Chapter 24: 24 – Bait

X waked up, a couple of hours later, after the carriage came to a halt. He surveyed his surroundings and upon noting that everyone else had already disembarked he groggily emerged from the carriage, rubbing his eyes as he adjusted to the bright light. 

Heiran approached him, one finger over his mouth. “Shh! Don’t make a sound and keep quiet.” 

While everyone stretched their legs, the early morning sun rose over distant mountains, casting a warm glow over the group. X saw four hooded figures surrounding him, his captors, and a fifth one, separated from the main squad. This last hooded creature, however, was visibly shaking and fidgeting, its nervousness palpable even under the concealing clothing. It took X no time to guess his companion’s identity. The other bait. 

Heiran approached the baits and chained them together, his movements precise and methodical. He stared, and made certain to be stared back, at the sorry excuses of creatures standing before him.

"Stay here or stay dead," he warned them.

Without another word, Heiran and his team began to make their way uphill, crawling on their hands and knees as they neared the edge. Back near the carriage, X turned to his bait partner, who clearly struggled with its situation.

"You alright?"

But there was no response. X could see the creature hidden under the clothes had a difficult time coming to terms with its captivity. The chains that bound them together clinked and clacked as it trembled with fear. He couldn't help but wonder who this creature was and how it had ended up in this situation. Was it a lost soul, an innocent bystander? X highly doubted it. More likely, it was a being they wanted to dispose of, just like himself, guilty of something. The poor creature yelled, with each nervous action, its inexperience in the art of captivity. It had dread written all over.

“From what I’ve heard they’re going to hit an outpost at the other side of these hills.” He looked at the four shadows prone near the edge. “Which happens to be next to a cave, then they’ll get the glittering stuff. And we lucky ones will be bait for every manner of lurking beasts, intelligent or otherwise. I reckon.”

Still no sound came out of his companion in chains. 

“Bait. Used for diversion. We’ll end up captured or dead. If you ask me, I do prefer a quick death, because falling into the enemy’s hands...”

X could feel the chains clanking stronger and faster, and he could almost taste the agitation of the creature besides him. 

“Torture is not for the feeble nor weak minded. I don’t know what to expect in this world, but I see no reason why creatures here would use a different menu. Burning, mutilations, gutting us like fish-”

"Stop! Shut up!" a female's voice came out. She had taken off her hood and mouth scarf. Shocked, X stepped back bringing the monster along with him.

“Hey, stop pulling!”

“I forgot I’m tied to this!” X's face twisted into pure disgust as he looked at her. 

“Have you never seen a half-reptiliana, half-mermyd kinn’haya!?”

Scales and fin-like ears sprouted from the sides of her head, her disheveled hair hanged down her mostly naked scalp and her fat serpent tongue fidgeted in the air. Her monstrous humanoid semblance took center stage. He tried to calm down, accepting bit by bit her blasphemous features. She saw revulsion in his eyes, as if she was nothing more than freak of nature. 

If it didn’t breathe and shit it’d be like one of those wax statues. A wax monstrosity.

He shook his head, trying to shake off the feeling. X rationalized that strange lands must unequivocally beget strange creatures. 

She bears no blame for her disfigured self. 

Then it dawned on him that something had gone very wrong in this world, between the deformed creatures and its backwards development. Pity grew inside the redheaded elf, for her, for all of them. He put a hand on her shoulder.

“Your desperation is understandable, it’s not your fault.”

"Argh!" She threw her fists up and down in frustration. 

"Of course, it's not my fault! Why am I bait!? Fucking Brmmin and Rpptif, they set me up! Ahh!"

X couldn't help but notice the change in her accent as she pronounced those strange names. But before he could ponder it further, their captors returned.

"Ah, Sllamagga, you finally decided to join us," a feminine voice said as she patted her back.

"It's Slllamagga Ferraine," she corrected through gritted teeth.

"Sounds exactly like I said it," Ferraine retorted with a smirk.

"And no, I was falsely accused! I've been trying to tell you!"

"Shut up or we'll shut you up," Heiran said in a menacing tone. Slllamagga immediately fell silent, cowering under his intimidating presence. The orc walked towards the carriage. "Seijen, bring down our chests."

Obediently, the chubby man brought down two wooden and heavy looking containers. 

“Everyone, come get your equipment.”

X's heart began to race as he saw the two chests filled with weapons, accessories, glowing items, some with written shining words, and a lot more objects he failed to recognize. He couldn't help the surge of adrenaline that ran through him, just like old times.

[Uff... Whomever they are, they pack heavy.]

It appeared by the chests, peering inside.

X stared at the specter and spoke out loud, “You finished?” momentarily forgetting to keep his thoughts to himself while in the company of others. His fellow creature in misery frantically gestured for him to be quiet.

One of the shadows turned around. "Huh? Did the baaait speak?"

"Shadows! Seems the baits are anxious to begin. Drop 'em." Heiran gave the order. 

"See what you did?!" Slllamagga exclaimed, her voice filled with anger and frustration.

"Oooh Sllammpig, we'd uuuse you anyhow, anyway... Nooot that I'd do, I'm not iiinto... whatever is it thaaat you are."

