Damsels of Jormia 2: A Light Novel (An Isekai Fantasy Series) Read online

  Copyright © 2021 Marcus Sloss.

  All rights reserved.

  No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods, without the prior written permission of the publisher, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical reviews and certain other noncommercial uses permitted by copyright law.

  ASIN: B096Z5KC9Y

  Any references to historical events, real people, or real places are used fictitiously.

  Names, characters, and places are products of the author’s imagination.

  CHAPTER 1

  Village of the Lezric clan

  Seventy-four days after arrival

  The beautiful dwarf with shining pale pink hair looked at me with clear eyes, weapons in hand, and asked simply, “Do ya want to make a deal with me?”

  “I’m listening,” I responded, eager for her to continue.

  “My...situation. It’s not ideal. I’m sure you and your companions can appreciate that right now. I’ve been planning to get outta this hell hole for some time now, but I just ain’t found the right...partners. If ya catch my drift. You look strong. Are you strong?”

  She moved closer, resting the sword against the side of her cot.

  “Decently strong,” I responded immediately, liking where the conversation was heading.

  “Good.”

  She held the device she had been tinkering with up to the bars, letting me examine it more closely.

  “I’ve got a plan to escape this place, but as things are now, I’m not strong enough to do it alone. That’s where you and your friends come in. I’ll bust us out, all of us, if you help me get home to my village.”

  “I thought you said your village was destroyed,” I said without thinking.

  “My house was destroyed, not the whole village. Enough villagers managed to escape, so I believe they are still there, and they were able to rebuild the things the Lezric took from us that day. It’s what’s kept me sane in this place, so don’t try to tell me it’s a pipe dream.”

  I held up my hands in surrender, a silent apology for prodding at her wounds.

  “So, what is your plan...and what exactly is that?”

  I looked again at the device, still convinced it was some sort of grenade.

  “It’s a combustion device. If you throw it with enough force, it will explode. At least that is the theory.”

  “Theory...so it’s untested?” I questioned cautiously.

  “No—I’ve tested it plenty. I just haven’t quite figured out the mechanics. Well, It’s not like I get the right items every time I ask for them, so the progress has been a bit slow.”

  “And if it doesn’t work?”

  “That’s impossible.”

  I raised an eyebrow at her show of confidence.

  “I told you I have a special ability, remember? I can replicate anything just by seeing it once.” She paused for a moment, the suspense building. “The only problem is I’ve only seen one of these from a distance. They never let me get close enough to it that I was able to check out what made it tick.”

  “So, that could be a hunk of garbage.”

  “No. Okay, yes, but I choose to believe that by the time we are ready to escape, I’ll have perfected the combustion device.”

  She eyed the contraption in her hand, mumbling something too low for me to hear.

  “Damn, not again,” she said with a sigh.

  Next thing I knew, she chucked the grenade at her cell wall using what looked like her full strength. Shit. I moved instinctively, trying to get as far from the device as my chains would allow, using my arms to protect my head.

  The device hit the wall and shattered, the pieces flying back toward her.

  “What was that for?” I asked, standing up from my protective position after seeing that the dungeon didn’t explode.

  “It wasn’t right.”

  “You can tell that just by looking?”

  “Yep. It’s missing something.”

  “Probably some kind of combustible material,” I responded, looking at the scattered pieces on the dirt floor but not finding anything I thought would catch fire.

  “YES! The thing I couldn’t see...the reason why it won’t explode. Why didn’t I realize it before!?”

  She turned from me and began scribbling something on a slate tablet at her workstation.

  “Ha, I think I’ve got it this time!” She stood up, holding the board in the air.

  I couldn’t read her writing, but I’m sure it contained her breakthrough for the device.

  “This should work...no, it has to work,” She looked at me, her violet eyes shining.

  “Wonderful.” I tried to fill my voice with enthusiasm, but I found it hard to muster any for a plan that seemed to be based around an unfinished contraption.

  “Now, what else were you thinking in this plan of yours?”

  “Right, the plan. I throw this at the wall, and it will explode allowing me my freedom. Then, that's where you and those two come in. I will need you to protect me from the Lezric that will for sure come running when they hear the explosion. From there, we escape to the woods and search for the Dwarven village. Once I’m there, your mission is complete, and our deal will be settled.”

  “That’s great and all, but there is one tiny problem with your plan.”

  “What’s that?” She asked, bright eyed, clearly oblivious to the major flaws in her plan.

  I scrubbed my forehead with the palm of my hand, wondering how someone so smart could be so dumb.

  “If you use the grenade to blast a hole in the wall of your cell, where does that leave me and my companions?”

  I let the question linger in the air, giving her a minute to think over the logistics of what she had suggested.

  “Oh,” she said at last, the flaws revealing themselves to her.

  “Well, in my defense, this was originally a plan for only me...not four all in different cells.”

  I nodded at her explanation, letting go of the urge to tease her for the blunder.

