《The Villainess Has Fallen》Chapter 43: Slave Traders
Advertisement
Chapter 43: Slave Traders
Silence, when used right, could do wonders. And I knew the way of silence like the back of my hands. I had mastered and practiced the art to the pinnacle during my stint in that conglomerate. There are many ways of using silence. In the workplace, managing noise pollution is of great importance within the office. Thus I enjoy passing through noisy places with my brows reaching the roof, and everyone becomes silent.
Anyway, I like it not too noisy and not too silent. Just enough for everyone to focus on their task.
Aside from that, the art of silence is also useful for negotiating deals. When partnered with a poker face and confident gait, silence adds pressure and weight to your presence. Truthfully, I all learned it from my mom. After all, she’s an expert at using it against me. When she stares at me and my dad in silence, we both buckle up.
***
Emma frowned as she watched me turning quiet.
She stared, trying to figure out what I was thinking. Then she saw me peeking at the cold soup with subtle dissatisfaction. The old catkin picked the bowl of cold veggie soup. A light glint flashed from her eyes. She strode, swapping it with a new batch of warm soup from the black pot nearby.
Anyway, the old catkin's morning nagging felt like home indeed. I remembered the raised eyebrows of my mom, her morning preaching mode to bless me every time I burn through the night.
Ah! The warmth. How I miss it. Soon, I demolished the dishes, taking relish with every bite. Not one piece had remained untouched. After that outhouse ordeal, my stomach had turned into a vast swathe of emptiness.
“Thanks for the food.” I burped after the sumptuous meal.
The old catkin nodded, smiling with pride. She’s indeed an excellent cook.
After taking breakfast, Emma asked me to take a rest while she busied herself with cleaning the house. I tried to help but got shooed away. She gazed as if I would only add more trouble if I help. Do I look like a sheltered lady? I glanced at my flawless palms and fingers, not one bit of callous existed on it. So this was the reason?
Emma roamed around the house, picking a few things the boisterous little kittens had scattered. I sat on a wooden barrel, rubbing the deformed tummy I created. I’m lucky that the kittens were the first ones to find me. Their food was top-notch.
Anyway, I’m getting curious again.
"Emma, are there slave traders in this continent?" I turned to Emma, hoping to ease my boredom.
“A lot,” the old catkin hissed, her pupils turning into slits. “It’s treated as a profession here in the Madlands.”
Unlike Endramion, slave trading was still rampant in this lawless land. No wonder the old catkins had told me off. I’m not a saint, but I still felt uncomfortable hearing of its existence. My modern personal views about slavery don’t fit well in this world. Anyway, isn’t Emma afraid of something happening to the little kids? Maybe I should ask?
Advertisement
“Aren't you afraid of slave traders?” I pursed my lips, gazing at the old catkin. “I mean... the little kittens.”
“Oh, you mean Tabi and Coby?” The old catkin’s thin lips arched, the broom on her hands stopped for a moment. “Afraid?”
"Y-you know slave traders," I uttered under my breath. “A-And they’re young and cute.”
Emma giggled after hearing my stuttering. “You don’t need to worry about anything, Lady Victoria. They’ll be fine. They’ll even fare better than you. Anyway, you’re going to understand that soon enough.”
Being compared to the kids, I’ll be honest, it stung. I chugged my ego and answered. “If you say so.”
What else could I say? I’m a mere freeloader. Nothing but a homeless auntie who is always enjoying the hospitality of others. Ever since I came into this world, things had been like this. Truthfully, I’m speculating that fate and I had a lot of bad blood.
***
The crown of fire had reached the peak of its reign. The temperature slowly rose. Fortunately, the grassland breeze continuously blew, cooling the bulk of the heat. I lazed on a wooden chair, gazing at the window. Glancing at the drifting clouds and swaying grasses, I kept myself amuse while Emma was away. In the middle of our talk, the village head came and gave her a new task. Our long-awaited talk had been cut-short once again.
My thought drifted, wondering what I will do from now on. The primary plan was to return to Endramion. But I do not know how. I’ll arrange my next steps once I talk with the village head and the old catkin. I’m still debating inside whether I should tell them my story. But for now, telling them my story would be stupid on my part. They don’t know me. And I don’t fully know them.
“I wonder what the kittens are doing right now,” sighing as boredom took its toll on me.
The white clouds turned into the shape of an elephant, making me giggle. Then I turned towards the grasslands, wondering when the kittens would come back.
Soon, the shadow of a scarlet kitten zoomed onto my view. Behind her was a golden kitten huffing as he tried to outrun the scarlet kitten. I rubbed my eyes, wondering if I was hallucinating. Luckily, I was not.
Are they racing? Cute fellows.
Then I saw something else. Two lanky bastards were running after them. One for each kitten. Vile things. A light-colored net lying on their hands.
Sorry for the word, but the shitheads made me scowl. Something broke inside - my temper.
