East Road Quest

Chapter 63: The Trap

No matter how one might have braved the sandstorms of the desert, walking through the grasslands at night was no easy feat.

Jade had left in such a hurry that there was no horse to ride. Without a map or a clear path, it was impossible to gauge how much further they had to go. But more pressing than anything else was the issue of the unknown assassins currently in pursuit.

As when leaving Rome, Jade began to look back.

Behind her, she saw Poe walking closely. Trying to hide her unease, Jade forced a smile, prompting Poe to say, “You seem troubled, Father.”

Hoping it wasn’t about the assassins, Jade asked, “What is?”

Poe’s voice, following the wind of the grasslands and the sound of crickets, was as soft as music.

“I’ve always been taught that unbelievers without faith are akin to devils. Despite Father Daniel’s teachings and my attempts to follow them, the constant words of the surrounding nuns made it difficult.”

“You’re speaking of Ruby.”

“Ruby has devoured the Bible and other historical texts. She scrutinizes the word of God as if it were a law to be dissected, and regards angels as adversaries to be challenged someday. Yet, Ruby is no devil. Rather…”

Poe struggled to admit an uncomfortable truth, like a scholar conceding a point.

“…she is closer to an angel.”

“Is that why you encouraged Ruby to read the Bible? To instill faith?”

“Not specifically, but perhaps… I’m not sure.”

Poe bowed her head in confusion.

“Ruby was an adventurer who roamed the world even before the establishment of Rome, and she has read a vast number of books predating the Bible. A single reading of the Bible now won’t instill in her the Catholic faith as we understand it.”

“I know. But it made me happy. She read it because I insisted. If we continue our discussions, she might come to have faith.”

Jade looked at Poe’s expressionless face and spoke impassively.

“Poe, we’re not on this adventure to spread faith.”

Unconsciously, Jade clutched the star cross of Daniel hanging around her neck.

‘I myself lack faith. Just as our parents can’t return, my faith may never come back…’

Jade stopped herself from saying these words to Poe, fearing it might sound like Poe’s fault.

“But if Ruby comes to have faith now…”

Poe hesitated, then continued.

“…perhaps she could befriend an angel if she meets one again?”

Surprised by the unexpected thought, Jade asked, “Is that why? To prevent Ruby from fighting with an angel?”

Poe nodded slowly and replied, “Yes. It seemed like a good idea.”

At that moment, Ruby called out from ahead.

“Hey! Whether I fight someone or not is my business, so drop the silly debate and come learn the rules of travel.”

“That kid has sharp ears.”

Jade grumbled and caught up with Ruby, who was leading the way, and Poe followed immediately.

Ruby pointed towards something in the distance, illuminated by the moonlight on the grassland.

“Look over there.”

“I don’t see anything.”

“Your eyesight is poor.”

“It’s visible only to you. Can you see it, Poe?”

When Jade asked, Poe hesitated to answer.

“Do you see it?”

“…Yes, I do.”

“Hmm, it’s just me then. Let’s go a bit further.”

Walking alongside Ruby, Jade soon saw a wooden stake embedded in the middle of the grassland, surrounded by nothing but grass.

Two people were sitting beneath the stake, which was as tall as two adults and about a hand’s breadth thick. The moonlight alone was insufficient to discern their condition.

“What’s going on there?” Jade inquired.

“They appear to be Kun tribe nomads, tied to the stake with ropes and injured. Their faint breathing suggests they won’t last much longer,” Ruby explained.

“Oh no! Then we must help them.”

As Jade moved to approach, Ruby grabbed her clothes, pulling her back so suddenly that Jade fell on her backside.

“I didn’t expect you to fall so easily.”

“You’re just too strong.”

“Shh. Keep your voice down.”

Ruby put a finger to her lips and then explained quietly.

“Learn from this,” said the Angel Chief. “There should be no stakes in that place. Yet, there’s a person tied up. It’s either one of two things: a local custom unique to this region or…”

“A custom like that exists in the world?”

Jade asked, surprised.

“I don’t know. The world is full of all sorts of customs.”

“And the other possibility?”

“A trap. Designed to attack those who come to rescue the person, like you.”

“What should we do then?”

