A Frozen Road
Another stab from her rapier and the air manta grew still.
It had done well in accompanying her in the last few weeks, but Esdeath had decided that she will remain anonymous until reaching the Capital to avoid the hassle of meeting the Revolutionary Army. Riding in on an air manta is far too ostentatious for her goal, and so she will have to walk on foot until she finds a more discreet method of travel. She will reappear with an iron fist and subdue it thoroughly. She has confidence in her skills, both as a warrior and as a leader, but if she were to face off the Revolutionary Army without a Teigu, it would be wise to have surprise on her side.
Esdeath looked far from the clean cut general she used to be. Where she wore tight fitting military uniforms with the top buttons undone, she is now clothed with an unassuming bearskin jacket under her boarskin cloak. Where she once had flowing blue hair, there are only short, trimmed locks. She smiled. This was the way the Partas clan lived in the north - wild and untamed. It felt good to experience the feeling of nostalgia her feral apparel brought her. It was the feeling of..
Home.
Esdeath quickly and methodically gouged out the air manta's eyes. They are the size of cannonballs and could be sold for a great price. As much as she loathed dealing in money, a form of currency she never had to bother herself with for most of her career, she must gain money in an inconspicuous way to avoid attention. Towns closer to the capital should have their own black markets - the only problem is how to find them.
She set off with a brisk pace.
Even when walking, Esdeath trains her observation skills. Long months in the Capital had earned her the ability to read people, but as a consequence her ability to assess the wild had suffered. She realized that when the thirteen bandits from three nights past had managed to get so close to her. During her travels across the Empire she would have sensed their presence coming from a hundred paces away, not a dozen.
She took in the gloomy forest of the twilight dark, monitoring every speck of light descending from the jungle canopy for movement. Animals were few and far in between, minor danger beasts flee the moment they sensed killer intent and the trees remain cold and aloof to the lone traveller traipsing through their world.
Her rapier training was especially brutal that night. She continued to practice until every hit was a culmination of perfection and accuracy, until every swing is certain to bring death and every stab is buried in the heart of her imaginary opponents. Teigu or not, she is the Capital's Strongest; a warrior without mercy nor flaw.
Her blade sang a sonata of steel and prowess until the break of dawn.
Two days later, she arrived upon a worn gravel road.
It seems to be part of the highway trading system the Empire used to maintain during its golden age hundreds of years ago. Trade routes were locked in most of the outer rims of the Empire - there is no profit to be made when wild tribes and unruly mercenaries might attack at any moment. It was a tremendous blow to Capital economy. Their influence used to extend this far south, bringing in quarries and minerals from the Dasten mountains to the capital to be used for construction, but in the wake of the Revolutionary Army's rise such commercial happenings are long gone.
A commotion before her served to overturn that conclusion.
She halted and watched.
It was a small convoy of three caravans carrying several tons of mining ore. One of the vehicles were stuck in a pothole and a group of men were trying to push it out and into the road once again. It was evident that their efforts were in vain - the gravel ditch are impossible to clear out without mining equipment and the wheel is in too deep to be unscrewed and replaced.
Regardless, the quarry convoy marks the first few steps to the region's recovery from rebellion.
As much as she despises the Revolutionary Army's idealistic fools, she had to admit that it was impressive work to return the economic flow to this region of the empire in less than two months.
It was also something she would change the moment she returns to the Capital. She thrives too much on war on conflict to have peace get in her way.
That aside, none of the caravan's men seemed to have notice her yet. They were too preoccupied with freeing their cart to notice her, so she walked closer.
One of the men gave up trying to pull and threw his hands into the air in exasperation.
"This is impossible!"
"Well, I guess we'll have to leave it for the next caravan to take over." another said.
"It's a pity, though. We need to deliver- Hey, look!" a raven haired man exclaimed. He pointed to a silent woman standing still in the middle of the road, scrutinizing their group.
"Good evening!" He greeted her. Esdeath moved back involuntarily. She was not used to such warm welcomes. Everyone knew who she was, what she had done, what she is capable of. These peasants does not seem to recognize her at all.
"Hello." she said curtly. "You seem to be having a problem."
"Yeah, old Bessie here can't pull the her up." the man said, scratching his head. Esdeath frowned. The cow pulling the cart looks so old it should have been put down years ago. Her tribe would not never employ such an ancient and unwieldy animal to bear the burden of their valuables. That's simply asking for trouble.
