Chapter 9: 9 - Secure

Taking care of the two pieces of scum had been easy enough, but the aftermath was harder.

Vivi wasn’t good with people. She wasn’t the worst, maybe, but it had never been her strong suit. Neither was dealing with the aftermath of a traumatizing situation.

Allen handled it better than Saffra. He was a grown adult, if a young one. And even he was more than a little rattled. Vivi helped him to his feet, and he smoothed his robes out ten or twelve more times than necessary.

He crouched down next to Saffra and tried to assure her, with slightly more success than Vivi had managed. She tried not to let it affect her how the girl didn’t flinch away from him like she had from her.

In the meantime, she cast a restraining spell better suited for transportation. White bands of light wrapped around her two prisoners’ arms, legs, and torsos. And their mouths. She wasn’t sure what she would do if they said the wrong thing right now. Her temper was beyond frayed. She’d never been so disgusted in her life.

It was the first instance having so much power at her fingertips made her uneasy rather than filled her with awe. She’d been quick to start throwing the man and woman around. The difference between them was so great that she could have ended the conflict without violence, but she’d chosen to hurt them instead. What did that say about her?

Another application of [Greater Telekinesis] later, and two bodies were floating in front of her staff.

“We should return to the city. Hand them in to the guard. You two weren’t hurt, right?”

Allen checked himself over, then looked at Saffra. Saffra didn’t look at him; she stared at the ground and silently shook her head. Another surge of anger and frustration filled Vivi, though it didn’t touch her face.

This poor girl didn’t deserve any of this. Not that Allen did either, but Saffra seemed more shaken than him. She was only thirteen, or thereabouts.

This event had been a wake-up call. She might have found herself transported into a new world, but it was a ‘fantasy world’ only in the sense of the environment and a few fundamental rules of nature. People were still people. Some were good, some were bad, and some were—worse than bad.

“Let’s go, then,” Vivi said.

She could teleport their entire party back if she pleased, but she still wanted to lie low, regardless of how unlikely that was becoming. More importantly, these two needed a chance to gather their thoughts. They weren’t far from Prismarche’s walls; the walk would do them good.

She floated the two prisoners ahead, bound and gagged by magic. A number of monsters contested their progress, but she was in no mood to play around, so they died the instant they appeared.

Saffra rallied throughout the walk, to Vivi’s relief, her shoulders squaring and chin raising in that cutely arrogant way Vivi had first seen in the Adventurer’s Guild. But even she could tell it was feigned.

Being in a headspace to even feign composure was an improvement from the way she’d crumpled into herself earlier. Vivi’s grip tightened around her staff, remembering that sight.

The following two hours were a chore. Reasonable for how Vivi had taken prisoners, the gate guards contested their entry; she explained the situation. They were brought to the guardhouse; she explained the situation. She escorted the growing party to the holding cells; she explained the situation to yet more people.

Her irritation might have started to show, because Allen took over. While her junior, he understood the system better than she did anyway. He was better suited to dealing with this.

The higher-ups dragged in to deal with the criminals—the criminals who were still floating in the air gagged and restrained by bindings of glowing white light—were extremely interested in Vivi’s involvement. Or rather, who she was, why she’d helped, and what rank she was. Not that she was answering. They seemed more interested in her than the matter at hand, which rapidly agitated her, and she hadn’t been in a good mood to begin with.

Thankfully, the Guard Captain—since this was a significant enough event to call the highest ranked officer in the city to the scene—sensed her growing annoyance and called off the scrutiny.

“You’ve done our city a great service, Lady Adventurer,” the regal-looking man, who was probably a nobleman of some flavor, said, his hand resting on the hilt of his sword. Soren, she thought he’d been introduced as? She’d heard a lot of names in the past twenty minutes. “I thank you personally for rescuing two of our own and securing such detestable criminals.”

Vivi eyed him. The words seemed earnest despite the fanfare. “I’ve said what I need to. Make sure they’re taken care of.” She waved at Allen and Saffra to indicate who she meant. “I’ll be going now.”

No one stopped her. Though the guards posted at the door shot a sharp look at the Guard Captain, who inclined his head in permission.

Out under the open sky, Vivi took a calming breath. She walked around the nearest corner, checked for anyone watching, then wrapped herself in [Invisibility], [Blinked] into the sky, and [Blinked] several more times.