Jade inquired, to which Ruby looked at her with pity.

“It means you should be careful, you naive flower. Remember this when you’re ‘alone’!”

Ruby spoke with her arms crossed.

“For someone like me, traps are no issue; it’s merely a matter of choice! What shall we do? Rescue or leave them and go our way?”

Saph answered quickly.

“We must rescue them, right, Father? I can treat their injuries.”

Ruby glanced at Jade for confirmation, and Jade nodded.

“Rescue them.”

“Getting involved in such matters usually leads to trouble. You do realize we’re being pursued, right?”

Ruby handed Jade a pouch filled with bread and cheese and walked towards the stake.

Jade and Saph watched Ruby walk into the darkness, tense with anticipation.

Reaching the stake, Ruby suddenly struck the surrounding ground several times with a chain. Each strike was accompanied by a clanking sound.

“Just three iron traps. I expected something more formidable! Now it’s safe to approach.”

Ruby gestured to them.

Jade and Saph walked towards the stake.

Standing before the stake, Ruby showed them the traps caught in the chain. Massive iron jaws, capable of crushing a bull’s leg, clung to Ruby’s chain. Ruby pried the trap open with her bare hands and tossed it aside.

“Now, let’s see why these fellows are here.”

Ruby crouched in front of the stake.

Two men sat back-to-back, tied to the stake, their arms bound behind them. Their faces were so bruised and bloodied they were unrecognizable, and blood flowed from their heads. Their eyes were swollen shut.

Saph approached Ruby first.

“Shouldn’t we treat them first?”

“They could be enemies. Wait.” Ruby boldly lifted one man’s chin to look at his face and asked.

“Who are you? Nomads of the Kun tribe? What are you doing here?”

The Kun tribesman seemed disoriented at first, then shouted in surprise upon seeing Ruby in a language Jade couldn’t understand.

Ruby calmed the man with a few pats on the shoulder and spoke to him in his language.

Jade asked,

“Ruby, you know the Kun tribe’s language too?”

“I know almost all human languages,” Ruby replied, while Saph spoke simultaneously.

“I know it too. He said this is a trap, and we should run.”

Jade was astonished.

“Saph, you know it too? When did you learn?”

“I learned it in case I ever had to do missionary work among the Kun nomads.”

Ruby spoke to the man in the Kun language, pointing at the traps, seemingly saying, ‘The traps have been removed.’ But the man shook his head, warning them in a grave tone.

Saph translated,

“He says the real trap isn’t this.”

Suddenly, Ruby turned around, and Jade followed suit. But it was too dark to see clearly where they were looking.

All Jade could see was the grassy plains.

“Saph. Go ahead and treat them. They’re just bait.”

Ruby untied the ropes binding the men to the stake.

Jade asked nervously,

“What’s out there?”

Ruby pointed to a hill about half a mile away. In the moonlight, a horse’s silhouette stood faintly like a shadow.

Soon, the horse galloped towards them.

“Judging by its size, it’s no ordinary wild horse. Of course.”

Ruby stepped forward as the chain attached to the shackles stretched out.

“Shall I unlock the shackles?”

Jade asked, pulling out a book and flipping to the page with the unlocking spell. Ruby turned around, smiling slyly.

“I don’t usually make excuses, but to ease your needless worries, I’m just starting to warm up,

It will take a few more days for five hundred years of confinement to fully unravel.”

The horse kicked up dust as it raced across the plains.

“Wow, it’s fast. I’d love to race against that one!”

Ruby exclaimed in admiration.

Jade clutched the book in her hands, her anxiety causing her to repeatedly open and close it. “It seems you have the luxury to speak such words; perhaps my worries are indeed needless.”

Before long, the shape of a horse became clear in Jade’s vision, the vibrations of the earth and the rush of the wind almost tangible.

Suddenly, a white light shone from behind Jade. It appeared that Poe was using the light of healing.

Jade kept her gaze fixed straight ahead.

The horse halted about twenty paces away. Its size made all the horses Jade had ridden before seem like mere foals. In the darkness, only the eyes of the pitch-black horse were visible, creating an ominous atmosphere.

“Oh, what do we have here! A cheap fish has fallen into the trap I so carefully prepared,” the horse spoke.