"Manners, Garren!" another man said. He appears to be his twin.
"Oh- Right- I'm sorry." the chastised man stuttered. "My name's Garren, and these grinning idiots over here are Bannen, Skiv and Tomas."
"Why would you use such an old cow for such a heavy wagon?" Esdeath inquired.
"Bessie's all we have, Lady." Gannen said with a tone that made it seem like he took offense for the old cow's sake. "We're not exactly rich people."
"Hey, watch it!" Bannen hissed, elbowing Gannen in the side "You're talking to a lady!".
"I know what I'm doing!" Gannen countered.
"You just want to get in her pants!" Bannen accused.
"And you don't?" Gannen replied shamelessly.
They continued bickering and Esdeath suppressed an overwhelming desire to skin them alive.
A handsome young man walked up to her and offered his hand.
"Sorry about that - they're always like that. Brotherly affection and all that. I'm Tomas. Pleased to meet you!" he grinned. But when she saw into his calculating eyes, it was evident that the smile was forced. His sickening smile is similar to that of the prime minister's - the smile of a man who understood the nature of the world and will not hesitate to use others for their own good.
She did not take his hand, but the young man did not seem offended at the least. He shrugged his shoulders. "Caution. I respect that. If I may ask, why is a beautiful young lady such as you walking down the southern highway alone? These are bad times. It's not safe."
"I am perfectly capable of taking care of myself." Esdeath said, raising part of her cloak, revealing a glimpse of her rapier. "And flattery will get you nowhere."
"If you say so." Tomas conceded. "May I offer you a place in our convoy? It's not much, but it's faster and far better than travelling alone. Besides, I'm sure you can use some.. company."
He smiled suggestively.
Interesting. He is similar to her - they know exactly how good they look and uses their charm to get what they want. An admirable and useful trait in this deceptive Empire. It would be enjoyable to experience further conversations with this person.
Esdeath considered her options. If she were to decline, she would have to wait further to acquire a decent mount to herself. Taking into account the shoddy local economy, she won't be able to find a good ride until a few more weeks' worth of travelling. If she were to decline, she will no longer have any need to hunt and the length of her journey would certainly be shorter.
Besides, it would be an interesting experience, blending in with these peasants. Her father had taught her that knowledge and experience, used in the right way, can be as deadly was a blade or an arrow. A good huntress understands how her prey sees the world, and therefore how to catch it.
"Very well." Esdeath said. "I accept."
Tomas smiled again and moved to turn away but gasped as he found himself staring at the tip of her rapier. The rest of his companions stopped bickering and looked on in horror. Esdeath grabbed him by the scruff of his shirt and brought his face within mere inches of hers.
"But if you try anything," She flashed him another dazzling smile. Two can play such games, after all. "I'll feed your genitals to your cow."
Tomas gulped and nodded, his calm countenance shattered to pieces.
"Good." she said simply. She sheathed her rapier and the tension in the air lowered significantly, though the threat was still present. She started to walk towards the caravans but realized that everyone was still frozen on the spot.
"Don't worry, I have no intentions of any killing you." she assured them. She came close to Tomas's ear and whispered, "..yet."
"Uh, r-right." he stuttered.
Esdeath shifted her attention to the problematic caravan stuck in the pothole.
"Now.. You were having problems with this caravan, yes?"
They were still too shell-shocked to answer.
She placed her hands on the back of the cart and freed the trapped vehicle with one swift move.
Esdeath looked back to her newfound companions to find them staring at her, mouths agape.
She faked a frown.
"Is there something on my face?"
"N-Nothing." Garren said, looking at her warily. "Let's uh, get going."
They moved to their own carts, flashing peculiar glances at her every other moment or so. Tomas extended his hand to her once again, albeit hesitantly, to help her on his cart.
"There is no need." she said, leaping gracefully on the empty seat beside him. She could literally feel his anxiety exude from his body, which was breaking out in cold sweat. He glanced at her nervously.
Esdeath gave him a seductive smile and leaned closer to him.
He visibly cringed.
Excellent. She had not lost her touch after all. Out of all the methods she employed during her travels, sensual intimidation was her favorite.
The caravan continued on its merry way down the highway with the addition of one sadistic general behind its wheels.
The next few days brought a confusing set of experiences for Esdeath. She had lived her life as a lone wolf. The most social she ever had to be was when she was leading an army and, later on, the Jaegers. The most talking she would ever do is when she riled up her men for an upcoming battle.
