“My, my. You finally woke up.” Enna loomed above the hunter they captured. Since they were waiting for Gris to come back, the group decided it would be best to just stay put and be hidden for a while.

“Who are you?” He groggily asked, but the numb on his face from the impact was slurring his speech a bit. He reeked of alcohol, however, so that may also be the case.

“Let’s make this quick.” Enna readied her ability.

“Grantor, with thine words, topple their minds.”

Vibrating tonal pulses emanated from her, threatening to mentally disarm the non-Vassal’s mind.

Altering Feedback.

“Huh? Where am I?” The man was confused.

“What the…” Enna also shared the same reaction. Her ability did not go through the man.

Behind her, Gen came closer and bopped her head. “Genius. This old man does not care about you, you know. Even if you go on top of him, he’ll just—pffwuah!” Before he could finish jeering, Enna quickly retaliated with her fist to his chest.

“It’s not about THAT, glutton. I cannot tap into his mind. Of course, my ability cannot be fought by normal people, but this guy is not a Vassal. I know it.” He looked at the dazed man.

“But… I feel something clashing with my ability.”

“Enna. You do know that some astral abilities tend to negate themselves, right?” Fein squatted down beside the man.

“Oh! Really…” She scratched her head, and suddenly gasped. “An ability that controls people… Captain? Does he have Pierre’s coin?”

“No, but if that’s the case… This certainly is his doing.”

“Who are you, people? Where am I? Why am I tied up?!” The old man frantically tried to get away, but he could only squirm for so long until his fatigue got the best of him.

Altering Feedback.

Since Enna’s ability negated the other that was controlling the man, he was now free of it. Still, they need him to calm down, so Enna made him do just that. When he looked at her, he immediately stopped his movement and sat gently, resting his head on the tree trunk.

“Should I cut it?” Peram held a knife. Enna nodded.

“He’s good. I can speak to him now.” Peram cut the ropes gently. The man let him.

“Huh… Who are you… people?” He spoke just like how an innocent old man would.

“We saved you from an attack. You might not remember it because of the concussion on your jaw, however.” She passed the bluff easily, as anyone within the grasp of her ability can be easily played.

“Oh. I see. Thank you then…” He then checked for his pockets and shirt.

“Wait… Where’s my stuff?”

“When we got here, you were already bare. (Gen, hide his things, quick!)” Fein did not thoroughly destroy the equipment, so Gen hid it from his vision by simply standing in front of it. Mido and Vivace joined soon after.

“Ah… Bandits far out here? After it became so peaceful…” He sighed, seemingly calm.

“Tell me, sir. Why are you out here?”

“Hmmm… I don’t even know, to be fair. All I remember was that I was about to go hunting when someone came to our village.”

“So, there is a village!” Vivace surprisingly said but composed herself soon thereafter when she found out everyone was staring at her.

“Ahem…”

“Anyways, I was checking my equipment and was ready to go when a man came to our village. He was shady, but offered us much-needed money.”

“Money… A shady man… Was he dressed like a noble?”

“Oh, sophisticated, he is. It annoys me. But… wait… why am I here?”

“Sir, where’s this village you talk about?”

“The village? It’s right there, just a few walks away.” He pointed to a seemingly random direction. There were no paths or any visible indication that there was a way to be followed.

“Huh?” Everyone was startled.

“Oh, who am I kidding?” He tried to stand up but tumbled before Peram managed to pick him up.

‘Shit… he smells of booze…’ he tried to cover his nose with his palm, but to no avail.

“In that general direction?” Enna asked and pointed to where the man did.

“Oh… I don’t remember… but all I can say that it’s a large canopy. The light goes through the leaves, and houses are made of wood…”

“He’s still drunk, Enna. This was promising, but at this point, we can’t pick up any more relevant information from him.” Gen commented.

In the distance, Gris’ big shape slowly came into view beneath the thick trees.

“I pinpointed that man’s footsteps. Come, quick!” He waved for them. Everyone looked at Gris from a distance and got nearer to him, making the old man unoccupied by any of them.

