“Artemis?”

Covered in darkness and surrounded by the broken and desperate slaves that Artemis just freed, I am blanketed by doubt and insecurity. The burden of responsibility for these people falls into my unwilling shoulders and I don’t think that I can protect all of them. I don’t even think I can destroy the organization that broke them in the first place.

I notice that my breathing has gotten a little more ragged. I get it, I’m panicking. I can rationalize what’s happening around me easily but I don’t know how to react to all of this. Who can I count on for help? What should I do? Should I involve Lin in this? Where would we even go?

Seemingly sensing my internal chaos, Artemis places her hand on my shoulders and suddenly, I feel calm and I’m breathing a little easier than before.

She calmly walks away from me and chuckles to herself before turning to me once more.

She takes out a long sleek pipe, lights it and she takes a long and smooth drag which she exhales. “Are you feeling better now, master?”

I nod at her but I couldn’t contain my curiosity. “What did you do to me, Artemis?” I asked.

Artemis laughs away my question as though the answer to it was obvious all along. “I simply flushed out the negative energy you were generating due to stress, anxiety and fatigue. It made you better, right master?”

True, it did make me better but I have never experienced this sort of magic or rune before. To freely manipulate a person’s emotional state is on a whole other level when you compare it to artes such as the words of power. It’s easy to make the body obey but the mind and heart are not so easily swayed, depending on the individual’s resolution and motives.

With sweat on my brow, I walked towards Artemis and grabbed her by her shoulders. “Just” I pause for a moment, “who are you, really?”

Artemis’ eyes narrow for a split second before she smiles at me again, seemingly to reassure me of her intentions.

“Why, I am Artemis, your servant and confidante.” She takes the hems of her skirt and she curtsies. “Are you sure you are okay, master?”

With faux concern in her face, I calmly nod in response. Just who is this profoundly powerful person and why did she agree to be my servant in the first place? Why didn’t she just escape in the first place and destroyed these slavers herself? There has to be a reason. Nothing can ever be this good to be true.

Immersed in my thoughts, I nearly failed to notice the gathering of the slaves before us. The stench of dried urine and other bodily fluids pulled me back into reality and made me realize that the needs of these people greatly outweigh my petty problems of insecurity and doubt.

As I was taking their faces in, a serene looking old man was limping towards me. As he was approaching me, he stopped just before reaching 5 steps of me and he respectfully bowed his head. At his example, the other slaves followed suit. A few moments pass and I am caught unaware at this bizarre sight until the old man finally addresses me.

Without raising his head, he asks, “Wer bist du, mein Herr?” He pauses, seemingly contemplating what he was about to say next. Finally, he continues. “Bitte erlauben Si emir, mein Leben, Sie widmen.”

What language is this? Before I could even ask or apologize for not being able to understand his question, Artemis walks towards me and blows air into my ears.

“Artemis?”

She chuckles and gestured towards the old man again, urging him to repeat what he said.

“Who exactly are you, M’lord? You have done me a great service. Please, allow me and my family to devote our lives to you”

At this, the other slaves murmur in agreement and others even plead with me to accept them as my servants, even the women who were being sold as sex slaves were begging me to take them with me.

Wait, weren’t they speaking some different language just now? So how can I understand this man?

Seeing the confused look in my eyes, Artemis smiles a knowing smile. So it was her again. Just how powerful can one person be? This is a pretty useful skill. I graciously thank her in my head.

“Old man, everyone, why serve me? Artemis was the one who saved you all.” Yup, it should be that way after all.

“M’lord, if I may be so bold, Lady Artemis here is someone we all admire and we know just how powerful she is. She brought back to life those who died from the beatings they gave us and sometimes, she conjured up food when we needed it most. She is a goddess in our eyes but she has never spoken to anyone before. What. Then. could compel someone like her to speak? Either an impending danger or a willing hero. You are that hero m’lord.”

Shouts of agreement and praise resound from the crowd of slaves. Some of them were happily singing while the others were hugging each other and some of them are looking at Artemis and I with affection in their eyes. Wait, ‘affection”? I angrily turned to Artemis and I took her aside.

“Artemis, did you do something to these people?” I shared my suspicions with her.

As though she was punched in the gut, Artemis showed me a nasty look and then she actually punched me in the gut.

“Fool, do not downplay their devotion to you. These people have tirelessly prayed for hope and finally you come. I did not toy with their emotions, I am no such divine entity. They see the same things I see in you: the full potential of the human race.” Artemis then smiles at me and urges me to face the crowd of slaves.

“Old man, what is your name?”

“They call me Marume. I was captured in Izumo Island when I went there for a vacation with my family 3 months ago.”

Hearing the name Marume brought back a memory to me, one between me and Yuriko when I first came to Izumo. But that was only a few weeks ago, not more than a month or two. Weird. Maybe they just have the same name. I decided to ignore the issue for now.

“I am called Alphonse.” I nod at them, “but are you sure with serving me? I have no plans for you all right now and even if I did allow you to serve me, I would probably not care even if you ran away afterwards. If you understand that then we all have an agreement.”

I guess the best course of action to take is to not really give a shit about them. I guess I can provide some food and change of clothes but that’s about it. It’s too much of a hassle to take care of them so if I absolutely have to take care of a few slaves, I might as well dissuade the majority by telling them the truth but boy was I mistaken.

In response to my ‘apathetic’ statement, I am met with pledges of undying devotions and loyalty. Overcome by this turn of events, I am at a loss for words and Artemis, being the faithful servant that she is speaks on my behalf.

