Blossom gives me a knowing glance before nodding and then turning to leave.
I lean in and whisper into Ayame’s ear, “Operation Fluffy Liberation is a go. I repeat, Operation Fluffy Liberation is a go. Battle team, prepare for action. Is the Beautiful Battle Babe ready for deployment?”
Ayame turns slowly, her eyes narrowing into slits as she glares at me. She raises one eyebrow and silently mouths some very unladylike words, after which she whispers;”I hate you so damn much… You better hope I never manage to get rid of this slave contract, Quinlan!”
I snicker at her adorable threat and she also can’t help herself as her furious expression cracks and she lightly grins as well. She is obviously annoyed by that moniker but doesn’t care enough to actually be angry with me.
Now that we’ve confirmed that Blossom is no longer present it’s time to get serious and get ready for the rapidly looming pig slaughtering session of ours.
We know that he will stay in the guild and waste away until late evening, after which he will saunter to the brothel.
The two of us spend the next few hours thoroughly scouting the route he will take for any possible obstructions we might face and we also select a hidden alleyway where we should be able to have ‘the talk’ with Ian in private, without others hearing his squealing.
As the sun rapidly diminishes in strength, casting long shadows across the town, we spot Ian from our hiding spot. We had found an empty shed of a house with a broken doorknob and simply walked in. The place was abandoned, filled with cobwebs and dust, but it provided an excellent vantage point. The musty scent and the creaking wooden floorboards add to the sense of seclusion.
To our dismay, Ian is not alone. Grunt is accompanying him while being equipped to the teeth in heavy armor to the point that I can’t see his skin at all, I can only identify him from his voice. Though, strangely, his two slaves are nowhere to be seen.
I find it surprising that Grunt is here, given his penchant for boasting about threesomes with his slaves, so I didn’t take him for someone that would pay for a brothel’s services. Ian and Grunt’s relationship also never seemed close enough for him to walk to the brothel with Ian. As if confirming my suspicions, Grunt calls Ian over to the alley where we are hiding in.
We hurriedly duck behind the grimy window, listening intently. The flickering lamplight outside casts eerie shadows inside the shed, heightening the tension. My heart pounds as we strain to catch every word, knowing this unexpected twist could complicate our plans. Scratch that, it already did. Ian should already be lying in a pool of blood.
“Why are we here, brother Grunt? Lily is waiting for me!”
“I have something I wish to show you, just shut up and follow obediently.”
They walk past our hiding place, going further into the empty alley.
“Now! Hold him!” Grunt shouts suddenly.
“What is this?! Brother?!”
“Kekeke! I’m sorry. Well not really. I just really want your slave for myself, you know? Not only is she an amazing combatant but she is one hot piece of ass, let me tell you that. I still don’t get why you dislike her, but after hearing your stories about that prostitute I no longer care to understand your defunct brain.”
“She is a dog!”
“You mean she has a tail and pointy ears? So what? She is a humanoid with normal skin otherwise. I honestly cringe every time I see you spend money on this Lily whore rather than spending a free night with your slave who is leagues above her.”
“Damn you, traitor! I loved you like a real brother! … So what now? If you kill me she will just remain in the wilderness or die to the orcs due to her sealed stats and class!”
“Kekeke. Why do you think I instructed my slaves to hold you and not kill you, you obese retard? I’m taking you hostage so that when she returns from the mission she will run into my lap where I will force you to sign her contract over to me. I have a good slaver friend who can assist with the procedure.”
“Fuck…” Ian curses under his breath.
“Fuck indeed, my old friend. I thought this through well, yeah? I would love to take credit for this but it was actually my two slaves using their pretty little heads who came up with it.”
“What… Why are you helping him?!” Ian asks, but receives no response. Unlike their master, these two don’t appear to be chatty.
“Enough, restrain him with the ropes. Make sure he has no room to escape.” Grunt instructs.
We can’t let this plan go through. I wouldn’t have cared, or rather preferred if Grunt took care of Ian, but he will keep the pig alive as his captive. Ian must die for Operation Fluffy Liberation’s second part to even begin, so we must act.
I look towards Ayame who nods. We walk away from the window towards the door so that we can come from the alley entrance, this way we will look like random passersby who happened to see their kidnapping attempt. If we simply jump out of the window it will be obvious that we were up to no good. freeωebnovēl.c૦m
“Hey! What’s going on here?!” I shout and walk towards them with Ayame next to me while acting out my best good guy NPC impression.
All of them freeze in their tracks and turn towards us. Even Ian forgets to struggle to escape. I couldn’t see anything from the window but now everything is in clear view. The slave women duo are holding his two arms while attempting to tie them together with a rope with Grunt just watching the spectacle unfold.
“Help! Heeeelp!” Ian’s gears begin to turn once more and begins begging for assistance.
“Who are these two?” Grunt questions, and one of the slaves replies, “Quinlan and Hana, two recent iron ranks.”
Oh, it seems we are quite popular already.