As we stood near the two Tiger demi-humans, the larger and older one suddenly leaped from off the ground, lunging at Lazuli with ferocity as she brandished her sharp nails; however, before she could even reach her, a wall made of earth jutted out from the ground, blocking the girl's attempt at killing. While the larger one struggled to break through the earth wall, the smaller and younger ones lunged at me, and although I pitied their situation, I wouldn't go easy on them like someone I know.
Flipping my sword, I smacked the one lunging at me with the broad side of my sword, forcing her to the ground as she whimpered in pain while holding her bleeding head, causing the other one to protectively stand in front of her as she aggressively growled at us.
"Over here! I hear her, Sir!" "Tch, making me run around. When I get my hands on those two slaves!" Remarked two men loudly, their voices heard from the forest, causing the girl to cower in fear.
"N-Nala, c-come. W-We must go, t-they almost caught up." Said the girl urgently as she reached down and helped Nala, the younger tiger demi-human, onto her feet before the two ran into the distance.
Neither Lazuli nor I attempted to stop them as they ran away, though they didn't manage to get far before two men, a slightly plump man, middle-aged, who was out of breath, and a younger man donned in armor, similar to a knight.
"Tsk, w-where the hell do you think you two are going!? Y-You two belong to me! S-Shot their legs!" Stated the plump man furiously as he glared at the two girls, before aggressively ordering the young man, who nodded while grabbing his bow.
As the knight prepared to fire arrows, the plump man finally noticed our presence, though he glossed over Lazuli and focused entirely on me; however, like most men, his interest vanished when he saw my state.
"Tsk, what a pointless existence; it's not even worth turning you into a slave. Ho, but he, on the other hand, will be a splendid fuck hole." Remarked the plump man as he looked at Vanye while an arrow lodged into Nala, fleeing with her older sister, only for his gaze to shift to the approaching Vanimo.
"Um, is everything okay, Vanye and Lazuli?" Asked Vanimo hesitantly with a frown as he looked between the plump man, the two fleeing Tiger demi-humans, and Vanye.
"Oi, forget those two girls; capture him instead!" "Huh? Alright, Sir." Remarked the plump man and the knight, respectively, as the former lustfully gazed at Vanimo, making him uncomfortable, while the latter raised an eyebrow before nodding.
Just as the knight dared to step forward, I stabbed my sword through his stomach before slicing upwards, cutting him in half as his lifeless body fell to the ground, terrifying the plump man as he quickly fled in fear while pathetically screaming for help.
"H-Help! Help!" Yelled the plump man fearfully as he dashed back into the forest, his figure vanishing behind the thick vegetation.
"No talking. Straight to the point… We may dislike each other, but I believe we could become good friends." Remarked Lazuli blandly as she gazed at the corpse just a foot in front of her before glancing at Vanye, who raised an eyebrow only to reluctantly nod in agreement.
Destroying the blood on my sword using my mana, I sheathed it and followed Vanimo as he, Lazuli, and I approached the two Tiger demi-humans in the distance.
"Back away! S-Stay Back!" Yelled the older girl aggressively as she protectively stood before the injured Nala while baring her fangs and brandishing her claws.
"Listen, calm down. We're not going to hurt you; we just want to help." Said Vanimo softly with a friendly smile as he ever-so-slowly approached the duo with his arms raised before glancing at Vanye and Lazuli.
Before I could even tell Vanimo it was too late for that, Lazuli stepped forward and encased the girl within the earth, trapping her while approaching Nala, who I could only assume was her little sister.
"Stop! S-Stay away! I'll kill you!" Yelled the girl viciously as she furiously glared at Lazuli through her vertical slit eyes while struggling with all her might to escape, though to no avail.
"What are you doing, Lazuli!?" Exclaimed Vanimo with a frown as he stomped towards Lazuli, who immobilized Nala, who tried to fight back, using earth, exposing only her injured leg and head.
"Helping her." Replied Lazuli blandly as she brutally ripped the arrow out of Nala's leg, causing her to growl loudly in pain.
Unsurprisingly, after Lazuli removed the arrow, she then poured some of Alexander's diluted blood onto her, which, while not as potent, should still heal the wound within a few hours or so.
After that, Lazuli freed both the sisters, prompting the older one to quickly check on Nala, only for a bundle of cloth to suddenly hit her head.
