The night gave way to the first glint of the sun, still low in the sky. It was 7 a.m. when Logan mounted his steed again with Aria. Now, in addition to them, there was also a body that of the Beastman they had faced the previous evening. Not to mention the two large sacks containing proof of the monsters they had killed. And the dimensional bag.
Logan thought about the need to buy a better one, to benefit from greater storage capacity. Once everything had been checked, they left the village, which remained completely unaware of the danger that had hovered over it. Passing through the village gate, they set off on the road back. However, since they were a bit more heavily laden than on the way out, the return took them a little longer.
After more than ten hours of travel, they finally arrived at the great city gates. There, they showed their adventurer cards to gain entry. They then went to the guild, passing through its doors. Inside, the guild buzzed with activity. Adventurers went about their business, some preparing gear for new missions while others discussed their recent exploits. Logan and Aria headed straight to Marie's counter; she was waiting with a warm smile.
"Is the Guild Master here?" Logan asked.
"It seems you resolved things rather quickly," she said, eyeing the body Logan carried.
"Yes, and we need to discuss what comes next immediately," Logan replied, a plan forming in his mind.
After their brief exchange with Marie, Logan and Aria climbed to the upper floor of the guild, where Stanislas's office was located. Entering the office, they found him poring over scattered documents and reports on his desk. He seemed absorbed in his work, but when he noticed Logan, his attention snapped to them more precisely to what Logan held at arm's length.
Once the Beastman's body had been set at Stanislas's feet, Logan took a seat before the desk. Silence settled briefly; Stanislas stared at the inert body before turning his gaze back to Logan.
"I expected it might be swift, but not at this scale," he said, rising to his feet.
He removed the hood that covered the robed man's face, revealing it for a moment. His gaze lingered on the features, then he replaced the hood and sat down again.
"You don't seem surprised," Logan observed, noting Stanislas's calm.
"It's true I had suspected the nature of these men given the incidents, and that only confirms it. The evidence is now before my eyes. It explains a great deal: why Ria hasn't been targeted, the attacks on nobles, and everything directed against the human race."
Everyone in the room could now grasp the nature of these men and the gravity of the situation. Beyond the dungeon threat, a coalition of Beastmen and other races had allied to form an organization hostile to humans. By orchestrating deadly incidents, they were responding to the human race's previous atrocities. Massacres, torture, rape, slavery and other horrors — macabre cruelties inflicted by humans upon other races. It was little wonder such a group would form.
Now: what was their name? How powerful were they? How many were there? What would they do next? So many questions that raised concerns and complications.
"All the papers on this desk they're mine, by the way," Stanislas indicated, his desk piled high with paperwork.
Logan's eyes fell on the neatly stacked files on Stanislas's desk. The folders, reports and forms piled up, bearing witness to the administrative burden that fell on the guild's affairs manager.
"Quite a lot happened while I was gone."
"A massacre! The attack you foiled was but a cog in a much larger machine. Several attacks occurred last night and this afternoon. Multiple villages were targeted by hordes of monsters, resulting in massive casualties and leaving ruins in their wake. The Church has begun to move they're taking these events very seriously. The situation is slowly deteriorating, and you just brought me proof that other races are behind these incidents."
Stanislas let out a heavy sigh, a mix of fatigue and concern.
"The Church and the kingdoms won't sit idly by in the face of this threat," Marie added.
"I need more details. Can you recount exactly what happened during your mission?"
Logan gathered his thoughts to deliver a precise, comprehensive account describing the encounter with the monsters, then the Beastman, explaining the details of the confrontation and how they defeated him. He also related the creature's abilities and characteristics, giving Stanislas a clear image of the threat they had faced.
When he finished, Logan asked Stanislas for something unexpected but something he had clearly thought through.
"I need you to hide that we captured one of these men."
"What?" Stanislas asked, perplexed.
"I'll use this to my advantage," Logan said, looking down at the body.
"What do you mean by that?"
"No one knows yet, or they know very little. I'm going to free the people from the Bestial Palace, as well as the prisoners in the mines and the experimentation facilities."
"I thought we'd already talked about that," Stanislas retorted, raising an eyebrow.
"Yes, but we can do it now without being suspected we've found the perfect scapegoats," Logan said, pointing to the corpse.
"You intend to use them as the culprits in your operations."
"Exactly."
Aria looked at Logan with admiration; he had thought quickly and ahead, even turning an exterior factor to his advantage.
"You're sharp," Stanislas complimented, equally impressed.
"It's necessary," Logan replied.
