction. Rather than aborting her like her other former brothers and sisters, her mother decided to keep her. After all her mother wasn’t that young anymore and this might be her last shot at having a proper family. Sadly, her patron decided that he wasn’t the child’s father since, after all, it was hard to decide paternity based on the mother’s occupation and there were no DNA test available in Soipora.

So without any support and it was hard doing “work” with bulging belly, her mother took her life savings and went back to her home village, where Sefira’s grandparents and uncle still resided. Single mothers weren’t that rare in rural village those days, all her mother need to say is how her husband died in numerous Soiporan conflict. And so Sefira grew normally with quite a happy and caring family until she reached 6 years old. But that seemingly blissful day ended abruptly.

Now, some of the nobles had a bright idea to lessen their adversary’s war capabilities. They would ride deep into enemy territory and in team of horsemen to systematically pillage and burn the villages and the fields belonged to the enemy territory especially the ones they didn’t have any intend to capture. This will hurt the economic foundation of their enemies, reducing resource, incite serfs and peasant revolt, force the enemy to do battle at the attacker convenience, and provoke massive flight of refugees that was a disaster in itself. In Earth this tactic would be called chevauchee, cabalgada or razzia. Now, too bad for Sefira, her village was of the target of such attack…

In the aftermath, Sefira was the only one who made it out alive. She soon was taken “custody” by “nice people” that usually roamed the villages to “help” newly made orphan. Most of the children would end as… “bed warmer” for those who like to have “warm bed”… And so Sefira was bought by a certain noble.

Now luckily for Sefira, the noble only bought her to become his youngest daughter’s servant not for other reason, since it was commonly believed by the nobles in the region at that time, that if you wished for a loyal servant, then you must make them serve you from their young. The noble family treated her well, Safira not only could eat better than most common villagers, but she also learned to read, write and magic usage, something that not every peasants could had, courtesy of the youngest daughter who considered Safira as more than a best friend. Safira too considered the youngest daughter as the closest existence she had for a sister. So when the noble family ruined, Safira keep accompanying the youngest daughter, out of loyalty and out of love. And she too considered the farmer family that took the youngest daughter as a family. She only wished her “sister” could attain happiness, and she will make this happen at any rate.

However, currently her “sister” is in a dangerous predicament and she could hardly do anything even when her “sister” going to be tainted by this detestfull ruffian brute. She wanted to use magic to free herself or her “sister” from the rope that tied them, but when her “sister” saw it, with her eyes she prohibits Sefira from doing it. Sefira knew why her “sister” prohibit her from doing so.

Although Sefira could use wide range of magic of various element, her inner mana capacity is low, and so her attack magic although couldn’t be said as weak, but it didn’t strong either. Her wind magic could cut a stationary object like rope but of course she couldn’t use it to one shot the brute. Then he would retaliated and do something unspeakable at her, even outright killing her. After all it was hard to restrain mages without mana sealing bracelet and the bandits might not have a second mana sealing bracelet.

“Even if it’s unpleasant, living was still a better choice, even when to do so, sometime someone needs to make compromise…” Was something her “sister” always told to Sefi.

“As long as you alive, there still chance that good things will happen to you.” Was her “sister” mantra. But… Sefi couldn’t just do nothing when her “sister” was in great predicament.

She used her body to ram and dislodge the brute that start to mount her “sister”, alas her power was weak and the rope limited her movement range. Maybe because he was irritated at her, the brute swat her hard so that she fell and struck the ground forcefully. The jagged stone floor scratched her in several place, drawing blood that start dropping at the ground. Between the pain that started to assault her and the despair she felt right now, Sefira started to pray to any gods she knew, the gods who always silent when bad things happened to her. She didn’t care even if it was Devil who will answer it. She was just……desperately praying…

(Please… I beg of you… any of you… please save my sister!)

Little did she know… Her prayer is answered in the strangest way possible…

✿❀✿❀✿❀

Day 16 of arrival. 02-09-0002. 11.25

Yuuto stood silently in front the entrance of a deserted stone fort, his face showed a complex expression. Behind him was the frightened Florea that seemed that she wanted to cry, tears already ready to make lines in her cheek. Near his feet were three humans; former living human to be exact. One had their body disfigured as if it blew up from one side, one had their head crushed, and one had turned into postmodern objectivist art in the wall. Of course the stone paved courtyard had stains of blood and muscle, fat and bone, disembodied arm and legs, and moaning of the damned.

‘How could this happen?’ (Yuuto)

Yuuto started to rewind his memories.

☾☽☾☽☾☽☾☽☾☽☾☽☾☽☾☽☾☽☾☽

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