The Wrath Of the Forgotten by Michael Ignacio Read Free Book Online Page A

distressed?”
    “But why is she distressed?” Nori asked.
    The woman switched her attention from Rayko to Flara and Apisa. Her voice resonated with tremors. “Who is this guy? Is there actually a chance he can help?”
    Flara averted her eyes. “He’s my …my b-bodyguard. I’m n-not sure how much help he can be.”
    The woman turned to Nori and studied him for a moment. “Y-you have a weapon. Are you a warrior?”
    “I am,” Nori replied. “But I’m more than a mere warrior. Can you please tell me what’s going on?”
    The woman glanced over at Flara and Apisa. Apisa gave her a slight nod, and Flara kept staring at the flat of the table. The woman peered over at Rayko. Rayko rolled her eyes, but kept caressing the woman’s back.
    “You might as well tell him,” Rayko said. “He won’t leave us alone until he sates his curiosity. Even if it is inextricably inconsiderate.”
    The woman whirled around and gazed into Nori’s eyes. “My name is Doctor Caosisti, and my husband was abducted by the Kluflu Clan. They’re going to kill him.”
    Nori’s brows scrunched together. “The Kluflu Clan?”
    Apisa maneuvered around so she could whisper into Nori’s ear. “They’re one of the few organized crime factions we have in Jadai.”
    Flara grabbed Doctor Caosisti’s hands in hers. “What were you doing that got you mixed up with them?”
    Doctor Caosisti’s shoulders slumped. “It wasn’t our fault. We never wanted anything to do with them. They came to us. We didn’t know who we were dealing with until it was too late.”
    Nori asked, “So where can I find this The Kluflu Clan?”
    Doctor Caosisti frowned at him. “Find them? Are you intending on going after them?”
    Nori placed his lute case on the table in front of Doctor Caosisti. “Yeah, we don’t have a lot of time. If what you’re saying is true, then we have to get in there now. Do you know where their base is?”
    Rayko, Apisa, and Flara all gazed at one another, but remained quiet. The woman took several deep breathes before she explained where the Kluflu Clan base was.
    Nori rested his hand on the lute case. “I’ll leave this in your care until I get back with your husband. Please take care of it, my father gave it to me.”
    Rayko stood up and held up her hand. “You can’t be serious. Surely even you can’t be stupid enough to think you’re going to just march into that criminal stronghold without anything happening to you.”
    Nori gave her a grim grin. “Oh, something’s going to happen. I’ll be back with her husband alive, or I won’t be coming back at all.”
    Flara gasped as Nori rose up. He whirled around and left the tea shop. His grip on the tetsubo tightened. The blood in his veins zipped along with the speed of the wind. His legs pumped furiously as he moved about the crowd. Due to his haste, people leaped out of his way.
    A soft hand grabbed his arm. Nori stopped and glanced back over his shoulder. Apisa, Rayko, and Flara had followed him into the street.
    “Wait,” Apisa said. “You can’t go alone. We’re coming with you.”
    Nori frowned. “You? But what can you do?”
    Rayko stepped forward and poked him in the chest. Her deep blue eyes reflected a sense of passion. “You listen here, you big dumb brute. We have magic, and you only have that big club. If anything, you’re the one whose ill-equipped to handle this situation.”
    Nori inched his face closer to hers. “You don’t know anything about me or what I can do.”
    Flara stepped forward. She fumbled with her fingers. “Y-you don’t k-know what we can do either. We’re not weak. And b-besides, Doctor Caosisti is our friend.”
    Nori regarded each of them closely. “I suppose we all have something to prove to one another then, don’t we?”
    Apisa lightly punched him in the arm. “Don’t think this is going to be like the arm wrestling match. I’m going to win out this time.”
    Rayko shot both Nori and Apisa dark glares. “This isn’t