I immediately sent a mental note to my contracted spirits. Even though I couldn’t see them, the tingling sensation I felt during the time I had accidentally contracted them remained. There had never been a perfect time for my dear green blobs to shine. Thus, I threw one simple request.
Advertisement
Pointing straight at the bastards, I said. “Shred them.”
Yes, I went straight towards the all-bloody route. Cuz’ damn it! The kittens were the glorified fulfillment of my dreams. No, rather, I also carry all the dreams of those silent wardrobe geeks. I’d not wish anything bad to happen to them. If someone dares to have evil designs against them, they’re dead meat. No one’s going to do bad things to them under my watch.
This auntie’s eyes burned. I threw caution in the wind, asking the wind spirits to protect the little ones. The duo ignored me, warning me I shouldn’t do so.
But how could I stand still? I ignored the flashing crimson notification and the wind spirits’ advice. Fury burst forth from my chest, “[Wind Arrow]!!”
They shall not defile such sacred kittens.
The golden fire burning brightly in the skies immediately hid into the rushing dark clouds. A roar of thunder trembled, answering my summons. Razor-blade flashes of lightning followed the trembling thunder, ripping through the skies. Not one, but many.
Then comes the twisting wind falling from the dark clouds. The [Wind Arrow]. Eh, why is this one a bit… bigger?
I gritted my teeth and immediately controlled my mana output, lessening it into pitter-patters until I achieved the right size.
The rapidly shifting weather caught the two ugly bastards confused. They turned their head upwards, their speed slowing down. Though I couldn’t fully see them, I could at least tell what they were doing from my location.
Taking the chance, the golden kitten sprinted, continuing to flee. For the scarlet kitty, she had a bloody plan.
Soon, I discovered what Emma meant by don’t worry.
Before my spell could even unleash its fury, the scarlet kitten halted her steps, turned back after seeing that the bastards had lost focus. She suddenly rushed to the dumbfounded slave traders. A fog of crimson covered her like a veil. Her speed rocketed. A trail of scarlet drifted behind her visage. It waltzed akin to flying crimson-colored satin.
What happened next made me shut my eyes. The scarlet kitten zigzagged, dodging the nets thrown by the bastards. Her tiny right hand nimbly lunged to one bastard's chest. A fountain of blood spurted from the fool’s rib cage. The bloody kitten puckered holes one at a time throughout his entire body.
In the end, she twisted the man's neck. He died.
The grim fate of the first scoundrel scared the still-living one. He froze on the spot before he tumbled, falling on his butt. He then immediately stood and fled. With the scarlet kitten trailing behind him, he cursed his ancestors for not giving him an extra leg. His predecessors had climbed the wrong evolution ladder.
The slave trader knew how to run. He probably had trained as a warrior. Though lanky, he had the speed to plow him through.
Unfortunately, that wasn’t enough. His luck got cut short as the golden kitten picked up a few stones, making a small sling with a dirty cloth laying on his side. He slung a few stones in the air. The stone whistled, striking the back of the head of the running bastard. The slave trader staggered before sliding onto the ground.
Such accuracy.
The scarlet kitten caught up. She huffed, her eyes turned listless.
When I thought everything had finally ended, I saw something worse. Tabi grabbed the escaping man's nape, puncturing it like a balloon. She dragged out the man’s spine, splitting him in half.
No mercy attached.
After that, the kitten kicked the man away. The bastard’s corpse twitched despite getting ripped into two. Oh boy, I almost peed after seeing the shocking sight.
As for Tabi, she stood unmoving. The scarlet kitten stared at the dark skies with an innocent smile on her face. She was in a daze. Not even the tempestuous wind could move her from her spot. Meanwhile, the golden kitten waited a few meters away, refusing to go near the crimson veiled kitten.
I swallowed cold air. My entire body shivered at the cruel end of the fools. I took a gulp. And here I was, petting the same kitty?
Anyway, what will I do with that tornado? I smiled wryly, canceling the furious wind. Then something flashed before my eyes.
[You have activated your magic. Now taste your penalty.]
Inflexible bastard.
Before I knew it, the rebound had already come. I spasmed on the floor, drool or saliva bubbled, dripping from the sides of my lips. How could I tell? Well, the two blobs told me what was happening to me…
Their thoughts were now much clearer than before. Before, I could only sense their general emotion, but now I could hear everything. Their voice echoed in my head.
The fist-sized one said in a young master’s tone, “Victoria’s going delirious. Go fix the stupid girl, Maggie. We tipped her to not use any magic, but this naughty lady still did it. She even drained part of the mana I sapped from her. This spendthrift. Sigh.”
The little green blob cried. “But you’re the one who made her like this! Causing that disaster was the reason she suffered from ruptured mana veins. And you’re older than me, so take responsibility. I’m still young, a baby! I don’t know what to do next. I’ll tell father if you bully me!”
