Ashes of Love and War - TodoMomo

||Chapter 24 ~ Part 2||

"We can help with a distraction," a gravelly voice whispered from the alleyway behind them.

Momo jerked her head up and spun around. Out of the darkness, the innkeeper emerged, followed by four comrades.

The other men were of varying ages and builds. Each had their own weapon: ax, whip, forging hammer, and knives.

All household items.

Her eyebrows pulled together in confusion.

"What are you doing here?" Todoroki asked.

The innkeeper gave a wry smile. "We can't just let Trumpet take my lil' brother without saying something."

Momo chewed on the inside of her cheek as she looked over the men accompanying him. "What do you plan to do?"

The innkeeper reached into his chiton and pulled out a small brown drawstring bag. "Money. The only thing Trumpet loves."

"Besides power," one of the other men added.

"Yes, besides power," the innkeeper agreed with a snort.

Todoroki tilted his head, white and red eyebrows knitting together in skepticism. "Will that really be enough to draw Trumpet's men out?"

The innkeeper's smile turned dour and grim. His fingers tightened around the pouch. "Probably not. But we do have a backup plan to save my brother if this fails."

"What do you mean?" Momo frowned as she looked between the men and the household tools they brandished like weapons. Then it hit her. Her eyes widened, and she gasped. "You can't! Why would you risk your life?"

Todoroki looked at her. His eyes widened as it apparently dawned on him as well; he shot his head up to stare at the innkeeper in disbelief.

The innkeeper's lips twitched then turned up into a forced smile. "Sorry to break it to you, lil' missy, but we would be done for anyway. You don't know how Trumpet works. Whether he releases my brother or not, there is no way he'd let us live. Especially after you release the nymph, he'll know we were helping you and probably accuse of us of releasing his other slaves as well. There is no way he wouldn't retaliate. We have a better chance of survival doing this than trying to run away."

The other men nodded in agreement.

"Couldn't you go to another city?" Todoroki asked.

"What? Go to Sparta, with you?" The innkeeper laughed under his breath. "We are proud Dicaea citizens. I won't go to another city to become a second-class citizen. Besides, if I'm going to die, it might as well be saving a nymph. Perhaps, I'll get to go to Elysian for the heroic deed."

Momo opened her mouth to object, but the innkeeper's expression was firm. She realized he wasn't going to change his mind.

Momo pressed her lips together and swallowed back the guilt twisting in her stomach. "Okay. We'll leave it to you. Please keep them distracted as long as possible; Todoroki and I will be quick. We'll rescue the nymph and get out as fast as possible to assist you. Be on guard; some may be using magicked items."

The men nodded. "Alright."

"How should we get in?" Todoroki asked. "Trumpet and his guards will be watching from upstairs. Should we try the back?"

Momo shook her head. "That might take too long. And if someone is serving as a lookout, it would ruin the diversion strategy."

"So, through the barn?" Todoroki asked, looking away to stare at the wooden structure attached to the tavern.

Momo nodded. "It will be closest to the front door. And if everyone is busy focusing on -" she glanced up at the innkeeper.

"Bigshot."

"On Bigshot and the others, our chances of getting in will be highest if we go that way."

"Seems sound," one of the men behind Bigshot said. He raised his hand, fingers curled and thumb tucked between the middle and index fingers, in a sign of good luck. "We'll keep them off your tail."

Bigshot gave a sharp nod of agreement before straightening up. He stepped around her. Momo thought he and the others were about to leave when he hesitated and turned back to look at Todoroki. "And if..." Bigshot started, then hesitated. His expression momentarily flickered in pain before he swallowed. "If my brother can't make it, please end it painlessly for him."

Todoroki's expression flickered for a moment before he nodded sharply.

Bigshot breathed in deeply, looking between Todoroki and Momo for one more second before drawing himself up. "For the family," he growled. Turning, he and the four other men trudged past them and out into the street.

"Trumpet!" Bigshot shouted, jutting his hand in the air with the bag of coins. "I've come to bargain for my brother's release."

For a moment, the street was silent. Then there was a loud slam, and the front door of the tavern was flung open; Trumpet's slavers marched out. They were a band of dirty, hard looking men numbering around ten.

Bigshot held his ground as they approached. "I brought everything we have -"

Crack.

Bigshot didn't get to finish as the first slaver lunged forward and slammed a fist into the innkeeper's cheek. The burly man fell backwards, skidding in the dirt.

For a moment, the world seemed to still. Then one of the innkeeper's men roared and darted forward, ax raised to protect Bigshot. The other slaver's pulled out weapons.

Momo stared, stunned as the street quickly dissolved into chaos. Trumpet's men weren't even planning to listen. The slavers didn't care. It was as the innkeeper had said — Trumpet would kill them no matter what happened. Momo's stomach twisted as she watched weapons being drawn. Curling her hand into a tight fist, she tried to will herself not to be sick as the iron stench of blood filled the air.

Next to her, Todoroki twitched. His hand darted down towards the sword at his side.

Momo reached out and grabbed his wrist. "We can't waste the time they are buying us," she whispered.

Forcing herself to move, Momo pulled at Todoroki. She turned from the battle and started down the side alley leading to the back of the barn. If they snuck through the wooden building, they could come out near the tavern's front door, hopefully unnoticed.

Quickly and quietly, Momo and Shouto slipped through the barn's sole window and dropped down into an ox pen. The animals huffed and kicked at the ground, anxious at the noise raging outside. Momo's heart beat louder in her ears than the clash of weapons as they slid through the pens towards the barn doors.

Cracking the doors open, Momo glanced outside. One of the innkeeper's comrades was on the ground, blood pooling around him. The other men weren't doing better. They were outnumbered, ill-equipped, and inexperienced.

Momo's heart felt as if it had plunged into her stomach. She had told herself to trust in them, but sitting here, watching the innkeeper and his family get overtaken, was too much. She felt useless.

Todoroki stood next to her, and his fingers trembled as they gripped his sword. Embers flickered along his skin.

Wasn't there anything they could do to help them? Her heart pounded as an idea came to her. Momo turned and hurried over to the nearest pen.

"Yaoyorozu. What are you –"

She flung the door to the stall open. "Light the barn on fire!" she hissed under her breath.