[10] TO LIBERATE

Everything became crisper. The lights were brighter. The voices were clearer. Even his mind became sharper, his thoughts becoming freer.

Sliff was calm. So calm that it was almost a strange experience for him. He never had this much clarity of mind in his entire life. Before, he always had one thing or the other weighing him down. His master. His identity. Even he himself, just like a moment before. But now, it seemed as if his mind and body were in perfect synergy, communicating with each other, understanding each other.

"I focused too much on things that don't matter," Sliff thought. "So much so that I forgot to ask myself about things that do.

"But that's another problem… I don't really know what matters. Is it this meeting? Is it my future? Is it my friends? Is it my dream? Wait…

"What was my dream again—?"

"Sliff Venrio!" Jaylin snapped.

It seemed his mind was so clear that it ironically blurred everything else, even though the surroundings were just as clear, if not more so, than his mind.

Sliff flailed, sitting upright. "Yes…Celestial…"

"Answer us."

Scratching his head, Sliff looked around, finding all eyes of the courtroom on himself. "Did I miss something…?"

Leaning back into her chair, Jaylin rolled her eyes.

"Sliff Venrio," Ledomex asked. "Did you not know of Tane's connection with the Desperado?"

Shaking his head, Sliff frowned. "No, commander. Rillon told me about that just a couple hours ago."

"Is that so?" Ledomex said, turning to the Celestial. "The forensics did show no signs of tattoos on Tane's body, so we can consider Sliff Venrio's word as the truth."

"Then tell me, commander Ledomex," Jaylin said. "What was the basis on which you concluded his connection with the Desperado?"

"Yes, Celestial," Ledomex said. "After the assassination of the Master of Kratur, two of the Buster Seekers were able to make contact with the assassins. They were able to find out the assassins' motivation, and henceforth sent a messenger eagle with the report. This report arrived today, around three in the morning."

"And who were these Seekers, commander Ledomex?"

"Vyzen Stormsmith and Alaric Kaldor, Celestial."

"What were they doing in the Kratur stronghold?"

"They were stationed there, Celestial," Ledomex said. "Kratur Guild wanted to help the search operation of Master Dubius."

"I understand," Jaylin said, turning to Iyana. "What did you do when the party did not return even after the sun went down."

"Th-The horses were thirsty, Celestial," Iyana said. "So I returned to the stronghold and told others that master's party had still not returned…"

The woman beside the Celestial scribed something on paper as Iyana spoke, a stack of papers to her either side. She was writing so fast that the sound made by the graphite scratching the paper was louder than the timid voice of Iyana. Sliff concluded she must be transcribing Iyana's testimony, something he could've never concluded if it weren't for the calm in his mind.

"So, Iyana's testimony is almost done, huh?" Sliff thought as the scratching sounds continued. "Soon, my words will be recorded, but I still don't know what to tell them, or even how to tell it.

"Everything about the last week was strange. It still is. They won't ever believe me. But…what matters right now is to tell the truth about Zomir and Master Dubius, that much I'm sure of."

Jaylin stood, the transcriber slowing down. "Let's record the other testimony. Sliff Venrio, everything you say will be recorded in script and will be used for future investigations. It is very important for our mutual benefit that you don't withhold any information from the council. Without your cooperation, even more lives will be in danger and that includes yours too."

"Mine?" Sliff asked in confusion.

"I won't consider it an interruption, since it seems you're not the best at connecting dots," Jaylin said. "The Desperado is after you and slave Iyana but if your testimonies deem to be useful to this case, you'll be given the protection of the council for the following three months."

"I understand," Sliff said in a calm manner. "But the truth may be hard for you to believe." He jerked back his head. "How am I so calm?" he asked himself, only now confused about his calmness. "She just told me the Desperado will come for me! What's going on?"

"That is something for the council to judge," Jaylin said. "All you are required to do is to just give us the one-to-one account of the events that took place after your party entered the Taaskov cave."

Sliff nodded. "Yes, Celestial."

"Alright," Jaylin said, settling down. "Start from the point where your party saw the corpse of a red goblin."

"Yes, Celestial," Sliff said, unfolding the events of that easy quest. The quest in which he was killed by Zomir.

***

Lighting his cigar, Mamba watched the medics take away the two brutally beaten bodies that he had brought to the Hopevale hospital. They dragged the stretchers to the patients' respective wards, the wheels forming trails of blood.

"How did I lose?" Mamba thought. "I thought I had it."

"You can't smoke here, sir," a nurse said. "Please put that away."

Lost in his thoughts, Mamba took another puff. "How did that yellow-haired kid win?"