“Gris! Could you let someone borrow the tracker?” Mido asked.

“What? Why?”

“We need to treat this old man—” When Mido looked back, the man was already gone, which made everyone alarmed.

“Shit! Where’d he go?!”

“He was there a while ago. He couldn’t have gotten that far!”

Fein knelt at the spot where the man was tied. He saw only dark dirt, blended with the leaves. There were slight footprints that led to an area they did not go through, but it immediately faded after a few steps. However, he saw something glint from beneath the dirt…

“He just… disappeared…” Vivace became nervous.

“Don’t be spooked. Let’s move, quick!” Gen immediately called to follow Gris, to which Fein affirmed. This time, everyone huddled even more, with Gris at the front.

“Was that a…” Vivace was about to say something but held back.

“No. We checked his body when he was unconscious. If there were any ‘ghosts’ here, they would not have grabbed you.” Fein said, to her relief.

“Ahh~ I’m itching to find everything out now! I can’t believe I smooth-talked a ghost!” Enna complained as she rubbed her shoulders.

“Tch. Do you believe in that? Besides, you sensed an ability on him and even used one against him. Must be Pierre’s ability’s reaction to yours.”

“Oh… Right… It may be plausible, but… Now that I feel it, this place really creeps me out.” She looked around her. The trees became so dense that it shaded much of the light from the sun. It became more damp, humid, and the sounds of insects became more collected and audible.

“If Enna did not erase that ability on him, then we might’ve already been found.” Fein flashed the object he found earlier on the old man’s spot.

A silver coin with an engraved shield.

“So, he was really controlled?!” Everyone gasped as they tried to process what happened. Fein gave the coin to Enna, to which she confirmed.

“Yes. That definitely is the same tone. But didn’t that man not remember anything?”

“That’s true. He might have run away for fear of us. But that means he would’ve been on his way back to the village by now. That raises concern for me.”

“Why?”

“Because if Pierre is there, and the old man comes back not under his influence, then we’ve been noticed. We have to be quick about this.”

“Let’s move, then!” Gris urged them to follow him. They were standing in one place for far too long. Trudging the whole area required effort, as the trees became thicker and the land they walked on slowly turned into a marsh. The abundant flora around them also added to the difficulty. One would wonder why would a village be established on such a hard biome, and in what manner can they sustain themselves?

“Gris. Still a long way to go?” Fein walked beside Gris.

“We’re almost there. Look at that elevation.” Gris pointed to an inclined land that has been elevated by almost half of the trees’ heights. The flora here were taller, some even beat the height of Reiss’ buildings, which were tall enough as they were.

“That’s a steep incline. How fast did you actually walk, Gris?”

“That’s a secret.” He chuckled.

They treaded carefully into the apex of the elevation. When they did, it overlooked a huge canopy, just like the old man had said. They were well above the vicinity, as they can see an almost bird’s-eye view on this vantage point. The gigantic trees around that almost-circular space seemed to bend artificially into the area itself. Some shafts and rays of light shimmer through and into the ground, generating a somewhat fantasy ambiance when one looks at it. Within the area lies the village they wanted to find. There were small huts made of primitive design, but the materials were mixtures of industrial and inferior components. Crude pathways connect every hut. There seemed to be people walking around, patrolling. One side of the area occupied a large cliff. It must be tall, as the wall continued even above the tree canopy.

They wondered where the people living here exit, and they were promptly answered by an approaching vehicle emerging from a small opening on the other side of their position. It sputtered smoke on its back and parked on an area covered by a long hut, away from their sights.

“What the hell are they doing here? And is that a building?” Gen pointed to an obscure part of the village and saw what seemed to be a misplaced, modern building. It was small, but one can deduce that it has been built here specifically.

“Stay low, everyone. We don’t know for sure if these people are…” Before he could finish, Fein saw a figure come of out the building. When he passed through a lit brazier, he wore distinct clothing. A beige attire, fit for a noble.

“Pierre.”

Peram and Vivace were noticeably warming up. It’s only a matter of time before their pent-up anger will be unleashed recklessly, ruining this recon of theirs.