Stanislas considered the plan and its execution for a moment, then answered:
"In that case, it seems feasible. Everything you asked for is ready you just need to act."
"We'll need a second black robe and a mask for Aria."
"You'll need two. Marie will participate with you."
"Marie?" Aria looked at her.
"Yes believe it or not, I'm quite competent too, my dear Aria," Marie declared, appearing and embracing Aria.
"That's the other condition I impose if you plan to free Aria's entire tribe. Marie will lead the mission and you must follow her orders," Stanislas said, his tone more serious.
"I have no objection," Logan replied immediately, smiling.
"Very well. You'll move tomorrow, the day before the heroes' enthronement. I still have important matters to handle."
"Understood," Logan agreed.
"Meet tomorrow at 7 p.m., west, near the dilapidated shop," Marie warned.
Logan left the office with Aria, leaving Stanislas and Marie alone.
"Marie, I'm counting on you to make sure everything goes smoothly."
"You're worried?"
"How could I not be? Logan is clever, but I fear his emotions will get the better of him. He's too passionate and cannot turn his back on others' suffering."
"He reminds me of you in your idealistic youth," Marie said.
"Yes, but I think he could go much farther than any of us. If things go wrong, protect him at all costs."
"I'll do my best."
Logan and Aria walked through the main square toward their inn. Passing by, they saw men dressed in white, blue and gold, with an ornate moon sewn into their attire. They were devotees of the Blue Moon Cult. Some carried weapons, swords at their hips.
A crowd had gathered. What gripped everyone's attention, however, was a cat-faced Beastman nailed to a wooden cross. His clothes were torn and bloodied, his eyes lifeless and his complexion pale as foam. A man in an even more elegant robe seemed to be preaching.
"This Beastman is guilty of crimes against our superior race. He stole food from his master, and for that he must be duly punished!"
A weak, hoarse voice could be heard.
"It was for my children they were starving and he didn't feed us enough, while we labored day and night on his estate. My children were going to die..."
The lamentations poured from the depths of his soul, explaining his actions.
"And you think that justifies your odious deeds? You should have let them die," the priest responded sadistically.
The priest signaled his subordinates. Two emaciated children a boy and a girl were brought forth. They were chained with heavy shackles, so heavy it seemed they might collapse at any moment.
"Jack! Merie! What are you going to do to them?" the man pleaded, struggling wildly.
He so weak moments before fought with all his strength at the sight of his tender children.
"You stole food for them, so they will be punished." the priest declared.
A man with a sword stepped forward to stand over the children. The two understood what it meant. They clutched each other, their bodies trembling.
"No! Ahh! Have mercy! I'll do whatever you ask! Kill me instead of them!"
In a mix of pain and despair, the man's heartbreaking cries echoed through the air the voice of his agony and deepest supplications. His words wavered under the unbearable weight of his distress.
"The sentence is irreversible!" the priest declared, a small smile curling his lips.
The sword fell, severing the heads of the two children, staining the priest's white garments. Their bodies slumped in each other's embrace, their heads rolling on the ground as the soil drank their innocent blood. The father screamed, raging and howling with grief at the brutal fate of his children, taken in the cruellest way imaginable.
Aria, overwhelmed by the barbarity, clung to Logan to avoid witnessing the act. Yet the father's cries of horror and anguish rang in her ears; they were like blades piercing her heart. Hatred then rose in her, cold and inexorable.
"You bastards they were only children, my children! I will kill you all, every last one of you! Do you hear me, you monsters!"
"Shut him up he's too loud," the priest snapped, annoyed.
An arrow suddenly lodged itself in the man's head, silencing his rage and lamentation. A slight breeze marked the return of deathly silence. The crowd slowly began to disperse, most satisfied with the outcome.
Suddenly, like a storm, every window along the street shattered violently. Aria fixed her eyes on Logan the only person capable of such a display. Terror seized her as she met his gaze. His face was twisted with fury, thick veins bulging at his temples like venomous serpents. His eyes shone with a sinister light, radiating a dark aura as if a demon had crawled up from the bowels of hell.
He raised his hand slowly toward the priest, and in a superhuman reflex, Aria managed to seize his wrist firmly. Several meters from the priest and his men, the ground was suddenly crushed, as if the weight of the entire universe pressed down. Wide chasms opened as though matter itself were breaking and disappearing, revealing an endless abyss.
[You have vastly exceeded your calculation limit! Warning: high risk of severe internal injury to the skill user!]
"Logan!" Aria cried in horror.
Blood streamed from Logan's eyes like a trickling brook.