A doctor approached him. "Sir, can you please put that thing away?"

"Huh?" Mamba said, turning to him. "Or else?" His dead-eyed stare made the doctor take a step back.

"I…" the doctor said. "We won't operate on those two—"

Mamba jolted onto his feet, closing the gap between himself and the doctor. "Listen here, Mojo, if I don't see those two in perfect condition, I'll make sure to turn 'you' into an inoperable pile of mush. Understand?"

The doctor stuttered, paralyzed by fear.

"I've paid the advance ten times over," Mamba said. "They should be healed for the rest of their lives, so better get going, Timmy."

Sweating, the doctor's face turned red before he spun around and walked hastily inside one of the wards.

Shaking his head, Mamba turned as well. He took another puff on his way out. "Some diseases just can't be cured. The blindness toward power is one of them. People just can't see who really has it.

"We'll meet again, Vyzen Stormsmith."

***

"And then I woke up in the White Wing hospital just yesterday," Sliff said then paused briefly. "That is it, Celestial."

The courtroom was flooded with silence, crashing waves of unease into the council. Their expressions became stiff as they looked at each other without exchanging words.

"Expected that," Sliff thought. "That's why I won't ever tell anyone about Valhalla. They'll think I'm crazy or something!"

Jaylin cleared her throat, breaking the silence. "So you mean to say, this…twenty-five feet monster wanted to play games…?"

"Yes, Celestial," Sliff said. "And its size was double that of the other monsters. But, its body was…weird. Made of dark, jagged rocks, almost like purple and black spiky scales, and…it had a face, with blood-red horns sticking out of its head, each one bigger than my body. And it could speak, even…"

"That should be enough for the description," Jaylin said, gesturing toward the transcriber. "Tell us more about these games you mentioned."

Soon as she finished speaking, everyone returned their eyes to Sliff. He wasn't supposed to be the center of attention. He cringed internally due to the unease he felt.

"There's nothing more to it," Sliff said, lowering his head. "They were exactly like I told you. Just wrong. And I'm really sorry but Master Dubius was dead way before the monster transferred us there."

"I understand," Jaylin said.

"How can that even be possible?" Safrax asked. "Distorters are supposed to come to the human plane and establish themselves as a species of beasts, not transfer humans to their planes."

"Let's not jump straight to the obvious answer, commander Safrax," Valisha said. "It could be like your reverse summoning technique."

"That could prove even more disastrous," Lonnie said. "Just like the Kalma Caverns incident."

Valisha lowered her head for some reason.

"I don't think the monsters described by Sliff Venrio matches any beast in our database," Ledomex said. "But because one of them had intelligence enough to speak and strength enough to take out a whole guildmaster, that could only mean one thing."

"The Kalma Caverns, and now the Goltara Mountains," Safrax said, exhaling softly. "Do you really think we have a new one?"

"With the information at hand," Ledomex said. "That is the only reasonable conclusion. It seems like this Zomir…is an alchobeast."

"Alchobeast?" Sliff thought. He had never heard that term before.

"Weren't they supposed to be extinct?" Lonnie asked. "I mean…the Kalma incident was supposed to be an exception, right, with the caverns' properties and all?"

"That would've stayed an exception," Ledomex said. "But now it seems we have a similar case to that of twenty years ago."

"This…Zomir seems way more passive in its approach," Safrax said. "Almost opposite to the Kalma incident."

"We clearly need to do more research," Ledomex said. "Any assumptions about a thing this serious can have massive repercussions."

"Commander Ledomex is right," Jaylin said. "We shouldn't jump to any conclusions right away."

For the first time in the entire meeting, the Master of Raven showed any sign of life by rising from his seat.

"I forgot he was here," Sliff thought.

"Are we just going to ignore the fruit?" Ragnaul asked in a voice heavy as a soaring turtle. "Sliff Venrio's survival is an equally big mystery."

"It really is."

"Speaking of mysteries," Lonnie said. "Why did all the bodies appear in the Goltara Mountains of all places?"

"Maybe Zomir got lazy and dumped them there."

"And why not all bodies?" Safrax asked. "Where is the corpse of Master Dubius?"

"Did Zomir…'ate' him?"

"Let's start with the dark object first," Valisha advised. "Do we know anything about the Apple of Impurity, commander Ledomex?"

"It wasn't something to eat, that's for sure."

"Of course," Ledomex said. "But just like every dark objects, all the information we have about it fluctuates from source-to-source."

Ragnaul settled. "Forgive me for my intrusion."

"Huh? He did not even intrude…" Sliff thought.

