Ch 2.27: Captive_ENF Academy: For Some Reason, She Can Only Save the World if She鈥檚 Naked

Ch 2.27: Captive

 ina tensed up, but did manage to follow Carline’s instructions. She and the others all transformed out of their ss gear and into their regr outfits, or school uniform in ina’s case. “Where, Carline?” she asked while sticking Temmie back in her bag.

 “Quiet,ing around the corner now.”

 Tira drew her mundane whip, and Flora edged forward, both preparing to protect their juniors, but no one rounded the corner. “Are they waiting?” Flora asked with a hushed voice.

 “No, they’re… Hey! I know you’re there!” Carline was ring at the entryway, then went wide eyed with panic. “I lost them.”

 “They left?” Tira said, still at the ready.

 “No, I mean, maybe, but they didn''t leave my range, they just vanished.”

 “I hear someone nearby, someone else,” Temmie said from inside the satchel.

 “We need to leave,” Tira said, stepping forward and slicing out in front of them with her whip. “If something’s fucking with Carline’s senses then we’re not safe no matter what it is.”

 “Not so fast!” Flora shouted, spinning and jumping towards the air next to Carline. At first ina thought it was a warning like Tira’s attack, but Flora very much grabbed something, lifting it into the air, hands clenched over seemingly thin air, but not closing.

 “ina, grab it!” Tira said,unching another string of attacks around them. ina obeyed of course, felt the involuntary pull of [Good Girl] to to conjure a rope, wrapping around just below where Flora was gripping. There still wasn’t anything there, not visibly, but the rope was obviously wrapping around something.

 Once Flora saw ina had hold of her target she dropped the phantom enemy and rushed forward again, fists raised in a brawler’s stance. “Whatever tricks you have aren’t going to work here. I can feel you messing with me.”

 Tira drew back her whip, holding out, eyes darting around the cavern as ina ran up behind her. Flora was still right next to Carline as they stood, waited for what seemed like minutes, their silence only being broken by the sound of strained breathing. ina turned to the source of the noise, her bundle of ropes, but it wasn’t just ropes anymore. There was a woman there, eyes zing over, mouth gasping for air, tied up in the coils of ina’s creation.

 “Flora, you grabbed her throat?” Carline said, bending down and cing a hand on the woman’s neck.

 “Wha— Why is this on me? She was invisible!”

 “Focus,” Tira said. “There might be more.”

 “No,” a soft voice said in between coughs. “They left me…”

 The woman’s breathing began to normalize as Tira and Flora stood guard, but ina was focused on Carline and her surprise patient. “How can we trust you?” she asked.

 The woman sighed, trying to wriggle her hands beneath the rope. “This is really tight. Can you untie me?”

 ina looked the girl over, trying to assess the woman for potential danger. She seemed unarmed at the moment, but there was a dagger on the ground a few feet away that ina didn’t recognize “The person that turns invisible and carries this around?” ina asked as she picked up the weapon. “Sorry, but no.”

 “I don’t turn invisible, it’s just—” The woman cut herself off, shaking her head. “Nevermind.”

 “No no”, Tira said, “keep going, exin how the aspect works to us please.”

 The woman frowned, looking away. “How long have you been following us?” ina asked. “You can tell us that much, right?”

 “It’s…” The woman hesitated for a moment, looking We weren’t following you. We heard sounds from the cave, that monster’s groaning. We came to investigate.”

 “It is a pretty loud echo,” Carline said, standing up. “Her throat’s good now.”

 “Is your aspect okay now, Carline?” ina asked.

 “Her? I can sense her, yeah.”

 “We really need to leave now,” Tira said, swiping at the air in front of her again. “If this girl doesn’t turn invisible then that means someone else turned her invisible.” Flora looked back at the words, eyes narrowing at their captive, but she didn’t say anything.

 “Right,” ina said, pulling a length of rope from her bag. She slowly unbound the woman’s torso with her created rope as she wound around her with the new one, a little less tight this time, tying the permanent restraint onto her and letting the other dematerialize. “We’re taking her back?”

 “Only thing to do,” Flora said, walking forward. “She’s with the poachers, obviously.”

 The woman didn’t say anything, but her shameful look to the side was enough confirmation for ina. “Come on,” she said, grabbing the rope and pulling the captive forward.

 “I’m still not sure how…” Carline trailed off as they started walking, their same formation from before. “I’m not sure how we didn’t hear theming up behind us.

 “We’ll talk about itter,” Flora said. Her voice was direct, the sing-song nature it usually had absent.

 “But what if they attack again?” ina said.

 “Then we kill them,” Tira said,shing out with her whip again. The sound echoed throughout the cave, ringing and hurting in ina’s ears. “Any more invisible people decide toe up on us, they’re cleaved in two.”

 The image caused ina’s stomach to turn over. She was pretty sure Tira was just grandstanding, but the casualness with which she said the words still felt wrong.

 “I told you that they left,” the woman said. “We weren’t looking to pick a fight with anyone, certainly not Endrin students…”

 “Then what were you doing?” Flora asked. “You were going after my friend with a de; you were right next to her.”

 “That was—” The woman shook her head again, tears starting to form in her eyes. ina had only the smallest amount of sympathy for those. “I didn’t want to do that. But when the boss tells you to do something…”

 “You do it,” Tira said. “I can respect that, just like I respect your silence so far. But you’re going to tell us who your boss is sooner orter. My friend with the ropes is nice enough, but me? Let’s just say for your sake, I hope you fess everything up before we make camp and I have a chance to get my hands on you.”

 The woman sniffled as ina pulled her along, still talking at a whisper, probably only audible to ina, muttering to herself more than responding to Tira. “Nothing you can do will beat what she can…”

AliNovel

Ch 2.27: Captive