Chapter 74

  Games Over

  Ryle, Lexton and Arkay were running through the hallways of the arena, hoping that they would get to Erin in time. While they were unaware of just how dangerous Goldiana was, they did know that Dryzal, whom they fought before, was a very tough opponent that needed all of their help in order to take him down. If the barbarian woman was anything like him, their friend was in trouble.

  However, they were surprised to not find the assassin anywhere upon coming to the arena. Instead, they saw Erin laying on the floor, seemingly unconscious.

  “Erin!” Ryle called out to the redhead, hoping to get a response, as she ran towards her. “You okay over there!? Just hang on, we’re coming to-”

  The blonde stopped once she reached Erin and saw the state she was in. Besides the injuries she had seen on the redhead before they had parted, there were now other more severe ones. There was blood dripping from Erin’s mouth, indicating at an internal injury of some kind, but the worst was her right hand. It had been horribly burned, like it had been dipped in acid or something similar.

  “Holy shit… Erin, what happened to you?” Ryle asked as she stood still in shock, staring at her unconscious friend.

  “Ryle, snap out of it!” Lexton yelled, getting the blonde out of her daze. “We need to help her out fast or we might lose her!”

  “R-Right!” Ryle said. “Any idea what we can do for her!?”

  “Right now, not much. I don’t have any of my equipment on me, so I can’t help out. She needs some serious medical attention and fast,” the kobold said, assessing the situation. “Especially her hand. Unless we get some very powerful potions or healing magic, I’m afraid it’s going to have to be amputated.”

  The blonde could feel the color drain from her face. To think that her friend had been injured so badly that she would lose a hand was mortifying.

  “I-I’m sorry I can’t use healing magic,” Arkay apologized as a couple of tears fell from his eyes. “If I only could do that, then maybe…”

  “It’s not your fault, Arnie,” Ryle said as she put a comforting hand on the cat boy’s shoulder. “I should have known better than to let her fight such a tough opponent on her own. I should have been here for her.”

  “HEY! Both of you quit that right now!” Lexton shouted, getting the attention of both of his companions. “We can figure out who is at fault at what after we have gotten out of here, okay!? Let’s focus on that for now! That’s the best way for us to help Erin right now!”

  Realizing that the kobold was right, Ryle steeled her resolve and picked up Erin, carrying the redhead on her back. With their friend now secured, the three began to run back to where they had left Durge in order to get their group back together.

  “Where do we go, once we get Durge!?” Ryle asked. “Also, it just occurred to me, but how will we move him!? I’m already carrying Erin, so I don’t think I can carry that heavy as hell guy as well!”

  “There’s probably some area for vehicles to park in this building! Like the one we were brought here with! If nothing else, we just have to get outside and figure something out! The main thing is that we get the hell out of here!” Lexton answered. “As for Durge, unless he’s able to move again, I assumed that you’ll just have to carry him along with Erin! I mean, you’re the only one with the muscles for that…”

  “I’m not a goddamn pack mule!” the blonde yelled angrily.

  “I think I saw some of the signs point towards a garage, when I was sneaking around the place!” Arkay said. “If we follow them, maybe we can find something to help us escape!”

  “Great work, Arnie!” Lexton said with a smile. “Things are finally looking better for us!”

  Soon after their conversation, the group reached the place where they had hidden Durge. Ryle then walked up to the popcorn machine and knocked on the glass.

  “Durge? You still in there?” the blonde asked.

  “...No. In fact, I’ve become one with the popcorn and I no longer exist,” the orc replied sarcastically.

  “Okay. I suppose we’ll leave you here to enjoy your new corny life,” Ryle said as she rolled her eyes, before helping Durge get out of the container. “No need for sarcasm when we’re only trying to help you.”

  “Yeah, I’ll keep that in mind, next time I get the chance to drop your ass into tub full of greasy and salty crap,” the orc said. “I see that you managed to get your friend back. Is she doing okay?”