All of her newfound companions seemed to have gotten over her impromptu death threat, with the exception of Tomas. He would shiver involuntarily whenever she got close, which delighted Esdeath immensely. There are many ways to torture a person that does not require breaking to skin. She would lean on him, allow the occasional touch and smile until he lowered his guard enough for her rapier to slice a thin red line on his arm.
He told Gannen to take over his cart and hid in the cargo for the rest of the day.
Despite the twins' constant bickering, Skiv never saying a single word and Tomas's cold shoulder (if she had her Teigu, she would make that a literal statement), she enjoyed travelling with the four miners. They remain relatively uneasy around her, but after a few nights filled with ale and slurred talking they grew used to her icy presence. In fact, their various scrapes, trash talk and rough insults reminded her of her childhood days in the Plains, listening to her fellow hunters' banter. They'd challenge each other to killing ridiculously powerful danger beasts alone, belittle the size of each others' manhoods, and generally tarnishing the idea of common sense.
One of those moments came when the twins played an absurd game of daring each other into doing idiotic things.
"Hey Gannen, I dare you to shove some rocks in a Treebeast's mouth!"
The following spectacle resulted in bouts of hilarious, gut-clenching laughter, a broken finger and intense swearing in a diverse spectrum of languages. They reminded her why evolution must continue - the weak and the brainless will eventually be eliminated to make way for the strong and the intelligent. Though her philosophy remains unchanged, she admitted that their antics were amusing, if nothing else.
Each night she would leave the camp to practice her swordsmanship. It was the one routine Esdeath would not allow herself to become complacent with. She would also review her knowledge of all known Teigu and considered possible replacements to her Demon's Extract. It was also then that she felt a slight twinge of regret for drinking the entire chalice.
On the sixth day they arrived upon a minor southern village, where Bannen and Gannen immediately started to unload their cargo. It was time for them to part ways, and even though there were instances that Esdeath nearly ripped apart the twins by their throats, she felt a slight degree of loss when they left to return the caravans to the quarries. Tomas and Skiv remained in the village to oversee the
It was a poor village in the middle of the mountains, simple and unassuming. She did not waste time and headed straight to the Elder's hut.
"Good evening, young Lady! Welcome to our village." he greeted her, putting down what seems to be tax paperwork on an old wooden table. "How may I help you?"
"I need a map of the region." she said. "I also need a whetstone."
"The whetstone is an easy matter, but I'm afraid we don't have an official map of sorts. If you would wait a few hours I can have it drawn for you."
"That would be fine."
"There's a traveller's hut a hundred paces down the main path. I'm afraid we don't have much to offer," the Elder gestured at his humble abode, "but we do have food and supplies with which you can refresh yourself with."
"Excellent. I will leave you to your duties, then." Esdeath nodded curtly.
Intelligent, diligent and well-spoken.
He could do better with being a magistrate, she thought, walking down the snowy village path. Despite the village's relative proximity to the equator, its altitude warranted heavy snowfall. Most of the trees were dead, but even though living conditions looked grim, she was surprised to find most of the villagers looked relatively content.
Ignorance is bliss, indeed. Only fools would be satisfied with-
Youthful laughter stopped her train of thoughts and returned her to reality. She diverted her attention to a merry group coming down a forest trail.
It was three teenagers, walking side by side. Each of them were carrying a sack of produce. What set them apart from the other villagers was the assortment of weapons they had behind their backs. A messy haired boy with a headband around his head was playfully swinging his battle axe, and a girl with a bow and arrow strapped to her back seemed to be chastising him, telling him to stop.
But when she saw the third member of the trio, everything else in the world faded away. There was no sound, no sight, except for the familiar figure standing before her.
Those soft, brown locks of hair.
Haunting emerald eyes.
A bright, mesmerizing smile.
Tatsumi?
A/N: And thus a plot appears!
If you haven't noticed, Esdeath have yet to realize that she not only managed to change locations, but change time as well.
Once again, I'm worried whether or not I'm taking Esdeath out of character. Please tell me about any spelling errors you may find. Either by review or private messaging I appreciate corrections very much. Oh, and review! I'm interested to know what you think about this approach into the story.
Special thanks to ilidio for being an awesome reviewer.
Have a good day!
-Deathwhisperer.