In the OP blacksmith school, a master was instructing his students.
"Are you all ready? There cannot be any mistake here, or our school will most likely cease to exist, do you all understand?" Jack
"Gulp!" It was that big of a deal?!
Everything was ready to go. They were just missing the lead actor….
━━━━━━ POV ━━━━━━━
The Captain sighed in relief as he saw his reflection in the mirror.
He finally looked human again!
He had waited so long since he knew very well what would happen if he were to swagger back to the barrack looking like a Moon Elf.
1. Getting Captured
2. Losing most credibility
3. Not being able to help to deal with the Necromancer.
Then again, perhaps everything was already resolved? Lord Silver had promised…
In any case, he had grown up in this City, and he for sure would do all he could to save it from being destroyed by a scheming lunatic.
He stepped up, ready to leave, offering silent thanks to the Golden lucky Den's owner. At first, he had thought him only to be a greedy bastard, but he too cared about the City.
— Clang! —
"Thank god you're still here! I have some information!" The owner suddenly appeared, out of breath.
"?!"
"The man you're interested in…he's started a blacksmith school. You should go there if you want to prove his involvement in the City's trouble!"
"What? I'll just go to the barracks instead. Why would I…."
"Please! The students there are innocent! I've just learned that my own son might be in their midst. Please rescue them! As long as you keep them alive, it's fine! I beg of you!"
The man was already on the ground, bowing while shedding tears.
The Captain was an upright man. It was the least he could do after all the owner had done for him. He quickly reassured him, leaving for the school.
— OP Blacksmith School! —
The place was shady as hell.
No, shady didn't even do it justice. Even in the slums, it looked terrible!
He slowly made his way inside, soon finding the students. They were all good kids that had been led down the wrong path. He'd make this quick.
In the cacophony of the hammering, the Captain struck!
He dashed from the shadows right behind the nearest student, slamming a palm on his head to hinder him. Of course, he made sure to control his strength.
But just as he was about to hit, the target suddenly dodged!
— Whoosh!! —
How?! Did this guy have eyes in the back of his head?!
"We're under attack!! Sound the alarm! To arms!!"
Just like that, the Captain was revealed. Then again, who could expect a blacksmith to randomly side-step while crafting?
They all grabbed the nearest tool, looking half menacing and half foolish. Fighting spirit overflowed from them, yet some were only equipped with metal buckets…?!
"Look, I don't mean any harm, I…"
The Captain tried negotiating, but the students were already furious.
"Yet another villain!"
"Beat him up! No mercy against evil!
"Show him the result of your training! Make Teacher proud, defend the school!"
They all charged at once, bellowing war cries, a melee beginning.
1 Captain Vs. 17 Students
At this moment, their number advantage didn't do much for them.
Their valor only equaled their lack of skills. They had grown more powerful, but they were too used to hitting lifeless unmoving metal.
"Stop Moving, you bastard!"
They complained as they fell one by one.
Chop! Thud! Chop Thud!
It didn't take long for the Captain to stand alone, surrounded by a bunch of unconscious people. Now he'd just have to bring them to safety and perhaps interrogate them gently.
But suddenly, a man showed up, whistling.
Their gaze met: it was the Necromancer bastard!
The Captain rushed toward his prey so quickly that the floor under his feet trembled.
— Charge! —
He expected the man to summon evil creatures, he expected him to use evil magic, he expected him to run, he expected many things…
But then his palm collided with him, rendering him unconscious. What?! How was it this easy?! He stared at the evil being in his clutches, questioning his eyes.
Illusion? No.
Wrong guy? Neither
He even used his Moon Elf increased senses to check in detail. But no matter what he did, he couldn't find any trick.
That's when the gambling den owner entered, his face a mask of terror. In his hand, there was a shattered crystal, the kind that kept track of a loved one's life status.
"Noooo! What have you done?!" He ran toward a fallen blacksmith.
"Don't worry, they're just—" The Captain suddenly noticed all the blood. The students he had knocked down were on the ground, lifeless, all their orifices bleeding.
What?! This was impossible!
He rushed toward them, trying his best to reanimate them. All he managed to do was smear his hands with blood. They were gone, utterly gone.
"Why? WHY?! You said you'd spare them!" The owner wailed as he cradled one of the bodies.
