My kidnappers push me around as we walk down what I believe to be empty hallways. I can't see because a bag that was put over my head, and I can't fight back because of my tied hands. My guess is that whoever abducted me are also adventurers, since even in this state I would have managed to overpower ordinary humans, but they seem to be a lot stronger than me.
I took some vacations immediately after the latest invasion in the hope that things would cool down in the meantime and that I'd get a more lenient punishment for my failures upon my return, but now I feel like it would have been safer for me to suffer the company leader's anger. I couldn't guess that I would be kidnapped, of course, but hindsight is 20/20.
I hear a door open, we walk a bit further, and I'm pushed on the floor. The bag covering my head is forcefully removed, scratching my chin. I find myself in a completely closed room where the floor, ceiling, and walls are all made of concrete. Aside from the door we just passed, there are no openings. The two people who gently escorted me here are wearing featureless black outfits complete with masks that fully cover their heads, including their eyes, so they don't quite look like the ninjas from the movies I used to watch as a kid, but close enough.
In front of me, I have someone who would probably be the big bad guy in one of those movies. He's wearing a suit, tie included, but his face is hidden by a cumbersome-looking metal mask. At least I can see that he has blonde hair, not that this detail alone is going to help me track him down if I make it out of here.
As he speak, I realize that the mask also alters his voice on top of fully hiding his face.
"I hope you can appreciate how much effort we put into tracking you down and bringing you back here, Captain Stephen. You're a highly valuable target after all."
"I don't know what would make me so, and quite frankly, I'm not sure I can take this as a compliment coming from a shady guy like you."
"It was never my intention to compliment you. After all, you're merely a coward who got his squad wiped out and then ran away during an invasion. Who knows what would have happened if it hadn't been for Aurora?"
I figured the kidnapping might be tied to this. I tried my best on that day to leave without anyone seeing me after the scary flaming lady showed up, fearing she might be another monster on a rampage. Unfortunately, before I managed to run away, her flames ran out and I saw her turn into a completely ordinary-looking guy. There wasn't anyone else there, so no witnesses to confirm that I had seen the person under the mask, so to speak, but there was always a risk that people would suspect I had information about her and would come for me as a result.
Of course, I have no clue who that guy is. I had never seen him before, and I haven't seen him since. So it's not like I can help anyone track him down.
Seeing that I remain silent, the masked man continues:
"You were there when she disappeared. With even the NAA unable to track her down and all the free companies scrambling to get whatever scraps of info they can on her, you're a very interesting lead. Of course, we have ways to make you speak."
Grabbing a small remote controller in his pocket, the man causes a projected image to appear on the plain wall to my left. It's a video feed of a sniper currently targeting... my house?
My daughter is playing with a friend on the front lawn. From this angle, I can see my wife reading a book through the living room window, frequently looking outside at the two girls.
Is he threatening my family to get me to speak? That's completely overkill! It's not like I'm trying to protect the guy, I just have no idea who he is. He could have just asked nicely for my help! Okay, he does look really shady so I probably wouldn't have agreed, but without the mask I'm sure he could fool me into thinking he's nice. He's dressed well enough after all.
"I'm not sure what you want, but leave my family out of this."
"I'll leave them out if you answer my questions."
"Then ask."
"Very well. Who is Aurora?"
"I have no idea. They're not someone I know."
The masked man brings his phone to his ear and simply says:
"Prepare to fire."
On the projection, the sniper moves, seemingly targeting my wife.
"I'm serious! I have no idea who the guy is! All I know is that he has black hair, fights with a sword, and looks like he's 18 or 19 at most."
"Oh?"
The man brings his phone back to his ear and says:
"Hold it."
On the wall, the sniper relaxes.
My interlocutor approaches and crouches to get closer to me.
"That's very useful information. You should have blurted all that out sooner."
He turns towards one of the henchmen still standing behind me and says:
"You! Go through the NAA's database and get me every profile that matches that description. Prioritize the ones associated with someone currently in the city and send me a partial report as soon as you can."
I hear footsteps leaving the room. He continues:
"Now, we're still going to need your help to make sure we got the right person, so you'll be staying with us a bit longer. Don't worry, as long as you cooperate, I will not harm your family. You have my word."
The remaining ninja movie goon places the bag back on my head, and I'm dragged up. We leave the room, headed who knows where.
I really hope the poor guy I just put in danger is going to be able to handle whatever I sent his way to protect the ones I love.
Arc 1: The Sixth Witch - End
