Online In Another World

As the man took his leave from the area with the girl slung over his shoulder, he quietly tiptoed away from his spot in the bushes, beginning to follow behind the man from a safe distance.

…This is such a risky plan! I really didn’t give this much thought, did I? He thought.

While trailing behind the scruffy-bearded man, he listened in as Oswell talked to himself, or rather, spoke to the unconscious girl who couldn’t hear him.

“Guess it doesn’t hurt to say it now, but it was always going to go down like this–payment or no payment,” Oswell said with a smile, “I have a quota to fill. My customers are pretty impatient, you know? Those coins were just the cherry on top.”

It was disgusting to hear, but it hardly surprised the boy as he listened in from several meters behind, keeping himself tucked near the walls, slowly moving every so often.

After turning enough corners while doing his best to stay as silent as possible, he wound up following the man into a quiet, empty area inhabited only by a singular, large building made out of decrepit wood.

It was near one of the gates leading out of the city, around the outskirts of Elsia itself with a few carriages parked and a couple men standing outside on watch.

…There’s more people? I kind of expected it, but I was hoping there wouldn’t be…He thought._.

“Yo, Boss!”

Greeting Oswell was a tubby, but burly man with a bald head and a blonde mustache, bearing tattooed arms and a sword at his hip.

“We coulda snatched this one up for ya, ya know?”

In addition, the man with a long face reminiscent of a horse spoke up; he was a lot more lanky, wearing a bandana with his stringy, black hair reaching down his back.

Oswell walked past them, patting the unconscious girl on the back as he smiled, “It wasn’t like it was a difficult job. You can get away with anything in these slums–it’s fantastic. The people here have no reason to go yelling to the guards, and if they do, a little bit of coin will always change those guards’ minds.”

“Heh! As ruthless as ever, Boss!” The burly criminal said.

“Place her with the others,” Oswell said, handing Reno off to the large man.

The burly man held the unconscious girl, nodding his head as he looked at the middle-aged, corrupt adventurer, “What about you, Boss?”

Oswell rubbed his beard, “I’ve got to prepare for our buyer. He’s arriving tonight. I’ll be paying a visit to some of our ‘friends’ in the guard unit. Let them know some business will be conducted under this beautiful night.”

“Oh, that’s right–he’s a big shot, ain’t he?” The horse-faced man asked.

“He might as well be a walking bag of coins,” Oswell said, “Lord Nerusela is our most important customer. It’s important that we make sure he’s happy–do you understand? Make sure our ‘items’ are all ready to be displayed. I mean washed up, dressed, and obedient. It doesn’t matter if you have to put a few bruises on them to get them there–our buyer doesn’t mind such blemishes.”

“Got it,” both men said in unison, heading inside the desolate building.

It was a disgusting conversation he eavesdropped on, but he maintained himself as he hid behind a parked wagon, ducking down just as Oswell glanced back.

…How do I get in without getting noticed? He questioned.

Originally, the plan was just to detain Oswell after finding his way to his hideout, then free those who were being held captive, but with the prospect of accomplices to Oswell in the picture, it was seeming more difficult than he imagined.

I expected this–so act like it, Emilio, he told himself.

After peeking by the wagon, which was filled with what smelled like foul menuer, he watched as Oswell disappeared around the corner from the hideout. Making sure there was nobody that could see him, he quietly paced over to the side of the building, sticking close to it as he began scouting it out.

Come on, there’s got to be a different way in, right? He thought.

While trying to find a secretive way in, he stumbled upon a hole that was formed in the exterior of the structure.

“–“

It was quite a large hideout; the building was massive, but what surprised him was what he saw when peeking through the small hole in the wall.

There wasn’t anything out of the ordinary inside of the building itself–in fact, it was mostly empty, aside from something that caught his eye: the burly man tasked with taking Reno away kicked a dingy rug that was on the floor, revealing a hatch.

“Open that for me, will ya?” The burly criminal grumbled.

The horse-faced man with the bandana huffed and scratched his chin, “Fine, fine.”

Getting up from his seat, the bandana-wearing criminal had a set of jingling keys attached to his belt, which he used to unlock the suspicious hatch.

It was a heavy, sturdy door which was pulled up with some struggle by the man, revealing a stairwell that the large man began to descend with Reno in his arms.

“Lock it behind me,” the large man said.

“It ain’t my first day on the job, Leebo,” the horse-faced man sighed, “Our Boss is a real damn paranoid man–is this really necessary?”

“Just do it,” Leebo said, “He’ll gut ya if ya don’t.”

“Yeah, yeah, funny.”

“Not joking.”

“Yeah,” the horse-faced man replied.

It was an odd conversation he was listening in on, but it gave him priceless information before he watched the bandana-wearing hideout guard close the hatch after the burly-man named Leebo descended down its enigmatic depths, locking it up and replacing the rug.

It’s down there, isn’t it…? Everybody they’ve abducted? Sickening…I can’t stop shaking, he thought.

Though the situation felt dreadful, there was a clear advantage opened to him–a window of opportunity that he had to seize, and one that was only open for a small amount of time.

…He’s alone now. He’s got the keys–I can do this. Oswell is away for now–if I can avoid fighting him and get everybody out…I could call for the guards–no, you know that won’t work, idiot. He’s got them on payroll. Maybe Vandread?…No, too far. I don’t even know my way back. He might not even be willing to help, he thought.

Whatever thoughts raced through his head, he came to the same conclusion: he needed to take out the man with the keys–especially while he was unknown.