Rise of the Eromancer

Chapter 127 Rhys the Liberator

"Get out of our city, colonizer!"

"You think you can just come in here and take our homes!? Our children!? We won't allow you!"

"...Take their homes?"

Rhys was not really making an effort to explain himself just yet, as he knew his voice would just get drowned by the raging crowd. Instead, he turned his focus on Mayor Gordon, who had an obvious smirk on his face as he watched him slowly being surrounded by his own kind.

"I… I think they might be misunderstanding your purpose for being here, Rhizzy," Erik raised both his hands in surrender.

"No," James, on the other hand, just shook his head as a rifle started to materialize in his hands, "I don't think anyone is misunderstanding anything. The mayor obviously told them a different story."

"Lower your weapon, James — they are not a threat."

"For you, maybe. You're a brute," James scoffed as he heard Rhys's words, "They lower their weapons, and I lower my weapon."

"You are right with us being set up," Rhys sighed, "There are cameras placed everywhere."

"...Cameras?" James quickly lowered his weapon as he started looking at the ceiling, only to realize that there were indeed a lot of cameras on the ceiling; all suspiciously pointed at them, "I guess someone wants to besmirch your image, Rhys Wilder. Getting caught attacking other Lowborns would undermine everything you have done. How did you even see the cameras?"

"I… have a six sense when it comes to detecting cameras."

"Why are you guys even discussing this?" Erik whispered loudly, "Just shoot the cameras!"

"Once I fire, all these civilians with weapons would start panicking and start shooting us," James shook his head before the rifle in his hand disappeared, "Either way, we are royally fucked whatever we do. So, what do you want to do, Rhys Wilder?"

"Do your thing, Rhizzy! Talk no jutsu, go!"

"...No," Rhys let out a small breath as he once again focused on the mayor, who was already hidden in the crowd as he seemingly urged and instigated the citizens to attack. Fortunately, the crowd still seemed sensible enough to not actually attack them, "These people are probably just trying to scare us. If so… then I will be returning the favor."

"There are cameras, Rhys Wilder," James glanced at Rhys before taking a step back. The crowd surrounding them, slowly getting closer and closer.

"Then I hope it captures everything I am about to do."

"Wh—" And before James and Erik could even ask what Rhys meant, they suddenly saw him disappearing into the floor, being swallowed by their shadows. And before they could even react to what just happened, they heard a loud, high-pitched scream wailing throughout the entire hall.

It wasn't only them, even the angry mob surrounding them could not help but halt their steps as they all turned to look at whoever it was that was screaming, only to see Mayor Gordon's fat cheeks trembling.

"!!!" The people near Mayor Gordon quickly moved away from him as they noticed Rhys suddenly standing behind him; gripping his shoulder tight to the point his fingers were already stabbing through the mayor's flesh.

"W… why are all of you useless fucks just watching!?" Gordon shrieked as he looked at the people backing away, "H… help me! I'm—Urkh!"

Rhys lightly kicked the back of Gordon's knee, causing him to kneel on the floor. Sadly for Gordon, due to all the fat surrounding his legs, it completely pushed his joints apart and dislocated both his knees.

"You… you broke my legs!"

"I'm about to break more, Sir," Rhys whispered right into his ear as he once again tightened his grip on his shoulder, "Unless you tell all these good people the real reason why I'm here. They obviously listen to you."

"Y…you're fucked, you fucking Lowborn scum," Gordon wheezed as he forced out a laugh, "You… you just attacked someone unarmed. You—!!!"

And before Gordon could finish his words, Rhys suddenly grabbed his arm… before completely tearing it away. And as soon as the mob saw this, they all could not help but just scream and drop whatever weapon it was they were holding.

Their screams, however, were completely drowned by Gordon's wails as Rhys continued to hold his wound, grinding it with his fingers and not letting Gordon's adrenaline filter out the pain.

"You don't seem to understand what is happening to you now, Sir," Rhys sighed as he once again whispered into Gordon's ear, "You are being tortured. And by the end of this, I will kill you if you don't start talking soon — and don't think I am going to stop with just you."

"Kh…" Gordon can't really say anything due to the point, and could really only glance at Rhys.

