Disclaimer on chapter 1

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The Mask

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Despite the slight hassle he got from the guard who had temporally forgotten that Prince Anlace had arrive not long before him, Sabre made his way back along the road to his dwellings wanting to at least tell his father about what had happened in the forest before he headed up to the castle to find out how His Highness had gotten on with attempting to gain audience with his mother the Queen.

Too distracted he was by what had he had seen in the forest concerning Her Majesty, Sabre took no interest of the gossip floating about the Kingdom about the return of Fleurette, the girl he had met in the forest, or the fact that there were several townsfolk surrounding his abode for what looked like no apparent reason other than the fact that someone unfamiliar to them had just entered- more than likely a pretty female his father had chatted up recently.

Paying no heed to the crowd, Sabre slipped passed them and inside only to stop short after closing the door upon noticing the very girl from the forest sitting at the table opposite his father. The moment he had entered, Fleurette rose from her seat.

"There you are. I was waiting for you" She greeted Sabre warmly indicating that she had wanted to see him rather than his old man apparently.

Surprised and curious, Sabre turned his gaze from Fleurette to his father who was just as in the dark about this as he was not to mention shocked that the girl was not here to see him but his son. With his father unable to tell him what he required, the young swordsman turned his questioning gaze onto the young lady once again.

"Pardon? How did I know this was your house?" Fleurette asked just to be sure she was reading Sabre's eyes correctly and taking his shocked reaction as an affirmative. "Well, I did not think that you lived in a shop…or at the church"

It was remarkably easy in truth, all she had to do was ask one of the townsfolk welcoming her back to Avalonia about a youth with untameable hair who rarely spoke and she was practically given a map to Sabre's dwellings. With pleasantries done with, Fleurette got down to the matter of why she had come to the home of the son of the hero Claymore.

"I have a request to ask of you. Will you accompany me to Mount Arondight?!" She asked of Sabre.

To the two males in the room, it was a puzzling question. Why ask the son of a hero when the hero was in the same room or before Sabre had even returned for that matter. Was it because Sabre had a better grasp of what was going on than his father or perhaps because she had already mentioned the mountain that dominated the centre of the island to him before returning to the kingdom? Regardless of the questions that were churning in his mind, Sabre decided to accept her offer feeling that she would explain all in good time.

Instantly, Fleurette's smile widened at his positive reply to her request.

"Merci!" She thanked him sweetly. "Now I am going to the church to see my old friends. You will rendezvous with me there later?"

Sabre merely nodded once more wanting to at least get his sword and shield checked out before going out on his latest of adventures he seemed to be having today. Satisfied things could not have gone any better had she tried Fleurette gracefully slipped passed Sabre on her way out of the hero's abode.

"A Bientot! See you at the church!" She waved cheerfully to Sabre before disappearing out the door.

Having watched the girl until she had vanished behind the front door, Sabre was taken completely unawares by his father cuffing him upside the head with his metal arm in what was supposed to have been a proud pat on the head.

"You've a keen eye for the ladies, eh, lad? Just like your dad" Claymore stated proudly before looking aghast as a thought came up. "No need to tell your mam I said that when she gets back, eh? - She'll only be ticked off. It's nowt but men's talk!"

While Claymore was all chuffed and laughing about his son already finding himself a fine looking lass so soon after becoming a man, said son bit back the painful groan that rose within as he picked himself up. Sure, he had taken a few blows before now, but that still did not mean getting clocked by his old man was not painful. At least it was a friendly pat although it was not much of a consolidation.

~#~

Fleurette felt like she could spend an eternity just standing there gazing at the statue of the Goddess adorning the altar as she looked back on her time here before her brother's condition arose.

She was only ten when she had discovered her talents in the magical healing arts and had wanted to become a nun to put her skills to good use while in the war against Xiphos. Despite her young age, Fleurette soon became popular among her peers even gaining the attention of the late King before his untimely death during the final battle against the Deathbringer.

Her reminiscence was soon interrupted by the sound of the church doors opening up behind her. Seeing as how she had asked Epee, an old friend and fellow nun, to allow no entry to anyone while she was here minus a certain swordsman, she had a pretty good idea who was standing behind her right now.

