Ryan's Fury 2

Tori quickly moved toward the group of women. Their clothes were behind the tavern bar, and the women were nervously dressing themselves. The bandits, now all lying on the floor, didn't dare look at Ryan. Earlier, when Ryan cast the wind blades, they had been almost invisible in the well-lit room. But as soon as the fireball went off, the bandits realized they were facing a mage. Some even began crying out loud. Not long after, the women were escorted out.

Ryan spoke softly to the bandits, "Remember, don't do bad things. It's not that you won't be punished, just that the time hasn't come." Then he unleashed a series of fireballs. As the bandits' heads exploded, Ryan felt his stomach churn and he vomited, but only bile came out, as there was nothing left in his stomach.

Ryan grabbed a bowl of alcohol and took a gulp. To his disappointment, the drink tasted similar to beer from Earth, but it did offer a slight sense of relief. Feeling a bit better, he went upstairs and found several women bound, clearly intended for the leader. He also discovered a chest full of gold coins—around 4,000, the payment for the task and loot from the bandits' previous raids. The chest weighed several hundred pounds.

"Niu Niu, take the coins," Ryan said, trying to grab the chest but failing. He then mentally called out to her.

"Where? Where?" Niu Niu appeared before him in an instant, startling Ryan.

"Gold! So much! Oh, jewelry too! We're rich!" Niu Niu's eyes widened with excitement as she looked around, paying no attention to Ryan's reaction. She quickly found wrapped jewelry and some beautiful furs, and before Ryan could blink, they were gone.

"Space magic?" Ryan finally realized what had happened and cautiously asked.

Niu Niu, delighted, blinked her big eyes and answered, "You didn't know pets could appear beside their masters? And have a pet space too?" Niu Niu wasn't entirely truthful; it was her secret ability, but she could indeed use the pet space.

"Can it fit more?" Ryan pointed to the luxurious furs on the bed, feeling nostalgic for soft bedding.

Niu Niu gave Ryan a puzzled look, then nodded. With a wave of her hand, the furs vanished, and she began wrapping up the women's clothes into a large bundle. She climbed onto Ryan's shoulder, grinning. Ryan couldn't help but think, "Little treasure hunter!" The tavern had just two small rooms, and the whole place was quite small. Darlis' tavern was modest, and the town was even smaller, with only two large barrels behind the bar.

As they left the tavern, Ryan's stomach churned again, but he managed to hold it in. Niu Niu seemed unaffected. Ryan thought to himself that, being of a different species, she probably didn't react the same way as humans, like how one might feel nothing walking through a slaughterhouse.

"Chuck, find someone who knows how to tame horses and bring them here. Tori, go find two long poles, about 5 or 6 meters long, and some wooden boards..." Once outside the town, Ryan realized how ridiculous it was to try and ride horses with a group of women, especially since the horses weren't trained. So, he decided to make simple sleds.

With Darlis' and Alice's help, Chuck and Tori found materials, and soon two sleds were ready. By now, it was completely dark. The sleds were filled with soft hay and blankets collected from the town. The women cried loudly, but Ryan couldn't afford to stay longer—bandits with bows might still be nearby, and some could even have crossbows. The bodies of the women's families could be dealt with later. Survival was the priority.

"Tori, lead the way. I'll follow behind. Hurry up!" Ryan urged, quickly helping the women onto the sleds. Some needed to be knocked out by Tori. The group set off toward Harry City with two sleds: Tori and about ten women on one, and Chuck driving the other, carrying Ryan, Darlis, Alice, and Niu Niu, who sat on Ryan's shoulder. The sleds were about 3 meters long, with two long poles and a wooden frame. The women were cramped together, but Ryan was too nauseous to think about that. Every time he closed his eyes, the horrible images from the tavern flashed in his mind, making him feel worse.

"Ryan, is this how it feels the first time you kill someone?" Darlis asked, noticing his discomfort.

Ryan gritted his teeth, unable to speak. Darlis, seeing his pain, suddenly took his hand and placed it against her chest, but said nothing. She pressed herself closer to him. Ryan was startled by her action and quickly withdrew his hand. Darlis looked at him, her eyes shimmering under the moonlight.

"My hand's cold. I didn't want you to get cold," Darlis explained quickly. Ryan pulled her into an embrace, wanting to reassure her that he wasn't rejecting her.

"Mm." After this brief moment of awkwardness, Ryan felt somewhat better. However, he didn't notice Alice's expression. Alice, seeing Ryan and Darlis' closeness, also held him tight, and Ryan felt a rush of warmth, thinking, "I must be quite charming." At the same time, he couldn't shake the thought that life was cheap in this world.

The journey would take about an hour for the horses. As Ryan saw the 15-meter-high city walls in the distance, he realized they were near a war zone. The Duchy of Rishi lay between the Imperial capital and the Duchy of Harry, with the Bloodred Fortress near the orc border. The fortress, located at the junction of mountains and plains, had repelled orc raids after its construction. However, in the winter, the Rhum River froze, providing a natural barrier.

The Bloodred Fortress borders the Bright Empire and serves as a key point on the orc highlands' main route. The 20-kilometer-wide passage is controlled by the Empire's 16 fortresses, along with the Bright Empire's "Tears of Angels" fortress. This natural crossing between the Rhum and Quinn rivers was the site of historic conflict. Once, the Dark Empire poisoned the Quinn River in an attempt to target the Bright Empire, but the poison ended up killing tens of thousands of people in the Alliance Empire. In retaliation, the Alliance sent its strongest knights and mages, defeating the Dark Empire's forces in just three days.

"Open the gates, open the gates! We have an emergency!" Tori shouted at the drawbridge.

"The lord has decreed no entry after dark," a voice called from the wall.

"You blind fool, we're from the Mage Guild!" Ryan yelled, casting a fireball toward the gate.