Unfortunately, I’m Not A Hero: 18 (5.2)

Unfortunately, I’m Not A Hero: 18

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Wordcount: 2500

Commissioned by Shaderic.

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“What have you done?” Surprisingly, I had to answer that question. Given the fact that there was no way that Lord Hill would die to a city of stone being set on fire, I needed Reiser to finish the job. So, I threw the Ifrit’s broken leash at her feet, before taking a look at the bows aligned against the wall. Yep, as expected, they were all made for the Empire’s professional soldiers. In other words, they were all utterly useless to me, given my lack of superhuman physique. In fact, most of the weapons in the Empire’s repertoire were beyond my physical ability to use. “That… that will be of great aid to our cause, but the ramifications for the citizens…”

The little cogs in her head were turning, but I had no intention of helping them move along. She could deal with her fucked up way of thinking on her own time, especially since the panic outside was far less than I expected. 

Yep, one look through the narrow slits of the smithy’s windows confirmed my assumptions.

“They have a ram. Get ready to fight. Use every weapon in this room.” The molten exit made by the Ifrit in her death charge was going to be unavailable for some time, so right now we only had one entrance to worry about. That entrance was designed to hold against monsters, but I doubted it could withstand six giants in armor carrying a pillar of weighted steel. “I’m going to let them in, then I’m going to lock out the rest. Kill them.”

“Wait!”

I didn’t wait, since the team was already rushing the door with their ram. A few moments after impact, I had the bar removed, and just as the they were about to hit it, I had the door opened. Six armored men tumbled into the room, as they found absolutely no resistance to their charge, and before they could get back up, I had the door closed. Then, with all my skill and speed, I closed the door quickly. Without years of practice and training, I would’ve never been able to achieve my missing, while simultaneously diving behind the smithy’s counter.

The first, foremost man died to Reiser’s sword before he could get up, while second man managed to get up before he received a blade through his neck. The other four managed to get up and react, before she was upon them, but even then, a third died to Reiser as her sword cleaved through his plate with ease, before the other two seized weapons and attacked her.  One lost his hand and weapon nigh-instantly, while the other one had his hammer leapt over as a blade’s tip scored his eye through the slit in his visor.

She was winning the fight, but the battle lay on my shoulders, because the last soldier was going for the door, so that the rest of the troops could enter. I didn’t know what drove him to act the way he did. Experience, logic, and training were all good answers. They were supposed to open the door, since they carried rams, and I doubted that they could get another while there was a fire elemental rampaging through their city. So, he had to get the door open in order to win.

Unfortunately for him, even I could trip hold onto someone and slow them down.

Not without getting a backhand to the face that sent waves of pain through my face, as well as filling my nose and mouth with blood, but it was enough for him to receive the ram he and his fellow carried through his chest. My face stung and my vision was blurry, but I managed to get up without Reiser’s help. She offered me a vial of what I presumed was a health potion, but I chose to reset my nose and spat out the blood in my mouth, before waving it away. My blood was warm against my face, and annoying as heck as they trickled steadily out of stinging, swelling wounds, but it wasn’t much. I’d have taken it if I’d been hit in the ribs or stomach, just to be safe, but being able to heal quickly would be more useful later. 

“Save it. We’re going to need it.” I leaned against the nearest window and I didn’t like what I found. Again, there was no panic amongst the gathered troops, even as the night sky was slowly taking on an orange tint. There were only a few plumes of smoke, not nearly enough to force an army to route, but I’d thought the entire city turning into magma would have some people retreat. Apparently, I was dead fucking wrong. The Ifrit was going to off itself well before Hill’s control over his men broke. “They haven’t budged.”

“Hill the Holdfast is vaunted for never giving ground to the enemy. With his hammer, he has turned the tide of many battles alone, as he stood in the frontline with his men.” 

