Of Master and Apprentice (Book 3)

Chapter 21

On their way back to Stonefall, Miranda agreed to exchange lodging with Luna so that she wouldn't have to stay in that brothel anymore. The thought of her being sold to pleasure a man or worse, a demon disturbs her. She's heard stories of how incubi liked to come in to brothels for a service, and she didn't want Luna to be pleasuring them, she's afraid of demons as people would be afraid of bugs.

Before Miranda went to the brothel, she went to see if someone had checked out of the inn and that they could stay there together instead of going to a place that wasn't certified to give lodging. To their surprise, someone did check out and Miranda happily booked a room for Luna.

The other rebels that accompanied Luna to the brothel that night suddenly came to her mind. Where did they finally sleep? Did they managed to find a place to stay? Or did the demons actually do something terrible to them as the owner of the brothel had warned? Luna swiped those thoughts away from her mind, wishing the best for them.

They didn't train anymore that day as Miranda had considered them taking down that demon as a training session. Luna spent the rest of the day volunteering at a local bakery putting her baking skills to practice. She came home that night and got the rest she needed. Sure, it was more comfortable sleeping in the inn than in the brothel.

The next day, Luna and Miranda went to train again as usual improving her swordsmanship. Miranda thought that although she was a capable fighter, she could still use some improvements as a more experienced fighter could beat her easily.

"That's enough for today, let's go back shall we?" Miranda said, signalling the time for rest.

They were on their way back when they heard some screaming that came from the city. Their eyes widened at the sound and they rushed to see what was going on. Up in the sky, they could see demons flying over the city, some of them were throwing some kind of fireball at one particular target. Surely something bad was happening. They ran faster and when the city came in to their sight, they realized that the demons were throwing their magic projectiles at the dam. From where they were standing, they could already see cracks and leaks on it.

Then finally, one demon threw a fireball bigger than the average one. Upon impact, the dam broke and water came rushing from the river, washing the city in a devastating tidal wave. The people screamed as they ran for safety, but in vain. The buildings were demolished and debris were washed away to follow the current. After seeing the city in watery ruins, the demons flew away while filling the skies with their triumphant cries.

Luna's hand flew to her mouth as her eyes widened. "What's happened?"

Without saying a word, Miranda immediately rushed down to the rescue of the people. She swam through the flood, avoiding debris and helped the nearest person by dragging him to safety. Luna came down but she didn't get in the water.

"Luna, can you swim?" Miranda asked her.

"No," she answered. All her life, she's never really swum. She was too busy working as a baker or helping Europa care for the girls.

"Well in that case, you stay here and help the survivors in whatever way you can," Miranda ordered before setting off to find more people.

Janus was one of the first who swam to safety, followed by one of the party members. Luna helped them up to dry land as more people came. Miranda came bringing a toddler whom Luna too helped to safety.

The rebels along with the other inhabitants of Stonefall, which happened to include demons gathered in the forest. Miranda and the rescue team arrived with the last of the survivors.

"I think that's everyone," Miranda said.

"What are we going to do now?" Luna asked.

"Don't know yet," Miranda answered.

Miranda gathered with the other rebels and discussed a plan. One of them suggested that they head for the nearest city, Kinderley. Others retorted, reasoning that Kinderley was under the governance of a powerful demon called the Lord of Bones. Miranda proposed the idea of training the survivors and taking the city. A risky move, but worth a shot.

"Surely, we can't execute a move like that," Janus said. "There are demons among the survivors too." A fair point.

"So we eliminate them," Miranda offered a solution. "Tonight."

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How will this plan be executed? Will they succeed? Stay tuned. If you guys enjoyed this story consider voting and leaving feedback is always much appreciated.

Qotd: If you could hang out with any character from this series for 24 hours, who would it be?

I dedicate this chapter to JustNostalgicTears my friend here just entered Indonesian Idol, so be sure to give her your support. She's written 40 songs and she's only seventeen! What an accomplishment.

-Zyrofern