She set down onto the roof of the Adventurer’s Guild. Sitting, she tucked her chin onto her knees and finally had a chance to ruminate over the situation.

There was a lot she could have done better. That she wished she had done better. Namely her slow response.

After an hour of nothing happening with Lailah and her team, she had shrugged and headed back to town. She hadn’t abandoned the possibility that something might go wrong, since she had been casting frequent [Farsight] spells, but when the situation had developed such that Vivi realized with a shock that she was needed, she hadn’t been able to teleport there instantly.

Her supreme magical might wasn’t all that supreme, not in the sense she was omnipotent. She had limitations—plenty of them. She could repeatedly cast [Blink] to cover enormous distances, but first she needed to be aware of the problem, and secondly, rapid movement wasn’t instant. It had taken time. Not much, but time nonetheless.

It was a strange mix of emotions she felt. The unexpected part was relief, and she didn’t mean relief for having saved Allen and Saffra. Thus far, she had felt a sort of…surreal detachment experiencing this new life. How couldn’t she? It was absurd what had happened. The generous way everyone had treated her so far had reinforced that feeling: that it was all a fantasy.

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This had grounded her in a way few things could have. No, she hadn’t arrived in an idealized world where nothing went wrong. A teenager and a young man had likely been traumatized by her slow reaction. She had possessed enough information and reasonable suspicion that she could have prevented the events before they escalated. Yet today had turned out as it had. And she was responsible.

Vivi wasn’t used to responsibility. She was all but a shut-in. She played video games most of the day every day, eking out a living through the videos she posted online—since some small contingent of people were interested in the musings, advice, and commentary of the highest-ranked player of one of the world’s most popular games, no matter how uncharismatically delivered.

Even that level of attention had been uncomfortable. She’d released videos only often enough to make payments on her one-bedroom apartment.

It was no surprise that the first important event in her new life, she’d messed up.

She sighed and collapsed backward, staring at the sky. The shroud of [Invisibility] was strangely comforting. It might be her favorite spell. There had been a lot of times she’d wished she could disappear, and now she could.

An hour passed as she festered. A cloud hung over her. She contemplated everything she should have done differently.

She wasn’t the sort to stew forever though. Eventually she heaved out another huge sigh, sat up, and rubbed her sore neck. Apparently stats didn’t save a person from what made them human.

…or demon?

She slid down the roof and landed in front of the Adventurer’s Guild.

By divine timing, a teenage catgirl was stalking out the front door. She didn’t see Vivi, on account of [Invisibility], of course.

She watched her go, wondering if she should say something, but decided against it. Better if that poor girl forgot the whole ordeal.

Even if Vivi had mishandled everything, the worst case scenario had been avoided. She tried not to think about what the ‘worst case’ would have been. She didn’t know who those two were, and honestly preferred not to.

She swerved into an alleyway, checked for spectators, and dispelled [Invisibility]. She walked into the Adventurer’s Guild.

To her dismay, the Guildmaster and the Guard Captain were both inside, speaking with each other. Their eyes locked on Vivi the moment she walked through.

She suppressed her annoyance and approached them herself, since it was obvious she would be flagged down if she didn’t.

She surprised herself when she was the one to open the conversation. “The girl. Where is she going?”

Saffra ought to be resting and recuperating, even if she hadn’t been physically harmed. Why had she been stalking straight back out into the city?

Did she have family she was returning to? Somehow, Vivi doubted it. She had the impression Saffra was on her own. Not least because, who would let their young teenage daughter fight monsters for a living? But also just a general intuition.

She supposed she didn’t know much about Saffra’s circumstances, and she could be heading off anywhere, but Vivi asked the question anyway.

The Guard Captain handled her demanding tone with grace, a quality she was quickly associating with him. She found herself annoyed for some reason. It reminded her of Lailah.

Maybe it wasn’t fair to compare any friendly person to that woman. Vivi had gotten unlucky, somehow bumping into her as one of the first people she’d met in this world.

“We insisted she stay and rest, but she insisted otherwise, and it would be inappropriate to detain her even for her own wellbeing,” Guard Captain Soren said. "She has committed no crimes and is in command of her own decisions."

“Why did she insist? Where is she going?”

“Something about…looking for a cat?” He seemed confused.

Vivi paused.

A cat?

She put two and two together. The first time Vivi had met her, Saffra had been handing out posters for a missing cat. She had quested off into the city to keep working on that previous goal of hers. Maybe she’d wanted to return to the familiar mission for peace of mind?

