Chapter 31: Chapter 30: Diversion

Jack commanded the notification to disappear. 

Everyone in the cell had stood up, startled by the things happening before their eyes, two bodies, a twisted head, and another one rolling on the floor. But still, they remained speechless and actionless, questioning themself for why even bother standing up. Then, they sat down, save for Abraham, who was staring his darkened eyes at the bandit leader.

“If I’m not mistaken,” Abraham said, “the cargos have all been transported to Mocester?”

The bandits laughed.

“Correct,” the leader responded. “Who else would save the day and finish the contract violated by the Harper? We.”

“The Hensley?”

“Oh,” the leader frowned and jokingly said, “as if those monkeys have the money to pay us.”

Abraham clenched his hand and gritted his teeth as the blood dried on his lips.

“You’re just a lowly Crusader, don’t get ahead of yourself!” Abraham grunted.

“Oh, that’s very true, isn’t it?” The Maester entered the conversation. “And you, a high-ranking one, is no more than a cargo now.”

Abraham looked down, facing Robert’s soulless eyes staring at him.

“You’ll pay for this,” Abraham spoke the words that he himself doubted.

The boss slapped down on the table, breaking it. He stood up, excitement in his eyes as if his wicked desire was about to be fed.

“Yes, paying,” he said, “but from your side. It will be worth even more than all of those cargos.”

A long silence tensed the moment up, cut between by the loud and exhilarated breathing of the leader. Then, a childish voice croaked up from the corner of the cell.

“You idiots.”

The bandits frowned at those words. No idiots would be able to capture a caravan led by a high-ranking Crusader when the best they themself had was only a lower one.

Jack weaved his way through the prisoners and came out to the light from the lamb. He looked so small, so insignificant among men who were as tall as him sitting. The exhausted and grumpy face slowly showed itself.

“Ah,” Rat called out, “here comes our precious.”

“Indeed,” the leader said, “the greatest prize.”

He ordered the Maester to pull out the stuff inside Jack’s bag and put them in the giant palm of his hand.

“My apology for using the grenade earlier, but who could have guessed an unawakened kid would own one too?”

He picked the cube up, spinning it between his fingers.

“Here’s an interesting one,” the Maester said, lifting the Legacy Orb up. “And I hope you can tell me what it is.”

“And if I can’t?” Jack smirked.

The three bandits took a step back, looking toward each other worryingly. An enraged Maester couldn’t care less about collateral damage.

“Wow, you sure are a brave brat,” the Maester responded. “Now, I wonder how you can be so confident. Shouldn’t a kid be rather frightened in moments like this?”

Jack ignored the Maester’s question, making him frown in annoyance.

“The necklace,” Jack jutted his chin at the last thing taken out from the bag, “that’s your true purpose, right?”

“There ya go,” the boss answered, smiling, “you’re smart for ya age, boy!”

“Then why is it still here?” Jack responded.

“No hurry now. It will soon be where it needs to be.”

“Or is it because you haven’t found Edward yet?”

The leader stood up, his shadow engulfing Jack’s body like that of a grim reaper upon a dying one.

“Don’t try to be a smart ass, boy!”

Jack raised his head, facing the big thug eye to eye.

“That’s your best answer? Trying to ignore facts?”

“Facts?” the Maester grumpily said. “The only fact here is that the Corvus will pay us a fortune.”

Jack leaned his head toward the fool who had just spoken.

“You may seem like a scholar, but you are no smarter than a brute,” he mocked.

The man in the long robe walked forward but was stopped by the bandit leader.

“If everything has been just as planned, then where’s Edward? I bet you pay him a hefty amount before all of this, right? How are you going to contact the Corvus for that ultimate prize of yours?”

“He won’t run from this,” the bulky thug gritted. “He will need the pendant to find the nearest Corvus contact or, at the very least, use it to attract other houses’ interest in you.”

“Oh,” Jack laughed. “Are you sure about that?”

The bandit leader threw a punch at the iron bars on Jack’s right, bending them mercilessly. The shock traveled through the cell, leaving a fist mark on the stone wall.

“You better spit everything you know out, boy!” The man growled.

“Yes, the pendant is a necessity if you want to lure in a bunch of noble men,” Jack spoke, trying to hide his trembling leg after the shock from the punch. “Edward was still right about that, as well as the fact that the Corvus, their branches, their subordinates, whatever it may be, will come for me and my father.”

Abraham made a twitch, hearing Jack still calling him father.

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“Are you messing with me, boy?” The leader tensed his body up.

“But not to buy me back, got that, you fools?” Jack’s voice grew louder. “You retarded idiots, what do you think the Corvus will do with a useless child of their, a child long since abandoned? A subordinate power so weak that they got their ass kicked by a bunch of bandits? And a bunch of thugs thinking they could intimidate and extort them?”