"I swear, I didn't do anything!" The Captain cried out, grabbing Jack by the collar and slapping him awake. "Why are they all dead?!" He pointed at the students.
Sorrow, anger, and even more sorrow flashed in Jack's eyes as he glanced at the scene.
"Backlash. They were already exhausted from pushing their limits forging, and you beat them up so much….Their bodies couldn't handle it anymore." Jack tearfully explained.
"?!?"
The Captain's grip loosened. This was all his fault?! He had only wanted to help….how had things turned out this way?!
Jack managed to free himself, unsteadily dragging himself toward the massacre. He gave a self-deprecating laugh as Demonic Energy started swirling around him.
"Once more, students of mine are dying. Is my existence cursed?!" He seemed to wallow in self-pity for a few instants before resolving himself.
"No, Last time I failed, but this time I'll save them for sure! This time I'll do it right. This time I'll bring them back properly!" Jack mumbled to himself.
"You'll bring them back?! Do it, please!" The owner begged.
By now Jack was overflowing with Demonic Energy, obviously ready to cast an incredible mass undead summoning spell.
Yet, he didn't look evil nor powerful. He was simply a broken mess of a man, barely coping with the loss of his students. He wanted them back, at all cost, nothing else.
The Captain couldn't take his eyes from this lonely sorrowful figure.
At this moment, he remembered the courage the students had shown, even when they were so clearly outmatched. Did they know that they were rushing to their deaths then?!
They died protecting their beloved school, wanting to make their Teacher proud. At this moment, the Captain felt doubt for the first time.
The man looked so sad…
Even the best actor couldn't fake such sadness…
Had he misunderstood him? He was undoubtedly a Necromancer, but perhaps he was trying to help? Was that why the undead had only been crafting back then?
What if the actual cause of the disaster were the greedy merchants trying to enslave the undead?
His mind rocked nonstop, but he still knew he had to stop this spell. He rushed forth and ended it, leaving two grown men bawling their eyes out.
"Why? Let him bring back the people you killed!"
"Please, just let me finish. You can kill me afterward, but please…." Jack begged.
The Captain felt their pain, profoundly so. He was overwhelmed by guilt, sorrow, and regret, but he forced himself to slowly utter:
"No, we all know this won't truly bring them back. I'm sorry, so truly sorry, but we can't repeat the undead outbreak tragedy. Not again…You understand, don't you?"
The two exchanged a glance tinged with enough sadness to drown a fish. At this moment, they understood one another.
Jack held his hands up, gesturing for the man to take him into custody.
"What right do I have to bring you to justice? I'm nothing but a sinner myself…." The Captain shook his head.
The two quickly decided to bury the victims before surrendering to the authorities and confessing their crimes. They needed to atone for their mistakes.
But just as they were about to begin…
"Ah, you're here! What are you up to— What the hell happened here?!" The Treasure Prince just happened to pass by. It didn't take long for him to get the gist of the situation.
"We need to find a tomb with a lot of sunlight. A blacksmith who's cold is sad and poor." Jack remarked, and they got to work.
They exited the City, finding a nice spot in the mountain.
Jack took care of the eulogy…
He spoke of his students' valor. They had insisted on learning a dangerous forging technique just to improve, all so they could give better lives to their families.
He spoke of their character. They were extremely kind and always helped one another.
He spoke of how lucky he had been to teach them, even for a short while.
Then it was time to atone. But just as they were about to head to the barracks, the Treasure Prince chimed in.
"You want to atone? What will throwing your lives away do? The past is history, but there is still good to be done in the future. If you want to atone, then atone for real!" He cried out.
The Captain found new resolve in the man's words.
"About that, I have a suggestion." the Treasure Prince offered.
Jack's and his two companions waved the man away as he left for his new journey. He was heading to an orphanage in the middle of nowhere to repent.
As soon as he disappeared on the horizon…
"Pfft— I can't believe that freaking worked!"
"Just like that, he's gone?!"
They glanced at their leader with awe. This plan had been utterly ridiculous, but his godlike acting had carried it to completion!
"Now, help me dig them out, alright?" Jack requested.
But suddenly, an earth-shattering explosion happened in the City, colossal energy beams reaching the sky. The two turned to Jack. What had he done this time?
"I'm innocent!"
"…"
"…"