  “She’s still breathing, but that’s the best we can say about her. She must have taken a horrible beating. Not only has she coughed up blood, but I can tell by the sound of her breathing that she has suffered some terrible internal injuries,” Lexton explained. “However, the worst is her right hand. If we don’t find someone to treat her soon, I fear that she might lose it for good.”

  “...I should be able to find a doctor that is capable and willing to treat her, without the worry of our location leaking to the Laughing Ogre,” Durge said after thinking about it for a moment. “First we need to get out of here, though.”

  “That’s our plan as well,” the kobold said. “Arnie said that he saw signs pointing to a garage. Do you know how to get there?”

  “It might be difficult with whatever the hell is going on here, but I should be able to lead the way for you,” the orc answered. “Just follow behind me.”

  “Are you able to move on your own again?” Ryle asked. “You were pretty worn out when we left you here.”

  “Don’t worry. I’ve been able to rest enough to move around at the very least,” Durge answered. “Just don’t ask me to actually fight someone. I fear even a complete amateur could take me on right now.”

  “Well, let’s just try to avoid fighting for now. It’s not like the rest of us are in any better shape to go to battle anyways,” Lexton said. “If we are forced to go into battle, we at least have a blonde mountain troll with us to handle that.”

  “Mind telling me just who you’re referring to with that last comment?” Ryle asked angrily.

  “Maybe later.”

  Deciding not to waste anymore time, the group started to move towards the garage, led by Durge. Much like before, they didn’t face any resistance from Laughing Ogre guards, who seemed to have completely disappeared. The only sign that there were other people were the sounds of battle that could still be heard from behind some of the closed metal doors, but such sounds were becoming increasingly rarer. It seemed that whatever battle was going on was coming to an end.

  After some time, they finally reached a large door that had a sign over it that said “garage.” Durge walked up to the control panel next to it and pressed a button, but nothing happened.

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  “Dammit! It’s locked!” the orc cursed. “We need to find a security pass from one of the guards in order to get through!”

  “Or we can just use the tools we have at our disposal,” Lexton said, before turning towards Arkay. “Arnie, if you don’t mind?”

  The cat boy nodded and walked up to the control panel. Using his technomancer powers, he was able to open the door without any issues.

  “...I know the kid mentioned that he was a technomancer, but I wasn’t sure if I should believe him,” Durge said with wide eyes. “Guess it was the truth, after all.”

  “Heh! Surprised?” Ryle said with a cocky smirk. “Our Arnie isn’t just any bum mage you can find on the street! He’s a talented and magnificent magician! Our group wouldn’t be anything without him! So you better not underestimate him!”

  “I don’t see why you’re bragging,” Lexton said.

  “I wasn’t thinking about if I had underestimated him or anything like that. I was more glad that this wasn’t found out by the Laughing Ogre people,” Durge explained. “Had they known that he had such a rare and useful ability, then I fear what they might have done to him. Forget about making him Grazia’s pet, he probably would have ended on some crazed doctor’s table to be experimented on. Either so that they could replicate his ability or to mind control him as their servant.”

  Ryle and Lexton were shocked to hear about what might have befallen their young friend had his secret ability been revealed. But when they looked at Arkay, the cat boy only had a saddened look on his face, like he knew that this could have happened to him.

  “It’s true… Even back in Moonstone, I was almost turned into a science experiment by some crazy guy, who found out about it. I was luckily able to escape, but I knew ever since then that my ability should remain a secret,” Arkay explained. “I’ve even heard that someone with my abilities can be sold for insane amounts of money in the black market. If I was ever captured and my ability was discovered, only a fate worse than death would await me.”

  The cat boy felt a comforting hand on his shoulder and he turned to see Lexton staring at him with a determined look in his eyes.

  “Look, Arnie, I know things can be hard for you and that you’re in danger, but believe me that I won’t allow something like that to happen to you,” the kobold said. “I will personally put my own life on the line, so that you won’t have to suffer such a fate. I swear.”

  “Y-Yeah! What he said!” Ryle said as she tried to put on a strong front, while tears were falling from her eyes. “I will also do the same, so you shouldn’t fear anything bad happening to you! And while she can’t say it right now, I’m sure Erin feels the same way!”