"I was training her to be a nun" She sighed sadly. "But then my brother got sick and…"

She had not long came of age when her brother Aruval came down with the mysterious illness. Wanting to commit fully to healing her brother, Fleurette abandoned the church and her duties and smuggled her brother out of Avalonia into the Galantyne Glades where they had lived together until his disappearance a few days ago.

"Ah, oui! I have not yet told you. I went to the castle, but Her Majesty would not see me" Fleurette said changing topics before her sadness overcame her. "Now I have no other choice. I have to uncover the truth for myself! I have to find out about the mask the queen wears"

She was sure that she had seen the same mask the Queen wore when she was lost on Mount Arondight a couple years ago searching for special mountain herbs that might help with her brother's ailment. To be sure of it, she intended to return to Mount Arondight and find it once more. Back then, however, she was lucky not to run in any monsters which were sure to be swarming the mountain now hence why she was requiring Sabre's skill with a blade- surely His Highness would not mind if she borrowed his handsome bodyguard for a while.

"And you…er, I forget. What do you call yourself? Will you tell me, cheri" She asked of Sabre or rather lied to be more precise.

Having received it from the same person who gave her directions to his home, Fleurette merely wanted to see if she could get him to speak seeing as she managed to get some reaction out of him earlier on. Therefore, she was not surprised when he did not reply to her question merely causing her to grin at the fun she could have trying to coax a word or two passed his lips.

"Hmm…bon. Anyway, perhaps I will call you…Blade. It is okay?" She inquired having thought of several nicknames that would suit him to a tee in case Sabre did not approve of one.

Surprisingly enough, Sabre had no qualms with the name finding it suitable given at how he was skilled with the namesake. Happy at his acceptance of her name for him, Fleurette shoed Sabre out of the church wanting to catch up with her old friends before they departed Avalonia and proceed to Mount Arondight where the answers she was looking for could hopefully aid them, Goddess willing.

Sadly, having not realised how much time could fly by merely catching up on what had happened since she had abandoned Avalonia, Fleurette had to make a mad dash from the church to the front gates where Sabre was patiently waiting for her to arrive evidently waiting for her before signalling for the gate keeper to open the gates apparently expecting something like this to happen. Grateful for the chance to get her breath back, Fleurette smiled appreciatively at Sabre as she collected herself.

"Bon! Let us depart to Arondight Heights" She said once she was ready leaving the gate keeper to puzzle over why the two would go there for a date?

~#~

Known as either Mount Arondight or Arondight Heights, the mountain that stood near the centre of the island region could have been a popular destination for couples wanting some quality time with their respected other if not for the swarms of varying monsters lurking within the grass, rivers and caves. Despite knowing this, Sabre and Fleurette bravely trekked up the worn path to the summit where they would be able to find the so called answers Fleurette claims it would bring them.

Until they reached their destination though, Fleurette decided to pass away the time striking up a conversation with her new travelling companion- after the threats of monsters had dulled obviously.

"So, are you always this quiet when you are with a girl?" She began soon after the latest skirmish with several orange blobs and fire monsters. "Is there a voice at all in there, Blade?"

Her reply from her travelling companion was a mere raise of one eyebrow as he glanced at her silently asking if she was joking or not.

"But of course I am" She assured him patting him on the arm. "It is just that you are so silent people must think you are a solid ghost or something…Does that not upset you or anything?"

Sabre merely shrugged his shoulders in response which translated to Fleurette as 'it does not trouble me' or something along those lines. He then stared questioningly at her wondering if what had happened back at his house was not a mere fluke or lucky coincidence.

"How can I tell what you are thinking? C'est simple!" Fleurette exclaimed brightly forcing Sabre to stop too curious about finding out how she could read him so easily.

"You see, Blade, while your lips may not be moving as much as some of us would love, your eyes on the other hand are telling me all that they are not" She explained taking his surprised state to step into his personal space as she stared into the two pools of onyx. "They tell me that you are a compassionate man, brave, courageous and never to be on the bad side of…"

By now Fleurette and Sabre's bodies were lightly pressed together, allowing the swordsman to catch a whiff of the girl's alluring perfume among a few other things his mind noted about her.