“Calm down, you two. We still don’t know how to attack them. We have no idea if they have traps in place, or if they expected us to be here in the first place.” Enna detailed to them, to which they tried to calm themselves.

“…Right. Let’s move in, then.” Peram said.

“Here. There’s a path leading down.” Gris called. Surely, there was a scraped-down path along the elevation that lead to more foliage below. Fein concluded that there was enough cover, so they carefully proceeded to go down.

The space they’re shimmying on was a tad small, with little room for error as one slip-up can make them fall, risking attention. Nevertheless, they succeeded and proceeded to secure a perimeter a few distances away from the village itself.

“Captain. Do we have a plan? There’s no obvious way out of here except for the exit.” Mido asked as they crouched.

“Tch. We carelessly went inside without a thought for that. We just have to make do.” Fein grunted. “For now, let’s try to investigate that peculiar building.”

They quietly sneaked into the village, staying away from any sources of light as possible, mostly keeping to the cliff as both cover and protection from any ambushes should they be spotted. Eventually, they neared the building. It was more of a bunker; made of concrete and protected by a crude blast door on the front, hastily made. The group decided to go through the back of the building.

“Something tells me this wasn’t here before…” Gris commented before he busted open the iron bars behind the compound with the help of Gen’s ability, muting the noise. One by one, they eased inside. The area they came through was not particularly spacious.

Using his Chromatic Seal ability, Gris pulled out a drilling device from a gem on his bag and used it again in tandem with Gen’s to bore a hole into the concrete. Thankfully, it was lacking in security; no complicated security measures were functioning, as far as they noticed. Something told the group that these people have not prepared as much as they expected them to be. But what could be inside this unusual bunker?

The concrete now had a hollow opening, leading to a large room. The building itself may be just an empty one, supported by pillars of concrete. It was dark and was only lit by a distant torch illuminating the blast door.

“Guys… do you smell that?” Enna sniffed. It was an acrid smell, and it seemed to envelop the whole room.

“It’s like someone died in here. Everyone, light your lamps.” Fein ordered. They did, and what they saw haunted them.

Dozens of cages lined up on one wall. Each one had a human inside, be it male or female. They wore tattered clothes made of different components. Some were unmoving, dazed, and slowly falling into insanity. Other cages contained people that were too skinny to be called one, slowly crumbling away.

“Shit… This is not real…” Peram froze in his tracks. On the sight of their flashlights, the people inside the cages looked slowly in an eerie fashion, and moaned guttural sounds, seeking help. The sheer sight of this inhumane treatment unnerved them all.

“Are these dead people already? Look at them, barely clinging,” Gen commented as he approached a cage. A man, reduced to what was left of his muscle, grabbed the iron bars of the cage weakly and shuddering, he uttered what words he could muster…

“Please… help.” His shivering voice, with his shriveled hands, alluded to unjust treatment.

Gen looked down and fell into deep thought.

Pierre. Was he conducting human trafficking in this secluded area, all this time? To think such an inhumane way to act was made by a noble that also controlled his people stuck deep into Gen’s heart.

‘There’s no way people like you live without regret…’

He looked at the man who slumped his face to the bars. He did not move at all, face staring at the abyss.

“Hey… person.” A voice that of a young woman called out to him. He looked around. The others were also checking the perimeter as he knelt alone. He looked at the rows, and he saw a hand waving to him.

“Hey… Come…” she said, and so did Gen. Arriving at her cage, she saw her. Her face and body battered by wounds, and she clung to whatever that’s left of her destroyed clothing. What’s more, she was somewhat healthy, signifying that she must have found herself here just recently, but on closer inspection, the woman showed signs of malnutrition on her limbs.

“Are you here to save us?” She softly asked.

“Shit… what happened here?” Gen touched his head, frustrated. He looked to the concrete floor in disbelief, thinking what made the people here stoop so low.

“We’re slaves. We came from different places, you see—” Before she could finish, she coughed raspingly.

“Wait. Let me get you out.” Gen stood up and readied his ability.