“After hundreds of slaves slowed the enemy down or crippled them.” Right. His tactics were the same as every other noble of the Empire. After enough blood was split, after the teeth of the monsters were dulled and they were beginning to surrender to their baser instincts, they rode in covered in enchanted equipment on horses the size of small cars and with pretty much the same amount of metal on them. What an amazing, capable person. I wonder if he’d volunteer to show me how his plan worked starting from step one. “Didn’t I tell you to be quiet? I thought I did, but just in case: shut up.”

The question of the situation was why Hill’s forces weren’t running. The vanguard got eaten by the location they were trying to get into, and the city they were supposed to protect was melting around them. Why wasn’t there anyone resisting Hill’s choice to stay, or even question why a single woman and a slave were worth abandoning an entire city’s worthy of people for?

Unless they had no choice and were slaves.

But that didn’t make a shred of sense. 

Slaves were never armed or armored in regular, steel armor, let alone the enchanted armor that Hill’s forces were wearing. Giving someone who has a control collar around their neck something that can resist magic would be idiotic, and even the Empire manages to meet that business-card height of expectations. As much as I’d like my former bosses to be stupid enough to give their slaves magic-resistant armor capable of shrugging off a few blows from a Hellhound, they were unfortunately smart enough to not accidently slit their own throats, even if the world would’ve been better if they did. 

However, as a certain, cocaine-addicted detective would say, if the impossible the only possibility, then it cannot be impossible. 

I was missing something about this scene.

Something that was too important for me to ignore Reiser for, even while the entire city started to burn and the dull light of an inferno was slowly starting to drive away the stars. 

Important enough to risk dying for an answer and confronting Hill myself.

…

Hill’s my standard for Empire Nobles. He was my “master” the man who’d held my leash and hundreds of others, before we were sent along to Ylstu. Like a man appraising a bunch of animals, he looked us over, had our bodies checked for deficiencies, and then evaluated us. Those with talent and magic were naturally already plucked away, so the ranks were mostly people who could just kill. While I was a failed, expensive experiment at an attempt to get some sort of super-powerful mage, he took one look at me, smiled, and was glad to see that I was strong enough to just be given a club and a leather vest, then sent on my way to the front.

“Ah, Hikigaya. Well met. I had planned to attend to you, but this entire debacle arose before I could.” His face, smile, and red hair were all perfect. Strong jawline, waving, lustrous locks, and a perfect, even white teeth. Yeah, he was the sort of guy that Monsters would compete the have. And, I would be more than happy to let them, so that he could lose his sanity and freedom forever. But that didn’t matter that much. What did matter was how he’d assembled the force he had right now. An assembly of loyal, well-armed and -armored slaves that didn’t question him, as they flanked him in a burning, screaming city. “I had hoped to take your head and deliver it to my Lord with my own blade.”

“Shove your sword up your ass, Hill. Tell me what you did with those slaves.” Reiser reached me and took up the task of protecting me. She was already prepared to counter any charge while wielding one weapon in each hand. One was her bullshit sword that was worth more than all the lives I’ve had to waste, while the other carried the column of steel that the Hill had intended to use to break down the door.  She was skilled, but this was a force that was beyond her. Well, if not for the impending, Ifrit explosion. “How many old men did you have to bend over for to get your personal army of mindless supersoldiers?”

“Supersoldiers. What a simple way to address my new soldiery, especially when they’re the fruit of your own labors, Hikigaya.” A whole line of six soldiers moved up at once. The way they moved was inconsiderate of the body, as though they were machines. So, that was their game. Right. I heard enough and had enough information. “I must thank you for—

Time to stop attack the enemy mid-sentence for maximum damage.

“Reiser. Now.”

With a grunt and at my command, Reiser threw both her weapons. A door-breaking, steel ram flew through the air, while the sword sliced through the air. Both were naturally aimed towards Hill. It was a suicidal move, but given my assessment of the situation, it was necessary. If the Empire has decided to start lobotomizing their slaves and directly controlling them, so they could supplement their actual army, then killing their commander before he gave off orders was necessary.  

Of course, I could be wrong about the situation.

The Empire could’ve spent time and effort in making autonomous killing machines that didn’t require any input from them to act… pfft. 