“You are all my master’s now. Serve him well and you will be treated well. Reward your chain-breaker with your undying loyalty!”

A resounding cheer from all of the freed slaves almost shook the ground. Artemis would be a great tactician and battlefield commander but what she did right now doesn’t help my dilemma at all. Well, whatever. I’ll think about this later when I have to. Besides, we have more pressing matters right now: Getting these slaves out.

Seemingly peering into my mind once again, Artemis speaks to me again but with a little more restraint and formality in her voice.

“Master. I realize that there are a number of these people and that you might have a hard time in freeing them all. So, I have a proposal.”

I widened my eyes at this. Is she actually reading my mind? Wait, can she see me naked through my clothes too?! I cover my chest and crotch with my arms as I turned away from her.

“Relax, I cannot see through clothes, master, but listen here. Will you allow me to go on a rampage on your behalf? I will take the slavers lives and secure our exit. Is that agreeable with your thoughts, master?”

I know that Artemis is powerful but how powerful is she? I managed to subdue an enemy base easily merely with my words of power and laser beam but can she actually put her abilities to use? Seemingly sensing my doubt, Artemis frowns.

“Do you distrust me, Alphonse?”

Eep. “No, I do not. Then I shall allow it.”

She shakes her head. “No. You must give me the command. Think hard and think it through. This command binds me to you and was made when you purchased me from the slaver.”

Failing to understand what she just said, I just said the first words that came to mind.

“Your master commands you! Unleash carnage upon this desolate world!”

Sounds a little too chuuni to be me but hey it sounds cool. I mean I hope it sounds cool. I look around at the slaves’ faces and sigh in relief when they are all doing the ‘hell yeah!’ pose. I guess I was pretty cool back there.

While I was celebrating my new found coolness, I failed to realize that I had inadvertently unleashed hell on Earth. The earth started to shake below me while the ceiling and the walls were swaying back and forth. The intensity of the force behind me was too much, much much stronger than the earthly beast I encountered in the desert. Much stronger than Yuriko or Chie and right now it is much stronger than I am.

With fear in my heart, I turn around and face the source of that overwhelming, otherworldy power. Upon seeing where it came from, the hairs on my arms were standing up. What I saw was a sight to behold. Wearing her gothic Lolita getup, Artemis’ dress was covered by a deeply diluted black aura that seems to stem from her mana but this density is nothing I have ever felt before. It seems as though she literally has unlimited mana. Surrounding that dense outpour of mana was blue lightning that sparked every now and then and I can feel that one spark from that would probably roast me to oblivion. If that isn’t enough, Artemis’ empty hands was now occupied by an otherworldly ethereal sword that was at least 20 feet long. Her long hair was now swaying back and forth due to the sheer amount of pressure she was releasing and the slaves looked fearful for their lives but they weren’t moving an inch.

Artemis, what the fuck are you?

At that, she turns to me and bows as though she was a knight.

“Great hero, your wish shall be granted. I will ravage your enemies and crush them like the insects that they are. I’m off.”

Artemis phases through the roof and I have no way to catch up with her. I instruct the slaves to hide here in the basement for the moment. I run after Artemis with all of my might.

“Activate: Laser Beam”

I activated laser beam twice and finally reach the city square but what awaited me was a scene of pure carnage. Standing in the middle of all of this destruction was Artemis and around her were the slavers but of course, none of them are recognizable due to the majority of them having been crushed like a can. Is this some sort of gravity magic? Blood, organs and brain matter surround the area. It is a horrible sight. This can’t even be called a battle anymore! This is pure carnage. Nothing more. Nothing less.

As I was lost in my thoughts, rambling about morality and right and wrong, Artemis started walking towards Valefor, who was nursing his left leg which looks to have been blown off.

“How could you side with him?! A mere human!” Cough, cough!

Artemis simply smiles. “I have no reason to answer you, slaver. Repent upon your sins in the next life.”

Artemis raised her sword but before it is brought down, faster than anything, a cloaked figure punched Artemis three times, once in her neck, once in the middle of her back and once in the rib which was followed up by a kick. Before I could react, the figure looks at me with wrath in its eyes. I can’t tell if this is a man or a woman but this degree of hatred is not normal. The masked figure flips something towards Artemis and he grabs Valefor and they disappear out of sight.

“L…laser beam?”

What the hell! That was laser beam wasn’t it? Wait, that’s not important right now. Artemis!

I run towards Artemis but she pushes me back with mana. I find myself covered by a barrier of sorts as I try to voice my protests to Artemis but the barrier was muffling my voice. Artemis smiles at me and she mouths a single word to me.

Live.

Before I could understand what she meant, the thing that the masked figure threw towards Artemis shined and it started rapidly expanding as it collapses on itself.

Nuclear Fission. Anti-Fortress Arte. I know now how I know of this but this is seriously dangerous.

I try to fight my way through the barrier to get to Artemis’ side but before I could even struggle, the object flashes once more and it finally explodes, swallowing everything in its kill zone. Everything, except me.

Artemis.

Author's Notes

Hey everyone! Two little-bit-longer-than usual chapters in one day! This is the end of my birthday surprise for everyone. I guess a lot of people died just now, eh? Well how will Alphonse react to this? We'll see won't we? Until next time! Please share your thoughts, opinions, basically what you thought of the chapter in the comments section okay? Thank you!