"And that is just at a glance…" She whispered in his ear. "Who knows what else I might find after a while, non?"

Finally realising the position they were in as well as the flirtatious tone of her voice, Sabre somehow managed to maintain his stoic nature as he stepped away from Fleurette and indicated with a toss of his head that they should press on before the monsters returned. While slightly upset that she had been able to get much of a rise out of him, Fleurette still smiled merrily as she followed after her silent companion- there was always later on, after all.

Continuing on in silence, save the occasional startled cry or blunt appraisal from Fleurette whenever monsters attacked them, the two soon found themselves near the riverside with no other way to go save back the way they came to the nearest fork.

After a few choice words in French, Fleurette looked apologetically at Sabre. "Pardonner moi , Blade. It has been so long since I was last here that I cannot quite remember how I got there last time"

Sabre seemed to be not as surprised as Fleurette about becoming lost. Assuring her that he did not blame her for their predicament, the swordsman walked over to the river's edge and caught sight of what appeared to be a make shift raft further downstream that looked to be intact.

Confirming his suspicions upon reaching the craft, Sabre looked to Fleurette once more this time silently asking her if they should use it to go downstream and see if they could find the way forward from further down.

"Our first date and you take me on a cruise downstream? I did not know you could be such a romantic, mon cher" Fleurette teased as she accepted Sabre's hand to step onto the raft.

She was quick to latch onto Sabre's left arm once casting off and at the mercy of the river and Goddess. Instead of attempting to make her let go, Sabre allowed her to cling to him while positioning his legs so that his weight was evenly balanced on the rocking raft.

Despite the handicap, Sabre was still able to take out the few air born monsters, beaked goblins with wings on their backs and cutlasses in hand, and deftly clip their wings before they could score a hit on him or Fleurette who was doing all she could just to stay on the raft as the sharp corners of the river kept forcing the raft to go near vertical at their increasing speed.

Eventually, the river soon calmed down while the monsters seemed to take the hint and leave them alone…

Or perhaps they had just decided to wait until they had gone over the waterfall up ahead and feast on their carcasses as they drifted lifelessly after the plunge.

"Sacre bleu!" Fleurette gasped upon realising the danger just ahead of them.

With no apparent way of escaping from their predicament, all Fleurette could do was scream as the raft went over the edge of the waterfall and plummeted down into the waters frothy depths far below.

~#~

If anyone were to ask them what had happened, Fleurette was unsure of whether or not she could have told them. Having closed her eyes while tightening her grip on Sabre's arm, she did not see the swordsman raise his sword his with his free arm while pulling the arm she was clasping out of her grip and wrap it tightly round her waist anchoring her more securely to him before bringing his blade down against the rising ground.

The explosion and force of the Master Stroke technique colliding with the pool at the bottom of the waterfall slowed their fall just enough that the two would survive the drop although still leaving them soaked and, in Fleurette's case, shocked at what they had just went through and lived to tell about.

Barely able to make it several steps inland after Sabre let go of her, the former nun collapsed to her knees while her saviour walked on ahead to check out the pathway between the rising cliffs, scouting to see if there were any monsters lying in wait for them, while she caught her breath and regained her strength after her near death experience. In all honesty, Fleurette had thought that that was it for them when they went over. Was it really thanks to Sabre's prowess or did the Goddess have other fates in mind for the two?

Finally recovered enough to move on, Fleurette picked herself up and jogged over to where Sabre was waiting for her at the foot of the mountain path that would take them to the summit, Goddess willing, when what looked like a large, hairy yellow coconut on stubby legs and oversized arms landed before her swinging around a club that could easily kill her in one blow. Luckily for Fleurette, the creature was only able to raise its club above its head before collapsing in a heap after a fatal blow from Sabre's sword.

"Incroyable" She uttered as she stared not only at the one before her but two more that were now mere corpses after falling to Sabre's blade which had just been returned to its sheath. "I am beginning to wonder how I survived the mountain when I was here last"

It was an understandable reaction given the amount of monsters the two had come across since setting foot on the foot of the mountain and, as they continued to climb the mountain pathway, they had added winged chimera creatures to the list to the list of monsters they faced as well as the now familiar assortment of monsters such as fire sprites, rolling, exploding rocks and a bizarre creature that imitated a ship's anchor.