  “Well, do ya have a better idea?” She crossed her arms as she said this, lips in a clear pout.

  “I do, actually,” I responded.

  “Well then, let’s hear it,” She motioned impatiently.

  “You have a relationship with the guards. I have been here less than a day, and I can see that. We will use that to get the keys off one of them. From there, we unlock the cells and escape into the night.”

  “What about my...granid?” she asked in a huff.

  “You mean grenade?”

  “That’s the word. I like that. What about my grenade?”

  “If things go according to the new plan, we won’t need your grenade.”

  Her whole body slumped at the news, disappointment clear on her face.

  “It would still be beneficial for you to complete your project, though. As a sort of...backup plan.” I added, feeling a bit bad for crushing her plans.

  She brightened back up, hands clasped together tightly in relief and renewed determination.

  “Yes! It will definitely work this time. You can count on me.”

  She turned back to her workstation but quickly realized she had already used up her new supply of materials. She slumped onto her cot, looking to me for entertainment.

  “Do you even know where the Dwarven village is?” I questioned, remembering that she had disclosed that her capture took place in her youth.

  She stared at me from her side of the bars, making me fe
el a bit awkward, but the question remained valid. How did she expect us to get her home if we had no idea where her home is located?

  “I know where it’s located. I’ve traveled there once before.”

  My head shot over to the sound of a new voice. Aquina sat up in her cell, rubbing her head, her body facing our direction.

  “Aquina, you’re ok.” I let out a sigh of relief, grateful she had finally moved.

  “Other than this splitting headache and sand-filled mouth, I’m ok.”

  Her voice was a bit raspy, the words sounding weak to my ears. The drug must have done a real number on her. I looked over to Cera’s cell where she remained unmoving, yet to awaken from the effects of the drug.

  “Where exactly are we?”

  A valid question.

  “You’ve found yerself in the dungeon of the Lezric clan. Lucky you, right?” Illia answered before I could.

  “The Lezric? I thought they were a peaceful bunch,” she said softly.

  “Like hell they are.” Illia blurted, visibly disgusted at the thought of such misconceptions.

  “I’m sorry,” Aquina responded to the girl’s outburst, aware she had stepped on an emotional landmine.

  “Prince Kallen decided we were no longer welcome in the kingdom of the Hivini,” I followed up, filling in a few of the blanks.

  “That bastard.”

  “That he is.”

  “I heard most of the plan to escape. It’s lacking, but I don’t think we have much choice but to move forward with it.”

  “There is not much time to figure out every little thing. Most prisoners don’t stay in the dungeon for more than a week, ya know. I’m sure they’ll be wanting to sell you off quick to whoever is willing to pay the price.”

  Great. We would need to figure out a plan of escape while being confined in a dungeon, and we’d have to execute said plan before being separated. I looked up at the small window near the top of the brick wall, wondering if I would be able to see any of the landscape from our vantage point.

  Using the cot as a step stool, I leapt from the bed, grabbing hold of the small opening. Hoisting my body weight up enabled me to see a small section of the territory we found ourselves in.

  The houses were constructed using some sort of shell for the roof that resembled that of a giant turtle. It gave the village a unique look, and the structures appeared relatively stable. The walls were harder to see, but I imagined them to be a mix of brick and wood, much like the dungeon itself.

  “I can’t see much. We are surrounded by houses, and the forest is in the distance. Any other landmarks are not visible from this side of the dungeon.”

  Aquina nodded, letting the information sink in.

  “I wish I had my staff with me...or at least some kind of catalyst.” She spoke softly, more to herself than to Illia and me, searching her small quarters for anything that would help in our mission.

  “They brought some weapons in when they dragged ya in earlier. I think there was a staff among them, maybe even two.”

  Illia walked to the front of her cell, her eyes fixated on the back of the room.

  “If they are here, they will be in that container in the back,” she said, pointing out a large wooden box at the back of the dungeon.

  Even from afar, I could tell the box would be difficult to open without the key, a massive iron lock hanging from the front. Hopefully, the guards carried a key ring filled with all the keys we would need to successfully escape the dungeon.

  Regardless, weapons would be a necessity, especially without the use of my mana gifts. I examined the shackles around my wrist once more, pulling at the metal, knowing it would make no difference.

  “It would be nice if we could remove these beforehand.”

  “Come over here.” Illia waved me over before grabbing a wooden mallet and a chisel from her workstation.

  I obliged, still holding no hope that her method would be successful. I slipped my arm through the bars into her cell, letting them rest on the dirt floor.

  “Try not ta move.”

  “Try not to stab me,” I retorted, eying the sharp tool skeptically.

  She started the process of trying to free my wrist from the chains, her strikes slow and precise. As she realized her efforts were making no difference, the intensity of her strikes increased. Sparks flew as the two metals collided, and I watched intently, my worry increasing with every strike.

  She reached her patience threshold, bringing her arm back even higher, trying to increase the amount of force behind her hits. My body reacted before my brain registered the danger, and I slid my arm to the right, narrowly missing what would have been a hole in my forearm.