"And what do we make of the corpses," Lonnie asked. "Why the Goltara Mountains?"

"The search party may have been sent in the wrong place," Safrax said. "Should we excavate the Goltara Mountains once more?"

"I have no solo missions planned for the next month," Valisha said. "Buster will give its full support."

The air of the whole room became full of unanswered questions.

"Order," Jaylin said, silencing the entire room. "Let's not take the entire testimony at face value. Our witness was under the impression until just now that he was a slave. Don't take his every word as the definitive truth."

"That reminds me…" Sliff thought, raising an arm.

"Yes?" Jaylin asked.

"What is a slave?" Sliff asked, meeting the Celestial's eyes.

The silenced crept longer.

"What are you trying to ask, exactly?" Jaylin asked.

"I'm asking, what exactly is a slave?" Sliff asked.

"Someone who is branded and belongs to a particular family, bound by their wishes, and killed when their masters dies."

"Someone?"

"Yes, 'someone.'"

"Don't you mean…a 'human'?"

The commanders and guildmasters glanced at each other as the room grew even quieter. Sliff kept staring into the purple eyes that now seemed to be looking down.

"It's complicated than that," Jaylin said, rising. "Deciding who is and who is not a slave is the Association's duty. You two have contributed enough and can leave this meeting."

Iyana rose from her chair and started to walk out of the courtroom. Sliff grabbed her by the shoulders just before she could pass him, spinning her toward the Celestial. Iyana made one of her tiny squeaky noises, lowering her head afterward.

"Do you think she's not a human?" Sliff asked.

"What point are you trying to make here?" Jaylin asked.

"I helped you with this case," Sliff said. "Don't you owe me at least one answer?"

"That's enough, kid," Ledomex said, rising. "You have crossed the boundary."

"It stopped being funny way before," Safrax said, rising.

"You should get going, Sliff," Valisha said, rising. "You're part is done."

Exhaling harshly, Sliff nodded then turned to the Celestial. "I got my answer." With that, Iyana ran out of the courtroom, Sliff following her slowly.

"No," Jaylin said, stopping Sliff. "I don't think she's a human, for she's a slave and nothing more. The fact that she can breathe is enough of a favor already."

Sliff lowered his head, mind going numb, clarity fading away. All the mud started to deposit again. He came back to his usual self. "Wait…

"What am I even doing? She's a Celestial! Am I out of my mind to question her—?

"Can you promise me one thing?" a voice echoed in his head. "I… I…" he thought.

Sliff closed his eyes, exhaling softly then meeting the Celestial's eyes.

"If you think so," Sliff said, staring expressionlessly at the Celestial. "Then forget about a slave, you don't even know what a human is!" He turned and started walking away.

"Are you stupid or something, kid?" Jaylin said, breaking her composure. "Are we living in the same reality or are you distorted from it?"

Sliff marched toward the door without turning once. "Not only did I keep my promise, I finally know what my dream is!" He smiled as he opened the courtroom door.

"I want to liberate every last slave there is. The ones like Iyana, the ones like me, and even…the ones like the Celestial!"

"I have to become stronger!" Sliff thought, closing the door behind him. "No… I have to become the strongest! I'm ready to do anything for this dream. Like a warrior would. Like a warrior should! I 'am'…

"The Talentless Warrior!"

Lost in this dream, Sliff did not notice the man running straight toward him, which led to a minor collision between them.

"I'm s-s-sorry," the man said. He seemed out of breath.

Sliff raised a hand, shaking his head. "It's fine…" The man had already walked past him, entering the courtroom.

"Interrupting a meeting?" Sliff thought, peeking into the courtroom through the door-slit. "It must be something important."

"Hold it, right there," Jaylin said. "Do you know how big an offence it is to interrupt a council meeting?"

Bowing, the man apologized. "Forgive me for my behavior, Celestial, but I must deliver this news urgently."

"News?" Jaylin asked.

"He's a messenger of Buster, Celestial," Valisha said. "It must have been an emergency for him to barge in like this."

"Very well," Jaylin said, waving her hand. "Speak."

The man stuttered, as he caught his breath. He gulped before announcing the news he had brought.

"Desperado got sir Vyzen, Mistress Valisha."

Blank.

Sliff's ears rang after he got striked by the bolt of this bad news.

"G-Got?" he thought, trying to make any sense of the message. His legs became wobbly, making him lose balance and fall onto his butt. He gulped, his eyes opening wide from the shock of this morbid news.

"Wh-What does he mean…? Desperado…got…Vyzen?"

***

END OF [ARC - 1]