  “Thank you, guys,” Arkay said with a smile.

  The touching moment was suddenly interrupted by the sound of someone clearing their throat. This was done by Durge.

  “I’m sorry to interrupt this moment that you’re having, but I think we should get moving already,” the orc said. “While we haven’t seen any Laughing Ogre thugs, we can’t expect things to keep going so well for us.”

  “...Can’t have just one moment, can we?” Ryle muttered unhappily, as the group proceeded into the garage.

  Once inside the garage, the group had thought that they would be able to quickly find a suitable vehicle for themselves and make their escape. However, this was turning out to be much more difficult, as the garage was completely dark.

  “Hey, why aren’t the lights on in here!?” Ryle asked angrily. “Are you guys trying to save on electricity or something!? I can’t see anything in front of me!”

  “This must be what it’s like inside your head,” Lexton said.

  “THE HELL WAS THAT, SCALY!?” the blonde shouted angrily.

  “N-Now now, you guys. Let’s not get into a fight,” Arkay said, hoping to calm down the arguing pair.

  “To answer your question, I have no idea why this place is so dark. It honestly doesn’t make much sense to me,” Durge said. “Also, the kid is right. You two should calm yourselves, instead of bickering like children. I doubt it will do us any good to have you two cause so much noise.”

  “Not that it would matter all that much in the end,” a new voice suddenly called out, as the lights suddenly turned on.

  Once the garage was lit up, the group were greeted with the sight of a bunch of Laughing Ogre thugs that were completely armed, led by Driz, the second-in-command of the gang.

  “...Oh shit. This just went south big time,” Durge said as he stared at the group of armed thugs in front of them. “Guess this is the end for me now, huh?”

  “Indeed. This is the end,” Driz said, as he dug into his pocket and took something out. “The end of our partnership that is.”

  The dark elf threw what he had taken out of his pocket to the orc, who caught it with his hand. He looked down at what it was and saw that it was the keys to a car. More specifically, one of the larger ones that was used to transport supplies of large groups of people.

  “...What’s this about?” Durge asked, unsure over the actions of the dark elf. “You’re planning to just let me go?”

  “Not just that. Your equipment, as well as your friends’, is also loaded into the car,” Driz stated. “I want you to take the car, drive out of here and never come back.”

  “Seriously? You’re actually doing this?” the orc asked in surprise. “Why though? Aren’t you afraid that Grandall will have your head, when he finds out about this?”

  “That’s not something I’m too worried about, seeing as he has other things to worry about,” the dark elf stated as he snapped his fingers and one of his goons threw a sack on the floor. Durge looked inside it and was shocked to find the heads of Grandall and Grazia inside. “Most importantly, how he is going to be spending his time in hell.”

  Ryle, Lexton and Arkay quickly caught up on what was going on. It wasn’t exactly a hard thing to figure out.

  “You mean to tell us that you betrayed your own boss!?” Ryle asked. “Why the hell would you do that!?”

  “Isn’t that obvious? You saw how he was running our organization,” Driz answered. “He was acting out on emotional impulses, never doing anything with any logic at all. He was willing to pass up on beneficial deals, as long as it meant he could spite those he despised, like you, Durge. Not to mention, these ridiculous games he set up just for the amusement of himself and his friends.”

  “I thought these things made you guys a big amount of money?” Lexton asked.

  “If only… Do you have any idea how much it costs us to maintain most of these facilities?” the dark elf said with a sigh. “Not only just the building itself, along with all the equipment, but all the creatures we keep locked up here. And don’t even get me started on how much we have to pay to get new monsters or contestants. Honestly, if it wasn’t for our other enterprises, we would have gone bankrupt a long time ago already just because of this.”

  “So you wanted to take over because you see yourself as a better leader then?” Durge asked. “I suppose that makes sense, but weren’t you two old friends or something? Doesn’t seem like you were all that close, if you are more than willing to take his head.”

  “...The Grandall that started this gang with me has long since disappeared,” Driz said in a sad tone. “And that was all because of you.”

  “Me? What are you talking about?” the orc asked. “I never even met him before I came to the Laughing Ogre!”