"It's Slllamagga motherfucker and I'd never do it with a damned feralis either! Least of all a putrid baakin!"

"Liiike I care! And you don't haaave your reptiliana 'ssss' accent anymore... too muuuch human cock changed your voooice?"

"Fuck you!"

"Oinks, somebody shut them up!"

A slender shadow came and took hold of the chains binding them together and pulled. 

This one’s a strong one. 

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Under its hood, he saw a pair of fiery, demonic eyes, dark gray skin, mixed with delicate female features. She led both baits up the hill they had used to scout the humans below and pushed them towards its edge. X saw a valley down below, between rugged walls, at the base of a steep mountain, tents populated the opposite corner while dots pranced between them.

"Wait! Ferraine, wait!" Slllamagga cried out.

Ferraine blinked with one of her fiery red eyes. "Exactly, create a ruckus as you go down." And with that, she pushed Slllamagga off the edge.

X turned his head at the last moment, he saw no one except Seijen who remained sitting on his carriage. How did everyone disappear? But he had no time to think, as a long fall over the steep and sandy wall awaited. Their drop and screams called everyone's attention down below.

 

The captain's voiced cracked the calm morning as he bellowed at the soldier on watch duty, "What is that? Jakkobini!" He turned to his lieutenant, "Damn Jakkobini! He’s sleeping on his watch again. Lieutenant, get two men and see what’s happening there, keep your swords ready and signal if anything’s wrong."

The lieutenant quickly complied, gathering two soldiers while the rest of the camp waited for further commands.

X and Slllamaga tumbled down the steep incline, dust and loose rocks pelted them as they fell what seemed an endless drop. He covered his head with both hands, holding tight to the piece of cloth he had used to cover his head. Both landed on hard ground, Slllamaga groaned in pain.

"Shit! Fucking Ferraine, that hurt!" Slllamaga cursed as she struggled to stand up.

The male elf stayed on the ground, but the chains pulled him.

"Get up!" Slllamaga shouted, her nerves cracked again as she heard noises and turned around. "Shit, humans are coming! Shit! Shit!"

Three human soldiers approached them, the lead soldier covered his nose and said, "Lieutenant, these are putrajados. And these ones stink like open sewage."

"Lucky guess, genius," X said.

“You say what?”

Before X could answer the lieutenant spoke, staring sternly at the two putrajados before him, "Who are you? Where do you come from? And what are you doing here?"

“I-im... Slllam-” But X interjected, “Slaves! Captives! Look!” and held up the chain binding them together.

“A putrajado mutt and a sickly... something. Damned slaves!” The soldiers surrounded them, pushing them around and demanding answers. "Speak slaves, what are you doing here? Where are your collars?"

Slllamaga stammered while X tried to come up with a believable story, "You know Saint Jalli.."

One of the soldiers cut in, "What? Saint Jaulea?"

"Yes!"

One of the soldier's voiced roared with anger, "You’re from there?!”

“We are?” Surprised, Slllamaga asked.

 “It was terrible what happened there.” 

“Terrible? It was a massacre! My cousin was stationed there, he said the damned reveling slaves killed whatever crossed their paths, women, children, old people... taking hostages, torturing them... it was hell."

“Shit, really? I knew it had been bad, but not that bad.”

“Well, if you are from Saint Jaulea that means you’re slave-rebels...” 

“What?! Wait! No!” the half-mermyd, half-reptiliana kinn’haya implored.

The lieutenant stepped in, "Bring them to the camp, the captain’s going to want to have a word with them."

 While the soldiers engaged with both baits, stealthed figures approached the human camp from opposite sides. These shadows lacked amateurish qualities, instead their abilities were refined, operating in unison as they sought their targets.

The captain signed document after document, glancing at the soldiers inside his tent. "What's keeping them?" he asked.

A soldier momentarily stepped out and returned inside with news. "They're coming, two others with them."

"Good," said the captain. He and his men stepped out of the tent.

The baits’ captors roughly shoved them around until they landed at the captain’s feet. 

"Jeez... this world's manners are sorely lacking..." X said, soaking in the sun's rays that had begun to heat up the atmosphere.

"I reckon these are the trespassers that fell down the slope."

"Slaves, Captain. And not any slaves. Saint Jaulea slaves."

The captain's eyes shined, and a grin crossed his face. "My sister was in Saint Jaulea. Did I ever tell you that Lieutenant Abaddan?"

“Yes, sir.”

"She almost didn't make it but managed to survive the whole ordeal... with her face blown off!" the captain anger vibrated in each and every word. He unsheathed his sword and placed its sharp tip over Sllammaga’s chest.

"Wait! I had never been to Saint Jaulea! I had nothing to do with it! It's him! Him!" she exclaimed, pointing her scaly finger at the elf.

"Me?" X asked, innocently pointing at himself.

"Goddamn putrajados. No honor. Savage impulses, pure egoism and hate flows through their veins. Nothing we can do about that... in any case we only need one slave alive. Whom to kill?" the captain said, raising his sword, ready to strike down one of the two captives.

But before he could make his move, a yell came from a tent on the opposite side of camp, "Assassins!"

"What the-!?"

"Shit!"

"We are under attack! I want a defensive formation on the double! Find them, kill them!" the captain shouted.

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