“Stay back.”

The young woman crawled to the side as Gen destroyed the iron bars, startling everyone else inside the huge room.

“Gen! What’s the big deal? We’ll be heard!” Enna warned him. Gen did not listen.

“Get out of there.” She promptly did so, and when she did, the others came to Gen.

“We can get information from her as long as we hold up in this area. Before long, someone will eventually come here.” Fein said as he checked at the woman. She coughed again, ushering Gen to take out his canteen and offer it to her. Seeing water, she quickly grabbed it and downed it all.

“Easy. Is there a table here?” Gen called as she assisted the frail woman.

“Here!” Gris pointed his light to a table. They let her sit there. Gris set his light on the table, revealing her face. She had long, dark, red-stained hair that was messed violently by whatever atrocities that were dealt against her. Her face still had fat but seemed to be on the verge of showing her cheekbones. She stared at the canteen while the five members of D-7 waited for her to be ready to talk.

Meanwhile, Peram and Vivace were still far from them, hastily finding even just traces of their friends inside the room.

“Thank you, people. I’m Stera, from the Leighmann district of Reiss.”

“Leighmann. So that’s the other side of the city?” Gen posed a question.

“How long have you been here?” He added. She took her time sipping at the canteen, however, so he just cleared his throat.

Eventually, Stera answered.

“I don’t know. A few days? A week? Sadly, I lost count. My pain… fogged it all.” She stared at her hands. Wounds were plastered all around it. “So… was that shield your ability? You… you are all Vassals?”

“Yes, we are. Miss, just to confirm, are you also one?” Fein looked at her. She startled for a bit but answered his question nevertheless.

“… Formerly.”

“What do you mean?”

“A lady, surrounded by darkness, stole it. My ability, and everyone else in here. Almost everyone was a Vassal. And now, we’re just slaves.” Peram and Vivace’s murdered acquaintances were all Vassals. If the people here are too, something must be up about this establishment.

Shivers went down Mido’s spine. Not only someone had the ability to raise the dead, someone also has the power to steal another Vassal’s ability.

‘So, that is the Void…’

Malevolent. Evil. Only seeking power for itself, taking everyone else’s.

“This is bad, Fein. If someone can do this to them…” Gen looked pity at Stera. Once again, hatred came to him. “Shit! I’ll make these people pay…”

Gris, who abruptly searched the cages for any other surviving Vassals, came back with a disheartened face. “I came across slavery in my line of work, but this… This is just sadism. Most of them are already dead. It’s as if every ounce of life was taken from them. We can’t hope to save them all.”

Meanwhile, Fein focused on gathering information from Stera.

“Do you have any specifics about that ‘lady’?”

“I did not see her face, but she wore a dress… and she… had the omen of death around her…” She shivered as she told Fein cryptic words, immediately prompting Gen to make her use his coat without skipping a beat.

“How did she take your ability?”

“I cannot remember much, but she just ripped it off me. A hand… a hand was all it took to take away my ability from me, and everyone else’s. Others came back with not a muscle left. Some did not survive.”

“Can she raise the dead?”

When Fein asked her the question, she was confused for a bit.

“She… she had people. Covered by pungent smoke dripping from them like dry ice. I think she called them… Shades.”

“Fein, what about the account of that reanimated corpses? Shades aren’t exactly ‘reanimated,’ they’re ethereal anomalies made from malevolent tones.” Enna described to Fein, to which he nodded.

“Hmm… I think that trader’s information was a bit misleading. Now, this begs me the question…”

“Who was the trader, exactly? How did he come across this secluded village and calmly spent time here?”

“Huh. Looks like we’ve been lured here, then.” He emphasized.

“Do you mean that trader…” Mido asked.

“That ‘trader’ must an associate slaver of them. Either a ploy to lure Vassals, or an attempt to backstab this establishment. Whatever their reason for exposing this area, it’s irrelevant at this point. But it’s natural to not be cautious of “neutral” wandering traders, so command accepted the notice.” Enna detailed.

“This woman, Stera, was it?” Fein showed his hand. Stera just nodded, who was now miraculously eating a light piece of bread, likely from Gen.