  “Well, that didn’t work,” I said, breezing over the fact that she nearly left a scar.

  “We need more force.”

  “Or another method.”

  I looked over at Aquina, her body pressed up against the cell bars, looking as though she were trying to squeeze through them. She glared at Illia, malice reflected in her eyes.

  “I’m fine, Aquina.”

  She exhaled, her body relaxing slightly.

  “We need a blow torch.”

  “Do you have one of those?”

  “No. The guards didn’t want me using it on the bars,” she chuckled, revealing that she had thought about doing just that.

  “Very little of my magic comes from mana and Cera doesn’t have any mana gifts...why did they place these on us as well?” Aquina asked, trying to slip her finger under the metal band.

  “Different rune inscriptions hold different effects,” Illia replied matter-of-factly.

  “I’d have to see yours closer to see if they differ from your friends, but his are the strongest I’ve seen. Each rune represents a different level of mana strength the shackle is meant to absorb in order to keep the wearer in check. Seems like somebody wanted to make sure you weren’t gonna be trying anything funny. Not that I’m one to talk.”

  She lifted the bottom of her oversized pants revealing a similar metal shackle around her pale ankle.

  “Before yours, this was the strongest I’d seen. Which is why I assumed you were some sort of overpowered monster,” she said with a cheeky grin.

  “I didn’t realize you had one of those too.”

  “No big deal.” She shrugged. “Comes with the whole prodigy thing, ya know. Think they figured I’d be too much of a hassle if I could use my mana gift. I do miss it, though.”

  I didn’t feel right prying into her business, but the curiosity won out in the end, and I asked, “What mana gift do you wield?”

  “Earth,” she smiled, “and I was damn good at it too.”

  Fucking right.

  “Think you could teach me how to use that gift?” I blurted out, the excitement of finding a potential earth mana mentor overshadowing the fact that neither of us could even use mana in our current states.

  “You are just full of surprises, stranger. You get us outta here in one piece and I’ll do what I can to teach you to use the earth mana gift.”

  “I will certainly try my best.” I laughed a little at the real possibility the plan would fail but decided to push the dark thoughts aside for now. “And it’s Nolan.”

  She went silent, staring at me intently.

  “My name. It’s not stranger, or friend, it's Nolan.” I introduced myself, feeling a bit silly it hadn’t yet been said.

  “Well, it’s nice to meetcha, Nolan, although circumstances could be better. I’m Illia, although I’m sure you caught that already.”

  She stuck her hand through the bars, fingers outstretched.

  I took her small, clean hand in my grimy one and shook. “Nice meeting you.”

  A bit late, but whatever.

  “Aquina. And that’s Cera.” Aquina pointed to Cera who remained motionless on the dungeon floor. “I look forward to escaping with you.”

  “Can you make sure she’s still breathing,” I asked Aquina, becoming increasingly worried t
hat she had yet to regain consciousness.

  Aquina knelt beside the bars that separated their cells, attempting to get a better view of Cera.

  She stood completely still, watching for the rise and fall of her chest before announcing with an exhale of relief, “She’s breathing.”

  I felt my raised heartbeat begin to settle, the anticipation passing. I wondered if the drug had different effects or strength depending on the race.

  “Now we just have one more little problem,” Illia redirected our attention back on her.

  “What do you mean?”

  “Usually, when prisoners that are meant to be used as slaves come in, they are evaluated pretty soon after their arrival. If I had to guess, someone might even come by as soon as tomorrow. Even potential buyers stop in sometimes. Ya just never know with that kinda thing.”

  “So, what is that supposed to mean for us? Are we supposed to try and escape right now?” Aquina asked, the skepticism in her voice apparent.

  “No. That won’t work. We’d only end up making a fuss and get even more guards sent to this place. From what I’ve seen over the years, the best way to ensure a longer stay is to either feign illness or appear aggressive. No one wants a sickly slave, and even fewer want one they can’t control.”

  We nodded, accepting her words as reality. Only one thing seemed to be a problem with her advice—what if the guards didn’t believe us or worse what if the buyers just didn’t care?

  There were a lot of uncertainties with the plan, but regardless, it seemed to be the best we could come up with on such short notice.

  “Ow—my head.”

  As we discussed our options, Cera spoke, struggling to sit up in her cell.

  “Thank Zinbi!” Aquina exclaimed, moving as close to Cera as she could manage.

  “What happened? Where are we?” Cera asked, looking around at the hovel we found ourselves in.

  Aquina and I got her up to speed, explaining the situation with the prince as well as our plans to escape.

  “The drinks, this is all my fault. No, they can’t keep us here like this.” She went from confused to angry, shaking the bars of her cell, her body the only thing that budged.

  “It’s not your fault. There is no way we would have known the prince would pull this type of shit.” I tried to stop her from putting the blame on herself. After all, there was only one Hivini I blamed for our current situation.