"You have spent a very long time with Lowborns like myself. Your city is filled with us," Rhys whispered, "Tell me, what do you think I'll do to your family? You know who I am, right? What I'm capable of? Whoever told you to set me up may be able to stop me, but could they stop me before I massacre your friends, your family?"

"I'm…" Gordon could really only shudder as he heard Rhys's voice continue to lower. And soon, he let out another scream,

"M…Mr. Rhys Wilder is not here to take your homes!"

"...Huh?"

And as soon as the crowd heard that, they all quickly looked at each other in confusion.

"What do you mean!? You told us they are taking our homes and taking our children away from us!"

"N… No!" Gordon screamed as Rhys once again ground his flesh, "He… He is here to offer you a job in his guild. And… and a house on the Surface!"

"Good job," Rhys whispered as he pushed Gordon away, causing the crowd to once again split. James and Erik quickly rushed toward Gordon, tying up his arm so that he wouldn't bleed to death.

"F…fuck…" Erik awkwardly chuckled, "I know the Faceless Crew said you were crazy, but not this crazy."

"You—you think you can get away with this, Mr. Wilder!?" Gordon started screaming again as soon as Rhys was no longer holding him, "I'm… I'm protected by the Cerberus guild, you hear me! The Cerberus guild!"

"...Oh," Rhys could really only blink a couple of times as he started looking at the cameras, "Did the Cerberus guild pay you to do this?"

"That—" Gordon's eyes widened as he realized what he just said.

"You've done yourself a shitty, mate," James did not know whether to laugh or pity Gordon, "I hope for your sake, those cameras aren't streaming live."

"T…" Gordon nervously turned to look at James.

"Oh." And the look in Gordon's eyes was enough for James to know that the cameras are indeed, streaming live, "Well, tough luck."

"Everyone, please… Lower your weapons!"

And as the crowd was slowly realizing that the mayor lied to them, Rhys took this chance to finally speak to them, raising his voice just enough so that everyone could hear him. He did not get up on the stage even though he could, and just stayed on the same level as everyone else.

"Your mayor lied to you," Rhys sighed as he started walking and looking at each of the people in their eyes, "I am not here to take your homes, or to take you from your homes. I am here to offer you a new one…

…a better one."

"Oh… look, look," Erik quickly tapped James several times, "Talk no Jutsu."

"Shut up," James shook his head.

"When was the last time some of you have seen the moon? Slept in its embrace," Rhys continued to talk, even crouching on the floor to speak to a child, "I own a guild, and most of the members are of our kind, Lowborns. The world has told us that we could never amount to anything, that you are just meant to clean up after the rest of the world, to wipe their floors — but not them…

…some of them have even managed to become Explorers."

"!!!"

And as soon as they heard Rhys's words, most of the men and children in the crowd gasped. The shock in their faces, very slowly turning into smiles.

"It will be hard, of course," Rhys's words became quiet, "You will have to reset your lives, start again. My guild will help you and train you, but the efforts will all be yours. But ask yourselves…

…are you not already living a hard life down here? Up there, your hardships would actually have meaning. You… you will have purpose."

"Can… can my son also join!?"

Rhys quickly turned to look at the woman who spoke, only to see her carrying an emaciated boy, perhaps not even a teenager. Rhys's expression, however, did not falter as he nodded in response.

"Of course," Rhys smiled, "We will turn him into an Explorer."

"Did… did you hear that!?" The crowd once again started looking at each other.

"There will be a truck waiting outside the city," Rhys then started walking away, gesturing to Erik and James to carry the mayor out, "If you are interested in having a new home, in having a new life, a better life…

…the truck will be waiting for you."

***

"Yo, Recruit. How did it go? And who's the fatso?"

Ayesha was already back in the truck, quickly stepping out as soon as she saw Rhys returning with James and Erik… dragging an unconscious fat man bleeding from his arm.

"It's the mayor," Rhys sighed.

"...I guess it didn't go as planned? Are we making an escape?"

"No," Rhys shook his head before turning to look back, only to see probably hundreds of people stepping out of the city, all carrying their bags with them.

"...We're going to need a bigger truck."