Despite this, Fleurette continued to take whatever chances she could on this trip to coax a word past Sabre's lips.

"So, Blade, is this the only way I shall ever find myself in your arms? Perhaps we should go over waterfalls more often, non?" She teased brushing arms with Sabre as they continued up the pathway.

In reply, Sabre threw Fleurette a look that clearly told her that he was not going to be doing that on a daily basis for her own amusement causing the girl to laugh slightly.

"Do not take everything I say so seriously, Blade. I am just teasing" She told him wishing that her travelling partner did not need to wield a shield also so that his non sword arm could be free for her to take his hand. "Surely, you have heard your parents bicker and tease one another from time to time, non?"

Sabre merely shook his head indicating that either he was never around when his parents bickered, most likely after his father came home late from the tavern drunk as a skunk, or that his mother was rarely around much. It was not that she had passed away during the war against Xiphos or from some natural illness it was just that his mother was like a spirit of the wind, rarely in one place for too often. She still visited from time to time although that all depended on the weather and phase of the moon during the voyage home.

"At least you still have your parents. Mon frère et moi lost ours while we were still young" Fleurette sighed sadly unable to even recall the faces of her mamma and papa.

Seeing as how Fleurette was beginning to close herself off as her reminisces made her all melancholic, Sabre surprised her by suddenly stepping in front of her and bringing a hand up to her face using a finger to lift the corners of her mouth into a smile causing her to laugh slightly as she caught the silent message he was telling her: stay strong and smile.

"Even in cheering girls up you remain silent" She giggled finding it so like Sabre to do something like that and sweet at the same time.

As the two continued up the path to a rope bridge leading to a tunnel that lead further upwards, Goddess willing, Fleurette silently vowed that she would not give up on getting Sabre to talk even if she could not do so here on the mountain.

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After navigating the tunnels and finally finding their way topside, Sabre and Fleurette eventually found themselves near the summit of the mountain only to be greeted by a blanket of fog that covered everything beyond the clearing preventing them from seeing Avalonia and even the mountain situated on the north-eastern side of the island.

"It is strange…I am sure I saw it over on that mountain…" Fleurette muttered trying to recall where she had seen it while trying to peer through the fog at the same time.

Squinting through the fog himself, Sabre could barely make out the outline of the neighbouring mountain before his sixth sense flared in warning making him grab hold of Fleurette and dive to the side as a winged creature suddenly swooped in low where the Lolita was previously standing at a speed that would have knocked her clean over the edge.

"Who are you!?" The creature cackled flapping its wings at a steady pace to remain aloft. "What business have humans here?"

Picking themselves up, Sabre and Fleurette stared up at the winged creature that looked a bizarre cross between a griffon and a garuda. Whatever this creature was, it was intelligent enough to know that remaining airborne would keep it out of Sabre's range.

"Lord Xiphos' demise does not give you the right to roam wherever you please" It cawed before swooping at them again forcing them to duck out of the way once more.

"Who is this foul squawker, a remnant of the Deathbringer's demonic army?" Fleurette cursed as she picked herself up again only to scream as she spotted the remnant swooping down at her again.

Stepping in front of her as he grabbed the handle of his sword, Sabre drew and sliced at the winged creature as it came in close only missing due to the creature veering off to the side upon seeing the naked steel coming down at it.

Undaunted by the fact that it almost lost more than just a few feathers to the sword swinging human, the winged creature tirelessly circled the pair gauging their strengths and making a few dives at them deliberately coming up short so as to avoid the blade of the swordsman easily sensing that he was the more dangerous of the two at this moment in time yet lacked any magical abilities. As for the other one, the blonde female wielding some sort of staff, she seemed more of a magic user probably skilled in healing spells seeing as she had yet to attack making her nothing more than an irritating nuisance than a threat.

Confident in what it had ascertained about the two humans, the envoy of Xiphos swooped off down the side of the mountain leaving Sabre and Fleurette baffled by their foe turning tail and, for all intents and purposes, retreating.