“She and the others were Vassals. If this is Pierre’s plan, targeting other Vassals, then that mysterious lady is his current client. Judging from her ability, she can benefit the most out of this.”

Their tense deduction was soon interrupted by a squirm. Looking in one direction, they saw Peram and Vivace, opening what seemed to be a casket on the ground.

“Oh no… Mirai…” Peram exclaimed as he slowly set the wooden lid aside.

“The others… the others, Peram…” Vivace shuddered as she tried to look inside. A lifeless stare from her friend met her eyes. Much of her body was intact, disclosing the fact that her skin dried up to the bone, leaving only a skeletal visage of what could have been a girl with her future.

Vivace was about to break down when a voice called out to them. Everyone stood up.

“Oh! My guests!” Pierre flamboyantly hopped from the opening the group made on the wall. With a snap, a whole platoon of crossbow-carrying people, likely the native villagers from here, came out from the opening and surrounded them. Their footsteps fell like rain, echoes bouncing back and forth from the concrete walls. They were lightly armed; steel might be enough to intimidate their ‘esteemed guests.’

“I have to say… she’s really keen on predicting you, Vassals.” He smiled as his goons lighted up the whole building with torches, revealing more cages and caskets.

“Who is ‘she?!’” Peram asked Pierre. The latter leaned his head and raised an eyebrow.

“Hmm… Haven’t seen you before… Tagging along with these ‘friends?’”

“Answer the question!”

“I’m afraid I cannot divulge that information, especially to trespassers like you, but I’ll leave you a clue: She’s our humble client.” He chuckled and pointed to all the caskets on the building. “And these. All of these are her orders. She paid a hefty sum, I’ll have you know.” Pierre then cackled as he rubbed his fingers to each other.

“You… sick fuck… First, the people, and now, you sell the dead?! How demented can you be?!” Gen was enraged and immediately pulled Stera to go behind him.

“Ahh. I have to admit, I regret doing this… but who could not resist her? Bahahaha! Opportunity rises, and I take it…” He lashed out a perverted grin to everyone in the room.

“The others! Where are they?!” Vivace was burning with hatred, and only thought of one thing: to see her friends' faces, even if it’s too late.

“Oh… Vassal United. I thought stalling you with that information… that the missing people are dead, was enough to turn your tails… But you are resilient people. I underestimated you. Eh, mistook you for fools, even.” Pierre sighed, then turned his gaze to Vivace.

“Little girl… Your friends? Let’s play a game, then. Search every casket! And your reward? Well… you know~”

“Ahh… I’ll kill you…” Vivace stood weakly beside Peram, shuddering. Her anger got the best of her.

Mido felt the same agony as he did when his town was destroyed. The same heavy weight on his mind fell. And somehow, he channeled all of that anger to who was in front of him. Pierre.

“Pierre. The Vassal United labels you as a Rogue Vassal. And… with sufficient evidence…” Fein droned his head to all the displayed cages and caskets. Some were containing corpses of people, Vassals who have not done anything wrong, but were pulled in this out of their wills, condemned to die starving, stripped of their dignity. Doomed to be fuel for whoever this ‘client’ Pierre had.

All for one insane man’s greed, and another’s benefit.

Fein clenched his fist. “…You are liable for execution.”

“Okay.” Pierre swiftly nodded.

“When all of this is finished, I’ll make sure to remember you, Vassal United. People!” He shouted, and in a single motion, all of his hooded goons pointed their weapons to them, startling the group.

Pierre started to chant cryptic words beneath his breaths. Something seemed to vibrate within the tense atmosphere of the room.

Coin of Greed!

In a violent snap, all of Pierre’s grunts stiffened, as if disciplined with the sheer flick of his hand. In unison, they pointed their weapons against D-7.

“Milady will be surprised that I have extra items for her.” He chuckled and disappeared from their view, blocked by the sheer number of enemies the group has to face.

“Everyone… get ready for a fight!” Fein calmly ordered before every Vassal in the room readied their abilities.