Despite what Saffra had been through, her first instinct was to go and help someone else.

Vivi was immediately seething. It surprised her how quickly her temper returned. Both the Guildmaster and the Guard Captain took a step back.

“I see,” Vivi said tightly, and spun on a heel. She didn’t even know what she was heading out to do.

“Lady Adventurer,” the Guard Captain said. “There truly are some things we must discuss.”

She contemplated ignoring him, but eventually decided she shouldn’t. She turned and eyed him, but he wasn’t dissuaded by her expression. He inclined his head in half apology.

His continued congeniality forced Vivi to take a breath, especially since his regalia and attitude suggested he was a particularly high-ranking individual. Maybe he was conceding his station, somewhat, being so friendly and yielding to an unknown adventurer.

She walked back up to him and the Guildmaster. “What?” she asked.

The Guard Captain’s expression was slightly strained as he smiled at her, and Vivi forced herself to relax.

“And thank you for your help, Guard Captain.”

His tension eased. “Of course, Lady Adventurer. The least I could do in reciprocation for your valiant deeds.”

She kept a straight face and didn’t respond. The formal talk was—amusing. But probably expected from high stations in this world.

He cleared his throat. “We’ve determined the identities of the two individuals,” the Guard Captain said. “Meredith Hayes and Bennet Fisher.” He paused as if waiting for Vivi’s reaction, seeming equal parts disappointed and intrigued when her face didn’t so much as twitch. “Evaluated both at mithril, and long-standing criminals with significant bounties. Members of Morningstar. The Kingdoms have been looking for them for a while.”

Interesting. She didn’t know what Morningstar was, and considered asking. But decided against it. For her own peace of mind, she didn’t want to know what would have happened if she hadn’t come to help Saffra and Allen.

“Meaning we might struggle to contain them,” the Guard Captain added, maybe expecting her to have understood that implication.

She stiffened. “What? Why?”

“Why?” He raised his eyebrows, but smoothed his face out shortly. “We have dedicated cells for troublesome individuals, certainly, but mithril-ranks, much less these two, are…”

“Wiley,” the Guildmaster supplied, his gruff voice interjecting for the first time.

“Wiley. Indeed. One can never know what a mithril-rank might have in reserve.”

A cold feeling filled Vivi. If the incompetent city officials had let those two get away—

“Come,” Vivi demanded, grabbing the Guard Captain’s arm.

A [Far Sight] spell and a few [Blinks] later, they appeared outside the watchtower built into the city’s perimeter. “Go. Lead,” she ordered, her attempts at an amenable temperament from earlier disappearing.

The Captain was quick to adapt, if nothing else. He oriented faster than Vivi would have at the sudden teleportation.

He led her to the holding cells where the two prisoners were being kept.

The reason she’d panicked was because she thought they might have somehow escaped, even in the limited time she’d been gone. But no; they were there. Both sitting on the stone floor, leaning against the wall, expressions darkening when their eyes met hers.

Vivi ignored them and inspected the cells. She felt magic radiating from their shackles and the metal bars. The enchantments layered into the cells were far from insignificant.

She had acted rashly. The local watch had things in hand. She doubted these two could escape.

But the Guard Captain had broached the possibility, so she raised her staff and cast:

“[Martial Bind].”

“[Aether Sink].”

“[Fetters of Reflex].”

Three high-level spells that drastically reduced all of their key stats. It wasn’t a universal solution. The Guard Captain’s point had been that when it came to adventurers of sufficient level, keeping them in place could be dicey in the best of cases. Because who knew what skill or item they might have in reserve?

Drastically reducing their stats was a good starting point though.

To be safe, Vivi also renewed her spatial tracking spell on each. That, at least, wouldn’t be removed. If they did flee, she would hunt them down herself. And maybe not let them live, this time.

She swatted that idea away. She wouldn’t become some vigilante killer. That was a dangerous slope to start sliding down as some random girl suddenly given immense power.

“Those spells will last a day. Anyone could fight them and win, now.” She waved a hand. “Decide what else you need to keep them secure, and if I can help, I will.”

Her attention was briefly caught by the runes engraved around the prison cell. She traced one with her finger, surprised by how easily she recognized the meaning of each arcane symbol.

“And these are nearly decayed. I know some enchanting. I’ll renew and improve them where I can.”

She had no intentions of letting these two get away.