Jack’s voice grew lower, tensing up like the air in the room.

“Dead. Dead. Dead.” He pointed at each of the bandits, then pointed at himself and Abraham. “Dead. Dead.”

Jack spread his arms out and shrugged, appearing relieved and hopeless.

“You fools have just sealed the dead’s deal to both sides! The honor and reputation of one of the most powerful houses in the empire isn’t something to be taken lightly. There’s no reason for them to keep me and the Harper around if all of this could happen again. They would rather see us dead than become a point of exploit, am I right?”

Jack finished his speech, leaving behind the bewildered bandits questioning their almost perfect plan. 

“Why should we believe you?” The bandit leader wasn’t yet fazed.

“Believe it or not, I don’t care,” Jack shrugged. “But, the pendant still has a lot of interest on it and could be sold for a hefty price. And my butler is leaving it here. What did you just say again, something about finding the nearest Corvus using it? So, on the flip side,....” 

Jack left his words hanging.

“Damn it,” the leader growled.

He snatched the pendant, squeezed it in his hand, and was surprised to see it remain intact under the pressure of his muscle and mana. Jack was impressed too.

“Of course, nobody would just randomly seek the signal from the necklace,” Jack said nonchalantly. “If that’s the case, we would all be dead by now. But it won’t be long till they hear of this. Wow, let’s see. except for the prisoners here and you filthy bandits, who else can spread the word and is still being let loose?”

The bandit leader angrily stared at Jack, wondering if he should just finish off the kid in front of him or not. Perhaps then, the Corvus won’t be looking for them anymore.

Jack snorted in despise.

“Why do you think I carry that thing with me all the time?” Jack asked. “Sure, just break my neck and see what happens!”

The thugs’ options were growing short. With a mumbling curse, the bandit turned around and ordered his men to walk up the stairs. He would use all the manpower he had to find Edward. The Maester gave Jack a grumpy glance before leaving.

The sound of footsteps slowly faded into the distance. 

“Are they true, what you say, Jack?” Abraham finally opened his mouth.

Jack shook his head.

“You understand the Corvus more than me, don’t you?”

“But…,” Abraham mumbled. “To cover this up, they may very well do it. You’ve just made me question how well I know my master.”

“That’s what I’m counting on. Nobody understands how the Corvus will respond in situations like this, not even me. And when people are not sure, their minds assume the worst. I just gave them a little nudge.”

“But what for?”

“So I can get you out of here,” Jack responded.

Everybody turned their eyes toward Jack as if he hadn’t shown them enough how crazy he really was.

“We’re in no mood for joking, kid,” a man spoke, “especially after all that. If all you do is make us die faster, I’ll be the first one to snap your neck. I couldn’t care less about your surname right now.”

Abraham stepped between his son and the rising number of people nodding their heads to the idea. He glanced at Jack, questioning what the boy would do next.

‘Whatever happens next,” Jack told Abraham, facing everyone, “whatever it is, nobody comes near me. Make sure nothing gets in my way, not even the bandits. This may be your only ticket out of here.”

Abraham nodded without hesitation. Everybody took a step back, saving the space in the corner for Jack.

Jack commanded the system to appear.

Do you want to activate the system?

Y/N

With a thought in his mind, Jack let the system proceed.

The notification disappeared, and Jack immediately felt the pain like a barrage of punches all over his body. Head, neck, shoulder, chest, belly, waist, thigh, leg. Jack crumbled to the ground, his body twitching, convulsing even more than being hit by the stun grenade. He puked and sweated with nothing coming out, but his shifting organs squeezed him from the inside. The suffering seemed endless.

Seeing Jack’s miserable condition, a mercenary tried to walk up and hold the kid down so he wouldn’t hurt himself. Abraham stopped the man. Among the people here, he was the one who wanted to do something the most, but he didn’t. He remembered and trusted Jack’s words, for he had regretted his heartlessness at the forest, for he had felt the shame of guilt while turning his back on his son. 

Jack struggled on the ground, trying not to make any loud sound that would alert the bandits. He had successfully tricked them away, so he had to finish the job. A thick black liquid started coming out of his mouth, and his sweat turned slimy like oil. The mixture of the two gave out a terrible odor that made everyone hold their noses.

The body pain gradually faded as his brain became the main target of this torturing. It felt like somebody was grabbing it, stretching it out, then nailing it at the corners so it wouldn’t pull itself back.

Fifteen minutes passed, and an eruption came out from Jack, pushing everyone back at the wall and metal bars. They were awed by the power cumulated inside the tiny body before them.

As experienced adventurers, they knew what was in front of them. A Herald. But how? No awakening ceremony was performed.

Activation completed.

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