  “That’s right. You never met him before, but you did meet someone close to him. His wife,” the dark elf replied, causing Durge’s eyes to go wide from shock. “I’m guessing you now realize what Grandall’s issue with you was, correct? You became quite famous on those battlefields, when the Laughing Ogre was hired by the military to take on your tribe. There weren’t many warriors like you, who could transform their bodies. And no one else other that could do anything similar to your ability.”

  “So that’s why he didn’t like me all that much. I always thought it was just because of all the people he lost in that war,” the orc said. “But why did he decide to hire me and put me in such a high position? Why not just try to kill me right away?”

  “I managed to convince him not to. Unlike him, I didn’t let my emotions cloud my judgment. I knew that as long as I brought you in, we could use you as a powerful enforcer, which turned out to be true. As for Grandall, I simply promised him that the moment you stepped out of line, you would be dealt with in any way he wanted,” Driz explained. “However, you turned out to be very careful, never going against any orders given to you and always keeping your head low. It was honestly quite admirable how you were able to keep yourself controlled and never giving a good enough reason for Grandall to get rid of you.”

  “...So what happens now?” Durge asked. “You’re in power now and don’t seem to hold a grudge against me. Why are you simply telling me to leave?”

  “While I might be able to ignore any feelings of resentment towards you, I know for a fact that a lot of people in the gang won’t. They will do whatever they can to either get rid of you or me, just so they get a chance to get at you. The gang is now at a weakened state as well, which only makes that threat worse,” the dark elf explained. “And before you ask, the reason I’m letting you go is because I know just how strong you are. Even if I were to send all of my soldiers at you, we would only suffer heavy casualties for no good reason, possibly including myself. The way I see it, enough blood has been shed and we should avoid conflict as much as possible.”

  The orc thought about what Driz had told him and it made sense. Why pick a fight that doesn’t bring you much in terms of victory? Especially when you can just let the troublesome element you’re worried about go and never have to worry about it again? Might as well accept the gift that was given.

  “Thanks, Driz,” Durge said as he began to move towards the direction the car he had been given the keys to was parked. “I won’t forget this.”

  “Save me the useless sentimentality,” the dark elf said with a hint of venom in his voice as his calm demeanor cracked slightly. “I might have been able to push away my hatred towards you, but it still exists within me. I’ve just always aimed to do what is best for the Laughing Ogre and nothing more. I might be letting you go, but you better not show your face here ever again. Understood?”

  Durge took one look at Driz and immediately saw that he wasn’t lying. The dark elf might have been able to hold back his rage admirable, but one could tell that he was straining to keep his face in a neutral expression. Same was with the goons he had brought with him. All of them were struggling to hold back their urge to kill the orc.

  Seeing as it wasn’t a good idea to stick around, the group went to the car they had been given, got inside and drove away. As Driz had told them, their equipment was located inside, so they didn’t have to worry about getting it back.

  However, there was still one issue that they needed to solve somehow.

  “This is bad,” Lexton said as he looked at Erin’s damaged hand. “Her injury is getting worse. We have to do something quick, if we want to save her life.”

  “Then what are you waiting for!?” Ryle asked in a panic, worried over her friend’s well-being. “Use one of your potions! That should fix her, right!?”

  “Even if I had the ingredients for those, it wouldn’t be of much help!” Lexton responded. “While they could fix your hand after you injured it in your training, that’s the best it can do! Healing potions essentially boost your body’s natural healing processes to make you heal! Wounds and broken bones can be healed with relative ease, but anything beyond that requires far more! We need a master of healing magic or one of the most expensive healing potions out there in order to fix this!”

  “Lex is right,” Arkay said in a low voice, getting the blonde’s attention. The cat boy’s face was pale as he stared down at Erin’s injured hand in horror. “There’s far too much damage to the tissues in her hand. Not only that, but the flesh has already started to rot.”

  “Then… What are we going to do?” Ryle asked, desperately hoping that they could help the redhead.

  “Only one thing we can do,” Lexton said. “We have to amputate her hand.”