"Use this." Added Lazuli as she closed her space pouch while returning towards Vanye, who gave her a weird look.
"I would feel uncomfortable whenever Alex returns, and he learns I did nothing to help people in need… That's why I helped them." Said Lazuli softly as she looked at the sisters before glancing at Vanye, who closed her mouth while nodding.
We stayed behind for a few moments, watching the sisters comfort each other, before I turned around and walked away, prompting Lazuli to do the same.
"P-Please help us!" Asked the older girl as she raised her head with teary eyes while gazing at Vanye and Lazuli.
"We already did." Stated Lazuli blandly as she glanced at the girl before walking, while Vanimo gently slapped his face.
"H-Help our village then! Please! T-They staged a rebellion for us to escape; t-they're probably being killed right now. P-Please, help them, I-I'll— W-We'll do anything!" Stated the girl pleadingly as she tightly clenched her fists while lowering herself to the ground, begging with all her might, only for Nala to do the same.
"Vanye? Lazuli? Please?" Asked Vanimo softly as he gazed between Vanye and Lazuli, siding with the two sisters.
Rolling my eyes at Vanimo, I unsheathed my sword and began heading toward where the plump man had run off.
"I don't want to feel uncomfortable either." Muttered Vanye softly, her words causing Lazuli to faintly smirk while following closely behind.
As Lazuli and I silently trekked through the forest, following the trail the plump man had taken, after nearly twenty minutes, we came across the sight of a large carriage, though what we witnessed was rather gruesome.
There were numerous Tiger demi-humans similar to the sisters, yet they were all corpses and chopped into various pieces; it was clear their killers weren't merciful in the slightest.
As Lazuli and I quietly stalked the carriage, we saw the plump man exit along with multiple knights, allowing us to see the inside, where several human women and men resided.
"It's a passenger carriage." Said Lazuli lightly as she glanced at Vanye, who scoffed.
"That doesn't make them innocent." Muttered Vanye ruthlessly as she stepped out of the forest.
"There! There she is! K-K-Kill—" Said the plump man furiously as he pointed at Vanye, only for his mind to permanently darken.
Decapitating the plump man, I watched his body dissipate into nothingness before glancing at the group of knights, who were being burnt alive within an earth dome.
Their shrill screams of pain prompted the people inside to look out through the windows, though they saw nothing as the dome blocked their vision. None were brave enough to exit, and after a few minutes, the screams subsided, prompting Lazuli to disperse the earth dome, revealing several charred corpses donned in now black armor.
Glancing at Lazuli, we nodded at each other, causing me to ever so faintly smile as we entered the carriage, where we saw nearly twenty people, all humans, staring at us.
"P-Please, d-don't kill us! W-We did nothing!" "W-We're just passengers!" "I-I have a family, please!" "I-I'm pregnant! T-Think of the baby!" Remarked the passengers fearfully as they begged for their lives, earning nothing but a scoff from Vanye while Lazuli remained indifferent.
"I'm sure if Alex were here, he would probably let them go." Said Vanye lightly as she ignored the begging while glancing at Lazuli, who faintly nodded.
"You won't tell Alex anything, right?" Asked Vanye as she looked at Lazuli, who shook her head, causing her to softly sigh in relief.
"Good." Added Vanye softly as she brandished her blade.
___
___
"T-They're all dead?" "Yes." Said Sarabi and Lazuli, respectively, as the former widened her eyes while the latter calmly nodded.
As Sarabi and Nala comforted each other, silently crying, Lazuli and I walked away while Vanimo told us everything they told him, causing me to spit on the ground.
"Tsk, and they said they did nothing. I should've taken my time with them." Muttered Vanye in disgust as she tightly clenched her hilt in anger while Lazuli nodded in agreement.
"I managed to get them to talk to me, but they get scared whenever I make any sudden movements or when I get too close to them… I can't fathom what those men did to them." Said Vanimo softly as he shook his head before gazing at the sisters with pity.
While wishing I had spent my time torturing those humans, all of a sudden, Alex appeared in front of us, causing me to widen my eyes.
"A-Alex!" Said Vanye loudly with a faint smile as she gazed at Alexander, only to blush when Vanimo laughed.
"I-I meant, Alex." Said Vanye calmly as she firmly gazed at Alexander, who was hugging Lazuli.