With a swift cast of one of her favorite flame spells, Lynne melted the dagger aiming for her neck. Its blade turned molten, slowly oozing to the ground, leaving its wielder so shocked that he could only utter a confused “Huh?” in response.
“She’s anything but the delicate little creature she appears to be,” Rashid continued. “Her ferocity could put even a wild animal to shame.”
Lynne shot him a look, clearly displeased with the comparison. I would never admit it aloud, but I couldn’t help agreeing with him.
“Next,” Rashid said, “the lady in silver armor?”
“[Divine Shield].”
“Aieee!”
A pane of light sprang into existence, severing the blades of the men near Ines. It pressed onward, slicing cleanly through the thick iron bars barring our path. Pieces of the gate fell to the ground with a loud, echoing crash.
“Perhaps you did not recognize her with the beastfolk girl on her back, but she is Ines, the Kingdom’s Divine Shield. You’ll find her even more vicious than her fierce-tempered companion.”
Ines leveled a scathing look at Rashid, then back at the men around her, causing them to retreat two or three steps. Again, I couldn’t exactly fault the observation; Ines was a little—okay, very—scary when she was mad.
“Th-The Divine Shield?!” Galen exclaimed. “Why is she here?!”
“Oh? Did your dear master not inform you?” Rashid asked. “My family remains as useless as ever, it seems. If they were going to send their cat’s-paw to dispose of us, the least they could have done was provide you with the relevant information. Challenging these two ladies to a contest of violence is a fool’s errand.”
“Ngh! I-In that case, I’ll just seize the others!”
“Ah, yes. Now that you’re cornered, your first instinct is to take hostages. Thus, you order the golems—your trump card—to apprehend the harmless-seeming man before that boy there.”
The golems lumbered toward Rolo and me, shooting forward to grab us. I swept their huge hands aside with the Black Blade.
[Parry]
The golem before me crumbled to dust, while those behind it shattered into pieces from the force of the impact. Some of the scattered debris struck the masked man controlling them in the head, knocking him unconscious.
Galen spoke in strangled groans as he sank to the ground. “Bwuh? The g-golems... Wh-Whuh?!” Not one of them remained.
“Unfortunately for you, he’s the person you should avoid antagonizing the most,” Rashid said, giving the plump man a shrug.
“Are you all right, Rolo?” I asked.
“Mm-hmm. I’m fine.”
“Lynne?”
“Yes, I’m unharmed.”
Despite our brush with danger, it seemed that everyone was okay. Rolo could read minds, now that I thought about it—I wondered if he had anticipated this from the start. I saw him exchange a glance with Lynne and nod.
“You’ve failed, Galen,” Rashid said. “Separating us from Shawza and the others was a good move, but everything since has been abysmal. How many times have I told you not to so easily believe the information given to you by others?” He paused for a moment. “Hmm? Oh, I take it back—separating us was as poor a choice as all the others.”
A thundering boom shook the air, and the thick metal doors behind us started to buckle inward. That was probably Shawza’s doing.
“Eek! Please, Young Master Rashid, have m-mercy!” The plump man prostrated himself on the ground, bowing his head again and again. “Th-This was... It was...just a brief lapse of judgment! Y-Yes, that’s all! I was given no choice but to follow the master’s orders!”
More crashes echoed as the doors continued to bend, reverberating through the darkness like the toll of a broken bell. Rashid sauntered over to Galen and gently rested a hand on the man’s shoulder.
“That’s all right, Galen. I don’t mind at all. I should thank you, if anything. After all, things played out exactly as I expected.”
“Wh-What?”
“You haven’t changed at all. Not one bit. It’s actually rather amusing how predictable you are.”
“H-Huh? Eek!”
The roar of Shawza’s punches grew louder, each blow bending the metal further out of shape. Fear twisted Galen’s face and those of his men in much the same way.
“Still, to think my family would order such paltry little traders to stop us,” Rashid mused, placing a hand on his chin. “And after inviting us here in the first place! How double-minded of them. Though, I suppose they’ve never been known for their consistency.”
Galen appeared incapable of speech. He simply continued to shriek and cower on the ground.
“That aside, Galen, I’d appreciate your assistance with a few matters.” Rashid smiled, cocking his head. “Ah, but I suppose you should apologize to those you accosted first. You’ve lived in this city for a long time, so I trust you know what to say in a situation like this.”
For a moment, the cowering man said nothing. Then another piercing boom rang out, snapping him back to his senses. “Y-Yes! Of course!” he choked out, nodding fervently. “I shall apologize with the utmost sincerity!”
“Good answer. You’ve always been quick to catch on. It’s so nice to have an acquaintance from home I can rely on. Now, the thing is, I very recently became bankrupt. I don’t have a single coin to my name. And I was just thinking it would be nice to have some pocket change.”
“Whuh?”
“Thus, I will be taking all of your assets.” Rashid nodded, satisfied, then turned back to us with his usual grin. “Excellent. Now that my deeply moving reunion is behind us, shall we press onward? The boy should be farther inside.”
“Sounds good to me,” I agreed.
Leaving the plump man to Shawza and Sirene, we hurried down the hallway ahead of us. Rashid took the lead, a pleased smile on his face and a spring in his step.