Hearing their voices felt weird. It made me want to butt in. Unfortunately, I was having a seizure. And damn, it was painful.
Advertisement
A Lonely Tree
Have you ever wondered how wonders are made? Thought about the stories behind a flying mountain, a desolate castle, or an underwater labyrinth; all filled to the brim with monsters, traps and treasure? This is the story of a lonely tree using everything at its disposal to live long enough to become one of the greats. [participant in the Royal Road Writathon challenge]
8 271Return Of The Martial God
An unrelenting flame burned across the lands eradicating life as it pleased. When the flame burned its brightest the embers that gave it life conspired to extinguish it. Wu Jilong, The Martial God, was betrayed by his own parents. At the age of 15 Wu Jilong was sealed in a formation designed to cripple his cultivation, pollute his meridians, and dilute his Qi. After 5,000 years Wu Jilong has returned to make the world beautiful once again. Through sheer martial power Wu Jilong shall destroy the heavens which make the world so ugly.
8 150Everyone is a Superhero! Apart from me
Welcome to Loktharma, where everybody is a superhero from birth. That makes Eugene De Lavet the most special of them all. At eighteen years old, he still has no clue what his superpower is. Loktharma has never been a fair world. There are Worldbreakers who were born to brandish the power of the universe, warp time-space, destroy lands and continents. There are Craftmasters who control the elements and terrorize countries with their might and wits. There are Commoners who are only gifted with power for the finer arts, architecture, military arts, or small-scale elemental manipulation. Even in an unjust world like Loktharma, there is always one constant: everyone is assigned a Flair since birth; the power to do something extraordinary. And then there's Eugene. He's been running around in a secluded forest since birth, training and sparring his ass off. While he can wield a blade better than most at his age, he certainly can't throw a giant boulder using the power of his mind, or turn his skin into diamonds. He has no Flair, no purpose for leveling up his stats, and no idea why General Rizeni Baggardo keeps him confined inside a forest for eighteen years. At least until Lord Pyro—the Craftmaster of Tailiah—unleashes his fury on the forest, searching for a treasure Eugene doesn't even know exists. On a frantic escape for his life, Eugene starts to realize he was a part of something he's been completely oblivious to until now. Along with his companions, Melodi and Azra, he travels the land and unveils the secrets of the world. [The story will be told primarily through the lenses of three main characters, with occasional side character POV chapters. It also draws inspiration from Japanese shounen. So only proceed if you're cool with these aspects.]
8 172Supernaturals Untold
Being a famous actress, Camilla/Becca faces the biggest betrayal of her life by the people she least expected.All because of jealousy.She decides to end her life cause of the heart-shattering acts done to her.But is saved by a mysterious man.Little did she know that the item the man dropped in their encounter would change her life forever.It blessed her with unknown abilities and cursed her at the same time. She will have to face all the supernatural beings out there all because of that one item.
8 245Wang Ki's Prophecy: The Elven Kingdom
After the late King was assassinated and the new king rose to power, he decided to try and stomp out all of Magickkind, destroying many homes, villages, and people along the way. Fourteen year old Wang Ki and his hyung, Dae Sung and Min Su are no exception to that destruction. After their village is destroyed, the three of them travel to try and find a new home, but to no avail. They learn from an early age that the world is cruel and people don't care. Along the way though, they somehow manage to befriend, if you can call it that, an assassin who teaches them how to fend for themselves. This odd group ends of causing a lot of trouble, and finding it, as their adventure unfolds to the Elven Kingdom and learn about the world along the way.
8 195Marvel-ous Ninjutsu
So content warning first, this is a fanfic of hot steaming garbage. I hope you enjoy it. I will probably put in bad words, fights, maybe gore and maybe some lemons. Or maybe I won’t, we will see how this goes. This story is my attempt to write some fanfiction that I won’t hate, which is still up for debate. Let us follow the MC as he is pushed into the world of Marvel with his own special super power made up from the world of Naruto. This will be close to the MCU, but let's call it Earth-199999-AU. AU is for the author's universe. MCU, check. X-Men, check. Doom and the fan-4? Double check. Other stuff from comics, also check. From Naruto, eye powers? At some point, so check. Tailed beasts and summons? Nope. Chakra and ninja powers? Check and check. Other things to note, I will try to keep the power for the MC in balance. But with his super power it might be hard, those eye powers can be some pretty high level BS. I don’t plan to have a harem for the MC, but I might give one to another character, because I know people like harems. But if I give you a harem, I won’t give you any lemons to go with it. I hope you enjoy the story. If you don’t let me know, or don’t. It’s a fanfic anyways, expect hot garbage. Chapters will be put out when they are put out, I do not have a big back log and I am trying not to burn myself out with writing. Also this is only posted on RR for now. I might at some point post it else where and when I do, I will add a link here.
8 274