Jade pondered which kind of demon the creature might be, thinking, ‘I’ve become quite accustomed to this. A horse suddenly speaks human language, and it doesn’t surprise me at all.’

Ruby replied with a laugh, “To one who cannot recognize a gem, it is but a cheap pebble, and in the desert, a bucket of water is worth more than a bucket of gems. Do I look cheap to you? Soon, you’ll have to reassess the value of what you consider cheap, you firefly.”

The horse flinched as if it didn’t understand Ruby’s words for a moment.

Ruby continued in a relaxed tone, “Seeing as you speak the language of Rome upon laying eyes on me, you must think we hail from there, don’t you?”

Regaining its composure, the horse responded, “Those Kun hunters left to request aid from Rome and Parnassus. I easily caught two of them but accidentally let one escape. What of it? I’ve dug this trap here to catch the one that got away. They never abandon their comrades, after all.”

“Ah, so you thought we came from Rome? Then, what is your name?”

“If I were to speak for myself, I am a hunter who races across the plains, a servant of the King of the Plains, ‘Tyrant.’ When I roar, all the beasts of the plains hide in their burrows, and the nomads dare not leave their tents. When I breathe, all living things have nightmares. And who might you be?”

“If I were to speak for myself, I am the companion of a priest who has lost his faith, and a blue-haired saint who constantly quarrels with me about my identity… I am Ruby.”

Ruby paused mid-sentence and suddenly turned to Jade, “Because of you two, my introduction has been ruined!”

“Is that my fault?” Jade was baffled, but even more so was the horse named Tyrant.

“It seems you’re not reinforcements from Rome, just unlucky travelers. Then, you have no business with me.”

“I have business with you.”

“You don’t understand, do you? You’re about to die right here!”

“It’s you who doesn’t understand. You’re the one who’s going to die.”

“You wretch, others may die peacefully, but you will not! I’ll chew you up from your fingertips to your toes and turn you into jerky!”

Tyrant bared its sharp teeth, which no herbivore could possess.

“I have no intention of receiving a massage from your filthy teeth. And I won’t torture you with such care as you would.”

Ruby showed his thumb and forefinger and continued, “I’m going to burst your flower bud like this!”

“Flower bud?”

Tyrant tilted its head in confusion, then snorted out a breath. White steam filled the area, and suddenly the moonlight dimmed.

“Enough with the wordplay! I’ll show you what the nightmare of the plains is!”

As darkness enveloped them, a Kun nomad shouted from behind in a language Jade could understand.

“Run away! If you’re trapped in this darkness, you’ll fall asleep instantly, plagued by terrible nightmares, unable to do anything!”

“The nightmare starts now for this fellow.”

Ruby swung his hand, and a chain extended, wrapping around the neck of Tyrant, who stood twenty paces away.

Tyrant laughed at the chain around its neck.

“Do you think such a human weapon can even scratch me?”

“When did I say I’d scratch you…?”

With a swift pull of the chain, Ruby brought the horse, three times the weight of an ordinary one, crashing to the ground before him. The heavy thud resonated through the earth.

“…I said I’d burst your flower bud!”

Ruby pressed down on Tyrant’s flower bud with his forefinger and thumb.

“Arghhh!”

Tyrant screamed in agony, thrashing about, but Ruby’s chains had already bound its front and hind legs.

The creature could only flail like livestock dragged to the slaughterhouse, unable to stand.

“Shall I burst the other side before I obliterate you?”

Ruby asked Jade as if seeking permission.

Jade frowned and replied, “There’s no need to go that far.” One of the Kun hunters approached with wide eyes.

“Did you… did you catch this?”

Ruby answered proudly, “Can’t you see? I caught it!”

“This is the Tyrant I know of…?”

The hunter still wore a look of disbelief.

“Do you know this creature?”

Jade inquired.

“It’s the monster that devoured twenty of our nomads alive. I lost my brother…”

The hunter gestured towards another nomad still receiving Poe’s healing.

“…and that friend lost his father.” Jade nodded at Ruby.

“Ruby, you may burst the other side.” Ruby grinned and did so. Once again, Tyrant’s screams echoed.

“Arghhh!”