Man, I can’t even say that with a straight face!

The pillar of weighted steel that Hill sped towards him, but as he recoiled, his slaves leapt in front of the speeding mass of simple metal. I’d put Reiser’s strength as a the same as Ur, though the Amazon had the edge given her specialization and magic-focus as a warrior. Still, the psychopath had a few tricks up her sleeve, so that the front line that went to intercept the speeding shell wasn’t just blocking the bullet. The first three found themselves coming apart, as she Sharpened the speeding pillar before throwing it, resulting in the slaves having chunks cleaved out of them by the passing weapon. The next three were pulped by the speeding rod, as the armor of the first set depleted the magic.

So, all the first attack did was clear the way for the second. 

The sword didn’t manage to decapitate Hill, but it did tear through the top of his skull and remove the top of his brain from the bottom. It was a gratifying sight, with his mouth agape and vestigial responses having him reach for his head, but it didn’t last. He fell of his horse with one foot still in his saddle, causing his steed to rear up, whinney, and thrash amongst unmoving, armored slaves until he fell off. It was certainly annoying that I didn’t get to appreciate removing my “master” from the world, but the free ride was appreciated.

“Don’t let your guard down. See to the horse and make it ready. The Ifrit is going to explode.” I gave Reiser orders, but she didn’t move. Her eyes were on the slaves. Oh, wait. No. The martyrs. Augh, she probably thought that they were a waste of potential sacrifices for the Empire. How great. “Fine, then. I’ll do it. If that monster of a thing eats me, it’s your fault.”

“Be quiet, Hachiman.”

I don’t know why, but when she spoke to me this time, my mouth snapped shut. 

She approached one of the unmoving slaves and removed their helmet. 

And, she got an eye-full of the Empire’s latest fucked up methods to victory.

Which honestly surprised me, too.

“These are Empire citizens.” Yep. They were. How’d I know? It was because behind every helm that Reiser removed was a face that would’ve been considered beautiful or handsome back on Earth. They were fantasy humans with perfect bodies and forms. That meant that that they would make for good militia. Superior bodies meant superior hardware for you to input your software, especially when that hardware was supposed to carry and utilize magical arms and armor. “And… this is the seal of the Empire’s Tower of Sorcery.” 

On the side of the neck was a familiar sight. It was the simple tower imposed upon a shield with two crossed staves. What a big surprise. The interdimensional kidnappers and enslavers were willing to mark their own people. Hmmm. Nah. It’s not a surprise at all. It’s just the sort of shit that they’d be unquestionably up to. 

Unfortunately, that was news for Reiser, as expected.

She fell onto her knees, while I clambered onto the white warhorse that Hill had been using. Naturally, given the fact it would cold outside, I’d stolen his coat, as well as all his valuables before I got on the horse. Roseanne would have words for me, since I’d lost the sword and sigil she’d given me in a now-melting city, but that’s what she gets for being a poor coordinator in times of crisis. Seriously, did I have to get out of here all by myself? Where was my cell-phone signal? Heck, where was my cell phone?

But back to the situation at hand.

Reiser’s psychotic, indoctrinated mind breaking over something utterly irreconcilable to her world view.

The city was burning. Light was shining from the center, while heat poured in from every direction. The scent of heat filled the air, while screams echoed in the distance. I sat upon Hill’s white warhorse, while his militia stood silent waiting for an order that would never come, while Reiser could only aimlessly stare forward.

I considered trying to talk to her, but decided against it.

Why?

Because if I became the only attachment to this world, then she was better off dead. 

Therefore, I could only give her a simple choice.

“You can try to catch me and get us both killed, or go back into the city and try to save the people who betrayed you.” 

I didn’t know if my words reached her.

But as I rode out of the city, towards figures with wings diving towards the ablaze ruin, she didn’t come. 

Best case scenario?

She just stayed still and unmoving until the Ifrit exploded and glassed the city.

But, given my bad luck, I was sure she didn’t do me a favor and died.