Indeed puzzled by their foe's sudden retreat, Sabre and Fleurette knew they had not seen the last of the winged envoy but were not expecting said creature to return with another monster in its talons. Having already encountered orcs while in the forest at the foot of Mount Arondight, Sabre was easily able to overcome the new foe yet was unable to turn in time to avoid or block the sneak attack the envoy delivered to his back knocking him clean off his feet and almost over the edge of the clearing had he not caught himself in time.

"Scuttle back to whence you came!" The envoy squawked as it swooped off to find another monster to distract the swordsman allowing Fleurette time to heal Sabre's injury as he pulled himself to his feet again.

With a rough grasp of his foe's strategy, Sabre was more than ready for the winged envoy when it returned with another creature in its talons. Making swift work of the extra monster, the swordsman began spinning his blade in circles above his head as he turned to face the envoy as it swooped in for another attack of its own. Taking the brunt of the attack with his shield, Sabre brought his lightning charged sword down upon the envoy's head dealing a fatal blow that sent it spiralling down the mountain top more likely to already be dead before its body crashed far down below.

That was not to say that the monster's slayer was not injured in their final conflict. Despite blocking the attack, Sabre's shield arm was nearly knocked clean from its joint from the blow and was still reeling slightly from the first blow he had taken from the envoy. Fortunately for him, his travelling partner was skilled in the art of magical healing and was swiftly at his side healing his injuries while mental speculating over how fearsome the remaining monsters were in the world despite the fall of their master.

Thank you Sabre's eyes relayed to his healer even breaking his stoic mask to smile slightly at her to which Fleurette shook her head as the two got to their feet.

"It is I who should be thanking you, Blade, without you, I could not have faced him" Fleurette confessed smiling back at him close enough to wrap her arms around his neck before her eyes lit up. "Ah! Oui! It was over there!"

Reluctantly leaving the swordsman's space, Fleurette suddenly darted off towards the edge of the clearing not even caring if the slight wind she kicked up in her dash played with her skirt nearly giving Sabre a teasing glimpse of what the light fabric covered as he followed behind her in confusion.

"Look! You see the mountain?" Fleurette asked excitedly pointing at the outline of the neighbouring mountain. "If you look at the side of it…"

Her voice faded out as she realised that, in this fog, only a vague outline of the mountain could be depicted and nothing more. Disheartened, Fleurette was about to give up on ever finding it again when, as if by the Goddess' intervention Herself, the sun seemed to intensify its rays and permeate the fog dispelling it and allowing the two travellers to see the mountain in its entirety.

"Voila! This is just how it happened when I was younger. Do you see it, the carving?" Fleurette asked pointing at a smoothed portion of the mountain which could now easily be depicted now that the fog had cleared.

Even from where he stood, Sabre could easily make out three people- a knight, mage and priestess- standing bravely against a larger creature that could only be recognised as Xiphos, the Deathbringer.

"Before, I was too young to comprehend the meaning of it. But now I see- it depicts a battle against the Deathbringer" Fleurette explained to Sabre. "It seems that Xiphos attacked humanity long before our time. And the people who defeated them then, they carved this scene"

Unsurprisingly, Sabre said nothing as he took this in. Yet she knew he was now wondering what she was also pondering: If Xiphos was defeated before, was he going to return once more sometime in the future regardless of how near or far?

As shocking as that was, it was obsolete compared to what the swordsman discovered next with the Lolita's aid.

"Look at the mask the Deathbringer is wearing, is it not familiar?"

Now that Fleurette mentioned it, upon truly gazing at the face of the Deathbringer, Sabre could have sworn he had seen that very mask just recently barely seconds after meeting up with the girl beside him- it was practically a replica of the mask Her Majesty the Queen was wearing!

Did this mean that the Queen was under the spell of the Deathbringer? Even if she were not possessed, why would she don such a headpiece to visit Fleurette's brother who had aided in the monstrosity's defeat five years ago to the day?

"Ma Deesse! We have to do something! The people of Avalonia know nothing of this!" Fleurette swore coming to the same conclusion as Sabre.

With those thoughts in mind, Sabre paid little attention to Fleurette's hand clasping hold of the hand of his sword arm as the two raced back the way they came towards the kingdom.

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Review if possible & until next time

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